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purrincess-chat · 3 years

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Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH9

This is the first new chapter! Every last bit of it has never been read before (except by me and my betas)! What nefarious schemes will Adrien and Chloe try? Find out below!

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Chapter 9: Emperor’s New Clothes

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Adrien asked as Chloe adjusted her wig. He peeked over the railing to the courtyard below with a frown. All of their classmates were gathered, enjoying their break—completely unsuspecting of what was about to commence.

“Of course it’ll work. These people are idiots who will believe anything.” Chloe snapped her compact shut and tossed it into her purse. “If they had any sort of intelligence, they would have seen right through Lila by now.”

“Yeah, but what if they-” Chloe pressed a finger to his lips.

“Just leave this to me, Adrikins. Being mean isn’t exactly your area of expertise.” She patted his cheek. “Little Miss Lie-la is about to be exposed. Now get into position!”

Adrien swallowed hard before climbing down the stairs to stand by the science lab door. Even though he agreed to help Chloe get back at Lila, he wasn’t entirely ready to deal with the guilt that came with it. Lila was a menace, and her lies needed to stop—that much Adrien could agree with, but he’d be lying if he said it didn’t make his skin crawl.

To justify going through with it, he reminded himself why he’d agreed to help in the first place. Marinette didn’t deserve to be pushed away from her friends, and freeing them from Lila’s grasp would help her move on. This was for Marinette, and on those terms only, he could accept it.

“Hello, everyone! It’s me, your favorite superheroine, Ladybug!” Chloe called into the courtyard as she descended the stairs, and every head turned to face her.

“Is that Ladybug?”

“It is Ladybug!”

“Is there an akuma?”

Adrien hung back with a wince as a crowd gathered around her. This was for Marinette. Lila needed to be stopped. He agreed to this.

“Yo, Ladybug, what are you doing here?” Nino asked.

Chloe placed a hand on her hip. “Oh, I was just in the neighborhood being a super amazing superheroine and protecting Paris from akumas, and I thought I’d stop in and visit my bff. So where exactly is Lila Rossi?” Chloe pressed a hand over her eyes and scanned the courtyard.

“She’s over here!” Alya waved. Despite Lila’s best efforts to shrink behind Alya, her new bestie wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to talk to Ladybug.

“Ah, there you are, my bff. It’s been so long since we’ve last seen each other. You remember? That time I saved your life, and we became instant bffs?” Chloe crossed her fingers. “You haven’t returned my calls, so I was starting to get worried.”

“Lila’s been out of the country until recently, and she’s been super busy catching up on school ever since she got back,” Alya explained. She patted Lila’s shoulder with a beam, and Lila offered a sheepish grin in return.

“Uh, yeah…” Lila’s face blanched.

They had her cornered. This was actually working! Maybe Adrien wouldn’t have to get involved after all.

“Oh, right, you went to Achu to visit Prince Ali. Funny though, I talked to Prince Ali yesterday—his assistant wanted to make sure that Paris was safe for his upcoming visit, so naturally they called me—I asked him how your visit went, and he didn’t remember inviting you to come to his palace.” Chloe cupped her cheek in one hand. “How weird is that?”

“Wait, what?” Everyone turned to look at Lila who stiffened, and a smirk curled on Chloe’s lips.

“But you were gone for over a month, Lila. I thought you said Prince Ali invited you to come stay with him,” Rose said. She hugged her scrapbook full of Prince Ali magazine clippings to her chest.

“He did!”

“But Ladybug just said he didn’t.” Alix crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well, she must be mistaken,” Lila said. “I’m your friend. Why would I lie to you?”

“Ladybug is a superhero. She’d never lie to us either.”

“What’s the truth then?”

“Yeah, Lila, tell us the truth.” Chloe egged. “Or perhaps you’d prefer to hear it from someone else? I’ve got a pretty killer witness. Adrikins, be a dear and come over here.”

Adrien hesitated, heart hammering in his chest. He couldn’t go through with this. Even though Lila deserved it, he couldn’t bring himself to call her out like this in front of everyone. There had to be another way.

“Wait a second, Adrikins?” Alya’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think we have to wonder who’s telling the truth, do we, Chloe?”

“What? I’m not Chloe! She has way better hair than I, Ladybug, do. Plus she’s way funnier, prettier, smarter, and hey!” She spun around as Kim ripped off her wig.

“Ugh, we should have known,” Alya said. “You’re just upset because Lila beat you for class rep. Honestly, Chloe, grow up!”

“Yeah, Chloe, this is super lame.”

“Why do you always gotta pick on people?”

“You just can’t stand that someone’s getting more attention than you.”

Chloe shot Adrien a cutting glare as if to say, “Get out here and do your part,” but Adrien shot her an apologetic wince before ducking into the science lab.

“What are you doing? You can still stop that girl,” Plagg said when Adrien pulled his shirt aside.

“I panicked. I don’t want it to go down like this,” Adrien said. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “I just can’t do it.”

“So you’re just going to let her keep using everyone?” Plagg asked.

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “Transform me!”

“Nice try, Chloe, but Lila won fair and square,” Nino said when Chat Noir landed in the courtyard.

Chloe blew a piece of hair from her face grumpily. “You all are so stupid if you actually believe anything she says. Even Dupain-Cheng realized she was a liar. I don’t want to be your class representative anyway. You’re all so lame.”

“The only liar here is you, Ladybug,” Alix said, and Kim waved her black wig over her head tauntingly.

“Lila is a liar! Ask Adrien. He can tell you!” Chloe’s cheeks flushed an angry red.

“Dude, leave Adrien alone.” Nino groaned, shaking his head. “Just admit you’re jealous, so we can all go home.”

“I’m really sorry if I’ve upset you, Chloe. If you want, I can talk to Mlle. Bustier about letting you be the class rep instead if it means so much to you. I don’t want us to fight,” Lila said humbly.

“Liar!” Chloe stomped her foot.

“I’m not lying! I promise,” Lila said. She held up her right hand for emphasis.

“Oh really?” Every head turned around as Chat Noir laid his staff across his shoulders.

“Yo, it’s Chat Noir! Like for real this time!”

“What are you doing here, Chat Noir?” Alya pulled out her phone to record.

“I heard that m’lady was making a house call, so I thought I’d come by and make sure everything was in order.” He cast a smirk in Chloe’s direction. “But it looks like someone just wanted to play dress-up.”

Goading Chloe probably wasn’t his smartest move, seeing as she was absolutely going to kill Adrien for chickening out, but he needed everyone on his side. Taking cheap shots at Chloe was always an instant crowd-pleaser.

“So, since you’re so honest, is there anything you’d like to share with the class?” he asked Lila. “Now would be a good time to get anything that your friends don’t know about you off your chest.”

She didn’t seem deterred by his presence at all, eyes glinting with amusement. Chat Noir bristled, grip tightening on his staff. Lila held no remorse for any of her actions, and she’d cling to her lies until the very end. Chat Noir bit his tongue hard as she turned to everyone else and plastered on a pout.

“There is something I want to tell all of you…” She clasped her hands over her heart. “I’ve been hesitant because I know you all have mixed feelings, but I think Marinette is behind all of this.”

“What?” Chat Noir and Chloe said in unison.

“Why do you say that, Lila?” Alya asked.

“Well, the other day on my way home I saw Chloe going to Marinette’s house, and now she’s here calling me a liar just like Marinette used to do,” Lila said, letting her face fall into her hands. “I just don’t know what I did to deserve to be treated this way.”

Everyone crowded closer to her offering their sympathy as alligator tears rolled down her cheeks, and a host of cutting glares aimed at Chloe. They should have planned for something like this. Lila always bent the truth to suit herself.

Rage boiled in Chat’s core, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to tackle Lila to the ground. How could anyone be so despicable?

“Hang on,” he said firmly, forcing his shoulders to relax. “I’ve met Marinette a few times, and she doesn’t seem like that type of girl.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure that’s true either, Lila,” Alix spoke up. “I mean, Chloe and Marinette hate each other. Chloe would rather die than set foot in her house.”

Alya pursed her lips and turned to Chloe. “Is it true? Did you go to Marinette’s house?”

Chloe averted her gaze, crossing her arms over her chest. “I did go to see Dupain-Cheng at her tiny, disgusting hovel, but…she refused to help me—stupid little goody-two-shoes,” Chloe said. She met Alya’s gaze head-on and squared her jaw. “But with friends like you, I’m starting to see why she left. She was nothing but nice to you losers, and yet you’d so easily believe that she’d help me get back at someone. You’re all so pathetic.”

“The only pathetic one here is you, Chloe. Lila’s never done anything. None of us have! We’re sick and tired of putting up with your crud,” Nathaniel said, and several classmates echoed their agreement.

“Whatever. I don’t want to be your class representative anyway if you’re all too stupid to tell the difference between a diamond and a lump of coal.” Chloe flipped her hair over her shoulder, hips swaying as she stalked to the locker room.

Chat Noir almost chased after her, but his staff beeped with a message from Ladybug. There was an akuma across town. Chloe was going to have to wait.

