#live laugh let chloe get therapy
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In Defense of Salt AND Sugar: Aka ML Fandom pls chill out.
So I don’t talk much as those who follow me will say I tend to just stick to myself and my own things. HOWEVER, Ive gotten a lot of asks about why I write both Salt and Sugar for Miraculous Ladybug.
The short answer: Both salt and sugar are valid, fun, intriguing things to read and write and the point of writing is to entertain and be entertained.
The long answer: Salt isn’t inherently someone hating on your fav show and sugar isn't someone necessarily giving it a free pass either. Ya’ll are just dramatic as hell.
The LONGER answer:
I write salt because I LIKE Miraculous Ladybug, BUT the show has not lived up to its potential AT ALL. The show could be so much better and the characters are so flawed or full of holes that occasionally I feel FRUSTRATED and mad!
I hate that Alya a character who I was so excited about, gets shafted ignored, sidelined, or written like a jerk! She could have been this great detective working alongside her friend to unmask the villain, but instead she often comes across as pushy, obsessed with Ladynoir or Adrinette, and so damn easily tricked. Not to mention how when shes not gushing over her ‘ships’ shes pushed to the side and ignored. [or you know... LILA]
I hate that Marinette’s crush makes her do things that are so cringy and awkward i feel ill I hate that she’s constantly the only one making mistakes and ‘learning lessons’ when the show has all these other great characters that could use the spotlight and be the ones learning lessons. I hate that she’s so jealous and that she cant ever seem to catch a break as if the show is punishing her constantly.
I HATE that Adrien is a mary sue, how the writers say hes perfect and treat him as such, I hate that he gets to guilt Marinette into fixing everything and dealing with bullies, I wanted a funny, Ron Stoppable, naive boy who learns about real friendships and grows into a great partner. Instead he gets to be pushy and downright a jerk as Chat Noir ignoring his responsibilities, guilting Ladybug with his feelings, never taking no as an answer. He’s not a good role model for kids.
I hate that Chloe got built up to have a redemption arc several times only for the writers to decide that Chloe a teenage girl who needs some serious therapy [and actual reasonable punishment for her actions] is worse than Gabriel child abuse Agreste. She could have been a great lesson on compassion and growth and dealing with your own pain without hurting others. Instead the writers wrote her off completely.
And dont get me started on how the show treats Nino, Kagami, Luka and the rest of the cast. They may as well be a backdrop for the forced love square that we NEVER get a break from. Seriously I’m a sucker for romance but does it need to be EVERY damn episode?! Can’t we just get some wholesome friendship between everyone including Adrien and Marinette at this point like COME ON.
And i’m not even touching on the white washing, awful lessons on responsibility and forgiveness, awful lessons on well so much other stuff really, the guilt trips, the teacher, the fact that she show could be used to teach kids how to better handle negative emotions and the importance of open communication and not keeping quiet about injustice and/or your feelings but instead decided that the main priority should be a love square that gets force fed to us EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.
My point is the show has FLAWS. That doesn’t mean its the worse show ever and it doesn’t mean its not fun, and has a great premise and characters, and so when I write Salt I write it because i’m frustrated! Im frustrated with the show, with the characters, with the writing and so I vent that out with salt I write those characters as their worst selves because I cant stand how the show has decided to treat them and Im ANGRY and disappointed.
It feels good to write salt and to read it. It’s nice to see characters get called out for bad behavior, its nice to read about Adrien not getting the girl. Its nice to occasionally indulge in salt because it validates that the show is flawed and lets you get out that frustration.
BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE
Miraculous Ladybug is a lovely show. It’s a show that decided to give little girls a FEMALE HERO. And not just as a side kick or background character! No they made her the protagonist! Its so important to me that little girls see good well rounded female characters in media.
And even if the show is clumsy about it they are TRYING to build an expansive lore that tickles the theorist brain. And gets people invested in the world.
The show also made Marinette shy, and awkward, and clumsy something a lot of girls deal with during puberty as growing up can literally make you clumsier as your body adjusts. Having a character who tries to be positive and tries to find solutions who solves things with creativity instead of pure violence. Thats LOVELY for young girls to see.
Growing up I loved and admired Kim Possible, and probably would have loved Marinette, even if the shows not perfect I can admit its trying and I can see why people love it as much as they do! And why they write these fluffy sugary fics its the reason I WRITE fluffy sugary things.
Because even though I am frustrated and angry and disappointed with the show, I still see Alya’s potential and how great she is as representation to little girls who want a black female superhero so I write fluff where Alya’s loyalty, compassion, cleverness and her pursuit of justice are center stage.
I see how Adrien could be better and I want him to be better and I WANT him to be the naive funny comic relief the Ron Stoppable to Marinette’s Kim Possible. I want Adrien to grow and learn and spit in his dad’s face I want him to overcome the abuse and be happy. To show people that neglect and abuse doesn’t mean you will get stuck like that forever, that you can overcome that and be a better kinder person.
I want Nino and Kagami, and Luka and Chloe and the class to grow and get attention and have funny moments I want to laugh and make other people laugh! So I write prompts focused around comedy and shenanigans and where the characters get to be fun and silly and make decisions for themselves!
SO IN CONCLUSION:
I write salt AND sugar. I see the value and merit in both sides of the coin, and I respect how other people see the show. I know its easy to get angry with other people in the fandom who see the show differently then you do but please can we put down the weapons and just BREATHE.
Someone who writes salt might LOVE the same show as you, and they might in fact love it so much that they vent their frustrations in angst and salt and cracky fics. Let them vent about how they wish the show was better, leave their tags alone or block them if you cant stand to see it. But dont attack salt writers for ‘hating on your show’ when they might love it just as much as you do but want a way to vent out their feelings.
On the flip someone who writes sugar might NOT be forgiving the show for its flaws, they might see all the same flaws as you but decide to take that frustration and write fluff and fix it fics and sugar because they want to indulge in a version of their favorite show where everything is just... OK. Where everyone is well written and happy and the character development sticks. Stay out of their tags let them have their sugar, they aren't writing it to hurt you just like you don't write salt to hurt them.
So ENOUGH. Enough hunting each other down, enough sending each other hate, enough filling each others tags. Let people write SALT if they feel angry and vengeful and disappointment, let them have their tags, let them explore the dark side of the characters, let them rant and rave and be HURT when the characters they love upset them with their actions. Its not your place to tell them to stop, to tell them their feelings are invalid, to tell them that ‘adrien is sweet sunshine boy how dare you’ or ‘alya would never’ or ‘i hate your marinette leaves dupont au’. Just leave it be, heed the tags, and let it go.
AND ENOUGH. Enough hunting each other down, enough sending each other hate, enough filling each other tags. Let people write SUGAR if they just want something to feel happy about. Let them makes coffee shop au’s, let them make fix it fics where everything is just happy without needing 8 pages of backstory for why everything is just happy. Let them squeal and gush and talk about the ship they like and the fluff they see. Its not your place to argue with them that the show is flawed, its not cool to ruin their fun by accusing them of not understanding the flaws, to tell them ‘umm actual this character shouldn’t get to be happy’ or ‘wow this is so shallow’. Just leave it be, heed the tags, and let it go.
PS: Now with that said and done. I do have one final message for everyone - If you write/enjoy pedophilia, if you sexualize KIDS. Then get the fuck out of fandom spaces, stop fucking following me, and do everyone salt and sugar a favor by LEAVING. Your pedophilia and child sexualization aint wanted, aint ok, and I will fight you.
PSS: IF YOU HATE WHAT IVE SAID ABOUT SUGAR AND SALT FINE OK I RESPECT YOU REGARDLESS. ENJOY THE SHOW, STAY CLASSY, DONT HURT PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION.
#its just me#ml salt#ml sugar#adrien salt#adrien sugar#alya salt#alya sugar#chloe salt#chloe sugar#miraculous ladybug#marinette dupain cheng#adrien agreste#alya cesaire#class salt#class sugar
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across our great divide, there is a glorious sunrise
Summary: Once Hawkmoth is defeated, Ladybug rushes back to find her partner, to confess her love for him once and for all now that nothing was standing in their way. However, Chat Noir, one of the two halves of Paris' superhero team had vanished into thin air, nowhere to be found despite the sleepless nights of his lady combing an entire city to find him.Two months later, Ladybug meets Adrien in front of his mother's grave for the first time, and apologizes to him for ruining his life at the expense of her duty to Paris.
Note: this is an AU taking place after Hawkmoth was defeated where Adrien was homeschooled and therefore never met Marinette or Nino or any of his classmates, but was Chat Noir and only knew Ladybug as her superhero self.
Read in AO3:
Chapter 1:
Growing up, Adrien Agreste had gotten accustomed to silence. The silence in his lonely bedroom; the quiet, stern face Nathalie would put on while reviewing his work, the silence on his part that would follow a direct order he would inevitably obey.
The glare on his father wore when he slipped up in his fencing classes, or when he dared to ask what actually became of his mother spoke a lot more eloquently than any of his curt orders ever could.
And then one day, his life was surrounded by noise. One day, in return for his first and last attempt at going to public school, a chaotic kwami named Plagg flew out of a ring on his table, and his life had never been the same since. Plagg was the complete antithesis of his controlled life. He was chaotic, marked his territory wherever he went with cheese, and yowled and grumbled for it 10 times a day, but Adrien had never been happier. He had been given a responsibility to protect his city from a maniac who sent monsters every day to destroy it and to get his ring, and though he took it very very seriously, Plagg wasn’t just his friend, he was also his gateway to the outside world, and to Ladybug. In his head, Paris was a priority, but in his heart...Ladybug was.
Who he had desperately loved for the past 5 years.
Who he hadn’t really seen or talked to for the past 2 months.
Turns out finding that he lived with the maniac sending monsters every week to destroy him and his partner can change everything.
“Are we there yet?” Plagg bemoaned in his coat pocket. “How far away is it? You shouldn't let your bodyguard take the car with him.”
Despite his gloomy mood, Adrien smiled to himself. “You know I like to walk. And besides, I let you eat three wheels of cheese this morning, now that we’re on our own you can’t be eating every single minute like you used to.”
Plagg let out a grumpy snort, but didn’t say much after that.
Adrien gripped the white roses in his hand as he greeted the older security guard in the graveyard’s entrance, who tipped his hat and gave him a sympathetic smile in return.
Sympathy. That was all people seemed to spare for him these days.
Not that he was complaining, sympathy was what had gotten his Aunt Amelie to take over the Gabriel brand from London, and not leave several people’s livelihoods under his responsibility. Sympathy was when his cousin, who he generally knew to be someone who kept to himself, gave him a rare hug.
Sympathy was what he got when an entire city looked at him and saw a victim, and not a perpetrator in association with his father and Nathalie. Sympathy was what Officer Roger offered in the form of a cup of tea when he stormed out of his father’s prison that day.
Companionship was far and in between. Chloe visited him every week, left him with several applications for universities and a demand to look into them at least. Plagg was always there, no matter what, through the sleepless nights and lonely meals.
But they weren’t her.
He stopped when he saw his mother’s gravestone, the usual lump in his throat thickening. He had no one to blame but himself. Chat Noir was the one who walked away after seeing Gabriel Agreste carted away to prison by the authorities. Chat Noir was the one who ghosted Ladybug. And Chat Noir was the one who read Ladyblog updates about Ladybug’s solo, yet superficially useless patrols every single day and did nothing to fix it.
He had no right to complain about missing Ladybug when that was his doing.
Not that she’d be better off with him around.
“Hey again, mom.” Adrien managed to say as he placed the bouquet on his mother’s grave. “I-I know I said I wouldn’t be able to visit this week.” he stuttered stupidly, like a block of stone could resent him for interloping. “But yeah, I didn’t have much to do today so….” he trailed off, squatting in front of the gravestone. “Chloe dropped off a therapist’s number.” he managed to chuckle. “Pretty rich of her, don’t you think? She hates the very idea of therapy and doesn’t want to admit that she needs it too. She’s the most caring hypocrite ever.”
He couldn’t really find anything else to say. Which was even dumber, it wasn’t like there was anyone here who would get up and say that he was wasting away his life instead of getting it together.
He sat down on the grass, and twiddled with his thumbs for a while. Plagg, for his benefit, stayed hidden in his coat, letting out soft purrs every once in a while. He didn’t know what was worse: slowly coming to terms with the fact that his mother was dead, then finding out that she was in a coma and losing her all over again, or never really being able to understand why she had died, because his father was still being an asshole and refusing to answer him.
“You wouldn’t understand, Adrien.”
“If you didn’t understand why I became Hawkmoth, you’ll never be able to understand why your mother became sick.”
He realised then and there that his father would never know that he had spent the better part of his teenage years fighting against him. He didn’t deserve to know. Adrien didn’t want him to know, not someone as stubborn and…evil like him. He had practiced saying that word to describe his father after Plagg suggested it. It was like a bandaid for his bullet wounds for a while.
He started a little when he heard a familiar ‘whip’ behind him.
He’d know that sound anywhere. It was Ladybug’s yo-yo.
It couldn’t possibly be. He was just missing her so much it was starting to get to his head. Yeah. That was a reasonable explanation.
“H-hello.”
Adrien yelped as he stood up and spun around.
It was her.
Ladybug, his partner, his other half, was standing there, her hands raised up in peace.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you!” She stammered.
“It’s okay.” Adrien managed to squeak out. This was the first time he was seeing her in 8 weeks.
His heart thumped heavily as he got ready to fold into himself in guilt at leaving her high and dry. Imagine his surprise when he found out that she was doing the same.
“I can leave if you want me to.” She said in a small voice, and that reminded him that he wasn’t suited up as Chat Noir at the moment. “I don’t want to impose, I didn’t realise you were in the middle of-” she gulped audibly, then bowed and took out her yoyo. “Never mind, please forgive me, I’ll get going now-”
“Wait!” Adrien cut her off before she left and deprived him of his chance to see her again.
Ladybug stiffened and did as he said. His tongue felt dry as he gave the love of his life a once over. The voice that came out of her mouth was indeed hers, but it certainly didn’t sound anything like her. He had heard her loudly denounce his jokes and his attempts at flirting, he had heard her talk gently and kindly to confused akuma victims, he had seen her doubt herself and worry if they were going to make it. This was none of those instances.
“May I ask what you are doing here?” He remembered to sound polite somehow. He was Adrien Agreste now, the son of her worst enemy, not her partner Chat Noir, who had abandoned her.
He remembered with a painful pang how he used to tease her about her height, but she couldn’t have looked any smaller than she did then. Her eyes held fear, like she was expecting him to lash out at her.
“I...I was just in the neighbourhood.” she said. “And I saw you here, and I was hoping to talk to you- have been hoping to talk to you for a while now - not that I was stalking you!”
