#seasofsilver writes

[seas-of-silver]

Did the doctor say "triplets"?!🤭

‘Did the doctor say "triplets"?!’ Rose burst excitedly as Adrien and Marinette walked through the door of Alya and Nino’s home for their monthly Akuma Class (and friends) game day. ‘Oh, please let it be triplets!’

‘Wha-’ Marinette began.

‘No, I’m sure it’s twins,’ Mylène cut in, just as animatedly as Rose was.

‘Guys, it could be a single child,’ said Marc calmly.

‘Or quadruplets,’ Nathaniel suggested teasingly, earning him a playful elbow from Marc and a squeal of delight from the girls.

‘The real question is whether it’s a boy or a girl,’ interjected Kim.

‘And if there’s more than one, how many of which gender!’ added Ivan, looking over his shoulder. ‘Max?’

Max was sitting at the kitchen counter, paper everywhere, pen scribbling, and tapping away at the calculator. ‘Hang on. I’m almost done my calculations - Markov’s just getting me more information on their genetic history.’

‘How-’ Adrien started.

‘What about you, Alix?’ Luka prompted.

‘Hey, don’t look at me,’ Alix replied, holding her hands up by her head. ‘Even if I do know, I can’t tell you.’

Everyone grumbled at that.

‘Guys, what’s going on?’ Adrien asked, finally getting their friends’ attention.

‘We are speculating on the quantity and gender of yours and Marinette’s unborn child/children,’ Kagami informed them.

‘Right… and why now?’ questioned Marinette.

‘Because you two went to the doctors,’ answered Félix, as if that explained everything.

Marinette frowned and folded her arms. ‘And how did you find out we were at the doctors?’

Their friends went silent, but their eyes flickered, glanced, or even outright stared at Nino, who looked everywhere except at his best friends.

‘Seriously, Nino?’

Nino winced at Marinette’s unimpressed tone.

‘All I said was that you guys would be late because you had an appointment before coming over!’ he defended.

Marinette turned her gaze to Alya, who nodded.

‘It’s true,’ Alya confirmed. ‘They just took it and ran with it.’

‘But how could we not?’ piped up Socqueline. ‘We had our catch-up brunch pushed back to a late lunch because you weren’t feeling well, and when we did meet, you hardly touched the cold meats and cheeses like you normally would!’

‘Couldn’t that just be because she still wasn’t feeling well?’ Juleka muttered.

‘And Adrien has been super protective over you for the last few months,’ Zoe stated.

‘But isn’t that because of the threats she was getting from that competing designer from the competition held earlier this week?’ Sabrina asked curiously.

‘Geez, who’s side are you two on?’ Rose huffed petulantly at Juleka and Sabrina; the two merely shrugging in response.

‘Let’s just calm down, okay? We’ll tell you what happened,’ Adrien soothed, sharing a look with Marinette, and everyone settled down - even Max stopped his calculating and Markov stuck his head out of the study to listen in.

‘We went to the optometrist,’ Marinette began, and she could already see interest drop, ‘because Adrien wanted to make sure he wouldn’t need glasses like Gabriel did-‘

‘Booooooo! Gabriellll!’ came the predictable jeers from their friends. Ever since the truth was revealed about Adrien’s father, all their friends rallied around him in support, offering food, shelter and safe spaces for Adrien to find comfort in, which meant a lot to him.

‘-and we found out that Adrien’s vision is perfectly fine!’

Mutterings of how that was good news filled the room, but it was clearly not the content they were hoping for.

‘So that’s where we were this morning,’ Adrien said to their despondent crowd. ‘Oh, and we also visited Maman and Papa at the bakery to pick up the pastries for our meet-up, and to tell them they’ll be grandparents to a little boy in six months time.’

Marinette watched as their friends’ eyes widened when their words sunk in, and covered her ears and laughed at the chaos and screams of joy that exploded from their friends.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seasofsin]

Heya!

So this is for all the sinning that's not gonna be on my main writing/blog accounts.

SFW: SeasOfSilver (AO3, FF.Net) @seas-of-silver NSFW: SeasOfSin (AO3) and here

Enjoy~!

[seas-of-silver]

Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine's bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.

Adrien had definitely expected a lot of new experiences when he started working at Tom and Sabine's bakery, but accidentally setting the bakery on fire was not one of them.

In the wake of his career as a teen model ending - a decision he was all too happy he made - Adrien quickly realised that he was free to do whatever he liked... problem was, he had no idea what interested him. Sure, fencing was fun, piano was enjoyable when he wasn't forced to perfect pieces that no one would hear, and being a superhero was grand, but... that was it. He wasn't an elite fencer like Kagami. He didn't have aspirations to make music his whole world like Luka. He couldn't be a superhero full-time, or he supposed he could, but he knew how isolating a life like that could potentially be - especially with all the identity rules and secrecy. So, Adrien was stumped.

His lack of direction left him feeling melancholy, and on one such day when his mood had taken a plunge, he ambled over to Marinette's. Marinette was an amazing friend, who somehow always managed to cheer him up, as though she was his personal lucky charm.

He entered through the bakery door and was greeted by the heavenly aroma of baked goods. He took a deep breath, inhaling the inviting aroma, relishing in the way it felt like a warm hug welcoming him home. Mrs Cheng, from behind the counter, smiled and greeted him kindly before calling out for Marinette. Marinette burst out from the room behind the bakery in a chaotic rush, flour dusting her forehead and apron, the latter also decorated with smears of coloured icing.

'Adrien!' she said, surprised, before smiling at him. 'H-how are you? Are you getting some pastries?'

It was mind-blowing how a simple greeting instantly made him feel better. He returned her smile.

'Hey Marinette, I was just wondering if I could talk to you, but you seem busy, so-'

'Not at all! I mean, we're going to be quiet until the lunch rush hour hits, so we can talk!' Marinette reassured. 'Maman-'

'Go on, dear, your father and I can hold down the fort,' Mrs Cheng said.

They hadn't made it beyond the bakery kitchen. As Marinette was leading him through the kitchen towards the staircase leading to the family home, Adrien halted. His gaze had been caught by the tray of gorgeous looking cinnamon scrolls Mr Dupain was glazing. He couldn't help but ask Marinette and her father some questions about the pastries, which led to an impromptu baking lesson, which led to him helping out until they shut for the day, which led him being invited to dinner as a "thank you", and only then did Adrien finally have his conversation with Marinette.

'I just feel so lost,' he told her. 'I've always been told what to do, having everything dictated by others that now that I've got this freedom, I'm just... drifting aimlessly.'

'Why not just try new things?' Marinette suggested. 'Don't put pressure on yourself to commit, or to be the very best at it, but take the time to explore things that you like, that your interested in, and if it works out, then great! If not, then that's okay, just move on to the next thing.'

Her words made him feel calm, and her proposed plan sounded simple, achievable. But he was at a loss for where to start, and told her as much.

'How about baking?' she asked. 'You did amazing today, and you looked like you were really enjoying it. Plus, Papa was telling me that you took to it like a natural!'

He had enjoyed himself, though he wondered whether it was the baking itself or the bakers he was surrounded by. After some more discussion with Marinette and her parents, he was brought on as an apprentice.

Being a baker wasn't an easy feat, but he did like a challenge. The first time he helped unload a delivery of flour made his admiration for a baker's strength grow immensely - he struggled with the big, heavy sack that threatened to make his knees buckle and elbows give way, causing Marinette to rush over and scoop the bag effortlessly out of his arms with a gentle smile and walk it inside the bakery, calling out a promise to help him with the next bag; his knees did buckle after that. He made mistakes time and time again, but instead of being berated, he was kindly taught what should have happened instead. He had many baking sessions with Tom (as he was told to call him) and Marinette, and occasionally Sabine tutored him in cooking meals.

It was hard work, but it was rewarding. Even Nathalie had commented on how happy he seemed lately. It also helped that he was growing closer with Marinette, their friendship improving with every visit to the bakery.

He had been working at the bakery for about a month when he went in for his Saturday shift. He had been filled with an excited, nervous energy since he had woken up, eager to get the bakery as soon as possible - he had decided today was the day he'd ask Marinette on a date, and he was anxious for her answer. It was only when he arrived that he remembered she said she would be spending the day working on her design for the competition his father had just announced that week. His spirits dampened slightly, but resolved to ask her after his shift - he could hold out for a few hours.

He had just finished making a loaf of sourdough, and was prepping it for the oven when he heard his name.

