#i did not want to go out again to get more pie crust and i hate making it by hand

[theliving-radio]

The Meaning of “Big Brother”

Part: 1

Warnings: none, just fluff and sillies. Gender Neutral Reader. Platonic relationship. Malleus is now your big brother.

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Malleus is an only child. Until he dubbed you as his Baby Sibling, making him a Big Brother.

But what is a “Big Brother”? That’s been on his mind lately. What does it mean to be a “Big Brother”?

Malleus wishes to ask Lilia on the matter, but goes against it as it felt like the old fae would tease him. Silver is also an only child, and Sebek is the youngest of his siblings. So he couldn’t ask them either.

And so, Malleus sets off to ask some of the students that are Older Brothers too.

“What it’s like to be the older brother in the family?” Trey was surprised when the First Years came running to him, saying that Malleus Draconia wanted to see him. Trey was in the middle of making pie crust for a new recipe he wanted to try out when both Ace and Deuce showed up with Malleus in tow. But the question was more of a shocker than seeing Malleus Draconia in the Heartstabyul kitchen

“Yes. I’ve heard from Trappola and Spade that you are an Older Brother to many younger siblings. And that even students have claimed you as “The Older brother of Heartstabyul.”

Trey glances over at Ace and Deuce who were a bit embarrassed by it, but Trey only lets out an amused chuckle.

“Yeah, I have a few younger brothers and a little sister. We all live together with our parents who run a Bakery.”

“Interesting… and what are your ‘duties’ as an older brother?” Malleus questioned as he watched the Vice dorm leader go back to mixing.

“‘Duties’, huh? That’s one way of putting it. But I just do my best to make sure they don’t cause any trouble and aren’t fighting each other. One time, one of my brothers was teasing our sister to the point of crying… then proceeded to punch him. When I found them, they were both tussling in the middle of the Bakery. I had to scold them both.”

“Fascinating…”

After the mixing, Trey takes the dough out of bowl and places it on the kitchen counter where it can be kneaded. He looks over at Malleus who was writing down in a small notepad.

Did he have that the whole time?

“So when it comes to your younger siblings, you have to protect them from each other. Along with correcting their behavior towards one another.

“I mean, I guess? Yeah. Most of the time that responsibility would fall under our parents. But since I was the one to see it happen, I had to set things straight.”

“I see… Have they ever done anything to make you upset?”

Trey was in the middle of kneading the dough, but pulls away from it and places his hand on his chin, trying to think of something. Meanwhile Ace was trying to sneak towards the fridge to see if there were any tarts in there, Deuce wasn’t trying to signal him to not do it.

Without looking away from the dough, Trey picked up small metal spoon and threw it in the direction Ace was at. Causing him to yelp and curse under his breath at getting hit in the head with said spoon, and for getting caught.

Malleus was intrigued by the small exchange.

“There was a time where one of my brothers wanted to go to a Spelldrive game. He really wanted to go. I couldn’t say no to him, and so I got my entire allowance to buy a ticket for him. All the money I saved up for myself, just gone. Of course I was upset about it… but when he came home from the game he had the biggest smile on his face, and went straight to me to tell me everything that happened during the game. And I knew from that moment, I didn’t regret giving him all my money. And I would do it all over again, given the chance.” Trey smiled at the memory, Malleus took noticed and smiles as well.

“Maaan~ what a lucky kid. Wish you were my older brother, Trey-senpai!” Ace interrupted the heartfelt moment.

“Don’t you already have an older brother, Trappola?”

“Yeah, but he’s a dick!” Ace loudly declares as he crosses his arms. “To prove my point, one time while I was laying in bed, he walked into my room without saying anything, approached me, turned around and farted in my a face! He ran out laughing and I had to chase him to give him a what for!”

Malleus looked at Ace in pure horror. His older brother did that?! Is that normal???

He does not wish to lay his flatulence upon you!

Not his Baby Sibling!

“Ah yeah. I’m an only child. But I’ve heard siblings doing that to each other.” Deuce mention, which causes Malleus to turn to him in shock.

“So that is normal behavior among siblings?”

“Well…. Not really, every family is different, and every sibling bond can be different too. Some love each other, and there are some who hate each other.” Trey answered the Dragon Fae’s question as he set up placing the dough in the pan.

Malleus thought about Trey’s words. He does love you very much, he is your Big Brother after all! But even relationships and bonds can change over time. And he hopes his Baby Sibling does not turn to hate him one day.

“I see… Well I must thank you for this insightful information, Clover. I will have to leave now to get more information.”

“If you have any more question, just try to find me.”

Malleus nods as he makes his way out of the Heartstabyul’s dorm kitchen. As he leaves, he hears the sound of a smack and Ace yelling ‘What did I do?!’ While Trey’s response being ‘Do you want to be collared?’

“You came all the way here… to ask me how I treat my younger siblings?”

“Yes. That is exactly why I’m here.”

Out of all the places, Jack never once thought that Malleus’s Draconia would come over to Savanaclaw dorm… to ask about family…

“… why?”

“Recently I have become an Older Brother, and I am asking for advice from others who are one as well.”

“Ah.” Jack… was still not expecting that answer.

It’s no secret from the school that Malleus Draconia, future king of Briar Valley, one of the top powerful mages in all of Twisted Wonderland…

Has dubbed you as his “Baby Sibling” and has taken the role “Big Brother” seriously.

How did this arrangement came to be? Nobody knows.

Jacks ear twitches as he crosses his arms. Before Malleus came by, Jack was actually going to be headed to the botanical gardens to help Ruggie find Leona. Unfortunately the dragon fae stopped him before he was able to walk out of the dorms lounge room.

“I heard from Schoenheit that you have a younger brother and sister,” Malleus took notice that Jack’s tail swayed a bit when Vil was brought up.

“… you heard correctly. Both are in elementary school.”

Jack isn’t gonna lie.

This is kinda awkward, and weird.

“Jack, you’re still here? I thought you were gonna help me-“ Ruggie entered the lounge and stopped in his tracks as he saw Malleus. The Hyena Beastmen looks over at Jack, his eyes saying ‘Help me’. Ruggie doesn’t know what he walked in on.

“Good Afternoon,Bucchi. Sorry to come here unannounced, but I just wanted to ask Howl on his relation to his younger siblings are like.” Malleus answered earnestly.

Ruggie blinks once. Then twice.

What?

“What? Why?”

“Since I am a Big Brother now, I wish to know the responsibilities of taking care of a younger siblings. So I am asking other students advice and experiences they’ve had,” Malleus looked pleased with himself at his own reasoning. Ruggie on the other hand, was confused by the Fae’s reasoning. Really?

“And you’re asking Jack because…?”

“He too, is also a Big Brother.”

Ruggie turns to Jack who just gave him a curt nod. “Ok, but like can’t you just look it up?”

“Ah, I’m not really good with technology…”

Is this guy for real?!

“… both of my siblings are very energetic. They can play hide and seek for six hours straight without getting tired.” Jack goes back to the topic at hand.

“Six hours?!”

“Oh my, how do you get them to calm down?” Malleus asked as he gets out his notepad and pen. Ruggie and Jack just blink at him as the Dragon Fae waited patiently for an answer.

Jack coughs in his fist to clear his throat, “Well, mom sometimes has issues when it’s time for bed. Lately though, she has been sneaking in sleeping medication into their drinks. Just small doses to help them calm down when it’s time to sleep.” The Wolf Beastmen explained as he recounts the events.

Malleus writes down in the notepad, wanting to get it all down. Ruggie leans over and tries to get a small glimpse of what the Fae wrote down, curious on what he has so far.

“So, you and your mom would go to extreme measures to make sure your siblings would have a healthy life style?”

“I wouldn’t say extreme… just, some actions we have to take.”

“Understood…” Malleus shuts his notepad, making Ruggie tense up from the force of it.

“Well, thank you very much Jack Howl for answering my questions. I am going to take my leave now, the sun is still out, and I still have many questions and learning to do. It was nice to see you too Bucchi.” Malleus bows to both Beastmen and begins to make his way to the Mirror Chamber.

“…dude, what just happened?”

“I dont know… giving out family advice?” Jack scratched the back oh his neck, perplexed by the exchange.

Malleus flipped through his notes as he walks out the Savanclaw dorm. He still had a lot of questions that need to be answered. He wanted to be prepared.

Malleus wanted to be the best Big Brother you’ve ever had, after all!

—————————————————————————————

I legit just wanted to write like a small prompt, but then brain kept going “MORE!!!”

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed part 1! I’ll be preparing for part 2 hopefully soon! So enjoy my idea of Big Brother Malleus!

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

When Life Gives You Lemons

Bob Reynolds x Reader, Bob Reynolds x Thunderbolts!Reader

A/N: Are we back? Who knows. It's been a while gang. But, if you are interested in seeing more of this please COMMENT AND REBLOG!!! I NEED VALIDATION TO SURVIVE!!!

Summary: After a bad day, you decide to de-stress with some late night baking. The first problem you run into? You're out of lemons. The second? It's never just about the lemons.

Warning: Allusions to an emotionally turbulent household, Anxiety

Word Count: 2.2k

Today hadn’t been a good day, and it still wasn’t over. The clock on the oven read 2:03am. What you wouldn’t give to just close your eyes and let it end. 

Nothing had gone right. Granted, the team clashed even on their best days, but over the last few months nothing had flared up besides some gentle ribbing. 

This was different. The mission went to hell and while nobody was permanently damaged, accusations and tempers had been thrown in every direction. You tried not to let it get to you, but you knew the second everyone had stormed off to their respective rooms, sleep would not be an option. 

Instead, you were pulling out a freshly baked pie crust from the oven, dishes half done in the sink, preparing for the next step. Stress baking maybe wasn’t the healthiest for your sleep schedule, but compared to your teammates you considered it a relatively subdued coping mechanism. 

It was a testament to how occupied you were, that you didn’t immediately spot the figure in your periphery. 

“Hey.”

You moved on instinct. A knife found its way into your hand. Your body pivoted towards the voice as your arm pulled back, ready to throw.

“Hey, hey, hey! It’s me,” Bob said, his hands up and head ducked. 

You let out a sharp breath, letting your arm drop. 

“Bob? What are you doing up?” The adrenaline was quickly working its way out of your system, leaving the guilt to make a comfortable home in your stomach. “I’m sorry. Was I being too loud?” 

“No. No, not at all,” he said, shaking his head. “I was just…I was going to get myself a snack and well…”

You nodded, feeling some heat come to your cheeks. “Yeah.”

There was a small pause, neither of you quite knowing what to say. You could feel Bob’s eyes moving over your features. You could only imagine what you looked like at that moment. Messy felt like an understatement. 

“What are you making?” he asked in a tone too sincere to just be polite. 

You had to smile. “Lemon meringue pie.”

His face lit up, and you felt a small pride at being the cause. At least one person would like it. The fact it was him made the victory that much sweeter. 

“Do you want some help?” he asked.  

“Oh no, I’m okay. I’ll clean up my own mess.” 

He nodded in understanding, but you could just see his shoulders drop as his gaze turned away.

Guilt once again twisted inside you. Another misstep. You knew Bob just wanted to feel useful, especially after a day like today. Stupid. 

“If you could grab some lemons out of the fridge I’d appreciate it,” you offered. 

He perked up at that, rewarding you with a half smile. “Sure thing.”

You did your best to ignore the distinct thump in your chest as you turned back towards the recipe. It really wasn’t that difficult when you came right down to it. Now that the crust was done all you really needed was eggs, sugar and shit ton of lemon.

“Ah, is one okay?” he asked.

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s all I can find.”

You moved around the counter, taking a place beside him in the fridge door. Sure enough, not a single other lemon in sight. 

“How can we only have one? I swore we had more this morning.”

He shrugged. “Maybe Walker used them? He likes to put them in his water.” 

“Are you kidding me?!” 

You needed to breathe. You could hear the strain on your voice as your throat tightened with emotions you were too tired to name. You weren’t seriously about to start crying over fucking lemons. 

“We’ve got some apples in here,” Bob suggested. “What about an apple pie?”

You shook your head. “No, Yelena and Alexei are weird about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apple pie is considered the quintessential American pie. They both get real quiet whenever it’s brought up.”

He stared at you for a long moment, trying to make some sense of your reasoning before giving up.

“Okay. Chocolate?”

“Ava doesn’t like chocolate.”

“Banana?”

“I’m pretty sure Walker is allergic, but he won’t admit it.”

“Ah…” he paused, his eyes scanning the refrigerator for some other solution. It was a valiant effort, but it only made you feel worse. 

Add it to your list of mistakes for the day. You hadn’t even checked to see if you had all the ingredients before starting. It was baking 101. What was wrong with you today? 

“You know what, it’s fine. I’ll just go buy some lemons,” you said, shutting the refrigerator as you moved to grab your wallet and jacket.  

“It’s two o’clock in the morning,” Bob said. 

“We live in New York, somebody has to be open that sells lemons.” 

“Or you can just let the crust cool and finish it later.”

You shook your head, that ache coming back into your throat as pressure built behind your eyes. “No, I’m not going to leave a pie crust on the counter all night. I won’t even have time to finish it tomorrow anyway. I’m just going to go.” 

He didn’t say anything for a moment, his expression unreadable as he came to some kind of conclusion and nodded. “Okay. Just let me get my shoes on.”

You paused, your eyes widening. “What? No. Bob, get your snack. Go to bed. It’s late. I won’t be long.” 

“I know. I just…I’d feel a lot better if I went with you.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but nothing came to mind. He was pulling a fast one. He had to know you couldn’t say no to him, especially when he gave you that look. It was enough to make you believe all sorts of silly things. 

“Okay,” you conceded. 

He let out a breath, relief clear on his face. “Good. I’ll be right back.”

He wasn’t kidding. You had just gotten to the elevator when he came rushing back from his room. The only difference was the jacket he threw over his sweater and the pair of shoes he hadn’t even fully tied to his feet.  Hell, he still had his pajama pants on. 

“Ready to go?” he asked. 

There was no good answer. For not the first time, you felt the urge to reach out to him. You imagined what his hair might feel like between your fingers. You wondered what it would feel like to hold him and have him hold you back. You wished…well, you wished a lot of things. None of which you could say out loud. 

Instead, all you got out was, “Shoelaces.”

He looked down as if just noticing himself, his cheeks going distinctly red. 

“Oh yeah.”

He knelt down, just managing to tie them off as the elevator dinged open allowing the pair of you to step inside.

Neither of you said anything for a long while as you watched the lights mark your trek ever further downward. Coincidentally, the pit of your stomach moved at about the same rate.

You were being ridiculous. It was just pie. The logical thing to do would be to go back upstairs and forget the whole thing. But, no. Your stupid brain wouldn’t let it go. The very idea was sending you into a panic so bad your bones ached. And now you were dragging Bob into your nonsense. What was wrong with you? 

“You really don’t have to come with me,” you said. 

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, but you could feel his eyes on you. Air brushed lightly against your fingers as he shifted beside you, his hand not quite touching yours. 

“I want to,” he murmured. “I know it’s not about the lemons.”

You let out a choked laugh and then started to cry; hard and ugly. Whatever control you had over yourself was gone. The weight of the day, the lack of sleep, and the man beside you being so utterly kind cracked you open. 

Bob’s eyes widened in panic. Understandable. You couldn’t remember the last time you cried like this in front of anyone. It came out in heaves and barely contained wails like an old pressure valve. If there was a time for the elevator to suddenly drop, now was it. 

“I’m sorry,” you gasped, trying and failing to calm yourself. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t. Don’t apologize.” His hands reached out to you, but just as quickly retreated, his expression morphing into genuine distress. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

You vehemently shook your head. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s just go back upstairs. I’m being so stupid.”

“You’re not. It’s not stupid… I’m sorry, I was just–”

He was cut off by the ping of the doors as they glided open to the foyer. 

Bob glanced towards the opening. You couldn’t blame him for wanting to make an exit. Still, the seconds ticked on and he didn’t move, his expression a rapid series of contradictions. 

You felt compelled to say something. Maybe you should offer to go first, make some excuse about needing air. You doubted you were the first person to step out on the New York streets during an emotional breakdown. 

You didn’t get the chance. Before you could raise any objections, Bob pushed the closed door button. 

The air suddenly felt still in that small quiet space. The initial burst was over and now all that was left were the quiet streams of tears that ran down your face. 

“What happened?” he asked, gently.  

You took a shaky breath. Any dignity you had was long gone. What was the use of pretending otherwise? 

“I just can’t seem to do anything right. I let everybody down and…God, everyone is just so angry.” 

“I’m not angry.” 

You let out a humorless laugh. “No, you just think I’m a mess.”

“I don’t,” he promised. “I mean, I know you kind of are right now, but generally…I think you’re doing great.”

He was giving you that look again, the earnest one that always managed to make you feel somehow miraculous. At least, mostly always. 

“Thanks.”

Clearly, it wasn't the response he was looking for, as his brows furrowed. “Look, today sucked, but if anything the team is pissed off at Valentina, not at you. I can’t imagine anyone being really mad at you.”

“Yeah, okay,” you mumbled. 

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

Your head snapped up, finally meeting his eyes. You thought of your family and tip toeing around tempers before you could safely hide yourself in your room. You thought of nights soothing friends and lovers, and how they turned around claiming to never fully know you. You thought about all the ways you would try to make it right, and somehow come up short. And you thought of Bob and the way he was looking at you like he couldn’t conceive of a world where you weren’t adored. 

“I don’t know,” you confessed. “It just…it feels like my fault.”

“It’s not,” he said, softly. “I know that you..care. You care more than anyone else I know, about everyone. I look at you sometimes and I don’t know how to keep it all in your body.  It’s one of the reasons I–. It’s what makes you, you. But, you’re not failing anyone if you don’t perfectly predict everyone’s emotions all the time. And sometimes you mess up and sometimes things are just shit and you’ve got to move on. 

“Nobody is mad at you. We all care about you and if any of us were really upset, we’d tell you. You think for a second Yelena or Walker would keep it to themselves?”

You let out a laugh, cracked and wobbly, but a release you needed. 

“I guess not,” you admitted. “You really have been paying attention in therapy.”

He shrugged, granting you a wry smile. “It’s a process.”

You wiped away the remainder of your tears. Your head hurt. Your body was worn down. There was an uncertainty that still lingered. You doubted it would ever fully go away. Still, your chest did feel lighter.

“Look, if it’s important to you to get lemons then we’ll get lemons,” Bob offered. “But if you want to go back upstairs, then we’ll go back upstairs and that’s okay too.” 

Your heart squeezed and, for the first time in a long time, you could believe somebody else understood.

“We?”

He nodded and, for a second, you swore his cheeks had turned a shade pinker. “Yeah, we.”

You bit back a smile, turning your eyes towards the doors. “Let’s get the lemons. Honestly I’ve been craving this pie since we got off the Quinjet.” 

Bob made no argument, pushing the open doors button for the two of you to step out together. 

You weren’t sure when it happened or who moved first. All you knew was by the time you made it to the sidewalk, his hand was in yours. Neither of you said anything. Neither of you let go until you were back in the Watchtower, you on lemon duty while he did the dishes. And when he finished up, you stayed at each other’s side, sharing earbuds and talking quietly so as to not wake the others. 

You wandered to the couch at some point, waiting for the pie to cool long enough to put in the fridge. It was only natural to find yourself in his arms and just as natural to fall asleep. 

You’d face the consequences in the morning. Questions would be asked and you weren’t entirely sure of the answers. But for now, it felt right and neither of you were about to let go. 

[thepenultimateword]

Sugar and Spice

Henchman dusted the flour off his hands and gave the spiced apple mixture a quick stir. Looked like the juices were releasing nicely with the sugar. This should be a perfectly gooey filling once he finished the crust.

He set out the first pie pan and had just picked up the dough when the double kitchen doors shrieked open. "Henchman, you're needed in the weapons room for cleaning."

Henchman barely gave Other Villain a glance. "Um...no?"

"Excuse me?"

He pressed the pie dough into the pan and took up a knife to trim the excess. "I'm supposed to finish 12 pies before dinner. If I leave the kitchen, I won't meet my deadline. Besides, weapons isn't my department."

"You're department is doing what you're told."

"And if Supervillain doesn't get his pies for the dinner tonight are you going to take responsibility?"

Other Villain's whole body quivered, and the next sentences came out through gritted teeth as if holding herself back from exploding. With her combustion abilities, she just might be. "The weapon's combat team failed another mission. They've been entirely dispatched. If you don't want to follow in their footsteps, I suggest you listen to your superior before I report you for insubordination."

