#okay so if you don’t know i have a discord chat going with my closest irl friends and every monday (minus one planned time) i have sent them

[genderqueer-karma]

guys i fucked up mana selfie monday 😔💔

[amethystunarmed]

Nobody Should Ever Lose Their Place in the World

Word Count: 2436 AO3 Written for @pulpmusicalsfortnight2024 Day 5: Modern AU. Huge thank you to my beta @faery-people-of-the-future-day!

The first time Anna finds her, it's by accident. 

She is scouring through the database of Observatory Technology and Satellite Services, a subdivision of the infamous Herschel Corporation. It has been weeks of Anna trying to break into their servers, months since the announcement of their new wireless internet system, and today is the first day she has made any progress at all. She actually got in.

It had been practically effortless. Anna doesn't know what allowed her lucky break but she is grateful for it.

Doesn't mean her job is easy now. The files are convoluted, dozens of project names that mean nothing to her. But she only needs one. 

The Bright Future Initiative.

Her Sagitta. 

Still, she is going in the back way, and mostly flying by the seat of her pants. She isn't sure how to search through the files like this; her skills lie more in engineering than hacking. But she needs to find it, needs to get to her-

Her screen suddenly freezes. Anna clicks furiously, but her mouse doesn't respond. No. No, it's not fair. She can't have been kicked out. She hasn't found it yet.

Frustrated tears well in her eyes as she curses at the screen. Just as she is about to restart her computer, brilliant cyan text appears in the code she was searching through.

//error: Designation?

Anna... Anna has no idea how to respond to that. She stares at the screen, frantically trying to come up with some kind of lie Observatory Tech’s IT would find believable when-

//error: Hello? I know you're there. I would like to know just who is interrupting my operation. This is the Traveler speaking.

And that is the moment Anna puts it together. The reason it had been so easy to break through Observatory Tech's firewall today.

Someone had already done it.

Fuck. Fuck.

Okay, okay, she needs a designation. A hacker moniker? Does she ever deserve one of those? Anything but her real name, what could she-

And suddenly, it hits her like a flash, from one of her first Discord messages with John.

Well, if you're going to call me Herschy, I'm going to call you-

She types the name in, not even surprised her keyboard works again. 

You: Nova. I'm Nova.

There is a pause, and the other person types back.

//error: You come up with that just now?

Even though the other person can’t see it, Anna fights to hide a blush.

You: Is it that obvious?

//error: Your work is... heavy-handed, to say the least.

Did they really need to type the ellipses? Anna gets the picture.

//error: And the fact you didn’t immediately log off when I introduced myself really says you don’t know what you are getting into.

Anna frowns. Who on Earth could be so arrogant?

You: You really think every person knows who you are?

//error: Any hacker who knows their way around a keyboard would. You probably do too, little star. Ever heard of the Blazing World Coalition?

Anna’s eyes widen. She has. They are a group of self-identified white hat hackers, the closest thing the modern day has to a real Robin Hood. Just a few months ago, they had completely bankrupted the Itzal Financial Group after they shorted their own employees’ pensions in order to make millions. Not long about that, the BWC had been declared a terrorist group by the United States government.

Anna was chatting with Public Enemy Number 1.

You: Oh.

She isn’t sure why she types it. She just doesn’t know what else to do. 

//error: (✿◠‿◠) I see my reputation precedes me. //error: So do us both a favor and log. Off.

Anna should. She knows she should. She should log off and forget this whole thing, because she is suddenly in so incredibly far over her head.

But she remembers the grin on William Herschel’s face as he debuted her tech. The awe in the newscaster’s voice when he talked about the Satellite that was going to change the world. 

Her Satellite.

You: I’m sorry. I can’t.

//error: That wasn’t a request, little star. And I won’t ask nicely again. You should leave before you burn out.

Anna’s palms sweat. The keys feel damp under her fingers.

You: I can’t, there is something I need. I won’t get in your way, I don’t want money or anything like that. But I can’t leave just yet.

There is another long, long pause after that. Beneath the post-it note she has over her camera, a glowing red light turns on. Anna screams, and then covers her mouth. She still can’t fully mask her frantic gasping because-

They turned on her camera.

//error: ( ͡ ͜ʖ ͡°) You have such a gorgeous scream, little star. Shame I can’t see you. Though there are plenty of other cameras to look through... do you think you can cover them all? (´･ω･`)? 

No. She doesn’t think she can.

//error: There is a lot I can do with a face. You think this is scary, wait until I release all your naughty little secrets to the public. I am sure the authorities would love to hear about your new hobby. So do us both a favor and log off now. I won’t ask again. ヾ(￣▽￣) Bye~Bye~

Anna’s heart is pounding in her ears. All she can hear is the blood rushing through her veins at what feels like 100 miles per hour. She wonders if the Traveler can hear it through the microphone.

But she can’t give up. She knows now she won’t get another opportunity, not if they improve security after this attack; she could barely manage the security before. If they beef it up, she will have no chance. 

The Traveler has made this her last chance to regain control of the Sagitta. Anna can’t bear to waste it.

You: I can’t. Please. Please let me do this.

Another pause. Anna waits for the sound of sirens or maybe for her oven to explode, but all remains quiet. The red light on her laptop clicks off. 

//error: What could possibly be so important you would risk your entire identity just to see this through?

Anna hesitates. A group like the Blazing World with her Satellite, able to connect to the internet from anywhere on a grid where no one else would be able to track them... They would have the power to do anything they wanted if they took it over.

But they help people. All the employees who had lost their life savings when Itzal Financial shorted them? The day after the BWC’s attack, they woke up with bank accounts doubled or tripled what they had been before, with air tight records listing the funds as severance. Even when Itzal Financial had gone to court, there had been no case. No proof. Just over a thousand struggling people were suddenly able to enjoy life again.

They are her only shot now. 

You: Do you know about the Bright Future Initiative?

Anna may ask the question, but she already knows the answer. It's all anyone spoke about for weeks after the announcement.

//error: Herschel's new project? Where he boosted the internet for his companies from a satellite?

A Satellite. A. The dismissal makes her bristle. Her correction is swift and formal, showing none of the indignation thrumming through her.

You: My Satellite. He stole my tech and this is my last chance to get it back.

That agonizing silence returns as Anna waits for a reply. She isn't sure the Traveler will believe her, they have no reason to. 

All Anna can do is wait and hope. The Traveler's words appear slowly, line by line, as though they are trying to convince Anna.

//error: William Herschel has hurt many people. //error: I am sorry that you are among them. //error: But there is something big going on and many innocent people are going to continue being hurt if you don't let me finish here.

You: I'm not trying to stop you! If you let me do what I need to, I will stay out of your hair.

Another pause. 

//error: Nova... You don't know what you are doing. I found you because you tripped a security measure. I caught it and stopped it, but eventually you will get us both caught.

Anna feels those words flay her like knives. They scoop out her heart and leave her only with welling despair in her chest. Even if she had managed to break through the firewall, even if she had done it all on her own with no interference... 

Anna never would have gotten the Sagitta back. 

She is glad The Traveler disconnected from her camera. She isn't fully able to hold back the sob that wells in her and it would have been incredibly embarrassing if they heard.

She is quiet too long. Another message pops up.

//error: Too many lives are at risk. I hope you can understand that.

Anna's next words are petty. Petulant. Probably even childish. But she means every one.

You: But it's fine if he ruins my life? The lives of all the people my Satellite could help? You could help me and you're choosing not to. Doesn't that mean anything?

Anna knows just how powerful free internet, free communication can be. Her father would still be alive if he'd had it. They’d been alone in the middle of the ocean, with no way to make connection as his damaged ship drifted aimlessly, powerless. Dead in the water. The doctors say Anna only survived long enough to be rescued due to the rations he sacrificed to give to her. If they had only been able to signal for help...

It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that every day, Anna lives for him. She has to get this satellite back. 

Another long pause, long enough that Anna is left feeling tightly wound. She is waiting for a paragraph, a long explanation she can refute or build off of. The mere sentence she gets back stabs straight through her.

//error: I truly am sorry Nova.

Anna doesn't doubt it. She can feel the pity seeping through the keys like syrup, cloying on her tongue. And it makes the despair inside her burn, igniting the helplessness and eating away at her welling tears until there is nothing left but rage.

You: Traveler, can you promise me something? //error: Only once I hear the terms, little star. //error: But I will try. You: Make him suffer. If you can't help me, at least do that.

This time the response is immediate. 

//error: With pleasure. ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Before Anna can even contemplate a reply, another message pops up.

//error: Get some rest, Nova. /ᐠ - ˕ -マᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 //error: Things will look better in the morning.

The chat closes and Anna finds herself booted out of the program entirely. The Traveler could have removed her whenever they liked. They were just being polite.

What else were they capable of?

Anna turns her computer off and unplugs it for good measure. She knows it won't help. She has very little doubt the Traveler could log into her phone or tablet or even her microwave just as easily as they did her computer. But it makes her feel better, nonetheless.

She tries to message John. He sends back one apologetic about a family emergency and goes silent for the rest of the evening. She puts her phone on Do Not Disturb. It's not like anyone is going to be reaching out to her.

Anna is once again, alone.

She curls up in her bed and cries for longer than she would like to admit. Her grant was pulled after her prototype went missing at her University's Expo. The school themselves said the theft was disheartening but there was nothing they could do.

Not for the first time, Anna wonders how much of William Herschel's money lines their pockets. 

It's over. Her satellite hangs in the sky, bastardized out of all it is supposed to be. 

I'm so sorry, Father, she pleads, hoping his ghost will have mercy on her. Our dream dies here. She clutches her pillow and watches as light slowly comes in the window. 

Around seven, she gives up on sleep entirely.

When she enters her living room, the first thing she does is turn on the news. This is not her habit. In fact, this is the last thing she wants to be doing. She typically avoids the news, getting only the most urgent alerts from an app on her phone. But today, she wants to see what state the Blazing World Coalition left Observatory Tech in. After Itzal Financial was hacked, it was in the news for months. 

And there's nothing. Not a single mention of the company falling apart. Anna opens her phone to google the company and-

Emails, calls, text messages. Congratulations from old professors, job offers, interview requests. One text from her bank informs her of a deposit with more zeros than seems possible.

And at the beginning of it all, received at 6:13 am, is an email with a blinding cyan subject line.

Hello Little Star!

Anna opens it without hesitation. If the Traveler wanted to steal her information, she would have done it by now. 

You have truly abysmal protections in place, Nova. I was able to get this email in practically no time at all! You'll need far more practice if you hope to continue these endeavors. As I'm sure you may have heard, this morning William Herschel revealed the true genius behind the Brighter Future Initiative and relinquished control of her Satellite back into her capable hands. (I highly recommend watching the interview. His expressions are priceless.) It's all here, the information for operating the cubesat, patents in your name, pay stubs listing back pay plus interest... Everything you have rightly earned. I apologize, for not fully considering the value of that last night. Women like us need to stick together, and I am grateful you reminded me of that. It was easy enough to complete both our goals, and I never would have considered it otherwise. Don't give up the fight. I hope to see you around. The Traveler ✶⋆.˚

Anna tries to reply but the email bounces back; it's already disconnected. 

Anna wants to show the Traveler just how grateful she is, needs to speak with her again. She looks over the instructions and tips she sent.

She is going to need all the help she can get if she wants to find her again.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for still having a grudge against someone after they left for a stupidly long time?

💻😓

^ so I can find it later

Me and a group of very close friends have a discord server where we chat and hang out frequently. I would say it’s past the level of normal online friends and is solidly in found family levels. We all respect eachother there, and while on a blue moon we have disagreements, it all gets resolved really quickly.

Me and one other person, X, thought of a RP scenario we could have our characters interact in. Everyone would be able to join, and it was a long time since alot of people were in one RP. We were both really excited, and announced the idea in the RP server we had with everyone.

After a bit, it turned out one of my closest friends, C, left that server due to some personal reasons with someone else (who had left the main friend group discord for a long while.) I really, really wanted them to stay in the RP, so I suggested we could move it to that close friends discord, since everyone else would be there. Here is where I may start to be TA.

I didn’t ‘properly’ inform/ask X, because they were already in the server we were moving to. That is 100% on me, and I know I should have asked them. I just got excited one of my friends still wanted to RP. We made up, and continued the RP. Here comes the main reason, and I still feel really, really terrible for this. X’s character is really afraid of the main environment the RPs take place in. Like, it would be a very, very heavy majority of the RP to take place in this environment, and logically, you cannot change it and make sense at the same time. So, their character got pushed to the side. For a bit, it ended up with them not getting a scene as their character wasn't in a logical place to join. So, they made a new character. (Admittedly, it felt a bit like the usual ‘mysterious character who always helps out and is very emo’ but i digress. We all made characters like that) They ended up having more of a part in the story, but again, and again this is more my fault, the story drifted away from them.

When we eventually got to a very dramatic scene, my character got outnumbered. And to not seem overpowered, I had something take out one of the extra characters. That just so happened to be their other, newer character. In the ooc (out of character) chat, they asked if they were needed. I assumed it was referring to this scene, so I said no.

They soon left the server, and after trying to apologize (not well at first) they claimed they would only return. Next. Year. Note that this halted EVERYTHING to a standstill. The ooc chat STILL doesn't have a SINGLE message since the day they left.

At that point, it was more than 6 months away, and i got furious. I also talked with their partner, and they bluntly said they would only return next year. After a bit i made an apology to X, and they found it acceptable, and we didn't chat at all for months. Fast forward to now, and only now I messaged them and asked if they wished to return early. They said yes, and everyone seems to be happy they’re here. The server is more lively, yes, but… inside, i feel a bit… i don’t know, frustrated?

They already had issues with wanting to be a main character in many RPs, and I fully understand I was in the wrong for not trying to find better ways to incorporate them in more, and even their partner knows its an issue w them. Some of my other friends agree. Some didn’t, but that may have been bc I made a slightly annoyed comment to them privately about the situation. (I said along the lines of if they wanted a main character so badly if they return they can just take my character.)

I really want this feeling to go away so we can continue the RP, and maybe become friends again. I don’t hate them, I rarely hate anyone. I want to have them happy to be in a RP, but I also want them to be okay with not being in the scene all the time… AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[loserlolly]

yo

my name’s lorraine, but you can go ahead and call me lolly/lols if you’d like to, since that’s what i go by online. refer to me with any pronouns, just not he/him please!!

i’m a dumb stinky 18-year-old idiot with an extreme south park hyperfixation and a need to rp as gay coloradans /hj

i really really love roleplaying. i’ve been roleplaying for about 6 years and i consider myself a semi-literate to literate writer. i only rp on discord, so feel free to add me on there (loserlolly#9736) to inquire. please, nobody that isn’t in the 18+ age range.

idk why but doing silly little ship rps brings me a lot of joy

i don’t have many rp boundaries; i’m okay with sensitive topics and smutty/nsfw content (for these, i strongly prefer to play subby characters 😼). just no ocs, i dont have any and i find it difficult to connect with non-canon characters.

in all my rps, the silly south park kiddos will be aged up to high schoolers, anywhere from 9th-12th grade is fine, and i’m willing to do basically all scenarios. fluff, angst, smut- anything’s alright with me.

i will warn you i don’t know anything about tfbw & sot 😢 so that’s a no-go for now, but i’ll get back to you if i decide to play/watch play throughs so i understand lol

i do a lot of ooc talking and wouldn’t mind being friends outside of roleplaying: just general chatting, doodling together, listening to music, etc!! all good if you don’t wanna tho

the ships i like to rp the most will be listed below (bolded names are the ones i prefer to act out; if there isn’t one bolded, i’m fine with either) but feel free to ask me about others. i’m cool with rare pairs or ships that aren’t as popular/enjoyed. i’m not the greatest at ships that include more than 2 characters (“throuples”, poly, etc) because it overwhelms me a little, but i can attempt it if you’d like me to.

craig x tweek

kyle x stan

kenny x leopold (butters)/marjorine

tolkien x clyde

wendy x bebe

there’s others i find cool i just can’t remember them rn lol

send me a message on here or a friend req on discord if you’re interested

i desperately need roleplay buddies it’s been a solid month since my closest few quit roleplaying and i’m deprived /hj

yayayayaya!

[islandofmuses]

This is a low activity blog

*Hello* everyone, my name is Sandra, you can call me Sandy or by my full name, as you wish, I’m 34 and I’ve Rplaying on tumblr since 2012, took a break around 2016 as my real life got in the way, and I’ve been back since late 2020.

I like to think of myself as a friendly person, I’m always willing to chat.

My ask is always open, I’m willing to do cross-overs and fandomless threads for my muses, I’m more than willing to write with ocs, everyone is welcomed! never be afraid to poke me of you wanna write, also if we’ve been interacting for a while feel free to ask for my discord!

Rules under the cut!! 

Muses & Muses

Open Starters

Rules under the cut!

Frist of all, I’m a very opened person so never be scared to ask me for plots, even if you think they don’t fit, I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something.

I’m of age and so are all my characters but I will not write smut. If our characters are in a relatioship, I’m okay with the leading up to, but there’s a point I’m going to ask you to fade to black, please respect that, I do not like to write full on sexual scenes do not push me into this. Goes without saying, if you’re a minor then, I’m sorry but as 34 year old person, I’d rather not write with you.

If you have any questions, want to chat, want to plot ALWAYS feel free to reach out.

Replies will be slow, I am adult with a job and other hobbies and blogs, so sometimes its going to be hard to catch up, feel free to poke me if I’ve gone too long without replying.

I am willing to do Discord RP, but I need to have interacted with you, at least ooc a couple of times to feel comfortable doing so

It goes without saying : NO FORCE SHIPPING!!!!

English is not my main language, please understand and excuse me if I make any mistakes, as much as I put in the efford sometimes it happens.

My opens are mutuals and non-mutual unless stated otherwise. And always opened to be picked up at any time.

As for following, I’m not that selective, usually I always follow back, however if I don’t, please don’t take it personaly, it’s either me not wanting to approach certain plots, or wanting to take myself away from certain things for my own sake. If I follow you and than unfollow after a while, it simply means we probaly never interacted and I want to keep my dash clean, which leads me to the next point, I will unfollow if you don’t cut post and I have to scroll trough a lot, I’m sorry, its nothing personal, but its a bit annoying to me. However this doesn’t mean I won’t write with you.

Regarding Fcs, as long as you’re not using someone under 18, someone who asked not to be used, or has done some really bad things then its fine. You should be able to pick whoever you want, and I don’t chery pick fcs, I care about your character not the FC you use for them. If you have low resources or none at all, its not really my place to not write you over that, I’m okay with not using GIFs, icons etc. In the end we’re here to write, right? 😁❤️

I also ask of you not chery pick my fcs either. I understand if you’re a fan of someone I’m using, and of course I will write that character with you, but please look at the character not their face. I’ve had some bad experiences with this, which is probably why I like to stick with mostly underused fcs for my characters.

I’ll do my best to TW anything I see that can cause triggers to other, but if you see anything in my content that I’ve forgeten to, pease feel free to tell me.

I like ships as much as everyone, but I don’t usually plan ships, unless with my closest RP friends, I usually go with chemistry.

Goes without saying I do not tolarate any kind of drama, I’m only here to write and have fun, so please be respectful!

That is all, thank you so much for reading all this, the rules as mainly for you to know what I’m opened to, so there’s no confusion on any of the parts, have a good day and happy writting!!

[books-and-catears]

This is random and just came to my mind, what if the MC was an online roleplayer and unknowingly was Levi's friend before they even came to the devildom? Like, Levi and the MC were in... a Rurichan roleplay server on discord and got to know one another there. And then when MC arrived they would not always, but often be in their room just roleplaying with him.

Okay first of all this is freaking genius and I love it. Ahhh this is going to be so wholesome and CHAOTIC CUTE haahhaha thank you for this! I'll try and do my best to do it justice. This is so adorable I can't-

Levi:*barging into your room* MC you've got to come see this!!

MC: What's up Levi? A new game?

Levi: Well technically not new but they released a new and improved version of Cosplay Battle Saga!

MC: Oh my god! I love that game! We even had this in the human world! I haven't played it in so long!

Levi: You used to play this? Did you have an account and avatar?

MC: Why of course I did! I always made them look so cool! Ah I miss it.

Levi: You can use your old avatar again!

MC: Wait what? Really? The data is still saved?

Levi: Like I said it's the same thing. Just with massive updates! Of course you'll need your password though.

MC: Ah don't worry I remember it. I still use it for some other things. Where do I log in?

Levi: *pointing at his screen* The game is being installed right now. After that we'll log in from two different devices.

