#i sort of gave up on the chapter description lmao im sorry

[peachcitt]

a soft chap 32! @gigiree @megatraven @luvclick

guess who didn’t finish this until like an hour ago hahah you could even argue i literally just finished it since i didn’t finish going over it until now. oops. but i still reached over 5000 words which is what i kinda planned since i wanted to make the chapters longer (still gonna take forever tho hahahhahahhhh) anyway this chapter got real soft in the end and i just. dang. wow i love when these kids get soft

Read from the beginning/where it’s originally posted here

Story description: They say that curiosity killed the cat. But it can do a whole lot more than that.

Chapter description: Marinette saves a life. Other stuff happens, and then these kids get soft for each other.

Rated: T (because some things may not be suited for some audiences... nothing major for this chapter honies)

Marinette stared at Alya. After everything that had happened, Alya just passing out from heat stroke felt a little underwhelming, and Marinette took a moment to think about the strange humor in that.

And then it finally registered in her mind that Alya had passed out from heat stroke.

“Oh, God,” Marinette muttered, panic starting to set in. “What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?” She put her hands in her already very disheveled hair, looking around at the orange dirt and rock and feeling the heat of the air pull beads of sweat out of her pores.

As she was looking around frantically, her eyes landed on a very conveniently placed water cooler with a small stack of Styrofoam cups stacked next to it. She fumbled for a cup with shaking hands and poured some water from the water cooler into it, praying she didn’t spill most of the contents by the time she reached Alya.

She hurried over to where Alya had collapsed on the bridge, careful not to look over the sides at the flowing river of molten lava. Kneeling down, it struck her that she still had no idea what to do.

Yes, she had water. Did she know what to do with it? No.

“Please don’t be dead,” she said softly, placing a shaking finger on Alya’s neck to try and feel for a pulse. “That would be very bad.” She had a pulse, but it was a little faint. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief none the less.

She looked down at the quickly evaporating cup of water in her hands and then at Alya. “Please don’t take offense to this,” she said, and then dumped the water directly on Alya’s head.

Alya spluttered awake, her dark green eyes snapping open and very quickly focusing on Marinette, who immediately shifted backwards to give her some space. Her gaze flitted around the surroundings, seeing the water cooler, the cup in Marinette’s hands, Marinette.

Realization at what must have happened dawned on her face, and she stared at Marinette with a bewildered look.

“Um.” The initial freak out of witnessing someone collapse had faded and was now replaced with the freak out of reviving someone who had collapsed who just so happened to have a nasty habit of trying to kill humans. Now that Marinette had gotten this far, she had no idea what to do next. Alya could literally kill her at this moment, and it would all be Marinette’s fault because she revived her.

But Alya didn’t do anything.

She carefully stood up on the rickety bridge, regarded Marinette for a moment longer, and then walked away. Walked away.

Marinette sat on the bridge for who knows how long, wondering how her luck managed to be so good in that moment. And then she realized that her skin was starting to burn a little from her proximity to lava. And that her shin was stinging. And that there was a deep ache throughout most of her upper body.

Now that there was no adrenaline pumping through her veins to help along her movements, it was a difficult task to stand up and walk to steady ground.

She knew Chat would be returning to her at any minute, but she didn’t really like the idea of sitting down and waiting for him by the water cooler and trying to tend to her wounds. The best option was to continue forward and rely on the hope that Chat would find her again, which didn’t seem all that unrealistic since he had done it before.

Continuing on the path, she was very relieved to see a save point glittering on the ground a few feet in front of her. Blocking the path after the save point stood what looked to be a laboratory, pristine and white. There were two paths that went to the north and south, which Marinette guessed were ways to get past the laboratory, but the north path was blocked by two guards who seemed relatively passive about her presence.

Thinking about how to keep moving came second to the save point, though. Save points could heal. Which means that when Chat met back up with her again, she wouldn’t have to worry him too much.

The world went still as she touched the save point, and the blistering heat of the air lessened a little. Marinette breathed a little sigh of relief.

 Seeing such a strange laboratory in a place like this…

You’re filled with determination.

Would you like to save?

 Marinette pressed the ‘yes’ button, the heat immediately biting at her cheeks as the world unfroze.

“It’s pretty hot here, and I promise it’s not just because I showed up.”

A small shriek slipped from Marinette mouth as she jumped back, one hand clutching her chest, the other held out in front of her in a defensive manner. Chat stood staring at her, seemingly amused with her reaction. “You scared me,” she said, relaxing a little at the sight of his face.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

It only took a moment for Marinette to remember on what terms they separated on, and she frowned, looking over his expression to check for that look of hurt that he’d had when she brushed him off. There wasn’t any trace of it.

“Is Manon safe at home?”

“Extremely grounded, but safe,” Chat said with a shrug. “But I think she’s okay with her sentence for now. By the time her mom finished scolding her, I’m pretty sure she was ready to pass out. I left when her mom made her take a nap.”

“That’s good.” A worry that had been weighing Marinette down lifted. And now to the other worry. “I… I’m sorry for acting cold to you when you left to take Manon,” Marinette said, voice hesitant. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then looked up at Chat, who was watching her carefully.

“But you aren’t sorry for what you said.”

Marinette took a deep breath. “No. I’m not.”

Chat let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I figured as much.” He looked down at the ground, making a fist in his hair as he thought. “I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree, bug,” he finally said, looking up at Marinette and letting go of his hair. It stuck up at several odd angles.

