#She can’t get enough she is literally the mouse with the cookie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

spaceskam · 4 years

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i’m a free spirit, that means free from you

i wrote a fic awhile ago about Michael exploring his sexuality. Now that it’s day 6 of @alexmanesappreciation (lost decade/missing scenes), it felt fitting for it to be Alex’s turn!

Warning: internalized homophobia and unhealthy relationships

ao3

.First Kiss.

“Oh, c’mon Alex, she likes you.”

Alex tried to smile as Kyle pestered him after they snuck out of their cabin and started wading through the woods. Summer camp was fine and all, but the longer he stayed there the higher the chances were that he was going to get in trouble. He just wasn’t sure what he was going to get in trouble for. It was just this stupid thing in his head that told him to be good, act normal, stop that.

They got louder every single time one of the other boys got too close to him when they were in their swim trunks.

“Yeah, but Katie? She’s not my type,” Alex said, mimicking what he’d heard his brother Greg say about the nice girl that was in the band at the high school. She made him cookies, wore a lot of stuff with skulls on them, and introduced him to a cool band called Blink-182. She stopped coming around after Greg told her she wasn’t his type.

“Type?” Kyle laughed, “She’s a girl! She’s got boobs!”

Alex tried to remind himself that he was supposed to like that even though he didn’t quite understand why.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Alex said, nodding.

They reached the riverbank where the rest of their friends‒or, really, Kyle’s friends‒had congregated, sneaking out after the counselors had gone to their own party for the night. It was ten of them in total, five from the boys side of camp and five from the girls. Alex didn’t even want to sneak out, really scared of what would happen if someone found out, but Kyle had grabbed his arm and begged him and he just said yes.

“Let’s play truth or dare!” Katie said, making sure to look right at Alex as she said so. He instinctively looked to Kyle, hoping he would be on his side and say no.

“Oh, fuck yeah,” Kyle said, agreeing like the rest of the guys and girls. Alex was the only one who didn’t want to, but he couldn’t be the only one who didn’t want to. That’s how you get people to make fun of you.

So they all sat down and the game just started. Everyone was being dumb, daring dumb things that Alex thought were stupid. He was the only one that kept saying truth and, even then, they weren’t anything fun and then he couldn’t come up with anything good and it just wasn’t fun. He kept looking to Kyle, kept trying to signal to him that this wasn’t fun, but it didn’t seem to click.

“Alex, truth or dare,” Katie said, eyes on him. She was pretty, she was. She had pretty hair and a pretty face and... boobs or something. But every time she looked at him, he got a little nervous.

“Truth,” he said again. Everyone immediately started complaining.

“You can’t keep saying truth!” Wyatt told him, “It’s no fun, you’re ruining the game.”

“Yeah, Alex, just say dare,” Kyle pressed. Alex glared at him for a second before sighing and slumping his shoulder. What could one dare do? Kyle had already drank river water.

“Fine,” he agreed, “Dare.”

“I dare you to kiss me,” Katie said. Everyone around them ooh’d and Alex felt straight up terrified for a moment. He was a kid, he was way too young to be kissing anyone. Thirteen was way too young, didn’t they know that.

“In front of everybody?” Alex asked, voice cracking. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

“No, silly,” she said and he almost sighed in relief. Almost. “In the woods.”

Another round of ooh’s surrounding him and making him feel like he had literally no fucking choice in the matter. He knew that if he tried to tell them he didn’t want to, they’d make fun of him. He knew if he asked for a different dare, they’d make fun of him. And, at the end of the day, it was just a kiss. Why not get the first one over with anyway?

Alex did what he was told and stood up. He and Katie went into the woods, just out of the line of sight of the rest, and then they just stood there. She was a little taller than he was and way too close, smiling at him as wide as she could.

“So...”

“So,” she said, “Kiss me.”

“I-I don’t really know how to,” he said. She rolled her eyes.

“It’s easy, you just do this with your lips,” Katie told him, pursing her lips and closing her eyes. And then she waited. Alex just stared at her for a minute until she opened her eyes and looked at him expectantly. “Alex, you gotta do it too.”

“Oh,” he said. And he did. And he kissed her.

It was quick and weird and he understood the whole kissing thing a billion times less than before. But when they separated, she was smiling so big and her face was red. Clearly she’d enjoyed it which had him lost even more. Did something happen that he missed? It just felt weird.

“You’re my boyfriend now, right?” she said. He blinked in confusion.

“Uh...”

“Yay!” Katie said, grabbing his hand and leading him back towards the group.

He wiped his mouth off on the back of his hand and started planning ways to avoid that ever happening again.

.First Crush.

Alex bit down on his thumb nail as he looked around the room, making sure no one would look over his shoulder.

Of course they wouldn’t, he knew that, it was a public library and no one cared, but still. His eyes swept around a couple more times before he realized the more he did that, the more suspicious he looked, so he might as well just do what he came here for.

He gulped harshly and, with shaky hands, clicked the internet icon. Quickly, he typed in how do you know if you’re gay in the search bar. It loaded too slow and it made him look around again as if his dad was going to come out of nowhere. He knew that wasn’t it. He was fifteen now, his dad did let him go to the library by himself.

He scrolled through all the web pages, skimming the little summary but none of them answered his question. He just needed an answer, he needed someone to tell him. The more people around him called him gay, the less he felt like he understood it. How was he the one being called gay when they were the ones who compared their dicks in the locker room and he didn’t want to be apart of it? How was he the one being gay when he was the only one who looked away during that gross puberty class? How did watching the I Write Sins Not Tragedies music video more than once make someone gay? More importantly, what was so gay about having friends that were girls?

They all threw that word and none of them seemed to make sense. They never called him gay when he accidentally stared too long the first time he got in the locker room with the seniors. They never called him gay when he forgot how to breathe every time Mr. Edwards bent over to pick up a pencil. They never called him gay when he was really interested in watching wrestling. How was he supposed to know when everything seemed so disjointed?

Alex scrolled a little more and saw a link to something labeled ‘Am I Gay? Quiz 100% Accurate’ and, well, he couldn’t help himself.

Question #1: What do you consider yourself? Straight, Gay, Bisexual, Other

He stared at it with furrowed eyebrows, the cursor hovering over each option maybe a little longer than he should’ve. He eventually settled on straight. He had kissed girls and had girlfriends before even if it wasn’t great, it was still what he’d been doing. That was straight.

Question #2: In the locker room, did you ever peek over at another guy? Yes seize the opportunity, Yes but out of curiosity, No gross, No but I wanted to

Alex swallowed hard, his stomach churning. The mouse hovered over the first option. But was it like that though? Yes, he had looked, but he wasn’t trying to be gross or anything. He didn’t want to make anyone feel bad. He quickly selected the second option instead.

Question #3: You’re in a relationship with a girl, but you discover that there is a guy who likes you. What do you do? Stay with the girl because you like her, stay with the girl because you feel like you should, never go out with a girl in the first place, break up with the girl for the guy

That one at least felt obvious. Of course he would stay with the girl. What kind of person just breaks up with someone because someone else likes them? That’s just mean. He chose the second option instead of the first and decided not to think too hard about why.

Question #4: Would you ever cheat on a girl with a... girl, guy, I wouldn’t cheat

He smiled at the second no-brainer in a row. He would never cheat. He wasn’t an asshole.

Question #5: Why are you taking this quiz? I’m bored, I’m confused, I’m gay

Alex stared at it longer than he should’ve. Why was he taking this quiz? Shouldn’t he know these things? It shouldn’t be hard. He should know who he was sexually attracted to, right? He should know. But it wasn’t that fucking easy. He’d met girls who were pretty. Did he want to sleep with them? No, but he hadn’t really met any guys in person that he wanted to sleep with either. It was too much, too confusing.

So, he clicked that he was confusing.

The loading bar stayed on the screen for way too long, but, sure enough, a screen popped up that he was, in fact, straight just a little confused. Which was apparently normal. Alex leaned back, nodding to himself. He was normal.

Alex exited out of the browser and got up, pulling out his iPod from his pocket. He put his headphones over his ears and waved to the nice librarian as he left before pressing play. He felt good, normal, as he walked in time to the MCR song that flooded through his ears towards Bean Me Up. He’d taken a test and even it said he was fine. He’d be fine.

He ordered a coffee and walked to the other side of the counter to wait, leaning against the wall. A smile easily found his face as Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off by Panic! At the Disco started flooding into his ears. He found it impossible not to smile when he heard Brendon Urie’s voice. How was someone that fucking talented?

Then everything slowed down as someone appeared outside the window.

The seductive singing only seemed to set the stage as Marcus Lopez, current quarterback at Roswell High, slowed to a stop, breathing heavy and sweating with his workout gear clinging to his brown skin that literally was glowing under the sun. Alex couldn’t fucking breathe as he pulled his shirt up and over his head and used it to wipe his face dry, exposing his toned stomach and flexing his biceps. He pulled a water bottle out of nowhere and poured it into his mouth, some of the water missing and sliding over each crevice of his body.

Oh.

.First Boyfriend.

“What are you playing?”

Alex looked over to the doorway to see Elijah Thibodaux staring at him. He was the senior boy who got the lead in every school musical and every solo in choir. He was talented and every girl in theatre and choir was obsessed with him. Alex, however, kept his appreciation to himself.

“Oh, uh, I wrote it,” Alex admitted, shyly looking back to his guitar. He tried to keep playing so he’d come off as cool, but he was feeling a little flustered. Boys didn’t really talk to him if they could help it and this one boy was not only talking to him, but he was super cute.

“Musetta’s Waltz.”

“Huh?” Alex asked. Elijah smiled at him and walked further into the music room, straddling the chair beside him.

“That’s Musetta’s Waltz,” Elijah told him, “Not an original.”

Alex stopped playing, embarrassment filling his system. Leave to him to fuck it up the minute he tried to be cool. Elijah just laughed it off though, scooting closer. Alex tried not to seize up as his hand touched his back. Why was a suave senior touching him? What the fuck was that supposed to be mean?

Elijah’s hand slid up to Alex’s shoulder and he looked over at him.

“Go on, play something for me,” Elijah told him, looking at him with those obscenely green eyes and batting those long eyelashes against his pale cheeks. Alex swallowed hard and nodded, looking back down to his guitar. Instinct took over and Alex slowly started strumming the chords to Wonderwall. Elijah moved his hand up to his jaw. “You’re really good.”

“Thank you,” Alex said, looking over at him and trying to remember how to breathe. His strumming got a little sloppy, but it didn’t seem to matter. Elijah just leaned in close, smiling and his eyes flickering down to his lips and back up again. Alex didn’t have time to even process it before he was being kissed.

Alex stared with wide eyes as Elijah pulled away, struggling to comprehend what the hell just happened. It didn’t make any sense. Elijah was gorgeous and desired and Alex was… What?

“You just kissed me,” Alex said blankly. Elijah grinned.

“Yeah.” And then he did it again.

Alex melted at the attention. It was the first time a boy had ever given him so much attention. He had no idea what to even do with it.

After that, Alex slowly found himself at Elijah’s beck and call. They would make out behind the bleachers and late at night after sneaking out. Elijah flooded him with compliments and only persuaded him a little to send raunchy pictures or do things he wasn’t quite sure about. But it was fine because he was his boyfriend. That’s what you did with boyfriends.

They carried on like that for a few months, all of it secret. Alex wanted to tell Maria and Liz about him a few times, but Elijah said it was a bad idea and he knew it. He loved them but he wasn’t sure they’d be able to keep it a complete secret. And no one could find out about Elijah and him because of his dad.

But it was a couple nights before the spring choir concert when Alex started hearing things about Elijah having a girlfriend. That didn’t make sense to Alex and he was sure it wasn’t real. People must’ve gotten things confused. Elijah was close to a lot of girls, it was bound to happen. Elijah was Alex’s boyfriend. No one else’s. But, still, Alex found himself a little more willing to send more explicit pictures for a couple days just to make sure he still held his attention.

Which didn’t stop him from walking down the hall, hand in hand with a girl on the day of the spring choir concert.

Alex didn’t know how to deal with the pain that flooded his system at the sight. He got irrationally upset and wanted to confront him right there, but he decided to wait. He waited until lunch time and they met up at their usual spot behind the bleachers. That’s where they would kiss and talk and do boyfriend things.

“I saw you with that girl,” Alex said boldly as Elijah went to greet him with a kiss. He had the audacity to be confused and, when he realized Alex was serious, he rolled his eyes. “Are you cheating on me?”

“Look, it’s not that big of a deal. I started talking to Cassie way before I even started talking to you,” Elijah told him. The way he said it made it sound like it made it less mean. It didn’t stop Alex’s heart from breaking. “It’s not the same.”

“What do you mean it’s not the same? You’re cheating on me!”

Elijah sighed, “Don’t be dramatic, it’s not cheating.”

“Then what do you call it?”

“Alex, it doesn’t even count. I mean, you’re a guy.”

Alex blinked and swallowed harshly, trying to follow his train of thought. It counted for him. It really, really counted for him. That wasn’t fair.

“I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” Alex said softly. Elijah scoffed.

“Oh, c’mon, don’t be like that.”

“No, ‘cause it counts for me. It’s cheating.”

Alex was proud of himself for being man enough to walk away.

Less proud of himself for taking all the way up until Elijah graduated two months later before he stopped answering every time he called.

.First Love.

“You trust me?”

“Um, yes.”

“Then c’mon.”

Alex bit down on his bottom lip as he caved and jumped into the passenger seat of Michael’s truck. They were newly graduated, fresh adults, and everyone was supposed to be going to graduation parties. Of course, Liz wasn’t around anymore and Alex was finding it hard to celebrate when Rosa was dead.

But he still told his dad he was going to one which meant he could sneak off with Michael.

Part of him felt a little guilty for allowing himself even a shred of happiness, but then all he had to do was look at Michael’s fucked hand and he realized nothing really mattered. Soon, he’d be off to basic and he’d have to leave Michael behind. He was going to steal all the happiness he could.

Michael draped his arm around Alex’s shoulders as he drove out to the middle of nowhere and Alex leaned into his side. His head hit his shoulder and his eyes closed, soaking up the closeness of, well, him. He smelled like motor oil since he drove straight from work to graduation. Alex didn’t mind. In fact, he was pretty sure he would miss that smell when he was gone.

Alex tilted his head back to press a kiss to his neck and, from the corner of his eye, saw Michael smile. He had such a gorgeous smile. He was just gorgeous in general with his big, expressive eyes and sunburnt cheeks. Beautiful, kind, caring, what more could someone ask for in a boyfriend?

The truck pulled to a stop in the middle of the desert, far away from where anyone could stumble upon them, much less find them on purpose. It was a comforting thought.

The two of them climbed into the bed of the truck and laid out his sleeping bags to give them some sort of cushion before they laid down. Alex laid directly in his arms and Michael responded with a sweet little hum as they got comfortable.

“So, what’s next?” Alex asked, “What’s your plan?”

“I don’t know. Fix up cars, work on ranches, save up money.”

“What happened to UNM?”

Michael was quiet for a moment before he exhaled heavily for a solid ten seconds. Alex tilted his head up to see that he very clearly hadn’t anticipated this conversation. Which was valid. But Alex knew they had limited time together. He wanted to make sure Michael was going to do something good with that big brain of his.

“I don’t think I’m gonna go,” Michael admitted, “Too big of a change all at once.”

Alex furrowed his eyebrows. “How? Everything’s gonna change already.”

“Yeah, but… At least staying here I have Max and Isobel,” Michael said. Alex lifted his head to meet his eyes. Michael was visibly sad, but he was trying to hide it. He sucked at hiding it. “I don’t know, I’m just not ready.”

“But you’re so smart. What happened to ag? You’ve been wanting to do that since I met you,” Alex pointed out. Michael forced a flirtatious little smile.

“Well, who’s gonna cheer me on when you’re gone?” he teased. But Alex didn’t find it funny.

“Guerin, don’t base your future around me. As much as I would love to be there with you every step of the way, you need to think about it for real. You could be something great, don’t bury yourself in me,” Alex told him, watching his smile fade. It was replaced by a sad bit of understanding.

“I know. I’m just gonna miss you,” he said.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” Alex agreed.

Michael stared at him for a moment before looking away and up towards the sky, no longer making eye contact as he steadied his breathing. Alex knew he didn’t like talking about the future or the fact that Alex was leaving or the idea of growing up. For someone who had no real sense of stability, he hated any type of change. It was confusing and Alex didn’t know how to make him understand that he just wanted what was best for him.

Then it dawned on him that maybe that’s what love really was.

“Hey,” Alex said, gently laying his palm on Michael’s cheek and guiding his sight back to him, “I know it’s going to be weird after I leave and I still want you to do something good with your brain, but this isn’t forever. I’m coming home. I don’t know when or, or who I’ll be when I do, but I’m gonna come home to you. I promise.”

And that seemed to be good enough for Michael. At least for that night.

.First ‘I Love You’.

“Like it fuckin’ matters? No one in our crew is a queer anyways.”

Alex forced a laugh and focused on his food. As of this morning, DADT was finally gone. Part of him thought he’d feel safer once it was, but he didn’t. The threat was still there. Now he just didn’t have a whole law to keep his self esteem from eating away at itself.

He wanted to shout it from the rooftops that he was here, he was queer, and if anyone had a problem with it, he would show them up. But then people that he hung out with every day, his friends, said things that scared the shit out of him. He knew that, if he came out, they probably wouldn’t actually care and would only require a little bit of reform, but the word probably still kept him in his cage.

“Manes!” Alex lifted his head to Col. Monroe, the man looking slightly more irritated than usual. “Do I need to send you to go hunt down Lawrence or is he on his way? I need to have a talk with him.”

A talk. Alex’s stomach dropped, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he stood to his feet.

“I’ll go find him, Sir.”

“Good man.”

Alex discarded his tray quickly and headed to Jay’s place on base. His heart was thudding in his chest and slowly began to think this was probably on purpose. Jay Lawrence was a very reckless man and if almost pissing off someone high ranking was what it took to get Alex alone, well, he didn’t put it past him.

Alex knocked on the door and it opened almost immediately. Jay stood at attention just to be safe, his toned body barely restrained by his almost-too-small uniform when he flexed, but he gave a sneaky little smile once he saw Alex. Then he pulled him inside. Once the door was closed, Alex was being kissed so senseless that it took him a moment to forget why he even came in the first place.

He grabbed Jay’s elbows, breathing him in as he reluctantly pulled away. When he opened his eyes, Jay was just staring at him like he was the best thing to grace the Earth and it was easy to feel flustered by that. Alex wasn’t stupid, he knew Jay liked him more than he liked Jay. But Alex admittedly liked the attention and he definitely liked not feeling so alone, so he said nothing.

“DADT is fucking gone, A,” he said, a weight very clearly thrown off his shoulders, “Like officially. No rumors of it being gone, no vague date, no waiting. It’s gone. We, we could be something for real.”

Alex rubbed his thumb over his forearm, smiling slightly. He was younger than Alex, not by much but by enough. He had a family who loved him, who he was out to and who didn’t mind. They all agreed to keep hush so he could serve his country though. He was so pure and kind. He was way too good for Alex.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Alex teased lightly, sliding his hand up to the side of his neck. He’d never been with a man who was so dark that it made him look so pale in comparison before, but, like always, he found it hard to stop staring. They looked good together, objectively, aesthetically. They could be so good. “People still don’t like it. They were bitching about it in the DFAC.”

“Fuck them, what are they gonna do?” Jay asked, stepping in close again to go for another kiss. Reluctantly, Alex dodged it.

“Monroe sent me to find you. Said he wants to talk to you,” Alex told him. His smile faded just a little.

“Okay, then I’ll go, but don’t change the subject,” Jay said, moving his hands to his hips, “C’mon, let’s talk about it. When can we make it public? Or, just, like stop trying so hard to hide?”

Alex stared at him, trying to find a way to say never. If it got back to his father that he was seeing someone in the Air Force, Jay would be so fucked. His career, his life, his entire self would never be the same if his father had a say. That was difficult to explain, especially to someone who had never met the man. But Alex heard it loud and clear when he first met the General and he said, “Manes? I served with your grandpa. Good man.”

He could never be safe and queer here.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Especially not here, not now,” Alex said softly. Jay’s smile dropped and Alex’s heart ached in its wake.

“A,” Jay said, shaking his head, “You said once DADT was gone, we could‒”

“The stigma is still there. We’ll still be targeted and I don’t want that for you, for either of us.”

“Fuck them!”

“That’s not how this works,” Alex said calmly, “These are people we have to fight beside, you can’t make them hate who you are and you can’t not care what they think.”

“I love you,” Jay said desperately, trying to get him to understand how much he didn’t care about anything else. Alex felt his mouth go dry and his eyes widened. “Look, if it’s that bad, let’s leave when our contract is up. I wanna be with you more than I want to be some fucking war hero.”

“I…” Alex said, clearing his throat as he took a step back, “I’m not leaving the Air Force. I’m not coming out. I’m sorry.”

“Are you serious, right now?” Jay demanded. The hurt was clear on his face and Alex felt so fucking bad. But it wasn’t an option. “So what was all that shit you told me, huh? Just stuff to keep me around so your dick had something better than your hand?”

Alex didn’t know what to say, so instead he said nothing. Jay shook his head and sniffled and suggested that he leave. So Alex left.

The Colonel ended up telling Jay that his sister, a strong willed woman slowly climbing the ranks in the army, had committed suicide. He left after his term was up.

Alex thought about him more than he would ever admit.

.First Pride.

“Do you think I look too gay?”

“I am going to destroy that thought process one day. One day.”

Alex rolled his eyes, but Forrest grinned over his shoulder and dragged his hands over his hips and it was hard to be annoyed. Forrest was kind and supportive and brought a side of Alex out that he thought had been long buried. It made him feel a little bit better, a little bit stronger. Something was still missing, but he wasn’t scared anymore.

