#not set on sabine's outfit... may end up changing that up a little.

[jessicas-pi]

What do you do when your best friend turns out to be the so-called "wicked ice witch" who froze over an entire kingdom?

You put on your heaviest coat, grab your frying pan, and follow her into the unknown. Obviously.

[kanerallels]

My Heart Is In Your Hands

(For Kanera Week, based on the prompt "ultimate OTP moment/night out")

Read on AO3 here!

@kaneraweek

Word Count: 5,250

Tags/Warnings: rated G

Summary: The Jedi throw an engagement party that Kanan and Hera in particular find very... engaging

Hera couldn’t believe how fast the next two weeks slipped by. Maybe it was because of all the work that needed to be done in preparation-- many of the guests invited were Imperial, so they had to make sure there were no signs of Mace, Depa and Kanan’s work with the Rebellion. There was also a lot of cleaning, cooking and various preparations to be done in general. Hera and Kanan had their own way to get ready, going over their story repeatedly to make sure they didn’t forget it, memorizing key details and producing answers for any possible questions that could be asked.

Of course, there was also the fact that Hera had started working with the cell on Lothal, alongside Kanan. She was usually the getaway pilot, but she’d gone on a couple of actual ops as well. After the first mission, Kanan relaxed significantly about her being out in the field, although Hera still wasn’t sure why he’d gotten so jumpy. She didn’t have much time to think about it, though.

Most of the guests would be arriving the day of the party, but a few arrived a couple days before. Kanan and Hera went down to meet some of them at the front door, the first of which was a tall Kalleran. The moment the Kalleran spotted Kanan he all but crushed him in a hug. “Kid! Since when are you getting married?”

“Kriff, Kasmir-- can’t breathe-- Kanan gasped.

Releasing him, the Kalleran turned to Hera and gave her a gentlemanly bow. “Janus Kasmir at your service. A pleasure to meet the young woman who caught Kanan’s heart. I have to know everything. How’d you two meet?”

“Believe it or not, it was only a month or two ago,” Hera said, slipping her arm through Kanan’s. “I was having… a little trouble with a street gang, and Kanan stepped in to give me a hand. By which I mean he handled one of them, and I took out the rest.”

“Give me a little credit,” Kanan protested. “I handled at least two.”

“Uh-huh. Sure, dear,” Hera said, unable to prevent the smile crossing her face at Kanan’s fake chagrin.

Chuckling, Kasmir said, “She’s good for you, kid. I like her.”

“Don’t call me kid,” Kanan grumbled. “But I like her, too.”

“I should hope so, you are marrying her,” Kasmir said with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “Excuse me, I’m gonna go say hi to your Jedi mom and your kid who’s cooler than you.”

As the Kalleran strode into the house, Hera turned to Kanan, trying not to laugh. “So, he’s… interesting. I like him, I will say.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Kanan said with some drama, and Hera smirked.

“Well, I kept you around, didn’t I?”

The next guest was an older man, mostly bald with a fringe of white hair, and a white beard. Directing a warm smile at them, he said, “Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise? Two of my favorite people are getting married.”

“What-- Okadiah?” Kanan said, and Hera’s gaze snapped to him.

“Wait, you know Okadiah?”

“YOU know Okadiah?” Kanan countered.

“Indeed,” Okadiah said with a chuckle. “I met Hera when she was just starting out on her own. Gave her a place to stay for a while and helped her on her way.”

“And how did you meet Kanan?” Hera asked curiously.

“It’s a long story,” Kanan cut in hastily. “That we don’t have time for right now. Suffice to say there was a moon that was about to be blown up, actually a few crazy cyborgs, and a couple barroom brawls involved.”

“I’ll regale you with the full tale another time,” Okadiah assured Hera. “In the meantime, let me just say I couldn’t have chosen better for you two if I had chosen myself. I congratulate you both deeply.

“Thanks, Oke,” Kanan said, shooting the older man a smile as he headed inside.

Next, they found themselves facing the third group, which was an eclectic group Hera had not expected-- a Mandalorian woman in green-blue armor, a Mirialan woman with purple skin, curly hair and exceptional fashion, and a human man holding hands with her. In their free hands, both of the latter two carried hefty suitcases, and the Mandalorian was lugging two more.

Grinning, Kanan stepped forward. “Cinya! How are you?”

“Still very willing to punch you out again,” the Mandalorian said tartly.

“But you won’t because he’s only got a week until his big party,” the Mirialan reminded her. Turning to Hera, she smiled warmly. “I’m Hadassah, and this is Lanter.” She nodded at the man next to her, who shot Hera a friendly smile.

“They’re dating,” Cinya said, and Kanan’s eyes lit up.

“About time-- congratulations, you two.”

“Thanks,” Lanter said, grinning. “Congratulations to you-- I can’t believe you’re getting married! Seems like only yesterday Cinya tried to kill you in Hadassah’s juice bar.”

“Good times,” Kanan said remiscently.

“I take it there’s something of a story here,” Hera remarked, and Hadassah laughed.

“You have no idea. Luckily, we'll have plenty of time to tell you. Lanter and I are your stylists for the party.”

“Really?” Kanan said, surprised. “I didn't know Mace and Depa asked you guys to do that.”

“You bet your life, you tall string bean,” Lanter said with a grin. “Lanter and Hadassah are here to save the day.”

Kanan looked at him for a moment, then turned to Cinya. “He watched “The Princess Diaries” on the way here, didn't he?”

Cinya nodded. “Both of them, and he cried twice during the second one.”

“I won't apologize for my love for Clarisse and Joe,” Lanter said dramatically. “They're the ultimate couple goals. Hadassah is my Clarisse.”

“You are so sweet,” Hadassah said, kissing him on the cheek.

Cinya let out a dramatic sigh. "You guys are so ridiculously sappy. Let's get moving.”

The five of them headed into the house and up to a suite that had clearly been prepared for this very reason-- a table was set up with a mirror on it, a swivel chair in front of it. At one end of the room Hera spotted a folding screen set up to change behind.

Lanter and Hadassah instantly started unpacking from their suitcases-- hairbrushes, makeup containers, ear cone pendants, perfumes, and a thousand other things that could be useful. “You… really came prepared,” Hera said, staring as Lanter pulled out a curling iron. “However, I doubt I’m going to need that.”

“Oh, that’s for Dassah,” Lanter assured her. “But if Kanan could just let me do his hair--”

“Absolutely not,” Kanan said immediately. “I already told Sabine she could.”

“But Kanan, I have the perfect--”

“Under no circumstances are you giving me the moose hairdo from “The Princess Diaries”, Lanter.”

Smirking, Lanter said, “But you would be a handsome moose. Make all the girl moose go WHUA!”

Kanan groaned, but Hera couldn’t help but laugh. “I think I’m going to like you,” she told Lanter, who beamed.

“Why thank you, Ms. Syndulla, I like you very much, too!”

Grinning, Hadassah said, “Alright, we have work to do, and I'm sure that you two do, as well. But before you go-- color preferences for your outfits? Keep in mind that they have to be somewhat coordinated.”

“Nah, I trust you not to put me in anything too reprehensible,” Kanan said jokingly.

Rolling her eyes, Hadassah said, “Immeasurably unhelpful. Fine-- I'm thinking of a blue and green color scheme for the two of you. Lanter, what do you think?”

“Perfect,” Lanter immediately agreed. “We'll get to work straight away.”

“And we'll leave you to it,” Hera said. Looping her arm through Kanan's, she tugged him forward, and they headed out.

As they made their way down the hall, Kanan murmured, “Nice job with Kasmir earlier. He can be a little too nosy for his own good.”

“No worries-- he seems nice,” Hera commented. “Very excited about us.”

A slight smile pulled at the corner of Kanan's mouth. “He's an old friend. I'm not surprised he's so excited, frankly. It's kind of who he is.”

Hera nodded without speaking, but felt an internal twinge. Part of her couldn't help but dislike the fact they were deceiving so many people, good people. They didn't deserve to be lied to like this.

And there was also another part of her. A part that found herself noticing Kanan's quiet determination and his kindness around Ezra and the grin he'd give her sometimes-- and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't noticed the fact that she was engaged to an extremely handsome man. There was a part of her that felt a flutter in her chest at his touch.

And that part of her wished that this whole thing wasn't based on a lie.

“Hera?” Kanan's concerned voice broke through her thoughts, and she glanced up to see him frowning at her. “You okay?”

Hera gave her head a quick shake, like the motion would send those thoughts flying. But they’d been there too long for that. “Fine, sorry-- were you saying something?”

A slight furrow in Kanan’s brow hinted that he wasn’t quite satisfied with her response, but all he said was, “I was wondering if you still think your father won’t accept his invitation.”

“Oh.” Hera shook her head. “No, he won’t come. Especially since you’re inviting Imperials to keep our cover. He doesn’t know that-- he’ll probably assume I’m all but colluding with them. So either he won’t come, or I’ll wish he hadn’t.” Releasing a sigh, she said, “I guess I always assumed he and my mother would be here for this.”

Kanan slipped his arm from around hers long enough to catch hold of her hand, and Hera felt her heartbeat stutter as his fingers laced through hers. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, giving her hand a quick squeeze.

“It’s okay,” Hera told him, returning the gesture. “I may not have my father and mother, but I have you, and everyone else here. And at this point, they feel like family almost more than my father does.”

The smile Kanan gave her was a soft one with that unusual warmth shining around the edges, the light that she saw in his eyes more and more these days. Hera couldn’t bring herself to look away, despite the flush she knew was growing on her cheeks. Time to get out of here, she decided. Before I do something truly stupid.

“I should probably--” she started.

“Do you ever--” Kanan began at the same time. They both stopped short, and Hera laughed, feeling a flash of self-consciousness.

“Sorry, you go ahead,” Kanan said, giving her the crooked grin, the one that was Hera’s favorite. For just a second, her gaze lingered on it, and she found herself wondering what it would be like to close the distance, to drop a kiss against the upturned corner of his mouth--

What are you THINKING, Hera? She scolded herself. You can’t just start thinking about kissing Kanan, not now. Clearing her throat, she said, “I was just going to say that I’d better get going-- plenty to do before our party.”

“Right, yeah,” Kanan said, and was Hera imagining it or was there something a little strained about his voice? “Same here. See you later?”

“Yes-- but didn’t you want to tell me something?” Hera asked.

Kanan opened his mouth to speak, and stopped for a moment. Closing it, he finally shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I’d better get going.”

Releasing Hera’s hand, he headed off down the hall, leaving Hera staring after him. Well, that was… strange. But she really didn’t have time to spend thinking about why Kanan was acting so strangely.

So of course, over the next three days leading up to their engagement party, that was all she thought about. Especially since Kanan seemed to be avoiding her. He was always out on some sort of business of some kind or in a fitting with Lanter or working to help clean out the ballroom.

And Hera didn’t feel hurt by that. That would be ridiculous. They were both busy, she didn’t exactly have time to spend with him either.

Or maybe she was avoiding him, too. Either way, it didn’t matter. Much.

Alright, it definitely did matter, but some part of Hera didn’t want to bring it up. Maybe she was afraid of the answer, maybe she was afraid she’d lose what she had with Kanan, maybe she was afraid that she was falling in love with a man she wasn’t supposed to technically fall for.

So she kept pushing aside the thoughts, and threw herself into working for the engagement party. And before she knew it, it was the evening of the party, and she was heading up to Hadassah’s suite to get her dress.

The Mirialan was waiting with excitement stamped across her face, and a companion-- Depa Billaba. Throwing her a smile, Depa said, “Don’t mind me, I’m just here to see my future daughter in law get ready. It’s my prerogative.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hera said, giving Depa a smile and pretending like the “daughter in law” part didn’t throw her for a loop. “Okay-- where’s my dress?”

“Here,” Hadassah said, darting over to the changing screen and pulling a dress on a hanger from behind it. She held it up, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “What do you think?”

Hera’s eyes widened at the sight-- a sleeveless dress with a high neckline, made of fluttery fabric, the color shading from teal into a deep cobalt blue. It was stunning-- Hera knew just by looking at it that she’d never owned anything so expensive and beautiful in her life, other than the Ghost.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, brushing a hand across the smooth cloth. “I-- I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Well, Depa paid us,” Hadassah said with a shrug. “But you can repay us by going out and having a good time with your fiance tonight. Speaking of which, I’d better get going-- Lanter’s waiting for me downstairs.”

Giving them a quick wave, Hadassah slipped out of the room, leaving Hera with Depa. Glancing at the Jedi, Hera said, “Thank you. I don’t know how I can repay you--”

“No repayment necessary,” Depa said firmly. “I’m happy to do it.” As Hera admired the dress for a moment longer, she added, “However, I do have a question for you.”

Hera glanced at Depa curiously, and saw the Jedi wearing a patiently curious expression. “I’ve noticed you and Kanan have been avoiding each other lately. Did something happen?”

“No, I-- we’re not-- what makes you think--” Hera stammered, and Depa held up a hand.

“Hera. I’m not the blind one. You two used to spend every day together, but I haven’t seen you with my apprentice in days. What’s going on?”

Hera bit her lip, her eyes flicking from Depa to the floor and then back again. Part of her felt that saying how she felt out loud would make it far too real. But the sympathy and understanding in Depa’s eyes pulled the words out of her. “I don’t want to avoid him. But things are just… complicated right now.”

Narrowing her eyes, Depa said, “Did he make a move on you?”

“What? No, of course not.” Hera felt herself flush at her next words. “Do you think-- would he-- never mind.”

“Ahhh.” A knowing smile grew on Depa’s face. “I see.”

“See… what?” Frustration boiled through Hera at the almost desperate curiosity in her words. She felt so irritatingly petty about this whole thing.

“That you’re in love with my apprentice,” Depa said matter of factly.

Oh. Oh, dear. But she wasn’t wrong. “I… I didn’t expect this to happen,” Hera said softly. “I had no idea that Kanan would be…” Handsome? Charming? So incredibly caring and kind? The kind of man I could spend my life with?

“I know,” Depa said, her tone soft and sympathetic. “It can’t be easy to be in a relationship without actually being in a relationship. Hera-- if I may give you some advice?”

“Okay,” Hera said hesitantly.

“You don’t seem to be the kind of woman who would give her heart easily. But if Kanan’s the one who’s earned it, don’t give up on that. Both of you deserve better than that.”

