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talltoontales · 30 days

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// Kung Fu Panda 4 Rewrite \\

PROMPT: Kung Fu Panda 4 felt a little lacking, wanted to try my hand at maybe making it better.

PROMPT BY: Me (ToonMan)

STARTED WRITING: 03/29/2024

Alright, Ground Rules:

Jack Black’s cover of “One More Time” by Britany Spears is amazing, and I will not argue otherwise.

This rewrite is coming from my enjoyment of the series, not just bashing a “bad movie” for the sake of bashing. So, if you’re just here to hate, you’re in the wrong place.

I’m not a professional writer. I only started writing semi-consistently this year. So, take this rewrite with a massive grain of salt.

To make this whole process easier on me, no world-shattering changes.

Zhen’s still gonna be chosen to be Po’s successor

No Furious Five for most of the movie

No killing or reviving characters that don’t originally die or return.

We good? Good. Now, let’s get this party started!

/////

So, the opening fight doesn’t need to change much, save for one thing. Tigress fights alongside Po. Seeing that she’s the only member of the Furious Five to get any development in these movies and has the most chemistry with Po, it makes sense. The two beat…whoever Po fought in the intro (I think it was a stingray that could fly) and have a short dialog after explaining that Tigress, along with the rest of The Five, have moved on from being warriors and transitioned into being teachers/masters of their respective styles.

SIDE NOTE #1: I know that Po and The Five are already masters, but in my head, master sounds like a better term for “teacher” than sensei.

I like this better than having The Five be “on a mission” or whatever excuse was used to keep them from helping Po in this movie. Also, seeing that the main lesson Po needs to learn by the end is to move on from being a warrior, having The Five, his long-time heroes, retire around him helps get that ball rolling.

Po is honestly excited for Tigress and offers to support her however she needs it, just like he does with the rest of The Five. However, Tigress uses this moment to, not so subtly, ask if Po has any plans on doing the same. Po gives a vague, jokey answer before the two walk off into the title screen.

\\\\\

Back in the Valley of Peace, everybody’s celebrating Po at his dads’ noodle shop, but the celebration is interrupted by Shifu summoning Po to the Jade Place.

SIDE NOTE #2: Let me just take this moment to say that while their scenes in the movie do basically nothing for the plot, Ping and Li deserve a short or web series or something. They were seriously a joy to watch every time they were on screen together. #CoParentingGoals

First major change is why Po needs to become a master:

“As the world moves on, so must we. As to stand still is to be left and lost to time.”

Right now, Po is at the top of his game. He’s mastered Kung Fu, led and kinda trained The Five, found inner peace, beaten General Kai, and mastered Ki. However, there will come a day when Po faces a foe he cannot beat, a foe that can challenge Po in a way that he can’t adapt to, as Tai Lung did to Shifu or Kai to Master Ooguay.

Those who become Masters don’t do so because they’re past their prime; they do so because they know the world in which they thrived is coming to an end, and in the new world that follows, their wisdom becomes more needed than their fists. To lose such wisdom could be detrimental to the next generation of heroes. Of course, Po denies that he has any real wisdom to give (aside from food), only seeing his value as the Dragon Warrior. However, Shifu has never been a patient man.

The next day, Po is just messing around the palace when four warriors (No Mr. Beast Pig) attack him. During the fight, Po mocks his would-be assassins by pointing out all their errors. Shifu then stops the fight, explaining that this was a test to prove that Po is more than ready to be a master and to introduce Shifu’s candidates for the new Dragon Warrior.

Still firmly in denial, Po and Shifu go through the Peach Tree Scene the exact same way. The only difference being that when Po notices Zhen breaking in, he thinks she’s another candidate who was late or something.

A broad change I’d make that I can’t really put in writing is just to put a pinch more focus on the fight scene. KFP4 had the most out of the series at seven, but they all felt like an afterthought.

To make Zhen a bit more unique, she’s more of a “fight your surroundings” kind of fighter. She’s never standing still, never uses the same weapon more than twice, and never really fights head-on. Po can claim that she’s not fighting fair, which she’ll laugh at before he locks in and captures her. This fight being short is expected because Po is a Kung Fu legend and should have no problem taking down a random thief.

SIDE NOTE #3: Totally a personal opinion, but did bother anyone else that they named the fox Zhen? Not that the name was bad or anything, but we already have Lord Shen and those names are waaaay too similar…You know what, here’s another change. Zhen is now Vox.

Fast-forward a bit, and the two are now traveling together. Po explains how the Staff of Wisdom can’t be stolen; it must be given, and Po shows Vox genuine kindness and generosity. Vox thinks it’s some kind of long con but accepts it anyway.

The Friendly Bunny goes about the same as it did with Vox being the loot goblin she is, but I don’t want this to be an actual fight. It’s more like Po trying to keep the situation under control. Keep Vox from stealing, protect Vox, protect the helmsman, protect the bunnies, and keep the entire restaurant from falling over.

Instead of getting knocked out of the restaurant like a fool, Po uses his weight to force the patrons away from the exit, and with a mighty leap, Po exits the Friendly Bunny with Vox, the Helmsman, and the bunnies and lands on the boat like a boss. While sailing to Juniper City, Po talks about his dads, but Vox doesn’t share her backstory. Instead, mentioning how the Bunnies were safer at the restaurant.

Introducing the Chameleon and Entering Juniper City goes about the same except that Po and Vox get caught because Vox keeps casually stealing, which she does undetected, but the police only notice when Po is trying to return the stolen goods.

In the Thieves’ Den, Vox isn’t hated, but the vibe is still the same. Everyone casually messing with/ stealing from/ hurting everyone else. They find Han, who says something to the effect of “never thought I’d be seeing you again,” gives them a map of the chameleon’s temple and the scene goes on as usual from there.

/////

Alright, time for a BIG change: The Chameleon’s Motivation/ Plan/ New Name

Every other villain in the Kung Fu Panda movies has an actual name, and if I had the power, Chameleon would be named Tai Zhi for reasons that are probably obvious now but will be explained later.

Tai Zhi’s new backstory is that she was bullied, and all she could do was hide, just camouflage, no shapeshifting yet. Until one day, she learned about Kung Fu. Tai Zhi would find a master, they’d train her for a little bit, then they’d sense how evil she was and kick her out before she could learn anything actually dangerous. She then found a dark master in hopes their similar moral alignment would convince him to train her. Instead, he was the first master who refused her outright, verbally destroying her before threatening her to leave.

Tai Zhi then turned to sorcery for her claim to power but could never let go of Kung Fu. So, she found a way to open a door to the spirit realm, but there was a catch. Equivalent exchange, she’d kidnap citizens of Juniper City and sacrifice them to the spirit realm and get a D+ spirit at best in return. To get around this, she’d need the Staff of Wisdom, and she could get anyone she wanted, no matter how strong.

SIDE NOTE #4: Tai Zhi isn’t collecting the money from the mob bosses for any particular reason. It’s just a power flex. I assume she needed the gold and stuff for her cages, but they never made that clear in the original move. Plus, why would she buy the metal when she can just steal it.

\\\\\

Vox finds Po practicing Kung Fu, and Po offers to teach her. Vox doesn’t believe him, but Po reassures her he’s being 100% honest. He teaches her some basic stuff, and she picks it up pretty fast, and when she doesn’t, Po incorporates what he’s seen Vox do into his lesson. This all leads to a short spar where Vox almost beats Po but gets cocky and loses to a good ole’ fashion belly gong.

Vox questions why Po does what he does: He offers a thief a cookie, saves those who want to kill him, and teaches a thief his own moves. Po opens up about how Oogway chosing him to be the Dragon Warrior changed his life for the better. He’s made friends across all of China, found his biological dad and his people, and saved China at least three times—all just because of one moment.

Because of that, Po believes everyone deserves the same chance, no matter who they are. Those words visibly touch Vox as she almost reveals her big secret before the two are kicked out of the Thieves Den. Po and Vox sneak into Tai Zhi’s lair, and things go about the same. Now for how Tai Zhi met Vox…

Vox had been a thief well into her adult years, and a really good one, but she was tired of stealing, tired of watching over her back every second, tired of not being able to walk the city streets without seeing her face on a wanted poster. Vox wanted a new start where no one would know who she was. The problem was that most people in Juniper City were pretty poor, even the mob bosses, and Vox didn’t feel comfortable forcing someone else into poverty. So, the choice was simple: steal from Tai Zhi. Even one gemstone from her temple would set her up for life.

At the same time, Tai Zhi needed to steal the Staff of Wisdom from the Dragon Warrior, but due to all the stories she’d heard during her research, she didn’t want to risk taking him head-on. She needed a thief, and it just so happens that she knows about the best thief in the city. Tai Zhi sets up a fancy trap to bait Vox, who sees it, knows it’s a trap, but falls for it anyway. However, Vox manages to escape without a scratch until the artifact she stole is revealed to be Tai Zhi in disguise.

Tai Zhi marks Vox with a tracking spell, and while Tai Zhi could care less about Vox, there’s a pretty big bounty on her head. Not to mention, she’s stolen from some pretty powerful people who don’t really care about the reward. All Vox had to do was bring the Dragon Warrior to Tai Zhi, and she’d not only lift the curse but also let Vox take whatever she needed to disappear.

SIDE NOTE #5: I’d have Vox always scratching her neck because that’s where Tai Zhi marked her. She’d just play it off as if she had a flea problem.

Now, I don’t hate the “Villain raises a child to betray the hero” thing. It just doesn’t hit the same in the movie. We’re not given enough time to feel Vox and Po bond in the original movie. Also, if you’re like me and are unable to not analyze movies while watching them, you noticed almost immediately the aztech-esq earring Vox wore and figured out the twist.

Plus, I feel like having Vox be a reluctant thief just trying to get out of the game makes it a little easier to explain how she can betray the Tai Zhi in the end.

Now, I obviously cut the amazing Ping and Li scenes so how does Po not fall to his Death? The answer is simple: watch the Po vs Tai Lung fight again.

Seriously, go watch it. I’ll wait.

…

Done? Pretty awesome, right?!

Anyway, we can have Po swing from tree branches while fighting the lizard soldiers until he hits solid ground, or we can re-do KFP2 and have him fall into a river or large body of water. Back at the temple, Tai Zhi and Vox go through with the ceremony, and we’re keeping the bit about the blood moon—it’s honestly the funniest joke in the entire movie! Now, for the big reveal I set up a while back.

/////

Tai Zhi summons Tai Lung from the spirit realm and calls him “Master.” Before he was freed in KFP1, Zhi broke into Chorn-Gom Prison to free Tai Lung in exchange for training. Instead, Tai Lung verbally destroys her, insulted that Zhi would ever believe he needed her help. Maybe even have him almost brute force his way through his restraints just to scare her.

After Tai Lung’s death, Zhi took the “Tai” part of his name to never forget how weak and powerless Tai Lung made her feel. She steals Tai Lung’s skills and proceeds to wail on the guy, maybe even paying homage to the end of the Tai Lung vs Shifu fight, before throwing him into a cage.

Tai Zhi then releases Vox from the tracking spell and gives her a choice:

“Stay by my side and witness my rule or help yourself to however much treasure you can hold, find the farthest, darkest corner of the planet, and pray I overlook you.”

Then we cut back to Po at the bottom of the temple for the Po vs Vox scene. The only change I’d make here is just making the fight longer, showing off how much Vox has learned on this journey as well as how outclassed she is compared to Po.

Vox reveals that she is gonna to run away, and wants Po to come with her to help save as many people as they can. Po refuses but is proud of Vox and her mission, saying that if he can’t beat Tai Zhi, he’ll buy as much time as he can for Vox to escape with her people.

While Po goes Assassin’s Creed on the temple guards, Vox returns to the thieves' den and tries to convince the criminals to do the right thing because “it’s the right thing to do.” When that fails, she reminds them that if Tai Zhi is taken down, they can loot all the treasure stored in her temple.

\\\\\

As the army of thieves goes to war with the temple guards, Vox sneaks in after Po. Inside, Po sneaks around as Tai Zhi fights General Kai, noticing other warriors and Lord Shen. He’s then stopped by Tai Lung, who’s disappointed in Po and remarks how Oogway may have been wrong in the end.

Kai loses and is thrown in a cage as Po makes his dramatic entrance. Tai Zhi gives the staff back and does her “you and I aren’t so different” monolog, which Po acknowledges. There’s a possibility he could have ended up like Tai Zhi if he never became the dragon warrior (Throw in one of his villains laughing in disbelief), so he offers Tai Zhi a chance to be better than the villain she is now, to learn from him.

Tai Zhi then proceeds to mock Lord Shen, General Kai, and Tai Lung about how Po stopped all of them from achieving their goals. The mocks Po, claiming that for all the good he did, for all his adventures, no one in Juniper City and beyond has ever heard about him and that once she’s done with him, Po will become what he was always meant to be, nothing.

-OR-

Have Tai Zhi call Po weak because he needed a master to make him the Dragon Warrior. Just to have the line, “Alone I mastered magic, took over the entire criminal empire of Juniper City, defeated all of your greatest enemy and treasured masters, I am my own master!”

Now, something about the original Po vs Tai Zhi fight bothered me. Across three movies, over and over again, there’s always a moment where Po gets to nerd out over Kung Fu legends and flex his knowledge. He even figured out the Wuxi Finger Hold on his own. Yet, he’s going one on one with the ultimate echo fighter of those same warriors and his knowledge does nothing to help him. Let’s fix that.

Here’s how this fight could have gone: Tai Zhi changes into a warrior, Po does his nerd bit while caught off guard, but he then picks up on the fighting style and proceeds to body Tai Zhi in record time. Rinse and repeat that a few times and then Tai Zhi tries to use Po’s old villains which backfires horribly. Eventually, she runs out of warriors and must repeat, and with transformations getting predictable, Po starts winning the fight. Until…

Tai Zhi's frustrated that she has the forms and skills of at least one hundred kung fu legends, but she can’t beat one dorky panda. In that frustration, she loses control of her shapeshifting and mixes two forms together, catching Po off guard. Tai Zhi then starts using chimera forms to gain the advantage, but before she can deal the finishing blow, Vox swoops in and saves Po.

The two hatch a plan to make Tai Zhi so mad that she loses control long enough for Po to use the Staff of Wisdom to return the stolen skills. The plan starts to work as Tai Zhi turns into that chimera dragon form, but before Po can use his staff, Tai Zhi grabs Vox, forcing Po to save her by making Tai Zhi crash.

In the aftermath, Vox finds Tai Zhi transformed into Po, and we could have a short chase before the real Po saves Vox. Po has Vox find and bring him the staff while he fights himself, which does not go well at all. Tai Zhi traps Po in a cage before Vox can get the staff back to him.

Vox is now the only one who can stop Tai Zhi. Vox tries to fight Tai Zhi head-on like Po but fails miserably. However, Vox notices that the entire temple is fit to collapse. So, Vox sticks to the shadows, taking potshots at Tai Zhi, and every time she transforms, whoever she transforms into tells her their weakness/ tell from their cage. This continues until the temple starts to collapse, and as Tai Zhi tries to escape, Vox fights her head-on again to keep her inside (this is where she’d scream, “You fool! You’ll kill us both!”).

As the dust settles, Po stands up from under the rubble and helps Vox up, noting that he could have escaped earlier but she was doing such a good job and didn’t want to interrupt. The other spirit warriors get from under the rubble and thank Po for freeing them. As Po prepares to open a portal to the spirit realm, let’s say Master Wolf tries to sneak attack Po from behind but gets decked by Tai Lung, transforming back into Tai Zhi.

Tai Lung mocks his wannabe successor by saying; “first lesson, know when to quit.” Tai Lung then steps out of the way, and Po returns all of the skills to the spirit warriors. As they return to the spirit realm, Tai Lung acknowledges Po and what he’s become and also recognizes his “pupil,” referring to Vox. Not wanting to be outshined, though, he takes Tai Zhi with him into the spirit world, finally taking her on as his student, whether she likes it or not.

And the story ends basically the same: Vox and Po return to the Valley of Peace, Po offers to train Vox at the Jade Palace to Shifu’s frustration, and credits.

/////

Wait! One more change…

Shifu meditates under the peach tree with Po joining him shortly after that. Po can’t meditate to save his life, so Shifu questions why he’s here. Po admits that Shifu was right, that it’s time for Po to pass the torch, but also thanks Shifu. Po knows it wasn’t easy for Shifu to train someone like him, but he did, and because of Shifu, Po has never been happier with his life.

I don’t know if this will be the last Kung Fu Panda movie, but if it is, I’d like a nice moment between Shifu and Po and maybe ghost Oogway. Just wrap a nice bow on it.

///// The End \\\\\

And that’s it—that’s the rewrite. Wow! That’s a lot of words (3,573, to be exact). Like I said, I’m not a scriptwriter. I’m just a guy with a little too much time on his hands. Kung Fu Panda 4 was, and still is, a solid movie that I’ll definitely watch again, along with the other three, and so should you.

I had a total blast writing this, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.

#kung fu panda #kung fu panda 4 #rewrite #writeblr #writing #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writing blog #jack black #still an amazing movie #aaaaaand that's MARCH

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troubatrain · 3 years

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want you to want me - m. tkachuk

a/n: i’m awful at intros but this fic is my whole ass child. i started it months ago and i picked it up back and then i just couldn’t stop writing. now we’re at a whopping 10k words and i’m really happy with the way this one came out. i hope you guys like it as much as i loved writing it.

big thanks to @hookingminor @igor-shestyorkin & @tkafuckit for reading this as i wrote it and gassing me up ily all sm

warnings: smut

You were Matthew’s dream girl, and you didn’t have a fucking clue. You were leaning against the cold metal bleachers of your former high school, chatting with whatever teacher probably wanted to hear all about that shiny NWSL contract you signed right out of college with the Chicago Red Stars. It was well deserved, a few national titles in college put you in the position in the first place, and Matthew respected the hell out of you. You wouldn’t know, by the way he never seems like he actually wants to speak to you and the few snide remarks about your sport in general. That started forever ago, when Matthew royally fucked up any chance he had with you later in life because he was a competitive asshole.

It started when you were twelve, and middle school was nothing short of a mess. Matthew was growing into his own, adding a near foot to his height over one summer while his father and coaches doted on the fact that he was getting bigger. Getting bigger meant getting better, and for a few years winning was the most important thing in the world. But, becoming a hormonal preteen came with something else, feelings about the girl who sat three rows behind him in almost all of his classes.

Then third period gym class came around, and Matthew was a competitive monster. The kind of kid who took that way too seriously, and you accidentally became public enemy number one. You were the only person in his class who could even come close to beating him at anything, because you were just as much of an athlete as he was. Soccer had become your craft, and much like Matthew, you declared you’d go pro one day. So, Matthew did what any other insecure twelve year old boy would, he teased you relentlessly. It was awful, but by the time Matthew had gone off to play for the National team you had forgotten about his bullshit.

Apparently, you’d done something in a past life to warrant dealing with Matthew for longer than you ever anticipated. Jamie was your little sister, and Taryn’s best friend. Best friend was probably understatement, the pair were inseparable on and off the field. They trained together, they played on the same teams and that meant way too much time with the rest of the Tkachuk’s. You learned quickly, that the rest of their family was wonderful and Matthew seemed to be too thick headed to fall in line.

You tolerated Matthew, brushing his silly remarks off just like you did when you were younger. The thing was, Matthew didn’t want you to just tolerate him, but he didn’t know how to get you to stop hating him. You make your way over to Matthew who’d been standing next to his brother since the start of your sister’s game.

“Hi Brady,” You greet, tapping Brady on the shoulder who pulled you into a bone crushing hug. That annoyed Matthew the most, the way you seemed to love his siblings and despise him. In your defense, nobody was more supportive of your professional career than Brady, who’d made a promise to catch a game the second he could, “Hi Matthew.”

You were waiting for something from Matthew, an acknowledgement for finally achieving a dream of yours. You’d gotten the congratulations from the rest of his family, a massive celebration because Keith thought you deserved it. Matthew probably didn’t think you did. You could practically hear his smug little voice about how much his recently inked contract was compared to yours, because you’d heard it since you were kids. He used to rip on your athletic abilities every chance he could, something about how it didn’t matter how hard you could kick a ball you couldn’t hold a hockey stick so he was just better.

“You’re here!” You hear the chipper voice of your little sister approach, Jamie’s sweaty postgame arms wrapped around your waist. You’d been in Chicago, signing some paperwork and looking into finding a place to stay when you had to go for camp. You promised you’d make it back in time, and your flight landed less than five hours ago but you made it.

Matthew bit the inside of his cheek to keep his smile to himself, watching his own sister push past him to see you. Taryn loved you, because sometimes she just needed a big sister and her brothers were in another country most

of the time. It was the part that killed him the most, seeing you with his family. You fit right in, a fierce athlete with drive that rivaled his own. Brady side-eyed his own brother, watching him instead of the scene unfolding in front of him. He was frustrated with his own brother for not just telling you the truth, that he teased you because he was an idiot who didn’t know how to handle having a crush on you.

But Brady was going to do it himself if his brother didn’t.

***

Matt, you don’t have a girlfriend right?

Matthew knew damn well he should not have answered his sister’s question, but when he realized her best friend had been sitting right next to her in the kitchen, his curiosity got the best of him. So he did, telling his sister he was single and sparing her details of any of the girls he’d gone on dates with the past year. That was his life is Calgary, a constant revolving door so no one would see what was underneath layers of sarcasm and angst. But every summer, he’d come home and wonder when he’d start to build a life for himself, and if he’d ever find that person to do it with. That was when his brain would start to wander, fantasies of a future that always seemed to involve you. He loved to imagine it, the years that you’d both spend supporting the other’s dream. Matthew would do anything to make sure you achieved yours, and he thought you’d do the same. Then you’d both settle down, the big house with the white picket fence and a shiny ring on your finger Matthew put there himself and years of arguing about what sport your future children would play - he’d even consider letting you have just one.

Unfortunately, none of that could be real until he figured out how to get you to hate him less. Taryn apparently had the same idea, and had been scheming with your sister for months. The two girls were looking at Matthew with devilish grins on their faces, like whatever they came up with would totally work.

“Y/N doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Your sister hums, sipping the smoothie they forced Matthew to drive them to go get, “It’s sad actually-”

“We think you should date,” Taryn explains, Matthew’s eyes went wide. His sister didn’t know the whole story, or just how far back this stupid fued went. Taryn always loved you, so Matthew just kept his remarks to himself.

“I know you know Y/N doesn’t like me very much,” Matthew explains, “So tell me how that’s going to work.”

“Apologize to her, if she can forgive me for anything she’ll forgive you,” Jamie sighs, thinking of all the times you’d shown her mercy when she didn’t deserve it.

“You’ve got to be sorry,” Brady interrupts, mouth full of food while he goes to go look for more in the fridge. He turns around, Matthew’s eyes giving him daggers, “What? You were a dick to her for years, you’ve got to fix that first.”

It didn’t take much convincing after that, Taryn had already planned out what Matthew should say to you. Matthew wasn’t going to repeat those words, because he knew exactly what he’d say to you if he ever got the chance. He was trying to fix his past, because the way he acted towards you was the one thing he regrets.

So with the help of your little sister and the Find my Friends app, Matthew was pulling up to a soccer field he’d been to plenty of times. He used to run through the park nearby, catching a glimpse of your practices when you were in high school and Matthew was an afterthought. He hops out of his car, smiling when he could see you running drills alone. You were dribbling the ball, counting to yourself while you were weaving through cones you set up.

“I’ve never been good at those,” Matthew calls out, walking over to you while you stopped and caught your breath, “I kick the cones with my skate every single time.”

“Maybe you’re not as good as you think you are,” You tease, grabbing your water and guzzling it down, “What are you doing here?”

“I, uh, I came to apologize?” Matthew admits, knowing his face was probably bright red. He was nervous, the good kind like he got before a big game, “I was just an insecure kid then, and you didn’t deserve what I did just because I was afraid you’d beat in something.”

Matthew left out the part where he felt like he was still that kid all the time. All of those insecurities about himself seemed to be picked up by every reporter in Canada when he was there. You bit your lip, pretending like you were trying to debate whether or not you should forgive Matthew at all. In reality, you would have forgiven him ages ago if he’d just apologized sooner. It was so long ago, and sometimes you thought Matthew’s constant taunting made you better. He was pleading, baby blue eyes staring at you sadly while he waited for your answer. He looked like he didn’t think he deserved to be forgiven, shoulders slumped while he tried to read your body language. It was something you noticed about Matthew forever ago, he could have everything in the world but when he looked at you he seemed almost sad.

“I mean I could forgive you, but only if you beat me,” You cross your arms, raising an eyebrow at Matthew, “If I win, I don’t have to and if you win all is forgiven.”

“Really? Isn’t that why we were in this situation to begin with?” Matthew points out, crossing his arms at you.

“I thought you weren’t that kid anymore,” You remind of his own words, testing him to see if he’d put his money where his mouth was. Matthew smirks, chuckling to himself, “C’mon Tkachuk let’s see what you got.”

Matthew shook his head, laughing and lining up next to you. You both counted to three, sprinting down the field at full force. Matthew knew his height was the only thing working to his advantage while he tried to keep up with you. You were nearing your finish line, and Matthew didn’t think he was going to win. You were going to forgive him regardless, but Matthew didn’t know that. His arms stretched out, grabbing your waist and pulling you into his chest. Matthew turned his body around, stepping over the line before you did.

“God, you’re such a fucking cheater Matthew,” You hit his chest, Matthew’s hands still firmly placed on your hips.

“I didn’t want to lose,” Matthew admits, all of his smug attitude diminishing immediately, “Just want you to forgive me.”

“I’ll forgive you if you never pull that shit on me again,” You poke his chest, slipping out of his grip and running to your stuff before he could notice how nervous he was making you.

No. Absolutely not. You told yourself while you checked your phone, rolling your eyes at the warning text from Jamie that Matthew was on his way, you couldn’t have anything but indifference to Matthew Tkachuk. It got harder everytime you saw him, the past few years had been nothing short of kind to him, he was growing from a dumb immature boy to a man more and more every summer. You turn around, peeking at Matthew who was sitting down and catching his breath, a winning smile on his face, the same kind he had the very first time he schooled everyone at floor hockey in middle school.

Maybe you could be friends.

***

Matthew liked having you as a friend, mostly because as of right now that was all he was going to get. You definitely didn’t trust him, which was valid considering Matthew had been a dick to you for years, but he was working on it. He had to, that uncontrollable feeling that he cared about you was getting harder to shove back down with every year that passed.

“You’re friends now, you don’t need to stare at her like a creep anymore,” Brady scoffs, watching his brother gawk at you from afar. Matthew couldn’t help it, you just had a glow about you, you always did, but somehow in the summer you were golden. Tonight you looked even better, maybe it’s because you smiled at him when he walked instead of scowling like you usually did.

“He’s in love with you,” Steph giggles, sipping her drink and giving Matthew a side eye, “He’s been staring at you all night.”

“He apologized to me,” You confess, holding in that little secret about Matthew’s visit to the field even from your best friend. You had the same friends, the same group of people who’d been pushing the two of you to work it out for years. It wasn’t that you didn’t want them to know that they no longer had to worry about one of you blowing up because the other was there, you just wanted everyone to let it go too. Matthew deserved a little forgiveness, you could only imagine the pressure he felt on himself back then, and while he didn’t totally deserve your protection - you were going to give it to him, “Don’t-”

“Oh wonder why, I know it’s because he looooves you,” Steph teases, “Did you forgive him?”

“Yeah I mean we’re both older and I’d like to think he’s wiser, and besides our parents are way too close,” You knew this was going to be your excuse for a while. It was better for everyone that you forgave him, Jamie and Taryn spent more time together than you’d spend with anyone and you're just as close with the rest of their family. It wasn’t untrue that it was in fact for the best, but that didn’t mean Matthew’s stupid dimples didn’t persuade you before you could think about anyone else, “Can we stop talking about this?”

Matthew’s eyes didn’t leave you once that night, especially after the way Steph downed tequila shots and convinced you to join her. You deserved to celebrate, you’d accomplished something Matthew knew was your biggest dream because it was the same as his. He was proud of you, not that he’d gotten a chance to show it.