'Adrien?' Marinette's head was poking through the doorframe, cutely hiding the rest of herself behind the wall. 'Are you busy?'

'Uh, no,' he answered, pausing in his prep to give her his full attention. 'What's up?'

'I was just wondering if you could give me some feedback on my design for your father's competition,' she said. 'I need to know what you think of it so I can figure out how well it meets the criteria.'

'Sure!' he agreed with a smile. Marinette's designs were always awe-inspiring, and he was eager to see what she had created this time.

'Okay! Let me just grab this real quick!' She ducked behind the wall, and Adrien moved speedily. He quickly ripped a sheet of paper off its roll to cover the metal tray, dumped the loaf on it and shoved it into the oven, closed the oven door, washed his hands and rapidly turned to face her. She emerged from the doorway, and Adrien's breath hitched.

She was in a Grecian-style dress of a pretty pale pink. The fabric was being held at the shoulders by lovely floral clips, her hair was beautifully done in a decorative up-do, and while the design was simple, she looked ethereal.

'Marinette, you look- you're a goddess,' he said, all the strength gone from his voice, so the words came out in breathy tones. Her cheeks became as pink as her dress as she looked down, smiling shyly.

'Th-thanks, Adrien,' she stammered, before meeting his gaze again with a sparkle in her eyes. 'In fact, "goddess" is exactly what I was looking for! The theme of the competition is to connect the past to the present, and so I took inspiration from the Ancient Greek goddess, Thesis - the goddess of creation. And even though the Miraculous are rumoured to be ancient, they are a massive part of Modern Paris and current events. And considering Ladybug's powers are that of creation- uh, according to Alya! Um, so I thought I'd combine Thesis and Ladybug and create an outfit based on the powers of creation!'

He was blown away by her ingenuity. His heart fluttered.

'That's amazing, Marinette!' he exclaimed. 'So is this the final product?'

'Not even close!' she responded excitedly. 'This is a peplos - an Ancient Greek style dress, and typically the material was patterned and colourful, so I'm debating between hand-painting or embroidering floral and ladybug motifs onto the fabric to further the references to Thesis and Ladybug. And these clips here are prototypes I've made, and I'm tossing up whether to keep these or make new-'

Marinette cut herself off, eyes wide before yelping, 'Adrien! The oven!'

Adrien turned around to see an inferno blazing inside the oven. He made some kind of panicked noise before rushing to the oven door, opening it- only for Marinette's hands to push the door closed again.

'Don't!' she cried.

'But the oven's on fire!' he squeaked, trying to open it despite her efforts otherwise. 'We have to do something! We have to put it out!'

'We can't open it!' she retorted. 'Keep it closed and it'll run out of oxygen and die out. Open it, and everything burns down.'

Adrien froze, still gripping the oven door handle, but not making a move to open it. Marinette was right. It was simple science - remove one of the three components a fire needs, and the fire will stop.

'I heard a commotion, everything alright?'

As Adrien turned to Tom, who had just entered the kitchen, he accidentally pulled the door open with him, and flames jumped out of the opening. He hastily shut the door again and rapidly backed away from the oven, not willing to repeat his mistake.

'I just put the sourdough in the oven and I was just- I only looked away for a moment! And suddenly it was on fire-' Adrien babbled, flustered and overwhelmed as the reality of what could have happened sunk in.

Tom's gaze shifted between him, Marinette and the oven, and after a moment, he gave Adrien a soft smile.

'No harm, no foul, but let's be more careful next time, okay?' Tom said calmly, and Adrien nodded stiffly. The man approached the oven and peered through the door at the flaming mess inside.

'What paper did you use on the tray, son?' he asked, and Adrien's mind drew a blank.

'Uh... I can't remember, sir, I... got distracted,' Adrien admitted, helplessly glancing quickly at Marinette. Tom followed his glance, and his smile grew wider.

'I see,' he commented, seemingly amused. 'Well, I reckon you used the wax paper instead of the baking parchment - wax paper, while useful, isn't good with heat, so it never goes into the oven. Baking parchment is far more suited to heat, and while it may brown at times, it won't go up in flames. Understand?'

Adrien nodded numbly. 'What about the sourdough?' he asked weakly.

'An unfortunate victim of learning,' Tom answered with a shrug. 'Make sure its sacrifice wasn't in vain by remembering this lesson, alright?'

'Yes, sir,' Adrien replied, abashed.

'I thought we broke that habit, son,' the man chuckled. 'It's Tom, remember?'

'Yes, sorry, Tom,' replied Adrien, the light tease bringing a small smile to his face.

'Much better.' Tom then turned to Marinette. 'Now, cupcake, I know you were excited, but save distracting Adrien until shift is over, hmm? I need his eyes in his head and jaw off the floor while he's in the bakery, okay?'

Marinette's face bloomed into a bright pink in embarrassed confusion as Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands. He almost burned down her family's bakery because he was completely and utterly distracted by her like the romantic fool he was, and now Tom and possibly Marinette knew the real cause of the whole kerfuffle. How was he supposed to ask her out now?

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

Do you need me like I need you?

Summary:

Chat Noir had been hit (again) in yesterday’s akuma battle, and Adrien can’t stop thinking about how he failed Ladybug… though Marinette seems to believe that Chat Noir didn’t fail at all.

Continue reading:

AO3

[seas-of-silver]

For your cute little ask game, go with it where you want :3

Adrien shushed Emma. "Be quiet you don't want your maman finding us."

Ooh! This one could go one of two ways and I am torn lol!

Fluff is my normal wheelhouse, but I think this time I'm going to go a bit dark and angsty.

~/~

Adrien shushed Emma. 'Be quiet, you don't want your Maman finding us.'

His two-year-old daughter shook with quiet sobs in his lap as they hid under the nurse's desk. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort both her and himself.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Today was supposed to be a happy day. Both Adrien and Marinette had taken the day off from work to go to the doctor's office at the nearby hospital, the family of three going together to see how far along and how healthy the new baby was. It was going to be the first time little Emma was going to see her new sibling.

There had been a commotion in the hallway just after their arrival. He and Marinette had immediately been on alert; Adrien scooping up Emma to protect her and Marinette scoping out the scene to ensure their safety. Years of fighting akumas and battling villains meant that they reflexively responded to sounds of distress and chaos. But what they found was beyond their training.

Two men were fighting angrily, carelessly, in the middle of the hallway, having clearly just emerged from the nearby private room. The woman in the hospital nightgown watched, tearful and distressed, as the men bellowed and brawled, tumbling and colliding in a red rage. The nurse dialled for security before stepping out from behind the counter to try and calm the furious men.

Adrien spotted the danger that was about to befall that young nurse, but Marinette was already on the move. She ran and jumped, shielding the young nurse from the incoming blow. One man's foot made contact with her stomach in a devastating blow, the force of the blow sending her skidding along the floor. Adrien had cried out to her and ran over to her as the two men suddenly halted in their fight. Marinette was clutching her stomach in pain, crying, begging for their baby to be okay. The nurses rushed them into a room to check to see if the baby was hurt from that hit, their panic levels increasing with every step they took, the only thing stopping them from losing themselves to the panic was the hope that their baby was alright.

Their baby wasn't alright. The impact of the kick to the stomach was too severe, and their ten-week-old baby was gone. Adrien's heart shattered, Marinette screamed in agony, and Emma, poor little Emma who had gone through so much chaos in just half an hour, asked what was wrong.

He was in the middle of explaining when a purple miasma suddenly washed over his wife - one he knew all too well. He yelled for people to evacuate as he picked up Emma and ran out of the room, catching a glimpse of what looked to be a white Lady Noire out of the corner of his eye as he escaped. There was an explosion, people screaming as they scattered, followed by eerie singing.

'Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top, When the wind blows the cradle will rock.  When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,  And down will come baby, cradle and all.'

Adrien shouted that there was an akuma attack and people ran about hysterically, trying to find safety. He ducked under the nurse's table, clutching Emma to him as he searched for somewhere to keep Emma safe so he could transform and save Marinette. He was never more glad for the fact that they had decided to switch Miraculouses for the duration of the pregnancy, but he couldn't go into battle until he knew Emma was safe.

'Rock-a-bye baby, gently you swing,  Over the cradle, Mother will sing, Sweet is the lullaby over your nest That tenderly sings my baby to rest.'

She was getting closer, so he gently shushed Emma, asking her to stay quiet. They couldn't afford to give away their position; he didn't have a plan yet, nor did he have a safe place for Emma. People ran frantically past them towards the exit, the stampede thunderingly loud, and yet he could clearly hear his wife's spine-chilling voice floating above the chaos.