♪♫♪ Broken Pieces Shine ♪♫♪

Marinette chewed her pencil, tilting her head to examine her designs from different angles. Clara’s deadline was still several weeks away, but she already had tons of ideas. Would Clara like a tasteful pantsuit or a flowing gown? Which one said ‘award-winner?’ Maybe if she added a sash or changed up the neckline…

The lunchroom bustled several simultaneous conversations, condensed into a uniform hum in Marinette’s ears while she worked. She was vaguely aware of her friends at the table with her, but when Macy leaned in to get a closer look at what she was working on, she still jumped.

“Ooo, are those for you-know-who?” she asked.

“Shh!” Marinette covered her sketchbook and glanced around to ensure no one had overheard. “Yes, but they’re not final. I’m just playing around with some ideas.”

“I like them,” Macy said. “Look at this one, Eliott. Eliott?”

He was unusually quiet that day, but Marinette had been too enthralled in her own work to notice. His nose was buried in a booklet, seemingly as engrossed in it as Marinette had been with her designs. He only looked up when Macy stuck her hand in front of his face.

“What?” He blinked.

“Marinette is designing top-secret things, and she needs opinions,” Macy said.

“Can’t you ask Martin?” he asked.

Macy gave him an incredulous look. “Martin left 10 minutes ago to go work with his group on their science project. Weren’t you listening?” She scolded. Though in Eliott’s defense, Marinette hadn’t noticed either.

“Oh, sorry. Guess I was distracted.” He closed the cover but marked the page with his finger. “So what do you need?”

Macy shook her head, taking a bite of her cake. “You two are such space cadets today.”

“What are you studying, Eliott?” Marinette asked. She tilted her head to get a better look at the cover.

“I’m in a community play, and we have rehearsal tonight,” he said nonchalantly.

“Wow, that’s so awesome! What part did you get?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special…” Eliott sat back with a smirk and shrugged.

“He’s being modest. He’s playing one of the leads, and he’s super excited about it. He memorized his lines in like 3 days, but he always reads over the script again before rehearsals.” Macy finished her cake and stood up. “I’m gonna get another drink. Help Marinette with her designs!”

“Fine, but can you get me a slice of that cake, please?” Eliott requested. He pressed his palms together with a smile. Macy rolled her eyes but headed for the dessert stand anyway.

“So, you got a lead role. What play are you guys doing?” Marinette asked, and Eliott tossed her the script.

Miraculous! The Battle of Heroes’ Day

“Oh, so it’s about Ladybug and Chat Noir,” Marinette said with as much casualty as she could muster. “Wait, if you’re playing a lead role then that means…”

“You guessed it, m’lady.” He winked.

Marinette bit back a laugh. The director definitely cast the right person. Put Eliott in a blond wig, and even she’d believe he was Chat Noir.

“That’s so awesome! When is it opening? I’d love to come watch.” She passed back the script, and he found his page again.

“Not for a couple more weeks, but if you want, I can see about getting you into one of our dress rehearsals soon,” he offered.

“Really? Yeah, I’d love to.”

Macy returned with Eliott’s slice of cake, but not before Gabrielle locked on target. “Did you save any cake for the rest of us? No wonder your uniform looks so tight these days.”

When Macy froze, Marinette turned to Gabrielle with a glare. “She got it for Eliott because some people don’t spend all of their time thinking about themselves.”

“I think about other people all the time,” Gabrielle said with a wicked grin. “I’ve actually been feeling sorry for Macy after Simon rejected her three weeks ago. If only she were prettier, then maybe Eliott would be more than just a friend.”

“Eliott and I aren’t like that.” Macy shot back.

“Clearly,” Gabrielle said with a grunt. “Tell me, Eliott. Have you ever thought about dating Macy?”

“Well, no, but-”

Gabrielle threw her head back with a laugh, and Macy’s cheeks flushed a deep red. She stormed from the cafeteria, tears bubbling in her eyes. Gabrielle watched her go with a triumphant smirk that made Marinette’s blood boil.

“You should go after her,” Marinette said to Eliott.

“Trust me, she doesn’t want to see me after that.” He shrugged and returned to his script.

“How can you say that? She’s your best friend, and best friends should always be there for each other no matter what!” Marinette slammed her palm on the table, but when Eliott refused to look at her, her jaw clenched. “You’re wrong. I think you’re the exact person Macy wants to see right now.” She didn’t wait for his reply before gathering her sketchbook and chasing after Macy.

The halls were empty and quiet, the chorus of chatter from the cafeteria fading as Marinette raced down the stairs. Macy was nowhere in sight, and Marinette didn’t know where to begin looking for her. After a week, Marinette was still learning her way around—not to mention still learning her new friends.

If it were Alya, Marinette knew exactly where to look, which treat from the bakery would always cheer her up, and as a last resort, where she was ticklish. She didn’t have those ins with Macy yet.

Eliott would know.

Eliott… How could he sit by while his friend was upset? Didn’t he care about her at all? If they really were best friends, then why didn’t he stand up for her and believe her when she said she was hurt? It was so obvious that Gabrielle just wanted attention. How could he let her come between them? Why did he let her walk away? Shouldn’t he chase after his best friend and make sure she was okay? Isn’t that what friends were supposed to do?

Marinette leaned against a row of lockers, shoulders heaving and tears stinging her eyes. Wasn’t she a good friend? Didn’t she always take care of everyone? So why would they turn their backs on her? How could they leave her all alone?

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” Tikki poked her head out of Marinette’s blazer.

Marinette sat on the floor with a sigh, resting her head against the lockers. “It just gets so hard,” she whispered. “Always being there for everyone. Being the one to fix everything for everyone. Sometimes I just wonder… who will be there to fix me when I need it?”

“You’ve got me,” Tikki said. She floated up to nuzzle Marinette’s cheek. “And your parents, Master Fu, Adrien.”

Marinette smiled at that, petting Tikki’s bulbous head with one finger. “Thanks, Tikki. I needed a friend.”

Screams echoed up the hall, and Marinette jumped to her feet. Shaking off the last of her doubts, she slapped her cheeks and took a deep breath. She wasn’t alone, and she would make sure her friends never were either.

“That sounded like it came from the cafeteria. I think it’s safe to say we know where Macy is,” Marinette said. “Transform me!”

Terrified teens with crooked teeth and unibrows rushed past as Ladybug entered the cafeteria. All around the room, her classmates cowered from the akuma zeroing in on Gabrielle in the center. Macy had become the perfect porcelain doll carrying a mirror in her hands—no doubt where the akuma was hiding.

Ladybug hooked her yoyo around Gabrielle’s shoulders and tugged her to safety, even if she deserved whatever punishment Macy was about to give her. “Get somewhere safe,” she ordered.

“Duh,” Gabrielle said. Ever the gracious one.

“You’re welcome.” Ladybug rolled her eyes as Gabrielle raced off.

With Gabrielle out of the way, the akuma settled for Thomas. She held her mirror in front of him, and his handsome face broke out in angry red zits. The misshapen students fleeing the cafeteria all made sense. Gabrielle told Macy she wasn’t attractive, so now she was making everyone else look the part instead.

“You shouldn’t have let her get away, Ladybug. I think everyone here would like to know what she’s ashamed of,” the akuma said.

While that much might have been true, Ladybug wasn’t in the business of agreeing with one of Hawkmoth’s villains. “Revenge is never the answer, Macy. You’re better than this. Let me help you.”

“I’m not Macy anymore. My name is Mirror-Mirror!” she shouted. Her glassy eyes bore all of her pain, the real Macy screaming inside. “If you want to help me, then give me your Miraculous!”

Ladybug dodged her strike, flipping backward onto a table. Mirror-Mirror wasted no time charging in again and again, the destructive force of her anguish taking its toll on the cafeteria. It was impossible to get a hit in edgewise without seeing herself in the mirror, and Chat Noir hadn’t turned up yet.

“Kitty, I’m battling an akuma, and I really need your help! Where are you?” Ladybug spoke into her yoyo phone. Looks like she’d have to navigate this one on her own. “Lucky Charm!”

A slingshot seemed straight forward enough, but what could she use as ammo? Nothing stood out, and in her moment of distraction, she barely dodged a flying table. Her lucky charm skittered across the floor as she stumbled into her landing, and Mirror-Mirror closed in.

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall, what darkest fears hide in us all?”

“No!” Ladybug tried to shield her face, but it was too late. Her eyes locked with her reflection, and she sank to her knees, all of the fight leaving her body.

What was happening? Everyone else got pimples or big feet, so why couldn’t she move? If Macy’s mirror made everyone unattractive, then why? Why did she feel so…helpless?

What darkest fears hide in us all?

Of course! Her mirror didn’t just make people unattractive. It turned them into the thing they’re most ashamed of—the parts of themselves they hid from the world. And what was Ladybug ashamed of? Failing? Perhaps. Having her identity exposed? Probably.

But as Mirror-Mirror reached for her earrings, their eyes locked, and she saw what she truly feared. The mirror didn’t take her powers. It took her will to fight. More than anything she wanted to save Macy. To save Alya. Her friends. Everyone. But her legs refused to move.

Ladybug’s greatest fear wasn’t losing. It was being powerless to help the people she loved most.

