#like YES i love kitty but they are not only a pair but INDIVIDUALS

[wikitpowers]

i want to see kit going to everyday high school, making friends at lunchtime, talking a walk around the devon countryside with mina, training with jem and tessa, learning how to control his powers, finding his own style, exploring his sexuality, going to pride with his school friends and waving the bi flag around like a maniac, taking selfies and using tumblr to look at percy jackson fanart (he's definitely a tumblr user let's face it), i want him making cookies and sharing them with tessa while they have deep chats and do face masks, i need him training how to become a shadowhunter but also just going to the cinema with his friends and being a regular ass teenager, i want to see him just existing, growing and doing ordinary things

i just miss kit herondale like mad

[hobicakess]

PLAYING DANGEROUS | (one)

summary: It's been almost three years since Jack in the box was caught, and no one could make him talk. No one knew his story, and what drove him to become the monster he was today. That is until you're assigned your first story. What makes you so lucky?

rating: 18+ (I'm not your mother you're in control of what you consume)

pairings: Journalist!Reader x Criminal!JungHoseok x CEO!Kim Namjoon x Detective!MinYoongi.

warnings: warnings: no thoroughly edited, EW Ai , character death (nothing to cry about), black/plus sized coded reader, talks of murder, talks of torture, corporate evilness, violence, Mc reads hobi to filth, yandere characters, possessive/obsessive behavior, short hair namjoon (yes that's a warning), one maknae introduction, maknae helping cause chaos, cigarettes, Yoonie is an angry kitty this chapter, bratty mc, mc is kinda a bitch (a bad one at that), unhinged serial killer hobi (joker vibes tbh) , yoongi hates his job, namjoon loves his job (he gets to piss you off everyday) SMUT— nothing too crazy , choking, sub mc , missionary, mating press , man handling (yummy)

a/n: HEYYY omg this took me so long to write and it's just a little over 2k words... LMAO I suck i know, but we're getting there I pinkie promise. I really hope you all enjoy this and constructive criticism is welcome!!

TAGLIST: @sumzysworld @bbgniecyy @paramedicnerd004 @heartsbr0ken @grltwin @superbbananananana @secfir @darkuni63 @thisladysperspective @p34rluv @secfir @sarcastic-cookie @coffeedepressionsoup @ot7nem @italiekim @cynicalbitch666 @jalexd @whenthebeatdrop-beatdrop

2 MONTHS BEFORE JACKS ESCAPE

Kim multimedia station.

The place of business was always busy and there was never not anything to be done, Endless reports and stories in need of being written, the podcast teams always chattering about the hottest topics.

KMMs was a journalist's dream — your dream.

You were a known face around the company both online and in person. A pretty foreigner who was damn good at her job and that made you favored by the late CEO Kim. You were always hand picked by him to attend press conferences in his favor. He treated you kindly, allowing you into a large world of business pulling strings to get you the best stories helping you— a once broke freshly graduated English major climbing up in the world of reporting.

It's only been three months since CEO Kim passed away and the company was changing fast. You were grateful that you weren't a part of the many that were fired and replaced by new faces and AI, and you were now noticing how low the viewers were on podcasts, social media and blogs.

KMM was dying out very slowly and that meant you might go away with it. You were dedicated to your work, and the company that helped you become the person you were today.

And you were willing to do anything to not be forgotten.

Sleeping was not on the agenda right now.

A quick double tap to a cell phone showed an awfully bright screen reading 4:40 am. You had been lying in your bed mind racing while staring at your wall for the past hour and a half.

Jack in the box.

Rolling out the tangled bedsheets and arms you pull on a large T-shirt that'd been discarded a long with the other items of clothing on the floor shuffling towards the desk in the corner of your room. Laptop already open from your previous research when you pull out a pack of cigarettes from your drawer before plunging deep into the web. Your mouse clicks every site as your pen moved furiously taking in all the information you can about said serial killer.

“On May 14th, 2018 Serial Killer Jack In The Box was finally caught after a murdering spree in Seoul. The killings of ordinary outgoing individuals taken with a quick swipe of a knife and a long torture method.”

"Before his kills Jack likes to taunt his victim. He ironically sends them a Jack in the box to let them know they're next. The next few days said victim lives in constant fear, looking over their shoulder, leading the mostly known outgoing victim to slowly isolate themselves from loved ones in fear of them being hurt, eventually this leads to insomnia and in some cases hallucinations and histera. Then Jack disappears for a while making them think they're finally okay and he's gone until he wasn't."

The scoff that left your lips echoed through the quiet room, breathing out the nicotine smoke from your Cancer stick.

So Jack was an antisocial loser and took out his lack of social skills on people who could.

"No one knows of Jack's real identity. Police have reported that the man has lived many lives and has owned many faces for the past 11 years. Reporters have tried their hardest for the past 4 years to get a one on one interview with the man but unfortunately he refuses to talk only resorting to violence."

A reporter says he went for a handshake and left with two missing fingers.

Another says he watched the man bang his head on the wall hard enough to bleed when he asked the murderer's real name.

A broken arm??

“Fuck” you huff flicking the ash at the butt of your cigarette. You stare at the mugshot photos supplied at the end of the article. Dark wide eyes, shaggy black hair falling over his forehead, the piercings sticking from the bridge of his nose eyebrow and top lip.

The look definitely screams psycho but…. he was kinda hot. It took everything in you not to go and click the endless fanfiction that you stumbled upon.

A pair of warm lips press onto your shoulder causing you to jump. Turning to look over your shoulder at the shirtless sight of Kim Namjoon.

“We have to be up in four hours, baby, come back to bed.”

You hum into his embrace with a pout stubbing out the cigarette into the pink ashtray beside your computer. “Did you know Jack went through eight lawyers? Until one day he randomly called Kim Seokjin. That high profile guy from the law firm we're partnered with? they must know each other”

Though Namjoons attention was not on the words that were leaving your mouth. Hands wander all over your body while placing kisses on your neck, and cheeks.

“He literally bit the finger of the last reporter clean off. Like do you know how much force you have to put into that? I think he reads too much gothic liter—”

Cutting you off with a quick grab of your jaw turning your head to connect his plump lips to own. Pulling away with a cheeky dimpled smirk, “I’m not sure how I feel about you talking about another man.”

“Well you shouldn't feel any type of way because you aren't MY man.”

You squeal when you're lifted up from your chair and throw over a broad shoulder. He huffs when he throws you onto the memory foam comforter, your (his) shirt lifting up your thighs exposing your bare cunt. Immediately his big body was hovering over you as he slightly pressed his body weight onto you.

“Get off you dick” pushing and smacking his tan shoulders but that did nothing for you at this moment. “Well I'm trying to put it in you.”

He bullies your legs up over his shoulders as he taps his hard piece against the wetness between your thighs. “If something happens to me during this case I swear” choking on your words as he slowly but surely presses his thick head into your cunt.

“Fuck — may the man himself strike me down.”

Hand reaching to grip your throat smashing your lips together. Luckily your mind left the thoughts of the serial killer , the only thing on your mind right now was Namjoon and his ridiculously large cockm

It wasn't weird for you to obsess over your assignments to the point where it was all you thought about. Everyone does that.

Though this one you couldn't seem to finesse your way out of. Without the help of the late Kim you'd have to pull your own strings to get what you wanted and now that Namjoon was in charge he loved making your life harder.

“Y/n.”

Your head snaps up from your laptop hand stalling from moving on your notepad face to face with gorgeously pale Detective Min Yoongi.

“Yoonie” you smile, motioning for him to sit in front of you. He looked different from when you last saw him all the months ago, more tired and cat- like you guessed it was from the heavy responsibilities that came with the position as Chief of Seouls police department

“Did you just call to look at me?”

“Sorry it's just been . . a while” you push the large Iced Americano towards him as a peace offering. He gladly accepted it with an amused raise of an eyebrow, “You know I just wait for your call.”

“The phone works both ways” you internally wince , you sounded like an estranged father talking to his child.

“What do you want?” A frown spread across your face and lips, shutting your laptop. “I can't call an old friend for a friendly coffee date.”

You waited for his answer as he took his time generously drinking from his plastic cup. With a smack of his lips he sat the cup down leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You only call me ‘Yoonie’ when you want something” eyes scanning over the scatter of papers and notes taking up your side of the table.

“This must be serious”

Hands going to clasp under your chin you sigh, cutting the bullshit. “Three years ago you were the lead investigator on the Jack in the box case which brought you from rookie detective to Chief of police.”

“I was wondering if you could help old friend out tell me what you know about-”

“No.” He cuts you off with little to no thought.

“No? Why not? This isn't our first rodeo Min”

There were plenty of times Yoongi helped you with stories without a second thought. He'd give you case files, witnesses, and anything you needed but why not now?

“Anybody but him”

You scoffed at him, irritation rising in your body. “I need this story not anyone else.”

“Well I can't help you, princess.”

“That's bullshit!” Your voice raises causing a couple people around you to turn their attention towards the two of you. He stood up, chair scraping the floor, slamming a few dollars on the table. “Call me if you need anything else.”

Turning on his heel he leaves you sitting there in your slowly growing rage. You quickly hopped from your seat chasing after him, managing to catch up with his long strides. “Yoongi slow down dammit”

He twirls around grabbing onto you by your arm, “Who gave you this story.

“Namjoon he-” you whine as his grip tightens on your arm as his eyes slit. The angry red scar on his face makes his angry stare look even more intimidating. “You don't understand how dangerous Jack is. Just because he's behind bars doesn't mean he won't have people on the outside that will whack you for being a nosy reporter.”

He softens his hold, lifting his hand to rub your cold cheek. “If something happens to you. . .” He shakes his head letting you go.

“Sit this one out Y/N I don't want to see you in our precinct mortuary.” with that he walks away disappearing into the crowd.

You sniff doing the walk of shame back to the Café sitting back in your seat with your head in your hands

Detective Min Yoongi.

“Excuse me Ma’am” the blonde barista came over holding a box of blueberry doughnuts which happened to be your favorite. “It's on the house.. everyone saw your fight with your boyfriend, manager said this might help cheer you up.”

“Oh! Thank you but he wasn't my boyfriend, just a work colleague.” You tried to defend yourself but the sympathy in his eyes only grew so you accepted the treat with another thank you. “What is your name? I've never seen you here before.”

A soft brightens his pretty face, eyes scrunching slightly adding to the prettiness of his face. “Park Jimin, Ma’am.”

MEANWHILE

The buzz of the electrically wired door opening didn't alert the man that stayed deep in the corner of his cell. “Long time no see.”

“Why now?” the visitor asks, “After all this time you choose now.”

He giggled, the haunting sound bouncing off the walls. “Did you bring what I asked for”

The visitor threw the pictures and the box of cigarettes into the cell. “Answer my question.”

“It's been three longgg years.” He finally answered, moving from his corner to pick up the photos. “Tell me is she this gorgeous in person?”

“Just for her?”

“And I need to stretch my legs” he laughs louder this time the high pitched sound echoed even through the thick steel door that kept him locked in tight.

Jack was ready to play more games

©hobicakesss , please don't repost or steal my work. don't be a loser

[rainbowsalt0412]

THE NEW UPDATE

Just got back from a trip and guess what, Sylus has the entire LnDs Nation in a chokehold, and I kinda knew this was gonna happen, so buckle up this is gonna be a long one.

First things first, He is SO HOTTTTTTTTTT!

Mannnn, when he was first revealed a couple of weeks ago, I had already posted about how he might surpass others to be my top, and guess what, I was not wrong, he is already making me doubt my loyalty to Zayne when he hasn't even debuted yet, but hey it's just a game so I'll be fine.

Second thing that I noticed in his trailers and the 2.0 preview livestream was that they did reveal his certain characteristics.

He is definitely 'Hard on the outside, soft on the inside' kind of guy. This conclusion was made with what the Kitty Cat told us about him when he was out in N109 Zone collecting information and how Sylus placed him softly on the ground after picking him off from top of a building and telling him its no place for soft Cats like him, and then he was seen walking past a flower when he could have easily stepped on it like some other Bad Guys like to do, but he didn't, someone (I don't know who exactly, I might have reblogged their post) even mentioned that the flower kind of reflected MC and how Sylus might just make her have an insight into his lifestyle rather then just killing her after she was captured the the last chapter.

Other thing that I noticed was that his Evol might not be Blood, instead it's Energy Manipulation or something like that, which could be a possibility as he is a leader of an organization that focus on Protocores, I'm still not sure, guess we'll have to wait to see what is it exactly.

He also might be the only LI as of now who is an actual combatant apart from Xavier, i.e., he has actual combat skills, maybe because of his position and surroundings. Like I know we can choose our companions during battle but when it comes to Main Story thing, not all LIs are fit for fighting skills, Xavier has to be the best combatant of them all due to his job, and now I can say the same for Sylus as well, if not, he can be better than Xavier as well, specially how he is the only one who is actually teaching the MC how to fight in his memories.

Apart from that, he also can cook, has a thing for singing (his karaoke 4-Star memory reference, if you might have noticed), and can and does ride Bikes, but despite that he is a walking Red flag, but I don't blame him, and would still love him if it came to that.

One thing I noticed in LnDs, which is also my favorite thing about them is the Detailing, so of course Sylus has his own as well. When I first saw him in his preview from a couple of weeks ago, I kind of thought that he looked similar to Zayne but that's not the case, maybe it was the lighting and angles that made me think that, but not anymore. I think that the LIs are made to look the way their characters are, like when I first saw Xavier in an AD, I immediately thought of a high class individual or a bodyguard with a soft side who is also jealous of whom you meet and talk to or something like that, and Zayne seemed like a Cold beauty, and it did turned to be similar to that when I started playing the game, So yes I'm gonna analyze Sylus as well (It might not be 100% true cause I'm just making assumptions which could be true).

Unlike Zayne who has a cold yet soft looks similar to his character (As he is the closest to Sylus in terms of looks and characters I'll take him for comparison), Sylus has more of 'Rough on the edge' looks, someone who has a Bad, Traumatic and Rough childhood. He seemed like the guy who didn't wanted to be here but had no choice as well, and that doesn't mean he's innocent, he has his fair share of crimes and evil doings, and would gladly take the wrong thing into consideration if it gives him his desired results.

HE WEARS A F*CKING CHOKER!!!!!!

AND IS DOMINET AS HELL, I CAN FEEL IT!!!!!!

With the showcase of his pair memories, I doubt he was with the MC in any other timeline because unlike any other boy, his pair seemed to be a part of the present timeline, and I think he is suppose to be the Bad Guy for this timeline, or he could be the bad guy for other LIs who didn't let him meet the MC in any other timeline.

Other thing that I noticed about him is that he is very much self dependent person, whether you talk about his cooking skills, his combat skills, etc. Like he does have a chef doing his food, but he could very much cook himself as well, unlike someone, *Coughs* Xavier (That prince treatment did that to you I see) *Cough*, which makes me think he has spent most of his early life alone, or maybe his entire life alone in general, and didn't have much help from others either. This also tells us that he instead trusts himself rather than others to do his work, except when he can't, maybe because he couldn't trust many people in his line of work.

OR this all could just be a hobby as well...

The 'Mechanical Crow' thing tells me that maybe he could be a good Mechanic as well, if you know what I mean, like he could have just designed and created that himself as well, and is interested in designing and creating, like come on he is the leader of Onychinus, he is a Modern Technology guy. I can see him working on his Bike every now or then.

And of course, he is a top priority target for UNICRONS.

That's what I noticed for now, so keeping his character aside for now, let's talk about the new features.

I didn't understand much about the wish system, like are we suppose to use normal wishes only cause I don't have much and enough diamonds to buy those, I bought the special ones instead cause I though that would be the one we'll have to use.

New battle system is a great feature for F2Ps like me, though I did not understand much of it as well and still do not have my memories enough ranked up yet.

How are some people already done with their Orbital when I'm here stuck on 50 or something of every orbit for past month? I'm not even halfway there.

I'm glad we'll get Sylus's first 5-Star pair and 4-Star pair in the permanent wish pool, which would gladly be his two Primary dominant colors.

You know what, I did not understand much of anything the new 2.0 version would be bringing to us, I'll just have to wait and see it for myself to get a hold of it.

ANNNNNNDDDDD, we are getting branches for every LI starting this Sept., which is an exciting part as well cause I almost thought we wouldn't have that system here. I still don't understand why Sylus was not included there, maybe because he would be a recent addition.