“If you’re going to go pro Y/N, you’ve got to start keeping up,” Brady chirps, watching you stumble over your own feet to walk over to him and Matthew. Matthew had seen this once before, a level of drunkenness where you turned into bambi but that was so long ago he never thought he’d see it again.

“I’ll go pro in beating your ass Brady,” You snap back, shooting daggers over Brady who was already cracking up, “Hi Matthew.”

“Hi,” Matthew’s voice was small, a weird sound considering he was usually the loudest in the room. Brady scoffs, walking away from the two of you before he snaps at how hopelessly in love his brother was. You turn your head in confusion, your mind far too hazy to realize why Brady was so annoyed in the first place, causing Matthew to chuckle, “Want to play? Might be best if we’re on the same team.”

Matthew’s thumb shot over to the beer pong set up on the other side of the room, a mischievous smirk on face, “I mean if it’s for the best.”

Matthew’s arm wrapped around your shoulders holding you close to his chest while you both played pong was definitely not for the best, and it wasn’t helping that stupid crush you had on him. You could feel Steph’s stare from the corner of the room, and you look at her to mouth a don’t at her. It was nice having Matthew on your team, finally a moment where instead of arguing with each other about who’s elbow was clearly over the table - you got to do the same thing to Brady.

“Brady you’re cheating,” You call out, Matthew’s head thrown back in laughter at your seriousness.

“You heard her Brady, elbows over the table,” Matthew breathes out, his body still rumbling with laughter at his little brother’s expense.

“Oh look at you two, you’re just gonna raise some winners one day aren’t you?” Brady chirps back, both happy to see you getting along and annoyed once he realizes that means he was going to get roasted by both of you now. You felt heat rush to your cheeks, tucking your face into Matthew’s arm in hopes no one saw the way you shrunk at that stupid joke.

“We’re winners right now,” Matthew calls out, his last ball landing in the cup and sealing the game for the two of you. Matthew would raise winners with you, it was something he thought about from time to time, but those thoughts were never going to see the light of day, “Alright drunky I think it’s time to get you home.”

“You can stay, I’ll just catch a ride with someone,” You waive Matthew off, who shook his head no at you before you even started speaking.

“One, my dad would kick my ass if he knew I left you,” Matthew starts with, holding up one finger with another on the way, “Two, we’re friends now and I’d like to make sure you don’t die before you see a pro game.”

Matthew had seen you this drunk before, but what he didn’t know was that getting you home would be more difficult than he thought. You started in the direction of your house, but apparently you were a runner and a speedy one at that. Now you were barely two blocks away from Matthew’s parents place and if he could at least get you there he’d be able to call it a night - which wasn’t fucking easy.

“Alright I’ve had enough,” Matthew huffs, jogging to catch up with you and scooping you into his arms. You were hanging over his shoulder, Matthew making his way down the street with the house in his sightline. You could have cared less, laughing your ass off while Matthew walked up the stairs and finally placed you back down on your feet, “Be quiet, go up to my room and get some clothes and go sleep in the guest room.”

You weren’t quiet, not at all and Matthew was amazed not one of his parents came down to see what all the chaos was about. After Matthew had to walk you up the stairs, running back down for some water and hoping you weren’t a disaster by the time he got back - he found you in his bed. You were curled up right in the middle, an old London Knights shirt on your body, Matthew’s favorite. Matthew grabs his comforter, throwing it over your body. He sighs, leaning against his door frame and smiling to himself at how comfortable you looked, flicking off the light and retreating to the guest room.

Matthew hated the guest room. He hated how hard the mattress was and after a few hours of no sleep and tossing and turning - he gave up. Matthew hoped no one else was up, but not to his surprise his mother was already in the kitchen, and judging by the look on her face, she knew who was upstairs.

“Care to explain?” Chantal smirks, raising her eyebrows at her son. Matthew’s face got red, his landing on the back of his neck to cover the blush.

“She fell asleep before I could even get her to the guest room,” Matthew shrugs, hoping his mom wouldn’t push it any further, “I, uh, apologized the other day.”

“Good,” Chantal hums, a knowing look on her face. She didn’t like to push Matthew, her one kid who seemed to be a little rougher around the edges than the others, but that silly feud never sat right with her, “Here, bring her a coffee, I’m sure she needs it.”

Matthew nods, grabbing the mug his mother was holding out and starting to make his way up the stairs. He heard the tell her you made it from his mother and shook his head. He knew what she was thinking, especially with the way Chantal seemed to talk about you. His mother thought you were nothing short of perfect, and Matthew would be a liar if he didn’t think the same thing.

“Did I fall asleep here?” You’d woken up confused, your question only answered by the jerseys hanging on the walls, you were in Matthew’s room. You rub your eyes, the door creaking open way too loudly for how dead you felt.

“Only after you almost fell down the stairs and ran three blocks in the wrong direction,” Matthew chuckles, sitting on the edge of the bed and handing you the mug, “You know you’re fast right?”

“Yeah,” You muse, smirking to yourself and taking a sip of coffee, “I’m sorry I did that to you, and stole your bed - I can go.”

Matthew stopped you, telling to finish your coffee and relax and he’d drive you home after. You fell into a comfortable conversation, something Matthew never thought would happen.

And watching you walk up to your steps in his shirt still wasn’t something he thought he’d see, but it was better than he imagined.

***

“Hey it’s Jamie, can’t get to the phone right now…”

You groan, tossing your phone onto your bed and continuing your pace around the room. It was well after midnight, and your sister had been out all night, and past her curfew. Usually you’d cover for her, definitely taking the prize home for the cool older sister who picks her siblings and their friends up from parties. That’s what had you so worried. Sure, Jamie was a teenager and she snuck in a few little white lies with your parents just like you’d done, but Jamie always told you the truth. She’d check in with you more than her parents, letting you know that she’s going to be out late but she’s safe and if she needed anything she knew who to call. You texted sometime around ten, just checking in since it was Saturday and you were sure she had a more riveting social life than yourself. No answer. Then eleven rolled around and you didn’t hear anything, so naturally you double texted and now it’s twelve thirty and you still haven’t heard anything. You cross your arms, looking at your phone as if you could will an answer into existence. You grab it, dialing a number you weren’t even sure would work.

“Hello?” Matthew’s voice appeared on the other side of the line, clear confusion in his voice. You let out a sigh of relief, hoping Matthew would have the answer you wanted to hear so desperately.

“Is my sister at your house?” You ask, biting your lip and throwing on a pair of sweats so you could pick her up and murder her for scaring you like that. You were sure it was innocent, Jamie slept over at Taryn’s all the time, staying up way too late watching movies or when Jamie would hide going to a party from your much stricter parents.

Matthew tells you to give him a minute, and you can hear him walking through the house. By the time you heard a door open and a small fuck under his breath, your stomach dropped, “She was supposed to be home by midnight.”

“Alright, thanks anyways,” You sigh, “Do you know where they might have gone? It’s just, Jamie hasn’t answered me in hours and she usually does even if she’s out past curfew and I’m just-”

“I’ll be at your house in ten,” Matthew says, his keys alright in his hand and his foot halfway out the door. He was more mad than worried, sure his sister was out a party past curfew. Matthew was her biggest brother, and he was far more protective over her than Brady ever could be. He hated when she did this, and Matthew was pissed. You waited on your steps, Matthew car coming into view while you sprung up and practically sprinted into his car.

“You look mad,” You observe, as if it wasn’t completely obvious. You knew why, trying countless times to remind Taryn that her brother loves her and that’s why he’s like that. You thought he could go a little easier on her, but you wouldn’t dare get in the middle of that.

“I am mad,” Matthew grits out, knuckles white on his steering wheel while he drives slowly down the street. You just drove, in hopes you’d find what was obviously a house party and hopes your sisters were inside. You squint, hoping your eyes weren’t fooling you.

“Wait, pull over I think I see my neighbor,” You yell, Matthew’s foot flying on the break and you hop out. You were right, the bright orange tuft of hair you saw was like a miracle, “Hey Henry have you seen my sister?”

“Oh yeah I think she’s still inside,” Henry points to the house behind him, music blasting and a party in full swing, “I think she’s with Taryn.”

Matthew hops out of the car, grabbing your hand and pulling you into the house with him. Matthew’s fingers were laced with yours with every step he took, weaving through the crowd in hopes you’d see them. It took three bedrooms and a laundry room until you finally saw Taryn standing in the doorway. Her eyes went wide, and you pushed past them both to see Jamie with her head in the toilet. She was fine, well she was definitely in deep shit, but it wasn’t the worst thing to stumble upon. You throw her hair up, your attention moving to Matthew yelling at his sister in the hallway.

“Why didn’t you call someone,” Matthew yells, trying so damn hard to not completely snap on his baby sister. Taryn yells that her phone had died and then Jamie got sick and she didn’t know what to do. Of course they didn’t. You were probably more sympathetic, and you knew just how pissed off Matthew could get. You get up, pushing Taryn back into the bathroom and telling her to watch your sister.

“Calm down before you talk to her, please,” You plead, grabbing Matthew’s shoulders, “Besides, I sort of need some help right now.”

There it was. The very moment Matthew realized all along you could’ve been helping him. Your hands were wrapped around his biceps, a finger gently rubbing the skin right under the sleeve of his shirt. Every bit of anger disappeared from his body, a calm feeling replacing it. He knew you were right, and he’d be thankful for it later. Matthew knew he had to do the right thing by you, and he nodded, willing to follow any directions you gave him.

Matthew carried Jamie out of the house, getting both of your sisters in the car and finally heading back to your house. You knew he was still pissed off, a present frown on his face so you just took the chance. Just like he’d done before for you, you grabbed one of his hands from his steering wheel, lacing your fingers together. You caught the smile on his face, your thumb rubbing over his hand while his shoulders seemed to just relax. Once

Matthew finally helped you get Jamie inside, a night of laying on her floor to make sure she was okay ahead of you stood in the doorway with Matthew across from you.

“Thank you, I know we’re working on this friendship thing but you really didn’t have to do that,” You were eternally grateful, wrapping your arms around Matthew’s waist and tucking your head into his chest.

“You’d do the same thing for Taryn,” Matthew hums, knowing full well he definitely owed you for being Taryn’s replacement sibling with him and Brady in Canada for most of the year, “Get some rest okay?”

“Wait,” You stop Matthew, grabbing his hand one more time, “Don’t kill your sister, please she’s just a kid-”

“You’re way too easy on them,” Matthew chuckles, shaking his head at you. He knew Taryn was probably scared, and after he calmed a bit he understood where you were coming from. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to tell her that if she ever pulls that shit again - he was going to rat her out to their parents.

And when Matthew finally got back in the car, he could see his sister’s grin in the backseat, “Don’t say it.”

She held your hand, are you sure you’re not going to malfunction now?

***

Maybe you were spiraling.

You’d been waiting for this moment your entire life, now you had a few more weeks until camp started and you were afraid. You knew you were good enough, you had to be. But what if you weren’t? You could feel the anxiety settling in, a feeling you hadn’t felt since Matthew told you soccer wasn’t a real sport in fourth grace. It’d been eating at you for weeks, deteriorating any confidence you had left in yourself. So you started pushing yourself even harder. The harder you worked the less like you were to fuck it all up. Your muscles were sore, your body was tired and it was just all becoming too much.

And Matthew noticed.

You were pushing yourself too hard, even the time you were supposed to relax with your families before your seasons started was being spent training. He understood it, the term first round exit lived rent free in his head every single time his skate hit the ice over the summer, but that didn’t make it okay. You looked tired, sluggish while you moved because you were running twice a day and training in between. And he was pissed everyone seemed to be fine with it. You should start working harder then Matthew. If it bothers you so much maybe you could join her. It wasn’t that he was jealous of your work ethic, he was worried. Matthew’s eyes followed you as you ran past his house again. The third time in one day, he’d finally decided he had enough.

Matthew took the walk to your house, charming the pants off your mother for her to tell him you were upstairs because you just got back in. He knocks twice, hearing a come in from the other side.

“What are you doing here?” You question, rolling one of your ankles that just seemed to be getting more swollen every time you started to practice. Matthew noticed it, your hands freezing one you caught his gaze.

“You’re overworking yourself,” Matthew stands his ground, he knew you could have told him to fuck off because no one hates advice they didn’t ask for quite like him, “Don’t tell me I’m wrong.”

“That’s rich coming from the kid who’s played with more broken bones than anyone I know,” You remind him of a few mistakes Matthew’s made playing through injuries he really shouldn’t, “I’m not fucking frail.”

“That’s not what this is about,” Matthew scoffs, it never once crossed his mind that he thought he was tough enough to play through injuries but you weren’t, “It’s about taking a break so you don’t get hurt.”

“I’m fine,” You huff, getting up and trying your best to hide the pain in your ankle when you stood on it. You fell forward, Matthew catching you in his arms and putting you back down the edge of your bed.

“Tell me what’s wrong?” Matthew asks with soft eyes, he bent down to take your ankle in his hand and inspect it the best he could. It was swelling, probably from the amount of pressure you’d been putting on your body with no breaks.

“What if I never score a goal?” You whisper, teary eyes finally meeting Matthew’s. His brows shot up, alarmed at how one of the best athletes he’s ever seen could feel the same way he felt right before his first NHL game. Matthew sits down next to you, hand on your thigh while you let out a cry, “What if I’m just a bust? Like I get there and nothing works and I suck.”

“You’ll score eventually,” Matthew scoffs, understanding how ridiculous you sounded but just how you felt at the same time, “Everyone does.”

“You scored like four games into your fucking career Matt,” You remind him, Matthew smiling a bit that you knew that to begin with. It would have been impossible not to know, or pretend like you didn’t keep a few tabs on his career. Matthew Tkachuk was a legend in the making, and whether or not you could feel butterflies in your stomach every time he dropped the gloves was a secret you’d take to the grave.

“I got suspended my first season too,” Matthew jokes, a teary eyed laugh escaping your lips, “I’d put down money you score in your first game.”

“Well good thing you have money to lose,” You sigh dramatically, the fear of fucking up still on your mind.

“You’ll find your groove, all legends do,” Matthew promises, throwing his arm around your shoulders. You snuggled into his side, a realization that he was becoming a comforting presence in your life with each passing day, “And if you don’t, you can always hide out in Canada with me.”

“Matty!” The same silly nickname Matthew introduced himself to you on your very first day of kindergarten slipped through your lips without realizing it. Matthew hadn’t been called that in ages, but it was welcome from you. You push his chest, “That’s not making me feel any better.”

“What if I told you the only reason I was so mean to you was because I was intimidated by how talented you were?” Matthew confesses, scratching your head with his fingers, “If I win a cup one day I think I owe you one.”

Matthew didn’t mention that in his wildest fantasies of raising that cup over his head, you were there. He’d owe you one and he hoped it was because you were there for him until he got there. Matthew saw it the same way every time, you’d tell him to go see his parents first but he’d fly right past them to get to you - the person who accidentally pushed him to be his best. He had plenty of daydreams about you winning too, remembering times you used to brag you’d go to the Olympics one day, and he hoped you were right. He wanted to see you succeed, more than anything, and he thought it would work.

“Legally you have to let me drink out of it,” You muse, shutting your eyes and letting yourself just rest against Matthew.

“It has to be Bud Light,” Matthew teases while watching you fake a gag. You grab his outstretched hand, letting him pull you up. His hands rested on the side of your face, eyes flickering to your lips for just a second. He wanted to kiss you, but he knew he had to wait. Wait for you to be ready. Wait for you to settle down. Or even just wait until he thought he had a real shot at forever.

Forever with you.

***

Matthew was kind of pissed off.

The press didn’t bother him, none of that mattered and at the end of the day Matthew was able to sleep at night knowing he was a good teammate and a decent person most of the time. This one got him though, some writer criticizing the A on his jersey, and how someone who plays like he does didn’t deserve a letter.

A letter he earned.

You could tell something was off, the way Matthew had been running alongside you was aggressive to say the least. He insisted he came with you, something about forcing you to take breaks. He was being your friend, even though your sisters seemed to disagree. Taryn’s words were replaying in your head, Matt doesn’t even care if I get hurt. That didn’t mean anything, those two had no idea what love was and Matthew caring about you a little bit didn’t mean he loved you. Besides, the way he was acting right now told a completely different story.

“Are you mad at me?” You finally slow down, sitting on a rock that was next to the hiking trail you were on.

“No?” Matthew stops dead in his tracks, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach that he fucked this up too, “I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”

“No, tell me what’s wrong,” You push, crossing your arms and narrowing your eyes at Matthew. You could tell he was pressed about something, his neck covered in a red flush the same way it used to.

“Some stupid article about my letter, don’t worry about it,” Matthew grits, repeating his words again. His defense was up, even after you confessed to him that you were scared of not being enough.

“Get the fuck out of here with the tough guy act Matthew,” You challenge him, poking him right in the chest, “If we’re going to be friends you need to cut that shit out.”

“You really want to hear it?” Matthew barks back, fully yelling at you, “I’m tired of people thinking I don’t deserve things because I threw a few bad hits. Do you know how it feels to have everyone think you’re shitty? No you don’t, because you’re so fucking perfect that my own parents like you more than me.”

You stood there, silent while you tried to figure out how to tell him that simply wasn’t true. His entire body was shaking, the anger coursing through his veins like you’d seen many times before that. Matthew looked like he did the first time you hit a homerun in gym class, except this time it was because that same pressure never got released. You couldn’t come close to understanding the way he probably felt. You didn’t have the comparables in your own family, the constant reminders of Brady’s points tally compared to his, let alone the career his father had.

“Matty,” You whisper, grabbing his hand and running your fingers over the scars on his knuckles, “Why is this bothering you so much?”

You were sure this wasn’t the first time someone’s said he was a pest, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be the last. Matthew sighed, the better part of his brain screaming at him to stop before he lost you too.

“I’ve felt like this forever,” Matthew whispers, eyes fixated on your hand in his, “From the moment I started getting bigger, there’s just been this pressure to play a certain way and act a certain way. I was a fucking kid, and while all of my friends got to go wherever they wanted all I ever did was practice. Then I finally get to where I wanted and I’m still getting shit on.”

“Except no one thinks you don’t deserve to be where you are,” You whisper, quiet words as if you were going to startle him, “And I know it doesn’t make up for things people say, but the people who love you think you deserve it.”

Matthew nods, pulling you into his arms and holding you close. Your arms wrapped around his waist, his words mumbled against your forehead, “I needed that.”

“I know,” You nod, smiling wide up at him, “And we need to practice more because you’re too slow, soooo catch me if you can!”

You slipped out of his arms, running away with a giggle and a smile. Matthew stopped for a second, his Neanderthal brain checking out your ass while you jogged away and his more logical one trying to process what just happened.

But what mattered most was that whatever you did worked and that meant something to Matthew.

***

Just admit you think he’s hot.

You wanted to kill your sister for making this weekend harder than it had to be. You were doing a good job at just friends with Matthew until Jamie was curled up in your bed while you packed for a lake trip with your friends. She pushed it for hours, rambling on about Matthew is actually your type and Taryn swears he’d be a good boyfriend if someone just understood him. The problem was, you were starting to see her point. Matthew had a glow up a few years ago, like one summer he’d gotten home and you were infatuated with him. It used to annoy you, because he’d been such an ass to you that you hated how attractive he was. Then things changed, and now looking at him was just frustrating you. You were terrified about the way he made you feel, like everything would be okay with one look of those blue eyes and a smirk. You felt like he had your back, a vast change from how you used to feel and it was just getting hard to hide it anymore.

Especially when Matthew looked like he did right now. He was holding himself up on the dock, shoulders broad and glistening in the moonlight above you. All your friends were inside, moving their party away from the water as the night lingered on. You wanted to run your fingers through his wet curls, the temptation was almost too much.

“I’ll be in Chicago a few times you know,” Matthew hums, enjoying the time alone he was getting with you. Anytime without Brady teasing him about what the Tkachuk’s had been referring to as the hand holding incident. He didn’t want them to think he didn’t want you, because he did, but he just needed to move at his own pace.

“You want to come see me play?” You ask, leaning back on the palms of your hands. You were surprised by the kind of man Matthew had become, it was a completely different person that he used to be. He cared so much about his loved ones, and you were starting to feel like maybe you had a place there.

“Actually thinking you could come see me play,” Matthew teases, sarcasm dripping from his words. You lifted your foot up, kicking some of the water below you to splash him, but he’d caught your ankle before you could. He stopped for a moment, running a thumb over your skin, “This looks better.”

“Don’t make you admit you were right,” You whine, Matthew swiftly pulling you into the water with him. You yelp, the water way too cold for any normal person, “It’s freezing.”

“C’mere then,” Matthew grabs your waist, pulling your body against his. His hands were splayed across your back, heat radiating off of them. One of your hands was on his shoulder, your other on his chest. You could feel his heart beating quickly, his eyes locked on yours, “Middle school Matthew would be so jealous of me right now.”

“Why’s that?” You hum, running your fingers along Matthew to play connect the dots with the beauty marks on his skin.

“Because he had the biggest crush on you,” Matthew confesses, his grip on you a little tighter, as if he was afraid you’d slip right through his fingers again, “But he was too thick headed to do anything about it.”

“What about grown up Matthew?” You ask, biting your lip. Matthew was practically holding you both up in the water, pressed so close together you could hear the hitch in his breath at your question, “Is he too thick headed to do something too?”

You wrapped your legs around Matthew’s waist, pressing your lips to his and tugging on the curls at the base of his neck. He pushed you up against the dock, helping you back up and pulling himself up next to you. You grabbed the back of his neck, latching your lips back on his. His hand was on your back, fingers toying with the back of your bathing suit, “Think we can get upstairs without anyone noticing?”

Matthew was cool most of the time. He never faltered under the pressure from his career, most of the time, and he definitely didn’t fold when it came to a pretty girl. You had him in the palm of your hand, every part of his brain malfunctioning in response to your words. You bit your lip, wondering if you’d read this entire situation. Matthew rubs a thumb along your lip, “When are you going to realize I’d do whatever you asked me to?”

The two of you snuck up the stairs, giggles and stolen kisses left in your wake. You open the door, Matthew’s hands still toying your bathing suit top, “Just take it off already Matty.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Matthew breathes, his lips pressed against your neck while the garment falls to the floor, “So fucking beautiful.”

You back hit the mattress, Matthew’s hands running up your body slowly. Slow wasn’t in Matthew’s vocabulary, but he was taking his time just in case he never got this opportunity again. His fingers hooked under your bathing suit bottoms, sliding the wet fabric down your legs. You looked so beautiful, spread out just for Matthew like he’d dreamed about numerous times. His lips moved down to your breasts, teeth grazing against your skin while his tongue swirled against your nipple. You let out a breathy moan, Matthew’s ego boosting from the sound. You plucked at his curls while his mouth moved down to where you were craving him most, a gentle kiss to your clit, “Matty, please.”

“I didn’t peg you for the type to beg,” Matthew hums, pressing feather light kisses around your core. He stopped, gripping your thighs and looking up at you, “You sure about this?”

“Yes, please,” You whine, pussy dripping from Matthew’s hot breath fanning over it. Matthew chuckles darkly, fingers digging into your thighs when he flicked his tongue over your clit. You moan, completely unbothered by the blaring music a floor below you. Matthew didn’t seem to be bothered either, his tongue teasing your entrance while his nose rubbed against your clit, living for the way you were whimpering above him, “Matty-”

“Close baby?” Matthew groans, slipping a finger inside of you and curling it. You back arched, his name falling through your lips was enough to answer his question. Your legs shook, pleasure washing over your body from Matthew and all of it just felt so right. Matthew’s lips were latched to your skin until he finally met your eyes again. He smiles softly, nudging his nose with yours while you caught your breath, “So good for me.”

“Should’ve known you were that good with your mouth with the way you run it,” You tease smiling against his lips.

“Not with you, not anymore,” Matthew promises, soft blue eyes looking into yours, he meant it. He didn’t know how else to make it clearer, he wanted you. You kissed him slowly, hands trailing down his abs and stopping where his shorts hit his waist. Matthew kicks off his swim trunks, cock springing free. You grab the back of his neck, pulling your lips to his and rolling over top of him and straddling his waist. It was criminal how good you looked on top of him, “Gonna ride me babe?”

You nod, lining his dick up your core and lowering yourself on top of him. You let out a whine, Matthew’s smug smile on full display once he realized it was because of how big he was, “We don’t have to if my dick’s too big.”

“Oh shut up,” You roll your hips, watching the way Matthew’s head fell back, smirking because he really thought he had control here. Matthew’s hands gripped your waist, moving your hips faster. His finger flicked over your clit, causing you to lunge forward on top of him. Matthew flipped you over, wrapping a leg around his waist so he could hit your g-spot. Your hands gripped his shoulders, nails leaving scratches Matthew was going to wear pride later. You were seeing stars, noises leaving your throat you’d never even heard yourself make, “Fuck, Matty, I’m gonna cum again.”

“Look at me,” Matthew grabs your chin, pressing his forehead against yours and watching while your eyes roll back with pleasure. Your pussy clenched around him, his own cum spilling into you from the sensation, a loud groan following. Matthew pressed a kiss to your forehead, his cock still buried inside of you, “I wasn’t bullshitting you, I mean every word Y/N.”

“Matthew,” You whisper, running a finger along his back, “The distance…”

You didn’t mention everything, the way that if this was real it meant it would end up ripping you both apart. You were set to live in a different city, Matthew all the way in another country. The way your dreams included a spot on the U.S. National team, and the idea that wanting to be with Matthew would hold you back was terrifying. The way his dreams probably meant staying in Calgary forever, a C on his jersey and a cup over his head. It wasn’t going to be easy, you weren’t ever going to be the doting girlfriend he probably needed. There would be years of travel schedules and games that overlapped, and a part of you thought that maybe Matthew wouldn’t be able to do it. You’d get a year in and he’d find someone who would be there more and finally you’d end it.

“We can make it work, baby I want you, I always have and I probably always will,” Matthew starts, baring his soul to another person for the first time in his goddamn life, “I want to support your dreams and have you be there for mine. I’m all in here, I don’t know how else to tell you.”

“Can I have some time?” You plead, holding onto Matthew’s shoulders because you knew he could leave and tell you to never speak to him again. Matthew sighs, understanding the way you were shitting yourself about starting your own professional career, remembering the way rookie Matthew would have died before he considered settling down that first year, “Please don’t leave me-”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Matthew promises, rolling over and letting your rest on his chest, “I’ll wait for you.”

You smile, snuggling closer to him. Matthew didn’t sleep a minute that night, running every single scenario that could possibly happen with the two of you. Matthew was sure it would work out, it had to, because if it didn’t he wasn’t sure he’d be able to recover.

So now all he could was wait.

***

You know this is creepy right?

Matthew stares at Sam, punching his teammate in the arm lightly and telling him to shut up. He had a night off in Chicago, and after four straight hours of staring at your contact in his phone, Matthew finally just bought the tickets. He’d been good at keeping his distance, you needed space and he respected you enough to try and give it to you. He wasn’t doing so hot, Matthew consuming more soccer games than hockey games at this point. It started with your first game, because how was he supposed to just pretend like it wasn’t happening? You scored too, and it took everything in his power not to call you to tell you that not only was he right, he was insanely proud of you.

And he’d been hearing it from everyone. Your sister thought it was bullshit, Taryn and Jamie almost had Matthew on a flight to Chicago ready to show up like a terrible Lifetime movie. Brady thought it was hilarious the way Matthew was simping like this for one girl. Now, his teammates were on him, wondering why on Earth their friend who historically ran through women faster than he did mouthguards could be this hung up on someone he had a crush on in middle school.

“What number is she?” Sam asks, sipping the beer he forced Matthew to buy after making him go along with this.

“Nineteen,” Matthew smiles, pointing down at you on the field. You looked so happy, warming up with one of your teammates and a bright smile on your face. It seemed like a good fit, your team and your new city, and it made Matthew’s heart grow four sizes.

“Did she choose your number?” Sam jokes and Matthew mumbles something under his breath, “What?”

“It was her number first,” Matthew admits, not wanting to ever confess to another soul that you crossed his mind when he kept that camp number. Sam howled next to him, leaning over his seat and cracking up at his teammate.