“But to answer your question, no, you don’t look ‘too gay’. Whatever that means,” Forrest said, “Even if you did, we’re literally going to a pride party so it doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t want your friends to think I’m weird.”

“Alex, all of my friends are queer. All of them. You will be the only straight-passing one there.”

“Straight-passing? That’s a thing?”

“You have so much to learn.”

Alex rolled his eyes again, shaking his head. Forrest just pressed a kiss to his neck before putting his hands on his shoulders, trying to massage out the tension. Alex didn’t think it would work. He was nervous to be so… out there. Sure, he kissed Forrest in the Wild Pony, but that was different. He was high on adrenaline. This was real and prolonged.

This was going to a gay bar with a man on his arm.

He spent a lot of time trying to decipher what exactly out was for him. Was it screaming from the rooftops or was it just being comfortable in his skin? He still wasn’t quite sure. For right now, though, he could try screaming from the rooftops. Forrest seemed to like it and, well, it was better than hiding.

As they made their way towards Planet 7, Alex felt himself get even more anxious. He was so fucking terrified that he was going to do something wrong, that he was going to embarrass himself. He still was trying to comprehend the difference between being too gay and not gay enoguh, where he fit on that scale, if it mattered.

Forrest said it didn’t matter, but then he would start talking about shit Alex had never even heard of and he suddenly felt like he was bad at being queer. There were so many words he didn’t know, so much he had to learn about not only being a gay man, but the other people who were LGBT+ and the history behind it. It was almost overwhelming. Fascinating, though.

“Hey,” Forrest said as he walked up to a table. It was four of Forrest’s friends, all having colorful hair and having pride-themed makeup. Alex tried not to feel so out of place or envious. He had a feeling that if he met people like this back in high school, he would’ve become someone a lot different. It was hard being the only punk one in Roswell.

“This must be the boyfriend,” one of Forrest’s friends said. Alex gave a smile and shrugged as Forrest led him to sit beside him at the table. “I’m Em, I use they/them pronouns.”

“I’m Casey, Em’s girlfriend, I use she/they.”

“Ryan, he/him.”

“And I’m Sophie and I use ‘em all.”

Alex hesitantly looked over Forrest for guidance. He just gave an encouraging smile and nodded towards them as if he didn’t feel out of place as it was. But he was willing to try.

“I’m Alex, I use he/him, I guess,” he said. He felt like he was back in basic, starting from scratch on how to interact with people. He didn’t wanna fuck up.

“I may have told them you needed a solid introduction of everyone,” Forrest laughed. Alex tried to laugh a little too and definitely did a lot better once he got some alcohol in his system.

For the next couple hours, Alex mainly listened to them talk, but he wasn’t bored. It was a nice change of pace. No aliens or government conspiracies. Instead, they spoke of politics and movies and books and people. They invited Alex to go with them the next weeked when they planned to give supplies to homeless people (something they did regularly) and tend to the community garden they’d started to supply people who needed it with free food. They didn’t seem to mind that he was learning the proper language or the way to act, they welcomed him with open arms because he was trying to learn. It made it so much easier to relax.

But then Isobel and Michael walked in.

They didn’t approach him, but they waved and he waved back. After a few too many minutes of wondering how the hell Isobel got Michael here, Alex offered to go buy the next round of drinks. He went to stand by them as he did so.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Isobel teased. Alex gave her a warm smile and then did the same to Michael. He looked a little tired, but he was able to smile back easily.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Alex said before ordering the drinks, “Shocked you got Guerin all the way out here.”

“I’m trying something new,” Michael said. Alex nodded.

“I feel that. So am I.”

“How does it feel to be out? I’m loving it,” Isobel said. Alex snorted.

“I know you are,” he said, “But it looks good on you, all the confidence and ‘fuck you’ attitude. Suits you.”

“Speaking of, I’m going to go work on getting laid,” Isobel sighed happily, turning on her seat and heading to where people were congregating and celebrating most. And then there were two.

“What about you?” Michael asked.

“Hmm?”

“You said all the being out looks good on Isobel. What about yourself?” Michael said, staring at him like he really wanted an answer. Alex licked his lips and thought about it, looking over to where Forrest and his friends were laughing.

“I don’t think I know yet,” Alex admitted, “I’m still trying to figure out what that even means to me, you know? Like Isobel and Forrest, they like that it’s known from the moment someone sees them. And it’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just…”

“Invasive,” Michael noted. Alex nodded.

“Yeah. But it’s better than hiding, so I think it’s good for me.”

“I’m happy for you,” Michael told him and he sounded sincere even as he sipped his virgin daiquiri. Alex smiled.

“Thank you.”

Alex took the drinks back to the table and fit himself back into the conversation. Another couple hours went by before it was nearing its way towards midnight and they decided it was time to go home. They said their goodbyes and nice-to-meet-yous before going their separate ways.

“You were uncomfortable.”

“Huh?”

Alex turned to Forrest who had happily agreed to stay sober to drive while Alex drank to release the tension. The night sky was full of stars and the moon was full and Forrest was smiling, but it didn’t make sense with his words.

“Tonight. Being there made you uncomfortable. Was it the crowd? The rainbows? Just overwhelming in general? Talk to me,” Forrest pressed. Alex licked his lips and shifted in his seat.

“I-I think I’m more of a private person, I guess,” he tried, hoping his words didn’t come off as offensive, “It’s nice being out and proud, but… I guess I still don’t feel like me.”

“You know there’s a middle ground, right?” Forrest said. Alex gave him his full attention, eager to hear about what that might look like. “It’s your business, Alex. Not showing it always doesn’t mean you’re hiding.”

“I guess.”

“Some people that’s who they are, you know? It’s not a bad thing, it’s just who they are, it’s who I am. Our personalities are loud and that part of us shines through. You don’t have to force yourself to be bigger than you are to be queer enough. As long as you feel like yourself then it doesn’t fucking matter,” Forrest said. Alex gave him a confused smile.

“But I thought you said‒”

“Well, maybe I was wrong,” Forrest admitted. Alex relaxed more than he had in awhile. “That was before I got to know you and your past and before I understood that being private didn’t mean you were ashamed. I don’t want you forcing yourself to be someone you’re not for me. You can be Alex Manes, war hero who happens to be gay. You don’t have to be Alex Manes, gay war hero.”

Alex closed his eyes and smiled to himself, feeling better than he had in a long time.

Maybe he could just be him.

.Forever.

“Holy fuck, what did you take?”

“Um, antidepressants?”

A shocked laugh bubbled out of Michael and Alex smiled in response, propping his head up on his hand as he stared at the man he was going to spend his life with. He was all laid out after what honestly could’ve been two hours of fucking outside‒Alex wasn’t sure, he wasn’t really focused on the clock‒and he was in a blissful, sweaty daze. It was one of Alex’s many favorite sights.

After about a year of living in town together and talking about what they wanted to do, the two of them made the unanimous decision to fully renovate Jim Valenti’s hunting cabin and make that their permanent residence. Sure, the drive was a pain, but everything else made it worth it. They had all the privacy in the world to do things like fuck on the daybed Isobel insisted putting on their back porch the minute they mentioned building a pool.

“Aren’t antidepressants supposed to make you less sexually active or something?” Michael asked, slowly regaining his strength and using it to reach for Alex.

“I mean, it’s a common side effect, but I’ve only had that problem a couple times,” Alex admitted, sinking back into the daybed to press a kiss to his sweaty chest. Michael wrapped his arms around him and Alex found himself smiling even wider.

If someone had told him five years ago that he would be happily engaged to Michael Guerin, he would’ve laughed. He never saw himself being in a place where he felt comfortable enough to be in a loving, committed, serious relationship. Every other time, it was so easy to hide‒whether that be hiding in himself or from himself. Michael was the only one who seemed to be on the same wavelength.

It just took him awhile to get there.

“God, I fucking love you,” Michael groaned, squeezing him so tight that Alex couldn’t help but smile so wide it hurt his cheeks. He accepted the kisses that doused his face.

“I love you too.”

Alex tilted his head up to meet him in a kiss, one leading to another until they were slipping into a lazy makeout session. They would eventually have to get up, clean off, get dress, act like useful members of society, but wasn’t it so much fun to do nothing but enjoy each other?

They were over 30. They’d wasted their 20s being confused and lost and sad and now they were grown ass men and they’d both refused to waste their lives being so miserable. A little bit of therapy and self-inspection had made it clear they just needed to work a bit harder to make that possible. Apparently, they had very similar hangups.

So they adjusted to make things work. Michael assured Alex that he was enough all the time, doting on him in a way that Alex craved and needed so he wouldn’t second guess himself. Alex made sure to always keep Michael in the loop even if it felt stupid, a small but difficult change to make sure Michael never felt like he was going to be left behind. They always let each other know where they were, who they were with, what they were doing. It wasn’t about control, it was about comfort. They’d gone too many years not knowing. It was so much easier to know.

“I was thinkin’ about our wedding,” Michael whispered, breaking the endless string of kisses. Alex smiled at the word. He never in a million year saw himself getting married. But, damn, might as well. “What if we did it in that big church in the middle of Roswell?”

“You wanna get married in a church?” Alex laughed. Michael ran his hand over his chest.

“I mean, not really, but I think it’d be super fucking funny. Besides, wouldn’t that make us the first queer couple to get married inside Roswell lines? That’d be fuckin’ hilarious.”

“Oh, you want our wedding to be funny?”

“I mean, yeah,” Michael admitted. Alex laughed softly and shook his head. “I know you don’t like big stuff like that, but c’mon. We could laugh about it with our grandchildren.”

Alex smiled even bigger and pushed himself up to give him another kiss. Wedding, grandchildren, fiance. He got to use those words all for himself. Wasn’t that wild?

“Okay, let’s do it. Our wedding pictures can have us flipping off everyone.”

“See?” Michael said, “You get it.”

A few more kisses later, they eventually decided to be grownups and they pulled themselves to their feet to go inside and clean up, make dinner, take care of themselves. Everything felt so easy. Sure, bad days came still and arguments still happened, but Alex was happy.

It turns out, while his goal had always been to just be able to relax, the real happy ending was freedom.

And, with Michael, he was free.

#alexweek2020 #alexappreciation2020 #alex manes #alex manes fic #malex fic #roswell new mexico #my fic #malex #forlex

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alexiessan · 4 years

Text

Never alone - Chapter Eight - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

It’s kind of funny to write Marinette’s imagination going overboard x)

Hey, anyone ever wrote a Miraculous x Doctor Who cross over? I’ve been bing watching the serie and I’m obsessed with it!

Marinette was tired after this day, but a good tired. Working with Tim was amazing, she has learned so much in just a day and she couldn’t wait for the next.

When seeing everyone on the bus on the way back to the hotel, she was happy to find that her classmates had a good time at Wayne Enterprises. They were all talking about the things they learned and how nice the people they were working with were.

She exchanged a glance with Alya and they fist-bumped, happy that they made a good choice with this trip. They would all mature from this experience.

Arriving at the hotel, despite being tired, the designer also felt restless. She wanted to move, run or something. She wished she could go on a run on the roofs of Gotham as Ladybug but it would be too much risk and possibly compromise her identity.

Maybe Robin would agree to take her on a run on some of the safest roofs.

Marinette was in her room with Alya, reviewing all the notes she had taken while listening to Timothy. She had already filled a few pages of her brand new notebook that she bought back in Paris specifically for this internship.

Looking at the time, she realized that it was almost time for dinner and closed her book. She discreetely took a cookie out of a box and gave it to Tikki. Her eyes landed on the glasses inside, feeling a bit guilty that she kept the Miraculous inactive and that Kaalki couldn’t be with them, but it was safer this way. Hiding one kwami was already a difficult task, but two…

She didn’t want a repeat of Kwami Buster when both Tikki and Plagg were both caught by Mrs. Mendeleiev.

She preferred not to think about that event, Plagg’s presence at her school still unsettled her, despite Chat Noir claiming not knowing what school Françoise Dupont was.

She recognized a lie when she heard one, herself having to make the most ridiculous excuses to cover her superheroing.

But it was better not thinking about it, she wasn’t ready for anything regarding their identities.

And right now, she was hungry.

“Are you ready to go eat Alya? I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, just let me save this on my external drive and we can go!”

She watched as the reporter did just that and started chatting about her day.

“God, Mari, I’m so happy we applied for this program. I’ve learned so much today and it was only the first day. Mrs. Finnigan taught Adrien how to handle the press when they spread false information about him and she told me all about the relations between the public relations teams and the media. I heard from Nino that he has ten pages of notes about copyrights already and it’s not over! He’s already planning to get some of his songs protected!”

“That’s great, Alya!”

The class had an essay to write about their time at Wayne Enterprises when they get back to Paris, and while it should have been a source of complaints from the students, hearing how everyone loved their time there, writing an essay about him shouldn’t be a chore for anyone.

She heard at dinner that some had even started the outline of their essays and the two girls could see how proud Miss Bustier was of her students.

The laughs from the class’ table in the hotel’s restaurant could be heard from the lobby.

His brothers were laughing at his expense and Damian was seconds away from hitting them.

And probably do way more violent things too.

During dinner, Tim related his day with Marinette, smirking at his youngest brother all the while. He was telling them what a sunshine their future sister in law was and how Damian literally ran away from her the moment he saw her in the co-CEO’s office.

And of course, Jason and Dick found it hilarious.

“You spend every night with her as Robin but you can’t handle seeing her as yourself?!”

“Shut up Todd, before I make you regret your words.”

“It’s that he just can’t handle it, Jason! He literally noped out of it!” laughed Tim along with his brothers.

Unfortunately, Tim dodged out of the way of the knife he threw at him.

Maybe he should put something sharp in his shoes when he wasn’t looking. Maybe, then, his brother would just shut up.

The youngest Robin sighed. Siblings were such a drag.

“What the hell is that thing?!”

Robin and Marinette were on the roofs of her hotel for their daily meetings and for once, she was in her pajamas without her contact on. He got used to seeing her with two blue eyes so it was a bit weird to see her with a jade green eye just like his. All that added to his cape that she was wearing, just like every day before, was enough to make the tip of his ears go red.

Damn, she was cute like this.

But it wasn’t what prompted him to react the way he did.

No, what warranted such a response was the tiny red thing that was floating next to her and looking at him with weird big blue eyes and an antenna on its head.

The bluenette laughed.

“This is Tikki. She’s a Kwami and it’s thank to her that I can transform into Ladybug. She’s been- Comment on dit, déjà ? Ah! She’s been granting me my powers ever since I got the Miraculous.”

“It’s very nice to meet you! I’m so glad Marinette found her soulmate!” the… the thing said with a high pitch that hurt his ears.

“So a literal insect is giving you your powers?” he asked, skeptical.

The kwami frowned.

“Hey! Have some respect, would you? I’m not an insect, but a Kwami! I’m basically a god!”

“A… god? This tiny thing?”

Tikki scowled and scoffed.

“I’ll go back to the room, Marinette!”

And without another glance to Robin, she disappeared.

“I think you offended her.”

“Well, excuse me for being skeptical about a tiny thing that looks like an insect being a god.”

Marinette laughed.

“I can’t blame you. When I first met her I called her a blatte-souris. Hm… a croroch-mouse?”

“A cockroach-mouse?”

“Yeah, a cockroach-mouse! Sorry.”

Robin smiled, amused.

“So, yeah. I panicked and all so I wasn’t better than you.”

She clapped her hands.

“Anyway! I was actually hoping that you would accept to take me on a run somewhere, I’m feeling restless.”

“Absolutely not.”

There was a heavy silence as Marinette just looked at him.

“Why not?”

“Do you realize how dangerous it would be? We can’t risk anyone recognizing you! Could you imagine if someone saw Robin and an unmasked girl running around Gotham? The media would have a field day!”

Robin watched as the designer thought about it and could see the moment she agreed with him.

That girl really was an open book, he thought.

“Alright, alright. Then… Maybe you could teach me some basic martial art moves? As you know, I’m basically acting on instincts as Ladybug, but it would help a lot if I actually knew how to fight. Properly. Especially since the Akumas are getting a lot more violent.”

That, he could do.

“Fine. But we’ll need to spar a little so I can assess your skills and see where to go from there.”

The Parisian beamed.

“Alright! I’m ready.”

As she got in a defensive position, the vigilante observed her carefully.

“First of all, don’t make your fist that way. Don’t put your thumb inside, but outside. You could break it upon impact.”

The teenage girl did as he said and he waited a few seconds more before he attacked.

She dodged easily but she didn’t see his next move. Of course, he didn’t put strength in his hit, the goal wasn’t to hurt her but to observe.

She attacked in return but none of her blow hit home.

Two minutes in the sparring and Marinette was on her back, Robin having softly flipped her.

“Again.”

They sparred a few times, each time Marinette lasted a bit longer, but she never lasted more than five minutes.

She was breathing heavily while he barely broke a sweat.

“I’ll be honest with you, it’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

He winced. He hasn’t shown her this side of him yet.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” she scoffed.

Good, she could take it. He was afraid that she would be offended.

He sat next to her as she stayed on the floor, like a starfish.

“We’ll have to start from scratch. I’ll teach you some basic moves but there is only so much I can teach you in less than a week. You really need to take lessons when you get back to Paris, no matter how full your schedule already is.”

Marinette looked at him, giving him a sad smile.

“Yeah, I know. I’ll do it.”

“But you’re not hopeless. You adapt fast.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, every time we sparred, you would last longer.”

The Eurasian girl laughed.

“I didn’t last more than five minutes!”

“No, but in the first spar, you lasted only two minutes. So it’s progress. It shows that you adapt easily. You’re also aware of your surroundings and know how to use it. If you take this seriously, you’ll progress fast.”

He watched as she was still breathing heavily.

“Come on, give me your phone.”

She did as he asked and he took his own phone out too. He unlocked her phone easily.

“And for the love of God, Marinette, put a password on your phone.”

She smiled sheepishly.

He entered his contact information and send a message to himself from her phone and then saved her contact. He gave her her phone back.

“Here, I entered my number. I’ll send you a training program. You need to build up your strength and your stamina. You can’t afford to be out of breath like that.”

He hoped she wasn’t offended. He only did this because he cared and he didn’t want her to get killed fighting Akumas because she wasn’t strong enough.

The way she smiled at him showed him that she knew that.

“Thank you.” she breathed.

Marinette was like an open book, but Robin knew he wasn’t. He didn’t know how to feel that she could read him so easily. Was he already lowering his guard around her?

He sighed. He knew that the answer was yes. He already was lowering his guard. He did it unconsciously because he wanted things to work with his soulmate.

He didn’t want to be the man his mother wanted him to be. Not anymore.

“We’ll start some training tomorrow. In the meantime, I believe I promised you to show you some of my drawings.”

Marinette beamed as he took a few pieces of paper and she straightened, sitting next to him as he showed her drawings of Titus, Alfred the cat and the batcow.

He smiled as she cooed at them.

When she woke up the next day, Marinette cursed Robin. She was sore at some places that she didn’t know had muscles. She had a headache, but that was probably because she only got two hours of sleep, she and Robin had stayed later than usual, losing themselves in their conversations unaware of the time passing.

Marinette heard a noise next to her.

“Marinette, wake up! Breakfast is in twenty minutes.”

The designer cursed once more in her head. It was the first time since the beginning of the trip that Alya woke up before her. The dark-haired girl panicked for a few seconds, already imagining the reporter seeing her green eye. She could already picture her asking questions about her soulmate, who they were and when it happened. She could already see herself screw up and admitting that Robin was her soulmate and it would be on the Ladyblog and it would spread worldwide and Robin would hate her!

She wanted to scream until her mind cleared. Why was she panicking? Hiding her eye was, actually, really simple.

Marinette got up, rubbing her eyes and feigning a yawn as she made her way to the bathroom.

Nailed it, she thought as she closed the door behind her.

Tag list:

@bigpicklebananatree @animegirlweeb @crazylittlemunchkin @northernbluetongue @cutechip @justafanwarrior @iloontjeboontje @resignedcatservant @maribat-is-lifeblood @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @toodaloo-kangaroo @mikantsume @dast218 @amayakans @zestyzealot @lunarwolfspn @corabeth11

#maribat #daminette #maridami #miraculous x dc #ml x dc #damian x marinette

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husky-twst-and-obeyme · 4 years

Text

A Maid in service (Husky x Barbatos)

(This WAS gonna be MC x Barbatos but Im Barbatos trash atm XD but i will make a MC x Barbatos in the near future hopefully! He needs more love uwu ) I’m putting a tab in case i make this too long XD and if you wish to image yourself as Husky that’s fine ^^

Warning: some cursing , slightly suggestive

Word Count: 2,600 words

It was an absolute disaster. The Prince, Diavolo , was giving me a tour of the castle as well as with Mammon, he was mainly there to keep an eye on me. We entered a room that mainly consisted of Vases, they were all beautiful and VERY fragile.

Then i noticed Mammon eyeing some of them “Don’t even think about it, Mammon”

“ay just relax, i ain’t gonna do anything!”

“yeah sure, you said that the last time too and ended up with “unknown jewelry” “

He scoffs as he rolled his eyes at me. I payed no mind to him but literally the second i turned away i heard something get picked up and an immediate crash....I slowly turn around and there i see Mammon with a vase in shards right in front of him.

“Mammon!”

“I didn’t mean to drop it!”

“What was that ?” Diavolo came towards us along with Barbatos

Mammon Froze “shit!”

Then Diavolo looked at the broken vase. His face was blank but it slowly morphed into a displeased look. I mean i can’t blame him, that vase must of been worth a fortune , which is why Mammon tried to take it...UGH why couldn’t someone like Satan or Beel just came with me instead !?