“I can’t do it,” she whispered, head falling.

Mirror-Mirror’s fingers closed around her earrings, but before she could remove them, Chat Noir’s staff struck her side, sending her flying into the wall.

“Ladybug!” He rushed to her side. “Sorry it took so long, m’lady. Are you alright?”

“No.” She shook her head.

Chat Noir cast a nervous glance at Mirror-Mirror as she stood up. “Come on. We’ve gotta move.”

“I can’t,” Ladybug repeated.

“Are you hurt?” Chat Noir bent one of her knees. “M’lady? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t save her, Chat Noir.”

He searched her expression before scooping her up and leaping out of the way of another attack. He set her down gently and brandished his staff. Would he leave her one day too? What if she couldn’t protect him either?

No. That was ridiculous. Chat Noir would always have her back.

You thought Alya would have your back too. Look how that turned out.

That was different. Lila was manipulating her.

Who’s to say a villain couldn’t do the same to Chat Noir? He could turn his back on you.

He wouldn’t.

But he could.

Ladybug squeezed her eyes shut, pushing against the darkness clouding her mind. Ever since she became Ladybug, she’d always relied on her head to get through tough situations. Now even her own thoughts were working against her. She didn’t know what to believe anymore. Macy needed her help. She needed to save her friends.

Mirror-Mirror kicked Chat Noir in the gut, spreading him on his back. His staff rolled into Ladybug’s feet as Mirror-Mirror closed in. She needed to help him, but her legs wouldn’t budge. Her lucky charm was only a few yards away. If she moved now, she could reach it before Mirror-Mirror changed Chat Noir too.

But what was the point? Even if she did reach it in time, she still hadn’t figured out what to do with it. This battle was over.

“Hey, Macy!” Eliott stood in the doorway, shoulders squared and head high. His hands were balled into tight fists to hide how they shook as he approached.

Ladybug assumed he ran away after getting zapped just like everyone else, but he looked completely normal. She hadn’t seen him since she left to find Macy, so he should have been in the cafeteria when Mirror-Mirror first attacked. Had he gone to look for Macy after all?

Mirror-Mirror abandoned Chat Noir, freeing him to rush to Ladybug’s side. He retrieved her lucky charm on the way and placed it in her hands. “Come on, Ladybug. Think.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t stand up for you earlier,” Eliott said, and when she raised her mirror, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Go ahead if it will make you feel better, but it’s not going to do you any good.”

When Eliott remained unchanged, she lowered the mirror with a growl. “Why isn’t it working?”

“Because I’m already the thing I’m most ashamed of,” Eliott said. “I was a bad friend to you, and that hurts me more than anything else ever could. Marinette was right. Friends should never turn their backs on one another, and that’s why I’m never going to abandon you again.”

“LB.” Chat Noir placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m here. What do you need?”

Eliott hadn’t abandoned Macy, and Chat Noir wasn’t abandoning her. Not all friendships were destined to fail. So long as she held onto her faith in the people she loved, everything would be alright.

Ladybug turned the slingshot over in her hands. If she combined it with Chat Noir’s staff… She loaded the slingshot and aimed for the pillar diagonally across from them. The staff ricocheted off the wall, soaring right into the mirror. The glass shattered, and a black butterfly fluttered out.

Chat Noir pulled her to her feet, and she captured the akuma with one swipe of her yoyo. She took a deep breath as Miraculous Ladybug returned everything to normal, the last traces of her insecurities fading. When Chat Noir offered her a fist, she stretched up to hug his neck instead—he didn’t complain.

As Hawkmoth’s magic faded, Macy collapsed forward into Eliott’s arms. “What happened?” she groaned.

“You were akumatized, but I’ve got you,” he said gently.

Students filed back into the cafeteria, cheering for another victory over Hawkmoth. Gabrielle stood at the back of the crowd, arms crossed over her chest, and Eliott eyed her with a frown.

“I know I should have stood up for you, but Gabrielle didn’t let me finish,” he said. “You’re not just a friend to me, Macy. You’re my family, so of course I’ve never thought of you that way.” When Gabrielle rolled her eyes, he continued, “I think this has shown us that we all have things about ourselves that we don’t like, and just because I’ve never seen you that way doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re really beautiful, Mace.”

Macy hugged his neck, prompting more cheers from their classmates. Ladybug and Chat Noir used the noise as cover to slip silently out the door.

♪♫♪ Stall Me ♪♫♪

The day was over when Adrien made it back to school. Most of the students had already gone home, and he believed Chloe had too until he rounded the corner to his locker. He was going to have to face her eventually, though he hoped to delay it a while longer.

She didn’t say anything, but he knew that look all too well. Arms crossed, hip cocked, lips pursed. It was the same look she gave her butler when he took too long to bring her sushi, and Adrien lowered his head like a puppy awaiting a scolding.

“Chloe, I-”

“Oh, now you want to speak.” She quirked a brow.

“I’m sorry!”

“What happened?” She demanded. “I needed your help, and you didn’t have my back. We could have exposed her!”

He averted his gaze. “I know.”

“Why didn’t you stick to the plan?”

“It just didn’t feel right. I panicked.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Next time I’ll do better. I promise.”

“Next time? No one in this school is going to believe anything we say about her now because you chickened out!” She jabbed his chest with her finger. “I hope your conscience is happy. You made me look ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Maybe I should leave like Dupain-Cheng.”

“Chloe-”

“No! No more excuses. If you really want to stop Lila, then call me when you’re actually ready to do something,” Chloe said. With a flip of her ponytail, she shoved past him.

Adrien leaned against his locker with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. Mirror-Mirror didn’t have to show him what he was ashamed of—he already knew. He was a coward, and now everything was ruined.

#mdcsp #mdcspr #marinette dupain-cheng's spite playlist remix #marinette dupain-cheng's spite playlist #my writing

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jessethorn · 4 years

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Some Los Angeles Tips

People are always asking me what they should do when they visit LA. I am by no means the greatest LA expert on earth, but I’ve lived here more than a decade now, and I have some ideas for you. Note that I live in the far Northeast corner of LA, and really rarely travel to the western half of town. So if you are looking for advice on Beverly Hills stuff or Malibu stuff or whatever, I am not that helpful. Also this is very subjective and really non-comprehensive in general. Just some stuff I like!

In General

Rent a car if you drive, but don't be afraid to take the bus or subway. There are some very long distances to traverse, and not everything is convenient to transit, but the transit is reasonably comfortable and efficient for a lot of purposes (going downtown, for example), particularly when combined with some judicious ride-sharing. There's plenty of parking everywhere, despite what Angelenos would have you think. Don't try to do too many things in one day, or cross town on the 10, 101 or 405 at anything even resembling rush hour (ie between like seven and ten thirty or three and seven on weekdays). Stick to one area for the day, maybe two.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology This is the best thing in Los Angeles and one of the best things in the world. It is part museum, part art project. To explain it much further might ruin the experience of visiting it, but please take my word that it is one of the most amazing places in the world.

The Watts Towers As the name suggests, they're in Watts, a bit out of the way for some trips, but absolutely without a doubt worth the travel. They're an incredible artwork/building built in a backyard out of rebar, concrete, glass and tile by an illiterate Italian immigrant in the mid-20th century. Worth signing up for a tour, they are cheap (it's a city park) and not all that long. There's also a little gallery on the site. One of the great works of American outsider art and a deeply beloved city treasure.

Other, More Regular Museums LACMA is a world-class art museum. The collection is a bit scattered (and as of this writing a wing is closed for renovation and replacement), but it's really good. It's in Mid-City on the Miracle Mile, and surrounded by other museums. The Petersen Automotive Museum is pretty cool if you're into cars. La Brea Tar Pits are more park than museum, but the museum is fun in a kitschy way, if you're into prehistoric creatures. It's also a nice place to eat lunch. In Exposition Park are a few major museums - the Natural History Museum is pretty good, though not better than others in other major cities (the Field Museum or whatever). The science museum is OK but significantly outclassed by the competition (it's no Exploratorium), though it does have a real space shuttle, which is pretty sweet. The Annenberg Space for Photography does what it says on the label. A good mid-size museum of photographs, check what show is up. The Broad is a nice contemporary art museum in a beautiful building that's right near Walt Disney Concert Hall, also an incredible building. They have a second campus in Little Tokyo that's very nice but smaller.

Architectural Stuff The LA Conservancy runs affordable walking tours that take you into some of the most fascinating built environments in LA. The subject matter ranges from Art Deco in downtown to the modern skyscrapers of the 50s through 90s. They're mostly Saturdays, but a few also run on weekdays. Can't recommend them enough if you're up for a couple hours of walking. You can go inside the Bradbury Building and up into the upper floors! It's cool. (The Conservancy also runs screenings in the big movie palaces downtown, which are mostly otherwise closed to the public. Definitely recommend those.) A couple of other architectural highlights: the Hollyhock House is in Barnsdall Park in Los Feliz. It's a restored Frank Lloyd Wright estate willed to the city many years ago that as of relatively recently runs regular tours. Also in the park is the city art museum of LA, which sometimes has some cool shows. Cal Poly Pomona students run tours on Saturdays of the Neutra VDL studio and residences in Silver Lake, which can be combined with a nice walk around the lake and some middle-aged-hipster watching. The Gamble House in Pasadena is an absolutely breathtaking craftsman mansion with a lot of

Griffith Park Griffith Park is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. It has all kinds of stuff within it - the LA Zoo, the Griffith Observatory, some great hiking. It's a great place to spend some time. If you have little kids, they will love Travel Town, a train graveyard/museum that's inside the park (and free!). The zoo is good if you like zoos, though not incredibly great or anything. The Autry Museum of the American West is worth a visit if you're into that kind of thing.

