#lalunaunita

[verfound]

FIC: Lukanette Exchange 2020: Of Punky Bois & Punky Colors: Pt 1 (MLB/Lukanette)

Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen

Characters/Pairings: Juleka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Rose Lavillant; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle (minor), Juleka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Rose Lavillant

Summary: Marinette’s been through a lot in the past year, and she’s ready to start over.  A new haircut for the next stage of her life feels like just what the doctor ordered, and thankfully she has some punky friends who are more than happy to help.

Author’s Notes/Warnings: Written for the @lukanette-exchange .  My exchangee was @lalunaunita, who (among some other things) asked for: one or the other helping with hair dye/result of hair dye, inside jokes, Kitty Section, and friendship before lovers (which I overthought ENTIRELY too much bc lbr this ship already is FBL).  I’ve been wanting to do a hair dye fic for AGES, so thanks for bumping that up the list. (This is not the hair dye fic I’d originally planned, but there you go.)

This also…got waaaay longer than I had any intention of making it, so look for Pt2 & the P.S. on Wednesday. xD  Hope you enjoy the shenanigans!

“Of Punky Bois and Punky Colors”

Part 1: Punky Bois

Marinette puffed her cheeks out and studied her reflection in the little mirror she’d placed inside her locker. Logically, she knew it was the same girl of the past three or four years staring back at her.  She had the same blue eyes, lined by full lashes she had definitely inherited from her father’s side of the gene pool.  She had the same shiny, straight black hair that glinted blue in the right (ok all) light, cut with the same straight bangs and styled in the same low pigtails. Her cheeks were dusted with the same blush, her eyes enhanced with the same mascara and minimal shadow, her lips shone with the same…well.  Not the same gloss.  She used to use a passion fruit-flavored lip gloss, but she had given that up a few months back.  She had tried a few different flavors over the summer, but ultimately kept returning to a berry-flavored gloss that for some reason had always just made her…happy. Still, lip gloss was lip gloss, and it was still the same clear coat that shone on her lips, even if it was a different flavor.

From the looks of things, it was the same girl staring back at her in the mirror.  Even if her features were a bit more defined, that was just growing up. She wasn’t thirteen anymore.

…but she knew, even if the mirror didn’t, that she was no longer the same girl.

[mlbirb]

  Under the Veil: Alea Iacta Est by lalunaunita is a fun AU

[miracu-ace]

A Late Night Date

This is dedicated to my birthday buddy, the amazing @lalunaunita , who celebrates her birthday the day after mine. I enjoy seeing your positivity on my dash and in the Miraculous community. Even more, I love the work you produce, both written and drawn. Your art has improved so much since I’ve known you, it’s inspiring and your gladiator fic from the big bang is one of my absolute favorites miraculous fics. I’m sometimes too shy to shower you in the praise you deserve, but I want you to know how appreciated you are. 

That being said, this is a little belated, but Happy Birthday! And I hope you enjoy some fluffy Ladrien based on your prompt “I’m sorry the ice cream melted, but I’m glad you’re here.”

   Ladybug’s eyes lit up as she saw a familiar sight come into view. With another swing, Ladybug maneuvered herself high above the Agreste mansion and away from the eyes of its occupants. She paused and took a deep breath, a hint of a smile on her lips. She hooked the end of her yo-yo around the railing and slowly lowered herself down headfirst, ankles hooked around the string.

   Peering through the dim window, Ladybug tapped a knuckle against the glass and waited. The lights suddenly flickered on and Ladybug found herself staring into a surprised pair of green eyes. She watched patiently as Adrien pushed the window out. With practiced ease, Ladybug flipped forward and into Adrien’s room. The yo-yo snapping back into her hand before she placed it back on her hip.

   “I hope you don’t mind a late-night house call.” Ladybug said, pulling the window shut behind her.

   “Of course not.” Adrien grinned, “I already have everything set up.”

   Leading her by the hand, Adrien brought Ladybug around to the couch. Excitement radiating from him as h While Ladybug examined the layout, Adrien dimmed the lights with a remote and moved off to the side. When the lights were completely dimmed, several string lights came on and provided a soft glow to the room. Ladybug leaned her head back against the blanket draped over the couch as she admired the lights.

When Adrien came back, he held two bowls in either hand. With a sheepish grin, Adrien placed the bowls of ice cream on the coffee table. It was until he put them down, that Ladybug noticed the two bowls had melted some time ago.

“I may have gotten a little excited and prepared everything a little too early.” Adrien laughed, a blush tinting his cheeks pink.

Ladybug answered with a giggle, relaxing into the couch. She patted the spot next to her and Adrien moved to fill it.

“I’m sorry the ice cream melted, but I’m glad you’re here,” Adrien whispered, shifting in the corner so he could face her.

The two adjusted themselves until they were both laying together comfortably.

“There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be.” Ladybug whispered back, resting her head on Adrien’s shoulder.

Adrien wrapped his arms around Ladybug and before long the two fell asleep. From the shadows, Plagg floated over to the pair and with a few tugs, had the blanket fall and tucked them in. With a yawn, he curled up next to them.

