#hold up lemme prepare a sketch

[skeletoninthemelonland]

what if i made an ask for btc characters..?

[denpa-dere]

house arrest 4

afab!mc x asmo description: NSFW, you are confined to your room for your own protection. But how long will that last when the only thing standing between you and your housemates is a door and some willpower? Asmo knows you need a break.

warnings: breeding kink with talk scents/scenting, afab reader with she/her pronouns. dubcon warning!!! This one turned out sounding kind of sketch in places, but actions depicted are intended to be consensual. spoilers: aphrodisiac used.

|| Intro || Mammon || Asmo (mini) || Levi || Satan (mini) || Beel || Lucifer (mini) || Asmo || Belphie (mini) || Belphie || Barbatos (mini) ||

Asmo:

Asmo: I heard what happened. 

Asmo: If you need a little something for those love bites, come see me. It's incredible what Devildom cosmetics can do. 

Asmo:

You puffed a little laugh watching the messages roll in. Leave it to Asmo to be so sweet under such ridiculous circumstances. 

Turning your phone face down on the pillow beside you, you folded your hands over your chest, staring up at the ceiling and taking inventory of the situation at hand. In the motion, your hands briefly brushed against a stray bite mark, sending a jolt of pleasure-pain throughout your body.

You had, by your estimation, about three more days under the microscope. The halfway point had snuck up on you amidst a flurry of seemingly nonstop activity. Until now, you hadn't had a chance to breathe, let alone strategize. 

Responding to those messages meant walking straight into a trap, of that much you could be certain. Truthfully, his distance thus far had surprised you. Asmo was something of a dark horse; an unpredictability bubbled just under his surface. Surrounded by his sin, comfortable and in his element, there was no way of knowing how his behavior would manifest. 

Well, there was one way. 

___

“Aww, muffin! You came!” Asmo cheered, swinging the door open before you could even knock. He flung his arms around your neck and pulled you into a tight hug. 

He paused to take a good look at you, lightly chiding: “You're a mess, you poor thing! Come on, let's get you fixed up.”

Linking his arm in yours, Asmo led you inside where he left you waiting at the edge of his bed while he broke away to dig through a readily prepared stash of bottles and assorted sundries.

“Brutes, all of them,” He clucked his tongue, “You’ll have to tell me all about it, obviously.”

You laughed, settling back amongst the pillows, “They’re not so bad. They’re trying.”

“Please. You coddle them,” The demon teased, rolling his eyes at you, “Meanwhile, you look like a chew toy.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No need to worry, Asmo-chan is here!” He sing-songed, joining you on the bed with an armful of products, “And I’ve got just the thing- I brought my most powerful arsenal.”

This seemed… normal? Too normal, you thought. Asmo chattered on happily, laying out his choices one-by-one and explaining the benefits of each. All else aside, it felt like any other spa day. Perhaps you shouldn’t have been surprised that The Avatar of Lust remained unfazed in the face of something that may very well be considered a mundane part of his domain. After all, Asmo had been the one to keep a cool head back when…

“Sounds good?” He chirped, holding up a jar in the shape of a deep purple crystal, eyes glittering with excitement.

“S-sure!” You nodded, hoping your eagerness covered up the fact you had entirely zoned out during his presentation.

“Yay~” He unscrewed the lid, “Then we can start with ones on your neck.”

You tried to relax, craning your head to one side. Asmo gathered some of the lightly-scented balm between his fingers and you sighed when he softly traced the sensitive marks.

“This stuff works quickly,” He assured you, extending the motion down to your collarbone, “I didn’t think Beel would be so bitey. On second thought, I guess it does make sense…”

With a practiced familiarity, you reached to pull your shirt overhead, “I think he got me on my back, too.”

“Ooh, lemme see!”

You rolled onto your stomach and buried your face into one of about a thousand silk pillows. Asmo gasped. Chuckling to himself, he wasted no time getting to work on your shoulders, and although you jumped at his touch at first, you soon found yourself sinking into its warmth.

You were feeling pretty warm. 

“They're fading already,” Asmo said, sounding impressed with himself. He positioned himself over you, straddling your hips for purchase, ministrations straying closer to a massage than a cosmetic treatment. 

“Is that why I'm so warm?” You asked, groaning in appreciation as he helpfully teased out a knot between your shoulder blades. 

“That's probably the magdalena extract,” He giggled, breath tickling  the shell of your ear, “Like I said, this stuff works fast.”

You rolled the name over in your mind, trying to remember where you had heard it before. A fog was encroaching on your thoughts, swaddling your head in a thick haze reminiscent of being wine-drunk. 

“Do you like it?” The fifth-born's voice stayed soft and playful as his hands glided down the small of your back. You set your remaining thoughts aside and sighed again, feeling yourself become putty in his hands. 

“Good,” He cooed, nuzzling your neck and nipping gently at your ear, “Then, do you want to turn over so I can get the rest of you?”

You hummed in agreement, turning underneath him when he rose up on his knees enough for you to move. Once situated on your back, Asmo lowered down to sit on you, again; his lithe frame light enough to not cause any discomfort, but heavy enough to keep you in place. You studied him through lowered lashes– he truly was beautiful.

“Ah, there you are,” He said as if seeing you for the first time. He tucked a lock of hair behind your ear, tangerine gaze raking over your flushed body.

Magdalena extract. 

The name continued to echo somewhere in the back of your mind. 

Asmo collected a generous amount of the salve, warming it between his hands before tenderly cupping your abused chest. His tongue poked out cutely between his lips in concentration, perfectly manicured fingers trailing feather-light over fading teeth imprints and rapidly stiffening nipple peaks. 

It's an aphrodisiac. An alarm bell sounded somewhere in the distance. You were too far away to pay it any attention. 

“I swear, these boys have no idea how it's done,” He murmured, more to himself than to you, and leaned in to take one of your nipples into his mouth. He lapped around the sensitive bud, sending you reeling. Your eyes rolled back as your body exploded in sensation, arching off the mattress. 

What the fuck was that? You wouldn't have time to think too hard about it. 

“Shh,” He lovingly shushed you, stuffing two fingers in your mouth, “You don't want to get us caught, do you~?”

You whimpered around the digits’ probing–  even their intrusion was starting to feel good. Asmo turned his attention back to your body. He trailed his free hand down your side, tracing the hem of your waistband. 

“Can I?” He looked up at you with a hopeful smile. You nodded, eager to shed the remaining clothes covering your feverish skin. Asmo removed his fingers from your mouth to help shimmy you out of your bottoms. 

“You know,” The demon said, parting your legs to sit between them, “Your scent has been driving me crazy for almost a week now.” He pouted, “It's pretty rude.”

Goosebumps cropped up along your thighs, following the path of his hands applying more healing balm. You lifted your hips for him, allowing space for him to slip his hands under your ass.

“Besides, everyone's been paying attention to you,” Asmo huffed, kissing each of your hip bones. Your eyes watered. “That doesn't seem fair.”

“ -‘m sorry,” You managed to whine, rolling your hips against your will. You ached for more. 

He giggled again, placing a few more kisses along your stomach, “Aww, that's okay. We'll have plenty of time for you to give me attention. Lucifer thinks I left the house hours ago.”

The words hardly registered. Asmo offered you two of his fingers again, which you readily accepted into your mouth. You twisted your tongue around them and sucked, and he looked at you like you hung the stars. 

He was right. There was plenty of time 

to be spent lavishing one another with affection– and what more perfect place to start, he thought, than playing with your adorable puffy clit until you cried that you loved him. 

You had all night, after all. 

[chiiyuuvv]

BESTIEEE

I FINALLY PASSED MY HISTORY EXAM💃💃💃💃

I failed this exam A LOT OMG

BUT guess what...I PASSED IT WITH 100/100

Girl I can't believe it🥹🥹

SAUR how do you think xikers will react to you passing an exam/important test that you were working on for a long time/stressing over a lot?

You can write it whenever you can cuz I think your requests are closed, BUT I CAN WAIT. I want YOUR thoughts because you are the best writer on this app frfr. So take your time

Anyways take care bestie, don't skip your meals, love youu🤍

-🌵 anon<3

• PAIRING — bf!xikers x gn!reader

• GENRE — proud xikerss :DD, slight kissing, almost wrote a whole fic for hunter-

• WORD COUNT — 782

• AUTHOR'S NOTE — sorry this is so late!! And good job on your tests :O

• TAGLIST — @lil-elle , @hyunukitty , @cake1box , @mars101 , @nenede , @soul-is-a-strange-kid , @the-lemon-boy , @yuniniverse

MASTERLIST! – JOIN THE TAGLIST!

MINJAE ☆

Hes not even surprised atp, he knows how smart you are

But boy does he pretend to be shocked, his hand covering his mouth as he takes in another gasp

But his other hand is hiding behind his back

You seem to notice and the only thing he can do is giggle, revealing an neatly folded box

Turns out there was a very pretty necklace inside, minjae spinning you around to put it on you, whispering in your ear how pretty you look and how proud he is ♡

JUNMIN ☆

Makes sure you do nothing for the rest of the week

So what if its monday?? He'll do anything for his precious baby since you worked so hardd

Will make your meals and clean the kitchen, your room, your study area

Even gives you a bath

And he wont stop either, that is, if you want cuddles ♡

SUMIN ☆

Sumin knew how stressed out you'd get with your exams so he prepared you a little smth!!

(And also some tissues)

Finally uncovering your eyes, you find a self portrait of yourself studying

And lemme just say how beautiful you look

The lines sketched with such care and patients, now you know why sumin had been smiling so much lately ♡

JINSIK ☆

I think this calls for pizza!! 🗣🗣‼‼

Also makes sure you do nothing. All you gotta do is just there and look pretty and that was already took no effort

Also a movie night because why not, and you've been meaning to catch up on some movies, also why not??

His arm wrapped your shoulder at all times, and will whine if you try to move around

Plus random cheek kisses, yeah, thats about it ♡

HYUNWOO ☆

Decides to buy tickets last minute and takes you to the fair!!

Lots of hand holding and pda, wiping some off the cinnamon off of your lips caused by your churros

Will attempt to get you those huge teddy bears, but sulks when he cant so you just gotta give him some kisses

Also the ferris wheel!!

Makes sure youre at the tippy top then he processed to tell you how proud his is and how special you mean to him, sealing it with a kiss ♡

JUNGHOON ☆

Yall know junghoon isnt that big on physical affection

But when he hears the news hes a changed man

His eyes shot open and his hands moving faster than his brain, picking you up and spinning you around when he gives you the biggest kiss on your cheek

Wait whaat??

Wdym he did that no he didnt stop being so delusional he didnt kiss your cheek and secretly enjoyed it but not enjoying your teasings rn shut up 🙄 ♡

SEEUN ☆

"Really?! I thought you failed!!"

His response earned him a huge punch

But hes only joking, ruffling your hair before dialing his phone, calling everyone and their mom to tell the news

Man does more than just spill the tea, he makes it from scratch

Hes overally dramatic when he tells your adventure, saying how you had to cross 7 seas just to find the right answer.. but you love him anyways 🤷‍♀️ ♡

YUJUN ☆

Hes wants to hear all about it, so spill the tea 😠😠

Another one to think you taking a test was so dramatic, having to slay a dragon just to get the right answer to a question

And boy is he listening!! (He listens to you more than minjae)

He'd be so awestruck when youre done, his jaw lefted open and hes looking at you with sparkly eyes

Hes so proud of you too :(( ♡

HUNTER ☆

Also think hes like minjae with the gift giving, pulling out this beautiful bracelet he bought months ahead of time because he knew you'd do well

But unlike minjae, he takes you out to dinner!!

Yes, a big, fancy dinner. And hes paying for it all by himself <3

Hunters prince agenda omgomg

No bc he'd drop down on his knees to kiss the back of your hand, making sure to look up at you in the process, opens every. Since. Door in sight and also pushes you into your chair. Andd he also leans against the table to wipe something off the corner of your lips, giggling to himself bc youre just so adorable. i could write a whole fic honestly... ♡

YECHAN ☆

You passed your exam? Give him a hug

You got an A?? Give him a hug

You thought you were going to fail? Frowns at you, before hugging you tightly

Spends the rest of the day giving you so much love, youre only allowed to be in his arms

And is the boy so soft??? The most gentle hes ever been ♡

[the-himawari]

A3! Miyoshi Kazunari - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Feature (2/3)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Kazunari: (Sketching today was fun~.) …Hm? (The stars are super pretty tonight! The summer triangle is really visible too~.)* I’ll send it to Sumi! I wonder if I can get a good shot.

*click*

Kazunari: Mmm… it’s tough taking it with a phone~. I gotta look into how to shoot it! (Anyways, I’m gonna tell Sumi about it first thing once I get home. He might already know about it though.)

???: Kazu~!

Kazunari: Huh?

-pause-

Misumi: Up here! On top of the triangle roof!

Muku: Kazu-kuuun, welcome home!

Kumon: Welcome back!

-pause-

Kazunari: Sumi! You guys!

Misumi: Join us, Kazu~!

Kazunari: …

-pause-

Kazunari: Upsies… and oof! What a surprise. All of Summer troupe’s gathered on the rooftop!

Yuki: We ended up holding a summer triangle appreciation party as per Misumi’s suggestion.

Muku: It worked out perfectly since we also spotted you the moment you got home.

Kumon: Tah dah. We made sure to prepare onigiri too!

Misumi: The view is really pretty up here~!

Kazunari: I was just gazing up as I came home! It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

Tenma: By the way, Paul was chosen as the role for your spin-off, right?

Kazunari: Yep! I have a script meeting with Tsuzurun later!

Muku: Kazu-kun’s Paul was really dashing! I understand why the audience loves him so much.

Kumon: Yeah! I love Kazu-san’s Paul too!

Yuki: That reminds me, we’ve thought about their after stories before.

Kumon: Eh, you have!?

Misumi: You weren’t part of the theatre yet back then.

Kazunari: We talked about how Henry was actually a prince, and how Sky went off on an adventure to find the golden triangle!

Tenma: We totally just did whatever we wanted.

Kumon: Awesome! That sounds super fun!

Muku: Kazu-kun came up with a story where Paul joins the Sky Pirates.

Misumi: Yeah, that’s right!

Tenma: But we’re doing a spin-off this time, not a sequel, right? We can talk about that later.

Kumon: Aw~! Way to keep me in suspense, Tenma-san~!

Muku: I think an exchange between Paul and the Sky Pirates is a must though.

Misumi: It’d be fun if all the Sky Pirates and Paul could go wild and make lots of noise together!

Tenma: Even though it’s Paul’s spin-off, I’d like it if we could include some of Summer troupe’s typical comedy scenes.

Yuki: Even if they don’t become friends, we could show something like the pirates and navy joining forces.

Kumon: I wanna see Paul’s cool side!

Kazunari: I see, I see. Join forces… that’s true… I’ve got an image of what I wanna do after talking with you guys! Thanks!

Muku: I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Misumi: ...Ah! A shooting star!

Tenma: Where?

Kumon: Wah! I gotta make a wish!

Kazunari: Me too, me too! Lemme think… I wish that Paul’s spin-off turns out well!

Yuki: Don’t you have to chant your wish three times for shooting stars?

Kazunari: Wait, what!? It’s too late for that!

-pause-

Kauznari: …And so, that’s the kinda story I want!

Tsuzuru: I see… in that case, it sounds like whole cast is going to appear.

Kazunari: Yep. Since we’re doing a long-awaited spin-off, I want everyone to take the stage!

Tsuzuru: That sounds just like you. I’ve also been itching to write a Paul fight scene like the one you just explained to me.

Kazunari: I’ll be expecting it! Thanks, fam!

