#hes so silly i wanna hold him in my hands like a ladybug

[snakes-on-skates]

the cipherrrrrrr

+ the color palette incase someone might want it ig idk

[uriwoos2]

bnd as my favorite insects ! .⊹˚ ꒰͡ ͜ ི༏ ͜ ྀ͡꒱ˎˊ˗

does this count as headcanons? idk. anyway this is something I decided to do cuz I'm quite literally obsessed w insects of any kind (esp these ones) and also bcuz I currently lack any motivation to write :'( so here it is! <3 warnings: pictures and descriptions of insects. word count: 1.4k

disclaimer! … these insects are mostly uncommon and usually not perceived as cute bugs, unlike ladybugs and bumblebees and such. so note that they might not appeal to everyone, but I love and find them beautiful and adorable, hence why I decided to match them w bnd ! <3 also pls do let me know how u feel about these kinds of "headcanons" ^^ <3 hope you enjoy ! ♡ . . . @onedoornet

sungho ʚïɞ archispirostreptus gigas

— giant african millipede !

𐚁๋࣭⭑ the gentle giant! <3 these long boys have up to 300–400 little feet! the slow moving cuties are nocturnal and can be found minding their own business on the damp floor of the african rainforests. they love warm, dark places where they can curl up and hide easily. when it comes to defense, they aren't venomous and don't bite, instead they use their strong exoskeleton, that kind of acts like a body armor, to coil up into a ball and protect their softer belly. if this method doesn't work they might secrete a chemical concoction that deters all their predators. the coolest thing to me, is how each time they shed they add a single body segment, and four extra legs! ✩

𐚁๋࣭⭑ I think they remind me of sungho because of their overall vibe and temperament. millipedes have a strong, non-threatening exterior, just like sungho hehe. and they're just adorable little big boys <3 they mind their own business and do their job quietly and diligently! also the name gentle giant is so closely related to sungho that I can't help but match him with these guys! <3 I don't think there's anything else.. but thinking abt the resemblance between sungho and african millipedes makes me wanna cry... ( ᴗ ̫ ᴗ )♡ it's just so very cute please :((( <3

riwoo ʚïɞ phidippus regius

— regal jumping spider !

𐚁๋࣭⭑ the most prominent features of these spiders are their small bodies and sets of large black eyes that give them the cutest appearance <3 they have blueish–green jaws and three spots on their abdomen which resembles a smiling face! ^^ these little guys favour tropical regions and are mostly found in southeastern united states. jumping spiders do make nets but don't actually use them to hunt! they won't wait around for the prey to land on their webbing, but instead they will go seek them out themselves !! they are also venomous, and use it to hunt, or when they're feeling threatened. and of course, they love to jump! this useful skill comes in handy when hunting as well! they use a line of their silk as a tether, as it stabilizes their jumps and gives them direction. they have amazing eyesight and hearing! and the cutest thing of all, is that they dance to attract mates, the way that they sway their tiny bodies and wriggle their legs is the most adorable thing :( <3

𐚁๋࣭⭑ now why do these spideys remind me of sanghyeok? just like him, they're kinda small (hehe) but make up for it by being very flexible and active! ◟꒰◍ ´꒳` ◍꒱◞ they're super daring and very very courageous! they're both dancers and just silly little cuties, with beautiful eyes and I just can't help but melt at the sight of them :( their tiny jumps and cute dances remind me of riwoo especially when he's being silly >< it's the cutest thing <//3 and I can most definitely hold both riwoo and jumping spideys in the palm of my hand ^^ my tiny babies <3

jaehyun ʚïɞ allomyrina dichotoma

— kabutomushi or japanese rhinoceros beetle !

𐚁๋࣭⭑ "mushi" is japanese for insect, and "kabuto" - for helmet. the name directly refers to the samurai helmet, which just makes them super badass in my opinion! :D I love adore all stag beetles but these ones are super special to me, because of their unique Y shaped horns! it looks so so cool :( fun fact, this horn is used by males to lift other males off the ground and throw them into the air 😭😭 they're nocturnal and can be found in subtropical and tropical regions in eastern asia. kabutomushi are super popular in japanese culture, and have been a source of inspiration for lots and lots of things, like characters in media, advertisements and so on. they are not venomous and don't bite, but they will often engage in fights with e/o, as they are fierce and unbelievably strong!

𐚁๋࣭⭑ now why does jaehyun get the beetles. hmm.. I think he just gives me this vibe of being super tough and resilient and that's how these guys also tend to be! they're really firm and feisty, just like him! hehe. ૮ • ﻌ - ა myungjae definitely is the type to be super competitive and courageous! I admire these qualities in him, as they make him shine even brighter >< additionally, he is a very reliable leader, who I'm sure, is quite the inspiration for the rest of the members, someone who they look to for strength and encouragement! so yeah! myungjae kabutomushi confirmed !! <33

taesan ʚïɞ poecilotheria metallica

— gooty sapphire tarantula !

𐚁๋࣭⭑ my most beloved emo spideys are sadly critically endangered :( they're native to a small area in southeast india and are tree-dwelling in nature. their bright blue color helps with camouflaging among the leaves. these tarantulas require specific conditions in which they thrive and feel comfortable, as they're highly light-sensitive and prefer to live in humid places. they're not very territorial, and tend to be semisocial or solitary! they're super skittish and tend to get aggressive when they feel threatened. fun fact! they don't have the typical defense mechanism that other tarantulas possess, which is the urticating hairs, which makes them the most vulnerable tarantula species. however, they make up for this shortcoming by being super super fast!! and prefer to flee rather than bite, even though they're venomous.

𐚁๋࣭⭑ the reason I matched this spidey with dongmin is bcuz they're both emo in appearance (lol) and they love doing their thing in their own little space. they're both super quiet, peaceful and like to keep to themselves. and another reason, is that they're both just so unique! ૮₍˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶₎ა♡ and true to themselves! these tarantulas are unlike any other spider and I feel like that's how taesan also is, a super special and authentic person <3 I love these spiders and giant mountain with my whole entire heart !! <3

leehan ʚïɞ hymenopus coronatus

— orchid mantis !

𐚁๋࣭⭑ this beautiful dainty insect is also known as a living flower. their beautiful appearance doesn't only serve the purpose of being pretty, but it actually is a hunting strategy! this is called aggressive mimicry, when the insects blend in with the food they consume or their habitat, as they wait for prey. these mantises pretend to be flowers, their primary food source, which also successfully camouflages them from predators! they're quite rare and can only be found in southeast asian tropical forests. fun fact! hehe. their flower "cosplays" are so convincing that they tend to attract lots of bees ^^ despite their small size, they're one of the best predators, able to hunt prey that's much larger than them (including frogs and birds!!) they also bite, although they're not venomous.

𐚁๋࣭⭑ they are calm, patient insects that use their assets to their full potential in order to achieve their goals. very much like ihan if you ask me!! hehe >< I think the dainty, and delicate appearance of the mantis matches him so so well. and pairing that with their calm temperament and behaviour, it just fits perfectly! leehan isn't one to be startled easily or to overreact, he's pretty chill for the most part and is one of the most charming people I've ever seen! (୨୧ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) I think that sums it up quite well ! (although the fact that these insects are known as living flowers was reason enough for me to match them w ihan ^^)

woonhak ʚïɞ Phyllium siccifolium

— leaf insect !

𐚁๋࣭⭑ masters of camouflage! its appearance is honestly impeccable in replicating a leaf. they can be found in the tropical and subtropical climates, in several countries of asia. fun adorable fact! the newly hatched nymphs are reddish–brown and only become green after feeding on some leaves! how cute >< their leaf mimicry is so intricate, that sometimes they can have dark spots that resemble disease or damage! and the cutest thing is that they sway from side to side, to copy a leaf's movement in the wind. they're the biggest form of walking leaf and most of all, they're able to regenerate!! they are quite calm and docile, and move sluggishly, not to attract any predators. they remain still for the most part and tend to be solitary.

𐚁๋࣭⭑ I matched this cute insect to woonhak bcuz... idk I think it's just very adorable–looking overall and just gives me unagi vibes hehe^^ he's a cutie and the leaf bugs are also cuties, that's quite reasonable imo!! their bright appearance is super nice to look at and resembles how bright and lovely this baby is! (˃ ⌑ ˂ഃ ) ˎˊ˗ but also, my thought while matching him to these bugs was that he's very versatile and just easily adopts any and every concept, almost entirely flawlessly! he's just such a talented lil guy! leaf insects and woonhak are real good at flawlessly immersing themselves in a theme! and they're both just such cutie pies, ok? <3

[princess-of-the-corner]

So I was ranting to my mother about ML and how I hate Chat's lack of importance in the narrative and how he constantly gets sidelined, and after going into the details, she joked that Chat is Ladybug's sidekick.

Which got me thinking (always a dangerous affair). How WOULD things change if this wasn't pitched as an equal partnership? If Chat was purposefully given the sidekick label by the narrative and the characters? For argument's sake, let's say that Marinette had some more direct training from Fu before he sent her loose with the miraculous, but Adrien wasn't Discovered TM until after that time period, so Mari is more experienced and also still has more important powers.

I don't think Chat would feel as much resentment about being edged out and not trusted with secrets, because that's not his job anymore. He'd still be a bit salty about being lowkey replaced by the other temps, but nowhere near as much.

But I also think it might make him take more initiative to prove he can be trusted to do and know shit. Nobody, including him, holds the assumption that he's entitled to the same responsibilities and knowledge, so he might be more active and deliberate in showing Ladybug that she can lean on him. It'd encourage more open communication and responsibility from him, but I think it might also make him kind of reckless and desperate by constantly throwing himself at problems before anybody else gets a chance.

I feel like that may take pressure off Ladybug too. Whenever Chat starts to goof off, I don't think she'd feel as put out or upset about it, because it's not immaturity from someone who's supposed to be putting in as much legwork as her, it's someone she's supposed to be mentoring, so I think she'd treat it more like when Alya or Nino do something silly and dumb. Still "Not the Time or Place," but a lot less "You Should Know Better" happening.

It'd probably change the lovesquare up a little bit too. Not by much, since Chat is functionally her sidekick in canon, but it would add a few more parallels between Gabe and Nathalie, which could be fun. I also think that her being his outright teacher would take Chat's idolizing of Ladybug and crank it up to 10, which would kind of put him on par with how Marinette feels about Adrien in the earlier seasons (they both over-idealize each other in canon, but I think Marinette is probably worse about it).

In general, I think an acknowledgement of that dynamic between them might make their relationship less. . .tense, for lack of a better word. Just. A lot of miscommunication and shit might be cleared up if the two of them had different expectations for each other and themselves in the LadyNoir context.

I also think it might open avenues for Chat to do Fun 60s-Robin-Style Sidekick Shenanigans, which would be VERY entertaining, and it would DEFINITELY change up the tones of the New York special and how they interact with UV and Sparrow.

Idk, just interesting thoughts I had after subjecting my mother to my sleep deprived rambling.

So I do wanna address at first like.

This might just be how it's worded, but it makes it sound like Chat only feels /entitled/ to knowing secrets because he's there while doing nothing to prove himself, and also that him 'goofing off' is a constant problem.

Which is quite the opposite. Chat is putting in just as much effort as Ladybug, he's just given the short end of the stick because...... literally no in-universe reason. Like I've seen some people argue 'it's because Mari turned in the Grimoire to Fu while Adrien didn't', but Adrien took the book and was gonna bring it to Ladybug's attention, he didn't know about Fu. Hell, Mari didn't know about Fu at that point! Tikki told her! For some reason Plagg didn't tell Adrien.

He's even stepped up and asked 'hey please give me more responsibility, even if it's something 'minor'!'. Like offering to help Ladybug hand out and recover the Miraculous from the various temps he knows the identities of. He's just shut down and called a hindrance who would fuck it up.

Meanwhile Chat goofing around rarely causes problems. It /can/ of course, but it rarely does. Usually Chat is able to be both silly and effective, and when his silly nature does cause problems he typically backs off and reorients into focus mode.

But also this really highlights how it's so dissonant in the narrative. Chat is sidelined not because there's any in-universe reason for him to be sidelined, but because the writers want to sideline him

Anyway:

While I think some of Adrichat's frustration would be lessened if he was a 'sidekick' character in the first place, I think there'd be less changes and more just a re-contextualizing of the actions. Instead of 'Hey I'm supposed to be your partner but you're treating me like a sidekick(at best)', it's more 'I know I started as your sidekick but I think I've done enough that I should be respected as a long-term teammate who's been here for nearly every fight over the people who have been in less than i can count on one hand'.

[sunshinemunchkin]

Bugs

pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

summary: bucky doesn’t mind the strange questions you ask him, so long as he gets to spend time with you.

warnings: just fluff, use of italics, talk about bugs

word count: 636

a/n: happy birthday james buck!! :) ily so so much bubba.

>>>>

“would you still love me if i were a bug?”

bucky looked over to where you laid next to him. your hair splayed out around you, blanket drawn up to cover your legs, protecting you from the cool summer breeze. you turned over to face the man with the most serious, yet sweet, look on your face.

"what?" he didn't know what else to say. his brain backfiring, as it often did when he was with you. everything took a minute to catch up because he was busy pondering the thought of how lucky he was to be with you. free and at peace.

“would you, still love me. if i were a bug?” you emphasized each word. bucky simply raised his eyebrows at your statement.

sighing deeply and shutting his eyes at your antics. “babe. you’re not a bug.” he will never understand your strange modern questions that you find out about from the internet.

is water wet?

do dogs have sexualities?

and now this one.

“yes, i know. but would you still love me if i were one?” bucky decided to cave. not saying anything about the nature of the question and rather just answering your question in all its silliness.

laying back on the blanket you two were on, the light wind whipping his hair around and forcing you to snuggle closer to him. bucky rested his arm around you and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. “well,” he paused, appreciating the moment you two were in, “that all depends on the kind of bug you were.”

joy surged through your veins at his compliance. you look up at him and taking a minute to admire the blue in his eyes. the soft pink of his lips as they turned up in wonder at the topic at hand.

“i don’t know. maybe a ladybug? or a butterfly.” you said. bucky didn’t even know why you brought the question up- truthfully, he didn’t wanna know the origin- you hated bugs.

any critter or creature that crawled or flew near you, sent you into his arms cowering and trying to dramatically avoid the small insect. it was cute, bucky thought, how you found shelter in his arms as you knew he would hold you and shoo the bug away from you, saying, ‘go on beetle. get away from my girl.’

“in that case, yes. ladybugs are nice. i would put you on my head and let you crawl around up there. butterfly? maybe i’ll let you fly near me so i look like a real live snow white.” you laughed loudly at his comparison.

“snow white rather than white wolf?” you asked, bucky just hummed, kissing your head once more as you two listened to the sway of the trees next to you. the moving of the leaves and how they whispered about your love.

like always, bucky had to reiterate the question. wanting to know your thoughts about him in that situation. “what about me? would you still love me?” he asks this question in the same sense of when he's worrying about if unlikely chance that he turn into the winter soldier again. to which you always say that you would never leave him in that moment of need.

you didn’t even hesitate, not moving from your spot against bucky’s strong chest. “no, absolutely not. you know me. i wouldn’t even think twice and try to squish you.” bucky laughed at that this time, his chuckle hearty and free.

and with another two smooches against your face, you both laid there in the grass, the summer sun hitting your skin perfectly. talking aimlessly and asking stupid questions that neither bucky or you would mind answering. so long as it meant that you two would stay here for all of eternity.

[xhanisai]

What if after the lovesquare reveal and before they start dating, Adrien is 3000x more flirty and affectionate with Marinette???

- The only reason they don’t date right away is because Marinette forgets to confess her feelings for him and accidentally friendzones him for the umpteenth time. So Adrien makes it a mission to woo her.

- He’d greet Marinette with a HUGE bear hug every time he sees her and kiss her cheeks, so much happiness radiating from him that Alya swears she gets blinded by him. 

- He always needs to be in some sort of physical contact with her; whether it’s holding her hand, looping their elbows together, an arm around her waist or even clinging onto her like the stupidly in love kitten he is.

- He would send her funny memes and videos all the time, his heart turning to goo every time he makes her smile or laugh.

- Boy loves doing a kabedon. An absolute weeb. Though, 99% of the outcome is Marinette squishing his cheeks out of annoyance.

- As Chat Noir, the hand kisses with Ladybug increases by tenfolds (as impossible it may seem~). 

- Their dynamic is still full of banter and teasing, but it’s also so much more stronger and loving, especially with him dropping more heartfelt lines:

“I’m doing much better now that you’re here, Marinette,”

“I’m not as embarassed when I get to hear you laugh like that, My Lady,”

“Just staying by your side is more than enough for me, ma Princesse,”

- Though, as sweet as he can be, he’s also using all the seducing techniques he could think of so that Marinette will finally kiss him senseless~ >:D ESPECIALLY WHEN HE FINDS OUT THAT THEIR FEELINGS ARE MUTUAL >:DDDDD (cheers Alya and Nino)

- He’d give her that mischievous look whenever she’s a bit flustered around him and say things like:

“If you keep acting like that around me, I wouldn’t be able to resist...”