MC: Gotcha! Ah I wonder I'll meet my old friend's there again. Do they even play anymore?

Levi: I know most of my friends do. But there's this one friend I haven't seen in years. They were the closest to me. Ah I miss them.

MC: I know right? I used to have a close friend here too. There was this game server on discord where we used to text almost all the time. We used to have fun roleplaying and making up our own adventures haha.

Levi: SAME! They used to be so good in acting as Ruri chan. They could even mimic Ruri Chan's voice! Online role-playing is an art of story telling, don't let anyone convince you otherwise!

MC: Oh wow, my friend used to say the exact same things hahaha and roleplaying as Ruri chan was also so fun. I did it too sometimes! Now then is the game loaded yet?

Levi: Yes! It's done! Now we just have to log in with our old accounts and-

*MC phone starts to ring. It's Satan calling.*

MC: *picks up* Yes Satan?

Satan: Sorry to bother you MC, but did you finish reading the last book I gave you? Another friend wants to borrow it.

MC: Ah yes yes. Do you want me to go fetch it for you?

Satan: Ah no no it's okay. I'll take myself. Its on the nightstand as usual right?

MC: Ah yes yes. Is there anything else?

Satan: No just this. Enjoy your playtime with Levi and come to the library if you're done. There's another a new book I want you to have.

MC: Oh okay then. See you soon byee!!

Levi: Go on MC, your turn to log in. As you can see they really upgraded the graphics and-

MC: OH MY GOD THAT'S HIM!

Levi: Who's him?

MC: That avatar right here! That's the friend I was telling you about!

Levi: N-no way are you sure-

MC: YES LEVI IM SURE! Look at that sword! See it's hilt? See how the hilt looks like Ruri Chan's cap? He and I designed that together! And then he hacked the game and added it as one of the weapon options in the game.

Levi: .....

MC: It's true! Noone else in the whole game has that sword except him and me! See I'll show you mine! *logs in* Look I have the same sword!

Levi: I-I see...

MC: Ah I have to talk to him. There's a voice chat right?!

Levi: Yes...

MC: *in a Ruri chan voice* Hello hello! Is that Admiral V, I see? Oh it's been so long since I've seen you, dearie me! I missed you! *hugs character*

Levi: *blushes furiously and stares at the screen, his leg shaking in excitement*

MC: ...he isn't replying. Maybe he forgot me after all. *Sad smile* Where's your avatar Levi? Say hi to me I'll come to you.

*Admiral V hugs you and says hi*

MC: Yay he said hi! Levi where- wait. Is that YOU?

Levi: *blushing mess* T-this is Admiral V reporting his partner in mission. RuriRuri do you have anything to say for your five year absence?

MC: ....IT IS YOU! OH LEVI! I MISSED YOU!

*Pounces and hugs Levi*

Levi: I missed you too MC! I can't believe it... It was you doing the Ruri chan voice... all along*Blushes again*

MC: No wonder I always had so much fun playing with you! Now let's go and fight some dungeon trolls! *Ruri voice* Onward we go Admiral V!

Levi: ...Yes, of course, RuriRuri.

MC: Wait...Levi! Your nose is bleeding!

[storiesforallfandoms]

proposition ~ corpse husband

word count: 1880

request?: no

description: in which her friend invites her to play video games with them and she decides to playfully proposition the stranger with the deep voice

pairing: corpse x female!

warnings: swearing

masterlist

You had been bored out of your skull until you got a message from Sean asking you to play Among Us with some of his friends. You had met some of his closest friends, like Felix and Mark, of course, but he made sure to warn you that there would be some new people in this group. While that made you a little anxious, you knew that playing a video game would help you to warm up to the new people.

Sean sent you a link to the Discord call and you joined almost immediately. You weren’t sure if anyone else was in the call, so you didn’t speak for a moment while you set up the game. It wasn’t until an unnaturally low voice spoke that you realized you weren’t alone.

“Hello?”

You jumped at the voice, shocked that just that one word made your heart race a million miles a minute.

“H-Hello?” you responded.

“Who’s this?” the voice asked.

“Who’s this?” You immediately cringed at the lame response.

The voice chuckled, another sound that made your heart race. “I asked you first.”

“I’m (Y/N),” you finally responded. “I’m friends with Sean.”

“Oh yeah, he’s mentioned you a few times. I’m Corpse, I’m friends with Dave and Felix.”

“Corpse?” you question. “Is that your real name?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

You couldn’t help but smile at this. You were shocked at how fast you were warming up to Corpse, but there was just something about him that was just so warm and welcoming.

The two of you talked for some time until Sean popped into the chat. “Geez, (Y/N), you fucking nerd. You’re so early.”

“I had no other plans tonight!” you argued.

Corpse’s low chuckle alerted Sean that he was in the chat as well. “Ah, (Y/N) I see you’ve met deep daddy.”

Your face burned with blush, although you weren’t sure why. “Wait, deep daddy? Please tell me you guys don’t actually call in that.”

“Jason does,” came the familiar voice of Felix as he joined the chat. “Can’t blame him, Corpse’s voice even makes me question my marriage with Marzia.”

The more people that joined, the more jokes that were made about Corpse’s voice and how upset they were that Corpse was playing because he was such a good imposter. You sat in silence, chuckling every now and then but never really speaking. Not like anyone was giving you the chance with how much they were yelling over one another.

You started missing talking to Corpse one on one, but you knew the game had to happen eventually. You just hoped that it would go better than you were expecting.

The first few games started with you as a crewmate. You were killed first in the first game by Sean, who immediately self reported and got voted out because of it. The second game, you made it three rounds before catching Toast kill someone and got him out. The third game, you were in the other room when Corpse killed someone and he blamed you, leading to you getting voted off.

By the time the fourth round came around, you were teamed up with Corpse as the imposter.

“Easy dub,” you commented to yourself. “He’s too good. He’s gotten imposter like three times in a row and no one has noticed.”

You followed Corpse for a while, pretending to do tasks with him. You walked into a room that had only Felix and Rae when your kill button was ready to go. At the same time, you and Corpse killed them both and raced out of the room.  You were about to kill Sean when Toast found Felix and Rae’s bodies.

“I don’t want to sound sus by pointing fingers,” he began, “but Corpse and (Y/N), you haven’t left one another’s sides all game. What the fuck?”

“I’m watching her back,” Corpse responded before you could say anything. “(Y/N) is so small and innocent, if she died on my watch I would never forgive myself.”

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself at this.

“You blamed her for your killing last game!” Leslie argued.

“That was last game! I’m not imposter now!” Corpse responded.

“If Corpse was imposter I fully believe he would’ve killed me by now,” you added. “He has no reason to keep me alive.”

“Unless he likes you,” Jason singsonged, causing the group to all talk at once about you and Corpse.

“Get back to the game!” you called over them, even though the thought of Corpse potentially liking you made you feel butterflies in your stomach.

No one was ejected (Skipped).

You tried not to think about what everyone had been saying, but it was hard not to. You didn’t know what Corpse looked like, he made you aware that no one knew except for a select few YouTube friends, but you found yourself drawn to him. Sure, his voice was hot, but in the short time you two had to talk together you found that his personality was equally as attractive. 

The distraction caused you to forget what you were doing and almost kill right in front of Toast. You held your breath, hoping you hadn’t accidentally clicked on the mouse and absolutely decapitated Sean right in front of someone. When nothing happened, you quickly ran out of the room and as far away from them as possible.

Your phone chimed. You took your eyes off the screen for a moment to see that it was a private message on Discord from none other than Corpse himself.

“What was that about? 😂”

“I was distracted and almost killed Sean in front of Toast. Had to make a speedy exit.”

“What were you distracted by? 😉"

Lucky for you, another meeting was called before you could respond.

“Okay, for real (Y/N),” came Toast’s voice. “What the fuck is going on? You were just stood in admin with me and Sean, then suddenly you raced out, and now you’re just standing in the middle of the cafeteria not moving at all.”

“She’s distracted,” came Corpse’s voice before you could respond.

You felt your face heating up again. “I was distracted, by my dog. He’s currently at my feet with his toy. He keeps looking at me with his big eyes, it’s hard to concentrate.”

“Awe, send me a picture of the little guy! I miss him a lot!” Sean said.

No one was ejected (Skipped).

You took a deep breath and concentrated on the game. You decided to stick with Corpse again, only breaking off to make it look like you were fixing the sabotages that you were setting. You and Corpse managed to kill three other bodies, leaving you with one more to kill before winning. And you knew exactly who you wanted it to be.

You sent Corpse a quick message before going to look for Sean.

“Do not kill anyone, leave this to me”

Seconds later you got a response. “Aye aye captain.”

You entered electrical as Sean was doing a task. You walked up behind him and hit the kill button without hesitation. You watched your character cut his body in half before the victory screen came up for you and Corpse.

“I fucking knew it!” Toast exclaimed. “You guys were too sus!”

“What can I say, we make a good team, right (Y/N)?”

You smiled to yourself as you responded, “Yeah, we do.”

Everyone started talking the one time again, joking around with each other. You started feeling like you were fading into the background again, which normally you’d be okay with, but you were starting to feel more comfortable with the group. You wanted to feel more comfortable with Sean’s friends, especially with Corpse.

Suddenly, an idea popped into your head. You smirked to yourself as you declared into your mic, “Guys! Guys, I have something I wanna say! Everyone, shush!”

The talking soon died down as everyone listened to you intently. Your heart was hammering in your chest, but you knew there was no backing out of it now.

“I have a proposition for Corpse,” you said, which was met by cheers and exclamations of excitement. When everyone silent down again, you took a deep breath and forced the words out before you chickened out. “Corpse, are you single?”

You heard his low chuckle through the voices talking excitedly. “I am single, yes.”

“Good to know.”

There was a silence as everyone waited to see if you’d follow up on your comment. When you didn’t, Sean exclaimed, “What was the proposition?!”

“Wouldn’t you guys like to know,” you said with a knowing smirk to yourself.

The game went on for another few hours before you finally had to call it a night. You said goodbye to everyone and exited the game. While shutting down your computer and getting ready for bed, your phone chimed. Another message from Discord.

“It was really nice meeting you tonight. We make a pretty good imposter team, you should play with us more often.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Corpse’s message. You felt like a giddy teenage girl as you got into bed, clutching your phone tightly in your hands.

“It was really fun, I’m glad Sean invited me. I’ll definitely come play more in the future if you guys want me!”

You saw the three dots pop up, showing that Corpse was typing. They went away a moment, then popped up again, then away again. This happened a few more times before another message came in.

“About that proposition...”

“What about it? 😉”

“Was just wondering how serious you were about it, or if there was an actual proposition at all.”

You looked at the message for a long time. Of course, at the time you didn’t think it was serious. It was just a fun joke at the expense of your friends. But now that he was asking...what did you say?

You thought about your message for a long time before typing, “I was as serious as you want me to be.”

There was an extended pause on Corpse’s end before he responded, “Well, I know we just met, but I’m pretty serious about it. I’d like to get to know you more. You seem like a really nice girl.”

“You seem like a nice guy.”

“Can I Skype you tomorrow?”

The question shocked you considering what he had told you earlier. “You’re willing to show me your face?”

“Only a select few know what I look like, I trust you to be one of those few.”

Your heart fluttered yet again as you typed your response. “Well then, I’d love to Skype tomorrow. I’ll send you my name so you can add me.”

You laid back in bed after adding Corpse to Skype, feeling excited for the next day. You could hardly sleep now thinking about what you’d get to do in almost 12 hours time. It felt like too far away, you wanted to call him right then and there.

Just as you were starting to drift to sleep, your phone chimed again. You checked it one last time before bed to see a final message from Corpse.

“Goodnight, see you tomorrow”

“Goodnight Corpse, see you tomorrow”

[withcolebrock]

Distracted

Corpse Husband x fem!reader

Requested: sorta lol

Summary: Y/N was feeling sick and laid with Corpse during his stream.

Warnings: none??? just super mega fluff

Word Count: 1,254

Author’s Note: I hope this makes sense ?? idk I hope the request is enough in here, I’m sorry if its’ not :(

She sat up slightly as she squinted her eyes shut harshly. Her head was pounding, she placed her hand against her temple as the pain rushed through her body. Her stuffy nose made her head hurt worse. It has been almost a year since she’s been sick. Over the past few days, she had felt herself start to feel sick. She thought that was going to all, but this morning she was hit like a truck. She felt awful.  She continued to stand up from the bed, slowly. Her entire body was cold yet she was sweaty. She glanced behind her seeing that Corpse’s side of the bed was empty.

She groaned as she walked towards her closest taking a black hoodie. She covered her shivering body with it, she crossed her arms over her chest as she walked out of her bedroom. Her eyes immediately fell onto Corpse who was sitting on the couch scrolling through his YouTube comments. “Hey,” she mumbled while walking towards the kitchen. He lifted his head looking towards her. He smiled softly.

“Hey, how’d you sleep?” he asked, closing his laptop and setting it onto the coffee table. He stood up, walking towards the kitchen to greet her.

“I slept fine, you’re up early,” her voice was nazally. She walked towards the fridge and pulled it open. She took a hold of a water bottle. He rested his hand onto the counter while he swung his body towards her. She turned to face him, a small pout to her lips. His eyes squinted while his eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m streaming in a little bit, and I wanted to wake up,” he chuckled slightly, “Are you okay?” he asked while he looked her body up and down. She took in a shaky breath while she shook her head.

“I feel like shit,” she laughed dryly. He took a small step towards her, resting his hand onto her cheek. He ran his thumb across her skin for a few seconds.

“What hurts?” he whispered while looking over her sickened features. She shut her eyes briefly as she leaned her head into her hand.

“Everything,” she muttered while she avoided his gaze. He pulled her body towards him, She rested her head onto his chest. “I just want to sleep,” she whispered into his chest. He slowly ran his hands up and down her back while he felt his heart race.

“I can cancel my stream, and we can just lay in bed all day,” he whispered. She pulled from his chest reluctantly, looking up towards him.

“No, it’s okay,” she shook her head slightly, “Go have fun, I’m just going to sleep,” she chuckled slightly. His mouth dropped open slightly while he kept his hand rested on her waist.

“Are you sure? I mean I don’t want you to be alone or-” he asked, looking her body up and down.

“Corpse, I’ll be fine,” she smiled while he pulled her into another hug again.

