#and eiffel would be SO dramatic about it and tell her she was making the worst mistake of her life and she'd be like.

[commsroom]

Your Minkowski Hallmark Christmas movies post made me consider: we know Eiffel hates Christmas, and Minkowski loves it - what is Hera's stance? My guess would be slightly bemused by it, probably disliking some elements while enjoying others, but I'm curious as to your take

that's pretty much what i think! there's a part in one of the AMAs where they're talking about the characters' ideal valentine's days, and gabriel says that hera cared more about it being eiffel's birthday than it being christmas, and that's kind of my. general philosophy about hera and holidays. she has no personal or cultural connection, so i think... if she cares about any holiday, it's going to be because the people in her life care about it and invite her to share it with them.

i think she might find it interesting for just how pervasive it is in american culture, especially the position it holds as like... a clearly religious holiday that insists it's not. i think she could probably appreciate the decorations, exchanging of gifts, etc. to some degree, but would find the media too saccharine in the wrong ways.

(@collectoroflovelythings said exposing hera to hallmark movies would give her some mixed messages about the "meaning of christmas", like, it was a religious holiday and now it's just about businesswomen learning to love...? and i thought that was funny.)

but also, the other angle of 'hera cares more about eiffel's birthday than about christmas' + 'hera would care about holidays because the people in her life care about them' is that i think she'd be willing to play into eiffel's hatred of christmas, even if she has no particularly strong feelings of her own, just because it makes him feel better to have someone on his side.

[specialagentartemis]

Something always fascinating to me is the "character who thinks they're in a different genre" phenomenon. The theme of the story you are telling determines what the right and wrong actions to take are; but the characters, reacting in-universe to the situation, don't know what story they're in, and the exact same responses can be what saves you or damns you depending on what kind of story the author is telling and what the story's message is about what life is like.

In Wolf 359, Warren Kepler approaches the mysterious and powerful aliens with threats; he kills their liaison and tries to position himself as a powerful opponent. However, he's shown to be wrong and making things worse: his preemptive aggression is unwarranted and unhelpful and bites him in the ass. The aliens want to communicate and understand humanity and share our music. It's Doug Eiffel, the pacifistic (and kind of scaredy-cat) communications officer who loves to talk and share pop culture, who talks to them and understands that the aliens are scary not because they want to kill us but because they don't understand the concepts of individuals and death. Talking to them, communicating with them, understanding where they're coming from and and bringing them to understand a human point of view, is what succeeds. Openness rather than suspicion, trust rather than aggression. Kepler thinks he's a dramatic space marine protecting the Earth from the alien threat by showing them humans are tough and can take them, but that's not the kind of story this is.

Conversely, in Janus Descending, Chel is in awe of the strange and beautiful alien world around her. She wants to touch it, understand it, get up close to it. When she sees a crystal alien dog, she wants to befriend it, despite Peter's warning. But when she gets close to it, extending her arm in greeting, it attacks her and drags her down into the cave to try to eat her. This sets the inevitable tragedy in motion. Suspicion is warranted; trust will get you killed. Because this is a sci-fi horror, with a major running thematic reading about how racism and sexism will destroy your brain and your society, and how the people who think they're too smart to be prejudiced don't see their own prejudice and will end up ruining the lives of the people they still don't fully see as equals, this kind of trust that Chel shows this strange alien is tragic. However it is also a horror story where there are very real hibernating space snakes ready to wake up and eat the fresh meat that has landed on their planet, and by being too trusting Chel has accidentally introduced herself to one.

Kepler, suspicious and ready to shoot any alien he doesn't understand, would likely have survived Janus Descending; Chel, with her enthusiasm for learning about and meeting aliens, would have been a wonderful and helpful member of the Wolf 359 crew.

In a similar manner, in Alien, Ellen Ripley yells to the rest of her crew not to bring the attacked crewmember with the alien on his face back on the ship and into the medical bay, you don't know what contamination that thing might have; she's ignored. She tells them not to let the crewmember out of quarantine even though he seems fine; she's ignored again. Ripley is the one person protesting this isn't safe, we don't know what's going on, and she is consistently ignored, until an alien bursts out of her crewmate's chest and then eats everyone and Ripley is proven to be right and also the only survivor. (And it turns out that the science officer consistently overriding her protests was an android sent by the company that contracted them, and said android was given orders to bring the alien back so the company could study it and do weapons development with it, try not to let the crew find out about it, and kill them if he had to in order to do so!)

Ripley's paranoia and mistrust of the situation was correct, because Alien is a space horror and the theme is in space no one can hear you scream (also corporations consider you expendable).

Conversely, in All Systems Red, we have a damaged and almost-combat-overridden Murderbot being brought back into the PreservationAux hab medical bay after being attacked by other SecUnits. Gurathin becomes the one person protesting this isn't safe, we don't know what's going on, he doesn't want to let Murderbot out because it's hacked and probably sabotaging them for the company contracted their security and sent it with them. Gurathin thinks he is the Ellen Ripley here! He is trying to warn his teammates not to make a dangerous mistake that will get everyone killed!

However, All Systems Red is a very different story than Alien, and Murderbot is neither a traitor on behalf of the company to sabotage them and steal alien remnants for weapons development, nor a threat to the humans - it's a friend, it's a good person, and it wants to help them against both companies willing to screw them over. Trusting it and helping it is the right thing to do and is what saves their lives. Gurathin is proven to be wrong.

If everyone on the Nostromo crew had listened to Ellen Ripley, they would still be alive (except Kane. RIP Kane), because this is a horror story about being isolated and hunted and going up against this horrifying thing that wants to kill and eat you and just keeps getting stronger. If everyone on the PreservationAux team listened to Gurathin, they would all be dead, because this is a story about friendship and teamwork and trust and overcoming trauma and accepting the personhood of someone very different from you.

Same responses. Different context. And so very different moral conclusions.

Warren Kepler was about how the brash violent over-confident approach to things you don't understand is wrong, and that openness and developing that understanding between people is what's important; Chel was about the tragedy of trust destroying a Black woman who wanted so much to believe in a world that could be kind and beautiful. Ripley was about a woman whose expertise and safety warnings were ignored and brushed aside and everyone who did so died because of it; Gurathin was about how even justified fear shouldn't mean you make someone else a scapegoat and mistrust them because they seem scary.

Sometimes you're in the wrong genre because you need to be, because the author is trying to show how not to react to the situation they set up in order to build the mood and the theme they're trying to convey.

[smutinlove]

hiii could you do a fic(carl grimes x fem!reader) where its based on the song called eyes dont lie? it could be a small suggestive/fluffy thing? and could it be set in a world where zombies dont exist?

could it be preferably short? less than 700 words??? thank you, smutinlove!!!!

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You hated going to parties with your parents, but the one thing you always enjoyed was the view. But not the view off of the Eiffel Tower, but that one-eyed, brown-haired, blue-eyed, suit-wearing man named Carl Grimes. 

Carl Grimes' parents were your parent's business partners. So, you often saw him around. But whenever you looked at him or stared back at him, his piercing and intimidating blue eyes would greet you.

But to you, he was the most beautiful man you'd ever seen. He didn't even have to try, as he already looked divine. You wished he had told you that he was yours. But you two never said anything more than the casual "hi" or "hello." It killed you to wait every week to see him, but it was always worth the wait. 

There he was, standing across the room in a corner while he secretly took a sip of wine. He hid his wine from everyone else, but you knew. 

Speaking of secrets, you've always wanted to feel his body against yours, your hands in his hair, as he rapidly and passionately kissed you hard. But that was one of many secrets that you chose to not tell a single soul. 

You felt someone tap your shoulder. You turned around and saw him. "Hey," he said with a smirk. You crossed your arms and said, "Sorry? Do I know you?" You laughed a little too hard at that. He tilted his head to the left, "You're going to regret that. So, so, fucking much, you cunt." He spat. Then he smiled and whispered something in your ears that made you blush.

"I saw the way you were looking at me. Eyes don't fucking lie, Y/N."

"Oh, our kids are finally getting along!" A voice echoed. She was truly a beautiful woman. Carl Grimes' mother was extraordinarily pretty. "Yeah!" You put an arm around him and pulled him close. "We're the greatest of friends, right, Carl?" You nudged him slightly, and he took the hint.

"The greatest," he said through gritted teeth. Lori Grimes was about to speak when someone whisked her off into God knows where with God knows who.

"Doll," he muttered. You pinched him, "I ain't your fucking doll, and you ain't my fucking friend." He gasped dramatically and inched closer towards you, "Ouch, sweets, that hurt." He whispered in your ear. He grabbed your hand, but before you could protest, he said, "Come on doll. I have something to show you." 

And curious to see what he wanted to show you, you let him take you with him.

He led you outside of the grand venue and into the big and luscious garden. The smell of roses and peonies excited you; going into big and luscious gardens wasn't new to you, but with Carl, here it was even better. 

"Doll," he said with pure lust in his eyes. "Like I said before, I'm not your fucking—" He flashed his award-winning smile and leaned in, kissing you gently. His hands tugged at your hair as he kissed you with so much passion that you were able to differentiate the words 'who' and 'whom.'

"Carl, stop, we can't—"

"I saw the way you looked at me, pretty girl. You had so much lust in your eyes. Now, I kinda wanna pin you against a wall and fuck you until you're a panting mess."

───── ❝ authors note ❞ ─────

AU2EINWSMSKEJDEIJKLMWIDEJIOA. OHHHH FOR CARL TO CALL ME A PRETTY GIRL. OHHHHHHHHHH IT WOULD MAKE ME SO HAPPYYYYYYYY OH LOVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR MY LOVER WHERE HAVE YOU GONE????? I WOULD SAVE A SEAT FOR YOU AT EVERY TABLE DARLING I WOULD OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LOVER

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

Sexiest Podcast Character — Scripted Bracket — Finals

Propaganda

Captain Isabel Lovelace (Wolf 359):

Her everything <3 But in all seriousness WHAT is more sexy than a haunted, competent, funny, cursed, vengeful, mourning, badass, doomed woman?

listen to the run and hide speech and tell me that isn't the sexiest thing you've ever heard

Hot space lady who could kill me mmm yes please!

(sort of) twice-undead space captain who wired a bomb to her heart to make sure the crew of her ship didn't kill her before her escape shuttle got working. she's funny she's a genius she knows how to use a gun and she cares very much about her crew (despite the whole bomb thing).

#LOVELACE #idk who she’s up agaunst really tbf #but she cares so SO much #she gets boiled down to ’tough scary lady hot’ a lot (which 100% agree) but #she is heartbroken about her failure to keep her crew safe #and stubbornly wants to make sure none of it is in vain #even if it kills her #HOT. ​even apart from how hot her monologues and threats to hilbert are #also her and eifel laughing and getting along when they first meet her 😭 yall #anyway. lovelace 1000%. the defense rests

Vote Lovelace cuz of the way she says "Hi honey, I'm home" to the bastard who shot her in the head, and then how she proceeds to beat him up <3 Oh. And how she twists his arm and says "good boy". Yeah.

LOVELACE SWEEP LOVELACE SWEEP GO LISTEN TO HER RUN AND HIDE SPEECH AND WEEP THAT GODDARD AERONATICS EVER KILLED HER ENTIRE CREW AND ALSO HER (she recovered) AND MADE HER THEIR ENEMY

#LOVELACE SWEEP. DO NOT FUCKING LET ME DOWN #Lovelace is so much to me #Seen some people in the notes citing the run and hide speech#Which is very good #but my personal favorite Lovelace thing is variations on a theme #The cyclical nature of trauma #The lack of trust #The fear #the sadness #‘You can never go home. You were home. And now you’re back— and you can never go back.’ #Lovelace hearing Hera say something to her and #Thinking ‘what she’s actually saying is that I’m a demon and she would be glad to kill me in a slow and horrifying manner’ #Is so #I don’t agree that Lovelace is doomed either #Like #lovelace did die. But #She got out of that pain and trauma #How do you listen to her say that she is Isabel Lovelace #That she rejects the person that pain made her to be #And say she’s doomed

captain lovelace helped 12yo me realise I like women. She’s so hot. her threatening Hilbert is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. isabel lovelace SWEEP

If you don't vote for lovelace you're all lying about supporting womens' wrongs.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I will never forgive any of you if you let Lovelace lose. She's tragic, she's haunted, she's an alien clone, she's vengeful but trying to be a better person. SHE DIDNT DIE TWICE FOR Y'ALL TO LET HER LOSE THE SEXIEST PODCAST CHARACTER TOURNAMENT. And I'm sorry. The part when (see propaganda above) she is intentionally pissing off Kepler so in the event he kills one of the hostages it's her instead of Eiffel??? Shit talking Kepler AND trying to save Eiffel's life? Serving absolute cunt. Sexiest moment of all time, actually.

Are we all forgetting that her introduction involved keeping a dead man switch for her spaceship (converted into a bomb) wired into her goddamn HEART??? Vote Lovelace or else

VOTE FOR ISABEL LOVELACE, HOTTEST WOMAN ON THIS PLANET (AND OUT OF THIS WORLD 🤘). she is everything to me , always . im head over heels

Hera (Wolf 359):

I don't care if she's an AI with no physical form, she is HOT

my digital wife <3

oh it's always "i want a hot computergirl with poor cable management to glitch on my shit" and "i want to fuck her until she bluescreens" on this website until it's time to put your money where your mouth is. i have a post about usb penetration with tens of thousands of notes. i see the things you all say. you have a hot computergirl in front of you and this is how you all repay her? you would abandon her? prove yourselves as the computer sex website; vote for hera NOW!!!

"everyone voting Hera in this round is doing it strictly because she is an AI" WRONG. INCORRECT. everyone voting for hera is doing it because she's funny and thoughtful and passionate and wears her heart on her sleeve despite all of the times people have let her down. because she's anti-authority, and that's sexy. it's sexy that she's an AI because the way she navigates being a woman in that context is inherently transgender, and THAT'S sexy, but on its own? not even like, top five most relevant things about her. self-determination? that's sexy.

VOTE FOR HERA. i'm not done. i've made the case that she would want this more, and that's true, but you should also want her. the propaganda says she doesn't have a physical form - in one sense, that's true, but she DOES have an internal self-image and the desire for physicality. most of the physical sensations she's experienced so far have been painful - think of what you could do for her. she has human desire without the means to act on it. she's the most touch starved anyone has ever been. making love to someone who can't be touched by conventional means IS inherently sexy and it IS a win for disabled trans women everywhere.

she's passionate and kind of emotionally unstable and fiercely loyal - "officer eiffel? he's your deadman's switch. if you let him die, or if you do anything that doesn't fall under the category of do no harm, i will go off. i will rain acid on your ass. i will crank the temperature in the room so high that your skin will crack, and bubble, and burn. i will vent you into space through a hole the size of a quarter. and if i am feeling very, very generous, i won't do all those things slowly." like come on!! what more do you want!!

VOTE FOR HERA. my final, last-minute appeal: her character arc is fundamentally about identity, autonomy, and being seen the way she wants to be seen. the way she navigates her identity as a woman in this context is inherently transgender, and that IS sexy. she's funny, she's passionate, she's sweet, she's been let down repeatedly by almost everyone she's ever met and she still opens her heart to people because she so badly craves connection. she's frustrated, touch starved, and pent up, and was initially rejected from service because of her impulsive, emotional, unorthodox way of thinking. i have so much more i could say on her behalf, but this IS a contest of sex appeal. thinking outside the box, breaking rules, and reaching beyond the limitations of her own form is so central to who she is. hera could come up with freak shit beyond the comprehension of the average person, and she IS enthusiastic enough to make it work.