And Last but not the least, the letter in the end made me tear up. This shows just how much effort and time they put into the game and that they do care about us, The Players. I just wanna give a piece of my mind to the person responsible for Sylus's leak. Thank the lord I didn't see anything other than the one actually uploaded on the official channel. It must be very hard to give that level of production, not to mention they have a reputation to maintain as the world's first 3-D Otome Game, so it must have been really upsetting that someone ruined their upcoming surprise project like that when they might not even had any part in it.

When the last review mail was up I gave them 1-Star in every category because of how frustrated I was of not pulling much from any limited banner at that time because as an F2P, I literally harvest the diamond so I'm very careful about spending them so getting nothing in return took a troll on me. So if a review mail is up again in this next update, I'll gladly give them 5-Star everywhere possible, considering they did took the advice of F2Ps like us well, and it's not just that but this new update would give me an opportunity to earn diamonds a little bit easily.

And it's not like I don't want to spend, it's just I can't spend now as I'm focused on some real life resources which are really important for me, not to mention the game is really expensive. So in future if I do get a chance, I'll gladly spend some.

That's all for now. Feel free to share your thoughts on Sylus, and this new update as well in the comment section, I'll love to discuss.

(Tumblr pulled a B*tch, and didn't save my earlier draft resulting in me doing this entire thing again, took me a day to recall, might have missed some points but that okay.)

[safetycar-restart]

hiiiii!!! i’m currently, no thoughts, head empty at the idea of dog!logan. he doesn’t really like to be alone and much like dog!mick is always wagging his tail. i think that the only cat hybrid he gets along with very well is kitty!oscar because the two of them grew up together. i was also wondering if you had any hc’s building off that. have a fantastic rest of your day/nigh, xx 🎾 anon

YES YES MORE HYBRID!AU!!! Because i love poly!oscar/logan, i'm gonna focus on that, but we can absolutely discuss them individually as well.

You know those videos of cats who just lightly thwack dogs whenever they get annoyed with them, but the two are the best of friends? That is oscar and logan. Oscar is one the grumpiest cat hybrids in existence, and his favourite person on the planet is the literal golden retriever hybrid that is Logan.

The two of them make such an odd pair, but they love each other so much, and you! They love you!!

I think that logan ADORES playing fetch? Which yes, he knows is a stereotype for dog!hybrids but he doesn't care because it's fun! You have spent entire afternoons with outside with oscar napping on your lap while you throw a ball for logan to run and chase. Oscar will curl up in your lap, his tail wrapped around you and just nap there while logan plays fetch with you.

I also think that oscar is actually much more protective than logan is actually? Oscar will hiss and swat at anyone who comes to close, especially if they come too close to you or logan. Casue you and logan are his!! No one else's!!

Logan, meanwhile, is very clingy. He never ever wants to be alone, because why would he?? He has the two best mates ever!!

And logan's tale!! I think it's quite short but very bushy? And it's always wagging. Especially when he spots you or oscar, his tail will start going a mile a minute when he sees one of you. Cause you're his people!! He's spotted his people!!

Also because his tail is so fluffy, oscar regularly using it as a pillow.

[bakugohoex]

“aren’t you my good little kitten”

pairing: jean kirshctein x female reader

cw: established relationship, kitten!reader, fluff, nsfw (MINORS DNI!, master!jean, leash pulling, kissing, shoe fucking, nipple play, ass slapping, ass grabbing, female masturbation, thumb sucking, consensual sex, unprotected sex, creampie, biting, marking, bruises, aftercare)

word count: 2400+

a/n: yeah so i finished the fic yay, hope you enjoy hybrid reader ive never done something like this before but hopefully it worked

other information: hybrid collab by @ultimate-astridwriting

summary: in which you’re jean’s little kitten, spending the night getting off whilst he goes through paperwork before finally he has his way with you

↞ back to attack on titan masterlist

He was too pretty to resist, the way he flicked the pen between his tongue and finger as if he was teasing you. His eyes occasionally looking down at you as you kneeled patiently at his leg, a low mewl coming from your mouth. He always told you about his job, how he’d come late from the office with more paperwork he needed to go through. The time he spent away from you always had a purpose, it was to provide for you.

You brushed your cheek against his leg, his suit trousers being a flimsy material as he had discarded the jacket to the other shirt, shirt sleeves rolled as he unbuttoned the first three buttons with his thick fingers. “Patience, kitten,” your ears faced forward as the swish of your tail moved enthusiastically as you kneeled with his favourite lingerie set.

The black cupping your chest as your cunt had already drenched through the black lace. Your favourite part was the black collar that suffocated against your neck, the gold clasps of metal of a leash that was fastened against his other hand. A gold ringing bell swished as his hand moved to his knee, your tongue licking at the back of his hand, before going to each individual finger.

“What did I say?” His voice was harsh as he moved his hand away from your mouth and instead tugged on the leash making your wet cunt hit the top of his shoe. He had forgotten to take them off before he had entered the apartment but by the way you had given a loud moan at the impact he couldn’t help but smirk as he looked down at you.

“M…master,” you mewled as you rubbed against the shoe, it helped to gain some relief but made Jean chuckle.

He dropped his pen putting a hand through his brown locks, tugging at the end pieces as he watched how your tits bounced every time you moved back and forth against his shoe. “Having fun,” he looked down as he tugged at your leash again watching how your tongue fell from your mouth, eyes closed as you continued to hump against his shoe.

“Mmm…ye…yes…more…” your moans were always so pretty, the way his other hand moved to stroke the back of your ears as you flustered at the feeling, ears almost folding in as you moaned. He had begun tapping his foot at each brush of your cunt, making you move down just as he moved up.

Saliva dripped from your mouth as it went down your chest and to your thighs, “such a good kitty,” he comforted as your tail wagged at the praise continuing at your movement. “Why don’t we take these off?” Jean had disregarded his work as he pushed his chair away from the desk giving you more room.

He kept a grasp at your leash, wrapping it around his hand as his knuckles had become whiter. He undid the bra as your chest fell for his eyes, he licked his lips before motioning for you to remove your underwear. You looked up with pleading eyes as you gave him our soaked underwear, he held them as he stuffed them in his pocket.

Your eyes never left his brown ones as he looked down at you, “continue.” It was a command as you got pulled towards him, chest moving up and down as your bare cunt hit his brown shoes. He could see your slick hit the shoe at the new darkened shoe.

He went to grab the paper reading them as our moans filled the office, he already knew Connie had filed the paperwork due to the shitty format that had somehow been allowed. Signing as he occasionally looked down at your agape face, he watched as one had gone to grab his thigh before the other went to your hard tits.

The way you arched your back making your tail brush against the desk as you pinched at your nimble tits. You were always a sight for sore eyes, the way you’d be at the door in a matter of seconds, brushing your head against his legs as he stepped inside. The way you’d lick at his face to wake him up in the morning and sit on the table waiting for a kiss and breakfast to be served to you.

What he loved the most was seeing you trying to get off on every part of him, thigh riding had become a favourite of yours but trying to get off on his shoe was different but the way you did it so effortlessly had him intoxicated. “Wan…want to cu…cum ma…master,” he smirked once again as he looked down pulling at your leash as he watched you lick your lips, spit and saliva against your face, your ears dropping down as you could feel the orgasm hit.

“Cum kitten,” Jean cooed as he moved closer to your face, his hand nuzzling against your cheek as you brushed against him instinctively. The coil in your stomach snapping as you mewled loudly as your white gush fell onto his shoe and the wooden floor. “All dirty aren’t we,” he watched you nod enthusiastically through your tired state.

Dropping the paperwork down he tugged at your leash making your stand before, cum falling down your thigh as he grabbed at your ass. Just brushing the start of your tail as you shivered, feeling his grip to the fat before giving a harsh slap against one cheek. “That’s for ruining my shoes…” he paused as he grabbed your waist, the pain still seething through your backside as he watched your movement.

The way you fell onto his thigh as your ass hurt even more from hitting his thigh, you purred slowly as your tail wagged in excitement, your hand finding its way to his hard. You could already see it form as your other hand moved to play with the back of his hair. The hair against his chin and jaw brushing against your neck as he left soft kisses, even when he did punish you for ruining something he always came back to comfort you.

He gave a moan as your hand moved against the fabric of his trousers against his cock, “go to our bed, don’t fucking touch yourself, okay?”

You nodded but his hand grabbed your jaw, thumb brushing against your lips as he wanted a proper response, “yes master.”

He let go of your leash as he watched you leave the office, cum on his trousers and shoe as he looked at his dark office. He finally stood up after five minutes, removing his shoes as he chucked them in the bin before beginning to unbutton his white shirt.

His thick fingers easily did it as he discarded the shirt to the ground, removing the rest of his clothes as he was left with his boxers and nothing else. He heard low whimpers coming for your shared bedroom as he peeked through the door seeing your cunt rut against the sheets, back arched as you couldn’t help but disobey his order. He opened the door slowly making the door creak as he entered watching intensely, “stupid whore couldn’t wait.”

His voice was a mutter as you tensed, stopping in your grinding against the sheets, drool falling onto your thighs as your eyes widened, “master.” It was a cough as you watched Jean’s tall stature come towards you, it only took two large steps before he knelt on the bed.

The view of the dark city coming from the open windows, the curtains open as a sensation swept under your thighs of the silk sheets. Jean grabbed your throat as he pushed his thumb into your mouth making you fluster.

His other hand went to the back of your ears as he scratched at them, hair moving through his fingers every time he moved his nails to them. His thumb pushed into your mouth as your eyes felt heavy as you looked down at his toned body, seeing the bulge already push against his boxers.

Your mouth opened up as he removed his thumb, saliva coating the finger as he gripped onto your face, letting his thumb brush against your cheek before letting his other hand move from the back of your pointed ears to the leash around your neck holding it as he lifted you up to his height making you get on your knees before kissing you.

Saliva and spit mixing with one another as his tongue divulged inside of your wet mouth, he could taste all of you before his other hand moved off your face and down to your tits, his fingers rubbing against the nub as the bell on the leash made a sound once more, he stopped kissing you as he looked into your eyes.

“Turn around, kitten,” you compiled as he let go of you, your ass rubbed against his bulge as your tail spiralled past his open arms resting close to his side, fur brushing against him as you pushed your ass up to his front, his broad palm pushed your face onto the sheets as he grabbed the leash once more, having a perfect view of your cunt as he held your firmly with the leash.

Pulling his boxers off with one hand and letting them fall to the bed, his cock springing up to hit your ass, he watched you squirm as you felt his cock glide back and forth between your ass and cunt. “Tell me how much you want me.”

It was a command as he tugged on the leash making you moan as his other hand went to grab onto your ass cheek. Your slick coating his cock to help him divulge into your cunt once you answered, “want you so…so fucking…much master.”

“That’s my girl,” he muttered before slamming into your cunt, a loud muffled moan erupted from your mouth as you remained on fours feeling him continue to slam back and forth into your pretty walls.

The low groans and continuous moaning from both of you caused you to tense around him at every hit he took inside of you. His hand on your ass leaving harsh prints as he continued to squeeze and hit it.

Your tail falling at the sheer pleasure you were feeling as you had begun to drool on the bed through your mewls. The way he spoke affirmations of his pretty kitten, the way each time he slammed into you he gripped onto your ass cheeks even harsher. “So…so good kitten…”

He could barely breathe as he continued to slam into your walls, “J…Jean…” the way your lips had spoken his name had intoxicated him as his pace had increased in a matter of seconds. The harsh thrusts become faster and go deeper to hit the back of your cervix.

“Gonna fill you…fill you up kitten,” he groaned as he tugged the leash making your body harshly move closer to his own. Back hitting his chest as he repositioned himself inside of you making you ride his cock as both hands went to massage your tits.

Mouth making contact with your open neck as he continued to move his hip upwards letting your drool hit his hands. The squeezes of the fat on your chest making you moan even more and the bites he had left with the brush of the stray hair from his hair nuzzling into your neck. “Love you kitten,” he groaned lowly into your ear as you gave a tired smile.

“L…love…love you too,” you responded back feeling his pace begin to quicken once more, he wanted you to feel him all. His thick cock began to harshly move in you as you couldn’t help but lean your head against his shoulder.

You could feel cum begin to build up once more in your stomach a coil ready to snap and by the way your cunt clenched, Jean knew it as well, “gonna cum baby,” he murmured almost teasingly, “cum for me kitten.”

Feeling the coil snap in your stomach as white gush flowed out once more from your cunt, the squelching of Jean’s cock pushing the cum back into your cunt surrounded the room. You moaned loudly at the feeling of his aggressive grabbing of your chest and sides as he wanted to cum inside of his pretty kitten.

“Be my good kitten, make me cum, c…come on,” he spoke as he watched you move your hips just as he moved upwards you were coming right back down. Feeling all of you as he bit at your neck as you continued with your actions, “aren’t you my good little kitten,” it was a statement as he moaned it out feeling his own high coming.

He didn’t give you a warning as his cum began to fill you up, feeling yourself slowly move on his cock. Cum spilling from your cunt and onto your thighs and silk sheets, he gave another groan as he felt flushed at the feeling. You steadily got off of him as you went on fours stretching your limbs as Jean finally looked down at you.

You nuzzled your head onto his thigh, as he looked down picking you up softly to sit on his lap, “we need to clean up,” he spoke softly as he touched your scalp massaging it gently, he saw just how tired you had gotten,

Jean placed your drowsy state on the bed, taking the silk sheet off as he threw it to the side, he put his boxers on, checking on your position as soft snores escaped from your mouth. He went to grab a shirt for you to wear with a new sheet to put on top of the both of you.

His white shirt he wore on a daily basis was in his hands as he lifted you up, putting you in the shirt before lying beside you with the silk sheet on top of you. He instantly felt you turn over meeting his chest as your hands laid on his stomach. “I love…you, Jean,” you murmured in your sleepy state as you snuggled into his side.

Jean put his arm around you as he looked down at you softly, “I love you too, Y/n.” He kissed your temple before closing the light, holding you in his arms as you both fell into a sweet slumber.

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[derangedhyena-zoids]

You mentioned that Organoids don’t physiologically suffer from severing a bond, but would they psychologically? (I mean I guess not if they outlive their partners…) How would bonding to someone who has chemical imbalances (depression/anxiety/etc) work? Do they work like the anti-depression/anxiety medicine? And how do they choose their partner? Is it like humans going “aww look at this kitty” or more like car shopping, “I want one that has cruise control,” or is it harmonic like the neural waves of the human and organoid align?

Should I shut up? Sorry but not sorry, I love this.

QUESTIONS? ABOUT THE THINGS?? ANSWERS! LONG POSTS!  Re: psychological suffering... overwhelmingly the answer would be "yes, they'd suffer a lot", because that'd basically only happen if the Zoidian partner died. Organoids can easily outlive a partner (and the partner could also die early of injury or disease) - and the Organoid usually doesn't bond again. What they do though, is stay with the family/clan unit. So between the constant presence of their nearby colony and the presence of the other family members/their Organoids, that individual would be okay, relatively speaking. (a brief tl;dr aside: the extended lifespans of Zoidians, in an extremely roundabout way, are related to the longevity of Zoids/Organoids. it's... a convoluted thing that's too much to go into here, but yhea.) One is the main perpetrator of remorseless severing of bonds ... One basically just used people to think with. (the whole trinity setup and the very real benefits it brings  are part-and-parcel of the bond mechanic. which is another Convoluted Thing. tl;dr Minds Are Powerful Things)  One establishing then angrily severing bonds is a large part of why so many people (in the past, and in K&G) just straight-up died trying to pilot the Berserk Fury. Him “using them” was the problem, but him leaving harshly (out of either disgust/annoyance or lost control) was often the final blow. Really, any situation that'd prompt a bond being withdrawn mainly would have come up post-Zoidian-apocalypse. It just didn't have any reason to happen before. Because the organoid/zoidian relationship was far more like this:

(daemons, "you're an integral part of me") than any sort of "this is my best friend but we could potentially disagree" thing.