“You can come sit with me while I stream if you want,”

~~~

For the past few hours she was tossing and turning trying to fall asleep again, but she was in too much pain. She slowly sat up from the bed, looking around the room. She lifted her phone and smiled at the picture of herself and Corpse. A mask covering his face, most of their pictures together were with his face covered. It made him feel better. She clicked open her phone and texted Corpse asking if he was still streaming. Resting her phone beside her, she leaned her head back slightly. Her head was pounding, honestly all she wanted to do was be with Corpse. He always made her feel better by simply being there.

Her phone went off beside her, she opened her eyes and looked towards it and read, “I am, I can stop soon, are you okay?” she smiled softly as she read it.

She responded quickly, “ehhh, can I just come in there with you?” she typed. Within seconds he responded with a simple smiley face. She chuckled as she slowly stood up. She put her phone in her hoodie pocket and continued to walk out of the bedroom. She slowly pushed open the door to his YouTube room.

He turned his head around and smiled widely before his lips fell into a pout. “Are you okay?” he whispered. His eyes widened quickly before he realized he wasn’t muted in discord or for his stream. Everyone started questioning him, “Oh, sorry, I’ll be right back,” he chuckled nervously. He muted them both.

She walked towards him, a pout to her lips. He pushed away from his desk lightly, giving her room. She took in a long breath as she slowly wrapped her legs around him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Keep playing,” she mumbled as she rested her head onto his shoulder, she shut her eyes as she relaxed.

“Okay, love,” he whispered, running his hand up and down her back slowly. He unmuted his discord and his YouTube stream as he put his headphones back on. “I’m back,” he spoke.

The next game started and Corpse was not the Imposter, so he was much calmer knowing he hopefully didn’t have to defend himself too hard. Every few seconds he would shift his gaze towards her. Noticing how she was trying not to fall asleep. He continued to run his hand up and down her back soothingly.

“So I don’t know if she wants me to say this,” he looked down towards her, noticing that she wasn’t paying attention to his words. “But my girlfriend isn’t feeling well and she’s sitting with me, so if I am a bit distracted, or quiet I don’t want to wake her,” he explained, a breathy laugh left his lips. After he spoke, a body was immediately called.

Most of the group started arguing immediately, many of them arguing about who was with who. Except Corpse unmuted himself and just shifted his attention to Y/N. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of her head for a moment. A small half smile formed to her lips as she opened her eyes briefly, looking into his. She mouthed the words “I love you,” before trying to fall asleep again. He tilted his head onto hers, a small smile to his lips.

“Corpse you haven’t said much,” Toast questioned. Corpse shook his head slightly and his eyes widened.

“Uh-um, sorry I wa- who died?” he asked and everyone bursted into laughter. “No, I was distracted,” he said through a fit of laughter. He glanced towards Y/N before quickly shifting his gaze back towards the screen.

“Distracted by what?” Rae asked hesitantly. Corpse’s eyes widened as a small nervous chuckle left his lips.

“By uhh-by” he stammered as he glanced towards his chat. “I was distracted by my girlfriend,” he said cautiously. The group laughed awkwardly. “No, no, no, not like that,” he chuckled, “She’s like asleep on me,” he giggled.

“Aw, wait that’s adorable,” Poki had said.

“Corpse, that’s so cute,” Rae responded.

“Corpse!” Sykkuno yelled.

“Guys! That’s not the point of the meeting!” Sean yelled dramatically. “Alright vote Poki!” he continued. The rest of the meeting was serious about the game but Corpse was still mainly paying attention to Y/N.

For the rest of the stream, he wasn’t playing to his fullest extent but didn’t mind, he was just glad that she wasa feeling better in his arms.

[cloudybarnes]

Slip Up

Pairing: corpse husband x reader

Summary: Trying to convince Corpse in a final three that you aren't the impostor and you accidentally slip up and call him babe

Word Count: 800

Warnings: some cursing

Main Masterlist

Corpse Masterlist

✰  ✰  ✰

Playing Among Us was something you often did with your friends. You always were streaming the game with your boyfriend Corpse and your guys’ friends. No one knew you and Corpse were dating though; he was still very nervous about telling the public about the two of you in case someone will recognize you guys.

Currently, the Among Us lobby was in the final four people. It was Corpse, you, Rae, and 5up. You were crewmate, and you knew the impostor was Rae since Corpse and 5up had med-bay scanned each other. The only tricky part was trying to convince the others that it was her.

As you ran around in search of people, you came across 5up and Corpse in the middle of Polus near storage. You wiggled your character around and giggled a little. “As long as the three of us stay together, there’s no way they should think it’s me.” You confessed to chat.

Corpse walked into storage, and before you or 5up could follow him in, Rae came from out of nowhere and sniped 5up. Quickly, you reported the body and abruptly sat up in your chair.

The meeting screen came up, and you quickly unmuted your Discord to scream, “It’s Rae! Corpse, she came out of no where and sniped 5up right before my eyes!”

“Oh no,” Corpse sighed, “why did you have to put me in this position?”

“Corpse,” you started, “I’m not the one who put you in this position. If I was impostor, I would have 100% killed you instead of 5up because I know how anxious these 50/50s make you.”

“Oh, likely story.” Rae gasped. “Just the fact that you’re saying it’s me, and I don’t even know where the body is, just shows that it’s you! I haven’t even seen you guys since the beginning of the round!”

“Rae, Corpse and 5up are completely innocent so if you were crew you should have immediately known it was me, yet you’re saying this is what pushed you to thinking it’s me? That makes no sense since I’ve known it was you since we had six people!”

Corpse interjected, “Y/n, where is this body exactly?”

“Okay, so the three of us were chilling outside of storage, you went in, I was just about to follow you when Rae comes out of nowhere and kills 5up and runs. The body is right outside of storage, like underneath it.” You explained, shifting to the edge of your seat as you see there’s 40 seconds left and no clear sign of who Corpse is going to choose.

“I wasn’t even in the area! There is no possible way for it to have been me, Y/n! You’re self reporting here.” Rae yelled as she voted for you.

You retaliated by voting for her as well. You blew out some air in frustration, “Corpse, listen to me. Why would I have killed if it was just me, you, and 5up around? That literally would be the worst move possible on my part. I would have waited for Rae to be around to kill.”

Corpse sighed, “God, this is so fucking difficult. I think I’m actually leaning towards you here, Y/n because Rae wasn’t in the area at all.”

Rae cheered, “Yes! Exactly, Corpse! I was no where near storage. Vote her out and we win.”

With only 13 seconds left, you started to panic. “No, no, no. Babe, please, you have to believe me! I swear on everything I’m not-“

“Did you just call him babe?!” Rae shouted.

“W-what?” You stammered. “I- no- just. Corpse just please vote Rae.” You sighed, embarrassed you had let it slip.

At the very last second, Corpse had voted for Rae. “I hope this is right. If not, sorry for throwing.”

You shook your head, “No, this is right, we just won. Thanks for believing me.”

The victory screen popped up as crewmates win, and the discord goes wild.

“Y/n and Corpse? You have anything you want to explain to us, or you guys good?” Poki questioned.

Corpse stumbled, “Uh, Y/n and I are together. We have been for a few months, just, you know, low key about it.”

“Yeah, we wanted to tell you guys before we told the public, but that didn’t really work out like we planned.” You awkwardly chuckled.

Sykkuno cleared his throat, “Well, I’m happy for you two.”

Corpse giggled, “Thanks, Sykkuno.”

“Okay guys, let’s not make things awkward for them,” Toast suggested, “new round starting in five.”

You sighed in relief and went back to the game, happy to finally share your relationship with your closest friends.

[teddy06writes]

Some unspoken thing

Karl Jacobs x Reader 

requested: no

Trigger warnings: mentions of covid, mild descriptions of a panic attack

premise: You and Karl have been friends, for years now, and now even your friends are starting to see that unspoken thing between you

“---” talking

‘---’ talking through a call

(y/s/n) -  your screen name

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You’d known Karl since you were at least 10, and you both agreed that you’d been together forever, through thick and thin it was always you and Karl against the world. You and your unspoken thing.

When he’d first spoken of moving away from Portland you weren’t too sure, mostly because of college, but still, you found yourself here, sprawled across a couch, exhausted from hauling boxes up to your apartment. 

“Why did we bring so much stuff?” You groaned as Karl picked up your legs long enough to sit down, then letting them drop into his lap. 

He sighed, “Don’t quote me on this, but it was you who couldn’t pack your stuff into less than 20 boxes.” 

“Yah okay Mr. ‘I can’t be bothered to even clean this laundry before I pack it up to leave’.” You scoffed.  

“That's not true! I washed most of it...” Karl trailed off pulling out his phone, “Pizza?” 

“Obviously.” 

Soon the pizza arrived and as Karl went to the door to grab it, you went and grabbed two monsters from the fridge, sitting back down in front of the couch as Karl came back with the pizza. 

“Ey I gotta pizza here!” He exclaimed, setting it down. 

“Eyyyyyyy!” You handed him one of the monsters, opening your own as he sat down, already starting to pull up an old episode of survivor. 

Once the pizza had been finished, and the left overs put away you ended up half cuddled together on the couch, your fingers softly carding through his hair. 

^^

“Hey! I’m back!” You called, looking around the seemingly empty apartment, confused, “Karl?” 

It had been a few months since, you’d moved out to North Carolina, and so far online school hadn’t been too bad even when corona hit, not with Karl and streaming to distract you from the reality of the world around you.

You went back to looking around for your friend, calling, “Hey, Karl where’d you go?” 

Sighing you followed the soft, muffled sobs to Karl’s room, knocking on the door softly, “Honey, are you in there?” 

There was silence, then a muffled, “un uh.” 

You pushed open the door gently, blinking into the mild darkness and turning to see Karl sitting on his bed, half curled into the wall and wrapped in a sweater he’d stolen from your closest a few weeks ago. 

Immediately  you crossed the room, climbing onto the bed next to him and pulling him into your arms, “Hey, hey, what’s wrong? What happened?” 

His arms drifted around your waist, burying his into your chest, “They all hate me.” He murmured. 

“Who do you think hates you?” You cooed. 

“Dream and Sapnap and everyone.”

“They don’t hate you, no one on the smp hates you.” You pressed a kiss to the top of his head, “What happened?” 

“I said somethin stupid, (y/n), I messed everything up.” 

You knew not to push any further, instead just doing your best to hold him closer, whispering, “They don’t hate you, they’d never hate you okay? It’ll all blow over and everything will be okay. I promise.” 

“What if it doesn’t (y/n)? What if I messed it up forever?” 

“You didn’t baby, you didn’t. It’s gonna be alright, I promise.” 

^^

“Ahhhhhh leave me alone!” You half shrieked, running away from Sapnap and Quackity on the dream SMP. 

‘Imposter! Imposter!’ They chanted. 

“I’m just supposed to be babysitting the chat!” You yelled, “I didn’t sign up to bully on a twitch stream! If I wanted that I would’ve been on my own stream!”

Sapnap laughed, ‘Oof! That's sad.’ 

“I know,” You said dramatically, “No one has any respect for (y/s/n), not you, not my chat, not even Karl!” 

‘We all know thats not true.’ Quackity scoffed. 

You half turned, giggling as Karl, came back into the room, “Debatable.” 

“What’s uh, whats going on?” He asked. 

“I’m being bullied, that's what's going on,” The chat started to fill with hearts and ‘(y/s/n) support.’, “Also I’ve decided since your chat likes me more than mine, so this is my stream now, I’m taking over.” 

Karl just half sighed, grabbing the chair from your desk on the other side of the office, and wheeling it over, sitting down next to you, propping his legs in your lap. 

‘(y/n) the world wants to know, how does it feel to now fill the void where Karl Jacobs once sat?’ Quackity asked, through a voice filter. 

“Well, since my dear friend Karl died,” 

“I’m not dead!” He interjected.

You sniffed, “Sometimes I can still hear his voice.”

“Dear friend?” Sapnap scoffed, “Al- Quackity look at the stream and tell me if they look like ‘dear friends’.” 

You face started to grow red, as both Nick and Alex began to catcall at you two, Karl, clearly getting confused as you ducked your head, face entirely red. 

“Whats the matter (y/n)? You got a crush?” Nick teased. 

Half covering your mouth you muttered, “Just some unspoken thing.” 

^^

“If I were to tell you that I kinda sorta didn’t listen to you, and forgot to buy more cereal, what would you say?” Karl asked, shrugging off his backpack as he came into the apartment. 

When he got no real response, he started to look around, finding you a minute later, laying on his bed, “Did’ja hear me?” 

“ehhhh... I don’t really care.” 

His brow furrowed upon hearing your monotonous, “You okay? What’s up?” 

You were still staring up at the ceiling “Grey, ‘s all grey.”

Sighing he came and sat down on the bed next to you, taking one of your hands in his, “Grey?” 

“Sad brain makes everything grey.” 

Karl fiddled with your fingers a moment, before raising them to his lips and softly pressing a kiss to your knuckles, “I’ll go make you tea.” 

He headed out of the room, leaving you to sit up and stare at the ceiling wondering what you’d done to deserve someone like him. 

He headed out of the room, leaving you to sit up and stare at the ceiling wondering what you’d done to deserve someone like him. 

A few minuets later he came back with a mug, handing it to you before he sat down behind you, wrapping his arms around you, “Is there a reason for sad brain today?” 

“Everything's just- blah. I’m just tired.” 

He didn’t need to ask to understand you didn’t mean physically, so instead he just pulled you gently to lean against his chest, pressing a gentle kiss to the edge of your jaw, “Okay?”

You knew Karl had a hard time with words sometimes, and you had long since learned how to listen for the meanings between simple phrases, and especially the weight of certain words, “Okay.” 

^^

‘So what is with you and Karl?’ Niki asked. 

You sighed, “I do not even know where to begin to answer that question.”

You were sitting in a discord call with her, originally trying to plan a joint stream but the conversation had switched.

‘I mean, if you don’t mind me saying so, it seems like your dating.’ 

“Well...” You considered it for a moment, you knew that your feelings for Karl were more than platonic, and had been for a long time, to you, it almost seemed like a fact of the world, the sky is blue, the earth is round, you loved Karl. 

“We've never talked about it, but- I suppose we- uhhh, you know what we’ll just say a little bit.” You quickly changed what you were going to say to be more ambiguous as Karl entered the room yelling, “Hi Niki!” 

‘I know you can’t hear me but hi Karl!’ She yelled back. 

You laughed, turning in your chair, “Niki says hi!” 

Karl grinned, leaning on the back of your chair, “Oh, yeah, dinners ready.”  and Niki raised her eyebrows, smirking at you.

“Don’t look at me like that.” You laughed, feeling Karl’s chin coming to rest on the top of your head. 

‘I’m not looking at anything.’ she insisted, ‘you would be a cute couple.’

Your face started to turn red, “Shut up!” 

‘It was a compliment!’ Niki laughed. 

“I know!” 

Karl’s face grew confused, “What?”

“It’s nothing. Niki I’ve gotta go, we’ll see about the stream tomorrow, okay?” 

‘yeah, bye!’ 

“Bye!” 

You disconnected from the call, “Dinner?” 

“Yeah! I managed not to burn the chicken!” 

You couldn’t help but grin, “Awesome!” 

^^

“I swear- either there both oblivious or there just really good at keeping it just hidden enough!” Dream exclaimed. 

“I mean if we don’t find out for another two weeks, I get a hundred dollars, so by all means let it drag out.” Quackity laughed. 

Sapnap groaned, “Actually its more like three hundred now, Hbomb, Skeppy and Wilbur all put in more money.” 

“Well I asked the other day,” Niki began, “and they only said, ‘a little bit’, What does that even mean?” 

“Maybe they are dating and that's (y/n)s way of dismissing it.” Tubbo said. 

You were listening to the discord call, trying not to laugh, as Tommy suggested, “Well it’s possible they are dating but like, haven’t realized it?” 

Everyone began to laugh, “Wait- wait hear me out! Hear me out! Like- you know when on like romcoms and shit where two bestfriends end up like there dating even when they technically aren’t and then they accidently kiss!” 

George scoffed, “That's not a thing.” 

“Well still!” Tommy tried to argue. 

“Not even in movies though.” Niki said. 

“Your right,” You laughed, unmuting, “We haven’t kissed yet, so it must not be a thing.” 

The vc went deadly silent as Tommy began to laugh hysterically, “Were you here the whole time?” 

“Maybe.” You laughed. 

“Wait- so are you and Karl together or not?” Dream questioned. 

“Uhhh, let you know when I find out? Do I get the money if I figure it out?” 

“Oh my god (y/n).” Tubbo was trying not to laugh himself as Tommy continued to lose his shit. 

“Yeah,” You looked over to where Karl was half asleep, leaning against you, “I’ve said it before, and I guess I’ll say it again, it’s just some unspoken thing.” 

^^

Music filled the apartment when you entered, some old song by Sinatra, and Karl was dancing around the living room as you pulled off your coat and mask. 

“Are you listening to Sinatra?” You questioned, setting the rest of your things down. 

“Come dance with me!” He giggled. 

You rolled your eyes, still smiling as you grabbed his hand, letting the other come to rest on his shoulder, “God, it’s been so long since I’ve dance.” 

“Come on, you remember don’t you?” 

You chuckled, “Back, side, forward, back. Technically this isn’t a waltzing song though.” 

“You can waltz to anything if you try hard enough,” Karl insisted, “Ready, and- one two three, one two three...” 

You fell into step, quietly humming along to the song as you moved in a slow arc around the room.

“..And- spin out...” Karl murmured, gently spinning you out to the side, and you paused for a a moment before he tugged on you arm, causing you to spin back in, finding yourself, face to face with him. 

You laughed nervously, suddenly blushing at the feeling of his arms around you. 

“What are we?” Karl asked softly, “Like, what is- this?” 

“Some unspoken thing.” Your voice was just as low, suddenly the weight of the hand resting on your lower back seeming to double.

He looked at your lips, then back at your eyes, and you nodded softly, leaning in and pressing your lips together. 

Your arms drifted around his waist as he pulled you closer, before you separated, smiling. 

“Does that mean it’s spoken now?” Karl asked. 

You grinned, “Course.” 

Later, after spending the rest of the night like any other you were cuddled up together on the couch, watching the newest episode of survivor, and you pretended not to notice as he gushed to someone through text. 

Your phone began to buzz with  venmo notifications, and Karl looked at you confused, “(y/n), why is everyone paying you?” 

You chuckled, “Reaping the benefits of our friends conspiring in a discord call that was left open.” 

After the kiss you had sent one text to a group chat; ‘I figured it out: pay up bitches.’

[machine-gun-casie]

tavern music

synopsis: corpse hears tavern music coming from your room (gn!reader)

warnings: rpf, reader gets cheated on, kind of unrequited feelings, mostly hurt/comfort and physical affection tho (what im trying to say is that this is mostly self indulgent)

wc: 1.7k

a/n: havent written in a while but i found this in my arsenal, fixed it up a bit and viola. original plans for this was definitely something longer that would end with them being together but im not up for writing rn. been feeling really shitty lately and ive been needing something like this in my life. hope u guys like it ♡

He couldn’t hear it at first. His headset was on and everyone was being so loud on the discord call. When he started the stream, he really thought it was gonna be a long one. But he’s only two hours in and he’s ready to get the hell off because something was definitely wrong.

“Corpse?” His name being spoken finally broke him out of his trance, he only hummed in response. “You’ve been really quiet. Are you sure you’re up for another game?”

“Actually,” he starts as he closes a few tabs, “I think I’ve gotta go. Today was fun, though. Thanks for having me guys.”

After a chorus of ‘goodbye’s and ‘see you later’s, Corpse disconnected from the discord call. “Thank you guys for being here,” he addressed the chat, “sorry I’m ending so early today. I promise I’ll make it up to you next time. Take care of yourselves. Later.”

After hanging up his headset and getting out of the chair he’s been sitting in for far too long, Corpse made the short trek to your room. 

You had only been roommates for less than four months, but Corpse could confidently say that you have become one of his closest friends. Getting a roommate was the last resort that he never wanted to actually resort to. But alas, medical bills were piling up and youtube and music don’t make half as much money as people think they do. So cutting rent in half was the best plan he could come up with. He did have an extra guest room that no one ever stayed in. Of course having someone move into his personal space was terrifying to him. He didn’t just want to post an ad on craigslist or something. So he asked a couple trusted friends to ask a couple trusted friends… And that’s when you came in.

You were the trusted friend of a trusted friend of a trusted friend. When you met, you didn’t make a comment about his voice. Your face sure as hell showed your surprise but you didn’t say anything. To Corpse, this meant one of two things. You either knew who he was but didn’t want to freak him out, or you didn’t know about his online persona and were just genuinely shocked by his voice. It only took a few minutes of knowing you to know that it was the latter. Thank god. You were like anyone your age with social media. You had a few accounts, followed a few people, but mostly used it to stay in contact with friends. 

It only took you guys a week to realize you had way too much in common. After many a late night when he wasn’t streaming, and many an early morning when he was just done streaming, you two became inseparable. Nothing could keep you apart.

Except for one thing.

You had a boyfriend.

There was nothing wrong with your boyfriend, per se. Just the fact that he was your boyfriend and Corpse was not. 

Yeah, Corpse definitely had feelings for you. 

But right now, feelings didn’t matter when he could hear tavern music coming from your room.

He knocked lightly and pushed the door open slowly. “y/n? Can I come in?”

No response came, just sniffles and sobs. The lack of refusal on your part gave him the courage he needed to open the door wider and step into your room. He had only been in your room a couple of times since you had moved in. But he had never been in a room that gave off the feeling of a person so well.

You were curled up on your bed, facing your open laptop screen and the tavern music coming from its speakers. With every sob shaking your chest, Corpse felt his heart break. “y/n,” he murmured softly, “what’s wrong?”

“It’s not working.” Came your reply, heavy with tears. “You said it would make you feel like you're going on an adventure but I still feel like crap.”

“What happened?” Corpse asked as he sat down on your bed, facing you. You slowly sat up and crossed your legs at your ankles in front of you.

“He-” You sighed heavily. “He cheated on me.”

“What?”

“He cheated on me -has been cheating on me- with my best friend. My little brother found out.” You groaned and dramatically dropped your head onto Corpse’s thigh. His hand immediately came in contact with your cheek as he brushed a few stray tears away.

There was rarely any physical contact between you and Corpse. Sometimes you’d give him a high five, sometimes he’d give you fist bump. And there was that one time you came up behind him at the grocery store and hugged his arm to your chest. You immediately whispered something along the lines of ‘creep won’t leave me alone’ followed by a loud ‘hey babe!’

