#I learned people could be asexual and I immediately knew that I was part of that

[eggcats]

I'm still (always) thinking about my Housewife Vox AU, so here are my sexuality/history/etc headcanons for Alastor and Vox in it

(I kind of have more for Alastor here, bc almost all of my Hazbin ships involve him so he's the one I've thought about more - I kind of keep similar headcanons no matter what ship I'm thinking of, tbh).

I'm also going to write Alastor being in a rut in this AU, because those fics are always fun, and he will be having sex but it'll be more in a "my mate is aroused and I must please them" kind of way, if that makes sense? I kind of see him as sex-neutral/positive asexual, even in a rut, but the rut makes him a little (lot) more feral and in less control of his instincts. (This is why, before he got into a relationship with Vox, he's never really been affected by the sexual aspects of a rut, because he's only interested in sex as far as his mate is).

(I know my fic kind of tiptoes around any possible consent issues, but I think having Alastor react like this kind of solves it in a way, because he's only interested in making his mate feel good so if Vox didn't want something or began to not like it, Alastor would immediately stop to comfort his mate. However, since he's never before had ANY of his deer/demonic instincts really show before, none of them are sure how he'll react this time, hence the concern).

(I don't mean this in a way to insult any other Alastor-rut fics, trust me I love them, this is just how I'm writing mine here).

I put a readmore here bc I realized how many words I was writing and didn't want to clog your dash, lol.

Alastor:

Asexual - is generally so uninterested he has never masturbated or even considered doing so; knows and understands sex (in a baseline level) but doesn't know anything further as he never wanted to engage or see it; still is only interested in it in a way to experience/watch Vox enjoy himself, wouldn't engage on his own otherwise

Possibly aromantic - the line between "romantic love" and "this person belongs to me" is essentially the same to him, could not tell you the difference (side note: neither can I)

Doesn't know either of those things

Just thinks "I'm the only normal motherfucker alive/in hell when it comes to relationships" and has not had a single question in regards to himself since

Doesn't really understand the difference between being friends/roommates and being in a relationship (hence when he found out that Vox liked him, he was like ah, okay. I don't need to change anything here, since he thinks we're in a relationship, this must be what people DO in a relationship. No need to mention any of this to Vox, surely)

When eventually I do make him have sex, he doesn't really have a preference in position. Generally, I'll include him as the more dominant partner (especially with Vox), but that's more because that's what VOX wants, and Alastor is being intimate for Vox. He has no real preference on who tops and who bottoms, as long as Vox is enjoying himself (and Alastor gets enjoyment out of the act when Vox is)

The same applies to dancing - Alastor teaches Vox how to swing dance, but once Vox learns and becomes more comfortable, a lot of their dancing has them constantly switching the lead and following position, based on whatever they feel like doing at the time

Despite living in the 20s/30s is fairly open minded about a lot of things relating to gender and sexuality, because he lived in the vice district in New Orleans and was exposed to a lot of that (either growing up, or living there as a serial killer, or both).

Some parts of me think that after he murdered his father when he was only around 13-15 (another headcanon of mine), his mother needed a way to make money and so they moved to the vice district, and so Alastor knew and grew up with sex workers and cross-dressers and saw how they were treated by police/society, and so has no issues with them.

Living there when he was a serial killer was also useful, because no one bothers anyone to avoid the risk of setting the police on you.

He doesn't know a lot of more modern terms for things, but Vox wanting to wear a dress doesn't concern him, nor does being in a relationship with a man, since those were things he not only had experienced/seen when he was alive, he's also been in hell for 20 years which is, as a whole, a lot more open minded about things. (I did try to keep him ignorant of more modern things, tho, like he doesn't know anything about things he would have only seen/experienced in hell because he doesn't care about people or relationships, really).

Probably some form of autistic (same, bestie) and takes a lot of cues about how their relationship should be from Vox (which is why he originally didn't feel the need to change his behavior even when he found out Vox was interested in him, because it didn't occur to him at all, and only discovered Vox was sexually interested when it was shoved in his face - however, now that he knows, he's taken a much more active/possessive role in their relationship, including a sexual aspect)

--

Vox:

(Previously) closeted bisexual

Grew up/lived/married/died in middle Americana, white picket fence, 2.5 children, all the houses looking identical, 1950s desperate housewives edition, the whole shebang

DID have a cult, but I'm thinking less Manson, and more "televangelist who extorts his flock for money/power" - this is why he has his hypnosis powers (he doesn't really have them/have discovered them yet, but that's because he's never really had a chance to explore his powers in any real capacity - he basically showed up in hell and then was kidnapped and wifed up immediately)

Did have a wife and children, but wasn't interested in either of them - had them more so because he "had" to and it would look bad for his image, not out of any attraction or love to his wife

All of this contributes to him doing everything he can to try to hide his attraction to Alastor, because he had to do so in life

He's Really Bad At Hiding It tho, because living with Alastor (who, even before he learned Vox was interested in him, has very little boundaries to physical space and just grabs and touches him all the time) is different than being a little attracted to your neighbor

Also, no one in hell calls him out on it, so he never quite realizes how obvious he comes across

Does eventually start his side of the media business, with the help of Alastor, to combine both radio and television to take over the airwaves entirely - becomes the Television/Video Demon, to complete the Radio Demon

Stops Alastor from murdering any and all other media demons/demons who have similar powers over the airwaves, and instead makes deals for their souls to work for him - this is where a lot of his initial power/dealmaking comes from as he rises to also be an Overlord; even when Alastor is the one who finds a media demon he basically just kidnaps them and drops them at Vox's feet like a cat presenting a half-dead mouse to it's owner

--

(Note: I'm aware that Alastor is canonically asexual and he's still in my AU, and I've heard back and forth about him being canonically aromantic and I'm unsure if you'd classify him as aro here too. I'm ace, and I think (maybe?) I might be on the aro spectrum, but regardless I kind of write Alastor like how I'd see relationships/would develop into one in a similar way. I'm not interested in sex or anything, and I've been interested in people/relationships very rarely (and those I am, once I become close friends I'm usually like, oh cool, yay), so I'm kind of using myself as a baseline to figure out how Al feels about things here.

That being said, I don't agree with people harassing other creators who DON'T make Alastor ace or aro in their fics or art, bc it's fan content and so it doesn't matter. Changing a sexuality in a fanfic isn't the same as Actual Erasure and it's wild that people claim that, because I've been reading fanfic since I was 13 and I PROMISE you none of those characters were as queer as I was reading them, lmao. Despite all evidence to the contrary, when they grew up Naruto and Sasuke did NOT fuck nasty in the Hokage office, no matter how much they should have.

Sorry rant, over.)

[variousqueerthings]

OKAY ten episodes into due south and we've got some new takeaways + some doubling downs

just had the christmas episode which means "just had the episode where fraser hallucinates his dad" and I am. very sure. that this show will never come to this conclusion, but mr benton fraser, your dad was not a good dad, and "wishing you'd spent more time with him so you could learn more" was never your fault and also... all this hero-worship for a man you didn't know, because he made it so you didn't know him, you may have had an icon/figure/image you wanted to emulate, but you didn't have a dad

also im perhaps doing fraser sr. a disservice, but I really do wonder about how long he knew about the dam. this was his area after all. but i think it's comforting to fraser jr to think his dad was only briefly hooked and then did the right thing immediately, but going by the hunter idk... also darnit benton fraser get that man down from the pedestal, you're doing yourself an injury craning your neck to look up all the time, when he's not worth it! (but also big big fan of this as a major blindspot he has, characterwise)

also in the christmas episode some rare rare ray backstory, and his father was abusive, so we're really getting guy A: absent father whom he wishes desperately to still be the perfect son for and live up to the Ideal of (benton) and guy B: abusive father who taught him to duck and to never hit kids (cos they don't learn anything from it), which is a very clear background for his cynicism and sense that people don't improve that we meet him with

TO GO BACK SOME EPISODES:

Pizzas and promises: fraser in ray's clothes (ray is now keeping them in a shrine in his closet)

I have said this before (somewhere to someone) and I will say it again: I like to read asexuality and aromanticism into characters, I enjoy it, I especially enjoy finding ways it can work with established canon (say, a character who does have relationships, ok so how does this work, etc) but. BUT. Benton Fraser. there's no reach?? that's just an aromantic asexual man there. to the point that it's a recurring joke that this beautiful beautiful man does not wish to flirt (or doesn't understand it's happening), does not want someone undressing in front of him (sexually, he clearly doesn't mind ray taking a shower), does not even consider himself as a sexually attractive person and is continuously surprised whenever someone else does, etc. have been informed that paul gross at one point said he doesn't think he's a virgin, which ofc opens up all kinds of new doors to think about (idk if this is ever established in the show, so we'll see, because it obvs changes the direction of thought depending on if yes or no)

but yeah, fraser literally holding a hand over his eyes because he's so disturbed by the car saleswoman undressing and then saying something like: "oh... dear. an accident..." before running out (hand still over his eyes...) -- also in that episode we have one of several "ray saves fraser in a desperate last-ditch way and fraser seems to think it's all premeditated and ray is a little frustrated" which plays very well into hc's about ray wanting fraser to Pls Stop Constantly Putting Yourself In Bodily Harms Way!!!!

Chinatown: ofc he speaks chinese. this is also such a Community Episode, continuing the idea that fraser is becoming this big name around the [insert chicago area] known for helping people (+ i bet he'd get free meals in chinatown for the rest of his life). also ray's face when he ordered at the restaurant was perfect -- just when fraser couldn't get more larger-than-life...

chicago holiday prt 1+2: ok well, obvs it's all about the bdsm club - fascinating that it's not something that makes fraser more uncomfortable than just every day life, which tbh, tracks as an aroace (in this case especially the ace part of it), because everything is sexual all the time, leather isn't distinctively sexual. "punish me I've been bad" made me fucking cackle though. y'all want fraser to be a dom so badly. that man is not a dom. at best he could do some praise kink, but that's all he's got in him - the fact that there are two police raids on this place. and like. it's not just queer people in there necessarily, but it definitely has several queer people. and the police chief calls them perverts. it's very much the overlap between kinkphobia and queerphobia (which, ultimately, is almost the same thing, in that queers are considered kinky, and kink is considered queer). so i'd say it's probably the worst look we've seen for the local police force so far BUT it does fit with the overarching setting that is: ---- systemic, casual injustice and bigotry ---- full of real-world people ---- also a little bit of a fairytale (fraser's pov of the world) ---- plays into explorations of ray who has one foot in the "real" world (which is unjust and cruel and harsh and he's just trying to survive in it without getting into too much trouble, he's just "doing his job") and one foot in fraser's world (the belief that everyone is fundamentally worthy of respect and decency, because everyone is a person, and that this respect will be paid back). he's not a perfect person, as is often shown, and this isn't his finest hour. I like that both fraser and the barkeeper AND the femmedom all call him on it in one way or another ---- am i remembering right, I believe this was also the episode where ray said he didn't even think fraser was a proper cop, because of fraser's ethos, which is very funny because... he isn't. my man is fired, he is not legally a cop anywhere, because he was too good a person for the job. he's an Embodiment. an Ideal. of Something (Justice, Decency, The Wild, idk), but he is not a cop my man. he got arrested in the raid too! in fact if it wasn't for ray imprinting on him, he'd have been in so much trouble several times! - also I mean. I said it, but if everyone wants fraser to be a dom, then people think ray's a bit subby, but going by their dynamic, ray is fraser's daddy. buys him nice stuff, makes sure he eats, socialises (with him), chastises him for putting himself in danger... anyway, obvs @gjdraws and I have ahem... discussed this

a cop and a mountie and a baby: shockingly this wasn't as gay as I thought it'd be. there's a bit of stuff when they're around the park, but actually the main takeaway of this episode is that this woman had heard of fraser's reputation and staked her baby on it, wild. fraser my guy. you're already a legend

There's a lot of I've forgotten to say/wrote to GJ in much ramblier paragraphs but The Gist

MISC: - the leather jacket fraser wears... inherited? bought in canada? it's such a distinct third Fit to his mountie clothes - fraser has some unhinged parenting takes, but who can blame him because his dad sucked!!!!! (okok, I'm over it... no I'm not) - ray... I didn't get into just how many moments there are of ray being in love with fraser, idk they just keep coming. every episode, it's like a tidal wave. think a notable one was end of "chicago holiday" where he brings fraser something to wear so they can go out together, just cos. but he does things for him "just cos" all the damn time! - elaine! third? bestie? i think she deserves to leave the police station and join them on cases! I wish to know more about her. that time she profiled someone and it was just fraser in drag (and ray recognised fraser in drag) - frannie! unconvinced by the way they wrote her in "pizzas and promises," thought she was fun in the first section, but i think the writing let down her character during the part where ray nearly drowns (OH YEAH THAT WAS GAY TOO MY GOODNESS) because like, why wouldn't she be more worried? think there were more dynamic, less "she's just shallow/ditzy" ways of writing that - the "jai ne said quoi" ongoing bit was very cute. also very gay. just. all of it is