“He does, you’re right,” Hera agreed, her voice low. “I just don’t want to ruin what Kanan and I have by--”

“Telling him that you love him?” Depa reached out and touched her hand, her eyes kind. “You don’t have to. But honesty is important in any relationship, whether it’s romantic or not. And will you regret it if you don’t? Just think about it, please.”

“I-- I will,” Hera promised, unsure whether it was fear or determination swelling in her chest. Depa smiled and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

“Good. Now, get dressed. You have a party to get to.”

Half an hour later, Hera was wearing the amazing dress Hadassah had given her, along with a set of silver ear cone pendants set with teal gems and a matching bracelet. She waited by the door of the ballroom for Kanan, who still hadn’t arrived. Is he even coming? She wondered with a flash of worry-- silly worry, really. Kanan wouldn’t just stand her up, and it was his party, too.

Seconds after she thought the words, she heard footsteps behind her, and Kanna’s voice. “Sorry I’m late,” he called. “Ezra needed something before I left.”

“Don’t worry about it--”

Hera’s words stuttered to a halt in her mouth as she stared at Kanan, who gaped right back at her. She usually saw him in his casual every-day wear, or occasionally Jedi robes. What he wore now was nothing like that.

He wore a crisp white shirt with long sleeves and dark trousers. Over the shirt, he had on a navy blue jerkin with teal embroidery that brought out the vibrant color in his eyes. At his hip hung his lightsaber, which Hera had only rarely seen him with.

“Wow,” he breathed as he stared at her. “You’re… wow.”

“You… you look incredible,” Hera managed. And it was the truth. A small smile lifted the corner of Kanan’s mouth.

“Thanks,” he said, closing the distance between them and capturing her hand in his. Hera felt her heart start pounding as he gazed at her, seeming to drink in the sight of her. “But trust me,” he murmured. “No one’s going to be looking at me when you’re standing next to me.”

“I will be.” Hera felt her face warm the minute the words slipped out of her mouth, because it sounded like flirting. It was flirting, she knew. But she really couldn’t help herself, especially with him standing inches away from her, looking at her the way he was.

A crooked grin danced across Kanan’s face. “Really, Captain Syndulla? Flirting at a time like this?”

“Well, it is our engagement party,” Hera pointed out, feeling a ridiculous sense of relief. Kanan was here with her, and even his presence made this whole thing a little easier to deal with. Well, except for the fact that she was incredibly caught off guard by how handsome he looked tonight.

Offering her his arm, Kanan said, “That’s true. And we should probably head in. Are you ready?”

Looping her arm around his, Hera replied, “Not remotely. Let’s do this.”

“That’s the spirit.”

They moved into the ballroom subtly, but somehow everyone noticed them the moment they set foot inside. Hera could feel the eyes on her, and she stiffened, trying not to panic. Kanan’s thumb brushed against her bare upper arm, sending a quick shiver down her spine. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice too low for anyone else to hear. “Take a deep breath. I’m here.”

Somehow, that was more comforting than anything else he could have said. Hera took a quick deep breath as Mace and Depa headed their way. Depa was clad in a lavender dress, while Mace looked majestically elegant in formal Jedi robes, the dark scar across his eyes totally unhidden.

Giving both of them a warm smile, Depa said, “You both look wonderful, although you are a little late.”

“Sorry-- Ezra was trying to convince me to smuggle him cake in my pockets,” Kanan apologized.

“I’m sure that’s what the guests will think happened,” Mace muttered with a small smirk that looked a little too much like his grand Padawan’s.

“Manners, Mace,” Depa said. “And I can’t believe I’m saying that to you instead of the other way around. Okay, here’s what you two need to do-- mingle a little bit, say hello to the guests. Make sure to greet Governor Pryce--”

“Absolutely not,” Kanan said flatly. “She’s the reason Ezra’s parents are--”

“I know that, but we have to be careful, Kanan,” Depa said, her voice firm.

“What-- Pryce isn’t some invincible succubus,” Kanan protested. “She’s a regular succubus, who can be defeated.”

Releasing a sigh, Depa turned to Hera. “When Pryce comes over-- she’s the one with the short black hair, Imperial uniform--”

“Don’t look straight into her eyes, though,” Kanan muttered.

“Why, because she’ll turn you to stone?” Mace asked.

“No, because her eyes are ugly.”

Letting out a sigh, Depa said, “Perhaps it’s better if Hera does the talking.”

“Perhaps,” Hera agreed.

“Fine,” Kanan said, not looking upset. “Anything else?”

Nodding, Depa said, “Yes. Actually try to have a good time. And don’t forget to have at least one dance.”

“Finally, something I can get behind,” Kanan said with a grin, and Hera was suddenly very aware of how close they were standing, of his arm brushing against hers.

She saw a slight smile flicker across Depa's face, but all the Jedi said was, “Have fun, you two.”

Turning, she led Mace away as the music began and a few couples started to move out onto the dance floor. One in particular caught Hera’s eye--- a man with dark hair and a scar across one eye, dressed in all black, including a long black coat embroidered in gold. At his side was a slight woman, her long curly hair hanging loose and free. She was dressed in a floor length golden silk gown, with a decorative aqua panel along the bodice and a matching sash. Slim straps hung the gown from her shoulders, which were bare except for a gauzy aqua veil that was clasped to her wrists with cuffs made of the same golden silk.

“Is that Senator Amidala?” she asked Kanan quietly.

“Yeah-- as it turns out, giant engagement parties are a really good way to get your Rebellion contacts in close proximity so you can exchange information. There’ll probably be a meeting tonight with some of the leaders-- including them.”

Hera followed Kanan’s discreet nod to a dark haired woman wearing dark blue, dancing with a man in a matching cape who Hera suddenly recognized. “Wait-- Senator Organa’s here, too?”

Nodding, Kann said, “As is Senator Mothma, the Duchess of Mandalore, and about a dozen others. The Jedi aren’t submitting. We’re just waiting for the right moment to strike.” Flashing her a teasing grin, he added, “And to think, you thought we were just sitting around letting the Empire walk all over us.”

“Well, you were acting that way very convincingly,” Hera pointed out.

“Glad to hear it.”

Spotting a tall woman in Imperial greys making her way through the crowd towards them. Hera muttered, “I think I spotted your friend, Governor Pryce.”

“What? Kriff.” Kanan grimaced. “Time to pretend to be polite.”

“Unless you didn’t see her, and you had something else very pressing to address,” Hera pointed out. “After all, you do owe me at least one dance. Probably more.”

A grin slowly crossed Kanan’s face. “I do, don’t I?” Giving her a bow, he offered her a hand. “Will you dance, Captain Hera?”

Placing her hand in his, Hera said, “With you, I will.”

The two of them moved out onto the dance floor together. The music in the background was sweet and elegant, and she had an excellent partner. True to form, Kanan’s movements were smooth and graceful. “You dance better than I expected,” Hera observed.

“I’ve been practicing,” Kanan admitted with that crooked grin of his. “Didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of my fiancee, after all. Spin.”

Hera obligingly twirled away from Kanan, her hand still locked securely in his. With a gentle tug, Kanan brought her back to him, his arm slipping back around her waist. Hera felt her breath catch as she met his eyes, and was suddenly very aware of the space between them. She was close enough she could sense the warmth of Kanan’s skin, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at her sent a flutter through her stomach.

“You’re staring, dear,” she told him in a soft undertone.

“Is it that obvious?” he asked, his voice equally low.

Lifting an eyebrow, Hera said, “I mean. A little.”

A small wince crossed Kanan’s face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable isn’t the word I’d use,” Hera replied, and something flickered in Kanan’s eyes.

“Then… what would you call it?” he asked, his low baritone holding a soft question beyond his words.

“Cherished.”

The word slipped out before Hera could help it. But it was true. No one had ever looked at her the way Kanan had, the way he was looking at her now. Not like she was an object or a price on the slave market. Like she was something truly priceless.

Kanan’s eyes widened, and he started to speak. But before he could, a voice caught their attention. “Kanan! Mind if I have a word?”

Hera glanced towards the sound, catching sight of Anakin Skywalker heading towards them, a bearded man at his side who Hera realized must be Obi-Wan Kenobi. He shot Hera a look that could only be translated as “I am so sorry for this” as Anakin paused next to them.

“It’s important,” he told Kanan as he and Hera came to a halt.

“Of course,” Kanan said, releasing Hera and stepping away from her. Hera thought she saw a flash of reluctance in his eyes, but if it was there, he masked it well. Glancing at her, he said, “I’m sorry--”

“It’s fine, love,” Hera told him, forcing a smile. “I’ll leave you to it.”

She slipped away from the three of them and headed into the crowd, feeling Kanan’s eyes follow her as she walked. But it wasn’t long before she was out of their sight.

At the far end of the ballroom, there was a door that led out onto a balcony overlooking the Lothal prairie beyond the house. Hera made her way there, and slipped outside.

The cool night breeze was a relief after the nearly stifling warmth of the ballroom-- although not all of it was from the amount of people in there, Hera knew. She felt heat sweep over her again as her mind wandered back to dancing with Kanan, the warmth of his skin seeping through her dress.

Taking a quick breath, Hera pressed her hands against the cold stone of the balcony railing and stared out at Lothal’s moons shimmering amongst the stars above them. Two out of the three were full, just like the night when she’d first met Kanan. She never would have thought that evening that all of this would come about, that she would end up engaged to a man she’d just met.

That she would end up falling in love with him.

Hera pressed her eyes shut, taking a shaky breath. Force. She wasn’t even sure if he felt the same way. But that didn’t exactly stop her from thinking about Kanan, from wanting to be near him, from wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

“Hera?”

Kanan’s voice came from directly behind her, low and warm. Hera took in a quick breath, then turned to face him. The light from the doorway illuminated him from behind, the shadows obscuring his expression.

“Depa said she saw you heading this way,” he said, moving up next to her. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Hera said, and Kanan settled beside her, resting his forearms on the balcony railing.

“Sorry we got interrupted earlier,” he said, flicking a quick glance her way. “Apparently, Skywalker’s daughter had collected some important intel he wanted to share as soon as possible.”

“It’s fine, love,” Hera said. “I understand.”

She sensed Kanan stiffen next to her, and frowned. What did I-- oh.

“You called me love,” he said, his voice soft.

“I-- yeah, I did,” Hera said, feeling herself flushing. Of course this would be how it came out. She was trying to think of what to say next when Kanan spoke.

“Do you ever wish this was real?”

Hera froze, her brain going blank. All she could manage to say was, “What?”

“This whole thing, this engagement. Do you ever wish it was real? Because I-- I can’t lie to you, Hera.” Kanan turned towards her, and Hera felt her heart stutter against her breastbone as he met her gaze. “I do,” he said. “I’m sorry--”

“Don’t be.” The words slipped out of Hera’s mouth, but she didn’t even try to take them back. She couldn’t, not with the way Kanan was looking at her now, his eyes wide but full of something that made Hera flush.

“Hera,” he whispered. “I would never, ever do anything to push past your boundaries.”

“I know,” Hera said, her gaze locked on Kanan’s face and her heartbeat steadily rising as she watched him.

“But I really, really want to kiss you right now.” Kanan paused, his eyes lingering on her, then stepped a little closer. “Can I…?”

Hera closed the distance between them without hesitation. Her lips met his, and Hera was nearly swept off her feet by the dizzy array of emotions washing over her. A strong arm slipping around her waist steadied her as Kanan kissed her back, gently drawing her close.

They broke apart a few moments later, and Hera took a quick breath in. “Force, Kanan.”

“Can you tell I’ve been waiting a while to do that?” Kanan asked, his voice amused.

“Maybe a little,” Hera said, letting her forehead rest against his. “I-- how does this even happen? Who could have seen this coming?”

Kanan paused, then let out a soft chuckle that Hera more felt that heard. “Uh. Possibly Mace.”

“What??” Hera pulled back enough to see his face. “What are you talking about?”

“The first day you were here, he told me the Force led him to you, and it wanted you here,” Kanan said. “I didn’t know why at the time, but he seemed pretty confident.”

“And you think the Force wanted us together?” Hera said, lifting an eyebrow. “The mystical Force that binds the whole galaxy together could not possibly be invested in our relationship.”

“Well, you never know,” Kanan said, giving her a cocky smirk. “We are pretty amazing.”

“You are a pain, dear,” Hera said with a roll of her eyes.

“Lucky for you I’m your pain,” Kanan said. Pausing, he asked, “Will you call me love again?”

“Kiss me, love,” Hera said, and Kanan happily obliged.

[jasmine-the-fox]

Lose the model but win a hero

So this was a story idea (salt idea) I had because I love Jon and Mari ships very much! Yeah I love Damienette too but I wanted more of this one, I sadly don’t know how to link chapters with first, previous and next plus i’m lazy so i’m not trying at all!

Chapter 1: The trip

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was many things, talented, sweet, caring, kind hearted, helpful and many more... But a bully? A thief? No way was she any of those things, but Lila Rossi says she is... So who would her class believe?

Of course... They believe Lila... Well most of them do, only Chloe, Sabrina and Adrien in class believed her, after Lila tried to get Mari expelled and claimed her then to be a bully, Adrien decided that being the better person wasn’t going to work so he with Chloe and Sabrina protected Mari. Then there was Luka and Kagami, Luka was told by his sister all kinds of things Mari did to sweet Lila... But one phone call from Mari told him it was all a lie, Kagami was told by Adrien during a fencing lesson.

So together, they help out Mari whenever something happens, of course Chat Noir also knew everything... Since he is Mari’s partner with the mask on, one day on patrol Ladybug broke down into tears and admitted to Chat what happens at school and him being Adrien figured out who she was, they revealed themselves to each other and have been an even better team then before he flirted and tried to make her go on dates with him.

Her parents also knew about her being Ladybug... And the truth with the school, Tikki made sure that no akuma came for them the whole time they were angry at how terrible the school was, what was worse was after they calmed down, they tried to have them transfer her to another class but Caline refused as she wanted to be with her same class until they graduate and the class wanted Mari to apologize to Lila... How could they get that if she changed classes?

Because of this, Luka went solo and Mari was able to help him train under Jagged Stone, Adrien got Mari an internship at his father’s company (after Gabriel fired Lila, why have a liar and the true bad influence working for him when he could develop true talent named Marinette Dupain-Cheng?) Chloe helped manage Mari’s own work and Sabrina kept Mari’s MDC-designs website up and running and selling her work for amazing prices.