Which I guess is to say if it ever happened in Zoidian times, it would’ve been an entire story/groundshattering event in its own right. (This is one of very few areas I come into actual conflict with the anime canon. Because the Organoid/Zoidian relationship is presented as a really fucking illogical spectrum. So I just... made a decision and went hard with it. Works for the majority of actual canon.) Zeke and Zero are the only two other instances of an intentional withdrawal of a bond even coming up. Like a chapter or so ago in Echo, Zero temporarily did it to Bit and felt very bad about it. And Zeke liked having two bondmates so much he couldn't bear the thought of unbonding with Van. And in doing so, killed Fiona well before her time.  re: chemical imbalances:   I’m not entirely sure it’d be accurate to assume that the specifics of our human disorders would still be in effect for Zoidians and their weirdly shifted physiological baseline. they may well have issues we’d find difficult to contemplate, and *not* have some of ours.   that said, speaking in generic ‘imbalance’ terms - an Organoid’s going to go a long way to shore up behaviorally-deleterious deficiencies. The pair more-or-less shares a destiny once bonded: though an Organoid obviously isn’t aware of neurotransmitters and all related (they’re not Serenity,) them being caring, encouraging, empathetic, a permanent second opinion/shoulder to cry on/sounding board ... they’re essentially perpetual cognitive-behavioral therapy? Which has absolutely been shown to help correct chemical imbalance issues? So... yes, they would act as medication, in that sense? man wouldn’t that be nice. that said, it’s pretty likely Organoids have their own neuro issues to contend with, so it could easily go both ways...  re: CHOOSING THEIR PARTNER... it’s more of the latter, a harmonic thing.  assuming you mean “the way it worked in Zoidian times when everything wasn’t an entire mess”, it was actually a very structured process that’d developed over the ages. Happens young, young, young... The tl;dr is there’d be some ritualistic indication when a baby reaches a key development milestone for ‘sense of self.’  (I do not have details fully fleshed out for it, sorry. but I know it varied by clan) They’re then taken to their nearby Organoid colony, in which there’s always tons of Organoids of all ages. Then both the Zoidian baby and young Organoids would be encouraged by their respective parents to interact, until they found a good match.  and I know folks are gonna be like “are you telling me Zoidians put literal toddlers in amongst the goddamn chaos of an Organoid colony so said toddler could amble around in the literal mire and find a buddy” YEP, YEP THAT IS EXACTLY IT then you bring your merry little set of hellions home  pls no sorry, I’m glad people like my nonsense I guess. haha. have a baby Ambient.

[jeromesxreader16]

Such a Joker (53)

Part 52 Here!

~o0o~

I pack two sandwiches in my purse and proceed to cover my hair with the large silk scarf. "Where are you sneaking off to?" Babs asks walking past me and downing a drink. "Secret date? I figured you would get sick of the pale faced clown." I smile at my hands. I could never tire of my boy. I'm as crazy as him, maybe more, but he would never turn me away, and I could never leave him.

"I'm married." "Even better." I narrow my eyes at her. "Babs, I'm going to see my dad." She widens her eyes. "Now you're asking for a death wish." I walk out the door, my heels clicking every step. "If you say so."

I walk into the GCPD and can sense the chaos and tension thickly canned in the air. Not seconds later two individuals start brawling over bread. "Hey! Break it up!" My father pushes them back. "For all the new people here... everyone is welcome in Haven, but there are rules. And one of them is we leave the fighting outside. Government already thinks we don't deserve help. We have to show otherwise. Gangs want to tear themselves apart outside, that's their business. In here, in Haven... we help each other survive."  I hum with a slick smile as the two dispute the issue and the tension falls. Saved for another day.

I walk up to him nudging his arm. "Nice speech. I think it worked." He turns to me and gasps, but recovers quickly. "(Y/n). You're so big. No... Just-" "Pregnant, dad." He nods smiling. "So what happens when they find out the government abandoned them?" He sighs, shaking his head. I pat his back. "Come on paper man. You need some real food." I pull him into his office and remove the disguise. "Italian sub for you, and tuna for me." "You hate tuna." I smile sitting down. "They don't." I pat my swollen tummy. "So there are two of them?" I nod smiling.

"And you're happy? He treats you well?" I nod again smiling at him. "Of course he does. He's not a monster, dad." He grabs my hand over the desk and squeezes it. "I don't... like him. You know this. He destroyed the damn city for christ's sake, but he is the father of my grandchildren, and the husband of my only daughter, so I can promise you... I will never kill him." I kiss his hand and smile. "Who knew that'd be so comforting to hear."

~

I walk into the elevator with the smile ghosted over my lips. Crackling from the speaker erupts my mind causing me to shake and grab the wall in fright. "Aw, honey, I'm sorry." Ecco's voice pipes up from the speaker. I wave my hand in front of the camera with a smile. "No worries. All good here." I laugh placing a hand on my stomach. "Where is Jerimiah?" "Working down below. Would you like me to get him?" I smile up at the camera. "Let me go down."

"Uh... Miss, I think we should wait. He doesn't want you around the-" I press the button to the bottom floor faster than light. "Oops," I smirk up to Ecco as the elevator skips the main floor and descends below.

The two doors slide open revealing a steamed room with the funk of hard labor. I step on the uneven ground and see Jerimiah fanning himself as he watches his workers. I rest my hands on his shoulders and kiss his cheek. "You're working hard." He spins around with a glare. "And you're not supposed to be here." He grips my hips pulling me towards him.

"I missed you." I nuzzle into his chest. He hums as we rock back and forth. "I missed you, my love. Come on. No lady should be exposed to this heat." He places his hand on the small of my back leading me to the elevator.

Holding me the entire way up and then carrying me to our bed, never letting us go. "Are my darlings all suggled up?" He asks resting my head on his chest. The icy colored flesh proving wrong to the touch of fire on my fingers. "Yes, Jer." I mumble feeling my eyes draw to a close. "Never will I go a day without my family... even your father." He kisses my head before I can ask the question.

~

Jeremiah POV:

My workers work endlessly day and night to break the walls of the under the earth. Slowing down each day, getting on my nerves in the end. You're pushing my men way too hard. "We're not gonna break through for at least a couple more days. There is absolutely no way to make it on schedule." The leader of the pack of sweat cogs comes in.

My wife doesn't need to be kept in this filth any longer. How dare he disrespect my future.  "Well, not with that attitude, you're not." I slice the man's throat, as he falls to the ground, blood flowing on the dirt.

"Now... everyone... let's reach inside and dig... a little deeper, shall we? 'Cause that's the only way you're all making it out of this hole." I hum watching their fear thicken.

Two taps on my shoulder break my gaze from the project. "Oh, Echo. Are these all the recruits?" Skinny, no brains, slim Whitted. These are my soldiers?

"Well, I thought you would want quality over quantity. Not everybody can pass a .38 caliber test of faith." I smirk thinking of the trials and tests they've suffered.  "Yes... you certainly have set a very high bar for devotion."

"Oh. Almost forgot. Bruce Wayne and his sidekick Curls... Or is he the sidekick? Anyway, they tried to infiltrate our little operation here."

"Oh?" " Oh. And Curls can walk, really well, especially... for a paraplegic. Ah. And she wants to kill you." I glare at her with a snarl. This doesn't help that my wife is being cared for in the same building.

"A lot, FYI. If I see her, I'll give you a shout. Oh... and kill her." I nod rolling my eyes. Finish the job and move on for the better of my wife and children.

~

I walk into the GCPD questioning room with my scarf wrapped around my head, and my belly protruding out. Quite the look I must say. I open the door to see Victor Zsasz pushed on to the table by Harvey.

"Ow. This is a really nice table." I snicker and take my glasses off. "You do realize her thrives on the pain." The three pairs of eyes look at me.  "We got a dozen witnesses that saw you walk out of that building before it went kabooey."

"Yeah. I heard some gangs had taken over." Zsasz says turning his eyes to me.  "Figured, with you guys occupied, I might help myself to some of your supplies. Hey, do you guys have any canned peaches? Man, I'd trade an arm and a leg for that right now. Not mine, somebody else's. Maybe little baby Maniax's." He laughs reaching for my stomach before Jim swats his arm down.

"If you're innocent, why shoot up a city block full of cops?"

"Because it was full of cops." Zsasz and I say at the same time.

"Who were also trying to shoot me. And, guys, those were warning shots. I mean, if I really

wanted to kill you... you'd be dead. You got a pen? I want to write this guy a thank-you letter. Do the math. If I blew up a building full of people, I would have covered

every inch of my body in sweet, sweet scars. Mrs. Valeska...  want to do a strip search?" He winks before my father punches him. "She's married, pig."

I lock arms with my dad and walk through the station. "Got Lucius on the horn for you, Cap."

"Lucius, talk to me." I grab the phone holding it close enough for the both of us to hear. "Haven wasn't destroyed by a bomb. It was an RPG, like the one that took down the chopper."

"You sure?"

I'm holding what's left of it in my hand right now. We found pieces of it in the rubble. It was fired through the basement window, detonated the fuel oil tank. And we're still trying to figure out exactly which rooftop it was fired from.

"Rooftop?"

"Yes."

"Dad, the only angle you could hit this place from is above. Zsasz was on the ground. Looks like you need a new suspect. I think we need to-"

"Jim! Ah. I know the wheels of justice turn slowly, so I'm here to provide- a modicum of grease."

Rushing up towards the front, Oswald, the Mayor of fallen Gotham, stands tall and proud.

"You need to leave right now."

"Still claiming he's innocent, is he?"

"Yes. And as much as I hate to admit it, the evidence is backing him up."

Harvey busts out, "What the hell's going on?" "Harvey, according to Lucius, Zsasz couldn't have done it."

Oswald huffs with a smile. "I did not expect you to go soft, Jim. Actually, I did. Behind a grandpa and all must've changed your ways. Which is why I didn't come alone." Several gunmen come out armed and ready to fire. My father huddles me close and shields me from the view of guns.

"Bring me Victor Zsasz!"

"Leave, (Y/n). Go home!" Jim pushes me away towards the doors.

~

Jeremiah POV:

I wave my hat fanning my pale skin placed upon the crippling bones. It's so damp and hot in here, but I'm freezing. My heart has gone cold without her scent around. Not a touch, not a wiff, not a glace for days it seems. Where is my angel with my bundles of joy?

"You see, a river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence. So what do we do when we feel like giving up? Dig a little deeper. And what do we do when we can't possibly go on any longer? Dig a little deeper. And what do we..." A sharp blade stabs into my side crippling my speech. I look down seeing the masked figure in the striped coat. I gasp feeling my footing slide as the attacker shoves the blade into my stomach further.

"Deep enough?" The individual removes the mask revealing the little pussy of them all. "Well, Selina, I must say..." She pulls the blade out plunging it back in sharply.

"Don't say anything." Over and over again the blade is shoved into my side. The light dimming, the hot steam hitting my brow, the devilish laughter of my brother. This is near my end? Maybe so...

"Selina!" The rat is stripped away from me causing me to fall to the ground barely clinging to the life of happiness I have.

"Selina!" Bruce Wayne holds the fierce kitty back. "Stop. It's done! It's over."

~

The building is quiet. The entire place is quiet... Not one swing of an ax hitting limestone, making a light clink sound. Not the ring of my husbands voice calling to his men. Not even Echo meeting me at the door with my slippers and milkshake. Something is not right.

"Jeremiah?" I call out as if he could hear me from below. If not him then someone. One of the members at least, but no one came. I proceeded to enter the elevator only to see blood on the buttons and floor. They were having the graduation today, not everyone makes it.

The doors  open to the pool room and I could almost drop to my knees at the smell. Thick scent of blood coating the walls. I walk out of the elevator and down into the pool counting the dead. No Echo or Jeremiah. Good so far.

I make my way down to the tunnels where silence has taken over. Just a simple lone man sitting in a chair. "Where is Jermiah?" I panic pulling my jacket closer. Could he have left me?

"Mrs. Valaska!" "Where is my husband?" "He's off in the tunnels. He's got injured. I'm supposed to take you to him." "Well, go on!" He shuffles his feet in a pace of nervousness, tripping over rocks and pickaxes. "How did he get hurt?" "Someone came in and just stabbed the boss. She was taken away by Bruce Wayne." I feel fire ignite in my blood. Selina and Bruce. What a treat. Trying to kill my husband in my own home.

Down the tunnels I hear him. Groaning in pain as Echo stitches him up. "How could you let this happen?" I shout at her. "She was fast." "And you're supposed to be faster." I glare at her as she cowers at my words.

"Don't stress, darling. It's not good for the babies."

"Jeremiah." I kneel down next to him grabbing his face. "Are you alright?" He places his hands over mine, kissing them each. "I'm still alive. One thing I've still got on my brother. How are you, my love? I'm sorry. You must've been wrecked with worry." Jeremiah pulls me into his lap. I nod with my bottom lip out. "Yes, I was. I was so scared, Jer." He pulls me to him. "Aw my darling. I know. I know."

I shift my weight slightly causing him to jet in a sharp inhale. "Oh, honey. Stitches still sore?" He nods. "Never would have happened if you wore that armor I prepared." Echo hums, causing me to roll my eyes. "That bullet makes you sentimental of the wrong things." I huff out pushing her out of the view.

"Why would you not check who was working? You always do. You're always prepared." Jeremiah places his hand on my cheek again. "I had to let Selina thrust the knife into my flesh at least once. Verisimilitude trumps precaution, you see." "They think you're dead." I think putting everything together.

Echo stands to the side bouncing with information. "What is it?" She giggles jumping on her heels. "All systems go." Jeremiah lifts himself, placing a hand on the small of my back and leading us along behind Echo.

"You could've died." I whisper looking at the dirt. "I didn't." "But you could have, Jeremiah. That's my point. You have two children growing, and soon they'll be out in this world. They need their father. You've kept me safely away, but that won't mean shit if you're not around to protect your children." I move ahead of him in a fit of fire.

A hand grabs my shoulder spinning me around. Jerehimah dips me and pushes our lips together. His grip on my arm and hip so tight, keeping me pulled to him with no fight. He pulls away only an inch, looking at my eyes, looking into the soul. "Now, you may not understand everything I do, but I do it for you and these two kids. I think and I plan for hours. You sit up in the bed resting your feet like I tell you. When you start questioning if I'm going to make it, that's when this will fall apart. You're my darling. You've been mine for thousands of years. Never doubt me, (Y/n)." He places his hands on my stomach and pecks my forehead. "Come along now. We have things to do."

Leading me through the tunnels I start to see less of the dirt and more solid grey rock already formed into tunnels. "Where are we?" Jeremiah giggles pulling me alongside.

"Doctor. I'm hearing good things." Jeremiah says holding in laughter.

What is he up to?

The Doctor nods. "The bandages are ready to come off. Your assistant thought you'd like to see the results." Echo shakes her head in praise like a dog while Jer nods his head. "Indeed, I would."

He turns to me. "You won't want to miss this, (y/n)."

The Doctor unravels the bandages on the individuals faces revealing a profile built from professional lifestyle and diets. This is Thomas and Martha Wayne before my eyes... ALIVE!

"Oh, you two look beautiful." I smile looking down at her pearl necklace. "Down to the very detail with you." Jeremiah kisses my cheek. "I love family reunions, don't you?" "More than Christmas!" I cheer and giggle.

[shining-red-diamond]

Ch. 20: A Path

Cast of Characters//Ch. 1//Ch. 2//Ch. 3//Ch. 4//Ch. 5//Ch. 6//Ch. 7//Ch. 8//Ch. 9//Ch. 10//Ch. 11//Ch. 12//Ch. 13//Ch. 14//Ch. 15//Ch. 16//Ch. 17//Ch. 18//Ch. 19//Ch. 20//Ch. 21//Ch. 22//Ch. 23//Ch. 24//Ch. 25//Ch. 26//Ch. 27//Ch. 28 (coming soon)

Words: 1.6k

Pairing: ATEEZ OT8 x OCs

Genre: Adventure, Pirate AU

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: mentions of deadly traps, bug attacks, blood, and venom

A/N: Italics means they’re speaking Korean

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Phoebe asked as she rushed over to help him up.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

Grace-Anne then kneeled down to get a good look at the stone staircase. The open itself was about as wide and long as a large cardboard box with a descending stone staircase. Each step disappeared more and more into the dark underground, and the cold dampness cut through the jungle’s humidity. Pulling out her flashlight, Grace-Anne switched it on and shined it down the staircase. Nothing out of the ordinary except for a few dead snakes, but she felt uneasy about immediately taking the steps down.

A rock sat idly next to her, and it was immediately serving as a guinea pig. She tossed it down where it could still be visible by the light beams. Landing on a stone in one of the steps, it sank down halfway, and a spear shot up from the middle of the stone. The rock was split into two pieces before falling away somewhere.

“Do any of the notes say anything about this?” Grace-Anne asked as she stood.

Hongjoong was already ahead of her and reviewing the notes on both the map and the journal.

“Yes,” he nodded once he found the page. “Any of the stones with a golf-ball sized hole in the center has a deadly spear. Have your flashlights ready.”

One by one, the crew switched on their lights just before descending down the stone steps, tip-toeing over each holed stone. The air seemed to grow colder and more dense, and a soft blue glow could be seen up ahead. When they reached the bottom, a foul stench attacked their noses as they turned a corner.