---

*The summer triangle is a constellation

previous | next

[muggycuphead]

weird flex but ok i guess pt.34

33

War…Hold up, do we really need a warning for this one? Dunno, but however, watch out for slightly disturbing and kinda…disgusting imagery, trypophobic patterns, as well as ‘necrotic’ (and dark themed) designs I made while having funky fever bc o h m y g o d do I get a little crazier every new quarantine day (and at this point it’s coming to be an usual thing for me, big sad). However, most are made no other than for the sole sake of satire, so y’know, no need to get your underwear in a twist

Friday Night Funkin’ BoyFriend’s Hood – AU fanconcept sketches [XXIX]

Ladies and gentlemen, the time we been all waiting for

Pico taking part on the plot wooo

…although again, it’s a rewritten event that separates from both FNF and PS:LCA storylines so prepare for the dumpster fire I’m about to unleash (man am I real insecure when it comes to writing characters I don’t know that deeply, let alone newgrounds characters altogether, vomits)

1. Out to catch the train on my own

Week 3 references? Week 3 references indeed

There isn’t much dialogue here, just BF going to get the metrotro after going out of school (bro came out late bc night turn wowza)

Though the events might be happening a few days after Pico day (can’t specify the year, rip), hence why Pico would be there in the first place

2. Watch for spikes!

(On his way to the train stop, BF notices someone close to his trail) (Startled) “Oh shit!” (BF quickly jumps with his skateboard and leaps above the someone waiting on the stop, landing on the other side, panting a bit)

Can someone please make a joke about skating games I’m out of lines here, help

3. Taking Ls…?

“Boooo… that sucked ass”

(BF looks baffled and annoyed, as he just stands up, holding close his skate with his foot) “I was trying to avoid hitting your ass, bozo”

Jerky Pico for no reason hehehehe…jk

4. Messing around

(The ginger fella walks close to BF, slightly elbowing him as he chuckles) “Ay, I’m just messing with ya, bro! Won’t lie, that was good quick thinking back there. Not that it would have done anything to me, I’ve been gone through worse blows myself, a skateboard hit is of the last things I’d worry about”

(BF smirks) “You’re of the looney ones, aren’tcha?”

(The fella retorts) “More like of the mad ones a bit, but yeah, that could sorta work too” (Looks at him with a raised brow) “Lemme guess, you aren’t from around here, are ya?”

(BF wonders in confusion) “Uh, not really, why’d ya ask?”

(The fella chuckles) “Ah, nothing, just…occasionally people from here that come across my way either go crazy and wow…or simply try to kill me on the spot; last one kinda sucks but -hey!” (Shrugs mid discourse) “It comes with the job after dealing with school shenanigans that go further from mere bullying feuds”

(BF connects the dots with the keywords) “Hold on, wait –No way! You…you’re that Pico guy from the school shooting news from years ago?”

(Pico winks at BF) “Right on the moolah, pal”

(BF is even more baffled) “Nooo, you kidding! You kidding!”

(Pico laughs) “Nah, I’m for real here! Did ya think I was someone else or what?” (Pico makes a gesture with his face) “Don’t worry, this ain’t no Convict behind this body!” (Pico goes for sarcasm) “And even so, it wouldn’t be as good-looking as me, don’tcha think?” (Pico winks again)

(BF laughs at Pico’s mess-a-round, yet is still kind of shocked) “It ain’t that! It’s just…why’d ya come here anyway? Though you’d have your own car and stuff despite…well, y’know”

(Pico shakes his head) “Nah, don’t trust driving at night that much, plus it’s kind of hard to focus on the way cuz, y’know…” (makes a gesture on his head, signing his stature while frowning) “Being this high”

(BF gives him a ‘true bro’ look) “Guess that makes it two of us, eh?”

(Pico offers his fist to BF) “Yep, welcome to the dwarves’ club bro”

(BF brofists Pico) “I was already a member myself, nice to meet another one of the crew”

(Pico chuckles to BF’s response) “Heh, I like your vibe, dude! Say, wanna chat a bit while we wait for the train here?”

(BF nods) “Sure, why not? It ain’t like we’re gonna get startled by any weird clones from outta nowhere, hehe…” (Nervous) “…hopefully”

(Pico pffts) “Even if they do, I’ll just hand them their asses back to where they came from”

Big bruh moment, send help I feel like I don’t understand pico writing and I hate miself fo it, I apologize to the fellow pico fans lord help me-

5. Meeting Newground’s star gunman

“So, what’s your name, bro?”

(BF makes a ‘tip’ with his hat) “BoyFriend, BF or B for shortie, pleasure to meet’cha”

(Pico chuckles) “Boyfriend, huh? Now that’s a peculiar name to give to someone”

“Yeah, although it was more of a ‘funny accident’ when it comes to know why”

“An accident? So you weren’t meant to be named BoyFriend in the first place?”

“Nope. Long story short, the people in charge of my birth certificate or whatever had the name comprehension of a Starbucks employee with a really bad hearing skill, and they ‘telephone-game’-ed the name my parents wanted to give me into well, BoyFriend... And well, here we are!”

“And you don’t have anything against that? Since, well…y’know”

“Nah, honestly it’s not a big deal to me at this point. Heck, even my parents thought it’d be awkward for me back when I was a wee boy, and I didn’t really care that much about it even when I knew what it actually meant. If I did, I’d have changed it a long time ago.” (BF gets smug) “Besides, it’s quite a nice ‘icebreaker’ when you hang out with the ladies” (BF winks at Pico)

(Pico laughs) “Hah, I bet it is!” (Pico gently punches BF on the arm) “Still, gotta admire your resilience on that! Wouldn’t wanna know how it was back at your street when you were around the others, little fellas can be nasty for sure, I’d know”

“Eh, it didn’t really come to it that often, and even if it did, I got my own guns to deal with it” (BF vacillates) “…Figuratively speaking of course, unlike ya, hehe”

(Pico smirks) “Hey, don’t sweat it; guns might do most of the job when stuff takes a turn for the worst, but diplomacy’s way of a better option honestly in more than one sense…unless you go to Nevada. That’s a whole different story”

(BF nods in understanding) “Yeah, can guess why considering the stuff I’ve heard from there”

Bangitty

[honeytea8]

shay, hook me up with the good stuff. how would josuke, okuyasu, rohan, and jotaro react to an s/o dancing suggestively for them 👀 (if this is nsfw feel free to ignore) love your blog!!!

Thanks for the request!! This wasn’t explicit so it’s cool with me 💗 (also included gifs for the added effect lmao)

Josuke Higashikata

This guy is so damn goofy, he’s literally got the silliest smile on his face, even while maintaining the deepest blush ever.

He can’t take his eyes off you and he’s flustered and smiling like mad! “Damn, *gulps* you look so g-gorgeous, I—”

Josuke would not know what to do with himself, like at all. Should he touch you? Can he touch you? Please give him some direction.

And honestly, once he gets over his initial shock, he’ll probably be a real sap about it too, simping like a lovestruck fool the entire time. It’s so adorable!

Okuyasu Nijimura

Okuyasu would be just as blushy as Josuke, but he’s very excited, bouncing on his toes and squealing! All of that energy completely overrides his nervousness.

“Hold on baby, lemme get a good seat!!” is what he’ll say once you start dancing for him.

Trust me, cash money Oku will enjoy this moment to the absolute fullest. He’ll definitely be cheering you on the entire time too!

Simp energy is gonna be on 100!!! Be prepared for hella compliments about how pretty you are and how lucky he is to have you. Okuyasu will not be able to keep his hands off you!

Rohan Kishibe

At first he’ll give you a blank look as if he’s trying to understand just what exactly he’s looking at, then he’ll smirk and take a seat where he can have full view of you.

Let’s be real, this guy might start critiquing you at some point. “Surely you can put a little bit more arch in your back, Y/n. I’ve seen you do it before.”

Rohan doesn’t really say much more than a “hmm” or “interesting”. You might even catch him sketching something down really quick in his notepad.

Afterwards, he’ll thank you and say he enjoyed it, although you really can’t tell if he did or not. Either way, you’re stuck pondering this for the rest of the evening 💀

Jotaro Kujo

Jotaro pins you with the deepest stare you’ve ever seen. He’s watching your body twist and turn, and he won’t look away for even a second.

Will remain mostly silent and composed, but internally he’s anything but. You may even catch a whispered “Yare yare.” Fall from his lips as he tugs on the brim of his hat.

Afterwards, when you come to sit on his lap, his arms don’t hesitate to wrap around you. He’ll ask what all that was for, wondering what he did to earn such a nice show.

Let’s just say, your performance stirred a hunger in him that he wasn’t even aware of.

[princessofmerchants]

Nessian Appreciation Week Day 5 - Most Heartbreaking Moment

I could copy most of the text of ACOFAS for this one, but instead here's a bit from chapter 80 of ACOWAR, which I think speaks for itself, but I'll indicate the especially excruciating pain points, for me, in bold.

And I realized that home was indeed the same, but we … perhaps we were not.

Amren muttered, “I suppose I shall have to eat real food now.”

“A monumental sacrifice,” Cassian quipped.

She gave him a vulgar gesture, but her eyes narrowed at the sight of his still-bandaged wings. Her eyes—normal silver eyes—slid to Nesta, holding herself by the stair rail, as if she’d retreat to her room.

My sister had barely spoken, barely eaten these past few days. Had not visited Cassian in his healing bed. Still had not talked to me about what had happened.

Amren said to her, “I’m surprised you didn’t take the king’s head back to have stuffed and hung on your wall.”

Nesta’s eyes shot to her.

Mor clicked her tongue. “Some would consider that joke to be in bad taste, Amren.”

“I saved your asses. I’m entitled to say what I want.”

And with that Amren stalked out of the house and into the city streets.

“The new Amren is even crankier than the old one,” Elain said softly.

I burst out laughing. The others joined me, and even Elain smiled—broadly.

All but Nesta, who stared at nothing.

When the Cauldron had broken … I didn’t know if it had broken that power in her, too. Severed its bond. Or if it still lived, somewhere within her.

“Come on,” Mor said, slinging her arm around Azriel’s shoulders, then one carefully around Cassian’s and leading them toward the sitting room. “We need a drink.”

“We’re opening the fancy bottles,” Cassian called over his shoulder to Rhys, still limping on that barely healed leg.

My mate sketched a subservient bow. “Save a bit for me, at least.”

And then a few moments later...

“So,” I said to my sisters. “What now?”

Nesta just turned and went up the stairs, each step slow and stiff. She shut her door with a decisive click once she got to her bedroom.

“With Father,” Elain whispered, still staring up those steps, “I don’t think Nesta—”

“I know,” I murmured. “I think Nesta needs to sort through … a lot of it.”

Too much of it.

Elain faced me. “Do we help her?”

I fiddled with the end of my braid. “Yes—but not today. Not tomorrow.” I loosed a breath. “When—when she’s ready.” When we were ready, too.

Elain nodded, smiling up at me, and it was tentative joy—and life that shone in her eyes. A promise of the future, gleaming and sweet.

The heartbreak speaks for itself here but lemme just go ahead and say one thing: this entire scene begins a cascading set of decisions made by the only people Nesta knows in the Fae or mortal world, two of whom actually are family and a third who she allowed to kiss her and was prepared to die with, that signal to Nesta that, for them, leaning into the easy and familiar to cope, neither of which describe her, matters more than offering her their presence as a way to ask if she is OK and what specific things she is struggling with. And experiencing this kind of off puttedness must be incredibly hurtful.

I know Nesta is a private person, but Cassian choosing to head to the sitting room to drink with Mor et al (!!!) rather than do something, anything, to find out why Nesta might not have come to see him as he healed (and giving her the benefit of the doubt that there was a reason that maybe had nothing to do with him, read: grief and rage and battle trauma regarding her father), breaks my Nessian shaped heart. Even just extending a verbal invitation to join them could have signalled to Nesta that she is still on their radar at all as something more than a thorny burden in their lives, and that her presence is welcome.

And yes, I fully acknowledge Cassian is coping with his own trauma and this might be his preferred way to do so at this time, but I still see this entire, very public moment (or lack thereof) between them as utterly heartbreaking after the connection we saw forged between them in this book right through the killing of the King of Hybern.

And it's worth noting if there is any "blame" to be found for what we see in ACOFAS, then it can be shared around among most of the people in this scene, Nesta and Cassian included, so this post isn't me saying Nesta's PTSD behaviors in ACOFAS are Cassian's fault—not at all. But the prompt was for the most heartbreaking moment between these two, and to me, this scene is the tangible beginning of their heartbreak, with the clear and lost opportunity to bridge the widening gap caused by battle trauma and grief, and acting instead not to do so.

[jungshookz]

CHAPTER ONE: It begins.

it’s... cold. 

why is it cold? 

the first thing you hear is the sound of someone calling for you, but his voice is shaky and he sounds like he’s on the verge of tears

“y/n… please… please wake up…”

your eyelids feel heavy and you can’t seem to open your eyes no matter how hard you try

fingers prod at your back and you instinctively go to flick them away but you can’t seem to move

“please wake up… please wake up…”

what the hell is going on?

when you finally manage to peel your eyes open, you find yourself staring directly at a pair of tattered old sneakers that you recognise to be jungkook’s

you know they belong to him because the seams on the right shoe started to split last week and he’s been too lazy to order another pair for himself

okay

well

if there’s one thing you know for sure, it’s that you don’t know where you are

“don’t leave me alone… i can’t do this without you…”

all you know is that your body is aching and your ears are ringing and your head is pounding and you feel like you’ve just woken up from a one hundred year long nap

long story short

you are noT feeling very well

a pained groan slips past your lips as you slowly push yourself up off the ground before reaching up to press your palm flat against your forehead

jesus christ

your brain feels like it’s about to melt out of your ears

“what’s going on?” you croak, “where are we?” 

you clear your throat before reaching up to wrap your fingers around it 

it kind of feels like you swallowed sandpaper and then gargled saltwater right afterwards 

you reach up to rub at your tender cheek seeing as it was squished down against this rough wooden floor for god knows how long

“what... what’s... what’s going on?” you ask dumbly before looking around the room 

you’re not sure what time it is but it’s obviously nighttime because you can barely see anything

you look over to see soft moonlight peeping in through the cracks in the wooden planks that are nailed against the windows

the only source of viable light is jungkook’s flashlight and even that’s starting to die on him a little bit

“don’t be so loud-” jungkook hisses as he glances towards the closed door warily, “i-i’m not sure. i woke up ten minutes ago. do you remember anything at all?”

“i wish i could say i did.” you mutter before looking over at the door as well, “where’s everyone else?”

“no idea.”

“huh.” 

it’s weird

you really can’t recall anything that happened prior to this moment

you dO know for a fact that the eight of you were together at some point… but now it’s just you and jungkook

“well… okay, lemme just-” you slowly get up onto your feet before stretching your limbs out

your joints pop and crack back into place as you twist and turn and shake the numbness away 

okay yeah

you’re definitely have to go for some kind of a massage as soon as you find a way to get the hell out of whatever crackhouse this is

“i’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.” you wrap your arms tight around yourself before shivering

it’s a little drafty in here

“oh, really? there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why we woke up in what seems to be an abandoned old house?” jungkook hisses as he gets up off the ground as well, “i can’t remember anything. something isn’t right here!”

“at least we’re still alive...?” you mutter, checking your hands and arms to see if there are any scratches and bruises

nothing

which is a good sign, right?

“how are you being so calm about all of this, y/n?” jungkook frowns

you reach down to dust off the front of your jeans before shrugging, “someone has to be, because if we’re both panicky, we’re probably never going to get out of this place.”

“wha-”

“did you find any other tools besides that flashlight?” you ignore jungkook’s panic-infused comments as you make your way over to the large set of drawers at the other end of the bedroom

“no, because i’ve been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes. the flashlight was near me when i woke up.”

“maybe there are some batteries in here somewhere…” you yank the creaky drawer with a grunt 

you’re met with disappointment when you see that all that’s in here is a folded piece of paper

“what does it say?” you jolt in surprise when jungkook suddenly speaks up directly behind you and you give him a gentle nudge with your elbow before picking the note up

don’t let the light die

“don’t let the light die…?” you frown lightly before peering over at the flashlight in jungkook’s hand

really??

you’re not supposed to let the light die and all you get to help you with that is a dusty old flashlight?

that’s the equivalent of bringing a water gun to a sword fight

“what do you think that means?” jungkook whispers and you shrug in response

“i don’t know. this seems like some kind of an elaborate prank or something. and whoever wrote this has the handwriting of a three year old toddler, so i wouldn’t worry too much about it,” you tuck the paper into your back pocket for safe-keeping before pushing past jungkook to explore the rest of the room, “how long do you think we have until your flashlight dies?”