The Grove I know that we talk about The Grove a lot on Jordan, Jesse, Go. Please do not waste your vacation time at the Grove. It's a mall. It's fine. This also applies to the Americana at Brand, which we sometimes talk about because we have talked about the Grove too much. Also a mall. A little nicer than some? I went there when I needed a new power cable for my Surface.

Dodger Stadium Look, I am a Giants fan and hate the Dodgers, but if you are a baseball fan, Dodger Stadium is a great place to watch a baseball game. Even I can admit that. Angel Stadium is about as generic as it gets, but if you go on a weekday you can take a train from Union Station in LA.

The Getty Center The Getty Center is a beautiful building on a breathtaking piece of real estate. It's pretty cool to visit, but be aware that most of the art is pretty early, so if you don't like busts or paintings of feasts and stuff from the bible, then it might not be your jam art-wise. And getting up there is a whole thing. That said: it really is a beautiful building and an incredible view, so you probably won't feel like it's a waste. And if you like busts, then get your ass over there.

Downtown Stuff I will again recommend the LA Conservancy's walking tours to get a flavor of downtown LA, which is very walkable and full of incredible stuff. The main library is a beautiful edifice, the history of which is detailed in Susan Orlean's The Library Book. Worth wandering around in. Grand Central Market is a great place to get a bite, though pretty bougie at this point. Right next to Grand Central Market is Angel's Flight, a block-long funicular that is a lot of fun and costs next to nothing. Besides this, there are still functional specialized commercial districts in downtown LA. The flower district is particularly fun - the big flower market opens early for wholesale sales but is open to the public and there are tons of stores selling silk and artificial flowers which are very fun to wander through. There are also areas with stores specializing in selling imported toys, store fixtures (a favorite of mine), jewelry and fabric. Most of the fabric is kinda garbage honestly but there is a good tailor supply store called B. Black and Sons and a great hat making store (worth visiting even if you don't make hats) called California Millinery Supply. FIDM also has a thrift store with cheap fabric leftover from LA-based factories.

Movies The Arclight is a fancy movie chain, and the Hollywood location (near Amoeba Records) is also the home of the Cinerama Dome, which is pretty fun. The Vista is a great single-screen theater on the east side. There are some great rep houses on the west side - check your local listings.

Comedy Stuff The UCB has a few great shows every night at both locations. It's hard to go wrong, though you should be aware you will be seeing things that are a little rougher than whatever makes it to your town as a road show. The signature improv show is Asssscat, which is absolutely as good as it gets. Dynasty Typewriter (right by our office) has a lot of great shows these days. A great standup show is Hot Tub at the Virgil. The big comedy clubs have pretty comedy-club-y comedy in them, not necessarily what I'd recommend, though you will certainly see a lot of relatively big names doing sets. The Improv Lab sometimes has MaxFun-adjacent headliners who've put together their own lineups, as does Flappers in Burbank. Largo has bigger-name shows of this variety as well, and if you go see a show there headlined by a Sarah Silverman or Patton Oswalt, the lineup will likely be packed with their pals, even if they aren't advertised.

Some Places To Eat This is NOT a comprehensive list. First: Jonathan Gold died a few years ago, but he is still the king of LA food. Anything he recommended in the Weekly or Times is still the gold standard (no pun intended). He was also a wonderful writer and a champion of foodways that are unfamiliar to many in LA, much less outside LA. If you are a food nerd, KCRW's Good Food is a superb local food show (and podcast) produced by Nick Liao, who used to work at MaxFun.

Philipe's The French Dip A restaurant that's been around for literally a century, with sawdust on the floor, big jars of pickled eggs, ladies in hairnets and really tasty French Dips. They have competing claims to having invented them but the other competitor turned into one of those goofy sleeve-garter-barman subway tile exposed lightbulb places about ten years ago. Philipe's is totally for real and great.

Pie N Burger This is just a burger place in Pasadena that sells classic SoCal-style burgers and is really great. Cash only, though.

Langer's The only one of the Jewish delis in LA that's really worth a special trip. The #19 (pastrami, cole slaw and swiss on rye) is truly one of the world's greatest foods. Pastrami here is better than anywhere else I've ever eaten, including those famous delis in New York.

Park's BBQ

One of many great Korean BBQ restaurants in LA, but the only one recommended to me personally by Jonathan Gold. (I also like Soot Bull Jeep, which barbeques over charcoal and will leave you smelling like smoke, and Hae Jang Chong for all-you-can-eat.) (There are LOTS of different kinds of Korean food, but I am not an expert on the soups and blood sausages and bibimbaps and etc., but if you're adventurous, you could eat a different Korean food at a different spot every month in LA and make out well.)

Guelagetza Oaxacan food is one of the best kinds of food in the world, and Guelagetza is an LA institution that serves good-quality Oaxacan food. Moles, tlayudas, queso fundido. If you've never eaten any of this stuff, a couple of chicken moles are a great place to start (as is Guelagetza).

Dim Sum You can drive all the way to the San Gabriel Valley and eat at one of the many wonderful dim sum places there. That's where the best stuff is. If it's not worth a special trip to you, I like a place called Lunasia in Pasadena, and they also serve dim sum for dinner. Not a HUGE menu but good food.

Mozza This pizzeria, now a sort of group of restaurants, is an unimpeachably excellent Fancy Meal in LA. So (per my producer Kevin) are the other restaurants run by the same chef, Nancy Silverton.

The Dal Rae This is an old-timey fancy restaurant in Pico Rivera, a semi-industrial part of LA. It's just a great place to wear a suit to and eat Clams Casino. Famous for their table-made Caesar salad (legit great) and pepper steak (too peppery for me). Generally the food is excellent in a 1955 sort of way.

Bludsoe's Best Texas-style barbeque I've had outside of Texas. Used to be a window down by the airport, now a fancier place on La Brea, but I'm told the food is just as good at the fancy place.

Pupusas I love to eat pupusas. Maybe my favorite food. I really like to eat pupusas at Los Molcajetes on Hoover in Westlake (near Koreatown). Note they are weirdly big here (a regional variation of some kind) and they only take cash. (Note also this is one of 10,000 restaurants in LA named Los Molcajetes.) I also sometimes eat at a nice sit-down Salvadoran place called Las Cazuelas on Figueroa in Highland Park.

In N Out In N Out is good! It will not change your life! But it is very tasty, especially for a $4 food! Some people complain about the fries, which are fresh-cut and fried only once and thus are less crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside than some others! I think they are fine! Try In N Out, why not! But maybe don't make a whole special trip to do so!

Tacos and Other SoCal Mexican Food Stuff Everyone has their own favorite taco places, and none of my favorites are so special they should be destinations. They are mostly my favorites because they are close to my home and work. But I can tell you that I like to get sit-down Mexican-American food at La Abeja on Figueroa in LA, where I eat a lot of carne adovada and enchiladas and sometimes albondigas or breakfast. I also really like to eat carne en su jugo at Carnes Asadas Pancho Lopez on Pasadena in Lincoln Heights. I eat tacos from Tacos La Estrella on York in Highland Park or the truck (with no name) across from the Mexican consulate on Park View at sixth in Westlake. At night I sometimes get cheap tacos (I like buche) from the place that opens up on Pasadena at Avenue 37. I like the shrimp and fish tacos at Via-Mar on Figueroa. I like Huaraches from Huaraches Azteca on York. The burritos at Yuca’s in Los Feliz (or Pasadena) are great, though they are totally different from the SF-style burritos that I grew up eating. I sometimes get nachos at Carnitas Michoacan on Broadway in Lincoln Heights, which feature meat and cheese sauce and are gross but also really, really good. I have also eaten at the very fancy Mexican restaurant Border Grill and to be honest it is really good even though the interior feels a little like a cross between a fancy restaurant in 1989 and a Chili's.

El Coyote This is a famous Mexican-American restaurant from the early part of the 20th century, but you shouldn't go there because the food sucks.

Stores I Like This is going to be REAL subjective, but a few stores I like which sell the kinda stuff you'd expect me to want. &etc - A great (small) antique store at 1913 Fremont in Pasadena. The Last Bookstore - A downtown bookstore that is the closest thing to a "destination" book store in LA. Good selection and reasonable prices on used books, and a nice art book room. (Records as well, but they're not very good.) Gimme Gimme Records - I like this record store in Highland Park. You'll pay retail here, but reasonable retail, and the selection (while not immense) is really excellent. Good stuff in all genres.