[yardsards]

What made you realize you’re aro? An idea has been planted in my head of me being aro

i feel like for me, my thing was less about *realizing* i was aro and more about *accepting* that i was aro. (also talk abt my asexuality in here bc those two parts of my identity feel very intertwined. and some gender stuff as well)

as a little kid, i didn't have any crushes. i assumed all my classmates that said they had crushes were just lying or doing some kind of social performance that i (as an undiagnosed autistic who frequently felt left out by my peers' social rules) figured i just didn't get. i figured real crushes wouldn't happen til we were teenagers or something.

when i was like 13, i was clicking around on wikipedia, and found an article about asexuality. immediately i identified myself in it (and realized that oh, it wasn't the default). my confusion about why the girls my age always talked about finding guys hot finally made sense to me. it just clicked into place.

i read up more about asexuality. i looked at the asexual tag on tumblr. i learned about aromanticism and the split attraction model.

but i wasn't ready to accept being aromantic yet. i labelled myself a heteroromantic asexual for several months, maybe even a year. the idea of never having sex wasn't scary to me. but the idea of never falling in love was *terrifying*. so i told myself i just hadn't met the right boy yet and would grow into it. (you'd think a 13 year old would figure out their romantic orientation before their sexual orientation, cuz it's normal for sexual attraction to not be fully developed yet. but i was not coming from the most logical place here)

over time, seeing aromantics online, and unlearning heteronormativity and amatonormativity, the idea of being aromantic started to feel less scary. so i *began* to accept the fact that i could be aro and that would be okay, and started calling myself aromantic.

but a part of me still didn't *want* to be aromantic.

i tried looking for alternative explanations. i questioned if i was a lesbian: i now knew i didn't want to be any boy's girlfriend, but being a girl's girlfriend was never shoved down my throat (and didn't have heteronormative gender roles baked into it) the way dating boys was and so didn't make me so viscerally uncomfortable. and something about butch lesbians really resonated with me (hello repressed gender crisis). i found girls pretty to look at, and fun to draw.

and i had this female friend that i tended to cling to (i have always had a habit of clinging stronglyvto one best friend at a time in my younger years, as a weird autism-anxiety thing). i liked being by her side, and i wanted to hold her hand. i wanted us to be in each other's lives forever. i found myself jealous when she paid more attention to her various boyfriends and girlfriends than me. (later on i realized that she actually wasn't a very good friend and treated all of her friends like free therapy or pit stops between romantic partners. very high school.)

then i realized i was trans, and came out to some close friends.

and then two separate male-aligned friends both admitted romantic feelings towards me in a very close timespan. it made me feel warm when they told me they wanted to be with me. but i told them i didn't think i reciprocated the feelings. both of them told me they'd be okay with something queerplatonic instead of romantic. but i told them i wasn't sure about that either bc commitment like that was scary to me. and i wasn't sure that if i did want a qpr if i would want it with either of them specifically.

i started to think, maybe i was biromantic. the idea of being a boy's boyfriend didn't make my skin crawl the same way the idea of being a boy's girlfriend did. i wondered if maybe the reason i didn't say yes to being in a romantic relationship was just the same reasons i also didn't say yes to being in a queerplatonic relationship (commitment issues/not being sure if either of those particular people were right for me)

but i slowly realized that all of my feelings that i was hoping to fit into a romantic box just. weren't romantic and couldn't be forced to be romantic. it was all either just strong platonic love (i remember noting that it was roughly the same type of love i'd felt towards favorite cousins, who the idea of being romantic with obviously disgusted me). or in other cases were just me being lonely and wanting to be loved and paid attention to, and wanting any love i could get even if it were romantic. and being so afraid of being abandoned in favour of everyone getting romantic partners (because our amatonormative society says that friends should always come second to romantic partners, plus that first girl friend regularly ditching me for her partners increasing that fear) so i was hoping to be in a romantic relationship with the people i loved platonically so that i wouldn't have to worry about them leaving me behind.

idk if i explained it well, and idk if any of this is helpful to you. but yeah.

[wine-dark-soup]

ASKS BE UPON YE

1 / 3 / 5 / 7 / 20 / 21 🦎

Hey THANK YOU SORRY that i took a nap right after i told you i'd get to the asks. work.... exhaustion................... but you're giving me... enrichment. in these computerless times.

1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?

Ough, tough one. Eos wouldn't be anything else than what she is - a soul in a woman's body - so i suppose i can safely say she's cis - or like, that she doesn't care enough to worry about her very gender. But she has a long story of slowly getting more and more alienated from the steppe's culture, which strongly impacted her gender presentation mostly. she was forced to dress à la sharlayan by a bad guy, which was awful and then the bad guy caused her exile, so we're not off to a great start. leaving the steppe's quite genderless robes behind was quite difficult, especially when she then reached other countries and continents and saw what some tailors had in store for women KJDSKJDSKJ. that made her feel even more different and weird than she already was. xaela are quite a rare sight outside of the steppe so she had no one to tell her if what she saw and felt was normal, and how to cope.

that's why all her outfits are 1. not specifically feminine (though the game makes them look more feminine than they are in my mind) and 2. not eorzean. yes, the crystarium aiming set is definitely not something she'd have worn back in the steppe. but it covers her body. same with gunbreaker outfits in general. recently, getting into white magic let her choose a more steppe-like outfit - large concealing coat, practical, with embroidered motifs, boots and skirt with pants (protection from whatever could crawl on her legs) that let her be finally closer to nature and herself again.

that gender and cultural question is also why she TECHNICALLY creates her own clothes but i haven't leveled the corresponding crafting classes yet cough. she's learned leatherwork in the steppe and she's most certainly a good weaver. tailoring your own outfits according to your own preferences and all that to avoid the shameful white mage mini skirt

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

She knew, I think. She had some kind of homoerotic friendship with Cotota (the khan's niece from Reunion) when they were teenagers. Then she got exiled and the fear and trauma resulting from this, then the wol business, buried her romantic and sexual feelings so deep she wouldn't find them back in years KJDSKJKJSD

she started feeling better after the elpis trip, though it still wasn't all perfect - still, she had enough hope to be the one defeating meteion and not the reverse. at the same time the twelveswood's blasphemy was roaming the forest and by dealing with it she became kan-e-senna's friend.

generally speaking, the last part of endwalker and the patchs are the moment she starts feeling good enough for people around her to feel real again. like suddenly she feels she's in the world again, and so can make friends. and she did. then among those friends was the elder seedseer and eos spent some time recovering from the ultima thule fight in gridania so their friendship grew into something else :) and it was all natural she didn't feel surprised by the fact she was into women at all. but she WAS surprised that she could FEEL SOMETHING.

5. How did you figure out your oc's identity?

For most of the MSQ eos was asexual in my head. just couldn't picture anything else, any other identity. but honestly that was caused by my personal issues, i was afraid to engage with the plot outside what was canonically defined (for reasons). yes i had depression. yes once i got better eos immediately became a lesbian. but her asexuality is still part of her story - though at this point i wouldn't call it asexuality to respect my asexy friends. that was just trauma. but that lack of interest in anything sexual/romantic was definitely an important part of her life and she is trying to make sense of it

7. Is there something that could cause your oc to question their identity? What?

Honestly. No.

20. Have your ocs helped you in self discovery? How?

Not in terms of labels or anything - my lesbian identity has been pretty solid for as long as i can remember - but i DO HAVE several forms of OCD, and have for five years, including homosexual OCD (aka comphet but make it a mental disorder) i have intrusive thoughts about having heterosexual sex and i compulsively check every thought to see if it means i'm straight. and finally setting in stone that my oc was also a lesbian and in a happy relationship helped me quiet the intrusive thoughts. that and sertraline. but i swear it makes me feel happy to see my oc happy - and it seems right, like it can't be otherwise. she couldn't be with anyone else than a woman. just like me irl. it's validating.

21. Free ramble card wee

i still hate square enix for what they've done to the female version of the neo-ishgardian outfits like let eos wear a leather jacket free her from that gender role prison yes i've said that a thousand times yes i will keep saying it

also gaia and ryne's story is the best lesbian representation i've ever seen and every young wlw should play it. literally felt a weight leave my shoulders as ryne caught gaia from the void and the camera cut to the rainbow crystal and a field of newly grown flowers where a desert stood but a second ago. sudden breath of fresh air and life brought by gay love

[fadavitalis]

Long Distance to Nesting

My very first post on this blog was orginally about surviving my long distance relationship with my (still) partner. I wanted to make this cute ass long story about the longing and everything we went through, but of course in true AuDHD (autism + ADHD for those unfamiliar) fashion I lost attention. That is not the only thing though: going from being at a distance to actually cohabitating is really hard. It can be a dream come true, but you only really get to know how it is to live with someone by doing it. So besides my neurodivergency getting in the way, it was also a matter of not being capable to put time and energy into my blog… and of course a good dose of perfectionism.

When I first met my partner, we were two lost souls with plenty of problems going on mentally, but we were under the impression that our issues were lighter than they were especially on their side. My partner has since been diagnosed with very severe mental illnesses, but to get there came with its own number of challenges. From all that we knew, they were looking to settle together with me and find work or a study to pursue and we would become this dynamic duo of oddballs that could conquer the world.

They moved over to be with me in the Netherlands when I was 21, this was 5 years after our long distance relationship initially began. We moved into a small studio apartment in a big city and just as agreed they went looking for work while I carried on with my study. With not knowing the local language as an added challenge, getting to work was difficult enough, and those they did manage to get into, they were not able to hold down. As their symptoms worsened as they were alienated and suffering from culture shock, so did the did the problems between us.

Without dwelling too long on details and personal information that I do not have explicit consent to share, I convinced them to eventually look for help. The mental health system here is overburdened, especially for the more complex cases. They were on a waiting list for three long years in which I was their only and primary caretaker, next to providing for them off a student loan alone. After so much fighting against the system, they finally managed to get themself a good therapist, and with his help they also got disability benefits so they could have their own income independently from mine.

It was a blessing, immediately our relationship improved as being together no longer was a ‘must’, it truly became a choice. This was a time of much needed healing, heart to hearts, and growth. We found out they are in fact asexual, and that I am pansexual, and that neither of us exactly identify as a binary gender. With jealousy never really having been that much of a thing between us - seriously I only got ‘jealous’ when other people insinuated I should be - polyamory became a healthy and natural choice for us due to our differences in needs and wants out of a relationship. It took me especially a long time to accept it, having been raised a Roman Catholic, and having to take some years of learning about polyamory and unlearning mono-normative instincts before I dared to apply it to our relationship.

It is all well that ends well now. We have been together 15 years and counting, and have been poly for about 4. We have been through hell and back together, something we could not have foreseen while we were still in a long distance relationship, and looking back I sometimes wonder if I had made different choices with the current knowledge. Hindsight is 2020 though and that was a shit year for the most part, even if it is the year I met my girlfriend. I am happy we live as a polycule now, finally in a home with enough space and love to go around. The system that left us to struggle and go hungry still is terrible, but that is why I became politically active, and why now we fight to change it.

Going forward I doubt I will write long essay-like blogposts as often as I have right now. I just felt like this blog might have needed a decent introduction, and some background information to what led me to be the person I am now.

[anxiouslyfred]

Is There a Label Like That

for @aro-sides-week prompt of Discovery

Summary: Roman has dreamt of Disney happy ever afters his whole life but never wanted it when he has the chance for romance. A talk with Logan helps him start to understand why.

/\/\

Roman is a romantic. He's always been so and it's something everyone knows. He wanted those fairytale moments of finding true love and staying together forever. Hell, he was likely to do grand gestures for any of his friends that bystanders often through were romantic.

The issue was that he couldn't imagine, nor want, an actual person in his fantasies with him. Roman had tried to imagine people who's style he adored, or who made him laugh if something in their actions seemed flirtatious, but he knew it was fake, forcing himself to believe in emotions that weren't there by magnifying something that was.

Trying to find and make intentionally romantic gestures was just as uncomfortable, leaving Roman wanting to flee, but the few times he'd hooked up at a bar everything had been fine, even great if the other made it clear from the start that no relationship was an option.

Then Logan came out as Asexual and Roman was floored by labels he hadn't heard about before being used.

“What is that?” He couldn't help asking, curious and fascinated, just by the fact there was a new label he could learn.