But of course... She would be drained at some point, with miss Bustier pushing all her work on Mari, the class attacking her for things she never did to Lila and the denied request of switching classes... It was tiring her out... And her parents saw this well, they didn’t want this to continue so they tried to help, Sabrina took care of parts of the work the teacher pushed on Mari, Chloe would play the daddy card whenever the class tried to do something, Adrien began pointing things out to the principal that would help if Mari changed classes heck! Even Gabriel made sure Mari took breaks every once in a while.

But it wasn’t enough.

She was still drained, sometimes Mari didn’t get out of bed so her parents would call in sick for her, Kagami would check on her while her parents worked in the bakery, it helped but they all knew Mari needed something else before things get worse... So her parents began to make a plan for her... And they hoped it would go well for her in the end.

There were just a few more days before summer begins and Mari couldn’t wait to just relax with her friends, she didn’t care if Alya demanded some baked goods or if Rose needed a new dress. She was going to keep her phone off and relax the whole time it happened, luckily nothing bad happened today so she got back home without any injuries and found her parents smiling at her as she walked in... Confusing her quite a bit “What’s going on?” she asked as she got to the counter.

Tom and Sabine weren’t sure if this whole plan was even going to work in the first place... But at least they were going to try “Marinette” her father spoke getting her full focus on the both of them “We hate to see you so drained because of school... So your father and I worked together to pay for you to go to Metropolis for the whole summer” Sabine explained making Mari’s eyes widen and she squealed of joy as she hugged them and then rushed to her room to start planning what she needed to pack and make a list of things.

“I need to make a list of things to buy for each of my friends and family, buy some fabric there for new outfit ideas, make a list of things to do while i’m there...” Mari was off rambling in her room as Tikki giggled at her wielder as she wondered if she should let the others know about all of this happening, so she took Mari’s phone and got on the group chat she had for her friends to tell them the good news about the trip making her friends plan to see Mari and help her get ready for the whole thing.

The next day, Mari wasn’t showing any sign of being tired or sad... Lila didn’t like that at all, Chloe and Sabrina greeted her with a smile as the two showed her lists of places to see in Metropolis and places to eat at, Mari was happy as Adrien came to join them and talk about what he was planning for the summer making them all happy for him to be able to relax and not need to actually work... Thanks to Chloe of course, they then sat together in the back to talk together before class starts... While ignoring Lila’s talking about going to Gotham to see the Wayne family.

None of them cared about how she was claiming to have spoken with someone in the Gotham gazette for Alya to intern there after school instead of going to college, or how she claimed to the members of Kitty section that even without Luka part of the band... She had a few managers in the music industry ready to help them, or about pretty much anything else she claimed to anyone she could “help” none of it was true and very soon she would be found out.

When Bustier came in everyone went quiet to listen to her lesson “Today will be doing team projects, everyone get into teams of four or three” she said making everyone do as she said, Lila was getting up to see Adrien only to be shocked as he looked to the girls “Let’s work hard together” forming a team of four, it angered her as she then sat next to Alya and Nino and cried about how Mari more than likely forcing Adrien to work with her.

Alya went to there teacher about this and she nodded in understanding once everyone sat down in there teams “Adrien” she said making the model look at her “Why don’t you go into Alya, Lila and Nino’s team instead?” she said making Chloe sigh, Sabrina glare and Mari simply wanted to slap there teacher “No thanks miss. I’m happy with my team” he said making Alya look shocked as Caline composed herself and then spoke “But are you sure? None of them are forcing you to be on that team?” she asked making him glare as she went pale “If Alya claimed that Mari forced me to be on this team then i’ll tell my father about your actions” he claimed making her go pale as the two girls looked away in fear.

The day began with starting a team project... And ended with three exams completed, Lila crying about Mari destroying something of hers during lunch (she was at the bakery) coming back to the class about to attack her only for Adrien to defend her and then two more exams finished... Mari needed a hot bath and a nap badly, Adrien wouldn’t mind doing tonight's patrol for just one time right?

He actually didn’t since he then checked up on her while she slept to leave her a note of his report for the night patrol.

As the last week of school came to an end, Mari was excited as they slowly arrived to the last day of school... Without knowing Lila’s last scheme for the year on the girl, it happened during lunch, Mari with her friends went to the bakery to eat, Lila during this time snuck to the lockers room after claiming she needed to get her medication... Only to open Mari’s locker and her own to slowly start tearing up her own stuff and then stuffing the knife and paint into Mari’s locker.

Once she was done she cleaned up her hands and ran towards her group crying about her locker being getting into and destroying her things, everyone in the group was shocked as they went to open it and see she was right, Rose went to get the principal and miss Bustier as Alya decided to open Mari’s locker (how she knew her locker combination was a mystery) and found what was used in Lila’s locker “How could Mari do such a thing!? I just wanted to be her friend” she exclaimed as then a new figure walked in.

“That’s because she didn’t” they turned to find Luka there holding out his phone playing a video of Lila destroying her own things and then dumping the weapons into Mari’s locker “If you had taken the time to fully clean up... You would have cleaned your paint fingerprints from Mari’s locker” he pointed out making the principal get the police to look into it.

When the group came back, they watched Lila being forced into a cop car and being driven away, Mari’s locker open for everyone to look into to find a knife and paint and Lila’s locker open to find her stuff destroyed... No one would tell them what happened but Luka who was cleaning Mari’s locker.

The day ended with Mari furious, no she wasn’t getting a new locker, no she wasn’t getting a new lock and no she wasn’t allowed to report how Lila tried to accuse Mari of destroying her stuff... She was furious that the principal didn’t care, while she may not be getting a new locker, Chloe promised she would have another locker for the next year, Sabrina promised to set up little camera’s in the locker to record anything that might happen and Adrien promised to get her a new lock to use... She would just leave her old lock in the trash since she now knew Alya knew her combination.

Summer was looking up to her now... She just couldn’t wait to get to Metropolis now!

Next

[whatisthiscontentyouspeakof]

Miraculous: Tales of Another Life (Rough)

This is just a rough draft. I haven’t edited it, some characters may seen OOC (some are that way on purpose) and I may contradict parts of the story later on. Feedback is welcomed.

Summary: Google claims that Osteosarcoma is the third most common type of cancer founding youths. How would Marinette’s life change if at a young age she was diagnosed with cancer, eventually losing her limbs?

Next

Origins Day 1 Part 1

“Marinette!” Sabine Cheng called out. “Your alarms been going off  for 15 minutes. You’re going to be late on your first day back at school. 

“Got it mom.” Marinette called back, still half asleep. She was surprise to see the only notification on her phone was for missed alarms. She was expecting a million texts by now. 

Stretching, Marinette wiggled out from under her covers, scooting down to the end of her bed. She leaned down, grabbing her rose gold coloured bionic arm from it’s resting place and slipped it into position on her left arm. Happy with it’s position she flexed the robotic fingers out before bring them into a fist to make sure the arm was responding properly. 

Marinette repositioned herself so she lined up with the slide that met her bed before pushing herself down, ascending from her loft to the main part of her room. She picked up her elbow crutches before making her way to the vanity. She went through her morning routine, cleaning her face, putting on the small amount of makeup she did, and putting her hair up into pigtails. From there she moved to closet, puling out the outfit she’d pick the day before, tossing it onto the chaise. She replaced her light grey sleeping shirt with the white top with a flora pattern along the top left of it. She slipped on the dark grey jacket she decided to wear with it, the sleeves already rolled up so they fell just above her elbows. 

Marinette then sat down on her chaise, leaning her crutches against the wall. She grabbed her leg liner, slipping it over her left leg before grabbing the pink jeans that would bring her outfit together. She reached out, grabbing her prosthetic leg and slipping the left pant leg over it, the black socks and pink flats already on her prosthetic foot. Once everything was on right, she bent the prosthetic knee until it match positions with her flesh knee. She slipped her left leg into the prosthetic socket before placing her right leg in the right pant leg. Slipping the jeans up to her knees she stood up and pulled them the rest of the way up. She carefully stepped back and forth to make sure her leg was properly adjusted and working before grabbing her school bag and phone and heading over to her trap door.

Marinette made her way down the stairs, having learned over the years, and a few poorer quality prosthetics, that rushing would only result in her tripping and potentially falling down the stairs.  She gave her mom, who was in the kitchen a kiss on the cheek before going over to the barstool,  using her right hand to press against the seat to lift herself up onto the chair. She started pouring milk into the bowl her mom had set out for her before grabbing the cereal and adding it. 

“Excited for your first day?” Sabine asked her daughter. 

“You mean for another year of disappointment?” Marinette asked. 

“Who knows Marinette, maybe this year will be your guys’ lucky year. It’s bound to happen eventually. That man can’t keep him locked up forever.” Sabine said. 

“Me? Lucky?” Marinette asked. As if proving her point as she places the cereal box down, an orange fell from the fruit bowl, rolling down a baguette that had been leaning against said bowl, over the knife half in the butter, flipping the spoon out of the sugar cube bowl causing some to toss out, before someone to an end knocking over the carton of milk and yogurt cup. And then just to spite Marinette, another orange knocked over the cereal bowl.

“Uoh.” Marinette groaned. That was just like her luck.

Sabine came over to mop up the milk that had spilt on the floor while Marinette cleaned up the cereal. Sabine let out a little chuckle, rubbing a hand against her daughters cheek to try and cheer her up a bit. After all, if she got all her bad luck out of the way while she was home then she had a better chance of having good luck at school. Marinette smiled at her mom before tucking in to her breakfast, she had school after all. 

Marinette made her way down to the bakery to hear her dad ‘la la-ing’ along to a song only in his head. Her turned around having heard her enter to show her the box of macaroons he had made for her to bring for her class.

“Dad, these are so awesome!” Marinette exclaimed. They looked so good she couldn’t wait until she could share them with her new classmates, if they had any this year. Collège Françoise Dupont seemed to like to keep students together since there hadn’t been a new classmate in almost three years. 

“Glad you like them.” Tom Dupain said, closing the lid. 

“Thank you dad,” Marinette said, carefully taking the box from her dad. “My class will love them. You’re the best.”

“We’re the best, thanks to your amazing designs.” Tom said picking up his daughters sketch book which was open to the bakeries new logo that Marinette had designed. 

Marinette smiled happily at her dad before flinging her arms around him to pull him into a hug, forgetting that she had the dessert box in her hands. The box went sailing towards the floor. 

Tom let out a little laugh as her caught them with him foot, tossing them back up in the air before catching them. 

“Thanks,” Marinette said, before grabbing her backpack from her mom, who was checking to make sure she had everything, giving her mom a quick kiss on the cheek before doing the same with her dad as she took the dessert box back. “See you tonight.” She said as she headed out the door.

Marinette tried to rush to make the light but it turned just as she made it to the cross walk. She sighed, realizing she was probably going to be late now. She really needed to get an alarm that could actually get her up on time, since by now it was obvious that she wasn’t just going to be able to go to bed earlier, not when inspiration always hit her at night. 

She glanced up and almost screamed in alarm. An elderly man was in the middle of crossing, back heavily arched as he leaned on his cane for support, moving slowly. Marinette glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed the man, panicking when she saw a car speed towards him. Not knowing what else to do and not want to see him hit, she rushed out into the road, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the sidewalk. Her flesh foot caught against the sidewalks curb and she fell to the ground just as the car zoomed past. 

“Thank you miss,” the elderly man said. “Oh, what a disaster.”

Marinette groaned, picking herself up off the ground, to see that the dessert box had landed on the ground next to her, half the macaroons were now either on the ground or broken. Oh well, at least they made it out of the house in one piece. 

Marinette made a noise of disappointment as the people around them walk past as if nothing had happened, some even stepping the macaroons that had fallen out. “Oh don’t worry.” Marinette assured the stranger. “I’m no stranger to disasters, besides, there’s still a few left.” She held out the box for him to grab one.

“Mmm, delicious!” The man said after having taken a bite. 

A bell rang out from the school. 

“Oh no, I’m going to be late.” She bowed politely to the man. “Have a nice day sir.” 

She started rushing to the school hoping that it was only to first bell to tell everyone to head to class and not the second one that would mean she was late. As she made her way to the front door, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw kids still making their way into the building.

“There you are Dupain-Cheng.” A voice called out from behind her.

Oh, maybe she had breathed that sigh of relief too soon. 

“Chloe!” She turned around to see her friend standing there, arms crossed.

“You’re so lucky you’re not late.” Chloe said taking the box from her friend and opening it to grab a cookie. “Had a little cookie accident?”

“Drop them when I pulled an old man out of the way from being hit by a car.” Marinette explained as her friend took a bite out of one of the cookies. “I’’m just glad I got there in time and that some of the cookies lived.”

Chloe shook her head. “Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. You’d think someone without prosthetics would help out instead of letting the disabled kid save the old man, not that you’re not perfectly capable.” 

Marinette hummed. She and Chloe made their way into the school, towards Mrs. Bustier class since there wouldn’t be enough time for her to stop by her locker now.

“Any sign of him?” Marinette asked. 

“No, but I’m sure he’ll be here any moment.” Chloe said, her nose high in the air.

“Chlo, I know you don’t want to hear it but you know how his dad is, there’s a good chance he’s not coming.” Marinette said gently, not wanting her friend to be devastated later on like in previous years.

“I know, but this was the first time we’ve been able to actually enrol him. His dad doesn’t need to know until it’s too late.” Chloe countered.

Sabrina ran up to them excitedly as they neared the classroom. “Chloe, Marinette.” She greeted. “Word has it, we have a new kid in class.”

Chloe looked over at Marinette smugly. Looks like he had made it after all.

The three walked in class as the second bell rang, not technically late. Mrs. Bustier was calling for Nino, a student they’d shared class with since the third grade, to move to the front row. Marinette handed Sabrina one of the macaroons as they headed to their tables. Marinette set her back on the table in the front row by the window only to find a girl already sitting there.

“You’re not Adrien.” Chloe said, as Sabrina placed both their stuff on the table behind Marinettes. “And you’re in Marinette’s spot.”

“It’s fine Chloe,” Marinette said quietly, feeling disappointed that the blond model wasn’t the so called new student Sabrina had heard about. “I can share.”

“And what about when Adrien gets here, are you just going to abandon him?” Chloe demanded.

“Chlo, you know I wouldn’t do that and I don’t mean that.” Marinette said. “But it’s fine for now. If Adrien shows up then we can figure it out from there, but she’s not doing any harm.”