You looked out in the crowd about halfway through the game, rubbing your eyes to make sure you weren’t seeing things. That tuft of curls was hard to miss, not to mention you knew just how big Matthew was. He was far too into the game to realize you caught him, up in arms about a call against your team that was valid but he’d argue it wasn’t. You asked for space, and it was getting harder to stick to your guns. Especially when he was making it so clear that he wanted this.

And whether or not you went to his game the next night, was a secret you’d take to the grave.

***

You were so close you could have tasted it.

While the final seconds of your season came to a close, all you could do was hold your head in your hands and hope no one caught the tears. A semi-final loss was devastating, but a semi-final loss where there wasn’t anything you could have done differently was even worse. Every athlete had off nights, a point Keith pushed right before you left to start your season, and he was right. Unfortunately, that was this game. Your biggest fear had come true and there was nothing you could do about it now. The game was over and you weren’t moving on.

And Matthew watched it.

Matthew promised you space, and he swore he’d give you the time you needed to settle down. But, this was something he couldn’t ignore. He could tell you were off, your entire rookie season was almost perfect and watching the way you folded during this game was gut wrenching. Matthew knew better than anyone, losing sucked. So he took the chance, grabbing his phone and shooting you a text he’d been waiting to send.

Doors open in Calgary.

and I’m so fucking proud of you.

It was the very last text you saw before you went to bed that night, tossing and turning for a few hours thinking about that loss. You couldn’t stop, every bone in your body was aching and you didn’t know what to do. So you bought a flight, packed your shit and was walking down the hallway to Matthew’s apartment without a second thought. You’d left him on read, calling Brady in the middle of the night and asking for his address, who gave it to you reluctantly with a reminder that if you needed to see him this badly you should rethink the needing time thing.

Matthew let out a groan when he had a bang at his door at three in the morning. Noah definitely was trying to walk into the wrong apartment again, and Matthew was grouchy when he whipped his door open. Except it wasn’t Noah after he’d had too many. It was you, teary eyed with your shit in a suitcase and a broken heart.

“I can’t stop thinking about it,” You admit, whispering something you never thought you’d say to anyone, “I just didn’t do enough-”

Matthew didn’t say a word, pulling you into a bone crushing hug and holding you as tightly as he could. You didn’t need to hear it from him, about how things were out of your control and you did your best. You didn’t want that right now, you wanted him, “Baby…”

“Everything hurts,” You whimper, finally just letting it all out. You were bruised and battered from the season, the physical pain alone was enough to upset you, let alone the loss you just took. Matthew carded his fingers through your hair, letting you soak his bare chest with your tears because he wouldn’t have it any other way. You came back to him. You came back to him when things got too tough because you trusted him to bring you some peace, and he was happy about it.

You passed out sometime after that, your tears finally running dry and the exchaustion taking over your body. Matthew woke up early the next day, grateful for the optional morning skate so he could stay with you for just a little bit longer. The sun was just starting to peek through the curtains in his room, a calm snowy morning in Calgary so the city was just a bit quieter.

Matthew settled on breakfast, working away in his kitchen with the only thing he knew how to make. Tell her you made it, his mom’s words from just a few months prior in his head while he cooked. You padded out his bedroom, one of Matthew’s god awful beer shirts hanging from your frame while you wrapped your arms around his waist and pressed a kiss into his back, “It’s cold here.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Matthew hums, internally pumping his fist when he felt your lips form a smile against his skin. You turned your head, pressing your cheek against his against and letting out a laugh, “What’s so funny?”

“You framed my jersey?” You ask, your eye catching a jersey that was way too familiar. It was hung up beside Matthew’s from his first all star game, both number nineteens staring back at you.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re my favorite player,” Matthew hums, a blush covering his cheeks, “I’m so proud of you.”

“You keep saying that,” Matthew finally turns around, pressing a quick peck to your lips.

“I’ll keep saying it long after we both retire,” Matthew speaks, words clear and sure because he’s had plenty of time to practice this one, “I’ll say it when you win a World Cup gold, I’ll say it when we have kids, I’ll say when you play at the Olympics. I’m going to say it over and over again.”

“But…” You trail off, all of those same demons you’d been fighting when it came to your whatever this was with Matthew, “What I’m not around enough for you?”

Matthew knew what you were thinking about, he’d thought about it plenty too. There were countless sleepless nights where all he did was wonder if you’d find someone in Chicago who could support you better than he could. He’d do his best, he swore he would, but in order for you to be happy, your passion came first. There was always going to be times when he couldn’t be there and it killed him.

“You’re more than enough,” Matthew promises, his lips ghosting over yours, “I want you to seize every opportunity in the world, I just want to be there to tell you that I love you and use the goat emoji on Instagram when you do.”

You let out a laugh, Matthew’s smile wide enough to see his dimples you loved so much, “I think I want to stay a little while.”

“I think you should,” Matthew agrees, capturing your lips in his, “Besides I’m playing tonight and I think I need to show off now.”

“You’re a cocky asshole.”

“But now I’m your cocky asshole.”

***

One year Later

You had a good reason to be late.

You swore Matthew couldn’t possibly be mad at you for this one. You’d missed your flight to Calgary, a few days post a second loss in the semi finals that you’d been taking much better this time around. Mainly because Matthew wasn’t there, but his stupid smile and words of encouragement where there on facetime hours later. That wasn’t the reason you were late, the reason you were late was because you’d received the most insane news of your life and it was an important phone or that flight. You’d caught the next one, legs shaking not to just call him and share the news, but you needed to tell him in person.

You’d finally gotten by the doors to the locker room entrance, out of breath from spriting there from your cab. There was Matthew, tapping his phone and staring at the clock on his phone with furrowed eyebrows. He was still in his suit, tie pulled a little looser, a nervous habit you realized he had some time ago, “Matty-”

“Don’t call me that just because you know you’re late,” Matthew huffs, already ready for the pout that would have followed so he’d forget all about the fact that you promised you’d make it on time. He holds his hand out, waiting for the handshake he made up in the car on the way to the first game you went to after he finally locked it down. You laugh, slapping your hand against his and letting him pull you closer for a kiss.

“They want me on the National Team,” You mumble against his lips, the words spilling out of your mouth when you pull away with an excited smile. Matthew stood there stunned, while you shuffled your feet in the little dance you did when you were really happy. He grabs your cheeks, pressing kisses to your lips again and again.

“We’re celebrating after this, holy shit,” Matthew cheers, still stunned by your news, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, now go score a few goals so we have even more to celebrate,” You kiss him one more time, pushing him before the door before he was late.

“Anything I do seems unimportant now!” Matthew calls out, a light laugh to his voice as he watched you walk away to go sit in the stands.

And that’s how Matthew thought it should be.

#matthew tkachuk #matthew tkachuk imagine #my writing #nhl imagine #nhl imagines

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procrastinatingnerd · 3 years

Text

Hi everyone! So this was my first time taking part in the @osemanversebigbang but I had so much fun!! I can't wait to read everyone's entries! 💜

Title: Angel Rahimi And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Lunch Break

Characters: Angel, Juliet, Rowan, Jimmy, Lister, Bliss, two of Angel’s future uni friends (OCs).

Spoilers? Minor spoilers of important events in “I Was Born For This”.

Word Count: 3.6k

Ships: Bicci, one joke about Juliet/Rowan.

~Joan of Arc (Probably)

“I am so fucking tired”

“Right, time’s up, put your pens down.” The exam officer says from the front of the room. I scribble one last sentence before my hand gives out, and I all but throw my pen onto the desk, sighing as dramatically as I can. This week is a fucking nightmare. Exams and assignments are the piss. Fuck uni, I’m ready to drop out. Or drop dead. Either works, honestly.

As I leave the exam hall, I walk past some people from the students’ union. They’re handing out flyers for the Christmas ball next week. My housemates are all planning on going, but my friends and I planned our present swap for that night, so we’re going to spend it eating a fuck ton of snacks and watching the cheesiest Christmas films we can find. I can’t wait, I bought them each a bag of their favourite sweets from the American candy shop, it's going to be so much fun!

But that’s next week. Right now, all I want is to sit at a table that doesn’t have an exam paper on it, and eat something very greasy and very unhealthy. There’s a pizza place just on the edge of campus, run by some of the culinary arts students, and they make the best sauce ever. It’s pretty cheap too, which makes it a favourite for most people, especially at the end of a semester, when everyone’s bank accounts are running low.

I have about an hour until I need to be back in the exam hall, so I take full advantage of the outdoor seating and collapse into a chair after ordering. My pizza is brought out to me not long after, and I breathe in the smell. Nothing has smelt more gorgeous than the slices sitting in front of me. It’s a surprisingly warm day, for December at least, and for a moment, everything feels calm. I can hear a bird singing in a tree somewhere, other students are hanging around campus, most with their noses in their phones or in textbooks, and I actually let myself relax for a bit. I’ve done all the revision I can for this next exam, and I’m in desperate need of a break. I deserve this.

I pick up my first slice of pizza, and bring it up to my mouth. As I’m about to take a bite, however, my phone rings. I put the pizza down with a sigh and answer the phone without looking at who’s calling. Mum probably sensed I wasn’t doing any work, and is calling to check up on me.

“Hello?” I say tiredly.

“Angel, hi! Is this a good time??” I grin at the sound of Juliet’s voice.

“Hell yeah, it’s a perfect time! What’s up?”

“Wait, you don’t know why I’m calling?” Juliet says hesitantly. Shit. What have I forgotten now? I know it’s not her birthday. Wait, is it mine?? I swear exams rot your brain, have I actually forgotten my own birthday?

“No…?” I ask after internally monologuing for way too long.

“Oh my god, you don’t know??” Juliet screeches in my ear, “Angel go look at your phone, it’s urgent!”

Now very concerned, I put Juliet on speaker and, for the first time all morning, actually read the notifications filling my lock screen. I open the Twitter news one, and my mouth drops open in shock.

“Holy shit.”

On my screen is a news article with a headline that reads, “THE ARK’S JIMMY KAGA-RICCI AND LISTER BIRD’S SECRET RELATIONSHIP EXPOSED”, and just below it sits a large photo of Jimmy and Lister, standing outside a pub, kissing. I don’t believe it.

“Holy fu- Hold on a second. Mate, isn’t that the pub by Piero’s house?!” I say, bringing my phone as close to my face as I can, as if that’ll help me see better. There’s a loud shuffling noise on the other end of the line, and then I hear a gasp.

“Oh my god, you’re right!” Juliet says. “Rowan said they were going on holiday, but I thought he meant abroad or something.” I smile at that. Ever since our little jaunt to Kent last summer, Juliet and I have kept in touch with the boys. We even have a group chat now; us and them and even Bliss is in it. I’m so glad we stayed friends.

At first, Rowan was really quiet, and if he did speak he and Juliet would almost always end up arguing, but they’ve been getting along quite well lately. I’m not saying I ship it or anything, I’ve learnt my lesson there, but I have to say, fangirl-to enemies-to lovers would make a wicked fanfiction trope.

“Did you see any of this coming?” Juliet continues. “Surely Jimmy would have said something to you?”

“He said he was dating someone, but didn’t want to give details because they were taking things slow. Well, that and that celebrity phone hacking scandal freaked him right the fuck out, remember?” I say.

"That's

right, he stopped talking on the group chat for like two weeks, didn’t he?” Juliet giggles back. “Well, nevertheless, I’m happy for them. They’re cute together.”

“Yeah, they are.” I grin again. “Oh my god, poor Rowan though! I’d hate to live with a couple, especially a new one! It’d be nauseating.”

“Oh I know, right? And imagine what’ll happen when they have their first fight!” Juliet gasps again. I shudder at the thought.

“I’m muting the group chat when that happens.” I joke.

“Not a bad idea.” Juliet laughs back, then pauses. “Oh, Angel, I’m sorry I’ve got the get going, but do you want to skype later?”

“Yeah, no problem! I’ve got a revision session at 6, but I should be free by 9ish?”

“Sounds perfect! See you then!” Juliet says, and with that, she’s gone, and I’m back to sitting alone with my pizza.

Jimmy and Lister. Holy shit. I don’t think anyone in the fandom saw this coming. Everything has been about Jowan, since the fandom started growing it’s the only ship that ever existed. No one bothered writing fics about any other pairings. The only Jimmy/Lister fics I ever came across were platonic ones, and even they made sure to mention Jimmy’s boyfriend Rowan.

Oh god, I hope they’re okay. The fans got so crazy when Bliss and Rowan’s relationship was exposed. Jimmy/Lister is the final nail in the Jowan coffin. Jimmy must be having the panic attack of his life! I’ve got to-

My phone rings again.

I look down at the screen, and see Jimmy’s name. I take a deep breath, and answer.

“Jimmy, hi! How are-”

“Have you seen it??”

“Yes.”

“Oh god. This isn’t how we wanted to tell you guys.”

“You sure? Because getting caught by the national press worked so well for you last time.” I tease. Silence. Oops, probably not the best thing to remind him of right now.

“Jimmy, you still there?” I say carefully. There’s a slight rustle on his end, which means he probably just nodded. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise. The fans will move on. They already did with Jowan, right?”

“But what if something happens again? Something like-”

“It won’t. You guys have better security now, and you’re doing less public events. You’re going to be fine.” I hope and pray that I’m saying the right things. Jimmy and I have gotten close lately, but I’m nowhere near as good at helping him deal with his anxiety as Rowan and Lister are. There’s more silence, until finally, Jimmy speaks again.

“Okay. Yeah. Yeah I think you’re right. Thanks, Angel.”

“Course I’m right! If there’s one thing I know, it’s fandom drama.” Jimmy laughs, and I grin back. “And don’t forget, you’re not alone in this. This is happening to Lister too, and no doubt Rowan and Bliss will be there to help you. Just talk to them.”

“Thank you Angel, I’ll go do that now.”

“Perfect! Love you Jim, I’ll text you later.” I say, and the call ends.

He’ll be okay. He’s got too many people who love him not to be. I take another breath and put my phone down on the table. As soon as I do, however, it buzzes again, and I see Jimmy is trying to facetime me. Now very concerned, I answer it and hold the phone up so he can see my face properly.

“Jimmy, are you okay, what’s happened??” I ask anxiously, but he looks fine. He looks at me with a confused expression.

“Nothing, I’m just talking to the others, like you said.” He says. It’s only me and him on the call. I stare at him in silence for a moment.

“Jimmy, mate… I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not any of them” I say slowly, and to my surprise, Jimmy laughs.

“Yeah I know, but I was kind of hoping to have you here, too, if that’s okay?” He says sheepishly. “It’s okay if you’re busy, it’s just that… I don’t know, you’re good with this stuff and you make me feel calm? Sorry, I know that’s a lot to just dump on you.” Jimmy doesn’t look at me directly, and I start to feel tears in my eyes.

“Well damn, Jim, I guess if you truly love me that much, I can stick around for a bit.” I laugh, and quickly glance at the time. “My lunch break is only halfway over, anyway, so I have plenty of time to hang out while you talk to the others.”

Jimmy seems to let out a breath, like he’d been holding it, and grins.

Just as I’m about to start talking again, I hear a ping, and Lister’s face appears on screen, followed by Rowan and Bliss.

“Hey Jimjam, you okay?” Rowan asks, looking as calm as ever. “Oh hey Angel.” He adds. I give him an awkward smile.

“Wait, Angel's here?” Bliss interrupts before Jimmy can answer. “Nice, how’s the week from hell going? Didn’t think we’d hear from you until you’d made it through.”

“Yeah it’s rough, but I’m getting there. This is a welcome distraction though.” I grin at her.

“So you’ve seen the pictures then. They look good, right?” Lister chimes in, before correcting himself. “I mean, it’s horrible they found us, fucking pricks, but you’ve got to admit we look good.”

“You can be so self-centred sometimes.” Bliss laughs.

“Come on Lister, this isn’t a joke.” Rowan chides him.

“Well, I guess he isn’t wrong..” Jimmy mumbles nervously and I see him smile a bit.

“See, Jimmy agrees with me!” Lister argues back at Rowan, who rolls his eyes.

“It’s still not something to laugh about.” Rowan says firmly. “Cecily’s already on damage control, cancelling some events, beefing up the security at others, and giving the tabloids hell. She’s also let your grandad know, Jimmy.”

“Wait, aren’t you guys all down there already?” I ask, confused.

“Nah we got back last night. That picture was taken when we went out for lunch the other day. Took their time printing it.” Lister says.

“Probably needed time to pad out their articles. Seriously, how can they write so many pages about two people dating?” Bliss adds.

“Probably whining about how Jowan is now well and truly dead.” Rowan rolls his eyes again. “Although I have to say, I’m pretty happy about that part.” I cringe slightly as he says that. I will never not regret being one of the Jowan fangirls.

“So Cecily’s already got a plan? That’s good, that’s a bit of a relief.” Jimmy speaks up, looking visibly more relaxed than he had sounded over the phone earlier.

“Yeah she’s got it sorted, so we can start planning our Christmas party!” Lister says, making the others groan.

“Lister what the hell makes you think we should be throwing a massive fucking party right now?!” Rowan says, his voice growing louder. Lister goes quiet, looking like he wants to shrink into his seat, before eventually speaking up again.

“Look, it doesn’t have to be anything big, I just mean… Angel, you’re gonna be in London with Juliet, right? Come over, drag Bliss with you, Jimmy can invite his grandad, Rowan you can bring Jade, and there you go, that’s our party!”

“That’s...actually a good idea.” Rowan says, surprised.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun!” Jimmy adds.

“I’m up for it, Angel, do you think Juliet will wanna come?” Bliss says.

“Hell yeah she would, let’s do it!” I reply with a massive smile on my face. Partying with Bliss and the boys sounds like the best way to spend my Christmas London trip. I’ll make sure to tell Juliet about it when I talk to her later. As I start planning all the food I’m going to bring over, and wondering what the boys’ flat will look like at Christmas, the conversation starts up again.

“You sure you’re doing alright, Jimmy? I can come back home if you need me to.” Rowan says, focusing things on the issue at hand again.

“No no, don’t worry, stay with your family. They’d kill me if I made you miss out on spending time with them.” Jimmy jokes. “I’ve got Lister here, and Cecily’s number if I need it. My head isn’t giving me too much grief right now, anyway.”

“Wait, Lister, you’re there with him?” Bliss asks.

“Yeah, check it out!” Lister says, before picking up his phone and moving. He takes us out of what I think was his room, through a hallway and comes out into a large living room, where we can see Jimmy on a sofa looking at his phone. “Say hi to the chat, Jim!”

Everyone laughs as Jimmy gives an awkward wave to Lister’s phone. Lister then hangs up and launches himself into view of Jimmy’s screen, and the two shuffle about until they’re practically sitting on top of each other, faces

squished together so the tiny phone camera captures them both. I hate how cute they look together.

“Alright, if you’re sure, Jimmy,” Rowan says, smiling for probably the first time this whole call.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Jimmy smiles back. “This whole situation is terrifying, and I’m more than ready to hide in my room and not see another mad fangirl for the rest of my life, but... if I did that we’d never get to hang out with Angel again.” He finishes, biting his lip as if unsure of whether or not the joke will hit.

“Uh..ouch!” I clap my hand on top of my heart dramatically and laugh, while the others join in. “I’ll have you know I’ve abandoned my fangirl ways. Mostly. Sort of. Okay, not completely but I’m not shipping real people anymore, so that’s something, right?!”

Lister is giving Jimmy a look of what I can only assume is pride for making a decent joke during a time of peak anxiety, Rowan has his head in his hands, probably contemplating his life choices now that Lister seems to be rubbing off on Jimmy, and Bliss still looks shocked that such a joke came out of Jimmy’s mouth, not Lister’s. When things calm down again, I check the time and speak up again.

“Well this has been fun Jim, but I’m afraid I have mad fangirl duties to be getting back to. Shrines to build, fanfiction to write, you know how it is.” I say sarcastically.

“Thanks again, Angel, for being here, and listening. And you’d better be right about that fandom drama.” Jimmy laughs again, although this time I see his smile falter a bit.

“Hey, look at me,” I say, moving as close to the screen as I can without squishing my face on it. “Things will settle down before you know it, in the meantime, we’re all here for you. You’re not alone in this.” Rowan and Bliss nod in agreement, and I see Lister hug Jimmy closer. Jimmy takes a breath and nods as well.

“Thanks Angel. And good luck with your exam. We’ll see you over the holidays.” He smiles.

“Yeah you got this Angel, go smash it!” Bliss chimes in, giving me a thumbs up and a grin. I say one last goodbye to them all, and hang up.

I look back down at my pizza, still uneaten. I need to stop letting myself get distracted during phone calls. I can eat and talk to my friends at the same time. I’m usually a master at it.

“Fereshteh!” I look up again. Either I’m going loony, or someone just said-

“FERESHTEH!” I turn around and see Mollie and Christina barrelling towards me, with the most excitement I’ve ever seen on a students’ face during exam season. They crash into my table and both start talking at once.

“Have you seen??”

“Did you know??”

“How long have they been together?!”

“Oh my god is this why you won’t tell us about what happened in Kent?!”

“Woah, easy on the interrogation! Seriously, you guys need to work on your interview skills.” I put my hands up in surrender and laugh. Mollie rolls her eyes at me.

“So? Did they tell you or what?” She asks again. I roll my eyes back at her.

“You know I don’t want to tell you guys anything about the boys. They trust me, and I’m not going to fuck that up because of some shit a tabloid prints.”

“How dare you appeal to our morality and ethics, we want gossip dammit!” Christina giggles, lightly banging her fist down on the table.

“Then stick to the Twitter pages.” I stick my tongue out at her. Mollie and Christina are two of my housemates, and are part of the Ark fandom. I never planned on telling them about Kent, but they figured out who I was thanks to the pictures of me and Jimmy on the train. I didn’t think you could tell it was me, but fangirls are like master detectives. They figured it out in less than a week. They haven’t told anyone though, they’re good mates.

“So how are you feeling about all of this? Whether you knew or not, having it out in the press like this is a lot to handle, especially after last time.” Mollie says, now in serious mode.

“It is a lot, definitely, but they’ll be fine. They’ve had this happen before and they know what to expect from the fans. I just wish I could be there for them.” I say, sitting back in my chair.

“I get

that, it must suck that you guys are so far apart now.” Christina chimes in.

“I mean it’s not like we ever lived close to each other before. The only reason we even crossed paths over the summer was because I was staying with a friend. But yeah, being away from them all is kind of hard sometimes.” I sigh dramatically, making Mollie and Christina grin.

“Are you going to visit them over Christmas?” Christina asks.

“I’m definitely going to visit my friend in London again, for a day or two, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to see the boys.” I quickly lie. “They cut back on public events but they’re still really busy most of the time. And this,” I gesture to my phone “definitely won’t help.”

“We’ll keep an eye on fandom updates for you, and try to shut any mentions of Jowan down,” Mollie says, reaching across the table and giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I squeeze hers back and give her a grateful smile. I mostly stopped interacting with the fandom after meeting the boys, reading fanfiction, and discussing theories with other fans just feels weird and creepy to do when the people you’re talking about are your friends. So it’s nice that I have Mollie and Christina looking out for them, and doing what I can’t. Christina has a pretty big following on Tumblr, and Mollie’s a Twitter ace, so I trust them to hold their ground with the fandom.

“Okay, you don’t have to give us any details, but genuinely, what do you think of Lister and Jimmy as a couple? Because I don’t think the fandom could handle a breakup.” Christina says after a while, making me laugh.

“Pfft, yeah I don’t think the boys could handle a breakup, either.” I smile. “But honestly? I think they’ll be good for each other. Lister is good at helping Jimmy relax and step out of his anxiety bubble, and Jimmy can help reign in Lister’s chaotic energy. Plus they’re freaking cute together, I mean just look at this picture!” I finish, gesturing dramatically to my phone again.

“They are so cute!” Mollie nods in agreement. “I’m actually shocked no one thought to ship them together before.”

“That’s the Jowan storm, for you,” Christina adds. “Can’t believe we ever shipped that.”

“So gross.” I shudder at the thought. Suddenly the alarm I’d set this morning went off, making us all jump.

“What’s that?” Mollie asks. I check the screen and practically leap out of my seat.

“Oh shit, my exam starts in 10 minutes!” I say, gathering my stuff up as quickly as I can. I say my goodbyes to Mollie and Christina and start running back across campus to the exam hall.

I make it just in time, much to the invigilator’s chagrin, check my bag in at the desk at the back of the hall, and collapse into my assigned seat. The exam starts, and it’s only when it does that my stomach reminds me that I never actually ate lunch. Shit.

I start to silently scold myself for being so stupid, when my mind starts drifting to the video chat with Jimmy and the others. He and Lister looked so comfortable with each other. Makes sense, they've known each other for so long. But even still, Jimmy looked so much happier once Lister sat down with him, and Lister himself practically seemed at home with Jimmy’s arms wrapped around him. I smile at my exam paper.

I’m so happy for them.

#osemanverse #i was born for this #iwbft #bicci #angel rahimi #jimmy kaga ricci #lister bird #juliet schwartz #bliss lai

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jimlingss · 4 years

Text

Moirai [1]

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

➜ Words: 5.8k

➜ Genres: 60% Fluff, 40% Angst, Isekai!AU

➜ Summary: Death is supposed to be the end. Or at least that's what you assumed when you're hit by a TRUCK. But the moment you open your eyes again, instead of being sent to the afterlife, you've become a baby. And not just any baby. You're the female villain of a video game.

➜ Notes: Isekai is a popular manga and light novel genre in which characters from Earth are transported into a new world.