Henchman sighed heavily but set aside the trimmed crust and ran his hands under the sink faucet, scalding away all the crusted flour. He hated it when people pulled the "villain" card. As if the title meant anything more than their abilities being active rather than passive. But until big bosses like Supervillain stopped treating combat abilities as the bar for worth, Henchman couldn't do much about the system's power dynamics. "Can I expect help? I can't spare more than an hour."

Other Villain gave a self-satisfied smile, quickly followed by an annoyed glance at Henchman. "I'll attempt to siphon help from a few other departments, but it may take some time."

Henchman sighed again. "Of course." He placed the bowl of apples in the fridge, pulling his apron over his head and hanging it on the wall hook on his way out the door.

Luckily, all the dough and the fillings were finished, and the oven could fit several pans at a time. He didn't have much faith in Other Villain finding him help--she'd always looked down on the culinary department's contribution even while happily scarfing down booster gelatin before each training session--but perhaps if he gave the weapons room the bare minimum he could make it back before dinner.

That hope disappeared as soon as he entered the weapons room. It was like no one had cleaned it once since the organization was established. Pockmarked targets and half-crushed practice dummies strewed the room. Weapons stuck into walls or laid discarded on the floor. Some were even dispersed throughout the tiered seating area. Henchman scooped up a scimitar by its hilt. Tsking as he twirled it in his hand. They didn't even properly clean--Was that blood?

Henchman dropped the weapon with a loud clatter. His insides chilled as he took in the rust-colored flecks spattering the flat of the blade. Not so much like a weapon that had met flesh as one that had tasted the aftermath of its owner's demise before it could even defend them. Similarly colored smears decorated the walls and flooring.

Other Villain's comment about the latest weapons team's fate rang through Henchman's mind, and suddenly the mess didn't seem so much their fault. Henchman didn't want to think about what actually went down here, and even if he did he shouldn't dare.

Ok, Henchman. Get in, get out, bake your pies.

First thing first, collect all the weapons dispersed throughout the room. Henchman picked up a pair of spears, wrenching one out of a thick practice mat with a spray of foam. He sighed. More mess.

He threw down the spears against the wall and moved for a half-crumpled metal shield. Did Supervillain come personally? No, don't think. That wasn't his job. As much as he hated Other Villain's attitude, she wasn't entirely wrong. His job was to do what he was told, with as little inquiry as possible.

He found an empty quiver at the top of the bleachers, the arrows scattered in tiny pieces among the seats. He'd have to get a broom for those later. But where was the bow? He ducked down to peer under benches but other than a snapped bow string and some close-up splatter that was definitely blood, he found nothing. Maybe it got thrown to the bottom when Supervillain...did what Supervillain did to "parasites."

Henchman skipped the steps two at a time, picking up a dagger teetering haphazardly over the edge of a bench along the way. He jumped down to the training mat with a loud POFF! Loud enough that he didn't notice the sound of the door opening until the flame-haired figure was almost right in front of him. Her hair was pulled into its usual thick braid crown, wound and wound like an endless coil of rope. Meanwhile, she stood on edge, a dog ready to attack, double-colored eyes flicking rabidly around the room. Finding Henchman the room's sole occupant, they eventually settled hungrily on him.

Henchman's heart skipped a beat, clutching the dagger in both hands, tip down, in front of them. "Sir? Er, Ma'am? Villain?"

The green eye looked ready to skin him, while the brown one spun webs of thought.

"Did...Other Villain send you?" Henchman could cringe at the ridiculous question, Villain outranked Other Villain by about a quadrillion stations, but he couldn't think of any other reason why she would be here.

"You're a henchman, right?" she said.

"Um...yes?"

Her gaze flicked to the dagger in his hands, and she turned on heel back toward the door. "Come with me."

Henchman blinked. What was up with villains being bossy today? Well, he took pissing off Villain much more seriously than Other Villain. Maybe she had further instructions for dealing with this mess. Or maybe he wasn't supposed to see this mess, and she'd been sent to deal with him. In any case, he couldn't say no, so he trailed numbly after her into the hall.

She didn't stop there, leading him around several bends, all the way to the stairwell, and down several flights of stairs. When they emerged they were on ground level.

Henchman scrambled to keep up with her stride out the door and into the parking lot. "Um, eminence," Henchman panted, finally remembering the correct title, "do you need help carrying some things upstairs? I could call you a couple runners if you need."

Villain popped open the passenger door to a steel blue coupe. "Get in."

Henchman obeyed on instinct. "Um--"

Villain closed the door on his question, circling around the front of the vehicle and sliding into the driver's seat. She jammed the keys into the ignition and roared the engine to life.

"Wait, are we leaving?" Henchman exclaimed, jolting out of his dronish obedience. Cleaning the weapons room was one thing, but leaving the building to who knew where was another. He really didn't want to be killed for completing neither of his responsibilities today.

"We have somewhere to be," Villain said, eyes fixed straight ahead as she wove through the lot. As she turned out on the main road, the car went from 10 to 100 in a matter of seconds. "A mission."

"But I have work!" Henchman yelped, the acceleration pressing his back into the warm leather seat.

"Not anymore."

"But Supervillain--"

"Has different orders."

Henchman tried to unravel that statement. Supervillain had never wanted him on a mission. This had to be some sort of mistake.

"You're sure?" he said. "Supervillain wants me to go with you?

"Yep."

"Because you kind of made it seem like you didn't know who I was?"

"I don't, I'm working off descriptions."

"Henchman?" Henchman offered. "Did he say Henchman?"

Villain lifted one hand off the wheel, pointing at him with a little knowing tongue click. "That's the one. You're my support."

"Oh." Henchman took a few quiet moments to swallow that. Support made more sense. Maybe this was some sort of away mission. Henchman's bakes didn't pack as much oomph when they were stale, so maybe Supervillain had sent him along for optimum power. It must be something really important if that were the case. But then why didn't anyone inform him? Did Other Villain send him to the weapons room out of spite, hoping he wouldn't be told in time? "What's the mission?"

"Hero agency infiltration. One of the big ones. We're going to have fake identities, safe houses, everything."

Henchman frowned. That sounded like a mission with lots of planning involved, not a spur-of-the-moment run-out-the-door sort of thing. "Is it far?"

"Very far." Villain turned sharply onto the highway's entry ramp. "And top secret. So you can't call anyone."

Henchman's insides twisted. He didn't get this far in a villain organization without being able to feel when something was off. But he also didn't get this far by asking too many questions.

"Ok."

Villain didn't say anymore after that. Henchman half pondered asking if he should turn on some music but decided against it. He leaned his head back against the seat rest, taking in the rumble of the engine and the muffled whip of the wind along either side of the car's sleek body. Villain breathed from her side of the car, but he tried not to think to hard about that. He'd barely interacted with her more than a handful of times, and only ever in passing or with a group. None of which he expected her to remember. Supervillain knew who he was because he knew how to utilize him. Villain didn't need to know any of that to do her job, which was to be the most lethal weapon in Supervillain's arsenal.

Henchman struggled against heavy eyelids, the soothing glide of the car and the exhaustion of the day hitting him all at once. He'd been prepping those pies for hours before Other Villain interrupted him. The apples were going to go bad if he wasn't back in a couple days. He couldn't even call one of the other chefs to finish them for him with this no-call rule, not that they'd have full effect without him doing each step anyway.

He yawned widely.

What sort of things...did Villain...like...?

Henchman didn't remember dozing off, but when he came to, the sky was dark and his face was pressed up against his window.

"I'm going to make you clean that glass," Villain said.

Henchman raised his head drowsily, squinting at the drool smear for several long seconds before shooting up completely straight in his seat.

"I'm sorry!"

Villain rolled her eyes. "You don't need to grovel about it." She pushed open her door and stepped out into the night. "Anyway, we're here."

"Here?" Henchman said, quickly getting out after her.

Villain nodded at the building with its glowing red overhead sign: Azure Inn. "Hotel."

"This is our safe house?"

"This is on the way to the safe house," Villain said, then shooting him a glare. "Stop asking so many questions."

Henchman bit his lip to stop from asking how much further they had to go tomorrow or where they even were now. He simply trailed her into the office as she purchased their room--two twin beds--and then continued after her to room 109.

Everything was blue. Curtains, bedspreads, carpets; it was no wonder how the hotel got its name.

Villain headed straight into the bathroom and Henchman plopped down on one blue bed stretching his long legs to the end with a soft groan as his thoughts wandered once again to the kitchen. This time to the pie dough, sitting in the open air in its tin. It was probably dry by now. His eyes flicked to the wall clock. 12:20 a.m. Supervillain's dinner was over by now too. How did they manage?

The bathroom door creaked, and Villain stepped into the main room, long hair loosed on her shoulders, framing her face in a thick, kinked mane.

Henchman's heart skipped a stupid beat.

As if hearing it, Villain's eyes whirled in his direction, pinning him to the mattress like finely whetted blades. "What are you doing?"

Henchman slowly pushed himself upright."Going...to bed?"

"You're support; you need to keep watch."

"For what?"

"For heroes, moron!" she snapped.

Henchman flinched. "Oh. Right. Um. They know we're coming?"

Villain stormed across the room, yanking back the covers and throwing herself violently onto her mattress. “We don't know, but it's better to be safe than sorry. You already slept in the car, so just stay awake until morning.”

“Right.” Henchman watched Villain snuggle beneath the covers locks of hair fanning like licking flame across her pillow. He cleared his throat. "One more question."

Villain sighed. "What?"

"What do you expect me to do if a hero does show up?”

“Fight them?” she said in a tone that reeked of suspicion that Henchman might actually be stupid.

“Ha, yes, that would seem obvious,” Henchman replied, attitude sneaking into his own tone. “If I knew how.”

Villain shot upright. “What?”

“Combat isn’t my speciality.”

“But you’re a combat henchman!”

Henchman furrowed his brow. “Nooo.”

"What do you mean? You were in the weapons room!”

"Yeah, because Supervillain killed them all! And apparently there was no one else around to clean up the mess!”

“He…?” Villain drew up her knees, leaning her elbows on the caps and rubbing her thumbs hard into her temples. “No, no, no, no. He’s further ahead than I thought. Has he already…? No. Maybe…”

“Villain?”

She jerked her head sharply toward him. "What do you do?"

Henchman wet his lips, the sheer contrast of Villain’s expectations, of this entire mistake, hitting him all at once. He looked down at the mattress sheepishly. “I bake."

Part Two

Master Taglist:

@moss-tombstone @crazytwentythrees-deactivated @just-1-lonely-person @the-vagabond-nun @willow-trees-are-beautiful @cocoasprite @insanedreamer7905 @valiantlytransparentwhispers @whovian378 @watercolorfreckles @thebluepolarbear @yulanlavender @kitsunesakii @deflated-bouncingball @lem-hhn @office-plant-in-a-trenchcoat @ghostfacepepper @pigeonwhumps @demonictumble @inkbirdie @vuvulia @bouncyartist @lunatic-moss-studio @breilobrealdi @freefallingup13 @i-am-a-story-goblin @ryunniez @rainy-knights-of-villany @distractedlydistracted @saspas-corner @echoednonny @perilous-dreamer @blood-enthusiast @randomfixation @alexkolax @pksnowie @blessupblessup @wolfeyedwitch @thedeepvoidinmyheart @cornflower-cowboy @bestblob @a-chaotic-gremlin @espresso-depresso-system @prompt-fills-and-writing-spills @paleassprince @takingawildbreath @yindonessy @psychiclibrariesquotestoad @harpycartoons @pickleking8 @urmyhopeeee @goldenflame2516 @tobeornottobeateacher @talesofurbania1 @sweetsigyn @girl-of-the-sea-and-stars @kurai-hono-blog

[appleblueberry-pie]

https://www.tumblr.com/appleblueberry-pie/744637913769345024/yandere-housewife-satoru-x-reader

You really ate with this once 🫡

I can’t help but thinking about some deviously delicious angst though… like reader leaving him. Anyway-

Romance yandere fic gone wrong and now it's angst cuz the love of his life left him and now its a dark yandere fic?????? You guys always know how to keep me going.

SOULMAAAATES!

Will you notice the salt in the pie he made? It's not much, just the tears of his anxiety and fear kind of making itself known when he was putting the crust strips on to seal the filling in. He doesn't think you will. Especially since you kind of stopped caring about the meals he's been making you for this past week or so. He lets out a shaky sigh as he examines the near-perfect pie he just took out of the oven. Dreading the moment of giving you the plate, he cuts you a big piece. Maybe you'll appreciate it more if there's more of it for you to eat?

He stares down at his work as he brings it over to you at the dining table. When he looks up, you have that same look on your face that you've been making all week. Boredom and impatience. He meets your eyes, setting the plate down and then sitting next to you to see your reaction. "Here you go. I haven't tweaked the recipe or anything, if you were wondering." He mutters the last few words and watches you chew a big bite. You roll your eyes and continue eating it as if you feel like you're obligated to finish. Satoru felt dread pool in his stomach. Why were you acting this way towards him?? Did he do something?

You haven't said a single word to him all day. You haven't checked up on him, you've been ignoring his calls and have been coming home late. You seemed to come home smelling like an entire other person. He didn't want to know. He didn't want to think or to believe anything that could lead to why you were behaving this way towards him. Despite him clawing his chest every night at needing to at least feel you once, he thinks things are actually perfectly fine the way they are. No need to dig deep or to follow you to and from work to see if you're sneaking around behind his back or anything.

But somehow, he found himself in a concealed black outfit watching you from outside of the cafe that he sat at from a distance as you gave all of your attention to some chick you were clearly chopping it up with. He continued chewing on his ruined straw of his drink as you scooted closer to her instinctually and cracked so many jokes with her, it was a surprise she didn't die from a laugh attack or something. She clearly wanted to get into your pants, and you let her hands roam on you like he once did with you.

Did you not love him anymore? Is that what this was? He could play whatever role you wanted him to. He'd be your bitch, he'll dress up in whatever you want, let you call him names and pull at his hair and face. Just...anything but fucking cheat. He wanted to yell at you and beg you to come back at the same time. He wanted to murder her in front of your face and just drag you back home and never let you out again. His feet carried him to your table three stores away, legs numb with adrenaline and head pounding.

He stood in front of your table and watched you stare up at him in slight surprise. Your arm was across the back of the girls chair and she stared back up at him in confusion. ".......is this where you've been?" His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest and his voice was wobbly. He hated everything about this.

"Excuse me?" You saved face and played confusion, still relaxed in your chair. The girl turned to whisper to you if you knew him and you shook your head. Satoru felt his hands shake at seeing you lie to her face about your relationship status. So it all meant nothing to you? He stuck with you since he was a stupid teenage freak. Too strong for his own good, desperate for something new and true for his heart to hang onto. You were his salvation, you were real to him. You gave him exactly what he needed. Love, validation, excitement, fun and so much he couldn't get out of his childhood, out of his job or anywhere else on the fucking planet. You were his everything and here you were brushing off 10 years with a shake of your head.

"What??......no." He shook his head and pointed at you, trying to form words in his mind to spit out of his mouth. "You've been cheating on me this past month. Coming home late, acting like I'm nothing....leaving me all alone. Am I nothing to you?? Am I? I gave myself to you a-and you're out cheating-"

"Gojo, I don't give a fuck." You shake your head and ignored the girl giggling to herself. "I'm clearly cheating on you. I didn't want you to fucking stalk me though. That's weird as hell, i was just hoping you'd break it off, honestly...why are you laughing?" You turn back to the girl, her smile making you smile. "I just think it's cute that you're cheating with me..." "You like that?" Satoru switches his gaze to the slut on your arm and your face drops as he tackles her to the ground. Her screech as he plummets her face into the ground makes you grab Gojo by the collar to bring him off of her. It happened so fast, you wished you could've predicted when it happened, because nothing could've stopped him from killing her in that moment in time.

She was definitely dead. The concrete underneath what used to be her head was cracked, her blood seeping right into them. "You fucking killed her." "BECAUSE YOU CHEATED!" He panted heavily, fury fueling his anger. Both of his hands were covered in a dark dripping crimson and you heaved a sigh. His blood felt like it was burning as it coursed through his veins violently. For some reason, his vision felt as if it was blurry. Maybe it was from tears or from the extreme stress you were putting him in. Either way, he couldn't think straight. Not when you stared at him like that. "YOU FUCKING CHEATED. And you want to be mad? How about I fucking kill you next?" He was talking out of his ass, but for some reason, he felt as if he needed to do something about this. He couldn't just let you go. You were supposed to be his until the end of time. What if you go outside to cheat again?? He's stronger than you, he could probably bring you back to the house without problems.

He began convincing himself that kidnapping you would probably be the best solution for you. He's heard of stockholm syndrome. Maybe then, you'll love him back. He wonders how long that would take. "I think.....I think it's time we go home, don't you think?" "I'm leaving." When you turned, he grabbed your arm, and suddenly you two were back in your shared living room. You turned back to Gojo and glared. "Let me go." "Shhhh, just let me love you." You scrunched your eyebrows and saw him dig into his back pocket before putting what was probably a pill into his mouth. "What the fuck are you doi-?" He slammed his lips onto yours, placing his stained hands on either side of your face. He does quick work of shoving the pill into your mouth with his tongue, making you swallow it. You bite his lip as hard as you can, tasting warm iron on your tongue immediately. His only reaction was to moan like a psycho, continuing to kiss you sloppily.

You finally find a middle ground and managed to place your hands on his chest, shoving him away. He looked insane with his messy hair and bloodied lips. But you couldn't say anything quick enough, for he closed the distance, a fist being the last thing you see before you black out.

Gojo had always been stronger than you. But never in your 10 year relationship has he ever put his hands on you. And never has he drugged you and dragged you to the basement of your shared living space for however long he desired to make you "love him again". Every day, he'd feed you as much as he could and would beg for your forgiveness and love. You'd spit in his face(a warm welcome, in his opinion), and tell him to let you go. Or just say nothing. But if you didn't say anything, he'd just pester you for longer than he usually would. You hated bath time with him, you hated when he took care of you, you hated being worshipped by him. You just wanted to be free. But you were his only escape, his freedom. And it would be that way until your life wasted away entirely.

[starwarsmum]

Global Crisis for day 5 ❤️ buckle up for the long fic folks

@maribat-calendar-events

Chat Noir hadn't meant to find out Ladybug's identity. No, really, he was trying to follow her rules, even if he didn't agree with them but…when he had been trying to retrieve baby August’s pacifier from Ladybug, he had seen the pink glow on Marinette's balcony. He had frozen, not wanting her to see him as he peeked through the railing and he was confronted with the fact that the love of his life was his very good friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

So, yeah, he was a little bit confused, and a lot conflicted about what to do next. He was sure Ladybug and he were soulmates, but he wasn't even sure what Marinette was really like. She behaved so differently around him than she did their friends, and then there was the whole third different behaviour as Ladybug.

But he had sworn that he would love the girl behind the mask, no matter what, so he was going to do his best to woo his good friend soulmate. The first thing he would have to do was talk to Alya and Nino, get them on board with any plans moving forward. Then he would have to start distancing himself from Kagami so that his lady didn't think he was unavailable.

_ _ _ 

Marinette was stressing out. The girls had been haranguing her about Adrien's fifth name’s day for a few weeks and it was now approaching fast. She had stopped writing down every little thing about him, had stopped pre-making presents that would never be given, and she was trying to take training with Master Fu seriously. But every time she thought she'd escaped it, she was pulled back in.

“Lil M!” Marinette jumped when Jagged came into the apartment, trailed by Penny who seemed to be on the phone again. “Hey Rockette, I have a favour to ask from you, but I've gotta say upfront that it's totally rock n roll if you say no.”

“Oh, hey Uncle J,” she said weakly, putting down the rolling pin from her stress baking. “You know I'm usually good for a favour, what do you need? A new album cover, a new jacket…”

“Well, my old friend Bruce is in town and his kids are pretty big fans of mine. A couple of them are obsessed with meeting you, and asked if I could convince you to come to dinner at their hotel?” He had big round eyes trained on her, almost pouting in his bid to get her to say yes.

“Sure thing Jagged,” she said easily, resuming the highly therapeutic mission of rolling out the pie crust. She hummed along agreeably as he told her the details for that evening, as well as piling compliments onto her. She was beginning to get suspicious that the family she was being introduced to was not going to be as delightful as he was making it seem.

When she was done baking - which took even longer because now she had to make macarons for the meal that night - she went upstairs to change into different clothes. She surveyed her wardrobe, pulling and discarding everything until she came across a couple of dresses that she had made when she found out that Jagged was from Gotham, AKA the crime and vigilante capital of the US.