“Mammon...” Diavolo’s voice was low

“eep!” Mammon sounded like a mouse

“could you explain what happened here? I’d love an explanation. “

I looked over and Mammon was basically shivering and at a lost of words, I’d be the same too since Dia shut off his friendly tone. I had to think of something quick , He was already in debt and it would be much worst if he were to try and pay of Diavolo , he might as well just give him his credit card! which would never happen but then i spoke out without hesitation or thought

“I-It was me! “

The three looked at me surprised

Diavolo raised a brow “it was you Husky? “

Shit! I probably should of said something else...can’t turn back now..”Y-yes...I wanted to admire it but I thought i saw something on the vase,....I tried to wipe it off but i accidentally pushed it! “ God I hope that’s somewhat believable

The Prince was silent for a second and then sighed “ you humans can be so clumsy some times” Good, he bought it but i knew i was still gonna be punished ..

“Even if it was by accident, I still can’t let go you lightly , Husky. You need to be punished “

I gulped

“I was thinking of making you pay for it yourself but...maybe you can work for it “

“huh?? work for it? “

“yes, you can work as a maid here in the castle until you’ve paid off the debt for the vase “

I froze in shock , a-a maid!? hell no! I’ll never hear the end of it from the brothers! God, this sucks so much! but ..it’s slightly better then using my own money i guess..?

“Y-yes sir..” I regrettably said

“Perfect! You’ll work everyday after school until 9 PM , If there are days you wish off, i will allow it but each day off is a day lost. So choose wisely. Barbatos will also be able to help you if you have any troubles, so don’t be afraid to ask! “

Barbatos has been silent and has a somewhat concerned expression , probably pitying me

I agreed to the terms. After the Tour was over , Barbatos handed me my maid uniform , which luckily was a traditional maid outfit with a long skirt. On our way home, i made sure to give Mammon an earful , i was probably worst then Lucifer at this time. He kept apologizing and said i’d probably look great in the outfit. The second he said that I knocked him on his ass. Now I just have to mentally prepare myself for my first day as a maid tomorrow

I was so anxious when i got home , i got myself dressed and before i left , I was stopped by Lucifer. He already gave me a lecture for breaking something in the castle , what’s it gonna be now..?

“If you need help with your studies, please talk to me. You’ll be busy as a maid and it might not give you enough study time.”

“oh..sure, thanks “

He nods “ Barbatos should be on his way to get you soon “

“? he’s picking me up? I thought i had to walk there”

“just be grateful that Diavolo is making you walk to the castle from here..”

He had a point.. the Castle wasn’t too far but it was far enough for a long walk. I waited outside and soon a carriage came by. The door opened and Barbatos came out

“Good Evening Miss Husky.” He held the door open for me

“Good Evening..” I walked inside and he close the door after he entered and then we were on our way to the castle.

It was Quiet for the majority of the ride.It somewhat made me uncomfortable especially since it was Barbatos. Not that he’s bad, I’m just not familiar with him is all. I guess i will be soon since I’ll be basically helping him with chores and such.

“How are you this evening?” He asked suddenly

I got a little shook but i quickly responded “I’m f-fine! Just a little nervous “

“I assume you’ve never done anything like this before? “ he gave a light smile

“no ..not really, I mean the closest thing to this is cleaning for my Grandma but it was mainly to help her since she didn’t have enough energy..”

“just like how Mammon broke the Vase and you took the blame? “

!! What?..how did he...how does he know that? I kinda panicked for a second but started questioning it. If he knew, why didn’t he say anything before? Why did he let this happen?

“..If you knew..why didn’t you say anything? “

“well My lord would of gravely punished Mammon ..not just paying him back. He would of given him something then death since he’s attempted to steal so many times...but if you took the blame, he would be fine and you’d basically get a slap on the head “

huh..so in other words, he wished not see Mammon punished because of his stupidity. I dunno how it works for punishing them but he gave me chills when he mentioned worst then death, i can’t even image that..We finally arrive at the castle

“so..does Diavolo know? “

“no. If i were , you’d both be punished , you wouldn’t like that know would you? “

I only did this ti protect Mammon, so i guess i do..All I do is nod and head our way in. My first day wasn’t so bad expect with some of the staff trying to get under my skin..They were rude and some of them shamed me for being a human and being totally reckless. It really brought my mood down. It was recovered when i was in the kitchen. Barbatos was already there making desserts. I Heard from Beel that he makes the best food in all three realms, As much as I was curious, i had to get back to work but He stopped me

“Hello Husky”

“oh!..Hey Barbatos”

“Would you mind helping me with the batter? I need to get these ready soon and extra hands would be nice “

“oh, of course” I set my cleaning stuff down and helped

I have baking experience before, I lived with my grandma for a while and i would always bake sweets with her , so this wasn’t really foreign to me Besides some the ingredients. Barbatos took notice how i didn’t struggle

“you have a thing for baking as well? “

“not really. Im just used to it from when i lived with my Grandma. We mainly made Cookies and brownies”

“interesting. maybe you could show me some recipes from the human world , I’d love to try some recipes with you” He looked cheerful and smiled

He ..actually looked really cute when he smiled, the more i see it , i blushed slightly

After making some of the batter and letting them bake, I noticed that took up some time

“oh no! I better-” but then my arm was grabbed

“My lord doesn’t mind you being here as long as you’re at least working” he reassured me , he could see i was stressed

“oh ..well...I can stay as long as needed. “ i said firmly

“good, i actually wanted you as a taste tester as well.”

“huh? but how would i know if it’s good or not? “ I said that since the ingredients in Devildoom are so unique and who knows what devil’s taste are like to what’s good or not.

“oh , don’t worry, i actually have a bit of human ingredients here, i was hoping to make some cakes , maybe some brownies as well, perhaps? “

Just the sound of hearing human world cake or brownies sounded good and if his skills are as good as people say they are, i can’t wait!

“Sure, maybe we can make a 2 layer cake? “

He agreed and soon we started making a cherry maraschino cake , he didn’t struggle much , it was only the ingredients that he wasn’t used to. It was so funny to see him try a maraschino cherry, his face made many different reactions since it was a flavor that blasted when it touched your tongue. I explained that these were mainly used in alcoholic drinks or be turned into candy. He was quite interested and curious to learn more about certain ingredients as well

“Hey, shouldn’t these other desserts -”

“oh the second we finished, they were headed to the dining hall. I don’t need to deliver them myself , all we had to do is get them done”

“oh good, I was scared of taking up too much of your time..”

he smiled “don’t worry about that, I rather enjoy your company “ that really made me blush. It felt nice to be wanted especially since i came here, I’ve been treated like a burden, intentional or not, it was nice that that one person outside of the brothers likes me.

We continued to bake , after the cake was done, it tasted so magical! The sweetness of the cherries and how soft the cake felt! No wonder he was the best, i should save a piece for beel since he liked human world food too! Then i noticed that Barbatos stared at me

“hm..? is something wrong ?” he made me a little worried

Then, he got close to my face. Oh my god- what is he doing then..he kissed my cheek

*Husky.exe has stopped working*

Did..did he really just..KISS MY CHEEK- WHAT- WHY-

I was so flustered and blushed i couldn’t even speak and he just chuckled , thank you so much for laughing at my tomato looking self.

“My apologies, you had cake on your face “

YOU COULD OF JUST TOLD ME “No no it’s fine!”

“I couldn’t help myself..I was curious what you’d taste like..~ “

All i did was stood there, mentally freaking out , how do i respond to that!? more important why do i like it!? quick say something!

“w-why you know that if you actually kissed me..?”

His eye widened in surprise but then He smirked “oh?~”

why.did.i. just. say. THAT- what was i thinking?! I quickly looked around for an excuse to leave and i noticed the time, it was closing to 9. Thank god!

“oh would you look at the time! I have to get ready to go ! “ Then i quickly left before he could get a word in.

I finished up anything that i could do quickly and headed to the entrance but was stopped by Diavolo

“Husky!”

“! H-hello your highness”

“ I heard you helped Barbatos with the sweets today ! You made the sweet hell chocolate cake right? “

I nod and he lightens up “It was amazing! I had no idea you were so skilled in baking! you must bake some more when you can! “

“Im glad you ! It kinda makes me happy to bake..it kinda reminds me of home.”

“well you have permission to help Barbatos again if he asks, you two can discuss it on the carriage”

“huh what do you-” then i stopped. FUCK- i forgot he’s the one who brought me here, so of course he’d be the one to take me home. Diavolo looks at me confused and i reassure him that i was fine, he waved me me off and I saw Barbatos near the carriage . I felt nervous about this time , would it be silent like before ..I’m not sure what will happen. I enter and he soon joins me but,,he sits next to me this time. The first time he sat across, i guess he’s more comfortable with me but that doesn’t change what happened between us.

“How was your first day?” he asked, not looking at me

“It was fine. for the most part “

“oh? why most? “

“...it’s not too much, just some of the staff gave me a little bit of a hard time.”

“...”

His silence is kinda giving me chills with his face looking a little pissed

“L-like i said it was fine mostly! It was better with you! “ I halted at that sentence , shit! that was suppose to be internal-

His face soften after hearing that and he looked directly at me “That’s nice...you made my day as well.”

My heart skipped a beat, my face really blushed , it was too noticeable, Barbatos took note of that , he seemed to be closer now.

“you know..I could bake with you everyday if you want..~ Diavolo wouldn’t mind..~”

The Idea was innocent but his tone wasn’t , Im sure he’d really want to bake with me but Im sure he has other intentions now after that kiss. Did he feel like this before that..? It’ been 3 months since I've been here. Then I noticed how we’re basically close to being face to face , he had his finger and thumb under my chin

“h-huh-” then he lightly kissed me “ hm!”As much as it was too much..i didn’t want him to stop either.

He stops “ I hope we’ll have more interesting days like this in the future~ “

Before i could say anything else, the carriage stops. We’re back at the House of Lamentation, Barbatos gets up and opens the door for me “you should get going “ he smiled

I was still for a moment but then i got up and left the carriage , before i went inside , he grabbed my hand and gentle kissed the top of it. I was even redder then i was.

“Have a good day, My Lady~” he closed the carriage when he entered back

My heart was beating so hard the rest of the night and i couldn’t stop thinking about what happen...did i really like Barbatos..? It was so hard to deny it and just thinking about him made me blush. I got into my room and got changed into comfy causal cloths and laid flat on my bed , and hoped to relax. Now I’m excited to see him again...

(I hope you guys enjoy this! I had fun doing it! Suggest som stuff if you want something like this in the future!)

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me mammon #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos x mc #obey me barbatos

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loosescrewslefty · 5 years

Text

Squeaking By

Ever since she got her Miraculous, Marinette had picked up more than one peculiar habits.

This wasn’t a side effect, or something to do with the miraculous itself. Instead, it mostly had to do with the fact that she now had a near constant companion in Mullo, her sweet, shy and soft spoken kwami. Marinette adored the little immortal mouse. When she was nearly blinded by panic at the idea of going up against supervillains and protecting the citizens of Paris from the wrath of the man who was abusing the Ladybug Miraculous’ power as he scoured Paris for the Ring of the Black Cat, which had been lost during the invasion of Paris during WWII, Mullo’s calm, quiet confidence in her had been the only thing that gave her the courage to jump into the fray.

She absolutely trusted her kwami’s wisdom and judgement, and she wanted Mullo to feel as comfortable as possible as the two of them worked together to help Fu stop Scarab, and find all the Miraculouses that had been lost and scattered to the wind. And that desire lead to Marinette changing a few small things about her day to day life. Loud noises were kept to a minimum now, since Mullo preferred the quiet. Marinette now had an extensive collection of puzzles and little brain teasers, because Mullo enjoyed the challenge of them. And peanut butter cookies now had a strange habit of mysteriously vanishing from the bakery and finding themselves in Marinette’s room.

And there were other ways Mullo’s influence affected Marinette too.

Marinette wasn’t always fully aware of these influences, unfortunately. Because of that, they tended to come to her attention when other people noticed them, which could be a little bit embarrassing sometimes. Especially when Marinette wasn’t expecting it and it was the guy she had a crush on who noticed.

Which, of course, was exactly what happened.

“Marinette!”

Glancing up from her sketchbook, Marinette smiled when she saw Rose and Juleka approaching her, looking excited about something.

“Hey, guys! What’s up?” She asked as she closed her book to give her friends her full attention.

“You won’t believe what happened to us! It’s so amazing!” Rose said, almost bouncing in excitement. Next to her, Juleka was flushed pink with a wide smile. Marinette actually DID have a pretty good idea of why her friend was so excited, but she wasn’t going to rob Rose of the chance to spread the good news to others herself.

“What happened?” She asked, doing her best to look innocently curious and NOT like she had any hand at all in her friend’s glee.

“Kitty Section’s opening up for Clara Nightingale at the May Music Festival!!!” Rose almost screamed before dissolving into a fit of giggles. “And Multimouse is the one who recommended us to her! We’re one of Multimouse’s favorite bands! I can’t believe a superhero is one of our fans! Isn’t that amazing?!”

“Totally cool!”Juleka agreed at her side, looking more excited than Marinette had ever seen her quiet goth friend.

“That’s great!” Marinette said with a wide grin. “Congratulations, you guys! Kitty Section totally deserves this, you guys are all so talented,” Her friends both practically glowed at the praise, and Marinette felt a swell of happiness at seeing the pair so excited. Especially when she caught sight of Mylene giving a surprised laugh as Ivan swept her up into a hug and literally spin the both of them around as the small girl giggled breathlessly about getting dizzy. She was happy she could play a role in giving her friends this chance, and she was sure they would knock everyone’s socks off when the big night came.

“Thanks, Marinette! That means so much, coming from you!” Rose said, looking giddy. Marinette blinked a little at that.

“...Coming from me?” She repeated, a little confused. Why would her opinion matter so much to her friends?

“Well, you see, we actually wanted to ask you something…” Rose explained, fidgeting slightly, “See, Clara is actually gave us a budget so we could get the things we need for the show, and we were wondering if we could commission you to make us some costumes for our performance. But only if you’re not too busy! I know Lila mentioned that you’ve been designing for some contest and said we shouldn’t bother you earlier this week when we were talking about going to the movies, and I don’t want you burning out or anything!” Marinette frowned a little. So Lila was taking advantage of her friends attempts to be considerate to justify excluding Marinette from group activities as well as taking advantage of them so they’d wait on the little liar hand and foot, was she?

“Lila must have... heard wrong,” she said, biting back the temptation to accuse her of intentionally lying again. Her friends were happy right now, and she didn’t want to ruin that for them. She knew even if Rose and Juleka did ask, Lila would turn this into another he said/she said thing by claiming she heard it from someone else and Marinette had no evidence of Lila’s true nature to warn her friends away. “I’m not doing any contests right now, and I’d love to help Kitty Section make costumes.”

“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOOOOOU!!!” Rose said, grappling Marinette into a spine shattering hug. “Oh, this is going to be so INCREDIBLE! Your designs are always the best, Marinette!”

“It’s no problem, Rose. I’m always happy to help,” Marinette told the blonde once she’d freed herself from the other girl’s vice grip and regained the oxygen her lungs had lost. “Is there a theme to the concert?”

“Midnight in Paris!” Rose told her, grinning widely. “Clara showed us the designs for it, and it’s going to look so romantic!”

“It’s awesome,” Juleka agreed, grinning. “All dark, with smoke and candles and stuff.”

“We can do something like that, with Kitty Section’s image and sound,” Marinette said, the creative wheels in her head starting to spin, “a kind of Phantom of the Opera sort of look. Rose, we can put you in a punked out ball gown, and Juleka can wear a tuxedo dress. Maybe Ivan and Luka can wear capes…!”

Fully lost in a cloud of inspiration now, Marinette flipped her sketchbook back open and began putting pencil to paper, sketching out rough concepts of the image she had begun to form in her head. Rose and Juleka eagerly took up seats on either side of her to watch over her shoulder as an image began to take shape under her pencil.

She didn’t know how long she sat like that, only half in reality and listening to Rose and Juleka give suggestions or excitedly praise the design details they liked while the rest of her sank further into the creative bliss. In fact, Marinette was so caught up in designing that it took her a minute to register the sound of someone chuckling in front of her. Blinking out of her daze, Marinette brought herself out of her head to focus on her surroundings once more, glancing up to see who was laughing.

And then promptly freezing in shock at the sight of Adrien Agreste’s green eyes less than a hand’s width away from her face.

Yelping in shock, Marinette flailed to put some distance between her and the model, but just ended up throwing off her balance and nearly falling into the rosebush planted behind the bench she’d been sitting on instead. Luckily, Juleka caught her before she had a VERY uncomfortable encounter with the thorn-covered plant, but unfortunately Adrien was standing right there and witnessed the entire thing.

Quick! Distract him from your total lack of grace! Say something!!! “Adrien! How you be?!” Marinette babbled out helplessly, cringing a little and screaming inside as Rose and Juleka shot her sympathetic looks.

“Oh, hey Marinette! Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to see what you were working on,”

“Marinette is making Kitty Section’s costumes for the May Music Festival!” Rose told the model happily. “We’re opening up for Clara Nightingale.”

“Seriously? Wow, that’s incredible! Congratulations, guys!” Adrien said, turning to give Marinette a grin and a cheeky wink. “You guys are gonna look AND sound amazing! I can’t wait to see you perform!” Marinette was in danger of passing out from all the blood that rushed to her face at her crush’s praise.

“W-what were you laughing about, anyways?” Marinette asked, suddenly remembering what had distracted her from her drawing and fearing the worse, “is there something weird about one of my designs?”

“What? Oh! NO! It wasn’t your designs, I swear!” Adrien reassured her quickly, looking a little self conscious. “I just thought it was cute that you kept making little squeaking sounds, actually.”

...What?

“Squeaking sounds?” Marinette repeated, perplexed. She turned to Rose and Juleka to see if they knew what Adrien was talking about, but found them both studiously avoiding her eye.

“Yeah. You kept making these cute little squeaks. Kinda like a happy hamster or something,” Adrien told her. Marinette gaped at him, mouth opening and closing soundlessly as she tried to process what he was saying. “Anyways, I’d better get going. Gorilla’s gonna start looking for me soon. Tell Kitty Section to break a leg for me!” and, with that, Adrien was off, oblivious to the fact that he had just tilted Marinette’s entire world on its axis.

“Wow, Marinette! You did a lot better that time!” Rose praised her. “Most of your sentences were completely coherent!”

“...Do I squeak?” Marinette asked her friends.

“Erm, sorry, what?”

“Do. I. Squeak?” Marinette repeated, already dreading the response she knew she was going to get. Sure enough, Rose and Juleka exchanged looks that told Marinette all she needed to know, and she buried her face in her sketchbook with a wail of dismay.

“You don’t do it all the time! Just when you’re happy!” Rose assured her hastily. “We didn’t want to say anything because we didn’t want you to feel self conscious about it. Right, Juleka?”

“It’s cute,” Juleka assured Marinette quickly at Rose’s prompting. Rose nodded aggressively in agreement.

“Adrien probably thinks I’m a nutcase!” Marinette moaned, curling into a ball.

“No he doesn’t! He even said he thought it was cute too!”

“What if he was just saying that to be nice? He was laughing at me about it!” Marinette said, curling further in on herself. Rose and Juleka exchanged uneasy looks, clearly stuck on how to make their friend feel better. Marinette gave a sigh, feeling a bit guilty for dumping her baggage on the two when they just wanted to be excited about the amazing opportunity that they had. Composing herself as best as she could, Marinette collected all her things and put them in her bag, giving her worried friends the closest thing to a smile that she could manage. “I think maybe I should head back home now. I’ll focus better in my own room. I’ll show you the first drafts for your costume designs tomorrow at school, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks again for helping out, Marinette!” Rose said as Juleka waved at her quietly. Marinette nodded at the pair before making a break for it, heading back home as quickly as she could manage without superpowers. She nodded absently at her parents when they greeted her in the bakery on her way up to her room, but didn’t stop and speak to anyone. Then, as soon as the trap door was shut, Marinette collapsed into a lump on the floor, moaning loudly in humiliation and self-pity.

Away from prying eyes, Mullo flew out of Marinette’s purse to give her teenage companion a concerned look.

“You okay, Pinkie?” she asked worriedly, brows pinching together when Marinette just groaned and curled into an even tighter ball.

“Is it really too much to ask that I go one day without making an idiot of myself in front of the boy I like?” she asked her Kwami miserably.

“Is it really something to feel so embarrassed about? Is it offensive? I squeak all the time,” Mullo reminded her, slightly confused. The rules of propriety among humans seemed to change with every new generation, and within each culture, so it was difficult for her to keep up with social taboos.

“You’re a mouse, Mullo. You’re supposed to squeak. Humans are not. Girls are not. Especially not in front of the boy they like.”

“Not even if you picked it up from spending time with me?” Mullo asked. That caused Marinette to unfurl, giving Mullo a confused look.

“...What?”

“Your squeaking. It’s something you started doing because I squeak around you all the time. Because I’m happy here. You just kind of… picked it up. I never said anything about it because I thought you were aware of it.”

“I… oh. Oh.” Marinette said, coming to a bit of a revelation. Mullo did squeak around her a lot when it was just the two of them and the little mouse kwami was happy. Marinette had never minded the little mouse noises- even thought they were adorable- but hadn’t realized that she had adopted the habit purely due to spending so much time with the kwami.

Suddenly, Marinette remembered something her mother had told her years ago, when she asked her why her mother had a habit of sticking her tongue out a little when she was focusing on something. Her Maman gave a little, embarrassed laugh at the question and admitted that it was just a weird habit she’d picked up from spending time with her Uncle, since he did the same thing.

“Sometimes we pick up little quirks from people when we’re close to them, sweetie. I guess that’s just human nature,” Sabine told her warmly. Marinette remembered feeling a little jealous at the time, wishing that she had people she was close enough to to ‘share’ habits with.

