#all I’m missing is a bless this mess sign and I’m set
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Fighting capitalism by having an art ‘aesthetic’ that is so so rancid, no brands want to use you for marketing.
Yes I’m looking at Tiktokkers who have cute tidy work spaces where everything is displayed ‘just right’ lending a superficial atmosphere that’s appealing to consumers and marketers who want you to slide their brands into your videos.
I show my studio space to Instagram artists and they dissolve like I’ve opened the ark of the covenant.
#if you find mess stressful#this is not directed at you#that’s a completely different kettle of fish#and I respect you#but I will never be you#all I’m missing is a bless this mess sign and I’m set#this is some deep Ellie lore good god
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Snow falls: Chapter 29: The Snow Fox
Aemond x femoc reader
Tags: Show setting, series, main series, willa snowfallsaemond
Cool devider credits: firefly graphics
🔷Summary: You are Willa Wyldewoods, the daughter of a powerful lord in the North and Aemonds spoils of war/prisoner.
🔷Author's note: I wonder how archive will react, xD. I love this aemond because hes so messed up in the head haha.
🔷Wordcount :2090
🔷Warnings: Lying, dark!Aemond, childloss (mentioned only) trauma, angst, fear, and Larys. edit: mention of non-con but none of it is descriped
You don't know what you are planning for that day. You only know you want to do something. Alicent once told you that the greatest honor was carrying Valyrian offspring. Especially royal Valyrian offspring.
You hope one day that you and Aemond are to be blessed with a healthy child, befitting your husband's needs for an heir, and perhaps to complete this picture that recently keeps popping up in your head.
One day.
Because you know the cold hard truth: As long as the Blacks are alive, as long as the Targaryens that murder and kill children are alive, neither your child nor Aemond nor you will be safe.
And that means it's either time for peace or time for people to die. You can’t be the naïve doe-eyed girl from the North anymore. You have a position at court where there are plenty of resources to contact someone and to make sure your word gets out to Queen Rhaenyra.
Your husband had gotten up to train earlier, at the almost earliest sign of dusk. To prepare for the war. You know one day he might be off to fight King Aegon’s wars, but you hope that you will find a way to foil and stop the war before the fighting begins. You rely on it.
The first step is acquiring paper ink and a quill. After that, you will see what your brain has come up with next.
Aemond has left the chamber unlocked, and after you have dressed you leave his chambers, walking through the maze that is the Red Keep. There are dozens of different rooms and you would not know a single room of them to hold ink or a quill, so you walk from room to room and hope for the best.
A man leaning heavily on a cane approaches you as you try to enter another room. ‘’Can I help you, Lady WyldeWoods?’’ His smile speaks to you in a certain way. An all-knowing smile, a smile that betrays he knows what you are up to. He knows who you are too.
Can he help you? Most likely. But should he help you? That’s another complicated question. ‘’Uh, yes? Perhaps?’’ You feel like a little girl again, surrounded by strange powerful men in foreign lands. Without Aemond, you know nothing and hold no true power. It is time to change that.
‘’It is alright.’’ He assures you, leaning heavily on his crane. ‘’You can tell me, my Lady. I’ve been here for an eternity, or so it feels. If there is anyone you are searching for, I shall help you find them.’’ He sounds lonely. ‘’O, I’m named Larys Strong.’’
You look at your gloved hands. ‘’I’m looking for ink and paper. Aemond, my husband, has run out.’’ You tell him with a polite smile. ‘’I wish to write about my family in the North. They must miss me.’’ You do plan to write to someone in the North. But that someone is not family.
The man laughs, amused, before looking into your eyes, searching for any lies. ‘’Has he? Or do you want to send a message that he can’t know of?’’ You know your husband has ink and paper and quills but you worried about him knowing somehow that you wrote a message.
‘’I shall bring you to the Maester, he always has parchment and quills and ink. Does your family live far away, my Lady?’’
A whole world away. They are not in this world anymore, Aemond made sure of that. Aegon ordered them dead, and he swung his sword in obedience. The only one who escaped was your mother, due to ancient dark sorcery called ‘blood magic.’
You silently hope that Larys is uninformed and does not know you don’t have any family left to write to begin with. ‘’They live in the North.’’ The best foundation for a lie is always a truth. Even if that truth has ended or changed.
‘’You must forgive me, my lady…’’ He frowns, suddenly before smiling as if this pains him to remind you. He steps a step closer, leaning heavily on his crane when pointing at the snow fox sigil on your necklace. ‘’But I heard rumors that Prince Aemond slaughtered them all, before forcing you into the wedding bed.’’ That is true, but it is unfair to blame Aemond when Aegon ordered their deaths. It is unfair to blame a tree for catching fire when someone else lit the match. It is cruel to hope a puddle of snow won't melt once someone places a burning candle in the middle of it. You will never forgive Aemond nor Aegon for their actions that day, and part of you still relives what happened that day almost daily, and yet you hope to one day wake up to be able to forget it ever happened.
You smack your lips softly before speaking as if you were trained. As a lady. ‘’Not all, if you must know. He spared my mother.’’ You say, tightlipped. Aemond ran her through, you saw the scars in her neck. But she did again, what she is good at: Blood magic and she survived by taking the life of your father, her own husband.
You finally see what Larys is after. He is not here to help you; he is here to test your loyalties and to ask if you are true to your husband. ‘’And yet you pretend to be on Aemond’s side? After he raped, plundered, and tormented you?’’ Larys asks, sincerely.
That answer was coming, and you knew it. And yet it hurts your soul, burns your insides, and shatters your heart. Because your love with Aemond is fickle, it is like a burning flame on a candle. One gust of wind and it’s all over. It reminds you of that crucial fact.
How strong can a seed grow, that was planted in death earth, and watered with blood and sorrow?
‘’I’m a wife now.’’ You respond, as if that explains your change of heart. ‘’I am married. I have duties, whether I like them or not. Aemond has only harmed me when I tried to run.’’ Your fingers touch the numb skin by your eye, where your sapphire sits. Still, that weasel of a man doubts your loyalty to the man you lost your child for.
You get in his face, sizing him up like you have seen your husband do a million times before folding your hands in front of you as a Lady. ‘’I have little say or choice, Lord. Aemond and I started our relationship rocky, but it has become stable, at least something worth fighting for. Do you think our relationship and more importantly, the king’s war will go smoothly if my husband is unhappy?’’
He becomes uncertain, perhaps a bit frightened when you mention the King.
‘’He has quite the temper.’’ Aemond does. He is like a dragon.
You raise your brows.
‘’He does.’’ You admit. ‘’Shall we get my supplies or shall I find someone who will?’’
‘’No need, my Lady. We shall find you a parchment and quill and ink.’’ He takes steps ahead of you, and you follow him, suspicious.
He leads you to an unfamiliar grant room, as big as a hall. There is a double bed in it, with green silk sheets and beautiful golden stitched details. You have entered the King’s rooms before, but this is not his room. Your eyes quickly search for a quick way out, should you need it. Larys rummages through a desk that stands in front of the window. You walk to the wooden wardrobe and notice dresses with elaborate details in the color green.
‘’We are in Alicent’s rooms, aren’t we?’’ You murmur, uncomfortable that you are trespassing in the rooms of your mother-in-law. ‘’I can tell by the green and gold decorated furniture.’’ You walk a little further into the room, pointing at a hairbrush where clear red hairs are stuck on.
‘’I’m impressed. You are not stupid, Willa. No matter what they say about you.’’ Larys responds after a while. ‘’You can write whatever message you’d like. I’ll make sure it gets to the messenger.’’
Aemond taught you too well by hiding your letters from you how much power there is in reading someone’s letters.
As if you trust Larys with that. But to admit that you know, would be to lose this advantage. So you fake a smile, and nod obediently. Larys leaves the rooms as you sit down at the former Queen’s desk, taking a letter of Parchment.
Dear Cregan,
Once upon a time,
My parents wished me to marry you.
Your sigil is the dire wolf, mine is the snow fox. The two are said to be kin, to be family.
We are both Northern and the blood of ice runs as fire through our veins.
I must admit that my feelings for the man you call my ‘captor’ have become anything but uncomplicated, and I worry for my future as his wife.
I worry about the future for us all, should this war continue. I beg you to reconsider your potent position in this war, as your friend and as tribute to what was done to my family. You were warden of the North. You and the North failed me and my family.
The least you can do is bend the knee to my husband, Prince Aemond Targaryen, and to pay your debt that is owed to me.
Because if you won’t,
I will do what my family has done for generations.
I will ‘Await My Turn’ and take what is owed to me, with ‘Fire and Blood’.
Your friend and ally, or the reason you will hate being granted another day to breathe,
Her lady Willa WyldeWoods of the SnowfoxWoods and the WyldeCrest Keep.
After 5 attempts your letter is to your liking. There was one detail you considered adding to your letters, but it is best that Cregan does not know this. You notice your dress has become tighter than usual, you notice emotional swings and you notice the strange, explaining cravings for cheese and banana pies. You are likely with child.
And the only way to ensure this one won’t get run through with a sword, or sacrificed, is to make sure no one knows of your pregnancy. Not even Aemond, for as long as possible.
You take your letter with you, make sure the desk is clean and tidy for Alicent and throw away her former old unneeded letters as well. You empty the bin in the fireplace before lighting it yourself, to ensure no one will know.
You walk back with your letter hidden under your slightly swollen belly, your big fur coat protecting you from unwanted attention. A few maids and servants curtsy to you as you pass them on your way to where they keep the ravens, in the maester’s rooms. It takes a half hour to find it, but once you do, you are relieved that the room is empty. You grab a raven by the feathered neck, before tying your message to his neck. ‘’Find Cregan. Find Winterfell. Quickly.’’ You tell the raven before sending him off.
You watch as the raven takes wing. You smile, walking back to your husband’s rooms. Aemond is not there yet, so you decide to read a few books he picked out for you. Your favorite is the story of the pretty princess who falls in love with a horrible beast. You are just by the page when they have their first kiss when Aemond enters the room, his face crestfallen and his body language unreadable.
You sit up on the bed, greeting your husband. ‘Hello.’’ Instead of greeting you back, or kissing you, he throws something at your feet. You look at the burned remains of your letters and the letter you just sent, covered in blood. Someone killed your raven.
‘’Is it true?’’ Aemond asks. You tear up helplessly, afraid of him to see the monster again. Yet you force yourself to be the big brave girl.
‘’I wrote Cregan, yes.’’ You hope he understands it. ‘’I want to stop this war. I know you’ll resent me for it. You’ll find me a spineless little stupid girl…’’ He called you stupid dozens of times before.
Your book is pushed aside, and it closes by accident as Aemond rubs his bloodied fingers off on his vest, flipping you on your back. You are slightly frightened, slightly surprised by his gentle touch and his smile. ‘’Fuck Cregan, fuck the war. Is it true?’’ He breathes, looking at you as if you are a miracle. His hands softly rub your belly. ‘’Is it true, my little fox? Do you keep a big secret from me?’’ He breaks into a grin. ‘’Is there a tiny warrior in your belly?’’ You nod, wordlessly before tearing up, crying as you recall your other son, who died in your womb. How you bled him out of your body.
‘’Are you pleased?’’ You manage to ask, between sobs. Aemond places your head on his shoulders, hugging you tightly when giving your belly enough space.
‘’You know I am.’’ You are relieved. He is happy. He likes it.
You do have one worry. ‘’What if it’s a girl?’’ Men don’t want their wives to give them girls.
Aemond told you once that girls will be married off. But that man has changed. ‘’I shall protect her.’’ He murmurs. ‘’You and her both.’’
And finally there is one final ‘what if.’
‘’What if it’s another…’’ Disaster?
You are kissed by him, dozens of little kisses all over your teary face. ‘’Shh.’’ he hushes you, gently. ‘’I shall hold you if need be, I shall bury them if need be, and I shall love you all the same as if not a moment has passed.’’ You are thankful, glad and you feel a bit more safe knowing Aemond won't resent you for it.
‘’So you wrote Cregan?’’ He asks, changing the subject.
You weakly touch his silver hairs, running your finger through his silk locks. ‘’I’m sorry.’’ You murmur and it's the truth. What were you thinking?
Aemond sighs, letting you play with his hair. ‘’We are already at war with him, Willa. Perhaps this development is good. He likes you more than me.’’ Perhaps. Time will tell.
Aemond moves a little closer, his lips leaving kisses all over your body that he slowly unveils. He kisses your belly. He joins you lying on the bed, his arms wrapped around your belly.
You drif asleep at some point, and awake with your husband snoring peacefully next to you. There is a knock on the door.
Aemond woke, startled. He puts his chamber robe on. He opens the door to let a servant in, who carries a message. ‘’Thank you.’’ Aemond murmurs as the messenger leaves. He grabs a handful of letters, skimming through their senders before deciding to open one.
His brows briefly knit together as one, before he laughs, quietly to himself. He grins, placing himself back in bed by your side to read the rest. ‘’Husband?’’ You wonder teasingly.
‘’My spies in the North report an increasing amount of men leaving Cregan’s armies.’’ That is good. And odd. The men of the North are loyal. Why could they leave? ‘’They heard rumors that Cregan is marked by some God? They worried about their safety and fled.’’ He chuckles.
You try to smile, but your head begins to pound. You are wary. Aemond continues to talk, amused by it all. ‘’Apparently someone is out there in the North, killing Cregan's men and sacrificing them to some old Northern god.’’ You picture your mother on the day Aemond died, before clutching Aemond’s hand.
‘’Did your spies tell you how these people died?’’ You ask. He rereads the letter.
And he confirms your worst fear. ‘’Slit of the wrists.’’ It is your mother. You know it is.
You know one woman who does that.
"'The blood tree.’’ You mutter, getting up from the bed, putting your robe on.
‘’Aemond, it might be my mother.’’
He never believed the tales of witchcraft you told him. He is a believer of the Seven. ‘’We simply must send her a thank you note.’’
So you are pregnant, and the sacrifices increase all of a sudden? There is a storm coming. ‘’Aemond, she is dangerous.’’ You remind him. ‘’Think about what she did to our son. She brought you back from the grave.’’
‘’What does she want?’’ He wonders. ‘’What is her motive, what drives her? I still don’t understand why she brought her killer back?’’ He means himself. You are hurt by those words and stiffen. He sighs, kissing your forehead.
You know what she wants.
To see you, on the Iron throne
‘’I don’t know, Aemond. It can’t be good.’’ That moment another servant enters your rooms, handing you a letter too. You open it without a second thought, and the maid leaves in a hurry.
You read the first word and freeze, spinning the letter over so you can see the sigil.
The blood tree.
The symbol of your mother’s house. And she has written to you. There are three sentences there, but they hit as blows and cause your worries to increase until you clutch Aemond’s arm, yelling at him to read it too.
Love is strong
Blood is stronger
See you soon, my child.
#hotd#hotd fanfiction#hotd fanfic#aemond targaryen#aemond#aemond one eye#hotd x reader#hotd x you#aemond x reader#aemond x you#aemond smut#aemond fic#aemond fanfiction#hotd x oc#aemond x oc#aemond targaryen x reader#aemond targaryen x oc
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Can you do a Drabble where someone from the team scolds Hetty for what she put Deeks and Kensi through in the past like their separation.
A/N: Oh look, a chance to unload some feelings. Fair warning, this is probably quite different than what you imagined, contains a bit more than a scolding, and is fairly dramatic.
Title adapted from one of Nell’s lines in “Mother”. This also takes place sometime post “Mother”.
***
When You Play God
Nell set a completed set of files to the side, checking over her list. She’d signed off on all the month’s expense and mileage reports while Eric ran some searches, and if she timed it right, she just might have a chance to warm up her coffee before tackling yet more paperwork in between fielding calls with Eric.
She offered him a smile as she held up her half-full mug of cooled coffee, and marched downstairs. Luckily, there was still a fresh pot (god bless Eric) and she filled her cup up, adding a healthy pour of cream.
“Ah, Miss Jones, just who I was looking for,” Hetty said, appearing behind Nell unexpectedly. Nell turned just enough to acknowledge her, picking up her mug of coffee and a stack of files she grabbed along the way. “I need you to find something for me.”
“I’m a little bit busy right now, Hetty,” Nell responded evenly.
“I understand that, but this is important.”
“So is all the work I have waiting for me in OPS.
Hetty leaned back slightly, eyes widening behind her glasses. Nell thought she looked particularly tiny in a her tailored suit.
“Have I don’t something to offend you Miss Jones?” she asked softly.
“Oh no, nothing at all. You just left me in charge, again, without any position real authority while you go off to who knows where,” Nell said ruthlessly, fingers clamped so tightly around her mug, ached. “Do you think you can just pop back in whenever you want and expect nothing to change?”
“I only give as much as I think my agents can handle, Nell. You must know that I care about you and would never do anything to purposely harm you.
Nell made an incredulous sound and spun around. “You’ve spent years manipulating all of us and yet you have the audacity to act like the benevolent parent. Do you even know the damage you’ve caused? The last three years alone, you’ve just disappeared without warning, leaving messes behind, then returning to cause more chaos.”
“Unfortunately, some being a leader requires difficult decisions,” Hetty replied with the same sense of confusion and patience one might reserve for a petulant child. It enraged Nell even more.
“Really? So, when you separated Kensi and Deeks while he had just started to recover from what Sidorov did to him kept you up at night? You let them believe it was because of their relationship. Was that done with good will?”
Without realizing it, her voice had risen steadily, loud enough that anyone walking by would hear, but she didn’t care.
“Let’s not even get into sending Kensi to Afghanistan without telling her why, which ended up in her being kidnapped and tortured.”
Hetty’s mouth dropped open slightly, and Nell felt a dark pleasure at her discomfort. She took a step back as Nell advanced on her.
“What about what you did to Callen and all those other children. Akhos tried to destroy you and everyone around you.” Her voice trembled, now a whisper as he jabbed her finger at Hetty. “Does that keep you up at night?”
Inhaling shakily, Nell crossed her arms over her chest, in a futile attempt to quell the tremors running through her body. In front of her, Hetty hunched, and defeated. Nell expected to feel a certain vindication, but any satisfaction had evaporated.
“I didn’t realize it had come to this,” she said with a shake of her head. “There was one time when you wanted to be like me.”
“That was when I still trusted you. When I still believed that you had our best interest in mind. When I was hopelessly naive.”
“I am so very sorry that I made you feel that way. I don’t suppose there’s anything I can do to earn your forgiveness.” Hetty gazed at Nell, her expression suggesting she already suspected the answer.
“No,” Nell told her simply. “This is the price you pay when try to play God, Hetty. You lose everything.”
Hetty sighed heavily, the closest she ever came to regret, shining in her eyes. “I see. I will let you return to your work, then.”
She turned, moving slowly towards her desk. A heaviness settled in her chest, but she ignored it. “I’m sorry too,” she whispered, sad for what used to be and what could never be again.
***
A/N: As I said, this one got away from me and took an entirely different route from the prompt. It just worked out to give this one to Nell, who seemed so very disillusioned with Hetty.
Thanks for the prompt!
#ncis la fanfiction#Nell Jones#Hetty#mentions of most of the team#angst#references to Mother#anonymous prompt#ejzah fanfiction
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Inklings challenge 2022
*CRAZED LAUGHTER*
Here is a snippet from my inkling challenge. I wanted to post from the beginning of the story, but my rough draft is so rough you can’t make sense of it. You miss out on some of my (very mess) world building because I’m dropping you off in the crisis. So here is a quick overview.
This is is set in the fantasy world of Malia, but my world-building is still in it’s young stages and is terrible. Basically this is a world set in a kind of medieval time frame. It is very pagan but there is a new (ish) religion called the Callow’hal which honors the “Hallowed Hosts and the Soverign,” and has been trying to root up the black practices and pagan ideas from the past. But they’re kind of discriminated against and though of as crackpots, and the King’s Royal Guard takes pleasure in tormenting them. They don’t honor their own pagan faith in any real devout way, but they’ve taken a spite to these “Pious Cultists” who they see as taking over the country. Even the the Callow’hal are basically just small people doing small things and they’re not actively trying to take anyone down or physically take over. (By the way, not all the pagans practiced black rituals. The people who practiced that stuff were like druids. Kind of. That’s the stuff I’m still working out. The rest of the pagans were more like Native Americans meets Rome, very “spiritual” but not “supernatural” if you know what I mean. Juri is a young Callow’hal who is married to a Nalvi, who believe vaguely in the “gods of the stars” which guide your way and the ‘spirits of the water’ which shape your destiny.
Juri used to be a member of the Royal Guard but he left it because they had become to cruel and greedy. One day he is home with his wife and seven year old son, and a small group of soldiers come to collect “Protection Money” from the town. The Guard are suppose to protect civilians from the Monsters in the woods and mountains, but really they’re just a bunch of goons that steal money and leave the people to suffer with whatever creature attacks them. Juri is the one who protects his town from the monsters, not the Guard.
When the Soldiers come to Juri’s home and demand money, one soldier tries to touch his wife. Juri defends her and is killed protecting her. Her son, Eilin, also steps up to defend his mother. He is struck down by a soldier, but as he is bleeding the sign of the Hallowed Soverign appears above his head; the three-pointed star. It grows to bright and fearful to stand and the soldiers scatter. Once they’re gone, Nilah prays for help in saving her son.
ANYWAY This thing is really messy and unorganized. I actually VERBALLY RECORDED this entire segment and wrote it down from the recording because I couldn’t make my thoughts flow any other way. This isn’t everything I have, but it’s the only semi-coherent thing. Also, since it was verbal I repeat a lot of names and I’m too tired to edit right now.
@inklings-challenge I know I am INCREDIBLY late to the party. I almost didn’t post at all because this is some of the the most scattered wriiting I’ve ever done. I wish I could have participate more.
I’m probably going to regret this later but here we go. From where Nilah prays for help. 🙈 🙈 🙈
******************
A voice echoed from the mark above Eilin’s head. “take your son outside and pierce the ground with your husband’s sword.” Nilah did as she was told. She went out and struck the earth with her husbands sword. Instantly, a fountain bubbled up from the earth a, spilling over into a warm fountaining pool.
“Draw your son into the water and bless his head with my sign,” said the Voice. “Life shall return to him, from whence it came.” Nilah did as she was bidden and Eilen’s eyes were opened, and mother and son reunited.
Juri was buried in the town graveyard. There were many mourners. Juri was one of the last great Knights, a man not consumed by greed or arrongance, but driven by duty and respect.
Now, it came to pass that the fountain which had sprung up didn’t not dissipate but remained forevermore. Sick and ailing children could come to it and have their infirmities healed answered. Men and women would come and leave their prayers buried in the earth around the pool, in hope their prayer would be better answered. A shrine of sorts was made there, and even some of Nilah’s own people came, at last bucking their superstitious and praying to the Host who dared to bear the mark of the tree, and the Being who dared take the three-pointed star as his own sigil.
And Nilah herself, who herself had long criticized her husband’s faith as mad, found that she also believed in the Hallowed Host and their Kingdom.
Now, Eilin grew into a great man of tall bearing and merry laughter. As a boy he was always gentle but firm. The younger boys loved him for he could not stand a bully, and the young girls admired his strength and his smile. Then, with maturity of age, came maturity of attitude. His neighbors often called the Eilin the great, Eilin the gentle giant, the oak warrior - for he was larger than most men in bearing, spirit, and courage - and strong as an oak tree. Much like his father in laughter and personality, their was a devotion and kindness in his voice and mannerisms that endeared people to him. He was fearless and would often go into the forest to free children who had been ensnared there. He fought the monsters who lurked in the trees, the belching reptiles that climbed up from the depths, vomited out from those places desserted since the Callow’hal people had come.
As Eilin grew the demand on his time grew as well. More often trolls and wraiths from the black altars would sneak their way into the forest and the mountains, ensnaring men and women alike. Eilin, bearing his father’s sword, went out to meet them. Some people whispered that such demands were too much for a young man – he was certain to fall into vanity or pride – or worse, he would fall prey to the monsters he boldy faced.
Yet for all his grandeur he would not join the royal guard however they asked. In his youth he was sent many a letter in the King’s hand. He was offered gold and silver to work for the state. He was begged and entreated. However, Eilin would not answer the messages. When at last, the Steward sent his own guards to claim Eilin, Eilin sent them back with a message of his own.
“I will not serve a sovereign who treats his subjects like slaves. My allegiance lies with Hatha, and the Hallowed that dwell there.”
With this great rejection, Eilin’s reputation grew. A new name was added to him. “The People’s Knight.”
The Royal Guard’s grew jealous of Eilin and his fame. In their jealousy they became more cruel and vicious than before. They burned homes and attacked people who had done them no wrong – attacked especially those who believed in the Hallowed Hosts. They plundered, killing the men, enslaving the children, and treating the women with shameful disdain. Wherever they went chaos ensued.
Always, Eilin followed in their wake, making right their wrongs, mending what was broken. He became an everlasting thorn in their side, and their jealousy and hatred of him grew.
At last one of the soldier spoke. “Listen to me, my friends. Eilin is a terrible man. Great and tall. Who can bear him? Always he seems only two steps behind us, and when he is not two steps behind he is two steps ahead. He protects those who used to fear us, and with him to defend them we cannot obtain the money we once demanded to give them protection form the monsters in the woods. He gives back anything we manage to still – never can we get our share of plunder. Never do we have enough women to satisfy our needs. Once we had all these lands in our hands, caught in terror of our greatness. Our king was away, his charge on us, and the country was ours for the taking. But now a pompous, self-pious man has crept from the water like some deformed evolution of earth.”
The men with him said, “aiye,” and “it is indeed true,” and there was much grumbling. The Soldier continued. “Let us call upon some fell beast of darkness and send him upon “The People’s Knight” who thinks himself invincible. Suppose we call upon a monster who will destroy him for us and bring down his foundations. Suppose we destroy his reputation and all he is, humiliate him before the people. Suppose we get rid of this false warrior – this infected ‘oak tree’.”
And his friends gathered together and agreed to this hideous plot. Now the mastermind of this plot is a fiend and a horror and his name must not be forgotten for it shall be cursed in the lands of Malia, and perhaps at the end of all things all people’s of all kingdom’s shall know and despise it. It has been recorded as Falgo the Deciever, and henceforth we shall call him by this name, that he shall bear the shame of his crime even in his grave.
Now, Falgo the Deciever and his conspirators banded together to call upon a monster who had long ago been struck down and imprisoned by the Man in White for whom no one had a name – but the Callow’hal honored as a holy ancestor and hero. The Man in white and his band were pure of heart and mind, warriors and poets, who studied the heavens and thus rejected the numerous ‘gods’ of the cosmos. They believed in the Hallowed and looked for the coming of the new world. Some said they had been blessed by the Hallowed to rid the land of this monster; the great snake whom Falgo the Deciever now set to release.
In many dark rituals he and his knights kept vigual. The Dark Rituals tainted their minds and souls. Their hatred grew furious, their jealousy shrinking their characters like poison. Now it came to pass that during the night, admist the rituals, several wraiths came to them, drawn by the arts they were performing. Falgo demanded of them the Master, who had long ago ensnared them long ago, and whom they now followed and worshipped. The Wraith’s in their high voices, laughed them to scorn. “The Master only answers to those who will serve him.”
In their blind jealousy, the soldiers were all to eager to destroy their enemy. They said as one; “We will serve. Ye, even to become Wraith’s like you, if only to gain an audience with him. For it is said of old he brought up a terrible beast of great power who could utterly decimate lands and destroy peoples. We wish to call upon this beast, and have control of it, and use it to take down a dreadful man . He is our terrible enemy, and he is an enemy of your Master as well, for he serves the Hallowed Hosts.”
So, the Wraith led the soldiers into the Center of the woods, and down a stairway into the depths of the earth. Here, they were presented to the Master. The Master was pleased with their bargain. In his black mind he thought, what fools, what fools, to bargain so much for so little!
He gave to Falgo the Deciever and his company ten months; Ten to destroy their enemy. He said to them, “Yes I shall call upon a monster and you shall have control over it. It cannot be the same beast which was slain long ago, but it is of the same fabric and long have I worked on it.” And the Master laughed to himself because such beasts were created by malice and hatred and jealousy, and he had all he needed for his monster in the hearts of these men. “In these ten months you will have every chance to destroy the Eilin who has been a sore to you. However, I must tell you that if in ten months Eilin is not destroyed, I will take the Monster back. And you shall serve me evermore.”
The Soldier’s agreed to this. Then the Master bid them to kneel before them, and he lay his dark hands upon their heads, and cursed them. Then he gave to each of them a ring from his fingers, and taught them words in a dreadful language, with which to control the beast, weaken Eilin, and sew iniquity among the good people of Malia.
The Master then drew out from the hearts of Falgo the Deciever, and all with him, the darkness which rested in their souls, and fabricated a monster. It was only a puppet, a shadow with no soul but akin to a machine the black arts could manipulate. It rose into the air, burning and scorching, ready to destroy all in it’s path. It had a great body of writhing mass which could slither like a snake or fly like an eagle.
Falgo the Deciever was given chief charge of the beast, with the others following his charge, able to control the beast to a lesser extent, and able to twist their words so people would grow confused, and brave men frightened. Armed with darkness the men set out with their prize to destroy their enemy.
Falgo commanded the creature attack the smallest villages first, and the creature did as it was bid. Then, Falgo sent one of his men to feign innocence and ask Eilin for help, and so they would ensnare him.
The man played his part well. He ran into Eilin’s home and fell upon his knees. “Friend,” said Eilin. “Whatever is the matter?”
“Eilin, Eilin, If you were ever a friend of the people, help us now! Our village is under attack by a terrible monster. He will destroy us. You must come, you must come immediately. Help us, Eilin.”
“Show me the way.” Eilin followed the soldier to the door. Quickly he turned to his mother. “Mother, I go to war.”
“Son, I am with you.” His mother kissed him, drawing on his head with her finger, the three-pointed star. “Son, remember your mother. Return to me. Remember the healing that comes here, from the Hallowed.” She offered to him a waterskin. He tied it to his belt, He always took some Fountain Water with him, for himself and other who were harmed. Even a few drops would heal those who were injured. “The Host’s be with you!”
Eilin sheathed his father’s sword and went out. He was not afraid. He had fought many monsters and survived, for the blessing of the Hallowed was with him and had been ever since he was first bathed in the sacred water, drawn out by the sword of his father’s sacrifice. He wore with him his Holy Colors and the medallion, set with a three-pointed star. It was his custom to visit the shrine before an attack and to get a prayer from the Selgate, but the soldiers begged and entreated him, and he left without his visit, and without the Selgate prayer.
He followed the malicious soldier to the first village. He found it burned and destroyed. Many people lay dying. More were seen fleeing for their lives. Some were hiding from the flames which pelted from the sky. Then, he saw the monster.
A warning sounded in Eilin’s heart. He knew this was a beast from the Black Kingdom. But it was not like the wraiths, trolls, or mutilated animals which lurked in the woods. This one was shadow and bone, neither living nor dead. This was a cursed beast, a damned impression of reality which the Black Kingdom controlled like a doll. He wondered from whence it had come and how it could have entered this land again when, long ago, the Holy Wit’atal (the man in white) with his band had brought down the same beast and freed Malia from it’s clutches.
Falgo saw Eilin coming. He raised up his hand with the ring and commanded the beast. It surged down upon the innocent people, mouth open, Eilin, brave as he was, drew his sword. He challenged the Shadow in the tongue of the Callow’hal.
The Beast fell to the earth like a massive serpent, and reared in fury. The holy tongue was to him, like fire on his body. He charged Eilin with terrible speed. He caught him in the coils of his shadowy form, and he enveloped the cold black breathless void into his eyes, and he pierced Eilin’s neck with the spikes which were set on his tale – spikes of icey malice. He threw his prey to the ground and roared in pleasure. Few men could survive hatred’s shadow.
Eilin pushed himself to his knees. There was blood on his tunic and blood on his knees, but he kissed the medallion he wore and stood again. His horse, loyal beast, stood near. Eilin knew better than to mount him. He said “Stand back, my friend. Wait for my call.” He raised his father’s sword. “Aba!” He cried. “Wit’atal!” And he struck. The blade struck the Beast who lurched back in surprise and fury. Moral weapons were not suppose to trouble him, yet this one had caused pain. The Beast caught Eilin by the neck in his fluid tale and flew high into the sky. He struck Eilin with his teeth once, twice, thrice, and dropped him from a great distance. Eilin fell.
Before he struck the ground, Falgo had a terrible idea. Suppose the Beast caugh Eilin once more, and with his claws, drove him into the ground and thus ended him in dust, humiliated and broken? Falgo thought with his mind and the Beast respond. He caught Eilin’s body in his shadowy claw and bore him down, intending to make and end of him by teeth and fire, and devour him when dead.
Caught in darkness, Eilin saw his Father’s face. Wake up, Eilin, Juri whispered urgently. Wake up. And he touched his son’s eyes. Eilin awoke. He saw they were near the earth, moving at a mighty rate. He cried, “Be with me!” and as bravely as he could, he turned in the Beast’s grip, and drove his sword into the claw which bore him down. The Beast screamed in pain and dropped Eilin with only a moment to spare. The warrior fell to the ground and was still. He would have ended then and there, but young women from the village got between him and the beast, and shielded his body with her own, and she was born to the Halls of Light, and the Beast was weakened by her love and fled away to recover his strength.
to be continued....