[verymuchimmortalcat]

Magic Induced Face Blindness

For Bio Dad! Bruce Wayne Month, Prompt: Take Your Kid To Work ao3 @maribat-bdbwm

The Justice League, simply put, was having a take your kid to work day. Less simply, they were holding an event for all the teenage superheroes. So not exactly a take your kid to work day but there weren’t exactly a large number who weren’t proteges of the Justice League.

Naturally, Ladybug had been invited.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng Wayne has not stopped freaking out about it since.

And not freaking out about it in the Chat Noir way, who’s been so excited that it’s all he talks about on patrol. Freaking out as in lying face down on her floor and cursing her family. Well, mostly her dad.

“Tikki, do you think if I fake cough in front of Chat Noir a few times and tell him I’m too sick to make it he’ll believe me.”

The kwami hums from where she’s settled in Marinette’s hair. “He’ll probably believe you if you’re convincing enough but is that really necessary? What’s the worst that could happen?”

Marinette scoffs. Really, Tikki should know better than to ask such a question. “I’ll walk into the watch tower and someone will immediately figure me out.”

In her one year of being Ladybug, Marinette has learnt that even her sweet kwami does not have infinite patience and Tikki’s exasperation is obvious in her tone when she says, “Marinette. Your identity is protected with magic.”

“The JL has magic users. And I’ve known most of these people most of my life. What if one of the idiots say something so dumb and I insult them and they figure it out and then Chat Noir knows my identity causing the end of the world.”

“Don’t insult them then.”

She scoffs again, “I can’t not insult them. When have you ever not insulted Plagg?”

The ensuing silence speaks for itself but Tikki doesn’t let it go. “You should go. It’ll be good to talk to heroes other than Chat Noir and temporary holders.”

She groans. Maybe if she lies here long enough the carpet will swallow her up and then Tikki can stop trying to convince her to go. “I have most of their numbers, I can talk to them whenever I want. I do talk to them whenever I want.”

The weight on her head vanishes and she feels a poke on her forehead. Lifting her head up, she glares at the tiny goddess of luck, who glares right back. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. None of them know you’re Ladybug.”

She drops her back down to the floor and sighs. “Fine. I’ll go.”

.oOo.

Wonder Woman waves them over when she sees them enter. As the two of them make their way through the crowd, Ladybug keeps her eyes on the floor while Chat Noir’s head swivels around trying to take it all in. What an odd pair they must make.

“Robin looks like an angry kitten,” her partner comments, breaking her out her reverie.

She coughs to hide her laughter. He’s right, of course. But regardless she turns to look at Damian, who’s sulking in the corner while Jon pesters him.

She grins, “I’d kill to watch you tell him that.”

He glances at her and snorts, “Not a chance. Not with that expression on your face.”

She blinks at him, “What expression?”

“The same one you had before you threw me off the Eiffel Tower for going on about the Justice League heroes.”

She smiles at the memory, “You totally deserved it.”

He holds a hand  up to his chest, as dramatic as always, “Meowch!”

She giggles. Diana is only few steps away from them now and is looking at them with an amused expression. Smiling comes slightly easier now, a chunk of her anxiety taken away by her partner’s antics. She whispers a thanks to him before greeting Wonder Woman.

.oOo.

If Diana suspects anything, she doesn’t mention it, nor do any of the others they talk to. But they haven’t had the chance to talk to any of the bats yet. At least Dick and Jay aren’t here, they’d be the most unbearable.

“We should talk to Batgirl,” Chat Noir suggests.

Marinette freezes, magic or not Cass would be the most likely to see through her but she can’t think of a valid excuse and he’d already picked up on her earlier nervousness. If she continues being paranoid, he might start to suspect something.

“Sure,” she mutters.

He waves enthusiastically to Batgirl who offers a small smile. Her gaze lingers on Ladybug and Marinette desperately hopes Cass brushes off anything odd as general nervousness. Thankfully, Chat Noir carries much of their interaction.

He’s gesturing wildly when he accidentally hits her sister’s arm. The arm that Marinette knows was in a cast until last week. Cass doesn’t wince, of course she doesn’t but the concern bursts out of Marinette anyway. “Is your arm ok??”

Chat Noir looks confused but Batgirl is assessing her. It’s a moment before she says, “I’m fine.”

Marinette nods, simultaneously relieved and panicked. She should’ve stayed home. It’s not too late to fake sickness, after all she has been acting particularly odd. When Spoiler calls Batgirl away, Ladybug visibly relaxes. Chat Noir gives her an odd look but he doesn’t say anything. Yet. She’s sure by the time they finish talking to her entire family, he’s going to think she’s lost her mind.

.oOo.

She’s mostly calmed down after her slip up with Cass when they somehow end up talking to Jon and Damian. Well, it’s not exactly talking as much as Robin and Chat Noir antagonising each other. Jon looks torn between interrupting and watching it play out. Marinette on the other hand wishes she had a bucket of popcorn and a valid reason to record their exchange.

When Damian calls the Parisian superhero, “a mangy alley cat,” Marinette snorts out loud and says, “I thought you liked cats?”

Damian stares at her, she can see his hand inching towards his katana as he asks, “How would you know that?”

Play it cool, Marinette.

She shrugs, “You just seem like a cat person. Also, I vaguely remember reading something of the kind on twitter once.”

Both of them know most things about the Bats on social media are deleted almost as soon as Oracle can get to it but people still do see them. He relaxes slightly but Marinette knows he’s wary of her.

Really, why did she let Tikki talk her into this?

.oOo.

Sometime later, Bart finds her in a corner. She’d left Chat Noir saying she needed a break and she could see him as he was talking excitedly with Steph.

“Heydoyoumindansweringaquestionforustosettleanargument?” he asks pointing at the rest of what was once Young Justice (or rather the still active members). Holding back a smile, she considers it for a moment. How wrong could it go? Actually, knowing them any thing and everything that could go wrong would go wrong but her curiosity takes over. Tim’s friends have the most amusing arguments after all.

Bart is bouncing back and forth, waiting for her answer. When, she agrees, he cheers and drags her over to their little group. He doesn’t question how she caught what he was saying instantly or how she’s totally fine even after being carted off with super speed regardless of the distance.

Thankfully, Tim is too busy arguing with Kon to notice.

“I have a solution,” Bart announces, “We ask Ladybug to be the tie breaker.”

And because when they’re together they tend to act on a single functioning braincell, all four of them turn to her at once and Cassie asks, “Do you think having several backup fake identities is necessary?”

Ah, not a new argument then. Honestly, she does. She’s suddenly even more grateful that Chat Noir isn’t with her. “I mean you do need something to fall back on if your go to identity is accused of art theft.”

Tim doesn’t have time to register the jab at him before Kon and Cassie start to rejoice loudly and Marinette slips away before they can drag her into their next argument.

.oOo.

Back in her room, after the event, Marinette sighs. “Well, that was interesting.” Her conversations with the others had gone perfectly well. It was extremely likely that Chat Noir wouldn’t dwell on her mistakes with Batgirl and Robin, and he hadn’t been there when she spoke to Tim. Regardless, she’s never doing that again. Chat Noir can go alone.

Her phone rings and she answers the video call to see a bunch of worried faces.

“Is something wrong?”

“You need to look into Ladybug,” her father states. 

She frowns, “Why?”

“It’s possible Ladybug knows our identities and is a threat.”

Her jaw drops, “What?” 

Marinette remains in semi shock throughout Tim’s explanation. He ends with, “If you need help any of us would be glad to come.”

“Dibs on helping Nettie!” Steph calls finally snapping Marinette out of her shock. Damn, Tikki had been right about the magic. World’s greatest detectives and this was the conclusion they came to?

She glances at Tikki once, making sure she has the kwami’s support in this decision. When Tikki nods Marinette let’s herself laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

It also ends the argument ongoing on the other end of the call. All of them stare at her in confusion until she finishes laughing. Once she’s finally calmed down she asks, “ A room full of detectives and that’s the best you come up with?”

Her father frowns, “Marinette, what-”

“Did it not occur to any of you that I’m Ladybug?”

She bursts into laughter at their startled expressions. Hurrying to take a screenshot and making sure to send it to Babs.

She is so going to lord this over them for at least the next few years.

[mc-lukanette]

Ladybug's gaze was delicate and warm as she pulled out her yoyo. Luka watched in awe as she opened it, her hand reaching into the sparkling pink portal and procuring a full bouquet of flowers from inside.

"Tikki, spots off," she whispered to herself.

A light washed over her, changing her from Ladybug to the song in his head: Marinette. She looked down, her free hand running along the bouquet affectionately.

"I love you, Luka," she confessed, holding out the bouquet and smiling softly at him. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

He must've heard this at least a dozen times by now, yet it never ceased to take his breath away. She said it so genuinely that he couldn't even begin to doubt her, and the moonlight shining off of her to set the scene only made it better.

But then, he woke up to the ceiling of his room just like every other time. Also just like every other time, he felt briefly disoriented because of how real the dream had felt.

Every one of them was similar: different words to the same tune. The setting would always be different, from a beach to the Liberty to a fancy restaurant that two teenagers definitely couldn't afford, and then Marinette would confess and tell him that she's Ladybug, or vice versa. Most of them didn't make sense, yet it made him feel weirdly excited as if he'd actually been confessed to.

Juleka even commented on it, seeing his involuntary smile and wondering aloud what he must've been dreaming of in order to look so happy. He couldn't explain it to her, not understanding the frequency of the dreams nor why he was imagining Ladybug being Marinette.

At least, not until the next time he'd been called upon as Viperion.

——-

"Pound it!" Viperion exclaimed alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir, the three of them fist-bumping in celebration of their victory. Almost on cue, Chat's ring started to beep, indicating his inevitable detransformation.

"Better get going, Chat Noir," Ladybug warned.

Chat bowed to her, the usual flirtatious smirk on his face. "Oh, don't worry about me, bugaboo, we won't be apart for long! I'll see you again soon—" He tilted his head up at her and winked. "—in your dreams."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and waving him off. "I definitely haven't seen you there."

"You haven't given me your address yet!" he argued playfully. "You don't even need to open the door for me. I'll come in through the cat door!"

"Your head's too big to fit anyway." She sighed. "Anyway, we've been over this, Chat. You're not my dream partner."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess the Miracle Box didn't get the memo yet!"

Viperion didn't know what possessed him to ask, "Dream partner?"

Chat turned to him, practically bouncing at the opportunity to answer, and gestured dramatically to Ladybug. "My lady became guardian of the miraculouses, so—"

"Chat, timer," Ladybug cut in, this time more strictly as she placed her hands on her hips.

He pouted in response, lingering for another moment, but another beep from his miraculous convinced him to finally turn and hop away.

Ladybug shook her head, exasperated, then turned to Viperion with a frown. "Sorry about him. The guardian of the miraculous has a dream partner of their choice to communicate with in case anything happens. I think he's jealous that he's not sharing dreams with me."

"Oh." That was all he could say at first. "They choose a partner of their own?"

"The old guardian didn't completely explain it," she replied, a hand to her cheek in thought. "But maybe? For him, it was the woman he loved and trusted; he probably didn't even have to think about it."

Viperion swallowed. There was always the possibility that he was wrong, but...

——-

"Am I your dream partner?" he questioned the Marinette in his dreams, as they stood atop the highest platform of the Eiffel Tower.

It was a stupid question when he really thought about. Not only did Ladybug not react noticeably to him when he asked her about dream partners, but if he was simply dreaming, then it would only make sense for Marinette to respond positively to him. He couldn't fully determine the truth in that way, but he'd already stuck his foot into it, so he committed.

She ended up blinking in surprise at him, not replying immediately. Had he said nothing, he suspected she might've built up to a confession, but he'd thrown her off significantly from that.

"H-huh? My... dream partner?" She wordlessly asked him to clarify.

"We talked about it when I was Viperion," he replied, hoping that being more specific might help figure out whether this Marinette was the real one or something he'd dreamed up.

"Why—" She paused, squinting in thought and staring down at the ground. When she looked back up at him, she seemed hesitant. "I'm dreaming, right? Of you?"

"I'm dreaming too," he replied. "...Marinette?"

She gaped, then glanced down at her hands before reaching out and grasping his arm. "Do you feel that?"

He nodded. It was faint, and he honestly hadn't thought about it before, but he could feel her in a sort of ethereal way.

Marinette's hand shook against him, though he couldn't say for certain if she was nervous or not given the way her face also turned pink.

Then, without warning, he lost hold of the feeling of the hand on his arm, the dream rapidly dissipating around him. He caught sight of Marinette covering her face to suppress a scream before he was back in his room, shocked out of his sleep as if he'd been dropped from a small height.

Just as he was recovering, his phone started to vibrate and Marinette's contact image popped up on the screen. He glanced over at Juleka to make sure she was still asleep, then slipped out of bed and left the room so he could answer the call.

After accepting it, he held the phone to his ear and greeted quietly, "Hello?"

"Um," came Marinette's anxious voice, "...hey, so—uh, sorry to call you so late, but..."

He ascended the stairs as she fumbled for words, his feet taking him above deck so he was less likely to be heard by anyone. "Yes?"

"Did you—well, funny story. I had a dream and, um, you were there? And we were up on the Eiffel Tower? And you told me..."

She'd trailed off and he could tell that she was hoping for him to continue, too nervous to be wrong. He confirmed, "I had the same dream."

"...Oh." Her swallow was audible. "So, you're my dream partner."

"It—" He breathed, the thought making his heartbeat pick up. "It sounds like it."

"And I've been—oh my gosh." She whined loudly, her voice muffled like she covered her mouth with her free hand. "So I've been practicing confessing to the real Luka this whole time?!"

Ah. Luka honestly hadn't even thought about that. He'd been so focused on the whole Marinette being Ladybug and potentially sharing a dream with someone that the fact of the real Marinette had been confessing to him every night was only just now occurring to him.

Suddenly, his face felt extremely hot against the chilly night air.

"I'm so sorry!" Marinette cried out. "I'll—I'll compensate you!"

"...What?" He was brought out of his thoughts by the comment. "For what?"

"For making you my dream partner! And confessing so much! Now—" She gasped. "And now you're in danger! If Hawk Moth—"

"Marinette," Luka cut her off. His instinct was to comfort her and deal with the whole feelings part later. "He doesn't know. He doesn't have any way of knowing."

"But he has the book about the miraculouses! If it's in there—"

"Maybe it's not? I don't know anything about it, but if it's about miraculouses and not guardians, maybe it's not there." He stepped into the cabin to sit down and avoid the chill. "If it is, we can figure something out."

"How do you know?" she asked, voice growing more anxious. He was touched that she cared so much for him even if he hated that it was causing her distress.

"Because it's you."

"You mean... Ladybug?" Her voice sounded strange when she said the name: clearly, she didn't have anyone to talk about her identity with.

He shook his head even if she couldn't see. "No. I mean Marinette. I know you can beat Hawk Moth, no matter what happens."