She pulled out a dress inspired by Batgirl, purple with striking yellow details, and one designed after Robin, with muted and complimentary colours as opposed to the train wreck the actual vigilante wore. She debated for several long minutes before deciding that purple was Jagged's colour, so she should wear the red, yellow and green one. 

She checked the time, realised that she was on time for once and grabbed her things. She let Tikki slide into a clutch bag she had made (black with tiny bat symbols embroidered across it), grabbed the cookie boxes and headed out of the door.

_ _ _

Damian was bored. His father had dragged both him and Tim to Paris so that they could do some ‘family bonding’. It was absurd, and he wanted nothing more than to sulk in the room he had been given at the Grand Paris Hotel. Unfortunately, Bruce had already made plans for them that evening with an old schoolmate of his. 

Tim had been pathetically excited that his idol, Jagged Stone, was going to be coming to dinner. The sleep deprived buffoon had immediately started word vomiting about how amazing his music was, and about the designer that Jagged often promoted as the only one allowed to design for him any more.

“Damian, I know that you're not looking forward to this meal,” Bruce sighed, leaning against the door frame just outside of the room. Damian snorted in response, glaring at the suit jacket Tim was insisting he had to wear to impress a world famous designer. “Please, I just want you both to get along this evening. Jagged is an old friend, and his designer is apparently very dear to him. I would like to get to know her and catch up with my friend.”

“Tt, I shall behave myself, father,” Damian grumbled, snatching up the jacket and artfully mussing his hair until it was perfectly nonchalant. “I am going to scout the restaurant and ensure that there are no nasty surprises waiting for us.”

And he was out of the suite before Bruce could protest. He was full of energy, having used the flight to rest adequately, in direct opposition to Tim who had decided that eight hour flights were designed so that he could work uninterrupted by other employees. As he descended the staircase to the main atrium, his eyes snagged on a blonde girl who appeared to be shouting at a smaller Asian girl with black hair.

Knowing that negative emotions could mean an attack from the local villain - see, Drake, he could pay attention - he was about to step in when he eyed what the smaller girl was wearing - and almost stumbled down the stairs. The dress was predominately black, but sheer colored fabric had been used to subtly imbue it with a shimmer of colour. The skirt flared out, catching the light and turning a deep emerald green, the bodice a gorgeous blood red with black embroidered ‘R’s across it. 

To complete the look, she was wearing a hooded jacket that had a yellow lining, not unlike his cape. But the yellow was much subtler than the canary yellow that was traditional for Robin. She was wearing (presumably) thigh high boots that disappeared into the skirt and his heart hammered in his chest painfully. When he finally got a look at her face, which was scrunched into a pretty scowl, he saw that she had done artfully messy, dark makeup, emulating a domino mask whilst still being classy.

He didn't move closer to the girl until the blonde one - Chloé Bourgeois, his mind supplied helpfully - stalked away and the girl with the Robin dress smirked after her. He approached her as she fiddled with the pastry box she was carrying, and tried not to let it show that he was nervous.

“Good evening,” he said smoothly, wondering if he would be fortunate enough to get her name. She hardly glanced at him, pulling out her phone to send a message. He had the feeling that she was using it as an excuse so that she could deter him without having to say anything. “Apologies for the intrusion, but I could not help noticing that you are wearing a dress inspired by Robin, the Gotham vigilante.”

“You recognise it?” She demanded gleefully, abandoning the pretense that she was invested in whatever reply she was awaiting. Her eyes were a startling blue that practically glowed from within the smokey eye makeup, and he had to work extremely hard not to let his breathing stop and give away just how affected he was by this girl.

“Tt, I am from Gotham, Robin is one of the vigilantes there so I would be remiss if I did not recognise his suit,” he replied, praying she didn't think he was insulting her. He didn't know how to do this, he had never wanted to show an interest in another person before. “I did not think that people in Paris were particularly interested in vigilantes, given they have their own heroes.”

“Oh, yeah, I mean generally that's true, I guess? But my uncle is from Gotham so when I found out, I just had to look up more about them. My favourites are Robin, obviously, and Batgirl. But for the colour scheme, I have to say I prefer the original Batgirl’s costume - purple and yellow is so iconic!”

Damian was stunned momentarily, unsure how to take the conversation forward. As it was, he was very close to blushing, which would be extremely odd. But she seemed content to chatter away, gesturing to different parts of the outfit. Sadly, they were interrupted by a man dressed in black and yellow, with purple hair, who launched himself upon the girl.

“Jagged, stop!” The girl whined, a giggle ruining the playful annoyance in her voice. “It was very nice to meet you, monsieur, I'm sorry for talking your ear off about clothes. As my uncle here can attest, I can get a little carried away.”

“Tt, you hardly need apologise, I enjoyed hearing about the stitching technique you used to connect the skirt to the top of your outfit,” Damian said, gaining him an appraising look from the other man. The girl beamed at him, the smile making his insides feel mushy.

“Rock on, Lil M, you already found one of our dinner mates! You are one of Brucie's bunch, right?” The man, apparently Jagged Stone, asked. Damian nodded, realising that the girl he had been speaking to must be the designer that Tim was so obsessed with. “So, which one are you?”

“Damian,” he said, holding his hand out to Jagged to greet him properly. “It is a pleasure to meet you both. My brother, Timothy, is a fan of both of your works.”

“I’m Marinette, it's nice to meet you too,” the girl, Marinette, said when he turned to greet her as well. She ignored his hand in favour of kissing his cheek with une bise, and he felt warmth flood his face. “How lucky that you came over to say hello! I wasn't sure how punctual any friends of Jagged's would be,” she said pointedly, quirking an eyebrow at the man in question.

“Hey, be fair! I'm earlier than Bruce and the rest of his bunch,” Jagged replied, holding a hand to his chest in mock aggravation. “Speaking of which, I'm going to see if I can surprise him in his room, where will I find him, kid?”

Damian recited the room number, amused that Bruce's friend was so exuberant. He turned back to Marinette, fully intending on getting to know her better before the others joined them.

Meanwhile, Marinette was trying to squash the butterflies that were erupting in her stomach. When the boy, Damian, had first approached her she had groaned internally, not wanting to have to politely tell him to leave. But then he had asked about her dress and she couldn't help herself - she had practically bombarded him with everything she was proud of in this particular piece. Which usually has the same outcome as politely telling a guy to get lost, but then Jagged had interrupted and he had said something that sounded like he had been listening.

Pretty boys with green eyes were already a weakness for her, she knew that. But a pretty boy with green eyes and he indulged her rambling about fashion? She had the horrible feeling that she was already a goner. It didn't help that she had been falling out of love with Adrien ever since his dumb high road advice.

“So you design for Jagged Stone,” Damian said, clearly attempting to restart a conversation. She nodded enthusiastically, giving him a brief history of her work with the eccentric musician. He asked intelligent questions and she felt herself losing the battle not to like him.

She had all but forgotten that they were supposed to be getting dinner with other people when Jagged came back over with two other men, dressed impeccably in black suit jackets. The older of the two was wearing a very traditional slim tie and shirt but the younger had coupled his suit jacket with a band tee that she recognised as the one matching the album she had designed.

“Good evening, I'm so sorry we kept you waiting,” the older man, Bruce, said, stepping forward smoothly to offer her his hand. He was a little further away, so she had to step away from Damian to do so, after which the younger man, Timothy, stepped into the space to introduce himself as well. “Damian, I just needed to speak with you about something, could we step aside before dinner?”

Damian grimaced internally, although externally he merely nodded and excused himself quietly. He had the suspicion that his father was offering him an escape from having to deal with a stranger and didn't know how to explain that he was fine without embarrassing himself.

“I'm sorry, Damian, Jagged has always been notoriously late before so I didn't think anything of it until he came up to our room and said he'd left you alone with his designer,” Bruce said apologetically, giving him a quick once over. 

“It was fine, father, Jagged Stone's designer was explaining some of the techniques she had used to complete her outfit,” Damian replied, making sure to school his features into casual boredom. Until he knew what she thought of him, he would keep his interest in the girl to himself. “We are keeping your guests waiting, should we not rejoin them?”

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode back over to the other three. To his dismay, Tim was engaging Marinette in an animated conversation about her best works and was much better versed in fashion terminology than Damian. His stomach dropped when she gave a laugh that sounded like bells chiming and touched Tim's arm.

“Rock on, are we ready to get some food? I'm famished,” Jagged said, throwing an arm over Marinette's shoulder. “Besides, I haven't seen any of you in ages, I've gotta tell you all about the crazy stuff that's happened. Especially you, Bruce - if you thought Gotham had crazy villains, you should hear about Hawkmoth.”

“Uncle J, I don't think your guests want to hear about how crazy it is in Paris. Besides, Damian already mentioned Paris’ heroes so they probably already know about Hawkmoth,” Marinette said, glancing at Damian with a small smile.

“You talked about the heroes?” Tim asked, and Damian assumed he was alarmed, thinking that Damian had betrayed their interest in the situation as vigilantes. Scowling, Damian gave a brief nod but said nothing. He found himself unable to sit next to Marinette but instead was placed in the seat opposite her.

“Oh, it was my fault,” Marinette said with good humour. She gestured to her dress before removing her jacket and sitting down. “He recognised the vigilante I styled my outfit after. As soon as I found out where Jagged was from I checked out the city protectors and fell in love!”

“That's very interesting,” Bruce said, amusement lacing his tone as he gave Damian a look. Tim was choking on the water he had sipped, but waved off Marinette's concern. “But yes, we are aware of the Parisian heroes. We didn't want to come to a city without being prepared, an unfortunate side effect from living in Gotham.”

“Ah, that's a shame! Marinette here is part of what we like to call the Akuma class, she's probably got some crazy stories from the front line. Hell, remember when I came to do that show in your bakery, M? Poor Penny completely trashed the place after Alec blasted those pictures of-”

“Okay, yes, thank you, Jagged! I very much doubt anyone here needs to know about my embarrassing collection of magazine covers,” Marinette said, glancing at Damian and flushing slightly. His heart thudded painfully again, although his stomach removed itself from the region of his feet. “Anyway, we were moving on from crazy supervillains as a topic, right?”

“Yeah, alright,” Jagged said, although he sent a sharp look Damian’s way, which said he wasn't as air-headed as he had seemed. “Hey, did you know that there's a soup named after Marinette here? It used to be called celestial soup, but her great uncle renamed it after she helped him with a competition.”

Marinette felt like she was sitting with her Papa, Jagged was bragging about her accomplishments so much. She tried to sneak glances at Damian without being noticed, but every time she looked at him his gaze found hers, and she felt a familiar swoop in her stomach. By the end of the meal, she was so embarrassed she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. 

“Well, as fun as this has been, Lil M here has school tomorrow, so she should probably head on home. Do you want me to call you a cab or anything?” 

“I'll be fine, Jagged,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes and shrugging back into her jacket. The lining felt cool on her skin, which helped the anxious nerves settle. Jagged nodded, giving her a hug before sitting back down and chatting with Bruce about how different Paris was to Gotham.

She was surprised but pleased when Damian stood as well, offering to see her out of the hotel. She didn't miss the concerned looks that Tim and Bruce exchanged but decided to ignore them. They walked slowly through the much quieter lobby, Marinette wanting to extend her time with him as much as possible.

“It has been a pleasant evening in your company, Marinette,” Damian said as they slowed to a stop just shy of the doors. She beamed as she blushed again, nodding enthusiastically. “And…I hope it is not too forward of me, but I would like to see you again whilst I am still in Paris.”

“I would love that,” she squeaked, nearly dropping her phone as she pulled it from the clutch she was carrying. She offered it to him and he reciprocated by handing her his. Joy bubbled in her veins as she went to take a selfie to put as her contact picture, but he stopped her.

“May I take a picture of you in your outfit?” He asked, a light flush across his cheekbones the only sign that he was affected by her. She nodded dumbly, trying not to smile manically as she posed for a photo. Her half smile was on his face as he showed it to her, setting it as the picture for her profile. “I wish you did not have to go, but I understand the need to attend school. Will you inform me when you reach your home safely?”

Marinette promised she would, giggling happily as she walked away from the hotel.

_ _ _

Bruce was nervous about Damian following Marinette out of the room, but couldn't do anything without alerting Jagged to this concern. Tim was almost asleep now that the excitement of meeting Jagged and his designer had faded, so he couldn't subtly suggest that he check on them either. 

The minutes dragged torturously, the acceptable amount of time for a polite farewell coming and going. He glanced at his watch apprehensively, and Jagged laughed aloud, making Tim jerk out of the light doze he had fallen into.

“Something on your mind, Brucie?” The musician asked, propping his head up on his hand. Bruce gave him a tight smile, wondering what to say that wouldn't alarm his old friend. He was saved from having to when Jagged chuckled again. “Look, I know they're kids, but Marinette's got a good head on her shoulders. She's not going to seduce the little guy and corrupt him, promise.”

Tim gave a shocked giggle, stuffing his knuckles into his mouth to stifle them. Jagged looked at him, amused, before turning back to a Bruce who just looked tired. Before Bruce could reply in any capacity Damian finally returned, and Tim gave up the fight against his laughter, curling up and wheezing.

“Is Drake having some sort of episode?” Damian said, brow furrowed. Tim gasped for air and pointed at him, which only made him scowl uncertainly. “Father, when was the last time he slept? And how much caffeine has he consumed since then?”

“N- no, sorry, I'm sorry,” Tim gasped, finally managing to pull himself out of his laughing fit just long enough to choke the words out. But then he looked at Damian again and dissolved once more. “C- corrupt…s-s-seduce…”

“It isn't important, Damian,” Bruce said decisively, which made Jagged bark out a laugh as well. Damian took his seat, looking irritated and unamused. Bruce sighed, not wanting to get into the full conversation with Damian until Jagged was gone, but knowing that his son would be a grouchy mess until it was addressed. “Jagged was just saying that Marinette is a good kid, and that I shouldn't be worried about you spending time with her.”

“Ah hell, M’s so much more than just a good kid! She's practically an angel! I mean, she's designed for me, but she babysits too, she helps her parents with the bakery, she's top of her class…like, the list goes on but I digress. Pretty sure my kid has a thing for her, but I haven't talked to them about it.”

“Tt, whilst I appreciate your concern, father, I am capable of choosing who I will spend time with by myself,” Damian said, unruffled by the conversation topic. “Now, it is late and I would like to rest before we tour the buildings tomorrow, may I be excused?”

As soon as Bruce agreed, Damian bid them all goodnight and headed to his room. He prepared for bed, checking his phone periodically even though he had set it to loud while waiting for Marinette to inform him that she was home safe. It wasn't until he was settled on his bed with a book that the notification of a new message sounded.

Hey Damian, this is Marinette! Just letting you know that I'm home safe :-) let me know when you're free and we'll hang, okay? Xoxo

A rare grin lit his face for a moment, before he messaged her back with the plans for his week in Paris. He would have free time every afternoon, and Marinette said that Wednesdays were a half-day at school, so she would be more than happy to spend time with him then. He bid her goodnight and she sent back a heart emoji, effectively ending their brief exchange.

_ _ _

When Marinette had agreed to make the costumes and help with the set for Kitty Section, she had been determined to help them win first place in the contest. So she had worked tirelessly to ensure the costumes were perfect, fitting and re-fitting the whole band countless times.

On the weekend of filming, Damian was on his last day in Paris and asked if he could see her before he went. She wanted to - their kind of date on Wednesday had been amazing, and they'd only done a walking tour of the city - but she'd made the commitment to her friends. She decided to call him and explain the situation, because she didn't want him to think she was blowing him off.

“Marinette?” He said when he picked up, his voice low and tinged with concern. “Is everything alright?”

“Hey Dami, I'm fine,” she said, hauling the trunk of costumes out of the bakery and taking a break before walking it to the boat on the Seine. “Sorry for calling instead of texting, I just have my hands a little full. I have plans already for today; I'm helping my friends’ band with a music video they're making for a competition.”

“You need not apologise, Marinette, we have not known each other long and I have already been fortunate enough to see you several times this week,” he assured her. Warmth spread through her, partially from the heavy chest, but mostly from how straightforward he was with her. “I will not lie to you, I would have liked to see you again before I go home, but it is hardly like I will not see you again.”

“What time are you flying out?” She asked wistfully, stopping on the shore next to the houseboat. She sighed when he told her that he was leaving for the airport at midday, and said that she would have to try video calling him when time allowed. “But at least we can message each other any time.”

“Indeed. Now, enjoy your time with your friends and I shall speak to you again soon.” Sighing again, she called out to the band, hugging Mylene and Rose when they came out to her. Luka smiled at her, but stayed on the stage strumming.

When they finished recording and editing, Marinette saw that it was 11:30. Shouting quick goodbyes to everyone, she raced over to the hotel. She was breathless when she arrived at 11:45, but it meant that she should have at least ten minutes to say goodbye to Damian.

Rushing over to the front desk, she asked if they could send a message up to the American visitor Damian (why hadn't she asked for his surname?) and sent a text as well, just to be safe. It took a few minutes but then he appeared in the lobby and shot her a crooked smile. 

“I am very glad that you completed your tasks early, Marinette,” he said, brushing some flyaway hairs out of her eyes. Her heart hammered, refusing to slow down even though she had been standing still for several minutes. “May I kiss you?”

“God yes,” she whimpered, grabbing onto his lapels and pulling him down. He kissed back earnestly, cupping her cheek with one hand as she wound her arms around his neck. She tentatively pushed her hands into his hair and was rewarded when he made a soft noise of contentment. 

They stood like that for several minutes before slowing and separating. The same crooked smile he had given her when he had seen her a few minutes ago lit up his face and she smiled goofily up at him. They murmured gently to each other, promising to stay in touch and see each other as often as possible.

“I know it's kind of extremely early to ask this, but will you be my boyfriend?” Marinette asked when he begrudgingly reminded her that he had only a few minutes until his father and brother would be joining him to return home. She was relieved when his crooked smile transformed into a full blown grin.

“I would love to be your boyfriend, Marinette. I would much prefer to remain here with you in Paris, but I must return home and to my responsibilities,” he said regretfully. She sighed and buried her face in his chest, holding him tightly.

“Damian, are you ready to go?” Bruce had arrived and Damian reluctantly released her. She blushed at the man, stammering a greeting and farewell and he smiled at her. “It's been a pleasure to meet you Marinette. If you ever come to Gotham, feel free to come to Wayne Enterprises and we can give you a tour.”

“...Wayne Enterprises as in, Wayne Fashion?” She said eventually, turning to stare at Damian. Bruce watched as his son flushed pink and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. He had to fight back his own astonishment that the girl apparently hadn't known who she was having dinner with a few nights ago.

“Why would I have known?” She squeaked when he voiced the thought. “Jagged just said his friend from school was coming to visit and he wanted to introduce me! I- this is going to take me a minute,” she confessed, darting and apologetic glance at Damian.

To Bruce's surprise, Damian looked worried, his face filled with tight lines. He had never seen his son hesitate before, or worry that his name would change the opinion someone had of him, but that was clearly what was happening. Marinette's crisis was cut short when Tim joined them and the car for the airport pulled up.

Damian pulled Marinette away from his family while they put the luggage in the car, wanting to ensure that things were alright between them. She had already calmed down considerably which was a positive sign.

“Marinette, I am sorry I did not tell you sooner. I assumed you were already aware of our family name. I hope that this does not change-” he was cut off abruptly when Marinette grabbed him in a tight embrace.

“It doesn't change anything,” she swore confidently, pulling back from the hug and gripping his hand. “If you're fine with dating a daughter of two bakers, I think I can find it in me to date the son of a millionaire.”

“Tt, billionaire,” he corrected automatically, flushing when she gave a strangled giggle. Tim gave a warning shout that they needed to leave and he glared in the direction of the car. “May I call you when I am safely home?”

“Damian, as my boyfriend you can call me whenever you want,” she said, before letting him walk over to the car. He felt a little hollow and disappointed that this was goodbye for now, but his duties as Robin had to come first. 

_ _ _

Marinette spent the next few days fuelled by the joy of knowing Damian felt the same way she did. They had messaged back and forth several times, even occasionally calling. They talked about anything and everything, Marinette finding him to be practical but compassionate about her problems.

On the Wednesday after they had submitted the competition video, Marinette was hanging out with Kitty Section on the houseboat when Ivan called for everyone's attention. In numb outrage, they watched XY’s new music video - a direct copy of their submission.