Chloe huffed but she went and sat in her seat without any more complaints.

“Alright, has everyone found a seat?” Mrs. Bustier asked from the front. 

Marinette turned to her new seat mate handing her a macaroon. “I’m Marinette. Sorry about Chloe, our friend was suppose to start school today but his father, like in past years, probably stopped him. She’s taking it a bit hard, usually she’s not that bad.”

“Alya, and I guess I can understand why she was upset.” The new kid said. She looked down at Marinette’s outreached hand to take the cook and noticed her prosthetic arm. “Oh wicked, just like Bionica, though she’s half robot.”

Marinette smiled, used to getting reactions like this from people her age. She didn’t allow it to bug her, at least it wasn’t coming from an adult, who in her experience were a lot more insensitive. At least this Alya girl thought her arm was cool. 

“You a superhero fan?” she asked.

“More like a super fan.” Alya said. She reached in her bag and pulled out phone, her screen saver being the latest comic Majestia cover. “My favourite is by far Majestia. She says ‘all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing’. Words to live by, right?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said with a smile. “If you want help getting around school, I can show you around after class since I’m class deputy.”

Alya returned her smile. “That’d be great. Kind of new to Paris, not just this school so knowing my way around somewhere would be great.”

Marinette grinned before turning back to the front as Mrs. Busier called them to attention.

Next

[sincerelymarinette]

A Recorded Life (9/50) - Miraculous Ladybug

Words: 1710 Chapter Summary: Marinette is a professional in self-doubt, and that shows after the past few days. As a bonus, she finally unveils her design for Adrien, inspired by a certain cat themed hero! Author's Note: This chapter was so much fun to write and I picture it in my head so clearly. I wanted so badly to draw how the Chat Noir inspired outfit looks, but I do graphic art and not really drawing people, BUT maybe I'll get to it and just draw on a mannequin lol. If anyone wants to try their hand at it, too, that would be awesome ;) I'm still trying to figure out where to put the climax in the story...and I keep having ideas for the story, so it seems this could go on for a while haha

Prev / Next / Masterlist

The Chat Noir Outfit Reveal!

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Friday

Marinette was scrambling trying to get things done. Adrien was on his way to make the newest video of the Chat Noir inspired outfit, and Marinette was losing her mind.

"Tikki! This will never be perfect. If I can't finish something as simple as this, I'll never make it as a designer," She groaned.

"You need to calm down," Tikki said, calmly. She rushed over to the computer and hit the space bar to play Jagged Stone's new song he sent Marinette. It was a slower one that Marinette loved, about living life and how it hits you in unexpected ways. Marinette covered her eyes and fell back onto her chair.

"Why do I keep freaking out like this?" She sighed. "First, I freak out on patrol. Now I'm going to freak out right before Adrien gets here and ruin the whole mood of the night," She said. "I'm a mess."

Tikki floated next to Marinette's head. "You need to take some deep breaths and listen to the song. You said you like this song, and it's about what you're going through right now. Just listen to it and let yourself sit peacefully."

As Tikki talked Marinette through her freak out, her parents were caught talking to Adrien in the bakery. "We're so happy you and Marinette have become such good friends," Sabine told him. "I always knew you guys would be good together."

"I'm glad we've gotten closer, too!" Adrien smiled widely. "We only really hung out with Alya and Nino before, but now it's like we've known each other for years."

"The world works in mysterious ways," Sabine nodded and grabbed a tray of cookies from behind the counter. "Take these up with you, will you? Marinette has been beyond stressed since her meeting with Jagged Stone and has barely eaten. If you can get her to eat just one, you'll be even more amazing. And feel free to have as many as you want, too!" Sabine said as Adrien nodded and she pushed him towards the steps to their house.

Adrien knew where to go, and he really loved how quaint their home was. He could hear Marinette talking to herself, and started to walk up the stairs to her room. With a few knocks on the trap door, he waited until he was allowed to come in.

"Marinette? It's Adrien!" He yelled through the door.

Marinette wiped her eyes. "Hide, Tikki," She whispered as she sat up. "Come in," Marinette replied to Adrien, and the door opened a second later. She smiled weakly as she saw Adrien enter her room with a plate of cookies.

"Sorry I'm a little early, but your mom sent me with cookies! She wants you to eat at least one- were you crying?" Adrien asked, stopping quickly and staring at Marinette's puffy eyes.

She shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm fine, do you want to get to work?" She asked and gestured towards the mannequin with a sheet over it.

"No," Adrien said and set the cookie tray down near her desk. "I want you to tell me what's wrong," He said warmly and took a seat next to her.

Marinette took a deep breath and laid back, just like she was with Tikki. "I'm just stressed, that's all. I'm way in over my head, and I'm freaking out, you know?"

"I do," Adrien nodded.

"There's just so much going on between school, my YouTube channel, working in the bakery, and now this big project I took on by Jagged Stone, I'm never going to survive," Marinette groaned. "I shouldn't be complaining. You're much busier than me."

The room was silent for a second. "You do so much, Marinette, I honestly don't know how you do it."

"What?" Marinette asked and turned her head to look at Adrien.

Adrien grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit up. "You do so much! I'd go crazy if I were you. You say I do a lot, but you do ten times more. You work in the bakery, run two YouTube channels with near-daily videos, you're in the last year of school, somehow you design new pieces almost weekly, and now you've taken up this huge project from Jagged Stone! I don't know how you maintain a social life," Adrien said. "You're, like, a superhero," He chuckled.

"Really, I don't know how you do it all. So many things stacked on top of one another, yet it all turns out amazing with everything you do!" Adrien smiled widely. "I know it can be stressful, and it's okay to cry. Crying is good for you, actually, but you're never going to let anyone down with everything you do," Adrien complimented.

Marinette took a deep breath. "Thank you," She said. "This is the second time this week I've freaked out like this, and I guess I really needed to hear it again. I had a major freak out the night before I met up with Jagged, and I don't know why it just hit me again. But thank you, Adrien, sometimes talking about it helps," She said. With a deep breath and a wipe of her eyes, she stood up. "Do you want to see the outfit?"

Adrien shook his head and stood up, too. "Not until you eat a cookie."

Marinette groaned and grabbed a cookie off the tray on her desk. After taking a bite, she gave a sarcastic smile. "There, happy?"

"Very!" Adrien nodded. "Now you can start the video and reveal the outfit to me."

With a deep breath, Marinette grabbed her camera and aimed it at Adrien. "Hi! I'm Marinette, behind the camera," She said and moved her hand around to the front of the camera to wave. "Your favorite is here, too. Today is finally the day! I have finished the outfit Adrien will model for us, and I think it's safe to say, Chat Noir would be proud."

"If it's black and green, then I think he would love it," Adrien said and grabbed the end of the sheet. "May I?" He asked, and Marinette nodded, resulting in Adrien yanking the sheet off the mannequin. He gasped loudly as he dropped the sheet. "Who cares if he approves- I approve! Guys, look at this beauty!"

Marinette moved the camera to show off the design that Adrien was gushing about. "I can't wait to wear it, it's so awesome," Adrien continued from behind the camera.

"Let me do an awesome montage moment, then you can wear it," Marinette chuckled and began moving her camera up and down to get all angles of the outfit, hyping it up as much as she could. A minute passed, and she shut the camera off. "Okay, it's all yours to try on." Adrien smiled widely as Marinette helped take it off the mannequin and handed it to him.

"This is going to be so awesome, Mari," He said. "You're so unbelievably talented. Chat Noir should be proud to have this outfit inspired by him," He commented.

She giggled. "One night, I was outside after a long time of editing, and he was jumping around and told me he liked my videos. I wonder if he'll see this one," Marinette said.

Adrien shrugged. "Your videos can be addicting. I'm sure if he has any idea something could be related to him, he'll watch the video," Adrien smiled and walked towards the bathroom to change into his new outfit.

Marinette shook her head and scrolled through her phone as she waited for Adrien to reappear. "Mari, get the camera ready. I have the best idea!" Adrien called from the bathroom. She did as told, and started recording, pointing the camera at the bathroom door.

"Ready!" She yelled back. The door opened a second later, and Adrien stuck his arm out of the door. It was just his hand to about halfway up his arm, and showed the gloves and the end of the leather jacket. Then, he extended his leg out to show the black jeans with green accents. A moment later, he walked out to show the full outfit with a smug look on his face. "Oh my god," Marinette gasped.

Adrien dropped the look, and a smile grew on his face. "Marinette, this is so badass!" He said and looked all over the outfit. "The pants are my favorite. Black jeans and green stitching? It all works so well together."

The two continued showing off the outfit, and Adrien even did a runway walk around Marinette's room to give the full effect. "If it wasn't clear before, it's clear now. Your future line is going to be the best damn thing the world will ever see. I can't wait to be your star model!" Adrien winked. "Well, if you'd have me."

Marinette shook her head with an eye-roll. "Silly kitty," She joked as she motioned towards the hood of the jacket with slight cat ears. "I'd actually have to have a line first before we can even think about models. Not to mention going through fashion school, and finding a fashion house..."

"Pish-posh," Adrien shrugged. "You'll soar through all of that. I mean, look at the stuff you're making now! Someone would be crazy to pass you up!"

Marinette giggled and turned the camera to face her. "I think it's time for the flattery to end, so this looks like a good place to end the video. Thank you all for watching. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more! Keep updated on both mine and Adrien's social media, and I will see you next time! That is, if I can get that outfit off of him and back on the mannequin..." She looked to Adrien, who was now standing beside her.

A smirk appeared on Adrien's face. "Well, Mari, if you were trying to get me undressed, you should have just said so," He moved his eyebrows up and down.

Clearly, that wasn't what she meant, but it did come out sounding a bit weird. Marinette's face turned red, but she tried to suppress it. She groaned and looked at the camera. "Adrien, your Chat Noir is showing," She finished, and shut the camera off.

---

@lady-of-the-roses-and-lilies @bookishserendipity03 @avatheexceed @gkz10 @coccinellegirl @kat-thatoneweirdo @strawberryblondish @snow-swordswoman @lilgaga98

[choicesfanficanonymous]

Summer in Winby - Part 2

Pairing: Sebastian x MC

Book(s): The Freshman series

Word Count: 6,636                                                                                            

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Sebastian and Bianca spend time together leading to a confession.

Author’s Note: The final part of my fanfic. This turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. Pixelberry owns the characters. Some of the names may be unfamiliar; Sofia Morena and Nathan Abidi are from Hollwood U and Lucy Hermon was in Seth and Tejas’ movie in Red Carpet Diaries.

Tag List (per author request):  @desiree-0816 @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @lilyofchoices @itsbrindleybinch @sinclaire-made-me-sin @khakie4 @friedherringclodthing @darley1101 @cora-nova @silverofdreams

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“…Alright, thank you” Bianca said and hung up the phone. Just as she did, her mother knocked on the door to the bedroom.

“Sorry am I interrupting?” she asked and lingered in the doorway.

“Oh no, I was just checking on flights to London, I have to get my stuff out of the apartment”.

“Wait, are you…?”

“Oh no not yet anyway” Bianca said and started to admire to her mother’s outfit, she had on a white blouse, capris, and sandals. “Where are you heading off to?”

“Your father is taking me to dinner and a local concert” Maureen answered, her voice full of excitement as she smoothed the creases on her outfit.

Bianca smiled but looked away, her thoughts drifted to the date nights she and James used to have. Maureen walked over to Bianca and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry, I know you are probably still getting used to…you know”.

“Yeah…” Bianca shook her head, her voice trailing off.

“Bianca, maybe it just wasn’t meant to be” Maureen said. A small part of her was relieved that her daughter and James broke up, she found the Ashtons to be snooty and stiff. “It’ll be okay, trust me” Maureen said and gave her hug.

Bianca shook her head, perhaps her mother was right. James had moved on to Reyna, but old feelings had a way of coming back.

“Honey, we better get going” Stephen said as he appeared in the doorway. “You okay Chickadee?” he looked between his wife and daughter, both with solemn looks on their faces.

“I’m okay, you two go have fun” Bianca said.

Once her parents had left, Bianca fixed herself a cup of tea and grabbed one of Vasquez’s books. “I guess it’s just us tonight” she said and looked between Bella and Blue, both looking at her expectantly. Bianca exited the kitchen to the deck and took a seat on the love seat and began reading. Blue sat at her feet while Bella jumped up next to her and snuggled up against her thigh.

Sometime later her phone rang. As Bianca picked up her phone, her heart sank when she recognized the number—it was Alice Balewa. “Hello…” she stammered.

“Bianca, are you okay?” Alice asked.

“Sorry, just…I wasn’t expecting the call” Bianca said quietly.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything…I wanted to check in and see how things are going in London?”

“Things aren’t going anywhere” Bianca answered back.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line until Bianca heard Alice sigh. “What happened?”

Bianca began to explain how things were fine when she first started at Quills and then the gradual changes that took place. Bianca then told her about the day she was let go.

“I’m terribly sorry Bianca, I’m guessing you’re at back at home now?”

“No, parents invited me to join them in Winby, after that…I don’t know”.

“I might know of an opportunity for you, it’s a little different but it’s something”.

Bianca began to consider Alice’s offer, what if this one blows up in my face too?She thought. Then again, the summer was already cruising by and she needed to have a plan for the fall. “What is it?”.

“Working for a magazine in Northbridge, I know the Editor in Chief., once I talk to her I’ll make sure she contacts you”.

“Thanks Alice” Bianca said gratefully.

“Don’t mention it, talk to you soon”.

Bianca hung up and set her phone down. She tried to focus on her reading, but she couldn’t. Instead she wrapped the blanket around her body and slowly drifted off to sleep to the sounds of the waves in a distance.

Bianca awoke to the sound of Bella scratching her thigh. Bianca scooted away from her and checked the time on her phone. As she stood up, she saw Blue was not beneath her. “Blue!” she called and began scanning the beach frantically. She quickly ran down the stairs and towards the water. “Blue!” Bianca called again and looked to her right and left…nothing.

“Dammit” Bianca ran back inside and grabbed a flashlight with Bella following close behind. “Stay here” she commanded and snatched a flashlight out of the drawer and closed the door behind her. Bianca scoured the beach, shining the light in every direction and called out for Blue repeatedly.

“Where is he?” Bianca bit her lip, fearing the worse as it got darker outside.