“It means I don't experience sexual attraction and in my instance do not desire that kind of touch at all. To be specific I'm a sex repulsed asexual.” Logan replied quite calmly.

Roman paused, thinking but not struggling with the definition as Logan's expression made it clear he expected him to. “Is there a label like that for romance?”

Logan nodded after a moment, confused by the question not being something he'd expected to hear. “Yes, aromantic. Why do you ask?”

“That just... That just sounds like how I feel.” Roman muttered, shrinking back a little under the sharp gaze and beyond aware that what he was saying was contradictory to everything he friends usually described him as.

“You mean in regards to romance? I thought you dreamt and chase after romance constantly. Seeking your Disney ending as you once told me.” Logan replied, not judgementally, but merely curious.

“Then retreat as fast as I can from situations like that.” Roman nodded. “It's uncomfortable and forced because I want a happily ever after but that makes my skin crawl.”

“As I feel when in situations where someone expects a sexual encounter with me. I can direct you to a few sites which were useful when I was looking up queer labels and terms if you want to look into aromanticism more.” Logan offered, smiling.

The discussion was dropped after Roman accepted the offer and noted a few websites down to look up later. It wasn't something either of them wanted to linger on at the moment, and it had been clear from the moment Logan cornered Roman alone that his coming out as Ace needed his attention at that time.

Part of Roman felt like saying that he didn't immediately come out as Aro to let Logan's coming out have the attention and acceptance it deserved, but really he just didn't start calling himself aromantic for a while after that conversation. He read and looked up the experiences of aromantics online and questioned where he felt comfortable to.

A lot of questions were just directed at himself and Roman wrote out essays on how he felt and what love or romance meant to him. He'd reread journal entries trying to remember specific actions that made him record dates or meetings as awkward or uncomfortable and wonder if being aro was why they felt like that.

It was still the same feeling though, of dreaming for romance but never truly desiring it which made Roman return to the aro label. He liked it more each time and slowly began accepting in the safety of his mine that he could be aro and still do grand gestures for his friends. They are the most important people to him after all.

It had been a couple of months since Logan first told Roman of the label and all their friends were gathered, playing a few board games and just catching up when an offhand comment by Patton brought conversation to which of them would marry someone they'd just met.

“Are you seriously saying you don't think our very own Disney Prince isn't going to run off with a stranger claiming they're his true love? He's a regular Anna.” Janus was saying, gesturing over to him while Virgil was shaking his head.

That sentence was enough to have Roman blurting out “I'm aro! I don't feel that attraction nor want marriage like that at all. Just let's all be happy ever after as friends!”

Virgil had frozen half way to speaking when Roman exclaimed and now paused, turning to him consideringly. Janus had moved backwards in their seat, blinking but smiling after a moment and nodding, accepting that their comment wasn't welcomed.

It was when Patton started to squeal quietly, leaning towards Roman despite him hunching away that the pause brought to their jokes was broken.

“Sweet, makes life easier for me. No need to worry your extravagant gestures are romantic any more.” Virgil nodded. “Back to the subject, look at Patton. He is definitely the one most likely to marry a stranger. Someone'll feed him a sob story, throw in something about needing a green card to get to safety and they'll be at the registry office before sunset.”

That got the attention off Roman's unplanned coming out happily without any questions being asked and Logan nudging his shoulder to check in was a support he couldn't be more grateful for.

[cienie-isengardu]

There is one thing that you mention a lot and it is Bi-Han's lack of social skills and well I do not agree at all, that is, Bi-Han as with Sektor is quite introverted but I do believe that the Lin kuei taught them social skills to be able to infiltrate them among the people during missions. Bi-Han I think he has manners and social skills but he doesn't hide when he doesn't like someone. He was sarcastic with Quan chi but at no time did he insult him or refuse to do his job

I do not have any doubt that Bi-Han’s speech patterns depend on whom he is interacting (x) but as much as honesty and straightforwardness are in itself valuable traits, frankness is not always an acceptable choice to rely on. Having social skills helps to navigate how to behave and talk to different people to not overstep or break generally accepted norms and in result, to build a healthy relationship, or in case of living in a strict warrior society, to not get in trouble. Bi-Han for me lacks in this department, especially in mentioned interaction with Quan Chi, because he was not on equal ground with the sorcerer yet had this borderline challenging attitude. And most likely yes, some of the rudeness came from not liking nor respecting the suspicious guy that already proved to be some insidious bastard for hiring another man for the same job. But the thing is, he wasn’t there to question a lucrative customer that was personally approved by the Grandmaster and he should keep his accusations and rude remarks to himself, not throw it into the sorcerer's face just like that.

I mean, as much as dark and evil Lin Kuei are, customer service is a vital part of the earning money process. Bi-Han wasn’t there as equal to Grandmaster (the superior whom he swore to obey) nor Quan Chi (approved client). Between these three characters, Sub-Zero was just a tool to finish an already made transaction, no one was interested in what he thought or felt at that moment. As much as the accusation to some degree may be forgiven, since Quan Chi openly antagonized Sub-Zero by calling Lin Kuei the ninja (an intended insult) and admitted to hiring Shiray Ryu (the enemy of Lin Kuei), he shouldn’t be so aggressive nor so open. It toned down once Grandmaster stopped their argument. Even then, Bi-Han could - should - ask about the mission in a more polite or at least neutral way, instead of “If it's so precious, why don't you get it yourself?”, since his superior made it clear Sub-Zero is gonna do another job for the client (“Now you will use the map on your next mission. Quan Chi has once again retained your services”).

The whole situation feel to me like Grandmaster promised Quan Chi the best man for the job but said man had this “fuck you” attitude from the start. Sub-Zero represented Lin Kuei but instead of the professional and obedient subordinate of Grandmaster there was an abrasive warrior who called Quan Chi on his lies and backed down only because his boss had enough of his attitude and the pointless argument. Not the best social awareness if you ask me.

Bi-Han wasn’t any more polite to Raiden (“That's it? Not even a thank you?”) and either deliberately provoked Scorpion during the Tournament or he was simply brutally honest about not caring about Shirai Ryu’s fate. Which, considering what he knew about the massacre, Scorpion’s obsession about him and just heard Hanzo’s promise to not kill him, he was stubbornly arrogant or really lacked empathy or good understanding of emotional impact his words may have on his sworn enemy. Considering how Bi-Han is described as “the most cunning” above all, we know he is pretty intelligent. But his harsh, abrasive, often confrontational behaviour makes me think he is good with cold logic, not exactly with empathy and because of that, he is not always reading the situation well and may “forget his place” when dealing with people he does not respect or care about or outright provoke them in the worst way. The whole argument with Quan Chi in the first place shouldn’t even happen because really, it wouldn’t be the first time an outsider (client) didn't care about the assassin's life and saw him as just a tool. Grandmaster himself wasn’t bothered nor surprised by Quan Chi’s deal with Shirai Ryu and so Bi-Han’s outburst is even more out of place in my opinion.

How much of this is Bi-Han’s intention to be a rude bastard and how much came from limited social skills (and maybe from introverted nature?) is of course up to debate. But to be fair, all cryomancers have this cheeky and passive-aggressive attitude in common (Frost for example seems like being constantly angry at everyone and doesn’t hold her sharp tongue, younger Kuai Liang literally disturbed Mortal Kombat last Tournament and told Shao Kahn to give him murderer of brother, Conquest!Sub-Zero was no less stubborn and asocial). I do see cryomancers in general as the asocial, aromantic & asexual (maybe even autistic to some degree?) people whose natural coldness may have handicapped sense of social norms and the fact that they are trained killers (thus have empathy dulled even more) don’t help at all.

At the same time, I strongly believe that not every warrior was constantly or even often working undercover and Lin Kuei used its members adequately to their skills. Some are better at spying (thus are better at interacting with people to get the needed information), some are better killers (whose interaction with people doesn't matter as long as the job is finished). There is not enough source material to say for sure what was Bi-Han’s specialization but Mythologies: Sub-Zero strongly suggest is was actually assassination and theft, as we were told by Grandmaster (“Once again, our most cunning assassin and thief is successful.”). The known jobs he did involved breaking into heavily guarded places (Shaolin Temple, Temple of Elements) to steal artifacts and killing people on the way. There was no need for Bi-Han to have any social skills nor during the Mortal Kombat Tournament, when he was hired exactly to eliminate (kill) Earthrealm’s Champions. Of course, this is barely the tip of the iceberg, more or less the last year of Bi-Han’s life, but if he truly was one of the clan's best, sending him on long-term undercover missions could be a waste of an opportunity for profitable earnings. I mean, stealing and killing are usually short-termed jobs, the “go in and get out” as fast as possible to not leave any trace behind. Those jobs of course also take time for proper preparation but because of its specific nature, a warrior can be sent from one place to another almost immediately, especially if the lucrative customer (like Shang Tsung or Quan Chi) needs to solve an urgent problems quickly. The game and movies are separated sources, but Mortal Kombat (2021) seems too put Bi-Han mainly on the assassination jobs or staying at Shang Tsung’s side than anything truly involding good understanding of social ettiquete; beside the sorcerer, Bi-Han did not interact much with other people, even with his own allies. Then there is the possibility that Bi-Han could work ultimately more in lawless, wild Outworld than modern Earthrealm which also would affect his behaviour and sense of social norms.

I believe Bi-Han took some undercover missions, but I see him more like operating in the city to do some quick dirty jobs and moving to another target than staying in one place for months while playing “normal” human being. That way he was more useful to clan by earning good money in short period of time and maybe correcting faults of other warriors (supervising them) or killing Shirai Ruy / enemy’s agents along the way. He probably could fit into society for a specified period of time if that was absolutely necessary but I don’t think it happened often. And even then, he most likely kept to himself because Bi-Han is introverted by nature.

At the end of day, the coldness and social detachment was a useful trait for a killer and murdering was most likely Sub-Zero’s expertise so forcing him to spend months on anything else seems to me like wasting both his potential and good job offers. So the Grandmaster (Lin Kuei) could tolerate Sub-Zero’s natural frankness because his social skills weren’t ever the priority.

Bi-Han’s abrasive ways to communicate with others, lack of empathy, the visible isolating himself leads me to think he lacks social skills (and maybe even could fit somewhere on autistic spectrum). At this point of time, I think cryomancers in general are dense when it comes to social norms and interacting with people and I don’t mean it as they are stupid or unable to learn. They just have different (mental?) mindset about such things than other people, even other Lin Kuei warriors. Of course, it is just my take on the matter so anyone can disagree : )

(Ironically, I have the impression that Sektor would do better in long-term undercover work than Bi-Han but he is hardly better at pretending to be a normal human being. The difference is that he is the quiet type easy to overlook while anyone not familiar with Bi-Han's specific behaviour will see him as the rude bastard.)

[meangirlsx]

I figured out that I was asexual before I figured out I was biromantic. It was really hard for me to address, to find the label that felt most accurate and authentic to me, and to adjust to a new perspective of myself.

I hadn’t truly changed in any way. I’d just finally found a word that made so many things in my life make sense, but I was nervous and scared as I processed what that might mean for me and how I could start to interact with the LGBTQIA+ community in a new way. I’ve never been very comfortable with change, but I was also excited to realize I was part of this community I’d always felt so attached and connected to.

Of course, the second I found the asexual community online, I also found tons of debates over whether or not asexual people are actually part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I knew immediately that asexuality is a part of the community, but it still hurt, and I internalized it just the same.

I spiraled, thinking I wasn’t good enough for this community that I thought was meant to bring comfort, peace, support, and love to its people. I sought out posts and people who were inclusive, but I still felt lost in this place I’d only just started to feel found in.

I didn’t feel like a genuine part of the community until I learned a friend of mine in real life was also asexual. We could share our experiences and be our own little community like I’d been wanting since I first realized I was ace.

That gave me the strength to talk to a few other friends who were also in the LGBTQIA+ community. My friend who was trans was especially welcoming and supportive. Then I mentioned it to a friend outside of the community, and he was so quick to say that not only was I not part of the community, I was also just confused and had no way of knowing I was asexual until I actually tried to have sex.

I turned to my trans friend again, and she was furious. She told me how absolutely untrue that was and how glad she was to be part of this community with me. I know my other friend was wrong, but his words have stayed with me for years and they always will. So will every post I read when I first learned I was asexual that tried to tell me how unwelcome, shameful, and wrong I was.

When I realized I was also biromantic, I was thrilled to connect with that part of the community, too. Now, as someone who has identified as biromantic and asexual for a few years, I can’t imagine ever feeling or believing that someone who is asexual and/or aromantic shouldn’t be part of the community. I especially can’t imagine forcing those views on someone just getting introduced to the community.