Secret Headquarters - One time at this small comics store in Silver Lake the lady at the counter asked if I was Jesse from Jordan Jesse Go and they won my business forever in that moment. Don Ville - My friend Raul makes and sells shoes (and repairs them!) in the northern part of Koreatown. If you have the dough, get him to make you some shoes! The Bloke - A really great little menswear store in Pasadena. Sells cool (expensive) trad-ish brands like Drake's and Hilditch & Key and Alden. The Good Liver - A beautiful shop in Little Tokyo specializing in perfect home goods. The perfect scissors, the perfect dish towel and so forth. Some things are expensive, some aren't. H Lorenzo Archive - The "outlet" shop of a designer clothing store on the west side. Discounts aren't huge, but the selection is really interesting, and they have a good collection of one of my favorite brands, Kapital. Sid Mashburn - Excellent classic clothing shop on the west side. Suit Supply & Uniqlo - if you haven't got these where you live, they're the places I usually send people for reasonably-priced tailored clothes (Suit Supply) and cheap basics (Uniqlo). Olvera Street - This is an old-timey tourist attraction, a street of folks selling Mexican handcrafts (and their Chinese-made analogs). Right near Union Station and Philipe's, and a great place to buy factory-made huaraches (the shoes, not the food). They even have sizes big enough for me, which is pretty much impossible to find in Mexico or most Mexican-American shoe stores. Thrift Stores - I go to a lot of thrift stores but if I told you which ones you might buy something I would have bought so I'm not going to tell you which thrift stores.

Flea Markets You may know I am at the flea market every weekend. The good fleas are on Sundays, and there's one every week. First Sunday of the month is Pasadena City College, a big (and free) market with pretty reasonable pricing. PCC has a pretty big record section in addition to the regular flea market stuff. Second weekend is the famous Rose Bowl flea, which is HUGE and has a big new goods section (blech) and vintage clothing area (good!). Third weekend is Long Beach Airport, which is a great overall show. Fourth is Santa Monica airport, which is smaller and a little fancier but very nice. The Valley flea is also fourth Sundays, at Pierce College, and that's not huge but sometimes surprises me. With all of these, the earlier you can arrive, the better you'll do (not least for weather reasons). I usually try to get there around 7:30 or 8:00. The Rose Bowl in particularl is a 4-6 hour operation if you do most of it. There are also a lot of swap meets - I don't know enought to recommend any in particular, but these are much more about tube socks and batteries and bootleg movies than antiques and collectibles. Still can be fun, though, and are certainly a proud SoCal tradition. (The Silverlake Flea and the Melrose Trading Post are garbage, don't go there.)

Going to the Beach I'm not a huge beach goer, but by all means go to the beach if that's your thing. The Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica is a great place to base your operation, though you have to arrive in the morning on busy days to get a parking spot.

Kid Stuff I mentioned Travel Town, that's pretty great. Kidspace in Pasadena is a very good children's museum. The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is a great place to see a marionette show straight out of 1966. There's a good aquarium in Long Beach though it's a bit nutty there on weekends, and the zoo in Griffith Park is a good zoo. I really like Descanso Gardens, a big botanical garden northeast of LA. Huntington Gardens is also very nice, though it's much more expensive and hotter.

Geography Los Angeles is BIG. I'd say try to spend each of your days within about a sixth of it, geographically. It's entirely possible to do west side and east side stuff on the same trip, but don't try to do them on the same day. Look at a map and look at driving times when you're planning. Neighborhoods in LA are BIG, geographically speaking, don't assume two things in the same neighborhood are an easy walk. There aren't a ton of urban neighborhoods suitable for wandering in the way there are in some places. A few manageable general areas for stuff you might like: Silverlake/Los Feliz/Echo Park, Koreatown, Highland Park, downtown, Little Tokyo and the Arts District. (I live in the northeast part of town, and don't spend much time on the west side, which is one reason why this list focuses more on east side stuff. Some folks like West Hollywood and Venice on the west side. Long Beach and Pasadena are both neat towns with their own thing going on that might be worth a visit, too.)

Books & Media The Great Los Angeles Book is probably City of Quartz, a socialist-leaning history of LA. I really loved Susan Orlean's The Library Book, which is about the library as an institution, but also specifically the LA central library and the mysterious fire that nearly destroyed it. And a wild guy named Charles Lummis who was one of the founding fathers of LA culture and was really something else. (You can visit his house - it's right off the 110 near Highland Park.) An LA movie I love is The Long Goodbye, which is sort of a predecessor/inspiration for The Big Lebowski. A shaggy mystery directed by Altman where Elliott Gould just sort of wanders around LA. Another really cool one is Los Angeles Plays Itself, a long (long!) film essay about the ways the real Los Angeles has been used to create fictional worlds in film over the decades.

TV Tapings I'm not an expert in TV tapings. I can say that I've been to a few Conan tapings, and while it takes a LOOOOONG time to get in there, the show is fun to watch live. This is generally true of talk shows and most game shows, which tape more or less as-live. Sitcoms take WAY longer than you were expecting them to. Make sure to try to book tickets early if you have something you want to see. No matter what it's a most-of-the-day thing.

Nightlife Is a word that describes evening activities - especially dance clubs. I am old and don't know about these things.

The Magic Castle I can't get you in, please don't ask me to. I went a couple times. It's fine. If you're not into magic you're not missing too much. If you are, then obviously, it's a priority.

The Walk of Fame and Hollywood Not recommended, not worth it, don't bother.

Disneyland Why would you want my opinion about Disneyland? It's Disneyland. You're in or you're out.

San Diego If you happen to plan a side trip to San Diego, you can take the Amtrak there, and it is a breathtakingly beautiful and exceedingly pleasant trip. I have no San Diego expertise to impart beyond that, however.

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noshitbarnes · 5 years

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imagine (Part 1/2)

Header’s mine, don’t fucking take it.

Pairing: Tony Stark x OFC (in part 2)

Summary: Carrie has had visions ever since she was a child, but this time things are different.

Warnings: lots of angst

Word Count: 1,271

Notes: Pairing isn’t in this first part, just the build up! If this doesn’t get a lot of attention, I’m not gonna post the second part just an fyi

Violently jerking awake and gasping for air, Carrie clings to her plum colored sheets. She looks around the room frantically, not sure where she is or if what she just dreamt was real. Once she realizes that she’s in her bedroom— safe at the compound— her muscles relax slightly, despite the vivid vision she just experienced. She unclenches her fists and smoothes the sheets beneath them, patting the cotton lightly she realizes it’s lightly damp, she then touches her shirt— sweat. Groaning in frustration, she angrily throws the blankets off of her and scoots herself to the edge of the bed, letting her feet dangle.

Normally, Carrie’s visions occur while she’s awake, so when they happen while she’s sleeping, it takes her a few moments to decipher if what she saw was a dream or not. Her visions came in flashes, sort of like those old black and white movies, and she feels every emotion, all the pain, but somehow more intense. This vision scared the shit out of her and she desperately wanted it to not come true.

“Miss. Young are you alright?” FRIDAY asks, causing Carrie to jump slightly at the sound of her voice, “I sense an unusually elevated heart rate, which is not like you at this hour.”

Carrie smiles softly at the AI's slight concern and takes a deep breath, “Um… I think I’m alright FRIDAY, thank you… but can you tell me what time it is?”

“It’s 2 AM,” she answers.

Carrie shakes her head, another sleepless night, typical, “Is anyone else awake? Or I am just that lucky?”

FRIDAY pauses for a moment and then answers, “Mr. Stark is awake in his lab and Captain Rogers is in the gym.”

Of course they’re both awake, “Ok, thank you."

Carrie takes a moment to steady herself at the edge of her bed before getting up and making her way to her bathroom. She splashes some cold water on her face, hoping that would make her feel a bit better. It didn’t. She stares down into the sink, watching as the water flows down the sides of the sink, into the drain, and disappears. Sighing, she looks back up into the mirror at her reflection. Her eyes were sunken in, with dark circles under them, and her hair was a complete mess. Despite hating the way she currently looks, her appearance wasn’t a priority now. Throwing her hair into a quick ponytail, she whispers to herself, “I have to stop it.”

Carrie had to talk to someone, she had to tell them everything, then they could help her stop it, help save them. Maybe she could finally do something right for once.

Pulling on a nearby Aerosmith hoodie she makes her way down the hall, then down two flights of stairs, her feet already having deciding who she needed to see first. Carrie knew she was going to have to see both Steve and Tony, it’s just, considering the vision, she figured Steve would have a better idea of how to handle telling Tony. Not that Tony and her weren’t close, they were closer than most people, their friendship made more sense than life.

At the end of the long hall, is the gym, there’s a faint light at the bottom of the door, so either Steve left the lights on or he was still there. To Carrie, it seemed like she had been staring at the door forever before she finally got enough courage to turn the doorknob and push it open— thankfully, it didn’t make any noise. Peaking her head around the door she glances around the empty equipment not seeing a super soldier, evidently Steve was on the other side of the room, the part of the room she couldn’t see through the door.