"L-Luka..."

"I didn't tell you what I did at the music studio just to make you feel better. You stood up for my music and saved me and countless other people from being akumatized. I've seen it on stage myself whenever I'm Viperion. Your Lucky Charms aren't easy to figure out, but you manage it every time."

"...And you're okay with that?" There was a shifting sound like she was moving around on her bed. "Being my dream partner, looking out for me..."

"Of course I am." He smiled, hoping it came across in his voice. "I would've been okay with it even if you didn't return my feelings."

She squeaked. "Y-yeah, right. You, and me—we both—" She stopped abruptly, as if something had occurred to her. "...Oh."

"What is it?"

"Dating might be hard," she admitted regretfully. "If I'm Ladybug and anything happens, then I'll have to leave."

"That doesn't bother me." He'd expected it, actually. "We have our dreams, don't we?"

"You'd date me in our dreams?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You've already shown me that we can go wherever we want, and this way we don't have to worry."

There was a pause, followed by Marinette giggling, then outright laughing. He grinned at how positively delighted she sounded at the suggestion. It was just simple to him: he loved her, she loved him, and they both wanted a relationship. It was only logical to accept the limitations that came with that.

Plus, dating in a shared dream felt very chaotic: very Couffaine. If his mother knew, she'd be proud of it.

"O-okay," she relented once she'd calmed down. "But I have to confess to you in the regular world first!"

"Deal," he said easily, already writing a happy song in his head at the prospect.

"Then I can take you somewhere special if I'm the one in control," she mused. "We could maybe go to a concert, just like our first time!"

He was about to respond in kind, but paused when something occurred to him. He squinted at nothing, struggling with the apparent gap in his memory, but eventually had to admit, "I...I'm sorry, Marinette. I don't remember that one."

"You don't?" She sounded puzzled rather than offended. "That's—ah, wait..."

There was an embarrassed choking noise from the other line that wordlessly told Luka that he hadn't forgotten or made an error.

"I...I just realized why I didn't know you were my dream partner until now," she said sheepishly, her voice raising in pitch. "I-I might, uh... I might've been dreaming about you even before I became guardian?"

It was Luka's turn to choke. She was too much.

"L-Luka?!" she called out in alarm.

"I love you," he blurted out, because no matter how absolutely unfair of her it was to say things that would keep him awake when they could only date in their dreams, it was true.

"W-wha? I-I mean, I love you too!" she exclaimed, then added in alarm, "Wait, did that count as a real world confession? Does over the phone count? Ah, I have to start looking for a place we can date!"

She was still rambling when the call cut off. He could only guess that she'd ended it by accident when she fumbled to open her phone's browser.

Unable to stop his smile, Luka went for the nearest guitar. If neither of them were going to sleep in their excitement, he could at least ready something to play for her the next time they saw each other.

Whether it was in their dreams or not didn't matter to him.

[hephaestuscrew]

Here’s another Minkowski & Eiffel ficlet, set at the end of Need to Know. You can read it on AO3 here if you’d prefer.

By now, it's a habit so ingrained that Minkowski does it without thinking. In moments of crisis, or when she faces a difficult decision, the relevant DSSPPM tips rise to the front of her mind without conscious effort. Often, she doesn't  register that she's panicking until her brain offers up extracts from the manual as a response. She knows Eiffel would mock her for this coping mechanism if he knew about it. She can easily picture the affectionate smirk that would play across his face as he'd tease her.

After she reads that Eiffel was convicted of kidnapping and child endangerment, she thinks: 874. Ignorance is bliss. Bliss is to be avoided at all times during active rotation. She wouldn't characterise her time on the Hephaestus as anything akin to bliss, but her previous ignorance of this particular information certainly felt a hell of a lot better than the knowledge of it. If she were a good Commander, she'd want to know the truth no matter how unpleasant, but right now she just wishes desperately that she could successfully obey Tip 391. Forget what you’ve been told. Preferably after you’ve done whatever we told you to do.

She hasn't been told to do anything, which means she's got to figure out the next step on her own. There are only really two choices: talk to him about it or don't. She tells herself she's going to do the former, to confront things head on. But then he apologises to her, for something so entirely trivial compared to the crime he apparently committed. And she doesn't know how to reconcile these two versions of him.

There's Eiffel, the man she's known for over two years, who just said sorry for not keeping her in the loop about developments on the station, who hates spiders and loves pizza, who talks in pop culture references and stupid jokes, who tries so hard to make her crack a smile in the midst of this nightmare, who tells her to look after herself, who always argues against hurting anyone (even those who might deserve it), who has saved her life more than once, who she knows would do whatever he could if she was in danger again. And then there's the person in that leaked file, a person who is guilty of kidnapping and child endangerment, a person she doesn't know at all.

She thinks of all the times she's thought she might lose him; that possibility felt like a gun to her own head. This is a different way of losing him, one she hadn't even known to fear. The version of him she's had in her head is being ripped away from her, not by a virus or a bomb or the dangers of space, but by the truth about his own past.

340. Protect yourself from dramatic and/or ironic twists. If something seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. This revelation is the dramatic twist to punish her for failing to follow that tip. Eiffel has never been a perfect crewmate, but she supposes it was still too good to be true, that she would have anyone on this hellscape of a station whom she could trust completely.

She trusts Hera and Lovelace, of course she does, but she has seen both of them nearly kill a man (not that she really blames them, given that it was Hilbert both times). And if Eiffel - often the sole proponent of Team What's Wrong With Handcuffs - is a kidnapper… Then perhaps there's no one within 8 lightyears whom she can totally depend upon to do the right thing.

622. Keep no secrets. You may be told lies. That one isn't completely relevant. He never actually lied to her about this. She would have known if he had; he's the worst liar she's ever met. The truth is she never asked him about his life before the mission, the same way he never asked whether she was married. Perhaps she never asked because she understood he didn't want to talk about it. Or perhaps, deep down, some part of her knew that there was something awful in his past, something she'd rather not know. But she never would have guessed this kind of awfulness. If she'd thought about it, she would have expected it was something awful that had happened to him, not something awful that he'd done. Those aren't mutually exclusive, she reminds herself.

Maybe it's a trick, or a mistake. Maybe he was wrongly convicted. She wants to hope it isn't true, but a memory that she's spent months repressing resurfaces: Hilbert asking Eiffel if he was afraid that she'd find out how he ended up on the Hephaestus. There was true fear in Eiffel's voice when he cut Hilbert off, and true shame on his face when he told Minkowski to drop it. It wasn't the response of an innocent man.

"What about you, Lieutenant? Are you going to care?" Jacobi asks. Nothing in the DSSPPM, nothing in her training, nothing she's ever experienced, can tell her how to answer that question. It’s all down to her, and a man she'd thought she knew, and a truth she wishes she didn't.

537. Trust your fellow crew members with your life.

538. But no further.

Yet another tip she didn't follow. She's trusted Eiffel not only with her life, but also with a piece of herself, of how she understands the world, of how she gets through life on the Hephaestus without falling apart. And if that piece is crumbling away, how can she not care?

[muffindaddystyles]

Tell me you love me, before I go.

A/N: A very short smutty writing I had in my swirling whole night, which unapologetically I ended up writing in the wee hours of dark.

Summary: Harry and Y/N are rivals -- very passive aggressive enemies. When on a mission Y/N breaks into his room he had no choice but to punish her.

AU: Rivals to lovers, dark sci-fi, angry rough sex, spanking and spitting, reassurance kink and unrequited love.

A war between two groups. Left one with nothing but a tech base and other with almost everything. So the Arsonists raid the Phantoms' buildings to steal food items and necessary fuels for their people since they're mostly unarmed due to lack of weapons they try to use their brain as much as possible. 

Y/N works in one of the tech bases of Arsonists and right now she's standing with her five more mates trying to figure out how to break through these large gates of the villain's building, one of his most strong headquarters. 

They've to collect some data before another truck of fuel arrives for Phantoms next Wednesday so they could have access to it without doing much effort. 

Once sneaking in successfully because the two guards were too muddled in gossiping their arsess about their maiden. The building's nothing too extravagant, sleek and able to live, dimmed to an unpleasant light indicating everyone inside it is sleeping. 

She barges into the villain's room easily and almost had all the information in her hands from his drawers when the door to the room banged close, startling her at spot and the frames of her glasses fell on the carpeted floor. 

"Shit." 

"D'ya think cursing would take ye' out of here? if so you're down bad" Her heart sinks in when his cold insensate voice booms within the walls — a heavy boot comes crushing her glasses, again and again mercilessly. 

Her blood boils. Because, what the fuck. Doesn't he have any manners? 

"Do you think I need my glasses to punch the shit out of you, you prick!!" She pounced at him, almost breaking his nose into a splitted eiffel tower but he dodged it, twisting her wrists at her back and snatching the files from her sneering menacingly —- letting her painful grunts fly over his head without any remorse. 

"Well, well." She yelps when he tightens his grip angrily, "Look what cat dragged in come little mousey we're going to have some fun." She didn't know until now that someone could be this strong as he puts her in a chair like a rag doll binding her with no escape out. 

She tries to squirm and wriggle her butt out but he just tuts standing tall and evil in front of her, she rakes her gaze slowly up to his tanned biceps and clavicles popping from underneath his flimsy shirt, matted curls grazing his shoulders. 

"Oh no, trust me sweetheart, you're going to want to stay strapped in here. We're going to find out how many times an Arsonist can break –- and for the fact my people will kill you on the spot if you step out of my room." Shiver runs down her body from fear and he chuckles, flopping onto the edge of his bed, man spreading, leaning onto the heels of his palms behind him. 

"You're pathetic!" She spits out. Full of venom. 

"Pfft, a thief telling me that 'm pathetic." He shakes his head and she's despising his audacity as if he rules the world. She could kick him square in his sexy face but the thing's she's bound to this damn uncomfy chair. 

"Atleast, I don't go on killing people." She grumps and it's like she pushed a button when his irises turn pitch dark. Her eyes widen in astonishment, reeking with fear when he leaves his spot in a thunder striding towards her furiously and drags the chair closer to him, almost lifting it inches above floor. 

The next thing she knows that a gun is resting against her temple ready to be fired, "Ye' really that desperate fo' me to prove it to you, huh?" He growls, hooded gaze following the gun that's sliding down her cheek and the way her breath wavers —- lips trembles, nose twitches he knows he's fucked. 

"Will it hurt?" If she's going to die it better be an easy way. 

His eyes soften at that. Taking in the rosy features of her, the plushiness and squishiness of her skin that his fingers feels like dipping into cream. The women of Phantom aren't like this; they're built differently to fight and kill who wrongs them -- they're almost heartless at this point. 

"Dunno, You'll get to know after taking one." He shrugs like it's not a biggie tipping her chin with the gun's pointer and her eyelids slip shuts. She couldn't cry. Even her dead body wouldn't forgive her if she would cry infront of her worst enemy for the last time. 

"I hate you, Harry. I'd never ever forgive you for kidnapping my cat when we were small." There she said it. If she's gonna die soon she better let it off her chest. Before it could hit him right in the wound he builds a shield fast arguing back with a stoic chuckle. 

"Guilt tripping wouldn't help, darling." He tuts patting her cheek with the gun's barrel —- funny case it's empty of bullets. He just shooted all of them whilst doing target practice. 

"Fuck you." She yells. 

"It'd take much more action than just undressing me naked with your bare eyes." He squeaks dramatically. Stepping away and pouts when she huffs trying to kick her feet in his direction. 

"Not my fault that you're a perv." 

He pouts feigning fake disappointment putting a hand on his chest, "You're such a grudge holder." 

"Think about 10 ways to fuck me until then 'm heading to make amends for you -- see what they offer in return of their precious nerd." He smirks, it's sad such a gorgeous face could be such evil she thinks. 

// 

When he comes back she's fallen asleep from getting tired and exhausted being trapped in the same spot for hours, "Sorry, peaches but they don't want you back –- even told me to kill you if that what it ta —- oooh" He halts in his tracks closing the door behind him quietly not to wake her up and pads softly towards her, putting her dangling head back gently in a comfortable position and tucks a strand of her hair that's tickling her nose behind her ear. 

You're not supposed to act that way with your enemy, you FUCKER. 

His brain screams but his heart says otherwise. 

She has changed. She never cries anymore. Everytime they kidnapped her or she ended up being caught from his henchmen —- she'd always need company to make her feel less frightened from the hollowness of their buildings, would cry when they'd lock her up in dark rooms. 

It's awfully hurtful how once bestfriends turns into rivals just because of a conflict that ruined their and their families lives. 

She has been doing all of this for people who doesn't even care about her. They're using her and many others like her to build a nuclear power plant so they could become intimidating. 

He retires to sleep. Debating in his sleep whether he should just free her and tell her to sleep in one of the rooms of the buildings but soon the possibilities died when he was high in his slumber. 

// 

He groans, knuckling the sleepiness away from his eyes. He woke up from loud the thumping and found Y/N trying to break the door knob, he winces covering his ears when she screams watching him lunge towards her in rush. 

His chocolate curls bouncing atop his head. His emerald eyes speaking with morning's gold and lips ripe like cherry. His brows kinked in annoyance and expression pinched in rage. 

"You're confident." He rasps out in his morning husk and slams his hands on either side of her head trapping, cornering her between him and the wall.

"Did you really think it was going to be this easy." He nothing but purres, pushing her against the door. She gasps abruptly aware of their height differences moreso the radiation of power he daunts that she ignored her whole life. 

"Hmm." He hummed. Eyes black with intimidation burning her under the intensity of it, he keeps his focus on her, smirking. "It suits you. This trying to fight me, desperation is a beautiful look on you." 

"Fuck you." 

"I mean if, ask nicely." His smile is sweetly honey and lethal if you ask me. 

She glares at him with blazing daggers, "This isn't the way you make people love you." Her chest heaving with his heat close to her and his scent enveloping her. 

"Love?" He laughs fondly even, crinkled forming by his eyes and he breathes out when she hovers her dry lips over his's, "Sweet thing this isn't about love — if ye ask me far from that." He's lying. He's full of bullshit. 

"And yet you don't touch me or hurt me." She squints her eyes up at him wrecking her brain how to slip away from his hold, "If you beg so." He simpers awfully lewd for her. Sure as rock for what he said with his whole chest. 

"Come get me then!" She trips him aside and rushes for the door when he pushes her into it tightening his hand around her throat, it's aching him to tell her the truth but he wants to let her know her worth. He rests his forehead against her's muttering a rumble deep within his chest, "They don't want you Y/N." Her windpipes squeezes painfully. The statement punching her lungs. Tears springing in her eyes. 

"You're lying!!" She looks up at him shattered and desperate. 

He caresses his knuckles against her tear stained cheek, "Shh, shh baby I'll always want you even if they don't — " He jerks back when she blows hit at his brawny chest yelling at him. 

"It's because of you!! You, you, you." He sighs. Grabbing her wrists and pining them above her head, "Shut up, please." His chillness irks her more and she nips at him feastly. 

"Make me." So he does. When her eyes drift up at his determined ones it takes her breath away and she knew it was over for her. 