Corpse could barely admit to himself how much he liked that.

But this? This felt good. Corpse’s large warm hand on your face somehow made you want to cry more but in a good way. The tenderness with which he held your face made your heart squeeze as it remembered moments like this with your boyf- ex boyfriend. But then it remembered your brother’s words.

“Hey, what’s up?” You spoke as you answered his call. Your brother wasn’t much of a caller, so it made you worry. 

“Hey, where are you right now?”

“I’m home, why?”

“y/n… There’s something I gotta tell you.” He sighed and you could clearly hear the guilt.

“Did you break my DS!” It was your first thought as you had given it to him the last time you had seen him. “Dude! I’ve had that since I was seven!”

“No no, I called about something else.” He cut you off mid-whine. “But also I did lose the pen.” You huffed out a sigh of frustration but stayed silent so he could tell you what he wanted to tell you. “I saw your boyfriend at the park today.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “And?” How did this warrant a phone call? 

“He was with Bob.” 

When you had met your best friend, your brother was only a toddler. He had decided that her name was Bob, so it stuck. You always called her Bob, she was saved as Bob in your phone, your whole family called her Bob. But you still didn't understand. Why was he calling you to tell you that your boyfriend and your best friend were at the park? 

“Why are you calling me about this? You know that they’re friends, right?” You let out a chuckle, albeit still pretty confused. “They’re allowed to hang out without me.” 

“They weren’t hanging out.” You could hear your brother push out a strained sigh. What wasn’t he telling you? “They were making out on the swing set. As in, both of them on one swing. And I double checked, it was definitely them. I-I told mom and she said not to tell you, but I couldn’t not tell you when I’m the one who saw it!”

You couldn’t bring yourself to say a word.

“I’m sorry, y/n.”

There was no lying to yourself, you had doubts about your best friend and your boyfriend. But you constantly brushed it off. He wouldn’t hurt you like that. Hell, she couldn’t hurt like that. Not after everything you had been through together. 

But you had seen his call log by accident one time, he called her more than he did you. She face-timed him one time to ask his opinion about a dress she was going to buy while you were in the changing room. She had done a handful of things since your relationship with your boyfriend started that made you uneasy. If this was their first kiss, which was something you doubted, then they’ve both been emotionally attached to the other for far too long.

All those tender intimate moments, all those dates, throughout everything, he wasn’t faithful. Not emotionally, at least. None of those moments that you cherished meant anything to you anymore. He had played you. With none other than your best friend since middle school. You didn’t know who to be more mad at.

The thoughts of betrayal from someone who you considered a sister and the hurt of being cheated on made you nauseated.

So when the large warm hand on your face stroked your cheek again, you didn’t mind it. This was Corpse. Not your cheating boyfriend. Not your lying best friend. Corpse. And you knew that he would never hurt you.

“He’s been cheating on me for a while I think.” You mumbled against his sweatpants. “Maybe a couple months. I don’t know.” 

Corpse furrowed his brows in thought. You had told him you were going to visit your boyfriend for your one year anniversary next week. “Weren’t you go-”

“Yeah.”

“And Bob’s been your friend since-”

“Yeah.” Your chin wobbled as you answered. You brought your arms up around Corpse’s thigh and hugged it. It was a strange position, but you didn’t care. He was so warm and nice and hugging him properly required more movement on your end than you were willing to do.

“Oh, sweetheart.” Corpse sighed and reached out to untangle your arms from his leg. He gently pulled you across the few inches of bed between you and sat you in his lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist, immediately sobbing into his shoulder. “Do you want me to turn off the music?” You shook your head no against him and he chuckled before he solemnly sighed. “When did you find out?” 

“When I came home.”

“But you came home hours ago. Have you been in here this whole time?” You nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were streaming, didn’t wanna interrupt.” You shrugged.

“y/n,” he sighed disappointedly, “you’re my best friend. I can end a stream if you need me.”

“Okay.” Your voice, broken and weak and tired, made him feel so guilty. You had been crying your heart out for over two hours just down the hall from where he was.

He gently grabbed you by your hips and tried to push you away, but you only held on tighter and whimpered. “I just wanna get you some water.”

“I don’t want water.”

“Then what do you want?”

“You.” You whispered. “Please stay.” 

Fuck. How could he say no to that?

So he stayed.

[burnedbyshoto]

I saw this one post where a person calls their dad during truth or dare using siri and siri is like "calling daddy" and the person starts screaming as someone's phone starts ringing. LIKE- IMAGINE IF THE READER DID THAT AND SHOUTO'S PHONE JUST STARTS RINGING AND CLASS-A1 STARTS SCREAMING. LIKE ALL OF THIS HAPPENS BEFORE SHOUTO EVEN KNOWS THE READER LIKES HIM AND NOW EVERYONE KNOWS THE READER HAS SHOUTO AS DADDY ON THEIR PHONE LIKE THIS SCENARIO CRACKS ME UP!! (I hope this made sense imao

warnings: crackish, 18+ characters, slight blink and miss alcohol consumption

a/n: so I read this when I first woke up and read it incorrectly, but now I see you said that they aren’t even together and I LMAOOOO OH NO THE FUCKING SECOND HAND EMBARASSMENT SHCKAODUAK readers got some big ass balls putting his contact in like that without securing the goods. excuse the errors, it was done on the phone.

— — —

you really needed to learn to stop letting your friends snoop through your phone.

the thing about mina and uraraka being allowed access to your phones passcode as your best friends meant that they also had free range in texting people back when you were busy and they were on your phone. in most situations it was never that big a problem because most texts you had to respond to were texts from deku, kaminari, your parents, or the classes group chat (and the nicknames on that group chat were self-assignable through the discord app).

but there came a day when you majorly fucked up.

“y/n!” mina yelled as you were busy changing from your hero costume to your casual wear, the long day at work finally over.

“yeah?” you answer back, only slightly distracted with figuring out if the slightly singed fabric was enough to request a new one. you looked over at mina who had been in the middle of responding back to kaminari about how no, you didn’t want to be his assistant for a magic trick he just learned, but minas typical soft smile was a deceiving, tainted smirk. “...mina?”

“who’s daddy?”

if your heart and stomach could drop to your toes, in this very moment it did as you threw yourself at the smirking acid user, voice already screaming as you tried to rip your phone from her hands. the two of you wrestled for your phone, voices screaming:

“give it back!”

“tell me who it is!”

“none of your damn business!”

“ow, my boob!”

“ow, my face!”

“WHO’S YOUR DADDY Y/N!”

eventually the two of you were broken apart but you held onto your phone.

for two months, mina pestered you about who it was, thankfully, she did it in a way were of wasn’t spread through your old classmates like wild fire. she pestered, and pestered, but you were equally stubborn. you wouldn’t give.

but you should had seen it coming when the since graduated class of 1-a arrived at momo’s apartment for a get together. why you agreed to play truth or dare should have been your clue to simply say “no.”

eventually, the universe was not in your favor, and with the slight calming buzz of the alcohol in your blood, minas gold eyes set on you with all but the fierceness of a lioness corning a bloodied, dying antelope.

“y/n, truth or dare?”

there was only ten of you (you, mina, uraraka, tokoyami, shoji, kaminari, kirishima, sero, hagakure, & mineta) playing the game, the other ten were by the tv watching as bakugou and deku played one another on some retro all might game.

“like hell imma fall for that you asshole, dare!” you exclaimed confidently, knowing full well what her truth would be. but unfortunately for you, the inevitable was still to come, your brain cells were just not working.

“I dare you to repeat after me,” mina spoke loudly, and you nodded, readying yourself for whatever she might say. “hey siri!”

“hey siri,” you spoke, your phone immediately lighting up at the sound of your command.

“call dad.”

“call dad,” you parrot, but then your blood runs cold. oh no, your dads contact had been changed to a set of emojis recently and when your body immediately reacted to turning off the phone, mina snatched it out of the way, pressing speaker as she does so.

“calling daddy.” came siri’s robotic voice and the ten in the circle immediately began to scream.

“MINA GIVE IT BACK!”

“NEVER!”

“what’s going on here?!” iida shouts from the tv area, his eyes wide with worry and needing to know the information of why ten people were screaming their heads off. “why are you yelling?!”

“SIRI IS CALLING Y/N’S DADDY AND ITS NOT THEIR DAD!” kaminari yells above the noise and instantly the crowd of a loud ten becomes rowdy twenty, everyone demanding to know who the fuck it was in their own way.

the ringing suddenly stops, embarrassed hot tears spilling over your eyes as you pray to whatever deity existed in the world that the contact of the person daddy held didn’t pick up.

but the soft breathing on the other side of the line seemed to echo through the room as everyone fell quiet immediately.

“hello, y/l/n?” comes the undeniable, irrefutable familiar voice of the one and only todoroki shouto and nineteen pairs of eyes fall on you. “everything okay?”

your heartbeat is hammering in your throat, and the cruel, sly grin of mina makes you want to cry as she pleasantly hands you your phone, as if nothing of controversy was happening.

“I-I’m okay,” you nearly whimper, shame digging into your shoulders nearly sinking you six feet under while your friends seemed to grow devil horns and glinting smirks. “was just... everyone’s wondering where you are, so I decided to call.”

you’re positive shouto nods from the other side, and you can feel the small smile from his voice as he speaks next, “i’m nearly here, actually. sorry, there was an incident with my filing at the agency. i’m not holding up anything, am I?”

“no, um... everyone’s just wanting to see you now.”

“you can say you miss me,” he teases gently and you swear a fire erupts on your face at the way the nearby gazes erupt in devilish glee. “i’m five minutes out, i’ll be there soon, no worries.”

“i’m not the one missing you!” your voice squeaks in your obvious denial. “everyone else does!”

“mhm.”

“it’s true!” you exasperates, your eyes pleading at mina who, despite absolutely soaking up your embarrassment and awkward flirting with who she knows is your crush, feels a tinge of sympathy.

“yeah! hurry up already todo-kun! we have to set the new record for DDR again!” mina yells loudly despite the quiet, quiet room.

“oh, hi ashido,” shouto greets before making a finalizing noise, the teasing in his tone vanished. “well, i’ll hang up, be there soon.”

“okay, yeah, see you then.”

“bye.”

“bye.”

the phone screen brightens again with the ended call, and never have you ever felt this embarrassed underneath the scrutinizing gazes of your closest friends.

“so...” jirou snickers, her teeth digging into her lower lip in a failed attempt to not laugh. “todoroki is your daddy?”

“SHUT UP!!!!!”

by the time shouto arrives to the get together, he’s impossibly confused with what’s going on, but they don’t let anything slip up, even when he goes to join you later on that night. they know better. they know you’re just friends.

[ohmyitsfaith]

Part 6: Friendly stream

Between the holidays, you and PJ decided to finally play a game together on stream.

"Okay, but like what?" he asked as he sat down next to you on the couch.

"Good question. I don't know yet" you answered as you looked through your twitter feed to see if anyone recommended anything.

"We need multiplayer games" they said.

"I am aware PJ" you sighed and scrolled down.

"Wait! There" he stopped you and you immediately lifted your hand from the mouse. "What about Stardew Valley? It has co-op and you always wanted me to play it."

"Why didn't I think of that?" you questioned yourself. "That's the perfect game!"

"Alright, so it is decided" the got up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" you looked up at them.

"I'm gonna quickly buy and download the game. Then we can start streaming" he smiled.

"But Peej!" you tried to stop them, but they were already in their room. So you just sighed and headed to your room.

You set up the stream and launched the game. When PJ messaged you that he was done, you started the stream.

"Hey guys" you greeted and watched as more and more people started coming in. "Hello everyone, good to see you. Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrated."

You watched the chat go by and soon the questions about the stream started coming in.

"We're gonna play Stardew Valley with PJ" you explained. "Yeah, I just thought I'd let them greet their chat first."

PJ was faster at calling you through discord tho.

"Oop, here we go" you said and you answered the call. "Hi Peej."

"Hi. Ready to start?"

"Born ready" you smirked. "I'll set up the game and send you the link."

"Alright" they agreed.

"Okay what should the name of our farm be?" you asked him.

"Oh, uh… I don't know. How about Daisy Hollow?"

"Did you search cute farm names?" you joked. "Alright, Daisy Hollow it is. What animal do you want? There are cats and dogs."

"Cat, obviously. Is there a grey one?" he asked.

"Yep. Okay which farm type? We can have four corner, standard, riverland, beach, hill top and even forest" you listed.

"I think maybe standard. So I can get used to it" they explained.

"Alrighty. I'll start the game and send you the link in a few."

Not even a few minutes later, PJ was standing in the game running circles around you.

"Yay! Okay, we have parsnips to plant" you told him. "You have your own tools, let's get to it."

You showed him the basics and explored the town together.

"Aw, here's Maru wifu" you smiled and greeted her.

"Wow, Y/n, you just met her" PJ joked.

"Technically in another universe, we're married and have an adorable kid together" you explained. "So she's my wife."

"Are you gonna marry her this game?" they asked.

"I don't know yet. We'll see."

A few days into the game, PJ started getting the hang of it. He really enjoyed the fishing and mining. You did most of the farming, but you helped out with fishing.

"How do you catch so many fish?" they asked.

"I have a mod that skips the fishing mini game. After not being able to catch literally any harder fish in the game, I had enough and downloaded the mod" you explained.

"Ah. I get it. But it's also fun" they said.

"I mean sure. For a while. But you just wait until you try to catch a Legend."

Time passed by quickly and you found yourselves already 12 days in.

"Damn, it's been a long time since we started streaming" you sighed and rubbed your eyes as you glanced at the time.

"Yeah. Should we finish?" PJ asked.

"No, wait. One last day. Tomorrow is the egg festival. And I want to beat Abigail in the egg hunt" you explained quickly.

"But it's almost nine…" he started.

"Please Peej" you requested and looked into the camera with your best puppy eyes even tho he couldn't see you.

"Alright, alright" they sighed. "But that's the last day."

"Thank you" you smiled and went back to some last minute farm work before the clock hit 1am.

"But you should get to your house" they said.

"Just this one tree" you got out before finally cutting down the tree and you started racing towards the house closest to you.

Turns out it was PJ's and you quickly slipped in next to him.

"Sleepover!" you shouted as you clicked on the yes option.

"You always do this" they sighed.

"Yeah, well, I'm the reason our farm looks great. I cut trees and grass and stone and I build the farm buildings" you listed.

"Who earns the money you spend on farm things?" they questioned. "Me!"

"So? That does not mean I cannot just slip in your bed" you shouted out, before laughing. "That did not come out good."

"No it didn't" he laughed too.

"But you know what I mean."

"I do. But please click on continue" they pleaded.

You giggled again and clicked the button. The day of revenge arrived. First you had to water the crops tho, so you sorted that out.

"The Egg Festival has started" you read. "Here I come. Abigail, fear me! This revenge is going to taste so sweet. You won the egg hunt instead of me three times, but I'm here to take your place" you ranted, making PJ laugh as you entered the festival. "I'll be the one- ooh, strawberries. How much should I buy?" you switched.

"I don't know. How much does it cost? Is it even worth it?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. We'll use speed grow on it and they'll be ready in no time. Also, it's money" you sang the word. "So yeah. How much?"

"Maybe around ten? Can we afford it?"

"Yep" you nodded. "Okay, back to the revenge."

PJ chuckled and you walked around, greeting everyone before you started the countdown to the hunt.

You were subconsciously mumbling all throughout the egg hunt, which PJ enjoyed listening to. In the end, you were sitting on the edge of your seat.

"Come on Lewis! Say it! Who won?" you were almost shouting at your screen, really wanting to win the game.

"Calm down, Y/n" PJ sighed.

When the screen said your name, you jumped from your seat and pressed a button on your stream deck to start the celebratory music. You danced a bit to the music, very happy that you finally beat Abigail.

"Congrats" PJ laughed.

"Hell yeah! Thank you everyone! This is a great honor" you smiled and sat down in your chair. "This means a lot to me. I'd like to thank my father…"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get home" your best friend stopped you.

"Alright" you sighed and did what he said.

You both got to bed and ended the day. You both closed the game.

"Thank you PJ for playing. This was so great" you thanked them.

"Honestly I really enjoyed it. We definitely have to stream again" he smiled.

"Definitely. Well, see you in a bit" you said your goodbye.

"Yep, see you!" they replied and you hung up on discord.

"Well guys, thank you all so much for joining us in this madness. Thank you to all the subs and gifters and the bits as well" you looked at the chat. "I don't know when we'll stream again, but I'll be sure to tweet. Let's see who's streaming."

You looked at who was online and found someone playing Stardew Valley.

"Alright, we're gonna raid a Stardew streamer. They seem to be having fun and their farm is coming along nicely. So, be nice guys" you warned them. "Join the raid and I'll see you guys soon."

You ended the stream and joined the raid. The person you decided to raid was really nice and they kind of freaked out when they saw the amount of people. After the heat of the raid died down, you switched your computer off and stood up. You stretched before going out to the living room, where PJ was already sat.

"What should we have for dinner?" they asked, not even looking up.

"I think just bread, because I ain't cooking anything" you plopped down next to them and their arm went around your shoulder immediately.

"Alright, bread it is" he sighed. "But seriously, the game was so much fun."

"I agree. Kinda sad that we had to stop" you sighed.

"You're addicted."

"You'll be too, don't worry" you smiled at them and you gently slapped their thigh before getting up. "Let's eat dinner. I'm starving."

<Previous | Masterlist | Next>

[spooklore]

Souls and Spirits - Reader x Spencer Reid

A/N: Welcome to my first publicly posted fanfiction in almost 6 years! I wrote this  @imagining-in-the-margins​ ‘s Discord fic swap and it was so much fun to write. Thank you to everyone who helped :) 

SUMMARY: The (season 7) BAU Team is out at a bar after a case rough case and the female bartender catches Spencer's eye and a little more.

CATEGORY: Fluff and soft smut

WORD COUNT: 3.6k

-------------------------------------------------

Spencer POV:

It was a long day, long case, long flight, and now I’m sitting through a long dinner.

I was reciting the words of one of our witnesses over, and over in my mind while the team chatted away. My thoughts were screaming the words of a young woman from our case who had just found out that her boyfriend had killed half a dozen women. While I stood on the other side of the interrogation room’s double sided glass the woman mumbled, “What do you say to someone you thought was your soulmate?” and for some reason it stuck with me more than the previous cases.

I partially snapped back to the table conversation so I could hear Garcia giggle and the rare, but welcome, Hotch laugh overlapping. I looked up to Morgan starting right at me, furrowing his eyebrows. I knew this damned look. He was about to call me out in front of the team. Usually I was good at picking up on the conversation and spitting out my own side of the conversation but I wasn’t quick enough.

“C’mon pretty boy, really? What planet are you on that you’re not even talking about Halloween. I’m the one who should be zoning out over here.” He jokingly scoffed at me, then took a drink from the scotch glass he was holding.

“Sorry, I got caught up in the case.” I laughed and shrugged it off. [elaborate]

Prentiss bumped her elbow into my shoulder since she was the one sitting closest to me. “Let me catch you up. The team. JJ and Hotch are bringing their boys, Sergio isn't invited-”

“Even though I bought him the sweetest pumpkin hat for his tiny little head!” Penelope exclaimed before Emily could finish her sentence. Everyone, including me, just stared at her until we all broke out in a contagious laughter.

“I think he would look quite snazzy, Emily.” I chimed in, flashing Emily a soft smirk. Emily sighed, “I promise I will send a picture to everyone then. I would say the party could be at my place but I’m sure the candy is much better in Rossi’s neighborhood!”

“I’m only giving out candy after everyone has had at least two drinks. It makes everything a little more interesting on the adult side while we admire the fine costumes that come across my porch.” Rossi inserted the plans.

I ran my fingers along the hem of the napkin sitting on my lap. “That sounds like a wonderful time…” I looked up and met eyes with JJ. “As long as Henry’s costume isn't too spooky.”

JJ’s face lit up and she reached her hand out to meet my left hand, which was resting next to my drink, and gave it a squeeze. “Prepare yourself, Spence. It’s going to be the scariest costume yet!”

I gave her a big smile in return before grabbing my drink and giving it a sip. Morgan started talking about some hockey team with Hotch and Garcia while I asked JJ about Will's new job.

We got all of our checks and started quieting down before Rossi announced to us, “I hope you all are able to take care of your checks. But maybe I can take care of your drinks as we migrate to the nearest bar?”

The team let out personal cheers and thank you’s. Once the waitress had brought back our cards and change we all stood and started making our way out of the restaurant.

“Maybe while Aaron and I make our way back home we will find a nice hole in the wall with quiet music and serves a good malt, oh wait. They’ve been run out by those techno and indie bars you all like.” Rossi rolled his eyes before exchanging kisses on the cheeks. Hotch and I exchanged a smile and the two men made their way back to their cars.

Garcia linked arms with Morgan and JJ and put her arm around Emily, leaving me to trail behind the group. They continued their chatter as I followed them down the street. The ladies continued dancing to whichever bar caught their eyes while Derek shot glances back at me to make sure I wasn’t too far behind.

Soon enough Penelope hollered at the group to corral us through the doors of a bustling, neon-lit club. Derek followed me in and placed his hand on my back before whispering in my ear, “You better find someone or else I will.” As if it were a threat.

I sat on a stool and ordered a club soda and lime from the bartender, everyone else chiming in with their orders after mine.

Garcia was settling in next to me while Prentiss, JJ, and Morgan stood with their drinks next to her. I slid in a few comments here and there to let the team know that I wasn’t still entirely thinking about what the victim had said to me earlier that day.

Before I could finish my thought; Garcia grabbed my wrist and used my hand to point in the direction of what could only be described, in her words, as ‘chocolate thunder striking down the dance floor’.