I wouldn’t say my experience figuring out who I am was even a particularly hard one in comparison to all the possibilities and realities of others. And I still wouldn’t wish any part of it on anyone.

No one deserves to be treated as unwelcome and unsupported, especially by the very people who have been through their own similar struggles and are supposed to be there to welcome you into this new home. No one deserves to feel cast out of and hated by the place that is supposed to be a safe haven.

The LGBTQIA+ community was built by people who were willing to fight for their rights, their lives, and each other while the world was against them. It was built by people with identities that are most often forgotten, ignored, neglected, and excluded by parts of the community today.

These people are our history. This is the legacy that we should be honoring. It’s their strength, bravery, love, and inclusive beliefs that got us here, and we owe it to them and to ourselves to keep that spirit alive. To keep this community welcoming and full of the love, comfort, support, and peace that they always hoped it would be.

I’m so proud of the people who honor that legacy and work to keep that spirit alive. I’m honored to share this community with them.

@thesevenumbrellas @lukesorangebeanie I love you so much. You are kind and caring and protective. You fight for what you know is right. You fight to spread love, comfort, support, peace, and inclusivity. You are exactly what this community has always been intended to be about, and you are exactly what it needs. I’m so honored to be your friend and to be part of this community alongside you. Thank you for sharing your light.

[canvas-the-florist]

Learning to Listen

Ships: Past Romantic Prinxiety, Romantic Intruality,

Warnings: Messy breakup, swearing, unintentional bigotry, mentions of sex, brief (VERY brief) making out

Summary: Virgil, Roman, Patton, and Remus move into a house together as housing during college. It works out great until Virgil and Roman breakup and Remus discovers some things that could complicate his own romantic relationship with Patton (none of the characters are unsympathetic they’re just stupid.)

Word Count: 1.8K

-

   “I’m just an over glorified fuck buddy to you, aren’t I?!” Virgil yelled through the thin walls and Remus flinched at the noise. Roman and Virgil decided to have an apparently much needed fight. He was glad that Patton wasn’t home to witness what he assumed was a breakup. Remus didn’t know whether or not he was going to have to comfort Virgil or Roman.

   “No! I just- Virgil you aren’t listening to me! Like you ever do!” Remus turned up the music in his headphones, despite it already at max volume. His eardrums were probably going to explode, with blood and whatever cartilage did when it couldn’t handle the stress of hearing.

   “Are you breaking up with me?!”

   “Yeah, VIRGIL, I think I am!” Remus was impressed that they had gotten to that part after two hours. But hey, they got there in the end, right? He heard the door of the room open and slam shut. He paused his music and looked up to see Roman looking deflated. Roman walked over and sat next to Remus silently. Remus didn’t say anything, not wanting to fuck up his brother’s day anymore, even though that sounded like fun. Roman screamed into a pillow and fell the back of his head onto Remus’s lap, slapping his phone to the ground. “Did you manage not to hear any of that?”

   “Oh I’m pretty sure your voice could’ve broken the windows if you tried harder.” Remus supplied. “I don’t know exactly what the fight was about though, you guys were talking like normal people at the point.”

   “What would you know about normal people?” Roman responded snarkily, before shaking his head softly and corrected himself. “Sorry. That fight was a lot, I’m not sure the adrenaline of it has burned out yet… Remus, is it weird that I thought we were doing really well? I didn’t even notice Virgil wasn’t happy with it. I really fucked up.”

   Remus thought briefly to his own dating life. He realized he related more than he wanted to. “Yeah, you really boinged that one, dude. But, I’m sure it’ll be okay. If it doesn’t work out I can decapitate Virge for you. He’s my best friend but you’re my brother.”

   Roman laughed lightly, and tears rolled down his face unto Remus’s legs. His laughter quickly turned to sobbing into Remus’s shirt until Patton came home from work 30 minutes later. He opened the door humming to himself until he saw the twins on the couch, Roman’s makeup running and generally looking like a mess.

   “Is… everything okay?” Remus shook his head and Patton nodded to himself. “Where’s Virgil?” That simple question got Roman to crumble down horizontally on the couch again. Patton thought to himself with furrowed brows about that response. Remus pointed to Virgil’s room and Patton followed, knocking on the door. He went in after a few seconds to see Virgil curled up in a ball, shaking and clearly not alright.

   He couldn’t even choke a word out. Patton closed the door and sat on the ground in front of him. Without questioning anything he opened up his arms in case Virgil wanted a hug. He did. “Okay kiddo, breathe in for four seconds for me. Now hold it for seven-”

   This went on until his breathing was stable. Virgil’s fist was closed around a piece of Patton’s shirt. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him.”

   “Do you want to talk about it?” Patton asked, tightening his grip. He had begun to suspect what might’ve happened and almost wanted to cry about it himself, but it wasn’t about him right now. “Not that you have to but if you need to, I’m here.”

   “No, my therapist has told me to communicate better. Which, ironically, what I was trying to do with Roman…” Virgil trailed off, loosening his grip of Patton’s shirt and looking up to his ceiling. He doesn’t really seem to want me other than to have sex and after mentioning that it eventually turned into a screaming match. And then he… then he broke up with me. I should’ve listened to him before but I didn’t. Patton I don’t know what to do.”

   Patton bit his lip for a second. Only sex, huh? He thought back to himself and Remus. They sort of had the opposite issue… This wasn’t about that though. Virgil still wanted a response. “I wasn’t there, Virgil, and this isn’t my relationship we’re talking about. I- do you want suggestions or do you just want me to listen without giving any opinions?”

   “Suggestions would be cool.”

   “Alright,” with that permission Patton tried to think of his best friendly advice. ‘Communication’ was usually always the answer but it was some sort of subsection of that Patton wasn’t sure how to explain. Listen to Roman? Be clear about your wants in a romantic relationship? It was hard for Patton to follow those in his OWN dating life. He realized more and more issues to bring up to Remus after this resolved somehow. “Well, it would probably be helpful to listen to what Roman wants in the relationship and have him listen to what you would want. And then… based on that, work on how to do that together or if that’s not compatible… Break off the romantic relationship because it would probably be healthier that way.”

   Virgil whistled lowly. “Dang, Pat. I was sort of expecting a follow your heart thing. But, thank you. I guess that would mean confronting the issues, which is quite honestly terrifying. I should probably do that now or something…” He stood up, holding his head from doing it too fast and made his way to the door. Patton remained on the floor a moment longer before following.

Remus was back to listening to music while Roman was scrolling on his phone as Remus played with his hair idly. Virgil grabbed the fabric of his jacket before walking to the loveseat. He heard Patton close his door and almost jumped out of his skin. He took a deep breath. “Roman? Maybe we should try again with that discussion… I don’t want this to be screaming. I like you, a lot. What do you say?”

   He made brief eye contact with Roman, seeing the dried tears and puffy eyes, but he nodded and sat up. Remus gave Virgil a raised eyebrow but said nothing. “Okay.” Roman croaked. Patton walked to the kitchen almost immediately to give both of them glasses of water to fight back against what the yelling and tears did to their throats. “You can start.”

   “Should we leave?” Remus asked, as Patton handed the glass to Virgil and then Roman. Patton sat down at the one chair in the room, but didn’t get comfortable just in case. “I mean it’s your conversation.”

   “You can stay. I don’t want to yell again. A mediator would be good.” Like it helped before, Remus thought to himself, but stayed put. Virgil cleared his throat with a small cough and took a sip of water. “I’m starting? Okay. I feel like I'm not getting a lot of romantic affection lately in our relationship that I would really appreciate. We don’t really kiss or anything and I would like to know if that’s because of me or not. You can go now.”

   Roman blinked and used a tissue from the side table to clean up his face as he spoke. “Thank you for telling me that, Virgil… I didn’t realize that you wanted affectionate stuff that badly. I feel like I don’t need that in my relationships and I’ve been questioning my sexuality and romantic orientations for a while. And I probably should’ve brought this up earlier but… I think I’m…” He looked down at the ground. “I think I’m aromantic.” He sounded like he was about to cry again. Remus looked at Patton with wide eyes.

   Patton returned the look as Virgil talked next. “Oh. Roman, I’m so sorry about the fuckbuddy comment, shit. I didn’t realize… but I’m proud of you for finding that out about yourself. Maybe it would be healthier if we broke up, huh?”

   Roman laughed, new tears falling down his face. The two embraced each other, laughing while crying. “Yeah, I guess we are breaking up then!”

   It would hurt for a while, and the change was definitely huge but it was better. But after witnessing that Patton and Remus knew that they had to talk. The only question was who would be the first to bring it up?

-

   Remus and Patton were on Patton’s bed, making out. Which was fine, neither of their roommates were home and it was fun. The issues came up when Patton’s hand went under Remus’s shirt. “Is this okay?” He asked. It all came crashing down when Remus shook his head no. They stopped immediately and fell onto the bed looking up at the ceiling next to each other. “We should talk about this. Not that you didn’t want to, just that we need to define better boundaries for our relationship.”

   “You’re right. We should talk about this.” Remus gulped. Apparently it was already happening. After two weeks but it still didn’t feel like enough time. “Patt, I love you… But I don’t know about fucking.”

   “Crass, but I get it. Are you… asexual?” He looked over at his boyfriend, who shrugged. “Well, that’s fine too. So no sexual stuff. Got it. Anything else that would cross the line that we should talk about?”

   Remus was tempted just to shrug again but didn’t. “I don’t know yet. After Roman finding out he’s aromantic I’ve been thinking. I still want to be with you, but can I give you everything you want in a relationship? I don’t think I… I don’t think I NEED or WANT sex at all, but I haven’t decided yet. I’m so fucking confused.”

  “I may want it, Remus but I don’t think it’s a need in our relationship.” Patton reassured. And he wasn’t lying either. He believed what he was saying, glad that his conversations with Janus had also gotten him to check his own wants and needs in general. “I think I’m alright like this, but it’s important for me to know for sure.”

   He reached out for Remus’s hand, and he took it. They looked up at the ceiling, with a feeling of clarity that helped them relax. It wasn’t really a change at all, but it gave reason to actions and made sure they wouldn’t make the other uncomfortable. And that was worth it.

Taglist: @vpow @loveroffandoms @yourfellowsmolgay @moth-bugs @vsem-5

[hag-rambling-on]

Boys hc’s feats Diaspro

Riven

Riven Cassios was born to two Omega prisoners. What surprised everyone, because staying healthy enough to carry out a pregnancy on a planet that sucks your magic is... Obviously the Rocalucce Council keeps an eye on the planet, they took him out of there because no child would pay because his parents, and he has been in foster homes, although it doesn't last long since the requirements for his adoption were more strict than most -which in the long run the Council would realize was COUNTERPRODUCTIVE for his character-. That is what Darcy detects and why the high spheres are somewhat "permissive" with him.

His mother died giving birth, it was already miraculous that she lived so long and ‘bout his father I think I'm going to kill him too, maybe. The father I assure you would be love him (he called Riven to himself Daru, his gift) thought was not his initial idea, the mother always saw him as an experiment (she was a witch who followed the Ancenstresses). Ohm, also in his blood there are dark elves and giants.

Riven surname is actually the name of the galaxy where he was born or a derivation of it, as is common for orphans. So the boy knows NOTHING about the above.

Timmy and Riven are the only specialists who have passed the full course at Fonterossa, without skips. In the end they bond about it. Timmy gives him a recommendation to work as a part-time mechanic at Magix (good boy face, he knows how to use it)

Timmy

Timeus “tshhhh, it’s Timmy.... i’m not my grandfather” fulfills the physique requisits as much as any other specialist, but it is true that his physique and abilities, adapted to the distance, give him a more "feline" air.

He is also the one who wakes up at night and moves silently, scaringthe rest of the squad if they wake up unexpectedly.

His glasses are for both sight and Aura Vision. His parents are rich enough to pay for an operation, but since he would have to wear glasses for his ability anyway, why? Practical guy.

And the glasses make people look down on him, something that when his self-esteem is high and he’s being rational and cunning he knows it’s wonderful, although many others times may hurt. He is mostly leprechaum with something human.

Nex

Nex is still a Paladin born in Lymphea and with blood of literally ALL races. He adapts well to any planet, although not its people at first. His race mix makes his face “charismatic”, like always draw attention even if people don’t know very well why they are draw.

His ability is Delay Sleep. It allows him to hold over his need to sleep for days without going crazy or losing physical capacity or needing many days to recover (he can stay awake for 5 or more days, sleep 8-10 hours and go back to being his usual self). Sometimes he does not control this well and has plenty of energy in need of drop but he is the one who has the most control of his ability.