'From the high rooftops, down to the sea  No one's as dear as baby to me  Wee little hands, eyes shiny and bright  Now sound asleep until morning light.'

He could hear the men from earlier apologising to her, their hysterical words suddenly cut off, the air thick and still in their wake. Adrien didn't dare to peek outside his hiding spot to see what happened to the men.

'Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree top,'

Her footsteps were coming closer.

'When the wind blows the cradle will rock.'

Her fingernails clicked rhythmically against the top bench of the nurse's desk above him.

'When the bough breaks the cradle will fall,'

A platinum white braid fell in front of him, and when he looked up, he met the bright cold blue gaze of Lady Blanc.

'And down will come baby, cradle and all.'

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

"I'm sorry Master Fu, but... I don't think I can do this anymore."

‘I’m sorry, Master Fu, but… I don’t think I can do this anymore.’

Adrien watched as Master Fu’s eyes bugged out. ‘What?’

‘I can’t keep doing this anymore,’ Adrien repeated.

‘You don’t want to be Chat Noir anymore?’ Fu asked, voice strangled with panic and alarm.

‘Of course I want to be Chat Noir,’ Adrien answered, ‘but I can’t keep being him if things are going to stay this way.’

The panic and alarm gave way to confusion. ‘Do you mean with defeating Hawk Moth?’

Adrien shook his head. ‘I mean being a part of this team.’

-oOo-

Chat Noir landed on the rooftop where Ladybug was already waiting to start their patrol. His heart skipped happily at the mere sight of her, and he sighed in relief. Since that brush of lips, that near-kiss he had with Marinette at the wax museum earlier that day, he had been an absolute mess of emotions, wondering if his heart was so fickle that one little kiss could make him fall for someone who wasn’t his Lady. But now, with his heart doing its usual routine of happy backflips upon seeing Ladybug, he decided that all was right in the world (and that he could examine his newfound - perhaps temporary? - feelings for Marinette later).

‘Good evening, m’lady,’ he greeted as he sat down next to her at the edge of the rooftop.

She turned to him, smiling happily. ‘Hey, Chat!’

He couldn’t help but smile in return. ‘You are in a good mood. Did you have a good day?’

Ladybug grimaced like she had just bitten into a lemon. ‘Wasn’t the greatest, but luckily not as horrible as it could’ve been.’

‘Oh?’

‘I’d rather not dwell on it,’ she said, before shaking her head, and her expression cleared. ‘But I’d rather talk to you about something far more pleasant!’

‘I’m all ears,’ he said, wiggling his faux cat ears, and grinned when he was rewarded with a giggle. She turned where she was sitting to face him, struggling to sit still as if she were a puppy and he was holding a bone in his hand.

‘How’s your training with Master Fu going?’ she asked enthusiastically, the words practically bursting from her. ‘I’ve been desperate to ask for ages, but I didn’t want to bombard you too early, because I didn’t want to jump too far ahead of where you might’ve been in your training, but surely you’ve learnt enough for us to talk about most things freely together, and-’

‘Ladybug, wait,’ Chat cut in, and she paused, her arms comically frozen in the air from when she had been waving them about excitedly, ‘what training?’

Her arms dropped and she frowned. ‘Uh, the training on the Miraculous?’

‘I’m supposed to be getting training?’ he asked, and her frown deepened.

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘When was the last time you saw Fu?’

‘Saw him? Uh… when we fought against Party Crasher? But if you’re talking about having an actual sit-down conversation with him-’ she nodded, ‘-then not since after we faced Syren.’

‘Syren?’ she repeated incredulously. ‘But that was months ago!’

‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘but that chat was more like a general overview rather than anything I’d consider to be training.’

‘Ugh!’ she exclaimed, jumping up to her feet and starting to pace. ‘What is his problem?’

‘What do you mean?’ Chat asked, turning where he sat to face her.

‘Back around the time of us facing Syren, you were getting frustrated by your role and being left in the dark with identities and all things Miraculous, remember?’ she began.

‘Yeah, I remember,’ he responded. ‘I almost quit that day.’

‘What?’ she yelped, swivelling around to face him. ‘Y-you almost left? Why?’

He cringed; he had never wanted to admit to her how low he had felt that day, but now that it was out, he supposed he should address it.

‘I didn’t feel like you trusted me,’ he confessed, his heart breaking as he saw the pain in her eyes. ’Suddenly, there are more Miraculouses, and I didn’t know about them until you put them into play. There were new team members that just popped up mid-battle that you didn’t trust me with their identities. When we started being superheroes, it was just the two of us, and the only secrets we had between us were our identities, but at some point, that changed. I felt less like your partner and more like your out-of-the-loop sidekick. I had no knowing where it all went wrong, and your lips were sealed tighter than a jam jar. I didn’t feel valued.’

‘A-and now?’ Ladybug asked, her voice soft but the guilt was earth-shatteringly loud. ‘After Master Fu spoke with you when Syren was over, did those feelings change?’

Chat sighed.

‘They lessened for a time,’ he admitted, ‘because he had explained he was training you, and that’s why you couldn’t tell me everything. He told me that he was the Guardian and gave me an overview about his role, he handed me the power-ups, and then he left. And that was enough for me back then, getting some answers for what was going on, but it’s still hard. Even after Syren, I still don’t know our temporary teammates identities, so only you can go get them and bring them to the battle. Only you and Master Fu knew how to make our power-ups. I don’t know where Master Fu lives, so I can’t just go talk to him. I… if I think about it too much, it hurts.’

Arms wrapped around him.

‘I am so sorry, Chat Noir,’ Ladybug apologised. ‘I told him to stop leaving you in the dark, and when he said that he’d take care of it, I thought he was bringing you up to speed, not just giving you a one-off chat. I hate keeping secrets from you, especially things to do with the Miraculous. Never doubt that I trust you with my life and the Miraculouses - you are my partner and my best friend.’

Chat returned the hug. ‘Thank you, Ladybug. That means a lot.’

She pulled back and looked him in the eye. ‘I promise you, Chat Noir, that I’ll talk to Master Fu and make this right.’

-oOo-

’After that, she gave me your address so that I could reach you in case of important discussions that need to happen, and for emergencies,’ Adrien explained, watching as Master Fu frowned deeply.

‘She should not have done that,’ Master Fu said sternly.

‘Yes, she should have,’ Plagg retorted, staring the old man down. ‘If she hadn’t given him your address last night, I would’ve brought him here anyway, and he would’ve learned your address either way. But she trusted him, and so should you.’

‘What makes you think I don’t trust him?’ asked Fu. Plagg stared at him, unimpressed.

‘Did you not just hear everything my kid just told you?’ Plagg responded dryly. ‘Ladybug and Chat Noir’s relationship almost fell apart, Adrien was going to give up being Chat Noir altogether, leaving Hawk Moth a step closer to victory - just because you couldn’t bring yourself to trust Adrien as much as you do Ladybug.’

Fu seemed unmoved by Plagg’s words. ‘He can’t just give up - he has a responsibility-’

‘And what about your responsibility to him?’ Plagg countered. ‘Has he done something wrong?’

‘No.’

‘Has he proven himself less reliable or trustworthy than Ladybug?’ Plagg continued, cutting Fu off.

‘No, but-’

‘Has he ever showed any signs of wanting to betray Ladybug or wanting to join Hawk Moth?’

’No, he hasn’t-’

‘So then-’

‘Because there are extenuating circumstances!’ Fu yelled.

‘Like what?’ Plagg yelled back.

‘I can’t say, it’s too dangerous,’ said Fu tersely.

‘Can’t or won’t?’ Plagg shot back.

Fu didn’t answer, opting to silently fume with a red face.

‘Does Ladybug know what you aren’t telling us?’ Plagg prodded.

Fu pursed his lips, but averted his gaze in discomfort.

‘I’ll take that as a “no”, then,’ Plagg stated.

Adrien was finding this conversation frustrating. He knew Ladybug would talk to Fu sometime soon - she had only made her promise last night, after all - but he decided to try and talk to the Master himself when his fencing lesson cancelled last-minute and he had some free time on his hands. The last few instances he had met Master Fu, the old man seemed kind and understanding, so Adrien thought this discussion would go smoothly. How wrong he was.