[fuckyeahstevedarcy]

Soooo... I have noticed birthday wishes for both Chris Evans AND Kat Dennings for today, June 13th. Is it possible they really have the same birth date??? (5 or 6 years apart, of course)

...holy shit.

[jesus-otaku]

Title: A Christmas Mix-up

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Pairing: The infamous love square everyone knows and screams over

Word count: 4961 freaking oops

Surprise @lalunaunita! I’m your secret Santa for the MBB exchange! I figured, I didn’t have any Christmas-themed fics yet, now was as good a time as ever to change that, so enjoy a fic set on Christmas Eve. I hope you like it, and have a very merry Christmas!!!

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. There was no way on earth that this was happening.

________________________

“So you really can't come?” Alya paced back and forth across Marinette's room, her hand white-knuckled on her phone. Marinette and Nino watched from the chaise lounge.

“I'm sorry.” Alya had put the phone on speaker; Marinette could hear Adrien's voice over the phone from across the room. “Father left earlier than I thought he would, so I didn't get a chance to ask him about going out tonight.”

“You can have the gorilla drive you, can't you?” Nino jumped in.

“Not without my father's permission.” Adrien sighed. “I'm really sorry, guys. I know I promised I'd come over, but…”

“It's Christmas Eve!” Alya protested. Marinette thought to herself that Alya looked about ready to break down the front door of the Agreste mansion and kidnap Adrien if somebody didn't stop her. She probably would, at this rate. “You shouldn't be shut up by yourself in your house on Christmas Eve!”

“She's right, bro,” Nino said. “Being locked up in your house on Christmas Eve is just plain wrong.”

“Sneak out if you have to,” Alya said. “There's a million windows in your house; it's not like your hoverbot nannies can keep track of every single one. Just pop one open and slip out.”

“You're missing out on Marinette's parents' Christmas goodies,” Nino added.

Adrien groaned, somewhat melodramatically. “Don't make this any worse than it already is. I was already disappointed about having to miss out on tonight without knowing that Marinette's parents made food for us.”

“Sneak on over here and you won't miss out,” Alya reasoned in a singsong-y sort of voice.

“I can't,” Adrien insisted. “I gave my father enough of a scare last year when I snuck out of the house on Christmas. If I did that to him again…Alya, I can't. You and Nino tell Marinette I'm really sorry I couldn't make it. Please.”

“Tell her yourself.” Marinette shook her head no—she didn't know how on earth she was supposed to say anything that would be both coherent and understanding at the same time—but Alya was already shoving the phone at her. “She's right here.”

There was a little pause, as if Adrien hadn't realized that Alya and Nino were already at Marinette's house. “Hey, Marinette,” he said, quietly, like he hadn't meant for her to hear all of that.

“Um, hi,” she replied. She accepted the phone from Alya without really realizing it. “So, um, you…uh…”

“Can't make it,” he confirmed glumly. “I'm really sorry, Marinette. I know how much you were looking forward to this. But, um…at least you've got Nino and Alya there with you, right?”

“R-right.” Marinette glanced back at them, and Alya made a go on gesture with her hand.

Go on? What on earth was she supposed to say? Did Alya expect her to somehow, by some miracle, convince Adrien to sneak out of his house to come spend Christmas Eve with them? Frantically, she tried to think of something that wouldn't come across as horribly idiotic or horribly insensitive. “Um…so…”

“Maybe next year?” Adrien suggested, but he still sounded downcast.

“Yeah, maybe…um…maybe next year,” she agreed, but a thought had occurred to her halfway through the sentence, and her mind was racing. It might take some convincing, but… “Actually, um, what if we…what if we came over there? To…to your house, I mean. I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind if we did, if I explained what's going on.” Alya was nodding encouragingly now, and Marinette continued. “Actually, I might be able to convince them to come along, if you want. They really like you, so I'm sure they'd love to come too.”

Adrien was quiet for so long that Marinette started to wonder if maybe he had hung up on her. She was about to ask him if he was still there when he said, in a very tiny voice, “You would do that? For me?”

He sounded so stunned at the notion that Marinette wished he were standing in front of her so she could hug him. “Of course! You're a—a friend, and no one deserves to be alone on Christmas Eve.” Least of all you, she added silently.

There was another very long moment of silence. “I really appreciate the offer, Marinette,” Adrien finally said, “but I can't make you go to all that trouble for me. It's okay. I'll…um…I'll watch some Christmas movies or something, and I'll ask Father when he gets home if maybe we could hang out for New Year's.”

“Gimme that.” Before Marinette could say anything, Alya took the phone again. “Stop making yourself miserable, Agreste. Marinette's offering because it's not any trouble. Now let us come over.”

“Alya, you can't just invite yourself over to someone else's house,” Nino hissed at her.

Alya stuck her tongue out at him before turning her attention back to the phone. “Come on. Do you really want to sit by yourself in front of that big-ass TV and watch movies all night when you could be spending time with your friends? Your father let the whole class in last Christmas. I don't think he's gonna flip if you have three people over for a couple hours, if that's what you're worried about.”

“It's fine, Alya,” Adrien insisted. “You guys can have fun at Marinette's tonight, and I'll talk to Father about New Year's. Don't worry about it.”