“You want me to shut up and stop teasing you? There is a way to do that, Marinette~”

“That shade of lip-gloss looks good on you. But, I think it would look just as good on me~ ;)”

“Apparently being kissed on the neck feels good. Wanna try~? ,’:D”

“Think about us having children together often, Buguinette~?”

- The lads in the class are always subjected to Adrien waxing poetry about Marinette. Sometimes they help him out in trying to get together with her. All their shenanigans ends up in a huge disaster because come on, Adrien is the host of the power of destruction.

- Whenever someone points out how much of a cute couple Adrien and Marinette are, instead of telling them that they aren’t dating, the stupid cat would always say things like:

“I know right~?”

“Oh you got my poor girlfriend all flustered~~~”

“Marinette? My girlfriend? Nah, she’s just my wife~ :))))”

- He absolutely loooooves teasing her. Whether it be poking her about her height, pulling funny faces when he wants her attention and even getting her all blushy~ UwU

“If you don’t want me resting my arms over your head then don’t be short, simple~ :)”

“Ma-aaaaaa-riiiiiii-neeeeete ;A; Stop overworking yourself and cuddle with me! <3333″

“Why stay after school to do class president stuff when we can go on a date~???”

“Of course I’d bring your favourite coffee over~ I. Love. You. <3333″

“What do you mean I have to stop sneaking up on you? That’s no fun ;-;”

“Oho? Inviting me, a boy, to your room~? Just the two of us? How scandalous, I love it~”

“You’ve been eyeing that wedding dress quite a lot. How about it, let’s runaway and get married? :)))”

“Telling me to stop teasing you is like telling Plagg to stop eating cheese,”

“Oh? Buguinette, I’m confused on this magazine’s quiz. It’s saying how did my first kiss go. Do I put down that time you kissed the evil out of me when Kim was akumatised as Dislocoeur? Or when we got hit by Oblivio? Or when you landed one on me when I was pretending to be a statue- WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DON’T COUNT!? OF COURSE THEY DO.”

- Since he’s over at the Dupain-Cheng’s residence regularly, along with Alya and Nino, they often help out in the bakery. Whenever Adrien’s working at the till, a lot of customers ask what he’s doing working at the bakery. Everyone (whilst Marinette’s too busy blushing in the corner) responds proudly that he’s the future son-in-law.

- As we know, personal space doesn’t exist for Adrien. Marinette has a fever? He’ll get up in her face and lean his forehead against hers to check. Marinette accidentally hurt herself? He’ll be an absolute worrywart, checking her all over and babbling if she’s okay. Adrien is tired and sleepy? Too bad for Marinette, she’s his pillow now.

“A-Adrien- I’m fine. You don’t need to check my temperature like that-”

“But you’re all red in the face, ma Princesse-”

“That’s cos you’re too close!”

- Finally, Marinette musters up all her courage and kisses him silly. Literally as soon as he pulls a subtle kabedon on her, she grabs him by the shirt and SMOOCHES.

- i have so many more ideas for this but alas, this post is already too long u_u

[buckysbbyy]

no more toads.

pairings: daddy!bucky x little!reader

synopsis: you show bucky the toad you found outside, and he doesn’t like it very much

warnings: dd/lg relationship/dynamics, reader in littlespace, there's a toad, fluff.

word count: 974

a/n: so I found a baby toad tonight and I showed my bucky nonnie and he said it was icky, which prompted me to write a little fic about it. I wrote this really quickly before bed so sorry if its not the best! ALSO THANK YOU to everyone who’s been liking/reading/sharing my fics! It means so much! I’m currently working on a part 2 to “here, stevie”. I’m not entirely sure when it’ll be done but it should be soon! Thank you guys again!

-

Bucky is humming to himself, making turkey sandwiches for the two of you for lunch. He can see you from the kitchen window, playing outside near the garden. Your oversized t-shirt and shorts have some dirt on them from playing, but it’s okay, that’s why Bucky had you change into your “play clothes” before going outside. You loved looking around for little creatures outside. Lizards, ladybugs, rolley-pollies, butterflies, you name it. Bucky loved the way you adored all animals, but he couldn’t bring himself to love the insects like you did. Something about some of those critters just creeped him out.

He had just finished the sandwiches and was reaching for the baby carrots (you loved to eat them with ranch) when he heard you running inside.

“DADDY LOOK!!”

Bucky turned quickly, scared you were hurt, but instead saw you smiling and giggling, holding a- is that a frog?!

“Daddy I found a toad!! Lookie he’s so smallncute he’s just a baby! Look, daddy!”

You were rambling on, getting closer to Bucky with the toad in your hand. Bucky stands still, not wanting to back away from you but definitely not wanting to get any closer either.

“I see, baby! I can see it from here, thank you, sweetness.” Bucky smiles sweetly at you, trying not to crush your spirits, but he really doesn’t want the critter any closer to him.

“Wanna hold him daddy? He’s weally nice look! He don’t bite!”

You step closer to your daddy, your hand outreached for him to take your tiny friend, but instead he takes a step back, a nervous look on his face. You bring your arm back to you and tilt your head, looking at him.

“What’s wrong, daddy? Don’t you wanna hold him?” Bucky looks at your little face, confusion written all over it.

“I-we- we’re about to eat, sweetheart. I don’t wanna hold him before we eat and get my hands dirty!”

Bucky is trying to sell it, but as much as he’s a great liar when he needs to be (for work purposes), he’s terrible at lying to his girl, and even in littlespace you can tell when he is.

“Are you telling a story, daddy? Not s’pposed to tell stories..” Your face is starting to form into a pout. “and we have to wash our hands before we eat daddy, w’member? So it’s okay if you hold him”.

You step a little closer to him and once again he takes a step back, but this time he’s backed into the countertop. Bucky speaks to you sweetly, even though he’s getting a bit frustrated.

“Daddy doesn’t like frogs, honey. It’s okay though, I can see him.”

You look down at your friend in your hand, petting him gently with one finger. “s’not a fwog, daddy, he’s a toad. See, he’s bumpy, n’hes not slimy like fwogs are.”

You look back up to Bucky with your brows furrowed. “Are you scared of him?”

Bucky stands up tall then, crossing his arms in front of him. “No silly baby, I’m not afraid of a little fro- toad. I just think he’s.. icky”.

Bucky’s got his tough face on now, not wanting you to think he’s scared of the critter. You hold the toad out a bit towards him again, looking at him with your puppy eyes, which undoubtedly get him every time.

“Den hold him daddy? Please? He’s my friend n I want him to meet my most favorite person in the world”.

Bucky’s features soften then, and he slowly steps towards you and sighs quietly.

“Okay baby, I’ll hold him, but just for a second, okay? And then he goes back home outside”.

You nod your head eagerly, smiling, trying not to jump for joy. “Yes! Okay daddy, hold out your hands, pease.”

Bucky hold his two hands out in front of him and watches with wide eyes as you set the toad in his hands. It sits there calmly, its neck moving in and out. Bucky stands rigid, watching it.

“See daddy, he isn’t so bad, is he?” You look at him with adoring eyes and he begins to relax just a smidge.

“I guess not, baby.. he is still icky thou-AHH!”

The toad jumps onto Bucky’s chest, causing him to shout and jump back.

“Daddy don’t dwop him!!”

You quickly grab your friend from your daddy’s shirt, securing him in your hands. Bucky looks at you bewildered.

“Okay baby the fr-TOAD goes outside now!”

Bucky spins you around and guides you outside with the toad in your hands. You’re giggling hysterically as you reach the place you first found him at.

“Say goodbye to your friend, honey.” Bucky looks at your giggling body kneel to the ground and set the toad down.

“Goodbye, toad… see you later maybe!” Bucky smiles down at you, feeling lucky to have such a brave girl.

You stand up and look at him, a smile spread across his face. “Thank you, baby, very good.”

He picks you up and places you on his hip, giving you kisses on your cheek as he brings you inside and to the sink.

“Now let’s wash our hands and eat lunch”.

Bucky helps you scrub yours and his own hands until he feels they are clean of all the toad germs. He gets a towel from the drawer to dry your hands, and as he faces you, he can see a smug smile across your face.

“Daddy, I think you’re scared of toads”.

He lets out a small chuckle, picking you up again and setting you in your chair at the table, putting your sandwich and carrots in front of you.

“Maybe so, baby. No more toads in the house, okay?”

You take a bite of your carrot and look at him, smiling. “Okay, daddy”. Bucky leans down to kiss your forehead before sitting down with his own plate.

“Good girl”.

[themaribatpit]

Jasonette July Day 12: Dare

Written by: The Maribat Pit  @jasonette-july-event Prompt: Dare Rated: T (Drink responsibly my friends) A/N: Maribat fangirl went to Uni in the UK. Most people thought they could outdrink the Americans, and that American beer tasted horrible.  DC fanboy isn’t much of a drinker. Also we planned this earlier, but I saw this blog post from @ritacrow-blogrequesting something similar a few days ago, so here you go.  I don’t know if you’re a fan of the in vino veritas/drunken confession trope, so feel free to skip it if you aren’t.

“So, why are we doing this again?” Tim asked hesitantly, as they gathered in the Wayne Manor lounge. “Because Pixie Pop here issued a challenge, and I don’t plan on letting her win”, Jason explained with a smirk. “All she said was ‘American drinking laws are bullshit’, and it’s not like you don’t know the name of every single bar in Gotham that doesn’t card.” Tim retorted.  “She also said American beer tastes gross, so I don’t know why you brought Budweiser of all things”.

“She dared us to try and drink her under the table, and I’m sure as hell not backing down.” Jason hissed, and Tim decided that it was pointless trying to argue.  The whole reason Tim and Steph were even involved was because they had just turned 18, which meant they were allowed to take part in this little drinking competition.  Alfred was in the corner of the room keeping score, someone had to, considering the night they were about to have.

After they all gathered in the lounge, it was time for the challenge to begin.  Barbara quietly sipped her glass of wine, curling into Dick’s side as she watched the movie playing on the TV.  Jason and Dick had downed a bottle of beer each, waiting for Marinette to finish her first glass of wine.  Marinette rested her back against Jason’s arm as she watched the movie play out, the night had just begun and she wasn’t about to let them win.  She wouldn’t be able to look any non-American person in the eye if they knew she got out drunk by them. Marinette took in the soft glow of the lounge, alternating between leaning on the sofa or Jason’s leather-clad shoulder.  It almost reminded her of her home city at night. She looked around at the people she had come to know, fairly certain she had the dopiest smile on her face at that moment.  

She had arrived in Gotham City not long ago, and she was surprised to find that some of them welcomed her with open arms.  Not all of them, obviously, some were a bit more welcoming than others.  Bruce didn’t really trust her as a magic user, and Damian usually kept to himself.  Preferring to be alone with his pets, Titus and Alfred (the cat). The others assured her not to take it too personally, that they are like that with everyone.  With Jason, it was hard to tell what he thought about her.  Dick was like an older brother to everyone, and in some ways reminded Marinette of Chat Noir, alot.  While Barbara, Steph and Cass were like the sisters Marinette didn’t have.  Tim was at least somewhat curious about her powers and how they worked, hard as he tried to fight it in the beginning.

With Jason, it was much harder to tell at times.  He wasn’t quite as closed off as Damian, though sometimes she found him in the Wayne Manor library reading by the window.  They had each other’s backs in a fight, and the fact that she was much smaller compared to him earned her the nickname “Pixie Pop”.   They worked well together on missions, and there was plenty of friendly banter between them.  There was almost a veneer of sarcasm and bravado.  

The only time it showed any sign of falling was when his pit madness took over.  Even then she was more focused on asking Plagg and Tikki for help, seeing as it was their magic causing this.  There was no fixing it, but they had managed to help get it under control.  Marinette was almost frustrated when he woke up to find her waiting at his bedside, after working around the clock to keep the madness at bay.  The sounds of him screaming and thrashing around were still ringing in her ear, and the most that he could muster was “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you there, Pixie.” he drawled.  

“Pixie, you there?” Jason gently poked her on the shoulder and she realised that she had been staring into her wine glass for a moment.  She took a large gulp before setting the glass down on the table, the night had just begun.  

As the night went on, Tim was not impressed with how beer tasted. “People actually drink this stuff for fun?” he muttered. He was starting to think Marinette might have a point about how American beer tasted. Sadly the old adage of “liquor before beer, you’re in the clear” meant that it was too late to try Steph’s approach.  Steph was nursing a Jack Daniels and coke as she watched the film, letting that light of the TV screen dance in front of them.

Later into the night, Tim was getting tipsy at that point. Considering this was his first time drinking, Marinette gave him a smile that said “you get points for trying”.  If Steph wasn’t drunk now, she was going to be feeling the effects very soon.  She mostly drank spirits chased down with soda and juice.  Barbara had already left after a couple of glasses of wine, deciding to leave the rest of them to this game.  Jason and Dick had beer bottles lined up in front of them, almost as if they were competing with each other first. Marinette continued to leisurely sipped her wine, knowing that she was their final boss at that moment.

In the end, only Marinette and Jason were left in the lounge.  Steph left had already left, and Tim followed not long after,  Alfred helped get Dick into bed after he nearly passed out on the coffee table.  “It’s you and me, Poxie Pip” Jason slurred, Alfred occasionally came in to check on them.  

Marinette, who at this point was slightly tipsy, leaned in close and whispered in his ear “What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll lose?”

“There’s worse ways to go, Pixie, trust me.” he laughed, Marinette gave him a very sad smile.  He finished the last of his beer bottle before laying down on the sofa, resting his head on Marinette’s lap. Marinette was certain she could feel her face heating up, she could hear her heart pounding in her chest as she looked down at him.  

“Are you sure my teeny tiny legs can support your big head?” she joked. Great, now she was doing it too. she looked away in hopes that he couldn’t see the blush on her face.  She didn’t get Asian glow, but now she was really hoping she had that as an excuse.    

“I’ve seen you lift goons twice your size and throw them across rooms,” he laughed “besides, this feels kinda nice.” he mumbled.

“Yeah but that was me as Ladybug, it’s also what keeps me from tripping over air and landing on my face.” she explained.  She didn’t think her heart would be able to handle looking down to see one of the few times she saw him completely at peace.  She was used to people who preferred her as her alter ego anyhow.

“I guess you win this round,” he slurred, Marinette still hadn’t moved his head from her lap.  If anything, her free hand was working its way through his dark locks of hair.  He smiled, letting himself be lulled to sleep by the simple yet kind gesture.  “Serves me right,” he yawned, “getting drunk with a fairy princess.”

Marinette turned her attention back to the last of her wine, “there he goes again, making silly jokes like that.” she thought.  “Especially with one as pretty as you,” he laughed. Marinette was about to get up at that moment, now he was just being ridiculous.  “I like you...” were the last words he said before letting sleep take him.  

It was everything Marinette could do not to drop her wine class on the floor in shock.  Marinette thought she heard wrong.  She shook her head, what did it matter? I mean, she had called her friends pretty loads of times before, it’s not like he said he loved her or anything.  These were things that you said to friends all the time, right? At that moment, there was a knock on the door, Alfred came in and saw Jason asleep in Marinette’s lap.  “I was just about to leave could you maybe help Jason get back to his room? That would be great thanks Alfred.” she quickly spluttered before dashing out of the lounge and down the hallway in search of an empty guest room to sleep in.  

Jason tragically awoke the next morning with a hangover and a vague memory of what had happened the night before.  He thought this was probably the very reason why Bruce did not drink.  Alfred came in with a tray of chilli dogs and water, to nurse the hangover.  “Thanks Alfred,” Jason groaned, “do I even wanna know what happened last night?”

“If you must know Master Todd, you won second place in last night’s drinking competition.” He explained, Jason sighed, Marinette wasn’t going to let him live that down.  He still had to admit he was impressed with her. “Miss Dupain-Cheng seemed rather flustered after you compared the experience to  ‘getting drunk with a fairy princess’ and confessed your admiration and affection for her.”   It was all coming back to him now, and he was about to be sick.  He told her that he thought she was pretty and that he liked her. He wasn’t wrong, but it probably didn’t sound as romantic coming from someone who was probably very drunk.   He reached for the chilli dog, hoping that he would be able to keep it down.   “In vino veritas indeed, or in birro veritas in your case”, Alfred quoted.  Jason took a sip of water, still too stunned to speak.  “If you still hold such affection for Miss Dupain-Cheng, might I suggest telling her when you’ve sobered up?” he suggested, giving Jason a slight sympathetic smile.

“I’ll try, thanks Alfred” he replied as Alfred left the room, leaving him to his thoughts.  

A couple of days later, Marinette was sitting in her studio, drinking a warm mug of hot chocolate.  Jason hadn’t called her or spoken to her since the party, and she had hoped that he had just drunkenly forgotten his little drunken confession.  It wasn’t that Marinette didn’t reciprocate his feelings, it just felt like there was no point in putting stock in something he said while he was so very drunk.  It almost made Marinette laugh a little at the thought.  Her phone buzzed, it was a message from Jason:  “Hey, you busy today? I’ve got something to tell you.  Sober, this time”.  Marinette smiled, maybe this time there was truth in the foul tasting American beer.