“If I see one more corpse,” Dinah threatened, “I will kick a stalagmite.”

“I don’t think it’s a dead body, we’re smelling,” Grace-Anne replied as they walked a little further. “It smells more like mud after the rain.”

The sound of a river rushing could be heard overhead. Hongjoong used his flashlight to read the notes again. “The blue light tells us that’s where the next piece is.”

“What is that light anyway?” Mingi asked as they strolled closer to the light.

“Yeah, there doesn’t seem to be any electrical fixtures down here,” added Yunho.

An opening marked where the blue light was hiding, and once the crew walked in, the light turned out to be what seemed to be twinkling blue clusters sticking to the wall and reflecting off of clear quartz fragments blooming from the ground to the ceiling. With this kind of light, the crew switched off their flashlights.

“Glow worms, of course!” Dahae recognized. “Their bioluminescence gives off a sort of blue or green light.”

“But where’s the diamond piece?” Seonghwa reminded her as the crew looked around. “It could be anywhere here.”

Jongho was about to try to move a quartz piece to investigate any nook and cranny, but Dahae stopped him with a gasp.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“These aren’t just any of the regular glow worms you hear about,” she explained. “These quartz’s have minerals that provide this species with their nutrients, and they’re aggressive if they’re touched by any other living organism. Touch the crystals, and a few of them will attack.”

“They’re not poisonous, are they?”

“They just give you deep cuts, but the bleeding is bad no matter where the laceration is.”

“Found it,” Taeran declared as she looked up something in the ceiling.

Surrounded by clusters of the glowing blue, a shining fractal seemed trapped in another microvine structure surrounded by crystals. Beside it was a sort of lock code identical to a lock combination, but rusted into the ceiling.

“What’s the code?” Dahae asked.

Hongjoong flipped through the journals and notes a few times, scanning each page individually in case he missed it. He found something on the exact lock, but no direct answer as to free the diamond.

“There’s a riddle,” he shrugged as scratched his head. “‘Not a full circle, not an angle, not even a cute angle, only a straight path will you find the key.’”

“What path?” Dinah exasperated. “The only way out is the way we came in, and even then it’s deadly.”

“And we can’t exactly pry open the little binding it’s in without touching the surrounding crystals,” Grace-Anne added.

“Maybe it’s talking about the sun, hills, and a path on a hill,” Seonghwa guessed.

“We’re in a freaking CAVE!” Dinah retorted while motioning towards their surroundings.

Taeran stared up at it and recited the riddle. Circle, angles, path. Circle, an angle, a cute angle, path. A cute angle stuck out to her. Did it mean an acute angle?

“Wait a second,” a lightbulb went off in her head. “It’s not a regular piece of land at all. It’s geometric angles. A full circle is three-hundred and sixty degrees, a cute angle is an acute angle that’s forty-five degrees, and a right angle is ninety-degrees. What we’re looking for is the straight ‘path,’ and it’s a straight line. One-eighty degrees.”

“1-8-0 is the code?” Phoebe asked.

“It has to.”

“How are you going to reach it?” Dahae wondered. “The ceiling is taller than Yunho and Mingi.”

…

Finishing up in the bathroom, Celestia took one last look at herself in the mirror, double-checking for any fly-away strands of hair before standing back and seeing her pregnant self. Her stomach wasn’t as huge as a typical pregnant woman’s, but she still found it cute despite feeling like a bloated fish some days. Baby girl kicked, and the mother-to-be smiled.

“You’re so gorgeous,” San commented groggily as woke up.

“Hi, handsome,” his wife replied as she waddled back into the room.

The curtains were opened just slightly to allow some sunlight in, but not enough to disturb San in his sleep.

“How are you feeling?” Celestia asked as she eased herself on the bed.

“Better.”

“You look better, too. Your color is back. Are you sore?”

San shook his head. “I can move more freely, but it only stings when I move my back a certain way.”

“Dahae said it’ll be like that for a bit, but you’ll be back to exploring our next destination.”

A smile nearly bloomed on the young man’s face, but abruptly stopped. He wanted to see the new site, but Celestia couldn’t go anymore when she’s days from delivering.

“I don’t want you to be alone,” San shook his head.

“I won’t be alone,” she promised. “The girls will rotate out on who stays with me at each stop.”

“But what about when it’s time for you to give birth? We would have to flag down an ambulance or something to get you to a hospital if needed.”

San had wanted his wife to give birth in a medical facility that was safe, and she and the baby would receive proper care; but Celestia had put her foot down on having the birth on the boat since Dahae would help with delivery. However, she was becoming more open to having the aid of a medical facility if things were to go wrong.

“I’ve heard you can’t plan for how a birth is going to go,” was all Celestia could say. “But we can be prepared.”

San just smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Such a clever woman, you are.”

Celestia scoffed playfully before asking, “Are you hungry? Grace-Anne left us some breakfast.”

“Can you get up?”

“Watch me.” Immediately she scoot to her edge of the bed, sat up, and rolled to one side to stand. “Cake.”

San giggles as the love of his life waddles out of the room and towards the kitchen. Celestia found her meal of eggs and Greek yogurt covered in plastic, and San’s bacon and omelettes were in the same shape. She removed the covering and put them in the microwave for about a minute while she retrieved both of their drinks.

A fit of childlike giggles erupted from San back in the bedroom. Celestia thought his medicine was making him loopy until he started baby-talking and cooing in his mother tongue. Was he looking at the ultrasounds and somehow talking to the baby? It wasn’t until she returned with their breakfasts when she saw what had happened.

“Angel, we’ve got a little stowaway,” San smiled as he was now petting a Siamese cat sitting on his stomach. “Isn’t she cute?”

“She is,” Celestia smiled as she set the food tray on San’s nightstand. “Hi, kitty.”

She held her hand to the feline, palm open and face up; and after a couple of sniffs, the cat licked her fingers and rubbed her face against Celestia’s hand.

“Friendly, aren’t you? How did you get on here?”

“She must have wandered up the landing gear from outside,” San guessed. “I managed to sit up, because I had to pee; and when I came back from the bathroom, there was a super cute cat sitting on your side of the bed.”

Celestia gave the purring cat a few more scratches behind her ears before thinking for a moment.

“What’s the captain gonna say?” she asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

The captain had a thing with animals on the ship. It wasn’t that he didn’t allow it, it was that everyone had a job to do and wanted everyone to always stay on task that getting a pet for one crewmate or for all to share seemed impossible. Everyone, including Dahae, had begged Hongjoong multiple times for a furry friend, but he always said no.

“Well,” San thought, “I mean we already have a baby on the way, so he might say our new friend has to go; but since you’re going to be here on each stop, maybe she can help keep you company.”

As if excited by his idea, the cat leapt off of San’s lap and tip-toed to Celestia’s bump. She began to purr as she rubbed up against it. It was as if she now knew there was something precious being nurtured and developed in a protective shell.

“I think we might have found our guardian for Baby Choi,” San jokes with a chuckle.

-

Tagging: @not-majestic-bluenicorn​ @actuallythatwaspromise​ @barsformars​  @philosopher-of-fandoms​ @daybreakx​ @lilhwahwa​ @hongism​ let me know if you’d like to be added or removed

[let-the-dream-begin]

A Place to Belong Chapter 36: Can You Find it In Your Heart

Chapter 35

Read on AO3

After getting her bearings, Claire made her way downstairs and outside. She wandered the grounds a bit aimlessly until she heard thudding from the stables. It was the time of day where the horses were grazing, so there was only one thing that could be making that noise. Claire peered inside to see Fergus hurling horseshoes at one of the beams, grunting loudly with every throw.

He depleted his stock, so he quieted and made his way to pick them up again. Claire rapped on the door, and he looked up in surprise.

“Is it alright if I come in?”

He sighed and threw down the horseshoes. He leaned against the beam he’d been aiming at and slid down into the hay, head in his hands. Claire took this as tentative permission and slowly made her way toward him, and he did not object when she sat down next to him in the hay.

“I heard about the pistol, Fergus,” Claire said, trying her best to keep her voice devoid of accusation, but firm all the same. “I know you’re the one that fired it.”

He kept his head in his hands, fingers threaded through his curls and elbows on his bent knees, staring blankly ahead of him.

“That was a foolish thing you did,” she said evenly. “You could have been arrested and flogged. Somebody else could have been. Rabbie, who is your friend. Or your Uncle. Mary MacNab just took the fall for you. Something seriously terrible could have happened to her.”

The boy’s jaw hardened.

“Why would you do something like that?”

“To protect the bairn,” he said simply.

“Fergus,” Claire said, demanding he look at her. He did, reluctantly. “Do you really believe that a raven could have hurt the baby?”

“If I did? Will you call me stupid since you know better because of where you come from?”

Claire blinked back her shock for a moment. Did he really think so poorly of her to assume she’d berate him?

“No,” she answered, as calmly as she could muster. “I just...I think you know better than to bring very real danger to Lallybroch because of a superstition.”

He took a fistful of hay in his hands and started tearing individual strands with short, angry movements.

“So you are saying I am stupid.”

“Fergus…” Claire sighed with exasperation. “I’m trying to have a conversation with you. I’m upset by everything that happened today, and upset knowing that you had a hand in causing it.”

He started tearing more furiously at his strands of hay.

“And I wanted to try to understand,” she continued. “You’ve been...so different lately. I want to help you if I can.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, I really think you’re not! Even before today you’ve been irritable and very short with me.”

He abruptly stood up and punched the beam he was leaning against, and Claire jolted in surprise.

“This behavior is dangerous in this world! Don’t you understand?” Claire stood up. “If you’d gone after those men that hurt me, they’d have shot you without a thought! Or mutilated and maimed you! Is that what you want?”

His nostrils flared as he briefly nursed his now bruised and battered knuckles.

“If you don’t get that temper under control, something terrible is going to happen. You can’t be so bloody impulsive.” She went to reach for his hand to check for any blood, but he pulled away.

“I am not a child anymore,” he said hotly. “I do not need coddling.”

“Christ, Fergus! What has gotten into you?” She crossed her arms, eyeing him in disbelief. “Have you even heard a word I’ve said? Do you not understand the danger you’ve put this family in?”

“It is my job to protect this family!” he shouted. “I am a man now!”

“You will not be a man until you learn to think before you act!” Claire spat. “And shooting at a bloody bird with a weapon that you know was hidden for a damn good reason is not thinking before you act!”

“I do not need you to mother me anymore!” he fired right back, and Claire felt a harder blow to her gut than the Corporal’s boot. “You are afraid of the whole world, but I am not!”

Her throat began constricting with tears of rage.

“Fergus — ”

“You would hold on to me so tight I would choke if I let you! Because you are afraid!”

“I’ve very good reason to be afraid!” she cried. “Don’t you understand what it would do to me if something were to happen to you?”

“Happen to me? Or happen to Milord?”

She froze in shocked confusion for a moment. “What...?”

“I have been trying...for years to be what you need me to be, to be what you lost! And it is never enough! So now I will be what I need me to be! A protector, a man!”

Claire almost collapsed to her knees. Not because she was shocked, but because he was right. And she knew it.

“You have been...since Milord...figé dans le temps...you cannot...you cannot let it go! And you want me to be...frozen with you! To never let it go!”

Claire felt the earth beneath her shifting and her throat dry up.

He’s right.

“Well I have grown while you stayed frozen. And you cannot be angry with me for that.”

“I’m...I’m not angry, Fergus. I just....I want you to grow, and have a life, but you can’t be reckless, especially since you’re claiming to be doing it for the sake of the family!” She chanced a step closer to him, digging her fingers into her arms for stability. She lowered her voice, softened it. “No matter how old you get, I’ll never stop worrying about you.”

“I survived in the brothel for almost eleven years before you and Milord found me, and I was just fine!” Claire felt a brick drop into her stomach, nearly jumping in surprise at his shouting in response to her soft words. “I have been a man for a long time already!”

Claire’s chest heaved with pained betrayal, and she was unable to bite back vengeful, spiteful rage in return. She and Jamie had rescued him from that place, from an eventual fate worse than death. How dare he throw that in her face?

“Oh, please! The only thing you learned from that place was how to sleep around, unsafely at that!”

Before the absolute horror at the words that had come out of her own mouth could set in, Fergus was already winding up to fire right back.

“You see? I knew it! This is not about a pistol and a bird!” Fergus spat. “You need me more than I ever needed you! And now, you are angry with me! You are angry with me because I am not enough like Milord! Because no matter how I try, I will never be perfect like he was! And you will never forgive me for it!” He picked up another horseshoe and hurled it across the stable before storming away.

“Fergus!” Claire’s voice broke, and she felt fragments of her heart fly through her chest and cut her open. “Wait!”

What have I done…?

She hiked up her skirts and sprinted after him, her voice catching in her throat every time she tried to shout after him again, but a pair of arms caught her around the middle, and she yelped.

“Dinna follow him jest yet.” Ian’s calming voice entered her ears, and she ceased her feeble struggle. She hadn’t even noticed he was anywhere nearby. “He needs to be alone wi’ his anger fer a while.” He shifted her in his arms so he could look her in the eye. “As do you.”

Claire’s chin trembled and she bit down fiercely on her lip. “I said such...horrible things to him…”

“Come on, let’s get ye inside.”

“He’ll never forgive me…” Claire sputtered, unable to fight Ian as he gently pushed her toward the house.

“It’ll be alright, lass. He’s still yer boy.”

Claire shook her head, weeping quietly.

I’ve just lost him forever.

——

Claire stood and began helping the girls clear the table. Her eyes kept flicking up to the doorway, as if willing Fergus to appear. Claire had cried to herself in her room for a bit before Brianna came looking for her, and she spent the rest of the day escorting children in and out to see the baby, tending to Jenny, and watching the children while she rested. Fergus had been gone the entire day, and he hadn’t even returned for supper. Claire had insisted that Mary make a plate for him, nearly certain that he’d come home to eat. If she knew nothing else about him anymore, she knew he had the appetite of three grown men.

 But he didn’t come home.

She teared up again as she took his untouched plate in her hands.

“Mary,” she said. “Could you keep this set aside in the kitchen...for when he comes home?”

“Aye, Mistress.”

Claire felt a tug on her skirt.

“Mummy?”

She looked down to see Brianna, fists full of utensils. “Where is Fergus?”

Claire sighed. “I don’t know, lovie. He didn’t want to come to supper tonight.”

“Is that why you’re sad?”

Always so intuitive, so full of empathy.

“I’m alright, Brianna. I’m just a little worried.” Claire caressed her head with the hand that was not holding dishes. “But he’ll be home soon.”

She nodded, content to accept her mother’s words as truth, and scuttled off after Maggie and Kitty toward the kitchen.

Brianna was now sleeping in her own bed, in a room with Kitty and Maggie. In the last few years, Jehu had proved incredibly effective in alerting the family of an upcoming seizure, and Claire finally felt comfortable letting her sleep in a separate room. After finishing with the dishes, Claire was dragged up to their bedroom by both Kitty and her little shadow. They passed the Laird’s room, and Maggie shyly tugged on Claire’s skirt.

“May I say goodnight to the bairn and to Ma, Auntie Claire?”

“Stop tugging,” Claire scolded the younger girls before turning back to Maggie. “Yes, love, wait here.”

Claire knocked on the door before poking her head in. She informed Jenny that Ian was taking a look at the ledgers before joining her in bed, and she led a procession of little girls to give Jenny and the baby a kiss. On the third floor, Mary MacNab already had the twins asleep in the nursery, and young Jamie and Rabbie were playing chess in their room; rather, Rabbie was helping the lad find his footing with the game. She noted that Fergus was not with them; he would be if he was home.

Claire stripped the girls down to their shifts and tucked them into bed, Brianna and Kitty squeezed into one bed with Jehu sleeping on Brianna’s pillow.

“Goodnight, little faery,” she kissed Maggie’s head. “Goodnight, little heathen,” she kissed Kitty’s, earning a giggle for the nickname. “And goodnight, my little girl.”

“G’night, Auntie.”

“Goodnight, Mummy.”

Claire blew out the candles and made for the door.

“Mummy?”

“Yes, darling?”

“When Fergus comes home, can you tell him to give me my kiss?”

Claire almost burst into tears again. Fergus kissed Brianna goodnight, every single night. When she was younger, she refused to go to bed without it.

“Of course, sweetheart. Goodnight.”