“Pinkie? Did you hear me?” Marinette was jolted out of her thoughts and back to the present at Mullo’s concerned question, blinking a few times to focus on the worried Kwami floating a few inches in front of her.

“H-huh?”

“I asked you if you want me to tell you when you squeak from now on. So you can break the habit.” Mullo asked patiently with a gentle smile. “That way, you don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself around Adrien again.” Marinette studied the kwami for a second, giving her suggestion some consideration, before flashing Mullo a warm smile.

“No, it’s okay,” she said, pulling herself off of the ground and dusting herself off. Mullo gaped at the teen as she pulled her sketchbook out of her bag and opened it up to the sketches she’d been working on before.

“But… you were so upset about it!” Mullo said, clearly struggling to make sense of the girl’s sudden change of heart.

“Yeah, but know that I know why I’m doing it, I’m okay with it,” Marinette said, giving Mullo a soft look as the Kwami puzzled over her actions. Maybe it was a little weird and yeah, doing it in front of Adrien was extremely embarrassing, but it was kinda nice to know she and Mullo were close enough that she was picking up new habits from the kwami. Trying to break those habits felt like a rejection of that bond, and Marinette didn’t want to do that for anyone, even Adrien Agreste.

“...You humans are so confusing sometimes,” Mullo said with a small huff of frustration.

“Yeah, but you love us anyways,” Marinette said, grinning teasingly at the mouse when she shook her head in fond exasperation and sighed before settling herself comfortably on Marinette’s shoulder. Giggling a little, Marinette reached up to give the kwami a small, affectionate pat on the head.

She just grinned wider when Mullo gave her a happy little squeak in response to the attention.

#Miraculous Ladybug #multimouseweek2020 #multimouse #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #ML Marinette #ML Mullo #Multimouse AU #fanfic

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rosywaifu · 5 years

Text

Happy Holidays!

A very sweet and special happy holidays to @pk-freezer-burnt ! I’m you’re secret santa from @mlsecretsanta !!!! I hope you enjoy your gift, a fic I wrote! <3

Rooftop Romance

Marinette couldn't believe her luck. The morning had started out great! She had woken up to a lovely breakfast thanks to her parents and she miraculously made it to school on time. Granted, she ran the whole way there with a croissant hanging from her mouth, but she was on time and that was all that mattered. Her classes went great; Alya helped catch her up on all the things she missed due to her “extracurricular activity”. Her day was great, right up until the last bell rang for the students to go home. Adrien and Nino were standing by the stairs in front of the school, waiting for Adrien’s driver to pick him up. They were bobbing their heads along to Nino’s new song on a shared pair of headphones . Marinette, however, was hiding in a bush beside the stairs watching Adrien , roses tinting her vision.

“Come on, girl! You can do this. Just walk up to him-” Alya began.

“Walk up to him,” Marinette repeated Alya’s instructions carefully.

“Tap him on the shoulder-”

“Tap him on the shoulder.”

“-and say, ‘Adrien. I like you.”

“‘Adrien. I like you.’ Oh, Alya I can’t! What if he says no? I’ll be mortified!” Marinette buried her face in her hands. Alya smiled at the girl softly and placed a gentle hand on her back.

“Okay, Marinette. I know it can be scary to put yourself out there,” as she spoke, her words soft and comforting, she guided Marinette out of her ball of fear and out of the bush.

“However, there's no time like the present!” Alya said with a mischievous look in her eyes. Marinette looked up at her, confused.

“Wha—“ before Marinette could get a word in edgewise, Alya shoved her hard towards the boys. Luckily, years of trapezing around the Parisian skyline as the spotted heroine has made her naturally quick on her feet and she was able to catch herself before falling flat and getting a mouthful of asphalt.

“Hey, Marinette!” smiled Adrien . The sight of his carefree and casual smile made Marinette’s heart flutter like a million little butterflies.

“Adrien, hey! I’m good, how are you? I mean! How are you?” Marinette quickly recovered her irregular speech pattern. She had gotten increasingly better at speaking to Adrien in the few years she had known him but she still stuttered and messed up regularly.

Adrien chuckled and nodded.

“Haha, yeah, I’m good. Did you need something, Marinette? You came over in quite a rush.” Marinette blushed furiously at his question. She couldn’t believe she was this close to doing this.

Nino, who had been standing there quietly for some time, took his leave when he noticed the furious look coming from his girlfriend, standing a few feet away.

“I’ll, uh, see you dudes later. Bye, Marinette. Later, Adrien.” The two waved him off as he sped walked to Alya’s side to where he got a light slap on the shoulder for invading a “romantic moment between the two idiots”.

“So, what did you need again?”, asked Adrien. Marinette had gotten slightly lost in his beautiful green eyes.

“Oh, right. Well, for a long time- no, that’s not right. Okay, we’ve known each other for a- no. Alright, here goes…” Marinette took a deep breath and shut her eyes softly hoping to calm down her breathing enough to share her feelings.

“Adrien, I like you.” Without opening her eyes, Marinette finally shared the three words that she had felt since she was fifteen. All sounds fell on deaf ears for Marinette. The only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat drumming painfully loud.

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats.

Three heart--

“Wow Marinette, I like you too,” Adrien said with too much pep in his voice that it sounded fake. Marinette squeaked an eye open when she heard him speak.

“Really?” Her voice was high pitched and in complete disbelief. She couldn’t believe her ears. Was the boy of her dreams, the one she had literally dreamt of marrying for years, returning her feelings?

“Yeah, of course! I’m so lucky to have you as a friend-” Marinette's world crumbled. The Earth around her cracked and fell apart, until it was only her standing alone in the darkness.

“You’re so kind and you’re always there to help me when I need it. You’re an incredible friend and you mean so much to me. I’m so glad you feel the same way!” Adrien spoke cheerfully. He always had the sinking feeling that Marinette didn’t like being around him, so it made him swell with happiness to hear that she liked him too. However, he noticed Marinette's big, bluebell eyes filling with big , watery tears.

“Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien frowned and felt an immediate surge of worry at the smaller girl. Marinette was feeling worthless. She was honored that Adrien thought of her as such a valuable friend but she always thought she’d be more one day.

She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and gave Adrien an overly bright, closed-eyed smile to convey a shred of happiness.

“Of course, I’m perfectly okay! I’m so glad we’re on the same page. I’ll see you later.” Marinette, without another word to Adrien or Alya, practically ran all the way home.

Hours later, Marinette was still sobbing into her bed. Tikki had tried to comfort her but Marinette begged to be left alone. Her homework and fashion projects laid untouched as Marinette was curled into a fortress of pillows and blankets. Tikki sat on the desk munching on some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies sadly. She was disappointed that she couldn’t be there for Marinette. The girl was clearly heartbroken.

“Marinette. You’ve been locked in your room all afternoon. You should get some fresh air.” Marinette sat up to the tiny shrill voice of her kwami and wiped her tears, sniffling.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right, Tikki. I’ll go up to the roof and try to stop crying.” Marinette stood up and climbed up to the roof, pushing open the trapdoor.

“Good, Marinette! I’ll be down here if you need me.” Her voice called as Marinette climbed up to the top.

It was a rather warm evening. Marinette had been crying in her dark room for so long she missed the sunset but she admired the twinkling stars in the dark sky. The lights from across the city dotted the skyline with the lit Eiffel Tower as the star of the show. Marinette was comfortable in the matching pajama set she had put on immediately when she got home. It was dark green with little black paw prints dotting it. It reminded her of her partner in heroics, which is the reason she ended up buying it. Alya thinks she has a huge crush on Chat Noir now but in reality, she enjoyed teasing him as Ladybug about his “smashing hit pajama line”. Of course, this plan backfired because the next evening, Chat Noir arrived at their typical patrol meeting place with tales of the multiple store sections teeming with Ladybug memorabilia and the people picking it apart trying to get their hands on some Ladybug dresses and dolls. The whole thing made her blush furiously which made Chat Noir’s heart flutter.

While Marinette took deep soothing breaths, she began to think more clearly.

Adrien, meanwhile, had finished his homework, his fencing, and his piano practice. He now sat, completely and totally bored, upside down on his couch staring out of the windows.

“Do you think Marinette’s okay, Plagg? She seemed upset when she ran off like that.” Adrien’s voice rang like a crack marring the quiet room. Plagg emerged from his pile of cheese on the coffee table and turned himself upside down to be right side up to his compadre.

“I don’t know, you know how girls are. One minute they're fine, the second they’re calling you a ‘hazard to modern society’.” Of course, this was a direct quote from Tikki. Adrien laughed slightly.

“You are a hazard to society, Plagg.” Adrien replied with a joking tone making Plagg roll his eyes. Adrien sank back into his worried mindset. Marinette had seemed so happy when she walked up to him, and then her mood changed completely before taking off .

“Jeez kid, if you’re so worried about her, call her or something.” Adrien’s ears perked up as an idea formed in his head.

“Well, it might be Adrien she’s upset with, but Chat Noir however…” Adrien smiled triumphantly.

“Oh, come on! At least let me finish my cheese!”

“Plagg, claws out!” Adrien called. Plagg groaned as he got magically sucked into the ring, complaining about not being able to finish off his delicious cheese.

Adrien transformed into his superhero self and jumped out the window heading towards the now-closed patisserie.

“Evening, princess. How are you this purr-fect night?” Chat spoke as he perched on the post of the balcony railing. Marinette was surprised to see her partner visit her so late into the night.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing here so late, is everything okay?” Marinette’s Ladybug side shined a little bit as she questioned Chat’s arrival. Chat cocked his head to the side, much like a cat, the familiarity of her voice sparking something within him.

“Does something need to be wrong for me to visit you?” He teased slightly.

Marinette shrugged in response.

“I suppose not but I wouldn’t think a superhero would have the time to visit a lowly citizen like me. I figured you’d be out with Ladybug.” Marinette felt like giggling as she talked about herself as if it weren’t her. This time, Chat was the one to shrug.

“We do patrol separately sometimes in order for us to both get rest occasionally. Besides, you’re no lowly citizen, right Mouse-inette?” Chat teased lightly before giving her a once over. The sight was enough to make him blush profusely. While Marinette giggled at his reference to the time she joined him in super-heroics as Multi-Mouse, he admired the way Marinette’s hair hung loosely out of her twin tails and the way she looked in a Chat Noir buttoned-up short sleeve top with matching pajama shorts, long and athletic legs able to be seen. He admired her strong figure, he had never noticed how strong Marinette looked before but he was certain now that she could bench press him with ease.

He began to feel like a perv and looked back up to her eyes, which seemed to be electrified bluebells. Bright and vibrant, but full of pain.

“Are you alright, Marinette? You seem downright mew-serible.” He couldn’t stop himself from making a pun, even when expressing genuine concern. Marinette eyed him carefully, sizing him up to protect herself from being made fun of. Ladybug was able to trust Chat Noir wholeheartedly with anything and everything, except her identity of course, but Marinette was a different story. Marinette and Chat don’t have the same rapport as their superhero selves do. Marinette trusted Chat in and out of the mask but did Chat trust Marinette? Did he even like her enough for her to actually tell him what’s upsetting her?

“I’m...fine. Thank you for asking. How are you?” She decided not to risk it. Chat frowned. Her red-rimmed, glassy-eyed expression, and puffy red cheeks led him to the clear conclusion that she was definitely not okay .

“You know, cats have great intuition and I can tell you are not fine. You can trust me, you know.” His voice was laced with concern and genuine care for Marinette’s happiness. Marinette sighed and closed her eyes before opening them again to stare at the big, bold moon.

“Alright, I’m not fine. I’m rather upset actually.” She laughed dryly. Chat made no motion that he was going to interrupt so she kept going.

“There’s this guy I like. I’ve liked him for a long time since we were fifteen. I always stutter my words around him and I can never say what I mean. And, well, today I told him; I said, “Adrien, I like you” and he said, “you’re a great friend, Marinette”. A great friend.” Marinette frowned as she spoke. Chat felt foolish. So, this was his fault.

“Well, uh, what’s wrong with being a great friend?” He wanted to slap himself immediately after he spoke.

“Well, nothing actually. I find myself to be lucky to be his friend. He’s got a strict father and has only gone to public school for a few years, only for as long as I’ve known him. He’s a really great guy. He’s so kind and well-meaning. He’d move the Earth if someone asked him.” Marinette smiled as she spoke about him. Chat continued to blush furiously- was this really how Marinette saw him?

“He’s a lovely person and a great friend, so I’m lucky and honored he sees me as a friend too, I just wish I could mean more to him. I suppose a model wouldn’t want to be seen dating some common girl. He’d be better off being with a girl like him; a model. Someone super beautiful.” Marinette sighed wistfully after finishing her piece. Chat was feeling downright awful. He made her feel this way. He had ignored her feelings, made her feel less beautiful than she is.

“Marinette, you are stunning. You’re such a good person. There are such few genuinely good people out there and you are one of them. If he doesn’t see how truly beautiful and sweet, and how incredibly amazing you are,” Chat continued to mentally kick himself, unable to believe how incredibly stupid he is.

“Then, he doesn’t deserve you.” Chat’s voice was firm and true. Marinette felt weird being told how amazing she was by Chat. As Ladybug, she had become accustomed to praise from grateful Parisians and as Marinette, her friends and family complimented her fashion designs and video game skills pretty regularly; but there was something different in the way Chat talked about her. For a moment, she felt like the only girl in the world. She looked up at Chat from her position leaning on the railing that he was perched on. She stared into his eyes and the rooftop around her began trickling away into a glittery rainfall leaving only her and Chat watching each other with bated breath, waiting for the other to say something.

“You know, you’re pretty incredible yourself.” Marinette began after a moment of deafening silence. Chat cocked his head to the side slightly. He hadn’t anticipated the conversation to switch to him and he wasn’t sure if he could stand Marinette praising him after he broke her heart so.

“Oh, please. I already know I’m paw-some.” Chat said with a flip of his tail and toss of his hair with a flamboyant flair that hid his insecurities. Marinette rolled her eyes- of course he would make her complimenting him difficult.

“I mean it, you dumb cat. You are amazing. You’re not just “Ladybugs sidekick”. You’re so brave and always ready to jump headfirst into danger to save her or someone else. You are a hero, Chat Noir.” Marinette smiled up kindly at him. She always knew Chat was a born hero. When they were first starting out, it was she who had doubts about her ability of being a superhero. He never wavered about his destiny to be a hero or hers. He always believed in her, since the beginning. Which was why she valued having him by her side during all their challenges. Of course, she couldn’t reveal any of the depth of her admiration for him without revealing she is Ladybug but she was hoping she was able to convey some of it.

Chat was blushing profusely. Ladybug had said something a few years ago, during Hero’s Day. She had made him feel so special after feeling worthless as a hero and now Marinette was doing the same thing; making him feel special.

“Well, thank you, Princess. And, might I add, you’ve got quite the fur-tastic jammies on.” He covered his bashfulness with light teasing on her Chat Noir-themed pajamas. Marinette looked down and squeaked as she blushed.

“Oh, gosh! You probably think I’m some weird superfan whose in love with you! I got these as a bit of a joke with a friend, I swear I’m not crazy!” Chat was reduced to a laughing fit, which made Marinette get over her embarrassed feelings and laugh alongside him.

Joy and light-hearted fun filled the nighttime air, making the world slip away from the rooftop as Chat and Marinette continued to laugh and joke and, what some would say, flirt. Hours passed quickly and they stayed up late talking. Marinette told him about Alya and how she runs the LadyBlog and how it’s her dream to figure out who Ladybug and Chat Noir are- not to expose their identities but to prove that she is a formidable journalist. She talked about Nino and his dream of becoming the world’s greatest DJ and how his skills were incredible and that he was so talented. And though it made her heart weep, she talked about Adrien and how his skills in piano, fencing, school subjects, and modeling were “just the greatest”. Chat hung on her every word as she described their friends and how talented her whole class was, even though he knew it all already, it was like learning it for the first time hearing her view on things. Even as she described his interests and endeavors as Adrien, he felt enamored.

When Chat’s ring began to blink alerting that he would transform soon, they realized how long they had been out there talking.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk your ear off for...five hours!” Exclaimed Marinette, while looking at the time. She was astonished that they had talked for this long.

“That’s alright, I enjoyed every second of our time together, purr-incess. You should get some rest, however. You’re a growing girl.” He stood up and stretched his arms above his head. He found that he was having a difficult leaving Marinette’s rooftop, he wanted to stay with her. Walk with her to school in the morning, go home with her at lunch to indulge in some of Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng’s wonderful patisseries.

“You should get some rest too, Kitty Cat. However, we should do this again sometime. I...I had fun.” She smiled at him brightly. Chat felt flushed under her unwaveringly kind look, as if the look that graced her lovely features was specifically for him.

“Agreed. But for now, adieu, my- princess.” Chat faltered his words slightly as he almost called her the nickname he used only for Ladybug.

“Goodnight, Chat.” Marinette moved towards the trapdoor, opening it rather slowly, finding that she didn’t want to leave this moment in time.

“Goodnight, Marinette.”

And with that, Chat jumped off the roof and headed for his home. Marinette smiled, baffled at where the evening went.

As she lay in bed that night, listening to the quiet snores of Tikki, she replayed the whole evening in her head. Her belly ached from all the laughing, her cheeks hurt from all the smiling and her heart felt so light, she thought it might burst right out of her chest. As she lulled to sleep, she thought about taking down the myriad of Adrien pictures and memorabilia from her room. It was clear to her that he only saw her as a friend and she felt that she needed to move on.

Adrien, having de-transformed, lay exhausted on his bed after having laid out a fresh pile of cheese for an equally exhausted kwami who complained tirelessly about being overworked and underpaid. Adrien felt lighter than air. He never knew Marinette’s company could be so refreshing as she typically stuttered or was quiet around him but under the guise of Chat Noir, Marinette’s glittering personality shined brighter than a million stars. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to see her at school without blushing.

It seemed hard for the both of them to believe, but as they faded off to sleep, they were both certain that they were looking at the other in a new, brighter light.

The End

Word Count: 3,378

I hope you enjoyed it! Much love!! xx

#mlsecretsanta2k19 #mlsecretsanta #mlss #miraculous ladybug #secret santa #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #happy holidays

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canid-slashclaw · 4 years

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The Outliers - A Guild Wars Love Story

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapters 10 and 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16 , Chapter 17, Chapter 18

Chapter 19

A month had passed since Kaleb's last visit while Amalthia was still in the infirmary. She was now in the long process of finishing her recovery at her father's place. Kaleb had written to her often and she did so in return.

"That's quite a lunch you're packing, young man. Why there's enough in that thing to feed five people," Kaleb's mother quipped as she noticed her son shoving several brazed wild foul shanks into the basket.

"That's because I'm a hungry boy, mom. Anyway, I'm sharing them with a friend."

Overhearing the conversation, Rachel stepped into the kitchen and provided her own opinion on the situation. "The reason he's taking so much meat is because he's going to share it with that charr girlfriend of his."

Bristling over the comment, Kaleb tried to respond in a measured tone. "She's just a friend. Anyway, I haven't seen her in over a month."

Shirley frowned for a moment then drew in her breath, trying to maintain tranquility in the household.

"There is no need to be sassy with your brother, Rachel. Now go to your room."

Grumbling but obedient, she complied and left without further incident. However, once she got up the stairs, she eavesdropped on the conversation from the edge of the landing.

Mother Grimwald turned to her son and said. "Try not to let her get to you, son. She's just at that age. Anyway, I hope you have fun with whomever you have plans with."

"Thanks, mom. I'm sure we'll have a great time." Kaleb finished his packing and was about to leave when his mom made one final comment.

"It would be so romantic if you and Trish did a picnic together. Speaking of whom... you haven't mentioned anything about her in awhile."

Oh, great. I see where this is headed, Kaleb thought as he bolted from the kitchen.

Her mother started following him. "Why are you avoiding the question?"

"It wasn't a question, mom." Kaleb darted from the front door then closed it behind him.

Her prying ears never being far away, Rachel stepped down the stairs and commented once more. "It's because he's got a new girlfriend. Rawarrrrr!"