“I don’t see why we have to disagree,” Marinette said, crossing her arms and furrowing her eyebrows. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Yeah, and I don’t want you getting hurt,” Chat countered, giving her a look that said she wasn’t understanding something very important. “There’s so much at stake if you get hurt, and I’m just trying to protect you.”

“The same goes for you,” she said, unrelenting. “When I saw Alya just now-”

“You saw her?” Chat interrupted. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

She blinked. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“So, what? You’re just going to not tell me things because you think it isn’t a big deal? Even though it is?” He was obviously angry, but Marinette couldn’t really understand why.

“Of course, I would’ve told you at some point, it just didn’t seem that important at the moment,” she said, taking a step back. “Stop being ridiculous.”

“I’m being ridiculous?” Chat demanded, and Marinette shrank back a little. “I’m just trying to help you out, make sure you don’t get killed! It’s like you don’t understand how much I care about you and how much I want to be a part of what you’re doing.”

Marinette looked down at her boots, trying to think of what to say to that. “You’re right, maybe I don’t,” she said slowly, picking her words carefully. “I don’t understand how much you care, but if it’s like that, then you don’t understand how I care.” She paused, looking up at him. He was taking in every word she was saying, and she knew that now he would actually listen to her. “The reason I’m so intent on you staying away when Alya is around is because I care about you. You say you want to protect me, and I’m saying that I want to protect you.”

Chat blew out a breath, his shoulders falling as if his muscles were just now letting go of tension. “I know that,” he said, nodding his head. “I know that, but I think it’s a little late for that if Alya already knows I’m with you. There’s no point in trying to protect me from her if she already knows, okay?”

Marinette didn’t like it, but she nodded. “Okay.”

“Now can you tell me what happened?”

And so, she told him everything.

“Can’t say I’m pleased with being called a traitor,” Chat mumbled after she finished. “But it looks like she’s finally understanding that you aren’t evil. She’ll probably stop hunting you down.”

“Because I threw water on her face?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Marinette rolled her eyes. “Sure, it sounds dumb, but Alya has a strong sense of loyalty. It’s why she’s stuck with the Royal Guard for so long, even though she didn’t agree with the policies at first. You saved her life, so now she probably feels indebted to you.”

“Which means that she won’t be killing me so avidly.”

“Basically.”

“Nice to know.”

Chat looked up at the white laboratory behind Marinette, a strange look crossing over his face. “So, what’s next?” She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. “Ah, I guess I should be the one figuring out what’s next.”

“You being the tour guide and all.”

“Right.” He looked around, his eyes catching on the guards blocking one path. “Best not to get in any sort of fight, so that path is a no go. We can go through the lab pretty easily, I think, so that’s an option. The other path,” – he pointed to the unblocked path – “is where the ferryman is, so if you want to go back to Snowdin or Waterfall for any reason, we can go there before the lab.”

Marinette pulled out her yo-yo, opening up the storage compartment and peering at the contents. She had a bunch of odds and ends that she’d collected in there, as well as a few more gold coins than what she remembered having. Her stock of food had been depleted to one unicicle, Stormy’s Nice Cream, freeze-dried packaged food, and Fu’s crap apple. It seemed like too much for one person to have, but then again Marinette got hurt quite often. And she’d very much like extra just in case Chat got into trouble, too, which was almost a given.

“I think I want to head back to Snowdin for a little bit,” Marinette said, closing her yo-yo and slipping it back into her pocket. “Just to go to the shop and get some food before we move on.”

Chat scanned Marinette’s face, and then the entirety of her appearance. Under his scrutiny, she shrank a bit, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. She knew she probably looked more than bit rough, given that the last time she had a proper shower was when she and Chat were in Snowdin.

“We’ll stop by Grillby’s, too,” Chat said with a nod of his head, starting to walk towards the path to the ferryman. “It’s been a while since we had a proper meal. And I think we should get some rest at the Inn, too.”

“We just had rest at Nathaneal’s,” Marinette said, although she wasn’t really protesting to the idea of a shower and a warm bed for at least a couple of hours.

“Real rest,” Chat said, casting a look over his shoulder at her and giving her a soft smile. “We both know we need it.”

They reached the end of the path, the sound of slow moving water echoed throughout the cave-like place, which had the same sort of blue and purple rock that Waterfall did. Reading a book on a small boat that was floating gently on the waves of the river was a man wearing clothing Marinette would best describe as archeologist-like. He wore an Egyptian ankh around his neck, and the glass lense of one side of his glasses had been shattered, giving Marinette a clear view of his unsettling blue eye, no iris or whites that she could tell. A pharaoh’s headdress adorned his head.

“Jalil,” Chat said, and the man looked up from the thick book in his hands, leveling Chat and Marinette with a stare that made Marinette’s blood run cold. His blue eye seemed to glow unnaturally, while the other eye was just a regular cerulean sort of color. It didn’t help that he didn’t seem to be pleased with their presence.

“Chat,” Jalil replied, snapping the book closed with a sharp thud. His gaze shifted to Marinette, who was standing rigidly perhaps a foot her so behind Chat. “I haven’t seen you before. Who might you be?”

“My name is Marinette,” she said, stepping forward.

Jalil got up from his lounging position on his boat, stretching and popping his back, and he placed the book on top of a pile of others. “Well, Marinette, would you care for a ride on my ferry?”

She looked over at Chat, unsure. It sounded as though Jalil was only offering a ride to her. “I would,” she said hesitantly, “but Chat also-”

“I know that,” Jalil interrupted, and although his voice wasn’t loud or scary, it still made Marinette flinch. “If he’s with you, he can ride.”