#inklingschallenge#inklings challenge#writing#christian fiction#inklingschallenge2022#writing challenge#catholic fantasy#christian fantasy#catholic writers#christian writers#This makes me so awkward#This is so uncomfortable
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Long story short (I won’t be able to type much since I hav fever n low pressure due to my wisdom tooth it’s unbearable) those same ppl who hammered my Bath set which I’d taken with a lot of enthusiasm for I always, always wanted that style since before we even had it in India, they also ruined my two extra tiles and wasted them including one additional highlighter tile, luckily we found one more tile, so the contractor who had come (we had only asked for a plumber) they’d already utilised those extra tiles and not only had they put the back component tilted but the tile was also cut slant (as per their stencil or outline) and so were the internal pipes, they were all tilted and for some reason they thought we’ll be very happy with their work, or a slant mixer 😡😡😡now we’ve used that one last tile which was missing and we’ve called someone from the company itself to fix the thermostat but when we tried to fit the bottom Bath set we realised that they had also messed with the lower area and we were told we’ll have to remove one more tile YET AGAIN after fitting the bathtub and door, we had already ordered 2 extra tiles luckily the shopkeeper charged us the same old price but since it’s already been a year the batch is completely different so they don’t look the same, they are lighter… and we had already fixed my tub 🛁 back in the same position cuz the exposed part has to be put after keeping the tub there, the bathtub has to fit first and then the spout (plus mixer, crutch, etc.) the plumber had to do his own scraping & cutting and it took almost an hour, we ended up having a gap so we did some more cutting phew 😮💨 I’m glad it’s done now… except for the thermostat, we’ll be calling someone from the company cuz plumbers are not able to align it and do the setting and all. The other plumbers were actually using the Panna or spanner 🔧 on my set, it had big teeth so it not only peeled off the coating but also left several scratches and dents, that too on the front part which had my fav hot and cold written on it (luckily only one side) I do feel blessed there are bloggers who are buying from Aliexpress also… they have a like “signature”/sign from which you can make out that it’s from there, if we still had it in India I would’ve also considered that because all this was not initially available here, they look cool they have cursive fonts which are very fancy and some also have a bigger lever not just a dongle but the front has a switch sign which looks like a pair of headphones at first glance haha that’s the only con other than the handshower shape. Buying from there is risky and if it’s only for the cursive part then I won’t recommend that i really don’t know why they are spending there cuz as long as I remember the prices are not that low… and it looks like a copy/knock off sometimes.
The thermostat is pending, the new plumber was not that skilled but he managed the mixer really well inspite of the fact that the tiles were not cut properly and everything had gone wrong in that area, he had a smaller spanner he said these brands make products which are more delicate so you can’t use those bigger ones, he wrapped it in plastic and then used a cloth to tighten the set to protect the coating, he also wiped it clean to remove all the finger prints. I love the functioning and all so I’m happy with this but you’ll have to check before buying from here cuz my stop cock had a minor defect, the threading was not proper so the cold insert kept falling out, they’ll have to strictly ask the dealers to keep these products in a good condition they just dump everything one on top of the other and secondly there’s availability issue too, they’ll also have to make sure they do proper quality checks before the final supply cuz that threading part comes under manufacturing. We somehow worked a way around and glued the insert. In India there are many people including me who want these English designs, don’t underestimate your own fellow citizens. I’m very happy with my IKEA faucet which also has white inserts and red and blue bands for hot and cold, I didn’t face any problem there, it came with a pipe, tape, overflow cap and drain (both) everything which was required for you to instantly put it together.
I do like this other brand but they will have to work on all those points. I’m glad my Bath set has been fixed now, the tub 🛁 looks better with this mixer because it has a European design too. This spout’s flow is way better compared to the previous one (from Kohler, they’ve fixed the health faucet but the hand showers, overhead showers and the spout are still lagging) our previous plumber had put the 2-3 way diverter valve extremely high because he had a shower column in mind even though we had told him about the bathtub and it was impossible for my hand to reach there after putting the tub (both the drop in as well as the new one) luckily since I have long hands 🙌🏻 I was able to reach the tip of the valve and I would adjust from there but it would require a lot of stretching and I would sprain my hand easily cuz I’m not even keeping well (since long) if you’ll go through the older pics on my tumblr or insta then you’ll see how high it was, next there were more issues, the diverter button would not work properly, and because there was no thermostat the water would come very hot burning hot even after switching to cold which was quite unusual it shouldn’t have been that hot… it was impossible to adjust the temperature several times while sitting in the tub and most importantly this was also full of hassles - the spout or filler, the pull and twist knob would not turn completely and even if we would gain some success the water would still keep dripping from the other outlet, the flow was poor, I would regret switching from one outlet to another cuz it would get really difficult to turn or pull or push it around… when you are in a bathtub you have to switch between the spout and the handshower if you want to use it during a bubble bath and it would take ages to fill my bathtub cuz the pressure like I said was too low & you wouldn’t get enough water, nothing was stuck inside we had asked our old plumber to clean everything and even check it after putting the bathtub, I have taken a single flow for top for the overhead shower with a thermostat (I wanted the other normal one cuz thermostats are more expensive but it had been discontinued and they didn’t have any without a diverter except for this one which is okay because as a “designer” I knew that a vertical plate would look better there) the head shower’s pressure is also very low someone told us it’s faulty and we should get it changed, they weren’t aware that even Kylie Jenner’s shower console had this issue cuz it’s from the same brand… changing the overhead shower would have incurred more expenses and I don’t even have much ceiling height cuz there’s a tank up there, all matching Victorian Bell showers/rainforest require more height and I’m a fan of those gooseneck ones but you don’t get them here, they do have a hook rail which looks similar but that would’ve required more 3-5 inches. I anyway get migraine and dry hair so I’m okay with this slower version lol and I’ll be using the tub and handshower more.
- Zara Sauleh
MORE HERE if has my moodboard too
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The Tree of Legacy - Chapter 3
Previous chapter - Next Chapter
When the Late King of Hyrule left them, an awkward silence hung in the air that neither of them could just wave off. Zelda went into theorization mode pacing back and forth in the abandoned temple while Link was sitting there watching her. There was a starting point to all of these… signs that they both missed. “Alright.” Zelda clapped, stopping in front of her partner. “What do you know.”
‘Not much yet if I want to be honest,’ he wanted to tell her so much but yet not everything. ‘I…’ he thought about how to translate this into a sign. ‘This blessing he talked about. I think that its the reason why I am dissociating.’ He left out the parts about seeing spirits.
“Isn’t that just a medical situation?” She asked despite wearing her goggles Link could feel her examining gaze. There wasn’t much he could tell her without explaining everything and seeing how it’s now…
‘Either way,’ time to avoid this conversation. ‘We should be heading back soon.’ Any later than Claus would come looking for them.
A figure was jabbed in his direction, “you sir, are not escaping this conversation.”
Link knew this but he sure as hell can try.
The long train ride home was full of an uneasy silence as the two adults attempted to wrap their head around the information that was given. Zelda busied herself with the time-shift stone being careful to not hit it again. Link on the other hand was attempting to distract himself with lesson planning. It was hard to focus on his class about the Heroes of Hyrule when he just found out that he was in fact one of them.
To say the two were tired was an understatement.
It was around five when they got back to the station. There was already a silent agreement to head to Link’s house rather than the castle. Less people to deal with. It was still Festival day after all. The streets were slowly becoming more and more crowded as the day progressed.
Link watched the two from behind leaning onto the door frame. Smiling at their small moment. As Claus was truly trying to not burn the two of them as Zelda kept all of her weight on him. The professor pushes off of the wall to head into the room. He was tempted to help Claus but instead he just gathered Zelda’s stuff off of her. But he was too dragged into the knight's embrace. Link lets out a surprise squawk as Claus leans down to nuzzle his face into Link’s hair leaving a small kiss before letting the small man go.
The bags slipped out from his grasp as Zelda snatched them out of his arms. “I’ll take these up to the room.” She slipped out of the room in the blink of an eye.
Claus went back to cooking while Link just stood there awkwardly wondering
‘Should I set-up?’ The need to do something to distract from the looming realization and horror.
“Sure,” Claus moved over to the side where the utensils were. Link could feel that he was being examined thoroughly. “Nothing there?” There was only a hum in return.
While uneventful wasn’t the right word for what Link had experienced. Yet he cound himself unable to confirm nor deny what had happen in the temple. It was honestly just a mess and that wasn’t counting what he and Zelda found out from the First King.
‘I’m just tired’ Link finally signed back. It’s a hlaf truth. He was exhausted both physically and mentally. All he wanted was for the day to be over, maybe go to sleep and avoid life al ltogether.
Yet Link has the sinking suspicion that the Goddess wouldn’t like that too much.
A comforting hand was placed on Link's back as Claus leaned over to place the now cooked meal where Link was spacing out on.
Mushroom soup?
There was a twinge of pain that was overshadowed by the warm feeling og appreciation as he looked at Claus confused. The Knight in question was already taking a seat at the table after putting his bowl down. “I had a feeling you might have needed a pick me up.” he smiled softly at the other. “It took me a while to get the recipe from your mom.”
Ah.
Of course he went to her. Link should have known as soon as he walked in. It was a staple in his household and happened to be his dad’s and his own favorite food. ‘Thank you Claus this means a lot.’
“It’s no problem really. I know this day has always been hard for you.” Claus said, swirling around his own soup. “Going on a day trip probably didn’t help your mood.”
“Hey! It wasn’t that bad!” Zelda exclaims plopping down next to Link.
As soon as Zelda sat down everyone fell into a more easy conversation, which made Link’s mind a lot more calm as he just had to listen in on the other two talk about their own day. Something about how Iris and Vita got the day off because of the festival but still came into Zelda’s lab to do more work on projects, turned into a conversation about how the training camp for new Knights in the Dinraal course of the Academy. Link didn’t have any news from today. He knew that he had to tell Zelda about those dreams but…
Not tonight…
Too much has happened.
Most people consider this day as a day of celebrating the memories of life and of death. It is the night everyone lets loose on, game booths and food stalls lining the streets. Normally people wear something that represents a family member or someone in Hyrule's history. While it's not a tradition most people follow its one that Link found the most comforting. Mostly because he got to wear a royal blue scarf that he can hide himself into.
Heading from the townsquared they made their way to a more melancholic part of the festival. It surrounding the old museum that was off of the Academy was a graveyard. Families gather around their loved ones' final resting place. Link knew the path to one particular grave under a tree closest to the museum. It read Marcus Wyllt, Captain, Historian and Loving Father.
‘Mom was here’ Link pointed out as the grave was clean and fresh flowers were placed. He kneeled down taking off the scarf folding it neatly before placing it down on the small platform next to the flowers. Claus and Zelda kneeled down next to him.
“I still can’t believe it’s been 13 years.” Zelda broke the silence shifting to plop fully down on the grass putting her head on Link’s shoulder. “Take as much time as you need.”
Claus put his hand on Link's shoulder “we’ll be right here for you.”
Honestly Link didn’t know what to tell his dad. Mentally his brain was a total mess, so much was happening that he really couldn’t wait to just sleep already. He closes his eyes and recounts everything that has happened to his father.
A childish laughter suddenly skilled the space around him.
Something or someone lands in front of Link, causing the professor to flinch and fall back a bit. Lifting on arm up to block whatever had fell down, and one shooting down to balance him out.
He opens his eyes, everything has a green tint to it.
In front of him was a child.
A child with a Keaton mask… holding his fathers scarf.
The child tilts his head looking at Link as if he was asking something. Something that made him recognized the child briefly as a ghost from his past.
But as soon as that recognition settled in, the child dashed away.
Link didn’t think about it twice he got up and dashed after the kid. He was getting that scarf back.
The more he ran the more he lost ground against the spirit. Soon Link was left wandering the halls of the Academy. A soft dizzying sound started to vibrate through the halls, as Link stumbles through. He leans on to the wall starting to get light headed, he needed to keep going.
That scarf meant the world to him.
The world started to flicked in and out. Every few seconds Link would get violently thrown into a memory of a hall that was destroyed.
Only to be violently thrown back to the neat and clean old castle hallway he was used to.
Link was starting to get nauseous with how much he was being brought back and forth, between memory and reality. If this was reality. He couldn’t tell.
The Libaray door was opened. Link pushed through. The door opened faster then he thought which made him off balanced and fell. He gets on his knees closing his eyes. Trying to get his head on straight. He still can feel being brought back into reality. If this was reality.
Laughter ringed clear through the chaos.
Link looks up with blurry vision to see the masked spirit at the exit on the other side.
He had to get up.
He had to get his fathers scarf back.
Finding the strength in his body again. Link gets up but was still unsteady. Yet his body moved on, trying to stay steady as he ran through the library trying to get to the door. The library was connected to a museum. A museum that was open to the public late this night since it was a feastivel night.
Walking through the library was wading through mud.
It was slow.
It was taking all his strength.
Link didn’t know why he was suddenly feeling like this. Feeling like he was being split apart but also being compressed. After years of not having his ‘condition’ be an issue why was it now coming all full force?
Stepping through the door into the museum felt like a breath of fresh air as he again stumbles his way through. He still hears that kids laughter. Link couldn’t even find it in him to look up yet as he was catching his breath.
When he does look up the door to the Hero of Time exhibit was swun open, there was a sneaking suspicion that this was the kid he was chasing after. Once Link stealed himself again he heads towards the room.
Only to have something thrown in his face knocking the poor professor down.
It was his fathers scarf… and a book?
Link picks it up, there was a bit of scarf in it acting like a bookmark.It was a page about the Kokri emerald. An item that not even the royal family knew the location of. It’s not like he could look for that, the first king spoke of finding a way back in time. The last time the gem was seen was with the Hero of Time.
It finally clicks as he looks up at the kid who was just sitting on one of the display cases kicking his feet seemingly waiting for questions but Link was more at awe at the fact this whole chase was just to help him.
The Kokiri aren’t that known, what is out there is mostly about their guardian. Even then a lot of the information was through the Queen of the Wild’s journals and photos on the slate. Link looks up at the small hero, but he is gone. Now that he finally noticed, Link’s vision was back to normal.
Which also means that Zelda and Claus probably have realized he was gone.
Ah…
This is going to be harder to keep to this to himself then he thought.
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Meeting the Family // Anthony Bridgerton
Request: Hello there, could I please request Anthony bridgerton and reader fic where hes introducing the reader to his family for the first time and shes really nervous but the family ends up loving her more than him? Thanks, I absolutely love your work!! Please dont overwork yourself darling❤ - @lespaceboi
A/N: Thank you so much for requesting! I had so much fun with this request, I love it so so much. I only hope you do too! Lowkey posting this early bc I’m watching the euros final tonight and I won’t have time.
Warnings: she/her pronouns, female reader, light angst, some worries, lots of fluff, family fluff, Anthony being cute, dialogue heavy, declarations of love.
Word count: 3.6k
Her hands shake uncontrollably as the carriage clatters through London. Taking calming breaths, (Y/N) does her best to stop her shaking hands by gripping her shawl tightly. Her maid, Jayne, looks over at her in concern. “We can always turn back, my lady,” Jayne whispers, “I’m sure Viscount Bridgerton won’t mind postponing to another day.”
(Y/N) smiles warmly at her maid; grateful for the care in her voice. However, she shakes her head. “I’m afraid it can’t wait any longer, Jayne. Anthony’s sister and her husband have travelled all the way from Scotland.”
Jayne sits back against the carriage bench, nodding her head understandingly. “I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” She offers in comfort.
“I can only hope,” (Y/N) whispers, casting her gaze out of window and into the London streets.
She had met Anthony Bridgerton when shopping for ribbons. An unusual time and place to meet anyone, but Anthony had strolled into the shop and asked to see the best ribbons in the place as nothing would be better than the absolute best for his nieces. (Y/N) had giggled at the tone of his voice; unused to seeing such a powerful figure in such intimate settings. Her laughter had drawn his attention to which a conversation began. By the end of the Viscount’s visit to the ribbon shop, he had asked to see her again.
The visits continued in secrecy, or in as much secrecy as one could afford when holding a peerage. The relationship blossomed; what was once considered a friendship was turning romantic, and (Y/N) could not help her feelings for the Viscount. He had captured her, body and soul. She counted every blessing that Anthony felt the same.
The first glimpse of Bridgerton House steals her breath away. The red brick stands out amongst the paler buildings; Anthony’s wealth already obvious but further personified by the sheer scale of his home. The sweet scent of the violet hyacinths perfume (Y/N)’s carriage; their aroma bringing a small smile to her face as she remembers a masquerade party in Chiswick, a balcony and Anthony’s hands on her waist.
Her carriage rolls to a natural stop; (Y/N)’s heart in her throat as she tears her inquiring gaze from Bridgerton House to Jayne. Jayne smiles and squeezes her lady’s hand, a silent offer of support for the afternoon.
“They’re going to love you,” Jayne whispers, bolstering (Y/N) as best she could as the door to the carriage is opened by (Y/N)’s footman.
Now closer, Bridgerton House is much grander. The deep green iron gates pronounce the family’s wealth further. (Y/N) gulps as she takes step after step down the path to already open front door. Her steps falter slightly as she catches sight of Anthony waiting in the entrance; his hair the usual untameable mess that endears her so.
“You came,” Anthony breathes in greeting; his eyes wide with barely concealed surprise as he takes in the sight of her on his doorstep.
“I came,” (Y/N) answers just as breathlessly. Even the sight of him was enough to leave her gasping for breath; there were moments in their prolonged courtship that she couldn’t quite believe he had chosen her, that he wanted her. As Anthony stands there, his white shirt unbuttoned from the collar with his waistcoat undone, she realises that this is the most casual she had ever seen him. His outfit wasn’t proper, but she doesn’t want it to be. She wants to see him from every angle; she wants to know every Anthony there is. So far, she had found herself besotted with each and every one.
Both remain silent as Anthony offers his arm to her. (Y/N) uses the silence to quash the nerves rioting in her gut; she had never been this nervous, not when she was presented in front of the monarch for her season, and not when she danced with the Prince of Wales at his birthday celebrations two years ago. Now, however, her nerves were beginning to get the better of her.
Anthony pauses their journey. “Are you okay?” He asks, a note of concern in his voice.
“I’m nervous,” (Y/N) confesses bashfully, “What if they don’t like me? What if they hate me so much that you end things? I’m having so much fun with you, Anthony. I don’t want this to end.”
“Hey,” Anthony whispers, taking her face in his hands, urging her to look at him, “You’re going to be fine. They’re going to love you, I know it. I’ve spoken about you so much they feel they already know you.”
“You talk about me?” (Y/N) asks, her voice small.
Anthony presses a kiss to her forehead. “Constantly. I’m surprised they haven’t kicked me out with how much I talk about you.”
“You’re really very sweet.”
“Only because of you,” He flirts, pushing his luck by kissing her quickly.
(Y/N) laughs softly against his mouth. “You’re incorrigible.”
Anthony laughs gently, pulling away from her lips but keeping hold of her hands. “I’m as nervous as you,” He confesses, “But I have you by my side to help me get through just as you have me through this too. Any time you want to go, let me know and I’ll call your carriage back round.”
“Thank you,” She whispers before Anthony continues on down the hall, his hand squeezing hers tightly.
“Are you sure you still want to do this?” Anthony asks, double checking, voice wavering as they stand outside the door to the drawing room. “My family can be a bit much to meet all at once.”
“We’re nothing of the sort!” A masculine voice shouts from behind the door.
A surprised laugh leaves (Y/N) lips. She covers her mouth to bring back the mask of perfect decorum, not wanting to insult a member of Anthony’s family. “I’m ready when you are,” She whispers, smiling at the eldest Bridgerton.
“Sooner rather than later,” Anthony whispers before opening the door, giving her the first glimpse at his family.
The Bridgerton brood sit around the large drawing room. Sisters and brothers, husbands and wives – they all mix together as they wait for Anthony and his new beau. Each all fall silent as Anthony and (Y/N) enters the room; their first glimpse of her, their first conversation with her. Anthony had spoken about her constantly but refused to let any family meet her until they were both ready.
Now that moment had arrived.
“Mother,” Anthony introduces to the silent room, “This is Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” (Y/N) exclaims, smiling at the Bridgerton matriarch. “I’ve heard so much about you all,” She continues, casting her gaze around the room.
“It’s a pleasure for us too, dear (Y/N),” Violet announces, “Anthony has been nothing but a ball of nerves since he announced you would be joining us.”
(Y/N) nods at the matriarch, feeling herself become speechless as she takes in the sheer size of Anthony’s family. It isn’t hard to tell who the Bridgertons are among the group are; they each have the same eyes and smile. “It’s lovely to meet you all,” (Y/N) announces, repeating her earlier words, unable to keep the nerves from entering her voice this time.
“I’m Benedict,” The second eldest introduces, jumping up from his seat on the couch, holding his hand out for her to take.
“The artist!” (Y/N) gasps, “I’ve seen some of your work. You’re exceptionally talented.”
“Thank you,” Benedict blushes, excusing himself with a pat to Anthony’s shoulder, a silent sign that Benedict already approves.
“Help yourself to some tea,” A younger woman exclaims in the brief silence between conversations, “I’d get up to greet you, but it would take twice as long as the conversation itself.”
“Please don’t strain yourself,” (Y/N) offers graciously, “Congratulations on your pregnancy.”
“Thank you, dear. I’m Daphne, and this is my husband, Simon.” Daphne introduces, her hand landing on the thigh of a handsome man.
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” (Y/N) greets, making her way to an empty seat at a nearby table. There she pours two cups of tea, one for her and one for Anthony, knowing he would be dropping by in a minute or two. The tea steeps as (Y/N) helps herself to one of the many biscuits, taking a small bite of the buttery concoction before reaching for the milk and sugar. This is a routine she has practiced many times before, knowing exactly how long to stir her tea so it wouldn’t burn the tip of her tongue with every sip.
It’s takes less than two minutes for someone to join her at the table. (Y/N) offers the young woman a polite smile, “I’m (Y/N).”
“Eloise Bridgerton,” introduces the young woman.
“A pleasure to meet you,” (Y/N) repeats, feeling herself already grow tired of the words.
“Are you educated, (Y/N)?” Eloise enquires; her keen blue gaze dancing over the young woman.
(Y/N) finishes her sip of tea before nodding at Anthony’s younger sister. “I am,” She answers, “I studied under a very thorough governess, and I am fluent in French and Latin, but I’ve also been fortunate enough to sit in on some lectures at Oxford and Edinburgh.”
“How?” Eloise all but demands, ignoring the stern stare of her mother as she leans forward, elbows on the table. “You must teach me your ways.”
(Y/N) represses an amused smile at Eloise’s antics. “My favourite cousin, Sylvester, was a student at both. I often annoyed him into letting me attend in secret whenever I visited.”
“Did you attend any interesting lectures?”
(Y/N) nods, happy to further indulge the brunette. “Sylvester was a student of medicine, beginning his education at Oxford before continuing on to Edinburgh where he lives now. I’ve attended a few medical lectures, but I pressured him into letting me attend a philosophical debate surrounding Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Woman.” (Y/N) shakes her head, amused at the memory, “Sylvester didn’t find that one nearly as thrilling as his medical lectures.”
“Anthony!” Eloise calls, gathering the attention of all her brothers, “I’m keeping (Y/N) for myself. You’re going to have to find a new beau, I’m afraid.”
Anthony chuckles, leaving his brothers to their own conversation. “Pray,” He begins, “Just what are the two of you talking about.”
“(Y/N)’s education. Did you know she’s sat in lectures at both Oxford and Edinburgh? I daresay I might attend a few myself.”
Anthony’s hand lands on your shoulder; a warm squeeze has you turning to meet his stare. His smile is fond; his eyes are bright with happiness. “Are you inciting further rebellion in my little sister?”
“Of course not,” (Y/N) playfully scoffs, “Just letting her know that should she want to attend any lectures, I have a connection for her.”
A laugh leaves Anthony’s lips as he catches sight of Eloise’s excited wiggle in her chair. “I’m glad you’re getting along,” He murmurs to (Y/N) quietly, dropping an unexpected kiss to her hair before entering a debate with Eloise, explaining why she cannot go about interrupting lectures at prestigious universities.
Leaving the siblings to their bickering, (Y/N) stands from table, wanting to stretch her legs and discover more to the drawing room. By this point in the afternoon, the appeal of company has worn off. The large family now broken off into their own conversations; Francesca and Michael remain sat close together on the couch under the window, Lady Violet remains sat by her eldest daughter – the matriarch keeping a weather eye on her pregnant daughter.
(Y/N) smiles fondly at the scene before turning to one of the many fixed bookshelves in the room; leather bound volumes line the shelves. There wasn’t much for light reading, she thinks to herself as she reads the spines. Much about the War of the Roses and the subsequent Tudor reign, not much in the way of Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron.
“You’re very pretty,” A young girl announces from behind (Y/N). She turns to find two girls, both no older than four or five, their hair matching pigtails, curled into ringlets.
(Y/N) kneels to their height, ignoring the pinching of her corset as she smiles at the young children. “Why thank you,” She states gratefully, “But you know what I would really like?”
“What?” The eldest of the two asks, leaning forward in anticipation.
“Gorgeous pigtails like yours,” (Y/N) smiles, gesturing to their hair.
Both girls break into wide smiles, already won over. “What are your names?” (Y/N) asks.
“I’m Amelia,” The eldest states proudly, “I’m five and a half.”
“I’m Belinda,” The second girl introduces, “I’m four.”
“Well it is lovely to meet you both,” (Y/N) compliments, “My name is (Y/N).”
“We know,” Belinda chimes. “Uncle Tony talks about you all the time.”
“He does, does he?” She murmurs amused; catching sight of the brunette doing his best not to intervene on the conversation taking place with his nieces.
Amelia nods. “All the time!” She cries happily. “He talks about your hair, your eyes, your smile.” She breaks off, leaning towards (Y/N) to whisper in her ear. “I think he’s in love with you.”
“Do you think?” (Y/N) questions, unable to keep the eager hope from her voice.
“I know,” Amelia nods sagely, “I heard Uncle Tony tell Mama and Papa.”
(Y/N) presses her lips together to keep the wide smile from growing across her face. She had known that Anthony felt very deeply for her though he had never uttered a word. With a quick glance in Anthony’s direction, she gestures for the two girls to come closer. “Can you keep a secret?”
Amelia and Belinda nod silently; too excited to hear what (Y/N) has to say. “It just so happens,” (Y/N) whispers to the two girls, “That I also love your Uncle Tony.”
“You do?” Belinda squeaks.
“I do,” (Y/N) nods seriously, “I love him very much.”
“Are you going to tell him?” Amelia asks; her blue eyes wide with burning curiosity.
“I think on some level he already knows, but I plan on telling him very soon.”
Both girls squeal in happiness, leaving (Y/N) behind as they run towards their parents. Daphne and Simon greet their children with open arms, wide eyed at their level of noise as they demand their voices to be heard over the hubbub of the rest of the family.
“I don’t suppose you’d enlighten me to this particular conversation,” A warm voice sounds from behind her. The way his arm slips around her waist, as if it were his home, tells (Y/N) that Anthony has found her once more.
“A secret for another day,” (Y/N) teases, turning to face the man that had captured her heart so wholly.
“Will you tell me later?” He asks, pushing out his bottom lip in a pout that has her giggling.
“Perhaps,” She whispers, leaning ever closer to the Bridgerton. “Only if you promise me something.”
“Anything,” He whispers seriously, “I’d give you the world if I could.”
“I know you would,” She murmurs, “But all I’m asking for is for you to not pester your nieces over what I told them.”
“How did you know?” Anthony asks, voice glum.
(Y/N) brings a gloved hand to his cheek, her thumb brushing his cheekbone. “Because I know you, my dear.”
Anthony leans into the touch, turning his face slightly to press a kiss to her wrist. “I like being your dear.”
“I like being yours too,” She replies earnestly. “Now, I’ve spoken to most of your siblings. Do me the honour of introducing me to Francesca, she came all the way from Scotland, it’s rude that I’ve neglected her.”
“Yes, my darling,” Anthony responds, taking her hand and leading her to the couch where Francesca sits with her husband, Michael.
The day continues in a similar fashion. Bridgerton House had never been quiet when the whole family was in attendance; raucous laughter and loving bickering filled its many corners with noise. The life and laughter of the family bringing the house to life.
As the grandfather clock ticks closer and closer to the evening, (Y/N) finds herself lamenting the fact that she must leave the Bridgerton family so soon.
“I must take my leave,” She announces to sad cries to Amelia and Belinda, already so attached.
“So soon?” Benedict asks, frowning as he wonders when he’ll get to continues his conversation with her. So few wanted to talk about art nowadays.
(Y/N) meets Anthony’s gaze, hating how sad he looks. “I’m having dinner with my parents and their friends. An occasion I simply cannot miss, I’m afraid.”
“Do we know them?” Violet asks in an attempt to delay the inevitable. She had grown fond of the young woman over the course of the afternoon, seeing how perfectly she fit amongst her family, how she brought out the best in her eldest son.
“The St. Clair’s?” (Y/N) enquires, drawing her shawl around her shoulders. “My father has worked with Lady Danbury’s family for a long time. Gareth and I are old friends.”
“Have a wonderful time,” Violet announces, “But please visit us soon.”
“I would love to,” (Y/N) smiles, crossing the room to be by Anthony’s side.
Offering her goodbyes to the large family, (Y/N) takes Anthony’s offered arm, hooking hers through his as they descend the grand marble staircase to the foyer. “Your family are lovely,” (Y/N) compliments as she takes care not to trip over her skirts on the stairs. “You all care for each so much, it’s clear the moment you enter the room.”
“My mother and siblings are the best people I know,” Anthony murmurs, walking beside (Y/N) at a steady pace in order to delay her departure by a minute.
“I can only hope they liked me,” She worries, her teeth biting into her bottom lip in a way that has Anthony restraining himself by gripping her arm tighter.
“You were wonderful,” Anthony murmurs, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheekbone before helping her into her carriage.
“Thank you for today,” (Y/N) calls, sticking her hand from the window to prolong the contact between Anthony and herself. She wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye; wasn’t quite ready to leave him.
“Thank you for coming,” Anthony answers, kissing her hand before tucking it back through the window of her carriage. If they didn’t say goodbye now, they wouldn’t say goodbye at all. If she didn’t leave, he would most likely offer marriage on the pavement than somewhere proper.
Nodding to her footman, Anthony watches her carriage leave. He stands on the doorstep to Bridgerton House until her carriage is no longer in sight. Only then does he let himself release the breath he didn’t know he was holding.
Weariness washes over him as he turns to face his childhood home. Inside, in his mother’s drawing room, await his family. Each one ready to give their verdict on the woman he has had the good fortune to fall in love with.
Sighing, he kicks at the ground, knowing he cannot delay this any longer.
His mother and siblings are where he left them; his mother’s drawing room. They fall silent at the sight of him; each clearly unwilling to make the leap and be the first to broach the elephant in the room.
“What do you think of (Y/N)?” Anthony asks; voice loud in the ever so silent room. He meets the eyes of each of his siblings, not missing the way Daphne leans into Simon or the way Michael reaches for Francesca’s hand. They’ve all found their love matches; it was now Anthony’s turn.
Colin takes the fall for his family, standing to face his eldest brother and titled peer. He clears his throat, fidgeting on the spot before he eventually pauses all movement, breaking into a smile to declare, “We all loved her!”
“You do?” Anthony asks, falling onto a nearby couch in shock.
Violet smiles at her eldest son. “We do. (Y/N) is a sweetheart and looks to be just as taken with you as you are with her.”
Blush begins to paint Anthony’s cheeks. “I can only hope, dear mother.”
“It’s true,” Amelia chimes, her young face bright with joy. “She told Belinda and I.”
“You have found your love match, my darling boy,” Violet states warmly.
“It does help that (Y/N) is a trifle more tolerable than you, dear brother,” Benedict teases, laughter bright in his Bridgerton blue eyes.
“And so educated!” Eloise gasps, “We had an enlightening conversation about Wollstonecraft’s Vindication on the Rights of Women.”
“She was wonderful with Amelia and Belinda,” Daphne murmurs, her hand falling protectively over her pregnant stomach.
“Why do I get the feeling that you prefer (Y/N) to me?” Anthony murmurs, mischief bright in his eyes and evident in his voice.
“That’s exactly what we’re saying,” Gregory points out, “I only hope (Y/N) can keep up with your obsession with Pall Mall.”
“A worthy obsession,” Anthony argues, mind wandering to the games he could play with (Y/N).
“She’s wonderful,” Violet interrupts, a large smile on her face as she takes the final say.
Anthony smiles widely at his mother; constantly grateful for her love and care throughout his life. She had been lost after the death of his father, as had Anthony, but Anthony had never truly understood what it would feel like to lose someone you love as wholeheartedly as his mother loved his father.
Until now, that is. The mere thought of losing her sends a lance of pain through his chest, cutting short his breath and increasing his panic. Anthony shakes his head to rid himself of such thoughts and feelings.
Calm enough, he faces his family once more. “I plan on proposing to (Y/N),” He announces, showing his family the ring box that has been sitting heavily in his trouser pocket all day.
“Thank goodness,” Francesca murmurs, smiling indulgently at her big brother. “I cannot wait to call her sister.”
“Indeed,” Anthony murmurs, a loving smile on his face, “I cannot wait to call her my wife.”
******
Bridgerton taglist: @heloisedaphnebrightmore @dreaming-about-fanfictions @now-its-time-for-a-breakdown @janelongxox @sexysirius @wallwriterstuff @magicalxdaydream @darkestbeforethedawn16 @gryffindors-weasley @spideysz @iammirrorball @writeroutoftime @joyfullymulti @nuttytani @multifandomfix @freyathehuntress @lespaceboi
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#anthony bridgerton x reader#anthony x reader#anthony bridgerton#anthony bridgerton imagines#anthony bridgerton fanfiction#anthony bridgerton fanfic#Bridgerton#bridgerton fanfiction#bridgerton fanfic#anthony bridgerton fluff
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alright I have an au idea that im about to badly explain but it's a little strange so stick with me.
I call it: 'The Parent Trap but Opposite' au
So picture this: Tommy is Phil's only child, right. His mother died in childbirth so for his entire eight years of life its just been him and Phil. And that's fine, that's great, he loves it. Tommy doesn't want another addition to the family, it would only screw everything up.
That being said, Phil is lonely. Don't get him wrong, he loves his son and loves spending time with him, but he misses the feeling of being in love. He misses his wife.
Enter, Kristen.
They meet on a blind date, set up by a friend from Phil's work, and hit it off instantly. Months pass and Phil wants to propose.
One problem though. He hasnt told Tommy about it. He hasn't even introduced Kristen to him.
So what better way to merge both families that a holiday?
(I should probably say here that Kristen also has children. Take a wild guess who they are.)
Tommy is all for a holiday. Two weeks at a fancy ass hotel with room service, an arcade and a pool? Sign him up!
That is until, he finds out that Kristen and her boys will be joining them.
Enter, Wilbur and Techno.