Bianca felt her heart race when she heard barking, she started running when she noticed Blue and another dog chasing each other and tugging on a stick. “Blue!” Bianca called as she approached them.

Blue let go and ran up to her barking excitedly. Bianca knelt down as Blue jumped into her arms and licked her face. “Don’t you ever do that again! Do you understand me?”

Bianca looked at the other dog, a corgi, approached her drooling. “I’m glad you made a friend, but you cannot run off like this” Bianca said to Blue.

“Tyson!”

Bianca stood up and saw a young man jogging towards her, she narrowed her eyes as he got closer. The dirty blonde hair, the lean build, the broad shoulders. Wait…is that? Bianca’s gathered her thoughts coming to the only reasonable conclusion, “Sebastian?”

Sebastian slowed his jog as he came face to face with Bianca. “Bianca? What…” his voice trailed off.

“What are you doing here?” Bianca asked. She held Blue tightly, not trusting herself to set him on the ground.

“I’m…staying at my family’s summer house, what about you?” he said. His piercing brown eyes studying her.

Bianca started to answer but the sight of Sebastian distracted her, he looked different…his arms and chest filled out the navy polo. Large pecs gently rose up and down as he stood in front of her and gained control of his breathing. He also wore a pair of khakis revealing wide, defined thighs. She could only imagine what his backside and butt looked like.

“Bianca?”

Bianca quickly snapped out of her thoughts and spoke, “My cousin, Hanna and her family are allowing my family to stay at their place while they’re out of town”.

Sebastian shook his head as a small smile grew on his face. “I take it he’s yours?” he gestured to Blue.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I dozed off and he must have thought it was okay to explore”.

“Don’t worry about it, Tyson had fun”.

“Is Tyson your dog or…?”

“No he belongs to the Kingsleys. My Aunt and I were having lunch with them and some family friends”.

Bianca shook her head and looked at the ground. Knowing Sebastian’s background and how he and James ran in the same circles, she only knew of one family with that name and immediately thought of Vanessa Kingsley. Another girl who threw herself at James while they were together.

“You’re referring to Vanessa’s family, aren’t you?”

Sebastian shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck, he knew Bianca was not a fan of Vanessa and heard they exchanged words when James took her to a masquerade ball.

“Don’t worry she isn’t here” Sebastian said.

Bianca let out a sigh of relief as she looked out towards the ocean. The sun was setting, and the sky had darkened even more.

“I should be getting back, but it was good to see you Sebastian” Bianca started to turn away heading back to the house.

“You too” Sebastian said and whistled to Tyson who had started to wander off. He turned around to head back to the Kingsley house, but something told him to stop.

“Bianca, wait!” he called.

Bianca stopped and turned to face Sebastian who took a few steps forward. “Yeah?”

“Perhaps we could catch up sometime?” he asked. “I’m not sure how long you are staying but maybe we could get lunch or something?”

“Sure” Bianca shook her head and offered a small smile. “How about tomorrow evening?”

Sebastian shook his head and started back in the opposite direction. Bianca continued on her way back to the house holding Blue. A small part of her was looking forward to spending time with Sebastian as he could be a much-needed distraction.

By the time Sebastian and Sabine arrived back at the Delacroix summer house it was dark outside. Once they got inside Sebastian headed towards the bedroom to take a shower.

“Sebastian, hold on a minute” Sabine said.

Sebastian turned to face his Aunt and raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m heading back to Northbridge in the morning, I have a luncheon and fundraiser to organize” Sabine began and paused for a few minutes. “I wanted to talk to you about this movie”.

“Aunt Sabine…” Sebastian said quietly.  

“Let me finish, from what I have heard, there is good possibility this movie will be released or air on TV…and when it does, you will be recognized”.

Sebastian folded his arms and paced the room in small circles. He looked up at Sabine who studied him carefully.

“I am sure I do not need to tell you that your father will be displeased especially since this movie is practically pornography…however, no matter what happens or becomes of this, I will support you on your future endeavors”.

“Thank you” Sebastian said.

Sabine returned a small smile and gave him a quick hug. After she let him go, she gathered her things and sauntered towards the door. “Take care dear nephew”.

“I will, I love you”.

“Love you too” Sabine said and walked out the front door.

That following evening, Bianca was in her room getting ready to meet Sebastian. She wasn’t sure why she had butterflies in her stomach, it was only Sebastian Delacroix and he did not have the best reputation at Hartfeld. Some of the nicknames he had earned included “Captain Trust Fund”, “Prince Privilege”, and “Mister Daddy Issues”. Although all of those nicknames were true, Bianca felt that wasn’t the Sebastian she came face to face with last evening. He was different and not just physically, the way he spoke, his demeanor…something had changed.

“Where are you off to?”

Bianca turned around to see her father in the doorway. “I ran into a friend from Hartfeld last night, we’re meeting up for drinks”.

Stephen shook his head, Bianca could tell he was under the impression it was either Abbie or Kaitlyn. She decided to let him believe that, knowing he would go into overprotective mode if she told the truth.

“Well, I’ll let you finish getting ready. Your mother and I are going out again so it may be awhile”.

“Have fun” Bianca smiled and resumed rummaging through her clothes. She finally found the right outfit and proceeded to get dressed. As she began fixing her hair in the mirror, she checked her phone, she still hadn’t heard from Alice. Bianca sighed, all she could do was hope for the best. Once she finished getting ready, she slid her phone into her purse and headed off to meet Sebastian.

After the Dryve car dropped her off, Bianca entered a dive bar, to her surprise the crowd looked to be her age. Mostly twenty somethings and early thirties. As she scoped the room, she spotted Sebastian sitting in a booth sipping iced tea. Once she made her way over, Sebastian stood up to greet her, “Hey, you made it”.

“Yeah, it’s pretty crowded tonight” Bianca sat down and set her purse beside her. She looked around at all of the people mingling, laughing, talking, and taking pictures for Pictagram.

“This is actually my first time here” Sebastian replied. He could feel his cheeks starting to warm and turn red. Get it together he said to himself. Before he could speak up a waitress came over to take Bianca’s order and then briskly walking away to retrieve it. “So what’s new with you?” he asked.

“Well, I was at Quills for a while until recently” Bianca answered sourly. She looked up and thanked the waitress who returned with her Sprite.

“I remember Tyler telling me about that and there was an article in the Knightly News about it” Sebastian said. “I guess you’ll be heading back soon?”

“Not in this lifetime” Bianca answered and took a sip of Sprite. “Quills was bought out by a holding company and the new management changed everything”.

“Where does that leave you?”

“Unemployed” Bianca stared down at her drink, stirring the ice with her straw.

“I’m sorry, I know from what Tyler told me you were really excited about that job”.

“Yeah but it’s fine, I have something lined up” she lied. Alice hadn’t returned her call all day.

“Are you and James still together?” Sebastian asked.

Bianca grimaced as she remembered the picture of James and Reyna. “We’ve moved on” she answered. “Enough about me, what have you been up to since graduating?” Bianca asked.

“Well I got more involved with theater and acting”.

Bianca shook her head but could tell he was holding back. Something was going on with him. “Only theater or did you venture into TV and movies?”

Sebastian bit his lip, he wasn’t sure why he was so nervous to talk about his experience especially to Bianca, who was one of the least judgmental people he knew. Sebastian leaned forward, his voice calm. “I did travel to Los Angeles and auditioned for a few movies and pilots, however, after so many rejections it starts to take its toll”.

“Did you book something?” Bianca took another sip.

“I did through this girl named, Lucy Hermon” Sebastian said. “Lucy had been in a few movies and her new one was being directed by Markus Von Groot”.

“What was the movie called?”

“Heated Sensations” Sebastian took another drink looking at the table.

Bianca looked at him carefully and pursed her lips…the title was familiar, “If I remember correctly, that was a book written by a former Hartfeld professor…” Bianca pulled out her phone and began running a search through Google.

Sebastian shook his head looking up at her. “Yes, Markus decided to turn it into a movie”.

“You know when I was at Quills, one of my coworkers did a review for it in our lifestyle section. Sebastian that’s amazing!” Bianca smiled at him, but a somber expression remained on his face. “What’s bothering you about it?”

Sebastian rubbed his forehead and set his drink down. “It’s just…that particular film is not what I want my first role to be”.

Bianca could see where this was going, “Sebastian, you knew what Heated Sensations was about before you signed on, right?”

“I did…the affair between a recovering alcoholic and her married therapist, but I took it anyway” Sebastian sighed, his gaze drifting around the bar which had started to empty. “Once you book so many McDermots commercials it starts to hurt your self-esteem”.

Bianca stared at Sebastian, his usual confident and proud demeanor had melted and now he appeared more vulnerable to her. “When you got the part in Heated Sensations did anything happen on set?”

Before he answered the waitress returned to see if they wanted anything and refilled their drinks. After she walked away Sebastian continued. “Where to begin? Markus is eccentric, ill-mannered, and grubby. There were constant changes to the script and his infamous temper tantrums” he ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath.

“Were you asked to do anything that you weren’t comfortable with?”

“Markus wanted to add the part where Harper is at work with her friend and some guys try to take advantage of them”.

Bianca bit her lip tapped her nails on the wooden table. “It’s been awhile since I read the book…but wasn’t that…?”

“Yeah, Harper was then beaten and raped in an alley, afterwards she ran to Trevor…but he only wanted one thing” Sebastian said shaking his head. “There was another scene where he chokes her while their having sex and Harper is screaming…Bianca, I just…maybe I’m thinking too much into it? A part of me began to wonder if Markus was getting some kind of thrill”.

“Hey, you two we’re closing soon”.

Bianca and Sebastian looked up and saw they were the only ones in the bar, except for a few employees stacking chairs and the bartender wiping off glasses. The manager shot them an annoyed look and pointed to the clock as she wiped down the table.

“Let’s go for a walk” Bianca rose from her seat and grabbed her purse.

Sebastian gave her small smile, knowing the fresh air would calm him. Once they were outside, they started walking through town. Winby was quiet and still the only sound was the ocean nearby. Sebastian continued telling Bianca about filming Heated Sensations, apart from the explicit sex scenes and dark tone of the movie. There was still a story about a young woman trying to find her way. The main character Harper had dreams of going to college, kicking her addiction, and wanted to reunite with her mother. Trevor was in a loveless marriage and a sex addict, he used his patients as an outlet.

“Obviously that role was a lot to take in, especially with you starting out”.

“It’s not how I wanted to make my acting debut” Sebastian said. He stopped at the rail near the docks looking out at the boats.

Bianca looked at him for a moment. From what James had told her, Sebastian was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. A sheltered and comfortable life, things were handed to him. The time he spent in Los Angeles must have been a wake-up call.

“You know you’re one of the first people I talked to about this”.

“I know we’ve had our differences, but I’m here for you” Bianca walked towards him and placed a hand on his broad shoulder. The summer breeze carried the heat from his body and scent of expensive cologne onto her.

Sebastian felt the hairs on his arm stand up when she touched him. There was something about Bianca that was comforting and soothing. He couldn’t tell whether it was the soft tone of her voice or her ample curves.

Bianca didn’t realize how long she had kept her hand on his shoulder until Sebastian had turned to look at her with an intense, soft look on his face. She couldn’t tell whether he was leaning in or whether she was.

Bzzzz bzzzzzzz

Bianca broke from the trance at the sound of her phone and pulled it out of her bag. Kaitlyn was texting her. “Sorry its—”

“No its fine go ahead” Sebastian waved it off and turned away to giver her some privacy.

Bianca opened up the message from Kaitlyn.

Hey, I know you are probably swamped with reporting rn but go to Flix tonight if u can, Heated Sensations is coming on! That Markus guy directed it so it’s going to be some crazy shit lol.

Bianca closed the message and turned to face Sebastian who raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you have to go?”

“No, but I want to ask you…have you seen the final cut from the movie?”

“I can’t say that I have…why do you ask?”

“Well, Flix is going to air it tonight and maybe we can watch it. I know you had an unpleasant experience on set but perhaps facing your fears is what you need right now”.

Sebastian ran his hand through his hair and began pacing. “Bianca, I do not know if I can sit through that movie”.

“I will be right there with you” Bianca took a few steps forward and gave his hand a small squeeze.

Sebastian swallowed, her touch was soft and warm. “Only because I trust you”.

After a while a Dryve car dropped them off at the Delacroix summer house. Once they were inside Sebastian led Bianca to the living room where they turned on the TV and switched the channel to Flix.

Sebastian sat next to Bianca, leaned forward and elbows resting on his thighs. Bianca glanced at him, she could tell there were beads of sweat forming on his forehead. She gently rubbed his back and gave him a small smile once he looked up at her.

Sebastian suddenly felt calmer, her touch was comforting and warm. “I’ll get some water” he said and hurried towards the kitchen. Momentarily he returned with a pitcher of ice water and two glasses.

Soon the movie began with a slow start but quickly picked up. Despite being a Markus Von Groot film, it carried itself well and the plot stayed close to book. Throughout the film Bianca found Sebastian’s portrayal of Trevor to be dark, sinister, and strangely attractive. However, she could see where Sebastian was concerned and uncomfortable. The fight in the alley was cringe worthy and most of the sex scenes were in porn territory—nearly everything was shown. There was also a threesome scene, where Harper and her friend Juniper seduce Trevor in his office. Bianca did her best to focus on the story, but she couldn’t, especially with so many attractive people on the screen. Sebastian had clearly put in some serious work for the role and the way his body looked on screen stirred something within her. The way his taut muscles flexed as he switched positions excited her. Bianca poured herself some water and snuck a peak at Sebastian who watched intently and breathed slowly.

Sebastian glanced at Bianca as he watched the scene, her expression was unreadable as she drunk some water. He quickly looked away and continued watching his movie. He could remember the day he and Lucy filmed this scene. They were both nervous until the assistant director spoke with them. She said think of someone you want to in your bed, want so bad to where you lose yourself. That advice worked for Lucy who announced she would think of her girlfriend back home. However, Sebastian did not have much luck with dating or relationships, Becca Davenport had told him she tried to forget their time together. However, after much thought, his mind settled on one person. Someone who was selfless, nosy, and had a passion for writing. Someone who had given him a taste of his own medicine during the elections at Hartfeld, and now that someone was sitting next to him.

After a while the movie reached the ending scene. Harper got the help she needed and broke things off with Trevor. In the middle of a thunderstorm, she runs to the train station to meet Juniper. After a loving embrace, they board a train heading to Portland and leave the darkness of Los Angeles behind them. As the closing credits began to roll, Sebastian bit his lip and turned to Bianca who set her glass down and looked at him.