Claire checked on Jenny and the baby one final time before retiring to her own bedroom. She changed into a fleece nightgown and stoked the fire a bit. She was very reluctant to get into bed tonight. It had been several months since Brianna was regularly sharing her bed, but Claire still ached with that absence. It reminded her of when Fergus was still a little boy, and had decided he was ready to sleep on his own again after months of clinging to her in his sleep in grief or in fear. She remembered being woken by heartbreaking little sounds, feeling him thrash in his sleep, and she wondered if his nightmares still plagued him even after all these years. She wondered if she’d done enough to help him.

And of course she felt that she hadn’t.

Yes, she clung to Brianna in her sleep so she could feel if she began seizing; yes, she’d offered comfort to Fergus by letting him sleep beside her. But there was something inherently selfish in it as well, something that she now recognized and could see for what it was.

She realized suddenly that she had no idea how to sleep alone.

And then it hit her how painfully alone she was.

She was forced, then, to reconcile that she’d used that tangible pain of loneliness to hurt her own son, even without realizing, all those years ago. He’d never get back that youth she’d stolen from him.

Rather than get into bed and be reminded yet again of its emptiness, which would inevitably lead to being reminded of her shortcomings and failures, she curled up into her chair by the fire and stared at the burning embers. Hours into her silent, tearful reverie, slow footfalls graced the steps, and she assumed them to be Ian’s. But the more she listened, the more she realized that there were two feet, not one foot and a wooden leg. She had to physically restrain herself from throwing herself out of her chair and chasing after him.

Instead, she poked her head out the door in time to see him slowly make his way up to the third floor. She silently followed after him, making it up the stairs just in time to see him enter the wrong bedroom.

Brianna’s bedroom.

She stood outside the door, out of sight.

“Bonne nuit, ma petit lapin.”

She heard him kiss her head, and Claire could fully picture Brianna’s lips drawing into a smile in the light of Fergus’s candle, even as she slept. She always did that when offered affection in her sleep, like her father. So entranced Claire was by this idea that she didn’t even hear Fergus approaching the door again. They both jumped out of their skins when he shut the door behind him to see Claire standing right there, clutching her shawl tightly.

“I...” Claire stammered. “I’m sorry. I just...she wanted you to say goodnight. But I see I didn’t have to tell you.”

Fergus did not meet her eye, but he nodded.

“I’ll just...” She cleared her throat. “Goodnight.”

She quickly turned and fumbled her way back down to the second story without waiting for a response. She knew he didn’t want to see her, let alone speak with her.

She spent a few more lingering minutes before the fire before dragging herself into bed. She lay there for an indeterminable amount of time with her eyes wide open, her own hateful words repeating over and over in her mind.

And then there was a knock at the door.

She jerked into a sitting position and lit a candle, pulling her shawl around herself again. She opened the door to see Fergus standing there in his sark, wearing trousers that looked like he’d hastily pulled them on.

“I...couldn’t sleep,” he mumbled, still not meeting her eye.

“Me neither.”

They stood there for a moment, taking each other in.

“Do you...want to come in...?”

Without a word, Fergus stepped inside. Claire put her candle on the nightstand and sat on her bed, then patted next to her in invitation. Fergus sat his own candle beside hers, and then sat down.

“Remember when you used to be in here all the time?” Claire said softly. “You were so young then.”

Fergus nodded silently.

“So much has changed since then...and yet not very much has changed at all.”

He continued staring ahead, the moonlight illuminating his wild curls, and candlelight flickering in his wide eyes.

“What I said to you about the brothel was unforgivable.”

Claire felt her throat tighten and her pulse quicken after the words left her mouth, but she thanked God that they left her mouth at all.

“It is not your fault where you were born and how you were raised there. And I had no right to use that against you. It was despicable. And what you said...” she continued before losing her nerve. “Well, you’re right.” She debated whether or not to mirror him, to stare at the wall and pretend he wasn’t there. But she decided instead to look at him, to pour as much love and tenderness as she could into her gaze, just in case he should decide to spare her a glance.

“I’ve never, ever been angry at you for it, but you were right when you said that I wanted you to be like Jamie. I’m...” She swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to look away from him. “I’m so ashamed of it, but it’s true. I allowed you to put that pressure on yourself because...deep down I wanted you to. And that’s not fair. It was so wrong of me; it is so wrong of me. All these years.

“You were...you were a child when we lost him, Fergus. The things I expected of you...it was wrong. And you did it all without a second thought, and I took it for granted and expected you to be alright with it. Because I thought you could somehow handle more than normal little boys. And I realize now that that was grossly unfair. And you were right. I...I needed you, Fergus. And not the way that a mother should need her son. I used you for comfort when I should have been looking after your own comfort and safety. I leaned on you too heavily, so heavily that I...I’ve pushed you away from me now. And I don’t know if I can ever fix it.”

Her vision clouded but she forced herself to continue.

“I’m so...so sorry, Fergus. I don’t know how I can ever apologize enough. You don’t have to forgive me. I won’t blame you if you never do. And I won’t be angry if you never do. But please...please know...” Her voice broke and she inwardly cursed herself. “That I love you. And nothing could ever change that. No disagreement, no pistol or crow or bloody Redcoat.”

She chanced a trembling hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his delicate cheek bone. “You are and always have been my son since the moment I laid eyes on you. If I could go back and...and stop myself from failing you as I have...I would.”

She kept her hand there for a moment before pulling it away and folding her hands in her lap. She hadn’t lied; she didn’t expect him to forgive her. She expected him to get up and leave without another word. She sniffled and blinked back more tears, wringing her hands. The silence was stifling, tangible, and long. It felt like neither of them blinked or breathed for hours.

“You have not failed me, Maman.”

Claire blinked then, several times. In shock.

“I was...angry. When I said I did not need you,” Fergus continued. “You have never failed me, not for a moment since you saved me.”

Saved him.

“You apologize for needing me more than you should...but I needed you to need me. I needed petit to need me. I needed to...prove to Milord. That I...”

“Prove what, darling?” Claire didn’t reach for him, despite how everything in her urged her to do so.

“That I was worthy. That I deserved to have been his son.”

“Fergus...”

“Taking care of you was never a question, Maman. Milord trusted me to. I know he did. And if he knew about his daughter, he would trust her to me, too.”

“But you were so young...” Claire reasoned. “You couldn’t possibly have been a substitute for a father. For a husband.”

“You do not understand...” he said with quiet frustration, but directed more at himself than at her. “I went from...being nothing. Having nothing. To having...family.”

Claire’s eyes welled up again, and she bit fiercely down on her lip.

“It was...how you say...accablante...”

“Overwhelming,” Claire said softly.

“Oui. To suddenly...belong.”

A tear rolled down Claire’s cheek, and she did nothing to stop it.

“I went from nothing, to something that was...everything. I went from a nobody, to a son, to the man of a family. A broken, wee family...but still a family. I had to save it from being broken. Like you and Milord saved me.”

“Oh, my darling...” Claire said. “You didn’t need to repay us for taking you in. You never, ever had to do that.”

“I know. It was not repayment for your sake. But for mine. I cannot...explain it better.”

But Claire nodded. “Something for your soul. Not for us.”

“Oui.” He nodded. “And when you put it that way...that is selfish too, non?”

“No, Fergus. It isn’t.” She dared to reach for him again, putting a hand on his knee. “It’s noble and honorable. Like your father taught you to be.”

He finally turned to look at her then, meeting her eye.

“You are everything he would want you to be, Fergus. I know it in my heart. You had him for such a short time, but he raised you in his image, and it’s made you who you are.”

“Non, Maman. You have raised me in his image.” Fergus covered her hand with his. “I would not be Milord’s son if you did not show me how.”

A small sob erupted from Claire, and she couldn’t stop herself from cupping his face in her hands. “He would be...so proud of you. Of the remarkable young man you’ve grown into, the wonderful brother you are. And the wonderful son you are.” She squeezed his face gently. “I am so proud of you.”

“You forgive me then?” he asked. “For being un petit imbécile?”

“Of course,” Claire sniffled. “As long as you can forgive me for being un grand imbécile.”

“Oui, I can.”

“Oh...come here...” Claire pulled him to her, pushing his head into the crook of her neck, ignoring that he was far too tall for the position now. He didn’t seem to mind either, as he burrowed himself there and returned the embrace. Claire fervently kissed the crown of his head, and she heard him sniffle.

“Mon petite soldat...” Claire whispered into his hair. “Mon fils. Mon fils courageux.”

They stayed like that for a long while, rocking gently and crying silently.

“We...will be alright? Won’t we?”

Fergus slipped out of her grip to look up at her, and for just a moment, she became lost in his eyes, and she swore she was looking at her eleven year old mischief maker.

“Yes, darling,” she answered. “We will.”

And then, in another instant, she could not see her little boy anymore. Before her was someone who was truly becoming a man, and she’d never been more proud or grateful to say it.

[burningdarkfire]

tagged by @saturdaysky​, thank you! always very happy to talk about writing 🤠

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

36 on ao3, with many others left in the past on livejournal or ffnet

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

162k. it’s kind of a shame it doesn’t have the majority of my pre-2011 output as i never ported over my top four or five longest fics. i would’ve loved to see some genuine lifetime totals!

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

9 on ao3 (critrole, nier, hetalia, overwatch, trc, voltron, no. 6, star wars, tiger & bunny). if you expand trc to include anything clamp and throw in code geass then that covers everything i’ve ever published, though homestuck is by far the fandom i have the most WIPs for despite never finishing a single one and deserves a shoutout

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

take my hand / take my whole life too: critrole, 9k, how essek and caleb’s relationship evolves through touch

blue sky, warm sun: critrole, 3.5k, six mornings caleb wakes with essek

dark night, bright stars: critrole, 3k, six nights caleb spends with essek

kitty love: star wars, 1.5k, kylo ren forms a bond with hux’s cat millicent

the walls kept tumbling down: critrole, 2k, caleb spontaneously visits essek after a hard day

commentary and further answers are below the cut!

spots 1-3 on the list are gladly accepted, given that i also think they’re some of my best and most broadly-appealing shadowgast. kitty love gets its spot despite being pure, pointless crack because it’s for a huge fandom, which is fine and fun but i don’t have a lot of personal attachment to it

the walls kept tumbling down is a surprise! it was a self-indulgent “i want a fic exactly like this to fix my mood and instead of digging through the internet for one i’ll just make one up” that i only worked on for a couple of days. i’m glad it clicked for other people!

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

i always try to respond to comments, although sometimes a week or two pass by before i can find the energy to sit down and do it

admittedly comments have gone unanswered during months or years when i’m not writing fic and then it feels too awkward to a) go back and respond, and b) respond to any further comments on the fic even if they come in when i’m active. so instead those comments haunt my ao3 inbox forever (oops)

i do appreciate every single one though, and there are some comments that i go back to read if i need a pick-me-up just because they were so nice 😊

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

i’ll link my no. 6 fic forgive me because it still dominates my top fics in terms of hits despite being 387 words long. i wrote it in 2011 in less than half an hour, if i’m remembering correctly, and there are a few clever bits in it that i’m still quite proud of

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

i don’t usually write or read “pure” crossovers but i do like fusion AUs where characters from one work are imported into the setting of another work

but it’s fandom-dependent. critrole has been an outlier in that i can count on one hand the number of AU fics i’ve read and liked enough to remember. some of my favourite canon-adjacent fics veer off wildly, but they’ve still got their roots in the universe

i’ve published 17 critrole fics myself and they’re all canon-adjacent. i’m only now working on my first fusion-type AU 🤷‍♂️

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

i have one distinct memory of receiving criticism on a fic. in hindsight, it was constructive and pretty fair, but i was a young teen and so it still haunts me

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

i do!! and i’m excited about it because it’s fairly new to me!

i write to the characters, and what kind of relationship i think they’d have, but it’s probably true that my interests tend towards certain relationship dynamics

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i’m aware of!

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, actually! this was about about a decade ago so sadly the details have been lost in the haziness of memory and the inaccessibility of ffnet. i tried to dig it up last night but couldn’t find it again 😔

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i don’t ... think so? my current roommate and i tried co-writing when we were teenagers but none of that got published. it’s possible i’m forgetting something from my livejournal/early tumblr days because i remember doing a lot of ask games and challenges with other writers and fandom friends

now i’m just an introvert who avoids invites to discords because i feel like i simply Do Not Have Time so 🤡 not sure it’s anywhere on the horizon

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

i used to have shipping walls and pairing lists until 2015 or so but i have since accepted that i am changeable like the wind. my interests come and go!

i am a multi-shipper though as a general rule. i’ve never had such a loyalty to a pairing that it would bother me to pair one half with someone else, and i also don’t care at all whether or not a ship is canon. it’s just about what’s interesting!

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

i’ve had remarkably sequential focus for my critrole fics and finished nearly every idea i’ve had so far. however, this ACME AU is testing me lol and i’ve spent so much time on it that my list of other ideas to write is only getting longer and longer. nothing is abandoned yet, because not much else has even been started, but i am starting to sweat a little

15) What are your writing strengths?

i love my writing style! i value simplicity and clarity: no flowery descriptions, easy words, few similes, little variance in sentence structures, etc. it can vary, based on my mood or the characters i’m writing, but i like doing more with less

i’ve spent years working at my own style and it is so satisfying to read something i wrote in 2011 and feel how familiar it still is while being able to pick out what i would change

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

recently, it’s been plot. if it can’t be conveyed by 2-4 characters talking to each other then i don’t know how to do it anymore 😭 i’m most invested in emotional resolutions, but it’s probably a good idea to have things happen sometimes!

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

i really do not enjoy this when it’s used as a “character quirk”. this includes nicknames, common phrases even if they are spoken that way in canon, and .. everything, really, that’s in a different language

i’ve spent a lot of time in spaces where it seemed widely agreed that doing so was not welcome, and i’ve had considerable fandom “culture shock” reading critrole fics. there are plenty of reasons to have caleb speaking “zemnian” or to emphasize his accent, and those reasons don’t need to be lofty or deep, but i do think there should be a reason beyond “haha this guy says ja instead of yeah”

i promise, absolutely pinky swear, that i don’t judge anyone on an individual basis for doing this. it seems to be a deep-seated fandom trend in this case and i just wish it wasn’t

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

tsubasa reservoir chronicle (trc) all the way back in 2010. tsubasa, my beloved, how you changed my life 💕

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

i like different ones for different reasons, but the top contender might be such is the endlessness for nier automata. it’s a vampire/werewolf enemies-to-lovers fusion AU where i put 2b and 9s in an original universe of mine that i wrote about a lot when i was a teenager

i feel like i did a spectacular job of adapting the universe for nier and i thought i conveyed a lot about the world in a relatively short number of words (the entire fic is just under 5k). i’ve considered more than once that i should use this version of the universe going forward because i enjoy it so much!

-

thanks again for the tag, sky, and i’ll leave this open to anyone else who wants to try as i think most of my mutuals have already been included. don’t be shy about tagging me in your answer if you take my open invite as i love reading these! 💖

[roxy206]

Taking bets on how many times these UK dolls make me cry tonight

Chest pumping to BDE during this recap yes gawd

Damn right Kitty, you would have a badge if it was judged individually last week

Ahaha this pairing up SO AWKWARD

What even was this challenge lmao it’s giving All Stars 2 mini golf

I was going to say if Choriza got picked last again

Choriza with a degree in advertising okayyy

I hope River & Vanity do well in this challenge but I don’t want them to carry Krystal

Omg Ru wheeze laughing at what Vanity’s saying I love it

Ru is on one this episode omg

I FUCKING CANNOT WITH RU CALLING OUT CHORIZA’S MEATY TUCK

Krystal saying if we have time in the end we can go over it again MAMA YOU DON’T HAVE A SCRIPT YET

Oh Scarlet :(

Alright damn it the cry count is at one so far this episode

Ohhhh Ella Vaday’s dresssss

The Devil Wears Primark ahahaha

Michelle’s puns are A+

Idk I feel like Ella, Scarlet (kind of), & River were the only ones who understood the assignment for this runway

You know what Krystal’s team has the better advert by far

Oh shit ... Ru telling them all that she’s disappointed

No winners wow ... I mean ... wow

Krystal is gonna be in the bottom for sure because she was team captain but not at all

I really think they could have done an individual winner - hello these comments River obviously is the winner

I like that Michelle is being so so so constructive with her feedback to Charity - about not trying to change her but to broaden her drag

Oh Scarlet babe I don’t know why as a leader you’re saying you had a better idea when you didn’t include it

This Untucked part is gonna be AWKWARD

It’s so tough because I get taking it personally at first having so many people say your name but I do think Scarlet is being immature by not listening when everyone is saying it doesn’t mean that they aren’t friends

Really such a good point that she’s too in her head & it’s undermining her

All the positive comments for River - again why are we not having a winner this week???