(They're about fourteen. Their parents are divorced and, unlike Tommy, they knew Kristen was seeing Phil. They alse know that Phil is gonna propose - well, it's just a hunch)
Phil, god bless him, tries his hardest to get Tommy to warm up to Kristen, Wilbur and Techno. He plans all these activities and takes them all shopping, to the beach, to waterparks ect. But Tommy just won't take to them; he doesn't mind Kristen but Wilbur and Techno are weird, they keep making these cryptic comments about how they're going to be seeing eachother a lot in the future and Tommy just does not understand.
That is, until they decide to let Tommy in on the obvious.
Tommy, as expected, is in denial. Because there's no way his dad would do something like that without telling him first. Besides, Phil doesn't need to get married, they're perfectly happy just the two of them.
There's just no way.
Right?
Wrong.
Because Tommy is a curious little shit and he ransacks his and Phil's hotel room in search for the ring. He doesn't find it, of course, because Phil is used to Tommy's little raccoon tactics and hid it properly. But when he comes back from dinner with Kristen to a destroyed room and a confused Tommy, he decides to tell him the truth.
Needless to say Tommy has a fit. One moment, he's happy; just him and dad, living life. And then this lady and her shitty sons come along and fucks that up
(I imagine the conversation being something like:
Phil: Yeah im gonna propose Kristen
Tommy, inhaling deeply: *screams*
And then it would proceed to reinact that once scene from Steven universe with ruby and sapphire like-
phil: he'll eventually tire himself out :'D
Tommy, making even more of a mess than he already has: that's what you think! I am an eternal flame baby!! >:(
Yeah.)
Tommy, ever the drama queen, storms to Wilbur and Techno - who are like "we told you so :/" - and the three of them (because Techno and Wilbur also do not want this little racoon gremlin hybrid in their home either) team up and plan to ruin the proposal. The only problem, they don't know when Phil is gonna actually propose.
And this...this is where the hijinks and shenanigans ensue.
They just like, constantly ruin Phil and Kristen's date nights with their dumb shit.
(I'm thinking shit like the three of them stacked on each others shoulders in a trench coat pretending to be a waiter at the hotel restaurant Phil and Kristen are eating at and constantly spilling drinks and food of them whenever it looks like Phil is about to pop the question; following them on walks under the stars, hiding in bushes with binoculars and making birds attack them; tackling Phil into the pool ect. ect. ect.)
But, plot twist, while pulling off these epic plans, the three of them...bond! Dun dun dunnnnn!!! Wilbur and Techno actually grow to like Tommy and think "Hey, maybe this kid ain't so bad" so they back out on the plans and try to convince Tommy to do the same. He won't.
(Meanwhile, Phil is just wondering why all his proposal attempts have gone so fucking wrong like???)
Anyways, fast forward. Its the last day of their holiday the two families go out for dinner. Its nice, they're having a good time, Kristen is chatting away to Tommy about Minecraft and Tommy is happy to tell her all about his favourite game. And then, Phil clears his throat.
He starts talking about Kristen and how happy he makes her, and Tommy can tell what's coming the moment Phil reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small black box. And, in a final attempt to keep the life he has, Tommy snatches the box out of Phil's hand and fucking runs.
He runs right out of the restaurant, ignoring everyone calling after him, and doesn't stop running until he's on the beach, where he hides. And he cries. He cries because his dad is gonna replace him with Techno and Wilbur, and he misses his mum even though he never met her, and because this he knows that stealing a ring and running away isn't gonna stop this proposal from happening, and because the only family dynamic he knows is going to change and he isn't ready for that. And it's just a big angst moment.
And then some fluff.
Kristen finds him hidden by the rocks, and Tommy quickly pretends he wasn't just crying bc he's a big man and shit like that. He half expects her to immediately call for Phil and then for Phil to disown him, but instead she sits with him.
She asks if he's OK and when he doesnt answer her she just goes on talking about random things as if Tommy didn't just ruin their entire holiday (about shit like how she thought the cake at the restaurant was too dry and about the stars and different constellations and she even continues asking him about minecraft) and Tommy, after a while, talks back to her.
They talk for a while, arguing about the best Minecraft block (Tommy wholeheartedly defending cobblestone like his life depends on it) until eventually Kristen asks why he did what he did. And Tommy explains everything (that can basically be summed up in "I'm scared of change")
It's just a wholesome moment really. They're just sitting behind a bunch of rocks, Tommy is spilling his guts and Kristen is just listening. And at then end of it she's there to give him a big hug.
(I imagine Tommy saying that one cliche line "please don't hurt my dad" and Kristen being like "I wouldn't dream of it" and then Tommy gives her the ring box)
But yeah, happy ending! Phil proposes to Kristen on the beach and it's all happy and nice and cool and Tommy, Techno and Wilbur watch and Techno starts crying a little bc he's so happy for his mum.
...
I came up with this last night when I couldn't sleep.
#sbi#sbi headcanons#sbi au#sleepy bois inc#sleepy bois family#tommyinnit#technoblade#wilbur soot#philza#dadza#mumza
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☆ﾐ 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚘𝚑"
PART 8: CAT BOYS
... it’s late into the night and y/n is streaming with one of her new friends, sykkuno. running on caffeine and redbull is apparently not enough because she falls asleep on his shoulder 45 minutes into their cyberpunk gameplay. at that exact moment, twitter goes up in flames.
─── corpse husband x reader, sykkuno x reader (because i was threatened by thirsty anons)
─── soc. media + written fiction!
─── word count: 1.8k
author’s note: here it is...what yall been asking for. literally had to add a new part for this but i loved this idea sm i couldnt just nOT NOT do it. i tried writing this with the same energy as the smau lmao so expect chaos as always. hope you enjoy it and as always lmk what u think! hopefully yall wont go too feral, but tbh thats prolly too much to ask for xx
EDIT: srr for the fucky format tumbler dot com is being lame
ultimate masterlist. ҉ myso masterlist ҉ previous. ҉ next.
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Such a back and forth continues for the better part of the day as you get ready. Corpse only whines a bit when you forget to text him back - you are packing, and your prestigious cat ears you bought from Amazon for 10$ deserve exquisite care - which only fuels your seemingly bottomless hunger for mischief, leading to you sneakily ignoring him more. When your phone lights up with a message, you giggle, giddy with excitement. Your laughter only gets louder and more erratic, to the point where Rae had busted down your door and threw her Hello Kitty plush at you - one you’d gotten her, mind you! - and told you to just “Shut the fuck up!”
Ungrateful. You know not everyone can appreciate your sense of humor, or stand your hyena like cackle, but that was uncalled for and you told her as much. Noting the mess your room is in (more than usual, that’s for certain), she leans onto the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest, pretty brown eyes twinkling curiously, “Where you off to?”
“So I had this idea-” You start, but are promptly shut down with a raise of her palm.
“Already know it’s a bad one.”
Insulted, and hurt, you clutch your heart. As if she had not mocked you enough today, “Rae...The hell, that’s so mean...” You mutter, face scrunching into a soft frown, “I only wanted to tell you what me and Syk thought of.”
“Oh?” Intrigued, she raises a brow, “Continue.”
“Gee, thanks for letting me this time.” You mumble, rolling your eyes, “So. We thought we’d stream together. The catch? In the same room! We’ll be playing Cyberpunk. Gotta cash in while the hype is still up.” You add, making her snort, “And, ya know, the whole cat boy business...We’ll be wearing matching cat ears. Admit it, I’m a genius.”
She’s quiet for a moment, mulling over your words; you can practically see the gears in her head turning. She glances around the room, then briefly at you, strangely apprehensive. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
Well, that is definitely not what you expected her to say. You figured it’d be more along the lines of you’d be one ugly cat. “Huh?” Is all you manage to stutter, “What do you mean?”
She gives you a look, one all people give when something is so plainly obvious, “Y/n. You do know the stans will go wild, right? And you do remember our conversation involving Corp-”
“Nope!” You exclaim cheerily with a bright smile to match. You don’t want to think about that. The relationship between you and Corpse is strictly platonic, and besides, seeing Twitter loosing their shit is always funny, and you never miss an opportunity to mess with your fans. Sykkuno is also a good friend, albeit a new one. This supposed flirting from Corpse’s end Rae deduced was nothing more than her projecting her feelings onto the situation. She always liked shoujo anime and was probably thinking one was happening right in front of her. Not a chance. Corpse was just being a friendly crackhead. Your energies mesh beautifully.
Like, beautifully in a strictly friend way. Absolutely nothing more than that.
She gives up, naturally, arguing with a wall would be more productive than arguing with you. You’re such a (Zodiac sign).
“Well,” She mumbles, ticking her head to the side, leaning off of the door frame and turning to leave, “Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”
Your grin melts as soon as she leaves. Glancing at your bag, you shove your last necessities in with newfound hesitance.
Nothing bad will happen, right?
...Right?
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It is well past the generally set “appropriate” time to hang out, but since quarantine, what is appropriate anymore anyway? You’ve never been in Sykkuno’s apartment, but now that you’re here it’s...strangely him. Every corner seems tailored to his specific requirements. It’s cozy, and pleasantly warm - it’s a bit chilly in LA, as surprising as that is.
He’s even shyer than you remember him being. And a whole lot more awkward, but in an endearing way, a way that makes you want to laugh and try to reassure him that it’s just you and he has nothing to worry about. While you hung out only once, the history you share is rich and tender. From him following you on Twitter and subsequently prematurely ending your stream, to kidnapping a stray cat affectionately named Juan. His long lost brother, Juan (no the Second, just Juan), lives in your Minecraft server.
His stream room is sadly bare. There’s an appalling lack of merch or fairy lights. Not even led-lights. It’s a good thing you brought your own. As you try to decided which color would be best - his signature lime green, reminiscent of his adorable Among Us astronaut, or, perhaps, mischievous violet? - he boots the game and tweets out a quick “streaming with y/n in ten mins! come one come all!”
“You should probably tell your fans, too.” He mumbles, looking somewhere above your shoulder. You settle with cherry blossom pink. Glancing at him, you shrug.
“Ah, do it for me, please?”
“Oh!” He hiccups, “Uhm, I wouldn’t want to pry and I don’t know your password and-”
“It doesn’t have a password.” You had removed it, knowing something like this would happen. Bless your foresight, you did not want him to know it was demonspiitinmymouth. Before he could protest further, you rush to the nearest mirror to put on your cat ears and make sure they aren’t crooked. You look absolutely adorable. The cat boys in your dms will go feral. Hell, you might just go feral looking at yourself! Sykkuno is not ready. No one is. This will be a stream to remember.
When you return (with flourish of course), he’s anxiously fidgeting by his computer, his own little cat ears, one’s he wore for the Halloween stream, peaking out from his silky brown hair. You have to suppress a squeal. When he catches you gaze he gives the kindest, sweetest little smile.
“They, uh--” He points at you, then decides it’s rude to point, bringing his hand back to his lap, then clutching his mouse, lastly releasing a sound stuck between a chuckle and a wheeze, “suit you, uhm, a lot!” He finishes with a resolute nod, quickly spinning in his chair and away from you.
This is the reaction you desired. All is going according to plan. Is this what God feels like? If not, then you pity her. She’s missing out.
Taking a seat next to him - he had been gracious enough to haul you a spare chair from the kitchen - you draw closer, and he, instinctively, shrinks away with another nervous chuckle.
“You have, uhm... I-I didn’t look!” He quickly chimes. You raise a brow, “Uhm, unopened messages? From Corpse? He texted you when I was tweeting! I didn’t mean to look, I’m sorry-”
Instantly, you recall the famous vine with the scandalous “daddy chill” line, though refrain from saying it aloud. You love havoc, but you’re not evil (Rae would ardently disagree with you, though). Instead, you just shrug, “’S fine, don’t worry. I’ll text him back later. Let’s start?”
He nods, but doesn’t look at you. Granted, you don’t think he glanced at you even once since you returned, “...Okay. Ready?”
“Ready!”
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
You’re much too immersed into the game and Sykkuno’s twitch chat to even check what’s happening on Twitter, but your estimated guess is that everyone’s going crazy. The stream chat is unruly as well, but missing the signature Twitter spark. Most of the chaos is bravely lead by your fans. Sykkuno’s, much like the man himself, are too nice to scream so unabashedly.
Perhaps you excitement had been a bit too taxing, perhaps drinking 5 coffees and 2 energy drinks today and not enough water are to blame for the sudden drowsiness you’re feeling, but you can’t focus on the swimming chat or the abundance of cut-scenes at the starting point of the game. You steadily draw nearer and he, more composed in front of his audience, doesn’t react. About ten more minutes of hoovering by his shoulder and muttering soft commentary, and you feel yourself slipping.
The last coherent thought you have is a few choice words directed at caffeine itself for having the opposite effect of you at the worst time possible.
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
You float in oblivion for perhaps ten minutes at best. Once you awake with a startle, you shower Sykkuno in shy apologies and he quickly reassures you that it’s fine and that he didn’t mind at all!
“Though,” He adds after a thoughtful pause, “not sure if it was very, uh, comfortable?”
His stream chat spams uwu and variations of similar kind. The stream continues for a few more hours before the both of you wish everyone a good night.
While you planned on wreaking absolute havoc, this sudden falling asleep was unexpected. You pondered the consequences of such an innocent, unplanned act whilst ubering home, fearing to check your phone which by now was blowing up with not only Twitter notifications but also Rae’s angry messages that vaguely read “what the fuck y/n”. Within the past two hours she had left 57 messages on all platforms collectively, including 7 calls.
Corpse’s last text was over three hours ago.
Now that’s strange. Worry festers quickly. Briefly glancing at your surroundings - the pretty glimmer of passing street lights, neon signs, familiar buildings - you decide that it’s time to check what kind of nuclear explosion you’ve caused.
Your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach as you scroll past the hundreds of tweets and mentions. Scan through Rae’s messages.
You had failed to prepare ahead. Every explosion of such kind is followed by nuclear winter. And Corpse’s lack of messages feels especially cold.
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Not you smiling like a fucking idiot reading his last message! You shrink into the backseat, afraid the driver will accidentally look into the rear-view mirror and see you a bit too happy before asking questions. Good news? Yeah, but it’s not like it’s his any beeswax! In the words of Rihanna, just shut up and drive.
This argument had not yet happened, but you’re preparing, just in case.
As you think up of potential scenarios, your eyes drill into Corpse’s goodnight text. You’ve looked at it enough. Time to turn the phone screen off. Leave the app, at the very least. When the screen dims you instantly press on it to wake it up. This is embarrassing. Maybe the deadly amount of caffeine really did mess you up, big time. Your heart races in your chest, painfully almost. You feel a bit sick. Worst of all, you can’t stop smiling.
A notification from Rae makes you snap out of it. Ah, one more demon to deal with.
However, before you talk to her, you really need to tell Twitter that you’re not with Sykkuno. And apologize to Sykkuno as well.
At least Corpse doesn’t hate you.
Fucking hell, just exit the chat you idiot!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
tags (in italics is those i couldn’t tag! make sure all’s ok w your settings!) : @littlebabysandboxburritos - @fairywriter-oracle - @tsukishimawh0re - @ofstarsanddreams - @bbecc-a - @annshit - @leahh19 - @letsloveimagines - @bellomi-clarke - @wineandionysus - @guiltydols - @onephootinfrontoftheother - @liamakorn - @thirstyfangirl - @lilysdaydreams - @pan-ini - @mxqicshxp - @tanchosanke - @yoshinorecommends - @flightsandfantasy - @liljennyx3 - @slashersdream - @unknown-and-invisible - @sinister-sleep - @fivedicksinatrenchcoat - @mercury–moon - @peterparkerspjsuit - @unstableye - @simonsbluee - @shinyshimaagain - @ppopty - @siriuslystupid - @crapimahuman - @ofthedewthesunlight - @mythicalamphitrite - @artsyally - @corpsesimpp - @corpsewhitetee - @corpse-husbandsimp - @hyp-oh-critical - @roses-and-grasses - @rhyrhy462 - @sparklylandflaplawyer - @charbkgo - @airwaveee - @creativedogs - @kaitlyn2907 - @loxbbg - @afuckingunicornn - @fleurmoon - @yeolliedokai - @truly-dionysus - @multi-fandom-central707
more tags are in the comments bcs tumblr only allows me to tag 50 people max 💙
#corpse husband#corpse#corpse husband x reader#corpse husband fic#corpse husband imagine#corpse x reader#corpse husband social media au#social media au#corpse social media au#corpse husband x y/n#corpse x y/n#corpse husband fanfic#sykkuno#sykkuno x reader#sykkuno x y/n#myso#make you say oh#reader#xreader#imagine#imagines
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Work Meets Love.
Pairings: Madara x reader
Warnings: 18+ not for minors. Slight degradation. NSFW. 100% Smut. Slight fluff. Overstimulation. Mentions of pee
You woke up to the sound of light rain hitting the window of the large office space. Wrapped in a black and white throw blanket comfortably sitting in Madara’s lap, your legs dangled on each side of his work chair, arms loosely wrapped around his abdomen while your head rest on his chest. You initially came here to cuddle for a little, snuggling into him while he worked on some important documents regarding the establishment of the Kage summits that would be taking place more often, to maintain peace amongst different villages.
The rise and fall of his warm chest lulled you into a nap you didn’t intend to take, but you had no willpower to fight the inviting slumber, Madara not having the heart to wake you up either, a smile pulling at his lips as he watched you rest. Madara worked more often than he took breaks, leaving you lonely most of the time. After voicing out your mutual need for affection and attention, you were both able to work out a way to cater to each other. One of solutions being that you’d get to cuddle with him while he worked in his office, as long as you promised to stay quite and be good. No trying to get off on him like you usually enjoyed, or else you’d be sent away to await a long and hard punishment as soon as he finished his work.
His chin lightly rest on top of your head, hands flipping through stacks of paperwork, peacefully signing away, the weight and warmth of your body against his own calming, helping him think through a couple of problems that were recently brought to his attention at the previous Kage summit. He lifted his chin as you lifted your head, instinctively pausing at what he was doing so you could get comfortable again. You shifted in his lap to try and find a cozier position, bringing your arms up to wrap around his neck, placing a few kisses on his cheek before nuzzling your head into his neck. Once your shifting had stopped Madara was able to go back to his working, careful about not being to loud with the papers on his desk so as to not wake you up. Even though he gave you specific instructions to not fall asleep on him while he was working, you obviously ignored them, which Madara thought he’d remember for later, but for now he’d leave you to your nap, seeing that you weren’t as distracting this way.
The small smile on his face from your kisses was gradually replaced with his serious work face again as he went back to reading and signing the documents. A few minutes later you shifted again, a minute later again, until your constant movements began to bother him. Your eyes slowly opened, your hips still shifting in his lap, realizing that you needed to go pee. You whined, deeply annoyed at the inconvenience of having a bladder. You reluctantly pushed yourself off of him, stopped by the large hands on your waist. You looked at him, your eyes half lidded as you attempted to shuffle off again, still being held in place by the strong hands on your waist. “Hey sleepy head”, he teased, pulling you closer to his chest to embrace you. “I need to pee!”, you whined out, voice muffled as he held your head down onto his shoulder, drowning you in his loving embrace. “Baby, I thought we agreed you were only to come cuddle for an hour twice a day?”, he musingly questioned. “You’ve been here for nearly two and half hours”. “I’m just really tired…and I miss you too much. I didn’t want to nap by myself”, you sleepily responded. “I need to pee”, you repeated, trying to break away from the embrace you couldn’t fully enjoy while being so pressed. “But baby I missed you too”, he said, holding you tighter as he planted small kisses on your cheek. “Madara”, you warned, a hint of mischief in his smile as you finally managed to lift your head up to look at him. “I need to go pee right now. Please let go”, your voice a little louder , growing slightly impatient. He leaned in closer to you, placing his a hand at the back of your head before pushing you in for kiss. You whined in his mouth, hands flat against his chest desperately trying to pull away. His arm snaked around your lower back, keeping you flush against him while the other kept your head in place, his mouth ravishing your own in a passionate kiss. The sound of the rain was much louder now, the pattering at the window coaxing you to pee all the more. You whined again before Madara finally broke the kiss, his lips slightly parted to catch his breath, loosening his hold on you. You were able to shuffle back and swing one leg off him to stand, the blanket dropping to the floor. Just as you turned your back to him his hands found their way to your hips again, pulling you back down to ungracefully plop onto his lap. He pushed you slightly forward, adjusting you so you sat on only one of his thighs, your crotch resting against the fabric of his pants. “Madara, I’m really going to pee, you need to stop!”, you warned, the tone of your voice serious, knowing exactly what he was up to. “Stop what?”, he teased. You couldn’t believe he was taking this as a joke. He slowly pushed his thigh up, keeping you firmly planted against it as his hand gripped your waist, moving you back and forth as he repeatedly pushed his thigh up into you, forcing you to ride him. The only thing between you and his thigh was the thin, black lacy underwear you wore, underneath the baggy shirt you borrowed from your husband. That didn’t help your situation at all! The pressure you felt on your clit mercilessly poking at your bladder. “Madara please”, you whimpered, knowing you stood little to no chance against his actions before you’d pee. Your husband simply ignored all your pleading. He pulled you back against his chest before spreading your legs wide with his own. His hand reached in between your legs, pulling out another desperate plea from you as his middle finger pushed against your clit through the the thin material covering your forbidden fruit. You felt your bladder about to explode, not sure if you could hold it any longer as Madara’s finger stroked your clit. “Do you think you can hold it in a litt- ”, but you finally let go, unable to hold it in , you finally let go, making a mess all over Madara. He felt the warmth of your pee quickly spread all over his lap, completely soaking him. He sat in complete silence, the sight of you peeing on him making his dick twitch in his pants. He should do this more often.
“Fuck baby”, he whispered directly into your ear. “Look at the mess you made. Peeing all over me. How filthy”. You couldn’t see the sly grin planted on his face as he spoke. Looking down in utter shame you apologized,“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to it’s just th- mmm!”, he cut you off in a kiss. His hands lifted the shirt you wore up, quickly pulling it up over your head, leaving your upper body bare. He infused chakra into his hand, damaging the fabric of your underwear easily enough to rip it right off of you, leaving you naked on top of him. His lips immediately returned to yours, one hand cupping your boob while the other possessively cupped your naked pussy. He ran his tongue along your lips, demanding entrance as two long and slender fingers stroked between your other lips, forcing you to open up for him with a moan. His tongue explored your mouth, swallowing all your moans. His fingers stimulating your clit in quick and rough strokes, flicking on the little nub to bring you closer to your orgasm much too fast. You couldn’t stop moaning into the heated kiss that threatened to burn you as he brought you closer to heaven, pinching and pulling at your sensitive nipple. You braced yourself, feeling the first wave of pleasure tower you like a tsunami about to wreck an entire city, when his fingers suddenly stopped, immediately snatching your orgasm away from you. “Nooo please”, you reached one hand up to bury it in his thick black hair, your other gripping his forearm as you desperately tried not to bring your hands to your pussy to finish the job. Kami help you if you ever dared to give yourself an orgasm after he denied you one. You whimpered, not looking forward to being edged tonight.
He totally ignored you, his hand lightly slapping your wet pussy, causing you to whine at each slap, before tilting your head up so he could kiss you again. You were way too lost in the kiss, Madara groaning into it as he slipped two fingers into your heat, remembering how good this would feel on his dick, your tight pussy swallowing him in. His fingers immediately setting to a slow and steady pace, curling as they stroked your g spot. As much as he lived for tongue fucking you, he broke away from the kiss only to hear the pretty sounds you made as he slowly finger fucked you. His other hand joined the assault, two fingers spreading your lips apart as his thumb came up to massage the little nub. You moan aloud, almost screaming as he introduced you to shocks and jolts of intense pleasure. “Fuck yes baby, is daddy making you feel so good?”, his voice much deeper as he groaned into your ear, his dick pressing against your ass as you squirmed on his lap, enjoying the pleasure he was blessing you with. “Answer me!”, he growled this time, startling you to respond, “Yes! Aaahhh, ooohhh fuck daddy! That feels so….aaahhhhh! Please don’t stop!”, you pleaded, nearing an orgasm you knew was about to destroy you. You screamed as he added more pressure to everything, generously stimulating you to a shuddering, drooling mess before he stopped. You let out a high pitched whine at the loss of his fingers, all stimulation stopping at once. You bucked and squirmed in his lap. You couldn’t even babble any words, having to wait for the pleasure to subside before you could complain once again. “Why would you stop!”, you were finally able to cry out. Madara kissed the tears flowing down your cheeks, bringing both his hands up to massage your breasts, his second favorite part of your body. The first being your ass, he swore the sight of your ass jiggling as he pounded into you would be the death of him. Especially when he fucked you in front of a mirror and he got to see your boobs bounce and ass jiggle at the same time, prepare the funeral because you stole his fucking heart with how gorgeous you were. He never lasted too long when he fucked you like that. You strained your neck to look him in the eye. He looked back at you, relishing in the intense eye contact as he rolled your pretty brown nipples between his fingers. “Please, can I c-cum. Please daddy”, you sniffled, hoping that he would sympathize if he saw the needy look in your dark brown eyes. His heart fluttered when you called him daddy. Having a beautiful and strong, young woman like yourself totally submit to him definitely boosting his ego. But unfortunately for you he was the in the mood to make you cry tonight. Especially since you interrupted his work with your cute self.
“Give me one good reason to let you cum and I’ll gladly make you squirt all over my lap my love”, he said, trailing his hands back down to your pussy. You stuttered as his fingers took their position again. Two thick fingers sinking into you, the other hand spreading your lips apart as his thumb pushed up against your sensitive clit making you throw your head back, a long whimper leaving your lips. You were so beautiful like this, completely submitting to him without him even having to ask for it. “Let me know when you’re ready to answer”, he spoke before lowering his head to latch onto your nipple, his warm tongue flicking around it before he started sucking. His thumb began massaging your throbbing clit again, his fingers curling has they repeatedly stroked your g spot, the tantalizing actions leaving you a whiny mess. “I n-need t- to… to.. cum d-daddy pleeeaasee”, you cried out, trying your very best to keep up with such blissful cruelty. “Why?”, he breathed out, your sweet sweet nipple leaving his mouth with a pop, his hot breath fanning over it. “Because! I..I-I’m daddies angel, oooooh fu- aaahhhh!”, you tried your best to answer. “My sweet baby, of course that’s true, but did you forget that falling asleep here in my arms while I’m working is against the rules?”, he spoke loud over your cries, unrelenting in the way he lovingly stimulated your private parts. You broke down, your juices adding to the mess you made earlier on as you neared your orgasm. Your piercing cries were slightly muffled by the rain pouring outside as you came closer and closer, body shaking and drool falling down your chin as your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Madara watched his wife convulse in his lap, the erotic sight proving to be too much for him at the feel of his painful erection straining against his pants. A soft moan left his mouth, completely inaudible to your ears, your body violently shaking as you finally came, Madara trying hard to continue stimulating you through it. He wouldn’t stop until you’d let it all out. Even if he was mercilessly over stimulating you he didn’t care because you asked for this anyway. You couldn’t handle the orgasm that possessed you, the vice grip on your husbands hair forcing a deep warning growl out of him. He knew you probably wouldn’t hear him because of how far gone you were, his big hand cupping your pussy as you came, preventing you from squirting all over the place, creating a little puddle in his hand until you were finally done.
“Shhh, baby…I know, you’re fine. Just breathe. You need to relax”, he whispered in your ear, his arm wrapped around your waist and his hand running up and down your tummy, holding you flush against his warmth, slowly bringing you back down to earth. “Look at all this mess you made, my angel. You and I both need a shower don’t you think?”. “Mmmhmmm”, you hummed in response. Basking in the glow of your orgasm. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. Let’s get you all cleaned up my love”, he spoke, standing up with you in his arms. You clung onto him as he carried you to the bathroom. You were ready to spend the rest of the night making long and hot sweet love.
#madara#madara uchiha#madara smut#madara x y/n#madara x reader#madara x you#nsft post#nsft#uchiha madara
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The Past Is Present (In All The Wrong Ways…)
So I saw that @elflynns-horde-of-stuff wanted to talk about BNHA 319, and I was going to send her and ask, but then I let my thoughts go on too long, so… everyone gets this gigantic brain dump. Enjoy :D
[Fair warning: no immediate Bakubashing, but it does come in later. I’m not joking, if you don’t like that, AVOID it. Please. Thank you.]
Now there’s a LOT to unpack with this chapter, and I might not be able to put all of it in words, so let me try and boil it down to what I believe is the core issue:
People are recognizing Midoriya’s bulls*** without recognizing Bakugo’s bulls***.
[TL;DR at the very end, just so you know.]
Which, let me be clear, is completely fair. I like Midoriya as a character, he’s obviously one of my favorites, but hoo BOY am I sick and tired of the s*** he has to go through and the s*** he’s pulling! I understand he’s going through a lot of stress right now and he doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt, but from a completely professional standpoint, that is LITERALLY THE JOB. His other friends are literally HEROES (in training) that have also been through their fair share of UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONAL BULLS*** BECAUSE OF SHONEN LOGIC, so realistically trying to protect them, while noble, does kinda come off as insulting. And I get the whole savior complex thing, because the whole “its my responsibility, let me handle it” isn’t entirely irrational on its own.
The previous holders of OFA more or less signed up for the responsibility.
Nana Shimura signed up for the responsibility, not her family.
Toshinori Yagi signed up for the responsibility, not his friends and (found) family.
Izuku Midoriya signed up for the responsibility, not his mom, not his friends.
...except AFO isn’t just targeting OFA, though that is a big priority on his to-do list.
Except AFO, as a villain, isn’t just OFA’s responsibility.
Except even if innocent people can’t and shouldn’t be brought in the crossfire, Midoriya’s friends aren’t civilians. A good bulk of Midoriya’s allies aren’t civilians. They’re heroes. They signed up for this. Maybe not taking on an ancient evil like AFO, but hey, most villains nowadays AREN’T a part of the standard deal.
The thing about a savior complex is that you often have a blindside.
And from a more personal perspective, I’m not a big fan of the whole “protagonist repeats history” kinda deal, especially with the way BNHA framed itself as a sort of “next-gen” shonen which was supposed to be kinda sorta different. And the thing is, we already have several examples of the same story with the previous OFA holders, especially Nana and Toshinori, which we’ve seen in glimpses on several occasions.
Internally, it does make sense for Midoriya to be repeating the mistakes of his predecessors. Personally, I think it would make more sense if Midoriya’s inferiority complex manifested in a different way (and maybe show us the dangers of that heroic isolation through Nana and Toshinori in more fleshed out flashbacks so that part doesn’t get completely left out). But that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Now, with all my grievances of Midoriya settled… Bakugo.
Before I go to deep into AntiBaku mode, let me just say right now: I kinda get what he was going for.
He’s not being an arrogant loudmouth like usual because he’s letting his ego talk; he’s doing it because that’s what’s familiar to him AND to Midoriya. Midoriya is used to Bakugo when he acts like that, he hasn’t shown any serious signs of not being receptive to Bakugo when he’s like that (at least not recently), so Bakugo uses that in the hopes that maybe that familiarity will get Midoriya to stop and think. It’s worked before, right?
And in all fairness, maybe those insults are trying to get to Midoriya, too. He’s not thinking of OFA as some grand blessing, he’s not trying to be another All Might (the manga went as far to show us how much Izuku does NOT look like a traditional hero right now), so maybe Midoriya will stop and try to reason with his friends, and maybe come to reason with himself as well.
...or he’ll think Baku is full of s*** trying to set him off and just keep moving along, both out of annoyance and thinking Bakugo doesn’t really understand.
(This is where trying to understand Bakugo ends by the way.)
Because all of the above is assuming that Bakugo is approaching normal circumstances. Which he’s not.
Midoriya is tired, both mentally and physically. Midoriya has a very, VERY bad person trying to cut him off from everything, and everyone, and it’s working. Midoriya is under the impression that if he doesn’t keep moving, if he doesn’t try to fix this mess that HE signed up for, people that don’t deserve to get hurt are going to get hurt.
All Might is one of those people. His friends and classmates are some of those people. BAKUGO is one of those people.
And right now, all Bakugo is doing is getting in close proximity, doing what he usually does. He’s not changing his approach to throw Midoriya off, because he’s not that kinda person. He’s trying to talk Izuku down because that is his usual approach, and it’s worked before. Even if Midoriya ultimately contradicted his words, he’s always at least acknowledged Bakugo and what he’s had to say. So Bakugo’s trying to get him to realize how it looks from his perspective: Midoriya is getting a big head, he’s not ready for this responsibility, he’s not supposed to be this way.
...but that’s not what Midoriya’s hearing.
Right now, if I had to guess, the only thing Midoriya is processing right now is that he’s not enough. All Bakugo’s taunts are doing is inflaming his inferiority complex, reminding him that he’s not doing enough. He’s not a “Majesty… successor of One For All” because he’s NOT focusing on the clout, and from Midoriya’s perspective, he’s been doing a s*** job of helping people after the Nagant fiasco and with tracking down AFO and Shigaraki in general. He’s not an “All Might wannabe” because All Might can’t help right now, and even if he could, he’d be doing a lot better in Izuku’s eyes, because even if Toshinori Yagi was human, painfully so, All Might was always, ALWAYS, the #1 Hero for a reason.
...and how can Midoriya live up to that? What has he done to live up to that, to live up to ANYTHING, really?
Midoriya isn’t focusing on how much he’s done. He’s focusing on how much he hasn’t done.
“I can still move…” ...becuase I haven’t moved enough. Because I haven’t done enough.
With that said, time to switch topics: Bakugo’s understanding of the situation, while more extensive than anyone else, is also limited in its own right. I have problems with him claiming he knows All Might and Midoriya better than anyone else because of the sequence of events leading up to that are, realistically speaking (shocking, I know), completely contrived (aftermath of the Battle Trial, DvK2, subsequent invitation to secret OFA meetings). But that’s also because really, there’s a lack of complete awareness on Bakugo’s part, which isn’t expected, but still important.
