#big thanks to Chloe for just being like all around the frickin' best I love playfully flirting with you it's very fun

[arrowpunk]

I’ve been thinking a lot about Pride Month lately and what that means for me as a Queer Christian, and every other June before this one I haven’t felt comfortable enough in my queerness+faith to really be that open about it or celebrate much or just take joy in the fact that I am both of these things which to a lot of the world seem so incredibly contradictory. I’ve got through a hell of a lot in the past couple of years and I like to think that’s made me a better person lol. It certainly has made me a lot more comfortable with my queerness and I’ve gotten to a place where, at least online, and with friends, I can be open about who I am, and I can Enjoy being who I am.

Being Queer doesn’t make me any less of a Christian, and being a Christian doesn’t make me any less Queer.

So I guess I just wanted to say Happy Pride Month everyone! And an especially happy Pride Month to all those people out there who helped me figure all this out, I really appreciate having such a wonderful, sweet, supportive group of friends.

[starrynighttime]

Chat Blanc: Scarlet Lady AU Part 1

AU by @zoe-oneesama

Big thanks to @minimalist-dreamer for helping me write this!

Part 2

Marinette was having a pretty good day, and she was sure it was only going to get better. First, she had finished all her homework early, then she completed some sketches that she was quite proud of, and now she had a meeting with Adrien at the café with patrol right after! She pushed open the door with a pep in her step. Not even Scarlet Lady could ruin today!

Adrien squirmed in his seat. Plagg had told him over and over that there was nothing to worry about, and he was probably right, but Adrien was still nervous. What if he said the wrong thing? What if he spilled coffee all over himself? What if- Adrien stopped himself before he could assume the worst. It was just going to be him and Marinette, two friends at a coffee shop talking about fashion and other things.

Before long, he heard the bells by the door chime and Marinette walked in. She smiled when she saw him.

“Hey, Adrien! Were you waiting for very long?” she asked, sitting across from him. Adrien shook his head.

“Not at all!” he said, pulling himself out of a trance. They ordered their coffees and caught up a little bit until they arrived. Then Marinette pulled out her sketchbook.

“So, what do you think of these for the upcoming fashion contest?” she asked, sliding it towards him. Adrien flipped through the book curiously and quickly got blown away.

“Wow” was all he could bring himself to say. “T-these are amazing, Marinette.” Marinette smiled shyly.

“Thanks, Adrien. I’m just a bit nervous. I mean, it’s not every day your dad announces a design contest like this. I’m jittery just thinking about it.” she murmured, sipping her coffee. Adrien smiled.

“Well, with designs like these-”

“Well, well, well!” a familiar, haughty voice called from behind them. Marinette and Adrien grimaced in unison as Chloe walked over to their table. “Adrikins, what are you doing here with Dupain-Cheng? You do realize that hanging around with low-lives will turn you into one, right?”

“Is that why he stopped hanging out with you?” Marinette grumbled under her breath. Chloe shot her a dirty look.

“Well, Maritrash-”

“Her name is Marinette.” Adrien interrupted. “And we’re here together because she wanted me to give her some advice on her designs, not that she needed it, though. Her designs are impeccable.” Chloe’s eyes narrowed. Then, she grinned evilly.

“Are they really? I’ll just take a look and--Oopsy!” Chloe poured her coffee onto Marinette’s open sketchbook. “Looks like your designs are ruined.” Adrien’s face contorted with rage.

“Chloe! What the f-”

“Adrien, it’s okay.” Marinette murmured, her voice impossibly calm.

“It’s okay?! But-”

“This is my laminated sketchbook.”

“What?”

“WHAT?!”

Marinette smiled and wiped the coffee off of her designs with her napkin. Sure enough, the laminated pages protected the designs effectively. Marinette smiled innocently at Chloe, who had an expression of pure rage on her face. With a mighty hmph, the Mayor’s daughter stormed out of the café.

Marinette took a sip of coffee and checked her watch. 5:15. “I should probably get going. I have to get up early tomorrow.” Adrien nodded, still frazzled from what had just happened.