Something warm in Adrien’s chest bloomed, but it wasn’t enough to make him crack a smile. “No, it’s alright. I understand what you meant. What can I do for you, Ladybug?”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Was she going to ask him for an update on the status of his father? His heart sank. Ladybug was never a malicious person, but he supposed she was practical enough to do this.
“Do you want to know about any suspicious activity from my father?”
Ladybug’s eyes went round as saucers. “No! No, not at all! I didn’t- I would never- I mean, I wanted to- I came here to apologize?” she finished off awkwardly.
“Apologize?” Adrien echoed.
She nodded mutely. “I know that this will never make up for what happened, but -” she fisted her palms and exhaled. “I am so sorry Adrien. What happened to you, what he did to you - I can’t imagine what it is like to be in your situation right now and I have been kicking myself every day for being the one to put you in this position. I wanted to come and see you at your mother’s funeral, have been wanting to do it for a while actually but...with everything that was going on I didn’t think you’d really want to see the girl who put your father behind bars right?” she awkwardly laughed, rubbing the back of her neck.
Adrien blinked in confusion.
She was blaming herself for defeating Hawkmoth?
Why should she?
‘A-anyway! I just wanted to tell you that, and if you need any help with anything you need, please, just give the Ladyblog a buzz and I’ll be right there! If you want to. No pressure. If you want me to steer clear of you I can understand that too. The last thing I want to do is offend you-”
“Ladybug.” he interrupted her gently. “It’s okay.”
She blinked right back at him.
“I do not blame you for that. At all.” He crossed his arms as he gave her a reassuring smile. It was very much like her to go out and take responsibility if she felt like she did something wrong. Doesn’t mean he’d actually let her do it. “My father...he was a terrible man. He put several people’s lives in danger and kept on doing it for years, and you are the reason this city isn’t burning to the ground right now. You should be really proud.” he said sincerely. “Paris owes everything to you. You don’t have to feel bad for doing the right thing.”
Ladybug’s shoulders slumped, even though her expression looked less pained now. “You can still be angry with me, you know.”
“I’m not.” he insisted. “Believe me, I’m not. Thank you for coming here to talk to me though.” he twisted his ring nervously. “I greatly appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Ladybug nodded, giving him a small smile. “Will you let me know if you need anything? I’d be happy to help.”
‘What if I told you that I needed you?’ he thought helplessly.
Adrien nodded, without saying anything.
“Have a good day, Adrien.” Ladybug said with a shy wave, before pulling out her yo yo and swinging away.
Adrien walked up to the nearest bench and collapsed into a heap.
“Sooooooo.” Plagg popped out of his collar. “When are you going to tell her?”
“Shut up.”
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pieces - chapter seventeen
Five years ago, Chloe dropped off the face of the Earth. Beca didn’t expect to see her again dancing in a strip club, out of all places.
rating: E (drug use and emotional abuse in early chapters)
ao3 link
*
A shrill cry pulled Beca out of her slumber with a startle. It had been a month, but she had yet to get used to being awoken by baby cries. Tonight was her shift, and she swung her legs to the side and she pushed back the covers, her bare feet hitting the carpet floor and carrying her across the hall.
“It’s okay, Bean,” she soothed as she picked Marleigh up, cradling her against her chest as she headed down the hall towards the kitchen. She fished a pouch of breast milk from the fridge and expertly poured it into a bottle with one hand, all the while trying to soothe Marleigh’s cries by rocking her lightly. Setting the bottle inside the warmer (best purchase they had made), she hit the button and paced the living room while it heated up, pressing soft kisses over Marleigh’s velvety hair.
Once the milk was at the perfect temperature, she padded back to the nursery and settled into the rocking chair, shifting Marleigh to the crook of her elbow and bringing the teat to her lips.
“Here we go,” Beca murmured, her tone full of love and affection for the three-month-old as Marleigh’s cries subsized to coos as she fed, her big blue eyes locking with Beca’s. She was a carbon copy of Chloe, and Beca was truly obsessed. “Much better, huh?” She smiled. “Listen MJ, tomorrow I have to go back to work. It sucks big time, and I’m going to miss you so, so much, but I’ll come back at night, okay? I’m not abandoning you, or anything. I’ll never do that. I promise.”
Once Marleigh was done, Beca changed her and sang her a lullaby, gently lowering her in her crib. Marleigh had the habit of sleeping with her arms up by her head, and it was the most adorable thing.
Come morning, Beca was definitely reluctant to go back into the office. Chloe and Marleigh were doing tummy time in the living room when she rounded the corner to pour her coffee into a travel mug.
Chloe smiled and picked Marleigh up, carrying her over. “Ready for your first day back?”
“No,” Beca mumbled as she screwed the lid back on, pouting a little. “Send me photos and videos, alright?”
Chloe giggled. “I will, don’t worry.”
“Come here, Bean,” Beca said, plucking her from Chloe’s arms. She kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
As though sensing her sadness, Marleigh wailed as soon as Beca transferred her back into Chloe’s arms, making Beca’s departure a thousand times more difficult. She spent her first meeting of the day with her mind wandering to the two people she left at home, daydreaming about going back home later that day.
“Knock, knock.”
Beca looked up from her computer, grinning at the sight of Chloe and Marleigh. She was just about to leave for lunch. “Hey! What are you guys doing here??”
“We thought we would come to have lunch,” Chloe said as she stepped inside and placed a bag on Beca’s desk.
“Oh my god, she’s a bear,” Beca gushed as she walked around the desk to take Marleigh from Chloe once she was out of the chest carrier. The baby was clad in the most precious bear fleece winter suit, complete with a hood sporting round ears. She kissed Marleigh’s cheek. “Hi, Bean. I’ve missed you.”
“How was your first morning back?” Chloe asked a few minutes later once she was settled down in the chair opposite Beca’s desk, nursing Marleigh.
“Busy,” Beca said once she’d swallowed her mouthful of poke rice. “But good. It’s nice to get back into it, even though I miss you guys.”
“We’ve missed you, too,” Chloe murmured with a soft smile. “Maybe we’ll do this lunch thing regularly. It’s nice to be outside. We can meet at the park when it gets warmer, too.”
Beca smiled. “That sounds like a great idea.”
*
It was strange, for someone as workaholic as Beca to be looking forward to the weekend, now. She and Chloe had a pretty good routine down. During weekdays, she would wait for Beca to come home to start Marleigh’s nighttime routine: bath, feed, and playtime. On weekends, Beca usually spent her mornings entertaining Marleigh so Chloe could have a lie-in and she and Marleigh some bonding time. She also made sure to come home earlier on the days Chloe had therapy or NA meetings, so she could watch Marleigh.
Her absolute favorite thing was whenever Marleigh fell asleep sprawled out on her chest while she lounged on the couch.
“Oh my goodness,” Chloe murmured the first time she was there to witness the scene. She whipped out her phone. “Don’t move.”
Beca chuckled. “Couldn’t even if I wanted to. She’s been passed out like this for an hour. Sorry, I didn’t get a start on dinner yet.”
“Don’t worry about that. Did everything go okay?”
Beca nodded. “Yeah. We did tummy time, then had a snack, and then decided we were too tired to do anything else, so we passed out on the couch.”
Chloe smiled as she sat down next to them. She brushed a kiss to Marleigh’s forehead, then one to Beca’s cheek. “You guys are so cute. Oh, I went to pick up the birth announcements from the photographer, check this out.” Chloe pulled out a stack of pictures, handing one to Beca.
“Oh my god, she’s adorable,” Beca said, smiling fondly as she gazed at Chloe. “You really said copy and paste, huh?”
Chloe laughed. “I know. It’s pretty crazy. Part of me is glad she doesn’t look like him at all,” she admitted. “Not that I would love her any less but, yeah…”
“I get it,” Beca murmured.
When Marleigh woke up, they let her play on her own on her mat for a bit while they worked on dinner, singing along to the music playing. At now four months old, Marleigh was able to start eating solid food, which they were trying for the first time tonight.
“Tonight’s menu is a carrot, sweet potato, and parsnip puree,” Beca commented as she stirred the homemade concoction with a spoon. “Doesn’t sound too bad, does it, Mar?”
Chloe had her phone ready to record, and Beca scooped half a spoon, blowing on it then presenting it to the baby. Marleigh closed her lips around it and paused, a perplexed expression flashing on her features once she seemed to realize this definitely didn’t taste like milk. Beca chuckled and backed away a bit, half expecting Marleigh to spit it right out, but the baby ended up swallowing and opening her mouth for more.
They gave her a bath afterward, and read her a story. Marleigh usually woke up for a feed around ten pm, which Chloe handled while Beca washed the dishes after their own dinner. She changed and washed up for bed afterward, messing around on her phone for a bit.
A knock on the open door made her look up.
“Hey,” she murmured. “All good?”
Chloe nodded. “Yeah, she’s down.” She padded over and laid down, shifting to her side.
Beca set her phone aside, mirroring her position. “What’s up?”
“You’re amazing, you know that?” Chloe said. “Like… since the start. With taking me in, paying for rehab and my dad’s treatment, being by my side through my recovery and pregnancy, and now this-- raising Marleigh like she’s your own. You’re…” she shook her head. “I want to find the words to tell you how grateful I am, but I don’t think those exist.”
Beca’s heart swelled with Chloe’s words. She smiled, blinking back the tears burning behind her eyes. “I know you’re grateful, I promise. And since we’re telling each other what we think…” she grabbed Chloe’s hand. “I’m in awe of you. Since day one. Accepting to go to rehab, keeping the baby, being a kickass mom. Marleigh is incredibly lucky.”
“Thank you,” Chloe murmured. “I just hope I won’t mess up.”
Beca nodded, squeezing her hand. Chloe had expressed concerns about being able to remain sober once she would stop breastfeeding a few months from now. “I know you’ll do your best not to.”
“Can I…” Chloe hesitated. “Can I sleep in here tonight?”
A soft smile curved Beca’s lips and butterflies flapped in her belly. “Yeah, of course. I’d love that.”
As Chloe got settled under the covers and turned on her opposite side, Beca waited for a few beats, then draped an arm across her middle, shuffling closer. “This okay?”
“Yeah,” Chloe breathed in the darkness. Her fingers loosely laced with Beca’s. “Goodnight, Bec.”
*
“I’m home!”
“We’re in the kitchen!” Beca called out as she stood by the island, Marleigh propped on her hip. Today was an important day, but the five-month-old didn’t seem all that aware. “Happy one year of sobriety!”
Chloe’s eyes widened, taking in the sight of the cake that bore the same sentiment. “Oh my god,” she breathed out, tears pooling in her eyes. “You remembered.”
Beca rolled her eyes. “Duh. Of course, I did.” She glanced at Marleigh. “Can you say happy one year of sobriety mommy?”
Marleigh reached out for Chloe in response, emitting the cutest cooing sound.
“Close enough,” Beca decided with a soft laugh. She smiled at Chloe. “How do you feel?”
“Good. Proud,” Chloe said, beaming.
Beca nodded. “As you should. I’m also freaking proud of you, Chlo.”
Marleigh rested her tiny hand on Chloe’s cheek when a tear slid down, big blue eyes focused on her mom. Chloe exhaled a watery chuckle. “It’s okay, Bean. Mommy’s alright.”
Beca grinned, taking the knife. “Shall I cut this bad boy?”
“One sec,” Chloe said, stepping closer to pluck the knife from her hand and set it on the table. Before Beca could ask her what she was doing, Chloe’s lips were on hers in a soft kiss that stole the breath from her lungs.
It was short, chaste, but sent Beca’s mind for a spin.
“I love you,” Chloe murmured as she pulled away, brushing her nose against Beca’s. “Thank you for being so patient with me and going at my pace. But I feel ready now. To start something real, with you.”
Beca blinked. “Can you say that again?”
“Which part?” Chloe asked with an amused smile.
“The… love part.”
“I love you,” Chloe repeated, resting her forehead against Beca’s. “And I want to be with you.”
Beca closed her eyes, basking into the pool of happiness spreading inside her as those words danced in a loop in her mind. She reached up to cup Chloe’s cheek, cradling her face tenderly. “I love you, too.”
*
“Hey. Breathe,” Beca coached, taking Chloe’s hand at the red light.
Today was Marleigh’s six-month-check up, and as always whenever they went to the doctor’s, Chloe was terrified something might be wrong.
It had been two weeks since Chloe’s kiss and confession, and they’d been taking things slow. They hadn’t had sex yet, but Beca was in no rush at all. She knew Chloe would probably be more reluctant with that aspect of their relationship given everything she’d been through (Beca guessed, as Chloe never broached the topic), and she was once again following her lead.
Chloe nodded, puffing out a breath as instructed. “Thanks.”
Beca couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous as well as they waited in the doctor’s office. Marleigh seemed and looked healthy; she rolled over now, made different sounds, and reacted to her name. Nothing indicated a failure to thrive, but something could be wrong with her heart, her lungs, or her liver without any physical sign showing up.
“Good afternoon,” Dr. Gazzola greeted as she stepped inside the exam room. “Hello, Marleigh. Wow, you’ve gotten big since the last time I saw you!”
Chloe chuckled. “She eats really well.”
“Good. Are you still nursing?”
“Yes. Once in the morning and in the evening before bed. The rest is solid food.”
Over the next twenty minutes, Dr. Gazzola dotted down Marleigh’s weight and height, inquired about the milestones, and listened to her heart and lungs. Beca’s eyes widened when she said it was time for the shots.
“Shots?” She asked, paling slightly. “Again?”
Marleigh’s three-month-check up had been traumatizing for Beca, as she had felt powerless against Marleigh’s distress after getting two shots.
“Want to hold my hand?” Chloe teased, though Beca knew it was hard on her, too.
“Shut up,” Beca muttered, throwing her a glare.
Chloe held Marleigh in her lap while the doctor administered three shots. Marleigh cried, but it wasn’t as bad as last time.
“You were so brave,” Beca gushed as she put her onesie back on while Chloe asked the doctor about any signs of defects because of the drugs having passed in the placenta the first three weeks of pregnancy. Marleigh cooed, holding on a chunk of Beca’s hair and pulling it to her mouth. Beca chuckled and picked her up, propping her onto her hip as she focused on the doctor’s words.
“I see no signs of defects so far. She hit all the six-month milestones, her weight and height are good. She’s as healthy as can be.”
Chloe’s shoulder slumped, and she mustered a smile. “Okay. Thank you so much.”
They strapped Marleigh back inside her car seat and carried it out to the car, Beca’s hand finding Chloe’s on their way out.
“Wanna stop at Chick-Fil-A for lunch?” It felt deserved after that emotional hour.