“Oh, okay,” Marinette said, her voice small and unsure.

“Thank you, Jalil,” Chat said, bowing his head a little.

He side-eyed Chat, his lips twitching just the slightest bit down before his expression returned to neutral. “Don’t mention it.”

Chat helped Marinette into the boat, gripping her hand as she stepped inside and not letting go until he himself was inside as well. As if he was afraid Jalil would leave without him.

Jalil picked up the oar to the boat, positioning himself at the bow and slowly steering the boat onto the faster waves of the river. The boat rocked gently with each stroke Jalil made, and Marinette sat with her legs drawn in, her limbs feeling stiff.

She looked over at the pile of books by Jalil’s feet. They were all about time travel.

They spent a few minutes in silence before Chat spoke up. “Have you… made any progress?” he asked, and Jalil’s grip on the oar tightened. His knuckle turned white.

“No. She’s just as lost as the last time you bothered to ask.” Marinette didn’t miss the bitterness in his voice.

For a moment, Chat remained silent, and when Marinette looked over at him, she saw that he was worrying his bottom lip with his teeth, his eyebrows scrunched together. “Jalil, you know I-”

“Science isn’t your thing anymore,” Jalil interrupted, tone blunt and monotonous. No trace of emotion whatsoever. “I know.” And then quieter, to himself. “I know.”

The rest of the ride was spent in a heavy silence. When they reached a small snow-covered dock, Jalil gently pulled the boat to a stop, dipping his oar deep into the water and holding it there, as if that was the anchor.

“Service is free,” Jalil said as Chat climbed out of the boat and helped Marinette out as well. “Come to me when you want to go back to Hotland.”

“Thank you, Jalil,” Marinette said. He only offered a slight nod, picking up the same book he’d been reading when they’d arrived and opening it back up. It’s like Chat and Marinette didn’t exist anymore.

“I’m sorry about that,” Chat said dipping his head as he led Marinette through the quaint outskirts of Snowdin. “Jalil and I have a sort of history.”

“And it isn’t all that great?”

Chat glanced back at the direction of the ferry, his footsteps pausing for a moment. “He partially blames me for something that happened in the past. He blames me more for not helping to fix it.” His steps resumed, and Marinette followed after him, trying to process the words.

“Why aren’t you helping now?” she asked, looking over at him. His eyes were troubled as he stared down at the dirty snow. “I mean, if you’re okay with me asking.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” he said, casting a look over to her before returning his gaze to the snow. “It’s a valid question. I wish I could provide you with an answer that made sense.”

“So even you’re not sure why you aren’t helping?” Marinette asked, her eyebrows knitting together. “Chat, that’s-”

“Don’t get me wrong; I know why. It’s just that the story is pretty complicated. Not to mention long.”

Marinette was silent for a beat. “Okay. Just… Tell me when you think we have time. When you’re comfortable.”

Chat looked over at her, and his expression was as soft and smooth as honey, his lips turning up into a little smile. “Thank you, Marinette.”

They were now in front of the small shop that they had intended to go to, and Marinette gave Chat one more worried look before she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Rose, the shopkeeper, stood behind the counter, arranging some products and trinkets into a pleasing pattern. She looked up at the tinkle of the bell attached to the door, and her face brightened visibly.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, and Marinette blushed a little at the broad grin that spread across her face. “I remember you! That newcomer who was just passing through with a special friend.” Marinette blushed even more. “Though I don’t remember catching your name.”

“Marinette,” she said, walking forward a little shyly. “Hey, Rose.”

Chat looked between the two, his eyes narrowed. “Well, we’re just here for-”

“Oh, goodness, Marinette! Is Chat the special friend?” she asked, her eyebrows raised. Marinette looked over to Chat, and she realized that the last time she’d been in the shop, she’d bought a bell for Chat. Which he was still wearing. She guessed it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

“It’s really not like that,” Marinette said, waving her hands a little and blushing furiously. She wondered if she was lying.

There was a beat of silence. Chat stepped up beside her, slinging an arm around her shoulder. “Sweetheart, it’s not nice to lie like that.”

“Oh, my God,” Marinette mumbled, trying to decide if she should get even more flustered or just roll her eyes. It felt like it had been forever since he’d used such a dumb nickname and had teasingly flirted with her. Now that her feelings were a lot more solid than before, she wasn’t sure if she could handle it.

“I was right,” Rose cooed, and Marinette shrugged out of Chat’s grasp, putting a hand over her face. “Oh, no need to be embarrassed like that. Being in love is great.”

“She’s right, honey,” Chat whispered into her ear, and Marinette could just imagine the horrible smug, shit-eating grin on his face. She shoved his face away.

“Anyway,” Marinette said, trying to shift the conversation away from whatever was happening. “I came to get some more food.” She looked around the shop, her eyes catching on a cooler she vaguely remembered.

She walked over to it and pulled out three bicicles, thinking about how much the other ones she’d bought had helped her. “I think this’ll be all,” she said, placing the bicicles on the counter.

Chat walked up behind her, placing his chin on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist. Marinette’s heart did a little dance. “Are you sure that’s enough?” he asked, and she turned her head a little to look at him only to find that he was already looking at her, his face centimeters away from hers.

“I still have all the other stuff,” she said, trying not to show how much that affected her and turning back to the counter. His hair tickled her cheek.

Rose told them how much it would be, and Marinette pulled out the gold coins from her yo-yo, carefully counting them out and placing them on the counter. After they had paid and Marinette had put the three bicicles in her yo-yo, Rose gave them a little smile.