Neither Bakugo nor Midoriya (nor the readers/viewers, really) know the full extent of All Might’s history as Toshinori Yagi. Midoriya probably knows a lot more of it than Bakugo does from a purely personal perspective, but that’s still not much, so Bakugo’s claim of knowing All Might is kinda :/ Then what about Izuku? Well…
Bakugo is willing to acknowledge that he bullied Midoriya. Bakugo is willing to acknowledge that Midoriya’s sense of self-worth is non-existent. But has Bakugo ever really acknowledged the impact he personally had on the latter?
Bakugo has been willing to see that the way he treated Midoriya was unjust, I won’t deny that. But as of now, we have yet to see Bakugo properly, explicitly realize that HE is the major contributor to Midoriya’s lack of self-worth. As far as Bakugo’s concerned, this is just another thing that Midoriya’s been doing since he was a kid. Except the fact that it’s not. Midoriya’s selflessness was always there.
...his lack of self-preservation came later.
And that’s the crux of the issue, really (finally, no more babbling): Bakugo is trying to tell Midoriya that he isn’t enough, but Midoriya is used to that. He grew up with it, heard it on repeat, internalized it. Not just from Bakugo, even if he was at some point a major contributor. And that’s Midoriya’s driving force: he’s not enough, he needs to do more, he can’t stop. There’s logic in Bakugo’s approach, but first off, it’s f***ing stupid logic, and second, logic doesn’t translate well to emotion. Even if Bakugo is doing what he’s doing with Izuku’s well-being in mind, he’s completely missing the point and kinda coming off as a dick, both externally and from a meta standpoint.
Izuku Midoriya doesn’t need Katsuki Bakugo trying to talk him down. He’s used to that.
Izuku Midoriya needs someone to tell him he’s done enough, plain and simple. No backhanded compliments, no workaround taunts. He needs someone like All Might- no, someone like Toshinori Yagi. He needs someone who is willing to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he is enough, that he’s done enough.
More than enough people have already acknowledged Katsuki Bakugo.
Not enough people have truly acknowledged Izuku Midoriya.
TL;DR: Midoriya needs help, but the way Bakugo is going about it could actually backfire and feels shortsighted.
-Crimson Lion (9 July 2021)
#anti bakugo#anti bakugou#kinda#just to be safe#meta#long post#rant#vent#not putting it in the main tag#but this is about midoriya and bakugo just so y'all know#and obviously this is about ch 319#just putting it like this so people aren't completely in the dark if they're reading the tags#Word Count: 1633#incoherent rambling#i think i forgot some of the other stuff i wanted to say#i did say more than enough tbf#...intentions aside#i still don't get why people are more focused on bakugo's issues more than midoriya's#with midoriya we see he's going down the deep end and we automatically recognize it for what it is#but with bakugo people come up with every justification under the sun because 'no he's not being an asshole. he has a reason!'#izuku has his reasons too. they don't mean s***. he's being self-destructive. his reasons be damned.#same goes for baku continuing to act like it hasn't already been a year. i don't care about his reasons or what he thinks he knows.#he's still acting like an ass. he's still trying to be an alpha male. he's still demeaning izuku (intentionally or otherwise) and has yet t#properly acknowledge the part he played in making izuku feel worthless.#no amount of reason covers for destroying someone's self-worth. it's still wrong.#...a'ight i'm done.#wonder how things are gonna go on from here. there isn't a guarantee for the story's direction.#...not sure whether to be curious or terrified. i'll be both.#again there's more i can say but i already used up most of the tags lol#might make another post but that's honestly a coin flip. still a possibility though.
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Eternity
“What crueler punishment is there than love?”
PAIRING: Regulus Black x Fem!Reader
SUMMARY: Falling in-love was always scary, but falling in-love knowing there is an inevitable end is terrifying
WORD COUNT: 2.1k
WARNING(S): Mentions of death + brief mentions of grief, Immortal!Reader
AUTHORS NOTE: This has been sitting in my drafts for months ( back when i was an active hp writer and was primarily in said fandom) and finally decided to post it
JOIN MY TAGLIST - MARAUDERS MASTERLIST
Immortality may seem like a blessing to those who desire it but forget the burden those cursed with it must carry.
How long have you been alive to watch the world around you evolve? Watch as one Dark Wizard rose and fell only for another to take their place? Watch as those you loved died, leaving you to grieve for all of eternity but yet some dare say that it’s a gift? The answer; far too long.
If anything, it’s more of a curse than a gift. A cruel way of punishing others but not just them but their family as well.
Old magic was dangerous and masters of those forces were not to be messed with. Your family had learnt that the hard way many years ago. An old witch, who one of your past ancestors had wrongly messed with, put a curse on your family. Any and every daughter born into the (Y/L/N) family would be cursed with immortality, paying their ancestors debt for all of eternity. Perhaps this is where the term ‘old soul’ had come from. You thought to yourself once. It humored you at the time but barely anymore. All you wanted was for your soul to be at rest but due to that witch’s magic, that would never happen.
When your parents welcomed you into the world you would be cursed to live in forever, a part of them had hoped that the curse would have somehow skipped a generation but when they noticed your lack of physical aging as you grew up, the only thing they could do was spend as much time with you as possible, your father especially. His time was running out but not yours. It never would.
You’ve lived through many decades and met several people, most of whom were starting to leave your mind, being replaced by the new people you were always meeting. Friends in your opinion, were easily replaceable. Whether it be betrayal or death that causes a rift in the friendship, there was always another willing to fill that spot. This being said, it didn’t mean you never loved them because you did. You spilled all your secrets and thoughts into them and held them as death took them away from you. Oh how their souls were fortunate enough to be able to rest.
You remember listening to your aunts and grandmother talking about their past lovers as a little girl. When one had finally passed, they’d give themselves some time to grieve before hopping into a new relationship, allowing the cycle to repeat itself. They would’ve expected for you to follow in their footsteps given the curse and all but were quite surprised when decades, maybe even centuries had passed, and you were still in-love with that boy from 1976.
You smiled as you recalled the day. It was the day you realized you were falling in-love for the first and possibly the only time in your life. For a moment, that moment specifically, you forgot about your curse and what would result from it.
It was the third of December. Snow fell onto the white ground as a cool breeze turned your faces red. You were both supposed to be in Herbology class at the time, not by the Black Lake throwing snowballs at each other but
With a bit of help from your magic, you had sent at least ten snowballs in his direction. You laughed as it hit him in the face and the moment of you letting your guard down allowed for him to throw one right back at you.
Your face was cold and wet as you wiped the snow off your face. Narrowing your eyes at him, you noticed a sparkle in his grey eyes before another snowball hit you in the face.
“Reg I swear to God I will murder you.” You threatened as you wiped the snow off your face. Anybody else would’ve been scared and immediately apologized but he knew you like the back of his hand.
“Is that so love?” He teased knowing that nickname was always able to crack your façade. Glaring daggers at him, you hoped he wouldn’t notice how your face got warmer but he saw the corners of your lip twitch upwards a bit and that was all he needed to continue teasing you.
Waving your wand, a pile of snowballs appeared beside you and before Regulus could even say anything, they were all sent flying in his direction one by one. He sighed in relief when the last of the snowballs had been fired at him before using his wand to dry himself off.
When he was finally dry, he looked up at you and smirked before grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the Black Lake. It was frozen but you were absolutely terrified of the ice cracking and falling into the cold water. Just thinking about it sent shivers down your spine as he walked closer to the frozen lake.
“Do you trust me?” He turned around to ask you, standing at the edge of the frozen lake. Had this been someone else, you would’ve broken free of their grasp and run back to your dorm but he was different. You couldn’t explain why, but you felt safe around him. It was an odd feeling.
Simply nodding, he smiled before carefully stepping onto the ice. He laughed as he felt your grip on his arm tightened as the two of you walked further on the ice.
“Regulus what are we doing?” You questioned as he continued to lead you away from the shore.
“Ice-skating, I think. I’ve overheard my brother talk about doing it with his friends and figured I’d give it a try.” He replied with a shrug.
You abruptly stopped in your steps and arched a brow at him as you asked: “You’re telling me that we’re currently ice-skating?”
Regulus cocked his head to the side slightly. “Are we doing it wrong?”
“Ice-skating Reg, it’s in the name. We need skates.” You replied and a look of realization dawned on him. He knew that it felt odd for muggles to do this sport with normal footwear but he just hadn’t realized what he was missing.
“I was wondering why we weren’t going as graceful.” He said under his breath, causing you to chuckle. “Well, right or wrong, I think we’ve had enough ice-skating for today. Come on you must be freezing.”
He grabbed your arm again and started walking back towards the shore. A mistake in this action though was that he didn’t give you enough time to react before he was pulling your arm. This resulted in you losing your balance and slipping on the ice but thankfully, his fast reflexes had you balanced on both feet as Regulus held you by the waist.
“Are you alright?” The playful teasing expression had now been replaced by a wide eyed look of concern as he moved his hands to rest on your shoulders as if to further steady you. He searched your eyes for any sign telling him that you weren’t okay. Thankfully, there were none and he sighed in relief and pulled you into his chest.
Far too intoxicated in his scent, you hadn’t realized that you were shivering until he pointed it out and began to cautiously head back inside. Lightly tugging on your jacket, the two of you got off the ice and back onto the solid ground. As you walked back you couldn’t help but question that feeling you felt whenever you were with him.
It was the feeling you felt when you were having a snowball fight with him. The feeling you felt when he laughed and his eyes would light up. It was the feeling you felt when you were around him and what you felt when he caught you on the ice and looked at you. The moment that happened just a few seconds ago replayed in your mind and you doubt that it’d ever stop. It made you feel warm and safe, mortal even.
You didn’t even realize you were back inside until you heard a voice call out from down the hallway in front of you.
“Mr Black and Ms (Y/L/N) aren’t you supposed to be in Herbology?” It was McGonagall. Shit.
Turning the opposite way, the two of you ran down the hall and turned the corner towards the Dungeons. Teacher or not, you both doubted she would enter the Slytherin’s Common Room.
“Blimey Black, if I wanted to warm up I would’ve rather set myself on fire.” You huffed as you tried to catch your breath. “And how are you not out of breath? I feel like I’m dying.” You had just run nearly halfway across the castle and Regulus wasn’t gasping for air like you who was hunched over the couch, quite dramatically as well you might add.
The boy in front of you rolled his eyes at your exaggeration before sitting down on one of the couches and patting the seat beside him, gesturing for you to sit down beside him. With a flick of his wand, a fire was lit in the fireplace allowing both light and warmth to fill the dark Common Room the Slytherin’s had. You always wondered why Salazar decided to place the Common Room in the Dungeons out of all places. A tower would’ve been much nicer, warmer even, but it seems as his blueprint for Common Rooms was different compared to the other founders.
As you sat down beside him, he pulled you closer towards him so that you were resting on his chest as his arms were wrapped protectively around you. “Better?” He asked and smiled and you hummed in response.
His fingers were tangled in your hair as he hummed a song. That combined with the sound of the fire crackling in front of you were enough to pull you to sleep. When you woke up the next morning you were still in the Slytherin Common Room but the fire was now out and there was a blanket on top of you. You were also laying on something that was most definitely not the couch since you could feel arms loosely wrapped around your stomach.
Sitting up you noticed that the sun was just starting to rise but that wasn’t what shocked you. It was the fact that you had fallen asleep on top of Regulus and that he stayed there until he too fell asleep. He could’ve just left you on the couch to go to sleep or ask one of your friends to take you to your dorm so why did he stay?
“(Y/N)?” You heard him mumble groggily. Whipping your head around you saw Regulus still very much asleep, or at least he looked like he was. His eyes were still closed and his black curly locks were a mess, something he wouldn’t have accepted if he was awake. He was always thought to look presentable at all times.
Shrugging off your previous thoughts you smiled down at him and intertwined your fingers with his. “I’m here Reg.”
He stirred a bit and his grip on your hand became firmer before light snores were heard from him.
“What are you doing to me?” You mumbled as you pushed a few strands of hair off his face. It was that same feeling. That warm feeling that just made you yearn to be with him, it was back. This time much stronger but back nonetheless.
It took you awhile but you did realize what he was doing to you: he was making you fall for him. You didn’t know if it was intentionally or not but what you did know was that it was working.
You were falling in love and it was absolutely terrifying.
Despite your curse and the known outcome, Regulus treasured every single second he was able to share with you. The relationship lasted two years, ending a few months after you both graduated from Hogwarts due to his discovery upon Voldemort. Aside from Kreacher, you were the only person who knew the truth about Regulus Black and what happened to him. Not even his brother or parents knew what had happened to him but that’s how it would stay. The world wouldn’t know about the boy who died trying to right his wrongs.
After his passing though, you couldn’t bring yourself to move on. It didn’t feel right and with all the pain that came with it you doubted you’d ever allow yourself to fall in-love again.
So as years went by and the world continued to move on, you were stuck on that boy from 1976.
#regulus black fanfic#regulus black fic#regulus black angst#regulus black imagine#regulus black x reader#regulus black x fem!reader#regulus x fem!reader#regulus black x you#regulus black x y/n#regulus black immortal au#immortal au#immortal!reader#regulus x reader#regulus x you#regulus x y/n#regulus fic#regulus oneshot#regulus imagine#regulus au#harry potter au#hp immortal au#hp imagine#hp fic#hp oneshot#hp x reader
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One of the Boys
Virgil is a new tenant to an apartment complex and his landlord seems real nice. He told Virgil that should he ever need anything fixed to just give a call. He managed to get over the anxiety of calling someone for help, now he needs to get over the gay panic he experiences every time his landlord sends ‘one of the boys’ over.
Pairing: Everyone has a crush on Virgil who is also gay for everyone.
Warnings: panic descriptions from talking over the phone/to new people. Possible second hand embarrassment, swearing
Prompt pic at the end.
--
In all fairness, Virgil loves his new place. Way more than the old place he used to live at least. At least here the walls weren’t cracked and seemed sturdy enough that he wouldn’t be able to hear his neighbors through them. While he does his sweep of the place, writing down anything that might be wrong so the landlord can’t blame them on him, there’s barely anything broken or messed up. A clear step up from his old apartment.
“What you say Oogies?” Virgil nods to the black cat lounging on the cat tower after he’s finished his walk through. The cat stares at him, he stares back. They blink slowly at the same time and Virgil puffs out a breath. OogieBoogie wasn’t fond of the move. Complaining loudly at every jostle of the cat carrier. Virgil wanted to let her out but couldn’t until all his stuff was moved in for her safety. Seems like he’s forgiven.
“Come on lazy bones,” He finagles the cat out of the tower and she curls over his shoulders, paws dipping into the hood of his hoodie, and purrs. He smiles and scratches at her chin. For the most part she blends into the patterned fabric, her grey stripes the only thing that pop out, and even then only barely.
Virgil locks the apartment door, cat on his shoulders, and walk-through papers in hand. They walk their way around the complex and to the main office building. Virgil almost hesitates, thinking maybe he should go tomorrow morning at a better time, but OggieBoogie nuzzles his head encouragingly.
“Yeah okay,” He whispers to the animal, knowing she’s smug as he opens the door. It’s fluorescently bright. There’s no one at the front desk. Virgil takes two steps, and nearly backs out, when a friendly face pops out of one of the offices.
“Oh Virgil!” Virgil lets out a sigh of relief. He recognizes the elderly face
“Hey Mr Sanders,” He gives an awkward wave. The cheery man laughs.
“You may call me Thomas you know,” He says smiling at his cat and waving to the animal. She blinks at him.
“Right, yeah, course, Mr. Thomas yeah,” Virgil says. Thomas gives him a fond smile but doesn’t correct him. Thank god. Thomas helped him fill out lease papers when he first came to check out new apartments. Honestly a blessing as Virgil had no idea what he was doing. Bonus that Thomas professed the place to be queer friendly as well. Virgil hung up his rainbow flag in the window the moment he found it.
“Oh I brought the walk through papers back,” He hands them over and Thomas takes them happily.
“Everything good so far?” He asks. Virgil nods, nothing on there that he thought needed fixing, at least right away.
“Oh,” Thomas says softly. Virgil tenses and Oogie starts purring on his shoulder to comfort him.
“Are you having problems with the lights?” Thomas asks, very sincerely. Virgil shrugs a little and Oogie shifts to accommodate his motions.
“Not really, nothing serious,” He tries to play it off. Thomas pouts at his papers.
“Some of the plugs not screwed in properly, not working, a light out in the laundry area,” Thomas ‘tsks’ as he reads off Virgil’s writing. He perks up and offers Virgil a bright smile.
“No worries at all! I’ll send one of the boys over to fix it.” He offers Virgil a wink and riffles through his pockets. He pulls out his wallet and inside it a business card for the office that he promptly hands over.
“You ever need anything fixed, do not be afraid to call ya hear?” Virgil just nods, taking the card with him.
“Wait the boys?” He finds himself questioning. Thomas smiles again with a flippant wave of his hand.
“It’s the name of the contractor company I have hired here for the apartments. Someone should be over in about an hour to help you with the lights.” And with that Thomas is walking away to his own office, leaving Virgil to go back to his new home.
“Shit,” He mutters as he now realizes. Company coming over, and his new home is a mess. He walks quicker than he normally does to try and clean a little before ‘one of the boys’ makes it over. Oogie is not as impressed.
--
Virgil does well distracting himself. He organizes the boxes and even rearranges the hazardously brought in furniture to his liking. Oogie is lounging in her cat tower again, watching him try not to be frantic. He’s in the middle of putting some tupperware containers in the cabinets when there’s a knock on the door.
He wipes his hands on his jeans to make sure they’re not sweaty, and opens the door. Somewhere in the back of his mind he debates slamming it shut but in the end remains frozen with the front door wide open. Cause there in front of him is an absolutely gorgeous guy, hair slicked back and a cunning smile.
“Good afternoon, my name is Damien. Mr. Sanders said you needed help with some of your lights?” His voice sounds like silk and though there’s a long scar across side of his face, it takes nothing away from his beauty.
“Uh yeah.” Virgil says awkwardly.
“Yeah, yeah,” He says even more awkwardly and moves to the side to let the guy in.
“Much appreciated,” The guy, Damien says. Virgil can’t tell if the dude is cheeky or not, but damn is he flustered trying not to stare at his arms and the way he moves in those white jeans. Who wears white jeans to fix things? Virgil should send them a thank you note.
“Which plugs were having issues?” Damien asks then and Virgil decides words are not needed just this moment and deigns to gesture as best he can. Damien smiles at him and sets to work straightening some of the plugs out and replacing one in the corner when he notices a crack in the casing.
“Excuse me, miss.” He hears Damien say and peeks over his kitchen counter to see Damien gently nudging Oogie away from some of his tools. Virgil whines.
“Oogies come on let the man do his job,” Virgil goes over and scoops the cat up, petting her head to keep her from getting annoyed that she couldn’t continue with her curiosity. Damien laughs though and stands, now taking out the walk through Virgil so diligently wrote not 2 hours ago.
“You said that some of the plugs don’t work and that some of the switches don’t lead to anything?” He glances at Virgil with just a hint of a smirk. Virgil hugs Oogie a little tighter to keep his gay panic from spiraling.
“Yeah just seemed weird? I didn’t know if it was something wrong or what,” He says with a shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. Damien lets out a small laugh and waves Virgil to follow. He pulls out a small plug in light and pushes into one of the sockets Virgil said wasn’t working. He flicks the switch on the wall and the light pops on.
“Oh,” Virgil says and wants to die of embarrassment.
“Well now I feel stupid as fuck,” He says. Damien lets out another laugh, flicking the light twice more to demonstrate.
“It’s to save power that some of the switches lead to the plugs. Nothing broken there. You’re not stupid because you didn’t know.” He takes back his light and once more gives Virgil that sly smile. The worst is he smiles in a way that makes it seem like he knows what he’s doing to Virgil, which is just rude. Except he’s not, Damien is insanely polite which does not help Virgil in the slightest.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Damien asks as he puts the last of his tools back in the case.
“Nah. I’m good, thank you,” Virgil says, determined not to make a fool of himself this time. Damien nods his head.
“Have a good rest of your day then. It was a pleasure meeting you,” And this smug bastard winks at him and closes the door behind him. Virgil lets Oogie fall to the floor, picks up the nearest pillow, and screams into it. At least he can do it with proper working lights.
--
Virgil is freaking out. There’s no other way to put it. He is freaking out. So he got a little lazy and didn’t do his dishes. He’s been working so often and never found the energy to keep up. He decided he had a dishwasher for a reason, and even though he felt bad because the machine wasn’t even full, he ran it, and now there is water over the floor. Shit.
He sits on the couch, legs bouncing, with his phone in his hands. Thomas’s number is on the screen, ready to be dialed at the press of a button. Virgil still isn’t sure if this counts as a proper emergency. He managed to clean up most the water with some of his towels, but water is still coming out. Maybe if he just keeps rinsing out the towels and waits for the cycle to be done, he can pretend it never happened.
OogieBoogie jumps into his lap. She kneeds at his leg and is put out when he doesn’t move right away to pet her or give her proper access to his lap. She bumps her head against him and pushes her way to his chest, knocking his phone with her foot in the process.Virgil hisses at the action and ruffles her face in revenge.
“Hello?” A very faint voice calls out. Virgil swears softly and picks up his phone.
“Uh Mr Sanders Thomas?” He says into the receiver, then pulls it away to stare at the ceiling to briefly wonder what is wrong with himself.
“Yes?” Thomas says on the other line.
“It’s Virgil from Unit 16 B.”
“Virgil! How are you?” Thomas doesn’t sound put out that Virgil is calling him, which is a good sign so far. Virgil takes a deep breath, hands working methodically though Oogie’s fur.
“Doing okay yeah, how are you?” He says, it’s important to be polite. Thomas laughs.
“Doing good over here. What can I help you with?”
“Uhm, my dishwasher is leaking? And there’s water on the floor and I don’t know how to fix it. You said I could call if something is wrong and I just, yeah.” Virgil shrugs to himself. Thomas gasps on the other end.
“Oh no! That won’t do. I’ll send one of the boys over to help clean it up.” And Thomas hangs up. Virgil stares at the phone, then at his cat, then back at the dishwasher. He really doesn’t want Damien to see him embarrassed like this again. He buries his face in Oogie’s side and lets her purr calm him down. He must be there for a while because soon enough there’s a knock on the door.
Thankfully, it’s not Damien on the other end. However, it’s another incredibly attractive guy with a wild smile and even wilder hair that makes Virgil tense up because how. This one wears a shirt with the sleeves ripped off to show how ripped their arms are, and again, white jeans, though this time, the jeans are not as white as they once were, evidence of the work that has been done in them.
“Afternoodle! I’m Remus. The Sander’s Man said something was wishy-washy with your dishy-washy?” His smile in untamed and Virgil stares at him dumbly trying to understand what the hell just came out of his mouth.
“Yes?” He ends up asking more than saying, and moves over so Remus can come inside.
“Much appreciated, now what is gong on here?” Remus smirks down at the mess of the kitchen with his hands on his hips.
“I just ran the dishwasher and water started coming out. I was in the kitchen when I felt it on my foot.” Virgil explains as Remus moves some of the soaked towels over. He finagles the machine to open, something Virgil was too scared to try.
“Oh boy, I see. Give me one hot second here hot tamale, and I’ll get this all cleaned up.” Virgil isn’t sure what he should be more flustered by. Being called hot by a hot guy, or the fact the dude flexed while talking and there is some serious definition in his arms. So Virgil just nods as Remus skips out to the maintenance golf cart outside the door, and brings back in a tool box.
Virgil watches from over the counter as Remus pulls out the racks and practically crawls his way into the dishwasher. Virgil decides it’s a good time to walk away so he doesn’t end up staring at Remus’s ass while he works. That’s not proper behavior for someone who is trying to help.
It’s a few minutes, one colorful yet not quite a swear, and a victory noise later that Virgil feels okay going back to the kitchen area.
“Oh! Hello~ pusspuss!” Virgil gets to watch the exact moment Remus looks up to see Oogie staring at him working. Virgil scoops the cat up.
“Sorry she’s really into strangers.” He says. Though really, she hides from everyone. Remus lets out a cackle of a laugh.
“That’s fine, I’m into strangers too. So I fixed the problem here, no more soggy floors for you. Make sure to run it every so often so it keeps things going clean and unclogged.” Remus says far too quickly for Virgil to respond properly. He picks up his tools and returns them to the case. Virgil does a half-assed job of not staring at his back which is now water soaked.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Remus asks at the door. Virgil shakes his head.
“As long as it works I think I’m good,” He says. Remus smiles openly.
“Have a good rest of your day then!” He says and closes the door behind him. There was really no reason for him to flex as he said that but Virgil enjoyed it and no one else has to know.
--
“Shit shit shit,” Virgil is fumbling. He had to go grocery shopping and get some cat food for OogieBoogieBaby. And no self respecting trash panda such as himself would dream of carrying it back inside in more than one trip. So he’s fumbling with his arms lined with bags that would be cutting into his skin if not for his hoodie sleeves, but even then, those are falling and he wishes it wasn't so hot out.
He manages to make it to his door, shift some bags around so he can get his key out, when the bag of cat food starts slipping. Virgil can see it now, cat food all over the front porch to either collect ants, or other cats, or any other large animal. He wouldn’t feed it to Oogie, to afraid of what is on the ground and if it’ll upset her stomach. He braces for impact and for another quick trip to the store.
“Whoa!” Virgil feels the weight leave him but not the crash. He blinks at the ground, then at a pair of white jeans, then at the bag of cat food in someone else’s arms, then up to the face of a bespectacled stranger with brilliant blue eyes.
“Are you alright?” Stranger asks calmly and takes another bag from Virgil that looks ready to topple at a second’s notice. Virgil snaps out of it once it’s out of his hands.
“Shit yeah thanks,” He breathes out in a rush, thankful as all hell as he manages to finally get the door open. He pushes it with his hip and Oogie is waiting at the door for him, meowing up at him. He coos a greeting to her and sets the bags down in the kitchen, the stranger follows only to the inside door and puts the bags down there to not intrude.
“Thank you so much,” Virgil says once he’s done pretending he can carry that much. The stranger just offers him a small smile, kneeling down to let Oogie sniff his gardening glove covered hands.
“It was my pleasure to help you. My name is Logan, I’m one of the workers on site.” He says and stands. His voice is low and calming, it would make for a great audio book, and Virgil is not going to spend the rest of the day thinking about that.
“Though I do apologize for suddenly grabbing your things, I know that can come across as ‘creepy’ and I do not wish for that to be my first impression.” He pries a glove off and holds out his hand. Virgil takes it and gives it a small shake.
“I’m Virgil, and this is OogieBoogie,” He introduces himself and his cat who has deigned to jump on the counter and sniff at the contraption on Logan’s back. He gently pushes the cat away with a soft look in his eyes.
“Pleasure to meet both of you. None for you I’m afraid,” He chides Oogie gently. Virgil swallows because damn, someone interacting gently with his cat more of a heart throb than originally intended. And Logan is nothing if not simply scholarly stunning.
“My apologies again, be sure to let someone know if there’s anything we can help you with. Have a wonderful rest of your day,” Logan nods his head softly and there is just the smallest crinkle around his eyes hidden under his glasses and Virgil is so weak as he closes the door to his apartment. He’s come into contact with one too many pretty people at this complex and it will be the death of him. Still, it is nice to wave to Logan every so often as he preens the landscaping around the buildings.
--
Virgil watches as water drips down the window. It started the other day after some rains. He put a towel under it to keep some of the water from ruining anything, but it’s still going the next day. Virgil sighs and looks at his phone, Thomas’s number on the screen. He takes a deep breath and presses call.
“Hello?” Thomas answers.
“Hey Mr. Thomas it’s Virgil, from Unit 16 B.” A practiced line. Thomas gives a happy gasp.
“Virgil how are you?” Thomas always sounds excited to speak to him. It helps.
“Doing okay, how are you?” He asks, absently petting Oogie’s back.
“Good good! How can I help you?” Thomas asks in turn. Virgil looks at the window.
“Something’s up with my window? It’s like.. leaking.” He explains but not really. Thomas hums.
“Did this start up with the rain?”
“Yeah, I’ve tried cleaning it with towels but it keeps going.” Virgil says. Thomas makes another hum noise.
“Sounds like a problem with the roof. I’ll send one of the boys over.” And Thomas hangs up. Virgil isn’t as put off with the abrupt ending, expecting it this time around. He glares at the window and goes to wait for ‘one of the boys’. Oogie follows over and demands pets. It a decent distraction till a loud knock comes from the door.
Virgil opens it and it's just unbelievable how down right beautiful this guy is. His hair in perfect waves and a charming smile on his face. His sleeves are also cut like Remus's were, but far less frayed.
"Wonderful morning, my name is Roman. Our dear Mr. Sanders told me there were some ill issues with the roof is that right?" He speaks with such confident flamboyance Virgil is a loss for words.
"Yeah," Is all he manages to say. He's pretty. Way too pretty for this.
"Yeah, sorry it's over here," He turns and leaves the door open for Roman to follow. Roman laughs loud and proud and does just that. Virgil shows him the window and does not bit his lip as Roman jostles the frame showing off muscles that are illegal.
"The panes seems closed but I'll check outside as well." He turns and heads out the door. Virgil follows.
"And the roof?" He asks. Roman offers him a dashing smile, checking his tools that he attaches to his belt, holding up pristine white jeans.
"You may hear some noises for a while as I'm up there, but fear not, I'll find the problem." He gives Virgil a wink and with ease, he finds a ledge on the building and hoists himself up. Virgil does not squeak. Certainly not cause he's scared that Roman will fall, and certainly not cause he rolls his shoulders and Virgil can see his body move and god damn it he’s so not straight.
So he goes inside and pretends there’s not a real attractive guy fixing his roof. The noises of fixing continue for an hour or so, Virgil keeping busy with cleaning and some mild work emails. Then the noises stop. Virgil glances at his ceiling curiously.
"Uh, Roman?" He calls from his front door, making sure the dude didn't fall off and die.
"Be down in a moment fair tenant!" He hears. Virgil rolls his eyes and barely turns when Roman suddenly lands in front of him.
"Roof is all set. There were a few shingles out of-"
"Did you just jump off the roof?!" Virgil interrupts. Roman blinks at him and has the nerve to smiling so dashingly again.
"I dare say I did," he says as if it's no big deal. Virgil sputters at the reckless, careless, brash attitude. Roman is far too entertained by it.
"I'm honored by the concern, dearest. Just one more moment to check the window from the other side." He winks again and is walking around the building before Virgil can say anything.
He grabs Oogie and plants his face in her fur. Too gay to function. He talks to her plainly about how unfair it is that pretty boys plague his life, only to find out he can absolutely be heard through the window by Roman asking in a muffled voice.
"You think I'm pretty?" Virgil screams and hides in his room, hearing Roman laugh through the wall. This is how he dies, he decides. This is even worse than the time Damien had to tell him his lights weren’t broken, he just didn’t know how to use them. This is so much worse.
He groans loud and dramatically when there’s a knock on his front door. He doesn’t want to open it. But he does, cause it’s rude other wise.Roman stands there, smug expression and a bright smile.
“Checked everything and cleaned up some water. A few shingles out of place and a loose vent, got those all patched down. If it continues to leak it might be a bigger issue so be sure to call if it does. Anything else I can help you with?” He asks. Virgil takes a steady breath to say no.
“I think I’ve dug my own grave enough for today,” He says, further digging his own embarrassment grave. Roman gives another laugh.
“Enchanted to meet you pretty boy, have an amazing rest of your day.” And then Roman honest to goodness bows and drives off in the golf cart. Virgil closes his door softly and looks at Oogie who stares back from her perch on the counter.
“Don’t even start,” He tells the cat. She looks away like she doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
--
“Boogs! No!” Virgil does not like shouting at his cat. He doesn’t like shouting in general. But it gets OogieBoogieBitchBaby away from the wall she is using as a scratching post. She scampers off as he approaches, fingers going over the claw marks in the wall. He groans to himself.
He moved her cat tower because she kept getting onto his work papers. In revenge for disposing her from her favorite perch and sights of the room, she clawed at the wall instead, leaving a few nasty scratches behind.
“How am I supposed to fix this?” He asks where she’s run off, hearing her run around. He bangs his head on the wall. This is not how he wanted his night to go. In the end, he has Thomas’s number on his phone and piece of paper he tore to shreds in worry over what he could possibly say.
“Hello?” Thomas answers.
“Hey Mr. Sanders, it’s Virgil. I-”
“Virgil! How are you?” Thomas asks. Virgil takes a deep breath.
“I’m- I’m so sorry Mr. Sanders. It was an accident I swear.” He needs to apologize, cause if Mr. Sanders kicks him out, he’ll have to go hunting for places to live again, and who is going to take him with a cat who destroys things, and then because no one will take him, he’ll die on the streets and Oogie will eat his toes.
“My cat Oogie she got upset with me and she clawed the wall and I’m so sorry,” He says in a rush.
“Hey, hey Virgil it’s okay. It happens, our furry friends do funny things. I’ll send one of the boys over to help fix it right up, okay?” Virgil swallows a lump in his throat at Thomas’s easy solution.
“Okay,” He croaks out and then hears the click of someone hanging up. He lets his phone drop and then puts his head in his hands. He doesn’t want to be kicked out his apartment, or to have Mr. Sanders think bad of him as a tenant, or as a bad pet owner. He throws himself back on his couch. He feels so dumb.
Thankfully, there’s a gentle knock to his door. Hopefully his savior in this mess. He opens it to bubbly boy in round glasses, giving him the most cheerful smile Virgil’s ever seen.
“Hey there, evening to you, my name is Patton. Mr. Sanders said we have some kitty claws on the walls?” He asks. Virgil lets his shoulders drop.
“Yeah, I’m so sorry about it.” He says Patton waves his hand.
“It’s not a cat-astrophe, it happens. Can you show me where it is?” He asks. Virgil nods and steps back to let the boy in white jeans in, then pauses.
“Did you just make a pun?” He deadpans. And Patton giggles.
“Sorry, sorry, just slipped out. I’m pawfully bad at them.” He says with a bright smile. Virgil stares at him, then snorts into his hand.
“That was really bad,” He says but Patton just beams at him.