Chloe grinned. “Heck yeah.” She leaned in to kiss Beca, and Beca wasn’t sure when or if she’d ever get used to that.
After lunch, they hung out at the park as it happened to be one of the first warm days of the year. Marleigh was getting a lot more curious and talkative, and putting everything within reach in her mouth, including rocks, they soon found out.
“And that’s a dog,” Beca said as Marleigh sat in her lap. “Can you say dog? Or woof?”
“Da!”
Beca chuckled and glanced at Chloe to find her snapping a picture or filming. “Are you capturing more material to further destroy my reputation, Beale?” Beca asked, narrowing her eyes.
Chloe giggled. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping this one for myself.”
On their way out of the park, they ran into someone Beca never thought she’d see again.
“Oh, hi.”
Beca blinked. “Hey, Sarah. How, um, how have you been?”
“I’ve been good.” She cleared her throat, her eyes falling to Marleigh as she chilled in her stroller, munching on a teething toy and seemingly unaware of the awkwardness surrounding her.
“This is Marleigh,” Chloe provided with a soft smile.
“Wow, she looks just like you,” Sarah said.
“Can I… talk to you for a minute?” Beca found herself asking, pointing over her shoulder. She sent Chloe a smile before she and Sarah stepped away. Beca rubbed the back of her neck. “I uh, wanted to apologize. You were right about my feelings for Chloe, I just-- I was oblivious. I’m sorry I unconsciously led you on more than I should have.”
Sarah nodded. “Thank you for saying that. And it’s okay. The first couple of months were a bit rough, but then I met someone, and…” she smiled, glancing at the ground. “I’m really happy.”
Beca’s shoulders slumped as that last bit of guilt she wasn’t aware she was carrying until now dissipated. “Good. I’m really glad to hear that, Sarah.”
Sarah looked back to where Chloe was, crouched down in front of Marleigh and talking to her. “You guys make a beautiful family.”
Beca smiled. “Thanks. It was good to see you,” she said, meaning every word. “Take care of yourself, Sarah.”
She headed back to Chloe and Marleigh, taking Chloe’s hand as they resumed their way to the car.
“You okay?” Chloe asked after a few beats.
“Yeah,” Beca breathed out, lacing their fingers as she kissed Chloe’s cheek. “More than okay.”
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To all Guys a Chat Loved Before
Okay, this is it. I’ve been working on this story for over a week. It’s seventy pages and twenty thousand words. I basically wrote you a short story. Enjoy it. Review.
I’m not fond of Rom-Coms and rarely if ever watch Romantic movies. But there are a few that i’ve liked. So THROUGH OUT THIS i’ve sprinkled some of my favorite lines from my favorite romantic movies over the years. Some also came from tv shows. See if you can point them out.
This is Adrien-centered fic. It’s also slash.
Don’t you wish that people came with warning labels?
Adrien did. He wished more than anything because his life would be so much easier if everyone could see each other’s warning labels.
Bustier: Terrible teacher. Needs to please everyone. Hates confrontation.
Lila: Waring massive Liar, manipulative shrew.
His father: Workaholic, possible sociopath. Might be allergic to hugs and any affection whatsoever.
Adrien: A little needy. Emotionally scarred. Touch starved. Famous. Trust issues. Lacks some basic social skills. Probably going to be in therapy for the rest of his life. Likes to run around in a skintight leather bodysuit.
You know? The basics.
Okay, maybe that’s too much. Too personal. Fine. Whatever.
But at the very least, if he could meet someone and just know, you know?
Know that this is the one.
This is it.
This one.
They’re the one that’s gonna break your heart.
Adrien’s life would be so much easier if he could at least get that one warning.
Maybe he’d run the other way. But maybe he wouldn’t. Adrien had a terrible habit of always making the stupid choice.
Still, it would be nice to know before he gets into deep.
Before his heart isn’t just broken…
It's shattered beyond repair.
Iron’s Kid: When did you realize you weren’t like other guys?
Chat Galore: I was twelve. You?
The first time Adrien realized he might not be like other guys his age came AFTER he put on a magic ring and ran around Paris as a superhero in black spandex. And yes, that statement alone makes him realize how insane he sounds.
But in his defense…
Okay, there was no defense. He didn’t need to defend himself. There was nothing wrong with him. He knew that. There was nothing wrong with…
Iron’s Kid: Fourteen. And it took me completely by surprise. Like a bite in the neck.
Adrien always really liked his penpal. It had been Chloe’s idea. Adrien signed up when he was thirteen, anonymously, through a program at school and was given an American penpal the same age as him. The schools vetted all participants in the program for authenticity. They’ve never told each other their real names, never seen so much as a picture of one another, but still, Iron’s kid became one of the few people who knew him best.
The blond knew a lot about Iron’s Kid too. He even had a list.
Iron’s kid:
A year older than Adrien.
Huge geek like Adrien.
He was a guy.
He loved Legos
Said he had brown hair and eyes.
He was bisexual.
He was really funny.
Really smart. Like Genius smart.
He was an intern at Stark Industries.
He was a huge iron man fan and adored Spiderman a bit as any New Yorker did.
He loved superheroes and memes (like a lot) and stayed up late a lot.
He made as many puns as Adrien did as Chat Noir.
. They got along really well. They texted constantly. And, Iron’s Kid slowly became one of Adrien’s dearest friends. After the first year of being Penpals, Adrien asked if Iron’s Kid wanted to meet. The answer was no. Adrien asked Iron’s Kid at least once a year if they could meet up (or skype or trade pictures); the answer was always No. It was only after Adrien revealed that he was a supermodel, that Iron’s Kid revealed he had a famous face too and just wanted to be treated normally.
That did stop Adrien from still asking once a year. Iron’s Kid was one of the few people, outside of being Chat Noir that Adrien could just be himself with.
But unlike Iron’s Kid…
Honestly, Adrien always kind of knew, ya know?
He was always as into Harry Styles as Chloe was. Maybe a bit more.
When he binged watched Stranger Things with Marinette; he noticed Finn Wolfhard as much as the bluenette did.
Maybe, he noticed Kim’s biceps just a bit too much.
So he started to suspect early on.
He didn’t know for sure until…
Luka.
And that’s the worst (and craziest) part because knew Luka. He had been sort of, kind of, friends with the guitarist for quite some time. He had never even thought of the blue-haired boy like that.
Until one day, Adrien, Marinette, and Luka were playing video games after school. They were just laughing and chilling out like they always do. It was perfectly ordinary.
Then out of nowhere, Adrien noticed just how blue Luka’s eyes were. Then that was it. Suddenly the blond couldn’t help but think how cool Luka was, how funny he was, how artistic. And Adrien was really self-conscious. When Luka was in the same room as him, Adrien was hyper-aware of everything his own body was doing and everything he was saying.
It was like he existed outside it for a few seconds and was just watching the chaos.
How does my hair look?
Why did I JUST say that? No, don’t say that THAT’s even worse.
What is wrong with you?
Don’t stand like that! Who stands like that?
Does it look weird?
Am I being weird?
He totally thinks I’m weird.
Iron’s Kid: How could you NOT have seen Princess Bride?!!!!!?!!
Chat Galore: It doesn’t look like not my type of movie
Iron’s Kid: But you’ve seen the Labyrinth???!!! WTF
Chat Galore: It was my mom’s favorite movie!!! You haven’t seen vampire diaries yet!!!
Iron’s Kid: That is BESIDES the point. Princess Bride is a classic!!!!
Chat Galore: Oh just shut up
Iron’s Kid; As you wish.
Adrien slowly became a blushing, stuttering mess.
And he didn’t know how but somehow this was how Marinette figured it out what was going on.
“…You have a crush on Luka,” Marinette said slowly and quietly, one day after school as they sat in Marinette’s living room as if the words were as hard for her to get out as they were for him to hear.
The two had gotten closer as friends as a result of the Lila situation at school worsening. Once most of the class made it clear how quickly they were willing to drop Marinette for a shiny golden ticket; the blond and bluenette quickly washed their hands of the situation. They decided to let their ex-friends sink or swim on their own.
Adrien did not need fair-weather friends. Marinette was tired of being everyone’s doormat. They decided to sit in the back together and wait for the fireworks. Surprisingly, not long after Nino joined them. The glasses-wearing boy hadn’t cared if Lila was lying or not (though Adrien and Marinette would provide him with enough evidence to convince him later), he just knew that Marinette was his childhood friend and Adrien was his best friend. Nino trusted them, and sure wasn’t going to abandon them.
That was over a year ago. Marinette, Nino, and Adrien were best friends. Then the bluenette and the blond found out they were really Ladybug and Chat Noir effectively ending their crushes on each other. (Though Marinette took a bit longer)
“No!” Adrien said quickly. “I mean, I can’t, I, uh. I used to love Ladybug, remember!”
Marinette shrugged, “So? I dated Kagami for like three months last year, and I’d still wouldn’t say no to seven minutes in heaven with Luka. Or longer,” She smirked. “I used to like you. I’m bisexual; lots of people are.” She then tilted her head. “It’s okay if you like boys.”
Adrien glanced down shyly. At that point, He hadn’t thought too much about his sexuality. He always figured he was straight. It was the standard some people would say. But… Did he? Did he like-like other guys like that?
…He definitely liked Luka like that. But was it just Luka? Maybe Luka was special. And dreamy. And nice to look at. And he made Adrien’s stomach feel a little weird when he was around, “…I have a crush on Luka.”
“Everyone does,” Marinette nodded. “It’s a fact of life. He gets Kagami to blush. Chloe says he not completely awful. Hell, even Nino said, and I quote, ‘if I ever I had to pick a dude.’” She said but then her eyes widened as she looked at Adrien. “Wait! I just realized have you ever had a crush on a girl besides Ladybug? I never heard you talk about any. This is the first crush besides Ladybug.”
Adrien blinked and then blinked again. “I went out with Kagami once,” He offered, and then gave Marinette a playful glare. “Before you stole her away from me.”
“It’s not stealing if she practically jumped into my arms,” Marinette defended with a laugh. “Don’t hate the playa!”
The blond snorted.
“I mean, what did you like about Ladybug?” Marinette asked. “Not me! Not now. But before you knew that I was Ladybug. What did you like about her?”
Adrien bit his lip as he thought, “She was always fun to be around. When I was with her I never had to worry, you know? I could do what I wanted, say what I wanted. There was no pressure or anything. I was just me… but more. And I liked that. It was easy being around her.”
Marinette nodded, “Ladybug used to be the only one you could be free around,” She said. “As Chat Noir, you never had to censor yourself for fear of what your father would do. It was freedom. A type of freedom you always wanted; to be wild and carefree. You got to do that whenever you are Chat Noir, and whenever you were Chat Noir, Ladybug was there. Did you ever… you might’ve… I think you,” She sighed. “…Adrien, I don’t think you ever loved Ladybug. I think you loved how you got to feel when she was around. You might have equated the two.”
It went quiet as Adrien thought about what his friend said. It helped that his crush had been long gone so he could view it without the bias he used to have. And yeah, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Marinette was right. Adrien had been more infatuated with the fun and freedom of being a superhero, being Chat Noir that he ever was with Ladybug.
He also comprehended that His crush had ended it rather instantly the second he found out who was behind the mask. Marinette was amazing; the girl of most guys’ dreams. Yet Adrien just didn’t see her like that. He didn’t have romantic feelings for her. It was then he realized that no matter who was behind the mask, what girl, Adrien wouldn’t have been happy. “She wasn’t real to me,” He admitted. “Not really. Ladybug was this unattainable dream. Anything was possible with her. I got to think up outlandish fantasies all the time of what our future could be and nothing was too extreme or impossible. The second she became real, the fantasy ended, and… I didn’t want her anymore; not like that.” He told Marinette. “Don’t get me wrong, I love you! You’re practically my sister. You’re the best! But… It is strange, I know.”
Marinette shook her head, “It’s not!” She would know better than most what it was like when the fantasy ended and you had faced reality. “We’re kids. Feelings are all haywire.”
“It’ll get easier.” He asked. “I mean it has to. Soon, right?”
“No!” Sabine, Marinette’s mom, called from the kitchen. “Try in about a decade. If you’re lucky!”
“Mama!” Marinette yelled as she face-palmed. “Private conversation.”
“In our very public family room,” Sabine sassed back. “Adrien, honey, besides Luka, have you ever thought about any boys like that?”
Marinette just sighed.
Adrien turned bright red. He had more or less been adopted by the Dupain-chengs, and he was still getting used to having an involved parent. “I, uh, like Kim’s arms.”
“Who doesn’t?” Marinette asked. “Drool-worthy.”
“Harry Styles,” Adrien offered. “I like his face.” The bluenette snorted, earning herself a face full of the pillow. “Oh, you are so helpful!” After that, they erupted into a pillow fight.
Chat Galore: I’m late
Iron’s Kid: For what?
Chat Galore: Reality.
Iron’s Kid: Oooh someone’s feeling deep today. What’s up?
Chat Galore: I’m
Adrien paused writing.
Iron’s Kid: You’re…
Iron’s kid: Chat? You still there?
Chat Galore: I’m gay.
Chat Galore: You’re the first person I’ve told.
Iron’s Kid: I’m honored. And proud of you man.
Chat Galore: TY!!
Iron’s Kid: So who made you realize you were finally into Luka?
Chat Galore: …I hate you. GO AWAY!
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
It took another month, and a lot of introspection but Adrien finally came to terms with it, and while getting ice cream with his friends, he said, “So, yeah, I’m gay.”
“And the sky’s blue,” Chloe shrugged.
Marinette elbowed, “That’s not how we’re supposed to react.”
The blonde huffed, “What? We’re supposed to pretend to be surprised. I’ve known him since we were in diapers. I was there through OUR One Direction phase. We were just little kids but just because he blocked it out or whatever doesn’t mean I forgot he called dips on marrying Harry.”
“All good, dude,” Nino told Adrien. “Still my boy.” He told him. “Does this mean you’re finally gonna ask out Luka?”
“NINO!” Marinette groaned. “I didn’t tell them. I swear!”
“What?” Nino licked his ice cream. “It was obvious Sunshine digs Luka.”
Adrien’s froze. “…How obvious?” Dread slowly crept onto his face.
His friends quickly went to assure him.
“It’s barely noticeable!” Marinette said.
“Everyone wants Luka; he probably doesn’t even realize it at this point!” Went, Nino.
“It’s not as obvious as the crush Marinette had on you!”
“Chloe! Seriously?!”
“What!”
Chat Galore: My friends suck as much as you!
Iron’s kid: Ahh, they call you out on the Luka thing too?