“I’m glad you two came in when you did. I was just about to head out to visit my partner out by the capitol. If you had come a little later, you would’ve missed me,” she said, and she grabbed a bag behind the counter and lifted it up for them to see.

“That would’ve been bad,” Chat said, though he didn’t sound like he would’ve cared much. Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

“It was nice seeing you again,” Marinette said, disentangling herself from Chat’s arms and watching as Rose stepped out from behind the counter.

“Same to you, Marinette,” Rose replied, following them as they walked out of the shop. She flicked the light switch and the warm glow of the shop turned off. When she was out into the snow, she shivered. “I hope to see the both of you again soon,” she said, turning back to them and giving them a parting wave before heading off to what looked like the dock that Chat and Marinette had been. For a brief moment, Marinette wondered if Jalil would be back there when she and Chat wanted to leave. She shook the thought away.

Marinette turned to look at Chat, raising an eyebrow. “What made you act like that?” she asked, and Chat stuck his nose in the air.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The smile playing on his lips told her otherwise. “Where do you want to go next? We could eat before sleep or after, your choice.”

For the moment, Marinette let Chat’s behavior slide. She thought for a second. And in that second, she realized the drowsiness pulled out of her by the cold air. “Sleep first.”

“You got it, bug.”

The Inn was right next to the shop, so the walk wasn’t a long one. When they walked inside, Marinette recognized the boy behind the counter, and it seemed he recognized her as well. A playful grin pulled at his face when he saw Marinette and Chat walk in together.

Chat held out his hand to Marinette. “What?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from Ali.

“Give me some gold coins so I can pay for our stay.”

“What? I can pay for it myself.” She looked over at him, squinting at the noticeably jealous look on his face, his eyes fixed on Ali. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous.”

“Hm.”

Marinette looked at Ali, who seemed to be laughing a little. “Oh, my God, you’re ridiculous,” she said, letting herself laugh and pulling out her yo-yo to hand Chat the money.

“Call me whatever you like, sweetheart,” he said, walking to the counter by himself and thrusting Ali the money before returning to Marinette. “But ‘careful’ is my middle name.”

“That’s kind of a bad middle name,” Marinette said as Chat led her to the room they’d be staying in. She waved to Ali as they left the lobby.

“Thank you.” Chat pushed open the door to the room, letting Marinette go in before he followed after her. “Do you want to shower first?” he asked, and Marinette raised an eyebrow at him.

“Are you saying I look dirty?”

“Yeah.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I’ll shower first.”

Pulling her yo-yo out of her pocket and setting it on the nightstand, Marinette looked around for a towel, found one in the closet by the bathroom, and then walked into the bathroom before shutting the door. She took her hair out of her pigtails, making a face at her dirty appearance in the mirror.

The shampoo was the same as last time – CB brand and glittery pink – and Marinette knew she’d have to brace herself for whatever jokes Chat would throw her way after her shower.

Her shower was short and wonderful, the warm water sliding down her body and relieving the stress in her muscles that she didn’t even know was there. It seemed she had just gotten so used to being wound up.

When she finished, she toweled herself off and gave her hair a quick brush through with her fingers, trying her best to fix her bangs into something half-decent. She got back dressed in her tank top, sweater, and shorts, which looked just as new as when she first got them. She grabbed her boots and hung the towel around her neck as she walked out of the bathroom, leaving the light on for Chat.

He was laying on the bed, his hands underneath his head, eyes trained up at the ceiling. When he noticed that she had finished, he sat up, looking over at her at grinning at her glittery hair. “I had missed that hair,” he said as he stood up.

“Yeah, and I had missed when it was clean,” she said, giving him a light shove. “Now you get clean, too, and we’ll match.”

“Oh, how couple-y.” He danced out of her way as she tried to slap his arm, disappearing into the bathroom and closing the door with a laugh.

Marinette sat down on the bed with a soft smile on her face, running the towel over her hair one last time, her eyes scanning over the room. And then they caught on the closet by the bathroom. Chat didn’t take a towel in the bathroom, did he?

The water wasn’t running, and it would probably be a process to take off the leather bodysuit he was wearing, so Marinette figured she wouldn’t burst into the bathroom and find him naked. It would be fine. She hoped.

She grabbed a towel from the closet, gave two short knocks on the door as a slight warning, and then opened the door.

He was facing away from her, his shoulders stiff, head bent down. He wasn’t wearing the leather body suit. He was wearing a regular plain, white t-shirt and blue jeans. The sight of his bare arms, tan and muscular, made Marinette freeze.

Slowly, he reached out to the countertop, where a silver ring sat. Marinette watched the movement of his bare hand, the way the lines of his bones moved under his skin. He put the ring on.

His shoulders relaxed. He brought his head up, and Marinette saw his black cat ears materialize on top of his head. She saw the outer edges of his domino mask finish materializing as he turned around.

“Marinette,” Chat said, his tone something unidentifiable. “You startled me.”

She stared at his arms, his hands. The area of skin where the collar of his t-shirt dipped low. “I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered, finally looking up at his eyes, which were the same as they always were. “You hadn’t taken a towel in, and I figured you weren’t naked yet, so I-”

“It’s okay,” Chat soothed, taking the towel from Marinette and putting a bare hand on her shoulder. She resisted the urge to stare at it. “Thanks, sweetheart.” With the same hand that was on her shoulder, Chat pushed her gently out of the bathroom. He gave her a smile before closing the door.