“Got you to laugh though.” And Patton should not sound so proud of making a stranger laugh. Virgil coughs to cover his awkward and shows him where Oogie got to the wall and Patton ‘tuts’ in response, putting down a bag of tools on the floor.
“I have just the thing to get this back in purr-fect conditions.” Patton opens his bag and pulls out some paint and calking. Virgil steps back to let him do his job, very aware that Oogie is hiding somewhere away from him. It makes him nervous to not see his cat in the area. Sure Oogie isn’t a registered therapy animal, but she does a good job of keeping him calm.
“There, al-meow-st done!” Patton smiles at him over his shoulder and adds another coat of paint to the wall, looking good as new. Maybe it’s the puns or the cute, but Virgil does relax.
“Thanks for that.” Virgil says as Patton cleans up. He giggles once more and waves Virgil’s concern off again.
“It’s no big deal, it’s what we’re here for.” He reassures. Virgil sighs and turns to the small meow behind him. Oogie is on the table staring at him. Patton lets out a squeal of happiness.
“Oh she’s precious!” He says in syrupy sweet voice. Virgil snorts again and looks between the two.
“Wanna pet her?” He asks and before he finishes Patton is shaking his head.
“Un-fur-tunately I’m allergic. But she is paws-itively adorable.” Patton coos and waves to the cat, Oogie does nothing in return but that’s to be expected. Virgil rolls his eyes at the both of them.
“Thanks again for your help,” He says. Patton beams and there are freckles on his cheeks. Freckles, too cute, not allowed.
“Of course! Anything else I can help you with?” He asks. Virgil’s turn to shake his head.
“I think we’re good now,” He says. Patton giggles once more.
“Have a claw-some rest of your night,” And that shouldn’t be funny but Virgil snorts again and Patton is proudly walking off.
--
What the fuck, what the fuck. Virgil stares at the door knob in his hand. He just went for a late walk to get his mail, Oogie joining him on his shoulders. Something rattled in the door knob when he opened it, having to actually shove the door open to get back inside after unlocking it. When he went to close the door, the handle came off in his hand before he could close it proper.
What the fuck.
He stares at the space where the door knob was and his open door. His mind immediately races to all the creepy people who can break in and steal things or kidnap his cat. Or even all the bugs that will make home in his food and hair. Nope. None of that.
“Hey Mr Sanders?” Virgil says first, his anxiety over the open door he can not close for fear it won’t open again overriding his normal fear of calling his land lord.
“Virgil! How are you? It’s very late,” Thomas yawns on the other end. Virgil winces. He probably should have thought this through considering the time.
“I’m okay, so sorry to wake you, it’s just. My door handle uh, fell off?” There’s a pause.
“Well that’s not good.” Thomas says.
“I’ll send one of the boys over.” He hangs up plainly. Virgil has enough time to worry if he made Thomas upset by calling so late, and worry Oogie somehow got out only to find her cuddled in her tower, when the bad lights from the maintenance golf cart shine through the crack in the door.
There’s an awkward knock and Virgil pulls the door open. He’s not sure who in their right mind has sunglasses on this late, but at least this gorgeous person isn’t using them to hide their bright eyes. They give him a quirky smile.
“Well this isn’t something you see every day.” They remark and Virgil has to huff out a laugh, some of his panic subsiding.
“Evening babes, I’m Remy. What happened?” He asks and goes about unscrewing the rest of the door knob, kneeling down and scuffing his white jeans that nearly glow in the darkness. Virgil tells him the lead up and Remy scoffs out a laugh of their own, giving Virgil a glance, that turns into a once over, that shakes him to the core.
“No worries, I can see the broken piece. Easy fix.” He winks at Virgil and gets a spare doorknob from the golf cart. Virgil stand idly by as he fixes it, keeping Oogie from getting too close.
“Wassup cat?” Remy asks and gently puts his knuckles to her head in greeting. She makes a noise and then trots off, satisfied with the attention.
“What’s their name?” Remy asks while he screws things back together.
“That OogieBoogie, Oogie for short, though she’s been more of an OogieBoogieBastard lately.” She meows at Virgil from the top of her tower. He hisses back at her. Remy snorts.
“Nice, I have an orange cat named Pumpkin.”
“Nice,” Virgil says back. Remy smirks at his response and keeps working. Vigil pretends the look on Remy’s face didn’t give him reckless night vibes, that he would take Remy up on if he asked, cause damn, the dude’s hot.
“May I borrow your key for a second babes?” Remy twists the knob a few times and with Virgil’s borrowed key, closes, locks, and opens the door with no problems.
“All good to go, anything else I can help you with?” He asks as he hands back the key. Virgil shakes his head.
“Nah, I’m good, thanks for that,” He says. Remy gives him a wink.
“Have a good night babes.” Another wicked smirk and Virgil does his best to close his door at a proper speed. His heart is pounding and these pretty boys will be the end of him.
--
“Hi! Welcome in, how can I help you?” Cute, is all Virgil can think when he enters the office. Pastel, is second. There’s a new receptionist at the desk, freckles and a mega-watt smile.
“Hi uh, I got a notification I have a package?” He stammers out. Oogie purrs at his shoulder, reminding him it’s okay.
“Sure! What apartment number?” Virgil rattles off his numbers as the receptionist looks in the package closet.
“For Virgil?” They ask. He nods and takes his box, keeping it away from Oogie as it’s a surprise for her birthday.
“Oh! I’m Emile by the way. I’m working in the office now so if you need anything just give us a call okay?” They’re so earnest. Virgil ends up just nodding his head, only speaking when Oogie bumps her head to his.
“Yeah, thanks,” He says and before he can make an exit Thomas appears from inside one of the offices.
“I thought I head you! Virgil, how are you?” He asks. Virgil gives him a soft smile.
“Good, and you?” It’s only polite. Thomas lets out a laugh.
“Good here too. Say, the staff is hosting a tenant party here, some games and some food, you should join us if you’re not busy.” Thomas hands Virgil a flyer with some gaudy colors. Virgil does a good job of not letting his dislike of the idea show.
“You should totally come!” Emile beams at him and it does something gay to Virgil’s heart. Virgil glances at the two of them smiling at him.
“I could stop by?” He offers not waiting to make them mad at him. They cheer and turn back to their jobs. Virgil walks back to his apartment, petting Oogie as he does.
“What did I just get myself into?” He asks her. She bumps her head to his hand in response.
--
It’s not a bad turnout for an apartment complex party. Virgil does show up, Oogie situated on his shoulders. Even though its closer to summer, He’s still wearing his hoodie if not just to give her a place to put her paws should she wish to.
There’s those plastic cheap tables lining around the pool area, boxes of pizza and some crinkly plastic containers of mini sub sandwiches sit on top. There’s a section for drinks and cups right next to. Virgil gets himself a cup of lemonade.
He glances about. Some people are playing some bean bag toss game, others are playing on the mini putt putt area Virgil didn’t even know they had. Lots of people are in the pool, messing around and splashing water at each other. He sticks to the sidelines.
“Virgil!” Or maybe not. He looks to who called his name and though he’s happy Logan called for him so he doesn’t have to be alone, he’s lamenting the fact that not only is it Logan, he’s also with Patton, Damien, and Remy. Fuck. Virgil goes bug eyed, giving himself a pep talk, helped along by Oogie making a ‘mrrp’ noise in his ear, and walks to his doom.
“Hey Logan,” Virgil says once he’s close. Patton waves as best he can with hands full of pizza.
“Sup babes?” Remy asks with damn smirk, sunglasses appropriate now. Virgil rolls his eyes.
“Damien, if you don’t remember,” Damien holds out his hand. Virgil of course remembers embarrassing himself in front of freaking sleek attractive Damien, but he isn't about to say that. Virgil takes his hand to shake and Damien flips it to bring a kiss to the back of Virgil’s hand. Virgil’s jaw drops as Patton giggles helplessly.
“Dee don’t do that!” He says but there’s not force behind it. Damien just smiles like the cat that got the cream.
“I didn’t know you two were familiar?” Damien turns the attention to Logan now. Logan just pushes up his glasses.
“I admit to helping Virgil carry in groceries more than once.” Logan says, giving Damien a look that Virgil doesn’t have the power to decipher. Patton whines.
“Kiddo you could have asked for more help,” He says. Virgil shrugs.
“Two trips are for the weak.” He and Remy tap their glasses together in a cheers.
“Yes and I’m sure dropping your groceries is also for the weak.” Logan chides and it does hit a little harder, but still Virgil taps his glass to Remy’s again in a cheers.
“Virgil!” Someone calls and Virgil is blinded by the force of Emile’s smile so suddenly in his face.
“You came!” He’s excited. Virgil nods and takes a step back. Oogie murmurs upset on his shoulder.
“Yep, I said I would and hey, free food.” He ignores the looks the others give each other and Emile just bounces.
“Well I’m glad you’re here. Me and Patton were gunna play corn-hole later, you should join us!” Patton gives an equally excited gasp as Emile gestures to the bean bag toss.
“Uh sure,” Virgil says. Emile bounces and waves, and is off to say hi to other residents as soon as he came. Virgil is reeling from the interaction and it only gets worse.
“Is that pretty boy??” Virgil hears the splash before he sees anyone but then Remus is there in his face, shirtless and in swim trunks and dear god, he has a tramp stamp.
“Hello again stranger~” He coos. Virgil musters up a hi when suddenly another shirtless person is standing next to Remus.
“It is pretty boy! How are you darling?” Roman says. Virgil has officially hit gay panic mode. If the earlier mix of suave and cute wasn’t enough to do him in, the pure amount of muscle now is going to do him in.
“Fine,” He chokes out. Remus and Roman both laugh at his answer. Great. If he hoped for any kind of saving from the others, it’s surely a dashed hope by the amused looks on their faces.
“Are you joining us in the pool?” Remus asks excited. Oogie hisses from his shoulders. Vigil raises a hand to calm her and she nuzzles his knuckles.
“Uh not today.” He says, which is the wrong thing to say.
“But another day?” Remus asks all wild excited. Roman shoves him.
“Like he wants to spend time with your gross ass!” Roman shouts playfully. Patton huffs and calls him for his language but he is ignored. Remus gasps offended with a wild smirk on his face.
“Sure he does, can’t keep his eyes off these guns,” And Remus flexes. Virgil smacks a hand to his face. Oogie dips to hide in his hood. Roman lets out a laugh and firmly shoves Remus back into the pool.
“The only gun he needs is a glock to the face.” Roman puts a fist in his hand, flexing as well. The pun does get Patton to giggle though and Damien rolls his eyes.
“Virgil I am going to get some food, would you like to accompany me?” Logan asks finally done with the nonsense.
“How do you know his name!?” Roman screeches.
“I asked.” Roman let's out an outright offended gasp for whatever reason. He doesn’t get to say another word as Remus from out of no where, runs and tackles Roman back into the pool with no such boundaries.
“Food sounds good,” Virgil says. Logan smiles softly at him.
“I think I shall join you,” Damien says looking into his cup which doesn’t look empty but who is Virgil to judge.
“Come find me and Emile when you’re done okay?” Patton interjects before they can leave. Virgil offers him a two finger salute, and then leaves Patton and Remy to go find Emile, while he finds food.
“Idiots,” Logan mutters once they are away from the pool. Damien hums in thought.
“But not wrong,” He says.
“They aren’t right either.” Logan snaps back.
“Should I go?” Virgil asks as they are clearly not talking to him. Both Damien and Logan look at him scandalized.
“Certainly not!” Damien says and gives him a slick smile. Virgil swallows down his lemonade to keep his throat from clogging up. He spends some time talking to the two of them, making sarcastic comments and opening up. Oogie pops out to lick his hair at one point.
At that, Virgil finds Emile somewhere, letting them know he’ll be right back, wanting to drop Oogie off at home. He’s comfortable enough here to not need her reassurances, besides, she’s tired from napping and needs to go home to sleep. With some ‘hurry back’ wishes, he’s off back to his place.
He makes sure Oogie is comfy and goes to leave, finding Thomas waiting in one of the golf carts outside his door.
“Need a ride?” He offers. Virgil laughs and joins him in the small vehicle.
“Virgil if I may, I have a favor to ask of you?” Thomas says seriously. Virgil nods his head as his lungs refuse to let him breathe for fear of the favor.
“Please be kind to my grand kids yeah?” Thomas asks, an earnest look in his eyes. Virgil isn’t sure what he’s talking about, but then he looks up. All of the boys who have been coming in and out of his life to fix his home are there staring and waiting for him to get back with the same look in their eyes.
Oh. Virgil thinks.
Oh no.
--
AN: Lol that multiship life
Edit: now with a part 2
#virgil sanders#polyamsanders#deceit sanders#remus sanders#logan sanders#patton sanders#roman sanders#remy sanders#emile picani#anxceit#dukexiety#analogical#moxiety#prinxiety#sleepxiety#virmile#fic#my post#everyone has a crush on virgil cause i said so#one of the boys au
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BURN THE WITCH! - Part 8
Finally! It is finished.
Also...warnings I guess for itchiness. And severe scratching due to itchiness.
Here goes:
Lila was prideful. Exceedingly so. But let it not be said she was too prideful to know when it was time to jump ship.
And the ship that was Paris was sinking fast.
All thanks to Ladybug, of course. Because “Little Miss Righteousness” just had to stick her nose into Lila’s business. How dare that insect make a fool out of her?
She would have had to leave soon anyway. While she could certainly come up with a new story to fool her classmates and explain away the previous unfortunate incident, it would still be difficult since they were starting to wise up and it would be harder to keep them under her thumb if she stayed much longer. While the akuma had been dealt with and everyone’s memories erased, Lila didn’t want to take any chances.
Then there was the matter with Hawk Moth. She had some suspicion of his identity—but that was all it was: suspicion. The evidence she had to go on was circumstantial at best. Unless she could find something to confirm it, it was useless. And even if she was right, there wasn’t much likelihood that she would be able to make use of it without proof.
She clenched her fists in growing rage at the reminder.
How dare he turn on her like that?!
There was something that grated at her knowing that she would be leaving things unfinished. That she would be letting him get away unscathed. She at least wanted to get some sort of payback for him leaving her to dry.
If there was any real justice in the world, she would get the chance to try and take his Miraculous for herself. Wouldn’t that be ironic? Especially after how he had cut ties with her.
But now he would expect her to try something. He may even try to take her out himself first. It was what Lila would do in his place.
No, it was better to cut her losses. She still had the an exemplary school record. She still had her position and experience as a model to take with her. She could just move somewhere new and start over. There was nothing worth staying in Paris for anyway. She was getting bored here.
Her decision had absolutely nothing to do with Ladybug’s threat though! Ladybug was clearly the one jealous of her! She wasn’t scared of that pathetic little bug! She was too much of a goody-goody to actually do anything to Lila herself! Ladybug was supposed to be held to a higher standard, after all! She was just bluffing! She wouldn’t actually do anything to her! So Lila had no reason to be scared! And she wasn’t!
It took a moment for Lila to realize her hand holding the phone was trembling. She bit back a curse and clutched the hand with the other to hide it and force the them to still. But when that didn’t work, she set the phone on speaker before putting it on its stand on the table.
Lila’s mother, bless her, was ignorant of this inner turmoil—or if she was aware, she simply attributed it to Lila’s claims. The woman was all too willing to blindly trust her precious daughter. All Lila had to do was use that and soon Paris and all its problems would be nothing but a bad memory.
She busied with drying her hair with a towel while regaling her mother with the tale of the latest attack—albeit a heavily edited version. Honestly though, wasn’t that stupid Cure of Ladybug’s supposed to fix everything to how it was before the attack? So shouldn’t she have been dry already? And back in her new designer clothes?
As it was, her fall in the Seine had left her hair a mess, and she barely had time to simply wash it properly, much less take the good long soak she really craved. She was fortunate enough that there had been time to return home and try to clean up at all. And especially to get rid of those clothes she had “borrowed“ from Marinette’s home. The last thing she needed was to be seen running around in that. Not that there was anything wrong with the clothes themselves, but questions would no doubt arise as to where she had gotten them or why she was wearing them. And the last thing she needed was for her mother and Marinette of all people to meet.
After a moment of consideration, she twisted the towel just enough to cause her pain. With a hiss and a gasp, it sounded quite like she had been crying. Enough to fool someone who was not physically there at any rate.
“I just miss Home. It’s been so long.” She said, ending with a sniffle that may have been partly exaggerated and may have been partly a sign of a cold coming on.
“But what about your friends? You just seemed to be getting so settled in Paris. You even have a boyfriend. From what you’ve been telling me, you two are awfully close. You have a difficult enough time seeing each other as it is. Won’t moving just make it worse?”
Geez, the woman was being annoyingly persistent today.
“We can write and video chat.” Lila replied easily. She could just “break it off” later. Maybe claim he’d been cheating on her. That was usually good for some sympathy points.
Her mother paused at that. “But long distance relationships are much more difficult. And I thought you liked it in Paris? You’ve been doing so well here. I hadn’t seen you so happy in a long time.”
Of course she’d been happy. She had people devoted to her every whim, fame and connections as a model, and a cushy front row seat to the downfall of that so-called hero.
Lila narrowly avoided clicking her tongue in irritation. Why did her mother have to be so parentally concerned now of all times?
“But Mom, I’m just worried about all of the akumas!” She said with exaggerated earnesty. “This last one was really dangerous! I could have been killed!” She bit her lip and hitched her breath, as if trying to hold back tears. Or hide her lack of them. It was a good thing her mother wasn’t there to see and possibly call her out on it.
Not that she would. She was such a good mother like that. Overly trusting and easily duped. How many teenagers could say they were so lucky?
“I’ve tried to make the best of Paris, but it’s just too much!” Lila cried.
“Oh, my poor dear!” Came her mothers’s voice over the phone. “I’m so sorry I didn’t realize how much this move has had an effect on you.”
In that instant, she knew she had good as won. From the safety of her home and with no one in direct sight, Lila allowed herself a smug grin of victory before schooling her expression back to that of the pitiful child she wanted the older woman to see her as. No one may have been there to see it, but as an avid actress of her skill level, it helped her to match her desired tone and inflection with an appropriate expression. She gasped loudly and grabbed the phone to bring it closer to her.
“But Mom, I know how important this job is to you! I don’t want to get in the way...”
“It’s all right, dear. I can contact your aunt and have you stay with her and your cousins until I can finish things here.”
That made her frown.
Lila’s aunt was...not ideal, as her cousins had been among the earlier victims of Lila’s manipulations. She dared say her aunt favored her over any of her children by the time she’d left them. And her cousins were wary of her to say the least after the way she had played them against each other and themselves. But that had been a couple of years ago and she couldn’t be sure they hadn’t caught on and solidified their relationships to better counter her.
Still, if Paris was any indication of how easily people could be fooled and turned against one another, she could probably manage it again.
“Lila?” Her mother called, drawing her attention back. “Are you all right?”
Lila played up the uncertainty. “I don’t know…I wouldn’t want to cause you or Auntie trouble…I can just stay here.” She looked down and to the side and spoke tonelessly, the picture of a dejected daughter. “I’m sure I can just try to put my fear aside and make the best of it…”
“Nonsense!” Her mother exclaimed. “You should never have to make yourself suffer like that!”
There was the sound of papers being shifted, followed by the clicking of a mouse. No doubt her mother was already looking into the procedure on how to transfer.
“I only want you to be safe and well, mi bella.” Her mother said, softly. “And if Paris isn’t the best fit for you, then I’ll discuss the matter with the Embassy and see about ending my assignment early.”
“But Mom, you don’t have to! I can manage, really!” She half-heartedly attempted. “The heroes are even starting to do a…half-way decent job.”
Her mother scoffed. “A job that they have been at for over a year and still can’t manage! It’s clearly not safe here if the city’s own heroes can’t even do their jobs properly.”
Hook.
“But let’s get you taken out of that school first.”
Line.
Lila smirked, unseen.
“Thank you, Mom.”
Sinker.
__________________
Another loss. And a worse one, even.
Witch Hunter had been ruthless and efficient. Perhaps one of his better creations to date. Her powers to know one’s sins and enthrall anyone who heard her announcements soon gained her the entirety of Paris under her sway—and by extension, his. That the powers specifically targeted one girl would have been a disadvantage had the girl in question not had such a…sordid history. That history fortunately gave plenty of opportunities to rally others to the cause, but as evidenced from the fight, it still had limitations.
If only Lila had some ounce of subtlety. Then even Ladybug would have been affected by Witch Hunter, and both Miraculous would have been willingly handed over to him if it meant getting rid of the girl in exchange. The key had been that Ladybug’s opinion of Lila had already been so low that no “reveal” of her misdeeds had been enough to enthrall her.
How curious. He had been aware of Lila’s grudge against Ladybug, but he hadn’t realized that the feelings were mutual. Just what had Lila done to make Ladybug despise her so?
He could hazard a guess, but not any that would lead him anywhere. Lila’s list of crimes was rather extensive. And despite the knowledge he had of her, even he couldn’t boast immunity to the rage.
So what had kept Ladybug from giving up on her?
Was it Ladybug’s Miraculous that protected her? Some sort of inner strength? Or was she already aware of his use of Lila? But even if she was aware, how would that be enough?
He had been able to keep his head, but some of the things he heard had been enough to turn his stomach and make him question his alliance with her. He had been accepting at first of her audacity in how she approached him on both sides of the mask, as she presented herself as useful and willing to aid him. And she had been useful, he would give her that. Her main concern was having others under her sway and she was willing to do anything to maintain it…even remove anyone who would become a threat to her.
He hadn’t lied when he told Lila she was of no more use to him. But that hadn’t been the entire truth. Given what he now realized, she was more of a threat than he had ever considered. He couldn’t put it past her to try to figure out his identity to take his Miraculous for herself.
He took a breath.
Perhaps...he needed to reconsider the girl’s position? On both sides of the mask.
“Sir? What should be done about Lila Rossi?” While the interruption from Nathalie was timely, it didn’t truly disrupt his current thought process.
It was a good question. She had been a willing ally and useful tool in manipulating people. He certainly had praise for her skills.
But...
Perhaps he should have been more cautious and try to question just how she obtained those skills?
As well as her intentions for the future. For himself and especially for his son.
How much did she know? Had she discovered him? Did she suspect? What plans did she have? And now that she had been revealed as a willing ally, what information could others get out of her that could lead back to him?
Lila Rossi was a threat. He could see that now.
But just how much of a risk was she? How much did he risk if she were allowed to remain free? It was clear Ladybug knew of their alliance, and she would be keeping an eye on the girl from here on out. What else could she gain from Lila if he didn’t remove her?
“Sir?”
He paused, considering for a moment.
Then came to a decision.
“Nothing.”
Nathalie started at that in surprise.
“Her contract with the company will be terminated, of course.” He stated, turning to go to his desk and prepare to sign the necessary paperwork. “The company will put out an official statement that we deny any knowledge of her history or dealings, and that we disavow her actions. Anything else is already held under a nondisclosure agreement she signed upon her hiring. Though we should prepare legal action if she attempts to retaliate.”
“But…what should be done about her assistance to you as Hawk Moth?” Nathalie asked.
He straightened.
“Nothing.” He repeated. And he did not like to repeat himself.
“Sir? Is that wise? She has been an accomplice.” She warned him with a frown. “What if she has learned who you are? She could become dangerous.”
He sighed.
“She is a loose thread. But to act on it at this point and try to remove her will only backfire. Ladybug will doubtless be keeping an eye on her from now on. We would risk more if we were caught trying to get rid of her.”
“But since you left her to Witch Hunter’s mercy, she may try to retaliate against you.”
Oh, of that he had little doubt. It was in her nature to turn on those who would not play by her rules.
He had little choice at that point. Witch Hunter and all of Paris were focused solely on seeing the girl punished. He had no way of knowing Ladybug wasn’t already part of the crowd by that time. His mistake was underestimating Ladybug’s will, but even then, would he really have responded differently?
Lila Rossi had lost her use as a tool, and with her antics had used up any good will he had towards her. She lacked the subtlety or even the good sense to simply limit the extent of her lies lest she be found out and face backlash. But much like Miss Bourgeois, she seemed inclined to push the limits of what she could get away with. And unfortunately, with superheroes and villains in Paris, the bounds of what she could normally get away with had increased drastically. Even worse was that she fully seemed to believe she ‘deserved’ the praise and attention simply for claiming things she had never done.
And given how one of her first actions was to buy a trinket to pass off as a false Miraculous and proclaim herself a hero, how long would it have taken for her to decide that she ‘deserved’ a Miraculous as well?
“It was only a matter of time before she set her sights too high. It would be better to cut her off now before she got any ideas about taking a Miraculous, even if it was my own.”
He couldn’t put it past her. Because as much as she despised Ladybug, how could such a girl be satisfied only with her destruction? If she did aid in Ladybug’s defeat, she’d likely just take the Ladybug Miraculous for herself at the first opportunity, and then Gabriel would be back at square one.
No, worse. Because Lila Rossi wouldn’t risk herself for others. It was highly likely she would run away with the Miraculous and then he would lose any chance of obtaining it in this lifetime.
…
Lila Rossi had her uses, but it was best to cut his losses with her now. And Witch Hunter had been the prime time to do so.
It would have been foolish of him to risk his hold over Witch Hunter just to spare Lila at that point. But there was no doubt that she will seek retribution for it. She was certainly spiteful enough, even when it would be to her own detriment.
Still…
“That girl has caused enough problems. We don’t need her interfering with our plans.“
Nathalie clutched her tablet, still worried. “But if she knows…if she tries to reveal you…”
“Lila Rossi is a liar.” He stated as he pulled up news footage of the latest akuma fight. “She is a liar and now people know it. Anything she thinks she knows, we can dismiss as a jilted teenager with delusions of grandeur and an unhealthy interest in my son.”
He paused for a moment, then leaned back in his chair to look to his assistant.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the tale of the ‘Boy Who Cried Wolf’?”
“I am familiar with it, yes.” She replied, albeit confused as to the sudden subject change. “But what does that have to do with this?”
“In the story, the boy is eaten. But his final claim is ultimately proven true, for all the good it does him.” He looked back to the footage, pausing it on Lila’s expression while she was on the pyre.
“But if we do not respond…if Hawk Moth does nothing to silence her, there is no ‘proof’ to her claims. People will suspect it to be another lie. Even moreso, that it’s merely an attempt to get back at me as her ‘former employer’. There will be no ‘wolf’ to validate her claims, even once she’s gone. So yes, we will leave Miss Rossi to her daily life. Let her say what she may think she knows.”
He smirked.
“She could scream it to the world and no one would believe her.”
__________________
It took a while for them to have their conversation and for Marinette to dry her tears. By the time she was able to reach some level of calm, it was almost time to return to school.
One would think that they would be allowed the rest of the day to recover from the akuma attack, but Paris as a whole and the school in particular seemed used to the frequent interruptions by this point. Though perhaps it was more of a testament to Ladybug’s efficiency in dealing with akumas.
…as well as the efficiency of the civilians to set up an entire festival on a spur of the moment. Perhaps she should recommend they try another one at some point? One that doesn’t involve lighting anyone on fire?
When she went downstairs, she found her parents in something of a state of worry. They looked up in surprise when she came down, but were relieved to see her.
“Marinette? When did you get home? I didn’t see you come in.” Tom said.
“A little while ago. We must have just missed each other.” Marinette replied quickly. Then frowned when she notice their expressions. “Is everything okay?”
“There was an akuma attack earlier and one of your schoolmates came here.” Sabine explained. “We had tried to help her and allowed her to change clothes here into something dry, but she took it upon herself to go into your room.”
Marinette’s eyes widened. “What?!”
“I don’t know what she was doing in there.” Sabine huffed, angrily. “When I caught her, she tried to claim she had gotten lost. Then your father had gotten a text message from Nadja about a ‘Witch’ and she took off running.”
Lila. There was no one else it could have been. Which meant she had probably done something to sabotage her.
Great. Just great.
They had checked her room and taken pictures of how she left it since they were uncertain of what she may have messed with. As it stood, they wanted to know if anything had been stolen and were questioning whether to call the police.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Her father told her.
“We both are. She was soaked and we had wanted to give her some privacy while she changed.” Sabine shook her head. “I hadn’t thought she would go roaming around the house, much less sneak into your room.”
Tom rested a hand on Sabine’s shoulder. “We should follow up on this though. Maybe Roger will have some advice.”
Sabine nodded to him before turning to her daughter. “Will that be all right, dear?”
Marinette hesitated.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t frustrated. With them. With the situation. All of it.
In their defense, they hadn’t realized it was Lila. And even if they had, they weren’t aware of just how horrible Lila truly was. Despite Marinette’s pleas of innocence during her expulsion, her parents hadn’t fully taken her word for it and even afterwards hadn’t quite believed that Lila was a chronic liar.
But there was a part of her—the part that was still full of indignant anger over the incident and would have formed the core of the Princess Justice akuma Hawk Moth had wanted her to be—that blamed them. If they had just listened to her back then. If they had simply heard her out. If they had believed her about Lila.
They should have known. They should have recognized Lila. They should have remembered what she had done before and at the very least thought to keep an eye on her just in case she tried anything like she had before.
…but Marinette didn’t have it in her to hold a grudge. Especially after what she had seen with Lila and her own grudge.
It wasn’t their fault, it was Lila’s. And while she was irritated with her parents for their negligence, she was willing to forgive them and keep her focus on the one who really deserved her ire.
So for now, she would try to move forward and do what she could.
“I’m not happy about it. But if anything can be done, I’d like to see if we could.”
Her parents agreed and offered reassurances that they would try to address the issue. They also promised her they would be more cautious in the future, which was nice fo them. They offered to let her stay home from school, but that was one thing she had to turn down.
Whatever Lila had done, Marinette probably wouldn’t know until Lila revealed it. It made her dread returning to school. But she couldn’t keep putting it off. If she went now, she could at least try to meet with the others and head off anything Lila could do.
So she made a quick rush to the kitchen to get a small lunch for herself and some cookies for Tikki. With her parents otherwise occupied, that meant that Tikki could come out of hiding and they could talk freely for a bit longer.
“Marinette, maybe you should take a break and stay home for the rest of the school day?” Tikki suggested. And wow, she was certainly taking this ‘be more supportive’ role to heart.
Something in Marinette warmed at that. And in any other circumstances, she would happily have taken Tikki’s advice.
“I’m fine, Tikki. Really.”
Tikki frowned, clearly not buying it. “But you’ve spent half of your day dealing with the crisis caused by Lila and then the akuma that was caused by that crisis, all while trying to keep Lila safe. Even when she was working against you.”
Yeah. There was that.
“You did a lot today. Both as Ladybug and Marinette.” Tikki continued. “No one would fault you if you let yourself recover.”
Marinette hesitated at that.
It was tempting. She was tired. And if she was being honest, she really just wanted to sleep and not deal with anything until tomorrow at least.
But…
She bit her lip.
For all that Tikki’s words made sense and clearly came from a place of concern for her, Marinette couldn’t help but be reminded of only a couple hours ago where Tikki had been trying to convince her to let Lila burn.
She knew that this was different. A matter of self care and health. But even though it’s something she’s wanted and something she appreciates hearing from her kwami, it still felt so strange now that she was experiencing it.
This was something she was going to have to get used to. And she would, she was sure. After all, Tikki was clearly trying for her. And Marinette wanted nothing more than to reciprocate—and also to just drop off into sweet blessed sleep…
However…
“I need to see this through.” She stated, resolutely.
She needed to get back to the school. Both for class and to check on her friends.
After all, even if her Miraculous Cure had fixed the damage caused from the akuma, that didn’t mean her friends were fine. And she still wanted to check in on Rose at the very least.
Tikki looked up at her sadly. Then she floated over and nuzzled Marinette’s cheek, showing her silent support.
It only took a few minutes to gather the rest of her things and make her way to the school.
Even if Tikki assured her that what happened wasn’t her fault, Marinette still felt the need to apologize to Rose for what had happened. Maybe they could still find some way to fix things.
She reached the school in minutes and had almost immediately run into one of her classmates.
Just not the one she had been expecting.
“Adrien?”
He spun to face her, appearing nervous. Even panicked.
“Oh, hey! Marinette! Hi! Hey, um…hey.” He finished, looking embarrassed. “How…are you?”
“I’m fine. Just…have a lot on my mind.” She shrugged. “Just…with Rose and the akuma and everything.”
“Good. That’s good. Well, not good-good about the akuma. But good that you’re okay. Um. Me too.” He looked away, clearly still nervous.
She frowned in concern. “Are you okay?”
“Fine! I’m fine! Just…y’know…got caught up in the akuma attack and was one of her minions for a while. But Ladybug saved me so we’re good.” He said with a not fully sincere smile.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She hadn’t recalled seeing Adrien among the mob. But given how big it had gotten, she wouldn’t be surprised.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Marinette…one of the things Witch Hunter said…” He looked her in the eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me Lila had threatened you?”
She straightened in shock. “What?!”
He rubbed the back of his head, looking to the ground. “I’m sorry, it’s just…she said a lot of things Lila had done that I hadn’t known. Like…well…” The book. Her framing Adrien for insulting Nino. Her working with his father. “How she threatened you?”
“Oh.” She said, a bit blankly. Because what else could she say?
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He implored her. “I had said we were in this together, but…you didn’t tell me she did that.”
It was true. She hadn’t.
But…why hadn’t she?
“I…didn’t think it was a big deal?”
Why was she asking him instead of telling him?
“Not a big—Marinette, she threatened you!” His eyes widened in realization. “Her expelling you was part of her threat, wasn’t it?”
She flinched, but nodded.
“Just…why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped you! I would have done more!”
She waved her hands frantically, trying to console him. “It’s okay, Adrien! Really! You were only—it was just…”
A tap at her leg caught her attention. It came from her purse. A quick glance downward revealed Tikki looking up at her from the safety of the clutch she carried with her. The little kwami remained hidden to Adrien, fortunately, but visible to her. Tikki looked up at her with wide eyes and gave a smile and small nod of encouragement.
Why would she—?
Oh.
Oh, right.
“No.” She admitted. “It’s not okay.”
She had been spending months now convincing herself that things were okay when they weren’t. That she was okay when she wasn’t. And that if she at any point felt she wasn’t okay, it was a failing on her part.
That wasn’t a healthy way to live, as she was only just now starting to understand that.