Chat Galore: Fuck off
Iron’s Kid: lol
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
Adrien just groaned, seriously wishing the earth would just swallow him up. It was official all of his friends were completely awful.
Not long after he came out to his father, Nathalie, and Gorilla. His father barely blinked twice and told him not to make a fool of himself. Nathalie scheduled when he’ll announce it officially on twitter. Gorilla at least hugged him.
Lila attempted to convince the class that Adrien was just confused and hiding his feelings for her. But even that was a bit too much to buy. Instead, the class shot the Italian girl pitying looks for being in love with an unreachable guy. Lila seethed with fury as what she thought was her ticket to fame and fortune going up in flame.
Pretty much everything stayed normal though. There were no big fireworks. Adrien never confessed to Luka about his crush; instead joined his dozens of other admirers in mooning from a distance.
Adrien was fine with that. He wasn’t looking for anything for his life to radically change. Or to completely lose his mind over some guy (though he did come close with Luka). In fact, he was rather happy if that never happened.
But since when does he ever get what he wants?
Iron’s Kid: If you could punch anyone in the face, who would it be?
Chat Galore: What did Flash do now?
Chat Galore: And the answer’s: Lila. But Marinette has dips. And then Chloe. Then Kagami for some reason. I’m also after Nino, which doesn’t seem fair.
Chat Galore: …There’s a line to punch Lila.
Iron’s Kid: lol.
Iron’s Kid: Flash embarrassed me in front of Liz. He got everyone at this party chanting the stupid nickname he gave me.
Chat Galore: What a jerk? I vote revenge!
Iron’s Kid: What happened to the high road?
Chat Galore: It went nowhere. Time to light someone’s car on fire now.
Chat Galore: OOOOHHH!!!! Get MJ to put a porn virus on his computer! Let it hit during that school project you guys got next week.
Iron’s Kid: You’re a cruel man. And you and MJ are never allowed meet!
Chat Galore: Lol
Iron’s Kid: I can’t do that. Revenge isn’t my thing. I wouldn’t even care if Liz wasn’t there.
Chat Galore: You really like her, huh?
Iron’s Kid: Yeah I do
Adrien grinned at his phone. Iron had fallen hard for Liz a while back, and it was the cutest thing when he gushed over her. Plus it gave the blond some relief to know that there was someone as bad as him when it came to romance.
Iron’s Kid: So my dads suck
Chat Galore: We should start a club!
Iron’s kid: Lol.
Chat Galore: Your dad or your pops?
Iron’s Kid: Both. They totally freaked out on me! They’re so overprotective it is insane.
Chat Galore: Been there. Am there.
Iron’s Kid: Me and dad totally got into it. He thinks I’m reckless and stupid. Like I don’t know what I’m doing. I just wish he’d trust me
Chat Galore: Stop treating you like you’re a little kid?
Iron’s Kid: Exactly!!!!! I can do this! I know I can! If he just trusts me!
Iron’s Kid: Instead I’m grounded.
Chat Galore: What are you going to do?
Iron’s Kid: Whatever I have to!
Chat Galore: just be safe, ok? I don’t know what’s going on. And I know you can’t tell me. But just Be. Careful. I’d miss you.
Iron’s Kid: I’d miss you too.
Chat Galore: Goodnight!!
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
It was Christmas. Adrien was staying with Marinette’s family while his father was away on business and avoiding all things happiness. Marinette told him that her Uncle was coming. Her dad’s great uncle from New York. He broke up with his boyfriend not too long ago and wanted to get out and see more of the world.
Adrien had expectations of what Marinette’s great uncle would look like – like any Uncle. Old, kind of fat, who made way to many dad jokes, and smelled like mothballs. And he definitely wore tacky clothes.
The guy who walked into the Dupain-Cheng home, following a laughing Tom Dupain, was NOT that guy!!
First of all, he was young; like two or three years older than Adrien and Marinette. He wore was pale with dark eyes and hair. He was dressed in all black and wore an old black leather bomber jacket. He was unnaturally handsome.
“Who is that?” Adrien hissed.
“My uncle,” Marinette said. “I told you he was coming.”
“How is that your great Uncle?”
Marinette shrugged, “Magic. Demigod. Prince of the Underworld. What can you do?” She said. “His name’s Nico.”
Adrien’s life was already so bizarre he didn’t even question the demigod part. All he could see what Nico. His mind turned to mush. “Boing!” He pointed.
“That’s my Uncle, Adrien,” Mariette reminded him
“Sweet! I would be your Aunt,” Adrien said. “Uncle. I don’t care. I’ll be whatever he wants me to be.”
Marinette laughed and got off the couch to greet the newcomer, “Uncle Nico!”
“Marinette!” Nico smiled as he hugged his niece. “I told you to call me Nico.”
“Uncle is a bit weird,” Marinette nodded in agreement as she let go.
As soon Nico let go, he found his arms full of again but this time by a blond, “Uncle Nico.”
“Adrien, right,” Nico said as he hugged the smaller boy, “I’m not your Uncle.”
“Even better!”
Marinette snorted and pulled her friend away.
Nico looked them up and down. “Aww, it’s good you two are still so close. I still got that picture your dad sent me of you two in Halloween costumes; Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.” He said. “Adorable. You two must have been, what eleven?” He shrugged and smiled at Adrien. “It’s been a while. You grew up gorgeous.” And then walked off to say hello to Sabine.
Adrien turned bright red and a big grin spread across his face.
Marinette crossed her arms, and gave him a serious look, “You are not going to be my Aunt.”
“I can’t hear you!” Adrien sang. “Buh dah Bu da da Da!”
“He’s almost eighteen; physically and mentally anyway!” Marinette said. “We’re fifteen.”
“Almost sixteen,” Adrien snapped quickly. “Which is practically seventeen. Which is a skip away from eighteen. Two plus Two, you know?”
Marinette rolled her eyes, “I know Two plus two equals four. But with your logic, two plus two is three with a wig on.”
He hissed at her.
Chat Galore: I think I found my Liz
Iron’s Kid: Someone Completely unattainable, and probably a bad idea?
Chat Galore: MJ or Ned?
Iron’s Kid: …
Chat Galore: Seriously? Give Iron back his phone!
Iron’s Kid:
Chat Galore: WAIT! What do you mean about Liz? What’s going on? Why is she a bad idea?
He would get a response an hour later. It was just after dark.
Iron’s Kid: Sorry! MJ took my phone!
Chat Galore: NP. What’s this about Liz?
Iron’s Kid: A good friend will ignore whatever MJ told you!
Chat Galore: A best friend’s gonna get answers out of you!
Adrien’s phone remained silent as he waited for Iron’s reply.
Iron’s Kid: ‘sigh’ Liz’s dad a supervillain. He tried to kill me.
Chat Galore: Shit. I’m sorry. Are you okay?
Iron’s Kid: It sucks. Liz’s dad in prison. She had to move.
Chat Galore: that blows
Iron’s Kid: Yep
Then Adrien did something daring; something he thought about doing before but just stops short of being brave enough.
He called Iron’s kid. It rang a few times before finally answering?
“Hello?”
“Iron’s kid?” Adrien whispered.
“Chat Galore?” Was said. “You called?”
“I thought you might need someone to talk to,” Adrien said. “Really talk to. It is fine if you don’t want to. I just thought…”
“No!” Was quickly said. “This is great. I mean, yeah. I’m cool with this if you are.”
They ended up talking to each other for hours like they always did. But this time it went on even longer; to the point where Adrien was genuinely surprised to see the sun starting to rise.
It was the first Adrien began to suspect he might be falling a little bit in love with Iron’s Kid.
It didn’t end there. As the weeks went on Iron Kid and Chat Galore kept texting and talking. Iron Kid was going through a hard time and Adrien just wanted to be there for him.
Iron’s Kid: It’s never been easy being me. I love my parents. But normal doesn’t exactly coincide with our last name
Chat Galore: It is like no one can look past it, right? They don’t see you, they see your name. It’s all they care about.
Iron’s kid: Exactly!!!!! Who I am doesn’t matter. Its who my dad is, who my pop’s is. Hell sometimes who my grandfather was, and he died way before I was even born. It’s not fair!
Chat Galore: And you never know if anyone likes you for you. Or if they just want something from you. Or from your dad. You just want people to see YOU for who you are!
Iron’s Kid: Makes it really hard to trust people. My parents always did their best to give me a normal life but
Iron’s Kid: it’s whatever I guess.
Chat Galore: It’s not whatever. And its okay to feel like this.
Iron’s Kid: It’s sometimes I feel a little lost. Or maybe just…
Iron’s Kid: I mean, I can be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel all alone. Like no one really knows me or sees me. Then I think of you. I think of talking to you. And I don’t feel so alone anymore.
Chat Galore: I see you.
Iron’s Kid: I see you too.
Then once more Adrien asked Iron’s Kid if he wanted to meet, even though he knew he’d be turned down. That was fine. Adrien would wait.
If Marinette thought it was over when the holidays ended, she was dead wrong. Nico got an apartment to stay in Paris and to spend time with his family.
And Adrien got used to his brain going all gooey when Nico was around. He always said goofy things; things that made him wish he’d never learned to speak in the first place. He read books that Nico casually mentioned just so they’d have something to talk about. He did ridiculous things try to get the older guy’s attention. And whenever, Nico asked the gang if anyone wanted to hang out, Adrien would be the first to shoot up and practically yell yes.
And all Adrien would get from Nico would be a placating smirk; the same type Nino would give his younger brothers’ when they did something outlandish to impress him.
The weird thing was when Adrien was going all googly-eyes at Nico, they got along really, really well. They both loved art and classic noir films like Gun For hire and Laura. The two once spent an entire afternoon in the museum just talking about the pieces, ignoring the whines of Marinette and Nino who got dragged along.
Still no matter what Adrien did Nico never took the hint to ask Adrien out. Or even hint that he was open to Adrien possibly asking him out.
His friends got used to Adrien sighing wistfully.
“Gods’ he so handsome, it makes my face hurt,” Adrien whined.
Marinette giggled, “You’re young, you’re dumb.”
“Just so we’re clear,” Chloe pointed a fork at him that still had a bit of salad on it, “That those are not necessarily correlated. You’re just an idiot.”
Nino leaned forward, “Bro, just ask him out!” He said with his mouth half full of pizza.
“I can’t do that!”
“Why not?” Marinette, Chloe, and Nino asked/yelled at him.
“What if he says no?” Adrien asked, because duh, why else wouldn’t he have asked Nico out already.
Chloe glared at him, “Then you look in the mirror and remind yourself that you’re the second hottest dude, around our age, in Paris?”
“Ahh, Luka’s first,” Marinette put in.
Nino raised his hand, “Just so we’re clear, I’m at least in the top ten, yeah?” Silence. “Guys? Top fifteen?” Nothing. “Top twenty?”
“Eehh,” Chloe offered as she flipped her hand side to side rapidly.
Nino grinned, “I’ll take it!”
It all came to a head during the Dupain-Cheng family game. Marinette invited Chloe, Nino, and Adrien, who had become Tom and Sabine’s additional adopted children, when Tom walked in, with Nico trailing behind him. “Family game night to the max!” Tom cheered.
Nico chuckled and gave everyone their hellos.
Marinette holding a hat on her lap, ��Time to pick the games tonight: Mom, Chloe, and Nico’s turn to draw from the hat.
Sabine drew Uno.
Chloe drew Pictionary.
Nico drew dungeons and dragons which caused everyone in the room to groaned, “What?”
“That game always takes forever,” Nino whined.
Marinette flopped on the couch dramatically, “Mom’s always the dungeon master and she never lets us win. Dad always dies before anything good starts.”
“We always get frustrated,” Chloe added with an eye-roll. “And snap and try to kill each other!”
“In the game?” Nico asked.
Nino glared at his friends, “Not. Always. Marinette!” He called her out, and she had the decency to blush. “Some people walk with scars.”
“Mental and emotional ones,” Adrien winced. “Marinette.”
Chloe caught Nico’s confused look, and explained, “Marinette’s a bit competitive.”
“A bit!” Everyone else in the room said.
“Let’s just play!” Marinette gave them a playful glare.
Uno was fast. Marinette won, of course.
Pictionary resulted in tears. (Sabine was just as competitive as her daughter, and Tom was a bit sensitive.)
The Dungeons and Dragons came took hours. Tom died right away and was content to watch the show. The kids turned on each other by the second hour, and it took Nico’s taking leadership and forcing them all to work together to achieve victory, for the suffering to stop.
By the end, nearly everyone in the room was dead asleep, their characters long since dead, apart from Marinette, Sabine, Adrien, and Nico. Until the die was rolled for the final time and Marinette raised her tired arms in victory, “Finally. Six hours, friends came together on a harrowing quest; the longest game of my life. And we finally, finally won!”
Seconds after she was cuddled against her mother, both having fallen asleep.
Adrien gave them a sleepy smile from where he sat on the floor before every cell in his body suddenly felt like it was hit by lightning when he caught Nico’s dark eyes staring at him. It was then that Adrien realized that, with the others all asleep, this was the first time Nico and he were ever technically alone together.
Be cool, he thought. Just be cool, damn you.
It was all for naught as Nico got up off the couch and went to sit next to Adrien, who let out a small happy squeak.
“Let’s talk,” Nico told Adrien, who fought to stop his entire body from shaking. “We’re sort of friends, right?”
Adrien winced a little but nodded eagerly, “Yep, friends, totally. I’m happy being friends. Yeah, friendship!” He waved his fist around in a small cheer and died a little inside as soon as he did it.
Why am I such a loser, he asked himself.
“Can I tell you something?”
“Yes, sure,” Adrien said. “Anything. Whatever you want. You can ask me anything too. I’ll probably say yes. I’ll defiantly say yes. Yes!”
Nico just gave him a small smile, “When I was just about your age, maybe a bit younger, I had a crush on this older guy Percy. I was ten when I met him. He was fourteen, almost fifteen. In my eyes, he was all my dreams come to life; a real-life Greek demi-god hero. He fought monsters, saved lives. I had the biggest crush on him instantly,” He told Adrien. “Not that I knew it then. I was too young. I was from a completely different time where things like a man liking a man just were okay, or… Or Legal. I didn’t handle it well. Even worse after my sister died and wrongly placed at least part of the blame of unfairly on him. It took me a long time to realize I never hated him, I hated myself. I only stopped hating myself when I realized and accepted I was gay. And a little bit in love with Percy.”
Adrien had no idea where this was going but he listened intensely. He always enjoyed listening to Nico whenever he told tales about his life as a demigod.