Taking their complaint to the filming studio, Marinette and Luka snuck inside while the rest of Kitty Section caused a distraction. Once inside, Bob Roth proceeded to tear into the pair, threatening their futures and, specifically, Marinette's future as a designer. She didn't notice Luka getting angry until he was enveloped in harsh purple light, transforming into Silencer.

He stole XY's voice and turned to Marinette, promising to help her stay safe and protect her artistic integrity. Then he told her, “You’re an extraordinary girl, Marinette. As clear as a musical note, and as sincere as a melody.” She blushed for a few moments before shaking it off and going to transform. 

The battle against Silencer was difficult, and only made harder by Bob Roth. She did eventually defeat him, but all it meant was that she was back in the same position she had been before the akumatisation. Unless…

Her usual quick thinking and the assistance of Luka resulted in Bob being forced to admit that he had tried to steal their ideas. Transforming back, Marinette rushed back to Luka and cheered happily that they had won. She had decided that she would ignore what Luka had said under the influence of the akuma, given that she didn't want anything more than friendship with him.

But then as they were separating, he said the same thing again, and it left her uncomfortable. She didn't manage to say anything back, but he didn't seem to be expecting an answer. She immediately messaged Damian, wanting to let him know what Luka had said.

She was comforted by his no nonsense view on the matter, seeming more concerned that she had been caught up in an akuma attack. She assured him that she was fine, and that Ladybug had saved the day as usual. He asked a few questions about how she had done it, and Marinette had to carefully dodge any potential pitfalls that would show she knew too much.

Damian ended the call feeling even more determined to help end the threat of Hawkmoth. He had wanted to help as soon as he found out that there was an emotional terrorist causing havoc in Paris, but now that he knew Marinette…it was imperative that the Justice League meet with the heroes and offer whatever help they could.

Striding into his father's office, he waited patiently to be seen. He tried to structure his concerns in a way that wouldn't immediately make his father suspicious. He did not want his family to pry into his relationship with Marinette, especially as they did not think he was capable of one.

“What can I do for you, Damian?” Bruce eventually said, looking up from his work. Damian steeled himself and launched into his speech about helping the Parisian heroes. Bruce listened without interrupting, nodding along until Damian ran out of things to say. Finally, Bruce steepled his fingers and gazed thoughtfully at the young vigilante. “I see, and who would you suggest I send to Paris?”

“Drake has an analytical mind that would likely be the biggest benefit as both Ladybug and Chat Noir seem to be competent enough in battle. Training would not go amiss, however, so someone should go with him.” He stopped himself from volunteering immediately even though he was sure his father would know that was the only reason he would be talking about it.

“Alright, so given what we know about Hawkmoth's abilities anyone too volatile is out of the question. So Jason will have to sit out a long-term placement in Paris. Dick has his family to think about, which would only make him moody to be separated from them. Steph and Tim have a history that makes me hesitant to send her with him to a city besieged by an emotional terrorist.”

“Cain has responsibilities in Hong Kong, she would be too distracted to train them sufficiently,” Damian added, warming to the task of shutting down the possibilities of someone other than him going. “You are essential to the welfare of Gotham, so that is out of the question, as is anyone with powers such as any of the Kents.”

“But Duke’s powers are actually potentially helpful,” Bruce countered, looking thoughtful. Damian tried not to freeze or scowl. He thought desperately for a rebuttal, a reason that Duke would have to sit it out and came up blank. 

“Thomas is…an adequate choice,” Damian admitted at last, trying to avoid glaring but only half succeeding. “It would be beneficial to all involved if we verified that his powers would be useful before he uproots his life in Gotham, however. Perhaps he and Drake could visit as their alternative selves via zeta tube and make contact with the duo?”

“That sounds reasonable,” Bruce replied, nodding to himself. Damian held himself stiff and waited to be dismissed. “Of course, there is this akuma class that Jagged and Marinette mentioned, it could be useful to have someone in the classroom itself to investigate…do you think Duke could pass as a fifteen-year-old?”

“Tt, that hardly seems necessary,” Damian said, working to calm his now racing heart. If he played this correctly, he would be able to go to Paris regardless of whether Duke went as well. “I am in that curricular age bracket and I am more than competent enough to investigate.”

“And what of the emotionally stable requirement?” If this were a less important conversation, Damian would have been offended. As it was, he gave the question as much clinical consideration as was possible. 

“I am capable of managing my emotions, I have grown plenty since Mother allowed me to stay in Gotham,” he said eventually, pleased that his voice was level. “It would also be a good test of my own capacity. In addition, I have already spent a week in Paris and went without Akumatisation the entire time, despite spending ample time with Drake.”

“But not around children your own age,” Bruce countered again, forcing Damian to swallow a growl. “You're not best known for dealing well with people who approach you because of your name, and that could cause an akumatisation of someone else.”

“Then send me under an assumed name, ostensibly so that I am protected whilst away from you,” Damian said immediately, pleased with his own quick thinking. At Bruce's raised eyebrows he soldiered on. “The only person with any knowledge of my identity is Marinette who would likely not give that information away if we requested it in advance.”

Bruce stayed silent for several minutes, clearly mulling all of this over. When he finally nodded, Damian allowed a small smirk to flit across his features, before schooling his expression back into solemnity.

“Very well, a team of three. I like the idea of sending you through the Zeta tubes first, and we may well do that for several nights in a row to give the illusion that you're all still in Gotham as civilians. And then a couple of nights of no activity at that end when you arrive as Damian but Robin back in Gotham would cement it quite nicely. Okay, yes let's tell the team.”

_ _ _

Adrien walked into collége with a spring in his step. So far, he hadn't had time to wow Marinette with his charm and wit - he had researched so many non-cat puns - but he was confident that he would be able to get Alya and Nino on his side. He had vague recollections of Alya forcing him to dance with Marinette at Chloé's disastrous party, so he was pretty confident that she wanted them to double date.

But when he arrived in their classroom, Alya and Nino were talking in hushed tones. Marinette still hadn't appeared, but that wasn't unusual, so Adrien made his way to his desk and turned to talk to the pair.

“I'm telling you, Marinette's been smiling at her phone and she's practically glued to it these days! And Juleka said that he confessed to her during the whole Silencer debacle,” Alya insisted, showing a picture of Marinette gazing lovingly at her phone.

“Who confessed to Marinette?” Adrien asked, suddenly apprehensive. He felt even more worried when Alya and Nino exchanged a look.

“Dude, you remember Juleka’s brother, Luka? Apparently he told Marinette he was into her when he was akumatised into Silencer,” Nino said, shrugging uncomfortably. “And Mari’s been acting kind of strange lately, haven't you noticed? She looks at her phone all the time, and someone's messaging her loads.”

“Yeah, and my girl definitely thought he was cute, I remember when she met him. She was blushy and stammered a bunch,” Alya added, although she shut up as Marinette rushed in. “Hey Marinette!”

“Hey Alya! I can't believe how late I was running today,” Marinette groaned, laying her head down on the desk. “And before you say it, yes I know it's my own fault for staying up late.”

“Hey dudette,” Nino said, but Madame Bustier appeared before Adrien could give his own greeting. He turned to face the front uneasily, wondering if he had already missed his chance to woo Ladybug's civilian identity.

The day dragged on, and when he returned after lunch he spotted Marinette smiling at her phone and decided he had to know. Strolling casually towards her, he leaned down to talk to her.

“Hey Mari,” he said cheerily, trying to get a sneaky glance at her phone but she squeaked and pulled it out of sight too quickly. “You looked happy, were you messaging Luka?”

“Luka? Why would I be messaging Luka?” Marinette looked guilty and Adrien's stomach clenched. He forced a smile onto his face, trying to look like he wasn't panicking.

“Oh, Alya just mentioned that you were maybe dating him…”

“No, I- I'm not dating Luka,” she said slightly hesitantly. She bit her lip and Adrien wondered if she wished she was.

“Okay, well that's…that's great,” he said, smiling a little more naturally. “So I was wondering if maybe-”

He was interrupted by the bell and he frowned at the sudden bustle behind him. Marinette’s phone buzzed again but she didn't open whatever message it was in front of him. Instead, she suggested that they head into class, only pulling her phone out stealthily once they were seated.

Adrien frowned and all but ignored the lesson. If he couldn't find time to bring it up as Adrien, he would just have to work harder to convince her as Ladybug.

_ _ _

Robin stood on the threshold of the Watchtower Zeta tube with anticipation pooling in his stomach. He was determined to impress the Parisian heroes and prove Jason's ominous prediction, that he would be akumatised within the hour and decimate the Parisian team, wrong

“Okay, so remember, this is a pretty simple recon mission and to extend the olive branch and our offer of aid to Ladybug and Chat Noir. If they decline, we're out and no arguing. The last thing they need is for one of us to get akumatised because we can't take no for an answer,” Red Robin reminded them for the third time.

“We get it, Red,” Signal said, shaking his head in exasperation. Robin worked on not adding his own vocal frustration and was rewarded by Red Robin nodding and stepping through to Paris. 

Standing in an alley, they got their bearings and shot off to find the local heroes. It was late evening and Robin managed to glimpse Marinette's balcony as they grappled past. The lights were on and he could see the flicker of movement as she did something. He thought he saw a shift of her curtain before they completely passed but couldn't justify stopping.

They settled on the Eiffel Tower and ended up only waiting for around ten minutes before a red and black blur flipped and landed in front of them. She eyed them suspiciously for a moment but then confusion crossed her face.

“Um, hello,” she said hesitantly, giving Robin a look that made him sure she recognised him. Sometimes it was worth being dressed in…how had Marinette said it?...oh, yes, traffic stoppingly bright colours. “To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting some of Gotham's heroes?”

“We're here to offer our assistance,” Red Robin said, smiling at the girl. “I'm sorry it's taken so long for us to come, we weren't really aware that there was anything amiss to begin with. And then Batman wanted to check things out before we reached out.”

“Wow, seriously? I would love some help! I've been trying to track down Hawkmoth but it's been- God, it's freaking sucked. It's messing with my civilian life and I kind of have a lot on my plate, so any help you can give would be incredible.”

“Of course,” Red Robin said, smiling at the French heroine. “I'm Red Robin, this is Signal and this is-”

“Robin, yes,” she interrupted nodding. “I recognised the, ah, interestingly bright colours. They are not exactly subtle shades.”

“Tt, the colours are a tradition,” Robin said, grumbling slightly. It felt strange to discuss the colours of his suit with someone who also wore a shockingly bright suit. But he kept to his word and avoided sniping back an insult.

“Yeah, my fr- boyfriend is from Gotham and explained it to me,” she said, blushing lightly and smiling softly. Something inside Damian felt like it had received an electric shock. It could be a coincidence that this dark-haired, blue-eyed hero had a boyfriend in Gotham but… “I still think that you could do something slightly different with it though. There are other shades of yellow, red, and green that don't stop traffic.”

The rest of the encounter felt like white noise to Damian. He found himself watching Ladybug intently, noting small tics that he had noticed in Marinette during their brief time together so far. She was expressive with her hands. She twirled her pigtail around a finger when thinking. 

How had he managed to travel across the world, meet someone and they turned out to be a hero? In some ways it was baffling, but in others made complete sense. Of course his girlfriend was a selfless, heroic girl who spent what very little spare time she had battling the forces of evil. He could only be interested in the very best.

Fortunately, nobody seemed to notice his distraction and Ladybug thanked them before zipping away - in the direction of Marinette's home. Hm, it appears he would need to speak with her about obscuring her destination.

_ _ _

The next week passed fairly quickly, but Damian was also exhausted by the end of it. Between traveling back and forth to Paris via Zeta tube, organising all paperwork to transfer to Francois DuPont, and plotting how to tell Marinette her secret was out, he scarcely had time to sleep.

It was a relief to land in Paris on a Saturday evening and head straight to the apartment that Bruce had procured for the three of them. He immediately set down his suitcase and pulled out his phone to let Marinette know that he had arrived. He received a dozen or so heart emojis in return, making him smile.

He sent a follow up text asking if she would join him the following day to collect his French phone, ready for school first thing on Monday, which she also agreed to enthusiastically. He tucked the phone away as he prepared to meet with Ladybug again, wishing he could tell her who he was and that he knew who she was.

The trip to the Eiffel Tower was uneventful and they set up the laptop and paper notes about their investigation so that they could do a further deep dive. Since they had discovered that Signal could only see an energy signature when Ladybug used her lucky charm, they couldn't use him to quickly locate Hawkmoth when he was powered up but not actively evilising a butterfly.

“...a chance, Bugaboo!” The sound of Chat Noir’s voice carried over to them from nearby and three heads turned towards it. “I think we would make a purr-fect couple, M'lady, but it won't happen if you keep pretending you're not even curious.”

“Chat, I told you that there was another boy,” Robin's fist unclenched from his katana’s hilt but he glared in the direction of the voices as Chat made a dismissive noise. “No, Chat, I'm serious, there's this boy-”

“Yes yes, that you like, but you shouldn't be closing off your options like that! I'm just saying that you should consider me as well,” Chat said, fairly condescendingly as far as Robin was concerned. Unsheathing his katana, he jumped across to where they were standing.

“If Ladybug said no, she would have meant it,” he said in clipped tones. He noted Ladybug's - Marinette's - shoulders relaxed when he arrived and had to wrestle back his anger. The last thing they needed was for Robin to get akumatised. “We have been waiting for you to arrive to debrief and discuss next steps.”

“Sorry, Robin, we're coming,” Ladybug said immediately, following him back to the other side of the Tower. She flitted to stand between Red Robin and Signal who both gave Chat Noir disapproving looks. “So, the list of suspects is ready?”

“Yes, we have been cross-referencing the different affluent men in Paris who have the time and resources to spend time as Hawkmoth,” Robin said, staying beside Chat even though he would have rather been beside Ladybug.

It was nearly an hour later that they all agreed they had done as much as they could. Dutifully, Red Robin reminded the duo that the team would be traveling back to Gotham the next day for a few days but then would be back in Paris to really get stuck in.

Ladybug thanked them all before shooting off to get home. Damian noted that she went off in a different direction this time, and wondered if she changed which way she went each time to help confuse anyone watching.

_ _ _

Marinette waited on a bench in the park outside her home, picking at her fingers. She hadn't seen Damian in person since he had left Paris to go home and she was worried he would change his mind once he saw her again. She had agonized over her outfit before deciding to wear the new shirt she had designed and created specifically so she could show it to him.

“Marinette, apologies for my lateness.” Damian appeared beside her silently, and she squealed before her phone went flying. With reflexes she couldn't have guessed he possessed, Damian caught her phone and placed it gently back into her hands. It had fallen to her other side so he was fully in her personal space, looking down into her eyes as she stammered a thank you.

There was a moment where neither of them moved, simply breathing the same air. And then her hands found their way to his collar and his lips crashed into hers. He kissed her hungrily, wrapping his arm around her waist to secure her against him. 

They kissed for several long moments, and Marinette got lost in running her fingers into his hair. It was reluctantly that she pulled away from him, grinning up at him. His eyes were gleaming and she giggled when he tried to straighten his hair. 

“We should go and get your phone,” she said at last, letting her hand trace his jaw. He shivered and Marinette felt a thrill at the simple fact that she affected her boyfriend. He hesitated for a moment before nodding and helping her stand.

Collecting his phone was an easy task and they chatted about him starting school with her the next day. He had already told her that he would be attending under a different surname, so she made sure she knew his cover name. 

As the day slipped into early evening, Marinette dragged him back to the Pont des Arts bridge to watch the sunset. She turned to look at him and paused. His eyes were hooded and his profile when he turned to look at her made her breath catch. She felt like she was unraveling a string, starting with the way he had approached her before dinner to talk about her Robin themed dress, to the verbal tic that he shared with said vigilante.

“Is everything alright?” He asked, his eyes full of concern. She stood on her tiptoes, pushing her hands back into his hair. He gave a crooked smile and leaned down to kiss her again, but she held him back slightly as she restyled his hair.

“Um, so I think I worked out something I wasn't supposed to,” she said in a hushed whisper, shooting him an apologetic wince. He froze but didn't say anything. His hand came up and pressed gently into the base of her spine. His fingers circled firmly, making her shudder and step even closer.

“I suppose that makes us even,” he replied, sounding amused more than angry. Then it was Marinette's turn to freeze, panic racing through her. “Marinette, breathe. I had intended to tell you shortly, but it is imperative that you do not allow yourself to panic.”

She breathed in shallowly but the panic simmered under the surface. Cursing lowly, Damian pulled her into a rough kiss and she felt like her nerve endings were completely fried. Her panic was swiftly replaced with a fluttering and she leaned into the kiss whole-heartedly.

When they broke apart this time, they were both breathing heavily. The panic Marinette had been feeling was muted, and she leaned her head against his shoulder as she tried to rein in her runaway thoughts.

“How long have you known?” She asked, tracing her fingers around one of his jacket buttons. She frowned lightly as he explained but didn't free-fall into panic this time. “This is going to take some time to get my head around.”

“Do you want me to…leave?” Damian asked, clearly reluctant, and she shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone with her thoughts. His whole body relaxed and the arm wrapped around her pressed her even closer. 

They didn't talk much more, choosing instead to just hold each other. 

_ _ _

The following day at school, Marinette pushed down the nervous excitement that made her stomach bubble. She knew that Damian would be on time, so she had made sure to wake up early and was already standing on the front steps. She hadn't even seen Max yet, and he was usually first through the doors.

She perked up when a car that she didn't recognise rolled up and was rewarded with the early morning sight of Damian in relaxed clothes. One of the conversations they had had the day prior was to say that he would be trying to distance his image from the public one of Damian Wayne so that he was less likely to be recognised.

“Good morning, Marinette,” he said as he approached her, giving her la bise on both cheeks. They had agreed to downplay their relationship for now to avoid awkward questions about how they had met, and she had never been more glad to have the excuse to kiss his cheeks.

“Morning, Damian,” she said back, beaming as he waited for Duke to park and rejoin him so that they could head to see Principal Damocles. When Duke arrived he gave Marinette a confused look but only greeted her cheerfully. “Good morning, Duke, right?”

“Yes, that's right,” he said and his eyes passed over her, focusing momentarily on the small pink bag by her hip. “And you must be Marinette, Tim mentioned you to us. I, uh, hope this isn't rude but are you aware that Damian is-”

“That this is Damian Thomas?” She interrupted, beaming up at him when he relaxed. “Yes, Damian made me aware and I agree that it's a smart move. I'm the class president of the class Damian will be in, so there should be no issue with him just sticking with me for the foreseeable future. Now, are you ready to meet Principal Damocles?”

They followed her into the building, Marinette chattering and pointing out the different classrooms on the next floor as they passed. Several students that had been milling around spotted the trio and an excited buzz kicked up, though Marinette dutifully ignored it.

“Mr Damocles, the new student and his guardian are here,” she said cheerfully when they were given permission to enter the office. 

“Wonderful, thank you, Marinette,” he said, dismissing her with a nod of his head. She backed out of the office, her hand giving Damian's a discreet squeeze on her way past.

When she entered the classroom, she was immediately bombarded with questions about Damian. Lila sat at the back, quiet for a change and Marinette avoided looking in her direction. When Adrien arrived, he seemed excited to hear that there would be a new student, and piped up that it was probably time to change seats again.

Marinette paused and thought it over, nodding along as she decided that it was the easiest way to let her sit next to Damian. There was a flurry of motion as everyone clamored to explain where they wanted to sit.

“You know, I know Lila said her tinnitus cleared up because of the miraculous cure, but I think it's more likely that she became accustomed to the noise,” she said aloud, feigning concern. Lila narrowed her eyes at her but she ignored it. “It would make sense for us to go with the original plan you all came up with, and then I can help the new kid, as class president.”

Everybody agreed enthusiastically, except for Adrien who looked disappointed. But then Madame Bustier had arrived and they were forced to settle into their new seats.

Meanwhile, Damian was being forced to listen to Principal Damocles drone on about how much the school valued teamwork and a cohesive student body. He danced around the subject of Hawkmoth which made Damian decide that he was weak-willed.

“Look, Damian, I know this is going to be difficult,” Duke said as they made their way to the classroom. “If it's easier for you to be your usual self, don't force yourself to be super friendly. It's normal for a kid that changed countries to be slightly closed off anyway.”

“Tt, I know what I am doing, Tho- Duke,” Damian said, grimacing slightly at using the man's given name. But it would be too suspicious if he was overheard given that they were supposed to have the same surname. 