Gah. I would love to slap some sense into that kid. Shirley stepped from the front door a short time later and shouted to her son as he was walking from the property. "If you are seeing that charr friend of yours then remember the teachings of Dwayna. For the sake of your soul, I hope that's all it is." Quoting scripture. Now I'm pissed! *** Amalthia knew that Kaleb would be at the shop within the hour. She was in the process of trying to find the right outfit to wear, but thus far, nothing seemed to adequately fit the situation. It was at that time of the month when her heat cycle was in full bloom. Her body yearned for his closeness. More than anything, she wanted to physically bond with the one she loved. Ah. I think this one will do just fine. She examined the cotton outfit for a moment before putting it on. The sleeveless top revealed the ocher tiger stripes on her light yellow-orange fur. Covering the high-cut leather loincloth underneath, she wore a dark brown skirt that sported a slit up the right side. She decided to forego wearing shoes of any kind and, instead, chose to adorn her digitigrade arches with gold bangles. Once she had finished dressing she promptly headed down the spiral staircase towards the spice rack area. She sniffed the various aromas hoping to find a scent that would drive Kaleb wild. Jasmine oil with cinnamon powder. She purred with erotic pleasure over thinking of her hansom human mate. "Amalthia." Her father's voice called out from the hallway beside the meat counter. "Sire?" Her odor wafted towards his direction and he became visibly agitated. "I'm guessing Kaleb will be over soon, am I right?" "Yes. Of course he will. That is, unless he is suddenly abducted by a flock of harpies." Her father shook his head. "I know you and him haven't seen each other in awhile. And what I am about to ask may come across as my being a meddlesome sire... but Amalthia - I ask that you break off going out with Kaleb. At least until next week." Amalthia quickly realized what her father was pining to say. "I will be fine, sire. Trust me." Ludrick let out a low grumble. "I don't think now is a good time for you to be seeing him." "We are both responsible adults. Neither of use would do anything to dishonor you, sire." "Then why the jasmine oil and cinnamon? That's a traditional charr…" Amalthia abruptly cut him off with a terse response. "Because I happen to like the smell, that's why!" Her father relented then hung his head low. "Just remember your boundaries, cub. For your sake and his." Thirty minutes later there was a knock on the door and Amalthia ran to answer it. When she opened it, she found Kaleb standing there holding a freshly cut bouquet of chrysanthemums. "Kaleb! Come on in!" She hugged him then took the flowers and placed them in one of the empty cookie tins. "Good to see you too, Miss Mouthy," he said with a devilish smile as he waved around the picnic basket he was carrying. "I made one of your favorites - braised guinea fowl with rosemary and peppercorn." Amalthia's ears twitched as she gave him a large, fangy smile. "I can smell it from here!" "Mmm. And I can smell you. What is that you are wearing?" She walked up, placed her muzzle against his left ear and whispered. "An ancient charr arousal perfume." Kaleb's mind was already awash in carnal thoughts as he gazed at her revealing outfit. "I'm ready when you are," she said as the pair departed from the shop. Upon locking the door, Amalthia turned to Kaleb then pointed in a westward direction. "Sire wanted the day off so I'm shutting things down. Anyway, there's a place I wanted to take you to. It's really beautiful." As the pair walked towards their destination, Kaleb looked over his love and commented. "It is you who looks beautiful. I never knew your people wore outfits like that." "I got it at a boutique in Lion's Arch run by a human and sylvari couple of all things. The sylvari woman is really into designing things that reflect a blending of the races. The briarthorn gown really tempted me, but I think she took the design a bit too literally. I mean while thorns may look good fashion-wise, they don't really feel good, especially when wearing them." Amalthia laughed as she gave Kaleb a playful squeeze on the wrist. "A sylvari and human? That's amazing! At least we aren't the only oddballs in Tyria," Kaleb said with a chuckle. "Jest... Jestin! That's the human's name. The sylvari's name is Ariyana. She's got a really interesting, quirky personality to say the least. Anyway, it took me forever to find an outfit that blended human and charr cultures together." "Hmm. It doesn't say much, does it?" Kaleb noted. "No. It doesn't. But somewhere, someone has to change it, somehow." She turned to him looking him in the eyes. "I was terrified that I would never see you again, Kaleb. That is why I'm not afraid anymore. If people can't accept us for being a couple then they can just shove it where the sun doesn't shine!" Kaleb smiled drawing closer to her muzzle. But just when he was about to kiss her, she playfully placed her clawed finger on the middle of his forehead and laughed. "Follow me... we're almost there." The two of them reached the edge of a lake that was shadowed by an enormous rocky outcropping with a massive waterfall cascading down the middle. When Kaleb looked up he could see the shimmering rainbow effect coming off the foaming mist. "Behold, Thunderfalls. At least that's what many of the locals around here call it anyway. Isn't it just amazing?" Once they had found a secluded spot, Kaleb nodded as he opened the picnic basket. Within moments the pair began sharing a hearty lunch together that consisted of brazed wild foul, roasted potatoes and peach cobbler. Amalthia lay on a satin blanket sprawled out with her back to the sun. She removed her top allowing the rays to more evenly warm her fur. As Kaleb saw her intricate pattern, he began tracing his fingers over the individual stripes starting just below the nape of her neck then eventually working down to her lower back. "Your fur is so beautiful. I just never realized that until now." He began tracing out the stripe contours around her upper thighs then around her lower calf muscles while her long fluffy tail twitched in delight. Amalthia purred in pleasure as she rolled over on her back exposing her white underbelly and the small patch of partially grown fur from the wound she had received two months prior. Kaleb gently worked his hands from her shoulders then down across her chest until he reached her abdomen where he felt some of the scar tissue that was left over. "I am so sorry this happened. I wish I was there to protect you," he said as he began stroking her left ears then ran his fingers along the contours of her muzzle. Amalthia rose up, rotated around then placed her large pawed hand on the side of his face, as she looked him in the eyes. "You already have."

Kaleb noticed the sunlight refracting off her amber eyes as he drew close to her. "Your eyes. The way the sun catches the hues of your irises, makes them stunning beyond imagining." But just as they were about to kiss, Amalthia placed her clawed finger on Kaleb's lips then laughed aloud once more. "Hold it there you silly mouse. There's something I have to show you. Follow me!" She immediately bounded off on all fours leaving him far behind. As Kaleb ran over the hill to catch up with Amalthia, he found that she had discarded her skirt and bangles. When he got closer to the water's edge, he found that her undergarments and crop top were lying on the ground as well, but with no sign of her to be seen anywhere. When he looked around to find her, he suddenly heard her voice coming from the lake.

"Over here! If you are a strong swimmer, head over towards the waterfall." She waved to him covered only in the pelt she had been born with. It was at that moment when Kaleb realized that the next phase of the courtship ritual would transpire. Upon knowing this, he promptly disrobed until; he too, was clad only in his skin. He could see Amalthia off in the distance as her feline form disappeared under the waterfall. It took him a good couple of minutes to swim there. However, once he reached his destination, he was greeted by a deep nook that lay just under the torrent of rushing water. Under the constant stream, rested a slab of smoothly hewn limestone that lay just a few feet below the surface of the falls. "Behind you, silly!" Kaleb turned around to see her wet furred form bobbing up and down to the undulating current smiling with joy. As he swam over to greet her she grabbed his arm then pulled him towards the rocky slab. The sun-heated gush of water poured over the pair as the two of them drew together. Amalthia laughed as she ran her clawed fingers though the soaked hair that covered half of Kaleb's face. "How can you see like that, silly little man?" She reached behind his head as he clasped hold of the smaller horns on either side of her face and the two became locked in a passionate kiss. "I think you will find, Miss Steelblade, that there is very little, that is little about me." Kaleb's manhood was in full bloom when the tip of his spear found its sumptuously warm mark. Amalthia's legs parted to accommodate him, being very careful not to inadvertently jab him with her dewclaws. Once his angle was true, he thrust deeply inside of her. Amalthia's body quivered with unhinged ecstasy as she could feel him going deep inside. Her muscles tightened around his engorged member causing her to let out a caterwaul, the likes of which he had never heard. The two lovers began an elegant rhythmic motion, being buoyed by the water, as they moved with a synchronicity of one body and one mind. They switched positions as Amalthia clasped hold of the limestone rock that jutted out from the rocky slab. Kaleb positioned himself from behind and began thrusting into her causing her vaginal walls to contract on him even tighter. The sheer intensity of the moment caused him to gush his seed as she let out another primal and glorious moan. The two lovers - one human, the other charr - climaxed with each other several more times before their bodies had become completely spent from exhaustion. For today was one of the few days on Tyria where two souls from two vastly different worlds had intimately joined together as one.

(All chapters have been posted to AO3. Chapter 19 is posted here.)

#guild wars 2 fanfic #gw2 fanfic #the outliers #tyrias-library #kaleb and amalthia #cw adult situations #gw2 romance

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years

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Survey #274

“now i can hear the marching feet / they’re moving into the street”

What color was the last swimsuit you wore? I only have a black one. Is your dream job attainable? I mean define “dream job.” I’d ideally be a meerkat biologist if I was willing to live in Africa and could handle even mild heat, but I can’t/won’t do either of those, so it’s not obtainable to me. I’d also love to be a paleontologist if I could travel and handle heat once more, but again, I can’t. My only *attainable* dream job is being a photographer, which I am aiming for. I’d LIKE to focus on nature/wildlife photography, but that’s unlikely to be able to support me, so. Do you have to go to school or work tomorrow? N/A Have you slept for longer than usual today? Yes, but only because of my nightmares. I tend to take at least two (though sometimes one) hour-long naps during the day because if I wake up once during the night, as I usually do, I’m fucked because I’m very likely to have an intense nightmare. It seems like the medicine I’m on wears off with consciousness, I guess. I only allow myself to sleep an hour at daytime because my mother has noticed if I have a nightmare, it’s usually no earlier than one hour into sleep. Even then I still have them occasionally. Have you ever taken classes for a musical instrument? Recorder in elementary school was necessary for whatever stupid reason, and then I played the flute for years. Out of school, I took guitar lessons for a while. I got semi-decent (at best I could do the intro to “Crazy Train” at normal speed, I think), but it didn’t last because it was annoying/time-consuming to build up the calluses that make playing painless, I was really bad at overthinking where my fingers were, and I just wasn’t invested quite enough. I’ll tell you, it gave me mad respect for guitarists, that shit isn’t easy by any means. Have you ever been on vacation with someone other than your family? Yes, though it was brief. I was a kid (okay, pre-teen, w/e) still in my separation anxiety from Mom phase and it was literally because of me we had to go home. I still feel shitty about it, though no one seemed upset at me. How old do you think you’ll be when you move out on your own? Who the fuck even knows anymore. Do you have a job? If so, where do you work? If not, do you want one? No; N/A; yes ultimately but no at the current moment because I have to keep watch over Mom. If you wear make-up, which brand of foundation/powder do you use? N/A Would you call yourself a “people” person? Nope. What is one change you need to make in your life this month? Just one??? What’s been tugging on your heart lately? My PTSD plus self-image has been very, very bad. What is the last thing you did that made you feel guilty? Mom had to clean up my cat’s projectile vomit even though she’s supposed to stay away from this kinda stuff through chemo. I literally cannot fucking touch vomit, never mind what came out of him that night. I felt like absolute fucking shit and I still do because WOW I’m a great adult right!! Do you have any physical traits that are bothering you lately? Like, everything. What kind of dog is your favorite? I’m biased to beagles. What was the last thing you received in the mail? A book. What is the last thing you wrote? Like, physically? My signature at the doctor’s office. Do you still care about the person you first kissed? Way fucking more than I should. Do you require a lot of private time? Definitely more than most people. Do you have any songs currently stuck in your head? I haven’t listened to it in forever for ~reasons~, yet “The Mortician’s Daughter” is stuck in my head badly and really needs to fuck off. What was the last song you downloaded? I dunno, I went on a download binge a while back. Have you ever read a really funny book? I remember at least one. “Bite Me” by IDR-Who. Some vampire satire. Have you ever done something humiliating while drunk? Never reached the point of being drunk. How would you react if your celebrity crush came to your door? fuckin YIKES I am NOT attractive rn go away Has your mom/dad ever walked in on you kissing or anything more with someone? HAHA my mom has always had the decency to knock, not so much his mom a;lwkejrewoei but the answer’s still no. What electronics are in your room? (DVD player, CD player, etc) This laptop, my phone, a Nintendo DS, my iPod… Do you have a box anywhere with special items you'll to keep forever in it? Yes, actually. Grew up calling them “treasure boxes.” Do you have any pictures of yourself on your bedroom walls? Lol no, I’d definitely prefer to not see myself as much as I can. That sounds melodramatic, but I’m being serious. It either depresses me or makes me angry. Does your dad collect anything? The Cleveland Browns’ football team stuff, for one. Maybe Carolina Hurricane stuff, too? Idk. I don’t live with him and don’t go in his “man cave” at his house often ha ha. What's better, a desktop or laptop? Explain. A laptop. Portable; that’s all the explanation ya really need. Do your parents still hide chocolate eggs around on Easter for you? Nah. What do you typically do on Easter Day? We go to my sister’s house to watch the kids do their egg hunting and open their gifts, then we usually go to Ashley’s in-laws’ for dinner. Is there anyone you literally need to exist? Apparently not. Thought so. Never let yourself into that state of mind. What would you prefer to get from a guy/girl: flowers, a hand-written poem, a picture he drew of you or a nice night out? Oh, a hand-written poem would wreck me, yeesh. Or a drawing. But any would be very sweet. Do you remember why you made the last mistake you did? I don’t know the most recent mistake, but probably because I’m just in general a terrified person who second-guesses or overanalyzes everything. Did you check how many calories the last thing you ate had? Yes. I’m back on my calorie-counting obsession again. Are your nails long or short? Short, always. I can’t keep them long. What is your favorite kind of cookie? Just the ordinary chocolate chip is fine. What was the last compliment you received? I don’t know. Who will be the next person you kiss? I normally delete this question because the answer should be so obvious, but I feel like just pointing it out that no one fucking knows who they’re gonna kiss next. It’s a dangerous mindset. Don’t make assumptions about what you’ll have even tomorrow. Have you ever made your own icon? Yeah, on many sites. They’re just about always just edits, though, not truly original work. What color is your computer mouse? It’s black. Have you ever been sung to on your birthday in a restaurant? Yes. Do you like black olives? I don’t like olives period. Do you actually think there will be a zombie apocolypse? Personally, no. I do think it’s scientifically possible, we already see this in insects, but I just don’t imagine it happening to humans before we’re our own downfall. Do you like the person you’ve become over the past years? Fuck no. Have you ever gone to church just to get a significant other? … No…? Have you ever punched a wall out of complete anger? No, that shit is terrifying. Are you really ticklish? YES don’t fucking touch me. How do you decide what you're going to eat each day? I just follow what I’m craving that day. How are you similar to your siblings? Different? Compared to Ashley and Nicole at least, I can’t think of any real similarities off the top of my head. They’re intelligent, motivated, outgoing, successful, yada yada, then there’s me. What's your favorite type of non-fiction literature? Autobiographies by people I’m actually interested in. Do you believe in souls? Soulmates? Souls, absolutely. Soulmates, no. It’s fairytale ideation to think your soul has a perfect match with another, hate to break it to ya. Favorite soundtrack? BITCH don’t make me choose between Shadow of the Colossus and Silent Hill 2. Fucking masterpieces. Pianos or guitars? *shrugs* Depends on the music and my mood. Did an animal ever bite you? Never seriously. How many languages do you speak? Only English fluently. I’m poor at German by now. Wiggly worms or bumble bees? Worms gross me out, bees are Good Boys. Religion? I don’t really identify with any. I just believe there’s some form of ultimate intelligence and essences beyond just the body, and that’s all I even pretend to know. Fog, thunder, or rain? Fog gives me that Silent Hill Vibe *Italian kiss* What regret keeps coming back to haunt you daily? The way I treated Jason after the breakup. If you could cure yourself of one allergy, what would it be? Damn pollen. Do you know anyone else with your name? Yeah. What would you be most afraid of happening if you were to visit Africa? Viruses or botflies. Where are you tempted to move to sometimes? I very legitimately want to live in Canada by now, but I won’t because I’m not moving that far from family. Who seems like they have the perfect life? I try not to make that assumption of anyone. Do you ever take pictures of negative moments? Does taking pictures of roadkill count???? lmao probably Do you think it would be a good idea to post photos of negative moments as well as positive? Well… I guess it depends. Like ngl, the pictures some people share of them having panic attacks to just show how fucking real they are definitely touch you, as do those depicting poverty, etc., BUT I really do think there are limits and also differences in motivations. What time zone are you in? EST. Would you ever post a picture of yourself crying on social media? Wow, speaking of. No. ^Why or why not? I am an UGLY cry-er, my man. But I also just don’t want people to see that, and it’s definitely not on my mind to take a picture during a breakdown. What was the last thing you cried about? My life. Have you ever held a newborn baby? Yes. Do you know anyone who has twins? Yes. Where do you buy calendars from? I don’t. Do you shop at the dollar store often? Not *often*, but we’ll stop by for a snack or something sometimes. Are you following in the career path of any family members? No. Do you feel you missed out on a lot as a kid? I guess in some ways. Who was that best friend you ever had? Sara. What color is your laptop? Black. What are five careers you think you’d be good at? My work history has shown I can’t do shit right. Are you thriving in your life right now? lmao no one is in 2020. Who do you have moral support from? My family, doctor, and a few friends. Who encourages you to go after your dreams? The same as above. Do you have people in your family who want you dead? Wow, I hope not. Do you have a walk-in closet? No, but my room at the new house will. :’) Not that I need one, it’s just pretty cool. How do you feel about people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos having so much power and control in the world? Do you believe that any one person should have so much power? Let’s be real, in our current world, money is power, and no one should have that much control of the world, especially if your intentions are bad. NOW I don’t know jack shit about any of those are far as morals go, but just saying. It’s dangerous. Has your anxiety alone ever prevented you from doing something you wanted to do? This is ACTUALLY the story of my fucking life. Do you enjoy reading stories and novels that are heavily stylistic, poetic, or unconventional or do you prefer your prose to follow a familiar grammatical structure? Okay, I LOVE those, like Johnny Got His Gun and The Handmaid’s Tale that’s kinda like, run-on writing. Just letting a train of thought go. Those are two of the most powerful books I’ve ever read and they’re both written in a unique fashion. Have you ever fallen for any sort of Internet-based hoax? (e.g., fake celeb death, satire news article…) I’m sure at some point, especially as a kid. Do you tend to read reviews before you watch a movie or read a book? What do you hope to get out of doing so? NO. I don’t wanna have any precognition. When you go to a concert, how far must you travel for the most usual venues you visit? Most are on the other end of the state, and NC is long, so. We’re lucky if they come to Raleigh. Do you rent movies frequently? I never do, really. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Take pictures or swim. What’s your favorite meal to cook? I don’t cook. What movie has been taken WAY too far, as far as sequels go? Oh, I’m sure there are some, but none immediately come to mind. I’m not that into movies. Do you refuse to eat certain foods because of what they look like? Yes. I am VERY poor at getting past how a food looks. What are you listening to? NSP’s cover of “Don’t Fear The Reaper.” It’s fuckin gorgeous. How much homework do you have tonight? N/A Are you wearing any bracelets? Yes; one that Sara got me as well as an ovarian cancer awareness one. What's physically wrong with you right now? JINKIES I just feel really lethargic like always. Do you take any medications daily? Ha ha thanks for actually reminding me I need to now. When was the last time you moved to a new house? Two years ago, and now we’ll be moving to a much better place by the end of this month/early September, finally. When it comes to relationships, are you the jealous type? Nah. Which gift cards do you have in your wallet? Idk actually. It’s not like I use it a lot. Can you remember the last time you felt ill? What was wrong with you? A few nights ago. I was extremely hot, dizzy, and pretty nauseated. I was fine, though. If you wear make-up, do you take it with you, to reapply throughout the day? Does your make-up stay for a long time after you first apply it, or do you find that you need to reapply often? Are you wearing any make-up atm? I pretty much never wear makeup so have never really had a reason to reapply it. I’m definitely not wearing any now. Does your kitchen have a theme? No. Do you like ice cream sandwiches? GIRL yes. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones? Earbuds. They’re more comfortable imo but more importantly block out exterior noise very well. Are you a fan of any independent films? ngl, I don’t know exactly what that is and I don’t feel like looking it up. Could you possibly write a successful novel? I very genuinely think some of the RP stories I’ve taken part in are novel-worthy, yes. I wanted to make them books when I was younger, but now I no longer do mainly because there are areas that are just way too fucking dark that I don’t wanna put out there but play massive parts in the stories, so like… Do you regularly watch the news? I never do. Facebook is my “news” source lmao. Who was the last person you video-chatted with? I don’t remember for sure, maybe some doctor? What do you want the theme of your wedding to be? I don’t really think about this, seeing as my mind has changed enough, and it also depends on what my partner wants, too. Have you ever been caught passing a note in class? Noooo, I absolutely hated passing notes because I was genuinely a good student. I only did so very, very rarely if another friend started it. Have you ever had dandruff? I have dandruff AND a dry scalp. It’s a wonderful mix. Have you ever gone through a phase of crushing on EVERYONE? Definitely not. Do you have any clothes with spikes/studs on them? I have a spiked choker, and I might still have gloves with studs? Can you remember what you last clapped for? My mom’s birthday! :’) Have you ever given a pet to someone else? Yes, with cats; we had to do that quite often when I was a kid because we had so many cats, none which we could afford to fix. Then we’ve done it with two dogs we just couldn’t handle. Oh yeah, I gave my iguana away too because he was too high maintenance for me, but also because he DESPERATELY needed a much bigger terrarium, which we couldn’t afford. I absolutely could not watch him in that tiny tank. I miss him a LOT, but he went to a wonderful home! The lady who adopted him sent me pictures upon pictures months after taking him in. Do you know anyone named Walter? No. What's your least favorite ice-cream flavor? Strawberry is fucking disgusting. And that’s coming from someone whose favorite fruit is strawberries. What's your least favorite song by your favorite artist? I’m not sure. There’s a handful that just don’t grab my attention that I don’t even remember them. What was the last good news you heard? I can FINALLY talk to my psychiatrist tomorrow. Who’s your favorite singer of all time? Probably Freddie Mercury. What airline do you fly most? Idk, I don’t really pay attention. I haven’t flown very often though anyway. Do you have a dog that is destructive? I don’t have a dog. What’s one TV series you’ve seen every episode of? Meerkat Manor is the most obvious, ha ha. Maaaaany times. Assuming you have Facebook, who last left you a wallpost? Probably my friend Sammi. Assuming you have hair, how are you wearing it today? It’s too short for me to “wear” it any particular way. It’s just… there lmao. Assuming you're not homeless, what kind of living arrangements do you have? I live with my mom in a house she’s renting. Have you or have you ever considered messing around with the same sex? I’m bisexual so you can guess I’m not opposed to it. Are you particular about any brands of food you will or will not eat? Are there any restaurants you refuse to go to? Brands, no. I don’t eat Chick-fil-a because they’re run by fucking homophobic bigots that monetarily support conversion therapy and other anti-LGBT projects. I’m not giving you any fucking money. What was the most current dream you can remember about? Do you generally dream every night, or hardly at all? It was actually last night, when I dreamed about accidentally running into Jason where I last knew he worked, and he was really hostile. If I don’t take my medicine, I always have nightmares when I sleep.

#survey #quiz #questions #questionnaire

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asillydreamer-on-a-crazyworld · 5 years

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OK, now that I’m normal again and my feelings are not all over the place I’m ready to talk rationally about the episode.