“Still I ended up doing a lot of stupid things,” Nico said. “Just to get his attention, to help him; to get him to fall for me back. A lot of stupid things.” He chuckled. “When I found out he was Bi, I thought I had a chance. But I didn’t. I never would’ve. Percy just saw me as a brother. I was too young for him. Way too young. There was no way Percy could’ve ever seen me like that. I accepted that. I moved on. I got over him. I even admitted to him about my crush; after telling him that he wasn’t my type. Asshole fell down laughing.”
Adrien laughed a bit.
“We’re still friends,” Nico added. “Great friends actually. And I’m glad. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”
The blond frowned and suddenly found the game board very interesting. Because, yes he did know why Nico was telling him this.
“You know I’m too told for you, right?” Nico asked quietly as to not wake up the others.
“Yeah,” Adrien nodded slowly, his throat felt a little dry, and his eyes stung. “I know. I kind of always knew.” He glanced at the Dungeons and Dragons, and a strange sense of hope-filled him. The blond shot the older dark-haired boy a smirk, “But I’m playing the long game.”
Adrien tried to be hopeful about it. Or least pretend to but…
Chat Galore: I just got my heartbroken.
Iron’s Kid: That Douchebag. I knew that weird death kid was no good!
Chat Galore: He’s not that bad. He said I’m too young for him. I get he’s trying to be a good guy but…
Iron’s Kid: It still hurts.
Chat Galore: Yep
Iron’s Kid: I get that. How about we watch Star Wars and make fun of Kylo Ren, that’ll make you feel better!
Chat Galore: I’ve seen less teen angst in my high school. The dude has problems!
And that’s what they did. They texted each other while watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens; sending each other stupid memes and jokes. And Adrien felt a lot better by the end it of it.
Chat Galore: Thanks for this btw. I think I really need this.
Iron’s Kid: No Problem
Iron’s Kid: And for what it’s worth, I’d never turn you down.
Adrien stared at that message for an hour, mentally screaming. Because… What. The. Hell.
Chat Galore: Oh be quiet! Lol
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
The next day, Adrien sent Iron’s Kid another request to meet. The answer was a simple: Not Yet. That was Fine. Adrien would wait.`
“You are not playing the long game, Adrien Agreste,” Chloe glared at him. “Do you hear me? I will not take this into my twenties.”
They had talked Adrien into ditching one of his many lessons and were hanging out downtown. Eating ice cream.
“But!”
“No!”
“I agree with her man,” Nino said, and Adrien gave him big green puppy dog eyes. “You can spend your life swooning over some guy. There’s other fish in the sea.”
“I don’t want fish,” Adrien complained. “I just someone to ride the Ferris Wheel with me!”
“Ferris Wheel?” Nino asked confused.
“Gay culture,” Chloe explained.
Marinette nodded, “We just mean that… You need to Get some more life skills. Learn how to talk to guys. Get cool!”
“I’m cool!” Adrien defended and was met with multiple snorts. “I am. I got my dad to let me have more freedom. I paint. I went to comic con last year. I ride the metro now. And I can talk guys. I’ve successfully learned how to be cool.”
Chloe smirked, “Okay, let's see how you react when you see him,” She looked over his shoulder. “Guy’s been checking you out since we got here.”
“I’m cool,” Adrien said as he casually glanced over his shoulder and saw just who was checking him out, he let out a series of nervous chuckles. And couldn’t stop.
The guy looked about his age, with dark hair and blue eyes, a jawline that was similar to ones Adrien’s had seen on Greek statues; and he had muscles, so many muscles. He sat on a park bench and was writing or sketching in a red notebook.
Nino shook his head, “Yeah you still need some lessons in cool.”
“Lesson one: go talk to him,” Chloe demanded.
Adrien’s eyes went wide, and he let out a squeak. “Nope! Can’t do it. Won’t do it!”
His friends shared a look, and Adrien suddenly fears for his life. He found himself all but pushed/carried over to the guy on the park bench. He struggled a bit. Suddenly when they got close enough, Adrien was pushed (By gleeful and vindictive looking Chloe, his official witch of an ex-best friend), right into park bench guy, who caught him at the last second. And Adrien found himself sitting in the lap of a virtual stranger.
“Hi?” Adrien offered weakly. “Me and my friends were just talking about you.”
The guy gave him a big smile, “I know,” He said. “I figured. I’m Jon.” He said with a southern American accent. “Jon Kent. And you can talk about me any time you want.”
“Adrien,” The blond laughed. “Adrien Agreste.”
“I like your laugh, Adrien.”
“I like your smile, Jon.”
Then Adrien’s phone started ringing. It was Nathalie and Adrien had to rush home. Mourning his chances of ever seeing Jon again. He was probably a tourist who’d be gone the next day, the blond figured.
Chat Galore: I have the worst luck with guys!
Iron’s Kid: I don’t know. I think you have better luck than you think.
Chat Galore: Lol. What’s up with you lately.
Iron’s Kid: Flash finally left me alone. All it took was a school field trip to my job. Suddenly I’m not a liar anymore!
Chat Galore: Oh I would’ve killed to his face, lol.
Iron’s Kid: It was basically the crying emoji.
Iron’s Kid: Oh yeah, I met this guy named Johnny; totally gorgeous, rides a motorcycle, and my dads’ hate him
Chat Galore: Last ones’s the best part, right?
Iron’s Kid: YES!!
The next morning Adrien and his friends were happily sitting in the back of the class. The other kids in the class ignored them as usual. Even Lila more or less pretended they didn’t exist. (Though she had been reluctant to let Adrien go and had made several attempts to get him under her thumb. Until Adrien got his dad to fire her under threat of dying his hair neon green, and wearing plaid, the one pattern his father hated above all others.)
They had entered a cold war with her. As long as she stopped trying to make their lives hell, they’d stop exposing trying to expose her.
Bustier was once again proving she had no control over her classroom as she struggled to teach a simple history lesson about the French Revolution. It didn’t make a lick of sense and Bustier tried way to hard to get the kids to relate on a personal level.
“History shows that bad things happen when you don’t know who you are,” Bustier said just as the classroom door opened and in walked two boys and a girl.
Adrien’s eyes went wide, and leaned over to Chloe, “Park bench guy!” He whispered.
“Foreign exchange students,” One of the boys said. He had dark hair, green eyes, olive skin, and a thoroughly unimpressed look on his handsome face. He wore a black turtle neck and slacks. “Damian Wayne, Gotham.”
“Lian Nguyen-Harper-Queen,” Said the girl. She had Auburn hair and gray eyes. Lian wore a pink headband, a pink cardigan over a white top and blue shorts.
“Hi I’m Jon Kent,” He said. Jon wore a red plaid shirt over a simple t-shirt and blue jeans. “I split my time between the Farm in Smallville and Metropolis.” He looked at the back of the classroom straight at Adrien. “And I’m happy to be here.”
Bustier nodded, “Welcome. Always happy to get new students! Let's find you some seats…” She looked around the room.
“OH! Damian can sit with me!” Lila waved her hand. “I’ll be happy to show him around.”
“Declined,” Damian simply said. “We’ll sit in the back.”
Alya leaned forward, “But Lila’s goes to Gotham and Metropolis all the time!” She said and didn’t notice the way Lila paled. She seemed to have forgotten Damian Wayne was apart of her many, many lies. “Damian, you showed her around last time she was there. You guys became such a good friend. She just wants to return the favor.”
Damian scoffed, “I’ve never seen this girl before in my life.”
Marinette smirked at Adrien, “You’re going to need to move. I have a new best friend.”
“Mean,” Adrien said. “But understandable. Still not moving.”
Jon and Damian sat in empty seats in front of Adrien and Marinette.
Jon turned around in his seat, “Hi.”
Adrien smiled shyly, “Hi.”
Then they just stared at each other.
Chloe let out a long-suffering sigh, “Oh this gonna be exhausting.”
Iron’s Kid: Best day EVER!!!
Chat Galore: SAME! What happened?
Iron’s Kid: Johnny asked me out!
Chat Galore: AWESOME!!!
Chat Galore: Park Bench Guy is in my class NOW!!!
Iron’s Kid: ‘High Five’ Maybe fate DOESN’T hate us.
Chat Galore: …
Chat Galore: …I swear to the Gods if you jinxed us
The two guys in class quickly joined the Adrien’s friends’ group. They blended in seamlessly like they were always there as the weeks went on. Before anyone knew it, they were pretty much attached to hips. Even going as far as joining family game night.
Through them; Damian, Lian, and Jon were able to get all the information they needed to survive Paris. The three had heard whispers of Hawkmoth but had been a little shocked when the Akuma alert went off and everyone had to duck for cover. After the third or fourth time, the new kids got used to it and easily swallowed the excuses Marinette, Adrien, Chloe, and Nino made about having to run off and go home during alerts.
Around the same time as the fourth akuma of the new semester hit, three new heroes arrived in Paris.
Well, new wouldn’t necessarily be the right word. They weren’t new heroes, they were just new to Paris.
Robin, Superboy, and Arrowette. They assisted in fighting back akuma that turned people into candy; a toddler whose mother refused to buy him sweets. Afterward, they explained that they would be in the city for quite some time, and would assist when they are able.
They didn’t reveal why they were there though. All Robin said was, “Justice League business.” And the Parisian heroes decided to leave it at that after offering to help if needed.
Paris went nuts over the arrival of the new heroes.
Alya cried in class when she found out Ladybug gave Aurore the exclusive interview about what was going on. Ladybug also publically endorsed Bugout, Aurore’s website, as the only reliable main source for credible information on the Parisian heroes. She didn’t say a word about Ladyblog, which was pretty much all anyone needed to know what they had already expected.
Ladybug hadn’t given an exclusive on the Ladybug blog in almost two years but now it was official…
The Ladyblog was out. Alya was out.
Time went on. The kids grew closer as friends. Jon and Adrien got closer as… Well, Adrien didn’t know.
He did know that his dad despised Jon because of time he picked Adrien up wearing a green plaid shirt but Gabriel wouldn’t admit it. Jon was the son of famous reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent, godson to Lex Luther. And Gabriel Agreste was anything but stupid.
“I miss my family,” Jon told Adrien one day while they were studying in the library. “All the time. But I guess also miss the pets I have.”
“I always wanted a dog,” Adrien said.
“In Smallville, I have twelve chickens,” Jon said. “Three horses, four pigs, two cows, and a dog.”
The blond nodded, “You win. Tell me about them.”
And Jon did. He told all about his life in Smallville and metropolis. And Adrien told him what it was like growing up in Paris and being a supermodel.
Adrien grinned, “I want to be a lawyer when I get older,” he told Jon. “I want to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves. Like I read about this law firm called Nelson and Murdock who take all these pro bono cases to help people who usually have no chance of winning against bigger, bad-er, and richer people. It gets really dangerous for them but they just keep helping. Because it’s the right thing to do. I want to do that too!”
“I think when I grow up…” Jon said slowly. “I want to be like my mom. She goes above and beyond to get her story; to find out what’s really going on in the world and reports it honestly. I want to do that too. I want to be an investigative journalist. I want to hunt down the truth. Because people deserve the truth, even if they don’t like it. I know the truth can be scary sometimes, and a bit sad. But They deserve to hear it. But I’ve probably said too much.” He laughed.
“No,” Adrien shook his head, and smiled, “Tell me more.”
Still the more their friendship and bonds of trust grew, the more Lila became frustrated. As far as she was concerned things just weren’t going her way. First, she lost her future as the world-famous fashion model Lila Rossi/Mrs. Adrien Agreste. Then Damian Waynes comes to town and won’t even look twice at her; too busy trailing after Miss Goody two-shoes. Then she finds out that Jon Kent is the son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, godson of Lex Luther, only AFTER she privately threatened to make his life hell for siding with Marinette. She didn’t bother to try to get close to Lian Queen, granddaughter of Oliver Queen, the girl had been glaring at her since the second she heard Lila tell her first lie.
So instead of The Italian girl, once again, tried to sow dissension in the class, tried to force Damian to sit next to her; loudly bragged about her trips and famous people she knew to get attention. Damian ignored her. Then she tried making Marinette look bad again; lied about how the bluenette was bullying her. It didn’t work. Damian was quick to point out inconsistencies in her tales.
That didn’t stop the class from believing them.
“Morons,” Damian called them one day after school.
“They’re not that bad,” Marinette tried.
“They kinda are, dudette,” Nino said. “I really expected Alya to catch on by now. But it’s like she doesn’t want to.”
Chloe scoffed, “Of course she doesn’t!” The blond sneered. “She betrayed her best friend, ditched her best friend, broke up with her boyfriend, pretty much led the charge in exiling us, spread Lila’s lies on her blog which included Lies about Ladybug. It’s not just admitting she was wrong.”
“It’s having to deal with consequences,” Lian agreed. “That Alya got herself into this mess. If Marinette and all us aren’t the bad guys in this, that means she is. That’s a hard pill to swallow.”
Jon shook his head, “I don’t understand why Lila lies so much,” he said. “Dad’s always told me honesty is the best policy.”
“You’re a long way from the farm, boy scout,” Damian tsk’d.
“Damian,” Marinette sighed and grabbed the boy’s hand and pulled him away.
Adrien snickered, “Those two are so into each other, it’s not even funny!”
“I know,” Jon laughed in agreement. “I’ve never seen Damian be so nice to anyone before. I’ve known him since we were in the sandbox, and he just stopped calling me Kent last year.”
“Yeah…” Chloe drawled. “Watching two people dance around each other for months, neither making a move. It’s the worst.”
“Waiting for one of them to finally make a move,” Nino said, “Literally. Kill. You. Inside.”
Lian nodded, “They like each other. Everyone knows they like each other. And Yet nothing. And we'll have no choice but watch and wait for them to pull their heads out of their asses,” She told them. “When all you want to scream is: hey, you two! Just freaking kiss already!”
“Yep the absolute worst,” Nino repeated.
Then Lian, Chloe, and Nino stared blatantly at Jon and Adrien who merely shrugged.
“Damian will make a move soon,” Jon assured.
“I’ll try to get Marinette to say something,” Adrien promised.
“…I hate you,” Chloe said.
Adrien gave her another confused look. Because what did he do wrong now?
Chat Galore: Dude!
Iron’s Kid: Dude!
Chat Galore: I need Hufflepuff support now!
Iron’s Kid: …Crap, I never told you Pottermore sorted me into Gryffindor, did i?
Chat Galore: WHAT!
Chat Galore: Traitor. Never talk to me again
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
“How do I look?” Marinette asked as she twirled around in the living room. She wore a soft pink dress. Her hair was down and slightly curved. She looked like a princess from a fairytale.
“Flawless,” Adrien said, for the tenth time. “Why am I here?”