 BONUS: The next morning in the Batcave... Tim: That tasted like actual vomit.  Dick: It's an acquired taste, Baby Bird. Tim: Which is to say you were peer pressured into liking it.

[thatasianstereotype]

Shit. I Got To Deal With This Bitch (Again). 

The third installment of my Adrien x Damian AU. 

First: Fuck. I’m Gay. 

Second: Damn, You’re Looking Fine. 

Well, would you look at that? I’m not dead after all. And this took a while to put together understatement of the fucking century. The reason is because life is a busy little shit the English language will not cooperate. I’m thinking of a scene I want to write and somehow words are lost in translating that into the computer and I end up with a white blank screen in the end. 

But moving on to the fic. At first, I was going to have the whole Gabriel-being-put-in-jail and former-friends-thing put as an aftermath because I really wanted to write Marinette and Adrien meeting the Waynes. But I decided to make the aftermath a full-blown fic from @michaelshadow7779′s ideas and extend the trilogy into a four-part series. 

This part will be focused on what happened to Liar-la, Ms. Bustier’s class trying to gain back their friendship with Marinette and Adrien, and Gabriel getting a special visit from both Robin and Ladybug. 

Again, this is a crack writing where creative liberties were definitely taken. 

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Lila Rossi is a fucking bitch and everyone —Like everyone this time— knew it. 

Her reputation was now in shambles (she’s now known as that pathological liar or that lying bitch) and Ms. Bustier’s class could only stare at her with hatred and anger —feelings that were once directed at Marinette. 

No one entertained her lies anymore. No one really hung out with her anymore. She sat at the back of the class, staring daggers at both Adrien and Marinette all day (just wishing for an akuma that will never appear).

Unfortunately for her, Lila couldn’t transfer out of class and with only 2 more months of the school year left, she couldn’t transfer out of school so she was stuck dealing with the consequences of her actions: being a fucking social outcast.

Because the class was not at all happy with their supposed friend. Tensions ran high during school. Things took a turn for the worse when Ms. Bustier tried to “fix” things in her own way, mentioning how the only reason Lila lied was because of her “disease” and the girl simply wanted to make friends. 

Needless to say, the class did not appreciate their teacher making them out to be fools all this time. 

It was Alya who ripped her a new one. Césaire definitely has a set of lungs on her. And Adrien would be lying if he didn’t say how utterly satisfying it was to watch.

Karma was a bitch. 

Payback was a bitch. 

And Adrien was fucking living in the aftermath. He wondered if it was mean (probably but he didn’t care) that he wished he had popcorn right now. 

All in all, life returned back to normal. 

Well, kind of. 

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Unfortunately, with the 2 months left in the school year, Ms. Bustier couldn’t exactly be let go because apparently Mr. Damocles didn’t want to deal with the whole paperwork, trying to find a new teacher to replace her, and dealing with the so-called Akuma class. 

That fucker. 

So essentially, he left her at the mercy of her unhappy class, saying she will be let go at the end of the school year. 

Ms. Bustier was unhappy with the arrangement. The class was unhappy with it too. Probably even more so. Since they still got to deal with Rossi’s bitch ass on a daily basis. 

The remaining 2 months of school were spent in a passive-aggressive war. Teacher vs. Students. Where technically the teacher should be respected and they should learn from her but the class was unleashing their collective pettiness. 

And Caline Bustier was fucking done with this job. She wanted to go back in time to when she thought being a teacher was a good idea and shake her past self silly. At this point, she was just counting the days until she can leave for good. 

“Kim. That’s the third time you slept in class this week. If you don’t pay attention, you won’t pass the test next week.” 

“Hold up. I got to ask the certified pathological liar where I put all the fucks I give.” 

“Ok. Don’t forget to ask Marinette if you can actually trust her answer.” 

It was glorious. 

Adrien and Marinette were definitely enjoying the show. 

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Marinette put down her sketchbook and stared at Damian for a minute. “You’ve been here for a month and a half already. Are you still doing business for your dad?” 

Damian Wayne became a common sight around Françoise Dupont High School and can usually be seen around Adrien and Marinette. After a week of constantly seeing him hang around lunch or in after school activities/clubs, seeing a Wayne soon lost its novelty and people accepted it as the new norm.

“I’m already done with what I need to do at WE’s Paris branch.” He casually plucked flowers from the ground to make a crown for his mon amour who was happily chatting with Luka and Kagami.

“So why are you still here? Don’t you have your own education to finish?”

“My schooling is of no concern. I already earned my diploma a few months ago. It was not at all difficult when I’m already light years ahead of my peers in regards to the dismal educational system my Father forced me to attend."

She raised an unamused eyebrow. “Uh huh. And your family isn’t worried at all about you, a minor, being in a foreign country all by yourself?” 

“They know I’m here. I already informed Father that I will be extending my stay here.”

“And he just accepted it? Just like that?”

"I’m responsible enough to handle myself. I surely do not need Batman watching over me. And you don’t need to worry at all. I’ve been away from home for far longer.”

“You’re completely missing the point.”

“On the contrary, I thought I answered the question perfectly.”

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When they weren’t playing a petty war with Bustier, the class was trying to get back into Marinette and Adrien’s good graces by inviting them to everything and trying to include the pair in their lives again. They wanted to be friends with their Everyday Ladybug and Sunshine Child again. 

“Want to do homework together?”

“How about a study session?” 

“We’re having a sleepover at Juleka’s place, Marinette. We can talk about each other’s love lives like the good old times.” 

“Wanna see the new movie that came out, Adrien? I’ll even pay for your favorite snacks.”

“Come on you two. Let’s hang out in the park. We can get Andre’s ice cream too. It’ll be fun.” 

Spoiler alert: It don’t work. At all. 

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“Hey Marinette, Adrien! Why don’t you sit with us today?” Alya eagerly waved at them from where she was sitting with Nino. 

It was a part of a long list of efforts that the class is trying to include the pair in. And it would be nice if it was just to be nice and friendly, you know. Adrien wasn’t going to be outright mean to them even though they fucking deserve it after how they treated the beautiful and kind goddess that was Marinette because Mari asked him to “Play nice, kitty”. 

But the class kept trying to slide the whole Liar-la thing under the rug as if it was nothing. As if they didn’t shit all over their good name for a two-faced bitch. As if they had no part in making them feel like outcasts just weeks before. As if they didn’t called them hateful names or gave them scornful glares. 

And that’s just fucking wrong. Because it wasn’t nothing. And they weren’t good pals anymore. So stop fucking acting like it. 

Adrien was so done with his former friends/classmates. Marinette even more so. 

Because apparently, saying “Yeah, We want nothing to do with you anymore.” is not fucking clear enough that the pair wanted nothing to do with their former friends. 

Like what the actual fuck. 

Luckily, Mari can sense her kitty’s bad mood and quickly laid a hand on his arm and led them to their seats in the middle row since Liar-la took the back and they will be damned if they sit next to her. 

Alya was utterly aghast. She and the others were trying their best to have things be back to where they were before. Doesn’t Marinette and Adrien want things to be like they were before? When everyone was friends and they were making happy memories together? 

Why won’t they accept their olive branch? They’ll be friends again and everything will be okay just like it was before Lila came. 

Let it be known that Alya Césaire was not a patient person. Like at all. 

She was fuming (like you could see the smoke coming out of her ears) as she walked up to Marinette’s desk, just bursting at the seams with frustration. “I don’t get it. Why are you so cosy with Adrien instead of us? Did you forget he supported Lila too? 

“That was—” Marinette spoke up in defense of her everything-that-actually-matters brother. 

But Alya ignored her and bulldozed right over, slamming her hands down on her desk. “Yeah. He changed his mind later on but the point still stands that he was on Lila’s side just like us so why are you willing to be friends with him but not me and Nino? We were best buds.” 

“Adrien was friends with Lila unwillingly, unlike you guys. His douchebag of a father wanted him to play nice with that harlot for some reason and he had to go along with it or risk being pulled out of school.” 

Alya rolled her eyes (She literally rolled her eyes at that) before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Please. That’s probably a pretty little excuse he gave you be on your good side again. We all know Gabriel will never actually do it.”  

“Are you perhaps referring to the man who rejected the idea of a birthday part for his own son or makes Adrien attend constant photo shoots and a crazy schedule to follow that makes it hard for him to hang out with his friends regularly. That Gabriel?” 

At that, Alya faltered a bit as she uncrossed her arms. 

“Look, Alya. I’m fine with being friendly classmates but I’m not going to be your friend again.” 

And Alya —who wanted things to just be okay again and wanted to go back to being Marinette’s best friend, who was tired of days trying to put so much effort into being Marinette’s best gal again only to be rejected every single time— just let whatever came into her mind to slip out of her mouth. She didn’t watch what she said next and in doing so burnt the last bridge she ever had to Marinette. 

“Maybe Lila was actually right for once when she said the only reason you’re close to Adrien was to use him to get ahead in the fashion industry.” 

Oh shit. 

She really done did it now. 

It was at this point that Marinette’s infinite patience and kindness snapped. Adrien scooted his chair back a bit to get out of the crossfire. He’s a dumbass kitty but he still has self-preservation. 

The grip on her pencil tightened as her eyes narrowed and grew darker, her voice ice cold.  

“You were the one who decided we were done being friends, Césaire.” 

Alya was taken aback, frozen at the biting harshness Marinette directed at her. Whatever comeback she had died in her throat. 

Mari let out a deep breath and her voice was back to neutral. “Look. Maybe someday in the future we can be friends again. But not right now. Please respect my decision.”

And that was the end of that. 

Well kind of. 

Because the ice queen treatment didn’t deter her at all. Alya still persistently tried to get Marinette to be friends with her again until Nino pulled her away and forced her to stop it with her ridiculous antics which aren’t working. 

The rest of their former friends now classmates got the message and left the pair alone. They were friendly and cordial with each other as common courtesy dictate but they had no interaction beyond that. They were nowhere near as close as they once were before Liar-la happened. 

Anyway, school went back to normal. Well as normal as it could be with all the recent changes.

Nothing was as it was before. 

And Marinette and Adrien were fine with that. 

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Mari was hanging out with Aurore and Mireille for the afternoon so Damian and Adrien had Mari’s room all to themselves. They were currently playing video games. 

And although the Wayne boy was the perfect gentleman who doesn’t let his hormones rule over common courtesy and a proper courtship, Plagg was there to supervise the lovebirds (with a boatload of cheese to keep him company of course). 

He likes to think of himself as laid back and chill who cares deeply about his kittens. And Adrien is a pure innocent little bean. 

Don’t get him wrong. He does like Wayne as a person. The kid’s attitude and personality is a fun riot to witness. But the major plus is how it is beyond obvious Wayne adores and cares greatly about Adrien. He is a good boyfriend to his chaotic gay sunshine baby. 

But after all the shit and drama that went down with his scumbag of a dad, Plagg was just feeling a tad protective of his kitty. 

Just a tad. 

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They have been dating for close to a month now. He wonders if they are going to do a one-month anniversary. Is that excessive? Or was that normal? But Adrien still can’t get over how he landed such a hot and amazing guy as a beau. 

If only he could go back in time to visit his insecure and confused little self and reassure him that they had game all along. 

“Fuck. I lost.” 

Dami smirked. “That makes it 7 to 5 in my favor.” 

“I don’t care if you’re drop dead gorgeous. I’ll beat your pretty face in the next round.” 

Hot-And-Sexy had an amused grin on his face. “I love you too, babe.” 

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Marinete and Damian are finally making a plan to get Hawk Moth to answer for his crimes. Needless to say, they have their differences on how to handle Gabriel Agreste.

“I vote to have Hawk Moth taste my blade.”

“We’re not killing Adrien’s dad no matter how much he deserves it.”

“I can get away with it.”

“So can I. But murder is still illegal.”

Naturally, discussing how to confront Gabriel and coming with a good solid plan that satisfies both teenagers took some time.

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Adrien entered Mari’s room, humming a bit as he carried a tray filled with homemade snacks. He perked up seeing his two favorite people in the world getting along so well.

“Hey guys! What are you up to?”

Damian and Marinette glanced at each other for a split second. They didn’t want their Chaton to worry about Hawk Moth so they didn’t share any specifics.

It was Dami who spoke up. “We are discussing the legalities of assassination.”

Mari facepalmed.

Luckily, Adrien was a pure oblivious child. “That’s nice, babe.”

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With all the strange things he’s seen (namely, the Miraculous and getting powers from tiny little talking animals), Gabriel will like to say he shouldn’t be surprised. 

But he was. 

Luckily, he had enough self-control to not show his surprise in an obvious way, just a raised eyebrow towards the two superheroes standing in the middle of his office. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Mademoiselle Ladybug and Monsieur Robin?” Pleasant and neutral. 

Ladybug he can kind of understand her presence. He is a supervillain after all. Wait. Maybe ex-supervillain now. Because he hasn’t been doing villain things for a while now since he misplaced Nooroo’s brooch and couldn’t find it no matter how many boxes of unsold Miraculous replicas he went through. And he went through a lot (that is not an understatement). Amazing how much free time he has when he isn’t stalking on the watch for negative feelings. 

But what was Robin doing here? He wasn’t aware the Gotham sidekick was in Paris in the first place. 

“We are aware of your alter ego, Hawk Moth.” 

He sighed internally. This wasn’t going to end well. But he hasn’t gotten this far by bowing down easily. 

“Just because I am a genius recluse does not mean I have supervillain tendencies.” 

Ladybug was unimpressed as she crossed her arms and stare at him with a deadpan look. “But you do have supervillain tendencies. I have yours and Nathalie’s miraculous who told us all about your plans.” 

Huh, no wonder he couldn’t find them. 

But anyway, the gig was up. Nooroo and Duusu were very emotional blabbermouths. The main reason why he couldn’t let them out of his sight —besides needing them to transform into bad guys of course. 

“Then you know I had a good reason why I became Hawk Moth.” 

“To bring your wife back. Yes, I am aware of your ‘master’ plan.” 

Maybe he can appeal to their sympathy. After all, heroes got to have empathy, right? “It was for Adrien’s sake to have his family back together.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. 

Because next thing he knew he had a razor sharp sword against his neck. He didn’t even see Robin move. 

“Do not speak of his name, you traitor scum.” The Gotham hero growled. “How dare you preach about your son’s happiness when you are the one who have been neglecting him for the past years. Do not say you care for the boy when you never once showed an ounce of love towards him.” 

Why is Robin so protective towards Adrien? Do they know each other well? 

But Gabriel’s questions were immediately banished to the back of his mind. Because right now, he was righteously fearing for his life. Prison sounded better than death. He glanced towards Ladybug. He knew she, at least, wouldn’t let him die. She was the picture perfect hero after all. 

Who was facepalming at the situation. “For the last time, we are not killing Agreste.” 

Unfortunately, Robin did not remove the sword. “And as I keep saying, no one will have to know.” 

“I will. I am literally standing right here as a witness.” 

“You may look away if you are squeamish.”

“...That’s not the problem.” It was time for Ladybug to pull out the big guns. “And if you go through with this, you will make your boyfriend cry and he will no longer want to date you.” 

It took a few seconds but Robin eventually lowered the sword and addressed Gabriel. “Do not presume that because you have no received death today that you do not deserve it. The only reason why your guts have not decorated this room is because I do not wish to make my mon amour shed tears for such a despicable man.” 

Ladybug spoke up next. “We are going to report you to the authorities. Robin and I have enough evidence to put you away for life.” 

To live for another day, Gabriel makes the smart choice of quickly surrendering right then and there. 

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“Mon amour, I come bearing both good and bad news.” 

Adrien looked at Dami confused. “Okay? What’s the bad news?”

“Your sister have unfortunately stopped my attempt to slay your wicked father.” 

Aww. 

Adrien’s squishy little heart filled with endearing fondness at how much Hot-And-Sexy cared about him. 

“Killing my father isn’t worth going to jail, Dami. I’m sure you can pull off orange but Mari will probably bar me from ever visiting you to teach you a lesson.”  

He considered that for a moment. “That is true. Marinette is a frightening terror.” 

“She’s the greatest thing to happen to me.”Adrien swooned at his goddess before remembering his boyfriend was with him. “You’re a very close second.” 

But Dami was smiling fondly. “I know. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out. I will never get in the way between your sibling bond.” 

Aww. 

He could feel his squishy little heart almost explode from all this sugary cuteness from his vain and egotistical Adonis.  

“You’re adorable. So what’s the good news you have for me?” 

“Marinette and I have finally dealt with your father. He will answer for his crimes in front of the Parisian authorities and you will not deal with the repercussions of being related to someone as vile as he.” 

“Does this mean I don’t have to legally change my name to Dupain-Cheng after all?” 

“You’re already one. Not sharing their name does not make you any less of one.” 