One of his parents spent time in Rocalucce Fortress as a "guest" so at times he feels like he has something to prove.

Roy

Coming from Andros, most of the population are merpeople with a few elves and humans. which avoids the 100% aquatic population. Roy, unlike Aisha is mostly human-elf with a bit of merpeople in a grandgrandgrand level. One of his parents comes from one of the colonies on the moons of Andros and he was born there although they moved almost immediately.

Roy’s paladin ability being the canon “Triton Aura” used to breathe underwater. That and learning to swim and drive all kinds of water vehicles was what made him feel "adapted" to Andros. But he always try to be useful.

He only became a Paladin at the beginning of season 6, and it was visiting him that the season began. He’s bi but he thinks of himself as straight.

Nabu

I plead guilty to liking Nabu even though I shipped Aisha with Flora and Nex. So I have a hard time thinking about him. Except, EVERY time I try to think of something. EVERY TIME. Rapunzel. So, he will never cut his hair.

But with an island instead of a tower and a babysitter (male and wizard) more dumbledoor (not, actually more like Newt Scamander mentor like).

Sometimes he misses out on some "social customs/things/normalcies" whatever is called due to his little dealing with people. He may seem naive or that don't understand sarcasm. He understands and learns quickly, but people were very respectful to him and there are things he is not used to. 1/2 merpeople 1/4 half elf 1/4 human as both of his parents are half merpeople.

He likes to swim as much as any merpeople, but they didn't let him do it much because they were afraid he would go away or lost, so he usually went off "to the heights", going up to the rooftops and things like that.

Helia

Helia is trans but keeps his first name as chosen name which I don’t understand. Also he has formally tried study practically everything he wanted. Specialist, Paladin, Wizard (of Threads). Painter.

He can't make up his mind, his family hurries him just to STOP making them dizzy and spend a few years with everything -and actually end a single “major” choice- he wants to experience, that he has a very long life and can dedicate a few decades to Everything and they can support them. Well, more or less, but he was vip pass to all these options because family connections.

Long story about Sky, Brandon and Dia.

Sky, Brandon and Diaspro's first meeting was a show. Has it all. Costumes, lies. Confusion. Kidnapping. And that is why Diaspro insists on the wedding (I would like to mention that although I don’t know her romantic orientation yet surely bi or lesbian, here, Dia is asexual. And Sky is non-binary but his parents do not approve so go for he/him to avoid problem with them. And here our story begins)

A bit of background. Brandon actually hails from Isis, the son of the military and was chosen by the whimsical chibi!Diaspro as a playmate and future personal guard (because then she believed that touching children gave "lice" and her character and age did not have the 18like wall of royal education, then in a random encounter he called her among many things what Dia's mind translated in a strange way "uncracked geode", which is a double-edged compliment in Isis that many would not accept from strangers but she liked it). Rarely they would end up becoming friends in the end. When the series begins, Brandon and Diaspro keep up with calls, which will prevent Dia's reaction with Bloom on the one hand.

On a visit (officially only from the kings of Erakyon to to the kings of Isis) for the children to get to know each other, somehow, they all ended up happily dressing up, with Sky and Dia looking like two pretty princesses and Brandon assessing whether his dress would be green or yellow because Diaspro insisted that she and Sky had already taken the blue and red and so it would be more "thematic".

Here began the first of many attacks on Sky's head, because before it had begun to be rumored (true) that Erendor had fertility problems (btw his race dwarf-high elf and Samara is leprechaum-high elf, Sky gots mostly high elf part). When they came in and saw two girls and a boy, Brandon, not the highest IQ, but one of the wisest of his team and definitely the best fighter, played along so he ended up pretending to be Sky (also helps that his hair colors looks like Erendor) Everything worked out well in the end, although Brandon ended up as Sky's squire (better for him, worse for Diaspro), and Diaspro made Sky promise that he owed her a big favor. Anyway they grew up over the years in friendship and they both knew they were not of each other's true love interest, but, they could put up with each other (because that's what royalty does).

Sky and Diaspro have a sonorous (affectionate) war over Sky's hair to annoy/exasperate Brandon. Diaspro always complains that he doesn't grow it and it would look great then. Sky says that he is fine as with his hair at it is (it's actually Erendor's thing). The soft part of Diaspro that she doesn't usually show off has taught Sky many ways to style his hair and subtly put on makeup to look more feminine if he wants to.

How I am amused by that image from wikipedia and that Diaspro entered Sky's guard so quickly. Another headcanon is that Diaspro would sometimes change her appearance a bit and go into Sky's guard to be with Brandon to annoy him and Sky, when Brandon has to talk about her without giving details, she is simply "his sister Charbonne" (she hates that alias). They were discovered when she was 15 years old but she had already trained and the royal families considered it a sign to formalize the engagement since “they search each other” (people only sees what they wants).

The Diaspro family is not good, first Brandon was a shield (emotional) because as a child they were not “that” bad and then Sky joined him (physically and politically), handling things with Bloom so like that was not a good idea when the floor was full of cracked bottles.

... omg i’m sorry you three i’m sorry what I did to you

Also, Brandon's ability as a green user is very interesting and helps with this a lot. I temporally call it “Keypoint Warning” and I like it a lot, it's like a "tic" that tells him "be careful, what you say, what you do now, even the smallest thing could change everything for youself (for better or for worse)”. He actually has a scar on his forehead (not a lightning bolt) that his hairstyle hides after “that” day but a little less fine on the words and the kidnappers might have broken his mouth so... His parents have been cured (spoiler: no) of heart attack since then.

[my-darling-boy]

Sorry if this is a bit personal, but how did you know you were ace? I have been questioning ace or demi (homo-romo) for a while and haven't been sure

I knew I was ace before I knew I was gay. When I was younger, the only thing that really stood out clearly to me, even though I couldn’t tell who I liked at first, was how I liked people when I happened to. Crushes at school were always really short lived and never developed beyond crushes. I couldn’t understand how everyone around me was having thoughts about people beyond, “they’re cute”. I never understood this preoccupation with sex other people had, cos the whole thing to me felt completely uninteresting. While kids in health class would giggle at all the sex talk, I couldn’t understand why they had a reason to act like that. I have different thoughts about people now, but I still have a lot of tendencies I did when I was young. I mean, I still think about a guy I met for like 10 minutes 3 years ago cos... I just haven’t sustained a romantic attraction since then? To this day he’s one of the only guys I know I’ve had a consistent liking for. I’m not “stuck on him”, I know he’s gone and that’s fine, it’s just that..... I’ve not found anyone since him who’s peaked my interest the way he did. I can’t think to any recent legitimate men I like because... I just don’t have any. There are maybe...... 3 guys I KNOW I’ve liked in the past 22 years?

I’m still learning things I’ve always done thinking “Oh everyone does that,” is actually something I find out is part of being ace. I learned less than a year ago that when people say someone is sexy, they usually mean a person is sexually exciting, and not just, ”That person is nice :)” and a few days ago I had an hour long conversation with my mom and sister about dating cos it occurred to me I didn’t fundamentally understand what dating meant even though I’d been using the word for years. I don’t experience attraction the same way as allo people, so stuff they view as “normal” to me is abnormal for me. Like, I could never accept a date from a person I just met and people who approach me immediately and admit their feelings for me make me uncomfortable—which, not their fault—it’s only that I have a period of time I have to take, usually 2-6 months, where I determine if I like someone and allo people are not used to that. Someone coming right out with their love makes me anxious cos while they’re head over heels for me, I feel really bad not knowing how I feel... which is why I prefer the friends-to-lovers scenario which gives us time to steadily gravitate. I’ve only gone instant, genuine Heart Eyes over a guy those 3 times.

And of course, the thought of having sex with a person never crossed my mind and made my skin crawl every time I tried to imagine it. Though I have differing thoughts on things I’d do with a partner now as an adult than I did at 13, the asexuality obviously still remains, because the fact is I still don’t feel that way towards people, no matter what acts I feel comfortable carrying out with a person. Sorry this got long, but I guess that’s sort of how I’d describe it!

[the-wee-woo-royal]

@renegadesnet Event: 10

HIS CHOICE

↪Hello! This is a fanfic inspired by rae/@lackade's hc fanart about Hugh being asexual. Honestly have been working on this for a month bc I didnt really know how to properly describe asexuality and I didn't wanna offend anyone or anything. I didn't really know how to end it so the ending is very cheesy but 😁. I hope you like it!!

Story under cut:

Hugh loved Simon. Undoubtedly. He was the breath in his lungs, the reason his heart beat day to day.

Surprisingly, a large number of people doubted that. Now, it wasn't a secret, people knew, just how they knew he was gay. They also knew how much he loved his husband. When the learned from Hugh himself that he was asexual, people thought he didn't love his Simon enough to enjoy their love-making. They often doubted Simon's abilities in bed. They guessed hearing it from Hugh's mouth was different for them. It was sad, really.

It wasn't just when they were alone. Bastards had the audacity to question either Hugh's affection or Simon's performance in front of the other partner. It was usually the ladder and Simon always stayed strong. He always put that person in their place, usually ending with an "I can do a whole do better than so and so's partner on a bad day" or other golden witty remarks. It was horrible that they had to get used to it, because at the end of the day, when the cameras were turned off and people stopped staring, the couple hurt.

Hurt that people could hate so much, when they didn't understand.

Ignorant people immediately thought that because Hugh was a big, strong, powerful white man, him not liking all that touchy-feely stuff was Simon's fault.

And days like those were not uncommon.

He ignored questions about Simon when he wasn't around. It wasn't nobody's business what happened in their bed, and Simon had his right to privacy.

But everyone that doubted his love was very, very wrong.

Hugh had to remind many people that sex wasn't everything in a relationship for many couples, that just because he didn't chose sexual touching as his go to when showing his love, didn't mean that he loved his husband any less than a non-asexual person loved their significant other, and that being asexual didn't mean he hated having sex. Hugh didn't hate sex. It was nice, with Simon it was always a sensual and loving experience. It's just the touching wasn't a big part of his life and he didn't crave sex as he saw other men crave it.

___________

He didn't know that he was ace until after he and Simon had been dating for some time.

He didn't understand why a part of him wanted to cuddle and watch movies instead of getting undressed with boyfriend.

He tried to keep those thoughts to himself for as long as he could, but Simon started catching on. With permission, he would test Hugh's boundaries and they both saw how it took some time for Hugh to get it up and want to participate in sexual activities, and even then a part of him was still held back.

They didn't know. It seemed unnatural that he didn't want it. Hugh had been taught that the most powerful way to show love as a man was sex. Not everyone is in the mood for those activities all the time, but never? It was odd, and that's when Simon's anxiety presented itself in full. If it wasn't Hugh it could be him. Simon started to believe that he wasn't doing it right. That his body was good enough.

That he wasn't good enough.

For a while, they both hurt. Hugh wanted so badly to express his love the way other men would. To show Simon that he was more than good enough. To just man up and make love to his boyfriend like he was supposed too.

But he couldn't. No, he could.

He just didn't want to. But he did.

But not.

____________

They went to healers. Nothing was wrong with Hugh physically. Not that there even could be. They expected that. It was worth a shot.

They shot. And missed. Terribly.

________________

Others started to notice.

How Hugh always looked conflicted.

How Simon always looked sad.

Georgia, sweet, observant, Georgia couldn't stand to see her friends like that. Not when she could possibly do something to lighten them up. She tried movie and game nights but nothing stuck when the moment ended.

"What's wrong, Hugh?"

"Nothing."

"I can tell something's up with you and Simon. Did you fight?"

The couple did in fact fight. A few times.

It wasn't a fight against each other, though. They fought an unknown force. Deep down, they knew that, they just didn't know how to fight back, so they traded words that he, and was sure Simon, regretted the moment they left his mouth.

They didn't know the answer wasn't something that couldn't be found by anyone other than Hugh.

They just didn't know that.

So Hugh thought Georgia might.

Georgia loved to fix things. It was in her nature. When a friend, a friend who was basically family, needed her she was going to help fix their problem, no questions asked.

Georgia listened to Hugh. What had been going on for a while now.

Hugh never related to Simon's or descriptions of other men's lustful experiences.

Georgia continued to listen. Not speaking unless asked too or to clarify something.

"So you don't feel any sexual need for Simon?" She questioned.

"NO!" Hugh exclaimed, he looked like he was holding back tears, "and I- my- I just-" Georgia interrupted, "Hey, hey, hey, it's ok." Hugh groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"Well figure this out ok, slow down." She spoke softly, she didn't want to stress him out even more. He took in a ragged breath, " I mean, I love Simon's body and when we do... " he gestures to his lap. "But I don't feel like doing it a lot of the time. It confusing, I like the feeling but I don't feel it the same way it described and- and-"

"Breath, Hugh. You're getting worked up again."