“not sure…” jungkook shakes it before tapping it against his palm, “maybe, like, twenty minutes at best?”

“okay, well- oh, wait!” you spin around before letting out a scoff, “we’re so dumb - we can just use our phones-”

you pat your pockets down and-

…

…

where’s your phone?

you curse quietly when you don’t feel the familiar rectangular shape anywhere

whoever put you here took your phone too???

harsh

your snapchat streaks are all probably gone by now

you and jungkook had a 1385 day streak!

okay

you know what

it’s fine

you’ll just email snapchat later and beg them to restore the streak it’ll be fiNE

in the meantime, you should probably focus on getting out of this place instead of your snapchat streaks

“okay, let’s just-” you run a hand through your hair before looking around the room, “just help me look for something, anything we can use to defend ourselves in case we need to- i don’t know, fight someone?“

“oh, god. you think we’re going to have to fight our way out of here?” jungkook whines, his brows knitting together in concern

you whip around to glare at him, “you’re the stronger one out of the two of us, so you better be prepared to fight if we need to, you wuss-”

there’s a bunch of junk scattered around this bedroom so you’re sure you’ll be able to find something to use

you’re a little bit hesitant to get on top of this bed because you don’t know how old this house is and the sheets look pretty nasty

the mattress creaks underneath your knees as you crawl on top of it and your nose wrinkles at the musty, mildewy smell

gross 

you flip over the questionably stained pillows one by one and perk up when you spot another folded note under one of them

“another one?” you mutter to yourself as you pick it up 

don’t turn around

god

what is with all these cryptic messages, seriously?

you don’t have time to try to figure out what all of these mean!!

“y/n, check it out!” you turn to glance over your shoulder to see jungkook holding a baseball bat up triumphantly, “found it in the closet!”

“oh, sweet! good job, kook.” you hop off the mattress (thank god) before scurrying over to join him by the closet, “what else is in here?”

you nudge him to the side before dropping to your knees to dig through the mess of items on the ground

“nothing much…” jungkook hums, “clothes… shoes… you know, normal things that go in a normal closet-”

you pause upon noticing a tattered looking leather journal buried underneath all the clothes

“and there’s this.” you pull it out and dust the cover off before wiping your hand on the side of your leg 

it crinkles as you open it up and you smooth your hand over the first page 

the pages are wrinkled and yellowed and honestly you can barely read the words because most of the ink is faded

you flip through it slowly and reach up to adjust jungkook’s hand so that you can get more light on the book

“what’s that?”

“someone’s journal or diary or something, i guess?”

“...i feel like that can’t be a good sign.”

you flip through the pages faster and faster and you feel your heart starting to pound in your chest

these messages are… creepy

don’t turn

can’t hide

no door

trust him? trust them? 

all smiles :-)

“damnit.” you mutter to yourself as you bring the book closer to you to trY and read the faded messages

on the last page (the rest of the book is blank) is a messy sketch of what appears to be a bunch of long panels formed into the shape of an octagon with a little red ‘x’ in the very centre of it

?

okay

so

here’s what you know  

you woke up in a room in a house and you don’t know how you got here

the only source of light you have is a shitty old flashlight

the only kind of weapon you have is a shitty old baseball bat

this journal has a bunch of weird messages scrawled inside of it but you don’t know if the information in it is important or if the owner of the journal is just insane

and… yeah!

that’s about it

there’s really not much else to unpack here

and as much as you would like to stay here wondering what the hell is going on, you really don’t have the time for this and it would probably be more productive to actively try to get out of this place

and you feel like if you bring the book with you, something spooky might happen… so maybe you’ll just leave it be

at least that’s what all the scary movies you’ve ever watched have taught you

you never mess with the journals!

you toss the book aside before getting up onto your knees and dusting them off

“alright, c’mon-” you brush past kook and head towards the door with the baseball bat in your hand, “let’s go.”

jungkook’s lips part and he lets out a squawk before stumbling over to join you, “what- wha- what do you mean ‘let’s go’?”

you turn to look at him right as you’re about to reach for the doorknob before raising a brow, “i mean, let’s get out of this room so we can get out of this house-“

“no!” jungkook shakes his head frantically before backing up, “i-i think we should just stay in here until the morning. it’ll be safer that way and we’ll be able to find everyone else a lot easier.”

your shoulders drop and you resist the urge to roll your eyes

he wants to STAY here?

you’d very much like to LEAVE here so you can go back to the comfort of your own home

and you feel really gross!! you wanna take a shower!! rinse all this grime off!!

“jungkook, from the looks of it, it’s not going to be morning for a couple more hours, and you said yourself that the flashlight probably isn’t even going to last one hour.” you gesture to the flashlight in his hand - which flickers and dies for a brief second, proving your point - before placing a hand on your hip, “now, c’mon. i have a bat. you have your fists. we’ll be fine.”

“but- what about that note you read earlier? a-about not letting the light die and stuff? a-and all the messages in that book?”

“exactly! we can’t let the light die - someone had to have put it there for a reason, right?” you appeal to jungkook’s spooky little conspiracy in an attempt to get him to lift his feet up off the ground, “that means that we need to make use of our only source of light and get out of here as soon as possible, okay? we have each other. we’ll be fine, kook.” 

jungkook chews anxiously at the inside of his cheek as he thinks to himself

a good ten seconds of silence ticks by and he still hasn’t responsed

oh for god’s sake

you let out an exasperated sigh, “look, if it makes you feel any better, i’ll lead the way! and we can hold hands or something.”

“i don’t-” jungkook reaches up to scratch the back of his neck, “i don’t need to hold your hand-“

“alright, fine, we won’t hold hands since you’re a big strong man who definitely isn’t scared shitless right now,” you shake your head and reach for the doorknob again, “can you please just get over here so that we can-”

BAM!

you immediately fall backwards in surprise when suddenly someone starts pounding at the door

you wince as your elbows hit the ground and sharp pain shooTs up your arms

oW

“are you okay??” jungkook helps you back up onto your feet and you nod quickly as you keep your eyes glued on the door

it’s being pounded on so hard that it’s practically vibrating

“HELP! HELP ME!”

you recognise the voice to be taehyung’s and you can’t help but feel a sense of relief even though relief should be the last emotion that this situation brings

“LET ME IN, PLEASE- PLEASE, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE IN THERE, PLEASE LET ME IN-”

you go to open the door but jungkook suddenly grabs the back of your arm and yanks you backwards, “n-no!”

“wha-” you turn around to look at him with wide eyes, “what do you mean ‘no’?! are you insane??”

jungkook’s grip tightens around your arm and he looks over at the door warily, “y/n, don’t open it!”

“PLEASE- PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO DIE-”

“we have to open the door!” you hiss, “taehyung’s in trouble!”

“but- if you open that door, all three of us could die!” jungkook stammers, “that locked door is the only thing keeping us alive! we don’t know what’s out there, y/n!”

you jump as the doorknob starts to rattle violently

at this point, taehyung could probably break the door down and come in himself

you look down at jungkook’s hand around your arm and then back up towards the trembling door

What do you want to do? 

> [A]: Open the door! That’s your friend out there! Taehyung would do the same thing for you… right? Wouldn’t he?

> [B]: Are you serious right now?! Jungkook’s right! You can’t open the door, otherwise whatever’s out there is going to get you guys too! Sorry, but everyone for themselves…

Place your vote here. 

You have one hour. 

Good luck. 

[saeyoungs-sunflower]

(HC) RFA + MC in Quarantine

Listen lads, this is just a silly I wrote this the other day (I may have been a little but tipsy but shh) and I thought I might as well share it. I hope this cheers some of you up during such a scary time <3

***

Yoosung:

★ okay this is gonna sound obvious

★ but bare with

★ G A M E S

★ but!!! not just LOLOL!! oh no no!

★ i’m talking board games, PC games, active games like tag and hide and seek

★ you guys basically act like children how are you surviving on your own

★ you guys also do LOADS of cooking

★ like so much

★ you’re baking like one cake a day pls slow down

★ ngl you guys are thriving staying home all the time lol

★ if Yoosung has online classes, you set up a study club!

★ he does his college work whilst you do whatever work you gotta do boo love that tEAMWORK

★ honestly you guys have never been so productive oop

Zen:

❤︎ oh boy

❤︎ be prepared to be SMOTHERED in love

❤︎ zen i love you too but pls i have stuff to do

❤︎ m o v i e  n i g h t s

❤︎ f a c e  m a s k s

❤︎ there are so many movies/tv series that you guys have been waiting to watch together but haven't had time to bc of zen’s work

❤︎ big sad :(

❤︎ BUT GUESS WHAT FAM

❤︎ WORK IS CANCELLED TIME TO SNUGGLE DOWN AND WATCH SOME DAMN CINEMA

❤︎ it usually turns into make out sessions but shh nobody has to know

❤︎ Zen kinda discovered that you guys c a n n o t cook

❤︎ so!!! you learn!!!

❤︎ it’s MESSY y’all

❤︎ “aw mc you look so cute with flour on your nose” throws flour at your face “zen i sWeaR tO GoD I just wanna make b r e ad leave me ALONE”

 ❤︎ quality couple time <3

Jaehee:

☞  lets get down to business

☞ to defeat

☞ THE H A N

☞ lol JK

☞ seriously the house has never been cleaner

☞ obvs your cafe isn't open so y’all have some time on your hands

☞ one day Jaehee suggests gardening

☞ oh man

☞ it escalated

☞ gardening has now become an OBSESSION

☞ honestly you couldn't find a prettier garden on pinterest swear down

☞ you also decided to renovate the house you’ve been meaning to do it but have never had the time

☞ your house is now a work of art wow proud of you guys <333

☞ tbh, Jaehee actually has a small fear of getting sick/you getting sick so you guys are only leaving the house if it is a b s o l u t e l y necessary

Jumin:

♚ nobody talk about the bad ending

♚ i said don’t…

♚ he’s be waiting for this moment who needs a cage when you have a national lockdown

♚ all jokes aside though this man still has to work from home

♚ poor bby

♚ let us all shed a tear for Jumin Han

♚ you love to bring him tea and homemade baked goods whilst he works and guess what??? so does he lol

♚ it is time

♚ to D A N C E

♚ this man is so extra oml

♚ insists on taking online ballroom dance lessons bc why not MC hmmm???

♚ he is actually a very good dancer

♚ once you guys get good enough it turns into spontaneous ballroom dancing in the kitchen whilst you clean up after dinner

♚ wine??? wine did you say??? W I N E???

♚ oh b o y

♚ you've seen each other tipsy before, and lemme tell ya it takes a lot to get this man drunk

♚ his tolerance is so high from all the w i n e

♚ but one night you two get absolutely HAMMERED like oh my God guys calm down pls

♚ rip your liver lmao

♚ it makes for a v e r y funny evening though you guys have literal tears in your eyes and its so nice to see the mighty Jumin Han loosen up a little aw bless

Saeyoung:

☀︎ okay

☀︎ listen

☀︎ this man is absolutely out of control i can’t

☀︎ you thought he was a prankster before???? oh man i am so sorry

☀︎ “saeyoung why is there a balloon above saeran’s door” “don’t worry bout it babe” “i am WORRYING SAEYOUNG”

☀︎ on a serious note though being stuck in the house does sometimes bring back some bad memories for him

☀︎ there are some bad days where he just n e e d s to get out

☀︎ so you sometimes go out for a quick drive in some desert place ya know let’s be sensible

☀︎ you guys have also made a habit of climbing to the roof and watching the stars aw

☀︎ you’ve also both fallen a sleep there a few times oopsy daisy

☀︎ the memes are the only thing getting you guys through at this point it’s a problem

☀︎ but you are loving the quality time with your choi boys so it’s not all bad <3

☀︎ family snuggles are a must

☀︎ a M U S T

☀︎ the desired s n u g g l e position is you sat on Saeyoung’s lap, your legs draped over Saeran’s lap and Saeran’s head resting on Saeyoung’s shoulder AW

☀︎ sometimes you hold Saeran’s hand whilst he’s asleep bc your edgy boi needs love but wont ask for it ever

V:

❁ first of all

❁ a w

❁ this man is the sweetest peach

❁ he makes so many cute things for you whilst you guys are in lockdown

❁ i mean he’s writing letters, knitting you scarves, painting you pictures the whole shebang

❁ he even made you a pyjamas

❁ he’s sewing guys he’s out of control

❁ if your working/reading/just having a quiet moment he will sketch you

❁ you wouldn't know it though bc he’s a s n e a k y bastard

❁ he’s never filled a sketchbook so fast and it’s his most treasured possession

❁ a book!!! filled with YOU!!!!! amazing!!!!!!

❁ wait, did you hear that????

❁ oh yeah

❁ ITS ARTS AND CRAFTS TIME

❁ actual children

❁ even if what you make is terrible its just so fun because you're doing it together

❁ brb just crying my eyes out i love this man so much

❁ you guys also make care packages and do the grocery shopping for the elderly/at risk people in your area and deliver it for them AND sewing scrubs/masks for doctors

❁ “I don’t want to stay inside doing nothing all the time when there are people who need help” THIS MAN IS TOO MUCH

Saeran:

☽ i hope you're ready for this grumpy motherfucker

☽ he never went outside anyway but now that he cant go out it sounds like the best thing in the world saeran pls

☽ ah yes it is time to wake up

☽ oh it’s 4pm?????

☽ HA who needs a sleep schedule anyway

☽ also Saeyoung is not the only twin with the Mischief Gene™

☽ oh no no no

☽ you two team up and absolutely destroy him

☽ i am so sorry Saeyoung but you had this coming

☽ when Saeran says that he wants to learn an instrument you are GOBSMACKED

☽ HELL Y E S

☽ he orders a keyboard and omg he’s such a fast learner

☽ probs from all the years of hacking ouch

☽ do i smell??? A FAMILY BAND?????

☽ you and Saeyoung play kazoo

☽ Saeran has left the chat

☽ seriously though his piano playing is so pretty and it calms him down so much ughhh PRECIOUS TOMATO BOI

***

This is so chaotic hahahah I hope you enjoyed though. If people liked it I’ll do some more silly things like this. It was a nice break from...the other stuff I’m writing...hint hint watch this space ;)

Masterlist

[wanderingchocolateeclair]

RECENT MANGA SPOILERS

Lemme put you on some angst because canon can suck it and I like pain

Ecto after the war looking for survivors to help with evacuation. His clones are moving rubble and helping hurt heroes to safety. Another hero -maybe jeanist or something- stops him because “we found Higari..and it isn’t looking good, you need to prepare to say goodbye.”

Ecto is running on pure adrenaline, rips his mask off and kneels where Higari is. He looks terrible, and it’s clear the worst is going to happen. Everyone around moves away so they can have their final goodbyes.

Ecto carrying Higari’s body off the battlefield, numb and broken.

Ooohhhhhhh Anon, I love you so much!!!! Sorry I kinda rambled on a bit but here is my response??

Includes recent manga spoilers and talks of death ->

Sorry this took so long to answer!!! I haven’t been in much of an angsty mood and my thing keeps on bugging out whenever I try to write an answer?

But aaaaaaaaaa yessss this!!! This angst right here! This hurts my heart in the most amazing way possible and I absolutely love it!!

‘Tis kinda funny too, this particular scenario is one that I’ve thought about a lot myself since I started reading the manga and had caught up to this arc. Just because a) we haven’t seen Higari since the school music festival thing arc, and b) I swear the last time we saw Ecto he was carrying those lil hospital beds to evacuate the hospital and stuff?? Sooooooo where are they? Great angst potential....ya know?