There was no reason for Fu to not trust him - the man had said so himself! There was something Fu was hiding, and he clearly wasn’t willing to disclose whatever it was that was preventing him from trusting Chat Noir the way he does Ladybug. Adrien opened his mouth to speak-

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and Adrien jumped where he sat, turning to look at the intruder as Plagg zipped under the table.

‘Fu! You have some explaining to do!’

The door closed shut with a quiet click. Eyes met.

‘Marinette?’ he asked. He had never seen her like this before. Her body was tense like a lioness about to pounce on her prey. Her heavy breaths foretelling a storm of epic proportions. The fire in her eyes burned like a bushfire raging in the peak of a dry summer. She was livid. But not at him.

‘Adrien? What are you doing here?’ she asked evenly. No stutter. No stumble. No sweet blush or cute little smile.

‘Marinette, this is very rude of you-’

‘I’m here for a personal matter,’ Adrien said, cutting off Master Fu as he held Marinette’s gaze. ‘You?’

The blue fire blazed. ‘I’m also here on a personal matter,’ she began, turning the inferno towards the old man across the table, ‘and it’s a matter of urgency.’

Marinette looked like she’d eat Master Fu alive if Adrien left them alone. Adrien didn’t know if he should hold her back from ripping Master Fu apart for whatever he had done to rile her up so much, or if he should sit back and enjoy the carnage, but one thing was absolutely certain - he was staying put.

‘Why don’t you sit down and join us? Adrien offered brightly, ignoring the wild eyes Master Fu was sending him. Marinette, too furious to question Adrien’s motives, sat next to him.

Master Fu cleared his throat. ‘Uh, well, since these discussions are both personal matters, we should discuss them without mentioning other people’s names,’ he suggested.

Adrien agreed, and Marinette nodded stiffly beside him. Secret identities needed to remain a secret… then again, Adrien thought that if he was allowed to entrust anyone with his identity, Marinette would be at the top of the list.

‘Why don’t you go first, Marinette?’ Adrien suggested, earning him a curious look from her. ‘I’ve been here a little longer than you have, and you said your matter was urgent.’

Marinette nodded with a small “thanks”, before turning towards Master Fu.

‘I have this friend,’ she began, ‘and you know him well, Mr.Fu. And you have done him a great disservice.’

‘What happened?’ Adrien asked.

‘My friend and I were working on something together, and we had been for a good few months before I met Mr. Fu. Mr Fu decided to give me tutoring in the area me and my friend were working in,’ she explained, her voice unusually even for the fury that emanated from her. ‘I kept asking and asking Mr. Fu to tutor my friend as well, but he refused, citing “security reasons”. But my friend had noticed the sudden difference between my level of knowledge and his, and began to question it, and I could see him getting upset when I couldn’t answer him because I had made a promise to Mr. Fu here that I wouldn’t share this knowledge with anyone - that promise was a condition of my tutoring.’

Adrien could understand her friend’s perspective. Maybe he should meet this friend and teach him some breathing techniques to avoid being akumatised.

‘One day, I told Mr. Fu that it was time for my friend to be brought into the loop, to be trained the same way I was.’ Marinette was on a roll now. ‘He had agreed, and promised that he’d “take care of it”, which I thought meant bringing my friend up to speed, but no! I just found out yesterday that it was just a quick little one-off chat that did barely enough and my friend still feels on the outer! Things haven’t been fixed!’

Something was niggling in Adrien’s mind, whispering that this friend of Marinette’s had an eerily similar situation to himself, while the rest of his brain fought to ignore that very thought.

‘I can’t believe you, Mas- Mr. Fu!’ Marinette exclaimed as she jumped to her feet, body tense with anger, ready to fight. ’The way you’ve been treating him is totally and unnecessarily cold! Why? What’s he ever done to you? He is just as much of the team as I am, and instead of guiding him and teaching him, you’ve been treating him like a mushroom - keeping him in the dark and feeding him shi-’

‘Marinette!’ Master Fu gasped. Adrien almost pouted; he had never seen Marinette so mad to be on the verge of swearing, and he never knew that he wanted to hear her swear until now, and Fu just prevented him from hearing it. Yet another thing Adrien wasn’t able to experience, thanks to the old man. All the while, that niggling feeling grew stronger.

Instead of looking abashed at Master Fu’s scolding, Marinette looked even more infuriated than before, and a lot more hurt.

‘He almost left!’ she shouted, tears forming in her eyes. ‘He almost left his job, he almost left me because of you! Before you came, we trusted each other, we were partners, equals! But your blatant favouritism towards me and obvious disregard of him made him distrust me! He didn’t feel valued anymore, and almost left! This needs to change!’

Tears started to fall from her eyes. This was his Lady. She was crying for him, and he didn’t know what to do.

‘I can’t do this without him,’ Marinette declared. ‘He is the only reason I stayed after that first day, and if he goes, then I go.’

Adrien’s heart leapt into his throat. If he ever needed any proof she cared about him just as much as he did her, that was it. He stood up, placed his hands onto her shoulders, and gently turned her to face him.

‘You can’t go, m’lady,’ he told her gently, watching her eyes cloud with confusion before widening with realisation, ‘Paris needs you more than I do.’

‘I can only stay if you do, Kitty,’ she responded with equal softness, voice hitching with wet hiccups. ‘Paris needs both of us, because I can’t do this without you.’

He held his arms out and she all but jumped into them, hugging him just as desperately as he was hugging her. Adrien knew that he still needed to resolve the issues with Master Fu, and there was the whole matter of the unexpected identity reveal to deal with, but that was for Future Adrien. With Plagg resuming his staunch defence of Adrien to Master Fu (now joined by Tikki), and with Marinette in his arms, he knew they’d be okay.

[seas-of-silver]

First Sentence, Then Scene: “I know your secret.” Lila said as she pinned Marinette to the wall.

Just a lil warning that I touch on anxiety and dealing with that... emotional feedback (I guess you could call it?) of being in a high intensity situation with your bully/source of anxiety.

~/~

'I know your secret,' Lila said as she pinned Marinette to the wall. Marinette wriggled, but Lila's grasp didn't budge.

'What secret?' Marinette asked, still trying to loosen Lila's grip. 'I don't have any secrets.' Lila tsked, shaking her head in mock disappointment before smirking up at her with a devious glint in her eyes. 'Playing innocent, I see...'

The Italian's tone sent shivers up Marinette's spine, but made sure she gave no indication of how the girl's words affected her.

'The only one "playing innocent" here is you,' Marinette spat. 'Everyone thinks you're so kind and sweet, but you're like the devil in disguise.'

'Hah! You flatter me,' Lila purred, 'but I am not the Devil- well, not yet, anyway.'

Marinette's eyes narrowed.

'See, the problem with you angelic types is that you're too honest for your own good,' Lila said, voice heavy with faux concern that made Marinette want to grind her teeth. 'Too kind, too generous, too self-sacrificing. You would do anything for a friend, and expect nothing in return.'

This was pressing on all of Marinette's buttons. She knew what the true purpose was of these words, and yet-

'And that is why you'll always lose to someone like me,' Lila finished with a devilish grin.

'You know what your problem is?' Marinette snapped. 'That attitude. Those lies. I know you can't help it, you're born this way, but the thing is you could be so much more than this.'

She couldn't help but take satisfaction in the way Lila's eyes widened ever so subtly.

'You have an incredible talent, and an even more incredible mind - you could be truly amazing if you wanted to be, but you don't, so you're not. You lie, you cheat, you play these twisted games, wasting your time and energy on things and people that do not matter to you - and for what? To get me down? To hurt me? We both know that you're targeting me with all this, for some minor disagreement long-since forgotten- which, let's be honest, doesn't justify all that you've done since then. I've tried to make amends, to help you, to do what I can to build bridges, but you burn them every time, turning away any offers I made so that you could keep that flame burning within you. You think that everything that makes me who I am makes me weak to the likes of you, but in reality-' Marinette forced her hands free from Lila's weakened grip, '-that's why you'll never win against someone like me.'

'Aaaand cut!' Nino cried, leaping out of his director's chair, his hand clutching his cap as his arms waving excitedly. 'That was electric! That was super tense and believable and ohhhhh, I knew this "angels and demons hidden amongst humans" theme was going to work! And you two! Man, I could not have cast more awesome people for these roles!'

'You're welcome, by the way,' Alya lightheartedly sing-songed from behind him, grinning happily.

'Yeah, okay, I owe you an Andre's ice-cream, but if this take is as good as it was in person, I am buying you ice-cream every day for a month!' Nino promised before dashing off to look at the take.