He took a deep breath, and another, and another.

" I can't stand the feeling of Si thinking something is wrong with him. That hurts almost as much as me being confused about all this." Hugh laid his head on Georgia's shoulder and continued to breath, he didn't want to get worked up a third time.

Georgia stayed with Hugh. She didn't speak. It wasn't her time to talk yet. Hugh was the only man right now who could tell her when they were ready to talk.

So they sat and breathed.

They stayed for possibly an hour.

The silence was broken when they heard their front door being opened and Simon and Evander could be heard coming back from their shift on patrols.

Hugh and Kasumi would go out next. He only had a few minutes before we had to leave. He wouldn't get to talk to Georgia today, and that was ok. He wasn't in the mood to talk anymore, anyway. Georgia understood that, he didn't know how, but she always did. It was like a sixth sense, like how he knew Simon anxiety was worse than usual just by knowing him.

Like right now.

They made eye contact as Hugh went to meet Kasumi at the front door. They both stopped and just looked at each other for a second.

Words were said before he left this morning. But none of those words were even close to an "I'm sorry."

Simon put a hand on Hugh's shoulder and leaned up to nuzzle his cheek.

He remembered.

Hugh followed suit and held his love close. He still didn't understand his lack of feeling during passionate or quick kisses and sex. Not yet anyway.

The small action meant the world to Hugh, it was an I love you and an I'm sorry in one. They didn't have much time today. They would make time, though. Always for each other.

He couldn't show his love in the way Simon or society wanted, but he could do it the way they both needed.

And in quick time, they both became perfectly ok with that.

_________

No one would understand until about a year later.

The Librarian left behind a few books when he ran from Renegades for what seemed the millionth time. He got away, unfortunately, and they collected the forgotten books. Literature before the Age of Anarchy was scarce nowadays. They would do their best to make sure any different works didn't get forgotten. Not on the Renegade watch.

It wasn't until Georgia found a big book containing every sexuality. It was ultimately made for children but Georgia explored the book, feeling amazed at everything in it. There were flags and definitions with helpful examples. A lot of them she already knew, but she enjoyed learning about sexualities she's never heard about.

A·sex·u·al

Adj.

Not involving sexual activity, feelings, or associations; nonsexual.

-A black, gray, white and purple striped flag-

Then they knew.

There was nothing wrong with Hugh or Simon.

There never was.

-

Hugh loved Simon. Undoubtedly. He was the sun on his stormy days and one of the reasons he got up in the morning. He showed it everyday through hugs, cuddles and gifts. When they had nice, quiet walks while holding hands. Again, with tickle attacks and unfunny dad jokes.

Hugh didn't want sexual activities like many of his male friends did.

It was the way his body worked.

There was nothing wrong with that.

It was his choice.

Simon loved him for it. He no longer doubted his own worth either. He put people in their place when they doubted their love. No one had the right to assume something was wrong with them.

They could doubt his love for Simon.

They could doubt Simon's body.

Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it didn't.

It didn't matter.

Hugh as asexual. Yet he loved his husband all that same. It didn't matter if people doubted it as long as they didn't doubt each other.

Because they finally knew that there was nothing wrong in wanting something different, to want to love someone differently.

In the end, love made in bed or made with laughter was all the same.

[topsytervy]

Rafe with an Asexual Reader

Because it’s Ace Awareness Week (hello, by the way, I’m not dead), I decided to do a kind of canon Rafe (minus the murder) little thing with an Asexual reader.

Word Count: that’s a good question

Warnings: like one mention of cocaine, swearing, talks about sex, mentions an ex trying to out the ace reader (WHICH ISNT COOL! DONT EVER OUT SOMEONE! IT’S THEIR DECISION OF WHEN AND WHO TO COME OUT TO!), i think thats it

Everyone knows Rafe as the kook prince

has issues with his dad, has a coke addiction 

Has definitely had some adventures in the bedroom if you're picking up what I'm putting down (lets face it, there’s a good chance Rafe is kinky)

Has had his fair share of casual hookups

And let’s be honest, Rafe’s attractive

I mean, have you seen his eyes?

And while many girls saw him at a party and thought 'cant wait to get him out of those khakis'

You thought about how amazing his hugs probably were because, holy shit, his arms

No one even thought Rafe knew what asexuality was (and they were right)

It started when you accidentally bumped into him at a kegger at the boneyard, causing him to spill his beer

"Oh shit, Rafe! I'm so sorry! It's all over your shirt!"

 Rafe was pissed but when you apologized and genuinely looked upset about the damage you had done, he was a bit less pissed

After all, you were trying to fix your mistake and he was touched by that fact, considering your friend group despised him

You told him you had a Tide to go stick in your backpack that was over by Kie at the campfire and he followed you

You grabbed your backpack from Kie, not wanting JJ to start shit with the kook and you and Rafe walked away from the noise of the kegger.

Rafe noticed the pins on your backpack and was interested by them, taking in each one of them as you dug through your bag

You had some pins of cartoons like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Scooby Doo, PowerPuff Girls, The Simpsons, South Park, etc. But also some random ass pins JJ pocketed from stores that he thought you’d like

But there was one pin that stood out from the rest.

A pin that was black, grey, white and purple striped

"What's that one?" He asked, pointing at it.

"Oh...uh...its the asexual flag…"

You were out but you weren’t out, if you know what I mean

The only people you came out to were JJ, John B, Pope, Kie, your parents, your ex, and Sarah after she joined the group but that's a whole different story

Your ex threatened to tell everyone on the Island after you broke up with them but after a quite successful threat from John B, Pope, JJ, and Kiara that ended with Pope (or Kie if your ex is a girl) decking them, they kept it quiet

Rafe raised an eyebrow to the new term presented to him 

"If you don't mind me asking, could you explain what that means?"

"Uhh...its the flag for asexuality…"

"I get the flag part. Just the asexual part is what I need explained to me."

You explained it to him as best as you could, but in the end you just said “I don’t desire the sexual parts of a relationship”

Rafe leaned back, completely intrigued by the fact that you had no sexual attraction 

"So asexuals just...dont really do sex."

"I mean...there's a lot more to it. There’s an entire ace spectrum and it’s a lot to break down.”

"Okay. Break it down for me."

You guys talked about the ace spectrum for 2 and a half hours before noticing that the party was dying down

You two stood up, deciding that both of you needed to find your friends before they found you and thought that Rafe assaulted you or something

"I kind of like the idea of that." "Of what?" "Being with someone who just doesn't really care about the sex part of the relationship but the other aspects of it." 

When Rafe got home that night, he watched Anthony Padilla interview asexuals and googled it as if he had an essay due the next day

He knew he wasn't ace but he found it interesting to learn about, maybe it was the thought that someone could love and care about him and not just want him for sex

When Sarah got up at 2 am for a glass of water, she saw him still up and on his phone

"Texting a booty call?" "No." "Telling a girl that last night was fun and all but if anything, you want to keep it casual?" "No, Sarah."

She walked in to look at what he was doing, only to see that he was reading an asexual article

"Either you've discovered something about yourself, which I find kind of hard to believe no offense, or you met Y/N." "I did, in fact, meet Y/N." 

He slowly started making his way up the ladder from acquaintance to friend and eventually, months later, he asked you out on a little casual at home date

JJ practically launched himself off the couch the first time Rafe walked into the chateau behind you

You quickly managed to somehow stop the blonde from getting close enough to throw a punch at the older boy

"Why is he here?" JJ asked, practically shooting daggers at the boy with his eyes. "Its fine. We're just here for my charger and then we'll be on our way, J" JJs gaze went from Rafe to you. "I'm sorry. Run that back." You grabbed JJs hand and pulled him into the kitchen as Rafe stood awkwardly in the doorway. "I promise you, he has no bad intentions. He made that clear from the start.." "You don't know his motives, Y/N, and people lie. Especially people like Rafe." JJ glanced at Rafe from where he stood. "JJ please. He's different from what you think." You begged. JJ looked at you and you gave him a little pout and the classic puppy dog eyes. JJ rubbed his hands over his face before holding them up in surrender. "Fine. Fine. But if it goes south, you better text me-" "Pecan Pie. I know. Thank you, JJ." You said before grabbing your charger from the counter and scurrying off.

The date was literally just you two in his living room with you curled up into his side as you guys watched childhood movies together

"Okay, you're up. What's a movie you watched when you were younger?" "The Great Mouse Detective." "Alright."

You two ended up falling asleep at some point during the second Mulan and Sarah came home

She had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop her herself from squealing at the fact that her horny ass brother was getting into a relationship who just didn't have the horniness

She snapped a picture and sent it to John B, who showed the rest of the Pogues and JJ felt himself smile a bit cause you looked so peaceful and content

She also sent it to Rafe 

When he woke up to see that his sister sent him a text he was annoyed at first but opened it nonetheless

He smiled when he saw the picture and immediately saved it to his camera roll

Rafe, reluctantly, woke you up to take you back to the Chateau

As the two of you talked on the porch of John B’s house, discussing details of your next date, the pogues, minus Kie, watched out the window before John B slowly opened it so he could listen

“Really? You three on going to eavesdrop on a whole conversation that doesn’t involve you?” “Kie, don’t act like your surprised by this fact.”

The night ended with Rafe kissing you cheek before getting back into his truck and pulling out of the driveway

You watched him leave as you addressed your audience

“I know you three are at the window. Stop acting like you’re discreet about it. You guys would be the worst fucking spies ever because you opened a window that hasn’t been greased in eternity so it squeaks when you open it and a spy would know better than to do that.”

[angrypomerianian]

asexual bakubabe! and he’s hella supportive of midoriya and todoroki’s relationship. (he doesn’t show it, but he is. he also cares about the two of them even if he won’t admit it.) mina and denki get told off, but they are good people! denki is also just taught wrong, as people aroung him have been telling him that. he gets better!

also, this is also kind of my rant fic so details may be a little messy!

izuku woke up in todoroki’s arms. he tried to get up, but he only tightened his arms even more. izuku smiled, thinking how blessed he was to have such a nice boyfriend.

a voice drifted from downstairs, “izuku, shouto, get up or your going to be late!”

his mother had walked in on them once, which was mortifying, but she was very supportive. she had burst into tears, of course, which was awkward for shouto, but after that they built a nice relationship.

after that, inko also decided to buy some earplugs. because of the... night time activities. yes, that’s what we’ll call it.

shouto slowly woke from his slumber, groaning and twisting around in the fluffy blanket. izuku patted his cheek, and his eyes opened.

“good morning, izu.” izuku giggled. that was something shouto and kacchan called him, as they were his closest friends. kacchan would never admit it but the three knew it was true.

“good morning, shouto!”

shouto sat up, groaning and stretching. he started picking up his uniform and other strewn clothes covered in a sticky substaces, if you know what i mean.

they went downstairs to be greeted by inko and plates filled with pancakes and fruit.

it was a monday, and what a beautiful day it was. the grass was green, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining. shouto and izuku were walking together, pinkies slightly touching. they’d been in a relationship for a few months, keeping it a secret as they were afraid of their opinions.

they walked into the classroom, and many students were already there. they said their hellos to uraraka and iida, sitting down in their respective seats.

katsuki entered next, giving a nod to the couple. he’d already known about their relationship because he accidently walked in on them making out.

they didn’t notice, but they heard him screach, drop a bunch of things, and fall to the floor. they looked at him, his eyes widened with shock and disgust, and they immediately thought he was homophobic.

shouto was already ready to tell him off, but katsuki interupted him, “jesus FUCK you idiots! what the fuck are you doing making out in the FUCKING LOCKER ROOM!? go to the dorm room or some shit, an a s e x u a l student is trying to FUCKING CHANGE!”

they were both surprised. they’d already known that katsuki had no sexual interests, but they were shocked by the support. of course, he found out in the worst way possible, but they had a friend (katsuki will never admit it) that supported them.

izuku impatiently waited for class to end, he wanted to go home with shouto and spend some alone time together on this beautiful day.

izuku was wrong. it was a terrible, terrible day because both denki and mina were teaming up on them.

mina giggled, “it seems like you and todoroki got closer, don’t you think?”

denki nodded, “you both are on first name basis, too.”

izuku squeaked, “we’re best friends!”

“you were best friends at the beginning of the year, too!” denki put in.

“i think it’s love!“ mina said.

iida waved his arms around, “that’s a little intrusive, mina!” commanding as ever.

mina waved a hand dismissively, “whatever, this boy needs some love! and maybe some sex while he’s at it!”

izuku squeaked, and the girls’ cheeks reddened. sero started laughing. even katsuki’s eyes wavered slightly, unfocused. “i need no such thing!” izuku wheezed.