I’m surprised Krystal is safe this week honestly

Kitty lip syncing in the background <3

Listen Scarlet won the lip sync IMO & I actually was going into this thinking it was her time to go

HELL YES

SNATCH GAME NEXT WEEK YAS *AND* READING IS FUNDAMENTAL

[act-addict-actors-matchups]

@cinnamon-bunni said,

Hi, can I get a matchup please? I'm an ambiverted infp-t leo. I'm extremely quiet at first, out of shyness and that I don't really know how to talk to people. I can come across as passive or indifferent too, but really I'm not good at expressing myself. I try to make up for it by being extra polite but I tend to zone out a lot. Once I'm out of my shell I become really hyper and talkative depending on the other's energy level. I'm told I have a sense of humour and a little snark too. (1/2)

I love physical affection but I'm not good at initiating things; I prefer to make stuff for friends to show I care. For interests, I love drawing, needlefelting and animals. I like to try and befriend cats when I'm out and share random animal facts;; There aren't many things I don't like but I'm camera shy and have super bad stage fright, ironically;; tysm in advance 💞 (2/2)

✧ Thank you so much for requesting a matchup, love. As an Aries, I really love Leo’s lol. I hope the matchup is to your liking and am sorry it took me so long to get it down. 💓

I’d match you with: . . .

➜ HOW YOU TWO FIRST MET ; Cats. That’s it. That’s the post. That’s how you two first met each other. Jokes aside, you were on your way to meet up with your friends. That is until you got distracted by bunch of kitty cats. Just as you were about to reach your hand to pet one of them, it started to run towards the opposite direction. The action made you pause because normally you’d be able to befriend any cat without a problem. That talent was something you had pride in and you always made sure to rub it on your friend’s faces. Out of curiosity, and for the sake of your pride, you followed the cat until your eyes caught a glimpse of light purple locks. In the middle of bunch of stray cats were a young man dressed very casually, petting and playing with the cats, an energetic smile present on his face. He was wearing a dark green hoodie with a yellow triangle pattern at the front and a pair of blue jeans rolled up above his ankles. He also tied a yellow lumberjack shirt around his waist and wore a pair of white Vans with a camouflage pattern. If you weren’t irritated by how many cats were around him, you would have thought he was attractive. Very, very attractive. With a huff, you were about to turn back and continue walking until you felt something soft rubbing against your legs. Glancing down, you were surprised to find an Abyssinian cat rubbing its head and softly purring. The irritation you were feeling was thrown out of the window as you bent down to pet it. You were happily petting the cat until an amazed shout pulled you away from your trance. “Woaah, a cat with triangular face! I wanna pet it too!” Before you knew it, the man who was surrounded by kitties were right beside you, his orange eyes sparkling with excitement as your hand made contact with the cat’s head once more. “Go ahead. It’s not like I own it anyways.” You mumbled with a shrug of your shoulders. He thanked you and called you a nice stranger girl before starting to pet the cat as well. Everything was normal until he started to meow. It got even weirder when the cat meowed back at the male. You raised an eyebrow at the male’s action as you slowly started to back away. But what the male said stopped you in your tracks. “Waaa, he says he likes you! I’m so jealous.” With a glance at the boy, you asked how did he know what the cat was saying and as a response, he said he could talk to cats. Of course, like every sensible and rational person you didn’t believe him. Before you knew it, you were giving him a bunch of reasons how it was impossible to talk to animals. What you didn’t expect was for him to not hear a single thing you’ve said and talk about something entirely else. With his friendly but really eccentric personality, you couldn’t help but talk back to him. After spending some time together surrounded by cats, you learned that his name was Misumi Ikaruga and he was an actor at Mankai Company. You had to admit, he was an oddball but in a good way. Without you noticing he even convinced you to go and watch him act at the theater. After checking the time, you realized that you were going to be late to meeting with your friends, you quickly stood up. Giving him a one last wave, you turned ahead and started to walk towards your destination after making a mental note to buy a ticket for Summer Troupe’s next play.

➜ PERSONALITY COMPATIBILITY ; Misumi is probably one of the most friendly guy you can come across and he doesn’t really mind if you’re quiet at first because he can literally talk for hours about anything and everything. He doesn’t judge people or anything for that matter so it’s impossible for him to find you indifferent. He’s like the sun honestly, so I bet before you know it, you’d be comfortable enough to be your true self around him. He’s extremely energetic so good luck matching his energy level. Don’t worry about not initiating physical affection because Misumi is able to initiate it enough for the two of you. Sometimes, when he's passing you by he will kiss your cheek, then run out the door. Other times he'll surprise you and give you a kiss in the weirdest places. Your back is turned towards him, he will hug you and rest his chin on your shoulder or head, depending on your height. You prefer to make stuff for people you care about? Please, please, PLEASE make him a triangle. He will keep it by his side and treasure it until his last breath. It might even have equal value with his triangle ruler that his grandfather gave him.

➜ SHARED ACTIVITIES ; Well aside from your regular triangle hunting, befriending every single animal you’ve come across has became your ritual at this point since your boyfriend is basically an animal magnet. Like, you’d be walking together and cats, dogs or even birds would follow you two. You’re extremely lucky in that department since you love animals very much. If the weather is bad, two of you would do triangle crafts together. He absolutely loves your artistic abilities and how you can make the best triangles. Yes, you’ve even superpassed Kazunari in his eyes. A big accomplishment if you ask me. Onigiri making is also something you regularly do together. Not gonna lie, he makes the best onigiris in the entire world. He might even superpass Omi when it comes to onigiri making. Well, aside from typical Misumi activities, he’d also take you on normal dates like park & beach walks, moon gazing at night, cat cafes and so on. Honestly, everything you do together is fun. You make him feel loved and wanted, something only his grandfather did. Having someone like you there for him made him realize how lonely he had felt, please just protect this precious boy.

➜ ZODIAC COMPATIBILITY ; Misumi’s birthday is on June 6 which makes him a Gemini. Leo x Gemini love match is an equation that hits off right from the very first time these two individuals converse with each other. The charm and intelligence of the Gemini attracts the Leo like a moth to a flame. At the same time, the confidence and conspicuousness of the Lion is enough to blow the the Twins away. Both Gemini and Leo signs know how to flirt and are extremely compatible with each other from the word go. They love to talk about all the topics in the world and their communication is free-flowing, intellectual, fun and without any barriers. The immense loyalty of the Leo makes the Gemini feel comfortable in their own skin. On the other hand, the Twins has no problem in catering to the Lion's need for flattery and admiration. Leo gets a lot of attention from Gemini, and thus gives everything to their relationship in turn, which makes their equation tick from the very beginning. This is one of the most compatible pairings in the zodiac chart and if the minor friction is handled with maturity by both the parties, the Leo and Gemini compatibility relationship can last a lifetime. A lifetime, which will be filled with love, happiness, and success.

[captainmeowvelwrites]

You Times Two (Ch.7)

Pairing: Marinette/Ladybug | Adrien/Chat Noir Words: 4065 Summary: Ladybug knew this was necessary. She was the Guardian. He had the Cat Miraculous. But when his suit evaporated in a glow of pale green, she sure hadn’t expected him to have something far more precious: her heart. Cross-posted: AO3 and FFN

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ...

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two… In a startling twist of events, our dear, sweet boy realised he's not at all over Ladybug. (Who would've thought?) In search of open skies to tackle his racing thoughts, Kitty Noir somehow found himself on our favourite girl's balcony. With a delicious stroke of irony, our adorkable duo traded tidbits about their love lives. And before our wee cat in black left her balcony, his Very Good Friend imparted a few words of wisdom: Go for the girl that makes you happy. Will Golden Boy heed her advice? Or will he continue down this dangerous path? Read on to find out!

---

Chapter Seven

Adrien shifted on his bedroom sofa, the leather squeaking against his boxer briefs. After an awful sleep, he'd often drag himself from bed at first light. This morning was no exception. For three hours straight, he'd twisted his ring, stared out the window and admired the striking sunrise.

Golds, blues and pinks had danced across the Parisian sky, a reminder of that one time he'd tried out watercolour painting. It'd been a hobby of his mother's—one she'd been so patient, so supportive, so eager to teach him.

He'd been hopeless.

At ten, he'd been vaguely aware of that fact. Now, at nearly fifteen, Adrien was certain. He just hadn't inherited his parents' creative eye, and had immense respect for anyone patient enough to craft something with their bare hands.

Thoughts of a specific individual – and the advice she'd given him – flitted through his head for maybe the fifth time that morning. "Go for the girl that makes you happy," he breathed, a line etching between his brows.

Ladybug obviously made him happy. She was his partner, a beacon of joy in his life. Their bond was unparalleled, and their exchange last night had only reaffirmed his feelings for her, of that he couldn't deny. There was just one problem: she was in love with someone else. Was it really fair of him to keep his sights set on her?

His history with Kagami didn't run nearly as deep, but there'd certainly been a spark from day one. She'd enthralled him with her confidence, her beauty, and she related to the pressures that came with a protective parent and a family name to uphold—but did she make him happy?

Adrien planned to officialise things on their date tonight. Or rather, that had been his plan.

Honestly, he didn't know anymore.

He tipped his head into his awaiting palms, a groan rumbling in his throat. Being the son of Gabriel Agreste meant he was painfully accustomed to having no say. His father controlled his schedule, his conduct, his appearance, everything. Now, his relationship status was being controlled—and the most surprising thing at this point was that his father wasn't responsible.

If he officialised things with Kagami tonight, would that decision be driven by the desire to be with her? Or by a sense of obligation? What was the alternative? Tell her he hadn't thought they were official and wasn't entirely sure that he wanted them to be?

A melodramatic yawn stole Adrien's attention. He glanced right to find Plagg slothfully sprawled across the white sofa armrest, rounder from a morning spent gorging on artisan cheese. "As much as I'd love to laze around here all day," Plagg droned, "don't you have a get together to, y'know, get to?"

Oh no! Was it that late already?!

He was Kagami's ride and an Agreste was never late.

Adrien spent the next twenty-two minutes scurrying around his room, flinging clothes, styling his hair, ordering breakfast to go.

Plagg floated by, defiling the air with a rancid, cheesy burp. "Don't forget my camem—"

"Cologne!" He dashed toward the bathroom. "Thanks for the reminder!" Of course, his kwami then felt the need to list the many perks of smelling like cheese. (He ignored them all.)

Finally, Adrien was outside the Agreste Mansion, thanking The Gorilla for holding the passenger door open. He tossed his bag into the backseat of the bulletproof sedan, the familiar scent of leather lingering, and—

"Adrien," came an unmistakable voice.

When he spun half a circle, his shoulders squared, he was unsurprised to find a pair of pale blue eyes staring down at him. The owner of those eyes loomed from the front steps, his glasses glinting in the sunlight and his body framed by the imposing double doors of the mansion.

Gabriel threaded his fingers behind his back. "I've noticed some rather… excessive purchases you've made of late." His voice was level, as always. "One hundred and fifty euros on flowers? Double that on a rooftop venue?"

Adrien could've kicked himself for being so forgetful. His father had always kept a close eye on his bank account, something he felt was a little unnecessary.

"You're a careless teenager," Gabriel had once claimed. "If you throw your money around frivolously, I need to know."

Thanks to his modelling, Adrien's savings were steadily climbing, and he'd never made much of a dent in them. It's not like he could get out of the house to even do so. In fact, his money mostly went to Ladybug merch and funnily enough, his father never questioned that.

His head dipped beneath the heightening weight of that scrutinising stare. "I've… organised dinner with a friend tonight." He fiddled with the cuff of his jet-black dress shirt, which peeked out from beneath the ironed sleeve of a white, fitted blazer.

"A rather extravagant dinner for a friend, don't you think?" His father cocked his head. "I've seen the news articles of your so-called relationship with Miss Tsurugi. Are they true?"

Adrien peered up from the ground, barely making eye contact. "She's"—of course, his voice cracked—"not my girlfriend."

"But I take it this dinner is for her?"

He managed a nod. "Yes, Father."

Gabriel frowned. Or rather, his perpetual frown deepened. "You should've consulted me before making such plans. Tomoe Tsurugi is one of my most valued partners. I don't wish to see that compromised."

Adrien's polished dress shoes scuffed the pavement with each fidget of his feet. "I'm sorry, Father." It took him far longer than it should've to meet that stare. "Should I… cancel?"

"This once, I will allow it."

Adrien expected the gratifying warmth of relief to wash over him. Instead, quiet apprehension crept in. Had he been hoping for an excuse to cancel the date?

"But," Gabriel added, "I expect you to tread carefully with Ms Tsurugi's daughter. Cleaning up the tabloids after you make a mess is not an effective use of my time." Pale eyes snapped to The Gorilla, who stood in wait on the driver's side of Adrien's ride. "Your bodyguard will pick you up from the venue at eight o'clock. No later. Do not push my good graces again."

Adrien pasted on his model smile. "Thank you, Father." He spun on his heel, ready to slip into the backseat of his ride, when a sudden thought had him re-facing the mansion.

Gabriel was just beyond the doorway that led to the opulent lobby, his white-suited back to Adrien.

"Father?"

Gabriel spared him an over the shoulder glance.

"I've been meaning to ask," he called, his tone now light and laced with hope, "how's Nathalie doing? I've hardly seen her all week?"

Gabriel surprised him with a smile, slight as it was. "She's improving. Slowly, but surely."

"I'm glad she's getting better. I've missed having her around." He met his father's gaze completely. "Will you tell her that?"

Gabriel gave a single nod, his smile remaining. With an echoing thud, the double doors shut behind him, and Adrien slid into the backseat of his lavish ride.

---

Spindly trees lined the cobbled street, their russet leaves rustling overhead, as Marinette scrambled down the sidewalk. "Gonna be late! Gonna be late!" It was a mantra she'd started two streets back, when she'd charged out of the bakery, a warm carton in hand. She still felt awful for nearly bowling over that elderly man—

"Marinette!" came Tikki's panicked voice.

She screeched to a halt at a pedestrian crossing, just as a car zoomed past and turned left. "Gosh! Thanks, Tikki!" Her eyes shot between the kwami in her purse and the pole across the street, where a tiny man glowed red. "I almost became roadkill!"

Tikki's brows creased. "You really need to be more careful!"

Another tiny man now glowed green up ahead, and Marinette raced over the crossing. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for scaring you." She flipped open the carton, the sweet scent of macarons filling her senses. "Here." Tikki's face brightened as she slipped a brown one in her purse. "Consider it a thank you for being my eyes half the time."

The kwami smirked. "Only half the time?"

Marinette giggled, while Tikki seated herself in the purse and took a tiny bite. "Delicious," she said, crumbs dusting her lips. "Your dad would be proud!"

She smiled her kwami's way. "Let's hope my friends think so too—"

A familiar voice called out her name, and her eyes shot up from her purse to be greeted by the warmth of another's. A breath caught in her throat. The owner of those eyes whirred by in a flash of yellow and teal. Was that Luka?

She looked over her shoulder, staring after the passing bike.

Her feet tangled mid-step.

She stumbled forward, her arms flailing, and the carton slipped through her fingers. Colliding with the concrete wasn't half as painful as the thud of thin cardboard on the sidewalk. Macarons scattered. One even had the audacity to roll right past her face, off the curb and under the wheel of a passing car. Her left eye twitched. Her lower lip followed. Then, she slumped against the pavement, a self-pitying groan squeezing up her throat.

So much for them remaining intact.

Luka's bike clattered on the sidewalk, guitar chords cutting through the air, his shoes pounding on concrete. "Marinette! Are you all right?" His black nail polish caught the sunlight as he settled his hands on her shoulders and eased her to her knees. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Their eyes met. And just like that, a blush crept up her neck. Not from embarrassment. Never from embarrassment. At least, not around Luka. His presence was soothing like that.

No, her blush had another source.

Concern coated every inch of those teal eyes, framed by bangs the very same shade. His hands were still on her shoulders, their warmth seeping through her cardigan as he held her.

Just like the warmth of gloved hands on her balcony… hands that had swept goosebumps from her bare arms, shielding her from the cold.

His gloves were made of leather. His claws were razor sharp. Yet, his hands on her skin—they'd been so gentle, so comforting, so warm.

They always were.

But so were Luka's.

"Marinette?"