This is the end. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” The Prince stands tall, the very furrow of his brows jarring against the cold, cordial expression he maintains — the one she had always tried to shatter. All she desired was something other than courtesy. If not affection then frustration or misery. But she supposes that anger suffices. Anger. The first time he’s ever looked at her with an ounce of any true feeling. His shadow looms over her, his status powerful as the countless eyes are narrowed in around her — he is as powerful as the people who stand behind him. Every word he speaks booms through the ballroom, a grand timbre that has long replaced the mellifluous violins. The Prince is as noble as he is righteous. He is the hero of this story. “You choose to answer your crimes with silence?!” The corner of her lips curl and cackles rasp from her throat. The noise is discordant and shrill, a mocking irony when it causes him to pull the woman in his arms closer. Even when she’s in this position, downcast head, knees burnt on the carpet, all she does is drive them closer together. “The only sins I have ever committed was loving you until my last breath.” “Guards!” Murmurs spark across the room and the knights armour clank as they approach in heavy steps. She knows these are the last moments. “The only crime I have is looking out for the empire! But you chose her.” She looks upon the girl he holds, the one who has the same contempt on her visage. And as the knights rip her away from her place, she spits venom-laced words, “A lowly baron’s adopted daughter to make your wife. I am the duke’s daughter. I am educated. I am your fiancée—” “No longer.” He condemns, “You have committed treason. Conspiracy against the crown. Attempted murder. Forgery. Harassment. Using your status to oppress the vulnerable—” “Let go of me!” she shrieks as the guards drag her down the room. It’s undignified. Degrading. “—Daring to entangle yourself with the dark arts. And you will answer to these crimes whether you choose to confess or not.” “Let go of me!” she struggles, yet no one chooses to hear. Their eyes have pierced into her, those who aren’t scandalized are snickering behind their feathered fans. But in the last seconds, status has no place. She looks to the person who matters most, the one she had spent her childhood idolizing. Her beliefs hold true. He will make a great ruler. But she will never be the one to stand beside him. She knows now. That position has long been stolen away from her. “Everything I did,” she cries, “I did for yo—” The grand doors slam shut with her pitched screams resounding. Moments later, the lively music continues, violins and trumpets crescendoing to life once more. As if her life had just not been taken away from her. As if the denunciation was merely an intermission of tonight’s festivities. Her heinous exterior is shattered by tears that no one would have sympathy for. She is limp when she is thrown into the stone jail cell within the depths of the castle. The knights twist on their heel and she is surrounded in pitch darkness with the sound of a scurrying rat echoing beside her. The only time there is light is by the dim flame of the torch, a guard accompanying a frightened servant who carries a bowl of spoiled oats. It’s not enough to satisfy the grumble of her stomach, but enough to keep her alive for the execution day. Without a silver fork or spoon in hand, a handkerchief placed in her lap, seated by a candlelit table, she resorts to using her fingers to scoop the food into her mouth. Sometimes, she thinks they forget about her. Or perhaps time is simply drawn in darkness. A second made into a minute. A minute is an hour. She is merely left leaning against the molded stone, wasted away and drunk on memories of better places. Punishment does not come in the form of her stripped title or even her head rolling away from her neck. Punishment arrives in the darkened loneliness. That loss of sanity that whisper she has failed to capture the attention of the only person she ever loved. That she failed to make him love her. Everything she did, it drove him away. Every act of love placed distance between them. Everything. Liberation comes back with the music of trumpets muffled by the stone walls. “What’s going on?” her voice is hoarse through her parched throat. The servant screams when her arm reaches past the bars to tug on the girl’s dress. Her eyes are bleary as she looks up at the girl. “Why is it so noisy?” “T-The civil war’s over.” The girl backs away and the celebrations become more distinct with the realization. “The villain is dead.” The girl withdraws into the cell and cackles rip through her lungs, resounding across the empty chambers. The servant scurries away as the knight huffs out through his nose and shakes his head. But it’s the best news she’s received since she’s been stowed away. And a smile still graces her features when she is dragged out and jostled by the knights, taken up to where the sun blinds her vision. “On the eve of the Solar Festival, we rid our empire of yet another villain and free it from treachery!” There are cacophonous cheers in the crowd. Her eyes are hurt by the sunlight and she shuts them tight. Her legs are kicked and she’s knocked onto her knees, head being shoved against wood. She wishes she didn’t have to face the sun rays. There’s no decency to give her shade. But the discomfort is over by the blade slicing through the air. She lives and both dies as the villainess — an inevitable legacy. ❇ End of Royal Romances Chapter 7 -Prince Route- ❇

Headbeams. Fuck. You never thought it would be like all those cheesy movies — the third Batman film, Grey’s Anatomy, the Simpsons, hell even Attack on Titan. But nope. They’re right. Time really does slow and your life really does flash by your eyes when you’re in the moment of your death. But instead of feeling grief for yourself, all you can think about is what an absolute idiot you are. You really shouldn’t have jaywalked at night. That cheesecake in the fridge was supposed to be yours! And holy shit, your parents are going to be really fucking mad that you died at only twenty— The truck slams into you before you can finish your thought. …………... ……….. ……. ….. ... .. . Strangely, it doesn’t hurt. Maybe because it happened so fast. Maybe the initial impact was already enough to end your life. But you’re left feeling an empty void inside of yourself. An overwhelming agony that this is the end. That you never got the chance to fulfill your dreams, enjoy the fruits of your labour, that you never got to reach the happiness you wanted. You have regrets. Not for the things that you did. But for the things that you didn’t do. But well….you suppose there’s no use in lingering in it. Death is the end. This is the end. ……. ….. ... .. . “—ook...t ...er...!” “..hush!” What? Why are you hearing noises? Why does your face feel warm? Are you in...heaven? Some sort of afterlife?! Oh man, you knew you deserved this! Fuck yes! You might have kicked that kid’s shin in the fourth grade and totally lied to your manager that one time that you cleaned the ice-cream machine when you didn’t, but your wrongdoings aren’t that bad. You open your eyes. Unusually, your vision is blurred. All you can make out is a fuzzy figure looming over you. Your mouth opens— “Waah!” What the fuck. You can’t speak. Each time your lips part, drool dripples onto your chin. In a panic, you try to move your body, but quickly find yourself heavy and practically stuck. You cry out and swing your arm, and that’s when your hand flashes before your eyes. Your pupils focus and you realize that your hand is tiny. That you can barely curl and uncurl your fingers together. Holy shit. Holy fuck— You’re a baby. Wailing sobs burst out of your tiny lungs. You don’t know where you are or how this happened. Your last memory is being hit by a truck! The figure looming above you comes closer. “What is wrong with her?!” The woman sounds annoyed, but it’s not like it's your fault. This is just a lot to take in. Your mouth is blocked by a pacifier being shoved in. Immediately, you spit it out and the woman sighs. “Why is she being so fussy?” That’s not the issue, lady! Christ, you wish you could communicate with her. You feel yourself being picked up and she angrily mutters, “If the Devereux household wasn’t paying me so much, I would’ve just thrown you out the window.” Wait. Say what now? Devereux? Why does that sound so familiar? You hear another woman’s voice, one that’s higher pitched and softer. “What’s wrong with little Anastasia?” “Have you finished hanging the laundry yet?” “Yes, I have.” You’re being passed on and your sobs subside in favour of a frown. Anastasia? Anastasia Devereux. You remember cursing that name out loud before, but where was— Oh my god. Oh my god! It’s impossible, but the truth is right in front of your eyes. You’re living through it right now. This isn’t a dream. No. It’s your game, Royal Romances. You’ve been reincarnated into the fictional country of Ashea. And of all people, you’ve been reborn as the villainess, Anastasia Devereux. You burst out crying again. // A man in a coat and frilly shirt enters the room. Your head adjusts to see through the wooden bars of your bassinet, vision becoming clearer by the day. You know who he is without an announcement. Your father. At least he’s supposed to be. “How is the child?” he asks the maid. “She is healthy, your grace. She may be a bit fussy at times, but she sleeps and eats well.” He hums and leaves shortly after, never once coming to personally see or even hug you. What an asshole. This entire world is fucked. You’re fucked. Royal Romances is a love story game between a heroine and several potential matches depending on the route you take. Yet in every route, the main protagonist's rival, the Marquess and the Crown Prince’s fiancée, ends up co-conspiring with the villain and dies because of his crimes. Or exiled. Two options. And you’ve taken her place. But now that you think about it, that’s so unfair! You didn’t care much about Anastasia while playing, other than wanting her to get the fuck out of the picture for your OTP ship to sail. But why should the villainess shoulder the villain’s crimes?! If anything, it was him who coerced her! All Anastasia wanted was to be with the Crown Prince! He was the only person who ever showed her an ounce of kindness! Oh god. All you know now is that you don’t want to die. You died too early in your past life. “Anastasia.” You’re shaken awake from your thick slumber by soft cooing. A quiet woman’s voice calls and when you open your eyes, you’re able to focus on a woman you’ve never seen before but is familiar at the same time. She smiles and picks you up. “Good afternoon.” Instead of fussing around like you usually would, a triumphant smile spreads into your face. Fucking finally. It’s the first time you’ve seen your ‘mother’. Maybe she’s just been recovering from the birth these past few months. After all, there’s no way the family would actually just abandon you to a bunch of maids— “Oh my goodness, Elanor!” A shrill voice has your senses tingling. There’s another woman sitting at the rounded table fanning herself with an orange, feathered fan. “What a lovely daughter!” “Yes, she really is. She hardly cries.” Now that’s a big fat lie. You’ve probably cried a thousand times since you got here. It’s not your fault the maids don’t know how to put you in anything other than scratchy dresses and forget to change your underwear after you’ve shit yourself. Another stranger approaches you and practically digs their nose into your face. Her floral perfume almost has you retching and spewing out an entire bottle of milk in her face. “She is simply too delightful! She has Herrick’s eyes and your nose.” “Really now? I think she’s growing up to look more and more like the Duke each day.” “Oh she’ll grow up to be a beauty. You are truly blessed, Elenor.” Cordial laughter fills the room. Motherfucker. She’s just using you as a decor! You’re a prop for her to show off at her tea party! She doesn’t care about you whatsoever. But fine. You can play along with her. It’s not like you have any choice. You muster an enormous gooey smile, channeling all the cuteness you know you must have and instantly, several of the ladies swoon. It’s an overwhelming victory! But one that requires a lot of energy when you were just awakened from your nap — and squeezing your butt cheeks results in the grumble of your stomach. Being a few months old, you have poor control of your digestive system. So it’s no surprise that smiling so hard makes you shit your pants. Oops. The lump falls into your cloth diaper and instantly, your mother’s brow twitches. The stench reaches her nose and the nostrils of the lady intruding into your space who immediately draws back in disgust. But what the hell are they expecting?! You’re a baby! All you do is eat, sleep and shit! “Edith!” Your mother’s shrill cry has the maid coming into the room. “Yes, your grace?” “Take Anastasia.” She passes you off without even looking and you’re swiftly taken away from the room, hearing the laughter and conversations resume the moment the doors close. So cruel! “Ugh. I’ve never seen a baby who cries so much,” Edith complains and plops you into the bassinet instead of comforting you. If you had limb strength and mobility, you’d slap her for being so rude. The younger maid with the higher-pitched voice looms over you. “Maybe it’s because she knows the Duke and Duchess never come to visit. She’s missing the comfort of a mother and father.” Thank god someone can sympathize with you! As incompetent as Joan is — to the point where she’s checking your pants for the tenth time when you’re really just crying because you’re starving — at least she’s not a Karen. Clearly, the bar is quite low. “Well, it’s expected.” Edith steps away to fold the basket of your dresses. “The Duke and Duchess tried having children for years and the only child they have is a daughter who can’t even carry the family name. If it was a son, it would be different.” “I don’t understand.” Joan rushes to the head maid’s side. “Usually daughters are treasured in noble families.” Edith looks around and lowers her volume. “Don’t you know?” “Know what?” “Keep your voice down! If you say this outside, even I won’t be able to help you.” There’s a pause. “The Duke and Duchess aren’t real nobles, they don’t have any noble blood. The Duke’s late father, Arnold, fought heroically in the war and that’s why the King granted his family the title.” “Oh…but...what does that have to do with anything?” “Noble society is different from how we know it, you naive girl. No matter what you do, hundreds of eyes are constantly on you. It’s full of scrutiny and someone in power today might be exiled tomorrow. Having a son would’ve made it easier for the Devereux household to maintain their title and prestige.” Joan sighs, finally realizing why things are the way they are. She comes to you and leans over the bassinet. “Poor thing. It’s not even her fault.” She gives you her finger and you happily wrap your entire hand around it. Hell yeah! Finally someone’s feeling bad for your shitty situation. But the older woman with wrinkles around her eyes scoffs. “There’s no use worrying about her. You should be more worried about yourself. If the House of Devereux fails to keep their power and wealth, we’ll be out of a job.” Joan hums and pries her finger away from your grasps. You frown and the next time the head maid feeds you, you puke all over her. But you know what she said is true. It’s the reason why the real Anastasia felt like she needed to become the crown princess, why she tried so hard to make everyone around her approve of her. Aside from loving the Prince, she was desperate for recognition, desperate to fulfill her family’s wishes, and to maintain her family’s lineage without slipping from the status quo. But you’re different. You don’t care about those things. You’ll prove yourself on your own and do whatever it takes to survive. Quickly. Quickly! You want to grow up and walk on your own two feet so you can protect yourself. After all, no one else in this house will. You stretch your arm in the air, curling your fingers together, staring up at the starry mobile. But it’s hard in the body of a mere infant and you fall asleep in the midst of your exercise session, succumbing to the temptation of slumber with heavy lids.

Four years later. “Are you colouring, my lady?” “Nooo.” You’re writing. And it’s not just anything — it’s battle plans. To anyone, it’s merely incoherent scribbles, a result of poor motor skills you have yet to refine. But it’s actually your life or death. You don’t need status or power. Living in the countryside and living fruitfully is good enough. All you want is to live a long, peaceful life. In the original story, after Anastasia’s eighteenth birthday, she was condemned for countless crimes, thrown in prison and then executed within the matter of weeks. All because of three people: the heroine, the Crown Prince, and the villain. To avoid the effect, you should avoid the cause. Therefore, you need to do whatever you can to avoid these three! It’s genius! Truly, if anyone knew how your four year old brain operated, you would be hailed as the next prophe— “Get ready.” Edith interrupts your train of thought, coming into the room and swiftly shutting the door behind her. “Why?” “You’re having lunch with the Duke and Duchess.” “But I don’t wanna,” you whine, especially when Joan starts collecting the crayons. You stand up before Edith can drag you and you stomp your feet. Why would you want to go have lunch with them when the amount of times you’ve seen them in four years can be counted on both hands. “Don’t be spoiled. Come here.” You stick out your tongue instead and the moment Edith’s fingers come to snag you, you swiftly dart and run as giggles squeak out of your body. “My lady,” Joan sighs, at a loss as well. The two of them try to corner you, but you dive to the left when there’s a chance. The original villainess was always quite upright and strict, especially with herself. It’s reasonable considering the way she was raised and the massive burden placed upon her. But kids can get away with a lot more than adults and you’d prefer to take advantage of that while you still can. “Stop playing around!” Edith finally snags the back of your nightgown and you laugh, still thrashing against her hold until she plops you down on the vanity chair. “You’re such an unruly troublemaker,” she mutters as she grabs the frilly dress you’re about to be changed into. And just for that comment, you undo the pins she puts into your hair when she’s not looking. It drives her crazy. But your little antics are stopped the moment you’re sitting at the dinner table. The height of said table reaches your collarbone and the chair you’re sitting in overwhelms your form. The atmosphere is stiff and tense, your father sitting at the head of the table and slicing into his meat while your mom’s posture is upright and she chews gingerly. Unlike the maids, you won’t test your luck with the Duke and Duchess. God knows they might send you to some kid ranch for the next ten years to reform yourself. But you also know you can’t get any cuter than this. You’ve seen yourself in the mirror — soft skin, big eyes, a button nose and chubby cheeks. Who knows what puberty might do to you someday, but for now, you’re as cute as a four year old can get. And why not use that as a weapon in your arsenal? “Momma.” You interrupt the silence and your mother across from you looks up. You give a full smile with teeth, quirking your head to your shoulder and open your arms as wide as they can go. “I like you this much!” Oh. Hell. Yeah! You can feel it. You’re totally gonna win them over— Her head swivels over to the Duke. “Don’t you think it’s time to teach her manners?” Wow. That’s cold. Stone cold. “Edith.” Your father glances over his shoulder and the head maid steps forward. “How’s Anastasia’s development?” The older woman clears her throat. “She’s a bit wild, your grace.” You glare at her for exposing you like this. “However, she can write the alphabet and read through storybooks on her own. She seems to be a bright child.” Damn straight. Of course, you’d be able to pick up the language of Ashea quickly. You still have the memories of your past life. The Duke hums. “Then she can start training to be the crown princess.” You nearly choke on your broccoli. But you hastily compose yourself and look up at your father. “What’s that?” “Don’t ask questions,” your mother quips and the room simmers down to the uncomfortable silence again. It’s so ridiculous — the very definition of jumping the gun. You aren’t the Crown Prince’s fiancée, but they’re already considering you a candidate before you’ve even lost your baby teeth. Not to mention, it’s all useless anyway. The original Anastasia never became the princess and you have no plans of even meeting the Prince. “Do you know what happened in the year 921, my lady?” the tutor asks later on, pushing up his rounded spectacles up the slope of his nose. You’re slumped over the table, one arm rested with your cheek squished in your hand, focused on twirling the quill with two fingers. God forbid Edith or your mother witnesses your awful posture, but no one’s ever interested enough to sit in on these dumb tutor sessions. They’d fall asleep instantly. “The war of Winter,” you mumble and the tutor’s eyes light up and he enthusiastically nods. “Yes! The most momentous moment in the history of Ashea. A great dragon rose from the mountains and in the war of Winter, great King Baek, the light priestess and fierce knights of the royal palace came down the lazy brook from Stoughsby Peaks next to the then Canary district which sold fabrics and spices up until the year 914 when the famine of 914 came—” The tutor drones on and on. But one thing grabs your attention. You forgot there was magic in this world. “Ummm,” you interrupt him in the middle of his tangent. “Did King Baek kill the dragon by magic?” “Great question. King Baek in the summer of 896, seven years after he was born, started to learn the art of swordsmanship through rigorous training with the fierce knights of the royal place who was then under the rule of King Ennik—” You don’t know why you asked. “How do you start doing magic?” you interject again. “Well, magic is part of everyone and it’s everywhere. But some are more attuned to it than others. It requires vigorous training, the most talented magician was Ruffus Dolores who dedicated his life living in the Magician’s Tower and wrote most of the magical texts we have today.” You look at him, curiosity finally alight in your eyes. “Can I do magic?” There was never magic on Earth in the twenty-first century aside from Harry Potter or Twilight, if Edward’s sparkling constitutes as magic. But if it’s anything like those movies, then you’re psyched! You can wingardium leviosa yourself and yeet out of here. Unfortunately, your excitement is short lived. “The House of Devereux isn’t very magically inclined,” the tutor says and your eyes dim again. You’re not completely surprised considering Anastasia was never much of a fighter in the game. She just splashed water on the main character’s face a lot and made players like you curse her out. “However, while magic is an inborn talent and comes naturally, skills always have to be honed. There’s still a chance you may have magical abilities. We’ll just have to see as you get older.” You hum to yourself. // Edith pulls the curtains together haphazardly, the moonlight crisp where the gap is and sheds a silver sliver onto the carpet. Joan takes the tray with your finished glass of milk, nearly toppling it over and shattering the glass, but finding balance in the nick of time. “Goodnight, my lady.” “Night night.” Your hand peeks out from the covers and you wave. “Don’t get out of bed or else,” Edith warns in a low tone. “The Duke won’t be happy to hear if you’re found wandering in the halls or sneaking into the kitchen again.” You giggle. “Bye bye.” The door shuts, darkness engulfs your bedroom and you count to ten within your head. The moment the seconds are up, you throw the covers off of you and slide off the high mattress. You come to your desk, grasp the heavy duty textbook off of it and lug it over to the windows. The enormous book sits on your lap as you lean against your bedpost. The moonlight illuminates the cover and you flip to the magic section at the back, the noise of the pages soothing in the quiet space. Magic — not only is it interesting to you but it could be a great defense mechanism if worse comes to worse. Who knows. It might just add to your battle plans and help you survive. Your pointer finger underlines the sentences and traces the words as you read the introduction slowly. After reading, you learn that magic is more intuitive, rather than a particular procedure. You push the textbook aside and hold your hands out. Shutting your eyes, you try your best to envision light. You try to imagine light engulfing your figure and form, causing your skin to glow. Peeking with one eye open, there’s— Absolutely nothing. Well shit. Maybe the tutor was right. Maybe there is no real magical talent in your bloodline. But there’s no harm in trying to dabble in it a little more. You conceptualize fire in your brain. And when you look in your hand, you’re ecstatic to see a tiny flame actually flickering in mid-air. Oh shit! It worked! But it smothers out a blink later. You try to visualize water next to see if your magical expertise lays within the element. When you open your eyes, your breath hitches at the water droplets floating in your palm. And for once, it doesn’t completely vanish within a second. A grin spreads into your face. But as if Lady Luck wants to slap you, the moment you get hyped, the water splashes into your lap. It looks like you peed yourself. “Really?!” You sigh, ready to give up. Maybe you don’t have a knack for magic after all. You turn to grab the textbook, but the heftiness is awkward in your grasps and your thumb slips, accidentally flipping over the next page. The page’s heading makes you stop. Oh yeah. Dark magic exists. Might as well give it a shot while you’re at it. Like all the times before, you shut your eyes and hold your hands upwards. You try to imagine darkness — the similar kind that’s already filled your bedroom, or like the empty void that you were plunged in after being hit by that truck. That abyss of nothing, of pitch black. Suddenly, you feel a pressure on your shoulders. It’s heavy. Comforting. Eerie. All at the same time. Your lashes flutter open and your breath is plugged in your nose. Darkness has overwhelmed the room. It bleeds out of you, consuming your form like smoke, the hue of ink spilt on oil. It covers the silver moonlight, erasing the sliver casted on your carpet and what was translucent through the curtains. Exactly like the empty void, the abyss of nothing. It’s trying to consume you. There’s a shriek from outside your room. “All the candles just blew out!” Panic drains blood from your face and you drop your hands, flailing your arms as if you can dispel the black before it wraps its hands around your throat and submerges you completely. It fades, the moonlight traveling back onto you again and you shove the book underneath your bed. You’re still shaking as you climb back into bed. God knows you’re never going to try that again. // So you might not have an aptitude for magic after all. But the grief is short-lived after the realization that it’s not a toy or something that comes out of a magical wand for you to fight Dementors with. But there’s still a lot of ways you can protect yourself. You just have to get creative. “I wanna do that!” Your nose, forehead and palms are pushed against the glass window as you peer outside. Joan frowns and peeks out. “You want to go flower picking, my lady?” “No!” The useless maid finally looks to the two guards sparring with one another out by the field. “You want to sword fight?” “Uh-huh.” She bursts out laughing and you whirl around in irritation. “I wanna! Pretty please?” How else are you going to protect yourself? If you can’t use magic, then you need to go the melee route and pick up a sword or at least a bow and arrow. “You would have to ask permission from the Duke himself, my lady.” Joan turns away to make your bed, expecting you to give up. When it comes to asking your parents, it’s too much of a hassle to get involved with them. But this time, you don’t concede. She’s surprised when you tug on her dress. “Okay.” The Duke’s study doors are imposing on their own. Without needing to open them, the twisting ornate patterns on the wooden surface are enough to eerily remind you of exposed arteries. It feels like you’re approaching the principal’s office — a nervousness of the impending doom. You’ve always been careful to steer clear any place your mother or father might be. The study on the third floor, the gardens, their bedroom. And any time you passed, your steps would quiet. It’s not like you’re scared of them. Frankly, you’re just annoyed at how nit-picky they are. But you remind yourself you’ve been through worse — you once spent an entire summer in customer service serving food in the twenty first century for god’s sakes! With that in mind, you throw open the doors. Joan, behind you, practically flinches. Your father’s sitting behind his oak desk, quill and parchment in hand, and he looks above his rounded spectacles. You give your most charming smile. “Hi, papa!” He looks to the older girl and deadpans, “What’s the matter.” The maid clears her throat, clearly distressed that she’s been dragged into this. “Uh, well, your grace, my lady, uh, she…..well…” “I wanna do sword!” You tottle towards him and round the desk to come eye to eye with his knees. C’mon, as uncaring as they are, they gotta at least care a little for their daughter, right? You’re too cute to ignore all the time. You flutter your lashes for good measure. “Pretty please?” The Duke’s brow quirks. “You want to learn swordsmanship?” You enthusiastically nod. “Uh-huh!” He stares at you. You stare at him. The older man sits back in his chair. “It wouldn’t hurt to learn an interesting skill or two. It might make you stand out.” Those two lifelessly said statements alone are enough to make you happy. Even when he resumes his paperwork. “I heard from your tutor that you’re a fast learner.” You’re surprised the old fart said something good about you, but of course you are! You’re technically twenty four now. Mathematics is truly universal when you can recall the basics and the language is easy to pick up. You’re already dumbing down everything to not make it weird. “Maybe you’re not so useless after all,” he mutters from the corner of his mouth, no longer sparing you a glance. You hold back a scoff. Instead, you force a smile and a sweet giggle. “Thank you, papa! I like you too!” You wonder if this is why Anastasia tried so hard. The only time she gains recognition in her family is when she’s focusing her time and energy into studying and proving her worth. If so, it’s depressing. You wish you had more sympathy for her when you were playing from the heroine’s perspective. But you’re beginning to understand her better and better. Why she did what she did. How she became the female villain. “Fight me!” You point your wooden sword at the knight whose eyes are wide. You bet he didn’t expect to be sparing with a four year old when he was assigned to protect the Devereux house, but this is a matter of life and death for you. “Hurry!” “Y-Yes, my lady.” You smile, gripping the handle tighter. He comes up and weakly slashes you and you’re able to root your feet into the ground and keep yourself from stumbling back. He’s obviously not trying very hard, but it’s good enough for now. Slowly but surely, you’re finding a rhythm into things. In your spare time, you learn the history of Ashea, read books and plan the next steps in your battle plan of avoiding all main characters of the game at all costs. You’ll protect yourself no matter what it takes. And you’ll survive no matter what happens.

#bts fanfic #bts scenario #bts series #bts reader insert #bts fanfiction #bts fanfics #man I wanna tag who the main member is bUT I DON'T WANNA SPOIL IT YET #anyway hope this is intriguing #this chapter gets the ball rolling #they'll be 8 chapters in total

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verymuchimmortalcat · 3 years

Text

Maribat March Day 1: Found Family

Yes, I'm aware it's not March. It's already up on ao3 but I wanted to cross post it onto this.

ao3

@maribatmarch-2k21

Hawkmoth was gone. There wasn’t even a battle, Adrien had come to her as soon as he found out about his father. Having the element of surprise and Chloe as Queen Bee, they managed to get the miraculi with minimum damage. Everything afterwards was a blur. Hawkmoth was gone. She thought for the hundredth time emptily.

She’d been staying with Chloe when Adrien had come to her, they’d known their identities for the past three years after Hawkmoth’s threat became worse. Adrien and Chloe had been the only two people she had spoken to in the last month after a horrible argument with her parents about her continuous disappearances. And the Bats, but they didn’t know she was no longer staying with her parents. All her conversations with them were mostly check-ins over text. She hadn’t visited or called, they would have known something was up so she texted Tim that she’d be busy for the next few months with commissions and Ladybug and that she wouldn’t be able to talk or visit as often. She had convinced Tikki that using the Horse miraculous to go to Gotham wasn’t using the Miraculous for personal uses, she trained when she was there and it was a good break from the tension in Paris and it reduced her chance of akumatisation. Tikki had agreed to those points but had only caved when Marinette started trying to bribe her with extra cookies.

She missed those visits. She was with Adrien when she voiced that thought. They were at the Eiffel tower, sitting in complete silence as the two of them stared out at the city. The news of Hawkmoth’s defeat would spread throughout the city in the next hour or so and it was sure to erupt into celebration. Adrien’s aunt had already been told and she was coming the next day to take him to London.

He had smiled sadly at her and said, “Go to Gotham, Bug. Go to your Family.”

When she started to speak, he cut her off, “You and me both know they’re exactly that. They’re more your Family than Tom and Sabine will ever be.”

“And you? I don’t want to leave you alone, especially after everything.”

“I’ll be fine. I have Chloé, and Aunt Amelie will be here tomorrow. I want you to go. You deserve someone to be there for you too, and they’ll be there. Even though the whole lot of you have issues with processing emotions and talking things out.”

She laughed at that, a sad sounding crying laugh, but a laugh all the same

“Talk to you later?”

“Talk to you later. Come visit, we can explore London together once things calm down. Feel free to drag the others along.”

“You’re begging for chaos.”

“And you’re stalling. Go or I’ll call them myself.”

“Ok, ok, I’m going. See you soon.”

She swung off leaving Adrien on the tower still staring out at the city the two of them had protected since they were thirteen. She headed to the hotel first to tell Chloé. Chloé was in her room, talking to Pollen as if it was the last time she would see her. “Here to take the miraculous?”

“Actually no.”

“Great. You’re finally going to talk to the Bats then.”

“It hasn’t been that long, and anyways Adrien’s on the tower. Bring him back and spoil him for me, will you?”

“Of course, now shoo. The news was just released, they’re probably already waiting for you,” and then Chloe transformed and jumped out of her Balcony.

Chloé had been right. The news had already spread throughout the world and the second Marinette detransformed her phone started going crazy. There were messages and missed calls from all of the Waynes, official and unofficial. Ignoring most of them. She opened her messaging history with Tim and sent him a message.

Batcave. I’ll be there in 2 minutes.

She didn’t need to bring anything with her, she visited them often enough to have her own room filled with her things and everything. Transforming with Kaalki she created a portal and stepped into the Batcave. Tim was already there. Knowing him he’d probably been there for the past few hours regardless of how early it was. She fell into his arms as soon as she got there. Crying, with relief, happiness and so many other emotions. And he just hugged her back and stroked her hair. “Let’s go up, Dick wants to have a movie night. Cass and Steph will be back from Hong Kong tomorrow morning and Babs already went home.”

“Tim, it’s past 4 in the morning. And I’m going to assume you mean today morning”

“well, technically, yes. Today morning and it’s not like we were asleep anyways. The news came just after we had finished with Patrol,” he said defensively.

She sighed, “you Bats and your sleeping habits.”

“Hey, yours isn’t much better.”

“Guess that makes me one of you, then”

He scoffed, “please, Damian thinks you’re skilled and that’s more than what he thinks of the rest of us. You’ve been one of us for ages now. All that’s left are official documents.”

“Please don’t fake those.”