“I-yeah, me too. It was great hanging out with you, Marinette.” the baker’s daughter blushed slightly and smiled.

“We should do this again sometime, just us two.” Now it was Adrien’s turn to blush.

“I’d like that.”

———————

Marinette ducked into an alleyway and Pollen flew out of her purse, smiling knowingly.

“Has my queen found her prince?” the kwami teased. Marinette blushed.

“H-he’s just a friend.”

“A very handsome friend.”

“I-I just... Buzz on!” Marinette transformed and threw out her spinning top. She had a patrol to get to.

Adrien stared in shock as Marigold flew out of the alleyway that Marinette was just in.

“What?” He murmured.

Marigold hopped across the rooftops, slightly red in the face. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she nearly ran into Bunnix, who was walking out of her burrow.

“Woah, there, Mini-gold! Slow down before you break an ankle!” Marigold blinked.

“Bunnix? What are you-” 

“-Listen carefully.” Bunnix interrupted, placing her hands on Marigold’s shoulders. “Something happened today that caused a major disaster in the future, but I’m not sure what it was or when it happened exactly. Anything unusual to report on your side?”

Surprised, Marigold shook her head. Bunnix chewed on her lip.

“Okay, in my Burrow, now!” Before Marigold could protest, Bunnix grabbed her arm and pulled her through the time portal.

Bunnix put a bowl on Marigold’s head as soon as she was inside.

“Wait, what? Why is-”

“Wanna know what you’re getting for your next birthday?”

“Of course not.”

“Exactly!”

A little while later, Bunnix pushed Marigold through a different portal and removed the bowl from her head. Marigold’s eyes widened.

“What happened here?”

“The less you know about the future, the better. Just capture the Akuma in your weapon and bring it back to me. Then the train will be back on track.”

“You’re not staying?”

“I gotta stand ready to jump back into time and try something else, in case you fail. Mwah!”

Bunnix blew a kiss and walked back into her Burrow. She placed a hand on a nearby portal to watch the events that led up to this moment.

———————

Marigold plopped down next to Cat Noir, who smiled.

“Heya, Goldie. What’s up?”

“Everything, Cat Noir. Today was the perfect day. Not even Scarlet Lady can ruin today!”

“Wow. That good, huh?”

Marigold nodded and looked out at the sunset. Cat Noir snuck a glance at her. How did he not figure it out sooner? Their kindness, their determination, their laugh, even their smiles were the same.

After the patrol, Adrien detransformed in an alleyway.

“I can’t believe it, Plagg,” he said as the kwami appeared in front of him. “The two most amazing girls I know are the same girl!” Plagg gulped.

“Are you entirely sure that Marigold and Marinette are the same people?” Adrien grinned.

“Well, you just confirmed it! I never said either of their names before you did!”

“Son of a fish.”

“But this is so amazing! I mean, I was holding back because I didn’t want to endanger Marinette and I was quickly falling for my superhero partner. Not to mention being Scarlet Lady’s ‘partner’ is exhausting and time-consuming so I wouldn’t be able to devote my time properly to either of them anyway. But now, I know they’re the same girl AND Marinette can protect herself just fine AND she’s freed me from the burden of having to work with Scarlet. That’s... the biggest three-way win I can think of.”

Plagg couldn’t help but let a little smile slip through. His kitten was just so happy. And he had to admit, he really couldn’t do much better than Marinette/Marigold. Even before she got the bee miraculous, she was a hero. Plagg shook off the warm and fuzzy feelings.

“Alright kid. I get it. Love and happiness and whatnot. Can we go home now? I need some cheese.” Adrien smiled.

“Plagg, never change.”

“Never will.”

Adrien walked out of the alleyway, not noticing his yellow-clad superheroine partner, frozen on the roof with shock. She didn’t hear what he was saying to his kwami, but she had just seen him detransform.

“What?” Marigold murmured, her eyes wide.

———————

Later, Marinette flopped onto her bed and screamed into a pillow. Pollen buzzed worriedly above her. “Marinette, are you alright?”