When she blinked back to the present, Marinette was sure her whole face had flushed scarlet. She threw him her most convincing smile. "I – I'm fine. Yeah. Totally fine." His sigh of relief wasn't lost on her. "Sorry, I was completely spaced out when you called and I—" Her eyes flew wide. "The macarons!" She scanned the treats that scattered the sidewalk, plucked one off the ground, and her shoulders sagged. "What a disaster."

"Don't worry," Luka piped up beside her, eyes smiling. "Not all of them ended up on the ground." He flourished the carton toward her, five macarons wobbling within it. "Besides, I'm happy to eat the ones that did if no one else will."

Of course, he would. "Thanks, Luka!" It was then that she spied a yellow smoosh near her foot. "Passionfruit!" Her hands flew to her scalp, eyes darting about the sidewalk. "Are they all on the ground?!"

"You mean the yellow ones?" Luka glanced at the carton, then back at her. "No, there are still a few in here."

Time slowed, all else fading to black as she laid eyes upon those three macarons. So help her, she would guard those bad boys with her life.

Luka chuckled. "With your life?"

She froze. Had she said that out loud?

"The passionfruit ones must be delicious if you're willing to go that far."

Marinette tugged at her cardigan collar. "Uh – Yeah. They're very special. I mean – err – delicious. They're very delicious."

In a matter of moments, Luka had helped her to collect the stray macarons. (And as it turned out, the paper lining in the carton made a decent divider between the tainted and untainted ones.)

Marinette beamed up at him, the carton clutched in one hand as she dusted her pants with her other. "Thanks for your help, Luka. And sorry I'm such a clutz." She held up the carton. "Why don't you try one? You can tell me what you think of them."

One look at his eager smile had her heart thrumming fast in her chest. He reached for a macaron on the tainted side. A yellow one. Luka's eyes slid shut as he took his first bite. "Wow." His eyes opened a second later, and he downed the rest of the macaron in one go. "The flavours. The texture. They make the perfect harmony. It's incredible." He met her gaze. "Just like you."

Her breath hitched as she scanned every inch of his smile—so warm and fond and… and she should probably be making words happen right now. "Tha – Thanks, Luk-uka." That counted as words, right? "Hopefully everyone else—" A gasp shot from her lips, her face twisting in horror. "Oh no, I'm late!"

Luka gathered his guitar from the sidewalk. "If you like, I can give you a lift." He scooped up his bike, nestled the instrument in the front basket and retrieved a yellow helmet from that same basket, extending it to her. "I've got a few deliveries near Alya's anyway. And it's probably a safer mode of transport for your macarons."

"Well, you're not wrong there." She tucked the carton under one arm and accepted the helmet. "Marinette Airways is neither fast nor safe." (Fortunately, the Ladybug Express made up for that.) She plonked on the helmet, but struggled as the strap proved stubborn to adjust.

"Here." Luka worked his magic and she tried not to linger on the fingertips that brushed her jawline.

Soon enough, she was holding onto him like a fuzzless koala, as they zoomed down the narrow street, bound for Alya's apartment.

---

Adrien tugged at the strap of his shoulder bag as he rounded the sleek sedan. He reached for the car door handle, Kagami's silhouette shifting behind the tinted glass. "Careful." Their fingers threaded together as he guided her onto the sidewalk, familiar clogs wrapped around her feet. "I know how tricky those things are to walk in."

Kagami quirked a brow.

He released her hand to click the car door shut behind them. "That is"—he dipped his chin—"I've, uhh… seen a few photoshoots end in stumbles and sprains thanks to them."

"I never stumble."

Adrien shook his head, smiling. Kagami certainly wasn't wrong. There was an irrefutable grace in the way she moved, rivalled only by a certain little bug—but today was about Kagami, not Ladybug! And this morning, his father had expressed his views quite clearly.

Adrien refused to mess this up. He couldn't disappoint his father. And he wouldn't disappoint Kagami.

As their ride rolled off, he found himself admiring her outfit. "You look really nice." Her grandmother's shoes were accompanied by a black and red jumpsuit, her waist cinched by a white belt. He recognised it from the movie premiere. She'd looked nice then, too.

The corner of her mouth lifted. "As do you, Adrien," she said, the pink sheen of her lips catching the sunlight. Was she wearing makeup today? Or did she always look that pretty?

Out the corner of his eye, Adrien glimpsed bubblegum pink. Those pants were as familiar as their owner, who was perched upon the seat of a bright yellow bike, behind Luka. The wind weaved through her pigtails, poking out from beneath her helmet.

Adrien clutched Kagami's hand, his face alight. "Look! It's Marinette!" He launched his free hand in the air, waving their way.

Marinette threw back a cheery wave of her own. "Hey, Adrien, Kagami," she called down the street, her words a little muffled by the hum of a passing car.

The bike eased to a stop in front of them, and Adrien watched as she untwined her arms from around Luka's waist. Had they been riding like that the whole time? His brows furrowed. Maybe it was safer than it looked?

She scooched off the seat. "So, are you guys excited for—" Her left foot met the pavement, but before her right could join it, she lost her footing and stumbled forward.

A gasp lodged itself in Adrien's throat. He lunged forward, his free hand outstretched and ready to catch her.

Luka beat him to it.

Pretty impressive—he was still on his bike, after all. He'd planted his left foot, enclosed in his signature converse, firmly on the sidewalk, while his right remained on the bike pedal.

Adrien blinked, his eyes widening, as Luka's fingers took their time travelling from Marinette's shoulders to rest on his handlebars.

She beamed up at her saviour. "Thank you, Luka."

"Ye-ah." Adrien's voice cracked. After a brief clear of his throat, he tried again. "Nice reflexes!"

"Hello, Marinette," said Kagami, and he was reminded of the warm hand he still held. Her focus turned to Luka, her dark bob swaying with the movement. "It's nice to see you again."

"Always a pleasure, Kagami!" Luka's lips lifted. "You too, Adrien," he acknowledged with a nod of his head.

Adrien returned the nod. "I didn't know you'd be coming." Everyone went silent, Kagami shot him a side glance, and his lips curled to one side. Had he said something wrong?

Marinette spoke up first. "Oh! Um." She pressed her pointer fingers together. "Did I forget to mention that?" Her eyes jumped between his and the ground. "Sorry, it's been a crazy week and my brain's a bit—"

"No no, Marinette. Don't apologise!" Adrien rubbed at the nape of his neck. "It's cool that you're joining us, Luka!"

And it was.

He seemed like an awesome guy. There was a reason Adrien had picked him to wield a Miraculous, after all.

Luka nodded toward the yellow box on the back of his bike. "I just have to get through my shift first." He glanced between his three companions. "I haven't played many video games, but I'm looking forward to spending time with everyone."

"Don't worry, Luka." Marinette's pink-dusted cheeks puffed up as she smiled his way, and pulled a double thumbs up. "You'll be a pro in no time!"

"Definitely!" Adrien coaxed his hand from Kagami's to give his own double thumbs up. "With Marinette's help, you'll be a gaming champ before the day is over."

Pleasant memories filled his mind. Puns, deep-and-meaningfuls and her amazing advice.

Last night, Adrien had leaped from one slated roof to the next as though on autopilot. When he'd glimpsed his classmate from afar, tending to her rooftop plants, his legs had carried him the rest of the way of their own volition. And boy, was he thankful for that.

Clad in his catsuit, he'd told Marinette she'd helped him far more than she'd probably ever know. And well, he hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said those two boys, whoever they were, were lucky she cared so much about them.

Clearly, Luka was one of those boys. It was obvious by the way she beamed at him.

So who was the other?

Did he know him?

Kagami leaned in close, her arms looping around his bicep. "Shall we head upstairs, Adrien?"

"—hate to be responsible for any cold pizzas," Luka was saying, his sights still set on Marinette. "Speaking of which"—his hand dipped into the box behind his bicycle seat—"these are under Alya's name." He procured a stack of three pizza boxes, his hands splayed beneath them.

Kagami's arms slipped from Adrien's bicep as he stepped forward. "Thanks, Luka. I'll take them off your hands." As he did just that, the tantalising aroma of spicy pepperoni teased his tastebuds. "We'll be sure to save a few slices for you."

Marinette plucked a carton from the basket latched to the front of Luka's bike, and Adrien heard something – or rather, several somethings – rattling around inside it. "And, of course"—she brandished the carton between two petite hands—"we'll be sure to save you some macarons!" She winked at Luka.

Adrien's stomach clenched. Maybe the sandwich he'd downed on the drive here hadn't filled him up. Though to be fair, the Dupain-Cheng macarons were so good they'd make a stuffed stomach grumble.

With a laugh, Luka pushed off the pavement and his bike rolled into motion. "See you all around three, then!" And with that, he was off.

Adrien's sights shifted between Kagami and Marinette. "Shall we?" With his hands preoccupied by the pizza boxes, he instead nudged his head toward the square-pillared entrance of an aged apartment complex, five stories high and built with weather-worn bricks.

To his side, Kagami's clogs clicked on the sidewalk as they approached an iron gate. And Marinette, two steps ahead, tapped on her phone as she shouldered the gate aside. "It's never locked," she said, as they passed by a row of beige mailboxes, fixed to the wall in the entrance corridor. "I'll let Alya know we're here with the pizzas."

He heard the phone ring twice, then Alya's voice blared through the speaker.

"Hey, M! Let me guess. Your gerbil ate your favourite sweater and your lucky socks have done a runner?"

Marinette snorted, something he wasn't sure he'd ever heard her do. "For your information," she announced, slapping her free hand to her hip, "it'd be a hamster, not a gerbil. We've been through this. And I'll have you know I'm right downstairs. Adrien and Kagami are here, too."

"Come again?" Amusement was thick in Alya's voice. "My phone must be acting up 'cause it almost sounded like you said you're downstairs. As in, on time."

"Yes. Thanks, Captain Obvious, for your keen observation."

"What can I say? It's the journalist in me."

Marinette glanced between him and Kagami, a cheeky smirk sliding across her rosy lips. "Say, guys. We've got three free pizzas. That's one whole pizza each. What say we backtrack to Places des Vosges to eat these bad boys without Alya's help?"

Despite her threats, she led them through a nearby door, into an artificially lit stairwell, and they commenced their five-storey climb—with her up front and Kagami beside him.

"Did you hear that, babe? My girl's threatening to deprive you of your margherita pizza—"

"What?!" came Nino's muffled outcry, followed by the rushed thumps of footsteps. "I dipped into my savings to get triple cheese!" He was louder now; probably right beside Alya. "She can't do this to me!"

Marinette stole a glance back at him and Kagami as they trekked up the stairs. Her lips were pursed and by the twinkle in her eye, she must've been biting back laughter. He couldn't help but grin to himself. He kind of liked her being sassy like this.

"Oh, my sweet, sweet boy," Alya was saying. "Didn't you only have, what, four euros left in your savings? And you spent it on extra cheese?"

"Sacrilege!" Adrien chipped in, his voice teeming with faux horror. "Alya, tell Nino we can't be friends anymore." He felt Plagg writhe inside his shirt and could simply imagine the kwami's outrage at the shade he'd just thrown on his precious cheese.

Up ahead, Marinette's shoulders shook in sync with a giggle.

"Ha! Tell him yourself, Pretty Boy."

"Okay okay," Marinette piped in. Even with her back to him, he could hear the smile in her voice. "Be there in just a sec, Al."

"Can't wait!"

With that, the call ended, and all he heard was the echoing taps of their feet on wooden steps. Then, Marinette stopped on a stair landing like the three they'd just passed and knocked on the second of three doors, its surface riddled with dents of varying sizes.

When the scent of spicy pepperoni again floated through the air, Adrien's eyes flicked to Kagami. "Guess it's a good thing pizza's not on the menu tonight, huh?"

"Two of my favourite foods in one day?" Kagami's mouth quirked up. "That sounds perfect, Adrien."

Perfect.

It sounded perfect.

Adrien looked to Marinette, a grateful smile at the ready. It'd been her perfect suggestion, after all.

But she didn't smile back.

Those blue eyes had fallen to her ballerina flats—and this time, when his stomach clenched, Adrien had to wonder if hunger was truly to blame.

[eldritchsurveys]

794🎂

Did the best moment of your life happen at summer camp? >> You ever get to that point where you just resign yourself to taking surveys you’ve already taken? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve taken 75% of the surveys I run into but it’s not like there’s a great influx of new surveys to take, so what’s a motherfucker to do but just make repeat performances... Anyway, some really great moments have happened to me at summer camp; I’m pretty nostalgic about the camps I’ve gone to at Easton Mountain. They were great experiences, even with the bullshit that sometimes happened.

Do you get tired of fakebook? lol >> I’m just tired of facebook in general -- how ubiquitous it is, how much data it collects and what it does with said data, everything about Mark Zuckerberg, etc. How random people behave on facebook is of much less concern to me than the above.

Are you a poser on facebook or are you real? >> I don’t really use facebook. I have one for the purposes of establishing lines of contact, and that’s it.

Are you a people pleaser? >> I wouldn’t say that.

Do you get irritated a lot? >> Not a lot, no. Irritation is a pretty obvious red flag for me -- if I feel irritated it’s probably because I’ve let some important need of mine go unfulfilled, like hunger or sleep or emotional processing. Or I’ve fallen into a depressive episode.

What's something you've realized about yourself lately? >> Eh, nothing really stands out as particularly revelatory.

Do you know a lot of idiots? >> I don’t know any idiots.

Do you want a puppy or a kitty? >> No.

Do you hate that some people are stuck-up? >> No, because that’s not really been my experience with people.

Would you rather be poor and humble or rich and snooty? >> See, the thing about this is... I’ve only been poor. And for one, I don’t think being poor means I’m automatically humble, I think it means that I have to look at life and at other people in a different way than I would if I wasn’t in this position. It means I have to acknowledge my socioeconomic dependence, which means treating people like objects or means to an end is significantly more disadvantageous to me than it would be to a rich person. It means I have to budget my indulgences, and can’t just be capricious and lavish with my spending, and I can’t just throw money at a problem to make it go away. I don’t know what it would be like to be rich -- I don’t know how having those advantages would change me as a person, and I don’t know what unseen disadvantages would arise. I know who I am now, and despite the hardships of being below the poverty line as an individual (and only a little less so as a member of a household), I more-or-less like how I am. I see no reason to complicate things.

Do you know any humble rich people? >> I don’t know any actually rich people at all. I know upper middle class folks because Sparrow is related to them, but while they do seem to lack class consciousness a lot of the time, they still mostly live in a reality I can halfway comprehend.

Do you hate the millennial stereotype? >> Not really. It doesn’t affect me. But I don’t encourage people to spout that nonsense, either.

Do you think everyone should have a right to live, and by that I mean live a comfortable life? >> The problem with this is that, as a human being who is invested in lessening suffering for all living creatures, I feel as though people should have this right. Unfortunately, as a human being who is equipped with the ability to think about things critically and logically, I think that it makes no practical sense. What I do think is that social systems can absolutely stand to be more supportive to all peoples, and we should absolutely work towards that. We should always seek ways to ease suffering. But we should also expect that even our striving has the possibility of creating suffering, and weigh that against the good we believe we’re doing. It’s just a constant process, I think. Trying to be more conscientious and more humane humans than the humans that came before us.

Does your religion or spirituality teach you to love your enemies? >> I don’t have any of those things.

Do you love your enemies? >> I don’t have any enemies, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t love them if I did. Otherwise, why would they be enemies in the first place then?

Do you struggle to love your enemies? >> ---

Are you bothered by things that have been done to you in the past? >> Yeah, that’s kind of what being post-traumatic is.

Do you hate bullying? >> I mean, I don’t think it’s great.

Do you get bullied frequently? >> No.

Do you often wish you could go to sleep and not wake up until something good happens? >> I’ve wished that before.

How many people do you know who are suicidal? >> I don’t know how many people I know are suicidal. I’m not really... keeping track, you dig. Also, not everyone who is suicidal talks about being suicidal.

Do you read advice columns? >> I read Ask Polly sometimes, I think she has a lot of thoughtful and compassionate and passionate things to say.

Have you ever used a dating site? >> Yeah.

Do you want a fairy godmother? >> No.

Do you enjoy watching talent shows? >> Not especially. America’s Got Talent has had a few episodes that interested me, but I don’t watch it regularly.

Which cartoon character would you want to play you in a movie? >> ---

What is something you do not understand? >> Oh, you know. Calculus and stuff.

Do you know anyone who is spoiled? >> I don’t think so.

Do you think cars are ugly? >> All cars??? Of course not. There are some styles that I do find unattractive, but there are also styles I find very attractive. ...This makes me sound like I’m attracted to cars. I will neither confirm nor deny that assessment. :p

What is your favorite musical? >> Phantom of the Opera.