“Another thing, I don't know what Marinette's got in her bag, but it's giving off insane amounts of energy. There might be more to her than meets the eye,” Duke said, checking his watch. He missed Damian's pause and the boy was back to behaving normally by the time he looked back. “Listen, I'll walk you in but then I've gotta jet.”

Standing in front of the class, Damian used his vantage point to remind himself of all who were in his new class. His eyes snagged on Marinette, who was sitting alone in the back of the classroom with the only available seat next to her.

“Welcome to our classroom, Damian!” Madame Bustier said in an almost unnaturally sweet voice. Forcing himself not to wince, he nodded and projected a cool but nervous aura. “Perhaps you could introduce yourself to the class, tell us a little about Damian Thomas?”

“... good morning, I am Damian. I will say now that I do not like nicknames, and as such will not respond to anything other than ‘Damian’. I am from New Jersey and elected to study abroad when my brother, Duke, was assigned here. I have already been acquainted with Marinette as she is the class representative and would ask that the rest of you give me space to adjust to the new class.”

The class all nodded, although the one sitting next to the blond model Agreste - Lila Rossi, Damian thought her name was - looked disappointed. Duke stayed until Damian was told to take his seat but then slipped away.

In the back of the classroom, Damian and Marinette sat quietly together exchanging notes and speaking softly. To anyone that asked, Damian said that Marinette was helping him adjust to the class and generally making the transition into the school as smooth as possible.

In reality, Damian was letting Marinette know that Duke had sensed a powerful being in her bag, presumably Tikki. If this was the case, then they were in a better position than they had originally believed, because Duke could investigate their various suspects and find the Kwami when they weren't suited up.

_ _ _

Adrien was irritated with the new kid. He knew that Marinette had responsibilities as class representative, but it grated on him that this Damian kid was monopolising his lady's time. And even though the boy was practically shunning the rest of the class, he didn't seem to be staying out of her space.

He grit his teeth when Damian leaned over Marinette during morning break and she flushed. He could see that Marinette was clearly uncomfortable, but he wouldn't get out of her space! Adrien decided that it was time for her knight in shining leather to make an appearance.

“Mari! I feel like we haven't spent enough time together in ages,” Adrien said, dropping into the seat on the other side of her. “Hi, I'm Adrien Agreste, one of Marinette's closest friends.”

“...a pleasure to meet you,” Damian responded stiffly, hand resting on the back of Marinette's chair as he leaned back. Marinette's blush receded almost immediately and Adrien patted himself on the back for saving her so quickly. “Marinette has been telling me about the various extra curriculars available at this school. She mentioned that you fence?”

“Aw, talking about me? I'm flattered,” Adrien replied, leaning towards Marinette. She didn't blush, making him feel smug that she wasn't uncomfortable around him. “Marinette did say that she was a fan before, I shouldn't be surprised that she would tell you all about me.”

“I was actually just mentioning it because Damian expressed an interest in swords,” Marinette interjected, flashing a look Adrien couldn't decipher at Damian. 

Just then Lila, Alya and Nino came over to the table as well. Lila automatically latched onto Adrien's arm, gripping him tightly. He had enough control not to grimace and instead plastered one of his model smiles across his face.

“It's so nice that we can all spend time together, isn't it Adrien?” Lila cooed before turning her eyes onto Damian. “I don't think I had the chance to introduce myself yet, I'm Lila Rossi! It's so lucky that I wasn't away with my mother and doing charity work, I would have hated to miss meeting you with everyone else.”

Adrien shot Marinette a look when hers soured, trying to remind her to take the high road, but she didn't look his way. Instead Damian stood abruptly, making Marinette look up at him, startled. 

“Apologies, I am still adjusting to the new school and this is too overwhelming,” he said, although his tone was flat rather than agitated. Marinette shot up as well, grabbing her bag and leading Damian away.

Adrien slumped a little, pouting at the fact that even though Damian had said he was overwhelmed Marinette had gone with the other boy.

_ _ _

“The problem is,” Marinette said, worrying her lip between her teeth, “that if I tell Duke what he saw so that he can find Hawkmoth, I reveal my identity. And you are literally one of two people who knows, which already feels pretty risky.”

“Then it is a case of whether the benefits outweigh the risks,” Damian murmured. It was lunchtime and they had secluded themselves in the library. With no prying eyes, Damian had pulled her close and buried his face in her neck.

In the short time he and Marinette had been spending time together, it had surprised him how much he enjoyed touching her casually. It had started as wanting to hold her hand and spiraled to wrapping his arms around her as much as he could.

“I know, I know,” she muttered back, frowning at her phone. “It's just…I've spent so long keeping my identity to myself, even from my partner. Having my boyfriend know is wildly different to telling other vigilantes.”

“But Th- Duke would be instrumental in taking action against Hawkmoth,” Damian pointed out. “And should we wish to continue this relationship, they will need to know at some point.”

“You’re right,” Marinette sighed, twisting her hands before running her hands along his arms. He pressed even closer to her, humming lightly as he pressed a kiss against her neck. “But if you don't want to blow your cover, we should probably get on with doing work here instead of cuddling.”

“I do not see why it should matter if people know I am enthralled by you,” Damian grumbled halfheartedly, though he did pull away. They spent the remainder of their lunch talking about their plans and how they would approach his brothers.

Their last lesson of the day went quickly and Marinette waited outside with Damian for Duke to collect them. She waved goodbye to everyone that walked past them but didn't move towards anyone else. 

When Duke saw him standing close to Marinette, he seemed to do a double take but he didn't say anything when Marinette climbed into the backseat besides ‘hello’.

“Duke, Marinette is going to come to our apartment and we shall explain things once we have more privacy,” Damian said with no preamble. He then refused to elaborate regardless of any questions that Duke had.

“Yo, Tim, we've got company,” Duke shouted when they stepped over the threshold of their temporary home. Marinette moved to grip Damian's hand as soon as the door shut behind them and he squeezed back reassuringly.

Marinette took a deep breath as they moved to the kitchen to have the following discussion. She knew it was necessary but she was terrified - she'd never told someone her secret identity but she was willing if it ended the threat hanging over her head.

“Oh, hey Marinette, what are you doing here? Not that you're not welcome! But we weren't expecting you,” Tim said as he came to join them. She exchanged a glance with Damian and he nodded ever so slightly. 

“Um, well, I actually came to talk to you about something that couldn't wait. Otherwise I would've held off until I saw you tonight for our regularly scheduled get together,” she said, hands fidgeting. “God, this is weird. Okay, so this morning, I met Duke out of my suit for the first time, and he noticed my Kwami hiding in my bag.”

“... You're Ladybug?” Tim sounded dumbstruck, staring at her in astonishment. She nodded shyly, opening her bag and letting Tikki out. She floated over to Duke first, who blinked at her but didn't make any other sign of surprise.

“Tt, I feel like that is stating the obvious,” Damian said, placing a comforting hand on her back. She gave him a grateful smile, leaning into him. “You have met her both in the suit and out, Drake, you should have deduced it.”

“Be fair, Damian, it's not like I've spent all that much time with Tim,” Marinette said softly. “And really, there's a bunch of magic that's supposed to get in the way.”

“Wait, are you telling me you worked out it was her?” Duke piped up, looking at Marinette and Damian with suspicion. Apparently whatever he saw confirmed what he was thinking because his eyes widened. “Holy hell, are you two dating?”

“Pft, yeah, sure they are,” Tim said, dismissing it out of hand before pausing and looking at how closely Marinette stood to Damian. “No, wait a minute. You said ‘boyfriend’ the other night, didn't you?”

“Tt, Duke is correct, we are in a relationship and have been since we visited Paris for our initial assessment of the situation. It is ridiculous that none of you noticed the change in my habits, but you can be rather obtuse.”

Both Duke and Tim stared at him like he had grown an extra head but he refused to indulge their curiosity any further. Marinette decided that they had gone off topic for long enough, clearing her throat delicately to get their attention back.

“Right, so, back to this morning? Duke could see Tikki, who was in my purse. Which means he could probably find Nooroo, wherever he is, which would tell us who Hawkmoth is.”

“Yeah, the energy signature is pretty unique. But how do we know that the butterfly Kwami will have the same signature? Don't they all have different powers? What if that changes the signature?”

“Oh, I hadn't thought of that,” Marinette said, biting her lip thoughtfully. She glanced at Tikki, having a conversation with no words and the tiny god dipped her head slightly. “Okay, so I can probably get another Kwami to do the check with, but not until tomorrow.”

“You just…have a stash of tiny gods you can borrow?” Duke said, looking at her like she was crazy. She blushed and Damian scowled at Duke. “What? That's a reasonable thing to question, Damian! Also, I can't believe you found the local hero and decided to date her.”

“Do not be preposterous, I did not know she was the local hero until we returned to Paris. We have been dating since our meal with her uncle,” Damian corrected him, and Marinette felt a giddy rush of joy flood through her.

After that, they chatted for thirty minutes, Tim demanding answers to all of his questions before saying that he would be telling the rest of the family. Damian accepted this with his usual grouchy demeanour, ending the Q&A by saying he would get Marinette home.

_ _ _

Adrien was itching to go and visit Marinette. He wanted to do it as Chat Noir but he had been working very hard on wooing her in their suits, so the direction change might tip his hand that he knew more than he should.

But his movements were so restricted as Adrien! Every time he thought he had slipped away from the Gorilla, or Lila, or his father, Marinette had the new Gotham student practically hanging off her arm! He knew it couldn't be true, but people were even speculating that Marinette liked Damian.

Sure, the dark haired, aggressively reclusive boy clearly liked Marinette - who wouldn't, she was Ladybug - but there was no way she liked him back. Marinette had told him well before this that she had feelings for another boy. If she was going to move on from the mystery boy, Chat Noir was the obvious choice, so he was annoyed that Damian was so constantly in her space.

There had been several akumas since the bat family had descended upon Paris and they said they were making progress, but they hadn't shared it yet. Ladybug had asked about it after the akuma Party Crasher and they had claimed they were narrowing the pool of suspects down but didn't want to share their suspicions until after they had checked the last few out.

Ladybug had accepted this without argument, but Adrien had been annoyed, and vocal about it. When they had parted, Ladybug had stayed behind, assumedly to smooth any ruffled feathers, which had annoyed him even more. What was with Marinette's sudden closeness with Gotham boys?

So now, he was heading to the Grévin wax museum to redo a hand cast for his wax statue. He invited Marinette, Alya and Nino and got enthusiastic responses from two of them. Marinette seemed to be babysitting, but he sent a message saying that he was sure whoever she was with would enjoy all of the statues, and she was welcome to bring them along.

He regretted it immensely when Marinette arrived in the company, not only of an excitable preschooler, but of Damian Thomas. They were fairly glued together, Adrien struggling to get in between them, and then he was pulled away to get his hand recast.

He spent the entire time with the sculptor riddled with anxious energy and wanting to return to the others. He spotted Nino and Alya playing hide and seek with Manon and went past without stopping. He almost missed seeing Marinette and Damian because they were wedged into a corner, having what looked to be a serious conversation.

Before he could get any closer there was a loud bang and several akumatised wax statues burst out of the door from the Ladybug and Chat Noir exhibit. Instinctively, Adrien ducked out of sight but not before he saw Lady WiFi shoot a pause button at Damian that froze him in the act of cornering Marinette.

Adrien grinned with satisfaction before calling for his transformation and scampering away to help take down the akuma.

_ _ _

Marinette called for Miraculous Ladybug and sighed in relief. She made sure Manon made it back to Alya and Nino safely before detransforming and rushing to find Damian. Fortunately he was standing in almost exactly the same place she had been forced to leave him.

“Damian! Are you okay?” She asked, gripping the front of his jacket as she skidded to a stop in front of him. He gave her an amused look but allowed her to hang off of his front without complaint. “Come on, we should rejoin the others, we'll have to talk about what Tim was saying later.”

When they rejoined the group, Manon burst into tears and threw herself at Marinette. The older girl consoled her, rubbing her back and saying reassuring nonsense. Once she was calmer, she was set back on the floor and turned to Damian.

“I'm sorry,” she said in a small voice, and Marinette's heart ached. It didn't matter how much she, as Ladybug or Marinette, told people that they weren't to blame for their actions as akumas, she imagined the guilt must be horrific.

Damian dropped to one knee so he could be on her eye level before speaking. “Manon, it is not your fault. I am sorry that you felt ignored, I should not have taken Marinette's attention away from you while she was babysitting. If it is alright with you, perhaps we may look through the statues together, all three of us?”

Manon squealed and gave him a tight hug that made Marinette smile softly. She knew Damian could be soft when he wanted to, but it was still heartwarming to see him interact with kids.

When they finished walking around the exhibits, Marinette said goodbye to her friends and went with Damian to return Manon to her mother. The reporter gave her a knowing smile when she introduced Damian and Marinette flushed with embarrassment.

As they walked back to Damian's apartment Marinette felt at ease, something she had taken for granted before becoming a superheroine. She basked in the calm, optimistic that she would soon be free of Hawkmoth.

_ _ _

Adrien was determined to talk to Marinette and he was at his limit. Every time he tried to talk to her, Damian was lurking. It was like the other boy didn't understand that he was monopolising Marinette's time, not to mention that he had to be making her uncomfortable. 

So when he overheard Damian saying that he had to speak with some family members that still lived in New Jersey and would be busy that afternoon? Adrien jumped at the opportunity to speak with Marinette without him. 

He took care to arrange his day so that he had free time as soon as school was over. Once he got to the car, he informed the Gorilla that he needed to speak with a classmate. He waited eagerly for Marinette to come out of the building but was dismayed when she still left with Damian.

To make matters worse, she didn't go home! Instead, she followed along with the dark haired boy and disappeared around a corner quickly. Cursing inwardly, he found himself trapped when Lila came over to talk to him, so he couldn't follow after the pair.

Delayed but not defeated, he asked Gorilla to drive in the direction he had seen Marinette and Damian going. Using SnapChat he was able to pinpoint the building Marinette was in (it wasn't creepy and weird, it was resourceful). But then it took nearly an hour for her to emerge, and somehow she did so with Damian again.

He felt his fists clench and he exited the car. The pair strolled casually along the street, not quite touching but not giving an awful lot of space. He waited for them to separate, for Marinette to tell Damian that she had to go home or something.

It felt like he had been hit in the stomach when the other boy pulled his lady to a stop in a quiet area. Marinette turned to Damian with a bright smile before pulling him down and kissing him. 

Turning away, Adrien ran blindly until he was back at the car.

_ _ _

Damian had been dreading this day ever since he had decided to pursue Marinette. She had laughed at his reluctance but he knew that this was going to be the most irritating and pointless thing he had ever done. But Marinette had agreed to meet the rest of his family by video chat and so he was stuck with it.

“Dami, it's going to be fine,” Marinette said soothingly. He grumbled and she giggled a little; they were walking down the street, her hand in his now that they were far enough away from the school. “You do realise that I need to meet them if we're going to keep dating, right?”

“I simply do not see why it is necessary that you meet all of them now. Surely meeting my father would suffice,” Damian said, practically growling in frustration. “Richard is going to be unbearable, and Jason insufferable.”

Marinette was quiet for several moments before speaking. “Do you think they won't like me?” She asked in a soft voice, and Damian felt awful for making her think it.

“Marinette, they are going to adore you,” he said firmly. “Father already thought you were delightful when he first met you and Timothy has been telling all of them about your wonderful qualities. This is purely their curiosity, which is why I deem it unnecessary.”

“I would like to meet them,” she said softly, and Damian couldn't think of any further arguments. 

When they arrived at the apartment they could hear Tim already giving a debrief of their current progress.

“...meeting with Agreste in an hour. With any luck, we'll either confirm that he's our culprit or strike him off our list.”

“Excellent work, thank you,” Bruce said, eyes flicking to the pair that had just entered the apartment. “Hello, Damian, I trust school is going well? And Marinette, lovely to see you again.”

“Tt, it is fine,” Damian said grouchily. But before Marinette could say her own greeting, Bruce was being pushed out of the screen in favour of another black haired, blue-eyed man. Given the squeal that came out of him, Marinette assumed that this must be Richard Grayson.

“Oh my gosh, you're so small! And cute! Jay, Jay, isn't she so small?” 

“Jesus, she's not just small, she's adorable,” another, bigger man chimed in. Marinette blinked as she saw yet another blue-eyed, black hair combo. “How're you doing, sweetheart?”

“I'm okay,” she squeaked, stepping closer to Damian as they scrutinised her. Giving her hand a squeeze, Damian turned a glower on his brothers.

“Oh my god, she even sounds adorable! It's so nice to meet you, Marinette, I'm Dick and this is Jason. We're Damian's two oldest brothers,” Dick said excitedly.

“This is trippy, are we sure she's not there under duress?” Jason joked, eyeing the closeness of the pair and the protective way Damian stood in front of her. “But seriously, good job Demon Spawn, she's way out of your league.”

“That's not-”

“Tt, I am well aware of that, thank you Todd,” Damian snapped, making Marinette flush. “You have met her now, I trust you will respect her privacy and leave us alone?”

“Yeah, sure thing,” Jason snorted, giving him a look that Marinette interpreted as ‘I’ll do whatever I want’. “You do realise that if it doesn't work out, she is literally adoption bait?”

“Jay, don't say things like that-” Dick jumped straight in and the two began to bicker, with Bruce sighing in the background as he tried to moderate. Eventually Tim and Duke announced that they had to leave for their meeting and to ‘have fun’.

Once they were gone, Bruce finally managed to end the argument between his two eldest children. He turned back to Damian and Marinette and asked if they had anything new to add in regards to the investigation into Hawkmoth.

“No, but I'm taking Damian to meet my mentor today, hopefully he can add some further insight just in case Gabriel isn't our problem,�� Marinette said, channeling her Ladybug persona as she thought about Master Fu. “And I want to see if there are any Miraculous that Damian would work well with.”

They chatted for a while longer, flipping between hero work and school life before Damian said that it was time he got Marinette home. Jason made kissing noises which made Marinette blush and Damian scowl, but Dick smacked him before saying goodbye to the pair. 

“You should give a call to Cass when you get the chance, Damian,” Bruce added before the call ended. “She has been very interested in finding out more about your girlfriend.”

“Tt, very well. At least Cassandra is better than this pair,” Damian said as they ended the video. Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief when she was certain they were no longer in the meeting. “That was every bit as bad as I feared they would be, are you alright?”

“I'm fine, but if we want to get to Fu’s, we should hurry,” Marinette said, heading for the door. They walked down the streets, not touching but not straying too far from one another. 

Damian felt on edge as soon as they exited the apartment building. He usually felt like he was being watched but it had intensified. But when he looked around, he couldn't see anyone out of place. There was a parked town car and several harried looking individuals hurrying along, so he tried to set it out of his mind. 

It didn't help that he had been on edge about Marinette meeting his other two brothers, and he wondered if that was contributing to his unsettled feeling. They walked at an unhurried pace until the street became more secluded. 

Deciding it would be worth stopping to look around again, Damian put a hand on Marinette's arm. He was about to tell her that he felt watched when she gave him a broad smile before pulling him into a kiss. He pressed into her, hand almost unconsciously burying itself in her hair.

When they broke apart a minute or two later, the feeling of being watched was gone and the thoughts melted away.

_ _ _

Adrien muttered to himself almost the entire way home. He was so full of anger and feelings so betrayed that he was amazed that he hadn't been akumatised. Or at least, he would have been if he could think past the hurt of seeing Marinette kissing someone else.

His father was apparently in a meeting with an American CEO and Nathalie informed him that he would be eating dinner alone again. Still grumbling and generally in a bad temper, Adrien thanked her stiffly before heading to his room.

Once he was in his room, he slumped at his desk, pushing his mouse to activate the screen. He gave a dejected sigh as he stared at his Ladybug background until Plagg made a disgusted noise and loudly demanded to know where his camembert was.

“Plagg, now isn't a great time,” Adrien said, although he pulled a fresh wheel out and tossed a piece to his Kwami. He glared moodily at the desktop, not bothering to start any of his homework or extracurriculars. After he had finished his camembert, Plagg came over to talk to him.

“Plagg, why did she choose him?” Adrien asked, ignoring the distinct whine to his voice. “They barely know each other! And how could she want to date someone who's less than her? She's a superhero, and he's just some American.”

“This is why I always say cheese is better than romance!” Plagg said cheerfully, settling onto Adrien's shoulder. “Forget about her, you still have Kagami!”

“Plagg, it's Ladybug and Chat Noir, not Chat Noir and Kagami,” Adrien half-shouted, annoyed. He heard a knock at the door a moment later and shooed Plagg before calling out to Nathalie.