We shared a laugh at the sight of Morgan grinding against three women who were enjoying every moment. JJ and Emily audibly cringed.

“Spence, why don’t you follow him out there?” JJ joked as she nudged my shoulder. Emily giggled as she pushed on the other side of me as she loudly whispered in my ear, “Oh, come on! I need to live vicariously through the youthfulness of being single.”

“You’re not in a relationship, Emily.” I tried to banter but I had to speak over her defensive response, “Actually, Sergio is a cat. Nice try. Why don’t you give the floor a spin.”

“I think the floor is spinning already…” Penelope stuttered while gripping onto her barstool. Emily grabbed Garcia’s shoulders and shouted “Or you’ve been taking the shots that were meant for everybody!” Emily helped Penelope off the chair and started to guide her towards the bathroom.

JJ patted my back as she claimed Garcia’s seat and watched the two ladies stumble away. I sipped my drink, wishing for the bitterness of alcohol but in return feeling the tarte lime hit the back of my throat. I felt so alone in this club that trickled with my friends and coworkers.

There was a female bartender who was working at the other end of the bar who caught my eye. She was shaking a cocktail over her shoulder while laughing. I looked back down at my drink.

The silence I shared with JJ didn’t last long. Morgan was swaying back towards us, shaking the ladies off and leaving them in his wake. “Pretty boy or JJ. One of you better take my hand or I pick who’s dancing with me.” My eyes darted directly over to JJ, whose eyes never locked contact with the man who offered.

“I believe this little lady is long overdue from a night out,” Morgan whisked JJ off her barstool and she giggled and waved to me. I waved back to hear Morgan tell JJ, “Will doesn’t take you out enough does he?”

I stirred my drink as indeed, now I was truly alone. Emily was probably holding back Penelope’s hair and jewelry while JJ and Derek were losing themselves in the sea of bodies. It didn’t distract me from feeling the exhaustion wave over me. I stabbed at the ice and lime at the bottom of my glass with a small black straw.

I zoned in on the noise of the ice clinking against the glass over the irritating, base-heavy club music. The stirring grounded me from the stimulation all around me.

That's when I notice a hand with manicured nails tapping the bar top in front of me.

“Hey, you probably didn't hear me! Want another drink?” I looked up to see the female bartender from before standing right in front of me. She smiled big and shyly I returned it. “I-I’m sorry, yeah. Uh. Yes please. Virgin lime and tonic.” I managed to stutter.

“Are you pregnant? If so congrats! You’re glowing. Coming right up, dear.” The young woman danced around the other bartender to get rid of my old glass and grab a clean one.

I was confused why she thought I was a woman conceiving even though I was a man. I understand that ordering non-alcoholic drinks while at a club with friends seems off putting. Instead of worrying about the topic any longer I shook my head and looked back up at her.

She wiped the glass with the apron around her waist, before chatting up her coworker while building my drink. She had an infectious smile, I had to keep myself from being caught staring.

The bartender leaned over and placed my drink in front of me. “Here’s your drink! My name is Y/N so if you need anything-” Someone put their hand on my back which caused me to jump and spill my drink in front of me and onto the bartender.

JJ laughed and grabbed her drink from earlier and giggled while saying “Nice one, Spence.”

Reader POV:

The club soda and lime wedge had spilled onto my shirt, ice falling into my apron pockets.

“I’m so sorry!” The curly-haired man explained and grabbed the stack of napkins next to me to mop up the eight ounces of liquid.

“It’s okay, I’m always prepared for instances like these.” I joked while taking off my apron and dumping the ice out of the pockets. My mind flooded with emotions. I was frustrated. Why did I have to lean against the bar to get closer to this man I didn’t know. I was annoyed. Now my clothes are wet and I have to go change.

What clouded my mind the most was the image of the blonde woman who touched him so affectionately.

By the time I had set my apron on the table behind the bar I had looked back up at the man who locked eye contact with me. He had soft, hazel eyes that looked at me apologetically.

“I’m going to try to find Morgan again.” The blonde woman patted his shoulder and walked off to the floor.

I looked back down at the wad of sopping wet napkins and started throwing them away.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me. Is there any way I can help you?” He searched my eyes for an answer but something let me know he already knew what I wanted.

“I’m not… sure.” I touched my wet work jeans trying to figure out my plan. I had soaking wet pants, without my apron it looks like I had embarrassingly wet myself.

I caught the man in the corner of my eye glancing, scanning me up and down.

“Well, I could help you get out of those pants?” He stuttered while suggesting, a sly smirk growing on his face.

I tried to hide my blushed cheeks from him but I was intrigued. Anyways it was nearly the end of my shift and I couldn’t care less about this job. Part of me chimed in, the good and moral part of me. Why would you risk this fun and great paying job for a man you just met.

But I’ve never felt a stronger feeling of complete sureness about a person like this before.

I am sure he is my person.

I wiped up my hands and placed them on the bar table in front of me.

“Would you really? That would be great actually.” I looked up and smiled at him. All I saw was this shaggy-haired man with a goofy smile on his face staring straight back at me.

He started to stammer before saying, “Wait… really? I mean I would it’s just… aren't you working?”

I laughed and looked over my shoulder at my coworker and shouted at him. “Hey Mike! Is Peter here yet?” I saw him give me a strong nod. “Guess my cover-” By the time I looked back over at the man who was sitting across from me, the words fell out of my mouth.

He wasn’t there. In his place was left a napkin with writing on it. I grabbed the napkin that was slightly damp and scrawled in pen it read,

Check your apron pocket.

I fumbled for my apron that was hanging to dry over the bar rail. I dug my hands into what I thought were empty pockets and found a business card. It read:

SSA Dr. Spencer Reid - FBI BAU Profiler.

Oh my god, he’s a Fed. I’m guessing a really smart one too. Plus some sort of magician.

I flipped the business card over and there was more writing on it in the same pen.

Meet me out front when you’re done.

My mind was scrambling for how much I wanted to see him. Part of me tried to reason, why would I drop everything for someone's name I had to learn through their business card? The arguably better side of me screamed for him.

I ran to clock out and grab my bag. Mike stopped me as I saw Peter taking over my section of the bar in the corner of my eye.

“Hey, everything alright? If you’re in a hurry you can just grab your tips tomorrow. Text me if you need anything. Have fun out there, kid.” He patted my back and nudged me. “Go get him.”

“Thank you Mike! See ya!” I smiled and waved goodbye to them and started to push through the people. Usually I’d slip through the back door but pushing through people seemed safer than walking through a dark alley alone.

But with an FBI agent, I think I might be safe. I had a really great feeling about it anyways.

I pushed the door and felt the brisk fall wind hit my face as I walked outside. I didn’t care for how cold I was, I was looking for him.

I scanned the streets and saw him standing underneath a street lamp and he looked back at me with the biggest smile. I have to admit that it was quite contagious.

I walked up to him and shined under the street lamp with him. Before I could even say hello he started apologizing.

“I’m really sorry again. I see that you got my note, which is good. I was worried about the pen bleeding from the melting ice.” He chuckled.

“It’s okay! Please, it happens more often than I’d like to admit. I can say I’ve never had such a polite and attractive person spill a drink on me.” I looked down at my shoes in slight embarrassment for being so bold, but hey. When am I not.

“If it took me spilling a drink on you to meet then I’m sure it was worth it.” He caught my attention again, making me laugh.

“I would let you do it again, I mean. Only if I wasn’t wearing my favorite jeans.” I gestured to the slightly wet stain on my black jeans.

He shared my humor and laughed along with me. “I hope I can make it up to you. I’m sure you read the card, but my name is Spencer.”

“I did catch onto that! And my name is-” He cut in and said “Y/N.”

“You have quite the memory! Let me guess, it’s the reason you’re a doctor?” I giggled.

“Yes, but not really a doctor. I have three doctorates though.” He spoke with his hands, justifying his genius-ness.

I nodded and tried not to think about my bachelor’s degree that sat on a shelf collecting dust. “May I ask, were those other FBI agents with you earlier?’

“Yes. It was my team, they’re great. I told them I was leaving anyway.” He shuffled his feet.

Part of me sighed in relief knowing that the blonde woman was just a coworker. I watched him glance over at the door, I’m sure watching out to see if his team would come looking for him. “How about we get out of here?” I grabbed my keys out of my purse.

“I don’t really drive, but we can go back to my apartment if you would like?” He looked back at me with a soft smile.

I told him I would love to drive and we walked back to my car which was just around the block. We were laughing and chatting the entire time, he climbed into the passenger seat of my car and I started the car.

“You can put your address in the GPS.” I looked up at his puzzled face as he stared at the GPS navigation touch screen. “Or I can do it for you if you’re scared of it.”

We shared a laugh before I admitted, “Don’t worry. It kinda scares me too.”

The entirety of the twenty minute ride back to his place felt so… natural. Like we’ve done this a million times before.

He walked me upstairs to his apartment and unlocked the door, letting me in first. I took in the sight of his small library that had taken over his apartment. Before going any further I took my shoes off and placed them right by the door.

“Make yourself at home.” He smiled and walked over to a record player and picked out a vinyl with a worn cover, placed it on the turntable, and set the needle on the record.

I was looking at all of the beautiful books and art as the dulcet sounds of soft jazz filled the deep emerald green walls of his cozy home.

Spencer whisked me around and caught me in his arms. I looked back up into his eyes and adored how his eyes complimented the entirety of his aesthetic.

He moved one of his hands to my lower back as I kept my hands pressed against his chest. “You look beautiful.” He said softly.

“Who knew I’d land a date with a handsome man in my work clothes?” I pawed at the cuff of my t-shirt.

He looked down at his attire, “Well these are my work clothes too.” He gestured with his eyes towards his grey suit.

We laughed as we swayed slightly to the music. I playfully tugged on his tie and stared back into his soft eyes. “Remember how you promised you’d help me out of these?”

“Trust me, Y/N, I would never forget.” He grabbed the back of my head and leaned in.

Spencer’s lips locked onto mine and devolved into a small kiss. My heart was beating fast and before I could clear my head from the euphoria, he guided me towards his room.

His room was cozy and he directed me to lay out on his bed. I got onto his bed and laid out for him. Spencer couldn’t wait to get his hands on me and the feelings were mutual.

I undid my belt and he took over with his much larger hands, undoing the button and unzipping the zipper.

He leaned in and kissed me again as he started to shuffle my pants off. I arched my back to help with the process. He carefully set them on the ground and untied his tie and opened a button on his shirt.

I whined softly as he dragged his hands down my thighs, grabbing the back of his neck and bringing him for another kiss.

His kisses were insanely addictive, I was getting drunk off of his love.

He started to take off his vest and shirt as I took off my own. Spencer’s eyes never left mine or my body. As he pulled off his pants he took a moment to soak in what was laying on his bed.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” He spoke in an almost gravely tone. I smiled as my entire body tingled while he climbed on top of me.

His lips dived towards mine and crashed together in a moment of complete unison. I ran my hands through the curls on the back of his head, feeling his hands creep up towards my chest.

Our tongues swirled in dopamine through our heavy breathing. Time felt like it was going by so fast as we discovered each other's bodies. He was thin and slightly sculpted but strong.

He grabbed my hips and brought me down further on the bed to be level with his face. Spencer stopped for a second and looked deep into my eyes. “Is this going too fast?”

I moved my hands from his back to grip the arms that were standing on either side of me. “Only if you think it's going too fast. We don't have to do this tonight.” I looked back into his eyes trying to understand what was going on in his brilliant mind.

“I hope it doesn't bother you, Y/N. You’re still more than welcome to stay.” He softly offered as he laid on the bed next to me.

I rolled over and stared right back into his soft hazel eyes. “Spencer, I hope I’m not speaking too quickly, but we have the rest of our lives to enjoy more moments like these.”

He cupped my face with his hands and kissed me on the forehead. I closed my eyes and heard him whisper,

What do I say to someone who is my soulmate?

------------

[absolute-flaming-trash-archive]

Hi

I am very hungover and tired

However, I didn’t make the post I properly wanted to make for New Years for drunk reasons.

Getting sappy once again under the cut

Last year sucked major ass, I (as well as a lot of others) went through hell and back, but I will say the one amazing thing that came out of it were the people I met and the friends I made while finally deciding to publish my work. If I miss you, I am so sorry, I still love you to death.

My followers and readers

Y’all actually stick with me and like what I write, and I am eternally grateful for that. Y’all honestly have no idea how happy it makes me when I see someone new has liked one of my posts, and then I get a follow notification. The comments and tags always make me feel so fuzzy and warm, and it’s the biggest boost of serotonin ever. It’s given me a new sense of purpose in a way, and a new sense of joy that you enjoy my writing.

I know I don’t get a lot of interaction, but whenever I see someone in the inbox or a new dm from someone, I feel a lil honored that that person took the time out of their day to do that.

My mutuals and discord server friends

My dudes

You all literally cracked me out of my shell a lil bit, and I don’t say that lightly. I used to lurk and one day out of a moment of bravery I messaged one of y’all and ended up in a discord server, and now I’m here. Y’all crack me the hell up and encourage me to do the dumbest things ever, but it’s all for laughs and it brings me so much happiness.

You also put up with my bug rants whenever they come up, and I cannot express how happy it makes me when y’all engage with me on that and don’t just go “ew gross”.

My closest friends on here

@prettycutebunny - My complete and utter ride or die, my day is literally not complete if I do not talk to you. You have boosted my confidence in my writing and in myself so much, and you have just been such a joy in my life that I cannot thank you enough for keeping up with my dumbass. You have also made me afraid of opening up dm’s with people around because I’m afraid there’s just gonna be a picture of Hiso and I’m gonna be a blushing mess, but goddamnit I still love you for it. Genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being my friend. I love you more than you know.

@shorkbrian - I honestly don’t know where to begin with you, my friend, but I you were one of the first people I messaged on here that was in a different fandom from my main one; and even if it was for apologizing for mixing up your pronouns, holy moly in a way I’m glad I did because I ended up gaining one of the sweetest people in the world as a friend. Your writing is so indescribably incredible. You give me such a rush of happiness when I see notifications from you, and one of my new favourite activities is watching horror movies with you over discord. You’re an absolute gift of a person in my life, 10000/10, lub you <3 and would cosplay with you.

@needygirl17 - My girl. You are such a complete joy to me, and I do not regret taking on the role of New Mom to you at all. Your talent never ceases to amaze me, and the amount of detail and thought and devotion that goes into your work is mind-blowing. You are so kind to me and understanding, and I will never take that for granted. You’re just as much an inspiration to me as you say I am to you. I love you dearly, you deserve everything in life.

@mynameseri - Another one of the first people I talked to on here, and the fact that I was afraid to talk to you at first makes me fucking laugh now, because I literally had nothing to be afraid of. Your responses when I was your Horny Jail Anon, and when we started actually talking showed me that you’re such a kind and endearing person, even when life is treating you like hell, and I vibe with that so much. I’m very glad that I met you, and I love ya.

@trash-writings - Okay so here’s the thing, not only are you one of the most talented writers I’ve ever seen, but the just “no nonsense” attitude you have has really showed me how to stand up for myself more, and that it’s okay to be a lil mean occasionally if it means saving your mental health even if I fail at that miserably. I’m never ever bored when I talk to you, and you just have these pearls that drop in the chat that make me smile like an dumbass. You inspire the outright hell out of me constantly, and I will never stop screaming in your tags.

@my-child-gaara - An absolute fucking gem of a person, and one of the first people I talked to on here. Your tags were just too damn good for me not to message you directly and just talk to you. You’re just wonderful, my guy, I honestly don’t know what else more I can say since I am terrible at expressing how I truly feel.

@trassh-senpai - Fellow person interested in bugs, and another one of the first people I talked to. You never fail to crack me up, even if it’s with things you’ve dealt with at work, or dumb Carl Wheezer memes but I swear to god. I appreciate the heck outta you, and you’re truly a treasure to talk to. You work very hard, and you never cease to amaze me.

More people I completely adore but I can’t write more because I’m tired

@yep-seeyalaterbranflakes, @crispycrimebrulee, @azelmawrites, @trashscenariihxh, @hisokapegger, @hisoillusandwich, @moxcrow

Again if I didn’t name you it’s not intentional, ya girl is very tired.

Y’all mean the world to me, and I can’t express it enough.

I’m so glad I met you.

All of you.

[gryffindorcls]

That’s The Way the Sugar Cookie Crumbles

Hello, lovely readers!

This is a gift for Lazycat881 from the Adrien Protection Squad Discord Secret Santa Exchange.

Enjoy!

---

AO3

FanFiction

---

Adrien tapped the table with his fork while he and Kagami sat in silence. She took a sip of her water, looked up, and sighed.

“Hey, Kagami,” he said, clearing his throat, “I was wondering if you were available next Saturday night. My dad’s company is having this holiday party at the Grand Paris Hotel, and he told me that I could bring someone. It’s not usually like him to say stuff like that, and…”

“Adrien,” she interrupted, “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh? Is it about the party? Because it won’t really be all that different from the other events we’ve had to go to in the past.”

“No, it’s not about the party. I don't really know how to say this, so I’m just going to be honest with you. I think we should go back to being friends.”

Adrien set down the fork and cocked his head to the side. “Wait...are you breaking up with me?”

“That would require us actually being together.”

“Are we not...together? We’ve been going on dates, right? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure that this is a date. You’re my girlfriend.”

Kagami crossed her arms. “Technically I am, but you’ve been hesitant to call me your girlfriend since day one. When we hold hands, it’s like touching your wax statue at the museum. It doesn’t feel real. All of this feels fake. It’s as if you’re an actor who’s playing the part of a boyfriend instead of actually being one.”

“But we’re dating. When people go on dates together, it’s called dating.” The confusion swirling around in his brain was slowly turning into hurt. “I still don’t understand what I did to make you want to leave me.”

“First of all, I’m not leaving you. I’m just changing the dynamic of our relationship. Second, you did everything right. You were the perfect gentleman. I can tell that you really tried to make this work, but the longer I’m with you, the more I realize that we aren’t meant to be. When I told you that I was in love with you, I acted without hesitation. I’m starting to see now, that I was wrong in doing that.”

“So, you don’t love me?”

“Not like I thought I did. Adrien, you will always be special to me, and I really hope that we can stay friends. I cherish your companionship; however, I now realize that I was romantically in love with the idea of you...not the real you.”

He could feel hot tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. “I’ll try harder.”

She reached across the table and took his hand. “No, I don’t want that. I was the stupid one who fell in love with someone who was in love with somebody else. I can tell that you’re not actually happy in this relationship. It would be selfish of me to stand in the way of your happiness. I see that now.”

“Kagami…”

“Adrien, do you love me?”

He avoided her gaze. “Love is a complicated thing.”

“And yet, you have no trouble loving this other girl.”

“But...I…how did you know? I did my best to forget about her. I would never go after someone else while dating you.”

“I know that, but that’s not fair to either of us. I don’t think I could be happy in a relationship where I’m taking you away from somebody else. I need to be with someone who just wants to be with me. It’s not your fault. We can’t help who we fall in love with.”

Adrien hung his head. “It doesn’t matter...the girl I love doesn’t even love me back.”

Kagami threw her head back and laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Umm...no, I’m not.”

“What on earth gave you the idea that she doesn’t like you? She’s head over heels for you.”

“But...you don’t even know her.”

“She’s one of my closest friends.”

A thousand different thoughts slammed against Adrien’s mind. “How would Kagami know about my crush on Ladybug? I deleted all those pictures off my phone. And she can’t possibly know I’m Chat Noir...and Ladybug would never tell anyone her identity. Unless...that’s why she’s Ryuko. Maybe it was an accident?”

“Is that why she chose you?”

“To be my friend? Well, the game chose us to be together, but she and I both agreed to keep spending time with each other when it was all over. However, I did let her choose the restaurant when we went to lunch yesterday.”

“Wait...you told me that you were going to lunch with Marinette yesterday.”

“Yeah, I did. Who did you think I was talking about?”

Adrien suddenly felt very warm. “Oh, I...uhh...I thought you figured out that I was in love with a girl who I work with.”

Kagami shook her head. “No, that’s not right. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Now you’re confusing me again. How does that not make sense?”

“Are you telling me that you’re not in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Marinette is a very good friend.”

“That sounded as fake as the smile on your face during our last interview together.”

Adrien scoffed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rolling her eyes, Kagami took out her phone, tapped the screen several times, and turned the screen towards Adrien. “Look.”

He gently took the phone from her hands and was taken aback by the image on the screen. Adrien looked closely at the picture of him and Marinette asleep on a train. Her face was against his chest while his cheek rested on the crown of her head. He’d never seen himself look so peaceful in a picture before.

Adrien soon found himself lost in thought. “She looks really beautiful in this picture...wait...NO! You’re not in love with Marinette! You’re allowed to think your friends are cute. She’s always cute...and nice and kind and selfless…”

“You have that look on your face again,” Kagami said, breaking him out of his reverie.

“What look?”

“You look at her like that all the time. It’s your ‘soft-eyed look’, well...at least that’s what Alya calls it.”