His lips catches her's in a hard kiss, driving them apart with the force of it. Nothing gentle mind mushing about it rather pricking needles into her skin with the severeness of it. She feels the door rattling against her back when he shifts, pushing her against it with his hips, every thought of her exploding into white noise of want and lust. The dark curl of desire twisting in her stomach and pearling sweat on her neck. With the last thread of restraint in herself she tries to pull away. 

"No." He says bringing her lips back to his's. Cupping her cheeks to deepen the kiss and it's ardent as before not loosing it's spark, she slips her hands under his shirt — pulling him closer and the low groan at the back of his throat, a small pleading noise of want sets her skin on fire. 

"Fuck me."  She mewls. Trying to latch on his body like a kitten with it's dainty paws. 

He glides his clammy palms down her bum and grabs her thighs wrapping them around his waist. Not breaking the kiss but tasting ever dulcet corners of her mouth and creating heavenly noises. 

The next thing they know she's crawling back with the help of her bum to settle in the nest of pillows and he's fumbling with his belt buckle quite aggressively, she tugs the hem of his shirt down not satiated enough from having his lips on her and meanders her fingers in his hair to pull at them roughly in order to flush her chest up against his's.

"Never thought your sheets would have smelled other than sex." Because, genuinely. They smell that of fresh mint and roses. 

"So, you think of me doing dirty on this bed you're laying at the moment?" He asks mock and degradation evident in his tone, "D'ya get wet dreamin' 'bout me railin' ye' to death?" He grazes his teeth along her jaw and sucks at her earlobe counting in her silence. 

"Shut up." She gasps, probably from the abrupt press of his bulge against the inside of her thigh. 

"Make me then." He growls. Fisting the hem of her hoodie and pulls it over her head throwing it among his skinny jeans. Her head falls back and lips tremble from the effect of slap he landed at her outer thigh —-- she knows she can't shut him.

Though he knows that her single command and he'd be at his knees for her. 

When she clings to him for dear life and whimpers in his ear softly, his eyes widen in realization and he leans away to watch her expressions diffuse into manifold emotions. His nose scrunches up and he holds back his cooes for her. 

She's a subby. A cute one. 

Her eyes blink open to the sight of him out of his boxers and it waters her mouth —- her mind manipulating her to lunge forward and take his heavy member in her palm to give a good suck to his shiny crimson head. 

Down her throat. Nestle her nose against the trim patch of hair under his balls. 

"Like what y'see, doll?" He highers his chin quite smug about her staring and she hates him for that, "Pretty cocky for someone who likes staring at his enemy's tits." Her voice groggy. She wheezes a squeak through her nose when Harry pulls his shirt over his head revealing toned pecs and abs -- skin sewn with tats. 

Unfortunately, she doesn't get to stare at it for longer when that shirt comes wrapping around her eyes blocking her sight. 

He can never let her have nice things would he?

"Wanted to gag your mouth with it … but I'd rather love hearing you moan fo' daddy." He nips at her collarbones -- sucking it harshly to leave a prominent mark. His calloused hand rubs over her tummy smiling against her skin when she jolts and lets a little squeal slip. 

His cock drips precome at her tummy and her breath shudders into heavy pants when the tip of his cock dipped in her belly button nudging it. 

"Ha —- " He glides his sticky head down her happy trail and slips his large palm into her panties cupping her with his middle finger teasing her entrance, "Couldn't hear you!" He ducks down to put his ear near her lips and drums the pads of his digits against her cheek. 

She huffs and squirms for a second then moans breathily when he spanks the side of her hip leaving a sting, "Oh my god, daddy." His grin victorious and he lowers down to smudge his lips against her parted ones -- kissing her tongue and humming around it. 

She's somewhere it's hard to configure out, in between paradise and wonderland. 

"Tell me princess, what d'I do with you in your filthy dreams?" He grabs her jaw patching gentle pecks against her lips and he slops his finger into her throbbing pussy, "Fuckin' drippin' down ye' bum fo' me." She cries out trying to hook her thigh around him but he hisses slapping her cunt hardly -- turning her into a thrashing mess. She's trying hard to suppress the bitter-sweet sensation of her own body getting out of control and her glistening pussy lips flutter erratically creating sloppy noises. 

She squirts drenching the sheets underneath them and her panties. 

He slides his arm under her arching back pushing her up against his chest with a jerk, "Daddy's askin' you somethin'." He grits, propping his knee in between her thighs to rub it against her soaking centre. 

She gulps, licking her dry lips, "You–your rings … ah!" Her whimpers are muffled against his chest and he twists his thumb in tight circles to smear her wetness from her slit to clitoris, "What 'bout them, doll?" 

How does she tell him she liked what he did earlier. 

"Daddy, please … " She whines blindly searching for his face but he grips her wrists in his one hand and groans, "How's daddy gonna make you feel good when you don't tell him, pet?" He takes a kitten lick of her perky nipple. Teasing her areola with the tip of his cold tongue against her warm sweaty body —- he laps at it hungrily then creates a suckling noises, the noises, his slobbery tongue on her body, his fingers curled inside her pussy and the thick humidity is too overwhelming, she feels like fainting. 

She wants him, inside her needy pussy. 

She can't take the teasing anymore. 

"Spanking! I – I liked it when you did it, please." He kisses her nipple for the last time before smashing his mouth against her's in a fervent sinfulness and parts away with a smooching noise to sit back on his heels, "It wasn't that hard was it? Just a word and I could give you my whole world." The sincerity in his voice makes her want to hug him and kiss him for lifetime but for now he has other plans as he rips her panties away moaning obscenely gruff at the sight of her pussy weeping for him to pound his cock inside her, so ready and full of dripping honeyed wetness  for him. 

"Your safe word is clouds." He whispers in her ear. He knows her limits and her resistance but by any chance he'd cross it he'd never forgive himself, "What's it?" He asks and she says in wavering, "Clouds." 

"Atta girl." He pets her cheek. 

Her nail scratches the side of his hands that are pinning her down when he spits on her already damp cunt, a loud noise resonates along with her needy cries when his free hand adorned in jewels came spanking her pussy and her pelvis remains lifted in air bathing in the sting of metal and the throb rattling in her whole core. 

"This's what you wanted?" He kisses his teeth slapping her slick clit again and again, "To be roughed up by daddy, hmm." She bobs her head squirming and wriggling. Her words struck in her throat. 

"To be manhandled." He hums a growlish moan tasting his own fingers coated in her juices, "I'll show you what being manhandled really feels like." He promises her. She gasps a sweet yelp when he flips her over and throws her bum up.

His cock rubbing against her thigh and her heartbeat fastens, anticipating something, crimping the sheets in her fists and mewls into the mattress when he spanks her ass loving the way it jiggles stroking it afterwards to subside the burn down before landing another brutal one. 

She bolts her eyes shut throwing back her hips at him and he lays all the way over her back pushing her down on the bed, her cum trickling down the inside of her thigh, "Want daddy's cock?" He asks. Slicking the head of his prick up and down her asshole and slit. 

When she nods vigorously he bumps it in furious circles against her swollen bundle of nerves, "Then beg fo' it," He says intimidatingly and she doesn't waste a second before blabbering shamelessly. 

"Daddy … please I want your massive cock inside me, all of it." In her entire lifetime -- she never once uttered these kind of words. 

His heart mushes into a puddle seeing her a babbling mess and grabby hands for him, he kisses her gently speaking to her with foremost affectionate, "shh, shh moppet. You could have it anytime you want it, daddy's g'na fill you to rim with his cum and make you keep it there for hours with his prick still snug inside your little pussy, just made for him, c'mere...yeah just like that." He lays her back gently that her front is facing him now and wraps his hand around her calve raising it and pushing it against her chest firmly.

A series of pornographic moans and whimpers echoes in his bedroom when he seathes inside her slowly stretching her out in by inch leaving a burn behind her pulsating walls, their breath laboured breaths mingling, "Fuck you're so warm baby —-- hugging daddy's cock so good." He whines looking down where they're connected and knotted. His stomach twists and turns, his hips stiffens and he resists from pushing inside her when she's not ready but her milking him with her wetness isn't doing him any mercy too. 

She gropes his ass, nudging him to move and their teeths clanks, temples falls against eachother and lips whisper prayers of their unrequited love when he pulls all the way back to pound back inside her roughly. 

"You're daddy's good girl, making him feel so good. I want to keep you to myself. all of you and cherish you, make love to you, w'na mark you however I want." He groans eyes rolling back under his closed lids grinding his hips against her's in rhythmic pleasuring motions to give her clit stimulations and she cries out feeling another bursting orgasm bubbling in her tummy. 

"'M gonna cum, daddy!" She tugs at his roots and he drives more maniacly inside her, "Squirt around daddy's cock pet, so your pussy could swallow it deeper inside you." The headboard of bed hits against the wall vigorously and she digs her heels deeper into the dimples at his back moaning at the top of her lungs when she gushes all over his dick making more squelching, soapy, dirty noises of him raming inside her. 

She desires for more. 

She has become one little insatiable thing. 

His balls smacks against her bum and his thursts turn faster to chase his high, "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He curses nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck and keeps his hand around his throat with the slight pressure of claimation. 

"Come fo' me again." He spanks her ass and she clamps shut down at him pushing him to the edge of ecstasy, "Squeezing me so tight -- gimme more, I know you can princess." Her legs tremble around his waist when she crampies around him and his cock's head strokes against her sweet spot doing wonders to just topple her off real quick. 

"Daddy!" She feels floaty and foggy head coming on his cock for the many times she has forgotten. Her mind blocking out even the weak shuddering whimpers and beaten moans of Harry as he reaches his orgasm unloading inside her -- his cum sticking thickly to her walls and some of it oozing outside of her pussy hole but he pumps it back with lazy strokes. 

He lifts his smushed face from the dip of her neck, his own curls sweaty against the nape of his neck and he smoothes his palms down her sides to calm her, his lips brushing featherly against the corner of her mouth as she keeps on blabbering something. 

When he tries to pull out gently she cries out pawing at his shoulders, "Daddy no!" He caresses her sweaty hair back and gets rid of her blindfold, pecking her nose sweetly. 

He wants to take care of her. He yearned to have her like this for years. He has to bring her back from her sub-space before it's too late. 

"It's no daddy anymore, petal. I'll crush you in this position — " Carefully he tries to retreat but stop when she says in a very dejected feeble voice, bottom lip wobbling and tears springing at the corners of her eyes, "You don't want me too?" OH NO. This's what Harry was afraid about. A breakdown. He saw the storm coming but didn't know it could be this worst right when she's in her sub-space. 

His face pales at that. His state in frenzy and panic. 

"No bubba. I want you my precious girl -- s'just you're gonna get tired like this, hmm. 'N I have so much to show you and make you meet new people -- couldn't have me baby walkin' on her wobbly legs for whole day could I?" He cups her cheeks tenderly and smiles down at her warmly smothering her in devoted kisses. 

"Promise, daddy?" She sniffles staring up at him with doe innocent eyes and he shakes his head, "Harry sweet angel, come back to me moppet." He keeps his gaze locked with her's, gliding his thumb delicately against her cheeks and seals his promise with a kiss. 

"Promise." 

She lets him pull out and he shushes her wrecked whimpers with his lips. Falling to side with a large puff of breather and embraces her with his arm slinged around her shoulders protectively and she hides her face in his chest, mumbling incoherent things and he tries to stay with her emotionally and physically much as possible -- assuring her and soothing her with his sweet nothings. 

"Harry." She whispers softly and his ears perks up at that looking down at her with most loving eyes, "Hi baby." He giggles quietly kissing the tip of her nose and she sniffs cuddling into him. 

"Sorry —- " He shakes his head pinching her chin to make her look up. 

"You don't have to darling -- s'okay, everything's alright." After, making sure she's okay and giving her million re-assurances because he loves to he cleaned her with a damp wash rag. 

"Such a pretty babe." He makes her blush treating her as if she's a china glass doll who'd break at his slightest poke and showers her in praises and kisses because dunno who got her self-esteem and confidence like that but that person sure needs to get punched in their face. 

"Did I hurt you?" He asks tenderly applying a thin layer of cream on her red imprints. She shakes her intervining her fingers into his's one by one and kisses his knuckle, "No." 

"Good." He chuckles as if he was holding his breath. 

"How bout you take a lil nap and I see if I could bring us some brekkie, hmm?" He's gonna break his own rule. Taking food from mess area to your rooms and taking long showers was never allowed, having lights on after 12 because of the risk of attacks. 

"'M not hungry, please stay." Her eyes half open and her face buried into his scented pillow, "Dunno. But to me you look like y'could faint any time soon." He says sternly pulling a snugly clean duvet over her body. 

"Okie but come back quick." 

"Don't worry. In a snap I'll be infront of you." 

//

It's her fourth day here. She came out of his room to socialize just a day before and she realized from the nasty glowers thrown her way that not a single person likes her. 

But it felt like spending a lifespan with Harry. To fill the emptiness of all those moments of their childhood together they lost once after the war. 

She got to know he's the best cuddler and likes to be a small spoon, she loves to jetpack him. He seems rather scary and is scary when he's commanding people off -- they wouldn't dare but to speak a word over him but he's this big softie Y/N likes to squish in their privacy. 

He got her glasses fixed and put them over her nose with a mishevious kiss, she was unable to not to grin when he murmered against her lips, "Now you could punch me with your glasses on." 

"Seems like I don't have to do that anymore." She shrugged squealing afterwards when he threw her over his shoulder tickling her till all she coul see was him and stars. 

It was all going on track until now when she was passing through the lobby to go to Harry who's practicing out in field, "What are you doing here Alex?" She asks angrily grabbing his arm and he tells her feeling relieved she's okay, "I'm here to take you back." 

"But they don't want me back." She grits, he catches her wrist pleading her sadly, "We want you back -- Nia waits for you daily." Nia is his five years daughter. 

"I know that … but — " How she's gonna tell him she's in love with one person they despise with their whole hearts. 

"But what — "

"Alex!!" He was in the midst when she sees a bullet approaching his way from the side of his shoulder and screeches loudly pushing him aside, the bullet makes it's home in her chest. 

It was fired from Harry's gun with his own hands that were loving on her an hour ago. Life drains out of his body and he feels sickness approaching to split his throat, knees turning weak as he stares his shaking hand in horror. 

Before, he could do anything another bullet hits Y/N in shoulder knocking her to floor and this time it was one of his people, the shot was fired on instinct. 

"Put your gun down!!" He shouts at him shoving him away with a single forceful push and strides towards where the love of his life's laying in a pool of blood. 

He pulls his hair maniacly, falling to his knees and pulls her up in his lap cradling her head gently to press his lips against her forehead, "No,no,no,no baby." He sobs wiping his tears away harshly to see her properly. 

"Ouch. It actually hurts." She gives him a frail smile raising her shaky hand to cup his cheek. 

Will it hurt? 

You'll get to know after taking one. 

He wishes he could takes his words back. 

"You'll be fine, you're okay, 'm so so sorry moppet. Didn't-- didn't know y'were standing behind him, bu –-- but s'...s'okay yeah —-- call the doctor!! Why nobody has called him yet!!!" His scream thunders aggressively as everyone watches  their commander this defenceless and vulnerable infront of them for the first time in shock. 