“Do you seriously think I would do that?” He said mock offended.

“Obviously,” she deadpanned.

They continued making their way through the rest of the Manor in comfortable silence. Leaving Marinette with her thoughts for the first time since she had entered the Manor. She remembered, when she had first met Tim when he had come to Paris to train with Master Fu’s friend who had at the time been teaching her too. When they weren’t practicing, Marinette took him around the city. He had become like a brother to her. An annoying one, but she’d been continuously reassured that all siblings were just like that. And then she met the rest of the Bats and she found the way they behaved around each other fascinating. Teasing and rude until someone outside their family did the same then they were nothing but defensive and dangerous. And somehow Marinette had seamlessly joined their chaotic Family some point in the five years it had been since she had first met Tim. They had become family even before they trusted the other with their Identities which was as weird as it sounds. With Marinette dropping by Gotham to help with Patrol and the Bats occasionally coming to Paris to help her and Adrien train.

They had reached the media room and she entered the room only to be swept into a hug by Dick. Damian was sitting on one of the blankets surrounded by his pets. Jason was sitting on the couch with a book, he reaches out and ruffles her hair when she’s near him and quietly says, “you did good.” She whispers back a thank you. Duke waves to her from his spot on of the bean bags. Bruce was Bruce. So, Marinette as soon as she was free from Dick’s hug, hugged him and said, “Good to see you too B.” And then Bruce smiles and Marinette takes that as an opening and cuddles into his side. Tim sits on her other side and Marinette leans onto him too.

Jason leaves his book and joins Damian and Dick on the blanket pile on the floor, despite the large amount of space left on the sofa. Duke stretches out in the now empty space. They finally settle on watching the Avengers movies.

Damian falls asleep halfway through the first movie and Dick brings Damian closer to him. Marinette feels Tim’s breathing slowly even out towards the start of the second movie and she smiles softly, Tim needs more sleep. She falls asleep around the time the Avengers start trying to pick up Thor’s hammer.

She wakes up the next morning to Stephanie jumping on her and hugging her and as soon as she’s calmed down from the instant panic any hero gets when they think they’re getting attacked in their sleep, she hugs Steph back and laughs. Cass is standing behind Steph and engulfs her in a hug the second Steph lets go, and Marinette is filled with a sense of safety in her sisters’ arms. Steph starts talking excitedly, shooting rapid fire questions, before Cass gets her to stop by bringing her attention to Marinette’s expression. The rest of the boys start to wake. And Steph and Cass go around with the round of hugs and greetings after being gone for a while. Steph’s phone chimes with a notification. Checking her phone, Steph grins. “Babs said she’s coming by for breakfast. Oh, and Alfred said he’s making crepes and we should probably go before they cool down.”

Jason groans, “Couldn’t you have started with that.”

Stephanie crosses her arms, “Of course not. What do you take me for?”

Jason just grumbles and walks out of the room, probably to get ready before breakfast. Marinette, giggling, follows the rest of them as they all rush to get ready so they don’t miss Alfred’s crepes.

Five minutes later, the whole Wayne Family and their friends are there at the table eating breakfast. And it’s a beautiful chaos that Marinette thrives in. Babs and Dick are talking. Steph and Damian arguing spectacularly loudly about something or the other. Jason and Duke are fighting about books again. Next to her, Cass tries to make sure Tim doesn’t fall asleep on his food. And throughout the chaos Bruce just has an exasperated and tired but somehow fond look on his face. While Alfred comes and goes, offering sarcastic remarks occasionally.

Marinette knows they’ll have to talk later about Hawkmoth and Tom and Sabine. But right now, she’s eating breakfast with her family and having fun and all the worries can be for future Marinette. Present Marinette is going to wreak chaos with her batshit crazy family. The one that she chose.

#act like the ending isn't weird #maribatmarch2021 #maribat #my writing

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besanii · 4 years

Note

well now i want to see wwx reunite with lan guoyan 😅

“Lan Wangji! Get your ass out here right now!”

The booming voice is followed by the sound of footsteps thundering down the corridor amidst startled exclamations. In his study, Lan Wangji pinches the bridge of his nose with a long-suffering sigh and sets down his brush, resigning himself to not getting any further work done for the day. Wei Wuxian follows suit, setting down the stick of ink against the stone and wiping his hands on the piece of cloth on the table.

Lan Wangji reaches over and gives his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze before he gets to his feet and walks around the desk to greet the imminent arrival. Not a moment later, a looming figure appears in the open doorway, cane in hand and a scowl on his face.

“There you are!” Lan Guoyan says irritably, stomping into the room without preamble. His polished wooden cane taps heavily against the floor in a rhythmic thunk-thunk-thunk. “I have a bone to pick with you—”

He thrusts the red and gold envelope in Lan Wangji’s direction.

“What is this?” he demands.

“An invitation,” Lan Wangji replies without batting an eyelid.

“You know what I mean,” his cousin replies, rolling his eyes. “I come back after spending the last few months cleaning up Su She’s mess in Moling to find an invitation to your wedding on my desk! Your wedding!”

“Our wedding,” Lan Wangji corrects him, looking over his shoulder.

Lan Guoyan follows his line of sight to where Wei Wuxian is standing beside the desk with a tiny, wavering smile. The invitation slips out from his fingers and flutters to the floor as his jaw drops.

“W-Wei—”

Wei Wuxian bows, hands clasped before him.

“Jing-junwangye,” he says politely. When he straightens, the smile on his face is wider, more teasing. “Yan-ge.”

“Xiao Wei,” Lan Guoyan breathes, eyes wide. “Xiao Wei, you’re—you’re alive.”

He lurches forward unsteadily towards him, leaning heavily on his cane. Wei Wuxian steps toward him as well, his hands outstretched, ready to support him when he came within reach—only to be stopped by Lan Wangji stepping between them, halting Lan Guoyan in mid-step with a restraining hand on his shoulder. Both Wei Wuxian and Lan Guoyan look at him with raised eyebrows.

“Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian scolds him gently, lips twitching. He places a hand on his arm. “What are you doing?”

Lan Guoyan is less polite about it.

“Oi, Ji-xiong, what’s with the attitude?” he asks, shrugging off Lan Wangji’s hand with an irritable sigh. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

Lan Wangji lets go with obvious reluctance, brows furrowed. He remains stubbornly where he is, half-blocking Wei Wuxian with his body despite the other’s insistent tugging on his sleeve, staring down Lan Guoyan as if daring him to come closer. Unfortunately for him, Lan Guoyan is not easily intimidated.

“Don’t be so greedy, Ji-xiong,” he snorts. “I’m not going to steal him from you.”

Wei Wuxian tugs a little harder on Lan Wangji’s arm until he turns around.

“Lan Zhan, it’s just Yan-ge,” he says with a soft laugh. “Come on. Let me say hello at least.”

He runs a hand down Lan Wangji’s arm to his wrist, brushing over the inside of his wrist; he smiles at the way the skin twitches under his fingertips before Lan Wangji clenches his fist and steps aside. Lan Guoyan watches all of this with bemusement.

“Ji-xiong ah, when did you become a bodyguard?” he asks, shaking his head. “I see you’ve still got him wrapped around your little finger, Xiao Wei.”

Wei Wuxian laughs and takes hold of Lan Guoyan’s free hand.

“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed, Yan-ge,” he says. “Please, take a seat.”

“No, not much changes around here,” Lan Guoyan says, taking a seat in the nearest chair with a grunt. “That’s the problem with living with steadfast traditionalists, I’m afraid. You, on the other hand, Xiao Wei...”

He raps his cane on the floor sharply, leaning closer to Wei Wuxian.

“Where have you been?” he asks, suddenly serious. “Thirteen years, Xiao Wei. We searched for you everywhere and found nothing. It was like you just disappeared into thin air.”

Wei Wuxian shares a look with Lan Wangji, both of their expressions unreadable, hesitant. He looks down at his lap then, and fiddles with the hem of his sleeve. His fingers starting to tremble under the scrutiny, but he forces himself to meet Lan Guoyan’s gaze and smile.

“It’s a long story,” he says finally. “Truly. Too many things have happened, I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

He half-turns in his seat when Lan Wangji comes up behind him to rest a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort; he leans into it with a smile, his heartbeat settling under his touch. Thankfully, Lan Guoyan doesn’t press the issue, although he does not look convinced either. Instead, he shakes his head and leans back in his seat.

“Fine, I won’t ask. But, I have a bone to pick with the two of you,” he says, gesturing between them with his cane. “How come I had to find out—not only about Xiao Wei being alive, but that the two of you are getting married—by mail? Really? I thought we were friends.”

Wei Wuxian chuckles sheepishly.

“It wasn’t on purpose, Yan-ge,” he says. “It’s just...it all happened very quickly, and none of it was planned, so we just—”

“Forgot,” Lan Guoyan finishes for him bluntly. “You forgot about me, Xiao Wei. How cruel of you. And to think I had once considered you my—”

Lan Wangji clears his throat loudly, interrupting him mid-sentence with a glare. Wei Wuxian stifles his laughter in his sleeve; even Lan Guoyan is smirking now as the tips of Lan Wangji’s ears redden. He shakes his head fondly.

“I’m happy for the both of you,” he says. “You’ve been through so much, no one deserves it more than the two of you."

Wei Wuxian reaches over to grasp his hand tightly.

“Thank you, Yan-ge,” he says softly, eyes bright. Lan Wangji nods at him once, curtly. Lan Guoyan smiles.

“Now, as your closest friend here in Caiyi,” he says, clapping Wei Wuxian on the arm. “I’m taking charge. You’ll be married out of Jing-junwang-fu.”

Wei Wuxian gasps. “What? No, you don’t need—”

“Nonsense, of course I do,” Lan Guoyan says. “We can’t have you hiding away in here before your wedding! There needs to be a proper celebration, a proper retinue parading you through the city. That ought to shut those gossip-mongering vultures up.”

“Yan-ge,” Wei Wuxian protests weakly. Lan Guoyan raps his cane on the floor to stem his words; he sighs in defeat, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you.”

Even Lan Wangji looks oddly touched as he murmurs his thanks, both his hands resting on Wei Wuxian’s shoulders. Lan Guoyan pats Wei Wuxian’s arm again.

“It is my honour to do this for you,” he says, looking at the both of them with a warm smile. “Welcome home, Xiao Wei.”

// buy me a ko-fi //

Master Post is here

#mdzs #wangxian #shattered mirrors au #shattered mirrors fic #王爷机 X 花魁羡 #my writing #feat. Lan Guoyan #obligatory warning for mentions of Su She #Lan Guoyan gives no fucks about proper etiquette around LWJ #but in general there are no sads #no knives #just old friends #i would have made it a bit more emotional #but LWJ inserted himself in there and refused to leave WWX and his cousin alone #but i did get some feels in #so yeah #enjoy!

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missbugaboo · 4 years

Text

That Other Guy (3)

“Why does it matter so much to you? What’s so terrible about Adrien Agreste that you can’t stand him as your competition – even though it changes absolutely nothing for you? What in magic’s name makes him such a hateful rival?” Or, Chat Noir finally learns who Ladybug’s dream guy is, but somehow, he’s not pleased at all. For more reasons than one.

LadyNoir, Adrienette.

fanfiction.net / AO3

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Chapter 3: In the Rain(storm)

If Ladybug was a bundle of nerves, then Cat Noir was a walking, talking disaster.

He was a mess.

He was a failure.

He was mad and he was scared, as well as utterly and perfectly astonished.

He was stunned.

He had no idea what to do, how to respond to the deluge of information his Lady had poured on him, unable to put together the scrapes she had given him and too terrified to face the idea that was starting to loom before his eyes as the most probable one.

He was a coward; but this time, he simply couldn't fight the fears that were holding him back.

So while Ladybug decided to jam the whirlwind of emotions that came over her with the help of her superpowers and her strength, running across the rooftops and fighting to maintain her sanity by escaping the horrors that were following her, her partner stood still, incapable of making the slightest of moves.

She knew she'd fall apart the moment she came to a halt; he realised his downfall would come the moment he woke up from his daze.

So he remained in his place, amazed, dumbfounded, motionless. His eyes had followed her when she'd left and then stayed fixed on the horizon, on the same spot he had last seen her. He watched the sky go darker without noticing the cause of such change: the dark, heavy clouds that concealed the brightness of the moon and swallowed the stars that accompanied it. He kept looking, as if he still expected her to come back, to land on the rooftop next to him and sight the solution he was too blind to see.

To fix what she – he – they had broken that night.

He stirred when the first drops landed on his cheeks, but didn't leave his outpost anyway. Looking up at the sky and exposing his face to the more and more violent beating of the rain was the most he could do; closing his eyes was the greatest movement he could be persuaded to make.

He breathed in the cold, humid air, desperately trying to block the images and words that were invading his mind – both those who were born from his own recent experiences and those which (he was certain of it) came to him from Plagg. It wasn't the first time when he heard his kwami's voice when transformed, even if said voice was as subtle as the one of his own subconsciousness.

As helpful as it could be at times, hearing it now only added to his pain.

He thought about de-transforming. At least then he could tell Plagg to shut up directly, or even block his ears quite literally if the latter had decided to ignore his pleas. The idea was rejected as quickly as it was born, however, and there was a very simple, very obvious reason for that.

The last person he needed right now was Adrien Agreste without a mask.

Adrien, the reason for this ordeal.

Adrien, the perfect, boring boy.

Adrien, the one who's won his Lady's heart without doing a single thing to deserve that, when the true, honest, imperfect part of him known as Cat Noir had never even stood a chance.

Could anyone really expect him to rejoice in a discovery of this kind?

He would have called it ironic, if it hadn't hurt so much. But it did; it hurt so, so terribly, to think that none of the things he had ever done for her were enough to make her care for him in the way in which he cared for her. They'd been through so much together: fighting alongside for so many, many months now, going through hardships and challenges, telling jokes and fooling around whenever they felt they could afford that.

How many times had he seen her feeling down and pressed her to spill the beans, until she'd broken into sobs and admitted to all that had been bothering her? How many of those breakdowns had been caused by the indifference of they boy she'd claimed to love, whom he often wanted to strangle with his bare hands, only to learn that he himself was the reason of her distress?

What had Adrien ever done to deserve her love?

And then: had he really been jealous of himself this whole time?

He snorted, annoyed with his own conclusions. It should have been so easy now: to simply wait for the opportunity to approach Ladybug as his civilian self and cease the chance by telling her how much he cared for her, all in the hopes she would not deny what she'd admitted to him today. It sure would be awkward at first, and it sure would require a lot of wit to make this supposedly hero-civilian relationship work – but if he truly loved her, it certainly was worth the trouble.

Right?

Only he knew it would not work. Not only because he knew for sure that he would never be able to hide the truth from her for long, either blurting it out by accident or openly revealing his secret when he got too tired of hiding it. All of the above was true; and yet, it was not even the second most important reason for his unwillingness to as much as try to do this.

How could he even assume she would have him then?

He didn't know her as Adrien, not really. A few meetings during an akuma attack, just like he'd said before. A few smiles given and received, a bit of small-talk, a word of meaningless comfort only to show her that he would always support her. Nothing more, though; nothing to claim that he actually did know her any better than the rest of her fans did.

He'd accused her of choosing someone she couldn't know, of putting a shallow celebrity crush above the years of friendship and effort.

If he approached her as Adrien, could she really see his affection as anything else?

After all, a 'celebrity crush' was exactly the term Nino had used when he'd finally learnt his secret a few weeks before.

Adrien Agreste didn't know Ladybug.

Ladybug didn't know Adrien.

She couldn't have.

Or... could she?

“And what if I do know him?”

"Get out of my brain," he drawled through his gritted teeth, turning around violently and pressing his hands against the sides of his head. "Get out, get out, get out!"

His cry resonated in the air for a second, before it was drown out by the noises of the rain falling around him. He could feel the hot tears burning behind his eyes as the walls he'd raised around his heart cracked, threatening to let in the same images and ideas he was so afraid to see.

So afraid do accept.

He was not ready for that.

And yet, the damage had already been done. No matter how tightly he shut his eyes, how great was the pressure between his hands and ears, how loud or low his growls were, they were of no use.

Closing his eyelids could not erase the picture of her shocked, hurting face, engraved in his memory with the same feeling of guilt that had been slowly taking over him ever since she'd left. Covering his ears did was no obstacle for the recollections of her voice, of the broken, disappointed tone she'd used while speaking to him.

His shouts could never jam the words she had pierced him with.

"You don't know me."

"I'm not Ladybug in my real life. I'm nothing like the girl you know."

"I'm sure that you could meet me in real life and you wouldn’t pay any more mind than you would to any other passer-by on the street."

She'd been so right and yet, so horribly, horribly wrong.

Of course, he didn't know her. Not truly, not completely, and nowhere near to the extent he wished to know her. She was the one who had made sure he never would, who had kept doing so regardless of how much he pleaded with her.

No matter how many sensible, impartial arguments he had presented, Ladybug had always had the same answer for him.

"We have no right to know."

There had been a time when he'd believed he might change her mind; a short time of gullibility after she had been named the new Guardian, taking over from Master Fu after their so-called victory over Hawkmoth, Mayura and Queen Bee. None of their previous winning had been achieved by such a cost and if he could, he would have done anything to make sure in never happened. It had, however; and even though it'd been hard to bare and unwanted, the change had also rekindled the spark of hope he'd thought long gone at the time.

His reasoning was simple: if Master Fu, the Guardian, had known his civilian identity, there was no reason why Ladybug, the Guardian he had chosen as his successor, should not know it as well.

And then it was only fair he learnt hers.

Still, she was not to be persuaded. He knew for sure she had talked about it not only with Tikki, but with Wayzz as well – and from how awkwardly she talked to him later on he easily figured that the kwamis were not exactly against the idea. It was Ladybug who was; the choice was hers and hers alone.

How little she must have trusted him.

And yet, the same knowledge he'd been yearning for all this time somehow turned to be the greatest of threats now.

Suddenly he didn't wish to know at all.

Suddenly, there was no way he could escape it.

And she was the one who had given him all the information necessary for it.

"Get out," he whispered brokenly, repeating the words like a mantra, for what felt like a hundredth time that night. His tangled locks were dripping wet from all the rain that had become much more like a downpour by now. The cold water had found its way under his collar, flowing down his back, evading the protection his suit would normally have given him. His teeth would have begin to chatter if he hadn't been gritting them so hard; his body would have shaken with shivers if his inner turmoil hadn't had him trembling from the start.

When he fell onto his knees he knew it had nothing to do with the wind that howled around him.

The tears were running down his face freely now, the hot drops mixed with the icy water brought to his cheeks by the storm. He pressed his chin against his chest and buried his fingers even deeper in his hair, as if he'd been trying to block the reality from getting to him; but to no avail.

Probably because it already had.

He tried to scream for the last time, trusting he could at least let out some of the pain and frustration in this way, the emotions he could not fight otherwise. But his voice caught in his throat, and the scream stayed within him; cutting and burning, wounding him like no villain ever could.

Was it the price for his stubbornness, for his decision to deny the truth that was standing right before him?

And if he accepted that truth, would the pain go away?

"But I can't!" he choked between his sobs. "She doesn't want me to know who she is. And I don't wish to know against her will. And I can't – I can't – I can't -

I can't take it if she's who I think she is.

"The honest, considerate classmate I've been blessed to meet myself."

There was no fooling himself anymore. Even if she hadn't said anything else – if she'd skipped the part about her clumsiness or the mentions of the way she stuttered when near him – that sentence alone would have been enough to make the truth as plain as a day to him. And it had; he could spend the rest of his life crouched on this roof, battling the obvious and refusing to accept that fact in the same way he'd been doing until now and it still wouldn't have changed a thing.

He didn't need any details. No more personal information, no suggestions, no clues. All he needed was implied in that one, short, simple line:

Ladybug was his classmate.

He knew exactly which one.

#my writing #fanfiction #mlb #ladynoir #adrienette #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #chat noir

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sifeng · 4 years

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Love Triangles

I was thinking the other day, about what determines the second male/female and what determines the main male/female lead. And then I was thinking about which romantic dramas don’t involve love triangles and I... couldn’t think of any. So today I will analyze one, love triangle tropes, and two why dramas always include love triangles.

The love triangle in A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好)

Types of Love Triangles

There are three main types of love triangles:

A - when the male/female lead has loved both persons in the love triangle

B - when both members of the love triangle have their moments with the male/female lead

C - when its obvious that one member of the love triangle is seen only as a “friend” or “sister” or “brother” (aka has no chance)

Some dramas feature love triangle B and love triangle C at the same time, here are some examples:

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜)

Love triangle B: Xu Feng (旭凤) - Jin Mi (锦觅) - Run Yu (润玉）

Love triangle C: Sui He (穗禾) - Xu Feng (旭凤) - Jin Mi (锦觅)

Blossom in Heart (海棠经雨胭脂透)

Love triangle B: Lang Yuexuan (朗月轩) - Gu Haitang (顾海棠) - Lang Yueming (朗月明)

Love triangle C: Long Mohua (龙莫婳) - Lang Yuexuan (朗月轩) - Gu Haitang (顾海棠)

Legend of Yunxi (芸汐传)

Love triangle B: Long Feiye (龙非夜) - Han Yunxi (韩芸汐) - Gu Qishao (顾七少)

Love triangle C: Baili Mingxiang (百里茗香) - Long Feiye (龙非夜) - Han Yunxi (韩芸汐)

Some feature both love triangle A and love triangle C as well:

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (致我们暖暖的小时光)

Love triangle A: Gu Weiyi (顾未易) - Situ Mo (司徒末) - Fu Pei (傅沛)

Love triangle C: Xie Yuyin (谢雨吟) - Gu Weiyi (顾未易) - Situ Mo (司徒末)

Princess Agents (楚乔传)

Love triangle A: Yuwen Yue (宇文玥) - Chu Qiao (楚乔) - Yan Xun (燕洵)

Love triangle C: Yuan Chun (元淳) - Yan Xun (燕洵) - Chu Qiao (楚乔)

The Story of Yanxi Palace (延禧攻略)

Love triangle A: Qian Long (乾隆) - Wei Yingluo (魏璎珞) - Fucha Fuheng (富察傅恒)

Love triangle C: Chun Fei (纯妃) - Fucha Fuheng (富察傅恒) - Wei Yingluo (魏璎珞)

Rookie Agent Rouge (胭脂)

Love triangle A: Zhou Yuhao (周宇浩) - Lan Yanzhi (蓝胭脂) - Song Mian (宋勉)

Love triangle C: Feng Manna (冯曼娜) - Zhou Yuhao (周宇浩) - Lan Yanzhi (蓝胭脂)

As you can see through these seven shows, commonly the main love triangle is composed of two guys one girl, while the secondary “love triangle C” is composed of two girls and one guy.

The love triangle in Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre (倚天屠龙记) and one of the few love triangles not to follow the two guys fighting for one girl triangle.

Characteristics of Love Triangles

Almost always, the two members vying for the affection in the triangle are foils to each other. Examples:

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好)

Jiang Chen (江辰) - mature, cold and extremely smart

Wu Bosong (吴柏松) - careless, kind and bad grades

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜)

Xu Feng (旭凤) - arrogant and proud

Run Yu (润玉) - quiet and calm

Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre (倚天屠龙记)

Zhao Min (赵敏) - clever, manipulative

Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若) - “innocent, selfless” (I mean she technically is worse than Zhao Min, but that’s not the mask she puts on)

In school dramas you typically have the smart guy and the dumb girl pairing that eventually wins out:

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好)

Jiang Chen (江辰) and Chen Xiaoxi (陈晓希)

When We Were Young (人不彪悍枉少年)

Hua Biao (花彪) and Yang Xi (杨夕)

With You (最好的我们)

Yu Huai (余淮) and Geng Geng (耿耿)

Le Coup de Foudre (我只喜欢你)

Yan Mo (言默) and Zhao Qiaoyi (赵乔一)

The love triangle in Meteor Garden 2019 (流星花园) - can you guess (if you’ve never watched this show) who the winning couple is?

You may also have the celebrity/popular/rich kid with a poor/hardworking person pairing:

Meteor Garden (流星花园) - Daoming Si (道明寺) and Shan Cai (杉菜)

Accidentally in Love (惹上冷殿下) - Situ Feng (司徒枫) and Chen Qingqing (陈青青)

My Little Princess (亲爱的, 公主病) - Lin Xingchen (林星辰) and Jiang Nianyu (江念雨)

Boss and Me (杉杉来了) - Feng Teng (封腾) and Xue Shanshan (薛杉杉)

Blossom in Heart (海棠经雨胭脂透) - Lang Yuexuan (朗月轩) and Gu Haitang (顾海棠)

In most dramas you also have the “cold” second/main male lead:

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好) - Jiang Chen (江辰)

Princess Agents (楚乔传) - Yuwen Yue (宇文玥）

Goodbye My Princess (东宫) - Gu Jian (顾剑)

Often there’s also the “childhood friend” aspect, and while that particular trope usually looses out there are some exceptions:

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好) - Jiang Chen (江辰) - main lead

When We Were Young (人不彪悍枉少年) - Li Yu (李漁) - second lead

Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber (倚天屠龙记) - Zhou Zhiruo (周芷若） - second lead

Goodbye My Princess (东宫) - Gu Jian (顾剑) - second lead

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (致我们暖暖的小时光) - Fu Pei (傅沛) - second lead

In some dramas, almost any male character that appears is in love with the female lead:

Princess Agents (楚乔传) - female lead gets the love of:

Yuwen Yue (宇文玥)

Yan Xun (燕洵)

Yuan Song (元嵩)

Xiao Ce (萧策)

Journey of Flower (花千骨) - female lead gets the love of:

Bai Zihua (白子画)

Dongfang Yuqing (东方彧卿)

Meng Xuanlang (孟玄朗)

Startling With Each Step (步步惊心)

Yin Zhen (胤禛)

Yin Si (胤禩)

Yin Ti (胤禵)

Yin E (胤䄉)

The male leads in Startling With Each Step/Scarlet Heart were lucky! They all got something with the female lead:

Male lead: Yin Zhen (胤禛) - is the true love/soulmate

Second male lead: Yin Si (胤禩) - gets her love in the first half

Third male lead: Yin Ti (胤禵) - gets to marry her

So What Differentiates the First and Second Male Leads?

The love triangle in Goodbye My Princess (东宫) - can you guess (if you’ve never watched this show) who the winning couple is?

Typically the female lead just likes one of them and you can’t really give a reason for why the first male lead is better than the second one. However, some dramas do a good job of creating a jerk second male lead that makes the decision sufficiently easier for our female lead:

Princess Agents (楚乔传)

Second male lead Yan Xun (燕洵) kind of goes insane after his entire family is slaughtered and becomes obsessed over revenge. He looses all the qualities our female lead fell in love with him for.

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (致我们暖暖的小时光)

Second male lead Fu Pei (傅沛) is a literal jerk. He takes our female lead’s love for granted and constantly abandons her when she needs help.

Bloody Romance (媚者无疆)

Second male lead Gong Zi (公子) treats people like chess pieces instead of real humans, and is willing to kill or manipulate anyone. Our female lead, being kind and unwilling to kill anyone, obviously would never fall for him.

My Little Princess (亲爱的，公主病)

Second male lead Zheng Chuyao (郑楚曜) is childish and immature. He is unwilling to confess his love for the female lead and constantly embarrasses her instead.

However, in most other cases, there is never a clear difference between who wins out in a love triangle. One similarity most share is that the first one to speak with the female lead wins out:

Bloody Romance (媚者无疆)

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好)

Accidentally in Love (惹上冷殿下)

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜)

Blossom in Heart (海棠经雨胭脂透）

My Little Princess (亲爱的，公主病)

Love O2O (微微一笑很倾城）

The Princess Weiyoung (锦绣未央)

The Story of Minglan (知否知否应是绿肥红瘦)

Lucky’s First Love (世界欠我一个初恋)

The love triangle in Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜) - can you guess (if you’ve never watched this show) who the winning couple is?