“Hold on.” Adrien put the phone down on the table. “You talked to Alya?”

Kagami nodded. “Yes, she was very helpful. You see, Marinette is my friend, and she’s also been kind of miserable lately. You can tell she’s doing her best to hide it, but her eyes don’t light up as much as they used to. Then I thought, why are all of us trying to make this work if it’s not making any of us truly happy?”

“You’re really not happy?”

“I thought I was at first, and I believe that you were, too. Then the reality of all of this hit us. Once we had to start figuring out how to be a real couple, that’s when the problems started. The ‘honeymoon phase’ only lasts so long in a new relationship.”

“Problems?”

“We’re too alike. I thought that was a good thing, but I was wrong. Our lives are too similar. I think you and I are the kind of people who need a partner who will complement us.”

“You mean...someone who’s our other half?”

“Exactly! I still care about you...a lot, and I think we’d be happier if we went back to being friends. We used to laugh and joke around, but then it got way too serious. I know I’m a blunt person who comes off as cold sometimes, but I miss the way we used to be. It was so carefree. Our dates have been anything but carefree, and I know it’s because you still have feelings for someone else.”

“I guess I just don’t know what I’m doing.”

“No, you don’t know what you’re doing when it comes to dating me because you’re not in love with me. We just don’t click romantically, and that’s okay. You love me as a friend, and I think that’s what’s making all of this confusing. You and I never really had friends before this year, and we’re still learning how to form relationships with others. I know that now.”

Adrien took a deep breath. “Okay, I see where you’re coming from. I’ll admit that things have felt a little off between us, but how do I know it’ll be any different with Marinette? She’s not the girl I was in love with before.”

“I beg to differ. When I talked to Alya a few days ago, I learned that she has a folder of her computer filled with stuff about the two of you. At first, she didn’t want to show me any of it, but once I explained all of this to her, she was more than happy to help. If we’re being honest, I’ve been planning this for a while. It hurt a lot when I came to the conclusion that you weren’t the one for me, but I really think this is for the best.”

“Hold on. Are you telling me that you have more than just this picture on your phone?”

“Yes, I have videos, too.”

“There are videos?”

Kagami nodded. “Oh, yes. I now have undeniable proof that the two of you love each other.”

Adrien laughed. “I was following you up until now. Sure, I’ll admit that I may feel something for Marinette...there’s just something about her. I’ve always felt like she was more than just a friend, but I still can’t figure out why I feel that way. However, I know for a fact that she isn’t in love with me. She’s in love with Luka, and she always has been.”

“First of all, you’re definitely in love with Marinette. Don’t deny it.”

“Umm…”

“And Marinette is not in love with Luka. She cares about him, but she’s not in love with him. She’s had a crush on you since the day after you two met. Alya said there was something about an umbrella. You two are very frustrating to watch.”

“Can I see some of the other stuff she gave to you?”

“Of course.”

Kagami took back her phone, tapped a few times on the screen, and turned the device towards Adrien. He felt a smile twitch at the corners of his mouth. The paused image of Marinette made his heart thump against his chest.

“She really is beautiful,” he thought, “Maybe a relationship with her would be worth exploring.”

He looked up at Kagami. “And this is proof that Marinette is in love with me?”

“I hope so. It is a love confession, after all,” she said plainly.

“It’s a WHAT?”

“Apparently, Marinette tried to confess her love to you hundreds of times, and something always managed to get in the way.”

“And this is one of her attempts?”

“Correct. This was one of the videos that we tried to send you when it was the first anniversary of your mother’s disappearance. Your cousin deleted the videos before you had the chance to see them.”

With a shaky hand, Adrien reached out and pressed play on the video. His heart melted as Marinette’s smile softened on the screen.

Her voice was clear and sweet. “Adrien, I love you. I’ll always be there if you need me.”

A thousand different feelings washed over him at the same time. His vision began to blur as tears once again formed in the corners of his eyes. They were the words he’d longed to hear, but he didn’t know that he needed to hear them from Marinette until now...and he wanted to hear her say them again.

“Oh my God,” he whispered.

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “Need any more proof?”

“No...no...and you said she tried to confess her love lots of times?”

“Yes. Do you remember the time we went to London for the royal wedding and Marinette gave you that prescription? You spent the whole weekend walking around trying to find it. She had been trying to give you a love letter and got the notes in her bag mixed up.”

“She was? Oh my, God. That explains so much. She told me that I was the only one who could give her what was inside the note. Only I can give her my love.”

“You know, now that I think about it, I should have realized how in love with her you were. All the signs were there, but I was just too blinded by my feelings for you to notice.”

“Oh, Kagami...I’m so sorry.”

“Adrien, I’m telling you that I’m okay. I wasn’t okay last week when I realized all of this, but I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Actually, I’m kind of excited because...ummm...I may have met someone. I’m not sure, but we had...what’s the word?”

“A connection?”

“Yes, a connection. Just like you and Marinette have a connection.”

He reached across the table and grabbed Kagami’s hand, causing her to smile. “Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me,” Kagami squeezed his hand, “Now we both have the chance to find ‘true love’. That’s what they call it in those movies we’ve watched together, right?”

Adrien chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”

“However, I must ask you a favor.”

“Anything.”

“You and Marinette belong together. Please don’t hesitate this time.”

“She’s the target I should have been aiming at all along, isn’t she?”

“She really is.”

Adrien’s felt a swell of gratitude flood his body. “You’re an amazing friend, Kagami.”

“And I count myself lucky to have a friend like you in my life,” she said reverently, “Now, go! Go to her, Adrien. It’s time for both of us to find the happiness that we deserve.”

“But what about you?”

Kagami picked up her phone. “My car just got here. Don’t worry about me. I’m...um...meeting up with someone tonight.”

Adrien beamed. “You are?”

“Yes, now go!”

“Goodbye, Kagami! Thank you again for everything.”

“I’ll see you later, Adrien. Don’t mess this up. Marinette is my friend, and I know where to find you if you hurt her,” she noted with a grin.

His head was spinning with anticipation. “Oh, I won’t! I would never let anything happen to Marinette!”

Adrien grabbed his coat and ran out of the cafe. He eagerly hopped into his car and slid into the backseat. He did his best to contain his excitement until he had walked into his room and closed the door behind him.

“Plagg!” he called out, flopping onto his bed, “Marinette loves me!”

The Kwami zipped into view. “I could have told you that, kid.”

He sat up. “What?”

“Didn’t you ever wonder why she had trouble talking to you?”

“No, I just thought she was being Marinette....except that one time that I thought she didn’t like me.”

“She never had trouble talking to her other friends.”

He threw his head back and groaned. “Ugh...and I told her that I was in love with another girl after we went to the wax museum! She was probably too scared to talk to me after that. Oh, Marinette...sweet, beautiful Marinette...I was an idiot. Why didn’t you say something, Plagg?”

The Kwami landed on Adrien’s shoulder. “You were so in love with Ladybug that you didn’t take the time to look at what was right in front of you. You wouldn’t have listened to me.”

He paused and frowned. “You’re right.”

“I know,” Plagg replied, “And then you started going on dates with Kagami. Honestly, it wasn’t my place. Your love life is really none of my business.

“But...I can do something about it now. You don’t think it’s too late, do you? Kagami said that Marinette was feeling down. She’s probably heartbroken.”

“No, kid. It’s never too late for love. Just show her that you care about her, and everything else will fall into place.”

“I don’t know. I hope she didn’t give up on me like I gave up on loving Ladybug.”

“Adrien...just listen to me. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Fine...let’s pretend that Marinette is still in love with me. How would I even show her that I care?”

“First of all, she is still in love with you.”

“Debatable, but go on.”

Plagg drooped. “She loves you. What happened to the ‘you from five minutes ago’ who actually believed that Marinette is in love with him?”

“That Adrien momentarily forgot about all of the times he’d told Marinette that she was “just a friend” and how she’s watched him date another girl for the past few months. Let’s just say I kind of want to hear it from her before I really get my hopes up,” he said, crossing his arms.

“Do you want to go on a date with her or not?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then, invite her to that fancy party that your dad is having.”

“That would be perfect!”

“Yes, it would be. Go ask her out.”

“I...I can’t just ask her without knowing if she loves me or not.”

“Didn’t Kagami give you proof earlier today? Just ask pigtails out. What’s the harm?”

Adrien hung his head. “I could get rejected again.”

Plagg rubbed his temples. “You’ll never know unless you just try.”

“I guess you’re right again...maybe.”

“I am right.”

But...I don’t have the perfect way to ask her to the party.”

“I know you’ll think of something. You always do. You’re probably one of the most lovesick kittens I’ve ever had.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Plagg poked Adrien on the cheek. “It’s getting late, and you still haven’t fed me any cheese.”

Adrien sighed. “How could you be thinking about your stomach at a time like this?”

“Look, I just want to make sure that you’re going to feed me before you spend the rest of the night daydreaming about how you’re going to ask out bakery girl.”

“Actually, could do me a favor?”

“Oh, no...please don’t tell me that Chat Noir is going to make an appearance tonight.”

“I need to do some research! Please! It’ll also help me get the answers that I need. I’ll feed you double cheese.”

Plagg tapped his chin. “Make it triple, and it’s a deal.”

“Deal.” Adrien hopped off his bed, walked over to the cabinet under his desk, and pulled out three wheels of camembert. “Eat up, Plagg. We leave in ten minutes.”

***

Marinette picked up her phone after feeling it buzz in her lap. She tapped the screen and opened the message that had just come in.

Alya: Girl, I have the best idea!!!! Text me back, NOW!

She giggled as she typed out her response.

Marinette: I’m listening.

Alya: Remember that Secret Santa exchange thing we saw in that American Christmas movie we watched the other night?

Marinette: Yes...

Alya: Well, I thought it would be cool to do something like that with our class, so I looked up some gift-giving traditions on the internet.

Marinette: I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.

Alya: You know it, girl

Marinette: LOL...okay...what’s this great idea?

Alya: Have you ever heard of something called a cookie exchange?

Marinette: No, but I like cookies.

Alya: I know that’s why I need your help. Can I send you the article?

Marinette: Yup!

Tikki flitted over and landed on Marinette’s desk. “You’re smiling at your phone. What’s going on?”

Marinette looked up. “It’s Alya. She wants to do something called a cookie exchange.”

“Oh, cookies! That sounds like fun!”

“It does! Alya is about to send me some information about it.”

Her phone buzzed again and she quickly tapped on the link in her inbox. She felt her smile grow as she skimmed through the article.

“Oh, Tikki!” she exclaimed, “This sounds like so much fun! But...it requires each person to make a dozen cookies for each person at the exchange. That seems like a lot. Maybe we can get Alya to modify the rules.”

The Kwami looked up with expectant eyes. “We’re still going to get cookies, right?”

Marinette laughed. “Yes, we’re still going to get cookies.”

“Thank goodness!”

“Hmm...what if we had each student pick a name and make a dozen cookies for that person? And then each of us could make an extra batch so we could have a cookie party in class!”

“Oh, Marinette! You always come up with the best solutions. That’s what makes you such an amazing Ladybug!”

“Awww! Thanks, Tikki. But you know I couldn’t do it without you, right?”

“I know, but I just give you the suit. Everything else is all you!”

Marinette patted her Kwami’s head, picked up her phone, and began to compose her response to Alya. A soft tap sounded at the trap door above her the second her finger pressed “send”.

She froze. “Did you hear that?”

Tikki zipped behind Marinette’s computer. “Yes, I did.”

“Do you think it’s an Akuma?”

“Has an Akuma ever been polite enough to knock?”

“The Evilustrator was. Should I go check?”

A louder tap resonated throughout the room.

“Marinette?” a muffled voice said from the other side of the glass, “It’s me...it’s Chat Noir.”

Every muscle in her body relaxed. “What’s Chat doing here? He’s never come over without a reason before. Oh, no...you don’t think he figured out my identity, do you?”

“Maybe you should go find out,” Tikki whispered.

Marinette stood up from her desk chair, climbed up her ladder, and opened the windowed hatch above her bed. A cool breeze blew across her face as she climbed onto her balcony. When she looked up, her gaze landed on a sheepish-looking Chat Noir.

“Hello,” she said tentatively, “Is everything okay?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Um...I...uh...I just realized that I don’t really have a good reason for coming over. At least not one that I can tell you about.”

Marinette felt her lips curl into a smile as she put her hands on her hips. “Oh, is that so?”

“Um...yes? I’m sorry. Maybe I should just go. This probably wasn’t the best idea, after all.” Chat hung his head and began to walk away.

“Wait!” she called out after him.

He turned and looked at her. “Yes?”

“Would you like some hot chocolate?”

“I...what?”

“You came all this way, it’s cold outside, and you’re one of the heroes of Paris. I just felt like you could use some hot chocolate.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“I would love some hot chocolate. Thank you.”

“Okay. Let me go get that for you.” Marinette opened the hatch and hopped onto her bed before turning and popping her head back into the night air. “Actually, would you like to come in?”

He beamed. “Wow! Yes! That would be amazing.”

Chat Noir followed her through the hatch, onto her bed, and down the ladder. When they were both standing in the middle of the room, Marinette took his hand and guided him towards her chaise.

“Wait here, and I’ll go get that hot chocolate,” she commanded.

His eyes brightened. “I’m still getting hot chocolate? But...we’re not out in the cold anymore.”

“Of course, you silly cat! You can have hot chocolate even when it’s not cold.”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t know. I don’t get a lot of hot chocolate at home.”

Marinette’s heart melted for the forlorn-looking boy sitting in front of her. “Well, let’s try and fix that tonight, shall we?”

Chat’s eyes seemed to twinkle when he looked at her. “Do you know how amazing you are?”

“I...um...okay.” Her face began to burn. “I’m going to get that hot chocolate now.”

She quickly padded across the room, opened the hatch on her floor, and climbed into the apartment below. Marinette pressed her hands against her cheeks in an attempt to cool them off while she waited for the water to boil. She was surprised at how much Chat’s presence had affected her. It’s not like she’d never encountered his flirtations when he was still pursuing Ladybug.

Her mind began to wander. “Why does it feel so different this time?”

The kettle’s whistle pulled her out of her reverie. Marinette proceeded to make two steaming cups of hot chocolate topped with a heap of homemade whipped cream. Before returning to her room, she grabbed a plate and filled it with several cookies that had not been good enough to sell in the bakery that day.

Upon reentering her room, Marinette found Chat Noir sitting quietly on her chaise with his eye glued on the floor.

She set the mugs and the plate on her desk. “Are you alright?”

He slowly looked up and smiled. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. I guess you just seem a little out of it.”

“How so?”

“You seem a little...distant? Like your body is here, but your mind is somewhere else.”

“I’ve had an interesting day.”

Marinette grabbed one of the mugs, handed it to him, took a seat on the chaise. “Would you like to talk about it?”

He took a small sip and sighed. “I don’t want to bother you.”

“But listening to the things that are making my friends upset is never bothersome.”

“Wait...you think we’re...friends?”

“Do you not want to be?”

“No! That’s not it. I’m just surprised.”

“You’ve saved me a few times, and there was that one time you cheered me up. I’d like to think we’re friends.” She reached over and placed a hand on his forearm.

He gasped. “Wow...okay. Um...well, the thing on my mind isn��t really bothering me. It’s confusing me.”

“I’m listening.”

“Well, my girlfriend broke up with me.”

“And you’re not upset about that?”

“Ahh...you see...no. We really weren’t happy together. We were trying to make something work that just never will.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, it turns out that I’m in love with someone else.”

“Ladybug?” Marinette braced herself for her answer.

Chat chuckled and shook his head. “My feelings for Ladybug are...complicated. I will always have a special place in my heart for Ladybug, but my feelings for her have evolved. She doesn’t want to be with me, and I respect that.”

“Really?”

“Yes, actually...how do I put this? There’s this girl in my class, and I think she may have been my other half all along.” He looked up at her and met her gaze. “I got a little lost, but I think I may have found my way. She is the light who brightens my darkest days. I just hope I’m not too late.”

Hearing his declaration and seeing the sincerity in his eyes caused Marinette’s heart to pound against her chest. “It...it sounds like she’s one lucky girl.”

“No, I’m the lucky one. It turns out that she loves me, too.”

“Why do you think it’s too late if she feels the same way?”

“I think I may have accidentally broken her heart. When I finally accepted that Ladybug wasn’t in love with me, I felt horrible. I did my best to move on. So, when Ka...um...my ex-girlfriend told me that she loved me, I went for it. The girl I’ve fallen for...I think she gave up on me when she saw me starting to date someone else. Right now, I just hope her love for me didn’t completely disappear.”

Marinette looked away. “I think I may understand how this girl is feeling. There was this boy...you know what? It’s a stupid story. Sorry...you keep going.”

She felt Chat’s hand take hers. “No, please. I would love to hear your story.”

Her head snapped towards him. “Wait...why?”

“Because...uh...hearing about your experience may...um...help. Yeah, help. Please tell me.”

“Honestly, it’s kind of sad.”

“Before you start, can I just ask...is this about the same boy who broke your heart before?”

“Yup.”

“And you still went back to loving him?”

“Yes, but I’ve been doing my best the past few months to forget about my feelings for him.”

Chat leaned closer to her. “Why?”

Marinette shrugged. “Because I wanted him to be happy.”

“And you didn’t think he could be happy with you?”

“A few months ago, I was hanging out with him and one of my other friends. I knew that my other friend had a crush on him, and when I saw how well they got along, I left them alone. I guess it was a good thing that I did because he started dating her.”

“It all makes so much sense now.”

“What?” Marinette asked, feeling confused.

“I mean...yeah, it makes sense why you did that,” he said with what sounded like a nervous laugh, “Um...how did that make you feel?”

“I was devastated. I broke down in front of my friend Luka. A few other things were going on, as well, but that was one of the main things that made me cry that day.”

“Oh, no. You cried?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay. I’m working on moving on. It’s not like anything romantic would have worked out with Adrien anyway.”

She heard his breath hitch. “Adrien?”

A dull ache radiated in her gut. “Adrien Agreste. We go to the same school.”

“Isn’t he a…”

“A model? Yes, but that’s not why I fell in love with him.”

“C-can I ask why you did?”

“Uhh...I guess so, but it’s kind of pathetic. You see, I didn’t like him when I first met him. I thought he was mean just like this bully at my school, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding. He...he gave me his umbrella on a rainy day when I didn’t have one. I just watched him standing there in the pouring rain, getting soaked while he held out his umbrella for me to take. The sincerity in his eyes...oh.”

Marinette’s brain began racing. “That’s why Chat made my heart race today...that look. I’ve seen it before. But it couldn’t be...no. Lots of boys have eyes like that...right? It couldn’t possibly be him.”

Chat swallowed “I-is there more? You said that things would never work out between the two of you. Did you always think that, or did that start when he got a girlfriend?”

She nodded, doing her best to refocus. “I...uh...yes. I could barely speak around Adrien. Pushing away my feelings for him has done wonders for our friendship. I can say full sentences when I’m with him now.”

“Did you ever try telling him how you felt?”

“I tried literally hundreds of times, and none of my attempts worked. I guess it was just the universe’s way of telling me that it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Wow…all this time.”

“Yeah, crazy, right?”

Marinette watched as Chat opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by several loud buzzes in rapid succession.

He turned towards the source of the sound. “What was that?”

She got off the chaise, walked over to her desk, and grabbed her cellphone. “It’s my friend Alya. You know...the Ladyblogger.”

“Uh...yes. I am familiar with Alya.”

“Well, she’s also in my class, and she wants us to do something called a cookie exchange at school. However, the real rules don’t really work, so I’m helping her modify them.”

“Oh, um...what’s that?”

“It’s this thing where people give each other cookies for the holidays.”

“And is it something that you’d like to do?”

“Are you kidding?” Marinette exclaimed, “I live in a bakery! Of course, I’d love to bake cookies for my friends.”

Chat frowned. “Oh...I’ve never baked cookies before.”

“Really?” She grabbed the plate of cookies off her desk and held them out for him to take. “You do like to eat cookies, don’t you?”

His expression brightened as he grabbed a cookie. “Yes! I do. I love cookies.”

“Me, too! Chocolate chip is my favorite, but I can’t get enough of decorated sugar cookies at Christmastime. They just feel like Christmas to me...you know?”

Marinette’s phone began buzzing again. She looked at the screen and opened up the newest batch of messages from Alya.

She sighed. “She wants to video chat with me.”

Chat stood up. “I should get going then.”

“Oh, no...I can just tell her that I’ll call her later. You don’t have to go.”

“No, no! It’s fine. This cookie exchange is important ‘cheer spreading business’. There’s no doubt that it will make a lot of people happy, and with all these Akumas flying around, Paris can use all the happiness it can get. Besides, you’ve given me a lot to think about. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.”

Marinette set down her phone and took a step towards him. “You know you are welcome to come by whenever you need to, right?”

“I do now.” Chat began walking up the ladder that led to the hatch above her bed. “Thank you...Princess.”

She felt her cheeks once again grow warm. “I haven’t heard that nickname in a while, Chat Noir.”

“But it’s a title that fits you.”

“What are you doing? Go flirt with your crush, not me!”

“Oh, I fully plan on flirting with the girl I love.”

Marinette was once again struck with a sense of familiarity. “The girl he loves...I’ve heard someone else say those words the same exact way. It was in the car on the way home from the wax museum. Adri...NO. Stop thinking about it. This is just you getting your hopes up. Adrien wasn’t even talking about you that day.”

“Hey, Marinette,” Chat called from the other side of the open hatch, effectively pausing Marinette’s racing thoughts, “I just have one question before I leave. If Adrien were to ask you out sometime in the near future, would you say yes?”