Anon, this angst is gorgeous, but I raise you some angst with the possibility of it also being -> ✨the other way around?✨

A thought of mine: Higari is a hero, yes? And he also works in support, yeh? But I also have many headcanons of him being one of the ones that aid in the reconstruction of buildings and places after big fights and incidents - meaning that he gets called on a lot after situations like this. (I have got other lil headcanons for him as well that sometimes seem to be very contrasting to how most people portray him so yeah lmao dunno whether I should post some of those?)

Soooo this time, he is getting ready to go and join everyone in the fight (maybe he does and that’s a different piece of angst with many different endings in itself- I think you could probably tell that this part of the arc caused me to spiral into multiple different daydream plots and that sure kept me sane over quarantine) however he is forced to stay put, with all might and eri and that lot, because the commission “couldn’t lose one of the people who could fix and put things back to how they were conveniently”....this makes him mad, of course, and cue shouting and angry gremlin noises as Ecto goes to calm him down.

I actually did a sad lil (very low quality) sketch for this bit but I can’t find it rn I might post it at some point. But there are tears as Ecto is suiting up and getting ready to leave and Higari is all like “why can’t I just come with you” and Ecto is like “well you gotta stay safe” and he’s like “please don’t go, don’t leave...” and they’ve got their foreheads pressed against each other’s, in that way that they did to let each other know they love each other at any time, but this time there are so many tears. Ecto simply says with a smile, “wait for me, I’ll be back before you know it!” And Higari is just begging for him to stick to his word and to come back alive.

It’s seeing the sad look on snipes face as he returns and just hugs Higari immediately. No words exchanged yet, but Ecto’s ring just handed to him in a shaky silence. Just imagine that Ecto was caught up in shigarakis explosive quirk moment. And nothing was left but his ring....yeah...Higari sinking to the floor and sobbing. Feeling nothing but pain and emptiness. If you’ve seen this post (sorry to bring these old drawings back they ain’t brilliant but) the last one of PL was inspired by this particular scenario I’m talking about -if you notice the ring 👀 my thoughts immediately going to the imagery of Yuna, unable to see what happened but hearing Higari wailing in despair and knowing, just knowing that something awful had happened and that she’d lost another parent in her life. (Also I can’t- I cannot write Yuna in my angst aaaaa I just cannot put her through anymore suffering and like she’s already lost a loving family and parents once, how would she react to one of EctoLoader dying as well, a family that she’d been accepted into after so many years of being alone- aaaaa I can’t nooooo yuna I am so sorry)

Or Higari finding Ecto as he’s helping evacuate. Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!

Either way, if one of them found the other or had to deal with them dying and stuff, there’s always this picture of (bringing this hc into everything) them gently placing their forehead against the still body that they’re holding in their arms. But this time, only one is able to receive the “I love you” message of the simple action, unable to return it, and only one is able to send their love a last time, knowing that the other is truly gone.

Wow. Guess who’s back in their angsty mood >:)

This was fun and thank you for sending this! I have thought about this a lot before and you made me realise how much I had actually thought about it lmao. I have many other lil headcanons and angsty things for Higari and these two (as I mentioned earlier) if there is anything specific you’d like me to ramble about please let me know I’d be more than happy to!

Thank you again for gloriously ripping my heart out and feeding me with angst! I love it!

~Eclair ❤️

[cozycryptidcorner]

Oh? Requests? Lemme hop in on this. a gargoyle who stands watch over a cemetery is starting to look a bit rough. reader who passes by this gargoyle everyday decides to come out one evening to clean them. what happens next is up to you!!! ( p.s. love your blog and i hope school goes well)❤💖

Okay, so the gig as an assistant restoration artist isn't so terribly bad if it weren't for the dick on top who didn't like to get his hands dirty. All things considered, it was a decent enough job, and absolutely not lacking in materials. The funding, though, that's definitely something more scarce, but the current cathedral your team is on seems to be getting a steady amount of donations streaming in from both locals and tourists. Good enough for a contract, at least, so here you are, in the decently warm heat of a Parisian summer, up on scaffolding that one of the technical dudes swears is safe, but you're not exactly fond of betting your life on it. Still, your boss' word is law, so you're up here with the pigeons. Unfortunately.

The gargoyles are the main attraction, there are some (unconfirmed, mind you) rumors that these bad boys were the inspiration for some cartoon tv show, and you could see why an animator would want to get their hands sketching all over such a creative design. Large, hulking carvings of stone, one on either side of the entrance, each somehow unusually unique despite a preference for symmetry in this type of architecture. The poor beasts are worn and torn with time, something green growing in the cracks of the splitting stone, with copious amounts of nests and... well, the stuff that comes with birds. All great stuff. It's not going to be easy or fun, but you get to work, determined to get the whole deal over with so you can continue working inside.

Once the sun begins to set, you're relieved to climb back down the rickety monstrosity connecting the outer floors, careful to move slowly and stop when there's an especially strong gust of wind. Then you're back on the cobble, back on the ground, and you take this moment to appreciate what it feels like to not look down and get a copious amount of vertigo. Even though you have been slaving away, there still is so much to get done before you can call it a finished job, so the very next morning, you're right back where you started, equipment in hand. It takes another couple of days before the first gargoyle is in tip-top shape, and oh boy, does your back pay for it.

But it's good work, and you wouldn't be up here in such a precarious situation if you didn't legitimately want to be, so you begin the other gargoyle with all due haste. You take just as much care and time in this new one as the other, going over it with a critical eye as you go, checking several times with an old photograph to make sure everything's fine and dandy. You even stay later than usual, figuring that you'll just get something to bring home from the restaurant across from the square for dinner instead of bothering with the hassle of cooking. Maybe that was a bad idea.

On your way down from the scaffolding, something goes wrong. You don't know at the moment, maybe you misstepped, perhaps you just slipped, or conceivably, a piece of wood slid right out from under your feet, but suddenly you're in the air, and you're falling. Your stomach rams right up into your throat, your lungs very unsure of what to do with themselves with the sudden, windy pressure. Then you're not falling? The ground is no longer rapidly rising up to meet your frail bones, and there is an odd pressure around your chest and legs. That is due to someone- or, actually, something, more like, holding you. It's... you can't really believe what you're seeing, but honestly, it's not the weirdest thing to happen to you? But there is a gargoyle, and he's cradling you against his chest like a baby as he flies you back to safety.

He lets you down, tentatively, arms still held out as though prepared to catch you if you take another untimely jump forward. You stare up at him, unable to quite believe your eyes, and you find out that you're on the verge of having an absolute panic attack. Not from him, no, but as a sort of aftershock with shaking the hand of death. Taking a deep, calming breath, trying to get a hold of yourself before your body goes into a spiral, you blink one, tightly, then make an attempt to put all your focus not on almost dying.

"Thank you," you, very carefully, keep your eyes upon his face and not... anywhere else.

[anteroom-of-death]

Life, For Dummies p4

a/n: any one out here wilding? i’m just vibing and writing comes when you ave zero braincells left...

Waking up was a struggle, you’d never slept that deeply or that well. The combination between a long, hot shower and Earth-shattering sex made it all too easy to sleep. You were so, so sore, but it was good. You admitted you hadn’t been fucked like that, heavens, at all if not for a long while. You looked at the large mirror across from your bed, lifting up your shirt. You had a few book-related bruises. 

Stretching and feeling out the fact that you obviously didn’t have your sea legs yet. Your knees and thighs were wobbling and weak.

Then you caught it in the reflection. The collar- your collar. You half- thought it was just a fever dream. But it was real, and it’s weight was light but suddenly very noticable. The ring pressed against your larynx, the bow at the back felt oddly graceful as you flexed your neck to get a better look. 

You finally allowed yourself to cry- this was what dreams were made of. (hey now, hey now!) You were exhausted already, you were happy. You felt light years away from where you were before the Master whisked you away. Hell, the last time you saw the Doctor seemed just a memory. 

So much had changed. You felt completely different. Yes, you had all your same traits, likes and dislikes. But a week with the Master? Chaotic, mind blowing, devastating, beautiful, enriching and most of all, beyond your wildest dreams and even your deepest darkest wishes.

You definitely were different. The collar around your throat and the bruises and sore, stiff muscles proved you were. Not only were you having a tea party with the Devil, but you were the Devil’s whore. 

It was wicked, and all too amazing. He treated you well for the most part. Very well. For only knowing you a week, he seemed to harbor no true ill will. 

You got dressed and wracked your brain, reconciling everything finally and putting thoughts in boxes where they needed to go. It was slow, but needed. And time really did not matter anymore. You splashed yourself with cold water from the sink and prepared yourself mentally for outside your solitary walls. You had no clue what was waiting outside and you needed to put yourself out of any more revieries that might pop up. You had a lot of thoughts, and a lot of places to add up. Obviously, pro and con lists were out of the questions these days.

You supposed if this was a standard exchange of power, that rules and limits would be in place, but there was already the imbalance of aliens with knowledge of all of history, time travel, and space. Humans were simpler and had an equal footing. Therefore it was always up for debate.

You were halfway through finishing your daily SPF and thought about what if’s. Where was this all going? You couldn’t ask, obviously. He made it all up as he went along as much, if not more than the Doctor.

Poor Doctor, you allowed yourself to think, picks you up from your mundane routine only for you to better fit in with her best enemy. 

Her loss, his gain.

Things added up, morals and ethics wise. The Doctor could be just as callous and just as insane, yet hid behind the greater good. She was a spoonful of sugar whereas he was castor oil. Twin sides of a coin…

You shook yourself from these thoughts. Too much to process in one morning for you, especially without caffeine to mainline. 

You finished up and made your way out after stretching and taking a few excedrin you found rattling around the medicine chest. This TARDIS was incredibly intuitive and even materialised all your usual products you used. Or maybe the Master read your mind and supplied them. Either way, it was a big help…

You made your way out and sat down to an already piping hot mug of coffee and a tinkering Master. Your heart and stomach gave a flutter. You rolled your eyes at your over-eagerness.

“You’re finally up, I was worried that I’d have to physically go in there…”

You sloshed into yourself, “How long was I actually asleep?”

“19 hours. I think that qualifies as a coma with you humans.” 

“I obviously needed to sleep.” You talked into your coffee mug. It tasted good. Strong, a little crunchy, very much the perfect cup you didn’t have to add anything to.

“Mmn, you made this?” You asked, pointing to the mug held loft in your hand.

“Of course, I know how to make coffee, spent years on the Outback of Australia, I got bored, I know how to be perfect at everything…”

“Yeah, sure, perfect at everything.” You rolled eyes again, this time at him. 

“I am the Master.”

“Alright, alright.” You gave a concessional hand. You stared into your coffee and contemplated breakfast. You weren’t usually a big fan of eating in the morning, but all things considered you scraped yourself away from the coffee and started looking through the cupboards to see if anything was appealing to you in the moment. Nothing seemed terribly tasty so you just grabbed a bowl of random cereal and some sort of liquid you assumed was oat milk by the scent. 

You felt his eyes studying your back the entire time, you didn’t know if it was in an observational manner or just perversely taking a peek at your backside. 

“You like the show?” You demanded jokingly. 

“Of course, pet…” He leaned back and placed the device he had down. It was a long silver and gold rod with three prongs at the tip. “I see my pretty little pet has found her pretty little treat.” He went over and flipped a strand of your hair and fingered the collar at your neck before stroking at your sternum. He smiled down and flexed his lips open. The lighting made his teeth glitter dangerously. 

The dim lighting really brought out a beautiful tone to his lips. You tried to return to your cereal, but you pecked him on the cheek and steered yourself to a seated position. Temptation could take a temporary back burner. You had to get some semblance of nutrition into you.

He joined you at the table. 

“I was thinking of a few ideas, but I wanted your input.” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, really, I can more than enough make my own choices, but to spice it up, why not get some feedback? What chaos shall be wrought today?” He bent over the table, disregarding the personal space needed to eat a bowl of cereal and let actual brain-processing happen. 

“What all did you have in mind?” You scooted back infinitesimally and tried to finish breakfast quickly. 

He quickly pointed to some post-it notes, “Here’s the name of an intergalactic crime boss who owes me a few favors, figured we could go and rough him up until he squeals, giving me the powerful weaponry we all know he has. Or, here’s a plan to visit a certain set of pepper pots and make some deals that most definitely will backfire, but it would be great fun to see them get frustrated and deny the fact that they can get frustrated. Or I was thinking of visiting Earth and teasing Torchwood and UNIT around early 2000’s Cardiff, you know, for funsies. Oh! What if we went back to Raxacoricofallapatorius and destroyed their nursery?” He was spinning around and fluttering between notebooks and sketches including one where he was strangling a person in an army uniform and a handlebar moustache. 

“Jesus, how fast does your brain go?” You massage your temples…

“Too much? Huh? What would you suggest then?” He pouted, placing a hand at his hip and jutting it out.

“Why don’t we just start slow and nothing Earthly? Crime boss seem good? Simple even…” You slurped the milk off the spoon, “But lemme finish Breakfast first!” Pointing it at him, “Slow your roll. Savor the day. Do you Time Lords even sleep?”

“Rarely.” 

“Wow, that explains so much.”

He querched an eyebrow, “And what would that be, love?” The love felt oddly formal, not like being called a pet. 

“I’ve only met two of you, mind, so I might be generalizing...but the high energy. Like... “ You pressed your fingertips together, “Napping? Don’t you enjoy finding a good place to sleep during the day and just sleeping and enjoying the restfulness and sensations of the sun through a window and maybe a breeze if you open it a bit.”

“No, I’d love to try it, sounds pleasurable…”

“And you said that you were the Master of Everything.” You false-scandalized then laughed, cupping his face and smiling at him. It was great. He really made you laugh in one of those cheesy, stupid ways.

“I could punish you for talking down to your Owner…” He teased right back.

“Oooh...dirty.” You gave a salacious wink.

You could feel the “You have no idea…” radiating from his pores.

“Come along, my pet…” He pulled you from the table and over to the console, “We got a crime boss to torture…”

He punched in the coordinates and grabbed his jacket, then pulled you out the door…

You were toasting your success in the newly acquired weapons-room that now belonged to, as he poured you a little more champagne. 

You oddly enjoyed helping torturing the poor sap. He squirmed and you enjoyed him blanching from pain. 

The machine you saw him working on was a laser screw-driver? And he gave it to you as he was attaching some high tech hand-cuffs to the man. He told you that the controls were intuitive and to “give it a whirl...see how that grabs you…” Watching the gross little green man scream and shake around, flushing and pleading- felt good. Felt powerful. It brought you a tingle of pleasure and you could see why the Master was fond of it. The device felt good in your hand and after the second whorl of your wrist, it felt like a natural extension. It felt right to hold it in your hand and be able to grasp such power. 

A bit of sadism? Then champagne? And the thrill of a steal? All felt like an adrenaline rush.

What were you becoming?

A shred of our conscience echoed about the fact that you, obviously, had to kill him, something the Master allowed you to turn into him and avert your eyes as he shrunk his body and flicked it into a drainage gate. He knew your limits and didn’t go past what he knew you could currently take. You grimaced a bit as you heard a tiny clink. That was a tad harsh. 

All in all, a busy day... 

He was busy cataloging and cooing at all the tech he had access to his as he put it “fun, evil plans”...

It was hilarious and so endearing to watch. He was like a kid in a candy shop. Soft, feral, incorrigible. 

You determined that a small nap whilst tipsy and moonstruck was a great gift to yourself. You felt the collar and played idly with the diamond heart until you blacked out. 

You woke up to him watching you. “One of those fabulous little naps you talked of?” He stroked your thigh and massaged the fabric of your shorts. You pulled yourself up and propped yourself up on your elbows and coyly smiled, “Care to join me?” You winked, “Take a walk on the wild side. It’s a real treat. After that...who knows?” You teased him. 

He considered it and then loosened the buttons, and took off his jacket before laying it down and rolling up his sleeves. He laid down and you offered him to slide up to you. He obliged stiffly but soonly gave in. You spotted his chest hair and stared at it for a moment. You then acted, you traced it, mildly twirling your finger in its mass, he shuddered and then left you to continue. You laid down your head on his chest and felt his hearts pounding between two different beats. 

He murmured, “Keep the screwdriver. A little gift. From me to you…” You felt his hearts hitch a bit.