“I don’t know if you realize this, but I’ve been listening to you on things because I look up to you. I took your advice because I trusted you and believed that you only had everyone’s best interest at heart.”
“But I did!” He insisted automatically before catching himself. “I mean, I thought I was...”
“I trusted you over my own intuition. I listened to you when you kept emphasizing the feelings of others over my own. Chloe was bad enough, but Lila too? Even if they were the ones who were horrible, it felt like I was expected to just...” She struggled for a moment to find the wording to accurately convey her feelings before simply shrugging. “Just deal with it.”
He winced. He hadn’t realized the impact he’d had.
“Because of that,” she continued, “whenever I started to have an issue, I brushed it off because I figured that if there was a problem with someone and something they were doing...well, it was just me, right? So I had to do the right thing. I had to be the bigger person. I had to be the ‘Everyday Ladybug’. Even when I didn’t feel like I could be.”
She took a breath.
“And that wasn’t fair to me.”
He looked up at her. Sad and worried and sympathetic all in one. “I never meant to make you feel like you didn’t matter. I just thought...”
“Chloe’s your friend so it makes sense that you’d want to defend her.” Marinette reasoned. “But Lila, too?” She wrung her hands. “They both did horrible things. They both hurt me...really badly. And it felt like you’ve cared more about their feelings than mine.”
“That’s not it!” He exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. “I just...I know they aren’t then nicest, but they’re struggling. It’s…harder for them than it is for you.“
“If they’re having a hard time, it’s because it’s entirely of their own making. Chloe has been bullying everyone for years, so it’s not our fault that we don’t want to continue to deal with that mistreatment. And Lila has been actively lying to everyone not to be like, but just so she can manipulate them. I get that you care, but your attempts to protect the people you see as ‘needing it’ has resulted in harm to other people who don’t deserve it. You aren’t just enabling them...you’re rewarding them.
“You said to take the highroad, but whatever the highroad is, I don’t think that’s it.”
He gaped at her, some combination of shocked and horrified.
“But I haven’t been encouraging any of this! I tried to help you! I made a deal with her so she would get you back into school.“
Well, that was something she hadn’t known. Although his sudden friendliness with Lila had been suspicious. As had the schools sudden change of heart about her expulsion. But she hadn’t realized the two had been related.
She was grateful to him. Truly. He had only done it for her.
However...
“I never asked you to.”
She wouldn’t have wanted it had she known.
“I never asked you to become Lila’s toy or put yourself in such a bad position for my sake. I only asked you to stand by me and support me.”
She had turned to him that day, wanting him—just someone who knew the truth to speak up in her defense.
To say she was innocent.
To admit that Lila had lied.
To just say she was believed. That she was worth believing in.
“And you didn’t.“
He stared at her. Long and hard. As if this had never occurred to him before. He seemed unable to speak for a full minute.
Until…
“I’m sorry.“
She jumped in surprise.
“I was a hypocrite. I knew she was lying but I convinced myself it wasn’t that bad. And even when I knew people were hurt, it didn’t matter until her lies hurt me.”
He gave a weak laugh.
“Witch Hunter…did you know? The way her power worked was that you only fell under her spell when she announced something Lila did that truly makes you angry.”
He covered his face. In resignation? In guilt?
“I only fell under Witch Hunter’s spell when she revealed Lila had been spying on me for my father. Not when I found out what she did to Rose. Not when I found out what she did to Nino. Not even when I found out what she did to you.” He shook his head. “It only mattered, really truly mattered when it affected me.”
He hung his head in shame.
“I’m a real jerk.”
The denial was automatic on her lips.
“You aren’t a jerk!” She insisted. “You were just—”
He gave a bitter laugh, cutting her off.
“I was so proud of myself that day. When I told you to take the highroad and not out Lila.”
He looked up at her smiling humorlessly.
“Do you know what it’s like to watch you? All the time, I see you doing the right thing. Standing up for people. Doing things to make people happy. Making things better.”
He sighed.
“It felt...it felt good being the one you would listen to and follow.” He admitted. “You were looking up to me and taking my advice. I was so proud of myself! I got to be the one who had solved the problem and made everything better!” He announced with a wave of his hands in an exaggerated fashion before slumping down.
“I’m such an idiot.”
She stared.
He…really admired her that much?
And at that time, he’d just been trying to impress her?
That…hadn’t been the inclination she had gotten at all. It had just felt that he was admonishing her at those times for not being the bigger person. Looking back, now that she was willing to admit it, it had felt like more expectations and double standards.
“I can’t say what you did was okay, because it wasn’t. Lila was able to hurt me. And now she’s hurt Rose and everyone else now because neither of us spoke up when we should have.”
She took a breath.
“But I think I get it. About wanting someone you care about to listen and look up to you. Because that was how I’ve felt about you.”
He jumped and looked up at her in surprise.
Because when it came down to it, hadn’t she been the same? Doing things that had hurt her or others because she had been so focused on Adrien and wanting him to think well of her?
Was it ironic that it was only now, after everything that had happened this day, that she could finally voice even a bit of the feelings she has for him?
They just weren’t the feelings she thought she’d ever be sharing…
But maybe, she thought as she felt Tikki’s comforting presence by her side, these were the ones she needed to?
“It hurts that even when I’m doing the right thing and you say you’re with me, it still feels like you’re not really on my side. Even—especially when I’ve let things get this far at your request.”
“I didn’t mean—I’m sorry—” He started, but he broke off as she raised a hand to stop him.
“I just...” She shook her head. “If we really are friends, I wish you would show it more. And...that you would stand up for me the way you do for them.”
He stared at her in shock. Perhaps a bit of horror as her words really got to him.
“I’m sorry.” He murmured. “I never meant to make you feel that way. I never wanted you to think I don’t care.”
He stood straight and held out his arms to her in clear indication of…something. But she was exhausted—both mentally and physically as it was and her mind was a bit slow to catch just what he was intending to do.
“I know you can handle things, Marinette. You’re strong. And brave. It’s why I know I can trust you when things get tough. But…that you can handle things doesn’t mean you should have to. It doesn’t mean you don’t need support.”
He smiled at her. And oh damn, that smile. It was like a miniature sun and she couldn’t help but stare even as her brain was yelling at her to look away.
The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and…oh…this must be how being held by the sun felt like…
“I want to be someone who you can count on to support you, Marinette.”
Oh. Okay. Nice. This was nice. More of this please. More of just all of this.
The hug must have lasted an eternity. An hour at least? Because it felt like forever until she was drawn out of the soothing feeling by a rumbling and a series of sounds that seemed to mean something…
Could she just…stay like this? For a day or two? Maybe the rest of her life? Tikki tried, bless her, but kwami arms just weren’t the same as human arms and the feeling of being wrapped up in sunshine was bliss.
Oh wait, he was talking more. She should probably be listening right now.
“—contract. Maybe I could talk to them? See what else they know of that could help?”
“Hmm?”
She was dazed and completely out of it, something Adrien seemed to pick up on as he released his hold (noo, don’t do that!) and backed away (noooooo) to arm’s length to look her over.
“Marinette? Are you okay?”
She blinked a few times as her mind reoriented to where she was.
And more specifically to who she was with.
“Oh! Right! Fine! You’re fine—I mean, I’M fine. Just…” She sighed, rubbing at one eye with the palm of her hand. “Just a…long day.”
Maybe she should have stayed home after all if just one hug could do that…
Adrien seemed to notice this and frowned in concern. He took in her state and apparently there was something about her appearance she had missed earlier because he seemed to get the same idea.
“Marinette, are you okay? If you’re tired, maybe you should go home and rest?”
She shook her head insistently. “No. I can’t.”
He rested a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to push yourself. Remember? I’m going to support you. And I know everyone else would understand.”
She didn’t think they wouldn’t. But as much as she just wanted to sleep until tomorrow and skip the rest of this day, she wasn’t sure she would be able to relax at home if she didn’t know what was happening with her friends.
“If nothing else, I want to check up on Rose.” Seeing that he looked ready to argue, she rushed on. “I need this. Please.”
He hesitated. And she was worried he would push the issue, because she was sure that she would give in if he did. She just did not have the energy to argue at this point. Fortunately though, he seemed to understand as he took her arm in his.
“Okay. But I’ll be right here with you.”
Any other day, she would be a stammering mess if Adrien were to take her arm and walk with her like this.
Today, she was simply grateful.
__________________
It didn’t take them too long to find Rose. She was in the hallway talking with Alya. The two seemed deep in conversation that they didn’t notice the duo approach.
“Rose!” Marinette exclaimed, loosening her arm from Adrien’s hold and rushing to her friend. “Are you okay?”
The blonde looked up at her, tearful.
“I’m okay.” She murmured as she wiped at her eyes.
“But are you?” Alya broke in, asking Marinette. “Girl, I saw the footage!”
Marinette blinked.
“Footage?” She asked, and then started to back away at the expression on Alya’s face.
Alya could be headstrong, but she never really got angry. Upset, certainly. Annoyed, often. But even in the heights of Lila’s worst attempts to make Marinette look bad, Alya had never truly gotten angry—just righteous and in Marinette’s opinion that was admittedly a bit resentful at the time, acting a bit superior. Perhaps the only time she had ever seen her friend look truly angry was during Hero’s Day, and even then it took a hit from Dark Cupid and Hawk Moth’s control to get her there.
So seeing Alya looking ready to claw someone’s eyes out was…unsettling, to say the least.
Even Adrien apparently seemed to think so, as he moved up to Marinette and almost seemed to position himself slightly between them. “Alya? What happened?”
Despite Adrien’s attempt to act as a barrier, Marinette tried to reach out, concerned for her friend’s state. The way she was looking, Marinette half wondered if she wasn’t still affected by Witch Hunter. A quick glance to a worried Rose disproved that easily enough, but perhaps it was a remnant of her power the Cure missed? “Are you okay?”
“What do you mean am I okay? Are YOU okay?!” Alya shouted, pointing at Marinette. “Girl, I saw what what happened with you and Lila!”
Marinette jumped. Her mind immediately raced to her call out of Lila just a little over an hour ago. Did someone record her going off? Was there something that had revealed her as Ladybug? Had she messed up?!
“What?! No wait—it’s not what you—I didn’t mean—!”
Alya was pulling up her phone, and by the time she turned it so that Marinette and Adrien could see, the video already started playing. The video was recorded from someone within the akuma’s mob—not yet grown to the level of the city yet.
Marinette briefly recognized that the location in the video seemed familiar but hadn’t quite registered how when a sudden commotion caught the attention of the group. The person recording turned the camera sharply, which blurred and then focused on a fallen figure a short distance away.
“—conspirator helping the Witch! Someone grab her!”
…oh. That figure was her.
And the moment when Lila had betrayed her and tried to sacrifice her to the mob.
“Hey! That’s Marinette!” Came Alya’s voice from the phone, shortly followed by the exclamations from the crowd that Marinette already knew were coming because she had lived this and yet despite seeing it on record, she still struggled to believe it actually happened.
…the crowd leaving her alone part. Not the Lila betraying her part. THAT, she could believe no question.
“I can’t believe she would do that!” Alya exclaimed. The real Alya. The present one. Who was standing in front of her and not the one in the phone—who was almost disturbingly cheerful in how she was calling for Lila’s blood.
…to be honest, Marinette wasn’t sure whether that mob Alya or the furious one in front of her scared her more. Present Alya, for her part, was clearly NOT happy about the events.
Neither was Adrien, apparently, as he grabbed the phone from Alya and looked to be furious himself.
“Wait—Lila did WHAT?!” He demanded. And…wow, was this what Adrien had been like as part of the mob? She hadn’t known he could get that angry.
“She tried to throw Marinette to the mob!” Alya bit out.
“I can’t believe it!”
“How could she—?!”
“When Marinette had just been trying to help her!”
“That lousy little b—”
“WHY did she even think that was necessary?!”
“Is it too late to torch her and say the akuma did it?”
Marinette looked between the two, feeling that she should be saying something but honestly, just getting all the more overwhelmed.
A hand on her arm broke her attention away from the two and back to poor Rose, who looked almost to the point of tears again.
“I’m so sorry, Marinette! I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Oh Rose, you deserved better than this.
“No! You actually let me go.” She insisted, much to the blonde’s visible relief. “You were focused only on Lila. And aside from getting people to help you hunt her down, you didn’t do anything to anyone else.”
If anything, the people of Paris seemed pretty happy for the excuse.
…maybe she really needed to talk to the Mayor about having a fun festival to just let everyone blow off steam?
She could focus on that later though. She shook her head and returned her attention to Rose. The girl still looked nervous, but less worried at least. That was good.
Rose sniffled. “I didn’t know. I’ve just been scared to see what my akuma did.”
“No one was hurt in the end.” Marinette assured her. “Ladybug came and stopped it. Nobody was hurt.”
Because Rose never really wanted to hurt anyone, she was sure. Even if it was Lila.
At most, maybe Lila got a little smokey smell to her. And a lot wet. But she survived. And without burns.
Rose seemed to slump in relief. “I’m so glad.”
And this…this right here was why it was worth it. Because the difference in Rose’s posture and expression within a few seconds meant a situation she could feel move on from versus a guilt she would be carrying with her all her life.
“I can't believe I almost did that! What did I become!?" Rose cried.
“You were akumatized. You were rightfully enraged by someone you thought was a friend taking advantage of you. Honestly, the only reason I didn't join in is because nothing about her shocks me anymore.”
Despite the attempt at reassurance, the smaller girl drew in on herself more. She rubbed at her eyes to wipe away tears and merely nodded at Marinette’s words. Hearing, but not fully agreeing. Or maybe it was the reminder that Marinette had known and tried to reveal Lila sooner to no avail.
Of all people, Rose didn’t deserve this. None of the classmates did, but Rose had been particularly trusting and was affected the worst because of this.
She couldn’t help it. She hugged Rose. If Adrien’s hug earlier had been so nice for her, maybe this could help the smaller girl in turn.
Rose certainly seemed to appreciate it as she hugged back…quite strongly, actually. Marinette had known Rose had some upper body strength given how she had been able to carry Chloe during the Zombizu attack but wow. Rose was smaller than Adrien, but her hug was just as warm but more tight.
Marinette lost herself a bit in the comfort she was giving and receiving. She barely even noticed that Adrien and Alya were still talking. She was peripherally aware that it was happening, but once again had lost track of what they were actually saying.
She had checked on Rose and made sure she was doing…well even if not fully okay. Maybe this was a sign she should go home?
“LIAR!”
It seemed it wasn’t to be, however, as a sudden commotion caught her notice, dragging her attention to a gathering down the hall.
And suddenly, Marinette was wide awake.
__________________
“—trusted me. Ladybug knew I would never do such a thing! That’s how she was able to ward off Witch Hunter.”
Lila giggled.
“You could say that the ‘power of friendship’ saved the day!”
Of course she was lying through her teeth once again. Not that she needed to at this point, really. Her mother was firmly in her corner and Lila would be getting to leave Paris soon enough. But there was a part of her that wanted to see if she couldn’t convince them one more time.
While she may not have a chance of getting revenge on Hawk Moth, she at least wanted some victory to take with her when she left. After all, Lila was hardly one to simply let things go and let this end without a last hurrah. No, if anything, when the chips were down, she was used to going all in. And if she lost? Well, not like it mattered if she wasn’t there to pay afterwards.
This time would be no different.
Truthfully, the only reason she was at the school at all was so her mother could file the paperwork to transfer her out. She hadn’t really wanted to go, but she had needed to be there to run interference in case anyone attempted to approach her. It had been part of the reason she had insisted on going despite her “harrowing” experience. Her mother had insisted on starting the process to remove Lila from the school immediately. And while she was sure no one would recognize the woman if she arrived alone, Lila knew she had to be there to “lead” the discussion between her mother and the Principal, as well as protect her mother from hearing any untoward rumors that could taint her view of her loving and trusted daughter.
Lila hadn’t intended to be caught by her soon to be former classmates. The original plan had been to simply disappear from their lives and leave them with their guilt and uncertainty. It was part of the reason she had agreed to come with her mother to the school so soon, as she had expected that everyone should be in class by the time they arrived. But her mother had gotten out earlier than expected, and people were still milling about the school.
She had kept her head down and hoped that no one would notice her. But luck was not in her favor it seemed, as Bustier had been late for some unknown reason, so her students had chosen to hang out in the hallways instead of waiting in the classroom or simply calling it a day and going home early.
A minor hiccup. She was sure that they would be forced to leave once class started. She separated from her mother with the pretense of saying goodbye to all of her friends, in the actual intention of simply buying time until the teacher returned and called them away. Her mother and Damocles had even seemed eager for her to, reassuring her that they did not need her and ushering her out of the room, which was all the more in her favor she supposed.
And really, how could she resist one more opportunity to see them dance for her?
After this, she would be home free. Not like they could do anything to her across international borders even if they did try.
There was no risk to her at this point. So It was worth pushing to see just how far she could milk this.
And these were the best saps a girl could ask for.
The present classmates listened to her tale of woe. Though only a fraction of the crowd she would normally draw and not quite as eager as they used to, they were still listening to her patiently at least instead of simply blowing her off or calling her out. Which meant there was still a chance they would believe her.
A few of them actually seemed to be buying her story. And it had been one of her better tales, in her personal opinion. There were one or two that rolled their eyes—which, rude. A couple who seemed disinterested. But most of the rest seemed uncertain.
It was a shame Rose wasn’t there. Lila was sure that she would especially appreciate the performance. Though part of her was relieved, since she figured that the emotional girl would probably start crying if she had been.
Though there was also no Marinette either, which meant no one to counter her story as she had no doubt the little Miss Perfect would.
“You’re really saying that Marinette handed you off to the violent mob?”
That also meant she wasn’t there to defend herself either.
Lila hunched her shoulders and brought up a hand to her face in a nervous expression. “It’s not her fault. I’m sure it was because of the akuma. Even she wouldn’t turn on me like that just because she doesn’t like me…”
Cry her a river? She’d be seeing Marinette cry a river once she was done here. If she accomplished nothing else before she left, she would at least make sure Marinette Dupain-Cheng regretted talking to her like that.
“I’m sure she wouldn’t have done it if she was herself.” Mylene reached forward to comfort her but stopped a foot away and immediately decided to back off and keep her hands to herself. She coughed into her hand and looked away.
Lila frowned, scratching her head. What was that about?
She shook it off and kept to her plan. Play up the innocent act and leave them guessing until it was time to go. Whatever happened after that was their problem.
“I was so scared.” Lila whimpered. “Her expression at that time was…terrifying.”
Some more of the classmates looked sympathetic. Yet none of them approached her. Now that Lila noticed, there was a distinct space between her and the rest of the class. No one would come within five feet of her.
She hugged herself, looking the picture of wounded and helpless. “I was just lucky I was able to get away after she outted my hiding place to the mob.”
“LIAR!”
Everyone jumped to see a fuming Alya approach. A somewhat less visibly angry but still no doubt displeased Adrien was right behind her.
Both of them were focused completely on Lila.
Lila gasped, as if hurt. “What do you—”
“Can it.” Alya cut her off immediately, not even giving her a chance to spin some new lie. “You can’t be trusted, Lila. Or did you think we would forget about earlier?”
“That was a misunderstanding.” Lila explained, raising her hands in a peaceful gesture. “You weren’t here, but I had already told everyone what happened and why.”
“Oh really?” Alya asked, clearly disbelieving.
“She said that she was hit by an akuma before the attack today and only snapped out of it after Rose was akumatized.” Alix stated with a droll tone and an expression that said she didn’t believe it either.
Alya gave Lila a flat stare. “Do you actually expect us to believe that?”
“It’s the truth.” Lila rested a hand over her heart akin to an oath before curling her fingers and drawing in on herself as if pained. “I was horrified when I woke up and realized what had happened.”
“Then where is the money?” Alya demanded.
Lila resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Usually Alya would take her at her word, which was useful when others in turn trusted her for her reporting skills. It worked to her advantage when Alya believed her, but having those skills turned on her was a real pain.
“Hawk Moth must have taken it.” She suggested. It couldn’t be proven, of course, but it couldn’t be disproven either. And this group was particularly gullible and willing to believe the best in anyone regardless of common sense.
Except this time, apparently.
“If Hawk Moth needed money, we would be seeing akumas robbing banks, not stealing donations from teenagers for a fake charity.” Kim pointed out.
“He was probably being discreet.” Lila said hastily.
“Stealing money from a charity isn’t discreet!” Alya shouted, drawing even more attention much to Lila’s annoyance.
“Everyone already knows you lied and pocketed the money. The very least you could do is admit it.“ Adrien said, looking rather cross.
Of all the times for the doormat to actually try to stand up on his own, did it have to be now?
Lila gasped, looking hurt. Internally, she was annoyed more than anything. He was supposed to be passive. He’d never stood out like this before!
“But Adrien, you said we were friends, remember?”
It was a reminder of their “deal”. As well as a thinly veiled threat of what she would have free reign to do if that deal was broken. Not just to Marinette, but to him as well. After all, Adrien knew about Lila’s lies all along and did nothing. If he was going to out her here, she would be dragging him down with her.
“I said we were friends as long as you didn’t hurt anyone I care about!” Adrien corrected her. “And you have! You hurt Kagami. You hurt Marinette. And now you’ve hurt Rose!”
“Wait—dude! You knew?” Nino asked, looking hurt.
“I knew she was a liar.” Adrien admitted to everyone. He looked down in shame. “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought…” He paused before shrugging. “Well, I thought a lot of things that were wrong.”
“Dude.” Kim muttered.
Ivan gave Adrien a stern glare. “You owe Rose. Big time.”
“Marinette, too.” Alya added, gesturing to the pig-tailed girl who had approached the group alongside Rose.
“I know.” Adrien nodded and turned to the two, even going so far as to bow lowly from the waist. “And I’ll accept any punishment if it means you will all forgive me for not speaking up sooner.”
He knew better now. The absence of overt conflict doesn’t mean that the problem is solved. He had thought he was fixing problems, but really, he was only dealing with symptoms.
Rose looked uncertain. She stared at Adrien, biting her lip. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a touch to her shoulder. Looking up in surprise, she saw Marinette and remembered that the other girl had still been beside her. Even now, she was acting as a support.
Marinette patted her on the shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. “It’s up to you.”
Rose looked back to Adrien.
He hadn’t been the one who did it. But he knew…if not that Lila was lying, then at least that she was a liar. He knew and he didn’t say anything. Which…well, wasn’t AS bad as Lila actually lying, but still bad.
She frowned.
“I want your endorsement on the charity.”
“Done.”
“And a cake for the class as an apology.”
“Just tell me what flavor.”
“And for you to take Marinette on a date to a fancy restaurant.”
“I’ll check my sched—wait, what?” He asked, standing up straight.
Marinette covered Rose’s mouth before she could repeat herself.
“Just the first two will be fine.” She said, flushing with embarrassment. Because really Rose?
Rose, for her part, gave her an annoyed look but didn’t fight her. Nor did she attempt to keep up the demand even after Marinette released her.
“Are you sure?” He asked, holding up a hand to her as if in offering. “After everything, a nice meal would be the least I could do.”
Then he smiled.
And suddenly, Marinette’s initial willpower just took a hit.
“It’ll be my treat.” He promised.
Marinette felt herself heat up at that. He hadn’t seemed to notice the ‘date’ part of Rose’s statement, but seemed rather stuck on the idea of getting a dinner together and Marinette knew she shouldn’t, but she didn’t want to say no either…
The classmates were all grinning or sending each other knowing looks. Alya was getting her phone out to record for blackmail future wedding material. Rose was beaming excitedly. They were all glad that some good was coming out of this.
Except, of course, for Lila.
Any cheerful atmosphere or chatter immediately died at the way Lila cleared her throat. Somehow, she just seemed to draw all attention to herself. The others looked to her in question. But Marinette, who knew Lila well enough to know she was plotting something, only felt dread.
“But is that really appropriate?” Lila asked, innocently. She rubbed at her arm. “After all, you wouldn’t want Adrien to be leading on Marinette the way he did me.”
The others stared. “What?”
Marinette paled.
Oh. Oh, this was going down a bad road, she could feel it.
Adrien glared. “I never led you on, Lila.”
Lila chuckled cheerfully. “Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, of course. But taking a girl out to a fancy dinner would…well…certainly imply things. Especially if the girl in question already is enamored with you.”
He blinked.
“What?”
“She holds feelings for you.”
A moment’s pause.
“You mean…as a friend?” He asked.
…seriously? Was he not getting it?
“She is clearly crushing on you.” Lila stated flatly.
Adrien stared.
“…What?”
Lila sighed in irritation. “Why else do you think she always freaks out around you? The stammering? The nervous giggling? The weird statements that don’t fit the context?”
Marinette pulled at her pigtails in frustration. Because of course. Of-freaking-course Lila would sink this low!
Adrien blinked, then rubbed his chin. “I thought it was because of the way I kept surprising her? Like approaching her from behind. Or appearing behind her locker right as she closes it.”
Nino squinted at his friend. “Which I’ve been meaning to ask, how do you even do that?”
“Not the point.” Lila cut in before turning back to Adrien. “Seriously, Adrien, didn’t you wonder why she had all those posters of you in her room?”
“Because she’s a fan. She even told me as much.” He stated.
Lila stared as Adrien beamed at his Very Good Friend. “And it’s kind of nice knowing that a fashion designer like Marinette likes what I do. And looks up to my father.” He snapped his fingers in realization. “Hey! Maybe I could see if you can’t meet my dad sometime!”
Marinette smiled uncertainly and just…sort of nodded. “That sounds nice.”
Because really, what else could she do at this point?
Lila gaped in growing outrage.
Was…was he just going to keep ignoring her? To focus on…THAT?
“What? No! Adrien, she is crushing on you! Like…obsessively!” Lila exclaimed.
Adrien seemed to be getting annoyed with Lila’s continued interruptions, given the look he threw her. “Lila, do you really have to keep making things up?”
“I’m not making this up!”
“Yeah,” Alix said sarcastically. “Just like the charity.”
“And Marinette leaving you to the akuma.” Alya added, still clearly angry about that.
“And everything else you’ve ever said.”
Lila growled. “But this is true! And I have proof!”
With a smirk, Lila held out her phone, showing the picture she had taken earlier of the schedule inside Marinette’s room.
“See? Marinette has your schedule on her calendar!” She exclaimed.
Adrien frowned at her, disapprovingly. “Are you seriously making things up now just to make Marinette look bad?”
Marinette winced.
He was really keeping his word and trying to support her. She knew in this moment that if she denied it, Adrien would believe her. And it may save face and protect her from any further humiliation.
As well as sticking it to Lila, which was always nice.
…But Marinette hated liars. And if there was one thing that this entire mess taught her, it was that great harm could come from lies. She didn’t want to give Lila any additional ammunition to use against her, but she knew it would only be worse if it got out later.
And she didn’t want to misuse Adrien’s trust in that way.
“Actually, I do have your schedule.” She admitted.
Adrien stopped in the middle of the lecture he was about to give Lila. He turned to her in surprise.
“What?”
“It’s just…you would mention certain activities or plans. Fencing. Tutoring. Lessons. And I would hear and add them to my calendar so I would be aware when it came to planning things.”
Silence.
Lila smirked in victory. So the goody-two shoes had a fault and was actually admitting to it for the entire class to see. Even Adrien’s protective best friend must be up in arms as he took Lila’s phone with the picture of the schedule to look it over.
Adrien, for his part, blinked as he registered the information.
“So you’ve kept track of all the events and scheduling I’ve told you about to add to your calendar?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
A longer pause. Marinette mentally kicked herself. Why hadn’t she just stayed home and avoided this mess?
Then he smiled. “That was nice of you.”
“What?” Marinette asked, stunned.
“What.” Lila less asked than stated. Shrieking even in her disbelief.
“Well, friends keep friends on their schedules.” Adrien said, nodding resolutely.
Lila stared, her eye twitching slightly.
But he paid her no mind, keeping his gaze on his very good friend.
"Can I see it?" He asked her.
Marinette blinked. "What?"
He was actually looking eager now. “That way I can fill in any gaps so we can choose better times to hang out!”
She flushed. This was not the direction she had expected this to go. And from Lila’s disgusted expression, neither had she.
Far be it from her to argue. Especially against Adrien’s hopeful puppy eyes.
"Okay."
“Great! I’ll come by your house later! Maybe we can play Mecha Strike while we’re at it.” He said with a smile that—gah, too bright! It would probably blind her if it didn’t make her heart explode.
Marinette blushed.
“Okay?” She agreed because really, what else could she do at this point?
"WHAT?!" Lila raged, her skin starting to turn red. "Why would you want to help her keep your schedule?! Isn't that creepy?!"
He turned to Lila at that with a frown. “But...she's my friend. I'm on her Personal Calendar with all the people she considers friends!" And she’d done this even before their talk today, so that meant she really did like him, right?
Lila rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Adrien! Who actually does that?"
Adrien shrugged. "Nino does."
A pause. Slowly, all eyes turned to Nino.
The cap-wearing teen realized the sudden attention he'd got and jumped back, waving his hands.
"Well, how else were we supposed to have hangouts with that schedule of his?" He defended before turning his attention to Marinette. “You’re missing his Chinese lessons by the way.”
Marinette turned to him in surprise. “What?”
“Yeah, also he has a photoshoot this weekend and in the middle of next week. And I see my schedule on there, too, but you don’t have my gig Friday.”
“Wait—you’re on her schedule, too?” Ivan asked, surprised.
“All of her friends are.” Nino confirmed.
Kim raised his hand. “Am I on there?”
“All of her friends are.” Nino repeated, and looked down at the picture of the calendar. “She has your swim meet for next Tuesday. And a plan to bring some of those tarts you like.”
“Sweet!” Kim exclaimed, giving a fist pump.
Nino nodded to Marinette before handing the phone back to Lila. “Plus Alya and I are having a date Sunday, not Saturday, so we won't need you to babysit. Might want to add that.”
Marinette blinked as she just…tried to register everything.
“Oh. Okay.”
Apparently, that was becoming her default word as she was still trying to process how any of this was happening.
Alya stared at her boyfriend.
“So wait, you have Adrien’s schedule, too?”
“Of course, I do! Hangouts are difficult enough, but we also need to know what times we can video chat.” Nino shrugged. “How else do you think I knew when his dad was leaving? And how to get past his bodyguard?”
Lila gaped. She couldn’t believe this!
Even the other classmates seemed unbothered. Did they really have no concept of boundaries?
…of course they didn’t. They were teenagers.
The fact that Lila herself had commonly infringed on Adrien’s boundaries in a physical way on a daily basis and most recently violated Marinette’s boundaries specifically to find this information to use against her in the first place seemed entirely lost on her.
“You’ve got to be kidding me? How are you okay with this? Are you seriously that stupid?��� Lila demanded.
Adrien frowned at Lila, stepping in front of his friends. “Marinette and everyone else here are my friends. Of course, I care about them and would want them to know when I’m available—”
“You can’t possibly be that blind! MARINETTE. HAS. A. CRUSH. ON. YOU. She is so hopelessly in love with you that it’s pathetic!”
“Don’t talk about her like—”
“She has birthday and holiday gifts for you for YEARS!” Lila shouted. “HOW IS THAT NOT WEIRD?!”
The classmates blinked or jumped in surprise before all eyes turned to Marinette.
Why? Why was she Lila’s go-to target?
“I was just…I mean…” She stammered, looking down in shame and embarrassment.
The classmates seemed to be waiting for an answer. It seemed they were at least trying to give her the benefit of the doubt since it was LILA making the accusation, after all, and it was clear by this point that she was simply throwing out anything to make her look bad.
Hesitant, she looked up to see Adrien’s reaction.
And Adrien…oh god, he actually had tears in his eyes!
“Really? Is it true?”
Marinette jumped to try and explain.
“I—um—well—you see—”
His eyes widened. “I can’t believe it...”
“No wait! It’s not—”
Okay, yeah, she was a mess and had nothing.
“You felt so bad about missing my birthday that you’ve been making gifts for me ahead of time so you won’t miss it again!” He exclaimed, looking excited.
Which was okay, apparently, because Adrien had apparently drawn his own conclusions. As evidenced when he pulled her into a hug.
“You didn’t have to do all that, Marinette.” He said, giving her a squeeze. “I don’t hold it against you that you forgot my birthday. You didn’t know.”
A part of Marinette was screaming. Because oh, the irony. If only he knew…
Alya…out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Alya also looked like she desperately wanted to say something. Probably the truth about his scarf. Which now was a bad time to reveal.
“You have no reason to feel guilty for not getting me anything.” He told her, releasing her with a smile and patting her shoulders. “But I appreciate that you felt so strongly about it that you would try to get such a head start to make up for it. It means a lot that you care so much about me.”
Marinette…yeah, Marinette.exe has shut down.
“But that’s not...” Mylene started, only to pause for several seconds before frowning with a small wince. “Actually yeah, that does sound exactly like something Marinette would do.”
“Remember how she got Alya an interview with Ladybug after she accidentally deleted that video?” Kim chimed in.
Nino slapped his forehead. “Oh yeah! Alya went on and on about that for weeks!”
Alya—even Alya, her best friend, who knew full well about her crush and the gifts actually looked uncertain at the news. She bit her lip, looking back and forth between Adrien and Marinette in confusion and concern.
Because she remembered that Adrien’s father had somehow wound up with credit for Marinette’s gift to Adrien. She also remembered how Chloe had broken into Marinette’s locker and vandalized her gift to Bustier. Then there was the time Marinette made Adrien that hat but didn’t take credit for that either.
Marinette…just seemed to have bad luck when it came to giving people things, apparently.
So was it really any wonder that the girl would become that anxious over gift-giving? Or that Marinette, being Marinette, had gone so far as to prepare a multitude of gifts as backups in case something like her gift being stolen, lost, or vandalized happened again?
Alya...honestly didn’t know anymore. Maybe that was something she should try to help with more in the future.
Adrien for his part was simply basking in the glow of happiness that came with knowing how much his good friend Marinette cared about him. Nobody had the heart to argue with him. Nor did any of them even have an argument to make.
“Are you kidding? No one keeps that many gifts for one person in their closet! Can you possibly be that stupid?”