Alya groaned. “Okay, fine. But you know you can always call if you change your mind. It's not gonna be the same without you.”

“Thanks.” There was so much appreciation, so much gratitude in that one word that it made Marinette's heart throb. “I'll…see you for New Year's, then.”

“No backing out!” Alya said. Adrien laughed out a goodbye, and she hung up. “Jeez, that Adrien. I bet he's spent the whole day by himself. Maybe we should go over there anyway and surprise him.”

They probably would have ended up going, if it weren't for the weather taking a turn for the worse only an hour later. But when it grew too cold and snowy for anyone to be walking anywhere, Nino and Alya's parents drove over to pick them up, and the plan to surprise Adrien had to be abandoned. Once Marinette had said her goodbyes to her friends and bade her parents good night, she went back up to her room and looked out at the white blur on the other side of her window.

“I guess patrol would be a bad idea in this weather,” she remarked to Tikki.

Tikki hovered at the window to look at the snow. “You could do it,” she said slowly, “but I don't know if you want to make Chat Noir go outside in that.”

“Not really,” Marinette admitted. She climbed up to her loft. “I should probably tell him to stay in so that he's not sitting outside waiting for me in that. Tikki, transform me.” She nestled herself under her blankets, just in case her parents came to check if she was in bed, and opened her yo-yo to call Chat.

He answered almost immediately. He must have just been getting ready to go out for patrol. Snow dusted his blond hair like little dots of powdered sugar. “My lady. What a pleasure. I was just on my way to meet you. Wait—where are you?” He leaned in closer on the screen, obviously inspecting her surroundings. “A tent? A…blanket?”

“I'm at home, inside, where it's warm,” she replied. She tried to ignore the wordless exclamation of surprise that came from the other end, and the attempted bombardment of questions that followed. “And that's where you should be, too. At home. I'm not going to make us patrol in this weather. And it's Christmas Eve anyway. You should stay home with your family. If they haven't already gone to bed, that is.”

“I don't mind patrolling tonight,” he insisted. “I'm a little old for a visit from Santa Claus, and I'd be the only one up back home. And the weather's really not that bad once you get used to it. It's actually kind of pretty. A little windy,” he admitted as a gust blew his bangs into his eyes, “but it's peaceful and quiet. We could just do a short lap around the Ile de la Cité and call it a night.” He hesitated. “Unless you'd rather stay inside. I won't make you come out in the cold, if you'd rather stay home. I can handle patrol by myself. I was … there was something I was hoping to give you tonight, but it can wait. I can always give it to you later.”

He had a present for her? She shook off the sudden impulse to go meet him, and forced herself to focus on the conversation. “You're seriously going to patrol in this weather by yourself?”

“If you want to stay inside and keep warm,” he confirmed. “It is a little chilly, I'll admit, but it could be worse. I think my kwami is helping me stay warm. And, um…I'd rather not be home right now, if I'm being entirely honest.”

That did it. Her kitty, alone in the cold, just to avoid being at home on Christmas Eve? She wasn't going to stand for it. “Stay right there, kitty. I'll come meet you, and we can patrol. My family's already gone to bed anyway. See you in five?”

Chat's face brightened like Christmas had already come. “I'll be waiting, my lady.” He swept her a bow before hanging up.

Ladybug scrambled out from under her covers and, after grabbing a couple of things, climbed through the trap door to her terrace. Once she had Chat's location identified on her yo-yo, she took off.

He'd been right; it really wasn't so bad outside when you were transformed and you got used to speeding through the chilly wind. She was pretty sure her nose had turned pink, but there were worse things in the world, and it at least wasn't running. Chat was waiting for her by the Panthéon when she got there. “Hope you didn't have to stand here too long,” she remarked as she came up to him.

Chat slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her close in a one-armed embrace. “Better than sitting at home,” he reminded her. He moved away just enough to look her over, like he couldn't believe she had actually come. “So … um … patrol? I figured maybe we could go up as far as the Pont des Artes and then loop around on the other side of the Seine and cross back over at the Pont de Sully.”

“How about we make that the Pont Marie,” Ladybug suggested. She held up the thermos she had snagged before leaving home. “I don't want this to get too cold.” He made a grab for the thermos, and she yanked it out of reach. “Nuh-uh, kitty. This is for after. We finish patrol first, and then I warm you up.”

“And I give you your present.” He grinned. “Okay, deal. Shall we?”

They kept patrol short as planned, although they did stop for a snowball fight at the Louvre for a few minutes and again at the Théâtre du Châtelet. They were both covered in powdery white by the time they finished, the snow in their hair sparkling like tiny stars under the street lights. At the Square René Viviani, they decided to call it quits rather than walk back to the Panthéon. The Christmas Market there had already closed, but they sat on one of the benches anyway, and Ladybug opened up the thermos.

“Hot chocolate?” Chat asked her excitedly after getting only one whiff of the thermos' contents. “You brought hot chocolate?”

She smiled; his delight was catching. “Homemade and fresh.” She poured out a full serving into the lid and passed it to him. “Here. Drink. Since you had to wait for me so long.”