"it's like none of you have thought about it before. come on, we're all healthy teens. sexual tension is flying, and some of it most definitely needs to be resolved!" she exclaimed, gesturing with open palms. then she looked around wildly.

denki also agreed.  "sex. mina and i have experience in the arts of knowing these things, and we are here to counsel you. you're hopeless, the lot of you." she pointed at ochaco. "you need sex." he pointed at kirishima. "you need sex." katsuki. "you need sex. teenagers need sex, adults need sex. it's a natural part of life! but you two..." denki faced izuku and shouto, grinning. “you’ve already had it, didn’t you? it was recent.”

shouto was struggling to keep his poker face, and was fuming silently next to him. they were all silent, until katsuki exploded. it wasn’t one of those loud explosions either. his facade of not paying attention was shattered, and he slowly stood up, hands banging against the table, so loud that everyone startled.

katsuki was furious. anger rolled off him in waves. "enough!" katsuki wasn’t yelling, or giving off explosions. he was hissing, but was still loud enough for everyone to hear. "stop spreading your shit. sex is not necessary. sex is not for teens. not for us anyway. sex is for love or pleasure or not at all. don't spread your lies. you're absolute perverts, we're all only 16. i don't care what you two do in your own time, but you do not poison anyone else. i already have to put up with you all enough of the time without this shitty talk. so let me tell you this, nice. and. clear." he leaned over to where mina and denki sat, wide-eyed and terrified. "you say i need sex? let me teach you something new. you've never been able to accept that I don't fucking like to be among people socially, but perhaps you'll understand this; i don't need sex. i don't need touch. i loathe it. and right now, i loathe you. now i reccomend you both leave now, before i loathe you enough to move past words."

denki and mina couldn’t move faster. the entire table was silent, and katsuki was still fuming, watching them leave. he sat back into his hair, and carded his fingers through his fair. “jesus fuck.”

he stood up, and marched the opposite direction, also taking shouto and izuku with him. they left the cafeteria, leaving the class to sit in silence.

“well, i don’t need the sex talk with my parents right now?” momo tried.

katsuki pushed them against the wall, silent and tense. shouto was stiff, fists still clenched. katsuki rubbed a hand over his face, “shit, sorry about intruding like that. they just really pissed me off.”

shouto relaxed, and so did izuku. “thank you, kacchan!” “thank you, katsuki.”

he rolled his eyes, “whatever, i need to have a talk with those two.”

he left, leaving those two alone. shouto and izuku returned to the room, where the class was looking at them. kirishima put a hand on shouto’s shoulder, “he didn’t hurt you right?”

shouto immediately scowled, “no he fucking helped us. you shouldn’t be called his best friend if you’re going to doubt him like that.”

kirishima looked shocked, just like the rest of him, and the two left the room again. they heard katsuki talking to mina and denki, scolding them harshly.

“you two are unbelievable, you know that?” denki had the deceny to look a little ashamed, but mina looked like she was confused.

“those two have been dancing around each other, do you know how annoying it is to have to listen to each others rants about how amazing they think the other is? and they were worried that you guys would put them down, finding them disgusting. i saw you spying on them, like the nosey bitches you are, and i asked you not to bring it up. you agreed, even went as far as promise me, and you had the audacity to bring it up in front of everyone?”

“b-but it was gossip!” mina tried to protest. katsuki gave her the flattest look ever.

“yeah, and they were trying to avoid it, but you fuckmunches nearly gave it away. do you understand how they must’ve felt? it was lunch time. everyone was there, and you just had to bring it up in that room. couldn’t you have waited a little and ask them privately?”

“b-but what did we disrupt talking about sex?”

“because the two of them are in a secret relationship, which was supposed to be a secret, and just like how mineta was reacting to that, people aren’t very welcoming of two genders liking each other. they were terrified that you would bring that up, and you did. if i hadn’t intervened, you would’ve spilled it, wouldn’t you?”

mina and denki looked down in shame. they wanted to say no, they wouldn’t, but it was obvious they would’ve.

“b-but they’re liking the same gender!” denki protested.

"yes, kaminari. gay. does that threaten you?" katsuki responded in monotone, although they could both see the venomous eyes . "do you not remember what i said in the cafeteria? jesus fucking christ, not everything is cut straight and narrow like you. people are a whole range of colours you know. personally, i prefer shades of grey, but it does appear that shouto and izuku prefer blue, or the rainbow, or whatever you want to colour it. homosexual, queer, gay. but maybe you're more accustomed to terms such as faggot."

shouto and izuku were in shock by the ramble that katsuki went on. he doesn’t usually talk this much, but he seemed very set on supporting them and crushing anyone who were set on otherwise.

“if you have a problem with it, i’ll need to you leave the building. i hope you learned your lesson, but like i said in the cafeteria, if i start loathing you enough then i’ll be going past words.”

denki crossly looked at katsuki, “they’re wrong.”

katsuki lost his last line of patience. he punched the wall next to him, leaving a hole in the wall. “you’re wrong.”

kaminari pass out, and mina spoke up quietly, “you’re a good friend, katsuki. going that far to support them.”

he didn’t even spare a glance at her, “you no longer have the right to use my frist name. until i say so, you’ll be addressing me as bakugou. none of those childish nicknames either.”

when aizawa and all might checked the security cameras, they were in shock of the two student’s behavior, though it was expected. what was not expected, however, was that katsuki full on supported them. when they checked the other footages, anyone who said something was then seen bulldozed by one bakugou katsuki.

they decided to hold an emergency assembly, focusing on the importance of welcoming everyone, also playing the footage clip of katsuki telling the two off.

the class was half surprised about todoroki and midoriya, but welcomed them either way. kirishima also hugged the life out of katsuki until he almost lost an arm.

that day, the only two to survived katsuki’s wrath was the couple who’d sent him a gift basket filled with spicy sauce bottles.

[ahappydnp]

Small storytime that made me really happy:

I just had a conversation with a 48 year old woman visiting my roommate and we’ve never met before tonight. Anyway, I said I was gay when she asked if I had a boyfriend (because fuck it we’re living our truth). I was fully prepared for the response you’d expect from someone that age raised in the south, but she seemed legitimately interested in the attraction part of it (me talking about my lack of sexual attraction to men and how I knew I was a lesbian). I starting talking about the the LGBTQ+ community and everyone who falls under it.

She immediately perked up when I mentioned asexuality. Like asked a lot of questions and seemed really interested. I did the best I could explaining what I’ve learned from my ace pals and the community talking about their experiences and feelings. I told her about the stigma that a lot of ace people face and how they’re not broken or wrong, how sometimes when you’re younger you feel the pressure to do things in order to fit in without thinking about your own desires. Just general discussion about the ace experience and how it is in fact part of our community.

Y’all. This woman who had never even heard that word until tonight lit up. She talked about her own feelings and experiences. Some of the things she’s felt her whole life that she didn’t have a name for. She said it’s so cool that people know these things now. I told her there’s an entire community of people who know what that feels like and are supportive and understanding in a way they might not otherwise know. It just really warmed my heart to see her reaction. To see the cogs turning in her brain as she repeated the word ‘ace’.

Also, I just want to shout out and thank all the wonderful ace people in this community who share their experiences and are open and proud of who they are. Because of y’all and the things you share, I got to pass some of that information onto someone who seemed to have found a lot of meaning in it. You may have just helped someone in a way she never could have known <3

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Forty

Ready it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...because the world is ending.

Emma took a deep breath before gently pushing open the door of her father’s study.

Adrien was lounging on the couch, reading over his lines for the production of Our Town he would be starring in as George Gibbs the following month. His mouth moved silently with the words on the page.

He hadn’t seen her yet, and Emma was sorely tempted to chicken out…except…she was at her wit’s end, and she needed her dad.

With conviction, she lifted her hand and knocked.

Adrien looked up and smiled warmly at his daughter, making her feel like maybe things would be okay after all. “Hey, Emmie. What’s up?”

She stepped into the room and blew out a breath as she closed the door.

Adrien frowned. “Something wrong, Honey?”

She nodded as she crossed the room.

He stood, dropping the script and meeting her halfway. “Hey. What is it?”

One hand rested supportively on her shoulder while the other cupped her face, tipping it up so that her peridot eyes met his.

Emma Agreste-Dupain-Cheng was normally tough as granite, but, in that moment, she crumbled, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You’re going to be really mad at me, but I’m seriously freaking out, and I need your help, Daddy.”

“Emma, what’s wrong?” Adrien pleaded, beginning to panic as he wiped away his daughter’s tears.

“I think I’m pregnant!” she squeaked.

He blinked dumbly as her words took a minute to process. When they finally did, the anger, outrage, and disappointment overwhelmed him.

“You what?!” he demanded irately. “Emma Sabine Gabrielle Agreste-Dupain-Cheng, what was the point of us buying you condoms and making sure you had birth control?! How could this happen?! How could you be so…”

Adrien froze as he heard his father’s voice coming out of his mouth.

He took a deep breath and finished without heat, “…irresponsible?”

He looked at his daughter trembling before him, and his heart broke.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. “Emma, I’m sorry. A lecture is the last thing you need right now. I love you so much, and I am one hundred percent on your side, okay?”

He pulled back to look her in the eye and cup her cheek once more. “Thank you for telling me. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. Everything’s going to be fine, okay? You’re going to be fine.”

“I’m really scared, Dad,” Emma whimpered.

“Shh. It’s okay,” Adrien shushed comfortingly. “It’s okay to be scared, but you don’t have to be because everything is going to be fine. I’m your father, and I’m going to make it fine, okay?”

Hesitantly, Emma nodded. “O-kay.”

“Here. Come sit down,” he cooed as he gently guided her over to the couch to sit beside him, his arm around her protectively. “Okay. Let’s…Let’s go about this rationally. You said you think you’re pregnant. You don’t know for sure?”

She shook her head.

“Okay.” He nodded, trying to keep his own whirling emotions at bay so that he could be there for his daughter. “Okay. So…why do you think you’re pregnant? Did you miss a period?”

She nodded. “I’m not super regular, so it could be nothing, but…” She shook her head again, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

“But you’re on birth control, right? And you and Michel use condoms?” Adrien verified, trying to cover all their bases.

Emma winced. “Maman told me that the pills only work reliably if you use them one hundred percent right, and I…don’t,” she admitted shamefacedly, averting her gaze. “I forget sometimes. It’s hard to remember to take the pills regularly, so…”

Adrien exhaled slowly, trying to keep from snapping at her about how on earth something that important could be hard to remember. “But you two use condoms, right?” he repeated.

Emma shrank. “I mean…yeah, most of the time.”

“Emma,” Adrien groaned, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be supportive and nonjudgmental.

“Come on, Dad,” Emma sighed. “You’re a guy. You know what it’s like. Sometimes you just get caught up in the moment.”

“No, Emma,” Adrien replied firmly. “I don’t know what it’s like because I love your mother too much to put her at risk like that.”

He realized he probably wasn’t being fair to Emma and Michel because he couldn’t understand the experience of people who weren’t asexual, but he figured it was probably better from a parental standpoint to impress upon his daughter how important it was to use protection until she was ready to start a family.

“Michel loves me,” Emma countered defensively.

“I know he does,” Adrien begrudgingly admitted.

He’d watched his best friend’s son fall silly in love with his daughter, and he knew Michel meant no harm. He was just a dumb teenager who’d made a mistake. Adrien himself had made equally dumb, albeit very different, mistakes when he was young.

“…Let’s just focus on the problem at hand,” Adrien gently got the conversation back on track. “We can worry about having the safe sex talk with you again after we make sure you’re not pregnant.”

“What happened to being on my side?” Emma sulked.

“I am on your side,” Adrien stressed, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “Sometimes, part of being on someone’s side is lovingly telling them that they’ve screwed up. Plenty of people have had to do that for me. Emma, you’re old enough to make your own decisions about having sex, but you need to be more careful. What you’re feeling right now, all the fear and uncertainty, I don’t want that for you.”

He gave her hair an affectionate tussle. “Having a kid affects every aspect of a parent’s life, and I have a feeling that you want to do a lot of things before you take the plunge into parenthood, so…let’s just get through this, and then we can figure out a way for you to remember to take your pills and use condoms every time. Okay?”

Emma looked away and grumbled a begrudging, “Okay” in response.

“Okay,” Adrien repeated with a sigh, trying to collect his thoughts.

“…So…what do we do now?” Emma looked expectantly up at her father.

“Tell your mother,” he answered immediately.

Emma shot up out of her seat and waved her hands in protest. “No, no, no, no! No! You can’t tell Maman. She’ll totally flip on me.”