Have you made a lot of huge mistakes? >> Oh, yeah, definitely.

Are you ok? >> I suppose you could say that.

Do you ever feel God's presence? >> Nope.

Do you believe in angels? >> I had an Inworlder when I was younger that I interpreted as angelic. There was also an angel I knew a few years ago, which was a complicated situation I’m not sure I’m equipped to explain right now. I miss Tobias, he wrote me such wonderful things... :’(

What is your favorite magazine? >> I don’t have one.

What color hair did your favorite Barbie doll have? >> ---

Who were you rooting for in the very first season of American Idol? >> ---

Do you believe in miracles? >> I don’t find the concept useful.

Have you ever been to a tea shop? >> I’ve been to Teavana.

If there were a tea shop in your city, would you go to it? >> Sure. I love tea.

Do you still have your Christmas decorations up? >> Nope.

How many pairs of jeggings do you own? >> Zero.

Do you have any memories that are painful? >> Of course.

Do you learn from your mistakes and move on, or do you do the same things over and over again? >> Sometimes the former, sometimes the latter.

Do you make a habit of taking risks and stepping outside of your comfort zone? >> No, I don’t make a habit of it. Then again, my comfort zone is really small. Like, really. So many activities involve me being outside my comfort zone by default, which means I have less mental energy for purposefully choosing to do things that are outside of my comfort zone. I think this kind of thing is more suited for people whose comfort zone is a lot larger than mine -- who don’t regard basic things like “using the phone” or “being in a crowd” as being outside of their comfort zone.

Is your life boring? >> It can be. But frankly, I prefer this to the alternative.

What is your favorite thing to follow on tumblr? >> I don’t know how to answer that.

What are your favorite Pinterest boards? >> I don’t use Pinterest.

Is your Pinterest profile cluttered? >> ---

Do you wish you owned more board games? >> No, I don’t play board games. Sparrow likes them, but we also have no one to play with. We have three board games and at least one of them is still in the packaging.

Do you wish you had visitors more often? >> Not at all. I’m perfectly happy not having other people milling around my apartment.

Do you hate the economy? >> No.

Do you hate our culture? >> No. These are way too vague to be answerable by me in any real capacity.

Do you live in the USA? >> Yes.

What accent do you like best? >> There is no accent I like best. I like most accents just because I love the many different ways people speak.

Is there a guy you wish you hadn't let slip away? >> No.

What are some things you would like to do this summer? >> Just... go somewhere. I would like to be able to go somewhere. That’s really it, the bar is so low these days.

What are some things you love about spring? >> I think I love everything about spring. The warmth, the increased sunshine, the way the air smells when it rains, the explosion of greenery and colour, the feeling of finally being able to breathe, the fact that the air doesn’t immediately suck all the moisture out of my skin...

Are you feeling optimistic today? >> No. Optimistic about what? Isn’t that something you feel about something specific, not just... randomly?

When was the last time you did something that made you feel stupid? >> I don’t remember.

Do you hate social classes and inequality? >> I mean, it’s not great to deal with.

Is they're anything that you're questioning if you're allergic to? >> No.

Do you believe everyone should be treated with respect when you first meet them? >> Sure. I at least try to treat people with basic respect until it becomes clear that they’re 100% not interested in giving the same in return.

Do you hate that nobody cares? >> Nobody cares about what?

What websites shut down that you miss? >> Xanga, certainly.

What were your favorite websites when you were a teenager? >> Xanga, various band websites, Chimerical Publications (an old David Duchovny fansite).

What was the best class you took in high school? >> ---

Are you happy? >> Mildly.

Would you ever enroll in a college class just for fun? >> I would if it were possible to do so. That always sounded like a fun thing to do -- just take a class to get all the lectures and materials, without having to take the tests and stuff.

Do you feel free to be yourself? >> Well, sure. It’d be real fucked up if I felt like I had to be a different person all the time.

Do you stand up for yourself when needed? >> Yes. Sometimes a little more than necessary, but I’m just so used to having to fight for my existence. Or at least feeling that way.

[merrybinature]

ears, feet, fingers

@sheepyshavings, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to reply. I forgot my inbox existed? And only clicked in when I had notifications on my phone, which apparently did not include this message. Regardless, I went back and found this asks post and am answering: 

Ears: How many piercings do you have (if any)? 

Currently 6 individual holes, although 4 of those are the 2 sets in my lobes.

Feet: Favorite pair of shoes?

I have a pair of these bastards: 

Jeffery Campbell, Holy I believe? I found them in a resale shop in Madison Wisconsin and wear them literally whenever I get the chance. Mine are a little more beat up then these, specifically around the toe because I tap my toes on the ground when Im wearing them - bad habit but makes my pair pretty uniquely mine. Any way, I find them way more comfy than they look and hella empowering. 

Fingers: Do you play an instrument?

Yes! I do! I grew up playing Piano but am super out of practice due to lack of access. I was super fortunate in that my high school music teacher was getting his doctorate in Percussion and so we  had an entire percussion class. I was always better at rhythmic instead of tonal instruments, and defo didn’t take it seriously (but then again I didn’t really take school seriously :| ). I still love percussion, my first love being the drum kit - however years of apartment and dorm living have prevented me from keeping up those skills. Right now I mostly practice on a drum pad, play the Cajone with a bass peddle to keep that muscle memory up, and to rhythm exercises with auxiliary instruments like egg shakers and my sticks for wrist strength and flexibility (my egg shakers are Hello Kitty). I have a Bodhrán and have been meaning to learn but uh….life? 

[gryffindorcls]

Please Tell Me I’m Awake Right Now

(Part 9)

Adrien’s hand felt sweaty in Marinette’s palm.  He was unusually quiet during their short trek to her family’s bakery.  On a typical day, her kitty would try to make her laugh or talk excitedly about something that caught his attention.  Over the past few weeks, she learned that Adrien was vibrant and full of life when he felt comfortable.  So, him walking quietly was a red flag.  He was retreating back into himself, and that was not good. 

Marinette stopped walking and held her ground.  She removed her hand from his and crossed her arms. 

Adrien gave her a nervous look. “Is everything alright?”

“No.  It’s not,” Marinette declared, “What exactly is making you nervous right now?  If it’s still about seeing my parents, remember...they love you.  They already consider you part of the family.  You’ve been over so much during the past few weeks that they get concerned when you’re not there for dinner.”

He chuckled lightly and offered her a weak smile. “No, Marinette.  It’s nothing like that.  There was no reason to be worried about telling your family about us.  They’re amazing people.”

“Then what’s wrong?” she moved her hands to her hips, “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what’s bothering you.  And don’t you dare tell me that it doesn’t matter or that it’s stupid.  Your feelings are important, Adrien.  If this is going to work between us, I need you to tell me when something is bothering you.”

Adrien sighed and slumped over dejectedly.  “Fine.  I’ll tell you.”

“Good.”  Marinette took his hand again.  “I’m listening.”

He took a deep breath.  “Well, first I was thinking about how nice and welcoming your parents are.  I then thought about all the times your dad called me ‘son’, and that made me think about how I wish my father was like your dad.  That led me to wonder how the conversation with my father will go later.  Then I realized that I only have an hour and a half left with you, and that means that I will be standing in my dad’s office in two hours waiting to see his reaction to us dating.  Next, I started thinking about all the different ways that conversation could go, and then I started practicing ways to defend you.  Then I…”

Marinette cut him off by kissing his cheek.  “You’re rambling, minou.”

Adrien touched his cheek and looked at his girlfriend.  “I’m just worried.  My dad isn’t the warmest person.  He didn’t seem mad over the phone, but I can never be one hundred percent sure of what he’s going to do.”

“I thought you said you felt good about all this earlier,” Marinette said while pulling him into a tight hug. 

He melted into her embrace. “I did, but that was earlier.”

“And what changed between then and now.”

“Nothing.  Talking to my dad just makes me nervous, even if it’s not a bad thing.”

“Well, how about this,” she pulled away from the hug and offered Adrien her brightest smile, “if the conversation doesn’t go well, I might be open to having a certain ally cat come and visit me tonight.”

He hummed happily and pulled her back into the embrace.  “Do you think he could come and visit you regardless of how the conversation goes?  He has some stuffy gala he has to attend tomorrow, and he won’t have the opportunity to spend time with his Princess.”

Marinette pressed her face into his chest. “I’ll leave the hatch open.”

“Thank you,” he breathed a sigh of relief, “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Adrien.”  Marinette moved next to him and laced her fingers with his.  

She pulled him along the path and out of the park.  They looked both ways and ran across the street.  The pair were still holding hands as they stepped through the bakery door.  Upon crossing the threshold, they were greeted with an exasperated groan. 

“Well, hello to you, too, Papa,” Marinette said while dragging Adrien further into the shop. 

“You couldn’t have waited until the end of the month?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Sabine!” her father called into the kitchen, “You win!  It looks like they finally started dating!”

Marinette’s hands flew to her face. 

“You made a bet on us?!” Marinette exclaimed, “That’s mortifying!” 

Adrien laughed and comfortingly put his arm around Marinette’s shoulder. 

“Oh, sweetie.  We knew it was only a matter of time,” her mother said while entering the room, “Hello, Adrien.  How are you doing today, sweetheart?”

Sabine walked over to Adrien and gave him a motherly hug.  He happily accepted. 

“I’m doing well, Mrs. Cheng.  Thank you for asking.  How are you doing, ma’am?” he responded with a smile. 

“Such a polite young man.  I’m doing well.  How about you two kids go upstairs and wait for dinner to be ready.”

“Sorry, ma’am, but I have to go home before dinner tonight.”

“That’s a shame.  How about I go put out some snacks instead?”

“Thanks, maman,” Marinette chimed in, “that would be great.”

The two teens bounded up the stairs and into the apartment.  Once they were alone Marinette turned to Adrien and hung her head. 

“I’m so sorry about my parents,” she apologized, “They love embarrassing me whenever they get the chance.”

“Please don’t ever apologize for that,” Adrien said with a sad smile, “It’s refreshing to see a normal family dynamic.  You can really tell that they love you.”

“Oh, Adrien,” Marinette said, guiding him to the couch, “I know it may be hard to see sometimes, but your father loves you...in his own...special...way.”

He rested his head on Marinette’s shoulder, “I know, but I look forward to having a normal family one day.”

“I hate to break it to you,” she noted with a grin, “but if you plan on sticking with me…”

“And I am,” he interrupted.

“Got it,” she snuggled closer to him, “Like I was saying...you’re never going to have a ‘normal’ family with me.  I don’t think two Kwamis are exactly part of your typical family.”

Adrien beamed.  “My only criteria for a ‘normal’ family is one where everyone feels loved.  You make me feel that way, and I can’t wait for everything that’s in store for us.  I know we’re young, but I truly believe that one day we are going to have an amazing life together.”

“Oh, Chaton.  I can’t wait to make memories with you.”

He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. “We’ve already started making memories.”

Adrien pulled a flat, square box out of his pocket, took Marinette’s hand, and folded her fingers around the gift.  He then sat back and grinned wildly. 

A stunned Marinette stared at the box in her hand and looked back up at her boyfriend.  “Adrien, what’s this?”

His eyes shone with excitement.  “It’s for you!”

“You already got me flowers and lunch.  You didn’t have to get me anything else.”

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”

Marinette carefully opened the box and gasped.  Her hand flew to her mouth and tears started to form in her eyes. 

Inside the box was the charm bracelet from the store next to the cafe.

“Adrien,” Marinette said breathlessly, “it’s beautiful.”

“So, I got six charms to start,” he started explaining, “The first two are a ladybug and a cat...for obvious reasons.”

Marinette laughed softly. 

Adrien moved closer to her on the couch and began pointing to the rest of the charms. “I also got a camera and a spool of thread.  Those are supposed to represent us as individuals.  I got a coffee cup so we could remember our first date...well, minus the whole creepy guy hitting on you part.  Finally, I got you the hamster you wanted.  Think of that one as the promise of what’s to come.  I was thinking that I could keep adding charms as our relationship grows.”

She took the bracelet out of the box and examined it in her hand.  “This is too much.”

“No, it’s not.  You are worth more to me than all the jewels in the world.”

“I guess I really do have to get used to stuff like this if I’m going to date you.”

Adrien kissed her temple. “Yes, you do.”

Marinette smiled and shook her head. “You missed.”

She closed the space between them and kissed him.  He smiled under her lips, and she giggled.  They pulled away and rested their foreheads together. 

“Could you help me get it on?” Marinette asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes. 

Adrien sat up and bowed his head. “Of course, my lady.  I am always ready to be of service.”

Marinette smirked as he put the bracelet around her wrist.  “Don’t you mean you’re ready to be of purr-vice.”

He looked up and raised his eyebrows.  “That wasn’t half bad, Princess.  Maybe I’ll have to pass that along to a certain cat-eared superhero the next time I see him.”

“Could you pass something else along for me, as well?”

“It depends, what is it?”

Marinette leaned over and kissed him again.  She moved her hands to the back of his neck while he put his hands to her waist.  Adrien pulled her closer, and an explosion of butterflies radiated throughout her body.  

They broke apart when a soft voice cleared its throat from the room’s entryway.  

Marinette’s head snapped towards the noise.  A fiery blush consumed her features, and she buried her face in Adrien’s shirt. 

“Hello, kids,” Sabine said cheerfully, “Don’t mind me.  I’m just going to leave these pastries here.”

Her mom deposited the plate of food on the coffee table.  She walked away laughing quietly to herself and mumbling something about getting to plan a wedding in a few years. 

“Oh my GOD,” Marinette spoke into Adrien’s chest, “I’m so so so sorry!” 

He laughed, wrapped his arms around her, and held her closely.  Adrien rested his cheek on the top of her head. 

“I’m telling you, it’s fine” Adrien reassured, “I love you, and I highly doubt that it’s the last time something like this is going to happen.”

Marinette hummed happily and relaxed her tense muscles under his loving embrace.

She looked up.  “How much longer do have until you have to leave?”

Adrien groaned and pulled out his phone to check the time.  “Ugh.  I have to leave in about an hour.”

“That’s just enough time for me to kick your butt in Ultimate Mecha Strike.”

“What makes you think you’re going to beat me?” 

“What makes you think I won’t?”

“Oh, you’re so on!”

Marinette quickly set up the game on the television in the living room.  She turned around just in time to see her boyfriend inhaling a croissant.  

“Hungry?” she noted raising an eyebrow. 

Adrien swallowed. “I am a growing boy!”

“My parents will definitely take advantage of your appetite.”

“What?”

“If you haven’t noticed yet, my parents love feeding people.  It’s kind of their thing.”

“Did that love to feed others get passed down to the next generation or no?” a small gravelly voice said from Adrien’s shirt collar.  

Plagg zoomed into view.

“Let me guess, you’re hungry?” Adrien asked while shaking his head. 

“I have been very patient watching you two get all kissy with each other.  I haven’t been fed in hours!” complained the tiny, cat Kwami. 

“Actually, Marinette, I’m a little hungry, too,” Tikki remarked, phasing through her chosen’s bag. 

“I’m sorry, Tikki!” Marinette cupped the Kwami in her hands, “Would you like one of the eclairs?”

The little red being’s face lit up. “Yes, please!”

“See, Adrien?  Look how Marinette doesn’t complain when Tikki tells her that she’s hungry.”  Plagg stuck out his tongue. 

Adrien glared at him. “Well, I’m sure that Tikki doesn’t ask Marinette for food twenty times a day!”

Marinette laughed. “Okay, you two!  Adrien, let’s get your Kwami some cheese, and then I’m going to kick your butt at video games.”

“Thank you, bakery girl,” Plagg grinned, “It’s good to know that someone around here appreciates me.  You are officially my new favorite.”

“Plagg!” Adrien growled.

Once Plagg had been fed and was quietly asleep on a couch pillow with Tikki, the teens played Ultimate Mecha Strike and enjoyed each other’s company.  All too soon it was time for Adrien to leave. 

Before saying goodbye, he ran to the car to retrieve the flowers he had given Marinette at the beginning of their date.  The two then stood in the entranceway of the bakery holding each other in their arms. 

“Thank you for everything today, Adrien.”  Marinette squeezed her boyfriend tighter. 

He returned her gesture with a squeeze of his own. “Anything for you, Princess.  Does this mean I can get that second date one day?”

“Yes, and many more.”

“I love you.” 

“I love you, too.  Good luck with your dad.”

“Thank you.”

Marinette moved her face towards Adrien’s ear and whispered, “I’ll be waiting with the light on, kitty.”

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