“What?”

“Well, you said you tried to forget about your feelings for him, but you didn’t say that they went away. Would you say ‘yes’ if he asked you out?”

“He has a girlfriend.”

“But what if he suddenly...didn’t? And what if his now ex-girlfriend had actually convinced him to pursue the girl he’s actually in love with? Would you say ‘yes’?”

“Why would she do that?”

“Humor me, please...would you say ‘yes’?”

Marinette paused before responding. “Yes...I would.”

Chat released a breath and chuckled. “Thank you. That’s a relief to hear. Maybe I really do still have a chance with the girl I love. Goodnight, Marinette!”

“Goodbye, Chat!” she called out as she watched him close the hatch and disappear into the night.

Marinette walked over to her chaise and collapsed. “What just happened?”

Her phone buzzed with a video chat request from Alya. She shook her head and tapped the answer button.

“Hello,” Marinette said with her brightest smile.

“Hey, girl!” Alya pushed up her glasses before continuing. “Let’s talk about this cookie exchange!”

***

When Adrien got home from Marinette’s house, he detransformed, quickly brushed his teeth, put on pajamas, and crawled into bed. He’d learned so much in such a small amount of time that his brain was having trouble processing all of the new information. He thought that his talk with Kagami had been mind-blowing, but his talk with Marinette...that took him by surprise.

“She really does love me,” he whispered to himself as he hugged his blanket against his body, “I’m not too late.”

“Told you so,” Plagg grumbled sleepily on the pillow next to him.

That night Adrien fell asleep with a smile on his face as he dreamed of a future with Marinette filled with love, happiness, and warmth.

He awoke the next morning on a mission. Now that he knew that he wanted to ask out Marinette, he just needed to come up with a plan. He brainstormed while he brushed his teeth, styled his hair, and got dressed. Unfortunately, he still had no idea what to do by the time his car pulled up to the front of the school.

“Hey, dude! Why the long face?” Nino called out, running up to him.

Adrien looked up. “Oh, hey...uh...what do you mean?”

“You seem kind of...I don’t know...distant? Like your mind is somewhere else.”

“You are the second person to say that to me in the last twenty-four hours.”

“Well, is there a reason why it looks like your brain is taking a vacation?”

“I’ve been thinking about a lot,” Adrien sighed, “It all started when Kagami broke up with me yesterday, and…”

Nino cut him off. “Bro, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

“Nothing happened...that’s just it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing was happening between us. Well, there was something, but it wasn’t 'love'. There was no spark in our relationship. Yesterday, Kagami was brave enough to say what needed to be said. We both walked away from that conversation feeling hopeful about the future.”

Nino fiddled with the brim of his hat. “Wow...that’s awesome, but that still doesn’t explain the distant look.”

Adrien scratched the back of his head. “When Kagami was done telling me that she wanted to just be friends, she may have helped me realize that I have feelings for someone else.”

“Is it Ladybug?”

“What?”

“I saw the pictures you had saved on your phone once. I kind of assumed that you liked her, but I always thought it was a celebrity crush or something. Don’t worry...I didn’t tell anyone.”

“No, um...it’s not Ladybug. I mean, I did have a crush on her, but it’s not her.”

“Oh, who is it then?”

“It’s someone who I think I may have been in love with since I started going to Francois Dupont.”

Nino leaned towards him and whispered, “Dude, is it someone we go to school with?”

Before Adrien had the chance to respond, Nino’s phone buzzed in his hand. His friend looked at the screen on his device.

“Sorry, bro,” Nino began, “We’re going to have to finish this conversation a little later. Alya is trying to convince Miss Busiter to let the class do something called a cookie exchange. She wants me to meet her in the classroom like right now.”

Adrien laughed. “No, I get it. You should not keep Alya waiting. Come on...I’ll walk with you.”

The two boys walked up the stairs and into the classroom. Upon entering they were met by a gaggle of students crowding around Alya.

“Yes, and all we have to do is convince Miss Bustier to let us exchange cookies in class on Friday,” he heard the Ladyblogger say to the group of students surrounding her.

“Hey, babe.” Nino walked through the crowd and gave Alya a kiss on the cheek. “How are you today?”

“I am pumped.”

“I can see that. You really think Miss Bustier is going to let us do this?”

“Yes! Marinette has been working on typing up the modified rules for everyone. She should be here with printed copies any minute now.”

Just hearing someone else say Marinette’s name sent Adrien’s heart aflutter. “Wow...it’s amazing how helpful she is.”

Nino chuckled. “Well, yeah...it’s Marinette. She always does stuff like this.”

“I know. That’s what makes her so incredible.”

“Dude...what?”

His eyes darted towards the door as a flustered Marinette came crashing through the threshold with an armful of papers that went flying across the room.

“I’m not late!” she yelled, slipping on a paper.

Adrien quickly moved across the room and allowed her to crash into him instead of the floor. His arms reflexively wrapped around her as she fell into his chest.

“Oh, my God, Adrien!” she squeaked, “I am so, so sorry! Did I hurt you? Ugh...I’m so clumsy.”

He felt his lips curl into a smile as he gently pulled away from her. “Not at all. I’m fine. The real question is, are you hurt?”

“Well, thanks to you, I’m fine. Not a scratch.”

“I’m glad. Just know that I will always be here to catch you if you fall. I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

Her cheeks grew bright red, and she looked away. “I...oh...um...t-thanks, Adrien. You can...uh...let me go now. I have to pick up the papers.”

He nodded and dropped his arms to his sides, allowing Marinette to scurry away. He turned with the intent to help her clean the papers off the ground; however before he could follow her, a hand grabbed his wrist.

“Dude,” Nino whispered, “What on earth was that?”

“I was helping Marinette.”

“Adrien, my man, you were about thirty seconds away from reciting poetry and showering her with rose petals. What is...oh my God...no way! It’s Marinette! I knew you had a thing for her. Alya is going to freak!”

“I think Alya already knows. She was the one who gave Kagami all that evidence.”

“Oh, no...she showed Kagami the secret love file? I thought she deleted that when...uh…”

“When I accidentally broke Marinette’s heart?” Adrien stated plainly.

Nino nodded. “Yeah. Marinette struggled for a bit after you started dating Kagami, but wait...how much do you know?”

“I know a lot. I know that Marinette liked me.”

“Like is not a strong enough word, bro. Marinette was completely in love with you.”

“I know. I may have seen the video confession and heard stories about a few other confession attempts.”

“You know she tried to let go of her feelings for you, right?”

“I do. Look, I thought she was dating Luka. I thought Marinette was unavailable. If I had known, then maybe I would have gone after her that day she walked away.”

Nino scrunched his face. “The day she walked away?”

“Remember when I told you how Kagami and I got together?” Adrien asked.

“Yeah.”

“Well, I didn’t tell you everything. Marinette was there at the beginning of the day. She helped Kagami and I escape a mind-numbing party. Marinette mysteriously left at some point, and then that Akuma happened. Once everything went back to normal, Kagami tried to kiss me. I actually pulled away and told her that I wasn’t ready. I had just decided to move on from my crush on the...other girl.”

“You mean Ladybug?”

“Uhhh...yeah.”

“Okay...so are you trying to tell me that if you knew Marinette liked you the day of that party, you would have gone after her?”

“I think so.”

“I have one more question then.”

“I’m listening.”

Nino paused before continuing. “Would you have kissed Marinette if you’d known?”

Adrien looked at his friend and grinned. “Yes.”

“Oh, my God, dude,” Nino nearly yelled.

“Shhhh,” Adrien hushed, “Not so loud. Also, don’t say anything. I’m still trying to figure out the perfect way to ask her out.”

“You know I’m going to talk to Alya about this, right?”

“Of course, but...no one else. I’m not ready yet.”

Miss Bustier walked through the door, and all the students took their seats. As Adrien slid onto the bench next to Nino, he became acutely aware of the fact that Marinette was sitting behind him.

Adrien’s mind was reeling. “She’s been right there all along. How did I not know that she loved me? How could I ever think that she was just a friend? How could I have been so blind?”

“Good morning, class!” the teacher said with a bright smile.

Before the class could answer, Alya rose to her feet. “Miss Bustier!”

“Yes, Alya?”

“We have a question for you.”

“We?”

“Yes, I am speaking on behalf of the class when I ask this. We all talked about it, and since it was my idea, we agreed that I should be the one to ask you.”

Miss Bustier leaned against her desk. “Alright, go ahead. I’m listening.”

Alya beamed. “Okay, so we were wondering if we could have a cookie exchange in class this Friday before we leave for winter break.”

“Oh, and what would this ‘cookie exchange’ entail?” “A regular cookie exchange requires every person to bring in a dozen cookies for everyone in attendance, but it’s unrealistic to expect each person to make one-hundred and eighty cookies by the end of the week. So, Marinette came up with an alternate set of rules.”

Marinette walked to the front of the room and handed Miss Bustier one of the papers she’d brought to class. “I was thinking that each person could pick a name, bake a dozen cookies for that person, and then bake another dozen cookies to share with the rest of the class on Friday. That way we could have a cookie party, and each person would get to take a batch of cookies home.”

Miss Bustier scanned the paper while Marinette waited next to her. Adrien felt his lips curl into a smile when he saw her body shift back and forth with excitement.

“She’s so cute.”

“Okay,” the teacher finally said, “It sounds like fun. And you’re sure that everyone in the class wants to do this?”

“The only people who I didn’t talk to about this were Chloe and Sabrina,” Alya replied.

Miss Bustier turned to the two girls in question. “Would you two like to participate in something like this?”

“Oh, ye...I mean,” Sabrina shrunk in her seat before continuing, “whatever Chloe wants to do.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Adrikins, are you doing this...thing?”

“Yes,” Adrien answered without hesitation.

“Ugh, fine. Yes, I’ll do it.”

The class cheered. It took Miss Bustier a full minute to regain the class’s attention.

“Alya, how do you plan on giving each person their secret giftee?” she asked once the students had quieted themselves.

“I already have a hat filled with slips of paper that have everyone’s names written on them,” the Ladyblogger announced, “We can pick names whenever you would like us to.”

“How about right now?”

“Yes, Miss Bustier!”

Alya ran to the front of the room and stood next to Marinette. The teacher called each student down to pick a name from Alya and take a set of instructions from Marinette.

When it was his turn to come forward, Adrien felt his cheeks grow warm when he looked up and saw that Marinette had been looking at him. He watched as she quickly looked away.

Once he had his giftee and his instruction sheet, he hurried back to his seat and put his head down on the table. He felt a firm hand pat his back.

“It’s okay, bro,” he heard Nino’s voice say, “She’s probably just wigged out because she thinks that you’re still dating Kagami.”

Adrien lifted his head and looked at his best friend. “Oh, no! That’s even worse! Everyone here thinks that I’m still dating Kagami. I’m already messing all of this up! How am I supposed to ask out Marinette now?”

Miss Bustier clapped her hands, and the class grew silent. “Okay, everyone. Let’s begin our lesson for the day. We have a lot to cover before the break starts.

Several students in the class let out an audible groan. As he bent over to get his tablet from his bag, Adrien heard Nino sigh next to him.

“Oh, come on. Learning isn’t that bad. Miss Bustier always seems to find a way to make it fun. Besides, we have winter break soon enough,” Adrien comforted.

“Ugh, that’s not what I’m upset about.” Nino slid the paper containing his giftee’s name towards him.

Adrien opened the paper. “You have Chloe.”

“Dude, Chloe hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you.”

“Well, she’s going to hate whatever I give her.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you brainstorm, and I’m sure Alya will help you bake.”

Nino nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. So, who did you get?”

Adrien looked at the still folded slip on the table. “I haven’t checked yet.”

He grabbed the paper and froze when he saw the name that was written on it.

Marinette.

“Here, let me see.” Nino leaned over. “Dude.”

Adrien didn’t know whether to cry or scream. “It’s her, and I don’t know how to bake.”

Nino chuckled. “Well, I guess it’s time to learn because the universe has just given you the perfect opportunity to ask her out.”

***

When Marinette woke up on Monday morning, she was in an amazing mood. While her conversation with Chat the night before had been a little confusing, the time she spent working out the details for the cookie exchange with Alya had been exciting. She couldn’t wait to see how all her friends would react to Alya’s idea.

However, her lighthearted mood disappeared when all her suppressed romantic feelings for Adrien came crashing back into her brain in a sudden wave of emotion. She’d worked so hard to walk away from her crush and let Adrien find happiness with Kagami. For months, she’d hidden her feelings safely behind a wall, but that barrier had been destroyed in a matter of seconds.

The moment class ended, Marinette grabbed Alya’s wrist and dragged her into a secluded corner of the locker room.

Alya pulled her hand away and placed it on her hip. “Girl, what is going on with you?”

Marinette scanned her surroundings before proceeding. “Please tell me I’m not going crazy.”

“I’m going to need more details because I am not following you at all.”

“Adrien.”

“Oh, right,” Alya averted her gaze, “that.”

“So, you did see the way he looked at me? And you heard what he said to me? Why would he do that?” Marinette grabbed her pigtails and tugged on them. “He’s dating Kagami.”

“Um…”

“What?”

“Kagami may or may not have broken up with him this past weekend.”

“WHAT?” Marinette exclaimed, “How could you possibly know that? Did Nino tell you something?”

Alya sighed. “Well, no, but I’m sure that Adrien told Nino about it this morning. You see, Kagami kind of...came over to my house Saturday morning. She wanted to know some...uh...things.”

“What kind of things?”

“She wanted to know what had really happened between you and Adrien before she started dating him. I didn’t want to talk to her at first, but then she told me that she realized that he wasn’t ‘the one’. She also said that she felt like you and Adrien were meant for each other and that she wanted the two of you to find happiness.”

“What was she planning on doing with the information that you gave her?”

“Uhhh...I think she was planning on showing it to Adrien.”

“Alya?”

“Yes?”

“What did you show Kagami?”

Alya sucked in through her teeth. “I...uh...may have given her a copy of your love confession from the day we all made those videos on the anniversary of his mom’s disappearance.”

“YOU DID WHAT?” Marinette fell to the floor and sat curled up with her arms around her legs. “This is a disaster! Why would you do something like that?”

The Ladyblogger stomped her foot on the ground. “BECAUSE I WANT MY BEST FRIEND TO BE HAPPY FOR A CHANGE!”

Shocked, Marinette looked up. “What did you say?”

“You heard me!” Tears were shining in Alya’s eyes. “Girl, you have been miserable these past few months. I know you’ve been covering up how you really feel, but it hurts to see you like this. You used to smile differently. Your eyes look so tired, and I’m worried about you. So, sue me! If you’re mad at me, fine. However, I will not be apologizing. The whole ‘not telling Adrien’ thing didn’t work the first time, so when I saw an opportunity to make you happy, I took it!”

“Oh, Alya…what did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t feeling super embarrassed right now, but that’s probably one of the kindest things that anyone has ever done for me.”

“I love you, girl. You’re one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

Marinette stood up and pulled her friend into a tight squeeze. “I love you, too. Thank you.”

“Anything for my besite,” Alya said, returning her embrace.

“Well, I guess that means that Adrien has seen my confession. He knows that I love him now.”

“I guess so.”

“OHMYGOD.”

“What?”

“Adrien has seen my confession.”

Alya grinned. “Yeah, he most likely has.”

Marinette felt a familiar flutter in her stomach. “And he flirted with me.”

“Yes, he did. I was there. He was blushing pretty hard, too.”

“Does that mean he maybe...likes me?”

“I’d say that there’s a possibility.”

“Oh, no! How am I supposed to function now?”

“Girl, you are a mess!” Alya laughed, “Don’t overthink it! Just go with the flow.”

Marinette nodded. “Yeah, I can be cool. I’ll just pretend like I don’t know anything.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yeah, you’re right, I won’t. But I can try!”

Marinette spent the next two days doing her best not to return to her blushing and stuttering self whenever she was around Adrien. Every time she saw him smile, she wanted to combust. Every time they spoke, her heart pounded against her chest. At one point, their fingers accidentally touched when he handed her a pencil she’d dropped on the floor. She almost passed out when that happened.

When it came time for patrol on Thursday night, Marinette was ready to run across the rooftops and clear her head. Ten minutes before nine o’clock, she transformed, climbed onto her balcony, pulled out her yo-yo, and swung across Paris. When she arrived at her and Chat’s designated meeting place, she saw her partner sitting on the edge of the roof with his legs swinging over the side of the building.

“Hey, kitty!” she said, making her presence known. “I hope you’re ready to go because I am itching to get started tonight.”

Without getting up, Chat turned towards her. “Ladybug, I need your help.”

“Okay,” she replied hesitantly, “May I ask what kind of help you need?”

He got on his feet and approached her. “This is going to sound kind of strange.”

Ladybug chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less than ‘completely bizarre’ when it’s coming from you.”

“You wound me!”

“Always so dramatic.”

Chat sighed. “No, but in all seriousness. I really need your help. I have no idea what I’m doing, and I have to get this done by tomorrow.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but I have to give someone cookies tomorrow.”

“Oh? That’s funny. I have to give someone cookies tomorrow, as well. My class is having something called a cookie exchange. My best friend found the idea on the internet and convinced our teacher to let us do it in class.”

“Really? I’m doing it in class, as well.”

“You...are?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s too many coincidences. It’s just like the other night. Could Chat and I be in the same class? The only person who has blond hair other than Chloe and Rose is Adri...NO! You’re not supposed to know.” Ladybug shook her head in an attempt to halt her train of thought.

She took a deep breath. “Maybe you should just tell me what you need help with.”

Chat nodded. “Yeah, of course. Umm...you see, the problem is that I can’t bake.”

“Why don’t you just buy the cookies? I could give you the name of a really good bakery.”

“But that’s just it...I have more than enough money to buy her the best cookies in Paris. Heck, I have enough money to have the best cookies in Italy imported overnight; however, I don’t want to be that rich kid who buys his way out of a problem. I want to make this girl something to show her how special she is. Ladybug, I think I might be in love with her, and she doesn’t just deserve the best. She deserves something that I poured my heart and soul into.”

“What if it is him? Would it really be that bad? That would mean that he fell in love with both sides of the mask.”

Ladybug did her best to keep a level head. “Wow. Honestly, it doesn’t sound like you might be in love with her. I think you’re head over heels for this girl.”

Chat buried his face in his hands. “If you knew who I was talking about, you’d completely understand. She’s probably the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and I don’t know what to do! She sits behind me in class, and all this week, I’ve done everything in my power to not turn around and sweep her off her feet. I want to do this right.”

“Please let it be him.”

“She means that much to you?” Ladybug whispered.

“Yes, she does.” Chat stared wistfully into the distance. “I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Please...please let it be him.”

She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. “Okay, I’ll help, but I’m not sure that I know how I can.”

He turned towards her and fiddled with the end of his tail. “Well, I remembered all the times you brought cookies to our patrols, and they were amazing. I was hoping that you might show me how to make them...if you want to, that is.”

“Chat, I would love to show you how to bake cookies, but we don’t exactly have access to a kitchen.”

“You see, we actually do. My father...he’s the CEO a pretty big company, and he owns a few buildings. They’re meant for employee housing, but there’s one that’s completely empty right now. I kind of swiped the keys to one of the units this morning.”

“Alright, but we’re going to need supplies.”

“They’re already waiting for us at the apartment.”

“It looks like you thought of everything.”

He shot her a toothy grin. “Yes, I did.”

Ladybug giggled. “Well then, lead the way, kitty! I’m ready whenever you are.”

Chat unsheathed his baton and vaulted into the air. Shaking her head in amusement, Ladybug followed him across the darkened rooftops. Upon reaching their destination, Chat slipped through an open window on a well-lit building.

“I thought you said that you had a key to this place,” Ladybug said as she climbed into the spacious apartment.

He scratched the back of his head. “Uhh...yeah. I do, but I came here earlier and opened the window so we could get in without being seen by security.”

“You really do have everything all planned out.”

“Yes, because I need this to be perfect.”

“You must really be serious about this girl if you’re passing up the op-purr-tunity to make the purr-fect pun.”

Chat looked at her with a panicked expression. “What?”

“Nevermind,” she replied, shaking her head, “How about you just tell me what kind of cookies we’re making.”

“Okay, so this is where it gets complicated. When I went over to her house the other day, she told me that chocolate chip cookies are her favorite, but at Christmastime, she really likes sugar cookies that are decorated with icing. I do not know how to make either of those things.”

Ladybug’s brain came to a screeching halt. “Chat’s talking about me.”

She struggled to find the words to say when she noticed that Chat was still looking at her. “I...I...”

He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Ladybug, are you okay?”

“It has to be him. Who else could he be?”

“Mmmhmm.” She felt her cheeks grow warm. “Uh...yeah, I’m okay. L-let’s just make these cookies. You said you already had supplies?”

Chat’s face brightened. “Yes! Yes, I do. Everything is right over here. I can’t thank you enough for this.”

Ladybug did her best to stay composed while she showed Chat Noir how to make both kinds of cookie batters. She made her own cookies while her partner desperately tried to emulate her every move. Despite his best efforts, Chat’s cookies wound up looking like amorphous blobs.

Chat picked up one of his sugar cookies and groaned as it fell apart in his hands. “No! Why is this happening to me?”

Even though she was still feeling nervous, Ladybug did her best to make light of the situation (for both their sakes). “That’s the way the sugar cookie crumbles!”

“Hey! That’s not funny. This is serious, She’s going to hate these cookies.”

“No, she’s not.”

“And how could you possibly know that?”

“Because you’re giving them to me.”

Ladybug cleared her throat. “Call it intuition. She’s going to love them.”

He sighed. “Let’s hope that I can get these to her in one piece. They keep falling apart whenever I touch them.”

“That’s because they just came out of the oven. You need to give them a few minutes to cool and firm up.”

“Oh.”

“Come on. Let’s go make some icing while we’re waiting.”

“And then we’ll be able to draw pictures on them and stuff, right?”