“This is worth the wait,” he assured her, and took a long sip. When he set the lid down again, his eyes were alight with even more excitement than before. “This is amazing, Ladybug! Did you make this yourself?”

“Not by myself,” she admitted. “I made it with my family. But I did make these myself.” She offered him the few macarons she had managed to sneak out along with the thermos.

Chat looked like he probably would have hugged her again if he hadn't been holding onto a thermos lid full of hot chocolate. Instead, he settled for taking one of the macarons. “You're incredible. I didn't know you could bake.”

“I don't bake very often,” she said. “I just made some for a few friends I had over earlier, and my family took the leftovers. I had to sneak these ones back out of the kitchen to bring them here.” It was mostly true. She'd snuck them out of the bakery, not the kitchen, but Chat didn't have to know that and it was probably better if he didn't. It was just one little white lie.

“They still taste amazing.” He set the thermos lid down to start fumbling in his pocket. “Here. Before I forget, I have to give you your present.”

“You really didn't have to get me any—”

“But I wanted to.” He'd found what he was looking for; a little wrapped box sat in his palm expectantly, its ribbon somewhat crushed from being in his pocket for so long. “Take it. I insist. Consider it a…a thank you for all the time we've spent together.”

She wanted to argue, and probably would have, if it weren't for the expression on his face. He looked so happy to be giving her a present, so excited to see what she would think of it, that she didn't have the heart to refuse his gift. She took the box and tore off the wrapping. It looked suspiciously like a jewelry box. “Chat, what did you—”

“Open it before you try to scold me,” he insisted.

Ladybug sighed—if he had spent a huge amount of money buying her a gift, she thought, she was going to give him a very firm lecture on the matter—but did as he said. Inside the box was nestled a simple silver necklace chain, with a tiny pendant shaped like a Chinese character hanging from it. “Oh my God. Chat…”

“It means 'good luck' in Chinese,” Chat explained hurriedly, pointing to the pendant. “My kwami mentioned that the Miraculous had been in Tibet for a long time, but I was looking at the box it came in and it looked more Chinese than Tibetan, and the jewelry store didn't sell any Tibetan stuff anyway, and I knew this meant good luck in Chinese so I—”

“Wait, wait, wait.” She cut him off. “You speak Chinese?”

He blinked owlishly before her question seemed to register. Then he cringed. “Just a little,” he replied, though it sounded more like a question than an answer. “Enough to be able to read that. I…I figured this would be more subtle than you walking around wearing a ladybug pendant around your neck, and the only other subtle option I could think of was earrings, which would obviously be a bad idea for several reasons, and it kind of fit with the Chinese theme on the Miraculous cases, so…”

She smiled as he kept rambling on about how he had found the pendant and had bought it almost immediately. It fit more than he realized. She'd have to be careful about wearing it as a civilian, but she could probably pass it off as a gift from her great uncle or something. Taking it out of its box, she put it around her neck where it belonged. He slowly trailed off as he noticed she had put it on. “Thank you, Chat Noir. It's beautiful. I just wish I had something this nice to offer you in return.”

Chat held up the thermos. “This is more than enough for me,” he assured her. “Homemade hot chocolates and sweets? I wouldn't trade all the fancy jewelry in the world for something you made yourself.”

How was it that he always knew exactly what to say? She grinned and pulled him in for a hug. “Merry Christmas, Chat Noir.”

~

“So, are you going to head home?” Ladybug asked Chat as they stood and prepared to leave for the night.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I might stay out a while longer. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back home just yet.”

Here was her chance to ask, then. It was a little selfish, after his sweet Christmas present, but she couldn't help it. “Then, um, while you're out, would you mind…checking on someone for me? He's been having a pretty bad night too and I just want to make sure he's doing okay.”

Chat's expression softened. “Of course. Who is it?”

“Adrien Agreste,” she answered. At Chat's stunned stare, she elaborated. “His father had work or something today, and he missed out on a Christmas party with his friends, so he spent the whole day by himself and I'm just kind of worried and he really doesn't deserve to be alone today so if you could just check on him for a few minutes…It'd be a chance for you to warm up before you go home, too, and that way you don't have to go home right away. If you don't want to, that's fine, I just thought…” She trailed off, her cheeks flushing redder than they already were from the cold.

Chat was quiet for a minute, looking down at the ground as if in thought. Then he looked back up at her and said, “Why don't you visit him?”

It was her turn to stare at him. “What?”

“I mean…” Chat shrugged. “You, um, you obviously care a lot about whether he's okay or not, and I've…heard he really admires you, so…um…he might appreciate it more if you went to see him?”

“You think so?” It sounded too good to be true. Far too good to be true. Adrien, admire her? Look up to her as a hero, maybe, (that was believable,) but admire her? She forced down the urge to spin in a giddy circle right then and there.

“Absolutely.” He shuffled his weight as if nervous. “So…um…you still want me to go, or…?”

Hell, she thought, she could buck up for five minutes to make sure Adrien wasn't entirely miserable. It was Christmas Eve, for heaven's sake. “I guess I can go.”