Adrien beamed, smiling brighter than any sun. He loved being part of the Dupain-Cheng family and it was nice to be acknowledged as one of them. 

“Of course. Being a Wayne is an honor too.” Damian said casually as if he was simply talking about the weather. Only the twitch of his fingers belied his nervousness. 

Adrien interlocked their fingers together. “You have to buy me a pretty ring first, Mr. Hot-And-Sexy.” 

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The next week was kind of crazy to say the least. 

Gabriel Agreste was outed as Hawk Moth and Natalie as Mayura to the public. They were promptly put in jail. 

For all their contingency plans, Marinette and Damian had nothing to worry about after all. Adrien being a literal sunshine and Paris’ darling model was what saved him from being a pariah and outcast. The public knew that Adrien was the victim here and not part of Hawk Moth’s plans at all (Be serious. Can you imagine Sunshine child actually having an evil streak in him? No? That’s right. Because it is impossible). People were more sympathetic about Adrien having such a douchebag as a father than the possibility that he was evil like said douchebag. 

After that whole drama mess, Ladybug and Chat Noir announced their retirement to Paris’ dismay. But eh. Without akumas running around, they can leave Paris’ future to the police (since it’s you know, their job to keep the peace and not teenagers who is still winging it as they kick ass). 

Marinette and Adrien just wanted to focus on their future without any other crazy shenanigans.

He already said it before. But it still bears repeating.

Lila Rossi is a bitch.

The only thing Gabriel did right was throw her under the bus when he was caught. He told the police and superheroes how Lila helped him cause akumas with her lies and manipulation. Who knew her destroyed reputation could plummet even further? Understandably, her mother was not at all pleased with her daughter’s antics.

For being a terrorist and an indecent person, Lila was immediately arrested and deported to Italy (and that’s the last they ever heard of her thank everything Mari thinks is holy). 

.

With the whole Hawkmoth thing out of the way and he didn’t have to worry about his shitty dad ever again, Adrien can now focus on his biggest challenge yet. 

School will be over in a few days and summer will be here. Which means: It’s time to finally meet the Waynes. 

Oh fuck. He was going to meet the Batfam. 

And even though Dami assured him that his family will like him, he was still nervous. 

Fuck that. He was absolutely 100% freaking out!

Thank goodness Mari was coming along for the ride. 

Previous

Next

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Taglist:

@iglowinggemma28

[novemberandmay]

As She Falls

Chapter1  Chapter 2 Chapter 4

Chapter 3, Descending

A small group of children were huddled together in the park, all seemingly in deep thought. There was barely any noise coming from them, apart from some whispers and mumbles. They stayed like that for a few minutes until one of the smallest of them spoke up.

“I got it! We should play tag! We all like that game, right?” A small, childlike voice rang out.

“But Mariiiii, we played that game last time! And Kim kept cheating the whole time!!” A small boy, Nino, shouted, waving his hands in the air.

“Yeah! He kept tripping us all! It was totally unfair!!” A shrill but angelic voice agreed with the boy next to her.

“Nuh-uh! It’s called using my re-res-resa-resore- ugh! Whatever that word my maman used!” Kim tried to retort, but ending up giving up.

“There’s a 98% chance that you meant the word “resources”, Kim.” A brunette with glasses spoke.

“Yeah! That’s the word! Thanks Max!!” With this, Kim had regained his confidence.

“But that’s not true Kim! Tripping others while playing a game is mean! Do you wanna be a meanie?” The original girl asked, her arms crossed.

“IM NOT A MEANIE! TAKE THAT BACK!” Kim’s voice quickly reached a higher range, making a few of them cover their ears.

“I’ll take it back when you admit it was not fair! How would you feel if I gave away your hiding spot during hide and seek? Not good, right?”

“..I guess you’re right Mari...What I did was mean and not fair.. I promise not to ever do that again!”

“Pinky promise?” The small girl raised her tiniest finger towards the taller boy, her face gaining a smile.

“I pinky promise!” He raised his, their pinkies gripping eachother in response.

“Now that every thing is good now, we still need to pick what game to play!”

“How about Hide and Seek? The winner gets the chocolate my maman packed!” Nino held the small piece of food up, letting them all admire it.

“Let’s do it! Kim’s seeking first!” Mari shouted, all of them running away after her words.

“Wha- HEY! That’s not nice...” Kim pouted, but started counting down anyways.

Huh? What is going on-

“Maman! Papa! Look what I found! His name’s Adrien!” The girl from before, Mari, ran towards her parents, tugging along another kid, a blonde.

“Marinette! What do you think you’re doing?! Let go of him!” Her mother scolded her, seeing the unwilling child the girl brought.

“But mama-“

“No buts. Let him go.”

The girl finally let the kid go, pouting while doing so.

“Now, Adrien, was it? Where’s your parents? Do you know their number?” Her maman crouched down in front of the blonde, her voice caring and motherly.

At the mention of “parents” Adrien broke down, sobbing about his maman and papa no longer wanting him. That his mama ran away from him and his papa no longer talking to him.

Sabine scooped up the crying child, comforting him all the while.

Eventually, the kid calmed down and told the woman his papa’s number. But he was still frowning.

Mari didn’t like that, and decided to to do something about it. She made jokes and funny faces at him, but he didn’t crack. She then pulled out her last trap card, cat puns. He let out a giggle before he shut his mouth, embarrassed.

Realizing that cat puns made him laugh, she went all out. Every sentence had atleast two of them, accompanied with her over dramatic attitude.

Before they knew it, they were both laughing crazily on the ground, rolling all over the floor.

Mari let out a smile, glad she made his frown disappear.

She had met Adrien before? Huh. But wait, why is she remembering this now? Why is she even-

More memories assaulted her mind, but not just the good ones. She remembered dying, her kidnapping, and the bullying. She also remembered the fire. The fire where her parents passed. The fire she should’ve died in. But she had miraculously survived, unfortunately. But then it all stopped, her pausing at the last memory.

The memory of her promise to her papa. The promise to live. The memory of her promise to her maman. The promise to survive. But... she didn’t. She failed them.

No

No.

No!

She couldn’t even keep her last promise to her parents! How stupid was she!

I’m sorry maman, papa. I’ve failed you! I’m so dumb! If I had the chance to redo everything, I promise I would atleast try to continue living, for you! I promise I would live in your place, to make the world better....

“Oh Mari, you silly girl, you haven’t failed us yet!”

A voice! Her maman’s voice! But what did she mean by that?

“My precious ladybug, we will give you one last chance to uphold your promise- but at a price.”

That was her papa’s voice! Her dead parents were with her!

“It doesn’t matter the price! If I can I ever make it up to you, to have a chance to, I would do whatever it takes! I don’t want to ever fail you again!”

“You must be happy. That is the price. You will have to overcome even worse challenges, but you must remain happy. You must never stay in despair, or you will never be allowed to be with us. To go back, you will be risking your chance to ever go to heaven. You will have to live a fulfilling life and die at an old age to be with us. To stay with us, you will have to make the right choice. Are you willing to risk it all for us?”

“Of course! I won’t ever fail you again! I promise on my future, I promise on my present, I promise on my death, and I promise on my resting place! I will do whatever it takes!”

“Then let go of us. Let yourself fall back and wake up once again. May you return to us when you die of old age, and may you change the world.”

Marinette shook upon hearing these words, but managed to release her hold on this plane, this cloud. She closed her eyes, and fell.

“I will not die this time, I will succeed in fulfilling my promise to you, maman, papa!” Was her last thought, before the wind around her encase her body.

Her descent back to earth will be rough, but she hopes to return in time.

Taglist (open):

@miraculous-ninja @rebecarojas07 @toodaloo-kangaroo @solangelo252 @neakco @dood-space @jjmjjktth @animeweebgirl @nickristus-dreamer @talushi2002 @miraculouslydumb @stellar-star 

Notes: Sorry this was rushed! I wanted to get it out before I go back to school. (I do zoom classes, if you were wondering.) It seems Marinette has regained her senses! But will it be enough?

Should I redo this chapter? Or is it okay? Comment down below!

-November 

[fakeloveaskblog]

Janus, have you and Remus hung out other then when you go to fake therapy? You should ask him out? Keep it open, maybe not outright ask him for a date but to hang out!

(Words: 2140)

Janus: "Oh you know me anon. I am so totally known for asking people to hang out. Yes me and Remus have been eeeverywhere together /s No we have never hung out.......But I suppose you have been very wise so far. So I shall try and go ut of my comfort zone and ask him he would like to spend time together"

They were in that same spot they always stood after the fake therapy. Where they were supposed to part ways. Remus had his phone out, checking the bus times. Janus knew he had to say something now or else yet another week would pass and he would never have the courage to ask.

"Do ehm is you- fuck-" Janus wanted to smash his head open on a rock. He was a idiotic mess who couldn't even say a simple sentence.

"What?" Remus looked at him with a smile. Jan swore he had specifically practiced that smile so it made him melt internally every single time.

"Do you maybe possibly have anything to do today?"

"Oh yeah all booked up with exorcising demons out of old ladies' houses. you know how it is!" He let out a short screechy laugh "Come on Snakey y'know I don't have a job or any plans on robbing banks right now. Of course I'm free!"

"Noted. Then I am totally not asking you to perhaps do something like going to the movies?"

Remus' eyes widened and he shone up into a huge toothy smile "YES!" He grabbed Janus' hand while flapping with his other hand "You gotta be psychic or something! I've been wanting to see this movie made by a director I'm hyperfixating on but I didn't wanna go alone and my sister is still out of town SO this is great!!"

He didn't waste another second. He dragged Janus with him as he began to very quickly walk while continuing to stim.

All Janus could do was stare at their hands. Their palms pressed against each other. His love's thumb brushing up and down his skin. He had never been happier over forgetting his gloves at home.

His cheeks stayed rosy red the entire walk. It was like walking on air. He didn't even realize Remus was still speaking until they got the cinema.

"-And that's why I thought it would have been better if the hamster had died!" He concluded.

".............Fascinating" Janus replied hoping it was a good answer.

"I know right!"

He looked down and realized they were still holding hands. His happy expression instantly dropped as he let go of Janus like he was made of fire.

"Oh fuck buckets! I should have asked if you were okay with like ehhh touch beforehand! Now you're gonna cut my head off!" Remus gasped out.

"Indeed, I do now hate you and I have already hired an assassin to kill you" Janus replied sarcasticly "It's okay, I promise"

Remus let out a breathe of relief in the most cartoon balloon leaking air way possible. "Neat!"

It was 3 pm on a Thursday so there weren't any people in line. Remus didn't even give his friend a chance to pay for his own ticket. He also got a big ass popcorn and a bag of eyeball candies.

He dumped the snacks into the arms of Janus as his eyes caught on a poster on the wall advertising another movie. He jumped up and down while pointing at it, like the excitement was too much to be contained in his body.

"It's my sister! She told me she would be in this one!" The poster didn't show the actresse's face since she had on a cloke to look dark and myserious (tm) "That's her I swear on the last human tooth I have!"

"I believe you. You could be her perfect stunt double"

Remus shoot his arms out "That's what I've been saying too!!! You really are a psychic! Being a stunt double is literally the dream job! I get to pretend to be killed in so many ways! I get to jump off of buildings!! Sadly she mostly does dramas and romances and all that boring stuff"

"Well I for one would love seeing you get stabbed on film" He held his hand over his heart as he said it.

"Omg snakey!! Thank you!! Means a lot!"

He had that wide smile on his lips again. Janus wished he was able to make him smile like that every day.

"Oh the movie is starting soon! Ahhhh exciting! Horror really is the best genre!"

Janus paled "Horror?"

"Yeah! I told you all about the movie on the way here remember? You're okay with horror right?"

"O-Of course! I have watched halloween alien on elm street like 5 times!" He lied.

Remus chuckled "Sure sounds like it"

They went into the screening room. Ads were running on the big screen. They were the only ones there. Remus found their seats right at the back in a corner. He sat down and triumphantly put his feet on the seat in front of him.

"Look at that snakey! We've got the whole room to ourselves! Only...."

His eyes suddenly stopped and shifted to stare out into air. His happy expression slowly disappeared leaving a hollow look on his face. He moved his legs up to his chest and sat completely still.

".....Only us......"

Janus slumped down in the seat next to his. Remus leaned away in his seat so he was further from his friend.

"Indeed. I could poison you and no one would be here to stop me. But I won't...yet" He hoped a joke would make his love lighten up again.

Remus forced a halfhearted smile "Sure that"

The movie started. Janus was already stress eating popcorn from fear by the time the first scene had ended. Which only made him even more stressed over making Remus think he was a fat gluttonous disgusting mess! Which he was! But he didn't want him to know that!!

Whenever he glanced over to Remus he looked just the same, As if the movie was fucking mamma mia or something.

He didn't want to seem unclassy and close his eyes like a 5 year old so he tried to comb his hair in front of his eyes instead. He couldn't stop his racing heartbeat or his unsteady hands though. He didn't do well to loud sounds. Or screaming voices.

He jumped in his chair at an extra gory scare. The popcorn landed all over his body. His cheeks went red enough to be mistaken for a ladybug.

Remus glanced over at him "You don't have to hide that you're scared y'know. The audience reaction is like half the fun"

"Me? Scared? I haven't felt scared since I buried a body in 1967! This is just how I show my appreciation for movies!" He blurted out the lie in a panic.

His love threw his head back as he let out a loud laugh. He couldn't stop as he buried his head in his hands. His shoulders moved in rhytm to his giggles. It seemed to calm his nerves a bit.

"Holy shit snakey that was such a horrible lie! You're such a dork! I say that with affection I promise"

Janus couldn't help but chuckle along "Dork actually means something really dirty. I know since I was practically married to my dictionary when I was youn-"

"WHALE PENIS! I know!! You're the first one who also knows!"

"I suppose that means we're soulmates now" Janus couldn't help but say it.

"Penis soulmates!"

Janus sighed "Yes"

In the movie a man's torso was ripped from his body. Remus flapped his hands. Janus let out a quiet whimper.

"I could infodump a bit if that would make you less scared"

Janus leaned closer to respond but Remus instantly flinched back. He made sure to keep keeping his distance "I would love to hear"

He shone up into a smile. It wasn't quite as carefree and happy as the other ones but it was still his smile and Janus had caused it. It made him feel warm.

He started rambling about the director's other movies and how the themes tied in with this movie. About how the director had studied to be a doctor so he know enough about biology to make all of the gore extra realistic. About how the movie soundtrack's added to the scare even though they were often silly. All while stimming. Sometimes he went quiet to focus on the film while Janus curled in on himself and closed his eyes.

Honestly Janus could have heard him go on for hours but sadly the movie eventually ended. And they eventually got out of the cinema. And eventually the snacks the shared while sitting on a bench outside also ended. And the conversation died out.

It was only around 5 pm but the sky had already started to darken. The streetlamps were getting lit one by one, and a few people were standing in line for the next movie. Janus feared having to say goodbye.

Luckily he didn't have to as Remus quietly asked "Could you like follow me home? The apartement is only 15 minutes and a minor murder spree away"

"Of course!" He replied a bit too excitedly.

He made sure to not walk too close as to not make him flinch again. Remus started to subconsciously hymm on a song after some time of silence. Janus couldn't stop feeling over the moon at the fact that he was hanging out with someone! And he seemed to like him!! And he was in love with him no less!!!

"Snakey I think I gotta admit something kinda dorky-"

"Is it the murder in 1967? We've all been there"

"Actually it was in 1987. Okay but really.....The only friends I've ever really had has been my sister and my ex, and some online friends here and there I guess but we lost contact really quickly. What I mean is that I'm really rusty on this whole friend thing and I'm just glad that you don't get annoyed by my infodumping or stimming or....or the whole me!"

Janus' eyes widened and he slowly let up into a laugh "Oh! Oh I have been so worried for nothing then! I've never had any friends, at all! This was literally the first time I ever went to a movie with another person! We're the same!"

Remus giggled "We really are penis soulmates!"

"I am begging you to not let that become a thing"

"Too late! It already is! We're both friendless dorks you motherfucker!! Of course we're penis soulmates!"

Janus sighed "I am suddenly so glad we are close to your place so I can get away from you.....That was a lie"

Remus lightly punched his shoulder "Better be. Or else I'd have to kidnap you!"

He stopped in front of a series of building of obviously quite glamorous apartements. Janus was honestly starting to wonder if he had a sugar daddy and or sold drugs. Or else he had no idea how he could afford all of this.

They stopped right in front of the entrance. Remus crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Janus fiddled with his sleeves. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye.

Janus shuly glanced at his love's face. His birtmarks which he so wanted to press kisses to. His fluffy hair he would love to nuzzle into. His full lips which he thought about running his finger over every time he looked at them. He was beautiful. Just beautiful.

"Sooo....I guess I will either see you in hell or in fake therapy next week?" Remus asked.

"For sure"

He awkwardly opened the door "Well I will see you then then!" He did fingerguns "Bye penis soulmate!"

Janus rolled his eyes while waving "Bye.....phallus companion!"