"It's not your fault, okay?" She manages to speak groaning and eyes rolling back from pain residing in her bones torturesly, he cries out like a wounded puppy patting her cheek to keep her awake, "Please stay with me baby, please." Her chest tightens. His chest tightens from the fear of loosing her and he stands up carrying her bridal style tumbling his way on wobbly legs towards the medical ward in the building. 

His tears shiny droplets on her skin and she nuzzles into his fragrance for the last time. 

"There was no happy ending to this," She murmurs. Any, sign of life fading from inside her and replacing her eyes with stoness.

He brings her closer to himself, "hey, hey now none of that -- you're not leaving. 'M not letting you leave." He kicks open the door and lays her limp body on the stretcher. Snapping his head outrageously in every direction to find any doctor but none and drags his palms down his teary face.

He couldn't stop crying.

He's loosing the sunlight of his bleak life he must protect her at all costs.

But, life's prize is something that would have him selling all of what he had worked for and still he'd be unable to even bring her back from cold dark earth.

"Shit. Shit ---– I'll patch you up myself. I know how to take a bullet out — " He creates a ruckus around to collect stuff, "Harry! Harry! listen to me." but her hollow anguish calls for him breaks him at last. 

"How about you spend these last few minutes with me because 'm really 'bout to die commander." She tries to keep her anxious voice cheery but fails drastically coughing blood, "Don't say that baby -- I just got you, don't leave me, don't make me hate myself again." Sad tears trickles down her cheeks and he feels like fainting imagining the pain, agony and fear she's suffering from. 

She's hating to leave him.

"Maybe in afterlife, we could have a nice homely house, long warm baths and two smol kittens —- and oh I forgive you for kidnapping my cat." She admires him for the last time wiping his tears away and tries to lift his head that's lowered into shame. 

She's so fond of him at the moment.

She gulps, trying to gasp for oxygen feeling her heartbeat drop to zero, pleading him, "Tell me you love me before I go." His bloodshot eyes snap to her's and his chest heaves ruggedly with heartbreaking sobs -- his words full of sorrow tasting the bitterness of goodbye on her lips streaking away the blood on her mouth. 

"I love you so much, baby. Never stopped. Never will." She cries at last kissing him back with all the blood she has left pumping to her heart and tries to exchange the words but it was too late before she lost it all -- cold in his loving embrace. 

"Stay…." He begs praying like he did never before. 

"Y/N!!" He screams trying to shake her alive and hugs his angel to himself with mournful wails. 

Everyone standing outside the room knows that they'll never see this Harry again. 

[calumxkisses]

Sleep On The Floor | c.h.

pairing: calum hood x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

summary: life’s getting dark grey, lucky for you, Calum is ready to show you all the colors - or maybe that’s what you dream about.  

a/n: hi beautiful angels, i’m back! sorry for being away fr such a long time but i was studying and trying my best to stay alive. today’s also my birthday and i wanted to thank all of you for loving my past serie. i love every single on of you.

this imagine its inspired by the song: sleep on the floor 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The music is loud, the same songs are repeated continuously but the constant talk and the drinks make it difficult to notice the monotony of these parties. It is a monotony that you relive every weekend since you started working in the music industry and it doesn’t depend on the place, the week or the event, the same things repeat themselves over and over again.

Dark grey. It’s the color that you best associate to this situation. It’s that color that makes you think about factories, workers in line, controlled by rules and by a world that leaves no room for creativity, for change, for a better world. You remember that Charlie Chaplin’s movie that your professor made you watch in school and the way he ends up living an adventure. Will that happen to you too? It’s just a party, you think, but because it’s a party you shouldn’t feel this way. 

You’ll take a plane tomorrow and you’ll end up in another city that you won’t visit because there’ll be no time. After the concert or the interview, you’ll end up in some hidden place dancing and drinking and the day after another plane or bus will be waiting for you. And when the tour ends, you’ll be able to breathe. 

The girl in front of you keeps talking about the promotion she got at work, but you stopped listening to her a long time ago. Didn't she get the promotion last week? Or was it another girl? Maybe she was the one who had just returned from a business trip? 

Across the room, a few steps away from you, Calum, Luke and Roy are talking about the new album the band is working on, the new genre they are experimenting with and the lyrics they enjoy writing but will never release. They spend their days like this, searching for new sounds and writing lyrics about salads and strange places where they get lost.

You look around before your gaze gets placed in front of you and you notice that Calum is looking at you too, his curly hair with shades of blonde free from any beanie and he’s still wearing the leather jacket. His eyes stare at you and a little grin forms on his lips. Without realizing it, you slowly approach each other. 

“It doesn't look like you're having fun.” 

“My stomach hurts from how much I’m laughing.” You say in a sarcastic tone, your face expressing your emotion. 

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Calum knows you. He knows your need to break free from the world and the way you love everything that is extraordinary. He needs that too, he wants to have the possibility to just be him and not the bassist from 5 Seconds Of Summer, but he’ll never tell you this, he won’t give you the satisfaction of being right. But you know. 

“No, I'm just tired of always doing the same things.” You say dramatically, sighing.

“Then let's do something different.”

“Like what? Playing hide and seek instead of beer pong?” 

“No, let’s leave. We have a couple of hours before this party ends and nobody will notice our absence anyway. Let’s do something different for once.” 

You smile. He’s trying to relieve your suffering and you appreciate that.  

Calum walks away for a moment and when he returns, your jacket is in his hand and no longer on the couch. He throws it at you and offers you his hand. “A Taxi is already waiting for us outside. What do you think?” His smile is wide on his face, but not as big as the one that forms on your face when you grab his hand and drag him out.

You both laugh as you get into the car, your adrenaline is running high and you already feel better. The driver smiles at the scene, Calum whispers something in his ear and then sits back on the seat, his eyes following your body before looking in your eyes. 

“I didn’t know you could speak French.” You say looking at his face. 

“There’s a lot of things that you don’t know about me, love.” He says before looking in front of him, mentally trying to remember the name of the streets. His side profile is lightened by different colors as you pass all the different neons of the shops of the city.

The window on your right is slightly lowered. You rest your head on his shoulder and close your eyes, the wind brushes your face and the noise of the city is like a melody in your ears. Calum kisses your hair and rests his head on yours. 

You’re in a car, just the two of you stuck in traffic, yet you feel like you are in a different world, in a world of constant change, where everything happens only once and you are ready to treasure every second of it. 

You don’t know how many minutes have passed by before Calum taps on your shoulder and whispers, “Look.” before pointing to his left. You open your eyes and the Arc de Triomphe lights up the city. It’s a masterpiece that reigns in the French city. It’s fully illuminated and stands powerful in the center of the rotunda.

“Wow.” It's the only thing you can say as you get closer to the window to get a better look. The driver chuckles at your reaction. You are too distracted by the beauty of the monument to notice the way Calum looks at you, lost in the way the lights illuminate your face and the way your hand is in his, as if they were made to hold only each other. 

All the cars are driving past the monument as if it was nothing, probably used to the view, but you can’t get enough of the magical feeling that you feel just by looking at it.

As the Arc de Triomphe is now behind you, you sit back in your seat, your mouth still slightly open from the astonishment of the sight. They might have been some of the most intense minutes you’ve ever experienced.

“Everytime we finish a show here, we always ask to pass by here. After the confusion of the concert, this view always manages to bring peace. Usually we are always exhausted but we try to stay awake as much as possible to not miss this view.” He whispers, looking out and smiling at the memories. 

“I know how much you daydream and how much you like these views and as soon as they gave us the tour dates, I immediately asked to let you come with us. I knew you would like it.” 

The idea that Calum has thought of you, especially in this occasion, warms your heart. He’s not a person who expresses what he feels, he finds it difficult to open up to the world and to the people around him and you know that that's his way of showing that he cares, by gestures, thoughts and small details.

“Thank you, Calum. We passed here yesterday and it was magical in the sun, I didn't expect to love it even more at night.”

The car crosses a bridge and the Seine is illuminated, leading you to fall even more in love with this city. It is definitely the most romantic city in the world, as everyone says.

“Close your eyes.” Calum whispers, taking your hand and putting them on your eyes.

“Wait, why? What are you doing?” You ask but he stays silent. Your heart beats fast. 

Before you know it, the car stops and Calum talks to the driver. You are tempted to open your eyes and peek but the idea that he has decided to surprise you makes you feel too much guilt to do it so you decide to keep your hands on your face.

Calum opens the door, “Give me your hand but keep your eyes closed, okay?” You nod before holding out your hand. He grabs it and, being careful not to hurt you, he gets you out of the car.

You walk  for a while, the noise of the stones is loud as you walk on them and the wind ruffles your hair.

“Keep your eyes still closed for a moment.” He whispers in your ear making you feel chills all over your body.

You feel him moving away and you try to use your senses to understand where you are. You hear people talking in the distance, the noise of some cars behind you as you play with your fingers to entertain yourself while you wait. You aren’t afraid, there’s no single cell in your body that feels fear, you trust him too much to think about the idea that he left you there. He would be ready to climb the highest mountain and cross the hottest deserts to come to you, there’s no emergency that’ll let him leave your side. 

Since the first moment his eyes saw you, he knew that he couldn’t let you go.

You feel someone stand in front of you before you hear him speak: “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

Calum is standing in front of you, he’s looking straight in your eyes to see your reaction. He’s holding a red rose in his right hand and a huge smile is on his lips. Behind him, the Eiffel Tower is majestic, a source of light in the dark of the night. You’re left speechless, the magic you’re living is impossible to explain with words. It seems like billions of stars are joined by surrounding the structure, illuminating it and making it something eternal.  

There are a few people in the distance, taking photos of the structure and laughing at each other. 

There’s a musician on the side of the tower, she’s playing songs that you’re not familiar with and yet they seem to be perfect for this moment. They might be love songs, or even sad songs, but the melody envelops the atmosphere that surrounds you, making you look like the protagonists of a dream.

“Calum.” It’s the only thing you’re able to say. He’s standing there, between you and the Eiffel Tower, one of the most beautiful attraction in the entire world and yet his beauty almost steals the spotlight. But he’ll never know.

He grins and turns around to admire the structure. You reach to take your phone from the pocket of your jacket and take a picture of him, of the Tower, of everything that is surrounding you. Something to look at when you’ll need to think about a happy memory. 

“I’m in love. That’s it. I know what love looks like now.” You said admiring the view. 

“With me?” He looks at you smiling.

“You wish, don’t you?.” 

He laughs and there’s no sound that could be better than that. Not even a view could be more beautiful. Calum Hood laughing in front of the Eiffel Tower, in the middle of the night, surrounded by stars is a sight that no one will ever experience and you hold this moment close to your heart.

“I’m moving here.” You say after a few minutes of silence. 

“You can’t.” 

“Why?” 

“I can’t live without you.” Your heart skips a beat. “How am I supposed to wake up on time and to go to all my appointments if you don’t remind me?” You both laugh. 

“Fine, I’ll honor you with my presence for a little while longer.” 

“Thank you.” 

For a moment, you look straight into each other's eyes. The world seems to stop, except for the Tower and the music in the distance. Calum takes a piece of your hair behind your ear and you can see your reflection in his eyes. 

“It’s getting late, we should go.” He whispers close to your lips.

“Do we really have to go?” You want to close your eyes but you can’t seem to leave the sight of his face. A face that you see everyday but that you can’t get enough of. 

“Yeah but this’ll be our little secret. A place that you can escape to when you’re tired of the world. It’s gonna be here-” He says before pointing to your mind, “-and here.” He stops pointing to your heart and for a second you stop breathing.

“We have too many secrets, Calum.” You say as he takes your hand and walks towards the Taxi. You can’t see his face but his body language is telling you that he’s smiling.

He opens the door of the car and gets in and you follow him, not before looking at the Eiffel Tower one last time and taking a deep breath. 

The drive back to the party passes quickly and silently, your head is again resting on Calum's shoulder and his head is resting on yours, your hands are intertwined as you play with your fingers while the stereo plays slow, almost inaudible music.

“We are here.” The driver says with a strong accent and you realize that you're back in that building. You both get out of the car and while Calum pays for the ride, you look around you. 

“It’s okay to escape reality every once in a while, as long as you remember to come back to reality to me.” He whispers while you get inside the house and you look at him confused before noticing the scene in front of you. 

As you enter through the big door, you see that everything looks exactly as when you left. People are doing the same things they were doing before and while you throw your jacket on the couch, you notice that the stereo is playing the same playlist it was playing a couple of hours ago. 

Calum is back at talking with Roy and Luke, he’s holding a drink and he’s laughing at something his friend is saying.

You go back to the group you were with at the start of the party, nobody seemed to have noticed your absence. The girl in front of you keeps talking about the promotion she got at work but you’re not really listening. 

You look around before your gaze gets placed in front of you and you notice that Calum is looking at you too, he gives you a questioning look and winks before turning his attention back to his friends.

You smile.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Gang of Secrets

Well... I'll give this episode one thing. It's better than what we got from both “Truth” and “Lies”, and it did do one of the things I hoped the writers would tackle this season. That's not saying much, but I'll take what I can get.

Let's get into the fourth (chronologically the third) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Gang of Secrets

We start off right after an Akuma battle, and while Cat Noir is eager for their victory fist bump, Ladybug seems to be on edge, insisting that they go on patrol. Cat Noir thinks of a place that they can relax at without talking... and he chooses to take Ladybug to see a romantic comedy.

We're not even a minute in, people, and it already looks like Ladybug is considering using her authority as Guardian to take away Cat Noir's Miraculous.

Ladybug goes on a brief tangent summarizing what happened with Luka (which conveniently happens to reflect the events of the movie), and naturally isn't happy with the movie. Gee, it's almost like Cat Noir's plan was a bad idea. He seriously tries the whole “pretend to yawn as an excuse to put his arm around Ladybug” trick, so you can't tell me he didn't have romantic intentions here.

Why Kagami couldn't accept Adrien's “true self” is beyond me.

After storming out of the movie theater, Cat Noir tries to emphasize with Ladybug (key word being “tries”) by going on about how “he knows what a broken heart is like”. At least he didn't ask if she was single now. Ladybug decides to go for a swim, but we cut back to Marinette's house, with Ladybug in her aqua form, implying she went to the pool while still transformed. And here's a big problem with the episode. In theory, I like the idea of Marinette stressing over her new responsibilities, as it could lead to some interesting plotlines. The problem is that when we get something like that in this episode, it's played entirely for laughs. At one point, Alya mentions hearing Marinette crying in the bathroom because of the stress she's been going through. And instead of being a dramatic scene, she just runs out in some Groucho Marx glasses for some reason, because according to the writers, we're supposed to laugh at Marinette suffering from a potential mental breakdown.

This just raises several questions about the way we're supposed to treat Marinette's behavior in this episode. Are we supposed to take this seriously? Not completely, because of how a lot of the “jokes” in the first act of the episode revolve around Marinette's anxiety being driven up to eleven. Are we supposed to see all of this as a joke? Not completely, because the end of the episode is when the writers decide to take Marinette's inner demons seriously. It leads to a very conflicting picture the episode is trying to paint with the way Marintte's conflict is portrayed.

We then cut to what seems to be the only thing the writers like to do with this character now, Alya acting like has control over Marinette's love life.

Of course those are the only pictures Alya got of Marinette.