~

Adrien had just stepped out of his bathroom, a towel draped over his hair, when she got to the Agreste mansion. He noticed her at the window immediately. Ladybug? she saw him mouth through the glass. He opened the window for her, and stepped aside to let her in. “To, um, to what do I owe the, um…the pleasure?”

She was snapped out of her desperate attempt not to focus on the fact that he was in his pajamas. “Huh? Oh! I, uh, I heard from a…friend of yours that you were spending Christmas Eve alone, and I…thought maybe you would…like some company for a while…?” She trailed off into a whisper. It sounded much stupider when she said it out loud to him. Ladybug, superhero of Paris, keep him company because she'd heard he might be lonely? Why had she ever thought this was a good idea?

But Adrien didn't seem to think it sounded stupid, because he was smiling in that way that always made her feel like she was walking on air. “I would love to have your company for a while,” he said. Then his choice of words seemed to register belatedly in his mind, and he turned surprisingly red. “I—I mean! Um! Did I say love? I meant—um—never mind. Never mind. I…thought I misspoke but I guess I didn't. I thought I said I loved…I mean, never mind!”

Was he really that happy about having a visitor? Now she wished that she and Alya and Nino had braved the weather to come see him after all. Then he would have had more than just one person to spend time with, and they could have had their Christmas celebration just like they'd planned it. “So you've really been all alone all day?”

“Well, I have the gorilla,” Adrien hedged with an embarrassed smile, but she knew he didn't think that counted as company. “And Nathalie. So I haven't been entirely alone.” As if hoping to change the subject, he added, “I like your necklace, by the way. The 'good luck' pendant is really fitting.”

“Oh!” She'd forgotten she was wearing that! Shoot, she'd meant to take it off before coming here. She clasped her hand around the pendant. “Um, thank you. Chat Noir got it as a Christmas present…for…”

Wait.

“The 'good luck' pendant is really fitting.”

Wait just one minute.

“It means 'good luck' in Chinese,” Chat explained hurriedly, pointing to the pendant.

“Wait, wait, wait. You speak Chinese?”

“Just a little.”

Something clicked, a little something that she had probably noticed for a long time but had never wanted to connect. Her mouth popped open in a silent scream as she stared at Adrien. Her finger came up to point at him. He looked baffled until she managed to regain her power of speech enough to whisper hoarsely, “Chat Noir?”

If any part of her had been hoping he would deny it, those hopes were promptly dashed as he nodded and offered her a sheepish grin. “Hi, my lady,” he said with a tiny wave.

“Oh my God.” She covered her face with her hands and spun so that she didn't have to look at him anymore. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. There was no way on earth that this was happening. “What happened to keeping our identities a secret?”

“I thought you were ready to share,” Adrien defended himself. “When you gave me those macarons from your family's bakery and said you'd made them yourself. I mean, you'd told me, what was I supposed to do? It wouldn't be right for me to know your identity and keep you in the dark about mine.”

“Wait.” She spun back around, afraid to look at him and peeking at him through her fingers anyway. “What do you mean, I told you?”

“You gave me macarons from your family's bakery,” he repeated. “They had the little logo on them and everything and you said you made them yourself.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Ladybug fumbled for the crumpled bag that still held two of the macarons—Chat hadn't finished all of them earlier—and pulled one out. To her horror, she realized that in her rush to meet Chat Noir she must have grabbed the wrong macarons. The family bakery's logo was indeed stamped on the tops. “Oh, God. Oh my God. You're right. Oh my God.”

“Wait, are you telling me it was an accident?” Adrien paled. “You didn't do that on purpose? I thought you were just trying to be discreet about it, that's why I didn't say anything while I was eating them!”

“Oh my God, I screwed up, Tikki is gonna kill me, I'm so dead, I can't believe I didn't look at those stupid macarons before I put them in the bag—”

“Ladybug—”

“—and oh my God, if Hawk Moth finds out we know each other's identities then we're really gonna be screwed, because then he'll probably try to target us individually and make one of us reveal who the other is—”

“Ladybug—”

“—and Jesus Christ, kitty, did you really think I would reveal my identity to you in such a roundabout way instead of just flat out telling you, because I would never in a million years go about it that—”

“Marinette!”

Hearing her name while she was still transformed was enough of a  jolt that she cut herself off and stared at him. “What?”

He offered her a crooked smile. “Hawk Moth can do whatever he wants. I'd never tell him your identity. And, um…” He stepped closer, just close enough to take her hands in his. His eyes caught the moonlight filtering through the window, and reflected it back in beautiful shards of diamond-bright green, and Ladybug felt her breath stick somewhere in her throat.

“For what it's worth,” he said, his gaze never wavering from her eyes, “I'm really, really glad it's you.”

She didn't even have a chance to begin to think of what she could say in reply before he pulled her in for a crushingly tight embrace that lifted her feet an inch or two off the ground. Slowly, her mind began to register that Adrien was hugging her, Chat Noir was hugging her, and he really gave much greater hugs than she had ever given him credit for as Chat, and wait why is he hugging me? “A—Adrien?”

“Hm?” He set her down. “What is it?”