“You thought it was terrible, didn’t you?” Sebastian kicked himself as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth. Bianca hadn’t said a word and he was already making assumptions.

“Actually it was good and so were you” Bianca said. “I can see why you were concerned, shooting those some of those scenes must have challenging”.

“It was” Sebastian shook his head. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Sure” Bianca.

“For some of the more emotional stuff like when Trevor starts to think through things…I thought of you”.

Bianca stared at him and pushed some stray hair behind her ear.

“I like you…I have for a while” Sebastian replied weakly.

Bianca looked back at him, she started to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“I know we have had a few run-ins at Hartfeld but once I got to know your friends, I guess something changed…and then the day you came over to help me do laundry…it just…hit me”.

Bianca looked down at the floor, her mind drifted to the day she first met Sebastian, he was arrogant and rude. Then again, James was too. Her thoughts drifted to the day she helped him with his laundry. Their hands had brushed against each other a few times as they measured detergent and sorted clothes. Bianca looked up to face him.

“That day I called you over…that was an excuse just to see you. I was going to say something, but I just couldn’t. I had already pulled you away from the party and you were still with James…”.

Bianca remained silent. A small part of her had wondered about Sebastian all these years, even more since he changed. James had moved on and she needed to as well. Her friends weren’t there to judge either. However, he was still Sebastian Delacroix.

“Bianca?”

Throwing caution to the wind, Bianca closed the space between them and lightly pressed her lips against his. As they pulled away from each other Sebastian stared at her, a small smile appearing on his face.

“I guess somewhere along the way I developed a soft spot for you” Bianca gently placed a hand on cheeks, her fingers brushing against the defined features.

Sebastian placed his hand on top of Bianca’s. With their faces only so far apart, he leaned in to kiss her once again. Deeper and more passionate than before.  

Bianca began to lose herself in the moment. The first time she had kissed Sebastian left a bad taste in her mouth, however, this was very different. Sebastian pulled her closer and soon she was straddling him. While his hands made their way to her lower back, Bianca’s hands moved from his face, over his chest, and to his stomach. As she pulled away and ran her hands underneath and over his abs, Sebastian began to plant kisses along her neck.

“Sebastian…” Bianca’s voice trailed off and her breath quickened.

Sebastian looked up to meet her eyes, a tender and dark expression on his face. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Yes” Bianca met his lips once more and wrapped her arms around Sebastian. He loosened himself and with a swift movement, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

The moment he laid her on the bed, Bianca tugged his shirt off as Sebastian made quick work to remove her clothes.

“I’ve been wanting this for a while” Sebastian’s eyes roamed her body, a devilish smirk on his face.  

“Then show me” Bianca looked up at him and traced her fingers down his chest and over his abs. Slowly and gently, she ran her hand over the tent in his underwear and slowly pulled them down.

Sebastian swallowed as his eyes darkened. He leaned in to kiss her once more. Each one lower and lower. Bianca tossed her head back, moaning quietly.

“Oh…Sebastian…” Bianca said weakly, the pleasure building within her.

“Sshh” he whispered into her ear and planted another kiss on her neck and worked his way down once more.

Bianca tossed her head back and closed her eyes. She started to call out but couldn’t find the words. Within minutes she gave in to the feeling of lust washing over her.

Bianca was awoken by the rays of sunshine hitting her face. She rolled over to see an empty space next to her.

“Sebastian?” she said and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Clothes were strewn across the room and the door was ajar.

Bianca slipped out bed and started to gather her clothes, as she got dressed, she could hear a loud vibration nearby.

Bzzzz bzzzzzzz, bzzzz bzzzzzzz, bzzzz bzzzzzzz.

Bianca scurried into the living room to see an unknown number calling her and a missed call from her mother.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hi, may I speak with Bianca Taylor?”

Bianca looked at the time and saw it was almost 10:30 a.m. “Yes, speaking”.

“This is Eden Labelle, is now a good time?”

Bianca lowered the phone and began jumping up and down, squealing silently. Once she calmed down, she spoke, “Yes, it is, how can I help you?”

“Well, I got a call from my old professor and mentor and she told me about one of her students”.

“I have to say I was pretty impressed and the book you wrote was charming, my girlfriend couldn’t put it down”.

“Thank you, Ms. Labelle” Bianca said.

“Alice pretty much convinced me, and it just so happens that I need an Associate Editor. If you’re interested, I’d like to bring you in for an interview”.

“I would love to” Bianca said.

“Great, Alice gave me your contact information, so I’ll send the rest of the details to your email, you take care and talk soon”.

“You too” Bianca said and hung up. She felt her eyes fill with tears and a smile on her face. Thank you, Alice she said to herself.

Sebastian stepped out of the Dryve car with a to-go bag from one of the cafes in town. Once he got inside and set the food on the coffee table and started to remove the contents. They forgot the napkins he shook his head and headed towards the kitchen and started to grab some paper towels. Just as he walked back over to the coffee table his phone rang, an unrecognizable number on the screen.

“Hello…?” he answered and took a seat on the couch.

“Is this Sebastian Delacroix?”

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“My name is Teja Desai, sorry is this a bad time?”

Sebastian nearly dropped his phone. He cleared his throat and quickly regained his composure. “No of course, what can I do for you?”

“I saw your performance in Heated Sensations, and I have to say I was pretty impressed”.

“Thank you” Sebastian did his best to remain calm. The director of Tender Nothings was complimenting him.

“I also recognized you from this audition tape I had received awhile back, so I’ll get right to it. Sebastian, I was hoping you could come to L.A., I have a project lined up and there is role that I know will be perfect for you”.

“What is the project?”

“Midnight Seduction” Teja answered proudly. “It’s a dark, sexy thriller with Sofia Morena and Nathan Abidi attached. I was thinking you could fly in, read, we’ll do a screen test, how does that sound?”

Sebastian shook his head, struggling to contain his excitement. “That sounds amazing!”

“Great, I have to catch a flight to Hawaii, but I will text you the rest of the details, talk soon. Before I go, do you have an agent?”

“I…uh…” he stuttered. He had worked with a Junior Agent at Castle Agency but after Heated Sensations he never spoke with them again.

“Okay, how about you fly in and we’ll figure it out when you get here”.

“Of course” Sebastian said.

“Great, I have run but we’ll talk soon”.

As soon as she hung up. Sebastian jumped from the couch and stretched his arms, silently cheering. He started dancing around the room but froze when he came face to face with Bianca emerging from the bedroom.

“You’re in a good mood” she said and started to laugh. “I see you picked up breakfast” Bianca walked over to the coffee table as Sebastian followed her.

“I just got off the phone with Teja Desai…she wants me for the movie she is working on”.

Bianca smiled as she sat down and shortly dug into the pastry. “That’s amazing, see some good did come from Heated Sensations”.

Sebastian shook his head and started fixing a bagel. “What about you? Are you okay? You slept in pretty late”.

“Well, last night was memorable” Bianca said between bites and playfully bumped his knee. “I actually got a call from the Eden Labelle not too long ago, she’s wants me to come in for an interview”.

“Congratulations” Sebastian said as he continued eating. “What is the interview for?”

“Associate Editor” Bianca took another bite of her pastry, some frosting making its way to her upper lip.

Sebastian smiled and wiped her lip with a paper towel, his eyes meeting hers’. The moment they locked eyes, realization started to sit in.

“About last night…” Bianca bit her lip.

“Look, I understand if you—”.

Bianca placed a hand on his thigh. “No, I was going to say we can figure it out later, but for right now I just want to enjoy spending time with you”.

Sebastian caressed her cheek and smiled. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there”.

Later that day, after a shower and changing into clean clothes, Bianca sat on the deck with her mother filling her in on what Eden had told her, leaving out the night she spent with Sebastian.

“Honey, I’m so proud of you” her mother hugged her as she took a seat. “When do you have to leave?”

“According to the email she wants to meet with me on the twelfth so that means…”

“You’ll definitely want to get back to the city by Monday” her mother poured herself and Bianca some lemonade from the pitcher on the table.

“I still have to get the rest of my stuff in London too” Bianca tapped her nails on the table, she hoped her roommate hadn’t done anything while she was gone.

“I’ll talk to your father and we’ll help with that…but I’ve been meaning to ask, where were you last night?”

Bianca took a sip and set her glass down, “I just met with friends”.

Maureen shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her. “So who is the guy?”

Bianca started to speak as her mother grinned and raised her eyebrows at her. “How did you…?”

“Sweetie, I was young once. Before I met your father, I had a few special evenings of my own”.

Bianca quietly sipped her lemonade and set her glass down. “Good to know…” she said awkwardly.

Maureen started laughing as Bianca quietly sipped her lemonade and shuddered, trying to clear her mind of what her mother just told her.

The next few days cruised by. Bianca had her flight booked and all details for her interview with Eden were finalized. Sebastian had called her on Tuesday to inform her he had his own flight booked and wanted to meet before he goes back to Los Angeles. That Friday evening Bianca met up with Sebastian at his place. Once the car parked out front, Bianca paid the driver and stepped out of the car. As she walked toward the front door, she saw a note telling her to go around back. Bianca trekked through the sand and grass to the back of the house to see Sebastian sitting at a candlelit table set for two with wine and bread.

“Hey, you made it” Sebastian stood up and greeted her with hug.

Bianca blushed, sinking into his warm body, feeling the taut muscles beneath his t-shirt. “Well, we made plans after all, you were pretty vague with our texts, so I wasn’t sure what you had planned”.

“I figured we’d spend our last night in Winby with a quiet dinner by the beach” Sebastian led her to the table and pulled a chair out for her.

“Thank you, but, when you said dinner, I was beginning to think…” Bianca said uneasily. She looked at Sebastian, his cheeks turning red.

“Heh…I did cook well tried to” Sebastian pushed her chair in and rubbed the back of his neck. “We usually have someone doing it for us…but I did whip something together, back in a minute”.

Bianca bit her lip, this definitely was a surprise for her. The same guy who didn’t know how to do laundry managed to cook something. Momentarily, Sebastian returned with two steaming bowels. “I hope you like it” he said nervously.

Bianca tentatively lifted her fork as she caught a whiff of the pasta. “It smells good”. She slowly took a bite. She could feel her taste buds dance instantaneously. The mix of flavors and swirled to create a desirable taste in her mouth. “Wow…this is…what is it?”

“Penne with Creamy Vodka Sauce…do you like it?” Sebastian began taking a few bites of his creation.

“It’s actually really good” Bianca grinned taking another bite. “I have to admit I was expecting you to call in take out or something”.

Sebastian laughed and began pouring two glasses of wine. “Let’s just say I picked up on a skill or two after graduation”. He handed a glass to her, their fingers brushing each other as Bianca took the glass.

Bianca smiled thinking of the other night, she could tell Sebastian was also thinking about it as well. He looked up, shooting a smoldering look at her.

After dinner, Bianca and Sebastian walked along the beach, taking in the sounds of the waves and the gentle summer breeze. “There is something I wanted to ask you” Sebastian said.

Bianca looked up at him, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something too…but something tells me we might be thinking of the same thing”.

“You go first” Sebastian tented his hands and leaned in slightly.

“After the other night…I’ve been thinking about what this is” Bianca said.

Sebastian furrowed his brows for a moment and turned to look at Bianca. He wanted to take things further with Bianca. However, he knew that she and James were together for a long time. There was the possibility she still had feelings for him, or she wasn’t ready to date again.

“I will be honest, I’m not sure” Sebastian said finally.

Bianca slowed down and sighed, contemplating what to say but her mind and heart were working against each other.

“But what I am sure of is I want to get to know you and I want to see where this could go”.

Bianca slowed down and stopped to look at the waves in a distance. After a minute she turned to look at Sebastian. “I tried the long-distance thing before with James…I don’t think I could do that again”.

Sebastian shook his head. It wasn’t the answer he wanted but one he accepted. “Let me ask you this, how do you feel?”

Bianca hadn’t been able to sort her feelings out since the night they slept together. While they were at Hartfeld, Sebastian was a jackass. Between what he did to Chris during the elections, how he treated Zig, Vasquez’s house, and every little thing in between…a lot of people would think she was insane. However, Tyler gave him another chance and he began to change. Bianca thought back to the day she helped him with his laundry, there was something about him that day that resonated with her. Then there was day she saw him on the beach and those feelings came rushing back to her.

“I feel like I want to give you a chance” Bianca turned to face him.

Sebastian took a deep breath, his eyes fixated on her. “Bianca…”.

“But as friends…at least for now and then we’ll see”.

“I’ll move at whatever pace is comfortable for you, I’m just grateful you are giving me a chance”.

Bianca gave him a small smile and brushed a stray hair out of her face. Sebastian slowly took a step towards her but stopped short.

“Is it okay if I…?” he leaned back a little, his hands in his pockets, an uncertain look on his face.

“Get over here Captain Trust Fund” Bianca said playfully.

Sebastian smirked as he closed the distance between them and gave her a hug. As they pulled away from each other, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Bianca leaned into his touch.

“Do you want to head inside? I looked up how to make s’mores…I’ve never had it before”.

Bianca started laughing and said, “Oh god, this I have to see”.

Sebastian grinned and turned to lead her inside, the sounds of the whooshing waves behind them.

[synkiller82]

Collapse Into Me Chapter 7 - Linen

Adrien stood in front of the Dupain-Cheng Bakery Monday morning.  He missed Marinette, and was hoping to walk with her to school.  However, he was still a ball of nerves about the conversation he was supposed to have with her, and wasn’t sure he could speak to her without possibly blurting something out. Maybe I should just wait at school. I’m going to talk to her during the day and at the picnic anyway, Adrien thought.

“Hey, Kit,” Plagg whispered from Adrien’s pocket. “You’re blocking the door.”

Adrien sighed as he opened the door, and stepped inside.  “Good morning, Mrs. Cheng,” he greeted warmly as he unbuttoned his jacket, revealing a white collared shirt under a light blue Cashmere v neck sweater, that he paired with navy slacks and brown Doc Martens.

Sabine looked up from the tray of croissants she was refilling after the morning rush.  “Good morning, Adrien.  How are you, dear?”

Before Adrien could answer, a booming voice was heard from the back.  “Is that young Adrien I hear?”  Tom stepped out of the kitchen area, wiping his hands on the towel tucked into the tie of his apron.  “To what do we owe the pleasure, my boy?”