Marinette walked calmly back to the bed, where she sat down and flopped back. She put her hands on her face, resisting the urge to scream.

In retrospect, she did understand that Chat couldn’t wear that bodysuit all the time, but the sight of his skin still came as some big shock that rattled her insides. And it looked like the mask and ears could also be taken off, though he didn’t seem like he wanted her to see that.

She thought about what Chat would look like without the domino mask and the bodysuit. It was near impossible.

Chat got out of the shower a few minutes later, but Marinette didn’t look at him, keeping her hands over her face. She heard his footsteps approach the bed.

“Yes, I know. It’s a shock. I can dress in clothes that aren’t leather.”

Marinette snorted out a laugh, but she still didn’t look at him.

“Are you embarrassed by the sight of my perfect and flawlessly tan skin?”

“Narcissist.”

“You bet.”

She lifted her hands to look over at him. He wasn’t wearing the bodysuit, just the same white t-shirt and blue jeans, but he was still wearing the mask and cat ears. He was looking at her with concern.

“I don’t know why I’m so surprised,” she admitted after a moment, sitting up and making room for Chat to sit beside her. “Objectively, I understand that you probably don’t wear that all the time. Still weird, though.”

He let out a little laugh, and he took her hand as he sat down, playing with her fingers in his lap. “See, that’s why I wear the suit. People’s eyes will burn if I don’t.”

Marinette looked down his hands, feeling the skin on skin contact. “My eyes aren’t burning.”

“Must be because you’re special.”

They spent a minute or so in silence, and then Marinette looked up at Chat. There were little flecks of pink glitter in his hair. She brought a hand up to run her fingers through the wet golden locks, her hand catching on a few tangles. “We match,” she said, gesturing to her own hair.

“How couple-y.” He brought his hand up to her face, pushing her still-damp hair behind her ear and tracing her cheek with his thumb. He leaned forward, and for a moment, Marinette forgot how to breathe.  He bumped his forehead with hers. “We should sleep.”

“Our hair is still wet.” She got up from the bed anyway as he pulled back the covers.

“It’ll be fine.” He climbed onto the bed and pat the mattress beside him. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We both get sick and die,” she said, laying down beside him.

“Or our hair dries nicely as we sleep and we don’t have to worry about it when we wake up.”

They were both laying on their sides, facing each other. Their hands filled the space between them, and Marinette looked at the skin of his hands. She reached out scarred fingers, slowly entwining them with his smooth ones.

Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and she almost couldn’t handle the look on his face. The soft smile, warm eyes – it was almost too much. But she kept staring. And he kept staring.

“You have to close your eyes to sleep,” he whispered.

“The same to you.”

“I don’t ever want to look away from you.”

“God, you’re a sap.”

“You’re right.” He squeezed her fingers. “Close your eyes.” She closed her eyes.

She felt him kiss her fingertips, and then she drifted off, finally asleep.

[canon-lgbt-characters]

ok now im curious!! what content with lgbt characters (preferably primary characters) would you recommend?

thanks for asking!! I have been preparing for this moment 🙏🏻 SORRY THAT THIS GOT KIND OF LONG! so I put it under a read more

first are my trio of webcomics I keep up with no matter what

Alice and the Nightmare - I just gave it a shout out but it's a cool fantasy world about Alice, a fat bi girl!, going to college after living with the queen for years and not having many friends, but it seems like something about Alice isn't quite 'normal'. Cast is very diverse and fun!

Sleepless Domain - gay magical girls!! they protect a city from nightly monster attacks and soon a mysterious monster causes a lot of trouble for our main characters. Undine is black and wlw and she is such a good character I love her so much

Namesake - a portal fantasy about going to stories of classics like Wizard of Oz but the Emma... shouldn't be there based off of how the 'portals' work. Evolves into some of the best world building and settings I've ever read. Emma isn't lgbt+ but a lot of the main and supporting cast are! My icon is one of my favorite characters <3

Podcasts my beloved media type that I never get around to despite loving

The Magnus Archives - a podcast that is literally no questions asked my favorite piece of horror media I've ever engaged in. It's horror is amazing, it's slow world building is the perfect amount of questions and answers, and it's characters are SO interesting. Also has trigger warnings for every episode on the wiki/on the episode descriptions for if you like horror but can't stand a certain type of scare!

Welcome to Nightvale - listen to me. listen to me. nightvale has always been good. it's weird and funny and small fucked up little town where cosmic horrors are just normal every day things is a FUN trope and it's worth checking out if you never were into it back in the day

shows and cartoons and yeah <3

The Haunting of Bly Manor - I am once again talking about horror media. Anyways they labeled this as gothic romance and I was instantly hooked! It's a heartbreaking sort of story about ghosts and memories and the main character is a lesbian who is working at a creepy old manor to take care of the kids who live there and if you like horror...!! (The Haunting of Hill House is also good & worth checking out!)