Usually, the second male lead is the type of person who will forever watch over the female lead, caring for them are a subtle way. They are kinder, calmer, and perhaps more down to earth and human:

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好) - Wu Bosong (吴柏松)

Meteor Garden (流星花园) - Hua Zelei (花泽类)

Goodbye My Princess (东宫) - Gu Jian (顾剑)

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜) - Run Yu (润玉)

Accidentally in Love (惹上冷殿下) - Gu Nanxi (顾南锡)

When We Were Young (人不彪悍枉少年) - Li Yu (李漁)

Legend of Yunxi (芸汐传) - Gu Qishao (顾七少)

In cases of the above, the male lead is usually more cold or immature:

A Love So Beautiful (致我们单纯的小美好) - Jiang Chen (江辰)

Meteor Garden (流星花园) - Daoming Si (道明寺)

Goodbye My Princess (东宫) - Li Chengyin (李承鄞)

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜)

Accidentally in Love (惹上冷殿下) - Situ Feng (司徒枫)

When We Were Young (人不彪悍枉少年)

Legend of Yunxi (芸汐传) - Long Feiye (龙非夜)

With second female leads, the similarities are rather obvious. They think they “deserve” the love of the male lead because they either grew up together or they have the same social standing:

Goodbye My Princess (东宫) - Zhao Sese (赵瑟瑟）

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜) - Sui He (穗禾)

Legend of Yunxi (芸汐传) - Baili Mingxiang (百里茗香)

Love O2O (微微一笑很倾城) - Meng Yiran (孟逸然)

Blossom in Heart (海棠经雨胭脂透) - Long Mohua (龙莫婳)

Boss and Me (杉杉来了) - Yuan Lishu (元丽抒)

While the male lead often sees his excess admirers as “sisters” the female lead simply friend zones them.

Often, the male lead is also somewhat of a foil to the female lead:

Boss and Me (杉杉来了)

Xue Shanshan (薛杉杉) is innocent, a little stupid and cute

Feng Teng (封腾) is mature, intelligent and cold

Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜)

Jin Mi (锦觅) is unaware of love and a little stupid

Xu Feng (旭凤) is fully aware of his feelings and smarter

Goodbye My Princess (东宫)

Qu Xiaofeng (曲小枫) is innocent, kind and longs to go home

Li Chengyin (李承鄞) is cold, cruel and willing to do anything to keep Xiaofeng by his side

If you really just want to tell who’s the male lead, I’ll tell you an easy way to find out: he’s going to be played by the guy who’s more famous.

The love triangle in Startling With Each Step (步步惊心) - can you guess who’s the first, second, and third male leads are?

So Why do Dramas Love Love Triangles?

Not to say TV shows have lazy writing or anything, but I feel like love triangles are an easy way to make both male and female leads realize their feelings. For instance, in Boss and Me, when our female lead (Shan Shan), sees our male lead (Feng Teng) dancing with another girl, she gets jealous. That makes her realize her feelings. Love triangles can also stretch out a TV show longer. A show that might only have 24 episodes can probably be stretched to more than 30 just due to love triangles.

On a level of characterization, when a character has many admirers, we, as watchers, can infer various things about them. Either they are one, amazingly beautiful or successful, or two, amazingly unique. For example, Chu Qiao in Princess Agents is strong and intelligent and for that reason, almost every guy she comes in contact with falls head over heels for her. This can show you that she is one of a kind in this world. Very few women in Princess Agents are as straightforward of their power, and so she really is unique. Xiaofeng in Goodbye My Princess has admirers because she is kind, innocent and selfless. Her bright and cheerful personality contrasts heavily with the political and dark atmosphere of the palace. So, when a character is entangled in many love triangles, you can infer there’s something special about them, and use that hypothesis to further infer something about the world in which the television show takes place.

Love triangles can also lead to more character development. In trying to get girl (or very rarely guy), the admirers must rise to become a better version of themselves. For example, in Meteor Garden, Daoming Si goes from being bratty and immature to being (relatively more) mature and understanding. In A Love So Beautiful, Jiang Chen goes from being a guy that’s cold and pushes people away to a guy who is more open about his feelings and love.

So, while in some shows, love triangles exist purely to elongate the show, in other shows we can use love triangles as a way to investigate the society we are plunged into at the start of the show.

Notes:

Would you say Go Go Squid (亲爱的, 热爱的) has a love triangle. That weird press lady likes the male lead, but she has like four scenes in total.

Here’s another thought I had about love: the ability of a character to admit their feelings often reflects upon how they’ve lived up til that point. Characters that do not understand their feelings could either have grown up isolated, never been in a relationship or have been fed a pill by their mother that takes away their ability to love. Characters who confess more easily were probably raised with loving parents in a loving household with loving friends surrounding them. Characters that understand their feelings at once know themselves well, and they can understand love. They either were raised in a loving family, or have been in love before. Love is a strange concept, sometimes we can’t handle it, and a lot of times we can’t understand it. TV shows feature humans (or at least things that look like humans) and so they deal with that aforementioned problem too.

#love triangles #this has been sitting in my drafts for so long #it sucks im sorry #cdramas #cdrama analysis #ashes of love #meteor garden

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alicepink-me · 4 years

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The New Guardian

Story Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is an adult in the real world, guarding the Miracle Box in Master Fu's place. She's in love with Chat Noir, but refuses to tell him her feelings. New holders appear to fight the duo and shake up their lives. Marinette makes a tough decision about her future as Ladybug.

Chapter 14: The Trial

Marinette was sat down in a chair at a small table. Two guards stood behind her. As her eyes scanned the room, Mantis surprisingly disconnected her chains and cuffs. The entire council sat at a higher crescent shaped table across from her, looking down on her. The room was a mock of an actual court room. Mantis rolled up the chains and hooked them back on his belt.

"Seems you trust me more in this room." Marinette said, showing her wrists.

"You're powerless, so what can you do in here? You can't run now." Mantis said, walking to his seat. "You probably noticed your weakened state in that room. As a defense mechanism, we decided to weaken you so that even if you somehow stole your miraculous back, you could not transform."

"You all might be overreacting just a little bit" Marinette said. "It's not like I have access to it."

Mantis dug in his pocket. "No, but we do." He pulled out the familiar black and red box.

Marinette sat straight. "And why are you telling me its location in your pocket? I could fight you for it right now. Why risk such power?"

"Would you be so stupid to challenge us?!" One of the woman shouted. "You're just as dumb as I thought."

"You can't defeat us, Marinette, so there's no use." Mantis said, sitting down as he shoved the box back in his pocket.

"Do I at least get an attorney for this whole trial?" Marinette asked, leaning back. Her thoughts were slowly aligning.

"Of course not, you don't deserve one!" The other woman objected.

"Now now, Rain, we don't have all day to bicker with her." One man said.

"I don't care, Amethyst." Master Rain huffed. "She's an entitled brat." Marinette rolled her eyes.

Mantis held the bridge of his nose. "Alright already! Saber, would you care to proceed?"

"Gladly." A man stood up with a piece of paper. He shot a snarky glance at Marinette before looking down. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng you are here today to stand trial in front of the grand council. You have been accused of a series of crimes, including, unfit possession of a miraculous, abuse of power on many accounts, and failure to cooperate with your superiors." Marinette's mouth fell open. "You may object or add to any of these accusations to better our discussion. We, the council, will decide on a punishment and future for your miraculous that we see fit."

"First order of business." Another man stood up, adjusting his glasses. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the most famous Ladybug miraculous holder, stationed in Paris, France, given her miraculous at the age of thirteen. Her guardian was Master Wang Fu, since passed, who studied at the temple until age fourteen. Fu fled to Paris where he later handed out miraculouses, starting with the Ladybug and Black Cat, to teenagers for them to fight a villainous threat to the city who possessed a miraculous himself."

"Is everything correct so far, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" Saber asked.

"Yes." She agreed.

"As everyone knows, guardian training is not a simple class that you can pass at age fourteen, so Wang Fu had actually cheated the system." The man continued. "He failed a short test and caused the complete destruction of this temple as well as everything inside of it. Instead of fixing what he started, Fu ran away without completing his own training, taking an entire Miracle Box with him, and he left the downfall of our nature behind him. Two miraculous were lost that day, which were later used against Paris, France, resulting in the need for two heroes, including yourself, Marinette. You should have never received a miraculous in the first place. If it wasn't for your guardian's complete and utter incompetence, you would never have been in this situation."

"Do you agree, Ms. Dupain-Cheng?" Amethyst asked.

"Not really." Marinette shook her head.

"That doesn't surprise me." Master Rain snarled.

"What's the issue?" Sabor asked.

"Master Fu was told to leave the temple." Marinette said, Mantis holding his breath. "When the damage had spread too far from Master Fu's sentimonster, one of your own instructed him to take the box and run before he was crushed with everything else. Master Fu told me he never understood why he was the one to be freed, but he imagined that his Master had entrusted him to bring everyone back. Eventually Master, Chat Noir, and I did restore the temple and everything inside of it. We succeeded." Marinette leaned forward, glaring. "And as for my superhero status, I was amazing." The crusty, old women scoffed. "I was needed from the very beginning aside from the whole Hawkmoth and Mayura incident. You may have forgotten, but I didn't just protect Paris from those two. The Star Five, several bandits and burglars . . . everything. Master Fu even sent Chat Noir and I to Algeria then Egypt for a week to fight a trio of villains." Marinette squinted. "Are you taking notes? You really should be taking notes. This is important stuff that you need to remember, especially since I'm part of your students' curriculum now. You might as well teach them the truth."

"How dare you!" Rain shouted, standing and slamming her fists on the desk. "None of us would ever dare let an immature student achieve such power without proper training! How dare you make such accusations about our roles at our own academy! How dare you promote your missions to us!"

"Rain!" Amethyst stood, giving her a stern look. "We must remain calm."

There was a pause and a moment of silent rage between the two before they sat down. Saber took a deep breath. "Auror, continue."

The man flipped to his next page before reading on. "Alright, objective two. Unfit possession of a miraculous." He took a deep breath. "As mentioned before, Wang Fu had not received proper training himself, so his disciple wouldn't even come close to a real master. Marinette has insisted that his teaching was beneficial, but her points are controversial. Marinette has been at the academy for two weeks now and has shown significant improvement, but no matter her training, she will never reach the potential of every other holder or guardian."

"Marinette has received some training from Fu, even if it's incomplete, but are you sure she isn't able to catch up?" Saber asked. "A few of her trainers have sent positive feedback."

"But the point of this academy is to catch the children at a young age and before they ever form attachments to people or places." Master Digit spoke. "Marinette received unnecessary power at age thirteen whereas most students may receive one after graduation at eighteen and with over a decade of training. Besides her immaturity and lack of skill, Ms. Dupain-Cheng is quite popular in France, resulting in her several ties to important people, including celebrities like Jagged Stone and Gabriel Agreste. If she were to slip up once, that news would practically be broadcasted, risking all of us and exposing her own life to the world. Our sole purpose of raising them young about this is to prevent our students from creating relationships like those." He sighed. "So considering that, if Marinette keeps her miraculous, we are all in danger, not matter her experience or strength up to this point."

"I agree." Rain nodded.

"What if Marinette were to cut those ties?" Mantis asked, forcing the conversation on. "She could completely rehabilitate her life here. She has already moved here to train for at least a year without any communication with her past. With her well improvement and good behavior, Marinette has already taken steps to enhance her future. If we give her a chance, she might surprise us all."

"How could you say that?!"

"How dare you?!"

"She could do better!"

"Marinette is practically a child, so it's hard to tell."

"She won't ever be right for the job and you'll never convince me otherwise!"

They all stood, screaming at each other. Their arguing was comical.

Marinette looked confused, her squinted eyes moved between each of them. They were too hard to read as a whole. They weren't completely against her, mostly Mantis, but they were extremely fired up screaming about her. If she was lucky, they wouldn't agree on her punishment in the first place or maybe she can make a quick exit while they argue. Although, she'd need to make it past security. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long either way.

"Let's just skip to her punishment!" Marinette blinked and straightened as she heard that. The room fell silent. Rain spoke. "I think we have plenty of evidence to convict her."

"That seems fair." Amethyst agreed. "After all, we're only adding to the case against her by continuing."

Auror looked over his papers, adjusting his glasses. "That appears true. Several pieces of information are repetitive throughout her crimes. Marinette has committed several injustice acts, but they have also been done over again and again during her time as a holder. Adding on would just give more examples of her mistakes."

"I'm usually against rushing such decisions, but maybe it is time to decide on a punishment." Digit said.

"How can you possibly say that?!" Mantis questioned. "This trial is hardly finished. This isn't-"

Saber held up his hand, stopping him. "Obviously we must put forth the most thought in her punishment because it will affect the rest of her life, but what do you have in mind, Rain?"

. . .

Mint placed her hand on the stone wall, feeling the room on the other side. "Now Ginger." She spoke, concentrating harder.

Ginger extended her leg in front of her, drawing a line straight back. She drew another mark perpendicular to it before bursting into a pirouette. Her shoes began to glow as she stopped and drew a circle around the edge with one foot, staying centered and balanced. Ginger closed her eyes, grabbing Lavender and Mysteria's extended hands.

"Multiply and magnify." Ginger spoke, a copy of the floor's mark appearing on their hands. "We're linked. You can now use your power infinitely for the next ten minutes." She opened her eyes, turning to the others. "I'm sorry I could only increase two of your powers. I'm new at these spells." Ginger apologized.

"We all have our own limits." Mysteria said, putting her hand on Ginger's shoulder. "Some of us train to increase our uses of our miraculous before our transformations wear off and Lavender has only worked up to three, so your helped was needed and appreciated."

"You did alright." Mint said. "We should be fine as long as Lavender does his part."

"I just wish Magenta was here. It's just not the same to be fighting on a team without her." Ginger sighed.

Mint exhaled. "Well I wish Sage was here as well, Ginger, but they were both sent on separate missions when we got back. And this isn't exactly an approved mission on our part, but working with new teams is an important skill to have."

"I know." Ginger said.

. . .

The elders had been huddled together for the past fifteen minutes, leaving Marinette to sweat over their possible decision. She was going to run while their backs were turned, but she remembered the two guards that were standing behind her. An escape from this room was near impossible and she had no idea if the council had some hidden powers that they'd fire at her if they became suspicious.

"Alright." Auror turned around, adjusting his glasses before keeping his hands behind his back. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, we have come to a decision." Mantis leaned his forehead against his hands. "From here on out you will never possess a miraculous and that includes that Ladybug one you specialize in. The Miracle Box will be returned to us and you will never see it again."

"What?!" Marinette yelled, standing. "You can't be serious!"

"Sit down, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." Saber ordered.

Marinette complied.

Auror continued. "After the miraculous are out of your life, you must completely seclude yourself from any memories of them. Your memory will be erased of course, but you must be relocate to a new country, possibly continent, as well."

"No! I am not doing that!" Marinette yelled, standing again. "My memories are mine and Paris is my home! I won't leave!"

Saber glared at her and before Marinette blinked, the two guards forced her back in her chair, keeping her locked in place for the moment.

"It is inevitable, Marinette." Auror said blankly. "You must forget anything and everything to do with miraculous or this temple. You will live a normal life in another country, to be determined later. Just think on the bright side. You can leave all magic behind you to have a husband and create a cute little family without the stress of our lives."

"No!" Marinette struggled against the guards. "No . . . "

"I'm not finished." Auror stated. "There are a few more-"

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted before destroying the back wall of the court room in front of Marinette.

Marinette saw two shadow figures through the dust and rubble. The council began to panic, but form fighting stances at the same time.

"Freeze!" Mint declared, a mist rapidly flowing into the room.

"Mint?" Marinette mumbled.

Marinette definitely couldn't see anything now that she was blinded and a few of her senses were dulled, but she didn't care. Chat Noir and Mint were here and probably others as well. Marinette covered her ears. If her hunch was right, Lavender could be here, or maybe another miraculous involving the sense of hearing. It'd be best of her to wait for Chat Noir to find her or to finish their plan.

"Sleep!" Lavender shouted.

Marinette didn't hear, but she felt several body sized thumps on the ground that made her jump. The mist whooshed back to Mint, disappearing. Marinette blinked her eyes, regaining her sight. The council was spread out around the room, passed out on the floor, along with the guards. Marinette looked up to see Chat Noir, Ginger, Lavender, and an unknown blue hero standing before her.

Marinette smiled. "You all came for me."

"Did you expect us not to?" Chat grinned, a feeling of relief in his heart.

"No, I trusted you." Marinette looked at each one, stopping at the blue hero. "Who are . . . "

"I'm Mysteria." The heroine smiled. She wore a royal blue, skater dress with a halter neck. She had black spandex leggings, blue ankle boots, and wore white gloves. Her hair was halo braided and she had a lacelike, royal blue mask. "But you know me better as April."

"April?" Marinette mumbled.

Chat Noir eyed the small, black and red, octagonal box on the floor. He walked over and picked it up, prying it open. Two spotted earrings laid inside. "Your miraculous." He said.

"Chat Noir!" Ginger yelled, dragging a body. "Give Marinette her miraculous so you guys can get out of here. This is all new to Lavender, so we don't know how long his power will last on them."

"Got it." Chat turned back to Marinette. "You okay?"

Marinette formed her hands, ready to catch. "Yeah, I'm fine." Chat Noir tossed the box to her and walked back to the others for their plan. Marinette opened it and beamed at the sight of her kwami flashing out. "Tikki . . . I missed you." Her eyes began to water as she put the earrings back on.

"I missed you too, Marinette, but I think we need to save the chit-chat for later." Tikki looked at the bodies lying on the floor.

"You're right." Marinette agreed. "Tikki Spots On!"

Chat Noir and Mint pulled the last remaining council members and security guards along the wall. A loud bang was heard, causing Chat Noir to stop and Mint run into his back.

"Must you stop in front of me like an idiot?" Mint snarled.

"Sorry." Chat anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. He turned to where the sound came from and saw Ladybug had jumped on top of her table. She was wiping away her tears. Something was off. "Ladybug?"

The other heroes stopped to look at her. Ladybug lifted her head, staring blankly at them. "What do you want, Chat Noir?" She asked bitterly.

Chat inhaled. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Why do you care? It's not like we're aren't friends." Ladybug glared.

"Why is she acting like this?" Mysteria asked. "Wasn't she smiling like two seconds ago?"

"Obviously her boyfriend here did something wrong." Mint crossed her arms.

"But I-"

"He's not my boyfriend." Ladybug replied. "He's an enemy just like you three are." She launched her yo-yo, Chat Noir deflecting it off his baton. The heroes took a step back.

"Marinette . . . " Mysteria squinted her eyes, focusing.

"We aren't your enemy, Ladybug." Chat pleaded. "We're partners."

"I would never choose to side with a stray like you!" She yelled. "And I most certainly won't let you convince me otherwise!"

Mysteria held her breath. "She's . . . "

"I am not your teammates, but I will take your miraculous!" Ladybug pointed at them. "You all have committed acts against this temple and you will be punished!" She grinned. "Each of your miraculous will soon be mine." She laughed. Chat Noir looked horrified.

Mint felt the change in the room. She crouched and placed her hand on the floor. She felt Mysteria's heartbeat change. "You're focusing." Mint analyzed. "Do you see something?"

"Is she spelled?" Chat asked.

A flash of red flickered over Ladybug's eyes. Mysteria gasped. "I think her miraculous is."

"They did something to it?" Mint asked.

"The council can easily do a spell on a miraculous." Lavender spoke. "They know these powers inside out and know every secret we don't. I'm assuming they've thought ahead partially and spelled the Ladybug earrings incase Marinette were to retrieve them again. Even if they lost, her punishment would still be served."

"What punishment?" Chat asked, staring at Ladybug who kept nightmarish eye contact with a smile. She was really trying to haunt him.

"To destroy and forget us." Mysteria answered. "Marinette has been turned into a killing machine. She can achieve their dirty work for them in the case that they aren't present to do so."

"You all are adorable." Ladybug gushed. "I wish I had the power to minimize you and use you as my puppets or maybe place you in a snow globe, but . . . that's not as fun as killing you."

Chat saddened. "Ladybug . . . "

"Don't act like you know me, alley cat! I will kill you!" Ladybug leaped forward and kicked him in the stomach. She grabbed his face and held tight as she pulled him to eye level. Her smirk grew. "We won't ever be friends." She gritted her teeth. "I'm only a nightmare to you."

#miraculous ladybug #MIRACULOUS: TALES OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR #Adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #chat noir #ladynoir #the new guardian #fanfiction #alice pink #alicepink-me

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cheerioss · 5 years

Text

Marinette: Guardian of the Miraculous

part 2

i have too many wips but im writing something else again :)) (woes of a writer/artist/just creators don’t @ me here)

so my brain clearly isn’t prioritising so here’s a really very long lil one shot based on this post i found by @aly4son and it’s pretty cute and fluffy. i decided to make some changes and add some stuff here as well becuz i love fluff hope it’s okayy. this took pretty long becuz i had to figure out how to put everything together ://

and as it stand it is getting way too long so im gonna have to put up a second part whoops.

—

“Hmm… Add a little of this…, a drop of water from the Dragon’s Tears Fountain… Oh, don’t forget the edible glitter…”

Marinette was adding different ingredients to her pot, swirling her wooden spoon at the same time. She was preparing for her final test before she was officially declared the new Guardian of the Miraculous. However, she needed a break from all the formulas and power-up functions. So, she decided to continue playing around with the concoction she’s been working on for weeks, hoping to complete her experiment that afternoon. She knew she could just finish it after her test, but she could feel that she’s so close, and was eager to observe the results.

Ever since she started learning the recipes of the power-up potions, she wondered what other power ups she could try making, if it were possible. She’s been trying over and over again, playing around with different kinds of ingredients. She’d even brought some items from the bakery, if only to give it a little taste and colour. (And also to test a theory of whether it can be used to make power-up potions. It did work out in the end, but only some foods.) She remembered Chat mentioning that Plagg hated those power-up cheese (said it tasted like “liquidy goo you humans take when you’re sick”) and decided to mess around with flavours.

“And… Done! Tikki? Up for another round of taste testing? I think I’ve got it this time!”

“Of course, Marinette! I’m curious though, why did you add the glitter?”

“It’s for flair, for the potion I’m brewing. If this works, you’ll see why I wanted glitter in there.” Marinette threw in a wink, and dipped a little spoon inside the pink, glittery liquid. Tikki floated towards it and took a sniff, noting the scent of champagne coming from it. I wonder if kwamis ever get drunk, didn’t think we’d try that before in all the time we spent in the miracle box.

She quicked sipped the delicious brew, and immediately felt a tingling sensation.

“It’s happening! It worked!”

In a flash of pink, Tikki transformed, her usual self now a sparkling crystal-like texture, her centre spot and tail (?) now dazzling diamonds.

“Wow… Well, what power up is this?”

“It’s called the Elegant power up, ooooooor Exquisite. Haven’t really decided on the name yet. It’s just a little fun power-up I came up with, you know, like a fancy dress transformation.”

“Cool! I’m sure Kaalki would love to try this power-up. It’s glorious.” Tikki laughed at her own little joke.

Oh, how she wished she could snap a photo of Tikki, but kwamis don’t show up on cameras. It was a great accomplishment, and she was really proud of herself. Specially created with an original outfit designed by her, a sketch of the design slowly added into the mixture while it boils. (Another absurd theory that flitted through her mind.) Never thought this crazy idea would work but here we are.

“Alright, I’m going to try transforming. Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Marinette!”

“Elegant Tikki! Spots on!”

The familiar feeling of transforming washed over Marinette, yet it feels completely different at the same time. The swirls of pink magic disappeared to show a red cocktail dress with exquisite black sequins scattered on silk, the fabric a darker shade of red than what she usually wore. Extremely fancy indeed.

A Mandarin collar wrapped around her neck with a mini brooch which had a symbol engraved into it, a representation of her Chinese heritage and the pattern associated with the Miraculous. The top half had black polka dots, embodying her super-persona’s namesake, along with a matching mask and gloves, both of which had intricate embroidery. Her hair was pulled up into a stylish updo, braids twisted to form a crown above her head. Her red heels has little ladybugs on them, just like the one in her hair. Just how she imagined it.

“Wow, this is even better than what i would have done!” Marinette twirled around, noticing that the outfit has a litte glittery shine to it. Now she wish she would get to wear this someday; she felt like a princess! (Well, it was pretty funny because Chat would always call her civilian self that.)

In the midst of admiring her work, Master Fu walked into the room. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him, and Marinette shrieked, quickly transforming back to her usual self.

“Ah, sorry Master! I was messing around with an idea I had and I completed it just now. Don’t worry, I was practicing potions before that.”

“I’m not mad, Marinette. On the contrary, I’m actually very pleased that you have managed a feat that even my masters were unable to achieve back when I was in training with them. Perhaps I could show it to them when I return for a visit.

“In the mean time, how about you use this power-up for your Guardian officiating ceremony. It is something to celebrate after all and you deserve it.”

Marinette didn’t know what to say. She just thanked the master profusely, grateful for the opportunity to try out her new invention. She didn’t bother trying to refuse because she knows that there would still be one no matter what she says. Master Fu simply waved it off with a chuckle.

“Now, would you like to have your final test today or prefer to still wait for tomorrow? I feel that you are ready.”

—

School was still a priority, being in senior year and all. Marinette could only work on designs during her free time, and with Hawkmoth around those are scarce. Marinette would sometimes sketch out ideas besides finishing her homework, for fear if forgetting them. She absolutely hated it when an idea struck while she was busy fighting an akuma.

Good thing was, she didn’t need to worry about measurements. The miraculous will ensure that everyone’s suits and dresses would fit them to a t. So all she had to do was make sure that the designs represented each of the holders perfectly.

Tikki wholeheartedly agreed that Marinette deserved to be celebrated as the new Guardian, she hadn’t had a holder who was a Guardian since millennias ago. She was positively buzzing with exhilaration, moves animated with so much zest Marinette was afraid she might explode.

Chat was the first person she told about becoming a Guardian. He was surprised, after all he wasn’t aware of her receiving training, but that was short-lived as he immediately tackled Ladybug in a humongous bear hug for her sensational achievement. He even said, and I quote, “My, I’m honoured to be graced with the presence of the great and powerful Guardian of the Miraculous Box,” topped off with an exaggerated bow and a kiss to the knuckles.

He was also ecstatic about the prospect of a new transformation. Ladybug told him to assure Plagg that she had added a different flavour to it, and will add some cheese to his batch on top of infusing it in his beloved camembert. That night, Plagg denied purring loudly in his sleep. (“You were dreaming, Adrien. Hallucinating!”)

Three months of constant sketching and resketching, coloring in and retracing it for the potion, Marinette finally got the designs out. She asked the kwamis for their opinions on the designs, (after a mini celebration of their own, obviously.) and they gave their input. Some even made flavour requests, though they still kept the champagne in there as they loved it and it made the power-up more fancy.

Then it’s another week of measuring, mixing, and carefully infusing the correct batches into the different snacks. She almost put Wayzz’s herbal tea flavoured potion into Pollen’s honey comb, if not for Tikki and Wayzz’s interference. Oh, the look of horror on Pollen’s face would send Plagg laughing with tears.

With everything ready, it’s time to paaaaaaaaartay! (Clearly Xuppu was here :) )

—

With the help of Chat Noir, they managed to get the miraculouses to the respective holders’ rooms before they arrived home from school. She handwrote all the dissolving letters containing the information, taking care to use her cursive. Those online lessons really paid off, even Tikki couldn’t recognise that she was the one who wrote it.

Ladybug hid behind a rooftop as she watched Max open read the letter, coming to the conclusion that everyone else is doing the same. She hoped that she had made her instructions clear enough, considering how… excited some of her classmates could be.

—

Everyone was confused when they found a box in their rooms, realising soon after that it was a miraculous box. Alya and Chloe immediately opened their boxes, paying no mind to the paper that were below.

“Oh, finally! Ladybug is giving the Miraculous to me! It’s about time.”

“Trixx! Does Ladybug need me?” An extremely loud gasp, “Oh my gosh, is she here? Do I get to hold on to my miraculous?”

The kwamis questioned had to clarify that no, Ladybug was not nearby as there is no emergency, no, it was only for a few short hours, and no again, the miraculous was technically not theirs but “belonged” to the Guardian for safekeeping unless they are permanent holders. They were only temporary holders who are called upon when their help were needed.

(Ladybug and Master Fu had them make sure they got it through their heads after getting irritated when some people kept begging for it again. And also to inform those whose identities were compromised that it was their last time using theirs.)