Sighing, you told him, “Relax." You let out a sleepy little moan. You embraced the warmth of his body and soothing echoing in his chest like a whitenoise machine. "You're doing excellent.." The Master eased up and you felt yourself ease up and drift off. You dreamt of falling through water and waves and the scent of fires and musk. You could feel a pair of eyes watching you, but they felt nonjudgmental, just guiding you deeper down. Deeper under the spell of sleep and total darkness. 

[noodlecupcakeswritings]

Undercover - Chapter 11 (A LokixRaven AU)

Loki won the battle of New York and now rules over Earth after eliminating Thor and Hawkeye. The remaining Avengers have gone into hiding, waiting for a chance to take back their planet. Raven (OC) is their key to doing so.

This fic is pretty much porn and with this AU Raven and Loki have no previous history. 

Please leave comments, kudos and reblogs if you like it. It really helps me out as a writer, lemme know if you wanna be on the taglist as well :)

Warnings: Language, Romance, Fluff, Feels, Discussion of self harm/scars, Discussion of abuse, Implied murder.

Ravens dress reference

Chapter 11

Raven’s P.O.V

Loki had done nothing but shower me in gifts and affection since I’d ‘accepted’ his apology. It was almost sickening how sweet he was being. Of course I would never actually forgive him for what he had done to me, but I would take full advantage of him making it up to me. It was one of my nights tonight and perhaps I’d do something nice for him. Perhaps it was time to stop acting like an ice queen, after all I still had a job to do. Speaking of job to do, Collins and I were in the library trying to get through to Fury. Collins had managed to sneak a phone in here when he’d arrived. “Agent Harper, report,” came Fury’s voice through on the loudspeaker. What did I actually have to report? What information did I have? What progress had I made? I couldn’t say nothing but honestly there wasn’t much to report. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t taking this seriously or that I wasn’t trying hard enough.

“Well, he seems to be trusting me so far,” I explained. “How so?” “There was an…incident. He wanted to make it up to me so now I’m spending two nights a week with him instead of one.” “Incident?” He sounded concerned. “Forgive me sir but it’s not something I really want to go into great detail with you.” “Right. So long as you’re okay, Harper.” “I’m fine, thank you, sir.” “So long as your making progress that’s the main thing.” “Of course. I’ve memorized the layout of the palace and drawn maps. However, theres a network of secret passageways that I need to explore further.” “Just be careful-“ “I know the risks director.”

If I got caught, this mission would be over and so would my life. Loki wouldn’t hesitate to kill a spy. But I needed to explore those passageways, it might lead to a secret entrance. It could be the way in that the remaining Avengers needed. It would make more sense for Collins to explore the tunnels, he wasent under as much scrutiny as I was. If I went missing for hours, Loki would know about it and look for me. Collins, not so much. Besides, Collins’ role required him to be in the library and Loki happened to have a secret doorway in the library. The door to the library opened and Collins quickly ended the call before shoving the phone in a desk drawer.

I grabbed a book, pretending to study the back cover as Loki stepped further into the room. My heart rate had picked up, panic slowly starting to creep in. That had been a little too close. And even now we could still be caught. Glancing up from my book, I forced a soft smile at Loki. It was odd to see him outside of the hours we were scheduled to spend together. “There you are, I've been looking all over for you,” Loki spoke, a hint of relief in his voice. “I wanted some new reading material,” I explained. Loki glanced at the book in my hands, studying the title before a soft smirk grew across his face. “You didn’t strike me as the type to enjoy romance novels,” he remarked.

For the first time since picking up the book, my brain finally registered just what I had actually picked up. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Definitely not my taste. “It’s a classic,” I explained. “So I've been told.” Stepping closer, he took the book from my hands only to discard it on the desk behind me. I felt a little cornered by him, my fight or flight mode was going to start kicking in if he wasn’t careful. Leaning down, Loki pressed soft kisses to my neck. My body relaxed under his touch but my mind was still on high alert. Thankfully Collins had busied himself a little deeper into the masses of books to avoid the slight public display of affection. “Would you join me for dinner tonight?” Loki asked.

Dinner? This struck me as odd. The other slaves dined alone, as did Loki. Almost as if it were an unofficial rule of sorts. I suppose there would be no harm in it, perhaps it would allow us to ‘get closer’. “Sure,” I answered. “Shall we say seven pm? Outside in the palace gardens?” “Sounds good to me.” It didn’t, it meant I had to spend more time with him tonight. I had to sit across from him and listen to him drone on about god knows what. The thought almost made me roll my eyes, but I refrained from showing my distaste. Loki leaned down, kissing me softly and running his fingers through my hair. He exited the library mentioning that he would start making preparations. The second I heard the door close behind I relaxed physically, almost as if I had been holding my breath. I could make it through an extra two hours with him. I had too.

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The dress I settled on was black and simple. Long sleeved with a floral pattern and backless. The dress started at the length of my neck and ended below my knees. A bra wouldn’t be necessary with this dress. My hair was loosely curled, and I went for a more neutral makeup look. It felt odd not picking out some kind of purse, that was a must have accessory for any woman. But I didn’t exactly have a phone, cash or makeup to carry around with me, so it wasn’t a necessity. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I adjusted my dress and put a lock of hair in place before leaving my room. It felt odd not having him come and collect me or meet me, yet it was giving me more freedom. Meaning he must be trusting me more. His mistake.

I reached the gardens finding candles arranged like a pathway, leading me further into the greenery. After turning a corner it became obvious that the candles led to the beautiful, vintage styled gazebo. The gazebo had been decorated with more candles and all sorts of flowers. Roses were intertwined together in the walls of the gazebo. It was quite the sight and gesture. Perhaps if things had been different between us, I would have gotten a bit flustered over the sight. It was beautiful, it was like something out of a fairy tale. I climbed the three steps to find a table fully decorated with more candles and flowers. Loki really had been paying attention when I’d shown him my sketch book, all the flowers I’d sketched had been brought into the gazebo. All different types and all different colours. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had paid this much attention to me or had done something so thoughtful. Perhaps I could…no, no I couldn’t forgive him for him.

Loki was dressed in another black three-piece suit, one that fitted him perfectly. The only speck of colour from him was the emerald green of his eyes which were currently taking in every inch of my outfit. He looked almost dazed or perhaps entranced. “You look beautiful,” Loki complimented. He didn’t stop there though as he took my hand in his and pressed his lips to the back of it. Someone was really turning up the gentleman charm tonight. I wanted to give into it, I wanted to revel in his attention and affection, but it would be wrong. We took our places at the table, the first course already laid out. Cheese souffle with a little salad. Whilst I didn’t mind the fancy food there were times, I missed takeout food, like burgers or pizza. Conversation felt awkward, perhaps it was due to the intimacy of this situation. Normally it was just sex, nothing else.

I couldn’t help but notice how Loki kept glancing at my bare hands. I suppose it would be odd seeing me without gloves for a change, but with the long sleeves of the dress, gloves wouldn’t be necessary. When he’d seen them, he hadn't asked about them like most people would have. Even after that he still hadn't asked. I could tell he wanted too, curiosity was natural to people and scars tend to have a story behind them. My scars did indeed have a story behind them, a long, tragic story. One I didn’t like to revisit often. Yet if I showed my vulnerable side maybe it would help speed along the mission. Or, he’d be disgusted with me and kick me out. It was a gamble. But tonight I was feeling a little lucky. “You can ask about them if you want,” I spoke. Loki raised a brow at me, acting dumb, acting like I hadn't caught him staring. It wasn’t a good look for him.

“My arms. I know you saw them down in that room. And you haven’t stopped staring at my hands tonight because I’m not wearing gloves,” I explained. “Is it something you would be comfortable sharing?” “I wouldn’t have mentioned them if it wasn’t.” “Raven, I understand its likely a sensitive subject, otherwise you wouldn’t have worked so hard to cover them all the time. I also understand that our relationship isn't…normal. I would understand if I wasn’t someone you felt comfortable to confide in.” Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. I hadn't expected him to treat this so delicately, so respectfully. This night really was taking an unexpected turn. Finishing off my souffle I considered that maybe Loki had made an honest mistake that day, maybe he didn’t have an ulterior motive.

Maybe I should start being nicer to him, maybe I should accept his apology finally. Not just for the mission but for myself. My old therapist had once told me it would do me no good to hold grudges. “The ones on my arms were mostly self-inflicted. It was my form of a coping mechanism when I needed to feel something or when the pain just got too much. I know you’ve probably seen the other ones across my thighs.” I started. Loki hung on every single word, listening intently and without an ounce of judgement. I paused as our plates were taken from us and replaced with the main course. Beef brisket with new potatoes and vegetables. Loki didn’t make a start on his meal, instead all his attention was still on me. Now came the hard part, inhaling deeply I internally prepared myself. “The ones across my back…my father made those. He used to beat me as a kid, he’d beat my mother too. One night I guess maybe he’d drank more than usual, had a worse day at work than usual but he beat my mother to death,” I continued.

Reaching across the table Loki took my hand in his, his touch tender and comforting. His thumb rubbed across my knuckles as if offering comfort, as if he wanted to soothe my pain. I welcomed the comfort; a lump having formed in my throat making it difficult to continue. But he had to know, he had to know why I was like this. “You have to understand what I did was in self-defence. If I hadn't…” I trailed off, my voice cracking as I fought off tears. Something snapped in Loki, I saw it in his eyes as he rose from the table. He came around to me, taking my hands in his. “I promise you that nobody will ever harm you ever again. So long as you are in my care nobody will lay a finger on you,” Loki vowed. In that moment, I believed him. In that moment, I was able to forgive him.

Taglist: @sweetfictionalworld​​​​​, @therealityhelix​​​​​, @darkprincessloki92​​​​​, @skulliebythesea​​​​​, @fizzyxcustard​​​​​, @myownviperroom​​​​​​, @jana-banana-fana​​​, 

[marvelgbt-posts]

Forever

{Peter Parker x Male Reader}

Warnings: none… angst…? slight self hate ig but idk you’ll see…

Summary: a peter parker x male reader where peter gets insecure about mj and readers friendship since he sees how good they look together and knew MJ had a slight crush on reader. Reader fixes the problem by cuddling him, giving him slight kisses on his neck and just some fluffy shit. also cute bby boy peter being all flushed and cute

I really hate giving MJ this role, but ok :/ and also, what do you us think about MJ and Peter in FFH? Personally, i dont like it. I’ll make it it’s own post, it’s mostly a personal preference though.

(not edited)

“OMG, [M/N]. You’re too funny,” MJ said, a slightly happier tone to her voice than usual. You smiled, taking the small smack to your arm with a soft laugh as well. Peter watched across the lunch table while Ned was too occupied with the game on his phone. He pouted; you seemed to be having way more fun with MJ than with him. Lunch was almost over- oh no, wait, that was the bell…

You stood up from your seat as Peter gathered his stuff. He waited for you to walk him to his next class, as you usually did so. MJ also stood up, looking at Peter, “Hey, loser,” Peter had found himself being called ‘loser’ a lot by MJ- probably more than he found himself being called that by Flash- but he knew she was joking, “Aren’t you and I together for History?” Peter nodded, “Oh yeah, I forgot,” he usually had Math right after Lunch, but today was Thursday. Thursday schedule was always weird for him. You began dragging yourself behind and in between them. Ned had already disappeared; his next class was all the way across the hall from where their classes were, so he had to hurry. You spoke up, “I have Biology next anyway. It’s right down the hall from there.”

“Neeerd!” MJ laughed, yelling into your ear. You tried to move away from the noise, a smile playing to your lips, “Oi, idiot, that hurt!” MJ smirked, “Good.” Peter fumed- he felt like he was the third wheel when it was supposed to be MJ. He was dating you, not her. Though, to be fair, not that many people knew. Just the two of you, Ned, Aunt May, Mr. Stark, Happy, and the rest of the Avengers. MJ didn’t, and Peter felt like he should tell her- if not for it being for the reason of ‘she should know because she’s my friend’, then at least for ‘omg stop touching him he’s my boyfriend’. And there she goes, touching you again. Though, this time she used her own shoulder to bump into yours instead.

Peter heard a small murmur, “Doesn’t MJ look really cute next to [M/N]?”

“Yeah, she’s definitely happier around him.”

“She smiled a lot when with him.”

“Their both into the arts; she likes reading and drawing, he likes music and (insert an artistic talent/interest).”

Soon, Peter began hearing things other than just small murmurs and chattering around him. It felt as if he could hear everything everyone was saying. Wasn’t that a side effect of his spider-like abilities? Perhaps it was, Peter couldn’t remember at the moment.

“Yeah, they’re practically made for each other.”

“They make a good couple.”

“Did you hear that MJ and [M/N] got a full score on their project for Art?”

“Oh yeah, they were parters, right?”

“Yeah, MJ made the layout of the sketch and [M/N] finished it up. He did his own thing as well, and they ended up getting their art submitted into the contest happening at the art museum.”

Then, Peter felt as if he couldn’t breathe.

“So cute.”

“Wow, they make a good couple.”

“Peter looks like such a third wheel.”

His own thoughts mixed with the other small talk around him, and it surrounded him in a pit of black.

“He looks like such a loser.”

“Wow, no one would be interested in him anyway.”

“No one likes a nerd.”

“Peter is a loser.”

“Peter is a nerd”

“Peter is lame.”

“No one likes Peter.”

“Peter-“

“Peter!” You shouted in his ear, and Peter jolted up. “O-Oh, yeah?”

“Isn’t this our class?” MJ asked, pointing to the door. Peter nodded sheepishly, looking over at you. You smiled, “Have fun learning about a bunch of dead guys. I’m off to math!” You pumped your fist up in mock excitement. MJ laughed and Peter gave a small chuckle, “H-Have fun.” You nodded, “Sure wont.”

***

3rd person P.o.V.

[M/N] met up with Ned, MJ, and Peter after school. “Hey guys!” He greeted, wrapping an arm around Peter’s shoulders. Peter resisted the urge to lay his head on the other male and just looked at him and smiled instead. [M/N] smiled back, but Peter felt like their was this other feeling in the other male’s eyes he couldn’t quite read. “Uh, hey,” [M/N] started, “Parker, you feeling up to a study session today?” Peter pretended to think, nodding soon after, “Sure, dont have any plans today anyway. Lemme text Aunt May, though, first.”

‘Study session’ was a code name for ‘miniature date at my house’. Peter had grown to love the words very much because then it was just them two, and it was normally [M/N] showering Peter in love and affection for the whole night- if he didn’t have Spidey-duty that day, that is. Peter pulled his phone out from his back pocket, pulling up Aunt May’s number. “Can I come too?” MJ asked, “Or is it just one of your gay things?” MJ huffed in amusement at her own joke, not realizing the irony of it. She tried sounding nonchalant about it, but not wanting to break her heart, [M/N] let her off easy, “Uhh, my house is really messy. I feel like Peter can handle it, but I dont wanna make you run off because you’re scared of my pigsty of a home.” He laughed. MJ chuckled, “Wow, gender equality, dude. Whatever happened to that?” [M/N] shook your head, “maybe next time. You don’t have anything and Peter usually spends the night, so it’d be weird, wouldn’t it?” MJ nodded, seemingly disappointed, “yeah, whatever. It’s cool.”

“Done!” Peter chirped, and MJ began walking off. Ned had also run off somewhere. “Good!” [M/N] smiled, “I have you all to myself for the rest of the evening!”

2nd person P.o.V.

Once the two of you made it home, Peter put his stuff down onto the floor in your room while you prepared some food. Since it was Thursday, you guys weren’t assigned that much homework, so you and Peter would probably finish it in the small intervals before classes. You prepared some snacks like popcorn and candy while Peter changed his clothes. He also took the time to pick out clothes for you- a loose white T-shirt with black basket ball shorts. He wore a white shirt- of course, a nerdy one with a scientific pun on it (the two atoms; one asking if the other is positive it lost a electron)- with one of your boxers. He walked out, socks protecting his feet from the cold floor. He scrunched his nose at the smell, smiling.