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts - this cartoon feels super underrated despite having a black gay boy get to say he's gay out loud. it's a post apocalypse setting where humanity has kind of hidden themselves away from the huge kaiju mutated animals and the talking animal groups but our protag Kipo is going to go through the world and solve it's mysteries and help everyone heal through kindness and song. it's really fun and 100% worth checking out if you are the type to enjoy kids cartoons!

i would also give a shout out to some comics & graphic novels I love but this is getting really long so for now I'll just shout out one I really liked

Saga - lol okay Saga has been on hiatus for... a long time now and it's on an awful cliffhanger so just a heads up if you check it out. ALSO!! This is an 18+ piece of media if you are a minor please wait to check it out. it will probably still be on hiatus by the time you're old enough lmao. It's a space opera scifi story about a couple who were on different sides of a looong war but they're together despite that and also pregnant and holy shit they're having a baby right here in chapter 1. it's the story of their kid growing up and the struggles of the parents to keep them safe. Also heads up if you're not big on character deaths maybe don't read this, it gets sort of games of thrones-y to keep the cast cycling out

i know my summaries def got worse as this list went on but this was like. starter pack to my favorite media with lgbtq+ characters and they are all equally worth checking out if they sounded interesting to you!! There's a lot more, especially webcomics and comics, I would love to talk about someday too

[donotgogentlyintothatgoodnight]

Stranger Places (A stranger things tale) Chapter 11- Candy Milkshakes

Description: Everything changes when Dustin finds his mother’s lifeless body, but he is quickly reminded that he still has family when his older sister comes home. Though she is not the company he wants, can he learn to live with her? Can she readjust to life in Hawkins?

“Never love a wild thing Mr. Bell,” Holly says. “That was Doc’s mistake. He was always lugging home wild things.”

Joyce smiles as she pops another chocolate in her mouth. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was airing on T.V and she never missed it. It was a calm night, the boys were in early and she could relax knowing everyone was home safe.

There’s a knock at the door. She looks up to see Jim waving from the window. She smiles and gets up to let him in. When Joyce open the door though, she is greeted by a bouquet of sunflowers.

She laughs. “You still remember after all this time.”

Jim smiles. “Well you told me enough times, it would be strange if I forgot.”

Joyce playfully hits his chest, accepting the flowers from Hopper. She gives him a hug. “They’re beautiful thank you,” she tells him. “Want to come in? I have chocolate,” she tempted him.

He chuckles. “It’s tempting, but Jane’s waiting for me back home. Wheeler kid got her a box of chocolates I need to give to her too.”

Joyce smiles. “Ooh, okay. Well don’t let me keep you then.”

“Have a good night, Joyce.”

She goes up on her tip toes and gives him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks again for the flowers, Hopper. Drive home safe.”

He tips his hat at her as he walks back to his Chevy.

Joyce closes the door behind her once Jim hops into his car. She sniffs the flowers in her hand and smiles into them, walking to the kitchen to get them a vase.

“Hey kid,” Jim said into the radio. “I’m on my way home. Those carrots better be gone before dessert.”

He smiles when Joyce slipped into his thoughts. This was crazy; he felt like he was seventeen again. He lets out a little chuckle at himself.

A couple miles up the road, Hopper notices a figure on the side of the road. He checks the clock on the radio that tells him its close to midnight. Who was walking around this late at night. The closer he gets to the figure, he realizes its a woman walking. He puts his lights on and drives up to the female.

Jim rolls down the window. “Excuse me m’am? Do you need a ride somewhere?”

The woman looks up to reveal it was Jacqueline. Her eyes were glazed over and puffy and she was shivering. Hoppers brows push to together with concern. “Jackie what are you doing out this late?”

She laughed. “Decided to go feruh little stroll,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“Hold on,” Hopper tells her, pulling his car over to the side. Before he hops out of the car, he talks into the radio one last time. “Hey kiddo, I know I said I’d be home soon, but something just came up. Eat your veggies, then I have a surprise for you when I do get home.”

Hopper jumps out of his car to find Jackie still walking. He hurries up next to her. “Jackie, stop.” He tells her she doesn’t listen to him. “Jackie, common. It’s Hopper. Just stop for a minute,” he says grabbing her shoulder. 

“I told you,” she began, tripping a little when she twirled around to face him. “I decided t’ go feruh walk. I don’ wanna talk about it!”

That’s when he smelled the alcohol on her breath. “Are you drunk?” he asked her in a serious tone. “Have you been drinking tonight?”

She scoffs at him. “Water you going to do? Tell my mom?” She threatened him, but her face fell. She wished he could tell on her. 

Jim’s face softened as well as he watches a few tears start to stream down her cheeks. He knew Jackie, she was bubbly and smart and kind and didn’t do stupid things like get drunk and start walking around by herself in the middle of the night. This wasn’t the Jackie he remembered; something was wrong.

“Kid, what happened?” he asked her in a gentle voice. She wiped a few tears. “I came back to Hawkins,” she tells him. “Was a mistake.”

“What about Dustin? He needs you.”

She shakes her head. “Dustin d-d-doesn’t like me anymore. Town hates me too. T-t-t-they treat me like a f-f-f-freak show.” She let out an unsteady breath.

Hopper frowned, taking off his jacket and pulling it around her shoulders. “Come on, Jackie. Lets get some ice cream, sober you up a little.”

The bell on the door of the arcade rang, as Dustin and Kimmy walked out and Keith locked the doors behind them. Dustin couldn’t believe the time he was having. He was never out this late, let alone with a girl.

“I told you I’d kick your ass!” Kimmy cheered. “That game is a piece of cake once you get the hang of it.”

Dustin chuckled. “Yeah, piece of cake,” he agreed, even though he knew very well how many hours he’s wasted trying to defeat the last level.

Kimmy let out an airy sigh as she turned around to face Dustin. “So, what’s next?”

“Sorry?”

“What are we doing now?” Kimmy asked.

Dustin eyes darted around. He hadn’t planned anything else. It was also getting extremely late for a school night. “How about I walk you home?”