“We’d have to make royal icing if we wanted to draw detailed pictures. Um...I was going to show you how to make buttercream icing. It’ll be easier to decorate the cookies with that, and I was thinking that we’d better keep it simple. It’s already midnight, and I’m pretty sure that it’s a school night for both of us.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

She showed him how to make buttercream icing, and by the time they were finished, the cookies were cool and ready to decorate. Together, they carefully spread icing on all of the sugar cookies. Ladybug then watched as Chat put globs of icing on the chocolate chip cookies, as well.

“What are you doing?” Ladybug pointed to the cookie tray.

“I’m decorating just like you showed me how to,” he said with pride lacing his voice.

“Usually, we just put the icing on the sugar cookies.”

“Oh…”

“But hey...go for it! It’ll be extra sweet. I’m sure it’ll make her smile.”

“You think?”

“I know it will.”

Ladybug helped Chat but icing on the rest of the chocolate chip cookies, and then she helped him put red and green sprinkles on everything. When they were done, they cleaned up their mess and put away all the supplies. Then, Chat carefully packed six chocolate chip cookies and six sugar cookies into a box decorated with gold and silver Christmas trees. He put the rest of the cookies on a plate and wrapped it with tin foil. He put the box and the plate into a cooler that he zipped closed and slung over his shoulder.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping me make these tonight,” he said with a bright smile.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Anytime, kitty. That girl is going to love those cookies.”

“I hope so.”

“She will.”

Chat unsheathed his baton and looked at the screen. “School starts in like six hours.”

“Then the two of us should really be getting home.” Ladybug walked over to the window and opened it. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Ladybug! Thank you again.”

“Tell me what she thinks of them the next time you see me.”

He smiled. “I promise.”

She took out her yo-yo, waved goodbye, and swung into the night. By the time she got home, detransformed, and climbed into bed, her body was wide awake. She tossed and turned as thoughts bounced around her brain.

“Marinette,” Tikki said worriedly, “You’ve been in bed for an hour. What’s wrong?”

She paused before answering. “I think I know who Chat Noir is.”

“Oh...and who do you think he is?”

“I don’t want to say it out loud just yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because it feels too good to be true. Honestly, this whole week feels too good to be true.”

“Do you want to know who Chat is?”

Marinette took a deep breath. “I think I do. Now that I’m the guardian, it’s not like anyone is going to take our Miraculouses. I think I’m actually feeling excited about it.”

Tikki flew onto Marinette’s pillow and nuzzled her cheek. “If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“You don’t think it’s too dangerous for us to know? I don’t want another Chat Blanc situation.”

“Who knows what the events were that led to Chat becoming Akumatized? We’ll just have to be extra careful going forward. However, I think that honesty between the two of you is going to be the key to making this work.”

“I agree, and I also think I should try to sleep now. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.”

“A very big day indeed.”

***

Adrien clutched the cookie-filled cooler in his arms as he walked into the classroom. The room seemed to be buzzing with excitement when he walked through the doorway.

“Good morning, Adrikins!” Chloe grabbed onto his arm, “Where did you wind up getting your cookies from? No doubt they’re the best money can buy. I got mine from Milan. Let’s just say my giftee better appreciate them.”

Adrien pulled away from her. “Uhh...cool. It was awfully nice of you to do that for your giftee. I...umm...actually wound up making my cookies.”

“Ugh...really?”

“My giftee is kind of special, and I got help from a friend.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” Chloe said as she sauntered away.

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief and approached Miss Bustier’s desk. He unzipped the cooler and placed the plate of cookies on the flat surface. He then walked to his seat, took out the gold and silver box, and waited quietly for class to start.

When the teacher walked into the room, the students took their seats.

“Good morning, everyone! I know all of you are excited to exchange your cookies, so let’s get started right away. We’ll pick a name to have someone go first, and then whoever that person had as their giftee will go next. We’ll pick another name if we need to at any point.” Miss Bustier took out a hat filled with slips of paper and picked a name. “The first person to present their gift is Nino!”

Nino grabbed a bag decorated with tiny snowmen and headed to the front of the classroom. “I had Chloe. Adrien told me that the two of you used to eat gingerbread cookies, and Alya showed me how to make the icing gold.”

Chloe got up, walked up to Nino, grabbed the bag, and took a peek inside. “I guess these aren’t completely horrible.”

Nino shook his head and headed back to his seat. “You know what? I’ll take it.”

“I had Kim,” Chloe said, flipping her hair over her shoulder, “Come get your cookies. They’re expensive, so you should be grateful.”

One by one, his classmates were called to the front of the room. With each gift presentation, Adrien grew more and more nervous.

Kim had Max.

Max had Mylene.

Mylene had Alya.

Alya had Juleka.

And Juleka had Adrien.

As he walked towards the front of the room, his palms began to sweat. He could hear his heartbeat pounding against his eardrums, and it caused him to miss what Juleka had said to him.

“I’m so sorry,” he apologized, “Could you please repeat that?”

“Oh, um...Kagami and Luka helped me make these,” Juleka mumbled quietly, “She told me that you really liked cats for some reason. She also wanted me to tell you that she hopes you found your happiness.”

He took the small red box from her hands. “Thank you so much. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas,” she said before rushing back to her seat.

Adrien slowly turned to face the rest of the class. The room was unnaturally silent while everyone waited for him to speak.

“I...um...I had...um,” he took a deep breath, “I had Marinette. I made them myself. They’re a little lumpy, but they taste good.”

Marinette slowly made her way to the front of the room until she was standing in front of Adrien. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Marinette.” He handed her the box and leaned over to whisper something into her ear. “Make sure you read the note I taped to the top of the box when you get back to your seat.”

She nodded as he walked away. Marinette wound up having Nino as a giftee. After giving him a tray of sugar cookies decorated like tiny records, she returned to her seat. Once again, Adrien was painfully aware of her presence behind him.

He then heard a small gasp. “Adrien...I…I can’t believe it’s you. Actually, I can, but at the same time, I can’t. I was hoping it would be. Oh my...we have a lot to talk about.”

“It’s okay,” he said, turning around, “Give me your answer after everyone has presented.”

Fifteen agonizingly long minutes later, every person in the class had finally received their cookies. Miss Bustier told the students that they were welcome to walk around the room and talk for the rest of the class period.

Adrien felt a hand lightly tap his shoulder. He turned around and was met with a red-cheeked Marinette.

“C-could I come and sit next to you? Maybe Nino could sit with Alya?” She kept her eyes glued to the table.

He reached out and gently lifted her chin with his finger. “I would love it if you came and joined me up here.”

She smiled, got up, and slid onto his bench. “I...um...have an answer for you.”

“Oh?”

“Uh...you know...the note?”

Even though his stomach was filled with butterflies, Adrien did his best to curl his smile into a teasing grin. “And what note might that be?”

“Of course you’d joke around at a time like this.” She released a small, breathy laugh. “The one where you asked if I would like to go on a date with you.”

“Ah...that note.”

“I would really like to go out with you.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“You thought I’d say no?”

“Honestly, I had a feeling you would say yes, but there was this niggling doubt in the back of my mind. When I found out that you liked me...I was thrilled. And then I realized that you must have been heartbroken when I started dating someone else. I’m sorry it took me so long, Marinette. I’ve been rejected before, and I think I was afraid of being turned down by you. You’re special, and I really care about you.”

“Oh...I’m...um...let’s not worry about the past! We’re together now, right?”

“Yes, we are!” He reached out and grabbed her hand, causing her to gasp. “Oh, wait...is this okay? Am I allowed to hold your hand?”

She beamed, and his heart melted. “You can hold my hand anytime.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Um...uh...speaking of looking forward to things...um...what did you want to do for our first date?”

Adrien’s other hand scratched the back of his neck. “Oh, yeah...so it’s a little short notice, but there is a Gabriel Christmas party at the Grand Paris Hotel tomorrow, and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

“A party?”

“Y-yes?”

“With...fashion designers?”

“And models, investors, and executives.”

“Adrien…wow. I’m speechless.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to! It’s just, my dad told me I could bring someone, and…”

She cut him off. “I would love to go!”

Every muscle in his body relaxed. “That’s amazing. You’re amazing.”

“But what should I wear?”

“It’s pretty formal, but I can have Nathalie send over some holiday dresses from the new winter line.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” she noted with a matter-of-factly tone.

Adrien chuckled. “Is that so?”

“I made a dress a while ago that I never thought I’d have the opportunity to wear. It’s really fancy.”

“We could match if you want. What color is the dress?”

“Red. I’ll be wearing red.”

Adrien was suddenly struck with a sense of familiarity. “Hmmm...I feel like red would look really good on you for some reason.”

Her hand reached for the box of cookies he’d given her. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, but I can’t quite figure out why. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear red.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Most of the outfits you wear are pink.”

“I actually wear red all the time.”

“You do?”

“Yup.”

“Well, then I guess I’ll just have to pay more attention in the future.”

“Personally, I think you’d look good in black...with maybe a touch of green. It would bring out your eyes.”

“Is that your way of telling me that you want us to dress in complementing Christmas colors tomorrow?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Yeah...something like that,” she giggled, “Or maybe I’m just hoping it’ll help you see things in a new light.

Adrien’s mind spun as he tried to figure out the meaning behind Marinette’s last statement. He felt kind of like an explorer who was on the verge of making the discovery of a lifetime.

He then watched as Marinette looked inside the box of cookies. She pulled out one of the sugar cookies and cradled it in her hands as if it were as fragile as glass.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I still can’t believe it’s you...I MEAN...I can’t believe you made these yourself.”

He hung his head. “I can’t really take all the credit. I asked a friend to help me out because I had no idea what I was doing. I know they turned out a little weird looking, but I tried my best.”

“They’re perfect. I love the added touch of icing on the chocolate chip cookies. If I could, I’d keep them forever...but cookies are meant to be eaten and enjoyed.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to settle with having me around forever instead.”

Adrien heard her breath hitch. “F-forever? With you? Ohmygod.”

“Oh, God.” Panic flooded his gut. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out. It was a joke, and I’m just really excited that you said yes to going out with me. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“NO! No, I’m sorry...I’m not freaked out at all. Well, I am, but not for the reasons you think. It’s just...hearing you say that is a dream come true. I thought I’d lost my chance to be with you, and I can’t believe this is happening. Actually, I can’t believe that any of this is happening. My God, we have so much to talk about, and I don’t even know where to start. I know that I just have to be honest with you, but I don’t want you to hate me. Also, this isn’t really the time or place to talk about this because there are people everywhere, and...”

“Woah...that’s a lot of words! You may have to repeat some of that for me.”

“I’m sorry. There’s just so much that I need to say, and I don’t know how to do it.”

He reached over, put his arm around her, and pulled her close. “Then how about we take it one step at a time. We’ll go at our own pace.”

“That sounds nice.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. “This is nice.”

“How about we just do our best to enjoy this moment.”

“That sounds a-mew-zing.”

“Was that a cat pun?”

“Purr-haps.”

His heart swelled with joy. “I can’t believe you like puns.”

She nuzzled her head against his shoulder. “I think you’ll find that I’m full of surprises.”

***

Marinette spent the entire school day doing her best to keep her composure. She vacillated between pure joy and sheer panic. Her heart had nearly stopped when Adrien handed her the gift box she’d seen as Ladybug the night before. She almost began weeping when she read the note he’d taped to the top of the box.

At the end of the day, Adrien insisted on walking her home. As they made their way across the courtyard, Marinette’s heart soared. Not only had Adrien asked her out, but he’d turned out to be her Chat Noir--her partner, her best friend, and her other half.

When they reached the bakery door, Adrien took her hand and placed a feathery kiss against her knuckles.

“Until we meet again,” he said reverently, “I will be here tomorrow at seven o’clock to pick you up.”

“Okay.” She giggled and bit her lip. “Goodbye, Adrien.”

“Goodbye, Marinette.” Adrien waved, looked both ways, crossed the street, and got into the backseat of his car.

She watched as the vehicle drove down the street before opening the door and walking into the bakery. Luckily, neither of her parents had been paying attention to her exchange with Adrien, so she was able to call out a quick ‘hello’ and run into the apartment upstairs.

As soon as she climbed into her room and closed the hatch behind her, Marinette ran to her chaise and screamed into a pillow.

“Oh, no!” she heard her Kwami say, “I thought you were happy! What’s wrong?”

Marinette flopped onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “Oh, Tikki...I’m overjoyed. Today, was just a lot. Adrien is Chat Noir.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And Adrien is in love with me.”

“Yes, he is.”

“And Chat Noir was in love with Ladybug.”

“That is also true.”

She hopped to her feet and spun around. “Don’t you know what this means?”

Tikki giggled. “I do, but I think it would make you feel good to say it out loud.”

“Adrien fell in love with me twice!”

“Yes, he did!”

“How did I get this lucky?”

“He’s your Chat Noir. It makes sense. You two complete each other.”

A worrying thought struck her, causing her excitement to fade. “Do you think he’ll be upset when he finds out that I’m Ladybug? I think all those rejections really hurt him.”

Tikki landed on her shoulder. “It’s difficult to say, but I still think that honesty is the best way to go here.”

“When should I tell him?”

“As soon as you can.”

Marinette walked over to her closet and opened the door. When her eyes landed on a red satin dress she’d made over the summer, she took it out and put it on her dress form. It was a simple but elegant design. The dress sported a knee-length, a-line skirt and a fitted bodice with a sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves.

She ran her hand across the smooth fabric and looked up at Tikki. “I’m going to tell him tomorrow.”

For the second night in a row, Marinette found sleeping nearly impossible. However, the excitement of all that was to come kept her from feeling the effects of her exhaustion the next day. She spent the morning and part of the afternoon trying to distract herself with various activities, but nothing seemed to work.

By four o’clock, she gave up and started to get ready for the party that night. Marinette curled her hair into soft ringlets, applied a modest amount of make-up, and carefully put on her dress. Her completed look included a pair of plain black heels and a silver necklace with a cat-shaped pendant encrusted with black rhinestones.

She did her best to take her time getting ready, but it was no use. She finished with an hour to spare. As a result, she wound up passing the time by sitting quietly on her chaise and checking the clock on her phone every five minutes. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her father calling her to come downstairs.

Marinette took one last look in the mirror before grabbing a black clutch, putting on a silver-toned wrap, and bounding down the stairs. She stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on an Adrien who was wearing a crisp black suit and a muted green tie.

When he turned to look at her, everything seemed to melt away. Adrien walked towards her and held out his hand for her to take. She gladly accepted, and he helped her down the final stair. He smiled, and her heart thumped against her chest. It was as if they were the only two people left on the planet; however, all too soon, their perfect bubble was shattered.

“I hope you two kids have fun tonight!” her father said with a booming voice.

“We will, sir,” Adrien replied, still holding her hand, “And I promise to take good care of your daughter.”

“I can see that.”

Marinette walked up to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, papa.”

Adrien pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “We should get going. My dad is expecting me to be there no later than seven-thirty. Shall we?”

He guided Marinette out of the apartment and into the car. Once she was situated inside the vehicle, Adrien ran to the other side and hopped in.

“You look really beautiful tonight,” he remarked, “I’m sorry that I didn’t say that to you earlier.”

Marinette felt her cheeks grow warm. “Thank you.”

“Red really suits you.”

“Well then, you should see me in a red suit.”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You’re so funny, Marinette! I hope you know how amazing you are.”

“You’re purr-ty paw-some yourself, Adrien Agreste,” she replied.

“More cat puns!” He laughed even harder. “That’s incredible. I love you so much.”

Marinette gasped. “Wait...what?”

Adrien clapped his hands over his mouth and looked at her with worry in his eyes. “I’m so sorry! I keep messing this up! I didn’t mean to say that...I mean, I did mean it, but I didn’t mean to say it now. It’s just been on my mind, and it slipped, and…”

She cut him off by leaning over and planting a kiss on his cheek. “Please don’t be sorry. I feel the same way.”

“You do?”

“I have since the day you gave me that umbrella.”

“That’s right. How could I forget? You said that the other...I mean...I don’t know what I mean...um...KAGAMI! Yes, Kagami told me that, and it’s really nice to hear you say that to me. I’m happy you feel the same way!”

“He really is my Chaton,” Marinette thought to herself.

She bit her lip. “Hey, Adrien?”

He met her gaze. “Yes?”

“I love you, too.”

“You’ve just made me the happiest person on the planet. This is the greatest Christmas gift I could have asked for.”

“All I’ve ever wanted was to see you happy.”

She watched as Adrien blinked back tears before he once again took her hands. “Christmas has been so hard without my mom, and you make my heart feel full again. So, yes...you make me happy in ways I never thought were possible. Thank you for agreeing to go out with me tonight, Marinette.”

His words stole all the air away from her lungs. “Oh, Adrien…”

Before she could continue, the car stopped in front of the Grand Paris Hotel. Several photographers stood by the entrance.

Marinette sunk into her seat. “I didn’t realize there would be reporters here. What if I trip and fall? I’ll make a fool out of myself, and then I’ll never get a career in fashion and...”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. I meant it when I told you that I would always be there to catch you if you fall. You will always be safe with me.”

“I know, kitty...I know. You’re always there to protect me.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I’ll be right by your side the whole time. I promise.”

“Okay. I trust you.”

Adrien hopped out of the car and ran to the other side. He opened her door, extended his arm, and walked her into the building.

Staying true to his word, he stayed next to her the entire night. He introduced her to designers and helped her navigate questions from reporters. He held her hand while they got punch and snacks from the buffet table, and he pulled her close when they made their way to the dance floor.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked after their fifth slow song.

“I’m having an amazing time,” she exclaimed, “Thank you so much for inviting me.”

“So, does that mean we can go on a second date?”

“Yes, kitty. We can go on as many dates as you would like.”

“What did you just call me?”

Marinette opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Adrien let go of her and ran his fingers through his hair. “How did you figure it out?”

“It’s now or never...just be honest with him.”

She swallowed and looked up at him. “Is there somewhere we can go to talk?”

“Yeah, follow me.” He looked around before taking her hand and leading her across the room.

He took her up several flights of stairs until they reached the roof. The space had been decorated with thousands of twinkling lights. It would have been very romantic under different circumstances.

A brisk wind howled, and Marinette shivered.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry. It’s December and you’re not wearing long sleeves. Here...take this.” He removed his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Is that any better?”

“Yes.” She slipped her arms into the sleeves and fastened one of the buttons. “Thank you.”

“Marinette…I have to ask. Why did you call me...you know...that?”

She looked down at the ground and composed her thoughts. “You didn’t keep your promise.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders. “What do you mean? I stayed next to you the entire night.”

“Not that one. The other promise.”

“Other promise?”

She looked up. “Yes! The one where you promised to tell me how the girl liked the cookies you made. You said that you would tell me the next time you saw me, and you saw me yesterday, chaton.”

Marinette could almost see the wheels turning in his head as his eyes searched her face for answers. After a minute of tense silence, his expression softened and his arms dropped to his sides.

“I really do see you in red all the time, don’t I?” he whispered.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“You usually have a mask, too.” Adrien reached up and traced his finger along her cheek.

“And you have cat ears.”

“My lady?”

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. “It’s been so long since you’ve called me that.”

“I didn’t think it was possible to love you any more than I did before, but here we are.” He choked back a sob. “How could I possibly be this lucky?”

“I asked myself the same question last night.”

“So, wait...that means that you said no to Chat Noir because…”

“Because I’m hopelessly in love with Adrien Agreste.”

“Ladybug was in love with me the whole time?”

Marinette laughed and brushed away a tear with the back of her hand. “Yes, and she’s still in love with you.”

Adrien beamed. “I take back what I said before. This is the greatest Christmas gift I’ve ever received. The two most amazing people in my life are the same person, and she loves me just as much as I love her.”

“Forever and ever, kitty. I’m just happy you’re not upset.”

“Never. This is the most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me.” He pulled her into a tight squeeze. “And I’m never letting you go.”

She returned the embrace. “But if you never let go, how are you going to kiss me?”

He backed away. “You’re going to let me kiss you?”

“You are allowed to kiss me whenever you want.”

Seconds later, his lips crashed onto hers. At first, it was filled with heated desperation, but then the kiss morphed into a gentle, unspoken “I love you”. Marinette’s hands made their way to his hair while his arms wrapped themselves around her waist. When they finally broke the kiss, they stood breathless in each other’s embrace.

Without letting go, Adrien leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m so happy that I actually get to remember that one.”

Marinette giggled. “May it be the first of many.”

“Merry Christmas, my lady.”

“Merry Christmas, chaton.”