“Adrien, your father needs to speak with you,” she answered, stepping into the room. She looked both concerned and pitying, uncomfortable like Adrien had never seen before.

“Sure,” he replied, following her down. He saw the Americans being shown out of the building and recognition tickled his brain. What was Damian Thomas's brother doing with a CEO? 

After he was shown into his father's office, what happened next took on a nightmare-like quality. It happened in a blur, starting with his father telling him he needed to show him something, and ending in seeing his dead mother's body in a glass coffin. 

After that, things were on double speed, transforming into Chat Noir, getting smacked across the city until he was fighting his father-as-Hawkmoth near the Eiffel Tower.

_ _ _

Marinette and Damian were chatting seriously with Fu about the different Miraculous available for Damian when both of their phones began to ring. Damian's turned out to be his brothers and Marinette's was an alert that Hawkmoth had been spotted fighting Chat Noir.

They looked at each other before Marinette let her intuition guide her. She grabbed the turtle Miraculous and slid it onto Damian's wrist as he talked on the phone. He nodded at her as he spoke and ended the call quickly.

“We were correct, Gabriel is Hawkmoth. Apparently Chat Noir discovered this as well and confronted the man without us because Duke and Tim saw him being forcefully ejected from the Agreste mansion. They are trying to follow them but it is proving difficult.”

“Then there's no time to lose. This is Wayzz, he is the Kwami for the Miraculous of protection. To activate, say Wayzz, shell on. Your power activates when you say ‘Shelter’ and will form a protective orb around the item of your choosing. It often goes around the shield that comes with your suit.”

Once he was ready, they hurried to leave Fu's store front, finding an alley to transform in before they rushed to the battle. Marinette jumped and swung frantically, not wanting her partner to be injured, or have his Miraculous removed.

“Watch out!” Damian shouted, leaping for her as Hawkmoth was sent flying into the building she landed on. It began to crumble and he leapt expertly to catch her and roll them safely to the next building. He cradled her head and grunted as they landed, but they were both standing within the next moment.

“No!” Chat howled from a nearby rooftop, but he wasn't looking at Hawkmoth. He appeared to be looking in Marinette's direction, and she worried that he was noting the way Damian hovered protectively. But, surely, he couldn't guess that there was a more romantic aspect to her relationship with a brand new hero?

But Hawkmoth seemed to be ready to take advantage of Chat's anger and a purple butterfly landed on his bell. She sucked in a horrified gasp of air as the sickly violet aura overtook him and left behind an almost exact copy of her kitty - but pure white, with blue eyes.

She watched with mounting horror as Chat seemed to fight with himself, building a cataclysm that he pointed at Hawkmoth and her alternately. He looked to be unable to decide and the cataclysm continued to grow until it became clear that he couldn't control it. Damian gasped as a rush of energy began to spread from where the akumatised Chat Noir stood.

Damian gripped her tightly around the waist with one arm as he screamed out ‘Shelter’, his other arm holding the shield high and praying that it was enough. Marinette willed all of her power to flow into the shield he was creating, countering the destruction barreling towards them. 

She gripped the arm around her middle so hard she thought her fingers would break. As the final waves of Chat’s power echoed and faded, the power of Shelter flickered and died. Damian's breathing faltered and he slid to the floor, and Marinette was too shocked to hold him up.

She gave a panicked gasp and dropped to her knees beside him, hands fluttering to his throat to find a pulse. For a heart-stopping moment she couldn't find anything, couldn't see any sign of life and she felt her anxiety morph into a wordless, nameless anguish. But then she saw his chest rise ever so slightly and she thanked every deity she could name that he wasn't dead.

She dragged him to safety, placing him at the very top level of the mangled Eiffel Tower as water started flooding the streets. She kissed him softly on the lips, vowing silently that she would fix things. Steeling herself, she stepped away, looking for her other half, the balance of destruction to her creation.

He was standing on nearby building wreckage, searching frantically for something. She took a hard swallow as she realised that she was what he was searching for. She stared at the destruction he had wreaked, pushing away the mounting horror as she looked up to the now split moon and braced herself.

“Chaton, what's going on?” She called out, her voice only wavering slightly. He turned towards her and she froze as she took in the white suit and bright blue eyes. He landed in front of her and she swallowed again, trying not to show how nervous she was. “Chat Noir?”

“It's Chat Blanc now, m'lady!” There was a slightly manic gleam in his eyes and he was eyeing her earrings almost hungrily. “And if you had been paying more attention to me - as you should - instead of fooling around with that new brat, you would know what was happening, Marinette.”

“You…when did you find out?” She breathed, keeping herself out of his reach as he stalked towards her. He growled slightly when his reaching hands remained empty. “Chaton, this is serious! You've been akumatised and we need to fix this, because you've destroyed everything.”

He hissed and pounced at her then, his eyes narrowed to slits. She rolled out of the way, wondering how she could defeat him so she could fix everything. They fought like that for several minutes, Chat aiming for her earrings and Marinette rolling out of the way and reach for his akumatised object. 

“M'lady, if you give me the earrings I can fix all of this,” he hissed, clearly frustrated. It was so unlike her kitty that it made her fumble momentarily. He caught her wrist and pinned it to her waist.

“Or you give me the akuma and I use Miraculous Ladybug to restore everything,” she countered, slamming her elbow towards his face. He hissed again and dropped her hand so she swung her yo-yo in a wide arc to get herself some space.

“But if you ‘restore’ things, we won't be together, Maribug,” Chat said, straightening up and raising a single hand. A bright ball of something crackled and he aimed towards her. She flipped out of harm's way just in time, watching as the building remnants behind her were reduced to complete rubble. “It's a mistake of cosmic proportions that we aren't together, and only something of cosmic proportions, like a wish, can fix that.”

Marinette flung herself behind a piece of wreckage and called for her lucky charm. A picture frame landed in her hands and her breath caught at the picture of their statue. The statue, to her at least, showed the first piece of art that displayed them as a team.

“Found you,” Chat hissed, pouncing onto her and knocking her feet out from under her. She held the picture up to his face, willing him to see what she did.

“See, even Tikki agrees, it's you and me against the world,” Marinette said desperately, trying not to look at the additional destruction and devastation around them. “Just because it's not romantic doesn't mean that's changed. You're my partner, Kitty, please, don't let it end like this.”

He hesitated and she whipped her hand to the bell at his throat. He yowled angrily, but she had hold of it and squeezed, putting all of her frustration and hurt into it. The bell snapped and the butterfly flapped out, almost lazily. Kicking Chat off of her, she flung out her yo-yo to capture it.

As the akumatisation bubbled away, Marinette was left staring at her partner, who looked around confusedly. He turned his eyes - green again, thankfully - back to her and they lit up momentarily. Then he seemed to take in her expression and faltered.

“Hey M’lady, what happened here?” He obviously didn't remember anything which made what Marinette had to say that much harder. 

“You know who I am,” she said, not bothering to ask the question. When he froze, she saw the quick mental maths that pushed him to realise that he must have been akumatised. She swallowed and hardened her tone to make it clear that she was angry with him. “And you decided you didn't like my boyfriend.”

“I…” he was at a loss for words and hung his head ashamedly. “I didn't mean for this to happen, I was just so…”

“You just decided you were entitled to me romantically,” Marinette said, making him wince. She hated that this was hurting him but, equally, he had killed everyone except them because he couldn't take the answer ‘no’ at face value. “Chaton, you're my partner, my best friend. For better or worse, we have a future together that the universe depends on for balance.

“But that doesn't mean we have to be together romantically. We work together as friends. You ended the world because you thought you were entitled to my time. That's…that's not healthy, Chat. Take it from me, being obsessed with someone to the point that you feel you have to be with them when they clearly don't feel the same ends up hurting you.”

“I'm so sorry,” he whispered, hanging his head in his hands. “It wasn't…it wasn't just you, M'lady. My father…he's Hawkmoth.”

“...Adrien?” He looked up at her with wide, desperate eyes and she felt her heart split in two. “Oh minou, I…look, we have a plan. The bats have a plan, it's a good, solid plan, and it can be done as soon as I fix everything. But if he knows your identity…”

“He has my mother,” Chat- Adrien whispered, voice trembling. Marinette's heart broke for him, her mind racing as she tried to think of how to take Hawkmoth down. She called for her Lucky Charm and received only a teapot, meaning she would need more Miraculous.

“Okay, what we’ll need to do first…” Marinette gave him a detailed rundown of what she expected to happen in the next couple of hours. And then she swallowed as she held her hand out for the ring. “I'm going to ask you to wear a different Miraculous for this fight, chaton.”

“But…okay,” Adrien said, sounding defeated. Once she had the ring in hand, she threw the teapot in the air, calling for Miraculous Ladybug. Everything righted in a swarm of ladybugs and Hawkmoth was lost from sight.

“Ladybug!” 

The pair turned towards the turtle hero who was launching towards them. He crashed into Ladybug and did a quick check over her, hands skimming her limbs one at a time before coming to cup her face.

“I'm alright,” she said gently, even as her timer started to beep. “But we need to move. I need to get Adrien somewhere safe and then get in touch with the Bats so that we can launch our counter-attack.”

_ _ _

They all agreed to meet up on the Eiffel Tower. Marinette and Damian had headed straight back to Master Fu's, and grabbed several Miraculi before meeting up with Tim and Duke. They had put in the request for aid from the Justice League and anticipated help from one or two of the more positive members of the team.

“You will like Superboy, I think,” Damian said as he let them into the apartment. They could hear Tim and Duke bustling around as they got their gear together and the animated sounds of someone zipping at unnatural speeds through the space. “Kid Flash is…unique.”

“Hey kids!” The yellow blur stopped in front of them, making the others look up and greet them before carrying on. “I'm going to be heading out in a second to visit the police station, just to give them a heads up on what we're doing.”

“Thank you, Kid Flash,” Marinette said warmly. She felt slightly exposed, standing in front of other heroes without her mask, but she hadn't wanted to draw attention to the apartment by coming as Ladybug. 

Throwing her a salute, Kid Flash zoomed away. Damian muttered something that sounded like ‘annoying speedster’ but Marinette ignored it. The pressure was beginning to mount and she could feel the buzz of nerves cutting into her stomach.

“It will all be over soon, Marinette,” Damian murmured, his arms wrapping around her comfortingly. She knew that it needed to end, now that she finally had proof that Gabriel was Hawkmoth, but she was also a little scared. 

It felt like no time at all before they were rushing away to the Eiffel Tower. She had transformed and swung by the bakery to collect Adrien, whom she had stashed in her room. She handed him the horse Miraculous and he transformed before they jumped into action.

On top of the Eiffel Tower were Kid Flash, Superboy, Signal, Robin and a new bee hero, also known as Red Robin. The plan was simple, but effective. Signal had written his testimony for the police and Red had compiled the other evidence that had led to the conclusion of Gabriel being Hawkmoth. In addition to this, Signal would be carrying a video camera that would allow him to capture the moment that they removed the Miraculous from the villain.

“So, Equestria here will open a portal into his father's lair as he's been there before. If Gabriel isn't there at the time, I'll need someone to check over Emilie Agreste and see if she can be saved or if he is, in fact, harbouring his wife's body in the hopes that he can reanimate it,” Ladybug said, wincing apologetically at Equestria as she said it.

“If he is there, I'll need both Kid Flash and Superboy to be ready to superspeed and grab his Miraculous if the plan with, um-”

“Hornet,” the bee hero supplied helpfully.

“Right, if the plan with Hornet fails and we can't just freeze him. If Mayura, who we assume is his assistant, is there, you'll be able to use your venom twice as you're an adult and freeze both of them but, again, having speedsters means that we have a contingency in place.

“I'm going to be there more as a final failsafe and recognisable Parisian heroine so that when we broadcast our non-fight people can be assured that it's real. And, if you're willing, Robin, I ask that you use the Miraculous of the black cat so that we can unbalance Gabriel even further.”

Everyone agreed and everything flowed smoothly from that point forward. It went exactly to plan, Ladybug mostly there to stand imperiously as the Justice League members did the brunt of the work. It was almost too easy, Mayura being frozen almost instantaneously before Superboy managed to subdue Hawkmoth.

The video of Gabriel being unmasked could have been choreographed with how much he wriggled, and snarled, demanding to know where his son was. Ladybug coldly informed him that Adrien had bravely stepped forward with the information he held and was being kept in a safe place until the Miraculi had been retrieved.

And just like that, months of fighting ended. Marinette would have said it was anticlimactic if it hadn't come on the heels of a world-ending catastrophic event. She handed Gabriel and Nathalie off to the police before collecting the bee Miraculous from Red Robin.

Then she, Damian and Adrien slipped away to visit Master Fu with the remaining Miraculous. They handed everything back to the older gentleman, who promised that he would be returning the box to Tibet before going in search of Marianne so that they could spend the rest of their lives together.

After a couple of very teary goodbyes, Marinette and Adrien said farewell to the Kwamis of destruction and creation. They left the massage parlour and Marinette felt the burden melt away from her shoulders. She gave a carefree laugh as she hugged Damian tightly, pushing away the thoughts that she still needed to work with Adrien to make sure his aunt could take him in.

Depositing Adrien back at the bakery, Marinette gave a brief and extremely sanitised explanation for why he couldn't go home. She neatly span the truth so that they didn't give away just how involved the pair had been in taking down the supervillains.

Damian had waited outside the bakery for her and didn't say anything when she reappeared, simply taking her hand and walking with her towards his temporary residence. He seemed to grow more contemplative the closer they got, and Marinette assumed he was thinking about how soon he would need to go home.

He pulled her to a stop a street away from their destination and wrapped her in his arms. 

“I wish I could stay,” he murmured, pressing her against his chest. She felt tears welling in her eyes and blinked them away as she gripped the back of his jacket tightly. The day was fading into evening and Marinette realised that her night time meetings with vigilantes on top of the Eiffel Tower were over. “But the most I will be able to convince my father of is a week.”

“I understand,” she said, voice muffled. It was going to be unspeakably hard to be without him, but she knew that Gotham was his home.

“But the Zeta tube will remain, so perhaps I shall be able to…persuade my father that regular visits are necessary,” he added, a small smile obvious in his voice. “We would need to stay out of sight to avoid suspicion, but I imagine we could find ways to occupy the time.”

[caitchercatlady]

Sleeping Over at Ramshackle w/Epel

Whenever Epel messages you about casual things, it’s always in the group chat with the rest of the freshmen group. He’s usually in a good mood there. On the other hand, when you receive a direct message from him, you know he needs help…more like an escape…from you both know who.

You have told Epel before that Ramshackle is a safe space for him to breathe any way he wants without Vil’s supervision. Of course, he will take advantage of that offer and not a moment too soon.

You two won’t exactly know when, but Vil is not one to care about Epel’s patience. Soon as club is over for you, you get the infamous DM.

Prefect! Please, help me!

Done and done.

You both arrive at Ramshackle pretty much the same time. Epel has only waited for a minute or two on your front porch, a gym bag at his feet.

Oh boy, you know it’s rough. No need for questions. It’s time for relaxation mode…while giving Epel room to vent in his “native tongue.”

Knowing Epel and his ways to relax, you let him know that you’ve acquired some ingredients to bake a pie. You need assistance in beating some dough into crust. Come to think of it, any form of breaking something apart can be perfect for Epel right now. Furthermore, who doesn’t like a delicious pie?

Just as you predict, Epel goes ham in the baking process, but he treats your kitchen with greatest respect. By the time the pie is in the oven, the both of you then battle the dishes in the sink, scrubbing them until there’s not a speck of grime or food on them.

“I feel bad for invading your dorm like this, Prefect,” Epel tells you.

“I don’t want you to be,” you respond. “You need a break. Ramshackle is always open for that.”

“I know, but I feel that I should handle Vil myself.”

“No, you don’t have to do such a thing. Friends help each other. It’s what I believe.”

Epel blushes at your sentiment.

Dishes are clean and when you test the finished pie, not to forget the whipped cream to top it off, you two are already deeming the night a success.

With your stomachs full of deliciousness, it’s time to prepare for bed. With little you have in night clothes, changing for you in the washroom is quick. When you check on Epel in the spare room, its door is wide open, and the Harveston bumpkin is nowhere to be seen. You call out for him, and he calls back from the washroom.

“Epel, how did I not hear you in there?”

“I usually change quietly.”

“Well, you want some snacks? I’ll bring them from downstairs.”

“Ok!”

You go ahead and do just that. You return with a bowl of chips to find the spare bedroom door closed, assuming Epel is doing something else now. You politely knock. “I’m back!” you announce.

Silence.

“Epel?”

“Yeah?” he responds.

“I got the snacks.”

“Oh, uh, you can leave it at the door.”

Suddenly, your stomach drops, and you’re praying that whatever is going on has nothing to do with Vil. “Epel, are you ok?”

“Oh yeah. Just dandy.”

“Can I come in to chat?”

“Um…”

“Epel, whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“Ok…Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Uh, alright?”

The door knob giggles, and the wooden door opens inward to reveal Epel in a pair of green, puffy pajamas, his top half, covered in a knitted apple sweater. You smile, happy to see that he’s ok. On the other hand, he tugs on his sweater sleeves, cheeks flushing pink.

You offer him the chips as an olive branch. “I thought you wanted your night snack.”

The color of nerves fades from Epel’s face as he accepts your treat. “Thank you, Prefect. This does look good.”

“You sure you’re ok. You sound shyer than you were when you first came over.”

“Oh…uh…” He tugs on his sleeves again. “You see…My granny made these pajamas for me…”

“They’re very lovely.”

His eyes perk up. “I’m glad. I thought you’d think Vil makes me wear this.”

“If I suspected that, you’d be wearing nightgowns,” you reply, smirking.

Epel blushes. “Seven forbid…”

“Anyway, how about we enjoy ourselves?”

He can’t agree with you more. You two stay up and continue to chat away about the fun you guys will have in the upcoming days. The fatigue will start to set in, and the both of you will lull into dreamland, having your mutual understanding and warmth for comfort.

[bubbles-for-all-of-us]

Also I'm sorry my mind is Lorcan mush right now 😂 but like him baking with his soft SO? Like she made him his own apron and it's fall so there's a slight chill, she had flour smeared on her cheek and he's chuckling as she shows him how to properly roll put a pie crust because he messed up the first one

Managed to type this out before my body completely gave out. Been a long minute..

warning: slightly suggestive

Pie crusts

This man aka Lorcan was far from sweet in others' eyes. They crossed the street when he walked through the town. They never stared. Never struck a conversation. These were the basic rules. You just didn't. Because this man had a reputation. Had a name to him. And it made one shiver. Made you take a double look just to make sure that you haven't caused yourself trouble. Haven't ended up in a bad book. Because Lorcan had that predatory attitude. That cold-blooded killer look. One that drowned out any happy sounds around.

But if they only knew. If they only knew what kind of male hid away behind the cold mask. What kind of male he was when no one but you were watching? His beautiful, selfless, radiant mate. His life. His pride. His joy. You had Lorcan wrapped around your finger and people who got to see that, that mainly being the family, knew that Lorcan was nothing but a big gentle giant. One that would drop everything if a planted pot in your yard needed to be moved. One that stocked up your hygiene supplies every month because he knew that you would forget about it. One that did nothing but smile when he was in your presence.

"No, you need to put more flour on it", you pointed to the jar, watching the dough sticking to the rolling pin. Rolling pin that looked ridiculously tiny in Lorcan's hands. "You said to dust it once", he rumbled, yet still reached for it. "Yeah, but you probably put too much butter in it, so it's sticky", you said, turning to reach for the bottom layer. A tin filled with a berry jam you bad made first thing in the morning.

Lorcan let out a slight growl as he tried to roll the dough again, only to be met with the same sticky mess. "You can't scare the pie out, Lor", you chuckled slightly. Sometimes you wondered why he even agreed to participate in things like this. He had little to no patience yet if he saw you doing anything by yourself he never failed to ask if you wanted him to join you. Or he would simply join himself without saying a single word.

But pie making and Lorcan had a deep-rooted beef going for a couple of months. That was Lorcan's first attempt at making the pie crust. It had gone awfully bad and nothing usually went bad for Lorcan. This man was way too competitive. Way too sure of his abilities to fail at something. You had laughed till your stomach asked back then. Watching him scowling at the dough, your tiny apron barely covering his chest.