I’m gonna start saying that I loved it.

Annie:

I always thought that Annie ended up like the most dysfunctional adult bc Beth was there to clean up her messes. Beth, as the older sister, took Annie under her protection and I think she was way more like a mom to her rather than a sister. We all can see how every time Annie has a problem she can’t deal with, she goes to Beth. She relies on her.Beth became Annie’s safe place whenever she lost control over things in her life. I understand Beth in these situations but I also think she could have handled her sister better, let her deal with her problems rather than running to her when she called it. I always wondered if this co-dependency she has on her big sis is also one of the reasons Dean doesn’t like Annie much. I can clearly see him arguing with Beth about her always going to her sis while she has a family to take care of.

I loved that Ruby told her what Beth really was for her. How she sacrificed a lot just to be there for her little sis. I think Annie knows it too, but sometimes she is so caught up in her own problems that she takes for granted what Beth does for her. And I’m not saying that to make Annie the bad guy here. She is just human and like I said, she was not the only one responsible for the person she became.

What I loved is that later, she feels it, deep down, Ruby’s words. They were inside her head the whole time she went back home, I bet and that is why we also see her so fragile while talking to Sadie. She is finally facing her own demons bit by bit, she is afraid that she is not being a good mom, a good influence on Sadie... She is afraid because she knows her own faults as an adult and she probably feels ashamed that she can’t even afford the medicine her son needs. I understand and respect her for not wanting to ask for anybody’s money bc she wants to succeed in being a good parent to her kid once in her life.

Also. Finally, the moment when she opens her eyes about what Noah did. People call Annie stupid and naive. I think she is mostly naive. She trusts people too easy sometimes. But she is smart ( I think we can agree that she slips a lot but again, she is just human) and she quickly connected the dots in her head when Ruby asked who could have known about Boland Motors. I don’t know what she is gonna do, but I think she is gonna confront him rather than play some kind of cat/mouse game with Noah.

One thing about Noah tho:

I don’t think he is working for Rio. I’ve seen some theories about it but his reactions yesterday tells me that he was feeling guilty and worried. He likes Annie, and frankly, with her goofy, carefree nature it’s so easy to like her. If he was working secretly for Rio or was his inside man in the FBI, I don’t think there was a reason for him to feel any of those feelings. He would know they wouldn’t end up finding anything and that she and her sis would be safe. And about using her in any way or lying to her about it? I think if he is catching feelings for her as I think he is, he wouldn’t need to be so worried bc, after all, they are all working for the same guy, right? Noah would feel a bit like a d-bag but I’m pretty sure he’d feel like they could talk it out in a way.

From the synopsis for episode 12, I do think that in the end they both are gonna talk about what Noah did.

Ruby:

OMG RUBY!!! She was perfect, as always. From supporting Stan, to not let her man wallow in self-pity and also standing up for Beth, this woman again shows us how loyal she is and how far she is willing to go to help those she loves, while also thinking about how this will affect her family in the long run, but she knows there is no way out right now. She needs to keep going bc there is no other option. Stan has no job, they have bills to pay, kids to feed and with her job, Ruby can’t deal with everything financially on her own.

I just love how strong she is despite everything. I really can’t say more about Ruby in this episode bc I see Ruby as the moral compass in the show. And I can’t wait to see how She is gonna deal with the obstacles on her way bc we know they are huge and they will make her go against some of her own values here to help her hubby and her family. I’m dying to see how she handles it.

We know she is afraid and that is why she did what she did on that bus. Throwing the drugs away showed me how desperate she suddenly became and I think that it was because she thought about how Sara treated Stan after he was arrested. She panicked bc she didn’t wanna her daughter to go through that again, watching another parent being arrested in front of her friends. Imagine the humiliation for Sara? Ruby loves her kid and she knows she suffered after seeing what happened to her father. She didn’t wanna ruin her relationship with Sara too. I understand, u, boo. I got u!

I will be here rooting and suffering with her and Stan.

Beth:

ohh Beth... How beautifully complex u are.U guys know I’m biased when it comes to this woman but she had one of my favorite scenes in the episode.That scene of her in the store... GOD! What a scene. The suspense, the thrill she got for doing something wrong and the possibility of getting caught, the song while everything was happening.. slowing down and down... PERFECT. She was trying so hard being good but this dark thing inside her was awakened and demanded to be fed.

She had a taste of it, of freedom from the dormant life she lead. This is a woman who lived, breathed, for everyone else but not for herself. Beth Boland never got a chance to know who she really is, what she likes to do, what she could be. She was molded into that momma persona and I think it’s natural that she struggles between being just that and the scary possibility of finding out what, who else she can be.

If u had to start all over again, find out who else u wanted to be, wouldn’t u be afraid too? Yeah, for some ppl it can be exciting as well, but most people will feel fear also.

I think that by the last scene of her, she is feeling just like that: afraid but excited as hell.

When she laughed and said it was fun almost being caught by the feds? CHILLS literally chills !! Beth is flirting with this wild side of her that get’s excited with power and challenges.

This doesn’t make her a villain, in my opinion, just someone more complex and that is embracing this side we all have that makes us wonder: “what would be like to not care at all? For rules, for being nice and polite all the time, sometimes to ppl we hate or don’t care at all? What if I just cheat and lie to get what I want as other people do? They don’t seem to care and they are in a better place in life than me.”

I love when writers let us see how a character struggles between the lines of what we accept as morally right and what we think it’s a no-go for “good people” like us, when we know nobody is perfect or a saint.

Watching her sitting inside that car in the dark and then leaving... Her chair empty...

We saw earlier in the episode when Dean (stupid Dean) asks her if she misses it and she says “would it matter?”. He says something else about her cookies and she just smiles but then we see the smile leaving her face and I was like:

OMG GIRL. I know.. I know it hurts and it sucks.

Her breaking down? One long time thing coming. She needed that. It also shows us that she might have another breakdown soon but this time with Dean. Beth is so fed up with just being the good momma, the good person... Always doing the right thing. No more. And if Dean keeps pushing her?

Ohh I don’t wanna be him.

Beth x Rio.

ok Now, on these two. I let my shipper feels get the best of me.

SUE ME.

I have this hopeless romantic side of me that can’t help but go all in in the feels.LOL

That being said:

DO I think that what Rio said in that promo was like a marriage proposal? OF COURSE NOT. And I am sure a lot of ppl know that. It’s called shipper behavior. We all allow ourselves to be a bit silly about it.

AGAIN. SUE ME. xD

We don’t know how that scene is gonna happen and what will be really said, in addition to what we heard them say but like u, dear follower or person who sees my posts in the tag know, I do believe Rio have personal reasons and way more practical ones to want Beth working for him again.

Some say it is a punishment for the headache she probably caused him when she said she was out. However, I’d argue that it is not that good of punishment because she likes it. She likes to work with him. She likes doing it. But yeah, for a lifetime? Not what I think she has in mind or will want it in the long run in that sense, I agree that it is one but not an effective one or the best way to punish her, RIGHT NOW.

And there is a big IF in what I said bc what if she ends up wanting to do that in the long run? We don’t know what direction Beth’s character will follow in the future.

Now back to the point, yeah it looks like a punishment and I’m sure she will freak out about Boomer’s body and we still don’t know what else Rio is gonna do and their relationship right now?

A mess. An UNHEALTHY, hot mess. Because again he has all the power.

Again Rio is gonna feed on her indecision and fears and he will get what he wants from her in the end bc this man is not playing around.

That is why I don’t think he has softened. Rio is like a snake. He will surprise u and attack when u less expect him to.

He surprised her in the park. He followed her or we can say he knows her well enough now to know exactly where she is. And again Rio showed her he is one step ahead of her ( and of everyone else it seems lol).

I see a man who is a planner, a charmer, a cold killer when he needs to be, a father, a rational, logical, smart man, controlling and who loves power and who also can be an attentive, soft lover if he also wants. He is a man who knows how to read people. But the fact that he reads Beth so well? I don’t think that is because she is weak, but rather that she is too much like him in some aspects.

He respects her. No one can say the contrary.

But he won’t let her ruin things for him, so here he is making sure she doesn’t, she goes to that park and tells her the FBI is going to BM bc if she gets caught? The feds will have info on the little operation they had there!

But they were also partners so, if he lets her go down for this, he only has things to lose. Her included. Because, yeah I believe he sees her as a valuable asset.

Beth, with her efficiency, intelligence, and courage, secured herself a place in his organization, and people like her, even if a bit dangerous ( and are not all of them like that? the people he deals with on a daily basis?)? They are the kind of people born for what he does and he sure as hell won’t let her go.

And I believe he keeps pulling at the strings he has on her tighter bc he knows she is not sure of what she wants herself, but he won’t let her slip away from his fingers.

That is why I also think he is in way too deep with her. Why he let her under his skin and he is not thinking rationally, not 100%. She probably won’t use the dealership again ( for reasons - the FBI still there and Dean). I don’t know how she is gonna do it but she will go back to launder money for him and I believe he will help her with that.

DOES HE NEED TO?

NO.

She is taking too much of his time already. This woman is soo high maintenance. Too much of a headache.

However, I believe he likes it. He has fun with it. He lets her get away with too much. Oh, you all know I said that A LOT of times before.

I do believe he wants her, like hard still.

He is a man after all, who appreciates good, pretty, not too easy to get kind of things.

Beth Boland is like that. She is interesting.

Do I believe they will drive into the sunset together or that he will turn into a puppy for her?

LMAO nope.

I’m happy with how the writers are handling things for now.

The only thing I hated was how they didn’t give us the trio comedy that Rio x Ruby x Annie is. But I guess they preferred to spend more time on that scene of the FBI breaking into Boland Motors

But, yeah, I have faith in the writers and the cast bc they gave us a lot already and if they could make an episode look great even when heavy spoilers were published, oh just imagine what else they can give us.

I think we’ve been well fed compared to other shows ( I said that already but whatever. I still believe we are!)

Balance is not easy to manage and hell, I’m happy I’m not a writer bc damn, it is not easy to keep everyone in a fandom happy.

( there is no way u can feed everyone, not all the time, right?)

sorry that this became such a monster of a post xD

#nbc good girls #beth x rio #ruby hill #annie marks #beth boland #omg look an essay #LOL

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wickednerdery · 6 years

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Title: Death Gets a Taste Author: @wickednerdery Fandom: The Night Manager Pairing/character: Jonathan Pine/Female Assassin Rating: Explicit Summary: “You actually did it...” Notes: Death is not her name nor is she meant to be Death literally. The masterlist is here. This one’s got quite dirty smut, some drugs, a bit of a mixing of the two (making it kinda dub-con maybe?), and a good old-fashioned tussle…for all that and consistency, “Read More”.

Pine stalks Death just as she stalks her prey. Discretely, hidden behind a mask, with a dangerous sort of delight. He doesn’t presume he’ll win - he can’t manage her level of ego - he’s merely certain he knows more than her this time. He worked here once upon a time; he knows the layout, he knows the staff, he knows the security and its flaws. He knows he won’t be the one caught unawares.

Blade’s pulled from side-slit of her dress, hangs low in her hand, as she closes in. He’s no one impressive. He’s drunk and careless and short...Not even The Tuxedo Mask look can make him interesting. One quick jab in the neck, a pullout, and he’ll be dead before he hits the floor. Death would kill for an actual challenge.

He strikes from behind, hauls her off the ground with one hand twisting wrist, putting her own blade at her back, and other shoving gag into her mouth. Large enough to choke, but soft as she bites.

Chocolate melts on her tongue, free from constraints the marshmallow swells. Her chuckle is muffled, then her grunt as he twists until she drops her weapon. Death raises foot to slam down, but he shoves her away. Before she can orientate he’s again covered mouth, slamming her into the wall and displacing mask over eyes as back of head bounces in the force of it. The door clicks in its auto-lock.

“Swallow.” The order is clear in its growl; still he presses palm into her smile, shakes her slightly “Do it.”

Death obeys, moaning as chocolate and sugar and cream slide down throat. “Did you just poison me, Pine?” Amusement soaks her voice in his release, lips coated in temptation.

“What do you think?” He refuses to give her anything, when she goes to fix mask he pins hands above her.

She licks lips into a smirk. “Kiss me.”

“No.”

There’s a pause of consideration - did he poison her? - then growl in slight frustration. “I don’t have time for games.”

“You think I’m playing?”

Legs swing up together, back arching, but he catches the move before she can make it and Death gasps the shock of spine slamming back into wall. “Fuck-er.”

“You’re not killing my asset.”

“So that’s what this is?” She can’t fault him, he’d be a shit agent to not intercede.

“Partly.”

Her body goes limp, she makes herself heavy, and he must grab thighs to hold her in place. The moment her hands are free one pulls mask off, the other his head forward to kiss hard. Tongue insists upon entry, access to his tongue. If he poisons her, he poisons himself.

Pine pulls from the kiss even as he moans.

“So...did you just poison us, Pine?”

“What do you think?” Whole body presses in firmly, but without his initial aggression.

“I think I’ll kill him anyway...if not now, later.”

“Maybe.” Hands and body feel the length of her, check for extra weapons. “But not now.”

She hums a laugh when he nearly spreads ass cheeks in his exploration. “So what now then, hm? Can’t hold me in here forever.”

“I don’t have to.”

Her smile starts before the shock of being dropped takes over. His weapon’s out, on her, before she can recover. “This is the second time you’ve pulled a gun on me in as many months.” It pleases; he knows to fear her, knows she’ll take him without regard.

“Get on your knees.”

Death’s laugh fills the room, but she obeys. Eyes flicker between the man and his gun as he closes in. She’s not fearful, just wary. More so as she warms into the first oncoming buzz of a night’s drinking. “What do you want, Pine?” It’s half a whisper as hand reaches out to his weapon.

He pulls back hammer. “Don’t.”

Hands slip away. “What do you want?” She can see his eyes shining through the dark as she leans forward. Watches stern face falter as she kisses the tip of the gun barrel, opens mouth to take it in, before moaning, then chuckling. “Is that it? Is that what you want?”

The weapon’s holstered as he snatches hair rough enough she pitches high in the gasp. He needs to set hand on wall for balance as first one, then the other, of hers slither up legs to thighs.

“Tell me the truth.” She undoes belt, button, zipper. “You actually did it...” Balance wavers; she rests head against crotch, heating it with hot laugh. “Didn’t you?”

“It won’t kill you.”

“What’d you use?”

“Just a seda...” blood rushes, head spins, in the mouthing of his cock through cloth. “Sedative.”

Death evens out her breaths, taking them slow, to control instinctual racing of heart at being under a form of attack. “How long...” she maneuvers pants and trousers down to thighs. “Do you think...” Hand slides back up, fingernails just grazing the underside of cock. “I have?”

“I don-don’t...” Breath hitches as tongue flattens against his tip, pressing into slit as if digging for his taste. Fingers relax on her hair just a moment, then tense in throaty groan as she takes him until cock hits the back of her throat. “Fuck.”

This isn’t in her nature, she doesn’t get on her knees unless it’s a ploy, but his reactions feed her desire for it, for him. It’s a thrill to watch stern face and stiff upper-lip fall to shaking knees and gasping curses as she toys with him. As she plays beat-the-clock with consciousness.

Jonathan must release hair in favor of standing, second hand joining first to brace against the wall. He towers over her, but she’s got him by the balls figuratively and literally as she squeezes and tugs. He wants to come so bad, thrusting into lips sucking so hard they smear lipstick across his cock like blood; he wants to win so bad he thinks to throw her off him.

As ever there’s an aggression to the act, teeth grazing as she devours him over and over. Growls turn to gurgles in a speeding up, in pre-cum mixing with chocolatey spit, as what mouth can’t reach hand spreads around to jerk. When Pine’s fist finds its way back into Death’s hair she deep-throats, as if challenging, even as the continued act makes her dizzy.

“Gah!” He near jumps at Death’s hand slipping past balls and taint to ass. She spreads fingers across flesh, letting one between cheeks almost threateningly, and pulls him to her as much as he thrusts on his own. He slips in and out of the punch-drunk sensation the tainted sweet’s given him, she’s given him, with vision blurring as she swallows against his length. When nails lightly drag across his most sensitive areas, his moan sticks in his throat and vision nearly goes black.

Death pulls away fast, letting his cum spill across her tongue, out her mouth, and down her dress. His chest collapses against the wall over her, but only when knees begin to buckle does she slip out of his way. She pats carpeting in search of knife, returning it to its holster at her thigh once found.

Pine does up trousers before sliding down wall, he looks over to her as he attempts to catch breath. “I’m not sorry.”

“Good.” She chuckles, wiping mouth then sucking fingers clean. “Neither am I.”

Smile comes without his consent. “You’re never sorry.”

“Guilt is dangerous in this world.”

“We weren’t born to espionage and murder.”

“But we were born.” To her the world they work in is no different from the one they live in, the one they grew up in. It’s survival of the fittest, the most adaptable, and she’s never going to be a simpering mouse even when she needs to seem like one.

Jonathan’s face grows serious as he wonders. “What...” made her this way? He leans forward a touch, tries to catch eyes that seem to lose focus before him. “Are you...okay?”

Death feels herself fading, the adrenaline and sugar rush lessening as the seconds tick by. “Mmm...tired...” she confesses as the floor seems to roll under her, her body and mind slipping into slow motion without her consent or control. Despite it, she remains calm. She knows the cause, she’s looking right at him.

“Will you remember tomorrow?”

Lips lift. “Does it matter?” Eyes close.

He wishes he knew her name, but he only knows her aliases. He uses one, then another, but none work. Death slips away into unconsciousness before him. With deep breath, hands walking up the wall, Pine stands. There’s a thought to just leave, but as he looks down he finds he can’t. Even if she might wish it, or perhaps especially since she might wish it. Instead, he moves to carry her to the bed.

Flashes of the failed job mixed with their escapades rush her awake. Hand goes to blade, ready, as there’s a knock at the door. Still in stained dress she swiftly rises, walking on tiptoes, as a voice on the other side declares herself room service. A glance through the peephole seems to confirm, but still...

“Mr Pine sent me...” the woman notes cautiously. “He said you...you needed to...rest?” While she doesn’t understand herself, it’s the correct thing to say as the door slowly opens to reveal disheveled woman on the other side. “May I come in?”

Death considers, then relents allowing the other to roll in food cart with note on top and small overnight bag tucked underneath. Unsure what to make of the display she keeps back from it, eyes only leaving for brief, hard, glances at the server. She says nothing, not even when asked if she needs anything else.

Alone once more Death approaches the cart cautiously, lifts to open the note first.

“Apologies for the ruined dress. And nothing else. XX”

The laugh is unexpected even for her. She lifts the cloche to find a few standard breakfast foods along with two cookies similar to those at her café and handful of chocolates. In the luggage underneath is a simple linen dress in the same shade of red as her ruined gown. It’s something she’d never pick for herself in a million years, but finds herself changing into it out of something beyond necessity.

I thought it’d be a nice twist for Pine not only win this round, but also get the last word. I also felt like Death might appreciate it, admire Pine’s own form of tease/taunt in his “doting” on her the morning after without even being there. Also I’m playing a bit on the drugging thing - I imagine Death got the brunt of the dosage so she eventually succumbed to it while Pine got just enough to make him woozy when she kissed him, but could still function enough to walk away. ...In the larger scheme I’m hoping that they sort of rub off on one another in a way: Pine may become darker, less torn about what he does, but Death might also start to care, dislike some of the consequences of what she does has.

(Gif found from Google!)

Tags: @sleepless-nights-with-your-king @chibiyanai, @my-world-of-imagines @lokilvrr @rizzo87 @tarithenurse @creedslove @wadeyouwitch @annievvv7 @cassadius @lady-crowned-with-stars @moonfaery @wintertink @holykryptonitekitten @musiclovertjeever @ultrarebelheart @lukeevansandjdmobession @merlinspantsandbeard @alexakeyloveloki @kimanne723 @mysacredstardust …If anyone wants on or off this list please just let me know! (Strike-throughs are those Tumblr wouldn’t allow proper tagging of.)

#jonathan pine #The Night Manager #pine x oc #fanfiction #assassins #spies #death #aka pine's lover #my writing #not my gif

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psyched2b · 6 years

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✏5, 6 and 17 with Bucky boy or Loki please

Disclaimer: I wrote this at work, so if anything seems off, it’s because I’m posting from my phone, not computer.

5. She’s hiding behind the sofa.

6. You’re Satan.

17. I’d rather die than do that.

You and Loki had made plans to bake Christmas cookies together. Or rather, you had made plans and told Loki that he was helping you… whether he wanted to or not.

However, he was on the “Not” helping side and made it abundantly clear that he would not partake in your Christian celebrations saying, “I would rather die than do that”.

You just roll your eyes at him and tell him that because he was being overdramatic, he no longer got a vote.

But, of course, in true Loki fashion, at the time you were supposed to meet in the kitchen to start, he ‘conveniently’ goes ‘missing’.

As fate would have it, there was a missing person sign hanging on the fridge with a picture of Loki in Thor’s hand writing that said, “Have You Seen Me?” and you knew that the older brother would prove to be a reliable source.

“Hey, Thor! Have you seen your brother around?” You ask as you enter the private study where he was ‘reading up on Midgardian modern literature’. Today, it appeared to be ‘The Hunger Games’.

The God of Thunder stands up from his spot behind the desk in greeting with a smile, gesturing for you to take the seat before him, all without looking up from his book. “Lady Y/L/N. I’m glad you are here. I have a question regarding this fascination book about this uh- Panem. I take it that this place represents a dystopian future for the United States, yes? Well, why would all the other countries turn their back and let this annual macabre massacre happen? Though I enjoy a good fight, putting children in the ring seems absolutely deplorable.” He finally looks up from the book. “District Four, tell me, is that Florida?”