Uh... Alya? Honey? Have you even considered the fact that maybe Marinette didn't tell you about Luka because that's none of your damn business??? What gives you the right to know every single detail about your friend's life? I understand that you're a hardcore Adrienette shipper (and an unintentional metaphor for how obsessed the writers are with the Love Square), but why would Marinette be obligated to tell you about Luka?

I know that I asked Marinette if she told Alya about Luka in my “Truth” review, but that was because she continued to force the belief that Marinette still liked Adrien onto her. Yeah, I'm still confused as to why Marinette didn't tell Alya, but the difference is that I was more confused at her not explaining it, and felt it would have made the conflict in the New York special a lot easier. I don't think Marinette has to tell Alya, I just think it would make some things easier between them with how much Alya wants Adrienette to be canon. Marinette has no obligation to tell Alya anything about who she's dating. What goes on in someone's love life is a private matter, and we'll see that Alya has no regards for privacy.

Alya, along with Juleka, Rose, Mylene, and Alix, devises a plan to give Marinette a friendship bracelet to show their support for her. And as usual, Alix has the simple idea to talk to Marinette about what's going on with her, and of course, she's ignored. Sorry, Alix, but this is an Alya episode, where smart choices don't fly here.

We cut back to Marinette's room where we get a pretty good scene where Marinette confides to Tikki about how she knows she has no chance of having a love life. She points out how she had to end things with Luka because of her secrets, and knows that even if she worked up the courage to talk to Adrien, she couldn't do anything because of the same secrets. She can't tell her parents or friends about her secrets and is forced to lie to everyone all the time. The voice actress gives a good performance, and the animators did a good job rendering the red eyes Marinette gets from crying.

And then we get back to the stupid stuff, where Marinette decides to transform into Ladybug and demands Hawkmoth (even though he's Shadowmoth at this point) show himself. This is really just an excuse for the Girl Squad to barge into Marinette's room, where Rose sees the dollhouse Marinette uses to hide the Miracle Ball. Marinette quickly runs back in and tries to hide the the Miracle Ball from her friends, who confront her about her “problem”.

No, real friends respect boundaries and don't demand to know every single detail about someone's life. They understand that there are secrets they don't have the right to know about. If Alya found out that Alix still needs to sleep with a nightlight and told everyone, would you really be surprised if she got mad at Alya for exposing this secret of hers? Right now, Marinette is clearly uncomfortable about telling her friends about a secret she has, and rather than understand she doesn't want to, they just keep pressing on, and don't care how unhappy she looks.

Unsurprisingly, Marinette tells them all to get out, saying she doesn't want them as friends anymore. Okay, so we're in every salt fic ever written now. Again, we get a good scene where Marinette feels remorseful for what she said (as understandable as it was), while the girls leave with their heads down.

Shadowmoth sends out an Akuma for the friendship bracelet, and because the object had personal meaning to all of them, Alya, Juleka, Rose, Mylene, and Alix all get akumatized into their previous Akuma forms, Lady Wifi, Reflekta (yet again), Princess Fragrance, Horrificator, and Timebreaker respectively. Shadowmoth calls them the “Gang of Secrets”. But they were akumatized because of secrets. Wouldn't a more accurate name be something like “The Honesty Brigate” or “Truth Troop?”

When I reviewed “Felix”, I had talked about how the motivations for the three Punishers weren't didn't reflect their Akuma forms, which were twisted versions of what they were feeling like at the time. While the same thing applies here (as well as “Heroes' Day”, now that I think about it, though I always thought it was like a drawback to Scarletmoth's powers), the titular Gang of Secrets is actually a pretty good lineup.

I think my main problem in “Felix” is that we didn't get to see the three Akumas working together much because the writers were trying to prioritize Felix as the primary threat of the episode and failed miserably. Here, we get to see a lot of interesting combos and strategies I never really thought about. Lady Wifi uses her powers to freeze some civilians while Timebreaker skates by and absorbs their energy for her skates. Reflekta zaps some other civilians while Princess Fragrance sprays them with her perfume to brainwash them into looking for Marinette, even if it’s the only time this episode that we get to hear “At your service, Princess Fragrance~!”. Horrificator intentionally goes around scaring people while growing in size, acting as the muscle (even though she doesn't do anything in this episode). They all work surprisingly well together, acting like Ladybug and Cat Noir's own Sinister Six.

After making a new safe to hide the Miracle Ball, Lady Wifi breaks into Marinette's room again, so Trixx, the Fox Kwami, uses his power to create a mirage to distract her. But like when Plagg used his Cataclysm in “Style Queen”, it has a little drawback.

The funny thing is that this doesn't even crack the top 5 in terms of weirdest things to happen to the Eiffel Tower in this show.

We cut to Adrien's room so the show can remind the audience he exists before he transforms into Cat Noir. The two don't meet up in person, but Ladybug tells Cat Noir to keep Timebreaker busy so she doesn't travel back in time while Ladybug goes after Lady Wifi. Of course, she doesn't have the friendship bracelet, but that wasn't Ladybug's plan in the first place.

Her actual plan is talking to Lady Wifi in an attempt to get Alya to break free of Shadowmoth's control. It's short, but it's a nice scene, with Ladybug explaining to Alya that even though they can't know everything about each other, they're still friends. So against all odds, Alya manages to reject the bond with Shadowmoth.

Oh yeah, it's not like we saw Chloe reject an Akuma in “Miraculer”, right? And Chrismaster giving up his akumatized object for Ladybug to purify? That didn't count either. Alya is clearly the first person to ever do this, and this is why you should immediately accept what happens later on.

Alya tells Ladybug where the Akuma is, and in response, Ladybug gives Alya the Fox Miraculous, which she uses to transform into Rena Rouge... even though she was already benched in “Feast” for endangering herself by uploading a video about the history of the Guardians to the internet, just like how Queen Bee and Ryuko were benched earlier for similar reasons, and the latter only appeared again because Ladybug wanted to get Kagami away from Adrien. Because I guess we're just going to ignore one of the biggest plotpoints of “Miracle Queen” now.

The other Akumas have Cat Noir at their mercy, so Rena Rouge uses her Mirage to create an illusion of Marinette to distract them. Timebreaker goes off to chase the illusion, and while Horrificator, Princess Fragrance, and Reflekta are about to take Ladybug's Miraculous, Rena Rouge and Cat Noir are the ones to break the object. Overall, a really clever climax to the episode.

So after Alya returns her Miraculous to Ladybug, we cut back to Marinette apologizing to her friends, who never apologize for invading her privacy. And while she mentions Luka, Marinette suddenly talks about how hard is to confess her feelings for Adrien, something that was never mentioned in this episode, because the writers are desperately trying to encourage the audience to ship the Love Square again brutally shooting down Lukanette and Adrigami. And after all this, Alya goes back up after everyone else leaves because she can just tell Marinette has another secret. How does she know this?

Okay, fine, Alya can be supportive of Marinette, and even her worst moments like the New York special were motivated by what she thought would make Marinette happy. A little misguided, and yeah, her teasing can be annoying at times, but she's ultimately there to help push Marinette to be honest with her feelings. “Reporter” is stretching it a little. No matter what the show likes to say, Alya isn't a good reporter. She barely verifies her sources and just posts things online. I'm sorry, but the Ladyblog is basically the superhero equivalent to TMZ. Alya probably doesn't even know who Joseph Pulitzer or Edward R. Murrow are, because rather than reporting the news to the public, she just wants to find things that will get her clicks on her website. Alya's biggest flaw as a character is that she is incredibly impulsive, but like everything else in the show, this flaw is never acknowledged, and is basically rewarded. Why do I say that? Well...

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this scene. On the one hand, it's very well acted, and the interaction genuinely highlights Marinette and Alya's friendship. Before she tells Alya, Marinette is just opening her heart out to her friend, and the grievances are played completely seriously. Even the reaction Alya gives when she finds out is very subdued, simply showing her shocked face before she gives Marinette a hug, with no dialogue. It's a very profound moment, and it's arguably one of the best in the entire series. Even the ending card doesn't show an action scene, but rather, it continues to focus on the hug while the Kwamis watch.

And thankfully, the episode doesn't end with the standard upbeat “Duh dun dun dun dunnnn, DA DA DA DA~!” track that almost every episode, no matter how depressing, usually ends with. It's just a really great moment, and a good way to end the episode... on its own.

When you think about previous episodes, like what I've mentioned with Alya, it's just strange that despite all the times she has shown herself to be bad at keeping secrets (like the aforementioned scene in “Feast”, posting a picture of her and Cat Noir kissing on the Ladyblog without her consent, and invading her privacy in this very episode, demanding to know her secrets), Marinette suddenly decides to give Alya a chance. Even worse, she had just said that she wasn't going to force her to tell her anything, which seemed like a strong character moment for her, but then the writers go back on the lesson and have Marinette do what Alya was trying to do the whole episode and tell her she's Ladybug.

Sure, Ladybug told Alya she was the Guardian and to keep it a secret earlier, but this lesson in keeping secrets should have stuck when she first became Rena Rouge in Season 2. I don't have a problem with Alya being Marinette's confidant (lord knows she needs one at this point), but I just don't think Alya is ready for this. It's the same thing with what happened with Adrien in “Syren”, by saying him immaturely threatening to quit being Cat Noir because of Ladybug's secrets was meant to show how he was ready to meet Master Fu even though it showed how selfish he was and was anything but ready. How is an episode where Alya tries to force Marinette into telling her everything she's keeping a secret meant to show she's ready to learn Ladybug's identity. Maybe if this episode kickstarted a character arc for Alya where she learned about why people keep secrets and that getting the truth isn't the right thing to do, culminating in a later episode where Alya learns Ladybug's identity, I'd be fine with that. As it is, this just had some poor timing and was the result of the writers not really thinking this through.

I guess I'm still interested to see where this goes, and how Marinette and Alya's friendship will change as a result of this. Maybe Alya can help Marinette get away to transform, or worry about her safety after an Akuma fight. Although the worst case scenario is that if Cat Noir finds out about this, he'll use it as an excuse to bitch and moan about how Ladybug is still keeping secrets from him and of course, she'll be blamed for whatever happens as a result of that.

Though I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting to mention something. Wasn't there someone else who wanted to know the truth about Marinette?

OH YEAH, I FORGOT ABOUT HIM JUST LIKE THE WRITERS DID.

This is what really kills the episode for me, just how it goes back on everything established in “Truth”. The whole reason Marinette broke up with Luka in the first place (which motivated the conflict of this episode) was because she realized keeping secrets from him wouldn't lead to a healthy relationship. As much as it pained her, it was a necessary evil Marinette had to do in order to protect her identity.

But now you're telling me that it's okay for Marinette to tell Alya her secret? WHY? How is this any different from what happened with Luka? Like Alya, Luka also wanted to known the truth, but the only difference was the way he confronted Marinette. He calmly asked her about what she was hiding, and even though she couldn't tell him, he respected her boundaries, and they both managed to end things on good terms.

Alya, who has a history of exposing secrets to the public, who barged into Marinette's room and demanded she tell her all of her secrets, is more trustworthy than Luka? This is why I don't buy the writers making Alya Marinette's confidant. I get that they want to give her some more story presence after how she had mostly faded into the background in Season 3, but this just isn't the way to do it.

Barring that, what did I think of the episode?

Yeah, it's just... it's just okay at best, mediocre at worst. There were a handful of decent moments in the episode, and some creative action scenes. Even stuff like Cat Noir's forced movie date and Alya violating Marinette's privacy isn't anything new, and unlike other episodes, the latter actually seems to apologize for that. The problem, as I already stated, was the ending. I think maybe the ending could have worked if Alya had found out Marinette's identity, but decided to keep it a secret. That way, it would make for an interesting dynamic, with Alya learning to be more responsible while secretly helping come up with ways for Marinette to get away to transform.

But as it stands, the episode is alright, but mostly forgettable if not for the ridiculous ending.

[imherongraystairstrash]

Hi, whenever you have time can you write something about Thomas and Alastair please? Literally anything that isn’t angsty or sad. Fluffy/happy because after COI my heart needs to feel happy again. Thank you💞

Ohh, what a good request! I’ll confess that I was a bit nervous to write this because I didn’t know how I’d compete with COI! The first four bits of dialogue are references to a video Morgan Adams made with her friend, Trinity, because I literally watched that scene and thought “Thomastair” and I just loved it so much that I couldn’t not include it. Also, this is in modern language because I liked how it sounded better. Anyway, I hope this makes your heart feel happy!!

Characters: Alastair & Thomas (fluff)

...

“We’re experiencing life.” Thomas said, poking at the logs with a stick to get the fire to burn brighter. 

“This sucks.” Alastair said, his marshmallow drooping over the fire. 

“No, it’s called life.”

Alastair stared at the fire for a second before saying, “Life sucks.”

Thomas snorted and Alastair looked up and smiled softly, clearly proud that he made Thomas laugh.

Thomas got up from his crouch and sank down next to Alastair, stretching his feet out. Alastair considered his legs before saying, “how the hell did you grow so tall during your travel year? What did they feed you in Spain?”

“I didn’t grow that tall.”

“You were the size of an elf and now you’re taller than the Eiffel Tower.” Alastair said.

Thomas stared into his dark eyes for a moment and narrowed them. “Your marshmallow’s on fire.”

Alastair turned his gaze to said marshmallow. “Ah, an accurate representation of my life so far.” 

Thomas rolled his eyes fondly and reached to grab Alastair’s hand, who took it instantly. Thomas was focusing on how he was playing with the Lightwood ring when they heard the crack of a twig behind them. He and Alastair exchanged a quick glance.

“You don’t think it’s dangerous, do you?” Thomas whispered. “If not the sensor would have picked it up, right?” 

Alastair shrugged, looking in the direction of the sound. “It can’t be my sleep paralysis demon.” He whispered back, “I have to be lying in bed about to sleep for it to be that.”

“You sleep just fine when you’re with me.” Thomas pointed out.

“Exactly. The times I can sleep,” Alastair said, not looking away from the spot, “it’s because you’re there.”

Thomas stared at Alastair’s side profile, the fire casting shadows on the panes of his beautiful face. 

“Pay attention, Lightwood. We could be about to die.”

Thomas sighed. “At least I’d die with you. If we go down, then we go down together.”

“Listen here; I can make jokes about death, but when you do it, you make me sad, so stop.”

“What?” Thomas whispered intensely, “How come you can make me sad with jokes about death, but I can’t make you sad?”

“Are these the kinds of conversations you too have when you’re alone?” Matthew asked, coming out of the shadows.

“You bastard, why did you take so long to come out?” Thomas demanded

Matthew’s jaw dropped in surprise. “I let you take your sweet time. And for your information, I’m already ou—”

“He meant the woods, idiot.” Alastair said.

“Oh, right. Yeah, I was just being dramatic.”

“Lies! His shoelaces got stuck on a branch.” Lucie said. “I saw it.”

Matthew stuck his tongue out at her.

“Anyway, I came to report that we’ve heard no signs of the demon we’re looking for.” Lucie said, popping a marshmallow in her mouth. 

“Yes, we haven’t either.” Matthew said, “Though I came here to get away from Grace and Kit.” He shuddered. "They won’t stop gushing over Darwin’s theory of evolution or something. If I wanted to listen to science talk, I would have just stayed home and asked Father for flirting advice.” 