Now Lorcan had his apron on. Once you had made for him. One he had been strangely excited to receive. "Stan up for a minute", you had told him one evening while he was finishing his paperwork. Lorcan had given you a strange look but didn't question it. Especially when he saw the messing tape in your hands. "You know, my cock hasn't changed size", he cackled to himself while you hit his chest shaking your head, "You're disgusting, put your hand up, you brute". That had him cackling, while you tried to hide your smile. You had sowed him his apron that same night. Had chosen a much more dim color, no pastels but Lorcan had frowned as he looked at it. "I don't get to have a pocket with a flower?", he questioned, glancing at your apron that hung in the kitchen. "Oh, I... I didn't think you would want one", you admitted, reaching for a deep red thread but Lorcan beat you to it, "Make it pink and blue, like yours".

You smiled at the memory as you moved to stand beside him now. "Add some more flour and knead it through once more", Lorcan simply nodded his head, following your instructions. You reached to rub the back of his neck as he worked. You would have loved to run your fingers through his hair but it was put up in a messy bun, the baby blue scrunchy shining against his onyx-black hair. "You're doing great, honey", you said softly, watching him reform the dough back into a misshapen ball. "Usually, I'm the one praising you. This is new", he grumbled but his attention was full on the backed good he was desperate to craft perfectly.

You let out a light laugh, "You're making it sound as if I never tell you just how amazing you are", you scrunched up your nose and that was enough for Lorcan to lift his head to look at you. Any, even the smallest feeling of hurt or discomfort coming from your side crippled the dark wielded. "You do, you do...", his words died down as his eyes fell on your face. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?", you tilted your head to the side. "You have...", Lorcan's voice died down, "Let me get it for you", he said softly, fingers moving to brush over the tip of your nose, whipping away the flour. His touch lingered, moving to brush over your cheek next. "And something here", he muttered, before leaning in to softly kiss your lips. No rush. No eagerness. No need to rush as Lorcan softly kissed you over and over again.

"Smooth", you mumbled as you two finally broke apart. You turned your attention back to your mate, "You took your time with my lips. Must have been real dirty", you trialed off, and turned to check on the oven. Instantly feeling Lorcan's hands slipping around your middle, "They are dirty, especially when they are wrapped...", you elbowed him in the stomach, "Don't you finish that! You dirty, teenage fea baby...", Lorcan only laughed, smirking down at you. "Go finish the crust or you will die defeated by the pie", you pointed to the forgotten dough, ushering him away with a tea towel. Smiling to yourself when another laugh slipped past Lorcan's lips and the smooth sound of him humming filled the kitchen.

[nymphcria]

꒰ 🪷 ꒱  nymphe's diary, entry #112

꒰ ooc ꒱ gasp churro origin story!?!?! i wrote this last night and forgot to post it oops. anyways!! the transcript is below the cut!!

꒰ word count ꒱ 480

today was weird but not bad!! (well, kind of bad. but it’s okay now!)

the lower loom is so big. i didn’t think it would be this big. everything is so loud here.. there’s always someone yelling or hammering something or throwing things at each other. it’s kind of exciting! i think! i’m trying to enjoy it!!

eva wanted to walk around one of the towns. i think she said it was called salem? there were a lot of people, but not the fun kind. very loud and very tense. everyone looked like they were ready to yell at something, and a lot of them did yell at us. they didn’t like how we looked. especially me. one man shouted something about “hair the color of rot,” and that was sort of funny because my hair doesn’t rot. it’s just pink! i smiled at him to be nice but that seemed to make him more upset.

one of them grabbed my wrist and said something about witches and devils (which is so silly, because i’m neither!! i even told him that, but he didn’t listen). it didn’t hurt that much, but he twisted kind of hard and i fell over. eva didn’t say anything. she just watched. i don’t think she was mad at them. she seemed kind of pleased? maybe i’m imagining things again.

anyway! after they left, i wandered into the woods to clear my head. i wasn’t crying, really. just leaking a little. i didn’t want to go back yet, so i sat down by a tree and started humming one of the songs ████ used to play. i didn’t think anyone would hear it.

but someone did!!! a raccoon came tumbling out of the bushes and plopped right into my lap!! he was kind of grubby and very loud, but i loved him immediately. i named him churro because he tried to steal the crust from my pocket pie. we’re best friends now.

i also met a squirrel (his name is mr. squirrel), a ferret (asta), and a possum (jam). we all sat under a tree and i gave them crumbs from the bread eva didn’t finish. churro climbed on my head and wouldn’t get off. it was the best part of my day.

they stayed with me the rest of the evening. i even made us a little campfire (just a tiny one! no magic needed). churro curled up in my lap and mr. squirrel climbed into my hair. i think they’re going to stay with me for a while. i hope so. they’re my first real friends in the lower loom.

(i mean, besides eva. but sometimes she gets really quiet and doesn’t talk to me for days. and churro doesn’t do that. he just eats crackers.)

churro is chewing on my pen now so i think i’ll end this entry here!! good night!!

[elvendara]

12 Days of Yoosung

Day 9 Studying/School Yoosung

(9 Mar ’25)

“Saeran!!!!” Yoosung whined. The man was unrelenting.

“One more hour.” Saeran said rolling his eyes. “You asked for this, remember?”

“But…but…It’s so boooring!”

“The longer you complain and don’t study, the longer the hour gets.” Saeran said without mercy. How could he be so cruel? His puppy dog eyes usually worked on his boyfriend, but Saeran wasn’t having any of it. Maybe if he promised to make him something sweet, that would be much more fun than learning the circulatory system of animals.

“How about a break? I can make some sweets; I think I have some lemons and pie crust. Or, maybe some lemon bars? Maybe I can make…”

“That isn’t going to work. Besides, I anticipated you’d try something like that, so I’m all stocked up. Sure, they aren’t as tasty as the kind you make, but they’ll do.” He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a box. Opening it, he grabbed a sweet bread and stuffed it down. “Mmm.” He murmured and side eyed Yoosung.

“Ugh! Fine! I’ll keep studying.” He mumbled “Must be nice to remember everything you read. Must be nice to be a ‘Genius’!”

“It is.” Saeran smirked and motioned to the open book in front of Yoosung. The blond grumbled but lowered his head and began to read again.

After reading the last of the chapter Saeran quizzed him. He didn’t seem to retain much of the information, but Saeran was patient with him. He helped him think of mnemonic devices to remember key words and explained how to visualize diagrams, setting them into memory like a picture. While it didn’t come as easily to him as it did to the red head, it was a tool he could readily learn and use.

“Ok, I think you can stop now.” Saeran said.

“I think that was more than an hour.” Yoosung grumbled.

“It was, but you were on a roll there at the end. You did great.”

“I wish you could take the exam for me. I’m sure you’d ace it.”

“True, but I’m not the one trying to get a degree, am I?” Saeran laughed as he closed the books and set them on the coffee table.

“Things seem so easy for you.” Yoosung sighed.

“Some things, sure, but others…” he shrugged, a sadness crossing his face before looking away. Yoosung felt like an ass. Just because Saeran was smarter than anyone he’d ever known, except his brother Saeyoung, there was so much that he had endured, making him uncomfortable and awkward in certain settings. Things he’d never learned because of his difficult life.

“I’m sorry, that was stupid.” He said and wrapped his arms around Saeran.

“I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” Saeran returned the hug, warmth building between them. “Now, you said something about making some sweets?” he pulled back and looked eagerly at him.

“Haven’t you had enough?” Yoosung’s eyes bulged.

“No such thing.” Saeran shook his head and grinned.

“Fine, fine, tell you what. If I pass this exam, you have to make me something.” Yoosung said as he stood and walked towards his small kitchenett.

“Me? You want me in the kitchen?” Saeran asked horrified.

“Well, not mine, yours. And yes, I’ll help, but I expect you to do most of it.”

“You’re telling Saeyoung. I’m not going to tell him that you are putting his house in danger of getting burned down.”

Yoosung rolled his eyes, “You’re so dramatic! Anyone can cook.”

“Sure, tell that to my left hand.” Saeran rubbed his palm against his leg, remembering the last attempt he’d made to make something. He could still see the burn scar running across it.

“I’ll help you, just like you helped me today. We’re a team, right?” he turned towards the other man and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pulling him in for a soft kiss.

Saeran smiled and kissed back. “Yeah. We are.”

[demonpoppyseed]

Your Grim Reaper arrived 15 minutes early, giving you time to try to talk them out of stealing your soul

It's rare for a reaper to have room in their schedule, so when my nine o'clock sped things along with an overdose of morphine I had no idea what to do with the extra fifteen minutes. I could get a sandwich, I thought, but I'd risk being five minutes late. I could try to rub one out, but I'd be grumpy for the rest of the day if I didn't manage it in time. All the other ideas that occurred to me came with similar difficulties, so in the end I decided that arriving fifteen minutes earlier wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Fifteen minutes early is on time, my acting teacher once told me. On time is late. Late is unforgivable.

When I knocked on the door of number twelve, it took a couple of minutes for June to answer. I didn't knock again; I knew she was slow these days, on account of her fall and the hole in her heart.

“Hello?” she said through the door.

“It's me,” I called, twirling my sithe one way and then the other. What can I say? I was bored, and I was young. I didn't see the point in decorum.

The door unlocked with a click. The handle turned.

“Come in,” June said, opening the door and stepping back. “There's pie in the oven, and I'll make a cup of tea.”

She was a large woman, round and nearly as tall as me, with a bit of a stoop and a limp in her walk. Her close cropped gray hair curled by her ears and at the back of her neck.

“Do we have time for tea?” she asked, leading me to the kitchen area of her open floorplan senior living apartment.

“Actually,” I said, “I do, if you can believe it. Thirteen whole minutes ‘til your bill comes due.”

She nodded, unconcerned.

“I've got some Irish Breakfast if you need a pick me up,” she said, opening a cabinet above the sink, “or Raspberry Zinger if you're avoiding caffeine.”

“I'll take the Zinger,” I said. I was trying to be mindful about my caffeine intake.

As she put the kettle on the stove and opened the tea bag, I made my way to the window, peering out at her hummingbird feeder.

“Lovely, aren't they?” she said. I hummed my agreement, watching their little wings flicker in the air.

“So,” I said, as she placed two mugs of tea on her little folding table, “did you have any plans today?”

It was the questions I always wanted to ask. I rarely had the time.

“Oh,” she said, sitting and smoothing her corduroy pants with the palms of the hands, “nothing really.”

I took a sip of the tea. It wasn't quite done steeping yet. I put it down again.

“Oh, come on,” I said. “You know what I have planned for the rest of the day? Two dozen more deaths. I want to hear.”

She sipped her tea and smiled at me over her wire-rimmed glasses.

“Oh, alright,” she said. “My granddaughter was going to vist today. But it's alright. I see her every Sunday, you know, and your visit is once in a lifetime.”

She winked. I was surprised to discover that it moved me. I swallowed.

“You baked the pie for her?” I asked.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “Apple, her favorite. With crumb topping of course. And I've got some vanilla ice cream in the freezer.”

My stomach growled. I’d skipped my lunch break.

“Let me get you some,” she said.

“No, no,” I said. “It's for your granddaughter. I don't need—”

“Nonsense,” she said. “She won't want to eat the pie that was sitting on the stove while I lay dead in my rocking chair. It will only go to waste.”

“Oh, alright then,” I said. I really was very hungry.

I sat at the folding table and nodded gratefully to her as she placed the pie in front of me, complete with one small scoop of vanilla ice cream. She stood over me, biting her knuckle as she waited for me to take my first bite.

I made sure to pile some crust, some filling, some crumb topping, and a healthy dollop of ice cream on my fork and lifted it to my mouth, feeling June’s eyes on the fork as it rose through the air.

I closed my eyes. I closed my mouth.

The pie was perfect. Not too sweet. Cinnamon and nutmeg in perfect proportion. A bit of crunch in the crumb topping, a bit of bite to the apples.

I swallowed. I opened my eyes.

“You know,” I said. “I think you should get to see your granddaughter one last time. I can call someone to cover my next couple of deaths. Jeff’s always looking to pick up more hours.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Thank you for the prompt! And thank you to everyone else who submitted prompts too, I'm so excited to write all of them :) If anyone has another prompt, please leave it in my ask box 🫶

[buckysgrace]

Sweet, Cherry

Billy Hargrove x fem!OC

Flufftober 2024

Billy and Kim spend an afternoon baking pie for a party with their daughter.

Billy

“I’ve got it all prepped,” Kim said proudly, “We just need to get it mixed up.” She replied, showing off the crust she had rolled out. And the jar of cherries to the side. He was fairly certain that it was Rosemary’s mixture. 

“Obviously,” He chuckled, “You can’t bring it raw.” He teased her, brushing his fingers through her red hair. She had it tied back in a rather large scrunchy. It looked cute. 

“I didn’t say that,” She grinned as she playfully rolled her eyes, “I think Steve does have an oven though.” She pointed out, but he shrugged his shoulders. He doubted that anyone would have much time to keep an eye on a pie baking. 

“Hm,” He shook his head, wrapping his arms around her waist, “I don’t think that’s how it works.” he leaned forward, pressing a few kisses against the curve of her neck. She shivered underneath his touch. 

“Maybe you’re right,” She replied as she continued to carefully spread out the crust at the bottom of the pan, “This is a lot harder than it looks.” She mumbled, furrowing her eyebrows together as he continued to watch. He thought it would’ve been easier just to have someone else bake it and they bring it. But she wanted to make it special. 

“You’re doing great,” He promised, nudging his nose gently against her neck, “I’m going to check on her.” He added softly, leaning back as she laughed gently. 

“Is the baby monitor off?” She teased him. He shook his head, knowing it was a running joke that he was a baby hog. He wasn’t. He just missed his little girl. 

“Maybe,” He shrugged his shoulders, knowing it was on and fully working. But he missed seeing his little girl. She was growing up so fast. He felt like he didn’t have a lot of time with her and it certainly shouldn’t be wasted on her taking such long naps, “I’ll be right back.” 

He headed upstairs to her nursery, pausing for just a moment to bend down and pet Dove. She liked being around the baby more than Pearl did. Well, Pearl liked to sit back and judge. Dove had been willing to let Cherry attempt to pet her. 

He entered the room gently, greeted by the Halloween decorations that he and Kim had put up a few weekends ago. It was soft and sweet, nothing that would scare the toddler. She seemed to like the colors though, especially the little night light they had found.

He was surprised at the little fists that stretched up into the air, followed by her knees pulling up to her chest as she stretched out. He grinned, feeling like it was perfect timing as she began to babble as she woke up. 

“Hi,” He greeted as he rested his elbows on her crib rails, peering down at her, “What are you doing?” He asked her, meeting her blue eyes as she gazed her attention up towards him. 

“Up!” She persisted, kicking her feet up to the sky again. She was already walking. He didn’t like it one bit. He wished she’d stay little forever. 

“You’re up?” He teased, “It looks like you’re still laying down.” He responded, tilting his head as she peered up at him curiously. 

“Out?” She asked, making little grabby fingers at him a second later. He leaned down, giving her forehead a little cheek. 

“You can come out,” He promised, gently holding onto her as he gently tugged her up into his arms, “Did you sleep good?” He asked as he shimmied her shirt down over her little belly.

“Long.” She sighed before she yawned deeply, rubbing her chubby fists against her eyes. He chuckled as he double checked her diaper before moving onto her messy red hair. It had grown out quite a bit, thick with little ringlets. 

She cooed softly as they walked back downstairs, perking up at the sight of the cats. She liked to try and run after them, although Pearl had given her a few warning swats before. She liked to watch, not to be messed with.

“There’s mommy.” He said, gently moving his hair out of her chubby fists as he turned her attention towards Kim.

“Hi!” She exclaimed, bouncing in his arms as a little giggle fell free. He gave her a little boost, earning a squeal from her this time. 

“Hi, Cherry,” Kim greeted as she gave both sides of her chubby cheeks a kiss, “Did daddy wake you up again?” She teased, brushing her fingers across her little tummy. 

“Uh huh.” Cherry nodded along, blue eyes flashing in enjoyment from the attention she was receiving. He furrowed his eyebrows together. 

“I did not wake her up.” He defended himself. He never woke her up, well, not on purpose. Occasionally she would wake up when he lifted her out of the crib, but she always fell back asleep in his arms. 

“Mhm,” She smiled as she pulled her hair back, trying to gently resist the way Cherry was trying to grab a hold of her braid, “Look, we’re making a cherry pie.” She showed it off, earning a raised eyebrow from the toddler. 

“Huh?” Cherry turned towards him, blue eyes wide like she didn’t understand. He chuckled, kissing her cheek softly. “They’re cherries,” Kim pointed out again, smiling as she held a little smushed one to the toddler’s mouth, “Do you want to try it?” She asked softly. 

“No tanks.” Cherry responded, little nose curling up in disdain. He thought that she made the same face that Kim did when she saw something she didn’t like. 

“It’s really good.” He encouraged softly, knowing she was just as crazy about her sweets as what her mother was. She glanced at him again before she nodded. 

“Mhm,” Cherry thought about it for a second, blue eyes processing the thought before she glanced towards Billy. He smiled as he met her eye, giving her a soft nod to assure her that it was alright, “Otay.” 

“How is it?” He asked her once she had taken a bite, gummying away at the soft cherry in her mouth. 

“Yummy!” She grinned, lips smeared from the red juice as she held her mouth open again. Kim grinned as she scooped up another spoonful before giving her another bite. 

“Addicted to sugar, just like you.” He teased Kim this time, enjoying the grin that formed on her lips. He felt very lucky to have both of them. 

“We just have taste,” Kim played along, leaning forward to kiss his cheek, “What should I do with the rest of it?” She asked, her pie nearly bursting with how much filling was inside of it already. He looked at what was left in the jar, feeling like she wouldn’t like to be told to toss it. 

“Mowe!” Cherry clapped her hands together, giggling as she continued to bounce in his arms. He worried that soon she would be too big for him to hold. 

“I think someone wants to eat it all.” He chuckled, watching as Cherry kicked her feet and repeated the word one more time. 

“One more bite,” Kim compromised, “And then you need to have some yummy mushed carrots.” She replied, trying to sound as excited as she could. 

“Would you eat that?” He asked her softly, grinning as he already knew the answer. He never thought that he would have to convince his wife that it was alright to eat healthy things. 

“Of course not,” She said quickly, “But you didn’t want to raise picky eaters.” She pointed out, giving him a little finger wag. He grinned. 

“I think we need to hide some carrots in her pie.” He added to Cherry, making her giggle as she nodded her head along in agreement. Kim’s hazel eyes turned wide this time, looking a little horrified. 

“Don’t even think about it.” 

[lancerfay]

So I got a bit carried away with stuff this week, had some bad news, had some real bad news, then some good things, and through it all I was making stuff. Which is, honestly what's keeping my mood up is that I can still create and try things that succeed.

So my boss at my new job was very very kind and gave everyone whole christmas hams (each) for the holidays, I was, super unsure what to do with it for a week, but came to the idea of making little hand pies, then I could bring some into work still, go thru the ham, and eat maybe a little healthier. So I took a vodka pie crust recipe and stuffed those into my cupcake pan with some fried shallots, brie, and the ham itself, all into little cupcake sized ham and cheese pies and oh my god. They were delicious. While I was at it (technically before) I also made the pudding pies from the recipe in Awaria, Vanripper's new game (Helltaker dev) about sapphically kissing ghosts. Unsurprisingly, vanilla pudding filled pies were addictive and not only did I eat all of those in like two days. I also ate all the ham and cheese ones in like four...

On to model stuff though.

Vtuber Stuff

So I have a few ways I've rendered models as I get better. The first one (android) uses a bit of a cel-shaded style that I felt was good enough at the time, and I tried for softer more regular shading on the cowgirl model later on. For the moth here, I wasn't sure what exactly I was going to do for the skin and clothing, but I knew I had an idea for the hair so I started there. I took a look at stuff like Arcane and how they render hair, looking at my cowgirl model again, and then just kinda combining them. I ended up with a really gritty, messy render with chalky looking outlines and I kinda dig it.

Also yes her hair IS very reminiscent of Vi, I realized that far too late to want to change it because unfortunately that's just also been my hair irl for like 6 years so we can all fight over it I guess... From the hair, after I got to this point, I was thinking, wow, I wonder what those brushes would look like when I did shading, because sticking to a soft airbrust was contrasting weirdly with the hair rendering, and I was still staring at Arcane screenshots and stills and going "... I wonder..." which is where I ended up going off.