“You wanna pick out the movie?” Peter asked, wrapping his arms around your waist. You turned around, wrapping your arms around him as well. They made their way around both his arms, one hand holding the other to trap the smaller boy in an embrace. “No, you can pick,” you smiled, tilting your head to kiss Peters lips quickly, “so long as it isn’t Star Wars or Lord of the Rings again. Please. I can’t go through another marathon again.” Peter whined playfully, “But [M/N]!” You stuck your tongue out, “Too bad.”

Peter reciprocated the action, and you both let out a sigh of giggles. “Anyway,” you continued, “You want anything specific to eat?” Peter shook his head and you nodded. You let him go and he went over to the couch. He flipped though the many channels on the TV before settling on a Disney movie. “Is that Disney?” You asked, walking in with a bowl of popcorn, two sodas, and a plate of cookies. Peter watched in awe as you balanced everything. “Yeah,” he answered, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”

“Aw, sweet!” You fist-bumped the air, “love that movie.” Peter nodded, leaning to rest his head on your shoulder, he had been deprived of physical touch for a while. He just wanted to spend time with you, was what he thought as he wrapped his arms around you. Your arm wrapped around his waist while the other ate from the supported the bowl of popcorn on your lap. Peter stole some as well, and you watched as the movie began with its intro of the parents trying to save their defaced child from the protagonist.

“It’s kinda inappropriate, dont you think?” You asked Peter after a while, and Peter looked at you confused, eyes squinted Ashe seemingly judged you. “How? It’s a Disney movie?”

“Well, I mean, it talks about gypsies. Aren’t they visualized as prostitutes? And that seen where Esmeralda dances for that old dude, you can see he’s clearly turned on.” You shook your head, “never mind…”

When the movie was over, you cleaned up the remaining food and placed it down to be cleaned later. You carried a very, very tired Peter Parker up to your room. You laid him on the bed and dimmed the lights. He gripped onto you desperately, “Dont move, dont go anywhere…” he said, “Can we stay like this forever…?” He asked tiredly, and you laughed softly, “No, we have school tomorrow.” Peter whined childishly, “forget school. I can make us enough money by being Spider-Man, we dont need education.”

“Peter, my parents would kill me if they found out i dropped out of high school to piggy back on my superhero boyfriend for money.” Peter let out a huff, and the two of you let out quiet, breathy chuckles. He leaned close to you, noses touching. He then frowned, “Do you like MJ?” The question was sudden and it caught you off guard. “Well, i mean… yeah, we’re friends…”

“No, i mean… like like her…?”

You let out an ‘ohhh’, suddenly realizing Peter’s behavior earlier (the cause of your strange glint Peter noted earlier). “No, baby,” you smiled, “I’m not romantically interested in her, if that’s what you’re thinking.” “But,” he began, a slight pout on his lips. God, he was really tired, “she was all over you today, shamelessly flirting with you. You didn’t seem to mind it though…”

“Peter,” you began, stroking his hair a bit, “I dont like MJ. I like you. No, I love you. A lot. So dont think that.” You moved to lay Peter on top of you, taking his hands and intertwining them with yours as he made himself comfortable on your chest. “I know,” Peter started, playing with your fingers a bit, “its just… everybody says you two look good together. I guess i just didnt like the feeling of you with another person, even if it’s just the public appeal and not reality. Sorry…” You shook your head, “dont apologize, baby. It’s normal to feel jealous…”

Peter was quick to defend, lifting his head up to glare at you accusingly, “I wasn’t jealous!” You laughed, “yeah, and I’m not dating Spider-Man.” Peter sighed, resting in his previous position. He mumbled another, ‘I wasn’t jealous…’ and you just nodded. You began running your hands through his hair, to which he quickly responded by sighing and relaxing even further into your chest.

A few minutes of running your hands through his hair later, Peter got bored and slightly irritated of the position. He moved to sleep next to you, with you spooning him. You wrapped your arms around him and gently played it his stomach, felling up and down his abs. He whimpered lightly, curling a bit at the ticklish feeling. His body began to heat up; you could feel it. “Are you still upset?” You asked softly, and Peter nodded. You sighed, placing soft kisses to Peter’s neck. He leaned back, face flushed red as you continued up his neck to his jaw. He turned his head to face you, and gave you a soft kiss. You to didnt move, instead you stayed there and took in the presence of each other.

When you two pulled away, Peter had the brightest blush on his face. He huffed, eyes falling closed, “I wasn’t jealous.”

“Of course you weren’t,” you smiled, “who said you were?”

You turned off the light once Peter finally fell asleep. The two of you stayed like that for the rest of the night- and, to be honest, if you could, you would stay like that forever if you could.

Panicked gay moment; had no clue what to write for MJ, sry sry sry anon (._.”)

[a-table-of-fics]

Cull to Adventure, Chapter 4, Draft 1

             Marie returned from giving a battery-powered Zapfish plushie to the Octarians’ machine (a tradition started by her grandpa, though she had to admit it was cute) to find Agent 4 on the couch, with his gloves off, doodling on his hand with a marker. Concerned, Marie walked up to him, and saw that he was careful to draw within a tattoo of an abstract crab, arms crossed above its head, done in mostly outline except for two beady eyes. Marie couldn’t help but watch with interest as the boy sketched little ideas and interesting patterns.

           Agent 4 looked up to see Marie staring, and jumped back. Marie was surprised at how quickly you could put a glove on.

           “Ah, h-hi,” he said, smiling weakly. “So, uh… I’ll be up to looking for the n-next one in a sec…”

           “Hey, no rush,” Marie said, calmly. She nodded at the Zapfish that was still swimming in the air around them. “Here, I’ll fix you up some milk tea.”

           She disappeared into the small shack. The Zapfish looked at Cull for a moment, then swam to a plug to a nearby power strip, and something (presumably an electric stove) hummed to life in the cabin. Cull always found it amazing how all the Zapfish freely swam around and seemed happy to power things for everyone. Why would the Octarians just strap them to a machine like that? Cull wanted to pet her as he thought about this, but he knew it wasn’t nice to interrupt a working Zapfish.

           It wasn’t long until he heard a kettle whistle, and Marie soon came back out, carrying a tray with a teapot, a carton of milk, some sugar, and two foam cups. Placing it on a small coffee table in front of the couch, she went to get a lawn chair and brought it to sit opposite Agent 4. She was silent as she poured and mixed the tea, gently placing a cup in front of him.

           He picked up his cup, staring into it to try and avoid Marie’s gaze. He occasionally took a sip, but other than that and a quiet “thank you”, he wasn’t saying anything.  

           “Y’doin’ all right?” she eventually asked, carefully. “Seemed a lil’ rough out there...”

           She smiled politely, but Agent 4 still didn’t want to talk. All the same, she saw the ink rush to his face as he stared even more intently into his tea.

           With how much action most Inklings sought out for fun, Marie wasn’t sure what to say. He looked around 13, maybe 14, and he still didn’t seem comfortable with splatting or getting splatted, both of which were often near-daily things for most teens. Seeing him like this was just a sharp reminder of that. Why didn’t she pull him out of there sooner? Poor kid was not prepared for this kind of thing…

           She calmly finished her tea as she thought of this, and got up to guide the Zapfish back home.

           “Just take it easy for a bit, Agent Fou—”

           “P-please,” he finally said, looking up but still avoiding eye contact. “My name is Cull.”

           Marie was kicking herself. In her rush to find someone to help her, she didn’t even ask the guy’s name?  Sure, it was better to keep his name hidden in enemy territory, but she didn’t even ask before or after? Outwardly, though, she simply nodded.

           “All right, then, Cull” she said, carefully taking the Zapfish by her back. “You did…you did all right, kid. Chill out here; you deserve it.”

           Cull could hear that tone in her voice again. That strained tone when someone struggled to avoid a certain topic; when Cull was concerned, that usually meant avoiding mention of his tentacles. He just wished someone would flat-out tell him he wasn’t half the Inkling others were; he was sick of being patronized. He watched Marie leave to return the Zapfish to Inkopolis, then turned back to his tea. By now, it was lukewarm at best, but it still tasted good. Well, whatever Marie thought, he did it. He got that Zapfish.

           ***

           Marie walked through the back streets, stroking the Zapfish’s head as she went. There were a few things to consider when it came to where one should be returned. First, of course, there was being discreet (they were trying to prevent another Great Turf War, after all), but there was also the matter of what places needed power and where the Zapfish would be comfortable. Food was important, and luckily this fish seemed all right with the way they were going, so they headed off to Mako Mart, being careful not to be seen.

           Marie watched as a couple of the employees cheerfully welcomed the fish back. It never got old, seeing squids, jellies, and various fish cheering on the little guys and welcoming them back.

           As she walked back, however, her thoughts turned back to Agent 4. She had sent a kid who never even went into a Turf War headlong into danger! Yeah, Agent 3 didn’t seem like an ideal candidate either, but at least she knew how to hold her own…

           Gramps sure knew how to pick ‘em…

           Marie sighed. Yeah, Cull did manage to get the Zapfish, but he struggled to fight even the most basic Octotrooper. It made her worry about what would happen if he faced other Octarians, or, Cod forbid, an Octoweapon!

           ***

           Cull was back to sketching on his hand, over a tattoo he had designed himself. While it did help him relax to draw within the outline, and he was quite proud of how it turned out, that didn’t matter when he had gloves covering it up most of the time. He just wasn’t ready to show it off. Right now, he was sketching a red salamander crawling across one of the crab’s abstract claws. Patterns swirled all over its skin as it was curling up to sleep. He was eventually satisfied with it, and his nerves had been soothed for now, so he waved his hand a bit so it could dry, then carefully put his glove back on.

           Just in time, too; Marie had come back to the Outpost.

           Cull gently placed the headset back on his ears, picking the gun back up with his other hand. That was enough downtime; there were Zapfish to save.

           “R-ready for the next one,” he said, voice still wavering a little. He started to move forward, but was stopped by Marie’s green parasol.

           “Yeah,” Marie sighed. “About that…”

           She had never had a talk like this, and it showed, from how she was avoiding eye contact (impressive, as Cull was doing the same), to the way she paused between each sentence.

           “…Look, you did well… But let’s face it, you’re inexperienced. I don’t want to see you getting killed out there. They know to look for another Agent now, and, well…”

           She took a deep breath, lifting a finger to halt Cull’s interjection.

           “Look, kid, I don’t know if I should thank you or apologize, but I think it’d be best if you got a few Turf Wars under your belt before diving headlong into danger.”

           The ex-Agent 4’s view looked from the Splattershot, to Marie, to the kettle site, and finally to the manhole to Inkopolis.

           “…L-lemme get changed then…” he said quietly, before heading into the shack. He came out minutes later in his civilian clothes, bereft of a weapon.

           “Thank you, though,” Marie said, giving him a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Don’t go bragging about this, but the Zapfish you rescued? Should power Mako Mart just fine!”

           She smiled slightly, giving his back a quick pat and stepping back a little.

           “But, seriously, this is a secret operation. Don’t go blabbing.”

           She wasn’t too worried about it, him being both nice and meek, but she figured she’d remind him to be sure.

           Cull nodded absently, and walked to the manhole back to Inkopolis. He gave a small wave before vanishing from the Outpost.

           Coming out from the surface, it suddenly occurred to Cull that the sun was setting. It was certainly darker out, but he could have sworn he wasn’t away from Inkopolis for that long. Those underground Octarian places must have messed with his internal clock; those artificial skies were surprisingly immersive.

           Well, it might be a good idea to stock up; there was no telling how long another agent might take to rescue the other Zapfish. Hopefully, Mako Mart had some non-perishables…

           As always, Jelfonzo’s was the last shop to close. Cull had emerged just in time to meet with Flage, who was just leaving for the day. Her long green tentacles were shifted into one long piece that flowed behind her, and she wore a pair of large spectacles over purple eyes.

           “Oh, hell-oh-ho, Cull!” she waved, with that somewhat sing-song voice of hers. It would be grating on anyone else, but she had an uncanny way of keeping people relaxed around her.

           Cull shuffled forward, absently waving to her.

           “Long day?”

           “Y-yeah,” he nodded, keeping pace with her. “You could say that.”

           “Iiii get that,” Flage said. “Just hope the Zapfish allll come back soon…”

           She gestured vaguely and slowly as she talked. Cull could already feel himself get less tense. Which made it all the more startling when she suddenly perked up, clapping her hands once.

           “Hey! You hear? Mako-oh Mart got one just a half hour ago-oh!”

           Cull couldn’t help but smile at that, satisfied at a job well…. Well, a job done, anyway. He tried to be subtle about it, though, and adjusted his beanie to hide that. If someone found out he had anything to do with it, he had no clue what Marie would do…

           “Y-ye-nice,” he said, finally, hoping he sounded like he didn’t know.

           Flage didn’t seem to notice anything odd, though.

           “Yep! Everyone’s movin’ to get to someplace cool right now, you know how hot it is.”

           Cull nodded. He wasn’t really thinking of the heat, but yeah, the heat wave was rolling in sooner than he thought it would. To be fair, he was already sweating from the adventure he just had.

           “Hmm…Like moths to a la-amp…” Flage mused. “That could be a good piece, don’t you think?”

           “Mhm. Topical,” Cull replied.

           “I’m thinking lots of yellows to contrast with the cool blues and greys…”

           Flage kept musing about her idea for her latest art installment that would prove to be her big break. Cull didn’t mind; it helped keep his mind off things, it was a friendly common interest (sometimes they even gave each other ideas), and he could feel his troubles melt away with her melodic voice.

           Still, his mind kept drifting to the Zapfish, and how happy she was to be able to move again. To Flow, and how Miffens’ absence affected her. To the heat wave, and the lack of air conditioning so many Inklings would have to suffer through. He gave little acknowledgements and comments as Flage talked, but his heart clearly wasn’t in it.

           “…Aaanyway, I guess I better head off. It’s not gonna paint itse-helf!”

           They waved their goodbyes and parted ways. Flage was heading straight home (“Must strike while the iron is hot hot hot!”), but Cull still needed to stock up. Who knew if the heroic Inkling Marie picked would get them all anytime soon?

           Flage wasn’t kidding; Cull found he was struggling to even get through the door to Mako Mart. Although, it was less a sardine pack than it was his reluctance to really talk or make eye contact with anyone. A few mumbled utterances of “hi” and “’scuse me”, however, and he could get in without too much issue.            Wearing a beanie might not have been the best idea in this weather, and he could see several Inklings taking their own hats off to beat the heat, but Cull wasn’t about to risk what others would say if they saw his haircut.

           Not like anyone was really paying any attention to him anyway, thankfully. Most were trying to get a good spot by the vents or in the freezer aisle. The rest were crowding around something, but the throng was so dense Cull couldn’t tell what.

           He grabbed a basket (a cart would be impossible in the crowd) and tried to maneuver his way through the aisles. Some even had Inklings lying down on top of them, in the hopes of getting some open air. Cull instinctively grimaced, imagining the guys who worked here wouldn’t be too happy.

           After getting some chips, granola bars, and cereals, Cull decided he had enough for a few days. His fridge still had plenty of vegetables and fish, but those wouldn’t last too long…

           He was on his way to checkout, keeping his eyes to the ground as he emerged from the aisle, when he saw a mass of feet around him. He looked up and started; he had walked right into the middle of the crowd. He started to tug his beanie down, reflexively, but he saw they weren’t even looking at him. They were all reaching up, jumping, and even trying to climb on top of each other to reach, as it turned out, the very same Zapfish Cull had saved that day. Everyone was making kissy noises, beckoning, and trying to pet and welcome the Zapfish back.

           The Zapfish, on the other hand, was mostly just swimming around above, as if she didn’t notice all the Inklings who saw her as their friend and current hero.

           Cull wasn’t sure how to feel when she glanced right over him. On one hand, he really didn’t want any attention. On the other, he busted his butt trying to get the girl here; it would be nice if she recognized him outside his outfit when he was still “Agent 4.”

           Oh, well. He was just glad they had a place to cool off.