The door closed and he was left in the silence. It took a few second and then

"YES! OH I did it! I survived! Aphrodite would be so proud of me!!"

Janus had to sit down. He was going to explode. He couldn't stop moving his hands around. He was going to pass out. He had never been happier. He deserved a whole soup bowl of ice cream.

He took off his beanie to drag his hand through his hair. He felt breathless from happiness as he stared up at the sky. He had never felt more in love.

He looked at where he imagined you would stand if you had a corporeal body.

"So I suppose your advice worked quite well. It did sound like he wanted to hang out again...So anon....or whatever voice that is in my head that asks me things......Do you have any suggestions on what we should do on our next hangout?"

[rosekasa]

ladrien + sleepy cuddles

i drink maría loving juice all day every day

send me a fic trope + lovesquare pairing and i’ll write a drabble

AO3

Apparently, Adrien was dating Ladybug.

This was news to him.

He had been pretty sure Marinette Dupain-Cheng was his girlfriend. At least ninety-percent sure — unless he missed some sort of social cue about kissing and hand-holding and spending entire afternoons in each other’s arms under streams of sun rays shining through her skylight.

So when Ladybug burst through his open window, whined a soft Adrien, and fell into his chest, he thought being a little confused was completely justified.

He stood frozen in front of his couch, supporting her limpness with two stiff arms tucked beneath her own, keeping his hands in the safe zone of her upper back. “L-Ladybug?”

“I missed you,” she breathed on his collarbone, something far away in her voice. “Bad fever… so hard when you can’t drop by.”

Adrien gaped down at the pigtail below his chin.

Ladybug hugged him tighter. “Maman and Papa… miss you… gonna steal you from your father…”

What?

He took hold of her upper arms and drew her back, examining her face. She was definitely not kidding about the fever — her eyes were squinty, fogged over whenever she could bear to open them, and she could barely hold her own weight.

Adrien couldn’t let her leave like this.

“Alright, uh, come with me.” He guided her to his couch and sat her down. Immediately, she fell against the armrest, every part of her crumpled into what may have been a foetal position if her legs weren’t still swung over the side. Adrien stepped back and looked at her. “Do you need anything?”

The clouds outside parted, and sent a flash of sunlight into her face. Ladybug buried her face into her hand. “You.”

Adrien stepped back.

“Uh, listen, Ladybug, I have a girlfriend—”

“I’m your girlfriend, silly.”

“No, no, you aren’t. Marinette—”

“Mhm?”

“Marinette—”

She made another acknowledging sound.

“Marinette—”

“What?” With great effort, she peered up at him. “Why do you keep saying my name? Just come here.” She hauled up an arm, inviting him in.

Oh.

Oh.

Okay. Okay. He understood now.

He was dating Ladybug.

(Oh my God oh my God I am in so much trouble this is very very bad.)

Adrien stared at her, Ladybug— Marinette, with her arm growing weary but refusing to drop.

He swallowed hard. “Marinette?” 

Ladybug huffed, and tucked her arm back next to her. “I’m not going home. I can’t get better unless I’m with you.”

Adrien sighed deeply.

Toeing off his shoes, he approached the couch, lifted his sleepy, feverish pile of superhero girlfriend, scooched under her, and placed her back on his chest.

She hummed. 

He put his hand on the slope of her forehead and, slowly, began stroking her head. “Better?”

She nodded.

“Missed you…” she whispered again. “So much.”

Adrien nosed a parting into her fringe and kissed her hairline. 

He had missed her, too.

Ideally, he would’ve gone to visit her every day after school. She was off school for most of the week, and his schedule just happened to be jam-packed, too. 

(Adrien wasn’t an idiot. His father sympathised little with sickness, and would rather his son attend redundant fencing sessions than kiss his poorly girlfriend.)

He continued stroking her head, leaning his cheek against her. 

“Talk to me?” she asked softly.

“About what?”

She shrugged a polka-dotted shoulder (that would take some getting used to.) “Anything. Wanna hear your voice.”

He smiled, closing his eyes. “Want me to sing for you?”

She let out another hum.

Adrien barely got through a lullaby before she fell asleep.

His sleepy, feverish pile of superhero girlfriend. 

He loved her so much.

[a-blue-secret]

GENRES: elf!beomgyu, fairy!taehyun, magic au, fluff, lots and lots of fluff, an ittle wittle bit of angst, ambiguous/open ending

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: this is not edited in the slightest so beware of rambling

WORD COUNT: a whopping 3.2k+ I'm sorry

AN: A little bit of fluff for Valentine's Day! And yes! I managed to get this out before Valentine's Day ended in Korea! Whoo!! I recommend listening to Smile Flower by Seventeen, especially towards the end. I hope you enjoy :) -on ao3 here-

SUMMARY: Just a bunch of scenarios showcasing how Beomgyu taught Taehyun to love.

Taehyun loved Beomgyu. There was no doubt about it. Even he himself knew it, and readily embraced that fact.

Taehyun had loved people before. He loved his mother, and his father, and even his pet ladybug who could sometimes be a little grumpy and snappy. He knew it was love, because he smiled and laughed with them, and grew a warm feeling in his tummy when they were happy. He knew love.

But Beomgyu made him feel… different. He knew it was love; he recognised the warm happiness he received around him. But this love was different. It was a giddy feeling, and Taehyun became hopelessly flustered around him. This love was different, because it felt more playful and intimate than the love he shared with his family.

Taehyun thought he knew love well enough, until Beomgyu came along, and taught him so much more.

.・。.・゜♡・

Beomgyu taught him to love in a carefree, courageous way.

"Beomgyu!" Taehyun said in a panicked whisper. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Shh! I wanted to see you, can't I do that?" Beomgyu said, pouting as he rested his head on the leaf Taehyun was sitting on. The fairy had been resting on the leaf, relatively obscured from view by the long grass stems, so they were hidden from other fairies. Still, Taehyun didn't want to take any chances.

"Go! What if someone sees you?" Taehyun said, trying to push Beomgyu away. Beomgyu refused to be pushed, instead struggling up to sit next to Taehyun. He nudged Taehyun with his shoulder.

"I'll do anything for you," he said.

"Even get caught in fae territory?"

"No boundary will ever hold back my love for you, Taehyun," Beomgyu said seriously. Taehyun flushed, and fiddled with his fingers.

"I just don't want them to find you," Taehyun spoke worriedly. "Elves aren't allowed anywhere near here, and you know what they do to elves they find in fae territory. I don't want that happening to you just because you missed me."

"Please," Beomgyu smiled, bopping Taehyun's nose. "I think that's an incredibly valid reason. And besides, I'd do anything for you. Anything at all."

Taehyun had pondered over Beomgyu's words that night, thinking about what he'd said. Loving Beomgyu was dangerous, he and the elf both knew it, but it seemed that Beomgyu was willing to do anything for Taehyun. That day, Taehyun learned another thing about love.

.・。.・゜♡・

Beomgyu taught Taehyun to love in a messy, silly way.

Someone tentatively knocked on Taehyun's door, and he immediately threw a cushion at it. "Go away!" he yelled.

"Taehyuuunnn," the voice said in a whiny, sad tone. "You promised you'd play with me after you finished your homework. Momma said you're done, so you're free to play now!"

"I don't want to play with you!" Taehyun said in frustration, pulling open his door to see his younger sister looking up at him, wings drooping sadly. He sighed. "I don't want to play, okay? The games you play are too childish and silly."

His younger sister pouted. "Hmph. You used to play with me all the time, but now you don't want to anymore. It's like you don't care anymore."

"I do care," Taehyun said exasperatedly,"but it's too childish to play games like hide and seek now. I don't want to."

"Hmph! Whenever I ask you to play, you always say that! You never want to play with me!" With that, she stomped off. Taehyun sighed, closing his door.

That evening, when he met up with Beomgyu, he told him all about how annoying his sister had been. The elf listened to him carefully. When Taehyun finished speaking, Beomgyu spoke up. "Hey, wanna play catch?"

He was slightly confused at the change of subject, but readily agreed. "Sure." He got up, picking up a dewdrop from one of the flower petals. "Be careful though, you don't wanna get caught!"

The two of them played games that Taehyun hadn't played in ages. They spent hours and hours playing games. They played catch with the dewdrop, played chase around the dandelions, Grandma's Footsteps by the daffodil bulb, and then played hide-and-seek in the dark, both of them giggling when the other accidentally tripped over their own feet.

"Beomgyu? Beomgyu?" Taehyun called out. There was complete silence. He glanced around. One of the rules was that he wasn't allowed to fly, since it would be unfair for the elf, but Beomgyu couldn't see him, right? It wouldn't matter if he flew, just for a few seconds…

He'd hovered just a few centimeters above the ground when hands suddenly grasped his ankles, preventing him from going higher.

"Taehyunnie! No cheating!"

Taehyun squeaked and suddenly dropped to the ground, Beomgyu's arms still around his legs. Beomgyu blinked, before laughing.

"Hey! I could have died!" Taehyun huffed jokingly.

"That yell! Wah, I didn't think anyone could make such a high-pitched shriek!"

"It's not funny! You surprised me!" Taehyun reached out and tickled Beomgyu's sides, making the elf laugh even more. Then suddenly, Beomgyu let out a squeak- even higher than the one Taehyun had made. They both stared wide-eyed at each other. Then Taehyun began to tickle Beomgyu even more, in fits of laughter himself.

"Oh my god, hyung! What was that??"

"I- Taehyun! Stop! It- it tickles! Ah!!"

Eventually, Beomgyu couldn't breathe from laughing so much, so they lay down looking up at the night sky, still giggling slightly. Their giggles died down, and they stared silently up at the dark canvas above them, studded with small silver stars.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Beomgyu smiled, turning to look at Taehyun.

"Yeah," Taehyun said. "It's been ages since I've played those sorts of games."

"I remember when I was younger I used to pester my elder brother to play them with me," Beomgyu said. "He never wanted to. But it's okay." He nudged Taehyun's shoulder. "Now I can pester you to play with me, can't I?"

"You'll never pester me into playing them," Taehyun replied, turning to face Beomgyu. "I'll play them willingly."

Beomgyu gave a soft smile to the fairy. He pecked his nose, before regretfully standing up. "I'm going to have to go now," he said. Taehyun pouted, but stood up too.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked the elf hopefully.

"See you tomorrow," Beomgyu smiled, giving him a kiss. "Goodbye, my fairy."

The next day, Taehyun spotted his sister as she walked past his door. He remembered how harshly he'd turned her away yesterday, and winced in regret.

"Wait," he called out. "I have some free time right now. Do you… do you maybe want to play?"

She turned around, and her eyes lit up. "Really?"

He laughed at how adorable she looked. "Yeah, really."

"Yay!!” She clapped her hands delightedly, before reaching out and dragging Taehyun outside. "Can we play catch???"

"Of course! Hey, want me to teach you how to make dewdrop balls?"

.・。.・゜♡・

Beomgyu taught him that being in love wasn't complete without occasionally clashing with the other.

"What are you doing here?" Beomgyu hissed, pushing Taehyun's head down so it was out of sight. Taehyun immediately bobbed up again, blond curls bouncing on his forehead. He stared up at the elf, confused.

"What, so it's fine for you to see me in fae territory, but I'm not allowed to visit you in elven land?" he said.

"Well, it's just…" A few more elves walked past, and Beomgyu pushed Taehyun down again. Once they were out of sight, Taehyun peeked up.

"Just what?" he asked.

"Elven territory is more dangerous," Beomgyu said in a low whisper. "You know what they can do to you."

Taehyun tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hmm… well, what they can do to me is no less harsh than what they could have done to you. The dangers are just the same." He beamed up at Beomgyu. "But even so, I wanted to see you!"

Beomgyu didn't smile back, and frowned. "That's not a good enough reason. I don't want you potentially getting hurt just because you wanted to see me."

Taehyun recognised those words as being extremely similar to his own from a few weeks back. "What, so you're allowed to visit me when you miss me, but I'm not?"

Beomgyu sighed exasperatedly. "Love, that's not it, it's just that–”

"No, that's exactly it," Taehyun said, hurt. "You don't think I'm capable of looking after myself, do you? For your information, I am perfectly capable. No– don't you touch me." When Beomgyu tried to reach out to the fairy, Taehyun moved back. Beomgyu's outstretched hand curled into a ball, before hanging by his side.

"Taehyun, please, stop overreacting. I'm just worried about you, okay? You can get hurt."

"Overreacting?" Taehyun repeated. "I'm not overreacting."

Beomgyu sighed frustratedly. "Taehyun, come on, think clearly here! You're in elven land, and you're just a fairy. Do you seriously think that's safe?"

"So you think I'm weak?"

"No,Taehyun, just stop being ridiculous–"

"Oh, I see. I see what's going on. It's clear you think I'm weak and need protecting, because I'm a fairy. Well that's just a stupid stereotype! I thought you of all people would know not to believe stereotypes, Beomgyu," Taehyun said, tears in his eyes. "You of all people! You're in love with a fairy, for goodness' sake, and that goes against all stereotypes that fairies and elves should be enemies."

"Well who says I'm in love with you?"

At that, Taehyun paused, shocked. Beomgyu's eyes widened as he realised what he'd just said.

"No wait, love, I didn't mean it–”

Taehyun wiped his eyes angrily. "No, it's fine, 'love'. I get it. You don't want me pestering you. If you don't want me around, I'll go. I'm not going to come back."

Before he could call out, Taehyun had already flown back down, through the grass roots and out of sight. Beomgyu closed his mouth, swallowing. He felt the guilt close in on his throat, and his eyes burned with tears. He hadn't meant to say that at all. Even now that he thought about it, he was shocked with himself for even managing to say something so horrible. God, Taehyun must hate him now. Beomgyu's eyes blurred with tears, and sat forlornly down on the leaf.

"I'm sorry, Taehyunnie," he whispered.

.・。.・゜♡・

However, Beomgyu also taught him love meant forgiveness, because no one was perfect, and love was about navigating those imperfections together.

It had been five days. Five days since Taehyun had visited Beomgyu in elven land, only to be pushed away. He couldn't even think about the day, because it made his heart hurt too much. Taehyun's eyes filled with tears, and he furiously wiped them with the back of his hand. No. He shouldn't cry. Beomgyu had made it clear he thought Taehyun to be weak, and that he didn't love him at all. He shouldn't cry over someone who didn't love him.

Despite his words, this was exactly what Taehyun did. He moped in his room for five days, refusing to leave the cottage. Though he didn't want to admit it, Taehyun was heartbroken. It may have only been a short, sudden sentence said in the heat of the moment, but it still hurt that Beomgyu could even think such a sentence. He tried to blink away the tears which had for some reason welled up yet again. He vigorously wiped them away, eyes bright with anger. If Beomgyu ever came to apologise, he wasn't going to accept. He wasn't going to forgive him. No. Not at all. Taehyun glanced out the window. That is, he wasn't going to forgive the elf… if he ever came to apologise at all.

.♡.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Taehyun's mum asked, nudging him.

"Mmm," Taehyun answered absent-mindedly, staring blankly out the window. When his mother still continued to look at him, he turned to face her. "I'm okay, Mum." He gave a weak smile. "Seriously."

"If you say so," she responded skeptically, watching him carefully as Taehyun resumed staring out of the window.

Once she had left the room, Taehyun gave a sigh, resting his cheek on his hand. He'd been watching their garden, hoping that maybe Beomgyu would turn up. Despite the bold words he'd said to the elf the last time he'd seen him, it seemed that he did need and depend on the elder. He missed Beomgyu. Missed those stolen little moments they had in the evenings, missed seeing Beomgyu's face randomly peep up from behind a leaf, and jokingly pushing him away. Goddammit, he even missed the annoying jokes he told.

Taehyun scanned the empty greenery again, before slumping and reluctantly moving away from the window. He understood why Beomgyu wouldn't come to him. If he were in the elf's place, he'd be too proud and annoyed to admit his faults. But a part of him hoped that Beomgyu wouldn't be like that.

"Taehyun, darling?"

At the nickname, Taehyun perked up, before he realised it was his mother, hovering by his door.

"A dragonfly dropped a letter for you by our door. It said it was strictly confidential, so I didn't look at it." Taehyun's eyes brightened hope. Could it be Beomgyu? He thanked his mother, and waited until she left before opening it. His lips twitched into a smile as he spotted the handwriting, but he quickly smothered it.

'My lovely Taehyunnie, I'm sorry it took so long for me to reach out. I just want to say that at sundown, I'll be by the maple tree, waiting for you. If you don't come, I understand, but just in case you don't hate me even a little, please, meet me there. I love you.'

Taehyun frowned, putting the letter down. No. He wouldn't go. Beomgyu had hurt him too much. He wasn't going to go. Nope.

.♡.

Taehyun went. No matter how many times he told himself he didn't care, deep down, he still loved Beomgyu a lot.

Coming up to the maple tree, his face creased into a frown when he saw that no one else was there. Had Beomgyu come already? Had he been fooling him? Maybe the elf wasn't coming at all.

Then, he heard the faint sound of guitar strings being played.