Carrie doesn’t exactly come to the gym that often, she an Avenger sure, but not exactly on active duty, she mostly stays at the base and helps Dr. Cho and Dr. Banner in the lab. When she gets bored she runs on the treadmill, but not much else, she’s never really been into weightlifting.

Carrie opens the gym door all the way, and gets a better look at the entire room. It’s a typical gym, cardio on one side, weightlifting on the other, and a sparing ring in the middle. While looking around at all the equipment, she sees Steve laying on a bench press, doing reps. She starts to walk up to him, when his voice stops her.

“I’m surprised to actually see you down here, Care.”

Her eyebrows go up, surprised he had any idea it could’ve been her, “Um… how did you know it was me?”

Steve puts the bar back down and sits up, “There’s mirrors, doll,” he smirks and gestures to the mirrors around the room. He notices Carrie's distressed hair and the dark circles under her eyes and stands up quickly, “What’s wrong?”

Having visions has always taken a toll on Carrie’s emotions, so she’s easy to cry, get mad, and sometimes she shuts people out for no reason. Everyone has seen her cry, some are more comfortable with it than others, but no one treats her differently— they all love her. Steve is one that isn’t comfortable with seeing others cry, sure he’s cried, but typically not in front of others. It’s difficult for him to see someone he cares about hurt in a way he can’t fix.

Knowing how uncomfortable Steve is with people crying, Carrie somehow manages to hold back her tears, “Um… I had a vision and I… needed someone to talk too. FRIDAY told me you were awake. I was hoping… you could be that person?”

“Of course,” he walks over and grabs a towel from behind nearby, “I don’t smell the best, so I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

His small joke causes a small smile to form on Carrie’s face and she rolls her eyes, “I don’t care, but thanks for the warning.”

Steve takes the towel to his forehead and then the back of his neck, “Let’s go sit, yeah?”

Carrie nods and follows Steve over to a corner of the gym that’s used for stretching and various floor training. There’s a couple of mats on the floor and a few yoga mats rolled up and set leaning against the wall. Steve takes a seat on one mat and leans his back against the closest wall, Carrie sits adjacent him, legs crossed, hands in her lap. They’re both quiet for a few breathes, neither knowing who should start or what to even say.

Carrie’s visions are always difficult to talk about, they’re never happy, they always show tragedies, but they don’t always come true— they just show one possible future, in a way they’re a warning. In the years Carrie has been at the compound, tragedies have been averted, but even the Avengers can’t save everyone, and that has always difficult for her; she felt like if she was given this gift, she should have the ability to save everyone. Why else show her these horrible things?

Steve clears his throat, and Carrie opens her eyes that she didn’t realize she shut, “Where do you wanna start?”

Carrie takes a deep breath, “You know I have no problem sharing my visions,” Steve nods slowly, “but this one is different. I’ve never had a close personal attachment to them before, and I’m not sure what that means.”

Steve sits up straighter, suddenly more invested, “What do you mean?”

Tears start to fall down Carrie’s cheeks, slowly, but enough for Steve to take notice, “I watched Tony die."

Tagging some friends: @infinitv-war @lancsnerd @shellhaeds @ironspiderx @beckzorz @moonbeambucky @dan-vers @nasafic @cravingmarvel @crayonbreaker @nerdysuperchick @getbuckylucky @savingstark @tierra-616 @robdowneyjr @caroldaenvers @bigstarkenergy

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mosylufanfic · 7 years

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The Weight of the World

I noticed that Iris didn't seem to be at CCPN at all in the premiere (unless I missed a throwaway line, in which case this is pure AU), so this popped into my head, of course. I really hope we see her there again because she's great at it, and I also loved that she had the ability to view things from a different perspective than Star Labs. We'll see, I guess. Anyway. Angst.

The Weight of the World

"This isn't a disciplinary meeting, Iris," Scott said.

She stared at him across the table. CCPN's human resources rep, sat between them, looking bland and nonjudgmental. She'd introduced herself as Cassidy, a weirdly perky name under the circumstances.

"Okay," Iris said.

"I'm concerned," Scott said. "About you. You've been missing a lot of deadlines, and what you've have turned in lately has been - " He paused. The slash slash slash of his red pen over all her most recent stories echoed in her ears. "Not up to your usual standards."

She looked at her hands in her lap. Her nail polish was chipped to hell.

"You've been taking a lot of sick days. Coming in late, going home early, disappearing in the middle of the day, and nobody can reach you."

"Yes," Iris said. “I mean. No.” What did she mean?

"I get that you probably miss your fiance pretty badly." To Cassidy, Scott explained, "He's on sabbatical." His eyes slid around to Iris. "In the . . . Czech Republic."

Had that been a note of skepticism in his voice? Iris's eyes narrowed.

It was a dumb story but she'd gone along with it, for her dad's sake. Even though it made everything that much worse when somebody asked her at the coffee station how Barry was doing in Europe, if she'd heard from him lately or if he'd sent her any cute souvenirs.

Not from where he is, Iris thought, and looked back down at her hands. God. Her thumb was especially bad. She'd never let it get this bad before.

She couldn't bring herself to care.

"The thing is," Scott said, "I'm worried. You don't seem like yourself. Not since - " he paused, brow furrowing. "Oh, I'd say, January or so. Is there something else going on in your life?"

Was there something else going on in her life?

She'd spent five months thinking she was going to die, and then two more in so far over her head she felt like she was constantly drowning. Barry was gone into the Speed Force to keep it from breaking open like the multiverse's worst egg. She was trying to hold the city together, doing with two cocky, still-learning superheroes what had required a fleet of people and a skilled hero before.

Was there something else going on.

Scott said, "Iris, are you - "

Cassidy said quickly, "What he means to say, Ms. West - "

West-Allen. My name is Iris West-Allen.

"- is that if you have a health issue, or a family issue - which you are under no legal obligation to disclose - CCPN can make accommodations. Again, this is entirely your choice about what or how much you want to tell us."

"I - " Iris said.

"Is there something going on?" Scott asked.

"I . . . I lost . . . somebody," she said slowly. "A couple of months ago."

"The guy who died in May?" Scott asked.

Iris's heart did a sort of lurch and twist and belly flop - died, he didn't die, he's just not in this dimension anymore - before she realized he meant HR. Right, Scott had approved her time off for the funeral. Fine, let him think that.

"Yes. And . . . and it's gotten to me more than I thought it would."

True, it had shaken her badly, seeing HR die in her place, murdered by someone with the face of the man she loved, sent there by someone else with the face of a friend.

But it was wholly overshadowed by losing Barry. Her best friend, her love, the other half of herself. Gone, and she couldn't even be angry because he'd done it to save everybody.

(No, she could be angry. She could be angry a lot.)

Cassidy opened a folder, revealing official-looking paperwork. "Unfortunately our policies don't cover bereavement leave for non-family members. I'm sorry. However, if you were to get a diagnosis of clinical depression or PTSD stemming from the event, we could still put in for FMLA. It safeguards you against - "

"I know what FMLA does," Iris said. "It's not going to be enough."

Her words landed with a splat in the middle of the table.

Because honestly? Yes. She probably could get a diagnosis for either or both those things, if she actually found a doctor that she could be one hundred percent honest with, but it didn't matter. A few days off here and there, or even an extended leave of absence, wasn't going to be enough.

She'd burned through a lot of sick and vacation already, since May. At best, she could take a couple of weeks of paid leave, and then maybe a few more unpaid. FMLA status just meant they couldn't fire her for excessive absences, not that she magically got more time on the books.

And after that leave time was up, Barry would still be gone, and she would still be fighting.

She'd thought she'd could keep going just like she was. Keep running, keep living her life. But her shoulders strained under the weight of the whole city, millions of people's safety, and holding it up alongside going to CCPN and pretending everything was still okay -

She felt like she was being crushed further into the ground with every passing day.

Sometimes she hated Caitlin for taking off to find herself, or whatever the hell the other woman was doing while being so flagrantly not here. Sometimes she hated Caitlin for leaving first, because it meant that Iris didn’t have that option.

"Iris," Scott said. "Don't - "

"I quit," she said.

" - do anything hasty," he finished.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just can't do this job anymore."

Cassidy closed the folder. "Okay," she said, and opened another one. "So. We'll need a written letter of resignation, ideally with two weeks' notice."

"How much leave do I have left?" Iris asked.

"Okay," Scott said. "Wait. I know it feels like - "

Cassidy consulted something. "You have sixteen hours sick time, and seventy-five hours of vacation. That works out to a little over two weeks, combined."

"Can I take those starting now and submit my resignation for the end of that time?"

Cassidy's eyes softened for the first time, looking more human and less like a corporate machine. "Yeah. I think under the circumstances, we can make an exception." She made a note to herself. "You'll also need to remove all personal property from your desk, any personal files from your computer, and turn in your badge and any building or office keys to me before you leave today."

"Wait," Scott said. "Wait, wait. Iris. You're having a tough time. I can see it. I've been seeing it since January. But don't do anything you'll regret, okay? You're an excellent reporter. Don't just throw that out. Why don't you take the two weeks, and then make up your mind?"

"Scott - " Iris said.

"We'll take your resignation, but we just won't file it or something." He raised his brows at Cassidy. "Right? We can do that. We'll hold it until you let us know in a couple of weeks. What about that?"