Adrien shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously, “I was hoping to walk Marinette to school this morning, Mr. Dupain.”

“How very thoughtful of you. I’ll go up and get her.” Sabine replied, and made her way to the apartment above.

---

“Marinette, Adrien is waiting downstairs to walk you to school.” Sabine called as she opened the trap door.

“Adrien?” Marinette squeaked as she fell out of bed.  Groaning, she got back up and proceeded to break the land speed record for a teenage girl getting ready for school.

Within twenty minutes, she was dressed in a powder blue cowl neck sweater, navy blue pleated skirt, black tights, and light brown knee-high boots.  She left her hair down, falling just below her shoulders in soft waves. She snatched her bag and coat from her chaise lounge and darted downstairs to greet her guest.

-------

Adrien was sitting at a table, happily eating the almond croissant, when he saw Sabine come back through the kitchen door.  “Is everything okay?  I thought I heard something.”

“Everything is fine, dear.” Sabine assured him.  “Marinette will be down in a moment.”

A few minutes later, Marinette came barreling through the kitchen door, stopping short of crashing into her mother.  “Good morning, Maman.  Good morning, Papa,” she greeted as she hugged each in turn.

She turned to greet Adrien and her words caught, as did her breath.  She looked at him, then down at herself, then back at him.  Her cheeks flushed as she cleared her throat, and tried to speak again.  “G-Good morning, Adrien.  What are, I mean--How are you this morning?”

Adrien watched Marinette for a moment before realizing they were wearing matching outfits and he felt like his cheeks matched hers as well.  He smiled. “Morning, Marinette.  I’m fine.  You?”

“I’m wonderful.” Marinette answered as she gained her composure back.  She crossed the bakery and wrapped him in a tight hug before pulling away.  “Shall we go?”

Adrien nodded and picked up his bag.  After thanking Tom and Sabine for their hospitality and food, he held the door for Marinette.  Once they were outside, he offered his arm to her, and, after a moment of hesitation, she linked her arm in his.

“Are you sure you are okay? You seem tense this morning.” Marinette noted as they reached the crosswalk.

“I, uh,” Adrien began as the light changed, allowing them to cross.  “Well, there is something, but I don’t have time to talk about before school. Can we talk about it later?”

“Okay,” Marinette acquiesced.  “Can I know when ‘later’ will be?”

Adrien reached up to his neck. “I was hoping I could talk to you at the picnic.”

Marinette eyed him for a moment.  “Alright, but I’m still going to worry until then.”

“I promise it’s nothing bad.” Adrien said, trying to help his case.  Marinette nodded and squeezed his elbow before she let go to walk to her locker.  He immediately missed the warmth of their linked arms, but tried not to let it bother him as he made his way to his locker.

---

Adrien grabbed Nino as the bell rang for lunch.  “Can I talk to you for a minute before we join the girls?”

Alya raised an eyebrow, but Marinette skillfully manipulated Alya into going with her.  Adrien made a mental note to thank Marinette later.

“What did you need, Bro?” Nino asked.  “Does it have anything to do with you walking Marinette to school this morning arm-in-arm?”

“Kind of.” Adrien answered, his cheeks gaining a rosy hue.  “I want to talk to her today at the picnic.  Do you think you could—”

“Say no more.” Nino clapped a hand on Adrien’s shoulder and steered him out the door.  “You just say the word.  I’ll make sure Alya and I vacate post haste.”

“Thanks, Nino.  You’re the best.” Adrien said as he gripped Nino’s shoulder as well.  He couldn’t ask for a better wingman.

---

“Girl!” Alya whisper-screamed when she and Marinette got to the table and sat down.  “What was that this morning?”

“What was what?” Marinette asked as she took a bite of her lunch.  She was starving since she forgot to grab breakfast in her mad rush to get ready this morning.

“Walking in with Adrien like that!  If I didn’t know any better, girl, I would say you two were dating.”

“Alya, please.” Marinette’s cheeks tinged pink.  “He stopped by to walk me to school and, since he is a gentleman, he offered his arm. It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?!” Alya repeated, exasperated and surprised by her friend’s reaction.  “Who are you and what have you done with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“I told you, I’m done fawning over every little move or touch, and I’m absolutely done with reading more into the situation than there is.”

Alya opened her mouth to counter the argument, but she spotted the boys headed their way and decided to drop it, for now.

---

“Alya, can you go to the closet and grab the picnic blanket?” Marinette asked as she packed the basket full of goodies for their picnic.

“Which one?” Alya called from the hallway, where she stood at the linen closet.

“The one with the plastic on the back.  It’s was raining yesterday, so the ground may still be wet.”

“Got it!” Alya yelled triumphantly, holding out the red and white checkered fabric.  With that found, the girl’s headed downstairs and over to the Place des Vosges to set up while they waited for the boys to join them after Adrien’s fencing practice ended.

“Alright, back to our earlier conversation.”  Alya watched as Marinette tensed.  “You can’t tell me you weren’t squealing like a school girl on the inside when you took his arm earlier.”

“Maybe a little,” Marinette admitted.  “I told you yesterday I still have feelings for him, and it was nice to be treated like a lady.”  Alya opened her mouth for what Marinette was sure to be an ‘I told you so,’ and cut her off. “However, I also said that I wasn’t going to act on or tell him about those feelings.  He needs a friend right now.”

“Fine.” Alya yielded reluctantly.  

The two fell into a quiet conversation about a project they had been assigned earlier that day until Nino and Adrien appeared at the entrance of the park.  Once the boys had sat down, the four spent about an hour enjoying the afternoon and treats, until the boys noticed the clouds and decided it was a good time to execute their plan.

“Hey, Alya.  I have to babysit my brother last minute.  You want to keep me company?”  Nino asked as he stood.

“Sure, Nino.” Alya answered. She stood and eyed the other two party members.  “Will you two be okay by yourselves?”

“Seriously, Alya.” Marinette rolled her eyes at her friend. “We’ll be just fine.”

Nino and Alya said their goodbyes.  It wasn’t long before Marinette and Adrien heard thunder closing in on them.

“Maybe we should go too,” Adrien suggested as he helped Marinette pack up.  “It sounds like the storm is moving in.”

“Yeah.  I would hate—” Marinette’s sentence was interrupted by a loud crash followed by the sky opening up.

Adrien grabbed the blanket off the ground and threw it above them, creating a make shift shelter.  It wouldn’t hold up for long against the downpour, but it was better than nothing.

“I can’t believe neither of us thought to bring an umbrella.”  Adrien remarked as they made their way to the bakery, since it was closer.

“I forgot to look at the weather,” Marinette confessed, huddling closer to Adrien to stay dry.

It didn’t take long for the teens to get to the shelter of the bakery, but it was enough time for them to get drenched.  Sabine helped towel them off, then sent them upstairs to change.  Marinette showed Adrien where the bathroom was so he could warm up in the shower while she went to her room to find some clothes that she had made for him.

Adrien finished up his shower and went upstairs to find Marinette.  She quickly took a warm shower and got dressed.  Heading to the laundry room, she put their wet clothes in the dryer before returning to her room.  The two teens took a look at each other and started laughing.  Marinette hadn’t been paying much attention when she was gathering clothes and only now realized she had pulled out the matching Ladybug and Chat Noir onesies she had made for them.

“I didn’t know you were a Ladybug and Chat Noir fan, Marinette.”  Adrien said through his giggles.

“Who isn’t?” Marinette retorted, pulling the black hood over his head.  He retaliated by tugging one of the cat ears on her hood.

“So, I’m guessing you like Chat better?” Adrien was curious as to why she made the Chat onesie foe herself and the Ladybug for him.  Did she really like his alter ego that much?  It hadn’t felt that way the few times he had asked her about it.

“It’s not that I like Chat better,” she started, playing with the tail attached to the back of her onesie.  “I was already planning on making you the Ladybug onesie, because I know you are such a fan of her.   Since Ladybug and Chat Noir are a team, I thought I would make a matching Chat for myself.”  She paused to eye him up and down.  “Your look great on yours!”

Adrien cringed internally at the mention of his Ladybug obsession.  If only Marinette knew the depths of the feelings he was trying to rid himself of.  While he loved the outfit because it was made by Marinette, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad wearing it.  He would cherish it anyway, and hopefully in time those negative feelings would subside.

“You think so, do you?” Adrien grinned, striking a pose and wiggling his eyebrows at her.  He continued to pose while Marinette laughed.  “I think it would look even better if my partner were up here with me.”

[hecate-herself]

Prologue

Date: November 10th, 1882

 “You sure do know how to pick them.” Tessa said with a smirk as she crossed her arms, watching the woman through the window. Klaus looked down at her with a frown. “What? You have to admit that she is pretty.”

“I didn’t realise that she would be your type.” Tessa laughed and tilted her head to the side slightly. “I didn’t even know that you leant that way.”

“I don’t. Operative Monday does though, you may have to keep them both in check if they lean the same way. Or keep yourself in check.” The woman in the room that they were watching landed a punch on the bag that she was hitting and stepped back and caught it before it could swing back forwards and hit her. Klaus snorted.

“I am a professional. And I am sure she is too.”

 “She has a reputation.” Tessa said. “I am sure that you read that in her record.”

“I read her assignments and classes. Did not bother with the notes. Or yours, or Monday’s.”

“That could end badly. Do you know who she is?”

“Should I?” He asked, looking back at her incredulously.

“Good luck with her. I am going to go back to my paper work. Work that you rudely dragged me from.” She said, stepping back on her left foot, hand already reaching for the door. “Unless you need me?”

“Go, have fun.” She said, giving a slight wave of her fingers, and then she left him to watch alone.

Klaus observed for another five minutes, before pushing the door open to the training room and stepping inside. He watched in silence. He knew that she knew he was there, he had seen a slight twitch in her shoulders when he had entered, but she didn’t stop or turn to face him. The woman landed punch after punch on the heavy leather back, shifting forward and backward on the balls of her feet as the bag swung around. She grunted slightly with each hit, forehead slick with sweat that clung to wisps of hair that had managed to escape the bun she had tied into her hair cruelly tight. Sweat clung to the back of her shirt and her gloves itched.

 After one final punch, a thud that filled the room, she grabbed the bag, took a deep breath, and turned to face him.

“Can I help you?” She asked, slightly out of breath, her skin normally had a pinkness to it, but now it was brighter as blood rushed to her face.

“Operative Rotherwood-Richmond?” He asked, and she nodded. “I’m Operative Morgenstern. I’m putting a team together, and apparently, you are currently unassigned.”

“That is true.” She said with a shrug as she adjusted a glove slightly. “How can I help you?” She rephrased her question, tone demanding, eyes cold and hollow.

 “Fancy getting changed and joining me at the café inside Charing Cross station?” She furrowed her eyebrow. “I have a proposition that I would like to discuss with you.”

“And why not the cafeteria here?”

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t fancy a cup of tea that tastes of soap with a group of trainees.” She didn’t answer yes or no, and her face portrayed no emotions. It was almost like a blank mask but peach instead of porcelain. “How long will you need to get yourself cleaned up?”

“I haven’t said yes.” She replied.

“And you have not said no.” He returned. “Thirty minutes? I’ll see you in the café.” He didn’t give her the chance to say no, instead turning and leaving.

 She arrived at the café twenty-nine minutes later. She was remarkably well turned out for a woman he had just watched almost quite literally beat the stuffing out of a punching bag. Her black skirt was made of heavy satin and brushed the floor, a petticoat lined with lace was barely visible with each step that she took, hiding her shoes, though he was certain that she was wearing high heeled boots, they made the right sound and she was definitely several inches taller than she had been in the training room. Her blouse was a very dark green that barely had any colour to it, she wore it tucked in with a jet-black jabot at her throat and the chain of a necklace just visible around her neck, a glimmer of lightness to her dark outfit.

 He stood up and pulled her chair out for her, and she sat down.

“Thank you for meeting me.” He said. “I was hoping that we could talk about the team that I am forming.” She gave a slight nod. The pair paused as a waiter came over, and they ordered a pot of tea, chamomile. He didn’t have a particular fondness for it, but she asked if he would mind it, and he wanted to get on her good side. She did not appear to be a woman who you would want to be on the bad side of, she seemed jaded for a woman in her late twenties.

 He watched as she poured herself a cup of tea, and then poured him one. She added one sugar to her cup, he added two.

“I have been assigned to a new unit where the idea is to assist other teams struggling with cases, or to take on some of the cases considered too difficult or dangerous for most.”

“I have heard that they wanted to try a team like that.” She said. Her words were light, but her voice was clearly faux and forced. “May I ask what your record is like?”

 “I worked for three years in Moscow, usually performing searches, patrol and other peace keeping activities. Followed by one year in Saint Petersburg as a solo investigator. A year in London in a team here, a few assignments that I am not at liberty to discuss, six months in Munich acting as a translator and protection for a member of the council. They offered me this job when I returned. I took a few weeks off and started putting my team together two weeks ago. I was quite interested when your name crossed my desk. You have quite an interesting record.”

“Interesting how?” She asked sharply.

“Why is it the longest that you have ever stayed in one place was two years?” He asked. She sighed, picked up her tea cup, took a sip and set it down again, it barely rattled the saucer.

 “People do not like me.” She said with a shrug, about as casual as she could manage. Her left shoulder screamed as she moved it.

“Why not?” He asked.

“I can get reckless, many have found me difficult to work with.” She replied, it was only a partial truth, but he didn’t need to know the entire truth. “I don’t care, I get results, and that should be what matters. Some people find other things more important.”

“I like people who get things done. And people who know when the rules need to be bent slightly.”

“And how to hide that in the paperwork and reports.”

“English isn’t my first or second language. Having someone who is good at that would be useful to have on hand.” He said. His voice held a strong German accent to it, a brutality to his words that was clearly recognisable. Something glimmered behind her eyes for a second.

 “I don’t think this is going to work.” She said, reaching for the bag that she had stowed underneath the table.

“And why is that.” He asked, leaning forwards.

“I have no interest in being a sectary or clerk.” She replied. “I am an Operative. I am a fighter.”

“I know you are.” He said, smiling. “I want you to be my second in command.” She would have gawped if her manners were not impeccable.

“I- uh. I do not know what to say.” Her father would have had such a go at her if he had heard that stutter.