'Whew! It was sooo hard being so mean!' Lila fibbed, earning her some comments on how fantastic of an actor she was by their fellow classmates. With Lila sufficiently distracted, Marinette let out a shaky breath, the adrenaline pumping through her body making her fidgety and unsettled.

'Hey,' Adrien greeted gently as he approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he handed her a glass of water, 'you did fantastically out there.'

They both knew the real meaning behind his words.

'Are you okay?' he asked.

"I know your secret." Lila's line echoed in her mind, Lila's expression - and the way it scared her - haunted her. It was like she really knew...

'Yeah... but also... no?' Marinette answered. She wasn't entirely sure he'd understand what she meant, but he nodded like he did. 'The acting bit, I'm fine with, but her? It's... she's...'

'Overwhelming?' he prompted. 'Like suddenly, it's all too real, and it's hard to remember where you are and what you're doing.'

She nodded. He understood.

'I felt like that every time Dad was at a photoshoot,' Adrien admitted. 'Despite him being my father, he's this intimidating, powerful, incredibly critical figure that with one look can pull my performance- can pull me apart, and make me feel vulnerable in such a way that I feel like a kitten backed into a corner, trembling in front of this towering, snarling dog, and it always made me want to run and hide. But I had to fight through it, push through, pretend I had everything under control when I didn't feel like that at all, and let myself decompress once I was alone and safe in my room.'

Marinette's heart ached for Adrien, while also taking comfort in knowing she wasn't alone in feeling this way. Any other time, she might've felt guilty for taking comfort in such a painful thing, but she was too rattled right now. Instead, she silently hugged him, ignoring the stinging of tears forming in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, careful not to spill the water in the glass she was still holding as he hugged her back.

In his arms, she felt safe, and the world around them faded away as she let the adrenaline run its course and bleed out of her system, knowing he'd catch her if she fell. She ignored Nino's cries of a perfect one-take wonder, she ignored Lila's grandstanding to their peers, she ignored the clicking of phone cameras. She was in her own bubble within Adrien's arms, and all she could hear was the sounds of their breaths and his steady heartbeat against her ear.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

I saw an old post of @heartfulselkie's where she had an ask game, and I liked the sound of it, so I'd like to play, too!

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it

I look forward to what you guys send me!

[seas-of-silver]

The young rabbit hero quickly motioned to the surprised teenager to get into her portal before desperately shouting out, "Luka—Viperion, I need your help!"

The young rabbit hero quickly motioned to the surprised teenager to get into her portal before desperately shouting out, 'Luka—Viperion, I need your help!'

Luka tsked. 'Civilian and hero identity? Bunnyx, you're slipping.'

Bunnyx growled. Luka put his hands up as he chuckled in mock surrender.

'Be glad you found me when I was home alone, Alix,' he said as he entered the Burrow.

'Who's breaking rules now, snake boy?' Alix grouched, snapping the portal shut and stomping across the Burrow, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him along with a ferocity that made him immediately switch into focus.

Luka knew how playful Alix was; cheeky by nature, a jovial competitor, and while she was a realist, she would be able to find levity in heavier moments. Normally, if he pulled her up on a slip, she'd roll her eyes, cock her hip and sass right back at him with an anecdote of when he himself had stuffed up, just to make it an even playing field. Normally, there'd be a little more banter. This, however, wasn't normal, and it put him on edge. As he observed her, she was pale, sweating, tired, jittery... scared.

'What happened?' he asked.

'No spoilers,' she shot back curtly as she pulled him in front of another portal.

'Hey.' He pulled his wrist out of her grasp. 'If you're going to send me out of my time into something that obviously has you rattled, I'm going to need to know what I'm walking into - which includes what led up to whatever this is.'

Bunnyx sniffled, and that's when he saw it. It wasn't just sweat trailing down her face. Luka wrapped her up in a hug.

'What are you doing, man?' came her muffled voice from against his chest. 'You-'

'I can spare a moment to make sure you're okay,' he told her. She returned the hug, and he felt his shirt dampen with tears. He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but eventually she pulled away.

'Th-the villain, the new holder of the Butterfly,' she began as she wiped her eyes and attempted to refocus herself, 'she's... so much worse that we could have ever imagined. Hawk Moth, Shadowmoth, Monarch - he had at least some boundaries, some morals, some rules about what he did, some lines he wouldn't cross... but her? She's just... there's nothing she wouldn't do, and it's horrifying.'

Bunnyx shivered, her pale facade tinging green.

'Should... should I ask why you couldn't get the Luka of that time?' he asked cautiously. Bunnyx just shrunk in on herself, and his heart sunk at the mortifying, unthinkable reasons she wouldn't, or perhaps couldn't-

'Spoilers,' she whispered with a glimmer of a smile, and he relaxed. So perhaps it wasn't as bad as he wasn't imagining, right?

'We're down a few members of our usual team, and the ones who are fighting are being pushed to their limits,' Bunnyx continued. 'This akuma is complicated, relentless and devastating. When we get on site, I'll inform the team that you're here, and after that, observe, report back to the team, and for goodness sakes - don't let the akuma see you. It'll be game over if you do.'

'What, like Medusa or something?' Luka joked, but at Bunnyx's nod, he grew solemn.

'And that's just one of the akuma's abilities.'

'Shit.'

'Yeah.'

Luka heaved a heavy sigh. 'Anything else I need to know?'

'Don't touch the goo.'

Luka raised an eyebrow.

'Seriously, don't touch the goo,' Bunnyx warned him.

Luka nodded slowly as he called on his transformation. 'Goo is a no-go. Got it.' He looked back at her. 'See you soon, yeah?'

'Yeah,' she agreed softly. 'Be careful.'

He smiled before stepping through the portal. He was halfway through when he felt a hand pull him backwards.

'Wrong portal, dummy!' Bunnyx scolded, shaking her head as she lined him up with the portal to the left of the one he just walked through. 'What would you even do without me?'

'I'd probably be really bored,' he countered as she shoved him unceremoniously through the portal and onto a secluded rooftop.

'I got the young Viperion for you, team' Bunnyx announced into her comms. 'Don't lose him - he can't stay up past his bedtime.'

'Copy that,' he heard the chorus of voices through his earpiece as he put it in.

'See you later, Vipey,' Bunnyx said to him as she slapped his shoulder in farewell.

'Later, Energiser,' he replied, chuckling as she flipped him off before hopping back into the Burrow, the bright portal swirling shut behind her.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

Marinette wasn’t sure how to react to a sleeping Chat Noir who was sprawled on her balcony; this was going to be hard to explain to her parents why Adrien who wasn’t in their home showed up to their breakfast out of her room.

Marinette wasn’t sure how to react to a sleeping Chat Noir who was sprawled on her balcony; this was going to be hard to explain to her parents - why Adrien, who wasn’t in their home, showed up to their breakfast out of her room.

When she had gone up to her balcony after dinner to get ready to leave for patrol, she almost screamed when she saw Chat's limp form draped across the floor. After realising that he was okay, just asleep, she almost collapsed with relief. It was only once her panic subsided that she spotted a bag next to him, and her concern spiked. Marinette tensed as her eyes scanned the rooftops, the skies, the neighbouring windows and the streets below, only relaxing once she was certain this wasn't a trap, nor that their safety was compromised.

She quietly picked up his bag and dropped it through the skylight. She then gently tried to rouse him, but when he didn't wake, she attempted to lift him and carry him over to her skylight, but despite her natural strength as her civilian self, it was no match to the slumbering deadweight that was her partner. It took transforming into Ladybug and some smart manoeuvres with her yo-yo to successfully lower him into her room.

Once back in her room and with the skylight closed securely behind her, she took a moment to observe Chat. The mask hid much, but not enough. His eyes were puffy and red, as if he had been crying. His hand, even in deep sleep, was tightly clasping... the lucky charm Marinette gave to Adrien. What... what was Chat Noir doing with... unless... no, he couldn't be... right?

Marinette scrambled over to the bag, shaky hands hovered above the zipper. She looked up at Tikki, who had flittered into view, silently asking for permission. Tikki nodded solemnly. Once unzipped, the bag's contents only confirmed her suspicions. Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was Adrien. They were one and the same.

She would have freaked out more about this revelation, if it wasn't for the fact the boy she loved, the partner she trusted, had - while distraught - seemingly sought refuge with her. He needed her right now.