"Nothing's going to change."

"I get that it feels like that now," he wheedled, "but you'd be surprised how some time away can clear your - "

"Scott," Iris said, looking him dead in the eye. "Nothing's going to change."

Scott, who'd heard that note of firmness in her voice before, sagged with defeat.

Iris got to her feet. "Okay," she said, mostly to Cassidy. "Letter, removal of personal property, badge and keys. Right?"

"That's everything I need," Cassidy said.

“Okay. Scott?”

He looked up at her, his eyes sad. In a heavy voice, he said, “I'll need all your notes on current stories and any rough drafts so i can assign them out to other reporters."

Iris nodded and looked at the clock. It was barely one. She was supposed to take her lunch. She decided not to. She had a lot to do this afternoon and she wasn't hungry anyway.

She was never hungry anymore.

"I hope things improve for you, Ms. West," Cassidy said, shuffling her folders together and getting up.

"Thanks," Iris said. West-Allen, God!

But that wasn't her name. That wasn't ever going to be her name.

Scott stood. "I'm really sorry," he said. "This wasn't the way I was hoping this would go."

"I know," Iris said.

"Even at half-power, you're a better reporter than people who've been doing this for decades," Scott said. "We'll hire you back anytime."

Cassidy made a strangled noise, visions of lawsuits no doubt dancing in her head. Iris could have told her not to worry. She didn't see herself coming back, much less kicking up a fuss if she didn't get the promised job.

She was grateful for the walls of her cubicle, which hid the activity of pulling out drawers and putting things into a storage box to take home. She pulled several folders out, flipping through them, printing out preliminary notes and rough drafts from her computer. She would give these to Scott. He probably wouldn't be surprised that none of them were as far along as they should be.

A few times, when other reporters spotted what she was doing, she had to stop and explain, and endure their exclamations and wheedling. Like Scott, they seemed to think that she really just needed a vacation to regain her edge, her drive, her verve.

But her life since January had ground edge, drive, verve down like a belt sander. No vacation was going to restore her. Only one thing could do that.

They went away and whispered to the other reporters, and she could feel the news spreading, like dye in water. A few more people came over and expressed regret or surprise, giving her their phone numbers or personal emails. She took them although she had no intention of getting in touch.

It should have reassured her that she hadn't burned all her bridges with her flakiness lately, but it felt even worse. More people she was disappointing.

Some people were less kind. They said the same things as the others, but there was a sub-layer of malice and insincerity. Some didn't say anything to her at all. The top of the heap wasn't always the best place to be.

Iris found that she was fine with both.

She found her "weird file," where she saved any mention of anything strange or off-kilter just in case it played out later. Although it was intended for CCPN stories, she felt no qualms over sending it to her personal stick drive. She also saved as many contacts as she could. She was losing access to a lot of murmurs and mutters and overheard conversations that got delivered to Star Labs as well as being written up for CCPN's pages. She was going to have to keep up somehow.

When the clock hit four-thirty, her desk was neat and bare, all the folders dropped off in Scott's empty office. She typed up an email to Scott and Cassidy, a formal resignation in two or three lines that cited "personal reasons" without going into further detail. She tapped out another quick email to the whole newsroom - "personal reasons" again - and adding a thank-you for the work she'd done with them. It felt stiff and rote, overly formal without any warmth or sincerity behind it. But she couldn't work out how to do it better.

As she hit send on the email, restarted her computer for the last time, and picked up her box of personal effects, she felt part of the weight easing off her shoulders. For a moment, she wondered if she'd done the right thing.

But no. The Iris West who'd been happy, fulfilled, and productive here wasn't her anymore. That was an old life, one with Barry in it, one without the crushing weight of running Star Labs and keeping Central City safe. She didn't belong here anymore.

Maybe one day, she could again.

Maybe one day she might be happy again.

Maybe one day.

FINIS

#Iris West #fanfiction #mosylufanfic lives up to her damn name #angst #4x01 reaction #(although really it takes place during the hiatus)#the flash

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charlion-em · 7 years

Text

Our Time ch2

[Also on AO3]

The afternoon training went better. Not completely smooth, but it was an improvement over his recent abysmal performances. Overall, Lance was feeling good as he changed into his regular clothes.

“Good job today, team,” Shiro said as he moved to exit. He paused as he passed Lance, “Keep it up.”

Lance nodded, not trusting his voice to remain steady. He watched as Shiro left, followed closely by Keith. Refusing to linger on how close the two were, he turned his attention to Pidge and Hunk.

Hunk was just finished changing out of his paladin gear and reentered the main room. Pidge, for all her original indifference towards them, seemed to be waiting for them both to finish.

She tilted her head to one side, “Hurry it up.”

“What’s your rush?” Lance gave a mock eye roll. For a moment he could forget about Keith, and work on steeling his nerves.

Hunk walked up to them, “Gym.” He gave Lance a shrug, “You disappeared earlier, we sorta decided to do a circuit before dinner instead of after.”

Now, Lance noticed Hunk had changed into his loose shorts and tank. He mentally groaned, saying farewell to his plans of a nap before dinner. “Fiiine. But I’m just doing basics. Don’t need to pass out on one of the weight machines.”

Pidge shrugged, “We were just going to do some cardio before dinner.”

The gym was already occupied by Shiro and Keith when the three arrived. The other two seemed set on their routine, so they passed them without interrupting.

Pidge and Hunk immediately hit the treadmills, trying to out do each other. Lance went over to the free weights to do some reps. He always zoned out while working out, his mind just got away from him. So when Pidge’s face appeared right in front of him, he jumped.

“Hey, we’re heading over to my lab for a bit before dinner. Mind helping with some lifting?”

Lance rolled his eyes, “Don’t you have some like anti gravity thing yet?”

Hunk said something, but Lance didn’t hear. He was too buy watching Shiro walk over to Keith.

Shiro stopped by where Keith was stretching, briefly speaking with him before leaving the gym. Even though he was only a few mats away, he couldn’t make out what was said.

Lance motioned for Pidge and Hunk to head on without him, which they did without argument. He took his time putting away his free weights, working over how to approach Keith and what to say once he did.

He looked out of the corner of his eye to where Keith was finishing his stretches. Well, it was now or… try again tomorrow. Tomorrow actually sounded better.

If he waited until tomorrow he could work out what to say. Yea, it would be better to wait. And have a plan. And some sleep.

“Lance.” Keith was staring at him.

Oh. He was staring at Keith while mentally extolling the virtues of tomorrow. “Uh.”

Smooth.

“Half asleep,” He tried again, hoping to explain away his absentmindedly staring.

Keith stood, crossing his arms. “Whatever. Look. You did well today. And…” Keith sighed, looking briefly up to the ceiling before meeting Lance’s eyes again. “And I’m sorry. For how I treated you.”

“I- I’m sorry too. For messing up.” His eyes found an interesting fold in one of the blue mats.

“Apologies don’t matter if we’re dead. Just. Keep it up, we depend on you.”

“I- uh, yea. Actually…” Lance closed his eyes, it wasn’t too late to back out. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about why I was distracted.”

Keith grabbed his water bottle from the floor, taking a quick sip before answering. “Look, Lance. I’m not really good with this sorta thing. Wouldn’t you rather talk to Shiro or Hunk?”

Lance rubbed at the back of his neck, the distance between them suddenly feeling too close. “Um, well. It involves you.”

“Me?”

“Yea… it’s - I've… been trying to impress you. And I kept messing everything up. I just want you to like me like I like you. And instead you just… hate me.”

“Why do you want my approval so bad?” Keith crossed his arms. “I don’t hate you. I would be just as angry if anyone performed the way you did.”

Lance inhaled sharply. “Why do you make everything so difficult!” He threw up his hands in defeat and quickly made his way towards the door.

“Ugh, Lance.” Keith darted to block his path. “Hey, I don’t hate you? I guess I like you too.”

“No.” Lance eyed his escape. “I like you. Like like.”

Keith shifted his weight to his heels, “Oh.” He looked to the side for a moment. “Lance. Okay, I’m not good with this.”

Lance wanted to retort with a ‘no shit’, but bit his tongue. “Do you…?”

“Do I…?” Then it clicked for Keith. “No. I don’t ‘like like’ you or whatever. Just regular teammate like.”

“Right.” Lance tried to laugh. “Well, okay then.”

“Okay.” Keith walked back to his mat where his bottle was. Lance didn’t wait around; as soon as his path was free, he ran out of the gym and straight to his room.

Lance was pulled from his deep sleep by an insistent knock at his door. He glanced at the Altean timepiece on his wall and rubbed at his still puffy eyes. It was past dinner, though he doubted he’d have had much of an appetite.

The knocking continued. “Coming, coming,” Lance muttered as he made his way to the door.

The door slid open, revealing a concerned Hunk. “You look like hell.”

Lance stepped aside to let Hunk enter, “Gee, thanks buddy.” The door slid shut again.

“Here.” Hunk held out a carefully prepared plate of food.

Lance took the offered plate and sat it on his small table, knowing he should eat something. Maybe later. “You didn’t have to… I could have gone down and scavenged later.”