Except Lila, but after everything that had happened, no one was really feeling inclined to humor her.
“Since you’re bringing that up though, here’s a better question.” Alix cut in, giving Lila a glare. “How do you even know any of this?”
Lila drew back in surprise as she suddenly found herself the subject of glares from the rest of her classmates.
“I somehow doubt Marinette invited you into her room.” Alix continued.
“Her parents did!” Lila quickly explained, absently scratching at her wrist. “They invited me inside since the mob was after me.”
Okay, yeah no. Marinette’s brain had rebooted at that. There was no way she was going to let Lila implicate her parents.
“I already talked to my parents about what happened after I saw you wearing my clothes. They invited you into the bakery.” Marinette corrected angrily. “They did not invite you into my room.”
“It was an accident.” Lila claimed. “I had gotten lost, but once I realized where I was and what I was seeing, I just had to warn everyone—”
“‘What you were seeing’,” Marinette cut her off coldly, “should not have been seen unless you had been looking for them. I kept those gifts in my closet. The schedule was put away. The pictures were not visible from my trap door—which you should have realized right away would NOT lead you to any exit.”
Lila scratched at her neck. “Well, I hardly know anything about you since you keep me at arm’s length. Can you blame me for being a little curious?”
“YES.” Came the resounding echo from…well…nearly everyone. It was clear that nobody was buying anything Lila was trying to sell.
“You don’t try to ‘learn about someone’ by breaking into their room, recording what you find there, and sharing it with people!” Mylene ranted.
“It sounds like you’re trying to make Marinette look bad to distract us from your own actions.” Ivan said with a glare. “Because none this changes what you did.”
“You lied to us about the charity and EVERYTHING else you’ve ever said!” Alya exclaimed.
“Did you make up all those illnesses, too?” Kim asked, disappointed and disapproval evident in his voice.
“I bet you were the one who nearly caused Marinette to get expelled.” Alix hissed, leading more growls and angry muttering from the audience.
“No, I haven’t! It was just a misunderstanding!” Lila insisted.
“Was it?” Came a voice.
Everyone immediately silenced and all eyes turned to one person.
Rose stood tall. Or at least as tall as she could in such a situation. In truth, she was shaking. Her lip was trembling like she was trying not to cry. And she stared straight at Lila, almost as if she was gazing into her soul.
If it was anyone else, Lila might have been concerned.
But it was Rose. Poor simple Rose who always believed in everyone and would listen to anything she said without question.
It’d be easy enough to get back in her good graces.
And all it would take…
Lila sniffled, lowering her head. “I’m sorry.”
Everyone stared.
Marinette wanted to bang her head against something.
Lila rubbed at her eyes to give the illusion of tears. She even managed a couple of hiccups. “You were just all…all so amazing and I was scared about fitting in. I did embellish some things but I…I just wanted you all to like me.” She covered her face, effectively hiding her eyes.
“Things just spiraled out of control and before I knew it, I was trapped! I couldn’t be honest and I was so scared of what you all would think of me!” She sobbed out.
Disregarding, of course, the fact that she had just tried to throw Marinette under the bus—and not for the first time.
Lila looked up at the group, eyes watery though no actual tears have been shed. “I never meant to hurt anyone.” She whimpered. “I just admired you all so much! I’m so sorry!”
They hesitated. Of course they did. They were easily played by emotional appeals. All she’d ever had to do was fake pain or sadness and they would fall over themselves in response before any true logic or reason could set in.
And of course, Rose of all people stepped forward.
The small blonde rested a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes, with what had to be some form of reassurance on her lips.
Leave it to Rose to forgive any transgressions and be willing to start anew. She was always the first to offer reassurances. The first to believe in someone. The first to support a good cause. If anyone would understand and show sympathy, it would be her.
“I don’t believe you.”
That…was not it.
Rose stepped back from Lila, her nose scrunched in disgust. She backed away a good couple of feet. She even wiped her hands on her dress—or attempted to, until Mylene handed her some hand wipes. As if touching Lila had been filthy to her.
“Is even touching me that bad?” Lila asked, acting pitiful.
A long pause. Several of the classmates glanced between each other. They all seemed to want to say something, but couldn’t seem to bring themselves to.
“You stink.”
Except for Juleka, who was glaring at Lila.
Lila gaped.
“What?”
Did…she mean that literally or was she just being juvenile?
Kim actually pinched his nose. “Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you kind of reek.”
Lila clenched her fists, her anger growing and her skin starting to turn red. “How dare you?!”
"Like...you stink...and you stink. Figuratively and physically." Kim said, sounding nasally with his nose plugged.
“Kind of smells wet and musty.” Nino muttered.
“I was thinking it smelled more like a dumpster.” Mylene noted.
“It’s probably her soul.” Alix muttered, shooting Lila a dark glare.
Marinette gasped and spun on Lila. “Wait! Lila, didn’t you jump in the Seine earlier?”
Lila flushed, embarrassed at the reminder and the realization that her shower earlier had only done the bare minimum for her hair. “It wasn’t by choice!”
The other teens gave Lila disgusted looks.
“You…do know the Seine isn’t the cleanest, right?” Ivan asked.
“It wasn’t my fault!” Lila exclaimed. “It was that damn Ladybug who splashed me with water!”
Several of the classmates bristled at that and the insult to their city’s hero.
“She was putting the pyre out.” Alya countered, looking up the video on her phone. “Otherwise you would have been burned. And then you would have died. And none of this would even be up for discussion right now.”
“Really, you could show a little more appreciation for Ladybug rescuing you.” Adrien said, narrowing his eyes at Lila. “Even if she wasn’t your best friend.”
He knew she wasn’t. He had been there when Ladybug herself had confronted Lila on her lies, so of course he knew that they weren’t friends. Not that anyone else did. But the reminder of that particular lie and Ladybug’s recent threat brought out a level of fear within her that she hadn’t experienced before.
She could almost swear that she felt Ladybug’s gaze on her.
Lila silently fumed momentarily but forced herself to calm and steady her nerves.
Remember, she was still the one in control here. Not the school. Not these classmates. And certainly not Ladybug!
She closed her eyes and let out a breath.
Oh well. She gave it a try and it didn’t work. An annoyance, but ultimately, no real loss. She was still leaving. And they had nothing they could pin on her.
Rose was the one who collected the money. The school and teachers were the ones who hadn’t verified her paperwork. Gabriel had been the one to hire her to spy on his own son. Hawk Moth had been the one to use her. And Ladybug had been the one who didn’t protect her.
Really, wasn’t it their own fault?
“If that’s how you all feel, then I’ll just leave.” Lila said, looking away in a manner she was sure looked dejected. Such a look would normally lead people to feel some pity for her and some remorse for anything they had done.
Here though, it just made her look petulant.
None of the classmates were impressed. Several looked ready to argue. Maybe to even try to brave the stench around her and force her to stay and admit to her acts.
Except…
“The one thing I don’t understand though is why did you keep doing it? Why all the lies?” Rose asked.
“Yeah,” Alya agreed. “Looking back, your lies were all over the place and didn’t amount to much. Not until the fake charity scam, anyway, and you were bound to get caught. What was even the point of it all?”
What was the point? Was she serious? It was everything.
Lila rolled her eyes. “Oh please. Like any of you would have really cared about me if you hadn’t thought I had something you could use.”
They all just stared at her incredulously.
“Um…but we would have.”
Lila paused, blinking in confusion.
“What?”
Rose brought her hands up. “We would have liked you regardless, Lila! You didn’t have to lie!”
“And even if you do lie,” Mylene continued, “we still could have forgiven it and liked you anyway.”
“We may not have been happy about being lied to, but we could have understood. Maybe even helped.” Ivan stated, rubbing his head.
Marinette stepped forward. “I told you before Lila. We could be friends when you stopped lying.”
Lila stared at her. Was she serious?
That was…
Lila gaped at them all in disbelief. None of them argued. Many even nodded their heads in agreement.
She couldn’t believe it…
That was the dumbest thing she’d ever heard!
Who actually forgives people for things like that? Even little acts that seemed weird were often enough to turn people off. Even good qualities like leadership, prioritizing, and professionalism could be twisted and used against the person. This was supposed to be a world where any flaw should be enough to ruin someone and warrant raking them over the coals!
And these idiots were just…fine with it?
Honestly, it was no wonder she was able to get away with so much! These idiots were practically begging to be manipulated!
Lila forced tears to her eyes. “You would be willing to forgive me? Just like that?”
“Well, not now, no.” Adrien said, finally speaking up.
Lila stared. Because…this was Adrien. Adrien Agreste who was Paris’s Sunshine Child and seemingly incapable of holding a grudge. Or standing up for himself.
And…he was going to refuse to forgive her?
“I figured your initial claims about knowing famous celebrities was just to make people like you. We could have forgiven you for that.”
His eyes narrowed.
“But then you used your lies to hurt people. And in ways you had to go well out of the way to do.”
“What?! No, I didn’t—”
But he cut her off.
“You tried to get Marinette expelled. You stole from all of us and made Rose’s charity work into a criminal act. And while we’re at it…” He drawled, making Lila nervous. “Maybe we can discuss how you’ve been spying on me for my father?”
Lila tensed briefly before putting on a wounded expression.
“That was just the akuma making things up!”
“Yeah, I spoke with my father about that.” Adrien continued, sounding…particularly cold. “Oh, and by the way, you’re fired.”
“Fired?” Lila balked. She clenched her fists and her shoulders raised in growing ire. “What do you mean ‘fired’?!”
Adrien steepled his fingers together as if he was trying to think. “Um, how else can I say it? You’re being let go. Your department’s being downsized. You’re part of an outplacement. We’re going in a different direction. We’re not picking up your option. Take your pick. I’ve got more.”
She grit her teeth.
She’d known from her call with Nathalie earlier that they were firing her. Part of her had believed that it was simply due to Witch Hunter’s control. But if that was the case, they shouldn’t remember it now. Though it could be that they remember the initial claim from Witch Hunter that brought them under her influence, but even then, there wouldn’t be any proof.
No…this had to be intentional. Given her suspicions of Gabriel, she had considered that he would cut ties, but to do it like this? Through Adrien? In front of everyone?
Oh. She was going to make him pay.
Outside of Lila’s thoughts of revenge and misery, the classmates realized something about Adrien’s totally cool and not at all corny or referenced speech.
Kim stared. “Dude…did you really just…”
Nino held up a hand. “Let him have this.” He wiped away a fake tear. “I’m so proud.”
Muffled chuckling from others indicated that they all knew what he had been referencing.
Except for Marinette, who was looking around in confusion. Because sure, Adrien was being cool just then and it was kind of funny to see Lila get some comeuppance, but what was all the snickering for? “Wait…what was that about?”
Adrien spun on her in shock. “Wait—you’ve never seen Emperor’s New Groove?”
Marinette blinked, uncertain. “Um…no?”
He took her hands in his, looking so serious that this had to be a matter of grave importance. “We must rectify this immediately. Will you come watch the movie with me? Father is being unusually lenient about things to make up for everything with Lila that he’ll probably allow a hangout this weekend.” He smiled. “So would you like to binge watch movies together?”
Oh. Oh, Marinette thought she was over this. But clearly not as she felt her face flush and her heart leap into her throat. Her brain was short circuiting because this was…this was a date with Adrien? ANOTHER date with Adrien? THREE dates with Adrien? That she hadn’t even had to be the one to ask him for? Just what is life right now? Was this life? Was this a dream? Lila finally outted as a liar and Adrien agreeing to spend time with her…this felt like a dream.
At best, she was only able to nod. And Adrien’s smile in response was near blinding. She didn’t even notice the way their classmates grinned or gave each other high fives.
…or the way Lila was turning red in her growing ire.
Lila scratched angrily at her neck. Hard enough to leave marks.
Not only did he fire her, but now he was ignoring her and just flirting right in front of her?! It was bad enough she was revealed and chased around for the past few hours thanks to an akuma. Then betrayed by Hawk Moth. And then threatened by Ladybug. But this…this was just adding insult to injury by this point!
She wanted to say something—anything to break up this delightful little scene and wipe that happy look off their faces.
Sometimes, spite overcame reason.
“Oh please!” She shouted, drawing everyone’s gazes away from the cute scene and back to Lila where she was pointing at Adrien in anger. “The only reason he’s firing me is because I know he’s Hawk Moth!”
A long pause.
Alya looked at Adrien before turning back to Lila, eyebrow raised. “You mean Adrien?”
The blond in question paled and drew in on himself. It wasn’t true, but what if she brought up some ‘evidence’ like his tendency to disappear during akuma fights? Would anyone else believe her? Especially given how he’d messed up before and inadvertently helped Lila to create prime akuma material?
“Adrien isn’t Hawk Moth!” Marinette insisted, looking angry, and Adrien felt a combination of relief and admiration for the girl.
“Yeah!” Nino agreed, wrapping an arm around Adrien’s shoulders and holding out the other hand in front of them like he was trying to ward off Lila or perhaps her stench. “Don’t be talking about my boy like that!”
“Wow.” Kim muttered. “You’ve told some bad lies before but that takes the cake.”
“Shame on you, Lila!”
Lila reared back in shock at the direction this went. “What?! NO! I meant Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth!”
But people were just…rolling their eyes and looking away from her.
She held her hand to her chest in earnesty. Her other hand went to scratching her side, which kind of spoiled the effect. “He knows I’m a threat and he’s trying to discredit me!”
A long pause.
“You’ve already discredited yourself, Lila.”
“Yeah, it sounds like you’e just saying anything at this point.”
“She’s just mad that Mr. Agreste is letting her go.”
“After everything she did, I don’t blame him.”
“The guy os a jerk, but come on. Hawk Moth? Really?”
No one was even considering what she had to say now. If it wasn’t clear before, it was now.
Lila had lost any credibility.
Several of the classmates were gathered around Adrien, trying to support and comfort him over the accusations. She had a feeling that even if she had irrefutable evidence, they still wouldn’t believe it. Not now, anyway. It grated at her, but at this point, there was nothing she could do.
There was nothing she could do and she had just wasted her last trump card to no effect. And if it got back to Gabriel that she had accused him…
All the better to get out now then.
“Hey, wait!” Alix shouted as she noticed Lila trying to sneak away. “We’re not done here!”
Honestly, it was perfect timing that the teacher arrived to start class.
“All right, class! To your seats!” Bustier said, smiling nicely in her usual fashion.
And it looked like that would be the end of it. With Bustier back, there would be no further pressing of Lila. No retribution. No way to hold her accountable.
Alya for her part tried though. She raised her hand and called out insistently. “Wait! Ms. Bustier! Lila has been—”
Bustier shook her head. “I’m sorry, Alya, but it will have to wait. We’ve missed part of the school day as it is.” She paused and turned to Lila. “Oh, Lila! Your mother and the Principal are waiting for you in his office.”
Lila smiled politely. “Thank you. I’ll head right there.”
This was it then. A final meeting and she would be out of this school and out of Paris.
…though maybe after she takes a more thorough shower first, she thought to herself as she scratched at her neck.
Still, she couldn’t help but send one last smirk back at her now former classmates as she walked away. She hadn’t managed to pull them back under her sway, and she couldn’t say she had won.
But she could at least find some satisfaction in the growls and shouts of anger as she left them behind.
__________________
In the Principal’s office, the adults had a…rather interesting conversation of their own once Lila had departed.
“Good heavens! I didn’t know how much longer I could stand that smell.” Principal Damocles asked as he opened a window to try and freshen the air.
Amara Rossi took her seat in front of the desk, feeling a bit lightheaded herself. “Did something happen today? Science class? Chemicals, perhaps?”
“It could have been an akuma attack. We had one just earlier.” He replied.
Her eyes darkened. She was reminded of the constant prolonged akuma attacks that disrupt daily living and the inept superheroes who allowed them to persist. “I see. That will be one thing we will no longer have to worry about once we leave, at least.”
“Quite right.” He agreed kindly as he went to his files to pull out Lila’s paperwork. “I do hope that Lila’s new school will be better suited to accommodate all of her illnesses.”
Amara shook her head, uncertain of what she just heard. “I beg your pardon?”
“Of course we did try to adjust to Lila’s needs as we were made aware of them. Especially with her little…fibbing illness. But it was difficult without official documentation to clarify what she had and the best ways to address them. And we were never able to get clarification during her stay here.” He rested the paperwork on his desk and looked up to make eye contact with Mrs. Rossi. “We of course are not judging, but it would be prudent for you to make the appropriate arrangements prior to her arrival at her new school, wherever it may be.” He puffed up in pride. “And of course we will be more than happy to assist in sending over documentation as well—”
“No wait. Hold on.” Amara interrupted him. “What needs are you talking about?”
Needless to say, once Lila was out of the room, it didn’t take long for them to notice things weren’t adding up. And the conversation that followed ended up being…
“What tinnitus?”
Quite informative.
“What fall down the stairs?!”
With certain parties being made aware of things they hadn’t known previously.
“WHAT LYING DISEASE?!!”
By the end of it, both adults were in shock.
Damocles wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, clearly…unnerved to say the least. “I…erm…take it that some of these things might have been said…er…erroneously?”
Amara covered her face with her left hand, exasperated. “Unless my daughter has been under an akuma’s influence for the past several months the school has been closed.”
He frowned at that, unnerved. “On that note, I’ve been trying to reach out to you for some time about your daughter’s absences. Have you not gotten my calls?”
“I only received one or two. And Lila warned me not to answer because you were akumatized.” She paused in thought for a moment before lowering her hand and looking to the Principal. “Has the school been closed at all? Lila said you had been akumatized and that the school had been shut down, which was why she had to stay home for so long.”
Damocles blanched at that. “It was only the once! Well…twice actually, with the attempted mass akumatization during that one incident. But I assure you, madam, that the school was never closed. Certainly not for more than a day at any rate!”
She frowned, unsure. “But…the heroes…”
“Are quite adept at their job for youngsters!” Damocles hurriedly told her. “Akuma battles are normally finished within a couple of hours. Some have lasted overnight at most. There is only one to my knowledge that continued for a few days, but that was a rare exception and the damage was minimal.” Though the harm to Chloe’s mental state couldn’t be quantified.
“Oh…” She murmured. Wow. While Lila’s complaints had dampened her view of the city’s heroes, she had known her coworkers and the city at large seemed to admire them greatly. She regretted that she had never really listened to their gossip about them, but she was grateful she had never spoken up on what she had believed. Otherwise she would likely be a laughing stock at work.
He shook his head. “But no akuma has lasted for months, I assure you! In fact,” He said, reaching to his monitor and turning it so that they both could see the screen, “the Ladyblog should have all the facts about the akumas and our heroes!”
Amara observed the blog, curious. It was well made. Perhaps they could get the designer to help update the embassy site.
But on point, the blog listed news reports and updates. Hero sightings. Events. Akuma attacks. And in particular, the most recent attack…
“Wait!” She gasped. “Is that Lila?!”
From there, it had been a simple matter of reviewing the footage from the latest akuma attack.
Including the incident where Lila had shoved an innocent girl to the ground in front of the mob. (“That would be Marinette Dupain-Cheng. A bright student and the Class Representative. But…er…she and Lila haven’t quite seen eye to eye and there was an…incident a few weeks ago…”)
As well as a compiled list that had been taken of every claim made by the akuma—Witch Hunter? She was apparently a classmate of Lila’s. And according to the Ladyblog, she had been a victim of Lila’s lies, which had resulted in her akumatization and targeting of Lila. (“My word!”)
And worst of all, a video of Lila tied to a pyre and surrounded by a mob of people wanting her to burn. In and of itself, it was horrifying. Especially for any parent to see their child in such a state.
But for Lila…it was like she didn’t think it was real. Like she didn’t think she was in any actual danger. Or she thought this was a game.
And that, Amara found most terrifying.
“This is…” She muttered in shock. She couldn’t even begin to describe it. Her daughter, tied to a pole. About to be lit on fire. All because she had been lying this entire time? Not just lying, but stealing from her peers? Framing people? And she didn’t dare say it, but from some of her statements in the video and the akuma’s claims, it almost looked as if she had been working with a known terrorist!
She had known her daughter wasn’t perfect or innocent. But this much? To go this far? And for what? She couldn’t even begin to understand…
“Madam, I…think this is a most serious matter.” Damocles stated. He was trying to be delicate but…well, really. How can one approach this sort of thing delicately?
“I agree.” She stated, resolutely. “Lila has been playing everyone it seems. But now that we know, what should we do from here?”
Damocles stroked his beard as he thought. “I admit we have never had a situation this extreme before. But if you will permit, I believe there may be a way to approach this…”
The rest of their time was spent discussing the matter at length and coming to an agreement. Damocles admittedly had his failings, particularly when it came to stubborn and selfish students with access to parents in positions of authority and willingness to abuse that authority to get their way. But when he wasn’t having to work around such barriers and had parents who were actually working with him instead of obstructing the school regulations, it was substantially easier to make appropriate accommodations and plan accordingly.
Which is what Lila ended up walking in to once she was asked to return to the office.
“Is everything settled?” She asked sweetly, her expression belying her earlier anger. Honestly, her only concern was finishing this as quickly as possible and going home to shower. A good three or four times.
She forced herself to ignore the way the adults in the room turned their heads away from her with upturned noses. She took advantage of the moment and attempted to unobtrusively scratch under her arm. Honestly, this itching was only getting worse! How had she not noticed it earlier?
“Well, Lila.” Damocles coughed as he turned on a fan. “Your mother and I have been discussing things and we couldn’t help but notice a few discrepancies.”
Lila froze. She steeled her expression to hide her rising panic. Because no. Not here. Not after everything.
“Lila…” Her mother called, her tone harsh and warning of her slowly boiling anger. “You told me that the school had been closed. And here I come to find that not only had it still been open and running all this time, but that you had been excusing your absences with claims of trips around the world!”
Shit.
Why had she left them alone?!
“But there were akuma attacks!” She insisted. “And the school was closed!”
“Not for weeks at a time!” Her mother exclaimed, furious. “And what is all this I’m hearing about your actions since you got here? Lying to your teachers? Stealing from a charity? Getting another student expelled?!”
Here, Lila straightened. “She had been bullying me and I had only been trying to protect myself.”
“Then why did you claim a lying disease to have her brought back?” Damocles questioned.
Lila hugged herself to look sad and sympathetic—and also used the opportunity to scratch at her side again. “I was threatened.” She admitted morosely. “Adrien said—”
“Adrien? Adrien Agreste?” Her mother interrupted. “You mean the boy you said was your boyfriend?”
Lila hesitated for a moment before a plan came together and she nodded. “Yes. It was why I wanted us to leave Paris. He’s been harassing me, Mama.” She shuddered and hitched her breath as if in fear. “He threatened me if I didn’t take back the allegations. He’s been cheating on me with her, Mama!”
“Interesting. Very interesting.” Her mother said in a blithe manner that only made Lila more nervous. “Because according to this Ladyblog, it sounds like you were the one harassing him. As well as this Marinette girl, regardless of whether she is his girlfriend or not.”
Lila snapped up and gaped at her mother. The woman never bothered with the Ladyblog. Lila had been sure she hadn’t known it even existed!
“You can’t trust the Ladyblog! It’s just a teenager’s fan site! It’s nothing but lies!”
Her mother glared down at her. “Like this informative interview of you claiming to be Ladybug’s ‘bestie’?”
Lila paled.
“I was only trying to get people to like me and make friends.” She said, lowering her head in shame. Not that she had any, of course, but it paid to look the part at least. “I didn’t think anyone would see it.”
“Lila, the Ladyblog is extremely popular. It’s a central news source for anyone in Paris to know what the most recent update is regarding any akuma attack! Anyone would have seen it!” Damocles exclaimed.
“Even if it wasn’t,” Her mother continued. “You still shouldn’t have been claiming things like that! What if Hawk Moth saw it and thought it was true? What if he tried to kidnap or hurt you?”
She wasn’t worried about that. He wouldn’t have harmed her since she was working for him.
Well, Lila realized with a small wince. Not anymore.
“I didn’t think it was a big deal.” Lila said, looking away.
“Getting back on point.” Damocles interrupted. “There is the problem regarding all of the days you’ve missed. Your teacher was led to believe that you were out of town while you had informed your mother that the school was closed. This is a serious matter, young lady.”
There was no way to lie that she hadn’t done it now that both of them were aware and on to her. But she could still try to reframe things in her favor.
“I’m sorry. I had just needed a break for a while and I didn’t know how to tell you.” Lila spoke, tearfully. “It was just…all of the akuma attacks and everything with Adrien and the bullying…it was too much!”
She sobbed into her hands.
“I just couldn’t take it! I’m sorry!”
She continued her sobs for a good minute. Since she had her face covered and her head lowered, she couldn’t quite see how the adults in the room were responding. Sneaking a peak got her a glimpse at best lest she risk them seeing her.
Her mother looked drawn. The Principal seemed tired. Neither of them so much as tried to get closer to Lila to comfort her. Though that may very well have been due to the smell, and she cursed Witch Hunter and Ladybug both for causing the situation in the first place and for not fixing this with the Magical Cure as well.
Really, she thought hatefully. This was all their fault. Rose’s. The class’s. Hawk Moth’s. And especially Ladybug’s. She never would have ended up in this position if not for her!
“I’m sorry, Lila. If you were truly having such trouble, then you should have spoken to one of us about it and we may have been able to help you.” Damocles sighed. “I’m afraid there’s nothing else for it now. It’s already gone much too far for us to be able to overlook.”
Amara nodded, resigned. “I understand.”
Lila sniffled and raised her head.
“So I guess I’ll be expelled?” She asked with a mournful tone.
Okay. All right. So she would be sent to another school somewhere. A boarding school perhaps? Some sort of alternative or otherwise stricter school meant to “rehabilitate“ her, no doubt. She could handle this. It was still someplace new where no one would recognize her. It wouldn’t take too much before she could just start over. Within two months, no one there would even really know why she had transferred.
She could still make this work for her.
Damocles, however, looked at her in surprise.
“Expel you? What are you talking about? We don’t expel students for truancy.”
Lila froze.
“What?”
“You will be suspended for a time.” He continued. “Though I believe given the nature of your actions, it would be better for your suspension to be altered so you remain on campus and under constant supervision.”
Lila stared. She would swear she could hear cracks forming in her reality.
“And we will have to keep you in a separate classroom as well to remove any...distractions.”
Crack.
“Of course.“ her mother agreed. “I’ll be removing her computer and phone for the time being as well. Depending on how things go, we may have to dispose of them altogether.”
Lila felt her eye starting to twitch.
“This will be an opportunity for you to catch up on all the coursework you missed.”
Crack.
“And there will be a hearing as well.” Damocles continued.
Lila jumped to her feet and slammed her hand on the desk.
“But—but you expelled Marinette immediately without a hearing!”
Damocles appeared flustered at that. “My actions at that time were…admittedly hasty, especially considering that it turned out they were based on a lie...” He gave her a sharp look at that. “But given what appeared to be dangerous and escalating behavior at the time, I had only acted in a way to protect the other students in this institution.”
He clasped his hands. “But less school is not the appropriate answer for a student whose crime was skipping school. Especially in this case given that Lila may very well need to be held back a grade as it is.”
“What?!” Lila demanded.
He gave her a dry look, unimpressed with her reaction or the repeated interruptions. “Young lady, regardless of your reasons, you’ve missed months of your precious education. Surely you didn’t think you would be able to graduate alongside your classmates. At this point, you won’t be able to get the approval from the conseil de classe to move on to the next grade, much less be prepared for the brevet.”
Lila blinked. “The what?”
Her mother groaned and covered her face. “It’s the mandated test required in secondary school into get your diploma, Lila.”
Lila gaped, glancing back and forth between the two, as if expecting this to be a joke. “But…college in France is just scuola media! It’s middle school! How do they require a diploma?!”
“It’s a national requirement and certification of the knowledge and skills acquired.” Damocles explained, ignoring the way mother and daughter were reacting as he instead puffed out his chest and straightened his jacket. “And we here at Francois-Dupont are dedicated to our students and making the appropriate accommodations to help them succeed! Regardless of any…”
He paused, sending Lila a look. “Complications.”
Amara sighed but faced Damocles. “So what would you recommend?”
He brightened at that. “The best answer to get young Lila back on track would be an alternative remedial program in which she can remain in school and make up for what she missed in a setting where she can be more closely monitored to keep something like this from happening again.”
Remain here? In Dupont? With everyone aware of her lies?
“You can’t do this!” Lila shouted. But to no avail as the adults paid her no mind at this point.
“What about the fraud?” Her mother asked. “I believe she had solicited funds under false pretenses?”
“Oh, that is outside our jurisdiction.” Damocles answered, waving it off. “We can only deal in school and school-related matters. Fraud is a legal issue, so that will be going to the courts as a separate case. But on that note, I would recommend getting a lawyer.” He said, turning serious.
“Hopefully, that won’t be necessary.” Amara replied. “As we will be making arrangements with the students who started the charity and reimburse the funds Lila took.”
“WHAT?!”
“Returning everything you bought with the money to the stores you purchased them from should be a good place to start,” the woman continued, “assuming they will even accept the exchange once they know what you did. Which you will be telling them if they didn’t already know from that akuma.”
“But…but I don’t have them!” Lila exclaimed, suddenly realizing that she had worn Marinette’s clothes back home and left her designer items at the bakery.
“Then you will just have to find some other way to make up the lost funds.” Her mother stated, dismissively.
Lila stomped her foot, the picture of a child throwing a tantrum. “But that’s not fair!”
“You stole money from your classmates, Lila!” Her mother bit out sharply. “Giving back what you took is the very least you could do!”
“But I can’t pay it!” Lila yelled, scratching at her chin in fury.
“Then you can use your now copious amount of free time to take on some extra employment. Because you won’t be sitting around at home doing nothing or getting into more trouble while I’m not there. And you certainly won’t be going out with your friends—assuming you have any left after this mess.”
“But…where am I supposed to find employment?!”
Her mother looked through her tablet and pulled up a number of listings when she then handed to Damocles to print off. “There are always openings for extra hands. Odd jobs. A part time job. I don’t care if it’s something like washing dishes at a diner, you will be doing it. And whatever you earn is going to go to straight into the bank until you pay back every euro you took.”
Lila gasped. “I’m fourteen! That’s child labor!”
“That didn’t seem to be an issue when you were modeling for the Gabriel line without telling me.” Her mother countered, growing more furious.
Lila glared back, enraged and for once incapable of speech.
“Whatever you have to say, this is your own fault for stealing the money in the first place. And also using it when you knew it wasn’t yours!” The woman shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t even understand how you thought that was supposed to work.”
“We were supposed to be out of Paris already!” Lila muttered darkly.
Unfortunately for her, her mother heard her well enough. “Which I suspect was the real reason you suddenly wanted to leave, wasn’t it?”
Lila stayed silent. Merely sitting petulantly and scratching at her arm.
Her mother looked down at her daughter. She had never seen her like this before. And now that she knew what the girl had been up to, she wondered if she had been blind to the truth. And for how long.
She sighed.
“You dug yourself into this, Lila. And you won’t be running away from it. You are going to pay back what you took, no matter how long it takes. If this does end up going to court, you are going to agree to any deal they offer and you will make this right. And if you are very very lucky, they will accept your apology and your return of the money, and not pursue harsher charges. Because if they do, you will be accepting those charges and any consequences that come with them.”
Damocles coughed, daring to interrupt. “Am I to presume she will be losing her cellphone and laptop as well?”
“That would be a given.” Her mother replied. “Though at the rate this is going, I may very well sell those off as well to contribute to her debt.”
“What?!” Lila screeched. “But how am I supposed to do schoolwork then? Or keep in contact?”
“With pen and paper like everyone else. And you won’t need to worry about contacting anyone since you are going to be grounded for the foreseeable future.”
Lila groaned and sunk further into the office chair. She tried to keep her arms crossed, but couldn’t hold it for longer than a couple seconds before she felt the itchiness again and started scratching at her arms once more.
“And would you stop scratching yourself?”
“I can’t help it!” Lila cried, spilling real tears for once.
The lighting in the office was decent. Adequate to see by, but not quite enough to get a full detail of what they were looking at. In an attempt to help, Damocles turned on his desk lamp and moved it shine on Lila, putting her skin in much clearer display.
And particularly, the red and splotchy areas that were slowly spreading on her body.
“Good heavens!” Damocles shouted as he went to his phone to call the nurse. “That is an extensive rash, dear girl!”
Her mother grabbed her arm to look closer. “What did you do? Take a bath in the Seine?”
“I didn’t have a choice! I was being chased!” Lila exclaimed, attempting to pull her arm out of her mother’s hold so as to scratch more.
“That…would explain the smell.” Damocles noted before the receiver picked up and he quickly turned his attention to requesting the school nurse’s assistance.
“Did you at least wash it off? Didn’t you shower when you got home?” Her mother asked, exasperated as she had to keep hold of Lila’s arm to prevent her from scratching herself.
Lila hunched over. “No. I had to call you first.”
Her mother groaned in response, much to Lila’s irritation. She glared up at the woman who should be reassuring her own child in this hardship but instead was merely shaking her head at Lila like this was something she had simply brought upon herself!
How could she?! What sort of mother would be so cruel?
She barely paid any attention when the nurse entered the office with some ointment in hand. She only realized what they were doing when they started to slather the gel on her skin, which felt gross and humiliating. Made all the moreso with the way the nurse and her own mother couldn’t fight the looks of disgust at the smell that still covered her. Even Ladybug calling her out in front of Adrien hadn’t been so humiliating.
But it would get worse.
Damocles coughed. “We will resume this discussion another time. Madam, if you are willing, I can arrange a meeting with the students involved and allow you to discuss reparations in an informal…non-court setting.”
“If you please, that would be preferred. In the meantime, I will be taking Lila home so we can deal with all of…” She paused, waving her arms around and trying to think of the right words before simply shrugging with a sigh. “This.”
“Wait! I can’t go out there! Everyone will see me like this!”
It was perhaps out of some love as a mother, or just some small mercy that had Amara Rossi agree to take her daughter through a roundabout path out of the school. One that allowed Lila to take hallways that were less used and offered less visibility in and out of the classrooms.
And most importantly allowed her to avoid Bustier’s class.