She had tucked him into her bed, retrieved some cheese from her family's fridge for Plagg once Chat detransformed, and settled herself on her chaise with a spare pillow and blankets. Only a few hours later was she awoken by a panicked yell. She leapt off her chaise, ready to fight whatever danger was awaiting her, when her eyes landed on Chat, who was upright and breathing heavily.

'Adrien? Are you okay?'

His eyes turned to her, wide and panicked, before relaxing. 'So, you figured me out, huh?'

'Heh, yeah,' she admitted nervously, before remembering the state he was in when she discovered him. 'Are... are you okay?'

Chat let out a despairing sigh and detransformed. Plagg considered his charge with concern before glancing at Marinette, then silently making his way to the cheese plate Marinette had prepared for him. Adrien pulled his knees to his chest, looking smaller than she had ever seen him.

'I... no,' he answered quietly. 'My father... my mother...'

Tears started to fall down his cheeks, and she immediately made her way to his side and held him as he cried. The words started spilling out of him - spotting his father with Nooroo, discovering the giant cave-like basements under the mansion, then his mother in a glass casket. In his panic and fear, he packed whatever he could think of, transformed and just ran as fast as feet could take him to wherever he felt the safest. She didn't know how long they stayed that way, with him unloading his grief and turmoil while she held him.

'I just don't know what to tell Ladybug,' Adrien confided. 'Would she even believe me when I say that I had no idea my own father was our nemesis?'

'Well,' Marinette replied, 'considering you just told Ladybug everything, she'd be happy to tell you she believes you with every fibre of her being.'

They stayed cuddled in each other's arms until they eventually fell asleep. It wasn't until they woke up the next morning that she realised that she had a boy - Adrien, her longtime crush - in her room, with no reasonable explanation for his being there. They tried sneaking quietly down to the kitchen, but their plan was spoiled immediately by the sight of her mother staring at them in surprise.

'H-Hey, Maman,' Marinette stuttered as she attempted an innocent easy-going attitude. 'There's a totally believable explanation for this, heh...'

'Marinette,' Maman began, 'if you wanted to have a sleepover with your friends, you didn't have to sneak them into the house, you know.'

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

Oh! For the thingy of sentence. (My ml Tumblr is dadplagg-mamatikki btw...)

"Get back here!" Plagg yelled as he flew after a cackiling Tikki.

(Also I think I misspelled something.. 🤦🏻‍♀️🥲)

No worries about spelling errors and whatnot - I can fix that 🤭

Here you go @dadplagg-mamatikki!

~/~

‘Get back here!’ Plagg yelled as he flew after a cackling Tikki.

‘You snooze, you lose!’ she sing-songed as she zipped around the umbrella behind Marinette’s chaise.

‘That doesn��t even make sense!’ he yowled as he followed her, flying past Adrien as they went through the trap door to the living room below. ‘I wasn’t even asleep!’

‘Could’ve fooled me, Stinky Sock,’ she teased as she did a lap around the room with him hot on her tail.

He growled as he tried to overtake her, almost whacking into a Tupperware while Tikki weaved through the assortment of salt and pepper shakers with ease. He flew straight through the centre of the cookie cutters that were standing on their sides on the bench, digging deep within himself to close the gap that had been growing between him and his cookie-loving counterpart. He almost had her-

‘And she’s over the finish line! Tikki wins!’ Tom crowed, handing Tikki a tiny medal Marinette had made.

‘Gah, I was so close!’ Plagg groaned, floating down to land next to his partner. ‘You were unfairly fast.’

‘I don’t weigh myself down with mountains of cheese,’ she joked lightheartedly, before handing him a slice of Camembert from the platter Sabine had prepared earlier. ‘You raced well today, Plagg.’

‘Thanks, Sugarcube,’ he said, taking the cheese, ‘but you know that I’ll totally beat you next time, right?’

Tikki’s eyes sparkled with the challenge. ‘You’re on!’

‘The next contenders in the Kwami Obstacle Course is… Kaalki and Fluff!’ Adrien announced. ‘Come on up to the starting line!’

Plagg watched as the two kwamis excitedly flew up into Marinette’s room.

‘Wait,’ said Tikki, sounding concerned, ‘doesn’t that leave Roaar and Orikko to compete against each other? We’ve gone through everyone else, haven’t we?’

Plagg dropped his Camembert. The last time Roaar and Orikko teamed up for something fun like this, Roaar tried to boost morale and excitement with friendly jests and words of encouragement… words which Orikko misinterpreted as insults, and did not take it too kindly. Orikko, feeling snubbed, wasn’t too polite to Roaar, who really didn’t like the rude attitude after her attempts to help her teammate’s mood. Things escalated, and, well, it wasn’t pretty. They haven’t been paired up since.

‘Okay!’ Marinette called from above. ‘Ready-’

The last time Roaar and Orikko were paired up, they were in the safety of the Miracle Box.

‘Steady-’

This time, they were in Marinette’s family home, in the outside world.

‘Go!’

Plagg looked at Tikki, despair in his gut. ‘Oh, shit.’

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

Adrien looked up at the dark clouds and down at Marinette's hand in his and thought, "maybe that kiss in the rain I've always dreamed about will happen today."

Adrien looked up at the dark clouds and down at Marinette's hand in his and thought, "maybe that kiss in the rain I've always dreamed about will happen today."

He wasn't sure when he first started to desire for such a kiss. Perhaps it was the day that Marinette tried to return his umbrella to him, and the umbrella closing in on them, trapping them together in a moment that could've made the perfect scenario for a sneaky kiss as the waterproof fabric hid them from the world, keeping such a sacred moment between just the two of them. Possibly it was because of that time he and Marinette were standing in the rain, the air filled with tension before his father demanded he get in the car and go home to Paris. Or maybe it was when he first gave Marinette that umbrella on that wonderful day they first became friends - he had always felt more for her than "just a friend" (even if he didn't realise it until after that fateful day in the wax museum when their lips brushed due to her prank- wait, was it really a prank? He had to store that thought away for later), but maybe it became a subconscious desire that stemmed from that moment? Or perhaps it was because of his mother's guilty-pleasure go-to movie, The Notebook? Nah, it couldn't be that. But what about-

'Hey,' Marinette's gentle voice jolted him from his musings and he looked at her as they still stood under the shelter of their school entrance, 'a euro for your thoughts?'

'A euro?' Adrien repeated, amusement lacing his tone. 'My thoughts aren't that expensive.'

'I beg to differ,' she teased, smiling up at him, and he felt his breath escape him. 'Your thoughts are worth at least a hundred euros.'

'No, see, that's how much your thoughts are worth,' he countered with a grin, 'whereas mine are worth... yeah, five cents.'

'Liar,' she rebutted lightheartedly, 'but while we both know your thoughts are worth a thousand euros at minimum, we're getting off track - what were you thinking about?'

Right. His thoughts. About kissing. In the rain. He felt his face heat up quicker than a pan on a stovetop.

'I... uh, erm...' Adrien stammered.

She lay a hand on his arm and looked up at him sympathetically. 'If you can't say, that's okay.'

She had a heart of gold and he was going to cry- or propose- or do something stupid because he loved her so much. He had such an understanding girlfriend!

'I was just wondering about kisses in the rain and what it's be like if we kissed in the rain!' Adrien spat it all out so fast that he sure all Marinette heard was a garbled mess of vowels and consonants that didn't hold the slightest resemblance to the French language, yet somehow-

'You want to have a kiss in the rain?' she asked kindly.

All he could do was nod. It wasn't weird, right? To want to have a romantic movie moment where you kiss your love in the rain?

Silently taking his hand, she led him out into the rain. Their eyes never broke contact as they made their way further into the downpour. It was cold and uncomfortable as the chilly rain hit his clothes, hair and skin, but this was for love and for science! Well, maybe not science, but definitely for love and romance!

His hand cradled her cheek, just as her hand came up to his face. Perhaps when they were kissing they'd begin to feel warmer? He leaned forward, as did she, and their lips met. They were wet and tasted a little salty, and he was still cold. Maybe he needed to amp it up a little?

He deepened the kiss and held her closer, really giving the kiss his all. Kissing Marinette was always an absolute delight that made his heart flutter, just like it was doing now, but-

'I'm sorry, Marinette, but it's way too cold and all I can think about is us catching colds,' Adrien admitted as soon as he broke the kiss.

'Oh thank god,' Marinette sighed in relief, 'I thought I was the only one thinking that! Wanna head over to mine and warm up?'