“No! I’m not alright! Everything is just so frickin perfect!” Marinette exclaimed. Pollen frowned, confused.

“Wait, is everything not alright or is everything perfect? Humans can be so confusing.” Pollen muttered. Marinette took a deep breath.

“It’s just... Adrien is Cat Noir. The two kindest and most amazing guys I know are the same guy! I mean, I was holding myself back because I was torn between them and they were both equally stressed and overworked. Now, I know they’re the same guy AND I know WHY he was stressed AND I can lessen his burden. It’s like... the biggest three way win I can think of.”

Pollen smiled at her holder, then frowned at her sad expression.

“But then... why are you so upset?” Marinette sat up and hugged a pillow to her chest.

“Well, because I’ve been denying my feeling for both of these guys for who knows how long. Just because I’ve found out my feelings for him doesn’t mean that he has them for me. And I don’t want to ruin the amazing friendship I already have because of my feelings.” Pollen smiled and buzzed next to her.

“I think you should tell him. If he does reject your feelings, that’s okay. Just keep on being friends with him. It sounds like you two have an amazing relationship, anyway. Just because he doesn’t share the same romantic feelings back doesn’t mean you should stop being friends.” Marinette smiled.

“Thanks, Pollen. That makes me feel better.”

“Anytime, Marinette.”

(A/n: monologues come from this post)

———————

Adrien blushed.

“W-what?”

“I-I’m in love with you, Adrien. And I’ve been denying it for years and I literally just found out last week and now I have no idea what to do and now I’m rambling and-”

“-I’m in love with you too.” Adrien interrupted. Marinette’s eyes widened.

“Really?” Adrien nodded and took her hand.

“Yeah.”

They smiled at each other and leaned in slightly...

“And then what happened?!” Alya exclaimed. Marinette grinned.

“You want to go get some lunch? I’m starving.” she said, walking ahead in the direction of the bakery. Alya gasped.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, don’t you dare walk away from me! I must know what happened!” she shrieked, chasing her grinning friend. Eventually, she grabbed Marinette’s hand.

“C’mon, Marinette! What happened?!” Marinette smiled and looked up at the sky longingly.

“Well, then he kissed me.” she murmured, her cheeks coloring slightly as she remembered. Alya couldn’t help herself. She let out a squeal of excitement and hugged her best friend. “Alya...”

“I’m so happy! My two best friends are together and they’re in love and they’re going to be together forever!”

———————

“Dude! That’s amazing!” Nino exclaimed, clapping his best friend on the back.

“Yeah, I almost can’t believe it actually happened.” Adrien said, grinning shyly. Nino spun around and grabbed onto Adrien’s shoulders.

“Dude. Is it really that unbelievable? You two have had feelings for each other for a very long time and you are going to be together forever.” Adrien blushed.

“Do you really think so?”

“I know so. Trust me.”

———————

Marigold swung across Paris in the direction of the Eiffel Tower to meet Cat Noir. Three million thoughts ran through her head. Should I tell him I know who he is? Should I tell him who I am? Should I tell him we’re together in our civilian forms? What if he thinks I’m only with him because he’s Cat Noir? What if he doesn’t want to be with me when he finds out who I am? What if-

Marigold slammed into the side of the tower, interrupting her train of thought.

“Woah there, Goldie!” a familiar voice called. She turned to see Cat Noir with a concerned expression on his face. “Are you okay? That was a pretty hard hit.” Marigold nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.” She answered, landing on the cool metal beam next to her partner. “Is Scar going to show up?” Cat Noir shrugged.

“Probably not, but I don’t care.” Marigold chuckled.

“So, anyway, what’s been going on with you?” she asked noncholantly. Cat Noir hesitated, then blushed.

“Well, I have a girlfriend now.” he admitted, finally. “Honestly, I feel lucky she even likes me. She’s talented, kind, and determined... I fell in love instantly.” Marigold blinked in surprise.

“Did you really?” Cat Noir nodded. 

“Of course. I would have been insane not to.” Marigold fought to hide her blush. This was Adrien, her boyfriend, talking about her. “Anyway, what about you?” Cat Noir asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Anything going on in your life?” Marigold hesitated. How much should she reveal? 