Marinette narrowed her eyes at him, “Because!” She said. “You’re my bestie. I have my first real date. Chloe’s shopping with Lian. Nino won’t answer my calls. I need you here!”
“Take a deep breath, Mari!” Adrien told her. “You look absolutely beautiful. Damian’s already head over heels for you, and the way you look is gonna make his purpose.”
The bluenette blushed a lovely pink, “Shut up!”
The door opened, and in walked Nico, “Looking lovely, niece,” He said. “Big date tonight, huh?”
“Yes,” Marinette sighed dreamily. “He’ll be here soon.”
Nico smirked, “Good. Don’t worry, I’ll only threaten him a little.”
“Nico!”
The dark-haired boy chuckled before flopping down on the couch. “Hey, Adrien.”
Adrien felt his mind go a little mushy. He never quite got over his crush on the older boy. At least not yet.
The two still hung out every now and then, still always with Marinette. Nico frequently split his time between New York and Paris. So Adrien didn’t see him that often, though Nico had been around to wish Adrien a happy 16th birthday.
Adrien tried to play it cool, but ended up sitting in awkwardly in the recliner, “Hey Nico!” His voice squeaked, and once more Adrien wanted to die.
The doorbell rang.
Damian brought Marinette a dozen red roses, let himself be mildly threatened by Nico, endured the massive amount of pictures Tom and Sabine took and ignored Adrien’s snickering in the background. Then the two love birds were gone. Sabine and Tom went to go finish closing the bakery for the night. And then it was just Adrien and Nico.
“So,” Nico said as he put his feet on the couch. “What are you doing tonight, Blond Wonder? Any plans?”
Adrien shook his head, “Not really,” Jon was visiting his parents. Nino was watching his siblings. “I’ll just go home and watch Bleach. Or something.” Stuff his mouth with the hidden box of Oreos he had.
“Why don’t you hang out with me?” Nico offered. “The Maltese Falcon at the old theater on 3rd street. It’s your favorite right?”
Adrien nodded eagerly, “Me and my Mom used to watch it all the time.”
The two had a great time at the movie theater and ended up staying to watch another movie. They laughed. They ate lots of overpriced junk food. They talked. And Adrien finally managed to have a non-blushing, stammering, mind mushed, conversation with Nico. It was still just a bit awkward but it was not the cause of something either of them did.
At the end, Nico walked Adrien to the front door of his house.
“It’s weird,” Nico said, “But I kind of always forget how great it is hanging out with you.”
Adrien shrugged, “You’re not too bad yourself,” Then he smirked, “Though you’d probably be happier if you add some color to your wardrobe. Do own anything that’s not the color of sadness?”
Nico barked a laugh, “I am the son of Hades,” He defended himself. “It’s our aesthetic, okay. And we all can’t be made from rainbows and sunshine.”
“Excuses.”
The dark-haired boy shook his head, and smirked at Adrien, “This was fun. We should do it again sometime.” He said as he backed away.
“Yeah,” Adrien smiled. “Go to the beach, see what happens when you go out in the daylight. Even money, you burst into flames.
Nico chuckled as he turned around, “Goodnight, Sunshine.”
“Night, Twilight!”
“You’re dead to me!” Nico called back.
Ladybug and Chat Noir and the other Parisian heroes got used to the Three Justice League sidekicks appearing out of nowhere and assisting in battle. It had been strange at first; a little tense. Mostly due to Robin interrogating them every chance he got. Arrowette glaring menacingly at them. Even Superboy was a bit intimidating. Still, they never revealed why there in Paris.
During this time, Adrien and Jon became much better friends. And the blond started to suspect that Jon would prefer to just stay friends with him.
Iron’s Kid: Johnny and Me are over.
Chat Galore: Ouch. What happened?
Iron’s Kid: ‘Dramatic Sigh’ we’re just too different, you know?
Chat Galore: Different is not always bad. You really liked him, right?
Chat Galore: And did you actually type ‘Dramatic Sigh’, you dramatic bitch?
Iron’s Kid: I like that he was different at first. But we barely had anything in common. We were fire in and ice. Sure it is steamy at first but when the steam is gone…
Iron’s Kid: And yes I did
Chat Galore: You okay?
Iron’s Kid: I’m fine. I just realized I want someone I can talk to about everything and nothing.
Chat Galore: Someone to geek out over Star Trek with, and go to when you need a shoulder to lean on.
Iron’s Kid: Someone who’d stay up all night talking just because he wants to be there for me.
Chat Galore: Dating shouldn’t be this hard
Iron’s Kid: It’ll only get harder.
Chat Galore: Shut. Up.
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
For Marinette’s sixteenth birthday, she had a party. It was much bigger than she wanted, but not smaller than her friends tried to make it. The bluenette was always there for them, and they wanted to remind her how special was.
However, for the first time, Adrien was pleased to say, he was not the one trying to overdue everything to the extreme. Chloe was pleased that she wasn’t the one making the party planner cry whenever she called them. Nino was pleased that he wasn’t the one to be overly critical of the musical entertainment for being just a bit subpar.
No! That was Damian Wayne.
And unlike Marinette’s best friends, Marinette’s boyfriend’s craziness could not be contained.
The party was huge. There were hundreds of balloons. Everyone was wearing fanciest party clothes. There were hundreds of balloons. Gourmet food. All of Marinette’s friends, close acquaintances, and anyone who loved and or adored her had shown up. Jagged had come. Cara Nightingale did a surprise performance.
Adrien had a blast. His friends found out that while the blond boy had lessons in practically everything, dance wasn’t one of them. He was a terrible dancer. Laughably bad. Still, everyone had fun. Nino danced in a giant glow in the dark dinosaur costume.
Then Marinette, Adrien, Nino, Chloe got on stage and sang Born to Brave from High School Musical: The Series. Damian, Jon, and Lian joined them. The crowd sang with. Bubbles filled the air. It was exhilarating.
So much so that Adrien stepped out to take a small break. He sat on a white wood bench outside, looking up at the stars, and let the cool brisk night air relax him. Even from where he sat, he could still hear music playing from the party.
“Needed a breather,” Jon asked as he sat down next to Adrien.
“Parties,” Adrien shrugged. “They can be a bit much.”
Jon shifted in his seat, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess.”
Then Blue eyes met green…
And then everything suddenly felt really the world was holdings breath. Adrien had no idea where the tension came from but it was there. And it was like he was waiting for some imaginary bubble to burst. And Adrien just… Ugh!
He glanced down at his hands, suddenly not knowing what to do with them. He was also intensely aware of every millimeter Jon so much as moved. In fact, Adrien was aware of everything, including how many times he was blinking.
“This kind of reminds me of how we met,” Adrien finally blurted.
Jon cast him a curious look but nodded, “Yeah, the park bench, right?”
“Mmhmm.”
There it went quiet.
“Why are parties a bit much?” Jon asked.
“Not all parties,” Adrien said. “Just the ones my dad usually drags me to. Everyone is always overly polite while giving backhanded compliments; they pretend to be nice but they don’t mean it. No one’s straight forward. I don’t know why it is so hard.”
“It’s not!” Jon turned to him. “Let’s try it now. Hi, I’m Jon and…” He took two plugs out of his ears, “…I wear earplugs because I can’t handle loud noises sometimes.”
Adrien chuckled, “Hi. I’m Adrien. And apparently, I’m a terrible dancer.”
“God Awful!”
“Hey!”
Jon laughed, “My little Pony is one my favorite shows.
“I once had an imaginary friend named Phineas!”
“I like fried broccoli!”
“I like fried Oreos.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Oh because fried broccoli so much better.”
“Hey, being straight forward here!” Jon defended. “I like raining days over sunny.”
Adrien smiled, “I like you,” he took a deep breath. “Like really like you.” He glanced down and then back up at Jon and tried to be brave. “Like I the way I thought you might’ve used to like me but don’t anymore.”
“Really?” Jon asked looking just a bit stunned. “How very straight forward of you.”
Adrien stood up quickly, slightly panicked, “That’s it. That’s all I wanted to say. If you don’t like me anymore, I get it.” He said. “I… I just really wanted you to tell you. Even if you change your mind.”
“Adrien,” Jon said, standing up too, facing the blond. “I’ve never changed my mind.” Then he leaned forward and kissed Adrien. “I really like you too.”
Adrien and Jon held hands as they walked back into the party.
Later, after the party ended, Adrien would tell Marinette, Chloe, and Nino about his first kiss, and go partially death from Marinette and Chloe’s screams.
Chat Galore: You know what I like?
Chat Galore: Life!
Iron’s Kid: Things going good then?
Chat Galore: Jon kissed me. My grades are perfect. My dad’s letting me cut back on modeling.
Iron’s Kid: Awesome! You’ve need a break.
Chat Galore: We need a happy song!
Iron’s Kid: We. Do. Not.
Chat Galore: We need a happy song so when we can sing the happy song when we’re happy.
Iron’s Kid: We will never have a happy song.
Iron’s Kid: That’s more of a Hufflepuff thing
Chat Galore: I’d be offended if it wasn’t true!
Adrien’s life really was going great. He became good friends with Nico. Lila’s lies in the class were starting to unravel, and she was quickly losing her supporters. Jon and him were sort of, kind of, officially dating. The sun was shining. Rainbows were everywhere.
…He should’ve known it wouldn’t last forever.
Adrien got a 911 group text from Chloe; with like a dozen exclamation points and several frowny faces so he knew it was serious.
When he got to Chloe’s place, he found Marinette and Nino already waiting on the couch, while Chloe paced the floor. Adrien joined on the couch.
“Okay,” Marinette said. “We’re all here. What’s up? What’s the emergency?”
“They’re spies,” Chloe hissed, rage clear on her face. “Lian, Jon, Damian; they’ve been spying on us all this time.”
“What? Dude, no way!” Nino shook his head. “They’re our friends. Lian hates traitors!”
“Damian would never!” Marinette denied. “He loves me. I love him.”
Adrien agreed, “They’d never do that us. Jon couldn’t. He’s like the most honest kid ever.”
Chloe picked up a nearby face and smashed against the wall, “They’re two-faced lying little creeps.” She yelled. Though it was clear she was angry, they could also see the hurt clear in the blonde’s eyes.
“Chloe…” Marinette started slowly but was cut off.”
“Lian is Arrowette!” Chloe growled. “Jon’s Superboy. And I’ll give you one big fat guess who Damian is. And for the record he is not as wonderful as his nickname implies.”
Pollen flew out from wherever she was hiding, “It’s true!” She said. “I saw them myself. They are the American heroes.”
“Pollen followed them,” Chloe explained. “She saw everything. They’ve been following us. Reporting intel to the Justice League all about us. That’s why they’re here. That’s why they got close to us. They know we’re heroes!”
Horror and understandingly slowly crept over Nino, Marinette, and Adrien’s faces.
Pollen nodded eagerly, “They have reports all about your lives in and out of the mask. It's very detailed.”
Adrien was glad he was sitting down because he felt like the floor has disappeared under his feet. Shakily, he stood up, “I need too…” He shook his head. “I have too…” He couldn’t finish his sentence instead he just ran from the room.
And kept running and running.
Until he found himself standing in front of the apartment where Jon, Lian, and Damian lived. He stared at the olive green door as if he didn’t recognize it. As if he hadn’t been there, in that same spot, standing in front of that door, a hundred times before.
He closed his eyes and he knocked.
Jon opened the door, “Adrien!” He had a large grin on his face that slowly disappeared when he saw the look on the blond boy’s face.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure, yeah!” Jon moved out of the way to let Adrien pass. “Is everything okay?”
Adrien walked into the living room and saw Damian and Lian sitting on the couch, “Go see Marinette,” He ordered Damian. “If you want any chance of saving your relationship, if you ever really loved her like you said you; you will go see Her. Right. Now.”
That was all Damian needed to here to fly out of the room.
Adrien turned to Lian, “I need to speak with Jon alone, please,” He said as politely as possible. “I would suggest going to go speak with Nino and Chloe.”
Lian frowned but nodded and left the room.
“Adrien, what’s going on?” Jon asked again. “You’re scaring me.”
Adrien let out a shorter bitter laugh, “I’m going to ask you three questions, and I need to be honest with me, okay? Is your name Jon Kent?
“Yes,” Jon stated firmly. “Jonathan Kent Lane.”
“Are we friends?”
“Of course!”
Adrien nodded and swallowed the lump that was building in his throat, “Why did you really come to Paris?”
Jon frowned, “I’m here on a foreign exchange-” Adrien cut him off.
“Don’t lie to me, Superboy!”
The boy of Steel flinched back.
“Tell me it isn’t true!” Adrien all but begged. “Tell me you didn’t come here to spy on Chat Noir and Ladybug and everyone else. Tell me this wasn’t all a big lie. Tell me you weren’t using me for information. Tell me! Tell me wrong I’m, please.”
“Adrien…” Jon whispered, pain on his face. “I’m sorry.”
That was Adrien needed to here. “All this time. You… I thought… Was any of it real? Was anything you ever told me real? Do I even know you?” He asked. “
“The Justice League was concerned about Hawkmoth,” Jon tried to explain. “They received intelligence that Ladybug and Chat Noir were teenagers, and wanted to know more. They sent us.”
Adrien just stared at him, “I like you,” He said. “I really liked you. You were my friend, Did you do all just because you were ordered to?”
“No!” Jon nodded, “I swear. I’d never do that to you, to anyone.”
“But you thought it was okay to kiss me,” Adrien said “To date me! When I had no idea who you are really?”
Jon tossed his hands in the air, “You know who I am. Nothing’s changed. I’m still the same guy. I’m still me!”
“Everything’s changed!” Adrien yelled. “I’m questioning everything. Everything I’ve ever said to you, everything we ever did together!” His entire body shook. “You were sent to get close to us. You were sent to get close to me. To. Get. Information.”
It went quiet. Neither knowing what to say.
“…That day in the park,” Adrien whispered. “You were on the bench and Chloe thought you were checking me out. You weren’t, were you? You were watching me, us. Gathering intel. Weren’t you?”
Jon looked away, “…Yeah, I was.”
You knew I was Chat Noir even then?”
“I did.”
Adrien nodded, “It’s been a lie since the beginning,” He clenched his fists. “In the library, you told me that people deserve the truth. I believed in you. I trusted you. I told you things I’ve haven’t even told people who’ve known my entire life. Because I trusted you. I trusted you were honest and good and you would tell me the truth. Why didn’t I deserve the truth?”
He looked up at the mantle that was covered in pictures of people that Adrien knew as friends and family of Jon, Damian, and Lian, and at all of the pictures of Chloe, Nino, Adrien, and Marinette together with the three; laughing and smiling. And it hurt to look at it. “You’ve been here for almost a year. You three pretended to be our friends, to care, for almost a year.”