Adrien could think of nothing more wonderful, and in lieu of responding, he took her hand and made a beeline for the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Soon, they were towel-dried, huddled in blankets like burritos and soothing the bone-deep cold with the molten heaven that was Marinette's special hot chocolates as they sat in front the heater.

'Better?' Marinette asked.

Adrien leaned over and kissed her soundly. Now this was how a kiss was meant to be!

'Yeah,' he admitted breathily, eyes fixated on her irresistible lips, already leaning in for another kiss, 'much better.'

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

Marinette wiped sweat off her sunburnt forehead and scratched at the mosquito bites dotting her arms before once again internally cursing herself for letting Chat drag her on this stupid camping trip.

Marinette wiped sweat off her sunburnt forehead and scratched at the mosquito bites dotting her arms before once again internally cursing herself for letting Chat drag her on this stupid camping trip. As much as she loved the wonders of nature, she was a city girl at heart! She would spend her hot evenings in her room with fans on, not hiking up a never-ending hill. She preferred doing her business in a toilet rather than a hole in the ground. She liked being in the safety and comfort of your home, and not in the wild with all these god. damn. mosquitos!

She slapped her arm. She missed.

'Come on, Marinette!' Chat chirped joyfully. 'We're almost there!'

She huffed, readjusting her backpack. He was much too excited for her right now.

It was his excitement in the first place that got her into this mess. She had just been watering her balcony garden one afternoon when she spotted Chat bounding across rooftops over to her like a puppy that hadn't seen its owner all day.

'Marinette!' he had cried out, eyes agleam and grin wide. 'I have the most awesome idea!'

He had bounced on the balls of his feet as he gushed all about his idea about going camping - he had heard tales from his friends and wanted desperately to experience the activity for himself, but didn't want to go alone. He had made it sound fun, she'd admit, and any hesitation she felt in that moment evaporated when she saw the look in his eyes. While they glittered with wonder and enthusiasm, his eyes pleaded with her, conveying a longing and vulnerability that had the words spill from her mouth before she realised she had made a decision.

'I'll go with you.'

Chat's mouth had softly dropped open in surprise before grinning impossibly wide and sweeping her up a hug, twirling her around as he thanked her a thousand times over.

'You won't regret this!' he had promised her, practically vibrating with glee.

She slapped her other arm as she trudged through the dirt behind him as they weaved between the trees. She missed again.

When he had talked of camping, she had imagined going to a camp-friendly park in Paris, setting up a tent and having a picnic - after all, that was the type of camping she and her family did when she was little, and nothing Chat said disagreed with that image. She should've questioned harder as Ladybug when he begged her for the Horse Miraculous for "a very important mission" he had to do. She saw right through his flimsy excuse, not that she let him know it, and gave him Kaalki's glasses with the provisos that he take very good care of the Miraculous and kwami, and that should there be an akuma in Paris that he return immediately - conditions he accepted easily.

She thought he was going to stay within the country - how was she supposed to know he'd take Marinette to Australia?! She wasn't prepared for Australia! There were crocodiles and snakes and spiders and-

Slap!

-mosquitoes in Australia! This was a country famous for its dangerous wildlife - just look at the dingos!

'Chat, when you say "a little longer"-' she began.

'We're just here!' he confirmed brightly as he turned to face her, before turning sheepish. 'Um, well, I had to make the booking under my name... so, uh...'

He looked behind him, and she followed his gaze to the kiosk at the front of what she supposed were the camping grounds. She looked at the sign, and couldn't decide if she found "Mystery Bay" a fun name for a bay or an ominous one. Suddenly, it made more sense as to why Chat suggested she pack swimmers, not that she could quite see the bay from where they stood... which reminded her of their current conundrum.

'Um, I'll put my sunglasses on and close my eyes,' she suggested. 'You detransform and guide me where we need to go. When you see an opportunity, transform back.'

'What about when I give my name to the counter?' he asked.

Marinette paused. 'I'll put my headphones on and play music, so I don't hear it, and after you've finished there, tap my shoulder and I'll take them out so I can hear you again.'

'Sounds good to me!' he agreed, and she got to work.

Soon, her headphones were in and playing a playlist of Nino's music, her sunglasses were on with her eyes screwed shut, and her hands were holding firmly onto his arm. Even so, she almost ruined the plan when she felt the magic wash over her as he detransformed, making her skin tingle. All at once, she was acutely aware of how vulnerable he was, and how much he trusted her. She held him a little closer.

The wait was agonising. The music did little to soothe her nerves... especially when she could continue to feel those pesky bugs making her skin itch. Eventually, he tapped her shoulder.

'Hey, Marinette,' he said as she removed her headphones, 'everything is sorted. Ready?'

'Su-' she cut herself off as she slapped her arm again, and tsked when she missed.

'Ah, you being bitten by the mozzies, eh?' the man behind the counter asked her in English. Assuming "mozzies" were mosquitoes, she nodded. 'Here - spray some Aeroguard on ya, but I recommend you get some for yourself the next time you go past Woolies.'

She cautiously opened her eyes, studiously ignoring Chat's form next to her as she looked at the object in the man's hand, some blue can... a bug spray? She cautiously sprayed it on her arm.

'Don't be shy,' the man encouraged kindly, 'just spray it on - you too, mate,' he added to Chat next to her.

She was relieved the man didn't use her companion's name. Wanting to avoid any more close calls, she sprayed herself all over before blindly handing the can to Chat, closing her eyes again as soon as she held his arm again, feeling the fabric of his shirt against her skin. Her heart was pounding...and they hadn't even started camping yet.

She heard the can stop spraying and the man wishing them a great stay, before Chat started leading her down a path.

'Did you...see me?' he asked quietly.

'No,' she confirmed, 'I'm just glad he didn't say your name after I took out my headphones.'

He gave a light chuckle and she felt him relax. 'Me too.'

After a moment of walking, they came to a stop.

'This looks like a good spot to set up,' he declared. 'There's a toilet over there behind us, so I'll go in there and transform, okay?'

'Okay.'

When she heard his footsteps fade away, she opened her eyes. The afternoon sun was filtering through the trees and ocean glistened with distant sounds of waves gently crashing against the shore. It was rustic and had an understated beauty.

'So!' Chat said as he jogged back to her, suited back up. 'What do you think?'

'It looks great, Kitty,' she told him, and his chest puffed up with praise. 'Ready to set up camp?'

'Ready!' he replied, tail swishing in delight.

They got camp set up... eventually. They had some missteps, and at one point Chat was completely entangled in the tent as they were setting it up, making them laugh at the ludicrous situation. Photos on baton and mobile alike captured silly moments, pretty landscapes and happy selfies. They got some funny looks from the other campers at Chat's attire, but Chat played it off as him losing a bet, and the weird looks turned into fond head shakes and warm smiles.

As the sun began set, Marinette opened the large insulated bag her parents helped her prep for the trip. After the kerfuffle that was Weredad, the superhero was a frequent visitor to the Dupain-Cheng household, even joining in on family game nights when he was able. Her parents treated him like any other friend of hers, and Chat, in turn, warmed up to them immensely. So, when they told her parents about the camping trip idea, her parents were all for it, and helped Chat organise and plan it, since he wanted to take the lead on it. It seemed that her parents knew them well enough to know neither of them would know how to start a fire to cook things, as the insulated bag was full of sandwich ingredients, an assortment of their favourite pastries and sweets, cutlery, water, and two thermoses with warm soup. They chatted as they ate, happily talking about everything and nothing as the sky burnt a brilliant orange.

Once their hunger was sated, they packed their belongings away into their tent and went to explore the nearby beach. Marinette slipped off her shoes and socks as she walked along the sand, with Chat commenting that he was glad his suit didn't let the sand wiggle in. Their lighthearted and jovial banter gradually transitioned into a gentle contentedness, conversations becoming more heartfelt, deep and meaningful.

Marinette wasn't quite sure when exactly it was when the sun set, only realising how dark it had become when Chat suggested they lay down to stargaze. She agreed to his suggestion, settling herself down on the sand as he did the same next to her. They would occasionally "stargaze" at home on her balcony, making up stories of what they might be able to see if it weren't for the light pollution hiding the stars from their view.

'Oh wow,' she gasped.

This was nothing like stargazing at home! There were stars! Real stars! Thousands and thousands and thousands of them twinkling brightly in the night sky like diamonds and glitter scattered beautifully on navy velvet. The sky was painted with deep blues and purples as the stars shined white and gold; colours she never associated with the sky after dark.

'Do you like it?'