“I—I'm happy that you're happy about this, and that you promised never to tell anyone, but…um…I'm just curious. Why are you so happy about this?” How was he not freaking out? It was still taking everything in her not to scream about the fact that Chat freaking Noir was Adrien Agreste, and here he was grinning his head off and hugging her.

“Are you kidding? Marinette, you're one of my best friends and one of the most amazing people I know.” He traced the shape of her mask across her face. “Finding out that you're Ladybug? That just makes you even more incredible. I can't think of a single person I would rather have as my lady.”

She bit her lip. That was very high praise, even coming from Adrien, and it made her wonder guiltily—was she happy that he was Chat Noir? Or disappointed?

Adrien looked like he was starting to wonder the same thing; his bright smile was beginning to falter, and his hands slipped away from hers. “Too much?” he guessed ruefully.

Ladybug barely registered his question. Her mind was too busy racing, trying to sort out how she felt now that she knew her dorky kitty and her crush were the same person. Adrien, that sweet, sweet boy who had given her his umbrella even though she'd been treating him like dirt, and Chat Noir, her crazy, silly partner who always put her before himself in a fight. It seemed a bizarre dichotomy, and yet…not.

And then she remembered the confession she had written in her diary a very long time ago, a confession she had promptly decided to erase from her conscious memory after writing it.

If she hadn't met Adrien, she might have given Chat Noir a chance.

There was a strange irony in knowing that she had been rejecting Adrien because of…well…Adrien.

She almost laughed at herself out loud, and only stopped herself from doing so in the nick of time. God, she'd been such an idiot this whole time. But she knew what her answer would have to be now. If she really cared about Adrien the way she always claimed to, that meant accepting all of him.

Even the pun-loving, life-risking, leather-clad cat side of him.

Adrien was in the middle of talking when she finally pulled herself out of her thoughts. “—and if you hate me now I completely understand, it was stupid of me to assume that you were trying to reveal your identity that way and I never should have suggested for you to come here like this just so I could tell you who I am—”

“Adrien.” He snapped to attention, his expression inquisitive. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and not as nervous-looking as she felt. “I don't hate you. I could never hate you. We're partners, remember? I would trust you with my life.” She took a deep breath. “And I guess in a way that's kind of what I'm trusting you with now, since if Hawk Moth ever discovered our identities it could mean our necks. I'm a little…shaken up, but I'm not mad, and I don't hate you. It was my stupid mistake that caused this problem, not you.”

Adrien sighed in relief. “So…”

“So we sort this mistake out one step at a time,” she said. “It's not the end of the world. We'll…we've survived worse. We'll be okay.”

“We'll be okay,” he agreed, and a slow smile made its way back onto his face.

“I should probably go,” she remarked, although she would rather have stayed and figured things out now. “It's getting really late and I wasn't expecting to stay long. But I'll, um…see you at school?”

“Yeah,” he said. “See you at school.”

“But, um, before I go…” She gave him a quick hug. “Just for the record, I'm…I'm really glad it's you.” Then she released him, and moved back towards the window. Adrien caught her wrist just as she was grabbing her yo-yo.

“Will you wear your necklace when I see you for New Year's?” he asked, a world of hope in his eyes.

She couldn't help smiling. It was such a simple request, and so like both Adrien and her kitty. “Nothing could ever convince me to take it off.” She turned to face him for just a second, bolstering up enough courage to manage a tiny kiss to his cheek. “Merry Christmas, kitty.”

Adrien's hand flew to his cheek as if he couldn't believe she had just kissed it, but he was beaming. “Merry Christmas, my lady.” And blowing her a kiss in return, he stepped back to let her leave.

[campterodactyl]

It's been my privilege and delight to work on this piece for @acharesia's story All For Love, for the 2021 Loki Big Bang!

Loki meets his birth mother, an exiled queen named Farbauti - a reunion that moves them both. I did my best to capture both the joy and overwhelm that acharesia expresses beautifully in prose.

Hope you enjoy the piece and the story!

- Luna

[thecrazydragonlady]

A while back, @lalunaunita was taking Doodle request and I asked her for everyone’s favorite spotted hero in a heroic pose. All so I could tell @aeonthedimensionalgirl Merry Christmas. :D I asked her for this for you. I hope you like it and have a happy and safe holiday!

[overworkedunderwhelmed]

How about 'it's not like I like you or anything. Well, okay maybe I do.' For Adrinette?

Thank you so much for your request, @lalunaunita!  

“I mean...it's not like I like you or anything.”

Marinette nodded, half listening as she tried to valiantly rescue this batch of cupcakes from the rubbish heap.

Adrien had been banished to a chair near the bakery’s workspace, considering he had proven himself just as likely to burn a batch of cookies or add the wrong ingredients to the batch. For someone who seemed to be remarkably adept at physical activities, he was capable of quite a lot of damage in the kitchen.

“Well, okay maybe I do.”

“Hmm?” She poked at the top of the fresh batch with a toothpick, frowning as it came away still wet. How on earth did he manage to make a batch that was this slow to cook? “What was that?

“I like you.”

Marinette knocked her head against the stove door, and absently wondered if he was literally just bad luck to have in the kitchen. Or if her own clumsiness had just ramped up to eleven.