You bite your lip in an attempt to keep the smile off your lips, but ultimately fail at the Gods enthusiasm. “You do realize that it is just fiction, right? I think it’s unlikely that anything like this could actually happen, though with the way things are looking today, who knows. It is post apocalyptic America. Fingers crossed, though. Fingers crossed. Besides, I kinda always thought District Four was California. Finnick seems like a surfer dude.”

Thor’s face screws into a look of confusion as he parrots, “Finnick? Surfer Dude?”

Laughing, you give a comforting pat on the arm. “You may not have gotten to him yet.” Then you shake your head, reminding yourself why you are there. “Anywho, where’s Loki? I saw your sign but I know you know where he’s at.”

Thor leans back in his chair and gives you a knowing smile. “I put up that sign because I know not where he is.”

You roll your eyes at him and mimic his relaxed stance. “Mhm,” you hum, unimpressed. “Want to try that again?”

Thor’s smile widens into a cheshire grin, having fun with this game. “Loki wishes for me to send you his regards and sincerest apologies. He was called back to Asgard for erm, diplomatic reasons.”

You quirk an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest.“Now really, Thor? That’s the best you got?” You roll your eyes again. “There’s a reason why Loki is the God of Lies, not you. ‘Diplomatic reasons’? Dude, Asgard was destroyed. By you.”

“Surtur, actually,” Thor automatically corrects with a big dopey smile. “And I had to give it my best shot so I can have a defense against the greasy weasel himself when he seeks me out for retribution. I know that I can’t lie to you, nor do I want to. I also want some of those cookies you will be making.” He puffs his bottom lip in a pout and gives you his best puppy dog eyes. “Can I have some? Please, Y/N? Please?!”

You manage to keep an unamused look on your face for all of three seconds before you crack and give him a smile. “Only if you tell me where he is.”

Thor nods enthusiastically. “Yes, of course. Loki’s hiding behind the couch on our floor.”

“Oh no,” you gasp, a panicked look coming on your face. “Don’t tell me.”

Thor gives you a sympathetic look with a sorrowful nod. “He’s a cat.”

“Come on, Lokitty. They are literally just cookies.”

Your plea was greeted with a hiss and you let out a frustrated sigh.

For the last five minutes, you have been trying to coax your boyfriend out from underneath the couch. As soon as he saw you coming down the hall, he leapt from his perch on the back of the couch and dove under into the tiny space between the floor and the furniture. Since then, any attempt to reach for him was greeted with a hiss and a swipe of a paw with sharp claws.

“I swear to the ever loving god, if you don’t cut this shit out right now, I am getting the spray bottle and will throw a blanket over you and give you a very invasive flea bath followed by a shave because do you really need all that hair?”

You sit back on your heels and wait for your threat to be acknowledged by another hiss.

Much to your surprise, Lokitty peeks his head out from his spot, giving you the stink eye. You glare in return, not faltering under his gaze. “Not even joking,” you confirm, narrowing your eyes into slits.

A deep rumble erupts from the black cat’s chest before he leaves his spot completely and sits in front of you. A moment later, a bright green light shimmers over his form and soon enough, the Loki you were most familiar with stood before you with the most adorable pout on his face.

He turns his nose up at you. “You are Satan.”

Standing up from the ground, you roll your eyes in return. “And you are acting like a petulant child.”

Silence settles between the two of you and it turns into a game of who would speak first. Tension is thick, the both of you fuming at each other.

Unlike Loki, you didn’t have forever to hold a grudge. That, and you wanted answers.

“I don’t understand,” you murmur in a harsh tone, glaring at a random tile on the floor. “It’s literally just baking cookies. We’ve baked together before. And you liked it. Why is this any different?”

Loki sniffs, “I feel that I’ve been very clear. I do not wish to partake in any of your Christian celebrations. Especially after you threaten to cut my hair.”

You honest to god facepalm. You weren’t in the mood to bullshit today. “First of all, I only threatened your hair because I knew that it would get you out from underneath the damn couch. Second, you are starting to sound like Thor when it comes to your hair. Third, I love your hair. You know this. So obviously, it was an empty threat. So get over it.”

You watch Loki’s touch facade begin to crack with a twitch of his lips before he caves and smiles at you. “I love that you don’t coddle me.”

“Mhm,” you hum, still not impressed. “Sure you do. If you love me so much, you would stop putting up a fight about f—ing Christmas cookies.” Loki goes to interrupt, but you throw a hand up. “Ah-uh. I’m speaking. You can stop this B.S. about it being a Christian Holiday. There is no one here who really claims to be Christian. It is literally just a holiday like any other and you know this. Besides, the Christmas ‘we’ celebrate today hold strong pagan themes such as Yuletide or jólnir, which literally was meant to celebrate the Norse Gods. I.E. You, dumbass. So, fight me.” You pause. “I have a whole list of ways that the Christians have created their Christmas traditions from midwinter celebrations, so don’t even try to argue with me.”

Strong arms wrap around you, pulling you into Loki’s embrace. “See, I knew you loved me. If I was anyone else, you would have just ignored me. I love it when you get feisty.” He presses a kiss to your neck and you shiver in pleasure.

“Yeah, yeah. Love you too. Now can we please go make those cookies now!”

@bettercallsabs @coonflix @dont-stop-keep-walking @angryteapot @geeksareunique @meggie-mouse-28 @mentallych-ill-desi @mermaidxatxheart @moonlessnight14 @theawesomefactor123 @thinkwritexpress-official

#dallas's birthday celebration #marvel drabble challenge #loki drabble #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki ofinson x reader #loki laufeyson x reader #thor odinson #thor #thor drabble #lokitty #chrisas cookies #hunger games

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missjackil · 5 years

Text

My 14x17 Opinion

Game Night

This was the first new episode since “The Announcement” and I have to say I was putting off writing it. I usually post these the day after, but I procrastinated so it’s a bit late. So forgive my butt-hurt tardiness and let's have at it.

I enjoyed this episode, though it wasn't without some issues. I must say that I was pleased that it wasn't as Sam-lite as I thought it would be from the promo pics, trailer, and knowing Jared didn't work a lot that week, I will always want for more Sam in an episode, but all his parts were necessary and high quality in this one, so I'm not angry at all.

We start the episode with Donatello making cookies, singing Raindrops are Fallin’ on my Head, which made me smile. It made me think of Butch Cassiday and The Sundance Kid and I love that movie, and if J2 ever want to play the leads in a remake, I would be willing to pay for it myself!

Donny gets interrupted by the door, and we know this is a problem because its the first 5 minutes of SPN, let's be honest. As soon as I see the bad guy’s wedding ring, I think “Shit... here comes Nick”. I thought he was gonna kill him and I'm glad he didn't. I like Donny, he looks like my dad. 😊

Back at the Bunker, the fam is getting ready for “Winchester Game Night” and Dean is playing Mouse Trap, and having no luck getting it to work. I had that game as a kid too and was never able to get it to work either, but it was fun putting it together! I did think it was a little sad but fitting, that Dean would have played that game as a 4 yr old, but leave it to John and Mary to give Dean a game made for older kids, that never worked out the way it was supposed to and had too many small parts he could choke on. (the irony is not lost on me)

Mary and Jack are in the kitchen. I could literally almost smell the Jiffy Pop popcorn. A Saturday night staple at my house growing up (any of you out there ever taste that greasy salt left on the sides of the foil pan? Good stuff!) and Mary starts in with the questions for Jack. I got a kick out of him telling her its annoying, and her face after. It’s ok Mary, he’s fine, he’s just a teenager now. Something I guess she never got to experience from the adult side.

Sam is out getting pizza, and all the times they’ve had pizza, I never really saw what Sam likes on his. Apparently both he and Dean like lots of pepperoni. Good choice boys! The joy is short-lived (of course) by Donatello’s call, and Dean and Mary go off to help. I loved Sam sitting there researching. I have always loved his look of interest and concentration during these times. Smart!Sam moment #1 he figures out the language is ancient Hebrew, #2 he has the moment of realization that he knows it’s from the Bible, and knows what chapter and verse. (demerits for the writers though for not knowing Peter is in the New Testament and is in Ancient Greek, not Hebrew, but kudos for Sam/Jared for at least knowing the book is located near the back of The Bible)

Mom and Dean in the car. Now we have the talk about how wrong she knows she’s been but how appreciative she is to have this time with him and Sam. Uhoh... sounds like lines typically given to a character who is soon to be killed off? Hmmm we’ll see. Soon they arrive at Donny’s to find Nick. He says he's poisoned Donny and to save him, they have to help him. He wants to talk.

Back at the bunker, violent rage!Sam awaits!! GOD that gave me tingles in the best way! I loved Dean leading Nick down the hall in cuffs, in slow motion as if leading him to his execution, and Sam standing there with his chest puffed out like a friggin’ bulldozer, and the snarl and slam attack against the wall!! (hand me that towel, please??) Dean backs Sam off, lots of brother touching going on, but we need intel, we can't kill him yet.

Now Sam is in self-loathing mode.... he thinks everything is his fault. So many people dying because of him. This is gonna be a big issue soon, I promise. Mom talks Sam off the self-deprecating ledge and tells him he gave Nick another chance because he’s a good man and that's why she’s so proud of him. Sam softens up into the sweetest “aww shucks ma” smile and I want to hug him💕 also, still lines are being spoken by mom that are synonymous with being killed off.

Now, I procrastinated talking about Cas and Anael because the whole thing was boring. I'm not a wife hater but at least make her necessary if you’re going to cast her. I was ok about her role as Sister Jo for Devil’s Bargain but she hasn't been necessary since. Cas wasn't even necessary in this episode. We knew he was hiding the fact that Jack killed the snake, and there are probably 1000 other ways they could have reminded us that the Samulet is still around and maybe they can use it, than for him to find a similar one in the thrift shop or whatever that place was. I dug Methuzula though, he was the oldest dude in the Bible. He wasn’t an angel, for any of you worried about him liking lasagna or why he couldn't just smite Cas... its because he's HUMAN just extremely old.

On to more interesting things.

Nick wants to talk to Jack. I was not pleased with Nick referring to Jack as his son. Im not 100% convinced that the writer (and all involved really) remembered that Jack isnt Nick’s son, but added that as a note of empathy Nick has for Lucifer, you’d THINK someone, particularly Jack would say “Im not your son” ?? but anyway, he gives intel to Jack and also gets his blood (dun dun dunnnn)

Sam is again a smarty pants and knows the antidote for Thalium is Prussian Blue (makes note) and figures he can hack the live feed (brains are so sexy) I also love that Sam’s word is the go word. So many more decisions are made because Sam thinks its the best option than he's ever given for in the fandom. So Sam and Dean take Nick with them to find Donny.

I really love the broments in this part. Dean tells Nick if he tries anything funny, Sam will shoot him. “And if anything happens to me....” “Sam will shoot me” “To start!” says Sam... because if he hurts Dean, Sam isnt letting him off that easy. But in true SPN form, as soon as Sam and Dean are separated, shit goes south.

Mom calls Sam and lets him know Donny was shot up with Angel grace, as Jack figured out, Nick was playing them. Now the fight between Sam and Nick ensues! Nick tells Sam why he used Donatello, which was to bring Lucifer back, “You can't, he’s dead he’s in the Empty” Sam says but this show’s self-awareness gets me sometimes lol Nick’s like “Cmon Sam you know no one stays dead anymore” and Sam starts kicking his ass.

Now, I have already seen a million of you whine and complain that Sam didn’t kill Nick. It’s almost as though some of you have never met Sam Winchester. Of course Sam could have killed Nick, and most of us wish he did, but Sam has stopped himself from killing humans before. He stopped himself with Jake in AHBL and also with Toni in 12x01. Unfortunately it always bites him in the ass. Could it be that Sam thinks if he can kill a human with his bare hands that he’s a monster? This isn’t bad writing folks, this is Sam’s character.

Nick takes advantage of Sam’s hesitation and starts nailing him with a rock. Spewing crap about Sam being Lucifer’s Perfect vessel and such.... this can only mean that issue will be coming up soon! Sam gets in the car and starts laying on the horn for Dean, calling out to him... Dean hears Sam is in trouble, enough playing around here time to kill some demons.

When he gets to Sam. he sees he’s badly injured. Sam can hardly hold on to consciousness, protective!dean kicks in! Apply preasure to the blled, call 911, call mom. Now check for brain damage and play a counting game with Sam This hurt my feels so much, it made it feel so much more serious than all the other head injuries he’s sustained. Dean and his caring big brother smile and light hearted speech so Sam doesnt panic just kills me in the best way!! Sam tries to count with him a little and breaks into “You always put me first... your whole life” and manages to muster a little smile. Dean knows Sam believes he’s checking out, and you see the fear all over Dean’s face as Sam fades away. (OMG these 2!! Every freakin time!!)

Meanwhile, Mary and Jack found Nick and he has summoned Lucifer and just about to take him in again (Lucifer looked pretty cool,,, gotta say) and Jack zaps Lucifer back into the rift (no not forever guys... cmon) and starts torturing Nick. Mary kinda flips out telling Jack to stop. He’s contorting his hand, burning him from the inside out... not simply killijng him. Mary is full on worried now. Jack stops and Nick is laying on the floor. Mary is in shock and tells Jack to go help Sam, He heals him and Dean cant even hide his relief as he turns away to catch his breath.

Now Jack returns to Mary who is more than worried about how Jack was torturing Nick. We know the Winchesters dont mind killing, but draw the line at torture. However, Mary stupidly poked the bear. She could have just kept herself and Jack calm and talked to the boys later, but she poked and poked till Jack freaked out. Though I am wondering if Jack was also hearing Lucifer when he was shouting “Leave me alone!!” But in any regard, he looked at Mary and something happened. Fade to black.

Aside from the Cas/Anael part, I really enjoyed this episode. A few issues yes, but it hit most of the marks needed for me to enjoy an episode. Ive already rewatched it twice and will again and again.

On a scale of Bloodlines to Lebanon, I give this a strong 7.5 without the Cas/Anael bit it would have been an easy 8.

#14x17 spoilers #game night #my opinion #i dug this one #love this 2nd half a lot

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baneismydragon · 6 years

Note

How about #2 or #19 (whichever inspires you more) for marichat. I miss your particular flare with those two.

This was SUPPOSED to be a short drabble… but its ok because @ktwesterna has been one of the most supportive and wonderful followers I have been blessed to have! Enjoy your Marichat #19 clocking in at just under 2k words lol.

Marinette had expected many things when she had come up with what was now jokingly referred to as the ‘best friend bonding compromise’. With her identity revealed she knew it would change the dynamic between herself and her partner. Chat had never been all that invested in the secrecy between the two of them, and it was honestly a miracle she had managed to stop him before he had detransformed himself after his first visit after the akuma that exposed her own secret. She had assumed that he would push for an end to his own hidden identity, (he had), that he would want for them to spend more time together outside of protecting Paris, (he did), and that he wouldn’t take no for an answer if she didn’t come up with some way to pacify his desire for them to become closer in light of this revelation. Which is why she was now constantly on the receiving end visits from her black clad companion.

She didn’t mind. In fact, she actually rather enjoyed getting visits from her partner. He was good company, enjoyed a lot of the same things that she did, was a good sport about losing at video games, and was surprisingly useful as a study partner. And again she had expected it.

What she hadn’t expected was how much less flamboyant he was in this new, more domestic setting. He was more often than not perfectly content to curl up and nap or read a book whenever she wanted to work on a project. He was unexpectedly thoughtful and sensitive. Not that she had ever thought that Chat Noir wasn’t kind, but she would not have expected him to be the sort to consistently tidy up after himself much less her as well. In the past month she was fairly certain that he had actually made up her bed more often than she had.

But more than anything, she hadn’t expected him to be quiet.

“What are you reading?”

Marinette shrieked, desperately reaching to close the tab on her computer but instead managing to tilt her chair too far forward and crashing to the ground.

She had all but forgotten that he was in the room. Last she had looked he had been crashed out on her bed, not hovering over her shoulder as he was now.

“Nothing!” she cried from the floor. “It’s nothing, you should-”

“Is this fanfiction?” Chat said delightedly, stepping in front of her so that he could read the screen as she struggled to get to her feet.

“I just clicked on it because I was curious to see what it was!”

“So you opened chapter 17?” he grinned, holding her back with one arm as he leaned in and began reading.

This was bad. This was so bad.

She tried to reach past him and grab the mouse but she knew it was too late. She could feel his body tense as he realized what was on the screen, his tail and ears twitching as his mouth fell open in shock.

“My Lady…”

“It’s not what you think!”

“Is this…”

“I was reading it for academic purposes!”

“Is this LADRIEN fanfiction?”

Of course he knew what it was. He was the one who had introduced her to “Ladybug” fanfiction in the first place. He thought the entire thing was hilarious. More than once he had regaled her with admittedly hilarious retellings of some of the more wild interpretations of his character that he had come across while browsing the fan section of the Ladyblog.

Marinette felt her face flush and wondered if she should just crawl into her bed and die.

“It is,” he breathed, scrolling down the page and skimming through the chapter. His eyes got wider as he got further along, his cheeks turning a tell tale pink at whatever he had found later in the chapter.

Damn, she had been looking forward to this update too. If Chat’s expression was anything to go by it was just as heated as the author had promised in last weeks notes.

He turned to look at her, his brow narrowing in confusion.

“Wait, you hate Ladybug fanfiction. You’ve told me yourself that you think Ladynoir fics are, and I quote, ‘a giant waste of time with no truth or value whatsoever.’

“Can we just forget this ever happened?” she moaned.

“So why would you be reading this, unless…”

“Oh my God…”

“Chat-”

“Oh my GOD!”

“I will pay you to forget you saw this!”

“You like Adrien!” Chat cried, bursting into gales of laughter as he whirled around to face her. “YOU like Adrien.”

“Please, Chat, you can’t tell him about this. I would die, I would LITERALLY die if he ever found out. He can not find out, you have to promise me.”

“Yeah, I can’t promise that.”

“Chat come on!” she pleaded, grabbing his hands in hers and trying to give him her most convincing pout.

“Why is this the first time I am hearing about this?” he asked, his expression still lit with a giddy exuberance that terrified her.

“Because I didn’t feel like my crush was a worthwhile topic of conversation,” she said, glaring, “or maybe I didn’t want to rub it in your face that I liked someone else, which you already knew.”

“No I know that, I mean-” he cut himself off, his face scrunching in concentration as his thoughts turned inwards. His fingers twined with hers where she was still holding onto him, and she held her breath as she waiting to see what he was going to say. She could feel a sense of apprehension. Like there was still another shoe about to drop.

“You haven’t said anything,” he said quietly, his head cocking to the side.

She flushed, dropping his gaze at his accurate assessment.

“You’ve never said anything to… to Adrien, about how you feel.”

“I’ve tried a couple of times, but it never goes well,” she admitted.

“But you do like… like Adrien?” he asked, his voice still soft and surprisingly tender.

“Yeah,” she admitted, her eyes falling closed in both embarrassment and relief now that her secret was out. “Yeah I do.”

She felt Chat drop her hands, pulling her into a hug. His warm, quiet chuckle reverberating through her soothingly.

“What a crazy criss crossed life you live, My Lady.”

She snuggled into his embrace, grateful for the unending love and support her partner always offered her. He really was an amazing…

Suddenly she felt the loss of his presence around her.

“You should tell him! Right now!”

“Oh my God! Chat what are you doing?” Marinette cried as she heard the frantic typing of her keyboard.

“I’m messaging Adrien.”

“NO!”

She hurled herself forward, desperately trying to grab at the computer, but her arms were no match for his as the insane cat purposefully blocked her path.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfect.” He ignore her frantic cries even as she jumped up onto his back, leg wrapped around his waist as she desperately tried to pull him away from his new self imposed mission. “I just need to send this message and then everything will- GAAHHHH!”

He shrieked in startled pain as Marinette wove her fingers into his hair and yanked.

“What the hell!”

“You can’t send that message! What did you even write?”

“Relax its not a love poem or anything, it just says: hey Adrien, do you want to go to the movies with me this weekend?”

“That’s… actually not terrible.”

“Good. So now I can just-”

“You still can’t send it!”

“Why not!”

He twisted in circles trying to dislodge Marinette as she alternated between trying to grab his hands and trying to reach over and attack the computer itself.

Unfortunately for her, she was no match for his suit enhanced strength, and after a few more minutes of frantic twisting and clawing on both their ends, he rolled his eyes, reach back and hauled her over his shoulder, plopping her down onto the desk with an inelegant thud.

“Hold still,” he grunted, capturing both her hands and leveling her with his most intimidating stare. “This is in everyone’s best interest.”

“I won’t let you,” she growled, shifting in front of the computer screen and wriggling enough so that he couldn’t release her hands.

“Stop being stubborn!”

“Says the insane cat trying to play cupid!”

“Don’t you want to date Adrien?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“He could say no!”

“He’s going to say yes.”

“I’m not ready! He’ll think I am insane.”

“I think its a safe bet to say he already does. He’ll still say yes and love you anyways.”

“I’ll never give you cookies again.”

“That is a price I am willing to pay,” he said, leaning forward and bopping their noses together. Her face scrunched in irritation

“Chaaaaaaat,” she whined, without any real malice.

“Sorry princess, this train has left the station and there is nothing you can do to stop me from sending this message.”

For one second Chat’s face filled with terror as he saw her eyes light up with a familiar gleam of inspiration, and then his mind went completely blank as she lunged forwards and planted her lips across his.

His whole body went rigid, his eyes wide as every nerve tingled at the feel of her so close.

Marinette grinned into the kiss as she felt him melt against her, his fingers losing their grip around her wrist as his eyes drifted shut and he let out an honest to god purr against her lips.

But just as she was about pull away and dive onto the computer to achieve victory, his hands reached up to cup her face and his head tilted slightly to deepen the kiss and all thoughts of moving fled.