Obviously, I can't go fully into the painterly direction like Arcane does. The way that vtuber models move - and my future plans for this model and how I need it to move - would mean that level of specificity just wouldn't work out long term. That in mind I've struct a balance between clearly visible brushmarks visible in the shading and texturing, coverage, and color simplicity. It's always important to remember with vtuber models to imagine it sitting at less than 1/4th your screen size down in the corner. I used to have these marks be less pronounced, but they were indistinguishable at scale that would actually matter. Think of it exactly like contour makeup. It's there for the scene you're seeing it in! Not for zooming way in on the face at close detail all the time.

Anyways I think it kicks ass, the skull motif in the shading comes through and the colors of everything blend well with the brush I was using to make a kind of edgy look that fits her hairstyle and aesthetic.

For today (Tuesday) I actually spent most of it running errands and fixing my phone by replacing its broken screen (success though). So I didn't do much work at all on this other than some inner mouthparts - which are a secret - and then stylematching the eyes to this new render style. I added some texturing to the larger parts of the eye like the sclera and irises, and reshaped the shinies to be sharper. I think overall it looks really distinct and interesting! Once all these head parts and inner mouth parts are done, I want to go into live2D with them and get that rigged before I move on to the body. Not for any particular reason other than I want to see how much more I'll need to draw for the head toggles to look how I imagine them, so I want to just get started ASAP.

Past those, I was working on commissions, which is, by my own policy, a no-sharing kinda thing (reminder my commissions are open:tm:). So here you go with the bonus doodle. Mothgirl Fay in sorta chibi-er proportions! (Idk what to call this)

[donnerpartyofone]

I just saw this poll that was apparently the product of a debate among non-Americans as to whether or not summer camp is real. Americans were supposed to select one of several answers describing how real it actually is and what their direct experience is with it (like "I've been to one" or "I've heard of them but never known anyone who went"), as if to prove their claim. One option suggested it was only for rich people. Never in my life did it occur to me that the reality of summer camp was up for debate, but I also never thought about the economics of it. As a kid I was just glad I didn't have to go; forced-fun is really hard on me still, I hate even friendly competitions because I am literally incompetent, and I couldn't imagine being in a situation where I wouldn't ever be alone for days or weeks at a time. We had to go to band camp, which was just a day thing at school for a month or so, and I'm sure that was a combination of our parents just wanting to get rid of us and also wanting us to have extracurriculars on our record. But it never occurred to me that proper sleepaway summer camp was out of our price range, probably because wealthiness was not part of the cliche of summer camp.

Like, the 1980s was the era of a film subgenre called snobs versus slobs, a prime example of which is the movie MEATBALLS, which pits kids at a working class summer camp against the rich jerks at a much ritzier camp nearby; the stereotypical vision was that summer camp is for everyone, but the rich people versions are less wholesome, farther away from the American-as-apple-pie camp experience god intended. I also recall a Saturday morning cartoon called Camp Candy, in which John Candy was the beloved counselor of an earnest little camp that was under threat from a rich developer--again here, money is the enemy of the salt of the earth, egalitarian decency of summer camp. ERNEST GOES TO CAMP involves scrappy juvenile delinquents at a camp that is antagonized by a greedy strip mining corporation, so money is only a theme insofar as "camp" represents something common and honest that is antithetical to contaminating wealth. The standard summer camp narrative is most often about underdogs trying to save something they love, and not about rich people either finding their souls or getting their comeuppance (unless they're the bad guys who are generally not "real", sincere campers). Personally, my closer cultural connections are with FRIDAY THE 13TH and SLEEPAWAY CAMP, which take place in rural New Jersey; nowhere is there the idea that Jason Voorhees' mom was rich, and although there's evidence of wealth regarding the first family you meet in SLEEPAWAY CAMP, the prevailing image is not of snotty prep school students, but of regular, somewhat coarse suburban kids who don't mind skinning their knees and getting their hands dirty and eating cafeteria slop dished out by a filthy pervert.

I do get the idea (just now, from searching the internet) that summer camp is exorbitantly expensive nowadays due to inflation (and probably escalating greed, just like with everything else), but even though it can involve room and board etc for days or weeks, I never acquired the prejudice that camp in general was only for the upper crust, like I'd assume about ski school or uh sailing lessons or I don't know what. And I mean there's a lot of stuff like that in mainstream media, where e.g. blue collar families have homes and possessions that are WAY too nice, or something like that. It's just something film and TV creators do to make things more inviting and less depressing, I think, and that can skew popular conceptions of how expensive certain things actually are. But I'm looking at a Reddit right now confirming my perception that versions of summer camp were available to middle class Americans in the 1960s-80s, and that the idea that the price tag of it would compete with college tuition is pretty recent. But it's still funny to me how often I see people on here assuming that if they've never personally experienced something, no matter how often they've heard of it, then it's probably not real. That's some protagonist syndrome shit right there. Just because you've seen an artificially enhanced version of something on TV doesn't mean it's a fake idea contrived to make an idiot out of you. You can do that all by yourself.

[the-mainverse]

Protect the tree at all cost...

Melody was out and about, tending to the animals and vegetation of her lovely tree. Things naturally got duller and became a warmer hue, some trees remained green nearer Melody’s tree. Lilac came back with three long logs of chopped-down trees and Marigold with a basket of fruits. Melody turned to look at them and Marigold smiled.

“Hey, mommy. They came by to pray again. Their livestock is freezing away in this bitter winter, and they requested the weather to be a little warmer. In return, they gave us this basket of fruit.” Marigold showcased the basket to Melody. Melody smiled and took the basket from her.

“Thank you, my dear child. I will make sure to give them warmer winter days for their precious livestock. I have heard their prayers.” Melody nodded. Marigold smiled more. “Help your little sister with chopping up the wood, will you? I will have a pie made with these fruits. You two will get the first serving.”

“Yes, first serving!” Lilac celebrated nonchalantly. Though there was clear excitement. Melody smiled warmly and started approaching the tree. She hopped up to the first platform and entered from there, the kitchen being right there. She placed the basket of fruits on the counter and started getting the ingredients together for the pie crust. The butter, the flour…Simple. Then she put some butter into a bowl and held it, her hands gently heating up and melting the butter. When the butter was melted enough, she placed the bowl back down and turned to the- Oh!

“Oh dear.” She had knocked down a half-empty glass of water left behind by one of her kids who requested it. Melody picked it up and used magic to place the water back in the glass. She turned back to get the container of flour before she paused. She looked back at the glass of water. She slowly leaned to it. The water was making faint ripples, not caused by her movement or by anything out there near her tree. The ripples got more intense as Melody quickly ran out onto the leaf balcony. She checked on her kids, who seemed to have felt the strange vibrations shortly after.

“...?” Lilac and Marigold looked around as they saw birds fly away from the distance. More strangely, some birds stopped flying abruptly and fell back down to the forest floor. It wasn’t until Marigold blocked a tendril that was heading for Lilac’s neck and was grabbed by her wrist. She yanked back. Marigold exclaimed and gained her footing as Lilac cut the inky substance. They both started running as Marigold took Lilac and jumped out of the way as a larger tentacle crashed into the wood pile they were working on, Marigold covering Lilac protectively as they slid. Melody felt fear shoot through her as she jumped off the leaf canopy and landed in front of her kids. Marigold sat up, still holding Lilac, fearful. Lilac looked up at Melody and then out into the forest. The color was draining slowly…Lilac’s eyes widened.

“M-mommy-”

“My child, do not fret. Focus on getting the animals out of here. I will drive this heathen away from our home.” Melody slid her foot back as she stood there. Marigold did not want to argue and got up. The animals were already running away from the danger, especially Teddy, the grizzly bear. However, she was slower because she was woken straight out of her hibernation. Marigold put down Lilac and they got to work in evacuating the animals as best they could. Melody then ran out into the forest, to find Blackout and neutralize her raid. She already knew how she found her home. Rainbow has been here many times. Melody knew it was only a matter of time before she targeted her Tree. But…why haven’t she gone sooner? It was baffling. But relieving. Melody guessed that she knew her strength. Only now did Blackout decide to attempt.

Melody jumped from tree to tree, going at a quick speed to reach Blackout. When Melody saw her, she jumped to one trunk, and then another to aim for her, and shot off the trunk, leaving behind a dent and splinters. She was able to land a sickening punch to her face, her punch going straight through Blackout’s skull. Melody shifted, teleporting as Blackout flew through one tree and splattered at the next. She reformed back, only to get hit with a 9-foot-tall giant boulder at full speed, making her slide back and hit the side of a cliff. The rock was lodged in the cliff, though Blackout melted out of it. She reformed back on the forest floor where Melody shifted into existence, standing a distance from Blackout. Her skirt swayed in the wind as she locked eyes with the demon-spawn in front of her.

“You do not get to target my kids and expect to get away without any consequence, Blackout.” Melody said, keeping her neutral expression. Though there was some irritation and anger unlying her words. Blackout merely stared at her. Melody could feel her power. From a few months ago, it was stronger. It kinda intimidated Melody; Blackout had already captured Crimson and Indigo. And Melody understood the intentions of why Blackout was here. Although, she was determined to keep Blackout far away from her children and home.

“I will not go down so easy. You will have to try harder to even earn my praise.” Melody stood in battle-ready stance, ready to counter any attack Blackout threw. Blackout just lowered her head slightly as the wind suddenly stilled. Nothing happened before the color of the surrounding area drained to Blackout and black paint shot up from behind her, shooting multiple directions. Melody leaned forward to dodge one of them and moved her head to the side to dodge another. She whipped her hand to the side, slicing a tentacle with her hand alone. She teleported and immediately jumped back a few times to dodge some that shot up from the ground. She flipped back on a tree trunk and jumped to the side to dodge multiple tentacles that completely shattered the tree. She peered at more tentacles coming toward her as she was in midair.

Melody pivoted herself, the tentacle grazing the side of her torso. She used her claws to slide against it and flipped back onto another. When more tentacles attempted to grab her all at the same time, she jumped up and disappeared. Blackout subtly looked around before she heard a noise and looked up behind herself. Melody was in the air, ready with a whole tree. She slammed the tree down at her, creating wind from the impact. Blackout had melted last minute and formed away from Melody. But Melody was already behind her, ready with another giant boulder. Blackout melted out of the way again before Melody dropped the 2000-pound boulder on her. She didn’t get a chance to reform again before another boulder was thrown at her. And when she reformed, she was immediately surrounded by a blob of water. Melody was a distance in front of her with her hands in a position like she was holding it. Blackout was about to escape before Melody tensed up her hands and closed the distance slightly. The water instantly froze and trapped Blackout in a ball of ice.

“...” Melody watched the ball drop and stared at it. Blackout still had her expressionless face, her hand reached out as she had planned to attack before she froze. Something about that face unease Melody. She could tell how many people she’s killed, how many she’s captured…How many worlds fell at the expense of her power? Melody dared not to even take a peek with her third eye. She closed them, taking a breather of this moment of rest. The wind did not seem to pick back up like it was supposed to. Melody shifted her skull to the side, catching a faint whoosh in the air. Melody, still having her eyes closed, stepped to the side, dodging the tentacle. She flipped back a few times and jumped up into the air, more tentacles shooting from the ground. She whipped her arm and sharp wind blades cut the tentacles into harmless pieces.

She opened her eyes and looked down. The ball of ice was broken. Blackout escaped her icy prison. Melody teleported to the ice and made it melt, the water swirling around her as she looked around. She stood there, waiting. She knew Blackout was still around. She feels her presence here. Somewhere…Melody then used vines to block thin needles from pricking her. Then the vines grew upwards and sliced the incoming tentacles. She looked to the side, seeing the world being drained of its colors periodically.

“...They have better gotten out…” She whispered to herself, her tone laced with worry for her children. She looked forward and saw Blackout. She saw the slight annoyance on Blackout’s face. Melody felt a hint of satisfaction upon seeing that. She walked a few steps forward and flicked her tail. Then she dashed to Blackout with great speed. Blackout’s face finally shifted into one of irritation and a wall thrusted up from the ground. Melody's eyes widened slightly and pivoted herself to land on the wall with her foot. Then she almost gracefully flipped back off of it, dodging black wedges that shot at her from behind. When she landed, a tentacle got a hold of her and tossed her back, shooting her across the forest. She was caught by another, by the ankle, and was hit a couple of times on the ground. Vines cut the tentacle that was holding her the moment she was hit on the ground again and she flipped back, dodging more. She effortlessly dodged more, shifting to the side and down and spinning. She then looked up at the many other tentacles that were ready to deploy after her.

“!” She jumped back, dodging them. They splashed on the ground and reformed, shooting at her yet again. She was ready to count-

“Guhk-!” A tentacle pierced straight through her chest from her back and circled back and pierced her right eye, destroying pieces of her eye socket and scattering pieces of the back of her skull. Melody’s arms trembled before they fell limp at her sides. Blood dripped from the injuries, staining her green moss sweater. But not as much as it was supposed to be. Either way, Melody was dead by the looks of it. The tentacles melted away, dropping Melody to the ground, her body corpse-like to the sight. The melted paint formed Blackout and she landed in front of Melody, looking down at her with a crazed smile.

“Is that praiseworthy enough? Hehehehe…” Blackout stepped on Melody’s chest and shook her slightly. Of course, she didn’t respond. That only made Blackout’s smile widen. She took in the sight of her kill. Now she could take this strong goddess and use her to her advantage…

“Perfect…”

[bakingtherapy]

Breakfast with Cordelia #35 Apple Pie with Lattice Top

Sul Sul, Gerbits. Today we are going to be making a recipe that I have made for many years. I used to make this recipe with my mom every Harvestfest. I feel like I have this recipe memorized. 

Even to say that I have to have the recipe right next to me. Because I sometimes read the recipe, even though I know it multiple times. Because I don’t want to mess it up, in any way. 

We are going to be making a Betty Crocker Apple Pie, with her pie crust. And both recipes will be in the description down below.

The first thing we are going to do is make our two crusts. 

Measure out your flour and salt, mix them then cut in your shortening with a pastry blender or a fork. 

Add your water 1 tablespoon at a time. Gather the pie crust, and on a lightly floured surface, gather it into a ball. 

Cut the pie crust in half, shaping both of them into balls. Placing plastic wrap over both pie crusts. 

Place them in the freezer until you need them for the recipe. 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

The first thing you are going to do is slice your apples. You can slice them thinly or you can dice them thinly. Whichever is easier for you and your family to eat it. Have a bowl of water handy. Place the slices in the water so that they do not brown. Place them aside.

In a large mixing bowl, you are going to mix your dry ingredients. Which includes your sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 

Next, you are going to add your apples. DO NOT add the water that the apples were bathing in. That was just to help them stay crisp when waiting to be added to the pie. 

Roll out the bottom pie crust and place it in the pan. 

Spoon the apple mixture into the pie crust. 

Cut the butter into small pieces and sprinkle them on top of the apples. This is to give flavor to the apples, and the top crust. 

Now onto the top layer. For this pie, I wanted to experiment with a lattice top. Which was kinda scary for me. So, I wanted to say that I did it. 

To do the lattice top you have to roll out the pie crust as you did with the bottom crust. However, you want to measure out ½ inch strips. 

Getting them straight as you can. Start at one end of the pie pan. And start weaving the lattice top. Once you start, you will understand how it works. 

Don’t be afraid of having to start over. I think I started over 2 or 3 times. But then again, I am kinda a perfectionist when it comes to baking. 

Once you have the top on, brush the top with water and sprinkle some sugar on the top. 

Wow! This was so good. I was so happy with how pretty it turned out. My advice to you is if you have something that you want to do, that is not harming yourself or anyone else, go for it. You never know what you can accomplish when you have a goal in mind. 

I hope you liked this recipe. Feel free to like and subscribe to see more recipes like this one in the future. Vadish, Dag Dag! 

Show the original author some 💖💖💖Betty Crocker

Show the original pie crust, author, some  💖💖💖 Betty Crocker

Printable version of this recipe: on the blog

Printable version of this pie crust recipe: on the blog

Feel free to support me on:

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[sapphire-heart-tippy]

Day 10: Going to an orchard to pick some lovely crispy apples, perfect for Autumn treats.

“Hnnngh!” Tippy tries to reach for an apple to put in his basket. “Almost… got it…!” Suddenly he is boosted up and able to reach, “Whoa! Heheh, thank you, Vanilla.”

“Absolutely, honey bun.” Vanilla chuckles, holding Tippy by the hips. Vanilla gently sets him down and pats his head. Bel tosses an apple up and down in their hand and looks at it, shines it on their shirt and looks in the reflection,

“Absolute perfection.” 

Vanilla and Tippy walk over to Bel, holding their baskets. Bel tosses his apple into his basket,

“All in a day’s work!”

Tippy looks into xis basket,

“Uh… you only got one apple in there, wibny.”

“So?” Bel checks xis nails. Vanilla playfully bonks xim on the head,

“So…We might not have enough to make some cinnamon apple treats, dear.” 

“Well, what if I just want one?” Bel teases. Vanilla raises an eyebrow at them and crosses his arms.

“Oh alright,” Bel throws up his hands in an exaggerated way, “I guess I’ll go get some more.” Bel picks up Tippy,

“Wha- hey!” 

“I’ll be using this little creature to do all the work for me.” Bel holds Tippy up into a tree.

“There are leaves in my freaking sweater!” Tippy calls down to his partners.

“Go get me some apples, apple getter!” Bel grins. Vanilla sighs, face palms, and shakes his head. Tippy is pushed up further into the tree by Bel. He’s brought back down and holding armfuls of apples and one in his mouth,

“Mmmf mmm hmm?”

“Perfect!” Bel drops Tippy and claps xis hands.

“WAUGH- oof!” Tippy falls to the ground, making leaves fly up. Bel looks wide eyed,

“Sorry…” He guiltily grins and chuckles at Vanilla

Back at home

Vanilla, Tippy, and Bel all walk through the front door holding their baskets of apples. They all set them down on the island in the middle of the kitchen. Vanilla sighs happily,

"Okay, now let's go ahead and make some little treats."

"Let's try to make some cinnamon apple pie tarts! Those are always so good." Tippy tells his boyfriends. Bel giggles,

"Should I make some hot chocolate while you two do the baking?"

Vanilla gently tugs them on the back of their shirt and pulls them close,

"Oh no no no, don't think you're going to get out of helping us again, Mister." Bel blushes a bit,

"My my, you were always the commanding type, Nilla." They giggle at him. Tippy chimes in also giggling,

"Vans is always so bossy!"

"Yeah, and I command you both to give me some sugar." Vanilla smirks. He leans down and gives Tippy a tender kiss on the lips, then leans in to give Bel a kiss on the lips as well. Tippy grabs the sugar container,

"Or did you mean this?" 

Vanilla takes it,

"That too, sweetie pie. Alright, let's get to baking."

The three lovebirds begin cutting up the apples, making the tart crust, and fixing the filling. After a while, the tarts are in the oven and the three are covered in flour and cinnamon. Tippy licks the apple filling off of the spatula. Vanilla dusts off his apron a little bit. Bel picks out some flour from under his nails. Tippy looks up,

"Bel, you have flour on your nose!"

"What?" Bel becomes cross eyed trying to look at xis own nose. Vanilla laughs and Bel puts xis hands on xis hips,

"Hmph. Oh yeah?" Bel takes a pinch of flour and flicks it in Vanilla's face, making him squint. Tippy bursts out laughing. Vanilla sputters and a little cloud of flour comes off his lips. He looks down at Tippy,

"Oh you think that's funny, Termite?" He gets a mischievous grin on his face. Tippy gasps, then Vanilla flicks some flour onto Tippy's face.

"Pleh! Oh, you're gonna get it, Lucky Charms!" Tippy laughs and flicks more flour at Vanilla. Bel playfully pouts,

"Aww, I want a silly nickname."

Vanilla looks over at him,

"Hmm… you probably wouldn't want the names I used to call you behind your back." Bel puts his hands on his hips,

"Uch!"

Tippy holds onto Bel's arm,

"How about Bels and Whistles?"

"What? No way!" Bel pouts. Vanilla holds onto his other arm,

"How about Prince Glitterpants?"

"Ugh, now you guys are just making fun of me." Bel huffs. "I only wore those pants once and you never let me hear the end of it, Leotard Boy."

"Yeah, well, you just hush." Vanilla kisses Bel's cheek. Tippy nuzzles xis arm, then wraps it around himself. Bel sighs,

"You both are like, total jerks, but I love you anyway."

"Hmhm, we love you too, Glitter Boy.” Vanilla teases them and kisses their nose. Bel pouts but kisses Vanilla back. 

Soon the apple pie tarts are finished, and the three gentlemen happily munch on them while sitting on the couch watching Halloween movies

The End