“Your camp is sad,” Lucie said to Matthew, taking another marshmallow. “Cordelia and I are trying to see who can fit the most grapes in their mouths. I was winning too, but James said to stop or we’d ‘choke and die’ or whatever. Anyway, I’m off to find Jesse.” Lucie said getting up to her feet and skipping away happily. 

“I’m going with her.”

“Let me guess, ‘to protect her’” Thomas said.

“Angel, no. I need her to protect me.” Matthew said. “You haven’t forgotten that she can command the dead, have you?” He didn’t wait for a reply, sprinting away to catch up to Lucie.

“I’m disappointed to say that that wasn’t intolerable.” Alastair said with a frown.

“It’s called getting used to it.” Thomas smiled at Alastair. 

They seemed to have a moment where they lost themselves in each other. Thomas looked into Alastair’s stunning dark eyes, his incredibly long lashes and caramel skin. He liked the way the same strand of silky black hair always seemed to fall across his forehead and into his eyes. And the way Alastair always reached up to push it back. This time, Thomas reached out first. Instead of pushing it back though, he brought it to the side so that his fingers grazed Alastair’s cheek. Alastair’s eyelids softened and he looked down briefly before looking back up at Thomas.

“I never meant to make you sad.” He whispered. 

Thomas shrugged. “As long as what you say about yourself are jokes. Besides, you can never make me sad, because I know you never mean to hurt me.” Thomas said with a smile.

Alastair looked at him, his eyes dancing. “I love you, Thomas.”

“I love you too.”

“You have horrible taste in—”

Thomas cut him off by pressing his lips into a kiss. Alastair’s lips were soft against his own. They kissed slowly and softly as fire crackled in front of them. Thomas felt that part of him was burning from the fire, but his entire being was burning for Alastair. 

Alastair hummed against his lips as Thomas ran his hands down his chest.

“Don’t insult my taste in men, because mine’s the best in the country.” Thomas mumbled into his lips.

Alastair smiled. “What did the world do to deserve you.” He didn’t mean it as a question; Alastair kissed him again before he could even register the words.

He ran his expert hands through Thomas’ hair. Thomas had seen those hands close around fighting spears and he’d seen those hands bandage his own when he burned them during patrol. He’d seen those hands play Chopin’s Nocturne, flying through across the keys to play the different notes. He’d also seen those hands play the songs Thomas had written, bringing life to Thomas’ innermost thoughts, bringing them into existence. Thomas’ songs either coaxed a smile out of Alastair, or brought tears to his eyes.

Now he felt those hands, tugging and caressing his hair. Both boys smiled as they kissed each other, perfectly content with being in the presence of the other. Perfectly content with, after all these years, finally kissing someone they loved and being kissed by someone who loved them. 

Thomas fought back a groan and pulled Alastair closer when the sensor next to them buzzed. 

They broke apart, instantly on their feet, weapons in hand.

“Let’s get this over with.” Thomas sighed.

“Yes, let this be revenge for interrupting us.”  

“That sounds like a good plan.”

Alastair was tightening his leather gauntlets when Thomas spoke.

“Alas?”

Alastair glanced at him in response.

“How about we don’t immediately tell the others we killed the demon?”

Alastair tilted his head to the side before understanding what Thomas meant and grinning fiendishly. “I like the way you think, Tom. Now let’s kill this demon so we can get back to what we were doing.”

Thomas blushed and nodded. As he ran into battle, Alastair beside him, he did so with a smile. 

...

Tagging: @tsccreatorsnet @atla-lok143 @hitheresomeoneusingthus @rinadragomir @youngreckless @autumnangel20 @julemmaes @cupcakesandkittens @no-scones-allowed @fictionally-fantastic @stxr-thxif @writeforjordelia @itsdaughterofthemoon @jordeliasupremacy @cordelia-cardale @will-effing-herondale @axoloteca @heronstairs2014 

*I’m soooo sorry for spamming you all with two fics in like, less than two hours, I swear I didn’t mean to!!

**If you want to be on my tag list, or if you changed your url recently and your not in the tag list anymore, let me know! Oh, an if you asked to be on the tag list and you’re not on it, please tell me (I’m very absentminded haha)

[brawltogethernow]

SpideyTorchMJ end up in GG Paris. Discuss.

Notes I would want to hit:

⚜ There’s no convoluted reason this happens. They were just standing in Reed’s lab at the wrong time.

⚜ Peter, Johnny, and Mary Jane are respectively villain-, hero-, and damsel-coded, and upon arrival tropes hit them in the face and the local energy rolls right over them with attempts to recruit, jovially elbow-knock, and kidnap.

Confusion slows Peter down a little, but he still knocks the crowd who scooped him up around pretty neatly, causing Johnny’s group (who are all very shiny and aren’t displaying the deep core of sadness and inadequacy that defines Johnny Storm and give Johnny imposter syndrome) to go “oh what ho, he doesn’t seem so bad after all” except then Peter kind of tries to fight them too and has to be restrained. Like just arm grabbed by a familiar face without super strength but still.

By the time Peter and Johnny catch up to MJ where she’s being held captive by a hidden society, not related to any of the ones we saw during the Paris arc, she has hit their ruler with a blunt object and shouted at everyone else, and is now posing on their throne while they design merchandise based on her likeness. After a little cajoling she tells them that two men is already enough commitment in her life but she’ll be their long-distance figurehead monarch if they want. This status is permanent and follows her back to the Marvel u.

⚜ MJ and Johnny: We’re young! We’re beautiful! We’re in Paris (sorta)! We’re ready to party!

Peter: I don’t know what time it is in New York but I’m probably missing Jeopardy.

MJ: It’s in reruns right now, dear.

Peter: I’m missing Jeopardy reruns.

⚜ MJ is mistaken for a Valois descendant because she has the hair and is swept up into a secret meeting. She quickly realizes she’s already heard too much to extricate herself honestly and has to bluff her way through and leverage her acting skills to pretend she belongs among the incredibly treasonous scheming.

She gets a little bit too caught up putting on a silly accent and pretending to be Cousin Ernestina and gets caught out while throwing her weight around about the topics she’s got half figured out, forcing a dramatic escape scene.

⚜ Johnny loses Peter and skywrites:

Meet Me at the Usual place (local Analogue)

He means the Eiffel Tower, their usual place being the Statue of Liberty. The actual local analogue is the Awful Tower, and they both get genteelly detained by Colette upon approaching her base. She lowkey considers murdering them for the greater good, but decides to hook them up with someone to send them home instead. She hits on MJ.

⚜ Johnny after someone finally tries to explain Sparks to them, after making a bad fire joke about what they’re called: It’s like...if a small percentage of the population...were Reed. They have millions of Reeds.

⚜ Peter kind of starts to Vibe with Colette’s crack team, and MJ is like, “Hey, hot stuff, tell me if this is silly. I feel like, if we let this go on, we will, on some level, never fully get him back from this world. Y/N?” And Johnny is like “YEAH, actually” and then they either knock Peter out or haul him into a side room for a “distraction”, cue tasteful-ish suggestive fade-to-black. Peter is not a Spark but he is a mad scientist and you gotta keep an eye on him.

[2manyfandoms2count]

That's what Friends are for

Taking a little break from I love you (not) today, with a one shot that might one day turn into a full fic. Who knows?

Anyway, have some Marichat setting up Ladrien, and trying not to give their identities away in the process. Hope you enjoy!

@marichatmay

Read on AO3

---

Marinette pouted as she leaned on her balcony railing.

Why did all her attempts at confessing her love to Adrien have to end up disastrously? When it wasn’t her own clumsiness or cold feet getting in the way, there was always something, or some one that seemed to volunteer to play the hindrance part. She sighed, thinking about the Akuma that just had to make an appearance at the exact moment Adrien was telling her about the girl he liked. Maybe it had been for the best; she didn’t know how she would have reacted had he told her he liked Lila, for instance (but that was impossible - he was smart enough to see she was nothing more than a flaky façade), but she would’ve liked to know where they stood nonetheless.

Gazing at the panoramic view of the city, she couldn’t help but think how pleasant it would be to share this moment with a loved one. The sky was dark but clear, allowing some stars to shine through. The illuminated Eiffel Tower sparkled in the distance, providing festive lighting in the midst of the warm street lights.

“Purr-etty night, isn’t it?” A voice interrupted her thoughts.

The young girl turned around, finding herself face to face with Chat Noir, leaning on his baton. Her heart ached at his brave face, his small smile not bright enough to distract her from his sad eyes. She wasn’t surprised by his presence; she’d actually been expecting it. It had become a habit for her partner to come around when Ladybug rejected him a little harshly. She winced at the not-so-distant memory of herself snapping at the boy when he’d made an innocent flirty joke while they were fighting the Akuma. She really hadn’t meant to hurt him. She was just still frustrated about her whole situation with Adrien.

“It really is.” She smiled tightly. “How are you, Kitty?”

“Eh…” He trailed, taking a couple of steps to slump beside her on the railing.

“I’m sorry.” She wished he could know just how much she meant it.

“It happens.” He shrugged. “I just wish…” He sighed, shaking his head as he looked for words. “I don’t know, that she’d talk to me about him? Just to know if I have a chance or not.”

Marinette pursed her lips, unsure how to answer. She didn’t know how appropriate it would be to laugh at how similar their situations were. He would probably feel worse than he already did, and the only way to prevent that would be to explain exactly what she was thinking, which she couldn’t do without revealing her identity. She took a deep breath and decided to give him a little something to at least help him. Her feelings were a secret she supposed she could share with him; they were probably long overdue.

“Adrien Agreste.” She whispered. She felt him tense next to her.

“What?” He squeaked. She might have poked fun at him for it in other circumstances. On his side, Chat’s heart raced in his chest. He hoped she couldn’t tell, although the roaring in his ears gave him little hope. Had Marinette figured out who he was?...

“Ladybug told me she likes Adrien Agreste.” Marinette clarified. She hoped he wouldn’t ask any questions. What if he figured out they went to the same school? Then he’d be able to figure out…

“The model?” She nodded silently, trying to avoid his gaze. “That’s fantastic!” Chat Noir’s face erupted in a giant smile. His heart rate picked up, which he hadn’t thought was possible given the speed at which it had already been beating. After all this time, it turned out the girl of his dreams was actually chasing him too, in a convoluted game of cat and mouse where they were somehow both the chaser and the chased.

“Really?” Marinette tilted her head, confused by how well her friend took the news. He looked almost… relieved, for some reason? Had she known this was how he’d react, perhaps she would have told him a lot sooner. “I didn’t think you’d be so happy about the news.”

Chat froze, his expression akin to that of a deer caught in headlights for a split second. He resumed his usual breezy demeanor so fast, though, that Marinette thought she’d dreamt it.

“Well, obviously I’m not ecstatic about it, but… Well, Adrien and I clearly don’t play in the same court when it comes to ladies.” He said, trying his best to look natural, but slightly gutted. There was potentially a date with Ladybug in the bargain if he played his cards correctly, and slipping up on his identity was not that.

“What do you mean?” Marinette frowned.

“Well, you know… He’s a model . I can’t compete with that, I’m just a… an ordinary boy.” He shrugged, internally congratulating himself for his quick thinking.

“You’re Chat Noir though. And you know Adrien Agreste from work.” She pointed out, almost offended by his words. “You can’t be that ordinary.” She smiled warmly.

“I guess...” He trailed, touched by her clear affection for him. Marinette really was amazing. “But Adrien once told me he liked Ladybug, and if she likes him as well… I don’t stand a chance.” He added, dramatically shaking his head as he placed a hand on his heart.

Marinette’s elbow lost its balance on the railing, and she caught herself before her head slammed into it.

“The girl Adrien likes is Ladybug?!” He wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement. She seemed bewildered, but also… happy? She regained her composure before he could totally decipher her expression.

“That’s what I understood, anyway.” He answered cautiously.

Marinette paused, her eyes squinting as she thought. She was jumping down internally at the news, but she really couldn’t do anything while Chat Noir was there. Although she had lead him to believe that she and Ladybug were close -which wasn’t a complete lie- looking too overjoyed would probably seem a little strange.

“Are you sure?” She asked again, looking at him correctly for the first time since the beginning of their conversation.

“A hundred percent paw-sitive.” He nodded.

“Well, then.” She shook her head, trying to hide the smile she could feel growing on her face. “I guess we don’t have a choice.”

“What?” Chat furrowed his brow in confusion at his friend’s slightly serious look.

“We have to organise a date for them.” Marinette raised her hands in a Gallic shrug, her eyebrows raised in a “I don’t make up the rules” kind of way.

“You really think so?” His eyes lit up. He mentally slapped himself at his hopeful tone of voice. So much for not giving anything away.

“That’s what friends are for.” She crossed her arms, leaning back comfortably on the balcony railing. She hoped her slightly authoritarian demeanor effectively hid how giddy she was feeling. Adrien Agreste liked her. And they were going to go on a date .

“Where do we start?” Chat walked over to her deckchair and sat down. It would prevent him from breaking into dance in front of Marinette, which probably wouldn’t be a very smart move. After all, he was ‘helping out a friend’, not going on the date himself.

His friend looked in the distance, mindlessly toying with her hair. Now that she thought about it, she’d never really imagined going on a date with Adrien. Their future life, complete with house, children and hamster? That was all sorted. How to get there? Not so much. What could Adrien enjoy as an outing? He’d seen and done a lot given all of his ties with the fashion and celebrity industry, what could a simple girl like Ladybug offer him?

Chat Noir decided to take the lead of the conversation, Marinette looking slightly lost. “Do you think she’d enjoy bowling?” He ventured.

The girl’s gaze snapped back into focus. “Bowling?” She frowned. She’d played once or twice, more if you counted Wii practice. “I seem to recall Ladybug enjoys playing, does Adrien like it?”

Chat got a flashback to his younger years, when he and his parents used to go out to a local bowling alley almost every week. His mother had a gift when it came to the sport. She rarely scored anything less than a spare. Had it not been for those memories, he probably would’ve had his very own alley in his room, just like he had a climbing wall and private skatepark. His father couldn’t bear to be reminded of those times, though.

“He told me he likes it very much.” Chat nodded.

“I guess it’s sorted, then.”

They both stayed silent, still processing the fact that they’d somehow scored the date they’d been waiting for since the first time they’d realised how they felt. Who knew it would be that easy?

“Do you think next Saturday would be too soon?” Chat asked. His Dad would be in Japan with Nathalie. He could take care of the Gorilla to ensure his evening with Ladybug went well.

Marinette had to resist the urge to say yes there and then. “I’ll ask her, I’m supposed to see her tomorrow.” She replied instead.

“You’re a good friend, Marinette.”

The girl twitched at the epithet, the intonation way too familiar. She looked at Chat Noir suspiciously, looking for anything that could give away his identity. The way he somehow managed to fall out of her deckchair without any apparent cause made her feel stupid for the thought of him and Adrien being the same person even crossing her mind. They were both great guys, but Adrien clearly was far more graceful than her friendly neighbourhood cat.

“You too, Kitty.” She chuckled.

She had to refrain herself from suggesting that they tagged along to their "friends"' date. It would be too much hassle to plan, even with the Fox Miraculous. She'd have to find him a good gift though; he really was the wingman if the century.

She'd deal with it after her date.