“You alright?” His features fell at the sight, and he sprung off the stool to stand at her side, just in case he was needed.

“Yeah.” She winced, removing the oven mit and rubbing her forehead tenderly. Until she noticed just how close he was, and her face turned three shades darker. “You just...surprised me.”

He smiled softly.

Her hand slipped down to cover her cheek, willing it to cool down. Tikki was forever telling her she needed to stay calm. Was this really happening? To her? Right now?

“I mean, we’re friends, right? We have to both like each other at least a little bit.”

Her smile widened as she willed her face not to fall. Her hands dropped limply to her sides.

If Adrien noticed, he was polite enough not to say anything.

“Nino gave me some interesting advice a while back. I guess it was not long after he and Alya had started dating. He said it was okay to like more than one person at a time. Feelings can change. Or at least how you are aware of them. And that makes sense. I know he didn’t go to the zoo to start dating Alya.

Right,” Marinette half grinned, half-winced at the memory. She wasn’t sure if Adrien was aware, but she definitely knew that all too well.

“But it ended up happily anyways.” Adrien smiled. “He and Alya always seemed to get on really well, even if they didn’t always agree on everything.”

Marinette snorted. “That’s for sure. I’m still not entirely sure she’s over his script re-write, honestly.”

Adrien chuckled, before they both grew quiet again.

“I have this friend. She’s totally amazing. I…” Adrien grew wistful, his eyes unfocused off into the distance. “I would give anything for things to work out with her.”

Marinette felt that gut punch. Like her world was collapsing in on itself. She wanted to cry...to run upstairs into her room and never come out again. But what kind of friend would that make her? She set her jaw, blinking back the tears she already felt starting to well.

Thank goodness he wasn’t looking right at her in that moment.

This definitely wasn’t what Alya thought she was going to hear, or she wouldn’t have not to subtly left with Nino to pick up more ingredients to replace the cupcakes batches that had not survived earlier.

“But I’m not sure it ever will…”

“What?” Marinette’s head jerked up.

Adrien had that smile on. The one he wore when he modeled, where his eyes a little more blank than normal.

Suddenly, Marinette felt defensive purely on his behalf. “Who would be silly enough to pass up the chance?”

Adrien snorted. Like, actually snorted. “It’s the whole model thing, isn’t it?”

“Well, that doesn’t hurt, sure. But you’re seriously one of the nicest people I know.” Marinette turned to finish unloading the now cooled cookies onto one of the plates, spatula noisily clattering to the counter. He was nicer than he even realized, to be letting her down easily. She had taken hits from Akuma that hurt less than this. But even now he was being so kind.

“I guess I don’t get to spend nearly as much time with her as I would like.” His fingers fiddled absently with the apron strings in his lap. “And even then, it is usually all business.”

Marinette bit her lip. It had to be some model he worked with, right? How was she supposed to compete with that? “So you both don’t get to know each other very well, right? If your time is limited, how can you be sure you really know her all that well?”

His cheeks practically glowed as he smiled. “Sometimes, all it takes is one moment.”

Marinette smiled sadly, leaning back against the counter. She knew that was all too true.

“I think I know what you mean. I have this friend I see every once in awhile and he’s just easy to get along with. If circumstances were different...if I had met him before my crush...I kind of wonder sometimes if I’d like him instead.”

Suddenly all his focus was on her, his green eyes wide and curious. “You have a crush, Marinette?”

“I’m pretty sure that there aren’t too many our age who don’t have a crush.” She smirked slightly, chuckling in the hopes that the sound might cover the weight of her disappointment. “Unfortunately, mine seems about as likely to happen as yours.”

Send me a prompt.

Find me on Ao3 | Fanfiction.net

[miraculousbigbang]

Hi! Once submissions are posted for responders, how will the responder distribution look? Will each challenger have a limited number of slots, for example, to ensure that all challengers get at least one responder? And first come first serve or another way?

the responders will submit their top 5+ picks and the mods will assign them one (or two, if they signed up for two) of those, if that makes sense? ^^

we will be doing our very best to ensure even distribution, and picking up the slack ourselves and/or putting out calls for mores responders if it looks like that’s not possible ^^;;

[spaacedusty]

My other piece for the @lokibigbang , accompanying this fic by @lalunaunita !! go read it!! 

Image ID: Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl, although she doesn’t remember such) and Loki are stood together in their uniforms among the TVA’s filing units, with Loki looking down at a case file he has open with furrowed brow in a state of confusion, and Green looking at Loki with an equally puzzled look. 

[rokhal]

Rules: tag 9 people you want to know better

Thanks for the tag @soulofevil

Three ships: Not a big shipper. But...Sam/Ruby (trashfire). Sam Wilson/Bucky (generally wholesome). Steven Grant/Marlene Alraune (another trashfire)

Three things in your bag: Obsolete Ipod. Antibacterial wipes. The Book Of Honor: The Secret Lives And Deaths Of CIA Operatives by Ted Gup

Last song: “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop

Last movie: Not sure. I think Suicide Squad (2021)

Last place you went: Dinner with my new stepsiblings and my new stepfather and my mom. They got married yesterday! I guess I ship them too.