"Look up," a voice called, and Taehyun looked up, face melting in wonder. Beomgyu was floating down on a maple leaf, held at the corners by fireflies. He was holding the guitar he'd made himself, a nervous smile on his face. As soon as he opened his mouth, Taehyun knew what was going on. He couldn't help a smile spread across his own face, as his hands came up to cover his mouth. It was horribly cliche, romantic and such a Beomgyu-like gesture, that he couldn't help but love it.

"I can smile because we're together, I can cry 'cause it's you. So what can't I do?" Beomgyu landed gently next to Taehyun. "Don't say it's the end, forever, because I'll stay by your side." He took Taehyun's hands into his, and Taehyun realised with a start that Beomgyu was trembling. His eyes were bright with tears. "Whatever happens, like always, can we be together?"

Taehyun's own eyes filled with tears and he nodded his head vigorously. "I love you," he whispered, holding Beomgyu's hands tighter. "I love you, so much." Beomgyu bit his lip, the tears finally spilling out of his eyes. "I- I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away like that. I wasn't thinking. You were just doing what I always do, and I didn't think. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean a single word."

"It's okay," Taehyun said, pulling Beomgyu into a hug. "I understand how you want to protect me. It's what I feel when you sneak over here. I'm sorry I overreacted like that."

"No, no, you didn't overreact," Beomgyu quickly said, stroking Taehyun's hair. "It was me. I shouldn't have been so hypocritical, or try and push you away when you just wanted to see me. I'm so sorry, Taehyunnie." He pulled back, and took Taehyun's hands in his own. "I was being too overprotective over you," he whispered. "And I kept making you seem weaker than you were, when in fact you are the strongest person I know. I love you, so so much. Will you forgive me?" His eyes searched Taehyun's, hopeful and sad at the same time.

"Yes, I do," he said through tears, hugging Beomgyu again. "It's okay, I forgive you."

"Oh, thank goodness." Beomgyu buried his face into Taehyun's shoulder. "If you didn't, I was going to abandon all my pride and just beg at your feet, right here."

Taehyun laughed, and gave Beomgyu a short, sweet kiss.

"You don't need to ever do that," he said, smiling. "I love you too much to stay mad at you forever." He looked up at Beomgyu. "Could you sing me the rest of the song?"

Beomgyu smiled, and picked up his guitar. "Don't say it's the end, forever what happens, just like always, our smile flowers will bloom." He pressed a long, loving kiss onto Taehyun's lips, smiling. "Whenever, wherever, even if we’re not together, just like always, our smile flowers bloom."

"I’ll be the spring to your smile," Taehyun finished, laughing when Beomgyu left light, ticklish kisses along his neck and collarbone.

"I love you, okay?" Beomgyu said earnestly. "So much. No matter what happens, that will never change."

Taehyun buried his head into Beomgyu's shoulder, unable to stop smiling. "So do I," he murmured. "I love you more than anything. Forever."

.・。.・゜♡・

All these things we're infinitely important: there was no doubt about it. But, perhaps the most important thing Beomgyu taught Taehyun was that love was in the little things. The small, stolen moments they shared were the most important things in the world for them.

Taehyun rested his head on Beomgyu's shoulder as their feet dangled off a branch of the maple tree. The sun was low, and the light was rapidly fading. The fireflies danced playfully around them, providing their own golden lights against the warm sunset. Neither the elf nor the fairy said a word, content with each other's presence alone.

When Taehyun thought about it, it was funny how they'd managed to fall in love. A fairy and an elf, destined to be enemies until the end of time, managed to defy all odds and become united. Taehyun smiled. It wasn't even meant to be possible. And yet, here they were, very much in love with each other despite it being something that should have been impossible.

Taehyun gazed up at Beomgyu's side profile in adoration. The elf had his eyes closed, head tilted backwards, a golden glow settling over his features from the setting sun. Beomgyu was beautiful. It made Taehyun a little sad that he couldn't show the world how much he loved the elf, but it also made him appreciate these small moments even more. Every minute they spent together felt even more special. Beomgyu opened his eyes and caught Taehyun staring, smiling and winking at the fairy. Taehyun blushed, burying his face into the other's shoulder. Beomgyu hummed a wordless tune, arm around Taehyun's waist as they rocked side to side in time with the gentle wind.

One day, Taehyun said to himself. One day, we'll be able to show our love to the world. But until then, I'll love you through these small moments.

-fin.

[little-lizziej]

The familiar silence surrounds Adrien as he sits in his room staring at particularly nothing. Although he tries to deny it, the young model feels extremely conflicted. A part of him swears he will never be able to love someone as much as he loves his partner, ladybug. But another part claims he is indeed capable of it.

After his break up with Kagami, and his reaction to his conversation with Marinette, Adrien can't help but wonder if maybe it's been her all along. He can't help but wonder if his love for lady bug has only ever been a fascination.

He fell in love with his partner because of her kind heart, she was brave and strong, stood up for everyone and not once did she let anyone tell her what to do. Ladybug was independent and strong willed, but above all she was kind.

Marinette on the other hand, she was clumsy and shy. He could never talk to her without watching her fall and stutter. Although they were both kind, they were the complete opposite.

There were times though where Marinette simply surprised him. She stood up for her friends and always tried to do the best for them, even if she got hurt in the end.

So Adrien wondered, who did he love? Marinette had always been nothing more than a friend, but he knew her, he really knew her. Ladybug had always been the girl to hold his heart, but he knew nothing of her, absolutely nothing.

Perhaps his love for ladybug would never be more than it is now, a one sided love. But what if it became more? That question stopped Adrien from going after Marinette every time. He knew there was a possibility that someday she'd like him.

"Adrien?" Plagg exclaimed for the 5th time and waved his arms around in front of Adrien's face. "Hello? Is anyone there?" He asked as he knocked quite roughly on Adrien's head.

"Stop it Plagg!" Adrien said before turning his head towards his kwami, "what do you want?" The blonde asked.

"I want cheese!" Plagg laughed and watched as his holder let out a groan, "you also have that thing with your friends..." he spoke casually, "maybe you don't wanna go" he added with a shrug.

Adrien's eyes widened before he sprang put the door, dragging his black kwami with him. "Wait...no...my cheese!"

"Shut up Plagg, I'll ask Marinette for some cheese balls when we get there"

"Yes!"Plagg grinned, "god I love that girl!"

...

"Adrien!" Nino yelled as soon as he walked in though the bakery's door. "Adrien's here guys!"

"Hey Nino" Adrien laughed before patting his back. "Where's everyone?" The model asked.

"They're in Marinette's room" Nino snickered, Adrien saw Marinette's parents and quickly greeted them before turning to his best friend.

"Is Marinette there too?" Adrien asked as subtly as he could. His question, however, didn't go unnoticed.

"Yeah she's there too...playing Cupid" Nino smirked as he saw Adrien frown.

"What do you mean?" Adrien quickly asked.

"Lets just say a certain musician is here" Nino chuckled, his whole demeanor was playful yet Adrien wasn't having fun, nor was he enjoying it.

"Luka's here?" He asked through gritted teeth. "And Marinette's with him?"

"Yes dude!" Nino smiled and opened the trapdoor that led to Marinette's room.

"Nino! What do you think about this for the lady blog?" Alya immediately asked as she set her eyes on her boyfriend and dragged him away.

"Hey Adrien!" Marinette smiled as the model approached her. "How are you?" She asked.

"I'm good Mari" Adrien said with a smile before he wrapped his arms around the bluenette surprising her. "I missed you" he whispered.

Marinette blushed a deep shade of red before she grinned and met out a giggle. "I missed you too silly...is everything okay?"

"Everything's perfect" he winked. The aspiring designer turned her whole body around and leaned back on Adrien. Surprised, Adrien kept his arms around Marinette and watched as everyone talked and laughed amongst themselves.

"I introduced Luka to Chloe" Marinette giggled before nodding her head towards the blushing couple. "They'd make a fine couple don't you think?"

Adrien's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his friend's and their flirting, he had really thought Luka would be making a move on Marinette. It had gotten his blood boiling and his stomach churning. But now he understood he had no reason to be jealous.

"I thought you liked Luka" Adrien said with a questioning tone.

In his arms, Marinette let put a sigh as she looked sadly down at the floor. "I tried...but I just couldn't. He's a great person...but he deserves better than me"

"You deserve the world Marinette" Adrien whispered in her ear causing her to blush and giggle. "Do you want to go get some ice cream?"

"I'd love too" Marinette smiled, she took a step forward and took Adrien's arms off her, instantly missing their warmth. "Hey Alya! Adrien and I are going to get some ice cream, do you wanna come?"

"No girl, go with lover boy" Alya laughed at her best friend's expression.

...

"Marinette where would you go if you had the chance?" Adrien asked as they approached Andre's ice cream stand.

"For traveling China" Marinette smiled at the model. "But if you asked me where I'd rather live then my answer would be right here"

"You want to stay in Paris?" Adrien asked with raised eyebrows. Marinette giggled at his expression before nodding her head with a soft smile.

"I love Paris, all my memories are here...along with my friends and family. I wouldn't change that for the world" she explained. "What about you?"

"Well...I've always wanted to get out of here. But it's not really Paris that I'd be running away from...but my dad."

"Listen Adrien I don't know what it's like living with him, with all the responsibilities and the pressure...but I do know that I'll try my best to understand it, to understand you. So if you ever need someone to talk to, just know I'm here"

"Thank you Mari" Adrien whispered as his eyes got teary, he reached out and took her hands in his before leaning his forehead against hers. "That-you mean everything to me"

"And you do to me" she whispered back and wiped a tear off Adrien's cheek.

The two of them were too engrossed in each other that they didn't notice two sets of eyes watching them. One belonged to Andre who watched them with an easy smile, while the other belonged to Lila, a girl who loved Adrien and hated Marinette.

"Oh Adrien!" Lila giggled interrupting their moment. Adrien let out a sigh and rolled his eyes making Marinette bite her lip to stifle her laughter.

"What Lila?" The blonde asked before letting put a scoff.

"I heard about Kagami, I'm so sorry baby, if you ever need anyone just know I'm here" Lila winked as she dragged her long nails up Adrien's arm.

"I'm fine thank you" Adrien said.

"I know you're lonely Adrien-"

"I'm not lonely" he interrupted her.

"You don't have to deny it...it's okay to be lonely and I'm here-" Lila abruptly stopped as Adrien turned his head and smashed his lips on Marinette's.

Previous

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Start

[ladyanput]

Seeing Green Ch.10

Quick warning: there is one threat of suicide in this chapter.

''You'll always be mine, my lady…''

Marinette sat up abruptly in bed, her body drenched in a cold sweat as her breathing came out harsh and fast. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, her hands tightly gripping the bed sheets. 

She forced herself to calm down. Chat- No, Adrien could not get her here. He was in jail, he didn't have his Miraculous anymore, there was no reason to panic. She was with the Waynes, they'd protect her, she'd protect herself. Adrien couldn't hurt her anymore.

Marinette opened her eyes and gazed around the large room Bruce had situated her in. It was the fanciest room she'd ever had the pleasure of staying in, with its massive size and the bathroom being almost as big as the bedroom itself. She never had a bubble bath before, but she'd taken the chance to have a nice, relaxing bath with bubbles nearly overflowing out of the tub, even though the water had stung the rope burns around her wrists.

Marinette gingerly touched her bandaged wrists, then glanced over towards her bedside table, the numbers 3:27 casting a faint green glow from the clock. Maybe some hot chocolate would help calm her down. She slid out of the plush bed and silently made her way through the labyrinth of a mansion until she reached the kitchen.

To her surprise, she found Tim sitting at the table in the center of the room, typing away on his laptop, with dark shadows visible under his eyes. Marinette eyed the coffee mug next to his laptop as she made her way into the kitchen.

"What are you doing up? Aren't you tired?" Mari made her way over to the electric kettle on the counter and quickly flipped it on when she saw it was full of water. Tim glanced up and rose a brow at the sight of the Parisian girl, then gave a wry smile.

"When you get tossed around by a man-child in a leather catsuit, you're not really up for sleeping, especially when your room is right next to Jason's and you hear some rather suggestive noises." He stated dryly, then chuckled at the sight of Marinette's face going beet red from his words. "Why are you up?"

"I… I had a nightmare." She admitted, raiding the cupboards until she found the hot chocolate powder and got to work on her hot chocolate. "I think I'll be having them for a while."

"You probably will, Angel." Damian appeared in the doorway, his hair mussed and wearing only a pair of pyjama pants that had little Robin logos all over them.  He made his way over to her and wrapped a supportive arm around her waist, drawing her close. "With what you went through, anyone would."

Marinette snuggled into her boyfriend's warm embrace and found herself with a dopey grin on her face. The nightmare seemed to fade from her mind as she felt Damian kiss her, making her shiver ever so slightly.

“Aren’t you all supposed to be asleep?” Eva stepped in, wearing only a fluffy robe. Marinette chuckled at the sight of the woman’s messy hair and general unkept appearance. “Though, I suppose I should be too.”

“Kinda hard to sleep with hearing a headboard slamming repetitively on the wall.” Tim piped up dryly, shooting the woman a withering glare as she opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

“Well, Tim, if you ever wanna join in, I’m more than open to it.” Eva sent him a wink, causing the boy to go red, even his ears. “Hey, sugar cookie, you okay?”

“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Marinette met the pitiful look in Eva’s eyes and felt her gut clench. She’d have to get used to that look in everyone’s eyes for quite some time. Even Bruce and Dick had been giving her those looks the entire evening, making her feel like crumpling into a mess of tears.. But she wouldn’t do that, not to anyone, she just had to get things back to normal again, she’d have to find a new Chat Noir, get back to Paris, find Hawkmoth, and then she could just move to Gotham and be happy.

If only things were so easy.

“Your parents are already on their way.” Eva’s voice cut through the rapidly messy thoughts and Marinette quickly busied herself with making her hot chocolate, ignoring the raw guilt in her gut that began to hurt. She hadn’t called her parents the entire time she’d been in Gotham, what kind of daughter did that?

They deserved a better daughter. Paris deserved a better Ladybug. Then maybe she would have seen the signs of Chat’s unhinging, maybe she could have prevented it. Now he was sitting in a cell, all alone, and it was all her fault, because she didn’t do anything to save her partner.

She quickly noticed the silence in the room and looked up to see everyone staring at her, as if expecting a response. Marinette quickly put on a bright smile and nodded, picking up her hot chocolate.

“I can’t wait for them to get here! I want to introduce them to everyone, especially Damian. I know they’ll interrogate you, but I’m sure you’ll pass the test.” Mari kissed Damian’s cheek, then quickly headed towards the kitchen door, her heart pounding wildly in her chest now. She felt tears brimming her eyes, which only heightened her frustration as she quickly made her way back to her bedroom. Tikki was awake and waiting for her when she got there. “Oh, sorry Tikki, did I wake you?”

“No, not at all Marinette. How are you feeling?” The kwami flew over to her chosen and smiled when she smelled the sweetness of the hot chocolate. She sat on Marinette’s shoulder as the girl settled in a chair by the window, staring out at the moonlit night. “You seem very calm.”

“Of course, silly, why wouldn’t I be calm? I’m on a fantastic field trip, dating the sweetest guy on Earth, and everyone is happy!” Marinette’s tone was cheerful, but Tikki saw right through it in a snap. She had watched as Alya and Lila accused Marinette of drugging Adrien and setting him up for this entire thing, she’d watched as Caline Bustier had done nothing to try and soothe Marinette, instead she went to try and calm a cry Lila as she kept making outlandish claims. And the kwami had watched as Adrien had been hauled away in cuffs, and once he had awoken he had started screaming about him and Ladybug were soulmates.

Tikki silently wished them all the worst luck in their lives, they didn’t deserve her good graces after all they had done. She was about to say something, but a knock on the door drew Marinette away, leaving the kwami sitting on the windowsill. She watched as her chosen opened the bedroom door and could easily make out the form on Damian, smiling sadly as she saw Marinette fall into his embrace as he opened his arms.

The couple laid on her bed for quite some time, just holding onto each other in comfort. Soon the sun began peeking over the horizon, filling the room with a warm light. Damian ran a hand over his girlfriend's hair as he watched her. He had known the moment he'd seen her in the kitchen that she hadn't slept right and wasn't going to for a while.

"I'm sorry." Marinette's soft voice broke the stiff silence as she laid her head on his chest, listening to his beating heart. "I should have seen it coming. I'm the Guardian of the Miraculous, I should have known."

"Angel, you're not to blame for any of this. You did nothing wrong." He tried to assure her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead as he felt her tremble. "He took advantage of you, of your kindness. He took advantage of your forgiving nature and manipulated you and then kidnapped you. Angel, he never once called you by your name when he was arrested. He kept calling you Ladybug."

Marinette had noticed that too. She hadn't been 'Marinette' or 'princess' once during the entire kidnapping. Chat Noir had become so unhinged, he had only seen Ladybug, he had only seen the mask he had forced upon her. She shivered in disgust at the thought.