“Please read the letter before you do anything, Alya.”

“It contains some important information that you really must know before you call upon me, my queen.”

All holders read through the letter:

“Dear [Name],

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m to be officiated as the new Guardian of the Miraculous, and it would really make my happy if you could join me tonight. Along with your miraculous, you will find a small snack for your kwamis. It is to be consumed strictly before transforming, so do not waste it as I’ve only provided a small piece.

You will transform tonight at 4am, going going to the address listed below. Don’t worry, the kwami will be able to help you with that. I know it is late but this is to ensure no reporters or your parents will see you sneak out. Hawkmoth rarely comes out at night anyway, so that’s a bonus.

Chat Noir and I are greatful for your contributions as the heroes of Paris, so we would also like this to be a celebration of thanks. Hope to see you there!

Signed, Ladybug

Address: 53 Rue de Corentin, Petit Fortune Hôtel 3rd floor”

The letters dissolved with a flame of green sparkles, kwamis reaffirming the chosens that they know the address and will help them navigate.

#miraculous #ml #mlb #marinette dupain cheng #master fu #ml kwamis #guardian!marinette #ml ficlet #miraculous ladybug

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tsukishima44 · 5 years

Text

For you, I give my all

It’s Hizashi’s birthday in a month. After knowing the blonde for more than 10 years, he didn’t know what else to give for his wonderful birthday. A scandal gave him an idea though.

=============================================================

1 month before H day

=============================================================

‘It’s Zashi’s birthday soon’

THWACK!

‘What should I get for him this year?’

A sounding yell from the right.

‘Should I buy him another cake?’

“YOU FU-“

POW!

‘Maybe Mochi want to wear a suit again?’

“OUCH OUCH! FUCK! DAMN! YOU WIN LET GO!”

“Nope. Not until the police came”

‘We have groom suit last year’

“Eraserhead-san! Thank you for your work! Please leave him here and we will send the fee as usual”

He nodded. He looped his capture weapon into one of the streetlight and made his way back home.

‘Mermaid?’

=============================================================

2 weeks before H day

=============================================================

“Shota!!”

Aizawa looked up from Jirou’s work. He was very glad to see more black rather than red. Very refreshing or as refreshing as it could be for his dry eyes. Certainly better than Kaminari’s.

“What?”

His best friend of 15 years must have seen the happiness radiating from him. She casually slung her arm on his shoulders. She looked up, glancing right and left. Then she whispered.

“Have you find a present for your hubby?”

They have been married for more than 5 years and magically keep it quiet despite their jobs. Nemuri, Tensei, and Nedzu were the only people there and the only people knew about it.

“Nope. I was thinking about getting a cake”

“Cat cake?”

He nodded.

“And-“

“-Mochi catwalking in a suit”

Aizawa glared at her. Of course being best friend for years meaning understanding his circumstances.

“You shouldn’t make things easy to guess, honey”

“Don’t call me that!”

Nemuri moved out of the way when Aizawa’s hand about to slap her arm.

“Well you better search for something better because it’s two more weeks”

Aizawa huffed.

“I know, I know”

Nemuri sauntered to her next prey.

=============================================================

3 days before H day

=============================================================

Aizawa placed a full stop on his last sentence, or might be what he last wrote in 5 minutes. From outside he looked as calm as a still lake. Inside he was burning with firy passion or what he ashamedly called jealousy.

Just yesterday, when he was searching for a venue to celebrate his secret spouse birthday in the newest tabloid, Hi Hero!, rather than a great cafe or family restaurant he found the picture of his husband in his full in hero costume. Underneath it was a big headline “PRESENT MIC OR PRESENT WED!?!” Let’s just say it didn’t take him 5 minutes to double read it and tore it to pieces. It was only a gossip column about a beautiful woman with black long hair and curves in the right places was seen having a deep conversation. Said journalist also mentioned about the many intimate touches during the meeting.

He had think about it again and again. Was it right for him to get mad? Afterall, Hizashi only heeded Aizawa’s wish to keep their marriage under the table. He was the one who asked to place the ring on a necklace than in their ring fingers. He was the one who decline one invitation to another invitation of Hizashi’s radio party. So was it wrong for Hizashi to find a woman, to cheat him? There must be someone out there who deserve him more that Shouta did. Someone that look amazing, eye candy than dry eyes and baggy clothes and unruly hair. Someone with perfect curves than big muscles. Someone funny enough to match his comedic side. Someone who— someone who wasn’t Aizawa Shouta.

“Sensei?!”

Aizawa looked up.

‘When did he sit?’

“Fuck! Get the teachers!”

“I’m on it!”

“Why is he crying?”

‘I am?’

“Did-did we do something?”

“Oh no, poor sensei”

‘It’s not me. It’s poor Hizashi’

Just then, the door to he classroom opened and a pair of hands holding him.

“Shouta? Hey, what’s wrong?”

Aizawa saw blurry mess of black and yellow. Two big and familiar hands cupped his face tenderly. He smelled the most amazing scent in the world, a mix of leather and pine wood. He wanted these. He wanted Hizashi to be by his side forever. Until they have white strands, until it bald, until they retire into old men, until the day they went to heaven together.

The day ended with half lesson, a worried pack of students, a lecture followed with hugs and kisses from Hizashi.

But still with no present.

=============================================================

6 hours before the H day

=============================================================

Knock! Knock!

“Oh hey, Ochako-chan!”

“Hi, Izuku! Sorry for bothering you. Did you get the message?”

“Yeah. Rikido has climbed down the stairs and Bakugou’s cussed was heard even from here. I’m about to go to supermarket to buy other supplies. Momo and several others are going with me”

“Can I join you guys?”

“Sure”

=============================================================

H Day

=============================================================

A flurry of footsteps was heard in the one of U.A’s empty hallway. It has been an hour and half since the last students passed the front gate and went back home. The afternoon light painted broken white wall into a beautiful mix of orange, yellow, and red. One pro-hero was on his way to the supposedly empty classroom. When he opened the classroom, another pro-hero, underground, stood in the middle, looking as shabby as he usually did. But in his green orbs, his husband always a sight to behold, a pearl among trash. Stunning, wonderful, an eye candy. He was blessed to have the honor and call this man his.

“Sho? You’re ready?”

Hizashi didn’t need to give his everyday Present Mic’s greeting. His raven beauty of a husband always knew when he would arrive to go home each day. But today he was surprised to find his spouse of 5 years message him to come and get him, 30 minutes before their appointed time.

“Zashi...”

Shouta called him, beckoning him closer.

Like a moth to a flame, Hizashi was attracted.

“What is it? Are you sick? Something’s wrong?”

Hizashi arrived in front of Shouta, hands immediately took others without any preamble. One of them quickly assessed Shouta’s health.

Was he sick? He looked fine today. Was something amiss? He had made sure everything was okay and ready today.

“Zashi..”

Shouta placed his hands on top of his which were planted on both of Shouta’s perfect cheeks.

When did they move there?

“Happy birthday”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SENSEIIII!!!!!!”

It was a loud popping sound, colorful triangles, and so many cheers around him. He looked to his left and right and found the kids, their unofficial kids, stood before their hiding places and clapping and yelling and cheering. A glance from Shouta’s shoulder was a decent size cake with yellow frosting -his favourite color!- and adorning it were several radio-shaped fondant. On the top layer, he gasped aloud, were two fondant, created to shape like chibi version of him and Shouta. They were holding hands together and below it was several small figures, their handful kids. Then he looked straight once again. His husband, Aizawa Shouta, was sporting one of his smirk which quickly melted into his fond smile when he realized that Hizashi’s eyes were upon him.

“Oh wow.... Shou, I-God, If we haven’t married yet I would marry you again and again in a heartbeat”

Shouta thrown his head as he laughed freely.

“Me too, Zashi, me too”

Then he had a line of students queuing to shake his hands, given him small trinkets and other things they thought pass as a gift. On the end of the line was Shinsou and Eri, giving him a new headphone and a handmade bracelet.

After the party started, he went to find the conductor of this surprise birthday party. As expected, he was standing in the corner of the room, still trying to blend in the dark. Not very effective as every corner of the classroom was filled with color from a disco ball hung in the middle, how he missed such a big decoration was amazing.

“Hey, husband”

Shouta smiled.

He casually slipped his arm into Shouta’s waist.

“Hey yourself”

Hizashi kissed Shouta’s cheek.

“Does that mean that we are out?”

Shouta nodded

“I also told your colleague in the radio station. Now they can put my name on the invitation party”

“Are you sure?”

“You know I will not do anything I am not sure of”

Hizashi smiled back and kissed Shouta deeply and as less sensually as he could.

“Happy birthday, Zashi”

“Thank you, Sho!!”

#boku no hero academia #erasermic #eraserhead #aizawa shouta #yamada hizashi #aizawa x hizashi #present mic #revelation #Hizashi birthday special #class 1-a #insecure #scandal #crying

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globerjk · 5 years

Text

Please Love Me My Lady

"I... I will never make him love me for real" Chat Noir was surprised by the way Ladybug suddenly broke the silence murmuring to herself.

They were quietly contemplating the horizon after the final battle against the second Super Villain to terrorize their beloved city.

Their love lives was literally the last thing on his mind so, the leather cladded hero stared at his partner without knowing how to proceed. He wasn't even sure if he was meant to hear her in the first place.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend. I mean. Yeah, I assumed you dated... But" He stutter rubbing the back of his neck "But I had no idea that you were deeply involved in a relationship"

He turned to give her a puzzle look. She was in love? Really?

Chat Noir was well aware of the reason why he didn't know of her relationship status.

They agreed not to mention anything personal again, specially after the apparition of the new Hawkmoth. It was simply too much of a risk to take.

As it turned out, Gabriel Agreste wasn't the worst menace the Parisian people would have to suffer through.

His main goal was to obtain the Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses and his only purpose, was no other than to bring his wife back for Adrien, his son.

It was true that his intentions were far from evil, but he still took advantage of people's feelings. Using corrupted butterflies, he made civilians chase after the Superheroes through, more often than not, comical supervillains. When Ladybug and Chat Noir finally faced Gabriel it was a shock for both the young heroes to come face to face with the man behind the mask. Chat wanted to bring him to justice, surprisingly far more affected with the reveal than to be expected. Ladybug had a different opinion, considering his evident repentance and the consequences for his only family left.

Unfortunately, the butterfly miraculous went missing shortly after his holder's surrender, right before Ladybug got the chance to take it to master Fu.

The second Hawkmoth had appeared less than a week after the defeat of the elder Agreste and she turned out to be very different from the original and much more dangerous, attempting to gain the power only for sinister reasons.

The guardian was responsible to decide Gabriel Agreste's fate and that's how he got to remain anonymous, Adrien got to keep his father and Master Fu got the peacock miraculous and the grimoire back and, with the help of the Agreste's funds, the resources to help aid the victims of the new villain.

Discovering that she was Lila Rossi was not a real surprise for the heroes. But this time it was impossible to keep her identity hidden since the final battle was very public and, unlike the original, she never surrendered and made sure that people believed that she was the only Hawkmoth from the beginning.

"I don't even Know if I should keep hoping he will... I may never get to call him mine" Ladybug interrupted his trail of thoughts again with a soft voice, barely a whisper.

Chat's enhanced hearing allowed him to hear every word once again.

He closed the distance between them putting an arm around her shoulders to try to comfort her. Then panicked as he felt said shoulders shaking in what he thought was silent weeping.

"Am I really this shallow?" Ladybug asked with a laughing voice "I should be celebrating that we finally found the missing miraculous. I feel so selfish"

Her partner gave her an honest laugh himself.

"Selfish? My lady we are anything but selfish. I can only assume that you've put your hole life on hold because of this responsibility" He tenderly touched her ear.

"I'm the same you know" now he was showing her his right hand, moving the ring around his finger. "It's not selfish to focus on your own stuff from time to time, Bugaboo. But why are you thinking about this now? I wonder"

"I... I should have accepted you" Her laugh transformed into whimpers "Back when we started this partnership and you wanted me" Ladybug tried to put some distance between them hiding her face on her knees and hugging herself.

"Please don't say that my Lady. I'm ... I'm not..." Chat started but was interrupted.

"I'm sorry" She groaned. "I shouldn't have said anything... You don't like me like that, haven't for a long time... And I'm so hopelessly in love with Ad... With this boy. Forgive me chat"

She took a deep breath turning to face him from the side with her head rested on the arms she had crossed on top of her still bent knees.

"I guess there's no reason left for us to keep our civilian problems hidden from each other. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She hesitated for a moment but began to tell him about her relationship as much as she could, without compromising her identity.

Ladybug explained how she was friends with her school crush for years, how she tried to help him and be there for him in his lowest moment, all which her civilian self had to do without him discovering that she knew about it more than he did himself.

The tears returned when she told Chat of a particularly difficult night for him that accidentally ended with them kissing. About the confusion it caused her and about the other kisses that lead them to become sort of friends with some benefits.

She even admitted to her partner that it killed her not to be able to ask for something more.

"We were together just yesterday, having lunch with friends before the attack and I just had to leave him there, again. Everytime I have to come to a fight he just accepts it. I don't know if it's because he trusts me or because he doesn't care." She continued frustrated

"I... I'm sorry" He said not meeting her eyes "I'm sorry that this guy is so awful to you when you deserve so much better"

"He is not awful Chatton. He's pretty sweet actually, but I can't seem to break the barrier of friendship. Doesn't matter how many kisses and cuddles we share, he always backs up when close to moving forward"

Ladybug gave him a sad smile that reminded him of a different girl.

"Maybe he's scared? Maybe he thinks of himself unworthy of your affection? Maybe he doesn't think he deserves the chance to be with you... Really be with you?" Chat Noir's gaze found Ladybug's and she could see the moisture building in his eyes.

"Are we still talking about me, kitty?" She asked him softly.

"No" He whispered shaking his head and proceeded to tell her his story.

The story of a broken civilian who found refuge in a close friend.

A friend who seemed to know everything that had happened to him even if he wasn't supposed to know it himself. He often wonder how she found out, but was grateful none the less.

Chat told Ladybug about the magnificent, beautiful girl who was, for a while, the only good thing going on in his life.

He told her how he felt in love with said friend without meaning to and how afraid he was to move forward knowing that he couldn't risk losing her; feeling too embarrassed about his father's mistakes and broken due to his past.

"How could I ask her to love me My Lady? Knowing that I had to leave her with no explanation every time an Akuma ran free?" He asked her pleading.

"There are no Akumas now" She countered shrugging.

"You don't understand. Ladybug. You just don't know the whole truth" He trailed off summoning his courage "How do I ask her to love me when my own blood made her suffer through the akumatization of her family and most of her close friends. Even her father?"

His tears were pouring now and Ladybug's heart stopped as she saw him standing up and starting to pace back and forth.

"You don't have to ask, Adrien. But if you want to, go ahead" She said, standing up next to him after what felt like an eternity.

He turned to face her startled. Ladybug stared into his eyes and, leveling their heights on her tiptoes, she placed one hand on his arm and the other one on his cheek. She shut her eyes and closed the distance to give him a tender kiss. He didn't understand what was happening at first, but as his brain seemed to make the connections, he wrapped his arms around her body and put her closer to deepen the kiss.

"Please. Love me My Lady" He said almost out of breath still touching her lips "Please, my Marinette"

"Always" Ladybug said before letting her transformation fade away.

#miraculous ladybug #love square #ml fanfic #my fic #mlb fanfiction #my story #reveal?#of course #it's me!#ml angst #with a happy ending

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mikauzoran · 4 years

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Adrienette Drabble: Daisy Chapter Thirty-Five: Distance

There’s a Daisy Chapter Thirty-Four: Distance

“We have got to stop meeting like this,” Adrien grumbled through gritted teeth as he continued to struggle against Ladybug’s yoyo keeping him bound, upside-down, to the spire of Sainte Chapelle. He hissed in pain as the wire dug into his wings.

“Have we met before?” Ladybug frowned as she studied him. “I think I would remember you. Typically, Papillon’s supervillains are fashion rejects, but you actually look…” She smiled and chuckled as she eyed him up and down.

Adrien blinked, forgetting about the pain momentarily as he realized that, one, she didn’t recognize him, and, two, she was flirting with him…sort of. “I’m not akumatized.”

She laughed. “Oh, you’re not? What are you, then, some kind of space alien? Last time I checked, normal Parisians did not have butterfly wings.”

“I’m really not,” Adrien snorted, jaw clenching. “And my wings are actually kind of sensitive, so if you could kindly let me down, it would be much appreciated.”

Her eyes narrowed.

His face contorted in pain.

“Are you a sentimonster?”

“No!” he snapped. “I’m a Miraculous user, and I—” Adrien interrupted himself to hiss out a curse in Russian. “—am in a lot of pain right now, so if you could please—Hold on a second.” He cut himself off again as an idea occurred to him. He closed his eyes in concentration, and his wings melted back into a tailcoat in variegated shades of black and blue.

The yoyo tightened to accommodate the disappearance of the wings, leaving Adrien still tied upside down to the spire, but at least he was no longer seeing spots in his vision from the yoyo cord digging into him.

“Okay. Better,” he sighed, not bothering to hide a pout. “But could you please let me down? I’m not an enemy.”

Ladybug seemed to take all this in stride as she laughed, inspecting Adrien a little more closely. “You’re a Miraculous user?”

Her tone was incredulous.

“Nice try, but there’s only one Butterfly Miraculous to my knowledge, and it’s currently in the hands of a psychopath…unless you’re trying to tell me that you’re Papillon,” she scoffed.

Adrien frowned. “Nino hasn’t come tattling to you yet, has he?”

That caught her off guard. The mildly amused expression dropped off her face to be replaced by an intent look of worry. “Wh-What?”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Where exactly were you a couple hours ago when that sentimonster showed up? I mean, I know the situation was resolved in less than fifteen minutes, but usually you’re on site pretty quickly. Don’t tell me you let your guard down with Papillon being away for so long. Tsk, tsk, Milady,” Adrien pretended to chide.

Ladybug gasped, eyes going as wide as dessert plates as her mouth dropped open and she retracted her yoyo.

Adrien toppled to the roof in a graceless heap. Butterflies didn’t land on their feet like cats were said to…then again, Chat Noir didn’t typically stick the landing either, so…maybe it was just an Adrien thing.

“Ch-Chat Noir?” Ladybug sucked in a sharp breath.

Adrien retrieved his top hat, got to his feet, and dusted himself off, adjusting his costume before dipping into a bow with a flourish. “Swallowtail. I’d say ‘at your service’, but I think half a decade is long enough to throw myself at a girl and put my heart at her mercy. At this point, I’d just be embarrassing myself.”

The last shred of confidence evaporated from Ladybug’s face. “Wha-Wha… Wait. How? What? What did I miss?”

Adrien shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest, affecting a nonchalant manner. “Mayura only sent her monster to lure us out. Apparently, she and Papillon are having a baby,”

Ladybug’s eyebrows narrowed, and her mouth dropped open in confusion mixed with horror and mild disgust.

“so he’s retiring,” Adrien continued. “She handed over his Miraculous to ensure that he couldn’t go back. Mayura is still out there, but it looks like Papillon is out of commission. That’s not to say that they won’t use the Peacock Miraculous in the future to cause trouble, but at least we got Nooroo back.”

“So, what? You decided to take a joyride instead of bringing the Miraculous to me so that I could get Nooroo back home safely?” she scoffed, balled fists going to her hips in frustration.

Adrien froze, staring at her in shock. Emotionally, it felt the same as getting slapped by his mother on occasions when he’d press and press and press until he hit on a sore nerve and Émilie would finally snap, leaving Adrien stunned and hurt and wondering what he’d done wrong, knowing that he had done something wrong.

“I can’t believe you,” Ladybug snorted tiredly, the irritation leaving her. “Five years later, and you’re still just as reckless as always. Why can’t you ever just think, Chat Noir?” she pleaded, exasperated at her partner.

He never took anything seriously. He was always goofing off and flirting and joking and leaving her to make the plans, solve the problems. It was exhausting.

Adrien slammed down his emotional shutters, sealing the hurt off behind them. He forced himself to reply unconcernedly, aloof, apathetic. “Excuse you.” He gave his head an indignant toss. “That’s Swallowtail, thank you, and Nino was in charge of talking to you and Maître Fu, but Nooroo is going to be staying with me for a while. Until he wants to come back. Now, I don’t know if that will be a week or a year, but he’s on vacation until further notice.”

“Vacation?” Ladybug blinked uncomprehendingly, as if she thought she’d misheard.

Adrien nodded. “He spent nearly two centuries lost and alone, and for the past five years he’s been with a nutcase who abused him. Ladybug, Papillon barely fed Nooroo. He kept him isolated, barely let him go out…. I know what that feels like, how horrible it is to be cut off from everything…everyone,” Adrien reminded her, letting a bit of emotion slip back into his voice.

The lines that had already formed in her forehead deepened.

“Nooroo hadn’t gotten a good look at the Eiffel Tower before today,” Adrien stressed, trying to sell his point. “That’s what we’re doing out transformed, My Lady. I’m showing Nooroo how beautiful our city is…. He deserves to experience a little beauty after years of being seeped in nothing but fear and negativity. He deserves the chance to make some new, happy memories. So I’m going to take care of him until he feels ready to return to the Maître and the others.”

He was tempted to tack an “…okay?” onto the end, but he didn’t want to sound like he was asking her permission. This was something he had decided, and he knew deep down that he was right, that this was something he needed to stand up for. He may have let others walk over him in his own life, but this wasn’t for himself. This was for Nooroo, and it was important.

Ladybug scrubbed at her face with a hand and sighed in frustration with herself. “I’m sorry, Cha—Swallowtail.” Shamefacedly, she looked up to meet his gaze. “I was too hasty jumping to conclusions…. I apologize.”

Adrien nodded slowly. Her apology didn’t take away the fresh hurt she’d heaped on top of the crushing pile already pushing down on him, but he could tell she was sincere, and he was too tired to be petty.

“Apology accepted.”

She smiled weakly, tentatively. “Thank you….” And then she held out her hand, palm up. “Swallowtail, I think what you’re trying to do is good and important, but Maître Fu can take care of Nooroo just as well. Please give me back the Butterfly Miraculous so that I can take him home where he’ll be safe.”

Adrien scrunched up his nose, suddenly finding himself not so tired any longer. “No. Nooroo wants to stay with me.”

Ladybug reinforced the edges of her flimsy smile, trying to keep it in place. “Swallowtail, we really need to think about what’s best for everyone.” She took a step closer.

Adrien retreated the same distance. “He’s no trouble. I’ve already got the kitchen making miniature banana cream pies for him, and my bed’s big enough for an orgy; it’s no trouble just me and two kwamis.”

“Swallowtail,” she repeated as if she were talking to one of the children she babysat. “We really can’t have multiple Miraculouses out like this unless it’s necessary. It’s too risky. I mean, there’s a reason why I never let anyone keep theirs after a battle, not even the people I trusted most. We just can’t take that chance.”

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “Speaking of people you supposedly trust, when are you going to tell Alya your identity?”

Ladybug gave a start, utterly thrown by the shift in the conversation. “What? Never! I can’t tell her! It’s bad enough that you and Nino know. It’s too dangerous, Chat N—ugh—Swallowtail!”

“But Papillon’s gone,” he argued.

She shook her head vehemently in a rather Marinette fashion. “But Mayura’s still out there. You said so yourself that they might come back. It’s too dangerous to just go around telling people our identities casually.”

“I don’t feel like telling your best friend is ‘casual’, Buginette,” he remarked dryly, irritated at her perpetual stubbornness concerning the identity issue.

“It’s one thing if she figures it out like Nino did or if we’re in some kind of highly irregular situation where I have to tell her, but…” Ladybug bit her lip, pigtails swinging side to side as she shook her head yet again. “Even if Mayura wasn’t an issue, it would still be too great a risk.”

Caught by surprise, he openly scoffed. “What? What do you mean? With Papillon and Mayura gone, we’d be safe.”

“No,” she contradicted, her cerulean eyes piercing his pale blue ones. “Tikki’s talked to me about it over the years, but…well, you know what it’s like to be a celebrity. The crazy fans, the stalkers, the people who want to hurt you just because you’re famous or you have money or they’re jealous you’re so pretty or your father ruined their life somehow. Papillon and Mayura aren’t the only ones we need to be worried about, Chaton. And did you ever think that maybe these powers exist for a reason? So far we’ve been fighting against another Miraculous user, but that’s not what the Miraculouses were originally meant for. What if some other evil rises up that we need to fight? Just because Mayura and Papillon are out of the picture for now, that doesn’t mean that it’s safe. No one can ever know who we are. We can’t ever tell.”

His face fell, all heat suddenly sapped from his body.

“…You were never going to tell me who you were…were you?” he realized.

She looked away, staring unseeingly out at the Left Bank. “Tikki has told me about how she’s lost others before. I’m not willing to put myself and the people I love in danger like that, but I also didn’t want to hurt you by telling you that. I knew how much you were looking forward to knowing. I didn’t have the heart to tell you it could never be, but…”

“I see,” Adrien muttered. “Nice of you to spare my feelings.

“Chaton, don’t,” Ladybug sighed. “This isn’t about you. This isn’t even about me. This is bigger. This is the safety of Paris, maybe even the world. We’re not at liberty to just think about ourselves.”

“Is that what Tikki told you? Your kwami sounds like a stick in the mud, Princess,” he snorted, changing the cross of his arms. “It doesn’t sound like she cares about you much either. Plagg would never make me do something that would hurt me.”

“Neither would Tikki!” Ladybug retorted hastily, hackles raised in defence of her kwami. “Tikki cares about me! You don’t even know her, so don’t judge so fast. She has a lot of responsibilities that fall on her shoulders because your kwami is an irresponsible slacker!”

“He is not!” Adrien riposted, fingers tightening around his biceps as the hair on the back of his neck began to stand up. “It’s not like you know him either, so don’t pretend like you’ve got him figured out. Do you know how hard Plagg works to keep me functional? I’m exhausting, so Plagg doesn’t have the energy to think about all this bigger picture crap like Tikki does.”

“Excuse you!” Ladybug snapped. “Tikki works just as hard as Plagg does coaxing me through meltdowns and trying to keep me from self-destructing.”

Adrien stared at Ladybug, all the anger and frustration draining from him once more, leaving only cold and sadness. “…You know, we used to get along. What happened to us? Now we’re like a couple going through divorce, arguing over who gets the roll of aluminum foil.”

Ladybug’s gaze dropped to the roof in shame. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look. I’m sorry. I’m…personal stuff. This isn’t just about you. A lot of things in my life are stressful right now, and I’m just trying to hold it all together and not fail miserably at everything and meet everyone’s expectations and not be a colossal disappointment. You may have noticed, but I’m doing a garbage job of it.”

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Could you please work with me here and give me the Miraculous so I can take it somewhere safe?”

“It’s safe with me,” Adrien muttered, the edge gone from his voice.

She shook her head sadly. “What if it’s a trap? What if Mayura followed you back home? What if someone sees you with it? What if it gets lost or stolen again?” she enumerated, her Marinette penchant for catastrophizing kicking in. “Nooroo needs to go back to Maître Fu’s…. So…please?”

She held out her hand once more, entreatingly.

He looked at her for a long time, contemplating. Could she be right? Maybe Maître Fu was better equipped to take care of Nooroo than Adrien. Maybe Adrien was just causing problems.

He shook his head, and his tailcoat turned back to wings. “No. I’m sorry, My Lady, but I think this conversation is over.”

His wings gave a flap, lifting him a meter off the ground.

“Sorry,” he repeated. “See you around, okay?”

Before Adrien had the time to gasp, Ladybug whipped out her yoyo and lassoed him yet again.

Adrien dropped to the roof with a thud and a stifled scream as the wire bit into his wings and his shoulder collided hard with the shingles.

Ladybug winced as she realized what she had done. “I’m so sorry, Chaton!”

Adrien’s wings changed back into a tailcoat in defeat as he hissed a curse under his breath and struggled incrementally to his knees and then feet.

“Was that really necessary?” he grumbled sourly.

She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Reflexes from dealing with supervillains. Are you okay?”