Hunk shrugged, helping himself to Lance’s lone chair. “It was Coran. I was on my way to check on you and ran into him. Figured I’d save him the trip since I was already heading this way.”

Lance couldn’t help a smile smile at that. Coran was such a good… friend? He didn’t know what Coran was. But he was good at it.

“So. Hunk clapped his hands together. Did you and Keith get into another argument?”

“Why would you assume that?” Just the mention of Keith’s name sent his heart into his stomach. Thank Voltron he slept through dinner– and what was he going to do when they had their next training? Or an actual battle? What then?

“Well, you two were both the only ones in the gym… and I may have overheard Shiro telling him to apologize to you. So… yea. You alright, buddy?”

Oh, Keith only apologized because Shiro asked him to? “Something like that. I’ll be alright.”

“Do Pidge and I need to-”

“No! No. I’ll be fine. Just–” He sighed. “I took Coran’s advice and the results were exactly as expected.”

Hunk leaned his head against wall. “Wait– what?”

Lance bit his lip and caught Hunk up on his personal dramas. How had he not spoken to his best friend about it before now? In the end, he knew Hunk would always be there for him.

Later that night, after Hunk had left and Lance was just about done feeling sorry for himself, another there was another knock at the door. It was just about their usual bedtime, so he fully expected Pidge or Hunk to be checking on him.

“Oh, hi Coran.” Lance blinked at the dressed down man at his door. Instead of his usual advisor’s uniform, he wore simple black pants and a simple shirt with an Altean flare.

“Ah, Lance. I had hoped I’d catch you before you turned in for the night.” Coran smiled cheerfully at Lance.

“What’s up?” Lance wasn’t sure if he wanted Coran to stay or go. His need for solitude battled with his enjoyment of Coran’s company.

Coran’s smile faded, and he silently asked permission to enter Lance’s room. “I wanted to make sure you’re alright. I overheard Keith talking to Shiro about what happened in the gym.”

Lance shrugged. “I’m fine. It’s not like I was in love with him or anything.”

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”

Lance gave a weak laugh. “Yeah.” He sat on the edge of his bed, going over the conversation with Keith again. “At least he wasn’t cruel about it.”

“I think that makes it harder, hm? It would be easier to move on if you could find a reason to hate him.”

“Coran?” Lance bit his lip. “Did you ever… I guess you did- but how did you?”

Coran smiled, understanding Lance’s questions easily enough. “I did.” He wiggled his gloved fingers. “I thought I’d never love again. But, it wasn’t long after I’d been rebuked -nicely, mind you- that I found my love. I wasn’t looking, but there he was.”

“Did you ever move on… after he…?”

“After he was torn from me?” Coran sighed. “I couldn’t. And by the time I thought I was ready, nearly a decade later, the war started. A few years of fighting on the losing side of the war… and then I woke up to you five.”

“We can’t replace what you lost, but we are here for you.” Lance reached out to grab one of Coran’s hands. “Thank you for, you know.”

“I’ll always be here for you too, Lance.” He ran his thumb over Lance’s hand, the soft material of his glove a sad reminder of his loss. “I-”

Lance looked up as Coran cut himself off. “Hm?”

Coran looked back down to their joined hands. “It’s nothing.”

“You look like you’ve eaten some bad goo, what’s wrong?” Lance studied Coran’s face, searching for the reason for his sudden melancholy.

With a sigh, Coran met his eyes. “I don’t think it is an appropriate time to ask.”

“Ask what?” Lance swallowed, racking his brain for what could have Coran so unsure.

“If, once you have had time to heal from this rejection… if you would like to have tea with me.”

“We can have tea now?”

Coran straightened his back. “I am asking if you would consider a date with me. Would you be averse to pursuing a relationship with me?”

“I-” Lance blinked. “With me? And you?”

Coran nodded. “I know it is sudden.”

Lance looked Coran over. He was older… not someone he would usually pursue. But, not unattractive. “Sorry, i just never… considered you? Is it even okay?”

Coran pulled his hand away. “Forget I asked,” His voice was a strained.

“Wait.” Lance bit his lip. “You like me?”

Coran nodded. “Since the moment I laid eyes on you.” He bowed his head, “I do not wish to make you uncomfortable.”

“No… it’s just. No one’s ever asked me…” Lance eyed Coran’s gloves. “I- okay. I guess it’s worth the try, right? And if it doesn’t work…”

“Then we go back to being friends.” Coran’s eyes sparkled as he smiled. “Shall we say the next lull in battle?”

Lance nodded.

“Then until then.” He gave a mock bow before leaving.

Lance fell back into his bed, “What a day.”

“There you are.” Coran’s voice carried up the small hill, muffled slightly by the crunch of the leaves under his feet. “I was wondering where you got to.”

Lance opened his eyes but didn’t lift his head from where it rested on his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his legs for warmth, even with his jacket the breeze gave him a slight chill.

“Hey, Coran.” It was a weak reply. Over Coran’s shoulder, he could see the castle in the distance. This was the first respite any of them had since they landed on this planet a few days ago.

Coran paused a few feet away, “Would you like some company?”

Lance closed his eyes again as another cold breeze blew against his face. If it were anyone but Coran, he would laugh it off and stretch out, say something like he wanted to enjoy being outside with some peace and quiet. But it was Coran.

“Always.” He patted the grassy ground next to him without opening his eyes.

He felt Coran sit next to him, his warm arm sliding against his. Lance turned his head on his knees and blinked opened his eyes. Coran was leaning back against the large tree trunk with his legs stretched before him, looking deceptively at ease.

Lance tensed when Coran’s hand found his, but he quickly relaxed. Their relationship was still new, very new, and they were both still working it out. “What has you troubled? We drove the Galra off this planet, save the people here… you flew spectacularly”

Lance grinned at the compliment, but it quickly fell from his face. “I miss Earth.” Lance sighed. It was so easy to just open up to Coran. “I always do…”

Coran squeezed his hand. “Anything particularly different about today?”

“Not the day, no.” Lance pulled his head away from his knees to look at the tree towering above them. “I don’t even know what day it is back home. I stopped keeping track months ago.” It was probably closer to a year ago, but he’d stopped counting that as well.

The wind picked up, rustling the branches above them. Some brightly colored leaves were blown free, falling around them. Lance reached for a leaf which landed at his foot, twirling the stem gently between his fingers.

Coran waited patiently for him to continue.

“I don’t even know if the biology of plants works the same here. But back home, when the leaves are these colors it means the seasons are changing. Fall was my favorite.” Lance glanced over at Coran. “Did Altea have seasons? I guess it would, huh?”

“Yes, oh how the Spinwickets would start to rustle!” He looked at Lance fondly, “Our foliage changed colors as well, bright magentas and vibrant purples… it was beautiful. And if I’m not mistaken, I am troubled by the same thing as you. We have - had- many traditions on Altea with each season. I miss them.”

It was Lance’s turn to offer a comforting hand squeeze. For all his homesickness, he still had one to go back to… as far as he knew. “Tell me about them.”

“My favorite tradition on Altea was the Swenn Color Festival. It was the most romantic time! Traditionally, you collected the fallen leaves and made an arrangement from them. Some got very elaborate!”

Lance listened carefully to Coran’s passionate explanation. “It sounds beautiful.”

“Oh it was! But that was just the beginning! Then, on the last night of the sixth Opeale, everyone gathered for a grand feast.” He smiled, a far away look in his eyes. “Everyone would dress like various beings from old lore, some not even Altean. Before the feast began, those who wished to would offer their foliage to someone….”

Coran trailed off, as if he were reliving every festival at once. He had the same gleam in his eyes Lance often caught when Coran didn’t think he was looking. That bittersweet expression was becoming more and more common.

He wanted to know more, so he gently squeezed Coran’s hand again to pull him back to the moment. “What then?”

“Ah. Well.” A slight blush crept up his neck. “Traditionally, if the person accepted the offering, the two were betrothed. More contemporarily it was a fun way to express love, and some used it as a way to announce their engagement to their families.”

“So, you would make leaf art, dress up in costumes, propose to your partner, then hog out on delicious food? Sign me up! It’s like three of our holidays rolled into one!”

Coran beamed at Lance’s summary. “Essentially.” He chuckled, “But it lost most of its actual meaning by my day.”

“Yea, most of ours were just lip service to the original. But the traditions were fun, and a lot involved gifts, food, or candy.”

Coran hummed. “The food ones were always my favorite.”

Another cold breeze blew and Lance scooted against Coran’s side. “Mine too. Maybe we can combine some of ours and have a nice team bonding thing.”

Coran shifted so he could wrap his arm around Lance. “Yes, it could do wonders for morale!”

“Then let’s get started.” Lance laid his head on Coran’s shoulder. “But first, let’s enjoy the calmness.” He breathed in, the combination of the leaves and Coran was relaxing. He pushed away his worries, about Zarkon, about telling Hunk and the others about his relationship with Coran.

Soft lips brushed against his temple, and it was the last thing he remembered before dozing off.

Thank you for reading!!

#corance #voltron legendary defender #lance #coran

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