 “I need to hear back from you by Friday, so you only have a few days to decide.” He informed her. “If you can’t decide right now that is.” She refilled her cup of tea.

“I have a few more questions to ask you.” She said. “Before I can make a decision. I wasn’t planning on ever returning to London you see. I need information to make a decision on whether or not I stay.”

“What do you want to know?” He asked, curious about why she was not planning on being in London, she had apparently been back for three weeks, little mention of what she had been doing before that, other than where she had been.

 “What duties will I expect as your second in command?” It was a position that she had not held before and had doubted she would get a chance to before she had returned to the city that she was from.

“Taking lead on cases when it is required of you, following up on your own leads independently. Keeping contact with any criminal informants that you have, if you have any.”

“I have no informants currently. A few contacts that I try and stay in touch with though.” She told him, and he nodded, that didn’t surprise him, she had been out of the country.

“You will also be expected to keep command of any officers we have with us if it is required. And of the rest of the team if I am incapacitated for any reason.”

“Are there any members to the team at the current moment in time?”

 She could smell someone on him. Though she wasn’t sure if that was a colleague or a lover. Definitely a woman, he did not seem the kind to wear floral perfume. She could also smell coffee, sweat and sawdust on him. Though mainly she could smell the cloying smell of the cheap shampoo that she had purchased in a rush.

 “There are currently two others. Operative Sabine Monday, she has just moved from Dublin. And Teresa Parks. She is a communications specialist, though would be taking the roll as a Clerk for the most part.” He said, she nodded. “I am looking for at least one other individual to join. Preferably a medic.”

“May I make a recommendation?” She asked, and he nodded slightly. “Zircon Harrington. He’s just a Fledge at the moment. But I would scoop him up when you get the chance. Served in the army for two years, honourable discharge when he decided to switch careers.”  

“Do you know him personally?”

“I do. I recruited him, but also, my old team wants him. And I can be petty at times.” She said, shrugging with her right shoulder, having learnt from her mistake. “Whilst that isn’t probably a good thing to say to someone who is looking to employ my services, it is the truth. It annoys criminals.” He laughed.

“I will look into it. Falling out with your old team?” Her eyes were like stone.

“You could call it that.”

 The waiter came over with their bill and they both reached for their wallet and purse respectively.

“I’ve got it.” Klaus said.

“I do not have any wish to be indebted to a man that I have just met.” She replied, pulling out a note folded in half perfectly, and handing it to the waiter.

“I am not a Fae.” He said.

“I know, though you certainly have the colouring of one.” She wasn’t wrong. Klaus was remarkably pale, blonde hair that looked white under bright lights and grey eyes that were just as reflective as the mirror in her bag under the harsh ether lights. He smirked.

“As do you.”

“Trace my lineage and I have no doubt that you will find one there.” She said with a wave of her hand.

 Her appearance was less striking than his was. She wouldn’t stand out in a crowd the way that he did. Not until you got close enough to look her in the eyes and realise that they were not the same colour. Her right eye was brown, her left was green. Klaus imagined that once upon a time they were warm and comforting. But it was clear that something had happened that turned them as cold as marble. They were harsh and followed people around the room in jarring darts as they entered and left, drawn to the women discussing something loudly in the corner, and then to the man that just entered, to him for a second, and then the waiter.

 She had hair dark curls that were still wet from the shower. It was thick and braided down her back. The polar opposite to his, her hair was almost black (though that may have been the water), compared to his white-blonde. Hers was also thick whilst his was thin, and likely curly when it was dry. Her skin wasn’t as pale as his own, but hers had an almost sickly look to it.

 He stood up and pulled her chair back for her and she stood too. Collecting coats and hats from the stand by the door, they walked out of the station together. She pinned her hat in place with a sharp pin that made Klaus wince at the slight wandering of his mind that wondered if she had ever stabbed anyone with it. He balanced his top hat on his head, tilting it forward slightly so that the brim would keep most of the light out of his eyes, she had a thin veil that did that for her, and filtered out most of the smog in the air.

 A coal powered cab trundled past, wheels clacking loudly over cobblestone roads. A bus passed by too, followed by more cabs and a police wagon. It was always loud outside Charing Cross, and neither of them could even hear any trains at the moment.

“It was nice to meet you.” She said, offering him her right hand to shake, he took it after a moment.

“Sorry, I thought that you were left handed.” He said after he shook her hand. “It is just, you hit harder with your left hand.”

“No. I am right handed. I was just practising my left hook.” She said.

 They both walked back towards the office, a hundred yards or so away on Villiers street, down towards the river.

“Do you have any more questions?” He asked, and she shook her head.

“Do you have any more for me?” She asked.

“Your file didn’t say that you were married.” He said as she reached for the door. “I hope-.”

“I’m not married.” She said, interrupting him, eyes drawn to the gold band on her left hand. “I inherited the ring. It keeps people away when I wear it there.” She said. He gave a slow nod.

“Miss it is.”

“Lady. Actually.” She said, she watched his eyebrows shoot up. “You didn’t know?” He shook her head, and she fished out a card from her purse and gave it to him. “I’ll get back to you on my decision by Friday.” She said as she gave him the card.

 Lady Evangeline Rotherwood-Richmond of Somerset

Heir apparent of the Marquis of Somerset

[miraculously-fangirling]

Springtime Connection - Chapter 21

[A/N: This is the final chapter of Springtime Connection, and I would just like to thank everyone for supporting this fic for the past year. I would also like to thank @tourmei for being my beta from the very beginning >.<] 

Chat Noir couldn't keep the smile off his face with the miraculous' energy and his love nearby. The paint-covered Vanisher in front of them gritted her teeth as she backed into the nearby wall. Ladybug's earrings began beeping, making both of the young heroes' stomachs drop a little.

Chat Noir looked at the narrow corridor and smirked. He ran towards the Vanisher and pushed his staff against her. Chat pressed the staff so that it extended and wedged itself into the old brick walls. The Vanisher struggled against the bar now against her stomach.

As she struggled, Chat searched her pockets to find the dark violet cellphone. With a huge smile, he threw it to Ladybug who quickly de-evilized the akuma inside. The shower of shimmering bugs flew over the city, and Sabrina reemerged from a shroud of black and violet.

Chat turned to Ladybug whose earrings rang once again.

"We should talk," she said before putting her fist out. Chat returned the fist bump softly.

"Yeah we should," he said while retrieving his staff from the wall. He gave Ladybug his hand. "May I?"

Ladybug's earrings rang again as she nodded. Chat Noir wrapped his arm around Ladybug's waist while she took hold of his shoulders. Chat's staff extended, guiding the teens onto a near balcony. Ladybug's miraculous timed out and she reemerged as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Chat's jaw dropped as Tikki landed in Marinette's hands. He knew who Ladybug was, and he still couldn't believe how close she had been this entire time.

Marinette grabbed her arm and bit her lip. "I guess I should explain."

"Explain what?" Chat said.

"How I found out your identity or why I kept quiet."

Chat's lips straightened into a line. While he was curious how his classmate came to have this secret, he didn't particularly care. He just wanted to learn more about his Lady, about Marinette. He felt now that she was more of a prism, a person with so many sides that they shone differently depending on what angle he looked at her with. He felt as if he had just unlocked a new side of her, and he couldn't wait to know her more than just as a partner or quirky classmate.

"Chat?" Marinette said. "Adrien?"

He shook his head a little. He put on his signature smirk and leaned on his staff. He didn't know how to react or what to say, but what he did know was that he didn't want to leave her yet. He eyed his bag that still clung to Marinette's frame. He pointed at it. "How about we finish our work, princess?"

Marinette glanced down to the silver bag and nodded with a sheepish smile. She could still see Sabrina wandering the streets below and the neighborhood was in disarray after the attack. "Maybe not here, though," she said while nervously fiddling with the bag's strap.

Chat looked around. "Yeah, you're right."

"My place?"

Chat smiled. "I have no objections, my lady." He scooped Marinette in his arms without delay and jumped along the Parisian rooftops.

Gabriel tapped on the mess of papers before him. The week had been hell and the guilt piling in his gut didn't make anything better. Three days until Adrien's event. He glanced at Emilie's portrait behind him. He was alone in this.

He adjusted his glasses as the phone rang. He answered it in a heartbeat. His jaw dropped as an executive told him about some conflicts in the coming weeks.

They finally landed in front of the back entrance to the Dupain-Cheng's bakery. He set her down gingerly.

"I guess it's time to take off the mask now, isn't it?"

Marinette grasped his clawed hand. She nodded before looking around. There was no one milling about the side street.

Chat took in a deep breath and released Plagg. Both of the teens' hearts raced as they locked eyes. They handed over each other's bags; their wide eyes never fully leaving the other.

"W-we should go in," Marinette finally said.

"Right," Adrien said, a slight blush crossing his face.

He quickly took out his phone to text Natalie where he was. He didn't know whether or not she knew of the attack and didn't want her thinking he was missing later. They entered the household entrance. The heavenly smells hit Adrien; it made him realize just how hungry he was. He had counted on eating at the cafe earlier, but with all the commotion, he had forgotten. Plagg's stomach growled too. Marinette giggled after hearing the two of them.

"Mama, Papa!" she called into the household while walking into the bakery's kitchen, "I brought a friend over."

Sabine ran into the kitchen from the front room and hugged Marinette.

"Oh, thank the heavens you weren't hurt. I just heard about the attack," Sabine said in a frantic string of words.

"Yeah, luckily we managed to get out before anything really happened. Apparently it was the Vanisher again," Marinette said with a nervous chuckle.

Sabine sighed with relief. She looked over Marinette's shoulder.

"Oh, hello Adrien, would you like something to eat or drink?"

Adrien glanced over to Marinette. He just wanted to talk with her, but his growling stomach and dry throat had other ideas. Sabine grinned and walked into the house's kitchen and rustled through some shelves. She turned on the kettle and pulled out the box of herbal tea. Marinette sighed. Her mom always brewed that tea after an akuma attack. While the kettle whistled, Sabine passed the teens to get into the bakery's kitchen and snatch two fresh croissants off the rack. Before Adrien and Marinette knew it, they were seated at the kitchen counter with hot food and drink in front of them. They thanked Sabine before she disappeared back to the store front.

The door closed behind Sabine, leaving the teens alone in the quiet kitchen. The kwamis snuck out of their hiding spots and sat on the counter in front of their respective chosens. A few beats of heavy silence fell over them before Marinette finally took a sip of her tea. Adrien did the same.

"So you're Ladybug," he said quietly, almost to himself.

Marinette nodded.

Adrien looked her in the eyes, hand covering his grin. So fucking close. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He felt it was all too good to be true and that at any moment he was going to wake up to Plagg wanting his stinky breakfast.

Marinette blushed as Adrien flashed her that look that Chat Noir had given her countless times. Without the mask, it was so much more potent.

Marinette took another sip of her tea. She didn't know quite what to say. The truth had more or less settled in, but she could tell that Adrien was still well into the shock phase of the reveal. She didn't want to push him.

But her curiosity was quickly overwhelming her tact.

"Were you surprised?" she asked quietly. Her heart roared in her ears as the question left her lips.

Adrien lowered his hand and took a sip of his drink. It kind of burned as he took a big gulp.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know," he said, "I guess I just feel really dumb."

"Because we were so close," they said in unison.

A beat of silence passed before they fell into a fit of giggles. The kwamis sighed and retreated into Marinette's room as to not disturb the teens. Adrien and Marinette locked eyes.

Adrien took one of Marinette's hands and squeezed. Her heart stopped as she felt the cool metal of his ring push against her skin.  

"I'm just so glad," he murmured. "I'm just so glad that I finally found you."

Marinette smiled and put a hand on top of his.

"Me too, chaton," she whispered. "Me too."

A few days passed and the pair were nearly inseparable. Plagg and Tikki couldn't help but look on like they had done with so many chosen before . Whispers and rumors and angry Chloe went about the school. To say that Alya and Nino were relieved would be an understatement as they watched their friends nervously walk together in the halls.

The day of the festival came quickly. The students were let out of class early to change into their costumes. The entire class was readying the food and tables when Chloe came in wearing her over extravagant (and probably expensive) powered up Ladybug costume with working wings. She thought she would be the star of the show as she walked into the class with a flourish.

No one paid her any mind as they went about their assigned tasks.

Chloe huffed as she took her spot at the hostess stand with Sabrina, who was in her homemade Chat Noir costume nervously straightening menus and utensils.

Alya and Nino were putting up posters along the halls in their animal-themed costumes, coordinated of course. They wondered where the new couple was. They were the organizers, after all, and they should be here.The rest of campus was in a roar as colorful balloons, streamers, and other decorations were set up and pop music played over it all.

Adrien and Marinette giggled as they quietly ascended the stairs. They arrived in the classroom with bright smiles. All eyes were on their beaming faces as Marinette played with the bells tied to her leaf-patterned armbands. They jingled slightly with her every move, adding to the illusion that her forest fairy outfit gave. One would think that she was a little imp coming to play with the students and guests. Next to her was a blonde Masked Tuxedo whose arms was linked with hers.

The classroom applauded the craftsmen and asked for a myriad of photos. The day went well. Adrien and Marinette had little to do as organizers as soon as the costume cafe was up and going. They spent the majority of the day walking around, looking at other exhibits.

Soon enough, sunset was upon them and activities were slowing down. Adrien held Marinette's hand as they sat down on a bench in the neighboring park. The day had ended without a hitch. Yet, Adrien still felt a slight hollowness in his chest. His father never came. He guessed that the fashion industry was just far too busy for Gabriel to attend the festivities. Adrien sighed and Marinette squeezed his hand. He had told her bits and pieces of what was going on, but she still couldn't imagine how he felt.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," Marinette said quietly.

"It's okay."

Marinette faced him. Was he really okay? She wasn't sure. She looked right into his bright green eyes. She just wanted him to be okay. She just wanted him to be happy. She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss.

His eyes widened as she pulled away. Both of their hearts fluttered as they regained eye contact. A moment passed before Adrien closed his eyes and leaned in.

Car brakes sounded nearby. It was Adrien's ride. They squeezed hands again before Adrien stood. They exchanged quiet goodbyes, but before Adrien could turn around, Marinette saw a tall man exit the silver car.

Adrien turned and saw his father who had a minute smile on his face. Adrien's breath caught in his throat as Gabriel walked onto the sidewalk with a proud expression and slightly open arms. Marinette sat on the bench with a smile as she watched father and son come together.