* * *

           In his rush to get himself prepared for home, he had completely forgotten that the train there wasn’t powered, either. Not knowing the bus schedule, he had to call a cab. At least he could charge his phone while he was there, even if it was an awkward ride.

           It was getting quite dark, and Cull stumbled a bit as he got back into his house. His phone’s light soon revealed a room that was messier than most. Bunched-up balls of paper were littered around every so often, and the remnants of half-cleaned paint splotches and piles of graphite remained on several surfaces. The walls were once white, but they were painted over (by brush and spray can) with half-finished murals, covered in experimental designs and vibrant colors. In some places, one could see faded parts of previous murals.

           No place like home.

           He sighed, checking the fridge. It was thankfully still colder than room temperature, but he realized he had no way to cook anything. Cull groaned; he really didn’t want snack foods for dinner, but it would have to do.

* * *

           Sleep was light for Cull, and not just because of the heat, or the unfulfilling meal. He couldn’t stop thinking about the power outage. The Inklings at Mako Mart. Marie. Flow. The Zapfish.

           All these things swam through his head all night. He got up in the early morning, far earlier than usual, but to his shock, he wasn’t feeling groggy at all. Normally, he’d spend his time playing video games and trying some more sketches or colors, but he had something else in mind this weekend.

[mommadon]

Adventurer: Chapter 2

Say hi on Ao3!

Chapter Two

There were fourteen missed calls on Adrien’s phone when he finally dropped his transformation and dared to look. Two from Nathalie, one from his bodyguard, and eleven from Kagami.  He sighed. He was going to feel the consequence of his foray to the bakery.  Still, he didn’t feel bad about it, not one bit.  As he showered and climbed into bed, he couldn’t stop smiling. 

He figured he’d put out a few fires before bed, so he quickly texted Kagami:

Adrien: So sorry about today.  I swear I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.  Ended up trapped in one of Adventurer’s carts and had to walk home.  Can we talk tomorrow?

It was well after midnight, so he wasn’t surprised when she didn’t respond.  Still, he knew a big conversation was inevitable, and he’d have to make it face-to-face.  Ladybug’s words to him rung in his ears… you can’t be two people at the same time… so that begged the question: who did he really want to be?  Were Adrien and Chat Noir two different people?  He had never really thought that much about it.  He felt free as Chat Noir.  Adrien’s life was so controlled and intense.  But he liked himself as Adrien as well—he knew he was a good person, and that had to count for something.  

He shook his head to clear these way-too-deep-for-this-late thoughts, bid goodnight to Plagg, and postponed any further pondering for morning.

*

When Marinette came down the stairs for breakfast Sunday morning, her parents immediately knew something was off. Of course Marinette was smiling, of course she ate breakfast and made pleasant conversation.  But something was off.  

“Marinette, dear, are you sure everything is alright?” Sabine asked for the third time.  

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Yes, everything is just fine.  I think I’ll go for a walk though.”

“Do you want any company?”

“No, I just want some quiet time. Unless you need any help here?  I can certainly stay—”

“We’re fine, sweetheart,” Tom insisted.  “Why don’t you take your sketch book?”

“That’s a good idea,” she said, a bit absently.  A few minutes later, Marinette struck out on the streets of Paris, armed with her sketch book and pencil.  

She didn’t come home for hours. “Who should we call?”  Tom said, nervously pacing the bakery floor.  

“Oh Tom, there’s no need to panic. Our daughter is more than capable of getting home by herself, and she’s only been gone a few hours.  She said she needed some quiet time.  Give her space.  She knows we love her.” “But Sabine, are you sure she’s safe?”

“Of course.  She had a hard time yesterday with Adventurer,” Sabine consoled, stroking her husband’s broad shoulders.  “We know how much she cares for Luka.  It must have been torturous for her to see him akumatized, and then to have to go after him herself—she deserves a little bit of time to think through things—”

“That’s my fear,” Tom said, pacing again, “She’s now shown us she’ll fly straight into danger without even thinking…”

Sabine laughed a little.  “If you’re so worried, why don’t you call her and find out where she is.  She has her phone on her, you know.”

“No, no,” Tom said brusquely, accelerating his pacing, “I don’t want to invade her privacy.”

Sabine laughed harder this time. “Whatever you say, dear.  I’ll be in the office, preparing orders for next week.”

*

“Adrien!” He looked up at the sound of his name, but inwardly groaned when he saw the smiling face that had called it.  “Look!  Our photos were highlighted in Paris Teen Weekly!”  Lila stuffed a copy of the magazine in his face.  “How should we celebrate?  How about dinner tonight?  I know this adorable little bistro and ever since I saved his vanilla bean farm from being sold to hippopotamus hunters, the chef and I have been very close.”

“Uh—” Adrien could barely breathe, she was so close.  

“Excellent!” she squealed, squeezing his arm. “Give me your phone so I can—I mean you can make the reservation. I don’t like to take advantage of our friendship.” She talked so fast that he couldn’t quite make sense of what she had said.  All he knew is that she was digging her hands into his pockets looking for his phone, and he felt horribly uncomfortable.

“Hey Adrien,” a gentle voice said from behind, that brought both him and Lila up short.  Lila’s hands flew back to herself, and Adrien released a gasp of relief.  

“Marinette!” He said, prying away from Lila’s clutching fingers.  “Did you have a good weekend?”

She gave a little half smile and said, “Just fine, thanks.”  Adrien didn’t know why, but he wasn’t sure he believed her.  They started walking lazily toward the classroom. “I have something for you,” she said. She opened her backpack and pulled out three pink and white boxes of passionfruit macarons.  “I’m afraid they’re a day old.  Chat Noir and I made these for you on Saturday afternoon, but when Adventurer got akumatized, he forgot them.”

Adrien feigned surprise. “Chat Noir made those?  With you?”  

Marinette nodded.  “Yeah, he said he was having a rough day, so he spent a few hours in the bakery and my dad taught him how to make macarons.  He said he wanted to try passionfruit because you had recommended it once.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess I did do that, huh?  Well, thanks!  What’s Chat Noir like anyway?  Super cool?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow.  “I thought you two were friends.”

“Oh, oh yeah, of c-course we are.  He’s a nice guy.  I was just wondering what you thought.”

“It was fun,” Marinette responded with a much more convincing smile.  “Usually he’s pretty self-absorbed, but Saturday, he was…”

“Was what?”

But whatever Chat Noir was, Adrien didn’t find out, as the bell rang and Marinette’s eyebrows few to her hairline.  “Oh no! And I was actually on time today!”  She pressed the boxes of macarons into Adrien’s hands and bolted for her seat.  He chuckled to himself.  He couldn’t place his finger on it, but she was different today.  

*

“GIRL!” Alya hissed seconds after class dismissed for lunch.  “You talked to Adrien!  Without tripping over yourself!”

Marinette rolled her eyes.  “No, I didn’t… I just brought cookies to a friend.”

“Wait, don’t you like him anymore?”  Marinette stole a quick glance at the blonde still packing his things up at his desk.  He was talking to Nino.  Just then, he looked up and their eyes met.  One corner of his mouth lifted and his eyes softened.  Her stomach flipped and her pulse quickened.  

“Oh Alya, I don’t know--”  Alya laughed at the exchange, but Marinette held up a hand to her, “—but he’s in love with Kagami.  Kagami’s so cool, I just don’t compare.”

Alya shook her head.  “You’re unbelievable.  I mean, you’re… you know… and you still think you don’t compare.”

Marinette grabbed Alya’s wrist, “Shh!”

Alya just laughed lightly.  “I know, I know.  We talked about it.  I promise I’ll be good.”  But Marinette’s eyes still dropped and her shoulders sagged.  “Are you ok?”  Alya pressed.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Marinette said vaguely as the two walked out the door toward the locker room.  

“Do you want to get lunch with me?”

“Nah, I’m not super hungry, I think I’ll just go for a walk.  Get some quiet time, you know?”  

“Well, at least make sure you eat something.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said with a little shrug.  “Maybe I’ll do that.”  As Marinette strolled away, Alya’s eyebrows knit in concern.  Now the text she had received from Marinette’s mom on Sunday afternoon made more sense.  Alya pulled out her phone to re-read:

Sabine Cheng: Would you keep an eye on Marinette for me?  I don’t know what, but I think something’s up.

Alya: sure thing, Ms C.  

Now Alya added to the conversation:

Alya: I see what you mean, Ms C.  do u think this is about adventurer?

It took a few minutes to get a response, so Alya got some food at the cafeteria and sat at the table where Nino and Adrien were still talking.  She tuned them out.

Sabine Cheng: I don’t know.  Come to think of it, it started a few weeks ago.  

Alya wracked her brain.  A few weeks ago was that awful fight with Miracle Queen and Hawkmoth.  A few weeks ago was when Master Fu had left and Ladybug had been named the next guardian.  Alya tapped her fingernail on her teeth as she put it together.  Poor Marinette had been dealing with the weight of Paris on her shoulders.  

Alya: I think I know what it is.  Marinette has a lot of responsibility here at school. She’s stressed.

Sabine Cheng: hm. You are probably right.  Any ideas of how to help?

Alya: lemme think. I’ll get back to u

Sabine Cheng: Thanks dear

Adrien’s voice pulled her from her phone, “Alya, have you noticed anything strange about Marinette recently?”

*

“Dude, are you going to share those macarons, or do I have to steal one from you?” Nino asked as soon as the bell for lunch rang.  The room buzzed with the noise of scraping chairs and a dozen conversations breaking out.   He and Adrien stood and started packing up their things.  “They’ve been taunting me all morning!”

“Oh, sure, of course!” Adrien held out one of the boxes to Nino who took four greedily and stuffed one, whole, in his mouth.  “Oh man, these are the best.  Marinette sure can bake!”

Adrien carefully stowed the box back in his bag, then looked at Marinette. She was talking to a very animated Alya. Just then she turned her head and looked back at him.  They made eye contact and Adrien couldn’t hold back his smile.  The thought crossed his mind again that she looked different today, somehow.  “Yeah,” Adrien said, turning back to Nino and heading for the door.  “She sure can bake.  Have you noticed anything different about Marinette, though?”

“Marinette? Different?” Nino questioned through a second mouthful of macarons.  

“When she brought me the macarons, she seemed different.  And Saturday… I mean, last week sometime she just seemed… I can’t quite figure it out.”

Nino chuckled.  “She’s not different, she’s just dating Luka and so she finally can talk to you without tripping all over herself.”

“What?” Adrien scoffed.

“Yeah, she’s been hung up on you for so long, dude, that she could never talk to you.  But now that she’s dating Luka, she’s moved on.”

“Wait, what?”

“Oh come on dude, it’s not like it was that big of a secret…”  Nino backpedaled.  

“Marinette was… hung up on… and no, she’s not dating Luka.”  Adrien’s brain was buzzing.  

Nino’s hands flapped with the realization of his blunder.  “I mean, it wasn’t like really hung up, it was like, just kind of a thing and she just didn’t want to and Alya told me not to say anybody likes anybody and…  Hang on. She’s not dating Luka?  Says who?”

“Says her,” Adrien replied simply.

“When did she tell you she wasn’t dating Luka?”  

A year of covering Chat Noir’s tail came in handy sometimes.  “I got sucked up in one of those carts on Saturday with Adventurer.  I heard her tell him that she just wanted to be friends.”

Nino raised an eyebrow.  The boys finished collecting their lunches and sat down.  Alya was texting someone and sat with them.  Adrien was still processing what Nino had said.  He was reminded of something Marinette had confessed to him—or rather, to Chat Noir—on Saturday.  Someone she had hoped would be someone.  Hung up on him.  Was Marinette…

“Dude, don’t read into things,” Nino said, as if he could see the wheels turning in Adrien’s brain.  “Marinette is the same old Marinette we’ve always known and loved.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said and took a slow bite.  “Still, Alya, have you noticed anything strange about Marinette recently?”

Alya’s head snapped up from her phone.  “Ma-Marinette?  Strange? Uh, uh… why would you think there was anything strange about Marinette?”

Nino and Adrien both noticed the over-the-top response.  Adrien smirked, “So, you have noticed something’s up.”

But Alya had been steeling herself for this moment all weekend, ever since Marinette had brought her the fox miraculous and placed all Ladybug’s cards in her shaky hands.  Alya knew then that her friendship with Marinette had changed into a fully-fledged partnership, and now it had to include protecting this crucial secret at all costs.  “Ok, you’re right,” she responded smoothly.  “Marinette’s super busy and I think she’s feeling the stress of it all. I mean, between being class representative, designing yet another album cover for Jagged Stone, upcoming finals, and submitting dress designs to two major fashion houses around Paris, I think she could just use some cheering up.  Or helping hands.”  The two boys just sat and gawked.   “She’s really got all that going on?” Adrien whispered, aghast.

Alya just laughed and rolled her eyes.  “Oh you two, she’s always had that much going on.  Sometimes more.”

“But surely she’d just say no if it got to be too much,” Nino countered.  

Alya laughed harder still.  “Marinette? Say no?  Don’t you know her at all?”

The three of them laughed again, but again the wheels whirred in Adrien’s head. Alya was right—Marinette never said no. Marinette never turned anyone away, or asked for help, or thought about herself.  It was just so second nature for her; he’d never thought it might be burdensome. But wasn’t he one of the masses placing their emotional burdens on her petit shoulders?  Wasn’t she the one he’d instinctively gone to after that horrific half-hour in the archery range?  “So, Alya, do you have a plan?”

*

Marinette’s feet thumped soundlessly along the familiar pavement, taking her home. Her bones ached—a deep, permanent, throbbing reminder that everything was on her shoulders now.  There was no one she could talk to, no one to share the load with.  She missed Master Fu; she missed racing to his home to ask for help; she missed knowing that there was backup in case she failed, that there was someone out there who always knew what to do.  Her fingers instinctively lifted to her earlobe and felt the tiny black earrings there. They felt heavier than ever.  She breathed in deeply and kept walking.  She had briefly felt comfort in Luka’s calm, listening ear.  But now that escape was lost to her forever.  She remembered the comfort of the underwater hug with Chat Noir and then again two days ago, without her mask, moments before Adventurer got akumatized. She was grateful she’d told Alya her identity and had someone to talk to about things now, but she knew that she’d have to be incredibly careful—Hawkmoth knew Alya was a miraculous holder, and would undoubtedly be watching her every move, just as he had Chloe’s.  

Oh, Chloe.  She’d only come to school a handful of times in the last few weeks, and even then, she’d been totally aloof.  And then there was Lila, who was just the opposite—way too close, way too loud, and way too devious.  But Marinette was having a hard time feeling the drive to help them, as she knew she should. She was having a hard time feeling much of anything besides overwhelmed.  

Her hand pushed the bakery door open with a tinkle and she slumped in, letting her backpack slide from her shoulders.  

“Surprise!” a chorus yelled, making her jump, shriek, and throw her books everywhere.  Her parents were flanked by Nino, Alya, Kagami, Rose, Juleka, Mylene, Ivan, Alix, Max, Kim, and Adrien.  She smiled at all of them, taking an extra second to gaze into those vivid green eyes.

“What are you all doing here?” she gasped.

“We came to help you out,” Adrien responded for the group.  

“Yeah,” Rose piped, “You are always helping us out, and your mom said you’ve been super busy, so here we are, ready to work!”

“You are all so sweet, but I really don’t have that much work to do—”

“Nice try,” Alix teased.  “I’ll bet you my skates that there’s eight unfinished dresses upstairs on your sewing machine.”

“I’ll take that bet—I say nine,” Kim boomed, “and I’ll throw in my favorite pair of swim trunks that there’s forty dozen macarons she’s making for charity.”

Marinette smiled as her friends thumped upstairs to her bedroom, but she hung back a bit.  Her mother slipped an arm around her waist.  “Sweetheart, they really do care about you.  They wanted to help.  Put them to work?”

“Mom, I really don’t have that much going on right now, I swear,” Marinette promised. At least nothing anyone can help with, she thought.  

“Well, then at least take some treats upstairs and have a game night or something,” Sabine insisted, pressing a tray of quiches into Marinette’s grasping hands. She sighed and followed her friends to the back of the bakery and up the stairs.