Kimmy pouted. “No that’s okay. My mom is coming to get me soon anyway,” she told him declining the offer.

Dustin shrugged. “We can go for a little walk around the block then?”

She smiled. “That sounds nice. We can talk!”

Dustin gave her a wide smile. “Yeah!”

She put her hand out for his. This was new. Dustin took her hand, unsure of himself. They turned the corner towards Hawkin’s oldest building that was a 24/7 pharmacy that served milkshakes and sunday’s no matter how late. Dustin’s smile faded when he saw a familiar face staring out the window. Her eyes were puffy and her skin was pale. She looked so sad and hopeless. Dustin waves at Jackie when her gaze meets his. She half heartedly waves back at him before quickly diverting her stare somewhere new. 

“Do you know her?” Kimmy asks, still holding onto Dustin’s hand.

“Yeah,” he replies. “That’s my sister.”

Kimmy looks at her as well, and frowns. “She looks sorta sad.”

Dustin’s heart sank into his stomach.

“Hey Eddy, two of those candy bar shakes please,” Hopper tells the man behind the counter as he leans against the other side. He turns to check on Jackie, who seems to have fallen into some sort of trance. He sighs, as he walks over to take the seat across from hers. 

“You’ve had one of Eddy’s shakes before right? I used to bring one for you and Sarah when you would babysit,” He tells her, but she continues to stare out the window, without a word. “You’re in for a treat. Eddy’s got these candy bar shakes now that are to die for.”

Jackie doesn’t move when the shake is placed in front of her. Jim decides to try a different subject. “So I heard you’re working at Cindy’s? How do you like it there so far?”

She directs her attention down to the table and shrugs. Hopper takes his hat off and scratches his scalp. “Listen, Jackie. You gotta give me something to work with,” he says in a low voice. “What’s been going on? What happened tonight that got you upset?” 

Jackie’s demeanor changed to nervous, too embarrassed of her actions and decision making that evening. 

“Did you go out with someone tonight?” Jim began to pry. Jackie nodded.

“Did they hurt you?” Tears began to form as Jackie furiously shook her head from side to side.

Hopper heaves a sigh, “But they hurt you.” He nods his head at her. “I get it.”

Jackie sniffles as she wipes her face with the sleeve of her sweater. She felt like all she did lately was cry and it was becoming exhausting.

Jim looks down at his shake. He swirls the spoon in it a few times. “Sweets make everything a little more tolerable. They remind you that even though life might not be easy at the moment, you can always eat your feelings,” and with that, Hopper takes a heaping spoonful and pops it in his mouth.

Jackie looks up at him and snorts. She giggles and Hopper smiles. “There she is. Where have you been Jack attack?”

She shakes her head and lets out another laugh. Hopper sighs. “These people don’t deserve you Jackie. Just remember that. You’re remarkable.”

Her smile faded, as if she didn’t agree with what he was telling her. She picked up her spoon and stirred the milkshake, preparing to eat her feelings.

Hope you all enjoyed this little interaction between Jackie and Hopper. There will be more of them in the future. Next week, I will be going to a festival so please don’t hate me if I forget to post. But there will be plenty of chapters coming this summer so stay tuned!

@10blurredsmoke10 @prettylittlealiengirl @dII0101 @lewistommolommodingdong @cluelesseleven @middlebodyinjury @liamsmithbobo @oddlittlereader @dizyumi @saint-penguin-empire@whysthenameelizapopular @25thcenturygirl @lilias-buckingham@12thatsanumber @julkaglenc @peakyfuckingblinders1919 @lmao-im-hecc-gay @suavelolita

[yeoldontknow]

I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS LONG ASS POST!! BUT I NEED TO ASK YOU SOME THINGS!!! AND I NEED TO LITTER YOU IN COMPLIMENTS AS IF YOU’RE BEING RAINED ON BY GLITTER CONFETTI!! 🎉🎉🎉so i was missing Wyrm so i decided to re-read the first 3 chapters and it was so delightful to take my time and really relish in every single word of the fic. the first time i read it, i was so engrossed that i read it rather quickly but it’s such a lovely experience to take my time and re-read something so beautifully