"But still, I was his partner, I should have seen this, I should have stopped it." Marinette whimpered, hugging Damian tighter. Damian, seeing her tender, forgiving heart, felt pity for her. She could not shrug this off as easily as he could.

"Nothing could have stopped that. He was sick from the very beginning, no one to teach him right from wrong." Damian slowly sat up, taking her with him. "How about today, we spar before we head to the police station?"

…

The duo was surprised to see the training room was in full swing; walking in just in time to see Evangeline being sent flying towards a pile of mats, landing in them with a heavy thud and a loud groan leaving the woman.

“You need to balance more. You won’t always have your powers as a crutch, Eva.” Kate smiled as she made her way over to the scowling T.A,  helping her stand.

“I know, I’ve just never thought I was gonna become a superhero.” Eva snorted, standing and stretching her body, clad in a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra. Her dark hair was up in a messy bun, giving anyone looking the sight of the bruises and bite marks along her skin. Her vividly purple eyes landed on Marinette and she beamed. “Good morning, sugar cookie!”

“Oh… Um, good morning. Are you training too?” Marinette smiled, though she fiddled gently with the zipper of her hoodie, feeling a bit unsure as she saw the entire Wayne family was there. She watched as Dick did chin ups, Bruce beating up a very abused punching bag, and Jason pumping iron.  She nervously gulped. “I can do this another time, it’s okay.” 

“Hey, I wanna see what you’ve got.” Kate spoke up, stepping onto the exercise mat as Eva took a seat on one of the benches off to the side. “You’ve been a hero for a while, I’m sure you’d want a bit more training, so you won’t always be dependent on your magic, right? Maybe go up against Cass here? Just an easy sparring round, whoever gets pinned first loses.”

Marinette eyed Cass’s body carefully, seeing the strong muscle and amazing power in that sleek body of hers. Wordlessly, Marinette nodded and shrugged off her hoodie, not noticing as Damian tried not to swallow his tongue.

Marinette was no longer that slim, shy fifteen year old she had been when she had first become Ladybug. She had trained herself to become strong, to become the hero Paris deserved. She was still rather short, but she had certainly grown,  her sports bra straining ever so slightly against her chest, her arms flexing to show off the strong muscle, and Damian could see the powerful muscle in her thighs, and her abs… Well, they just made Damian feel weak in the knees.

He shook his head, blushing in shame. The girl had just been kidnapped and assaulted yesterday, yet here he was ogling her. He cleared his throat and took a seat beside Jason, ignoring his brother's playful nudge.

Cass and Marinette took their starting stances, then went at each other when Bruce signalled for them to begin.

They both fought hard, many watching as one dodged blows from the other, though it was clear to everyone, even Marinette herself, that Cass was the superior fighter here. Not surprising, as she had been raised to be the ultimate killing machine, just like Damian. But it was Cass who came out on top when she managed to kick Marinette's feet out from under her and pinned her down in seconds. The Waynes clapped and whistled.

"You did quite well against a trained assassin." Damian commented casually as he made his way over and helped Marinette to her feet. "Your center is a bit off, amongst other things. But we can help you train, Angel, get better. Trust me, it will help you."

Marinette grinned and nodded, then felt herself blush as Damian took her hand and walked with her to where most of the equipment was held. The family watched the duo, before exchanging looks.

"They've got it bad." Jason grinned as he saw the looks the two were sending each other when the other wasn't looking. "It's like a couple of lovestruck puppies."

Bruce chuckled softly at the sight of his son coming out of his shell around the French girl. While his son had outgrown that bratty part of him that had come out as a result of becoming an adult far too soon, he was still a recluse with his emotions. But seeing him smile so brilliantly, though it was directed at Marinette, made Bruce feel content.

He couldn't wait for grandchildren.

And one hour of punching a punching bag with Chat Noir's face taped to it, with the poor bag sadly beaten to a messy pulp on the gymnasium floor by everyone in the room, they made their way down into the Bat Cave. The entire group of vigilantes suited up, before turning towards Eva and Marinette, then eyeing the jewelry they wore.

"So those turn you into your superhero selves?" Tim spoke up, skeptically eyeing the necklace dangling from Eva's neck.

"Yes, they allow us Kwami to lend our chosen our powers." Tikki smiled, sitting promptly on Marinette's shoulder. It felt nice not having to be always in a purse or jacket around these people, it felt so freeing. "Marinette is by far my strongest Ladybug yet. She can handle immense power, she's worn several Miraculous at once."

Okay, now it sounded like she was bragging, which she rightfully deserved with all she had put up with. 

"And I finally have a kit." Trixx piped up, warmly nuzzling Eva's cheek. Marinette blinked in surprise when Eva and Trixx looked their way, their eyes both the same shades of vivid purple. "And it's all thanks to Marinette that I found her. Alya was a good fox, but her versions of the truth are… Misguided."

Marinette didn't comment, feeling an ache in her heart at the memory of her broken friendship. All of her class was back at the hotel with Miss Bustier, many of them shaken by their experiences in Gotham. It would certainly be a trip to remember for the Parisian group, especially for the likes of Nino.

Nino. Marinette cursed under her breath and turned towards Eva. 

"Nino broke up with Alya and apologized to me." Marinette blurted out before she could stop herself. "I want him back as Carapace."

"Are you sure about that Marinette?" Eva crossed her arms and seemed to ponder the outburst carefully. "He didn't protect you or side with you for how many years? Given, he wanted to remain loyal to his girlfriend, but still. I would go rushing back towards anyone who's asked for forgiveness, Marinette. They deserve your anger and mistrust for what a lot for them did to you, especially Nino. You told me you'd known him since you were little kids, remember? He should have known you the best and been there for you."

Marinette was quiet after that, not paying attention to the others listening in on their conversation. After a few minutes, she let out a defeated sigh. 

"I'm sorry, I am just… Everything is messy in my head. I just want everything to be normal again." Marinette closed her eyes and rested her head against Eva, who hugged her gently.

"Things won't ever be normal again, sugar cookie, I'm sorry. Maybe we should look into getting you a therapist." That got everyone staring at Eva. "What, surely you guys have someone you can talk about the traumatized shit you guys have been through, right? You don't just go around with this baggage weighing you down and tormenting you."

She was greeted with silence. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped.

"Jesus fuck, guys, that isn't healthy! That can fucking destroy your mental health!" 

"I can contact Black Canary." Batman spoke up, looking uncomfortable under the woman's harsh, judgmental gaze. "I mean, she's a trained therapist, I go to her from time to time because… Because she understands because she's also a hero."

"Finally, someone with some sense." Eva grumbled, before setting her hands on her hips. "Marinette is going to see her, understand? No arguments, no complaints."

No one said a word, until Dick cleared his throat.

"Shall we head to the police station so that Ladybug can give her statements?" Nightwing stated uncomfortably, as Eva transformed into Lady Vixen, resulting in a wolf whistle from Red Hood. 

"Yeah, let's go." Marinette transformed, then smiled over at Robin. "Hopefully you can behave yourself there."

"Why should I? I still wanna skin him alive." Robin growled softly, his hand resting on the handle of his sword. 

"I'd rather you not commit murder, please?" Ladybug begged softly, giving him a sweet smile. "I have more kisses for you if you behave."

Robin snorted and shook his head, motioning her towards his bike. 

"Let's just go, before I turn soft on the guy who kidnapped you and held you against your will." He said dryly.

Ladybug smiled, but when she turned her back to everyone, tears brimmed her eyes.

…

The police station was a flurry of activity, the usual for a city full of supervillains and roaming vigilantes.

Ladybug smiled once Batman pointed out Commissioner Gordon, making her way towards him and shaking his hand.

"Hello Commissioner, it's lovely to meet you. I heard there was an incident of a girl getting kidnapped because it was thought she was me." Ladybug smiled sadly, being led into Gordon's office. "I am sorry for the inconveniences that were caused."

"Adrien Agreste did kidnap a girl, yes, saying she was you. We got her statement and she is staying someplace safe, don't you worry." The commissioner assured her, then crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "He keeps shouting about he is Chat Noir, miss Ladybug. I don't really know about who you are, but Batman informed me that you are heroes in Paris?"

"Yes, we've been keeping the entire situation in Paris tight lipped due to safety reasons." Ladybug spoke up quickly, her face looking grim. "And I will admit, the entire situation is rather messy."

"Was he Chat Noir, this other hero that he's been ranting about?" Gordon met her gaze. Ladybug didn't say a word, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes. He knew exactly why she was there."I see… Would you like to talk to him? I can give you a few minutes, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that, thank you." Ladybug smiled sadly. She was here to say goodbye to her partner, and also hopefully to stop any spread of her identity, if he were to go back to Paris. She could only hope.

Gordon guided Ladybug and Lady Vixen into an interrogation room, while Robin, Red Hood, and Batman watched with the commissioner on the other side of the glass.

Adrien was lead in, dark shadows under his eyes, his hair messy and greasy, and a look of distaste crossing his face once he caught sight of Vixen, though it brightened at the sight of Ladybug.

"My lady, you're here! Thank goodness, you finally see reason and you're here to get me out! Then we can go back to Paris, right?" Adrien grinned, not even fazed as he was roughly shoved into the chair across the table from the heroines.

"No, Chat Noir, I'm here because I heard you were terrorizing a poor girl, thinking she was me." Ladybug scowled as she crossed her arms, trying her hardest not to tremble as his eyes, eyes such a vibrant color of green, met hers. "Marinette was in tears when she told me everything."

"Don't be silly, Ladybug, I know you're her. I saw you with your kwami the other night." Adrien soon got a dreamy smile on his face, gazing up at the heroine. "You have such a lovely figure, my lady, you've really worked hard."

It took everything in Ladybug not to spew the bile that rose in her throat, but she held it all down.

"Marinette was feeding my kwami cookies, Adrien. I had to go to that warehouse and help Batman and the others save her from you, remember?" Ladybug snapped, feeling her fury rise in her chest. "You have been acting out a lot over the years, but this takes the cake! You're lucky I managed to get her out of that warehouse while Lady Vixen distracted you!"

Adrien then focused his eyes on the silent fox that was leaning back against the two way mirror. Her fox ears flicked ever so slightly as she caught him staring. She merely grinned, showing off the sharp fangs in her mouth.

"What happened to Rena Rouge?" Adrien glared, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders. "She's a much better fox."

"You're changing the subject, Adrien. You did horrible things to Marinette, you think you're owed my love, when I've told you time and time again that I love someone else!" Ladybug's voice rose an octave as she grew more furious, but then she took a deep breath and stepped back. He couldn't hurt her. Looking at him, she could clearly see he was delusional, he wasn't worth her guilt, her tears. "I'm done with you, Adrien. You're not worth my time."

It was as if reality had finally struck the Agreste boy. He teared up and got to his feet, though her couldn't move far thanks to being cuffs to the table 

"No, my lady, please! I love you so much, we're soulmates! I can't live without you!" Adrien's eyes welled with tears as he struggled to get to her. "Please, Ladybug, please! You're my lady and I'm your loyal knight."

"Let's go, Ladybug. He's not worth this." Vixen set a hand the small of Ladybug's back, carefully guiding her out. But just as they were about to step out, Adrien let out a scream.

"I'll kill myself if I can't be with you, Ladybug!"

That made Ladybug and Lady Vixen freeze. The guilt swamped the former like a tidal wave, guilt and shame rushing over her as she fought back a sob as she looked back at him. This was all her fault, she had hurt him this deeply. She couldn't hurt him anymore, she-

Lady Vixen stormed her way up to Adrien and grabbed him by the throat. She ripped his cuffs from the table and slammed him so hard against the glass, many webs of cracks covered it.

"You do NOT ever fucking say that to anyone ever, you abusive, selfish, manipulative piece of SHIT!" Vixen got right in his face, baring her fangs and hissing, appearing like a feral wild animal. "I should tear out your vocal cords right here and string them up your ass so you can keep talking shit!"

"Vixen!" Batman rushed into the room and pulled the fox off of the teen, sending Adrien sprawled across the floor with bleeding scratch marks at his throat. "That's enough!"

"No, he's not going to manipulate her like that! You don't guilt and scare someone into a relationship, you low life!" Vixen screamed at Adrien as she was dragged out of the room and the precinct.

Once outside, Batman set her down, but grasped her shoulders in a bruising grip.

"You crossed a line. You don't threaten a perp like that, that could cause legal action against you, or worse; make the public see you as an unhinged sociopath." He growled at her, giving her a firm shake. But Vixen was too busy hyperventilating. When she looked up, her pupils had become thin slits and tears brimmed her eyes.

"Doll?" Red Hood stepped forward, a hand reaching out for her. Vixen slapped his hand away and darted off into the night.

"Just let her go." Ladybug spoke up, sadness strong in her tone, though she would later regret that decision. "Just give her some space. Let's go home? Please? I just… I want to forget everything that happened in there."

As the night went on, an orange mist began to spread through the city, emanating from a frantic, hyperventilating heroine.

Taglist:  @realrandomposts @interobanginyourmom @ladybug-182 @ladylb @zalladane @mochinek0 @persephonebutkore @urbanpineapplefarmer @vixen-uchiha @angelofmusickaterinapetrova @thewheezingbubbledragon @northernbluetongue @violatiger8 @thequestionablyhuman @ginamarie1512 @maude-zarella @2sunchild2 @saphiraazure2708 @ayuchan07 @virgil-is-a-cutie @thepeacetea @mindfulmagics

[macaronsforchat]

Ladynoir July Day 22 - Realization

@ladynoirjuly2020

read on ao3!

Ladybug watched the cars go through the roundabout absentmindedly, her senses more focused on listening. She hadn’t been waiting long, but every second that passed felt like years.

Finally, she heard him coming, and she flipped around to see his figure growing closer and closer. A gentle warmth began spreading through her body to her fingertips, and the smile that appeared on her face was one she couldn’t help.

“Chat Noir!” she called out, waving an eager arm. He made a final jump and landed a few feet away from her, flashing her a smile and taking a deep breath.

“Hey Ladybug,” he said happily. A little bit of the warmth spreading inside her turned cold, but she kept smiling, trying to remind herself that he hadn’t used nicknames for her in some time.

“I can’t stay for too long, but I’m here!” he said enthusiastically, and more of the happiness inside her shifted into something duller.

“Oh, that’s fine,” she nodded, rubbing her arm and speaking up again quickly. “How’s it going?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t question her about why she’d called him out when they hadn’t scheduled a patrol that night.

She found herself wanting to be around Chat more and more often, and she couldn’t really figure out why. After battles with akumas, she found herself milking every last second with him that she could before they both had to leave. That night in particular, she just wanted to see him and hear his voice.

“Oh, I’m great,” he grinned, placing his baton on his back. She tilted her head, wishing that she wasn’t guessing all the reasons for his smile.

“Good day?” she wondered, settling down on the edge of the roof and watching him as he sat down next to her. His smile hadn’t faltered at all, and as he stared out at the city, his eyes only shone brighter.

“Yeah! I had a date with my girlfriend,” he told her, and she tried to stop the pit from forming in her stomach. Adrien had gushed about going on a date with Kagami at school earlier that day too. She loved seeing that he was happy, but sometimes she just had to put it out of her mind. She began to feel something similar bubble up as she studied Chat’s grin.

Her mind drifted back to Adrien, and then to Luka in Chat’s silence. Even though she’d succeeded, in her mind, at getting over her past crush, it wasn’t enough to start something with Luka. She could only feel guilt around him, and that wasn’t fair.

And for some reason, all the boy trouble made her long to be around Chat even more. Being around him felt easy, or at least, it had. Every time she saw him, she felt her heart getting tighter, and she wanted to figure out why.

“That’s great,” she smiled lightly, watching him glance at her.

“Thanks,” he replied, kicking his legs as they dangled off the roof. She watched him for a moment, and then let out a breath that had been building in her lungs.

“Wanna tell me about it?” she wondered, and he let out a small laugh, ducking his head.

“If you don’t mind,” he answered, and she waved a hand at him, urging him on. That only made him smile wider, but it wasn’t for her.

Chat began to talk about his date, but she couldn’t listen to the details. Simply hearing his voice made her heart feel fuzzy, so she focused on that, wondering if she couldn’t decipher some of her jumbled thoughts.

Why did hearing about Chat’s girlfriend not make her happy? She wanted to be happy for him, so why couldn’t she be? She watched him as he talked, finding herself lost in the shimmer of his eyes. The lights of the city were reflected there, and he seemed so giddy that he was practically glowing.

Ladybug pushed his girlfriend from her mind, remembering that she’d been telling Tikki that things felt different between her and her partner. He hadn’t been using nicknames for her anymore, and with his flirting all but gone, everything felt out of balance. Their dynamic as a team hadn’t suffered too much. They both seemed to fall into a familiar rhythm with each other, but once the danger was gone, she felt a loss of warmth that made her frown every time.

She remembered that he’d said he couldn’t stay long and resisted the urge to sigh, feeling a deep sadness in her chest. She had never realized how much she adored having him around, and sitting there with him then made her feel like she could have stayed there with him for hours.