“Emma, I think we need backup on this one,” Adrien tried to persuade her. “I’ll tell her. I’ll make sure she calms down before you have to deal with her, I promise.”

“Daddy, no,” Emma whined. “Please don’t tell her.”

“Emmie, I don’t keep secrets from my wife,” Adrien explained firmly. “Trust me. I learned my lesson years and years ago, and I’m not—”

“—I don’t want to give her more evidence of what a screwup I am,” Emma blurted out, a fresh wave of tears flowing down her cheeks.

Adrien stared at his daughter in surprise, his chest starting to ache as her words struck a chord with him.

He got to his feet and pulled her into a tight hug. “Emma, you’re not a screwup. Not by any means. You’re an amazing, bright, talented young woman, and I am so, so proud of you. Everyone makes mistakes, but your mistakes don’t say anything about who you are as a person,” he assured her, repeating the words Marinette had told him many times over the years.

Emma sank into his embrace, squeezing him back. “Still. Please don’t tell her. I don’t want her to be disappointed in me.”

Adrien pulled back to give her forehead a kiss. “Okay. Tell you what. I’ll make you a deal: I’ll go get you a pregnancy test. If it comes back negative, this stays between you and me and you make sure we never have to do this again. If it comes back positive, I’ll tell your mother. Okay?”

Emma nodded, reluctantly agreeing. “Okay.”

 “Adrien,” Marinette greeted as she caught him coming down the stairs. “I was just coming up to get you. I want to rearrange the living room, and I need your help moving the furniture.”

Adrien immediately broke out in a cold sweat, fearing that she could sense the duplicity coming off of him in waves.

He smiled, or, at least, he tried to smile. It came out as more of a cringe. “Oh. Hey, My Ladylove. Can it maybe wait an hour? If not, could you ask one of the boys? I need to run to the store.”

Marinette’s cheerful expression morphed into a subtle frown. “Is something wrong?”

“Nope,” Adrien replied too quickly, and it came out sounding forced. “Everything’s great. Why would you think something was wrong?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Did you break one of my flowerpots?”

“No.” He attempted an innocent smile but didn’t have any more luck than he’d had the previous time.

She crossed her arms, unimpressed. “Adrien Agreste-Dupain-Cheng, what are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing,” he insisted.

“Did Plagg cough up another one of those nasty green sludge balls on the carpet?” she guessed.

“Marinette, My Love, I’m just going to the store. Nothing untoward is happening,” he lied through his teeth.

She wasn’t buying it.

“Fine,” he relented. “I’m going to the store to buy pure, unadulterated garbage because I have a sweet tooth, and I’m really craving those pre-packaged snack cakes.”

Marinette looked at her husband in disgust. “Adrien, just run by the bakery and get something decent, if you want sugar. Don’t you dare bring snack cakes into this house.”

“No, Marinette.” He dug his heels in. “I want to eat rubbish, so I’m going to buy rubbish, and you can’t stop me.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No need to get all dramatic on me. Just know that I’m judging you. Harshly.”

He shrugged, circling around her so that he could make a break for it. “I’m sure our marriage will survive. Our love has been tested by greater obstacles.”

“Mmhm. Hey, pick me up a pack of those awful chocolate-dipped madeleines while you’re at it,” she called after him.

“Will do!” he tossed over his shoulder as he fled.

 He returned twenty minutes later with the pregnancy tests hidden in the bottom of a brown paper pharmacy bag with some low-quality, pre-packaged snack cakes sitting on top.

“In the kitchen!” Marinette called out when she heard the front door close behind him. “Bring me my trashy junk food and tell me if this new dress design is a total dumpster fire or not.”

Adrien smiled fondly when he found her bent over the island in the middle of the kitchen, doodling away on the back of a flyer for a new Chinese restaurant that had come in the mail. She had one pencil tucked behind her ear and another stashed in her bun while she jotted down ideas with a third.

Adrien went to her side to peek over her shoulder at the smart yet stylish business suit she had created. “Hmm. I think jade isn’t a good colour choice. You want to make a statement, right?”

Marinette nodded. “Mmhm. I want it to be bold and daring. I want the woman who wears it to feel empowered.”

“Then jade’s a little too…pastel. Maybe try forest or emerald green,” he suggested.

She turned to give his cheek a quick peck. “I knew there was a reason why I kept you around, even if you break my flowerpots and have a weakness for cheap snack cakes.”

Before he could realize what was happening, she took the bag from him and carefully poured the contents out on the counter.

Adrien sucked in a sharp breath as Marinette stared quizzically at the pregnancy tests and tipped her head to the side.

Her first thought was that her husband thought she might be pregnant. Her second thought was that Adrien wanted another baby now that their three children were well on their way to being grown. Her third thought turned her blood cold.

“Oh my God. I’m going to kill her,” she hissed, rounding on her husband.

“No, no, no!” Adrien protested, catching her by the shoulders. “Marinette, please. Listen to me.”

“No,” she snapped. “Adrien, you had no business trying to hide this from me. I am going to kill her,” she repeated. “How could she let this happen? She never thinks, and now—”

“—Marinette, she didn’t want to tell you because she was afraid you’d be disappointed and think she was a screwup,” Adrien broke in, making Marinette pause and look at him in confusion.

“She thinks you think she’s a screwup,” Adrien stressed, trying to make Marinette understand. “She really looks up to you, and what you think of her is really important. I know what that’s like, Marinette, and it feels really, really bad when people you respect are disappointed in you.”

“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette sighed sympathetically, reaching up to cup his face in both hands, running her thumbs along his cheekbones.

“Please don’t make her feel bad about this,” he pleaded, and the deep, personal hurt in his entreating eyes made her want to cry. “Emma’s already beating herself up enough.”

Marinette leaned in, pressing a reassuring kiss to her husband’s lips. “Okay,” she relented. “All right. You’re right. She’s probably been freaking out for days…. Adrien, what are we going to do?” she groaned, burying her face in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. “She’ll have to drop out of school, and people will say bad things about her and make her feel bad, and she won’t get to go to university and get a good job, and all her dreams will be ruined, and—”

“—Marinette, it’s going to be fine,” Adrien interrupted, pushing her back so that they could lock gazes. “Plenty of young mothers have very successful, fulfilling lives. If she even is pregnant, it’s not the end of the world. Nino and Alya aren’t likely to let Michel be a deadbeat dad, and we’re both here to support her. Maybe she’ll have to take a little time off school, but we can get her tutors so she doesn’t fall behind. We’re going to make this work, okay?” he coaxed encouragingly, starting to really believe the words himself.

She blew out a long breath and nodded. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right. We’ll make this work.”

He smiled, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her lips. “Okay. I’ve kept Emma waiting long enough. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“No way,” Marinette snorted indignantly. “I’m coming up there with you. I’m her mother. I’m supposed to be there for her for this kind of thing.”

Adrien winced. “She made me promise not to tell you unless the test came back positive.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, drawing away and grabbing the pregnancy tests. “Please. Are you going to show her how to pee on the stick?”

Adrien blanched. “On second thought, go ahead. You are her mother after all.”

 “Emma?” Adrien called out as they ascended the stairs.

“Here,” she responded, poking her head out of her room. Her face went from ashen to vermillion as she spotted Marinette. “You told her!” she accused, betrayal coating the words.

“He didn’t tell me,” Marinette explained, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. “I grabbed the bag out of his hands and found the tests because I thought he was bringing home snacks.”

Emma’s gaze dropped to the flooring, and her shoulders scrunched up to her ears.

“Oh, Baby,” Marinette cooed, going to her daughter and pulling her into a bolstering hug. “It’s going to be okay, Sweetheart. We’re here for you, and we love you no matter what.”

Emma started crying again as she rested her head on top of her mother’s. “I’m s-sorry.”

“It’s okay, Emmie,” Marinette assured, all her irritation and anger leaving her in the face of her child’s suffering. “This kind of thing happens. It’s okay.”

Adrien came over and joined in the group hug, assuring, “No matter what, we’re going to get through this as a family.”

They stayed like that for a minute, each gathering courage from the other two. Then they broke away, and Marinette led Emma into the bathroom to go over the instructions with her.

Adrien was sitting on the floor in the hallway with his back up against the linen closet door when Marinette left Emma to take the test.

“How’s she doing?” Adrien inquired pessimistically.

Marinette blew out a sigh and sank to the floor next to him, shaking her head. “She’s freaking out.”

“She’s her mother’s daughter after all,” Adrien hummed half-heartedly. “Usually she takes more after me.”

“Normally I find that charming,” Marinette admitted, “but, today, I’m wishing she hadn’t inherited your recklessness.”

“Me too,” he snorted ruefully. “…So…how long does the test take?”

“Three minutes.” Marinette dropped her head to the side, onto his shoulder. “This is probably going to be the longest three minutes ever.”

“Yeah,” he agreed miserably. “…This is kind of the worst. I remember when we were trying to get pregnant and taking the test was the most exciting part of the month.”

Marinette snickered. “My favourite part was all the sex.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Allow me to respectfully disagree.”

“My poor ace baby,” Marinette teased.

“Actually, I think that’s some of the worst sex we’ve ever had.” Adrien turned his head to nuzzle her hair. “There was too much mental pressure, and it wasn’t even about making you feel good, just about getting you pregnant. I was super stressed out the whole time we were trying.”

“You didn’t say anything,” she chided.

He shrugged. “I wanted children. It was worth it in the end, and having Louis made it easier when we were trying with Hugo and Emma. I had a better idea of why I was doing what I was doing and putting myself through all that.”

“You still should have said something.” She gave his shoulder a light nip.

“Meh. I’m over it,” he replied as his eyes slipped closed and he let himself be comforted by her scent.

A minute and a half later, Emma poked her head out of the bathroom and smiled sheepishly at her parents. “False alarm.”

Marinette and Adrien heaved a huge sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness,” Adrien laughed giddily, getting to his feet and then helping Marinette up.

“Now we can be mad at you,” Marinette informed in a cheerful tone, grinning widely as she pulled her husband and daughter into another group hug.

“I think maybe this experience has been punishment enough,” Adrien interceded with his wife before looking sternly at his daughter. “You’ve learned your lesson about using protection, right?”

Emma nodded vehemently. “Absolutely. This will never happen again.”

“Good.” Adrien smiled softly, leaning in to press a kiss to his daughter’s temple before turning to his wife. “Okay, Marinette?”

Marinette sighed and shrugged, letting it go. “Okay.”

“Hey.” He tugged gently on Marinette’s sleeve as they all pulled out of the hug.

She quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Wanna go call Nino and Alya and tell them what a crappy day we’re having?”

A diabolic grin dashed across her lips. “We should tell them about the pregnancy test and then wait until tomorrow morning to tell them the results.”

“Maman. Dad,” Emma whined, shooting her parents a glare. “No! I don’t want Michel to get in trouble. Besides, it’s not Auntie Alya and Uncle Nino’s business.”

“No,” Adrien argued, “I think a pregnancy scare is just what Michel needs to make him think twice next time about not using a condom.”

“Think of it as a valuable learning experience,” Marinette suggested. “You’ve been worrying about this for at least a couple days now, haven’t you? The least he can do is wait in suspense overnight in solidarity with you. Couples are supposed to go through these kinds of things together.”

“Ditto best friends,” Adrien added, nodding in agreement with his wife.

“Mmhm,” Marinette agreed. “I’ve sat through a couple pregnancy scares with Alya, and now it’s time for her to go through one with me.”

Emma eyed her parents skeptically. “Are you sure that Grandpa Gabriel is the evil one in the family? You two are kind of devious. Are you sure you were superheroes?”

“Positive,” Marinette assured. “Best friends give one another crap. It’s part of being best friends.”

Slowly, Emma began to nod. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything if I turned off my phone for the night. Michel couldn’t blame me for being too exhausted to check my messages after the ordeal I just went through.”

“That’s my girl,” Adrien chuckled, patting Emma on the back. “…We should go get ice cream to celebrate!”

“But you already brought home those gross sugar bomb snack cakes,” Marinette snickered.

Adrien stuck out his tongue in disgust. “I didn’t actually want those. Those were just a cover story.”

Marinette shook her head, unable to suppress her smile. “All right. I guess we can get ice cream, then. The boys will probably eat the snack cakes if you leave them sitting out. They weren’t raised in a bakery, so they don’t have such refined tastes.”

“Maman, I’ve seen you eat a whole sleeve of Oreos before,” Emma teased. “I don’t think you have any room to talk about refined tastes.”

Marinette pursed her lips in a pout. “I feel called out. Called out by my own daughter.”

“She does have a point, Princess,” Adrien snickered and got socked in the arm (lovingly) for his trouble.