“It wasn’t pretend. Or a lie,” Jon looked ready to cry. “You are our friends!”
Adrien ran a hand through his hair, “Then Why? If we were your friends, why?”
Jon shrugged, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. Everything was so complicated. We were never supposed to be here this long. It was our first big mission. The first mission JL trusted us to handle alone. I could give you a thousand excuses but I know they wouldn’t be good enough.”
“They wouldn’t be,” Adrien agreed. “They aren’t. They never will be.”
It went silent again. Jon and Adrien just stared at each other.
“You weren’t sent to get close us,” Adrien repeated. “Not just learn about Hawkmoth. But you were specifically sent to get close us; learn who we are as heroes and as civilians. Hawkmoth was a bonus. But you were sent for Ladybug and Chat Noir and Queen Bee and Carapace. Right?”
Jon looked down, away from Adrien’s soul-piercing gaze, and admitted, “You were the mission.”
Adrien closed his eyes, stood up straight, and with every ounce of control he could muster, he calmly said, “Goodbye, Jon.”
“I never meant to hurt you,” Jon said.
“That doesn’t really matter, because, in the end, it all hurts the same,” Adrien replied and left.
For the next few hours, Jon saying, “You were the mission,” Kept echoing in Adrien’s head on a loop.
Not long after leaving Jon’s place, Adrien would find himself in Marinette’s room, letting the bluenette cry her eyes out into his shoulder, shedding his own tears too. Chloe would arrive next with bloodshot eyes, and cuddle next to them. Nino, just after her, looking like a wreck and would take the spot next to Adrien.
It would be hours before they’d calm themselves down. But it wouldn’t be until the next day that any of them managed to ask what they should next.
Chloe spitefully suggested kicking them out of Paris.
Nino agreed halfheartedly.
Adrien was fine with just ignoring them. At least he hoped that he could. He would try really, really hard to.
Marinette didn’t say a word. Instead, she just let them talk with a faraway look on her face.
In the end, it wouldn’t matter.
By Monday, Jon, Damian, and Lian would be gone. Bustier would announce that the exchange program ended.
And Adrien would find himself frequently staring at Jon’s empty seat.
Chat Galore: So it turns out… Jon’s a big jerk
Chat Galore: He wasn’t who I thought he was.
Chat Galore: It’s complicated but to summarize he’s a jerk.
Iron’s Kid: Screw Prince Charming if he turned out to be a warty, jerky frog.
Iron’s Kid: You deserve better.
Chat Galore: To quote Gabriella Montez: Now I know you're not a fairy tale And dreams were meant for sleeping And wishes on a star Just don't come true
Iron’s Kid: Crap, you're quoting high school musical. You're really hurting, aren’t you.
Iron’s Kids: Want to watch shitty Disney Channel movies and talk?
Chat Galore: …Yes.
Three months, two weeks, six days, nine hours, and twelve minutes. That was how long it took for Adrien to move on. For all of them to move on from the sense of betrayal.
Iron’s Kid: YOU STILL HAVEN’T WATCHED PRINCESS BRIDE
Chat Galore: It doesn’t seem like that good of a movie
Iron’s Kid: ‘Insulted Gasp’ How. Dare. YOU!
Chat Galore: You still have watched Vampire Diaries!
Iron’s Kid: I have taste!
It took almost three weeks for Chloe to stop growling whenever someone mentioned Damian, Jon, or Lian’s name.
Iron’s Kid: I might need to hide out in Paris for a while
Chat Galore: Did you blow up your dad’s lab again?
Iron’s Kid: Worse!
Chat Galore: You superglue legos to your Pop’s shield again.
Iron’s Kid: That was an accident. They were supposed to come right off. And it's worse.
Chat Galore: Melt another hole in your living room floor?
Iron’s Kid: So. SO much worse.
Chat Galore: You didn’t call Natasha fat did you?
Iron’s Kid: Never that bad
Iron’s Kid: I may or may not have caused MJ’s laptop to crash
Chat Galore: … Shit
Chat Galore: Not even the gods could save you.
A month for Marinette to not look like she wanted to cry when she thought about Damian.
Chat Galore: I’ve decided to learn to cook
Iron’s Kid: Sweet
Chat Galore: Just think One day you will try my cooking.
Iron’s Kid: Sorry, Can’t I’m on a new diet.
Chat Galore: WHAT DIET?
Iron’s Kid: Photosynthesis
Two months for Nino to redownload all the songs he deleted because Lian recommended them.
Iron’s Kid: Archie is one of my best friends
Chat Galore: *doing the Fortnite dance*
Iron’s Kid: I lied I don’t know you
Three months for Adrien to be able to sit in the park and not think about Jon.
Iron’s Kid: I think are MJ and Shure are laughing at me
Chat Galore: Don't be so paranoid
Iron’s Kid: They're pointing at me and laughing.
In the fourth month, things are pretty much the same as they ever were. Though everyone picked up the habit of pretending they didn’t know Marinette started texting Damian again. Eventually, the gang was okay when Marinette announced she was seeing Damian again; even if they, themselves, decided not to deal with the American heroes.
Chat Galore: I really thought 2020 would be a great year!!!
Iron’s Kid: …WWIII was trending in the first week of January.
Time went on. Adrien went on dates, had fun, had a boyfriend or two. He grew up a bit, and kind of understood the position Jon had been in better. And then he wasn’t so angry. Still, a bit hurt though.
Iron’s Kid: I’m sending good vibes your way, they’re coming and there is nothing you can do to stop the
Chat Galore: that is the most threatening way I’ve ever been cheered up.
By the time summer hit, Adrien decided to take a step back from love and romance and just focus on himself. He finally told his dad his wanted to be a Lawyer, and to his surprise, his dad helped him get a summer internship at a prestigious law firm.
Chat Galore: I’ve decided if I kill Lila, I’ll make it look like an accident.
Chat Galore: Unlike Chloe who has plans to mount her head on the balcony like a warning to the next that may come
Iron’s Kid: How will you make it look like an accident?
Chat Galore: I have a crowbar and a banana.
Iron’s Kid: Quick request: Go look up accident in the dictionary.
He quit modeling because he never really liked it. He found out he liked to paint and was pretty good at it. He tried and failed to learn how to dance.
He did learn to surf.
Adrien hung out a lot with Nico, who had become a good friend.
By the time summer ended, the gang was back on speaking terms with Damian, Lian, and Job. Mostly at Marinette’s behest. She and Damian were going strong. And she really wanted everyone to forgive and forget and be friends.
Chloe just agreed to be civil.
Nino agreed to try being friends again after the three apologized.
Adrien, mostly out of love for his all but sister Marnette, put his best foot forward and start over with them – even Jon. They agreed to be friends. Just friends.
Iron’s Kid: I don’t have a nervous system.
Iron’s Kid: I am a nervous system.
Chat Galore: I’m a Scorpio!
Their final year of school started with a bang. Next year they would all be off at University. And by Bang, Adrien meant Alya knocking Lila the fuck out during the first week.
Lila had told the one lie Alya couldn’t just live in denial with.
“I told Ladybug, I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Lila sighed, “I already have so many medical issues. I couldn’t be Rene Rouge anymore. Ladybug was devasted.”
Then the entire class heard Lila scream, and the thing they knew Alya was on top of Lila beating the hell out of her, screaming, “You lying little WITCH!!”
Chat Galore: ‘Video Sent’
Iron’s Kid: Lila’s the girl on the floor right?
Chat Galore: Alya SNAPPED
Lila transferred out of the school Alya transferred out of class. No one got an apology. Adrien didn’t know why he was still a little surprised.
Outside of school, Adrien was pleased to say the gang’s friendship with Jon, Lian, and Damian was back to full force. Even Chloe greeted the three warmly.
Once Adrien decided to move passed any lingering romantic feelings for Jon, they managed to have a pretty good friendship. Even the Superboy and Chat Noir team-ups were going well.
Chat Galore: what should I be for Halloween this year?
Iron’s Kid: a vampire, Batman, my boyfriend, Superman
Adrien laughs until everything processed in his mind.
Chat Galore: What?
He didn’t get a reply. And Adrien figured it was just autocorrected. But still… his mind couldn’t help but wonder. Just a bit… What if?
A while ago, he had vaguely considered that maybe him and Iron’s Kid had something, could possibly be…
In the middle of Winter break, Adrien got the best gift he could’ve ever asked for.
Iron’s Kid: I’ve been thinking
Chat Galore: Well that can’t end well
Iron’s Kid: Have you and MJ been talking behind my back
Iron’s Kid: Wait don’t answer that. I’m afraid to know
Iron’s Kid: Ned made a point the today
Adrien waited for Iron’s Kid to elaborate more, because what?
Iron’s Kid: I’ve been stupid.
Chat Galore: Ned makes a good point, lol
Iron’s Kid: WHAT I’m TRYING TO say is; I trust you
Adrien smiled as his phone.
Iron’s Kid: We’ve been friends since we were like 11
Iron’s Kid: I want to meet
Iron’s Kid: I want to know what you look like.
Adrien agreed instantly. Because he’s been waiting for like six years. They agreed to meet up that spring. Iron’s Kid’s was going on a trip to Europe for his spring break. It was just going to be him and a few classmates who were in the same club as him. Iron’s Kid said everyone else in their grade was looking forward to the Big Senior Ski Trip at the Brown Bear Ski Lodge that happened every year.
Adrien had family in England. They would meet at six pm at the London’s Eye.
Chat Galore: I always figured you were secretly a werewolf and knew we’d automatically be enemies.
Iron’s Kid: Wait, why would we be enemies?
Iron’s Kid: Oh You’re a Cat!
Chat Galore: And You’re supposed to be a genius.
Iron’s Kid: Meow!
Adrien’s seventeenth birthday came and went without any fireworks; metaphorical ones anyway. His party was huge.
He also met the Justice League and got to watch Chloe cuss out the greatest heroes in the world for the invasion of privacy. Marinette, Adrien, and Nino just watched with smiles on their faces.
He was counting down the days. Until he and Iron’s Kid finally met. It was strange to think it was really going to happen.
Chat Galore: Would you say you’re an independent person?
Iron’s Kid: MJ told me to say to yes.
Chat Galore: Stop being weird.
Iron’s Kid: As you wish.
Adrien chuckled.
“What?” Marinette asked. He showed her the text. “It kind of funny.
“Not the Mj thing,” Adrien shook his head. “Iron’s Kid always says ‘As You wish’ whenever I tell him to do something. It’s weird.”
“…Like in Princess Bride,” Marinette asked.
Adrien shrugged, “Never seen it. It’s one of Iron’s favorite though. Irritates him that I refuse to watch it. But I won’t until he watches the Vampire Diaries.”
Marinette stared at him, “And Iron’s Kid says ‘As you Wish’ every time.”
“Yep.”
“Adrien, WATCH. THAT. MOVIE,” Marinette ordered a firm look on her face.
Adrien pointed at her, “No!” He said firmly. “It goes against my principles.” She shot him a curious look. “I have a duty to annoying Iron’s Kid in any way I can.”
The bluenette nodded understandingly, a small smile on her face, “Makes sense,” She said. “I totally accept your reasoning.”
Adrien smiled happily… Like a fool.
In retrospect, he should’ve known Marinette would never back down that easily.
And that was how he ended up literally hogtied on the couch, the Princess Bride playing on the TV, with a smug Chloe and a gleeful Marinette next to him. Nino watched from the recliner with an easy grin on his face.
“You’ve could’ve helped!” Adrien complained to his friend.
Nino shrugged, “I did help!” He defended. “…Them.”
Adrien sighed and allowed himself to watch the movie; he fully knows two things.
One; there was no way he was getting out of this
Two; Iron’s Kid was never going to let him live this down.
The movie was actually pretty good. But then…
The scene played…
Grandpa: Nothing gave Buttercup as much pleasure as ordering Westley around.
Buttercup: Farm boy, polish my horse's saddle. I want to see my face shining in it by morning.
Westley: As you wish.
Grandpa: "As you wish" was all he ever said to her.
Buttercup: Farm boy, fill these with water - please.
Westley: As you wish.
Grandpa: That day, she was amazed to discover that when he was saying "As you wish," what he meant was, "I love you." And even more amazing was the day she realized she truly loved him back.
Buttercup: Farm boy ... fetch me that pitcher.
Westley: As you wish.
Adrien’s mind went blank. His heart started beating faster than it ever had before. It couldn’t mean…
Iron’s kid didn’t mean…
Right?
But what if he did.
Adrien always sort of held a small torch for his penpal. And he never had any concrete evidence that said he felt the same. And he was waiting until he did.
But what if Iron’s Kid was waiting too. What if he was waiting for Adrien to finally say something; to finally get his message.
Chat Galore: So…
Iron’s Kid: So… Did we agree to stop sending cryptic messages
Chat Galore: We did not
Chat Galore: So I finally watched Princess Bride
Iron’s Kid: YES!!!!!!!!! Finally!!! Fuck yeah! Tell you me loved it.
Chat Galore: It was good, you freaking loser
Iron’s Kid: It’s amazing. It’s a classic you asshat
Chat Galore: Learned something interesting though
Chat Galore: ‘As you wish’, huh? You say a lot
Chat Galore: To me.
Adrien stared as his phone waiting for a reply. It came after ten minutes.
Iron’s Kid: I do.
Chat Galore: Does it mean what it's supposed to.
Another five minutes, and it felt agony.
Iron’s Kid: It does
Adrien screamed a little
Chat Galore: Are you seriously just going to give me two-word answers? Why didn’t just you tell me
Iron’s Kid: In a way I sort of did
Adrien glared at the phone.
Chat Galore: You are the most frustrating person to ever exist!!!!!!
Iron’s Kid: Thank you
Adrien took a deep breath before dialing, “You suck!” He said as soon as it answered.
“I told you to watch the movie,” Iron’s kid defended.
Adrien gripped his hair, “You don’t tell someone you love them by using some obscure 80s movie reference!” He snapped. “How hard would it be to say: Iron’s Kid, I’m pretty sure I’ve been in love with you since we were twelve-years-old.”
It went quiet as both processed what Adrien just said.
“…That’s oddly specific,” Iron’s kid whispered.
Adrien took a deep breath, “Yeah it is.” He said. He was forcing himself to be brave, braver than he ever had before. “But its how I feel. And I can’t help that.”
“I love you too,” Iron’s kid said. “And I’ve loved you since the first time stayed up talking while Binge-watching Harry Potter. It was the first time I realized you know me best in the entire world, and you don’t even know my real name. I could be honest with you in a way I can’t be with anyone. If I could dream up the perfect guy, he wouldn’t even come close to you.”