After getting instructions from the school nurse regarding skin care to get rid of the rashes, Amara thanked both Damocles and the nurse before taking Lila outside. The two made it to the front of the school with few being there to witness Lila’s ‘walk of shame’ so to speak. It was probably more than Lila deserved, but her mother was hardly cruel. Tough when she had to be, certainly.
There was now just the final leg of the trip. Amara started down the steps of the school and made it to the bottom before she realized her daughter wasn’t following her.
“Lila!” She hissed. “Get down here!”
“But…” Lila hesitated, looking up and behind her to where Bustier’s class would have a perfect view of her exit.
“Now, Lila. Or do you still want to be out here when classes are over?”
Lila forced herself to move down the steps—both as quickly as possible to try and lessen the amount of time anyone had to see her and as carefully as possible to avoid anything touching the ointment on her skin.
“When we get home, the first thing you’ll be doing is taking a shower to clean yourself properly this time. We will be going through your room as well and taking back your laptop, your phone, and anything I even think you may have bought with that stolen money.”
Lila grumbled but didn’t argue.
“Yes, mother.”
At this point, she just prayed no one had seen her.
__________________
They saw her.
“Is that Lila?”
“It is! And her mom!”
“What’s that on Lila’s arms?”
“Oh. Wow.”
Bustier had stepped out of the room for what she said would be a minute while leaving the class with some assignment to do until she returned. Naturally, given the drama of the day, no one was really able to focus on the schoolwork. So instead, they took to quietly chatting with one another. Or in Alya’s case, nudging Marinette repeatedly as the girl tried to wrap her head around the prospect of having a date with Adrien.
No, THREE dates. Wait—were they dates? Like…date-dates?
Fortunately for her own peace of mind, her imagination was put on hold by the exclamations of those near the windows. Helpless to the draw of wanting to know what all the fuss is about, Marinette and the others on her side of the class joined those at the windows to see just what it was about Lila that had grabbed their attention.
And she had to say: Yikes.
“That has to be the worst rash I’ve ever seen.”
“Looks like that dip in the Seine did not agree with her.”
Marinette winced in sympathy.
As Ladybug, she had a few instances of having to make use of the Seine or the sewers as an exit, so she knew full well how nasty the water could be. The suit and resulting Cure would normally rid her of any of the water or contaminants or so Tikki said, but that didn’t stop Marinette from taking a good long shower afterwards. Or three. Just to feel clean afterwards, despite Tikki’s reassurance.
What happened this time?
She looked down to her purse, but the little clasp remained resolutely closed. Even when she tried to pull at it.
Tikki...what did you do?
“I feel kind of bad.” Rose murmured, resting a hand on the window. “She only jumped into the Seine because of me. Because I had everyone hunting her.”
“I don’t.” Alix replied. “You were only after her because of what she did.”
Nino nodded in agreement. “Yeah. And if the info on the Ladyblog regarding Lila’s crimes are any indication, she may have been doing it to help Hawk Moth.”
“We can’t prove that, though.” Ivan noted.
Rose hugged herself.
Marinette hugged her as well. “Whether or not Lila deserved it, it happened because of Hawk Moth. Not you. So please don’t blame yourself, Rose.”
Adrien came up next to them and rested a hand on Rose’s shoulder. “If we try to question who is truly at fault, we’ll be dragging this out forever. All we can do at this point is try to figure out where to go from here.”
“Hey, that’s right!” Mylene realized. “Rose, what are you going to do about the charity?”
Rose looked down. “I don’t know. It’s kind of pointless now since we don’t have the money anymore.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t try again.” Nino reassured her.
Adrien nodded in agreement. “Plus Alya and I were talking earlier. If you still have the ledger of the funds, you could try to bring up charges against Lila to get the money returned. My father has some attorneys our company frequently uses for any legal issues. I could see about getting one of them involved to find out how to proceed on this.”
“Dude, seriously? Is your dad cool with this?” Nino asked, completely taken aback that the man would do such a thing.
“It’s only the beginning of what he could do to make up for his part in this.” Adrien muttered.
Nino blinked at his friend and his…strangely dark expression. Then he grinned and slapped Adrien on the back. “Good for you, man!”
“But what about Lila though?” Ivan asked.
“Murder?” Juleka asked.
Which of course, none of them took seriously.
Right? Right.
“If Lila’s mom’s attitude is any indication, I don’t think Lila will be getting away with the theft.” Kim said, looking out the window in the direction the two ladies left. “She looked maaaaaaad.”
“She is angry from what I have heard.” Max said from his seat. He didn’t look up from his tablet and was the only one aside from Nathaniel to not move from his desk. “Apparently Lila had been lying to her mother and the school about why she’s been absent for months. And then with the theft on top of that, plus all of the other things revealed thanks to Witch Hunter, I believe there is a 97.3% chance that Lila will be grounded for the foreseeable future.”
“Wait. How do you know that?” Kim asked.
“Markov told me.”
“Oh.”
A pause.
“And…how does HE know tha—”
Max simply disregarded him and turned to Rose. “You should probably discuss the matter with Lila’s mother. It sounds like she is taking the issue seriously and would like to meet with you and work this out appropriately.”
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” She said with a smile. Albeit a somewhat wary smile.
“So there may be a chance to get the money back then?” Ivan asked, hopefully.
“But wait—what about Prince Ali?” Alix realized.
This brought all eyes to Rose, who looked hurt at the reminder of her friend cutting off ties with her.
“Rose…” Marinette started.
She winced. “I…still have his email. I don’t know if he’ll talk to me, but…I can apologize. And I can try to make it right. I think…” She took a breath. “I think I understand now why he was so upset. He’s a Prince and must be used to a lot of people trying to use him.”
She hesitated, looking down.
“Lila was…probably that exact type of person. And she was able to use him through me—even if she didn’t know it.”
The others winced.
Yeah, it was probably a good thing they learned about Lila now before it got too serious. Who knows what would have happened if Lila had ever actually gotten to meet him? Or really any of the other celebrities they actually knew.
Rose bit her lip for a moment, then looked up. “I’ve been thinking…if I do get the money back…since the charity Lila had told us about doesn’t exist, we can’t donate the money as planned. I would like to give the funds to a charity with a similar purpose—I even found one that looks genuine and does a lot of good, but…” She frowned. “That’s still misleading to the people who originally donated.”
“So what will you do?”
“I have a log of everyone who donated since I had wanted everyone to get credit or some sort of ‘Thank You’ for helping. I can try to reach out to them and ask them what they want to do.” She brightened slightly. “Alya is also helping by putting a notice on the Ladyblog about what happened and what we’re doing so that anyone who did donate before can be alerted and know to contact me.“
Alya smiled. “It seems to be working so far. If anything, I’ve been more messages from people wanting to donate as well.
Mylene gasped in delight. “You may end up with even more funding for your charity, Rose.”
“Just as long as we make it clear it’s the real deal this time.” Alya agreed. “I posted the charity’s info on the website as well as some links to verification sites so people can check for themselves that it’s real. This way, we don’t run into the same problem we had with Lila or get accused of lying ourselves.”
Well, that was a relief. They had a plan and they were certainly taking this seriously.
“I’m glad for you, Rose.”
Rose smiled back. “Thank you. I know this doesn’t really fix everything, but it feels like the right thing to do.”
“Aww!”
The group hug that commenced was just what they all needed.
__________________
Tom and Sabine had quite the busy day. Especially with that girl who had come in earlier and snuck into Marinette’s room.
And the akuma. Though they were at least getting used to daily disruptions caused by those.
“I hope nothing came of it.” Sabine worried as she was finishing putting things away. “I’m sure she was doing something up in Marinette’s room.”
“I’m sure if anything happened, Marinette could handle it. And if she couldn’t, she would let us know.” Tom replied as he headed to the laundry room to put away their used aprons and towels.
There was silence for a bit.
Then…
“Honey?”
Sabine paused and turned towards her husband. “Yes, dear?”
“Did that girl ever come back with Marinette’s clothes?”
Confused, she started towards the laundry room where her husband was. “No, why?”
Tom turned to her, with some items in hand. “I think she left her things behind and the Miracle Ladybug Cure didn’t send them back.”
Sabine stared. “Oh my!” She reached forward. “These look practically brand new!”
“And expensive.” Tom added.
The two looked over the items before looking up at each other. With a nod, they seemed to come to the same conclusion.
“Early birthday gift for Mari!”
“We’ll take it to Roger.”
…not…so same conclusion, evidently.
Sabine gave Tom a flat look. Tom smiled embarrassedly and rubbed his head.
“Yes. We can take it to Rodger as part of the case.” He agreed, sheepishly.
Sabine sighed and shook her head.
“Though maybe we can discuss it with the school.” She mused. “Since that girl is a student there. And some of the things on the Ladyblog are a bit concerning…”
“Should we still press charges?” Tom asked, worried.
“Let’s wait and speak with Roger tomorrow. And see what Marinette has to add.” Sabine said, taking the items from Tom and placing them in a safety box where they wouldn’t be mistaken as common items.
…or early birthday gifts.
__________________
Taking the Dragon Miraculous back to Fu was easy enough.
Apologizing for beaning him with a pot was less so.
“It is all right, Marinette. Really.” Fu assured her as he took the box back from her and restored the choker to it’s rightful place. “With the Miraculous Cure, I no longer have the injury.”
Marinette winced from her seat at the table. “Still, I feel really bad about it.”
He shook his head. “You did what you had to. The akuma’s influence was widespread by that point and the situation was dire.”
Especially since her kwami and the Guardian himself had both been affected as well.
He wouldn’t say he…approved with her methods. Or the headache it had caused him. But it had allowed her to defeat the akuma and restore things in the end. And truly, that was what mattered.
“It took a lot of strength from you today, Marinette. I am proud of what you accomplished.” He told her as he returned the Miracle Box to its hiding place.
“I just wish I could have helped Rose more.” She murmured.
“You did everything you could, Marinette!” Tikki insisted.
“It is difficult, but sometimes there is only so much that can be done, even with the aid of the Miraculous.” Fu returned to his seat at the table. “But I sense that is not the only thing on your mind today. Am I wrong?”
Marinette gasped. “Oh, Master! There’s something we’ve discovered today. Something really important!”
Tikki gasped. “That’s right!”
The two nodded to each other and spoke at the same time.
“Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth!”
“Adrien invited you to see a movie!”
Marinette froze, turning red at the reminder.
Tikki, for her part, blinked at Marinette in confusion.
“Wait…you mean what Lila said earlier?”
“That’s right.” Marinette said, turning her attention to Fu and away from any distractions of stupidly cute blond boys. “Earlier today, Lila tried to claim that Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth.”
Fu frowned. “Marinette, are you sure about this? Lila Rossi was Hawk Moth’s accomplice. As well as an unrepentant liar. This may be a lie as well.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Lila tells lies if she thinks they’ll benefit her, but she’ll tell the truth if she thinks it could serve her more.”
Yeah, she knew that much from Lila’s attempt to sneak into her room and get dirt on her.
But more than that, Hawk Moth had betrayed Lila. After working with him all this time, someone she had…at least trusted she could use if not actually trusted had turned on her. And was even outright going to let the akuma kill her.
If Lila could be so spiteful for this long over Ladybug simply telling someone she had lied about knowing her, she couldn’t put it past the girl to not hold some grudge against Hawk Moth as well. And if she thought she knew who he was…
Well, if all else had failed her, there was no reason at that point not to try to reveal it.
“It would explain her connection to Gabriel Agreste as well.” Marinette reasoned. “He was a known recluse for a year before Adrien started school. He would keep Adrien from any events. Refused to let his friends come to visit him or for him to visit them. And wouldn’t even let Adrien have a birthday part.” She frowned, tapping her chin.
“So why would a man like that who is so protective of his son trust some random teenage girl with Adrien’s well being? Especially one he has never met who lied to his staff, forced her way into his home, manipulated his son into a photo op,” Not that she was bitter of course, “…and snuck into his personal office?”
Fu frowned, considering her words. “That is strange.”
“Exactly!” Marinette said, pushing closer to the table in earnest. “Even if she didn’t know he was Hawk Moth at the start, she still tried to get to him because of his control over Adrien. It was a connection she knew she could use, so it would benefit her. Which is Lila’s MO.” She said with a roll of her eyes.
She shook her head. “But this would explain why he would seemingly trust her. If he was Hawk Moth, that means he akumatized her before. Three times, even!”
Fu nodded. “The powers of the Butterfly would have let him know what she was like. If she was a willing assistant as Witch Hunter’s scroll proclaimed, he would have known.”
Tikki gasped. “It could also explain the mass akumatization when you had gotten expelled!”
Marinette gripped the table in growing anger. “They must have planned it! How else would he have known to have it ready?”
“Calm yourself, Marinette.” Fu reached out to place a hand over her own. “This is a good theory, but you don’t want to open yourself to an akuma. Especially not after everything that has already happened today.”
She wilted at that. “You’re right, Master. I’m sorry.”
“That is all right.” He assured her with a kind smile. “It is healthy to feel emotions, but you cannot let them overcome you.”
“But…” She hesitated. “Do you think I’m wrong?”
He paused for a moment, thinking it over as he took a sip of tea. “I had suspected once before that whomever had the Grimoire likely had both the missing Miraculous as well. After Gabriel Agreste had been akuamtized, I had wondered as you did whether it was simply coincidence.”
“Because the Butterfly user can’t akumatize himself, can he?” She asked.
He gestured to the tablet containing the translated Grimoire. “Normally, I would say not. But as you have learned, there are ways around any barrier. And as coincidences increase, at some point, we must ask how many coincidences are necessary before something is proven true.”
He smiled. “One such coincidence may be that he had the lost Grimoire. But another may be how convenient it was that he should be akumatized immediately when anyone may be suspecting him after its loss.”
She frowned, uncertain.
“Let us think on it for now, Marinette. And it will be best if we keep an eye on both Gabriel Agreste and Lila Rossi in the meantime.”
“Yes! Thank you, Master Fu!” She nodded before getting up and heading to the door.
“Goodbye, Master! Goodbye, Wayzz!” Tikki chimed before she flew into Marinette’s purse.
As Marinette walked down the street towards home with Tikki in tow, she continued to think over things. What she had learned. What Master Fu had told her. What she had experienced throughout the day.
“Oh!” She gasped as she realized something.
“What is it, Marinette?” Tikki asked from within the opening of the purse. They were mostly alone for the moment, so they could afford to speak if they did so quietly.
“Something I’d been meaning to ask you.” Marinette told her. “What happened with Lila today? The Cure normally fixes things to how they were before the akuma, so why was Lila covered in a full body rash?”
“The Cure sometimes acts in mysterious ways.” Tikki replied.
Marinette frowned. The answer was obviously vague. And Tikki’s refusal to meet her gaze indicated she knew more than she was letting on.
“Tikki…”
“Oh, look at the time! You should be getting home, Marinette!”
“TIKKI!”
__________________
Rose looked over her draft for what had to be the thirtieth time.
Excessive, maybe. But she wanted to make sure she was doing it right.
Ali,
I do not know if you will read this letter, or if it has even been permitted to reach you. At the very least, I am hoping for a chance to tell you from the bottom of my heart:
I am sorry.
While I had never meant to harm you, it doesn’t change the fact that you were harmed. And this harm could have been prevented had I been more cautious.
I could come up with any number of reasons as to why I chose to put my trust in the wrong person. The girl I had thought was promoting this charity was my friend. I wanted to believe the best in my friend. But that is no excuse.
If I truly had respect for you as a friend and as your station of Prince, I should have done my due diligence in ensuring the honesty of anyone I trusted. Especially before I tried to encourage you to trust them as well.
You were right. It was foolish of me.
From your perspective, it must have seemed as a sign that I did not take your friendship seriously. And I am deeply ashamed that I ever allowed that impression to anyone, but to you most of all.
If you choose not to forgive me, I understand. But I at least want you to know that I am going to make this right.
I am pursuing legal options against the girl in question. I do not know how much we will be able to see returned, but I fully intent to refund the donations to you and everyone else who had trusted me to do the right thing.
This may not fix anything. And you do not owe me anything from it. But I hope I can at least try to make up for my mistake and be the person you believed me capable of instead of the fool she turned me into.
Thank you for everything,
Rose
She took a breath.
Okay.
This was it then.
Any last words? Any final changes? Any regrets?
…no.
She shut her eyes and clicked ‘send’.
And finally exhaled. With the air, she breathed out all of her anxieties, fears, and doubts.
She had done what she could.
She was doing what she can.
That was…that was all anyone could expect of her.
All that she could expect of herself.
…
…
…
That didn’t make it not ache though.
But there was nothing for it now, she realized as she turned away from her computer to go to bed.
She wanted to fix things. Desperately so. But she couldn’t force Ali to accept her apology and forgive her anymore than she could force Lila to be honest.
Rose curled up under her covers and hugged her pillow close.
It was a small comfort. But one she was going to allow herself.
She hoped for the best. She always did.
But even if he didn’t…she would move forward and continue doing good. Just as he inspired her to.
She just…
A couple tears fell.
She had just wished he would be around to see it.
It would take another hour before she would fall asleep.
…
…
…
It would be another three hours before an email alert came up on her computer.
__________________
Ugh.
Lila fell onto her bed, huffing angrily.
This whole day sucked.
She was attacked by an akuma. Everyone turned on her. Hawk Moth was going to let her die. And even when everything was saved, everything was ruined.
Thanks, Rose. Thanks, Hawk Moth. Thanks, Ladybug.
And now she was stuck here in Paris and couldn’t even get away from any of it!
She groaned into her pillow. She couldn’t be too loud, though, as her mother was being annoyingly alert and “keeping an eye on her” now. The last thing she needed was to give her reason to suspect something was up and cause her to come barging into her room.
There was no escape this time. Not now that everyone knew.
She’d still have to deal with her class. Even worse, she’d have to see Adrien and Marinette making eyes at each other.
She’d still have to deal with the school. And now that they knew what she did, she wouldn’t be getting away with anything again.
She’d still have to deal with Hawk Moth, and his akumas would still be a risk for her, as well. She wouldn’t put it past him to try to take her out. What little power and control she had was gone now.
And worst of all…
…Ladybug.
That measly little bug and her damn threat against her. To follow her. To keep an eye on her. To be her…special friend.
Like she would really do that.
Lila turned over in her sheets, settling into her bed and getting comfortable.
Or trying, at least.
Something felt off. She just didn’t know what.
She glanced around her room. It was much more barren now since her mother had cleared out a lot of her belongings. Her laptop and cellphone were gone, as was the limited light they provided in the dark.
She huffed and turned over to face away from the door.
Half asleep, she glanced out the window.
Two glowing blue orbs were staring back.
She screamed.
__________________
A creak of a window opening and closing.
A giggle.
“Huh? Tikki? Zzat you?”
“I’m fine, Marinette. I was just checking on something.”
A yawn.
“What was it?”
Another giggle.
“Nothing important.”
Two blue eyes sent a glare out into the city.
“Nothing at all...”
#BURN THE WITCH!#witch hunter#ml fic#marinette dupain cheng#tikki#adrien agreste#rose lavillant#lila sucks
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The Brain of Mensis
OKAY, SO HEAR ME OUT! THE BRAIN OF MENSIS ISN’T A REAL GREAT ONE!
I swear there’s an explanation for this! The Great Ones of Bloodborne was so much fun to write and being able to do that much research about Bloodborne was fantastic. BUT NOW WE’RE BACK IN MY ELEMENT BABY, TIME TO GET BACK TO THE CRACKPOT THEORIES!!
So, while I was working on my last post, I had a veery simple concept; compare the Great Ones to their Lovecraftian equivalents. Things were pretty simple for all of them, except for the Brain of Mensis. You find the Brain of Mensis in the Nightmare of Mensis (go fucking figure), as a completely optional NPC. That’s right, if you don’t go through a specific set of actions, you could completely miss this thing, and the plot of Bloodborne wouldn’t change AT ALL. Kind of odd for a Great One with the nickname of Mother Brain, don’t you think?
Okay, so time for some vague background regarding the Nightmare of Mensis, as there really isn’t much set in stone about it. The Scholars of Byergenwurth would study the Great Ones and the Old Blood for years, or at least what little information they had about the Great Ones (at the time, the only public knowledge of Great Ones was the Amygdala). At some point, a scholar by the name of Micolash and his cult of fellow students went out on a journey to commune with the Great Ones, namely the infant Great One, Mergo. They strapped these giant Mensis Cages to their heads as an “antenna”, giving them a better means of communication. For an outsider looking in, I’m sure this all just sounds like these Scholars of Mensis needed a trip to a psych ward, but there might’ve been a method to the madness because Mergo actually seemed to listen to their wishes. Mergo proceeded to plunge them all into the Nightmare of Mensis, a massive castle made in the image that Micolash most desired.
Okay, so returning to the Brain of Mensis. The Scholars found this thing in the Nightmare of Mensis once it was created, and dubbed it a “real Great One”, letting it serve as the watchdog of the Nightmare. It’s actually this Brain that will proc frenzy on you in the starting areas leading into the castle.
When I originally saw the Brain of Mensis, I will admit, I jumped the gun a bit. I had thought “alright, there’s NO WAY this optional mess of a creature was a Great One”, but the only problem was proving it. So, I dove into researching all of the tell-tell signs that differentiate a Great One from a Kin-type. For a small refresher, Kin are humans that were blessed by the Great Ones with a taste of their otherworldly powers. Anyways, the biggest sign that lets you know the difference is the blood color. Great Ones bleed red (like human blood but with some changes in color and particle effects), whereas Kin-types bleed a milky white substance. After spending almost 2 hours comparing videos and previous playthrough footage, I was confident in my findings (yes, I spent 2 hours watching and re-watching blood splatters in a fictional game about fighting eldritch horrors. Don’t judge me.):
See? Nice and normal red blood, meanwhile:
Kind of a murky white for Kin.
With this difference in mind, I rushed on over to the Brain of Mensis to whack it a few times. It would bleed white, it’d be proven to be a Kin-type, case closed!
Wait… okay, so it’s blood is red. Well, there goes that idea. OKAY, BUT I PROMISE YOU THAT THE BRAIN OF MENSIS IS AN IMPOSTER! It all comes down to the most important detail that From Software made sure we were aware of; The Brain of Mensis is rotting.
In the lore bites we are fed about the Scholars of Mensis, it is explicitly mentioned that when they tried to dissect that Brain of Mensis for its eyes, they found that the eyes were decayed and evil, even tho the Brain of Mensis is still very much alive. This is a detail that isn’t ever mentioned for ANY OTHER GREAT ONE, mostly because no other Great One has been dissected before, but that isn’t the point! The point is, why was this detail so important that From Software decided to include it, rather than other questions that needed to be answered? Well, other than Miyazaki loving to torture his fans just a bit further, that’s because this clue tells us that the Brain of Mensis is unable to sustain it’s own existence. Because it’s not a naturally created Great One.
This all makes sense, I promise you. Remember when I mentioned that the Nightmare of Mensis was made as Micolash desired? I can confirm that he controls how his Nightmare looked because of how Gehrman had his Hunter’s Dream crafted. When he prayed to the Moon Presence, he wanted some very simple things: he wanted his workshop so he could continue training his new Hunters, and he wanted his Doll to come to life. The Moon Presence accepted these terms (granted, with a surprise clause that made Gehrman regret his prayers) and created a Hunter’s Dream exactly as was desired, with stipulations to make sure that the Moon Presence got what it wanted as well. The same applied for the communication between Micolash and Mergo, Micolash wanted a castle where he could teach his students, as well as direct contact with Mergo. Mergo, as you might already know, is an invisible Great One, so he can’t exactly SHOW himself to Micolash. So he came up with a compromise; he would make an artificial Great One that would reflect everything that humans already thought Great Ones would represent; multiple eyes, massive brain, six fingered claws, and the capability to drive you insane if you look at them for too long.
This is a veeery specific description of what a Great One would look like, and for good reason. I had mentioned in my previous post that the only Great One that most people has seen were the Amygdala, the giant spider-like creatures that are seemingly everywhere around Yharnam. Ironically, this description fits the Amygdala to almost a T, and only seeing these for so long would vastly affect how Yharnamites and Scholars alike would think that a Great One would look.
Another piece of evidence pointing to this would be the mere existence of the Moon Presence. This Great One is extremely different compared to his fellow overseers of the world. Five fingers, just a few sets of eyes, body covered in slimy, rope-like features, a bulky frame built for fighting with a smaller head. If anyone outside of Gehrman saw this thing, they would probably never believe it was a Great One. Why is this? Because all they’ve ever seen their entire lives were Amygdala, so they believe that all Great Ones will share these features.
Micolash was a victim of this perception as well. Mergo saw this, and so when they created the Nightmare of Mensis, they made the Brain of Mensis to stand-in as their visual body. A body that would look like it could be a Great One but looked slightly different compared to an Amygdala so that Micolash and his Scholars would be further convinced that this was, in fact, Mergo.
Well, that’s the post for now! I hope you all enjoyed that very all-over-the-place writing. I do want to close on a point that might be brought up, which is the fact that Micolash mentions Kos (or some say, Kosm) during your fight with him, implying that he has, indeed,, seen another Great One. Well, based on the Old Hunters DLC, it’s shown that Kos only dragged the Hunters that directly participated in her death, and the mutilation of the Fishing Hamlet residents, into the Hunter’s Nightmare. So, while the stories of Kos were able to reach Micolash, any actual evidence of what she looked like more than likely didn’t. His only concrete evidence of Kos’ existence is through Rom the spider, who was a normal person until she received the blessing of Kos, turning into (you fucking guessed it) a large-headed, multi-eyed being. All this did was further reinforce his perception of how Great Ones appeared. Anyways, thanks everyone for reading, and hope to catch your attention again next time!
#bloodborne#great ones#brain of mensis#micolash#gehrman#old hunters#kos#kosm#rom#school of mensis#nightmare of mensis#hunters nightmare
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Request: TOS Spock and Bones being an adorable married couple while aboard the Enterprise!
"All I'm saying is, you could've warned me," Bones was complaining, before the fabric of his uniform pants had even touched the plastic of the bench across the table from his Captain.
Jim, his focus directed at the PADD containing the paperwork that Yeoman Rand would be coming to fetch in less than five minutes, hummed a neutral acknowledgement and trusted his Chief Medical Officer to continue his diatribe with only that minimum of prompting.
"A chance to prepare--" Bones's fork flicked through the air-- "A chance to brace myself. Pretty sure that after everything you've put me through over the years, Jimmy, I deserved one."
"Almost certainly," Jim agreed, dashing off another signature with the rubber tip of his stylus.
"Good of you to admit it. Spock didn't!"
"What didn't I do, Doctor?" Spock asked, and-- unlike when Bones had sat down-- Jim looked up to shoot his Number One a crooked grin of welcome. (It wasn't about Spock, specifically-- it was about that, that warm feeling of vicarious happiness he got at seeing his two best friends oh-so-casually brush their fingers against each other in a gentle "Good morning" kiss.)
Bones rolled his eyes; Spock raised an eyebrow.
"You wouldn't admit I deserved a bit of warning before you dumped an entire crop of fresh-faced, bushy-tailed morons in my lap." Bones stabbed at his eggs vindictively, his expression sour. "Do you know how much work--"
Oh, that's what this was about? The new nurses and interns who'd joined the crew at their last pit stop?
"They're not morons," Jim told him, amused, as hebturned back to scrolling through his PADD. "And you did have warning, Bones; you had to sign off on all of them."
"I was told that I was offering my opinion on their placement on other ships!" Bones threw his hands wide, his left hand smacking into Spock's chest unapologetically. "Not mine!"
Spock gently removed Bones's hand from his personal space, and Jim sighed. "At the time, you were," he said dryly. "But several of your nurses have resigned their commissions recently, and this mission has been turning out a lot differently than we anticipated at the start; you could always use some additional hands in surgery--"
"Like I would trust these fools with a scalpel--!"
"They aren't even fresh out of the Academy, Bones," Jim reminded him. "Every one of them has at least a year of prior experience in a hospital and performed admirably--" he looked up, eyebrows raised. "At least, according to your own assessment."
"Have they yet shown themselves to be unsatisfactory?" Spock asked, calmly cutting to the center of Bones's ranting, and Bones scowled as he buttered his toast.
"They're fine," he said, shortly. "But not a one of them is prepared for the differences between traditional hospital practices and those of a starship, Jim. On another ship--" he waved a hand. "They'd have time to ease into things. But here? On the Enterprise? They need their hands held, Jim, and Chris, Geoff, and I only have so many hands to go around."
Spock looked to be considering this point deeply, so Jim left him to it for the moment, glancing guiltily at the chronometer on the far wall of the mess and resuming the race to finish his paperwork. It's not that Bones was wrong, in Jim's opinion; it was just that they didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. The CMO and the indomitable Nurse Chapel would simply have to ride herd on the new kids until they either shaped up or washed out-- no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
"You believe they are likely to freeze the first time they're placed under pressure," Spock surmised.
Bones-- when Jim glanced up into the silence of hesitation-- pulled a face and shook his head. "All hospitals are, by definition, life or death situations; they've already proven they can handle 'pressure'," he said. "But basic xenobiology credits don't do justice to the realities of practicing your craft on biological systems you barely understand-- present company included-- with diseases no one's ever seen before and half the equipment you would have wanted. It's their imaginations I'm worried about, Mr. Spock."
"Then perhaps it is their imagination you should focus on training, Doctor."
"There are a couple security officers trying to put an improv comedy club together," Jim suggested, hiding his grin by ducking his head further towards the PADD as he dashed off another signature, and a bit of toasted crust bounced off of his temple after Bones threw it at him. "That was assault of a commanding officer, I'll have you know."
"Shove it, Jim. The grown ups are actually brainstorming solutions over here."
"Of course," Jim agreed, smoothly, and pretended that "brainstorming" was the only reason Bones had laid his hand over Spock's when Spock placed it palm up on the table.
"Sims, maybe?" Bones murmured. "I could write something up, if you'd be willing to code it. No right answers, only better ones; see what they come up with."
"It would be my pleasure, Doctor."
A beat, a shit-eating grin in his periphery, and Spock repeated, sharply-- "Doctor."
"My virgin ears and I are glad Bones kept that one telepathic," Jim said, hiding his own shit eating grin behind his cup of coffee as he took a sip, and Bones laughed.
"Not in front of the Captain, Mr. Spock, or whatever will appear on your next performance review?"
Spock sighed. "You have a singularly frustrating personality, Doctor."
"You're one to talk. You know, Jim, he uses cinnamon toothpaste?"
"Perish the thought." Jim signed another dotted line, his feeling of foreboding growing as he scrolled further and further down towards the next. Janice was going to be here in--
"Your yeoman has just walked into the mess, Captain," Spock told him.
"And she's a woman on a mission," Bones added, eith a thread of laughter lacing through his tone. "A tactical retreat may be in order, Jim boy."
Captain James Tiberius Kirk did not turn to look over his shoulder, because that would be a sign of weakness. "Buy me five minutes," he said, his tone just shy of an order. "I'll speed read."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Bones demanded, but Spock-- bless those pointed ears of his-- was already rising to his feet.
"Accompany me, Doctor," he requested.
And, with a sigh, Bones took a few quick bites of his toast and then rose to his feet, wiping his fingers on a napkin as he trailed behind Spock. Jim paused his reading only long enough to watch them intercept Janice--
What they said couldn't be heard from across the room, but Bones's right hand found the small of Spock's back, his wedding ring glinting under the light as he waved the other about enthusiastically, and his exuberance combined with Spock's quiet intensity commanded Janice's attention quite completely. By the time she'd wormed her way free, Jim was outting the last flourishing signature on the paperwork, and he handed the PADD over to her with his most charming smile.
"Thank you, Yeoman."
"No, Captain," she said, with a smile that was far too shark-like for the sweetness of her tone. "Thank you." And then-- laughing-- she was gone.
Bones looked smug, and Spock's eyes glittered with Vulcan amusement, and suddenly, Jim was feeling much less charitable towards the man's ears.
"Gentlemen," he said suspiciously. "May I ask what price I've just paid for those five minutes?"
"You know, Yeoman Rand has a lot of friends on the ship, in all kinds of departments," Bones said, as he tucked into his remaining eggs. "Including Security."
"She's a popular woman," Jim agreed, slowly.
"Ensigns Martinez and Harper will be most grateful to hear of your interest in joining their improvisational comedy group, Captain."
Jim stared at Spock. "No."
Bones smiled. "Oh, yes."
"No!"
"His idea," Bones said, jerking his thumb at Spock.
"I was under the impression you had been looking for a method of engendering further goodwill between yourself and the crew," he said, with a perfect Vulcan poker face.
"Wouldn't do to back out on a promise now, Captain," Bones told him cheerfully. "Say, they still encourage audience participation st these things, don't they?"
"A staple of the genre, Doctor."
"My," Bones said, smiling into the horror dawning across Jim's face. "I guess I'll just have to make sure I never miss a show."
Spock hummed as he returned to his own breakfast. "I believe I shall have to miss every show, for fear that you would volunteer me for a sketch."
"Well." Bones wiped his mouth on a napkin, blue eyes twinkling. "Even so, Mr. Spock. I'll see you at lunch."
Spock bid him a pleasant morning shift, and-- with a brush of their fingertips-- Bones was gone.
"You didn't really promise Janice that I'd be doing improv comedy, did you?" Jim asked, weakly. "I'll forgive you for the implication if you simply admit--"
"No, Captain, I did not." But the way he said it...
Jim closed his eyes. "Spock. Did Dr. McCoy promise it?"
"Yes, Captain, he did."
"I know you love him, Spock, but I'd like your permission to ship him back to Earth--"
"Negative."
"He'll be happy there," Jim promised. "I'll set him up on a nice farmstead in Georgia--"
"I don't believe that the life of a farmer would especially agree with me."
"I'm not planning on sending you."
Spock raised an eyebrow, and Jim sighed, relenting. "I suppose you would follow him, wouldn't you?"
"Of course, Captain."
"Of course," Jim agreed, with a ghost of a smile breaking through his glum mood. It was nice, seeing his two best friends in love--
Even when they ganged up on him.
#a tramp stamp original#jim kirk#leonard mccoy#spock#spones#I wrote this#❤️❤️❤️ thanks for the prompt!!!
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