But after the first flight, she heard two familiar voices talking in hushed tones. “I fail to see how me being here helps anything,” Kagami was hissing.  “She clearly doesn’t need me here, and it’s hardly a productive way to spend an evening.”

“She’s a friend, and friends do nice things for each other,” Adrien responded. Marinette slowed her pace so she would stay just behind the wall where they couldn’t see her.  

“You said you wanted me to come so we could hang out.  You just wanted me to come to be a workhorse for some other girl,” Kagami retorted with an edge of frustration in her voice.

“No, no, that’s not it at all.  I wanted to see you because… well, I just wanted—”

“You know, Adrien, for being the one who keeps asking me out, you sure don’t seem to know what you want at all.  I’ve made it perfectly clear what I want.  Do you want to be with me or not?”

“Kagami, of course I want to—” Adrien started, and then he was silent. Marinette couldn’t help herself. She took a step forward, rounded the corner…

And wished she hadn’t.  Adrien stood one step lower than Kagami.  Her hand was wrapped around the back of his head, her lips pressed against his.  A girl was kissing Adrien, here in her house, and it wasn’t Marinette.  Even though she had practiced through tears and fought the raging beast inside her heart for weeks and reminded herself over and over again that Adrien loved Kagami, watching them kiss was torture.  Her knees wobbled, her stomach sunk, and her heart leaped from her chest.  She silently retreated around the corner, taking deep breaths and forcing the tears to stay put in her eyes.  After a second, she steeled herself against the pain, plastered a smile to her face, and rounded the corner again, much louder this time.  Adrien and Kagami separated with a little sucking noise.  Marinette ignored them and marched straight upstairs with her tray of quiches.  

She paused outside the trap door to her bedroom for several minutes, trying to lower her heartbeat.  Finally, when she felt like she could adequately feign a cheerful mood, she pushed the trap door open and climbed into the crowded bedroom.

“Hey, guys, my mom sent up these quiches, but I’m afraid tonight’s not a good one for hanging out,” she said in a much-too-high voice.  “It’s probably best that you all… head…” Her friends all stood there, with sad little furrows in their eyebrows, looking at her.  Her bones ached again.  “Out to the movies!” she finished with a generic thumbs-up.  There was a shuffle and startup of several conversations at once.  But just then, the dreaded buzz of the news alert on her phone pulled her to reality. Alya and Max also pulled out their phones—they’d set up the AkumaAlert app as well, it seemed.  

“Oh no,” Rose gasped, looking over Alya’s shoulder.  “Looks like some kind of foodie gone bad.  Oh my, he just turned that kid into a bowl of salad!”  

Marinette scanned around her room at the faces all checking their phones for updates.  She was just starting to panic on how she would get out of this one with all her friends right there, when she locked eyes with Alya.  “Oh, Marinette, your parents said that they needed you to watch the store front for a few minutes while they put together the rest of the food. We’ll figure out a movie and head when you get back, okay?”

Marinette thanked Alya with her eyes and ran downstairs and out the door to the alleyway.  She didn’t even notice that Kagami was a block away by now, with her head sagging.

*

“I’ll take that bet—I say nine,” Kim boomed, “and I’ll throw in my favorite pair of swim trunks that there’s forty dozen macarons she’s making for charity.”

Adrien laughed and sighed in relief as he saw the smile wash over Marinette’s face. He turned and followed the rest of his friends upstairs.  “This was a great idea,” he whispered to Alya.  

She shook her head with a little smirk, “Yeah, it was, Adrien. Don’t try to give me any credit.  You’re the one who said we should stage an intervention.”  

He shrugged.  At the landing for the next flight of stairs, he felt a hand on his wrist and stopped. Kagami’s head was low, her hair covering her eyes.  “Adrien, we need to talk,” she said heavily.  

Oh great.  NOW she wants to talk. She hadn’t answered his calls for days, and he’d been hesitant to invite her to this intervention tonight, before remembering that she and Marinette were friends—and tonight was about Marinette, not about his comfort level.  “Look, Kagami, I think you’re a really amazing girl…” Adrien stammered.

“Do you have feelings for Marinette?”

“Wh-What?”

“Do you have feelings for Marinette?”

“C’mon,” he scoffed, shaking his head a bit.  “She’s struggling right now.” “Why did you ask me to come tonight?  You know how my mother feels about these kinds of things.”

“I knew you were friends, and I thought you could help her.”

“I fail to see how me being here helps anything,” Kagami hissed, taking a step up so she was a head taller than him.  It felt uncomfortably familiar, like when his father sneered at him down his nose.  “She clearly doesn’t need me here, and it’s hardly a productive way to spend an evening.”

“She’s a friend, and friends do nice things for each other,” Adrien responded, raising his voice slightly.  

“You said you wanted me to come so we could hang out.  You just wanted me to come to be a workhorse for some other girl.” Kagami’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits.

“No, no, that’s not it at all.  I wanted to see you because… well, I just wanted—” he wasn’t sure where he was going with this.  All he knew was that he wanted out, away from this conversation.  

“You know, Adrien, for being the one who keeps asking me out, you sure don’t seem to know what you want at all.  I’ve made it perfectly clear what I want.  Do you want to be with me or not?”

“Kagami, of course I want to—”  Several things happened in rapid succession.  First, his phone buzzed, and Plagg tugged on the inside of his shirt—his sign that he really needed to take this call.  As he reached for his phone in his pocket, though, Kagami grabbed the back of his head and leaned in.  He was so surprised by the sudden motion that his brain stopped working.  She pressed her lips to his.  He noticed what her eyelashes looked like, what the color of her forehead was up close, even the scent of her hair.  The only thing he didn’t register was what it felt like to kiss her.  A small but persistent noise behind them startled him and he pulled back.  He turned just in time to see a tense-shouldered Marinette push past the two of them on the stairs with a fake, saccharine smile pasted to her face.  So, she’d seen that, had she?  His heart plummeted and he felt nauseous.  That was not how he planned on tonight going.  “Marinette!” He called softly, gently moving Kagami aside to follow the bouncing pigtails upstairs, but Kagami pressed a hand into his chest and glared.

“No, no you don’t, Adrien.”  Plagg tugged at the inside of his shirt more fervently now, and Adrien instinctively pulled out his phone.  

Lila had posted a picture of a romantic table for two on the front steps of a restaurant he didn’t recognize with the caption: Waiting for my bf—@ParisTeenWeekly superstar. #LuckiestGirlEver  The post had already gone viral, and by the looks of it, had drummed up quite the media presence.

“Lila…” he murmured under his breath.

“Lila?  First Marinette, now Lila?  How many girls are you stringing along, Adrien?” Kagami snapped.

“What? No, Kagami! You’ve got it all wrong! Lila asked me to dinner tonight—”

“A dinner with her, a date with me, an intervention here… you do know this is cruel, don’t you? I told you to pick a target.   Maybe I wasn’t clear.  Pick a target and then don’t switch.”  And in a move that was becoming increasingly familiar, she pushed past him, dropped her shoulders and head, and marched away.  

“Kagami,” he called, chasing after her.  “Please don’t do this again.  I don’t want to hurt you.  I never want to hurt a friend.”

She wheeled around on him.  “A friend? I kiss you and you call me a friend?”

“Isn’t that what a good relationship should be based on?  Friendship?”

She glared.  “We have so much—no, everything in common.  We are perfect for each other.  You will never find someone more compatible with you than me.”

So there it was.  Yet another girl who felt entitled to him, like he was some kind of prize.  “Kagami, I’m a heck of a lot more than just trophies and report cards,” he growled.  

She breathed deeply, clearly at a loss for words.  Her mouth moved up and down a bit before she spun on her heel and marched off again.  He didn’t follow her this time, but stood there in the doorway of the Dupain Bakery and watched as she shrunk into the distance.    

His phone buzzed again.  AkumaAlert, at the same little bistro Lila had posted about online.  Oh goodie, he groaned to himself.  Still, he looked forward to punching something.  “Plagg, Claws Out!”

*

Ladybug was nowhere to be found when he arrived on the scene.  “Adrien Agreste, I am Fooderator!  I’ll teach you to miss your dinner reservations!” the akuma was yelling.  He was shooting lasers out of his hands, which turned panicked Parisians into various bits of food.

“Hey Fooderator,” Chat Noir called, “hungry for this?” He extended his baton and spun it in a flash of metal, dissipating several blasts.  He used his baton as a shield while he scanned the area. It was worse than he feared from Lila’s post; it looked like half the paparazzi in Paris had come to glimpse Adrien Agreste with a girlfriend. It made his blood boil.  He charged Fooderator, landing several punches and a round-house kick.  Fooderator responded with a punch to his stomach and two more blows aimed for Chat Noir’s head, which he dodged easily.  

Just then the familiar zip of a yo-yo string made them both look up.  Chat Noir’s heart leapt to his throat.  She did a graceful backflip over his head, tucked into a swan dive, caught by her string at the last second, and dropped in a three-point landing.  “So, Chat Noir, what’s eating this guy?” she said, straightening up and walking toward him.  

He grinned.  How he loved it when she made puns with him.  They took a few steps back and yo-yo and baton alike whizzed as shields while they shared knowledge.  “I think he was looking forward to some major publicity.  Apparently some girl promised him that Adrien Agreste would come tonight—as her boyfriend.”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed and she bared her teeth.  “Adrien Agreste was bringing his girlfriend here?”  

“No,” Chat Noir laughed, “the girl just made it out to look like that.” Chat was surprised at the way Ladybug’s face lit up when he said the word ‘no.’  

“Good,” she said, a smile teasing her lips.  “Though poor Fooderator; that would have been the moment of a lifetime, to have Adrien come to your restaurant.”  Oh man, Chat’s heart couldn’t stop leaping.  She was cracking jokes and saying his name, in one night.  “Any idea where the akuma might be?”

“Maybe his chef hat?” Chat Noir responded, noticing the tall black hat on Fooderator’s head.  They nodded once at each other, and then launched their attack.  Chat Noir raced to Fooderator head-on and Ladybug swung up and over his head before attacking from the rear.  They landed blow after blow.  They were making serious headway, and Chat started to think they might be able to get this one without needing their powers, when a bunch of flashes startled him from behind.  

“Chat Noir!” a sickly sweet voice called to him, “Smile for the camera!”  

“Lila!” Ladybug hissed, “This is not the right time!”  But the momentary distraction was enough for Fooderator to get the upper hand on Ladybug and fired a laser right at her.  

“No!” Chat yelled and threw himself in front of Ladybug.  The laser caught him in the stomach and he felt the energy drain from him.  Ladybug watched in horror as her dear partner transformed into a bowl of mussels, his baton still spinning in the air and transforming into a loaf of crusty bread, then falling with a little splash into the broth.

“You’ll pay for this,” Ladybug growled—not at Fooderator, but at Lila.  “Lucky Charm.”  It wasn’t a happy spin of her yo-yo; it was a warcry.  A pellet gun dropped in her hands, and with eyes still locked on Lila, she shot a round over her shoulder.  It caught the chef hat on Fooderator’s head and ripped it down the center.  The tiny akuma wriggled out.  Ladybug didn’t say a word, she just threw her yo-yo at it and released the white butterfly while marching straight at Lila, who was looking downright petrified. Ladybug growled “Miraculous Ladybug” and threw the pellet gun over her shoulder, not even caring to see the completion of the battle.  She thrust a finger in Lila’s face.  “How dare you distract my partner or me while we’re battling an akuma.  How dare you put all of Paris at greater risk.” If Ladybug was aware of the hundreds of cameras snapping pictures of this moment, she didn’t show it.  “We’re trying to protect millions of people, and you have the gall to take advantage of the moment for a selfie with Chat Noir? Don’t you know how important he is to Paris?  Without him, none of us would be here.  Don’t you know how important he is to me?”

Lila stammered, “I… I… just wanted to…”

“Just don’t, ok Lila?”  

A sick smile stole over her face. “I’m sorry, Ladybug, it’s just that I was so excited to see you both in action, I couldn’t help it.  You’re the best ever,” she sneered.

“Just think about it more carefully next time, alright?” Ladybug warned, trying to soften her face and hide the loathing.  Lila nodded and skipped off, giving the paparazzi a wink as she left.

Ladybug turned around to see Chat Noir and the dazed chef staring at her with slack jaws.  She tried to smile at them.  

“Whoa…” Chat sighed.  “That was… that was…”

“Chef!” she said to the poor akuma victim.  Her earrings beeped.  “I’m sorry you didn’t get your big moment in the spotlight.  I think the girl who said she was Adrien’s girlfriend was a bit confused.”  Her earrings beeped again.  “Chat, can you help him out tonight?”  Chat Noir nodded and they pounded fists.  “Bug out!” she cried before soaring off into the night.

The chef looked confused, but happy.  Chat Noir thought his heart might leap right out of his suit.  How important he is to me… And he fell again.  He couldn’t help it.  No matter how hard he tried to move past it, one small sentence, one small look, one tiny touch from her and he was right back to where he was the moment he met her. But it felt better this time—more like a partnership, more like a friend, more two-sided.  

“It’s too bad she couldn’t stay for dinner,” the chef murmured.  “I’ve got such a lovely meal prepared, since I was planning on feeding Adrien Agreste tonight.”

A sudden idea popped into Chat Noir’s head.  “Would you be willing to take in a stray cat instead?”

The chef’s face broke into a huge grin.  “Chat Noir?  Eating at my restaurant?  That’s even better than Adrien Agreste!”

“Great.  I’ve got something I need to do first, though, but I promise I’ll be right back, ok?”

The chef nodded, then raced back to his kitchen to make a few final arrangements.

*

Marinette made a show of stumping upstairs to her friends.  They were huddled around her room, eyes glued to their phones.  “Marinette!” Alya cried as she entered.  Everyone looked up.  “Did you see that akuma attack?”

“Yeah, crazy!” she responded.  

“I can’t believe Lila would distract Ladybug and Chat Noir like that,” Max said, with a shake of his head.

“Yeah, really not cool,” Ivan agreed.  

Marinette’s heart swelled to hear her friends recognize Lila’s manipulative and dangerous behavior.  Nino continued, “Yeah, good thing Ladybug was still able to capture the akuma.  She really is the greatest protector of all time.”

The achy bones returned full force.  

“Hey guys, if we want to make the evening show, we’d better go now,” Juleka said quietly.  Everyone looked up expectantly at Marinette, who sat gingerly on her bed.  How she hated always having to make the decisions.

“I’m kind of tired, and you guys can go without me,” she started.  Alya gave an I-told-you-so look to everyone in the room. “Come on, Marinette,” Mylene crooned, “let’s go have some fun.”  

But Marinette still couldn’t shake the feeling of weight on her shoulders.  She looked in the faces of her friends—grateful for each of them, but envious of their innocence.  None of them would truly understand, or could ever understand. There was only one person in all of Paris who knew just how heavy this life was, and he was nowhere to be—

There was a knock on the balcony skylight.  It made Rose squeak with surprise.  Everyone looked up at the ceiling.  Ivan was closest—he opened the latch and a pair of smiling green eyes, shrouded in a black mask, descended into the room, upside down.  “Hey guys, how’s it hanging?”

“Ch…ch… CHAT NOIR?”  Kim stammered.  “What are you doing here?”

He lowered himself into the room with one arm and landed softly on all fours. He smiled around at the gawking faces. “I got reservations at an amazing little bistro, and was wondering if I might steal my Purrincess away for an evening,” he said, strutting toward Marinette.  “If you’d like, of course.”  

She blushed as he took her hand and kissed it lightly.  “Oh you silly cat,” she said.  A brilliant peal of laughter escaped from her throat—something only he could elicit.  

Alya gave her a little shove.  “Go, Marinette, you deserve it.”

Marinette didn’t resist.  She gave Chat Noir her hand, but he took her waist.  Her friends watched in shock as Chat Noir walked to the skylight, lifted Marinette off her feet in a bridal-style carry, extended his baton, and launched the two of them into the fading evening sky.