“Well...” she began “I actually have a boyfriend now. I can’t belive how long it took for me to realize my feelings for him. He is handsome, kind, and helpful. Oh, and he’s also a huge dork. You should see how excited he gets whenever we watch Tangled together. He just...” Marigold sighed. “I love that dork so much, it’s not even funny.” Her partner sniffled beside her. “Cat Noir... are you crying?”

“What? No! I just... have something in my eye.” He coughed into his elbow. Marigold raised an eyebrow, but decided to let it go. 

“Hey.” She raised a fist for him to bump. “No matter what, we’ll always have each other, right?” Cat Noir hesitated, then bumped her fist with a smile. 

“Of course.” He said. “Always and forever.”

———————

“It’s heartbreak for all the girls in Paris as supermodel Adrien Agreste has a girlfriend, classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

Marinette learned how to evade paparazzi pretty quickly. After all, her boyfriend was an expert.

———————

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, your relationship with my son is detrimental to the Gabriel Agreste brand. I demand that you stop seeing him at once.” 

“What? But... I didn’t do anything.”

“If you refuse, I will remove Adrien from school and he will never see his friends again.”

Marinette gasped and dropped the tray of macarons she was holding.

“A-Adrien doesn’t deserve this!” she cried.

“Then make the right choice.”

Tears slid down Marinette’s face. Without warning, she turned on her heel and ran upstairs and into her room, locking the trapdoor behind her. She threw herself onto her bed and sobbed. The clouds darkened overhead, reflecting her mood. Pollen tried to comfort her, but there was nothing she could do.

A little while later, Marinette walked downstairs. Her hair was a mess, her face was blotchy, and her eyes were bloodshot. She didn’t say anything. She just grabbed an umbrella and walked out the door, ignoring her parents’ looks of concern.

———————

She promised herself that she wouldn’t cry, but she knew deep down that it was impossible. She hated doing it. She hated that she was making herself do this. She hated seeing his heart break in half as she forced the words out of her mouth. She hated that there was no other way. 

The rain poured around her as she sat on the steps of the Metro and sobbed, hiding under her umbrella. She was sure he hated her now. What kind of girlfriend breaks up with her partner with no explanation? What kind of person just ends it like that?

A familiar voice jarred her from her thoughts.

“Marinette! Move!”

“A-Adrien?” 

She turned to see Adrien running towards her, an unnaturally determined look on his face. 

“Plagg, claws out!” 

Marinette watched in shock as Cat Noir summoned his cataclysm and closed his hand over the purple butterfly that was inches from her face. 

“Adrien!” She gasped. He smiled sadly at her.

“You were about to be akumatized, I didn’t have a choice, My Flower.”

Marinette stood there in shock. Then, with tears in her eyes, she dropped her umbrella and hugged her partner.

“Everything will be okay. I promise.” He whispered, sadness in his voice as he wrapped his arms around her. 

They sat there for a long time. Cat Noir’s transformation faded out, but they kept holding onto each other as the rain poured around them. 

“So... you knew?” she murmured. Adrien nodded.

“So did you.” he replied. Marinette bit her lip and hugged him tighter.

“I’m so sorry, I should have told you...” she sniffled, her tears leaking onto his shirt.

“Shhh... it’s okay. Everything will be fine, Marinette.” 

“No, no... don’t say that, it’s only going to get worse from here...” she whispered.

“How?”

“W-what?”

“How is it going to get worse?” Marinette chewed her lip and and disentangled herself from his embrace. He let her, but still held onto her hand. “Marinette, please...”

“I-I can’t.” she said, finally, her voice shakey. Marinette let her hand slip out from his and she walked down the steps and into the Metro as Adrien watched, tears streaming down his face.

She didn’t even pick up her umbrella.

———————

(A/n okay, wow! I actually wrote this... okay. I have a second part in the works, but I don’t know if it’ll be finished anytime soon. So... thanks for reading and let me know if you have feedback!)

———————

(Edit: Part 2 is done! Read it here)