Marinette turned her head to look at Chat, who was smiling warmly at her.

'Kitty, this- this is gorgeous!' she gushed, looking back up at the sparkling heavens. 'I... I have no words for how beautiful this is.'

'I'm glad you like it,' he said softly. 'I know that you came on this trip because I wanted you to, so I wanted to give you something, too. That's why I chose this place. Nat- uh, I heard from someone I know that she had gone camping here one time and was in awe of the view... well, that, and that apparently there's a cave somewhere here that if you throw rocks at it, the rocks will spark and it looks really cool?'

She couldn't help but laugh. Of course that would be a factor in Chat's decision-making.

'Well, I love it,' she told him, looking at him as she reached out and held his hand. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome, Marinette.'

They lay there for a while; seconds, minutes, hours... she wasn't sure. Marinette was enraptured by the stunning view, discovering something new with every second that passed. She wanted to commit it all to memory - she was inspired and was being filled with so many ideas that she was desperate to retain until she could put them all on paper.

Eventually, she sat up and looked over at Chat, who gazed up at her with a languid smile.

'Wanna go throw rocks at that cave?'

He jumped up with a burst of energy. 'Totally!'

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

For the sentence ask game:

"It was chilly that night and Marinette found herself missing her cozier coat"

Hehe

It was chilly that night and Marinette found herself missing her cosier coat. She knew she should have taken it but no - Alya managed to convince her that he cute outfit shouldn't be covered by a coat, and that the weather forecast said it was going to be a warm evening.

The weather forecast lied and Marinette was never taking fashion advice from Alya again.

Marinette had heard about an opera production currently playing in Paris that had won awards for their gorgeous costume designs, and had lamented to her friends during lunch at school that the tickets had all been sold out, so she couldn't go see them. The next day, Adrien had turned up at her home with two tickets to that very show, asking if she'd like to go see it with him. She had surprised them both with her enthusiastic hug and even more enthusiastic acceptance of his offer. She had felt on top of the world for the rest of the day, and started working on her outfit for the opera as soon as she came home from school.

She knew she should have worn her coat. Yes, her dress was beautiful and she was so very proud of it, but the coat went well with her dress and, more importantly, kept her warm. Now, she was walking side by side with Adrien along the Seine, a walk that should have her blushing furiously from how romantic it was, but all she could think of was how she wished to trade her flimsy shawl for her cosy coat. Damn Alya and her persuasive abilities.

'Are you cold?' Adrien's voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up to see his kind eyes smiling down at her.

'Oh! Um, a little,' she admitted, silently admonishing herself for not paying attention to their conversation.

Adrien simply removed his blazer and draped it around her shoulders, holding it steady in place as she unwound her arms from around her torso to put her them through the sleeves.

'There,' he declared softly, giving the blazer an appraising look before meeting her eyes. 'Better?'

'Much, thank you,' she replied with equal softness.

He picked up her hands and held them tenderly, his thumbs brushing her knuckles as he looked at their joined hands. He hummed.

'Your hands are cold, too,' he observed, his voice laced with concern, 'and I don't have any gloves to give you.'

'Oh! You don't have to-' she began, but cut herself off when he gently let her into a half-turn so that she ended up in his arms with their joined hands crossed in front of her.

'Is it okay if I hold your hands to keep them warm?' he asked, eyes sparkling with delight.

She couldn't help the little squeak that escaped her.

'More than okay,' she answered.

Maybe she'll let Alya off the hook just this once.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

"Okay, have a look around."

Thanks, anon! And because your quote didn't have any characters attached to it, I really got to play with this idea, which was a lot of fun! Thanks for sending it in! I hope you like it!

~/~

'Okay, have a look around.'

Harry opened the doors to the Great Hall for the students in front of him, and watched as their eyes widened in awe. Walls and floor of stone were hidden by green rolling hills, a small forest, waterfalls and ragged cliffs.

'Today's combined class is all about focusing on your environment,' Harry announced, leading the gaggle of stunned students into the room, the occasional student having to be herded back to the group by one of the other professors to stop them from wandering off too early. 'Us professors decided that while the classroom environment is all well and good, sometimes seeing and experiencing things in a more practical way helps us remember lessons better.'

He paused, letting the students take in everything, before regaining their attention.

'Now,' he continued, 'there will be multiple components to today's lesson, and each of your professors will explain what you all need to look out for each subject: I, of course, will discuss Defence Against the Dark Arts; Professor Granger-'

He was cut off by a sudden burst of excited giggles from the students as they looked between him and Hermione conspiratorially. The Hogwarts rumour mill was alive and well with whispers of a secret romance between him and his fellow teacher, his best friend, Hermione Jean Granger. For once, the rumours were right, but neither of them were going to confirm anything, taking amusement in the students' lack of subtlety as they tried to get them to confirm the rumours; some of them were very creative in their methods...and Hermione wasn't one to stifle creativity.

'Professor Granger,' he repeated, 'will cover Transfiguration; Professor Longbottom will talk about Herbology; and Professor Flitwick will explain Charms. And, to help us out later in the class, we have a special guest instructor.'

The children all gasped and started murmuring amongst themselves, and he let them speculate for a moment before gaining their attention once again.

'We are very lucky to have with us today... Auror Ronald Weasley,' said Harry, who fought the impulse to turn to where Ron was hiding under his invisibility charm in favour of watching the students' reaction as he revealed himself; they did not disappoint. Gasps, squeals and awe-struck exclamations filled the air, and Harry could practically feel Ron preen under the attention. Harry had never been one for the fame and the spotlight, but that didn't mean he wouldn't prevent Ron from having his moment to shine.

'Yes, it's very exciting to have Auror Weasley present,' Harry conceded with a chuckle, but we still have a class to learn from, so pay attention and grab out your notebooks.'

As the students all scrambled for their notebooks, Harry greeted Ron with a grin and stole a glance at the ring on Ron's finger. The war had a profound impact on everyone, including friend and classmate, Lavender Brown. Being on the verge of death awakened a more mature side of her, and her terrifying interaction with Fenrir Greyback drove her to go on a deep dive investigation into werewolves after her extensive recovery at St. Mungo's. Her investigation led her to requesting information from the Auror department, where she reunited with Ron. They worked together for months, and their relationship rekindled and bloomed over time, leading to their marriage last month. Harry had never seen Ron happier than he was that day.

'Starting with Defence,' Harry began, once all the students were ready, 'I want you guys to observe the terrain and think about: how it can be used to your advantage in a fight; what are the pros and cons to each environment; what creatures might inhabit these environments; what spells would work best for you in each environment; and what non-magical skills or actions could be beneficial in each environment.'

Harry waited patiently for them all to write down his instructions before he passed it over to Hermione. He couldn't help but watch how she lit up as she gave her brief to the students. Over the years he had known her, he had come to love how she would become delightfully animated when she learned something new, how she puffed up with giddy pride when she got the chance to share the knowledge she possessed to others, how her eyes would sparkle when someone asked her a tough question, and how moved she would get when a student grew under her tutelage. She had really grown into a most wonderful woman, and Harry was helpless to do anything other than admire her.

'So, when are you going to pop the question?' Ron muttered from beside him. Harry elbowed him.

'Don't let the kids hear you,' he murmured in response, keeping a keen eye out for any distracted students that may have overheard that damning comment. 'If they hear it, I'll never hear the end of it - many of them would probably volunteer to help plan it out.'

'I don't see what the issue is,' Neville teased, eyes glinting with mischief behind an innocent facade. 'I thought you wanted your proposal to Hermione to be a big flashy event.'

'Betrayal,' Harry hissed, mock glaring at his friend, causing Ron and Neville to snicker at his reaction.

'Leave Harry be,' Filius lightly admonished, before smirking. 'Oh Harry, I thought I'd let you know that Irma has granted you and Hermione access to the library after hours on Saturday, but asks you kindly keep any candles and rose petals away from the books.'

Harry grimaced at the way Ron and Neville got boisterous, cheering and slapping his back good-naturedly, but had to stifle his grin when his friends froze at the impeccable glare Hermione sent them for disrupting her, just like the old days. He could still sense her curiosity about what caused the reaction, but her curiosity would have to wait for three days more, and once she knew, he hoped she’d answer with “yes”.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[seas-of-silver]

Drunken Confessions

Summary:

Out for dinner with his coworkers and Marinette, Adrien wasn't expecting a truth bomb coming his way... or for him to act on it.

Complete with art from the brilliant @saytr!

Continue reading at:

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