Her brain dissolved into a pleasant haze as she savored the feeling of him kissing her, worshiping her. Time seemed to stop as their lips pressed and nibbled, exploring each other with delicious intimacy. By the time they finally broke apart, gasping for air, she wouldn’t have been able to tell you how they had even gotten into this position in the first place.

“Wow,” he breathed, nuzzling his nose against her neck, the hot whisper of his breath sending shivers up her spine. “You are absolutely amazing, My Lady.”

He kissed her softly on the hollow of her throat and instinctively she tilted her head to grant him better access.

“But there is one small flaw in this strategy of yours,” he said, even as his lips ghosted across the sensitive skin.

“What’s that?”

She heard a soft click.

Her eyes went wide.

“Now I HAVE to send that message.”

“Chat!”

Hope you liked the story!Please consider donating to my ko-fi!

#kiss prompt drabbles #my drabbles #marichat

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upontheshelfreviews · 6 years

Text

As a lifelong Disney fan I can’t understate how much of an impact Mickey Mouse has had on me. In childhood, he was an icon and friend – instantly recognizable, a source of joy and entertainment, a hero and a role model. I know this is making me sound like one of those cheesy sponsors reading off a cue card, but when you’re talking about a mouse, expect plenty of cheese to be involved.

In the spirit of Mickey celebrating his 90th birthday, I’d like to share with you my 20 favorite shorts he starred in. Why 20? Because I couldn’t narrow it down to ten and I like to go nine steps beyond as opposed to one.

There were only two rules I set while making this list:

Mickey is the main focus, or at the very least he must be given as much to do as the other characters he shares the cartoon with. There’s a lot of great shorts out there that has Mickey’s name in the title – Mickey’s Parrot, Mickey’s Circus, Mickey’s Birthday, Mickey and the Seal, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, etc. – or has his face in the intro that advertises it as his adventure, but upon watching you find they’re really about Donald, Goofy or Pluto or literally anyone else but him.

Shorts only, no segments from full-length films or direct-to-video works. This means no Mickey and the Beanstalk from Fun and Fancy Free or various bits from Mickey’s Once/Twice Upon A Christmas, but sadly no Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia. I thought of excluding any short that ran over the usual length of five to seven minutes to about twenty, but that made my job even harder.

Now before we get to the countdown, here are a few Honorable Mentions:

Mickey, Donald and Goofy in The Three Musketeers – If I were including full-length films on the list, this would be in the top five, bar none.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia – It would easily take the number one spot if it didn’t overlap with the #2 rule.

Plane Crazy – The mouse’s first appearance on the silver screen, though he wouldn’t make as quite a splash until his sound debut in Steamboat Willie a few years later

Orphan’s Benefit – One of my favorites as a kid. It made me laugh something fierce and still does, though a large part of it has to do with Donald and Goofy’s segments, hence why it’s only an honorable mention. Also, did you know that the color one we’re mostly familiar with is actually a remake of an earlier black and white version?

Mickey’s Delayed Date – Pluto and Mickey tussle for attention in this outing.

Haunted House – Spooky and atmospheric. Classic Disney nightmare fuel.

The Gorilla Mystery – Mickey plays Minnie’s white knight yet again as he goes to-to-toe with a dangerous gorilla.

Two-Gun Mickey – An American Tail: Mickey Goes West.

Mickey’s Surprise Party – After Minnie’s dog spoils the cookies she was making for Mickey, he saves the day with some shockingly transparent corporate sponsorship. At least I take comfort in the fact that Mickey’s favorite cookies are the same as mine.

Hansel and Gretel – Mickey and Minnie stumble upon a treacherous witch to the ominous strains of Danse Macabre.

Mickey’s Cabin – Mickey outwits Pete and his dimwitted cousin with a little reverse psychology when they hold him hostage in his winter cabin. Hilarity ensues.

Croissant – Mickey’s first short in the modern style proved you can’t keep a mouse on a mission down.

Yodelberg – Continuing with the previous short, it’s modern Mickey at its most fast-paced and stylish fun.

Shanghaied – It’s up to Mickey to save the day and Minnie again, this time from Pete and his dastardly crew of pirates.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol – Mickey’s first cartoon in 30 years has him slightly out of the spotlight, but still got him back in the public eye for good.

20. Mickey’s Trailer

This gets the lowest spot because the first half mainly focuses on jokes surrounding Donald and Goofy in their cool little mechanical trailer. But when it reaches the second half? That’s when things really kick into high gear. Goofy obliviously unhitches the trailer as they’re traveling through a perilous mountain pass and it’s up to Mickey to keep his vacation from reaching an untimely end. It’s amazingly suspenseful, with plenty of close calls from oncoming vehicles, trains and cliff sides. They still manage to sneak in a few decent moments of slapstick, but not at the cost of any of the tension. My only wish is that we could have seen Mickey and Donald’s response to Goofy’s cheerful “Well, I brought ya down safe and sound, a-hyuck!” at the very end. No doubt it would have been hilariously karmic.

19. Mickey’s Mechanical House

Coming from the Mickey’s Mouse Works/House of Mouse era of cartoons, we get a whimsical story in Seuss-esque rhyme, narrated by John Cleese no less. Sick of the inconveniences of his old abode, Mickey moves into a sleek totally automated house. He quickly learns, however, that easy modern conveniences aren’t what make a good home. Unlike the other cartoons made in this time, the art style goes for a 50’s retro look that pays homage to the likes of UPA. I especially appreciate the cameo from the iconic Mars robot from the famous Disneyland episode Mars and Beyond. That’s how you know this short was made by real old-school Disney fans. The story is charming, the gags are clever, and it earns this spot on the countdown.

18. Giantland/Gulliver Mickey

Yes, I know I’m cheating here due to this being a tie, but I found these two shorts to be similar enough that I felt they were both worthy of the same place on the list. Each one begins with Mickey telling a story to his…younger counterparts? Nieces and nephews? Godchildren? They all refer to him as “Uncle Mickey” and they all look like him so maybe they’re really…no, best not to think of the implications.

Anyway, Mickey makes himself the hero of each tale, firstly in the role of Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk (no doubt somewhat inspiring his future gigantic adventures in The Brave Little Tailor and Fun and Fancy Free), then of him being the giant washed up on the shores of Lilliput. There’s some good action all around, and plenty of creativity in showing the giant’s world, Mickey’s storytelling and how the Lilliputians attempt to subdue their captive.

17. Magician Mickey

Mickey’s putting on a magic show, but he’s constantly heckled by a disbelieving Donald. Little does the duck realize he’s messing with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice himself, and Mickey uses all his mystic powers to troll back at him. Even though it’s arguably Donald’s short as much as it is Mickey’s, he does provide the main source of the conflict, and Mickey does not hold back when providing some good old magical vengeance. He remains the perfect showman throughout, and the tricks he plays to get back at Donald are inventive and hilarious. I admit, I still crack up at the running gag where Donald attempts to go in one of his unintelligible tirades and spits out an entire deck of cards. Just goes to show you don’t mess with the mouse, especially when he’s in magician mode.

16. Steamboat Willie

Ah, the one that started it all. Well, technically it was Plane Crazy and The Galloping Gaucho, but Steamboat Willie was what really thrust Mickey into the limelight. It may be simplistic by today’s standards, but this short is nothing…short of iconic. It establishes everything you need to know about the character of Mickey Mouse – inventive, friendly, helpful, but not without a strong mischievous streak. Being one of the first cartoons to have fully synchronized sound certainly helps. It not only pushed the popularity of “talkies” but introduced the world to what would become one of the most recognizable characters of all time. How could I not include it on the list? I already wrote an entire article on its significance, so if you want to know more, feel free to go read it.

15. The Mad Doctor

When people talk about the darkest moments in Disney animation, there’s a reason why this short is often brought up. The Mad Doctor goes for straight-up horror, and pulls no punches. Mickey must work his way through a creepy castle to save his beloved dog Pluto before he becomes the next victim of the titular doctor’s dangerous experiments. There’s lots of shadows, spooky living skeletons, and booby traps galore that threaten Mickey along the way. It’s perfect fare for Halloween.

Without giving away the ending, it’s the kind I’d normally call a bit of a cop out, but I don’t see how they could have worked their way around it. This short was deemed so scary upon release that it was banned not only in the UK, but in Nazi Germany, which really says something. It didn’t frighten me that much when I was a kid, but there’s a pervading sense of dread that makes it unlike any other Mickey Mouse cartoon ever made. Its impact on the canon was strong enough that the Mad Doctor was made one of the main antagonists of the Epic Mickey video game. And getting to take him out after all these years is one of the most satisfying game moments you’ll ever experience.

14. Around the World in 80 Days

Now for something a bit lighter. Some of the best shorts made for Mickey’s Mouse Works and House of Mouse were the “Mouse Tales”, two-part adaptations of classic novels with Mickey and the gang filling in the roles. This is a simplified but still fun take on Jules Verne’s famous globetrotting adventure. Instead of a wager between high society gentlemen and a robbery caper mixup however, Mickey must circumnavigate the globe in order to claim an inheritance and save his orphanage. Goofy and a rescued native princess-turned-love interest Minnie (there’s no way around some of the more dated aspects of this story, is there?) help him along the way, but they also have to deal with a meddling Scrooge McDuck, who’d do anything to get his feathers on the fortune. They manage to squeeze in some great jokes, usually involving Mickey’s deadpan reactions to Goofy’s cluelessness. It’s a decent retelling that hits all the beats and will probably get kids interested in checking out the original story.

13. Ye Olden Days

Nothing like a good old-fashioned medieval romance to warm your heart. Humble minstrel Mickey attempts to rescue fair damsel Minnie when she refuses to marry foppish Prince Dippy Dawg – that’s Goofy’s early moniker to those not fluent in early Disney – and winds up engaging in a joust for her hand. Mickey and Minnie may not be the most fascinating couple in film history, but their earnest devotion to each other shows why their relationship has stood the test of time.

When I was rewatching this to see if it deserved a spot on this list, I was particularly impressed by how spirited Minnie was – she does not take her arranged marriage lying down, slapping the self-absorbed prince in the face while declaring “Never!” and fighting her captors every step of the way as she’s dragged to the tower as punishment. Plus, it’s her intervening on Mickey’s behalf that saves him from the guillotine and allows him to engage in trial by combat. Mickey, ever the underdog, uses his size and cleverness to his advantage, outdoing the prince in all his regalia with nothing but a spear, a suit of armor fashioned from a potbelly stove, and an intrepid donkey. I really don’t have anything to say other than this short’s simplicity and sweetness never fails to win me over.

12. The Pointer

An expertly animated adventure for Mickey and his loyal canine, even if the idea of the Mouse going hunting wouldn’t fly today. I just love Mickey and Pluto’s interactions; they remind me so much of me and my dog and the time we spent together (though let it go on record that I never have or most likely will engage in hunting for sport). This isn’t a case of the pet being smarter than the master like in future shorts, either. Those always aggravated me because of how they really dumbed down Mickey. Both are on equal footing here, and both get into equal amounts of trouble.

The moment where Mickey tries to talk his way out of an encounter with an angry bear is equal parts tense and humorous. It’s also one of the rare times I can recall Mickey attempting to use his own popularity to escape from a jam (“Well I’m, uh, Mickey Mouse! You know, Mickey Mouse? I hope you’ve heard of me…I hope.”) According to Andreas Deja, animator Frank Thomas incorporated a bit of Walt’s own actions while recording the lines for this scene, giving it a superb bit of what Thomas would call “the illusion of life”.

11. Lonesome Ghosts

Here we have another Mickey-Donald-Goofy venture with shenanigans surrounding the last two, but there’s enough of Mickey in there to make it count. Now tell me if this sounds familiar: a trio of oddballs, one smart if in way over his head, one irascible and sarcastic, and one delightfully naive, go into business capturing ghosts. And yes, at one point one of them says “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts”. It’s a shame Disney wasn’t able to capitalize on this fifty years later apart from syncing this short to the Ghostbusters theme in the DTV Halloween special. Lonesome Ghosts is a spooky jaunt where half the fun comes from the various ways the titular quartet of specters tease our hapless heroes. How the protagonists manage to send them packing kind of confuses me, but it still makes for a good chuckle. Steeped in atmosphere and loaded with laughs, Lonesome Ghosts is a ghoulish good time.

10. Mickey’s Good Deed

It’s Christmas Eve, and Mickey and Pluto are out in the cold with nothing but a bass fiddle that earns them barely enough to eat. A bratty rich half-pint sets his sights on Pluto and goes Veruca Salt on his father, leading to him offering Mickey a fair bit of dough in exchange for the dog. Mickey refuses, until he spies a poor widow and her many children even worse off than he is. This leads to him making a heartwrenching sacrifice to ensure they have a merry Christmas. It’s a short that runs the gamut of emotions. You feel for Mickey every second as he either loses everything he owns or willingly gives it up for a greater good, and there’s plenty of joy to be had when he gets his reward in the end (as well as when that terrible child is given his due punishment). I love watching this every Christmastime, and it exemplifies the giving spirit of the season.

9. Runaway Brain

You wanna know where that infamous image of a demonic Mickey came from? Well here ya go. Fast-paced, frightening and hilarious, Runaway Brain is a wild ride from start to finish. In some ways it feels more akin to a Looney Tunes short than a Disney one. The comic and story beats come right after another, yet leave room for sight gags and references a plenty. There’s even a brief shot that visibly homages The Exorcist. IN A DISNEY SHORT.

Borrowing from The Mad Doctor’s playbook, this time it’s Mickey who’s in a mad scientist’s sights after taking an offer for “a mindless day’s work” at face value, just so he could earn some vacation cash for Minnie. Said mad scientist, Dr. Frankenollie (love the nod there), voiced by Sideshow Bob himself Kelsey Grammar, switches Mickey’s brain with that of his King Kong/Frankenstein-esque creation Julius, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Pete. When the doctor is zapped into ashes by his own experiment – onscreen, mind you – Mickey, now trapped in Julius’ body, must find a way to get back to normal and stop Julius, stuck in Mickey’s form but no less monstrous, from pursuing Minnie. As I said before, the jokes come at you fast and hard. The climax in particular is especially rollicking, with some amazing lighting and coloring choices that pump up the action. As always, Mickey saves the day in the most entertaining – and in this case, bizarre – way possible.

8. The Band Concert

Mickey makes his technicolor debut in one of the first shorts that pits him against a troublesome Donald. All our stalwart conductor wants to do is perform a bit of William Tell for some music lovers in the park, but he’s consistently interrupted by Donald wanting to get in on the action with Turkey In The Straw and an improbable supply of easily breakable flutes. Still, you’ve got to admire both of them for their determination. I’d say nothing short of a cyclone could stop them, but that’s exactly what happens; the climax has them playing through the gale even as they’re hurled through the air! Considering the music they’re performing is appropriately stormy sounding, one has to wonder if they picked up their instruments from Hyrule. The Band Concert is a testament to Mickey’s unflappable perseverance and affinity for music.

7. The Little Whirlwind

Lured to Minnie’s by the promise of cake, Mickey agrees to give her yard a good cleanup in exchange for some dessert. Unfortunately, a playful sentient cyclone has other plans. I’ve never been bothered by Mickey’s voice, but this short shows how he works just as well silently. Much of the action is largely in mime with no dialogue. The slapstick is fun all around. I always did feel a bit bad that Mickey got the short end of the stick in this cartoon; after being tormented by the hellion hurricane, he’s pursued by a giant momma tornado who assumes her offspring was bullied for no reason, and when Minnie checks on his progress he’s blamed for the disaster area that was formerly her garden. I don’t know what the hell she was doing in the kitchen to not hear the two cyclones roaring through her yard but I hope it was worth it. At least Mickey ends up getting the cake – though not in a way he was certainly expecting.

6. Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip

Once more we witness Mickey’s loyalty to his equally devoted canine companion. A simple train trip to Pomona goes off the rails when Mickey must shield Pluto from dog-hating conductor Pete and both find themselves on the run from him. There’s disguises and mishaps galore, and it’s a constant back and forth to see who’s one step ahead of the other. Interesting fact: this short is also the source of the only known footage of Walt Disney recording his lines as Mickey.

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5. Symphony Hour

A spiritual sequel to The Band Concert, Mickey once again plays conductor for a classical orchestra made up of his friends. Unfortunately someone thought it was a good idea to leave all the instruments in Goofy’s hands before their big debut, and they’re quickly destroyed. Now poor Mickey has to keep everything together as the concert falls to pieces and their sponsor Pete fumes from his viewing box.

This short… it’s hysterical. There’s no other word for it. Everything from the animation to the music – which sounds like a precursor to Spike Jones – cracks me up. Mickey is pushed to the limits of his endurance as his show crumbles around him. Not helping matters is the attitude of the performers. Sure, Goofy, Horace Horsecollar and the like soldier on admirably, but Donald threatens to up and leave several times. Yet Mickey isn’t afraid to stoop to any level to ensure the show, no matter how terrible, will indeed go on. And the worse it gets for them, the better it gets for us.

4. Thru the Mirror

After falling asleep while reading Alice Through the Looking Glass, Mickey dreams of entering his bedroom mirror and exploring the bizzarro version of his world on the other side. Living furniture, card battles and jazzy dance sequences ensue. Out of all the Mickey shorts on this list, this is probably the best animated. The scenes stick out in your mind long after the cartoon has ended. The size-changing walnuts, the catchy tap dance starting with a game of jump rope with a telephone cord that evolves into a Busby Berkeley homage with playing cards, and the escape from said cards while traversing the dangers of a literal living room? It’s golden age Disney at its finest. There’s not much in the way of story, but that’s not the point of this short. It’s just great animation fueled by years of practice and boundless imagination.

3. Get a Horse!

I remember hearing way back when this short was announced that it was supposedly one from Walt’s heyday which was lost to the ages and recently unearthed. Little could we have realized that it was merely a smokescreen – instead of an old cartoon, we were getting the first new theatrical Mickey Mouse short since Runaway Brain, one that paid tribute to the classic Mickey cartoons of old.

Since I watched Frozen more than once during its theatrical run, I had the privilege of experiencing Get A Horse as it should be: in a big dark movie theater with eye-popping 3D. It gives the perfect illusion that this crazy cartoon with characters jumping in and out and running around the theater really is happening right in front of you. Mickey and friends play around with the screen and the dimensions contained within and with-out in a way not seen since Chuck Jones’ masterpiece Duck Amuck. And having seen many, MANY classic Disney shorts before (if this list hadn’t already indicated), I could even tell where many of the sound bites used for the characters’ dialogue were lifted from. I simply don’t get it when people dismiss this short for “mocking” old school Disney when in reality it does anything but. I think this short is the epitome of what Disney is doing now with their animation, blending the best of the old with the technology and promise of the new. Also, Oswald cameo for the win!

2. The Prince and the Pauper

Talk about nostalgia. I watched this short with the same frequency as my favorite Disney movies on VHS. In fact, due to having no sense of time when I was younger, I thought this twenty minute short was about the same length as those films; it certainly flies by at the same speed. Mark Twain’s tale of royal identity switching has seen its fair share of adaptations, but this one will always be my favorite. We’ve got riveting action and phenomenal voice acting (Wayne Allwine, you were the best Mickey outside of Walt and Brett Iwan can’t hold a candle to you).

It’s also one of the most dramatic shorts in the Disney canon. Pete is at his most menacing outside of Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Scenes like where Mickey attends to the king in his final moments and the prince learns of his father’s passing carry so much weight to them. They’re framed cinematically and let you take in the gravitas. Still, that’s not to say there isn’t any comedy to be found. The Prince and the Pauper has plenty of moments that still make me laugh twenty-eight years later. It’s a short that has everything. Easily one of Mickey’s finest moments.

1. The Brave Little Tailor

If I were to point to one short that summed up everything I love about Mickey Mouse, all you need to know about him, and why he’s so great, The Brave Little Tailor would be it.

Due to a simple misunderstanding, Mickey is thrust into the role of reluctant hero, one who must face down a killer giant no less. But if most of what the previously mentioned shorts have shown, Mickey’s nothing more or less than the perfect underdog. And when he gets into action, he’s like a cartoon blend of Chaplin, Keaton and Fairbanks – not a coincidence as the former two were big influences on early Mickey. Scared though he is, he rarely panics. Instead he relies on his greatest strengths to save the day – his quick thinking, nimbleness from his diminutive stature, and his loyal, caring heart. There’s a reason why I chose this particular thumbnail for this entry. No matter how many times I see this enamored incarnation of Minnie shower her champion with kisses, making him stumble around dizzily and cheerfully cry “Whoopee! I’ll cut ‘im down to my size!” I always, always go “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww”. It’s just too adorable for words. When you’ve got someone who loves you like Minnie does, you feel like you can take on the world.

I could go on about how the scene where he’s telling the story of how he killed seven with one blow (that’s flies, by the way, not giants) has been studied by animation students and enthusiasts to the point where Junction Point Studios aspired to recreate that level of expression and fluidity when creating Epic Mickey, or how Mickey defeats the giant has been homaged in other shorts as well as the airport fight from Captain America:Civil War, or just that wonderful storybook golden age Disney feel it has from start to finish, but I won’t. By all means, seek out the short and see it all for yourself.

No matter how many times the corporate side of Disney has airbrushed Mickey’s foibles to present him as the bland, perfect company mascot, Mickey’s bravery, kindness, and penchant for attracting trouble has never been fully scrubbed away. Different voice actors, animators, story writers and financial visionaries have come and gone throughout the years, and each has presented their own unique take on the character, but there’s no mistaking the world’s most famous mouse, the one who started it all.

Happy Birthday, Mickey. Here’s to 90 more.

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My Top 20 Favorite Mickey Mouse Shorts As a lifelong Disney fan I can't understate how much of an impact Mickey Mouse has had on me.

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