Adrien sighed. “I’m starting to rethink the wings. They’re kind of a large target area, and they’re really sensitive. I don’t think they’d be good in battle…. Could you let me go now?”

“Will you give me the Butterfly Miraculous, if I do?” Her tone was tentatively hopeful.

He scowled at her.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I didn’t think so. Guess we’ll have to do this the hard way.” She cautiously began to approach, tightening her grip on her end of the yoyo.

Adrien gave a snort that spoke of more confidence than he actually felt. “What are you going to do? Rough me up? Man. We really have sunk low as partners, haven’t we?”

“If you would just give me the Miraculous,” she muttered sullenly.

“You sound like Papillon,” Adrien remarked tauntingly, inching away, struggling against his bindings as he retreated.

“Adrien, stop being difficult,” Ladybug groaned.

“I think you’ve been spending too much time with my father. Now you’re starting to sound like him,” Adrien laughed darkly. If he could just get his miniaturized cane sword off of his belt, maybe he could cut through her yoyo string.

In a last-ditch effort, she resorted to begging. “Chaton, please.”

“Cute nicknames aren’t going to get you anywhere, Princess,” he growled in frustration at her and the yoyo keeping his arms pinned fast to his sides. He jerked backwards, still fighting even though he got the sense that it was hopeless. “I’m not your cat; you didn’t want me.”

She flinched as if his reproach had physical form.

“I don’t want to do this.” She gave the yoyo string a tug, reeling him in.

“Then don’t,” he retorted sarcastically. “No one’s making you be a tyrannical jerk.”

“You don’t get it,” she groaned. “It’s my job, my responsibility. I need to take Nooroo back to the Guardian where he’ll be safe and secure.”

“What about taken care of?” Adrien challenged. “What guarantee do you have that he won’t just put Nooroo back in the box with the others and not let him out for two, three, four hundred years? Don’t you think Nooroo deserves to experience life a little? See Paris? Lie out in the sun? Watch TV? Eat whatever he feels like whenever he feels like? Don’t you think he’s entitled to a little human kindness after so long lost and forgotten about and mistreated?”

She pursed her lips, frowning, hesitating.

He inhaled deeply and played his trump card. “I know you’re always telling me to use my head, My Lady, but this time I’m telling you to use your heart instead. What if it were Tikki? Wouldn’t you want someone to take care of her? Spoil her a little bit before shoving her back in the box?”

Her eyes squeezed shut, and she shook her head, trying to shake off his words. “The Miracle Box isn’t some prison, Adrien. Nooroo will be safe and reunited with all of his friends.”

She opened her eyes to entreat once more, “Please. Give me the Miraculous.”

“No,” he answered simply but with finality. “Nooroo’s staying with me until he decides otherwise. Maybe that will be tomorrow. Maybe that will be next week, but that’s up to Nooroo, not me, and not you.”

She sighed, and, then, before Adrien could blink, she was on him, a flurry of hands rifling through his clothing, searching for the Miraculous.

Adrien stumbled backwards, caught off guard by a flashback of amorous fans pawing at him, trying to rip off his clothes, touching him without permission, restraining him.

Panic and fear slammed into him like a billboard, and he couldn’t think.

He couldn’t hear Nooroo over their mental link trying to get him to reach out for other people’s positive thoughts and emotions to stabilize his own. He couldn’t feel Plagg digging his claws into Adrien’s shoulder in an attempt to center Adrien and bring him back into the present moment.

In the absence of feeling and hearing and thought, all Adrien could do was obey his instincts, and his instincts were telling him to flee.

In his scramble to get away, he lost his footing. He didn’t realize that he’d been backed up against the edge of the roof, so he stepped back into empty air and nearly took Ladybug with him over the side of Sainte Chapelle.

Ladybug screamed, clutching at the yoyo string keeping her partner from plummeting, clutching at the side of the roof keeping her from tumbling after him. It only took a split second for her to regain her wits and begin to pull the both of them back up safely onto the roof.

Meanwhile, Plagg was buzzing around Adrien’s head, trying to get a response out of his chosen. “Kid!” he screamed. “Adrien! Adrien, just breathe, okay?” he attempted to coax.

“Is he okay?” Ladybug demanded in a pinched, strangled voice as she breathed heavily, trying to come down from the exertion and adrenaline.

“Of course he’s not okay!” Plagg snapped even as he restrained himself from clawing her face off. “Can’t you tell when someone’s having a panic attack?! Back off! Stop touching him!”

Ladybug jerked back as Plagg returned his attention to Adrien who still looked shell-shocked.

“Adrien, can you name three things you see?” Plagg coached, trying to pull Adrien back into the here and now.

Adrien shook his head, dazed.

“Well, at least he’s responding now,” Plagg grumbled, flying up to pet Adrien’s hair. “How about two things you hear?”

Adrien continued to shake his head. “You…my…” He swallowed hard. “…my h-heart.”

“Good!” Plagg praised. “Very good! How about one thing you can feel?”

“Gloves,” Adrien answered a little more quickly, gaze coming into focus.

“Three things you can see?” Plagg prompted.

Adrien nodded. “You. Sky. Rooftop.”

“Good,” Plagg soothed, giving Adrien’s head a pat. “…Okay?”

Adrien nodded again, slowly lowering himself to lie on his back on the roof. “Okay,” he mumbled, throwing an arm over his eyes. “…I can move again,” he observed.

“Yeah. She let you go once she pulled you back up onto the roof,” Plagg explained, perching on Adrien’s chest where he could simultaneously watch over his chosen and glare threateningly at Ladybug.

“Okay.” Adrien let out a tired sigh. He felt limp and boneless, like a lump of clay waiting to be shaped, unable to get up on his own. “Just…give me a minute.”

“Sure, Kid,” Plagg reassured. “Just breathe.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Ladybug ventured tentatively back into the conversation. “I didn’t know. I…I mean, he’s a model; he gets manhandled all the time. How was I supposed to know he’d freak out? I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Adrien mumbled, trying to reassure her.

“It most certainly is not!” Plagg hissed. “She pushed you off a building!”

“I think I did that myself,” Adrien chuckled weakly.

“Are you okay?” Ladybug timidly inquired, voice soft as she inched closer, coming up beside him.

He did a quick mental scan, taking stock of his condition: heart fluttering, breathing irregular, thoughts a whirl, energy sapped.

“I will be,” he assured. “The attacks are just a little draining.”

“Yeah,” she whispered, nodding. “I get really tired after mine.”

He nodded, arm still thrown over his eyes. “…I…was kidnapped a couple times.”

Ladybug gasped, halting in her slow advance up towards his head.

“When I was little, attempts were more common. There’s a reason I have a bodyguard,” he explained. “When I was older…I mean you talked about the perils of being famous before. Some fans just want to rip off a piece of a shirt as a souvenir, but others…some people are convinced that they’ve been chosen by God to have my children or that aliens have been sending them messages about how they’re meant to be with me, and—”

“—Kid, breathe,” Plagg reminded as Adrien’s words began to trip over one another, tumbling out in a breathless stream.

Adrien inhaled slowly before continuing in a quiet, anxious tone, “It’s not your fault you didn’t know because I’m really handsy with people I’m comfortable with, so I probably gave you the wrong idea about where my boundaries are as far as people touching me, but…” He took another deep breath. “The truth is, I get a little freaked out when people just grab me and try to pull my clothes off because I’ve been assaulted before.”

Ladybug began to gasp again, but no sound passed her lips, her vocal chords seizing up in shock and horror.

Adrien immediately backpedaled. “I mean, that’s what it’s called, right? When people you don’t want touching you try to kiss you and get your clothes off and-and touch you in inappropriate places and—but it’s not a big deal. They’ve never actually gotten my clothes off, so I guess it’s only attempted assault. And I guess it doesn’t count anyway because I’m a guy, but—”

“—It counts, Adrien,” she growled in a way that told him the matter wasn’t up for debate.

Adrien slowly pulled back his arm and tentatively peered up at her as she hovered over him, her face bereft, pained, and yet fierce…angry.

She looked like she was prepared to go out and burn down Paris for him, hunt down those who had hurt him and make them pay. She looked like she wanted to make sure no one would ever hurt him again.

“Oh,” he breathed, losing his train of thought.

How was it possible that she didn’t love him? He could see the depth of her feelings for him in her eyes.

He was afraid to use Nooroo’s abilities to scan her and check. He was afraid of not finding love after all. He was a mess. Maybe he was just imagining the look in her eye. Maybe he was projecting how he felt onto her.

She tentatively reached out a hand, pausing centimeters away from his hair. “May I?”

He nodded, not quite sure what he was agreeing to.

Her fingers gently began to trace slow patterns against his scalp.

His eyes fluttered closed, and he melted into the moment with her, letting all that stood between them go.

His head ended up in her lap at some point, both of her hands working their magic, turning his brain to mush. His body went pliant, and he began to purr as he nuzzled her thigh.

She laughed, and her giggle was musical. “You can still do that even when you’re not transformed?”

“When I’m happy,” he replied lethargically, the majority of his mind offline. “When I feel safe.”

Ladybug’s heart lurched, but her fingers kept moving. She was surprised that she could still make him feel happy and safe enough to purr after everything they’d been through recently.

“Oh, Minou,” she cooed warmly. “My Minou…”

Time slipped away from them, but, eventually, fingers came to a stop, and Adrien’s eyes slipped open.

“How are you feeling?” Ladybug inquired softly.

Adrien sighed, sitting up and giving a stretch as he came back to himself and the reality that was the roof of Sainte Chapelle.

“I’m…good,” he decided. “Thank you.” He smiled at her sheepishly. “Sorry about going all cat.”

She shook her head, a serene smile on her own face. “I like cats. I’ve never been able to have one because of the bakery, but I’ve always found petting them to be relaxing.”

“Well,” he chuckled impishly. “If ever you want to pet a cat, I humbly but wholeheartedly offer you my services.”

She rolled her eyes, giving his nose a poke like old times. She’d done it automatically, and only after her finger was already on his nose did she stop to think that maybe things had changed between them and she shouldn’t be doing things like that anymore.

But he was laughing and smiling at her. He looked happy and carefree, just like her beloved partner Chat. It was as if nothing were wrong between them.

She decided to go with it, to let things be normal. She’d been craving normalcy for months.

“Are you busy right now?” he asked, still chuckling.

She shook her head. “No. Why?”

“Wanna ‘patrol’, as Alya calls it?” He snickered at the term Alya had invented on her blog for when she spotted Ladybug and Chat Noir out and about when there wasn’t an akuma.

Ladybug cracked up. “What? You mean chase each other over the rooftops or have an impromptu picnic or go hang out on the Eiffel Tower?”

His laughter harmonized with hers as he grinned wickedly. “‘Patrol’ sounds so much more responsible and heroic than ‘play tag’. Let’s use Alya’s word.”

Adrien’s wings unfolded as he smirked and booped her on the nose. “Tag. You’re it.”

He took off as she blinked after him for a moment.

“Hey!” she called to his retreating back. “No fair! You can fly!”

He just laughed, looking over his shoulder to see her dashing across the roofs after him, making up the distance with the help of her yoyo.

“You’re just jealous that you didn’t think of adding wings to your costume!” he shouted back at her.

This only fueled her competitive streak. She caught him in less than thirty seconds, and then he was off after her, heading onto the Left Bank, past their school and the bakery and into the Latin Quarter.

Back and forth their game went, past the Panthéon, through the Jardin du Luxembourg, onto the roof of Saint-Sulpice, and back up towards the Seine near the Musée d’Orsay. They looped down, landing on the roof of the Hôtel des Invalides, its golden dome shimmering in the evening sun.

Adrien grabbed Ladybug, catching her around the waist, exclaiming, “Got ya!” as she giggled her head off.

The laughter eventually tapered off as time passed and Adrien didn’t release her. She turned in his hold to meet his gaze and study his face, hoping to discern his intentions.

Adrien’s arms settled around her, his hands alighting on her hips even as hers found his chest.

Their faces were less than half a meter away as they both breathed hard from the chase.

He stared into her eyes as she returned the favour. There was longing and want in her half-lidded, inviting gaze.

A fetching pink colour dusted her cheeks, and he could feel his own skin matching her rosy hue.

His body ached for her. His heart ached for her.

She stepped in closer, her thighs brushing his, her hand going to his cheek. She stared at him in wonder, watching the delicate, blue butterfly wings airbrushed at the corners of his eyes turn purple as he blushed.

Wordlessly, they mutually agreed to lean in.

He would have kissed her if not for the timely intervention of a stray thought: the week before at the graduation party, her telling him that she didn’t love him.

This thought was accompanied by others. That day in the Tuileries came back to him, her disappointment, her rejection. Pain. All the pain he had felt over the past two months…the past five years. The betrayal, the hurt, the ache, the insecurities, the feeling of not being good enough, of being unwanted.

She didn’t love him. She didn’t want him.

He pulled back with a gasp. “S-Sorry.”

Her eyelids fluttered in a daze as she tried to piece together what had happened. She was flush against Adrien, in his arms, about to kiss him, and then…

Then he was a meter away, looking frightened, moving back, going to sit at the base of the golden dome, looking out blankly at the Grand Palais to the north across the Seine.

“It’s…okay,” she replied jerkily, still trying to regain her bearings. Hesitantly, she went to sit next to him, casting him tentative glances. “…Are you okay?”

He shook his head and muttered, “That shouldn’t have happened,” by way of explanation.

She had no words to offer in response. What was the good of arguing that they had clearly both wanted it to happen…up until the point where he suddenly didn’t anymore? There was no point in asking if she’d done something wrong. She knew the answer. She’d been doing everything wrong for years and years: rejecting Chat, idolizing Adrien, running away from him because she was scared and overwhelmed and unsure of how to help him…sure that she couldn’t help, sure that she would only make it worse.

“…Are you okay?” she repeated gently.

He shook his head again. “How’s your boyfriend doing?”

Ladybug winced.

How was it that merely being in Adrien’s presence was enough to wash Luka from her mind?

“He’s…” She grimaced. “Wonderful. Too wonderful. Too good for me.”

Adrien chuckled, smiling gently as he gave her a soft look. “I don’t know if anyone is actually good enough for Luka Couffaine, but of this I’m certain: you two fit one another. I don’t know if anyone is actually good enough for you either.”

She let out a bark of laughter that sounded more like a scoff. “You are biased and wrong.” She let her shoulder bump his.

He clicked his tongue and returned her nudge. “I am biased and right. You are two of the most wonderful people I know…. You deserve to be happy together.”

He left out the “even if that means misery for me” part.

Ladybug shook her head, blowing out a long sigh. “I told him about the mess with you on Sunday…more or less…what I could tell. I’d told him when he asked me out that I’d be emotionally cheating on him, but I don’t think he really got it. He gets it now…and I’m surprised he didn’t break up with me. Part of me wishes he had. That’s what I feel like I deserve.”

Adrien snorted. “He’d never break up with you. He’s been in love with you since the day you two met. Even though he’s dated other people, he’s never stopped loving you. You’ve always been number one in his heart.”

Ladybug hummed thoughtfully, unconvinced.

“Princess, this is the guy you’re going to marry,” he laughed sadly, sounding so sure of himself. “Seriously. I give you a month to get over whatever residual guilt and confusion you’re still dealing with because of me, and then you’ll only have eyes for him just like he only has eyes for you.”

She smiled half-heartedly, setting her hand down next to his on the lip at the base of the dome of the Hôtel des Invalides. “I’m partially amused by the fact that you’re an idealistic romantic about my love life in general, not just my love life as it concerns you.”

A hint of a frown curled between his brows. “What do you mean?”

She reached out to pat his arm before setting her hand down by his once more. “Just…the things you said about the two of us being picked by destiny for each other, and now Luka and I are a perfect fit, made for one another. Love at first sight…being his one true love who he couldn’t forget even when he was with other people… I’m really sorry, Chaton, but life isn’t actually like that.”

He turned away, looking back out towards the Grand Palais.

“I’m not saying this to be mean or hurt you, but this isn’t like the fairytales your mom used to read you. This isn’t like all the plays she was in.” She tried to break it to him gently, but she didn’t seem to be succeeding. “Real life doesn’t follow fairytale rules.”

Adrien bit his lip and tried to ignore her. He needed her to be wrong. He needed to believe in good being rewarded and evil being punished and happily ever after and someday my prince will come. If none of that were real, what guarantee did he have that he’d eventually work his way out of his current situation and one day find happiness?

“I wouldn’t set your hopes on being in my wedding to Luka,” she cautioned. “He’s going to realize that he can do better, that I’m not the only person he can love.”

Adrien snorted, giving his eyes a roll.

“I’m serious,” she insisted. “He told me that two years ago there was someone he was absolutely gone on…that it felt like his heart had been dead after her…until me…. He would have married her. I could tell…so don’t marry me off to Luka yet.” Tentatively, her hand found his, resting on top of it and giving it a squeeze.

Adrien blinked at her owlishly. “Two years ago?”

Ladybug blinked back, confused as to why Adrien was fixating on this particular detail.

He frowned, looking back out towards the Seine, doing some mental math. He knew that the last person Luka had mentioned being in love with was a girl named Babette, but that relationship had ended because Luka couldn’t stop thinking of Marinette. That had been a few months before Luka and Adrien had become close in March, and Luka hadn’t dated anyone during the time that he and Adrien were friends. It must have been after Gabriel abruptly ended Adrien’s visits to the Liberty in mid-August.

Ladybug’s brows furrowed, causing the top of her mask to scrunch up in concern. “Are you all right?”

Adrien blinked again, coming back into the present.

“Where’d you go?” Ladybug wondered.

Adrien shook his head.

“…You know…you don’t sound mad or resentful,” she observed, threading her fingers through his.

“I am mad and resentful,” he sighed, not looking at her. “I’m also exhausted and resigned. …Something about the stages of grief not being linear.”

“But…you’re not mad at Luka, are you?” she hesitantly pressed.

“No,” he affirmed. “Luka didn’t do anything wrong. I’m jealous of him and envious, but…I mean, what is there to be mad about? The better man won.” He shrugged as nonchalantly as he could manage. “What’s the point of getting angry at him because I wasn’t good enough?”

She opened her mouth to tell him that that wasn’t true, but he steamrolled over her.

“No, I’m mad at myself and at you and at Nino.”

Ladybug winced, feeling very small. “That’s…I mean, not good, per se, but…good for Luka. He was worried that you might hate him now.”

Adrien’s head whipped around to stare in confusion at her. “What? No. I mean…I would think that he hated me now that he knows about how I’m mixed up with his girlfriend.” Adrien grimaced, and he pulled his top hat down over his face as he realized, “God, how could he even be friends with me? He’s known this whole time, hasn’t he, that Adrien was the guy you liked who was keeping you from being with him?”

“Why the third person?” she had to wonder. “Why ‘Adrien’ instead of ‘I’? You make yourself sound like a different person.”

Adrien averted his eyes. “Because you liked Adrien Agreste, not…not me.”

“Oh, Beau Gosse,” she sighed, using her nickname for Adrien. “I was never wowed by Adrien Agreste. It wasn’t your money or your looks or your father’s empire. It wasn’t Adrien Agreste. It was your dorky laughter and your vulnerability. Your earnestness. I like the nerdy boy who gets enthused talking about Doctor Who and slice of life anime. I like the sheltered boy who didn’t know not to put metal in a microwave. I like the sensitive guy who still cries like a baby during dog movies. I don’t like Adrien Agreste.”

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I like you, Adrien.”

Almost afraid to hope, Adrien tipped his head to look at her from under the brim of his hat. “But…you said you don’t love me.”

Ladybug shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I don’t think I do.”

It took much effort for him not to crumble. “Oh…. Okay…. I mean, so long as we’re on the same page.”

“Adrien, I know next to nothing about love,” she explained, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice, “but if I truly loved you, would I have flaked on you like I did? People in love stand by one another through tough times, don’t they? Isn’t that how you know it’s real? You overcome the hard times together? Isn’t love supposed to endure or something?” She looked at him for answers.

He gazed back, only questions of his own in his icy blue eyes.

“Your love for me is enduring all this, isn’t it? All the pain and the mess and the disappointment?” she challenged. “I’m hurting you—I have hurt you—and yet you still love me, don’t you?”

He nodded.

She shook her head. “Well, my feelings for you didn’t weather the storm.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, and his lips pressed into a thin, tight line, silently begging for her to elaborate, to help him understand.

A pained smile wound across her lips. “When you were dating all those girls…the way you treated Elise when you two were dating…”

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but she placed her far hand on his lips to silence him.

“I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. You were just following advice from someone you trusted. I’m sorry I give such crappy relationship advice. It turns out that I have no idea what I’m talking about.”

He gave a little snort of agreement.

“I’m sorry, Adrien. Even though it was partially my fault, even though I didn’t have any claim on you or your affections…it still really hurt me.” She tightened her grip on his hand.

He pulled away only to take her hand in his and squeeze back.

“You hurt me…bad,” she whispered. “I know it’s stupid and that I shouldn’t feel this way, but…but I do. This is how I feel. It felt like a betrayal seeing you kiss all those other girls without a thought, like it was no big deal. Just…the fact that you could do that…”

She took a deep breath and shook her head. “But we don’t need to keep going over the same ground again and again. I was hurt that you didn’t pick Marinette first. I was hurt that you weren’t the man I thought you were. I understand that it wasn’t completely your fault and that I should have said something…about my feelings, about what I thought about how you were acting… I know you’ve been lost this year. I’ve been lost too, so…”

She trailed off, gripping his hand and chewing thoughtfully at her bottom lip.

“…So…now what?” he whispered, still sounding lost.

“I…’m not sure,” she confessed. “We rebuild?”

“What does that mean?” he wondered, wanting to do whatever she said, wanting to make it work. “Concretely?”

She looked at him and then down at their joined hands. “I guess…you work on you, and I’ll work on me, and…we’ll see.”

“Oh.” He nodded, wishing she had a more detailed plan. Ladybug plans were often convoluted, and he never really knew exactly what he was doing or why he was doing it, but she had always known, step by step, what to do. Now, she didn’t sound sure, and that made him uneasy.

“…I miss you,” she whispered. “I miss us…. Chinese food and anime and making cupcakes and throwing flour at one another and cuddling on the couch and sharing parts of our meals and watching obscure films…I miss all of the things that made us us.”

“I don’t think we can be us right now,” he replied sadly, voice tired and full of longing. Then, more softly he added, “I don’t know if we can be that us again…. We broke that us.”

“So…we have to build a new us…just like we built the old us—only better this time,” she hastened to clarify. “We’ll build a healthier us.”

Adrien gently untangled his hand from hers, bringing it in to cover his face as he sighed. “I think I finally get what ‘space’ means. I think I understand what you meant when you said you needed time and space after-after the initial blowup. I think I need some time and some space.”

Her hand went to his hair, fingers gently rubbing at his scalp. “Shh. It’s okay,” she assured. “I’m sorry. I get it. It’s okay.”

He lowered his hands from his face and turned to look at her pleadingly. “Marinette,” he whispered as if the very word was precious.

It sent pleasant chills down her spine.

“I am hopelessly in love with you,” he sighed, stressing, “Still. After everything. And I don’t think I’m ever going to fall out of love with you. If I try to be some kind of us with you right now, it’s not going to go well. It’s not going to be any different than last time. Who I am right now, this version of me, can’t do any better. I can’t do ‘just friends’. I can’t be your friend, Marinette.”

She nodded, not liking his answer but understanding where he was coming from. “Okay,” she agreed softly, giving his head a pat before retracting her hand. “That’s fair. I mean, I get it. I really messed us up, and I get that you need a bit to figure things out. Just…” She looked up and caught his gaze, arresting it with her own. “My mistake was taking too much time. I kept pushing you away even after I should have just bit the bullet and womaned up and started to fix things. I know it’s selfish for me to say this, but…I miss you, so don’t take too long figuring things out, okay?”

He sighed, leaning in to drop a kiss onto her forehead. He stood, took a few steps, and turned to face her, his tailcoat morphing back into dazzling blue and black wings. “Don’t blame yourself, Milady. Don’t blame just yourself. I came into this relationship messed up, and I didn’t do anything to help matters. I’m at fault too. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be friends with you, Marinette, but I know for a fact that I won’t be able to stay away from you for long, regardless of my feelings. I’ll see you soon, Meinu,” he assured. “Take care of yourself and be happy, okay?”

She nodded, getting to her feet and taking a few reflexive steps towards him. “You too, Beau Gosse.”

He turned to go, and she bit her lip.

“Hey.”

He looked back, folding his wings so that he could see her. He arched an eyebrow.

“I’ll-I’ll have a word with Maître Fu about Nooroo staying with you,” she informed. “I’d still rather he be safe in the Miracle Box, but I get it. I really do get it. I would want someone to take care of Tikki. It is important, what you’re doing. My heart does agree with you, even though my head says it’s dangerous. I’ll tell Maître Fu to leave you guys the hell alone, okay?” She smiled nervously, a peace offering.

He returned the grin with interest, smiling brilliantly back at her, his whole face lighting up, the butterfly wings painting his cheeks shimmering in response.

“Thank you,” he stressed, gratitude coating each syllable. “Thank you, My Lady. You have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

Her smile gained strength as she shrugged. “I think I have some idea. Just…did Nooroo mention anything about Papillon’s identity or location or-or anything we could use?”

Adrien shook his head slowly. “I don’t plan on asking. I don’t…” He bit his lip. “This whole thing has been traumatic for him. I know you’ll probably disagree, but as long as Papillon and Mayura stay gone, isn’t that good enough? I know they should be punished for all the people they hurt, but…can’t we just leave them alone? Let them have their baby and move on with our lives? Let Nooroo move on?”

Ladybug bit her lip. She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to finish this for good. She wanted closure for the city. She wanted people to be able to sleep at night without fearing a return of Papillon, the next sentimonster attack to destroy their homes, snuff out their lives. She wanted all the loose ends tied up, but…

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was not a comic book hero. Loose ends didn’t always get tied up in real life. This wasn’t ideal, but…she wasn’t about to start another argument with her partner over it.

She sighed and let it go. “Okay. All right. If he does ever say something we could use to unmask Papillon, I would appreciate it if you’d let me know, but…okay. For now…let’s move on.”

Adrien let go of a breath he hadn’t intentionally been holding. His smile regained its luminosity. “Okay. Thanks, Ladybug. I’ll see you around.”

“See you around, Swallowtail.” Her smile reached even her eyes as she waved him off.

With a flap of his wings, he was airborne and headed home.

The Agreste Mansion wasn’t far from the Hôtel des Invalides. He made it in minutes, wings turning back into a tailcoat to fit through the window as he dropped back into his room.

Plagg came out of his hiding spot in Adrien’s left shoulder and hovered silently, waiting for Adrien to make the first move.

Adrien shuffled over to his bed, flopping facedown as he released the transformation.

Nooroo appeared, landing on the bedspread in a flutter of wings. “Adrien-bocchama?” he called tentatively.

“You guys can help yourself to the cheese and mini banana cream pies in the fridge,” Adrien mumbled into the duvet. “I’m going to lie here for a bit, okay?”

“You okay, Kid?” Plagg inquired softly, landing next to Nooroo.

Adrien made an uncertain noise. “I just…” He sniffled. “Sorry. Overwhelmed. It’s a lot.”

“Of course,” Nooroo assured, coming to pet Adrien’s hair, having surmised that his new master found the gesture comforting.

“Do I need to go get Gabe or Nathalie?” Plagg checked, coming up to lick Adrien’s cheek.

“No. I’m okay. Just…just a little messed up from seeing her. Could you text them I’m home and resting?”

“Sure,” Plagg easily agreed, fetching the phone out of Adrien’s pocket and drawing in the code to unlock it.

“Ask them to leave me alone for the evening, please,” Adrien requested as the tears started to come faster and harder. “I’m fine. I just…I just need a minute…or a couple hours. Today was a lot.”

“Sure, Kid,” Plagg confirmed, letting Adrien have what he needed. “…You did good today.”

“Magnificent!” Nooroo corroborated, nodding enthusiastically.

Adrien choked out a laugh through tears. “Th-Thanks, guys.”

#Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Adrien Agreste #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Adrienette #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Plagg #Nooroo #Ladybug #Butterfly!Adrien #Fluff #Tension #Bittersweet #Mikau's Writings #There's a Daisy

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