“Ladybug?” he called, bringing her out of her thoughts. He was staring back at her, and she felt her cheeks light up a soft pink.

“Sorry, yeah?” she said, smiling a little. He smiled back, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I asked why you’d called me out here so suddenly,” he repeated, tilting his head a little as he watched her. She blushed brighter, knowing that she couldn’t tell him that she’d just wanted to be near him. Even though she was pretty sure that friends would say something like that, it still felt wrong to tell him, even if she couldn’t figure out why.

“Uh, well,” she started, scrambling for an answer that didn’t betray her true feelings. “I guess I was just feeling down today,” she told him, looking away briefly and biting the inside of her cheek.

“Ah,” he nodded, lifting a leg to help himself stand. She glanced up at him, seeing that he was offering her a hand. She took it, and he pulled her up to meet him.

“I have magical hugs, you know,” he told her, and she blinked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. “Want one?” She felt her heart skip a beat, but she knew that if she said no she would kick herself later. So she nodded, and he smiled.

Chat stepped closer, and she raised her arms a little, feeling his move under hers and wrap around her middle. She was lifted from the ground as he pulled her gently against him, holding her to his chest like it was the most important thing he could be doing.

Ladybug took a shaky breath in, having expected a short hug or something silly. But Chat seemed intent on holding her there, not saying a word. Her heart started to race, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he wouldn’t be able to tell. But when she closed her eyes, her thoughts ran wild. Suddenly, all she could imagine was kissing him, and it made her even more panicked. Why was she thinking about Chat like that?

Oh. Oh.

All at once, she realized what was going on.

She was in love with Chat Noir.

Her whole body seemed to light on fire, and she almost let a squeal burst from her lips. She was horrified that she hadn’t realized sooner. Was she that blind?

Chat began to pull away just as she felt like screaming, meeting her with a warm smile that made her knees want to give out.

“See?” he asked, letting his hands fall from her and her feet return to the ground. She blinked at him with wide eyes, knowing that he was talking about his self-proclaimed magical hugs but still frazzled beyond belief.

She managed to nod, watching his smile widen proudly.

“Yeah, I see now.”

~~~~~

hehe this one was kinda fun. i really tried to put myself in her head, but i dunno if i did it justice. nevertheless, i hope you enjoyed! thank you for reading! <3

[teacupfulofstarshine]

une ladybug, lady du coeur

summary: logan just wants to save the city. he's not very interested in the advances of his partner. he isn't. yes, he is. (OR: a miraculous ladybug sanders sides!au that is a VERY late birthday gift to @blinksinbewilderment​)

a/n: this is a gift for my lovely spouse squad member blink!!! her birthday is in august, and it is now almost february, i know, i'm bad at this, i'm sorry. also i love you blink i hope you enjoy this ~ 

cw: mutual pining, cartoon violence

wordcount: 2818

read it on ao3!

“This is getting ridiculous,” Logan grumbles, fumbling to shove his books into his messenger bag. Outside, there’s a loud, distorted roar from the akuma of the day. “We are never going to finish the French Revolution unit at this rate.” 

“Good thing you memorized the entire textbook at the beginning of the school year, hmm?” Roman says teasingly. He throws his iPad into his bag and elbows Logan, who smiles at him as soon as Roman isn’t looking at him. The building shakes with the force of another blow, and Roman instantly tugs Logan close to him. Logan pretends it doesn’t make his face flush pink. 

“We have to go,” Roman says. “We have to get out of here!” 

“Roman -”

Roman throws his backpack over his shoulder, and Logan barely manages to sling his messenger bag over his shoulder before Roman is grabbing his hand and sprinting through the school. Logan stumbles after Roman, once again cursing that he’s so much shorter than his best friend. Roman flies down the stairs three at a time, and it’s a wonder Logan doesn’t faceplant. 

They burst out of the school and immediately dive into a nearby bush as a large hoof slams down into the street nearby. Logan cowers into the bush, and Roman hovers his body over him. Logan opens his eyes, and it’s only then that he notices that when Roman had grabbed his hand, he’d laced their fingers together.

There’s a very strange feeling in his chest, and he has no idea how to handle it. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to think about it for much longer as Roman pulls away. He feels disappointed, but then Roman is flashing his million-dollar model smile and Logan forgets how to feel anything but lovestruck. 

“You stay here where it’s safe, okay? I’m gonna go get help.” 

“What? What if something happens?” 

“Hey, you know me! Paris’s favorite face and all that, I’ll be fine.” Roman winks at him, before leaning down and hugging Logan quickly. He sprints out of the bush, a streak of blurred red, and Logan buries his head in his hands and groans. 

There’s a little rustling noise, and then a tiny little creature flies up out of his bag. It’s a little red creature, with two small antennae, covered in large black spots. He hovers next to Logan’s head, little tail twitching as he pats his head sympathetically. 

“Crush got you down?” 

“Shut up, Emile,” Logan mutters. “He’s not my crush.” 

“I don’t think you’re telling the truth,” Emile sing-songs, landing on Logan’s head. “Did you see the way he held your haaaaaaand?” Logan blushes, picturing the way Roman’s fingers felt laced between his and the press of Roman’s broad palm against his smaller one, the glow of Roman’s vibrant green eyes in the sunlight as he glances over his shoulder and grins rakishly at Logan. 

“Shut up,” Logan says shortly, rather than think about feelings anymore. “We have to deal with this akuma before anyone gets hurt.” 

“Whatever you want, Logan,” Emile says. “You know how to suit up!” 

Logan sighs, running his hands through his hair, and tucks his messenger bag into the bushes. He sweeps a few stray brown curls behind his ear, revealing his unassuming, plain black stud earrings. “Alright, here we go. Emile, spots on!” 

A flash of red sparkles swirls around him, and the earrings glow. Emile giggles as he swirls around and disappears into Logan’s miraculous. Logan can’t stop a cocky smile from spreading across his face as the transformation begins to take hold. 

He presses his hands against his eyes and pulls them across his face, leaving a gleaming red mask in his place. The transformation races down his body and spirals around his arms, his torso, his legs, melting away his polo and tie and slacks. His outfit is replaced with a bright red bodysuit, covering him completely from the neck down in a pattern of tiny gleaming hexagons with large black polka dots. He feels the red ribbon attach itself in his hair, tying it back from his face, and his yoyo materializes on his hip. 

Ladybug drops to the ground in a perfect crouch, reaching for his yoyo and quickly flipping it open. He presses one of the buttons, and his insufferable partner’s face appears on screen with a phone dialing icon. 

“Honestly, if you don’t pick up I swear to god,” Ladybug mutters. The phone rings for almost twenty seconds, but no one picks up. He snaps the yoyo shut when he hears a civilian scream and immediately throws it up towards the roof. He tugs the line and swings away, directly into the line of fire. 

*~*~*~*~*

Most days, Roman doesn’t give a damn about being one of the most recognizable faces in Paris. He’s an extrovert - he loves people, loves taking pictures with them and performing for them and just generally being around them. He’s not like his introverted best friend. He loves the limelight.

When he’s trying to sneak away and transform, however, this is less appreciated. 

“You want some help, kitten?” his kwami drawls, curled inside of the pocket of his letterman jacket. 

“I don’t like it when you do stuff like that, you know that,” Roman mutters, ducking quickly into an alleyway to avoid yet another paparazzi camera. 

“I know, but I don’t think you have a choice,” Remy says. Roman swats at his pocket, but he can’t deny that Remy is right. Normally, he can sneak away on his own, but the crowds just keep growing and growing. 

“Don’t do anything too permanent, okay?”

“No sweat, kitten. You know Ladybug’s gonna fix it all when you’re done, right?” 

“I don’t wanna make extra work for him!” Roman argues. 

“It’s literally not even him, kitten, it’s his miraculous that powers it all.” The little black catlike creature flies up out of his pocket and disappears into the crowd. Roman keeps running, not taking any time to look back or see what his kwami is doing. Little black bubbles fizzle through the concrete, and he hears someone shouting behind him, but he darts around a building and into a dark and dirty alleyway. Within a minute, Remy floats through the wall and lands in his palms. 

“Do I even want to know what you did?” 

“Probably not. You subscribe to that pesky human concept of ‘morals’ or whatever.” Remy yawns, curling into Roman’s cupped hands. 

“Can you just get in the damn ring already?” 

“I will not.” 

Roman reaches into his backpack and pulls out a small plastic travel thermos. “Not even for . . . coffee?” 

Remy’s ears twitch, but he maintains a nonchalant facade. “Coffee? What would I care about coffee?” 

“Oh, nothing much . . . it’s just double-brewed espresso, made with that expensive shit you love, that’s all.” Remy whimpers and twitches again. “And I added a little splash of lavender honey and creamer . . . but if you don’t want it, I guess I’ll have to drink it . . .”

“No!” Remy wails, shoving the lid off the travel cup and diving inside. Roman has no idea how Remy can stand submerging his entire body in near-boiling coffee, but he isn’t complaining. Remy pokes his head out of the travel mug and shakes a few drops of coffee out of his fur, smiling. 

“You needed me?”

“Of course I do,” Roman snarks. 

“You know how to call me, don’t you?”

“Remy, claws out!” 

Roman grins as a blur of black disappears into the silver ring he wears, which quickly burns black as well. He can feel power thrumming through his body, racing along his veins like lightning, and he smirks, shifting his stance to a more confident one. Two fingers swipe along his face, dragging black leather in their wake. He combs through his hair as it grows longer and more unruly, and black leather cat ears sprout up from his tousled curls. Black leather and green lightning spiral around him, and the facade of Roman Roi drops away. 

Steel-toed black boots hit the ground as Chat Noir pulls his black belt tail out of his outfit, With a flick of the wrist, his staff is in his hand, and he vaults up through the Paris sky. 

*~*~*~*~*

Ladybug dodges another blow from the akuma, which shrieks and hurls another projectile his way. It’s a florist, he thinks, akumatized over scathing comments from the mayor’s hellspawn. Ladybug doesn’t blame him for being upset, but the thorny vines choking the city streets are really a bit much to deal with.

“This is not necessary!” Ladybug shouts, drawing his yoyo and quickly lassoing the nearest building. He swings away as a plant erupts where he was standing. The thorns are enormous and sharp and almost as big as he is. “I know that you are upset, but please -”

“You want to call my profession silly?!” the akuma roars. Ladybug is sure that he has some kind of proper akuma name, but he honestly doesn’t remember it anymore. “I will cover you in thorns, and you will see how sharp a florist can be!” 

Ladybug winds the cord of his yoyo around his fingers, crouching in the shadow of a balcony. He needs to figure out where the akuma is hiding, he needs to control the damage to make sure no innocent civilians are injured, he needs - he needs - 

“My ladybug, look out!” 

A silver staff flies out of nowhere and knocks Ladybug back as a Venus flytrap roars to life beneath him. If he hadn’t been knocked out of the way when he was . . .

A dark figure lands next to him. “Fancy running into you here,” Chat Noir purrs, eyes gleaming dangerously as he pulls Ladybug to his feet. 

“Of course I ran into you here, we are both superheroes. This is our job,” Ladybug says, rolling his eyes. Chat Noir spins him around and dips him, and Ladybug is about to scold him for letting romantic nonsense interfere with their job until he realizes that they’ve narrowly avoided a deadly blow. 

“You’re welcome,” Chat Noir says. “You can thank me properly later. For now, we have a job to do, don’t we?” He pulls Ladybug to his feet easily and takes his staff from where it’s lodged in the building behind them. “What’s the scoop?” 

Ladybug fills him in. “I hate people like that,” Chat Noir mutters. ‘People who try to put others in boxes and act like they can’t ever have a different role . . . that’s complete and utter horseshit. I deserve to be - people deserve to be whoever they want to be.” Ladybug tilts his head in confusion. 

“You are correct, Chat Noir, but still . . .”

Chat Noir shakes his head and spins his staff in one hand, deflecting a barrage of thorns. “Where do we suspect the akuma is, my ladybug?” Ladybug squints at the akuma, trying to reason out where the akuma might be. 

“I . . . there! There’s a sunhat on the akuma’s head, and from what I understand the akumatized citizen wears that hat frequently.” 

“How are we going to get to it?” Chat Noir asks. “I only get one Cataclysm before I change back, so we have to make it count!” Ladybug pulls his yoyo from his hip and spins it rapidly in front of him. 

“Let us see if this evens the odds. Lucky Charm!” He throws the yoyo up into the air, kicking one leg up behind him for balance. Logan does not believe in luck, but Ladybug finds he has no choice but to believe, given what he does. 

The yoyo glows, giving out a shower of heart-shaped sparkles as it spins rapidly around and around in the air. Ladybug can never look up at the lucky charm while it’s forming, but Chat Noir always stares at it starry-eyed (when he can, anyway, and isn’t too busy defending them from the akuma attacks). 

The Lucky Charm glows so brightly that even Chat Noir has to look away, and it drops down into Ladybug’s waiting hands, and it’s . . . 

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Ladybug asks, holding the red-and-black-spotted plastic hairbrush in his hands. He looks up, and the world is suddenly black and white. This is normal; once his Lucky Charm lands in his hands, the world is devoid of color until he looks around, and certain objects will light up in red and black color. From there, he has to figure out what to do. 

“You got an idea yet?” Chat Noir asks. Ladybug squints around, and then he has one. 

*~*~*~*~*

Chat Noir doesn’t know what Ladybug sees when he holds his Lucky Charm. His eyes go slightly unfocused, and the brown of his irises gleams red and black. All he knows is that within a minute, Ladybug’s eyes always refocus, sharp and clean, and he always knows exactly what to do. 

“I need to get close to the akuma,” he says. “As close as you can get me, okay? I know what I need to do.” 

“Any specific vines you want me to take out?” 

Ladybug points out a few key points, and Chat Noir grins, throwing his fist into the air. “Cataclysm!” His fist comes back down covered in inky black bubbling flames. Ladybug spins his yoyo rapidly, and Chat Noir can’t stop himself from winking before he tears off across the street. 

Chat Noir only gets one Cataclysm, the same way that Ladybug only gets one Lucky Charm. Unlike Ladybug, however, Chat Noir has a little bit of a window where he can work. If he’s fast enough, he can hit a few of the vines before his power fizzles out. He launches off the building, careful to only land with his feet and his free hands, and takes off towards the akuma. 

Ladybug had pointed out three or four specific vines that Chat Noir should try to hit; he manages to hit two of them before his Cataclysm runs out. He settles for smacking the vines aside with his staff, trying to draw as much of the akuma’s attention as possible. He succeeds, too; the akuma is so busy staring at him that it doesn’t notice when a red-and-black-spotted plastic hairbrush comes flying out of nowhere like a boomerang and hits the akuma squarely in the eye. 

The akuma wails, and Chat Noir can hear his ring beeping down to four minutes left as Ladybug’s yoyo soars through the air and knocks the akuma’s hat off its head. It goes flying through the air towards Chat Noir. “Chat Noir, it’s up to you!” Ladybug calls. 

Chat Noir deftly expands his staff to pin the hat against the nearest building and sprints along the street, vaulting himself off of a nearby parked car and snatching the hat up. The akuma wails as he tears the hat in half, and a little black butterfly flutters out of the hat. “Get out of here, you nasty bug!” Chat Noir hisses. 

Ladybug’s yoyo glows bright white as he spins it around rapidly. “Time to de-evilize!” The yoyo sails through the air, slamming right into the akuma, and two black-spotted red wings snap out and trap the akuma inside the yoyo. Ladybug pulls it back against his body and gently taps the compact. It pops open to reveal a little white butterfly fluttering off into the sky. 

“Bye-bye, little butterfly,” Ladybug croons, a fond expression on his face. Chat Noir can’t stop himself from grinning dopily at the sight. Ladybug hops off the roof and picks up the hairbrush from the nearby building and throws it into the air, as high as he can. “Miraculous Ladybug!” 

A glittering swarm of ladybugs tears around Paris, and Chat Noir grins as a tingle of magic floods through him. 

*~*~*~*~*

By the time they finally escape Patton’s eager questioning for his blog, Virgil standing next to him with a GoPro dutifully recording, there’s only two minutes left on their respective miraculouses. “Pound it!” Chat Noir exclaims, offering his fist to Ladybug for a fist bump. Ladybug rolls his eyes, but he accepts the fistbump anyway. Before he can pull his hand away, Chat Noir grabs his hand and turns it so that he’s holding it, back of his hand facing up. 

“Chat Noir? We’re about to de-transform, what are you -”

Chat Noir lifts his hand to his lips and kisses it, softly. “Until next time, my lovely ladybug.” Before Ladybug can protest, Chat Noir is vaulting away. Ladybug barely manages to make it to a safe place before his last dot beeps away and his transformation disappears in a flurry of sparkles. Ladybug is gone, and Logan Cerveau lifts his hands to catch Emile. 

“Thank you,” he quietly tells his kwami. 

“No problem,” Emile yawns, settling in for a nap as Logan tucks him into his breast pocket. “You’re so smitten, it’s adorable . . .” 

Logan is too busy concealing his blush to protest. Much.