Last thing you bought: Cool little art print of a dog looking at a gecko

Currently watching: Ben 10 Alien Force. Idk. Also free yoga videos because my body would like to be alive again.

Currently consuming: Leftover wedding cake

Currently craving: I don’t know. At this point I’m afraid to ask. Probably to get home to my dog. Tagging @tytoz @reaper-luster @peerless-cucumber @ask-cloverfield @lalunaunita @sunalsolove @johnzombi @acerobbiereyes idk if you’ve already done this meme @drempen No pressure!

[verfound]

FIC: Lukanette Exchange 2020: Of Punky Bois & Punky Colors: Pt 2 & PS (MLB/Lukanette)

Notes: And now, for our thrilling conclusion…!  (Or: “Word minimum what’s a MINIMUM?”)

@lalunaunita​ Here’s the rest of it!  I’m only linking to Pt2 in this post, but there is a short PS/Pt 3 that’s already posted on Ao3.  I really did have a blast with this, so I hope you’ve enjoyed it.  I’m only SLIGHTLY sorry for seeing “1k minimum” and word!vomiting...almost 30k at you.  😂

“Of Punky Bois and Punky Colors”

Part 2: Punky Colors

What.

The.

HELL.

Marinette had managed to make it out of Luka’s cabin without tripping over the door or her feet.  She had stopped on the other side, his phone clutched in a death grip in her hands, as she stared blindly ahead.  What was what?  What had she just done?  Said? Had she just told him she was…available? Ready?  To move on?  With him? Not in so many words, but words had never really been either of their strong points.  She tended to use an abundance of them in a nonsensical order while he was just…more careful with them.  They’d always understood each other like that.  And she had definitely meant she was ready, but did he understand that?  He had looked at her like he had.  Like he had hoped…he’d already told her long ago that he liked her. She was pretty sure she’d made it obvious she liked him back.  But despite that, he’d never really brought it back up after the studio?  And she knew that was her fault – he was being respectful of her feelings for Adrien.  Except she didn’t have those feelings anymore.  She –

“Marinette!”

She jumped, his phone almost flying from her hands at Rose’s voice.  She juggled it for a couple seconds before resuming her death grip on the device. When she looked towards the couch, Juleka and Rose were both watching her with concerned amusement.  Rose’s head was…interesting.  It was parted in multiple places, spiked and pinned and tin foiled with at least four different colors peeking out amongst the chaos. Her blue eyes looked bigger with her hair slicked up like that.

“You ok?” Juleka asked.

[haveievermentioned]

Hey, I was apart of the protest yesterday so here is my Day 6 picks for Fanfic Writer Appreciation Week!

First The Purrfect Crime by @lalunaunita https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571925/chapters/31148700

[[ Background, a distorted reflection of city lights on a rainy street. text: FWAW Day 6: Prompted

The Purrfect Crime by lalunaunita

I was in a Ladybug Big Bang and I worked with LaLunaUnita. In our group chat, I don't remember how, I brought up this Batman the Animated Series tie in book about how Batman was tracking down Catwoman who was stealing cats from neglectful and abusive owners.

LaLunaUnita then tracked down the book and expanded it into this fic. If I ever adapt any Batman media, it's this fic and story. It's awesome and I'm so proud of it and her work. ]]

Next is Some Good News, Some Bad News by TheCitricSpade (who has a tumblr but I couldn't find it)

[[Background: A close up picture of a blue moth's wings.

Text: FWAW Day 6: Prompted

Some Good News, Some Bad News by the_citric_spade

This fic is based on a tumblr post. It's an identity reveal (well, many reveals). Ladybug suddenly has Cat Noir in her head and the "How" and "Why" quickly spiral into...

Okay, look. If this is NOT the identity reveal in the show I'm going to be very upset. It has every side of the Lovesquare + Kwami Shenanigans. ]]

And finally... well I forgot Underappreciated was a few days ago but this fic still deserves it! It's Misplaced by Loquaciouslass! https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678944 [[Background, daytime with some clouds and a moon in the sky. Text: FWAW Day 6: Underappreaciated Misplaced by loquaciouslass

A fic that offers up some... other options Shinryu could have used during the previous wars in Dissidia. Up until Shinryu realized that they are bad ideas.

And boy howdy are some of these bad ideas for Shinryu. Cute, charming, fun, and definitely a reminder that Shinryu in Dissidia made some bad decisions along the way. ]]

[knightlycrow]

Decided to do an updated version of Ladybug for the fic Under the Veil (by @lalunaunita), a gladiator au. It’s been a while so I had to do some brief research to remind myself of what armor looked like at the time, because the references I made back in 2017 were not that great. But I was 16 then, and I’ve improved a lot as an artist in the past few years.

[tygermine]

So, I took part in the Sounds Like Dramione song fic challenge. Seems like y'all liked it!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25633723

Artwork by the amazing @lalunaunita

[jesus-otaku]

lalunaunita reblogged your post and added:

Oh, my gosh. @jesus-otaku I can’t believe you...

I’m so glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy the holidays with your family :D