written but since i’ve been re-reading it, i ended up with a few questions that i didn’t bother to think about before (cause i was so engrossed the first time). is it okay for me to ask you these questions??? if you’re planning on revealing the answers somewhere down the line in the plot then by all means don’t answer my questions but these are really for curiosity’s sake!! in chapter 1, you mention how OC’s mother is a widow. can i know what happened to the dad and how old OC was when hepassed? currently, how old is everyone in Wyrm? like how old are Jongdae, Baekhyn, and the OC? what color and hairstyles are Jongdae and Baekhyn sporting in this fic? lol this might seem like a silly question but i want to know how you imagine them to look like in your head. is there a comeback era or promo pic i can use for reference for what they look like in Wyrm? (i’ve seen the moodboard btw but since it’s not created by you, i wanted to know if the jongdae in the moodboard is how youactually picture him or not) OKAY SO IT’S TIME FOR ME TO COMPLIMENT YOUR BEAUTIFUL SELF A SECOND TIME (cause i’ve sent an anon about Wyrm before and raved about how good it was)  CAUSE YOU DESERVE ALL THE APPRECIATION IN THE WORLD MY DARLING!! 💕💕💕 so, the part in ch 2 where you write about OC traveling through the forest and leaving her home is so beautifully and elegantly written! it captures the feeling of leaving home and not returning so well! honestly, the way you write about herconnection to the trees, flowers, and caves makes me swoooonnnn 😩😩😩and the shift in her perception of the woods as she passes through is so beautiful?? like you really capture the essence of a carefree and naive childhood spent in nature where everything is so bright and sweet and then the imagery changes to something much more somber & darker. the whole introspection of her life and how it’s rapidly changing and the way that parallels the changing scenery of the forest is done so beautifully!! ❤️ and then it seamlessly goes into building background for the story! the first time i was reading the story, i was so focused on the OC and Jongdae’s eventual introduction BUT I JUST GOTTA RAVE ABOUT HOW YOU WRITE BAEKHYUN!! the way you characterize him is done so well like?? the subtle things like the changes in his expression, demeanor, tone, and all the good stuff just gives him so much depth like?? You make him seem so human and complex and just so REAL?! ughhhh I’m so gladhe didn’t stick with his hard and cold exterior like how he was introduced in ch 1. Anyways, I’m just rly enjoying the way you bring him to life and how the reader (aka me) gets to see his mask slowly being chipped off and how he crumbles and is willing to risk everything to save his friend. he aint even the main but I’m so invested in him already. ❤️❤️honestly, your writing is just perfect to me ❤️❤️❤️your plot, characterization, diction, pacing, amount of dialogue vs action, descriptive imagery, like it’s all so good!!! and it’s not just the quality of the literary devices you use that’s superb, it’s all the other stuff too!!! like it’s all weaved together so seamlessly! my dear, it literally flows!! and everything is done in such an impeccable amount of moderation!! nothing seems to be amiss and nothing superfluous! i have NEVER been so S M I T T E N with a piece of literary work before! my hat’s off to you dear, i am in love! 😍😍   

ok. oh wow. alright this is. is the best novella ive ever read? like [chen’s voice] HELLO ANGEL?? first of all, tagging @kollectionn because LOOK AT WHAT YOUR GIFT IS DOING? askdjlakjl revel in this with me, this is like...the best series of messages ive ever received about anything ever. im trying so hard to process all this and give like reasonably well thought out answers in return but. this. i am so. overwhelmed omg. *sobs*

FIRST: thank you for glitter confetti it is my favourite SECOND: THANK YOU FOR READING WYRM TAMER IT IS LIKE...MY HEART AND MY SOUL AND ALSO THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE MESSAGES WOWTHIRD: you can ask any questions you want! if they are spoilers i wont answer them but if i can, i will!

PUTTING THIS ALL UNDER A CUT BECAUSE. IM. VERY EMOTIONAL AND WILL CHATTER A LOT AND DONT WANT TO CLOG DASHES

in chapter 1, you mention how OC’s mother is a widow. can i know what happened to the dad and how old OC was when hepassed? 

this will come up very, very briefly in a future chapter, but the most vague answer i can give is that he was part of the Darinthall Militia. once that chapter is released ill need you to remind me of this exact moment so i can give full backstory. its not integral to the plot, but its assists Dae and OC in forming a sort of understanding with one another. so. #soon also, OC was about 7 when he died. she has some memories of him but not terribly many for reasons that will be explained later~~

currently, how old is everyone in Wyrm? like how old are Jongdae, Baekhyn, and the OC? 

OC: ~24JONGDAE: ~27BAEK: ~27SOLIS: ~26

what color and hairstyles are Jongdae and Baekhyn sporting in this fic? lol this might seem like a silly question but i want to know how you imagine them to look like in your head. is there a comeback era or promo pic i can use for reference for what they look like in Wyrm? (i’ve seen the moodboard btw but since it’s not created by you, i wanted to know if the jongdae in the moodboard is how youactually picture him or not) 

ahahhaha yes! there are actual era pics i was using for them. the moodboard was made by @baebae-goodnight who did such an incredible job, shes also made MBs for other characters that ill be releasing as they are introduced. like, please can we all take a moment to praise her talent? the jongdae she used in the MB is literally, EXACTLY as i had imagined dae in the story. spot on. shes a wizard. i gave her just a few details about him and she somehow got into my mind and pulled out the perfect dae. so, the MB dae = WT dae

i picture baek with the amazingly fluffy light brown hair he had at the close of 2016. this:

*heart swells* theres my darinthall light guard!

BUT I JUST GOTTA RAVE ABOUT HOW YOU WRITE BAEKHYUN!! the way you characterize him is done so well like?? the subtle things like the changes in his expression, demeanor, tone, and all the good stuff just gives him so much depth like?? You make him seem so human and complex and just so REAL?! 

sakjdlafjlaf THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY

honestly, the way you write about herconnection to the trees, flowers, and caves makes me swoooonnnn 😩😩😩and the shift in her perception of the woods as she passes through is so beautiful?? like you really capture the essence of a carefree and naive childhood spent in nature where everything is so bright and sweet and then the imagery changes to something much more somber & darker. 

every time someone recognizes my devices, an angel gets its wings lmao being 100% that opening section was really hard to write cause this story when from being like...2 parts to basically a 17 chapter book? so i wanted to find a way to give backstory that didnt sound like i was just walking readers through history of a world they havent even really seen yet? idk. IM JUST REALLY GLAD YOU LIKED IT cause in the end this wound up being one of my fave bits of chap 2

i think....that is everything? holy crap. im. LISTEN I LOVE THESE MESSAGES SO MUCH. you have honestly no idea how much they made my day, my week, my month - probably my entire time ive been writing in this fandom? like i rarely get asks that go this deep and YOU JUST. DID BECAUSE. YOU ARE YOU. and you are so special i want to cry. THANK YOU