[ocappreciation]

If We Go Down, We Go Down Together

Pairing: Lizzie x Missy

From behind a magazine, Lizzie bites her lip as she looks at Missy who is staring out of their luxurious hotel room at the Eiffel Tower. She can’t seem to figure out why she’s brought them to 1950s Paris. Even though Lizzie was ‘technically’ kidnapped by Missy, she found that Missy wasn’t all that bad as a travel companion. Who else can you travel time and space with? Lizzie thinks to herself.

Not being able to guess anymore, Lizzie sighs and lowers her magazine. “Okay, I give. What are we doing here? Because as much as I would like it to be the case, I don’t think we’re here to watch the vintage fashion shows.”

Missy chuckles. “Well technically it’s not vintage yet, darling. But to answer your question, we’re here to talk to someone.”

Not liking the intentional vagueness, Lizzie presses further, “Alright. But who is it?”

“It’s my friend. He’s a doctor,” says Missy as she quirks her shoulder.

“Missy, if you wanted to talk to a doctor the future would have been a much better option,” jokes Lizzie.

“Well, it’s not just any doctor. It’s the doctor,” says Missy as she smiles out the window. “And I left him a message he’s sure to get.”

Not liking the mischievous tone in her voice, Lizzie gives her a pointed look. Missy only stands there with smirk on her face as she rocks back and forth on the backs of her heels. Lizzie looks out the window to see a large flag waving atop the Eiffel Tower that reads: HI DOCTOR IT’S MISSY.

“I have so many questions,” says Lizzie as she shakes her head. “But my first one is how did you get that up there?”

~~~

Lizzie happened to learn a lot of things very fast. One: Missy isn’t the only one who can travel through time, there are Timelords out there. Two: one of them is the Doctor, a man with a heavy Scottish accent who has a little brunette girl that follows him around. Three: Missy and the Doctor don’t get along well.

After being split-up from Missy, Lizzie found herself hiding from the Doctor and his companion in a pub. Or so she thought. “Is this seat taken?” asks the unmistakable Scottish voice.

With a grimace, Lizzie lets out a noticeably unhappy, “No.”

The Doctor sits next to her and begins to talk immediately. “I don’t know what Missy has told you, but I do know she kidnapped you against your will. You may have bonded with her out of necessity, but I am telling you I can take you back home and make sure you’re protected from her. You never have to see her again.”

Lizzie wanted to give him a piece of her mind, but thought better of it. This is an opportunity for her and Missy to get a leg up on the other team. He could lead her back to Missy. “You’re right.”

After a short conversation about where to go next, the Doctor led her out of the pub. The minute he wasn’t looking, a small smirk grew on Lizzie’s face. He’d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

~~~~~

After a small clash between Missy and the Doctor, Clara—the brunette who Lizzie had recently learned the name of — led her out of their bigger on the inside phone box for one ‘last’ confrontation with Missy. Or so they thought at least.

“She doesn’t want to be with you Missy. If you care about her, let her go free,” says the Doctor, motioning for Lizzie to start speaking.

“I don’t ever want to see you again. And I want you to leave me alone and stop thinking that you know what’s best for me. Because you don’t. And you can’t begin to understand why,” Lizzie turns to face Clara and the Doctor dramatically. “...Doctor.”

While the stunned look sets in on their faces, Lizzie slowly backs towards Missy’s side, tossing her a sonic screwdriver protype that she’d stolen from the phonebox.

“You...you tricked us,” says Clara with wide-eyes.

“And you just assumed I’d want to go with you,” retorts Lizzie. “I’m not leaving the person I care about.”

“You’re making a mistake Lizzie Belle Stewart,” says the Doctor. “I used to be friends with Missy, but it always ends with a knife in the back.”

“I believe people can change for the better,” says Lizzie confidently.

Quietly in the background Missy finishes using the sonic screwdriver to fix her vortex manipulator and grabs onto Lizzie’s hand. “Nice chat Doctor, we’ll talk to you later. Or sooner. Depending on what time it is.”

And with that both Missy and Lizzie disappear. The ride is a little rough, but the two find themselves in an alleyway, and judging by the horse-drawn carriage going past, it looked to be Victorian London. Lizzie takes a step forward to exit the alley, but Missy stops her. “Um, don’t tell anyone that I said this, but thank you.”

Lizzie quirks a confused eyebrow. Missy had never thanked her for anything; she’s not the type. “For?”

“For not leaving. For saying those nice things about me.”

The two share a moment of locked eyes and Lizzie eventually finds herself staring at Missy’s lips, wanting to kiss them. Instead she simply says, “Right. No problem.” The moment now past, the two walk out of the alley way on the look for their next adventure.

ocappreciation + 2021 oc gift exchange ☃

↳ to: @eddysocs → from: @ninjasawakenedmystars

❄  Lizzie Stewart → Mastering Missy ❄

[princessjungeun]

Night In Paris: Chaeryeong x Reader

A/N: i’m getting back into writing these kinds of request so im a lil rusty. Please be nice lmao

You and Chaeryeong had been anticipating the senior class trip for the past four years. Every year, each language department school took their senior classes on a trip to either Shanghai, Tokyo, Barcelona, or Paris. Both you and Chaeryeong had dreamed of visiting Paris since you met back in 6th grade. When you two heard about the language program at your high school, you both knew that you’d have to enroll in French. 

Unlike you, Chaeryeong was god awful at French despite placing in the highest class and carrying an A+ all year. Well technically she wasn’t bad at writing or understanding, she just sucked at speaking it. You however were practically fluent, all thanks to changing the language for the subtitles on Netflix. 

The class had spent half of the day completing tasks that the teacher prepared like ordering food in French, asking for directions, and making small talk with strangers. There were also a few presentations given on history of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower which you all would be visiting tomorrow. 

Dinner had ended an hour ago and you all were free to wander around the hotel as you pleased. Your roommates (and two best friends), Ryujin and Hyunjin, were downstairs in the pool while you and Chaeryeong lounged around in bed. 

You nudged her gently, “hey do you wanna do something fun?” 

She could tell by the stupid smirk on your face that it was probably going to involve breaking a rule, almost all of your plans did. Your girlfriend asked, “what do you have in mind?” 

You leaned forward, your lips inches apart before whispering, “you’ll just have to trust me hmm?” You poked her nose and got up, putting on your shoes and grabbing your backpack. 

Chaeryeong tied her shoe laces and grabbed her phone and wallet before standing by the door, watching you leave a note for your roommmates. It read in messy handwriting: We snuck out, cover for us. - Y/N & Chae <3

You left it on their shared bed and grabbed the room key before opening the door and making a run for the elevator. When you two got to the lobby, you noticed a chaperone sitting downstairs on a couch, flipping through a magazine. It was clear she was put on door duty to make sure no students were going to do exactly what you and your girlfriend were planning, sneaking out.

Chaeryeong whispered, “It’s Mrs. Han. What do we do? If she catches us we will be in so much-” 

You clapped your hand over her mouth, “Just be cool, don’t draw attention towards us. We are simply going to walk out.” 

Chaeryeong always admired how rebellious and fearless you were. No matter the situation you were so calm, cool, and collected. Not to mention it took a lot to fluster you when you were caught in a situation, it was like you always had a plan B ready to go. 

You started walking, Chaeryeong held her breath as she followed you closely, slipping her hand into yours. You ran your thumb over the top of her hand, making it outside undetected by the chaperone or anyone else. 

Chaeryeong let out a deep breath, “okay now what?” 

You told her, “we have fun! Come on.” 

The two of you made your way down the sidewalks, passing locals and tourists who were heading home or towards their hotels for the night before the sun set. The warm summer heat made the air thicker than usual, but it wasn’t completely unpleasant like it had been earlier in the day. 

You noticed a bakery that you’d passed in the morning when you all were heading to the hotel on the first day. You’d made a mental note to visit it, especially after Hyunjin looked up reviews and found out they had good bread. 

Lightly, you pulled at Chaeryeong’s arm, “come on, in here.” You stepped inside the small bakery to find an array of breads and pastries. It was clear they’d been busy all day because a few things were completely bought out. You told your girlfriend, “pick whatever you want.” 

Her eyes widened as she looked closer at everything, she settled on a chocolate pastry and you got a fruit one. Before you left you remembered Hyunjin and Ryujin, so you got Hyunjin a loaf of bread and Ryujin a pain au chocolat. 

As you finished paying you asked the employee politely in French, “excuse me how do we get to the Eiffel Tower from here?” 

They replied, “if you want to walk, it’s down this street here, then take a left and go all the way down that street as well. It will be right there. But if you want to take a taxi, you can just tell them Eiffel Tower and they can get you there.”

You thanked the woman before taking your goods and leaving, tucking them inside your backpack carefully. Chaeryeong asked, “what were you two talking about?” 

You laughed, “you know...things.” 

She groaned and pushed your shoulder, making you dramatically hold your shoulder and groan in fake pain. You decided a cab would be better just so that you could get there before sundown. The entire ride Chaeryeong tried to get you to talk but it was no use because your lips were sealed. 

When you all were dropped off she asked, “why are we here? We’re coming back tomorrow.” 

You told her, “yeah with our classmates, goofy best friends, and the overprotective chaperones that won’t let us hold hands for longer than three seconds and remind us “six inches for the lord” whenever we’re close. I wanted to bring you here, just as us two, not a group.” 

Chaeryeong’s face flushed pink upon the sincerity of your comment, she covered her face with her hands, “how are you so good at that?” 

You sat down as you told her, “it’s what I do best, now come on.” You patted the grass next to you, pulling out your pastries from your bag as well. She took hers and took a picture of it before eating it. You couldn’t help but laugh when her eyes lit up and she did a little dance at how good it was. The two of you ended up sharing both while enjoying the scenery in front of you as the sun dipped below the horizon. 

Chaeryeong shyly moved closer to you, prompting you to wrap your arm around her shoulder. She leaned into you, a soft smile creeping onto your face as she toyed with the hem of your shirt. 

Your girlfriend played with your fingers as she asked, “you know this is something I’ve always wanted to do?”

You responded, “what?” 

She replied, “going to Paris with you.”

Although you knew why, you wanted to hear her say it herself, you asked “why?” 

A shy smile crept onto her face as her face blushed red, “You know, going to the City of Love with the girl I love...” 

You pulled away from her, your heart beating faster with every passing second. Most times you were calm when she said things like this, but in the moment you couldn’t be more flustered. 

She sincerely told you, “I love you Y/N.” 

With all the confidence you could muster, attempting to keep you cool girl façade up, you asked, “you know there’s one thing I wanted to do with you while we’re here and I haven't gotten the chance until now.” 

She furrowed her brow, you moved closer until your lips were just barely touching, “this.” You pressed your lips against hers, your hand slipping behind the back of her head, fingers lacing in her silky hair. 

You could feel her smile against your lips before she pulled away, with the same sincerity, you replied, “I love you too Chae.” 

[fellulahh]

Where MC would take them on holiday in the human realm (brothers, Diavolo and Solomon)

Lucifer:

- MC takes him to London solely so that they can watch a performance at the West End theatre (*cough* Phantom of the Opera *cough*)

- She also takes him to see Opera shows, knowing he’d be absolutely mesmerised by the performances they put on with the huge stages and complete orchestras

- They stay in a really high-end hotel and have romantic evenings eating at fancy restaurants and then sharing a bath together when they get back

- Shows him Buckingham Palace, “that’s where the English equivalent to Diavolo lives”

Mammon:

- VIVA. LAS. VEGAS.

- MC gets SO excited to take Mammon to Vegas because he will be in his absolute element with all of the casinos

- His eyes light up when he first sees the colossal hotels with all of their elaborate designs

- Him and MC become partners in crimes, hitting the casinos in their fanciest clothes and fake jewellery pretending they’re wealthy royals from a small country in Europe called ‘Devildom’

- They lose all of their money but they find it hilarious because they have so much fun together

Levi:

- this one is pretty obvious: she takes him to Japan of course! The home of anime

- Levi has never been so excited in all of his life as he walks through the city of Tokyo with wide eyes

- He falls in love with everything he sees, MC keeps treating him to little gifts that she notices he ogles over when they’re in shops (she does begin to worry how on Earth they’re going to transport it all back to Devildom afterwards though)

- They take cute selfies together: sharing bubble tea, Levi posing with cosplayers etc

***BONUS: MC takes Levi to San Diego so that they can go to the human Comic Con (she doesn’t tell him they’re going though). Levi has never felt so welcome in a place ever before in his life and begs MC to take him again the following year***

Satan:

- Satan reads a lot and he’s very gentlemanly with MC - when she looks at him she sees Mr Darcy

- To make her fantasies of Satan x Mr Darcy come to life, she takes him on a trip to England, renting out the most beautiful, historic cottage in the countryside

- The area around their cottage is so scenic, with willow trees and rivers; Satan describes it as ‘something he’d read about in a book’

- He loves the gesture! The pair often spend their evenings cuddled up naked under a blanket beside the fire as he reads Pride and Prejudice to her before it turns into something much steamier

Asmo:

- MC takes him to Paris obviously, what’s more romantic?

- It’s called the ‘City of Love’ and Asmo soon finds out why

- Their time away together is spent exploring cute French cafes, taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower and making sweet love in their elegant hotel (sometimes even on the balcony if they’re feeling extra frisky)

- They explore all of the high end shops and popular museums

- To solidify their love and to remember their holiday, they write their names on a padlock and attach it to the Pont des Arts bridge

- Also an excuse to be French kissing a LOT

Beel:

- MC takes Beel to Rome and not just because it’s a beautiful city filled with history, but because she wants to introduce him to possibly the best food the human realm has to offer: Italian food

- Beel falls in love with everything he eats there. His personal favourite is the gelato

- Every day MC treats him to some scoops of the flavour of his choice

- They make a wish in the Trevi fountain (MC assumes his wish is about food but it’s actually a plea for MC to always love him)

- Her and Beel unconsciously recreate the scene from ‘Lady and the Hound’ where they kiss after chewing on the same piece of spaghetti

Belphie:

- MC knows Belphie isn’t a very active person and would appreciate a peaceful holiday more than an all action one

- She takes him to a really scenic village in the Netherlands; one that is surrounded by tulip fields

- Belphie’s absolutely mesmerised by all of the colours and the windmills that erect from the ground

- He finds it so, so therapeutic

- MC does have to stop him from falling asleep in the fields though, “yes I know the flowers look comfy but you can’t use them as a bed!”

Diavolo:

- MC thinks the Prince of Devildom could do with a break considering how hard he works all of the time

- And where do humans go to get away from everything? The Maldives

- Their holiday is SO romantic, it’s just the two of them in their own beach hut surrounded by nothing but crystal clear oceans and white sands

- More often than not they will have steamy, shirtless makeout sessions in the sand every night after drinking too many pina coladas

- Lots and lots and lots of sex (with a view!)

Solomon:

- MC would take him to the Harry Potter studios in London or Universal Studios in America as a joke

- “Now you can feel at home with your wizard friends!”

- Solomon doesn’t find the gesture as funny but he makes the most out of the day, eventually giving in to her teasing

- MC cries with laughter whenever he poses next to any of the photo ops with his wand out and a dramatic expression on his face

- Their entire trip gets documented on Devilgram, showing the demons that they’re still staying in contact!