“Boys meets world,” Adrien let out a small laugh, that sounded a bit more like a sob. “Most of my life I felt alone, even when I was with people. That was until I met you.”
“Pretty little liars,” Iron’s Kid stated.
“In a few weeks, we’re finally gonna meet.”
“I’ll be there,” Iron’s kid said. “I swear.”
Adrien smiled, “Good because I’ve been waiting for six years. And I know this is scary, but I will be there. Don’t let me down.”
“I won’t,” He promised.
Valentine’s day came and went.
Adrien was literally marking off the days on the calendar. The trip was all planned already; Nino, Chloe, and Marinette were tagging along.
Iron’s Kid and Adrien talked every day.
“Okay if you sigh dreamily one more...” Nico teased.
Adrien flushed a bright pink, “I’m finally gonna meet Iron’s Kid.”
“Ahh,” Nico nodded understandingly. “The mysterious penpal. It’s been what seven years?”\
“Six,” Adrien corrected. “Feels like twice that. We like each other,” He admitted. “Like really, really each other. We told each other a few weeks ago.’
Nico frowned, “Just before meeting each other. Sounds like a lot of pressure. You ready for that?”
The blond took a deep breath, “Yeah, I think so. It’s time. It’s going to be perfect. We’re gonna meet at London’s eyes, under the stars; it’ll be like a movie.”
“Your Ferris wheel moment,” Nico concluded. “Marinette told me,” The older boy explained. “Just… be careful okay.”
“I will be.”
Nico gave him a hard look, “I’m serious. I know you. You’re all in. You always are,” he said. “Just don’t build this some more than you should. Don’t go in thinking it’ll be this picture-perfect movie moment. I don’t want to see you let down.” He told Adrien. “You’re my friend. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Adrien gave him a small smile, “I don’t care if the Ferris wheel is broken when I get there. Or its raining cats and dogs. It’ll be perfect.”
“Just be careful,” Nico repeated.
The big day came. Adrien arrived in England on late Thursday with a stomach full of butterflies. Iron’s Kid had texted that he had been in London with his friends for a few days and that he couldn’t wait to see Adrien.
Iron’s Kid: I have brown hair. I’ll be wearing black slacks, and a rose lapel flower pin.
It wasn’t the first time the blond had been to England; he had more than a few photoshoots there. Yet somehow it all felt different. It all felt new. And it was like he was looking at everything again for the first time.
He was to meet Iron’s Kid on Saturday at 6 pm. And he could barely contain himself
He spent most of the Friday touring with his friends. They went to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The British Museum; standard tourist spots. And eating really, really British cuisine.
Adrien woke up bright and early on Saturday and pretty much had a panic attack. It took Nino twenty minutes to calm him down. However, even when he was breathing normally again, Adrien was adamant about running back to Paris. That was when Nino called in Marinette and Chloe as reinforcements.
“If I have to drag to London’s Eye by your tacky boyband haircut,” Chloe growled. “I will.”
Marinette tried the nice route, “Everything’s going to be fine,” She assured.
Chloe huffed, “I didn’t come all the way to London so you can be a little bitch.”
“You are so hostile,” Nino complained.
“What if this a mistake?” Adrien asked. “What if he’s disappointed? What if he takes one look at me, and is ‘You? I waited six years, and I get you. Waste of time.”
“That won’t happen!” Marinette said. “He’s gonna love you. He already does!”
Nino nodded, “Yeah. You two are practically soulmates.”
“No!” Chloe held up a finger. “Listen to me clearly, Adrien Agreste; Just because he likes the same nerdy crap you do doesn't mean he's your soul mate. And if it doesn’t work out, not that it won’t, you will be just fine.”
Marinette sighed, “No matter what happens everything is going to be okay.” She said firmly. “But you should really change that blazer. It’s not doing you any favors. Then we’re going to get breakfast and go to the museum. You have 11 hours until you have to be at the London’s eye. You’re going to relax until.”
“While we stop you from fleeing the country,” Nino yawned tiredly.
That had to stop Adrien at least three times. One time Ladybug actually had appeared to pick Adrien up when he was halfway to the airport. This was all before one pm.
The blond boy managed to calm down after that. Then he went back to bursting with excitement. He was still afraid but he couldn’t let that stop him. Adrien has been waiting six years to meet Iron’s Kid, to meet Iron’s Kid.
He arrived at the London’s eye, half an hour before six. He wore a silver suit Marinette had designed for him.
Adrien took calming breaths. Marinette rolled her eyes as she fixed his tie, “See? This isn't so bad. You look amazing.”
“Are you kidding?” He gave her a nervous smile, “He traveled over three thousand miles to me. Any second now he's gonna get here, look at me and go, "Ha. Yeah, right, you're so not worth this.”
Marinette gave him a hard look, “Yes, you are.” She patted his chest. “Take a lot of pictures. Text if you need anything.”
And then she was gone.
Adrien texted Iron’s Kid.
Chat Galore: I’m here. Blond; silver suit.
The blond looked up at the London’s eyes, the biggest Ferris wheel had ever seen, and knew this was it. This was the moment Adrien had been waiting for. He smiled.
When six pm came, Adrien was practically bursting at the seams. He was literally shaking in excitement. He watched the people go by and held his breath every time he saw a guy his age with brown hair but would frown when he didn’t see the rose lapel pin.
Chat Galore: You here yet?
Six turned into seven. The sun had gone down. The stars were shining. Everything looked so perfect. Adrien was sure Iron’s Kid was on his way.
Chat Galore: If your running late it’s cool. I’ll wait.
Seven turned into eight. Adrien refused to give up hope. He would wait no matter how long it took.
Iron’s Kid was worth it.
Chat Galore: Still here.
Chat Galore: Did something come up?
Eight turned into nine. The London’s eye closed. People started leaving. Adrien texted his friends that he was fine.
He wasn’t feeling as hopeful as he did a few hours ago. But he’d wait.
Chat Galore: Still waiting.
Chat Galore: Well past feeling just a little pathetic.
Nine turned into ten. Hope kind of then.
Chat Galore: Still here. Still waiting.
Chat Galore: What happened?
Chat Galore: Just say something!
Ten turned to eleven. Adrien didn’t even know why he was still waiting.
Chat Galore: Anything! Please!
A quarter to midnight, Adrien finally got an answer.
Iron’s Kid: I’m sorry.
That was it. That was all he said.
Adrien got back to his hotel room a little after midnight; feeling numb. His throat burned a little. His eyes were a little red.
Nino greeted him with a big grin, “Back late, huh? Must’ve had a good time…” He trailed off when he saw the look on Adrien’s face. “Oh god, what happened?”
Adrien shoved his hands in his pockets, “He, uh, he never showed up,” he said and swallowed the lump that had been building in his throat. “It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s okay.” Adrien nodded. “I need to, I have to, uh. I got to the bathroom.” And then he fled into the bathroom, locking the door behind him; willing the world to just stop existing for just a few moments.
“Dude, it’s okay,” Nino said through the door. “I know this has to be rough. But you’ll get through it. I’m here. I called Chloe and Marinette, they’re on their way.”
Adrien didn’t say anything. He just wiped the tears off his face, and then gripped the bathroom sink.
“They’ll probably be banging on the door any sec,” Nino added. “Unless, Marinette’s trying to stop Chloe from committing murder,” He joked. “Which would be way rude by the way. I’d have liked an invitation. I thought our friendship was stronger.”
Adrien heard loud knocking and the sweet voice of Marinette asking where he was, and the furious voice of Chloe already talking about how she knew how t to hide a body.
The blond boy figured it was only a matter of time before Nino or Marinette convinced him to open up the door. Or Chloe broke it down.
However, surprisingly after twenty or so minutes of his friends pleading with him to open the door, the door would gently swing open to reveal Marinette kneeling with a lockpick set in her hands.
That got a smile out of Adrien. After all these years, the bluenette was still full of surprises.
Adrien spent the rest of the night letting his friends comfort him. They left England the next morning.
When they got back to Paris, and Adrien was back in the comfort of his room, he finally texted Iron’s Kid back.
Chat Galore: Why didn’t you show?
He’d wait for a reply all day but wouldn’t get one.
The next day, Adrien texted again.
Chat Galore: I’m not mad.
Chat Galore: I promise
Chat Galore: just a little hurt.
Again, he’d wait for a reply all day, but it didn’t come.
Though his friends tried to get him to talk about it, Adrien wouldn’t budge. He just couldn’t…
It just stung too much. It burned too much.
Chat Galore: I get it if you were afraid or something
Chat Galore: It’s okay.
And was the truth; it was fine.
He would be fine. Everything was good. It was okay.
Adrien would be fine.
That was what he told everyone.
Chat Galore: We can pretend this never happened if you want
Chat Galore: Just be friends.
Adrien still didn’t get a reply. That didn’t stop him from waiting for one. He figured Iron’s Kid was just embarrassed that he didn’t show or something. Everything would go back to normal after a few days.
Chat Galore: I’m going to see Onward. Heard its pretty good.
But a few days became a week. A week became two. Two weeks a became a month of radio silence. And a seed of worrying starting to grow in Adrien’s stomach. Nevertheless, Adrien wrote Iron’s Kid once a day. He refused to give up hope.
Adrien kept a smile on his face to stop his friends from being concerned. There was no reason to. He would be fine. It was okay. It wasn’t the first time he got his heart broken; probably would even be his last.
His days were split between studying and fight Hawkmoth. The villain was getting bolder and more desperate. Every Akuma seemed worse and stronger than the last. The kids got used to the feeling of always being dead on their feet.
Marinette finally decided they needed a break and ordered a family game night. She got the newly permanent heroes Luka, Kagami, and Aurore to cover for them.
Adrien tried to give all his attention to the monopoly game they played; laughed when he was supposed to. Tried to ignore that in the back of his mind, his attention was still a bit focused on his phone, and that fact that it's been a month since he heard from Iron’s Kid.
A month since London.
He barely even blinked twice when Marinette successfully bankrupted him, even though he was the first one out. Instead, as soon as the game got more intense, Adrien stuck away. He found himself on the roof the bakery, staring at the stars, clutching his phone in his hand.
Chat Galore: I’m running out of things to say
Chat Galore: Hard to have a one-sided conversation.
Chat Galore: I’m not even sure you’re reading this.
Chat Galore: Maybe I’ll just you send you movie quotes until you respond
Adrien looked back up at the stars and wished. He wished never agreed to meet Iron’s Kid. He wished he never told him he loved him. He wished he could take it all back because at least he’d still have his friend.
He wrapped his arms around himself. Adrien blinked back the tears that were building.
He heard the door open behind him and figured it was Chloe or Nino coming to check on him; whoever got kicked out of the game firsts. Because Marinette was going to win.
“Beautiful night,” A voice said. “Nothing quite like Paris in the springtime.”
Adrien cast a quick smile at Nico, “I always preferred it during Winter. A Snowy wonderland.” He went back to looking up at the stars.
“You know someday someone will walk into your life,” Nico said as he walked to stand next to the blond, “And make you realize why he never worked out with anyone else.”
“Go ahead,” Adrien laughed bitterly. “Tell me I told you so.”
Nico shrugged, ‘Iron’s Kid’s a kid. And an idiot.”
“Yeah,” The blond sobbed. “That doesn’t mean much coming from you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nico crossed his arms.
“Nothing,” Adrien rolled his eyes. “I’m just tired… I'm so tired of falling for guys that don't fall back. It hurts.”
“Adrien, I…”
Adrien cut him off, “It’s the same thing every time. I’m all in, and they’re not. I’m the one left out in the cold. I’m waiting, looking like a total idiot. Because I was stupid enough to give all my heart when no one else ever does. So you wanna help me, Nico? Tell me what I do wrong.
“Nothing!” Nico gripped Adrien’s shoulders. “There is nothing wrong with you. You’re smart and talented. You’re caring and you’re funny. You look at this world like everything is possible, and you make me believe it too. You’re not the problem.”
“Tell me why I'm so easy to give up then,” The blond asked. “And maybe I can fix it”
“You’re asking the wrong guy, Sunshine,” Nico whispered, his forehead against Adrien’s, their lips inches apart. “There is no time or place or world, where it would ever be easy to give you up.”
Nico moved closer; so did Adrien…
“Hey!!” A voice called from downstairs. “New games starting. It’s Poker! Hurry your butts up!”
The two guys snapped back to reality and away from each other.
“You should go,” Nico said dryly, looking away from the other boy. “I’m going to stay here for a bit.”
“Nico…” Adrien said, looking a bit confused.
The older boy shook his head.
The blond nodded and started for the door.
“For what it’s worth,” Nico called. “He made the wrong choice.”.
A small smile spread over Adrien’s face, “I know.”
“I wonder what would’ve happened if we met when we were older,” Nico asked.
Adrien shrugged, “Someday we will be.”
“Long game?”
“Long game.”
He went back to the living room where everyone was waiting, with the cards and poker chips already dealt.
Adrien settled in the seat next to Marinette.
The bluenette shot him a concerned look, “You okay?”
“I’ll be…” Adrien sighed. “Eventually.”
The blond boy decided to chalk up whatever happened on the roof with Nico as… Just the two of them being caught in the moment. Emotions were high.
…That didn’t stop Adrien from smiling every time someone mentioned Nico’s name.
Chat Galore: Everything is possible.
Chat Galore: Even the impossible.
He still wrote Iron’s Kid once every day. Adrien didn’t say much. He just sent a movie quote he liked, just to let Iron’s Kid know he was still there. He was still waiting… if Iron’s Kid ever changed his mind.
Chat Galore: When you can’t look on the Brightside, I will sit with you in the dark.
A month became two.
Chat Galore: In the garden of memory, in the palace of Dreams, that is where you and I shall meet.
Two became three. They figured out who Hawkmoth was. The battle had been epic. Adrien’s father had hesitated when he realized Adrien was Chat Noir, long enough for Ladybug to make the killing shot.
Figuratively anyway.
Ladybug blasted Hawkmoth into a wall. The heroes banded together to remove his miraculous. Then they erased his memory. And then Natalie’s. Of any and all knowledge of magic permanently; defeating Hawkmoth once and for all.
As far as Gabriel knew he was just a recluse workaholic with what barely passed as a decent relationship with his only child.
Adrien was devastated to learn who his father really was. Even so when he discovered the reason behind Hawkmoth’s villainous pursuit; his comatose mother and learned from Fu there was no way to save her; not even with a wish.
The blond boy had long ago mourned his mother and moved on but that it didn’t hurt.
Emilie Agreste was officially declared dead and buried on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in the middle of Spring.
Chat Galore: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it
Three months became four.
At this point, he knows Iron’s Kid’s never going to write him back. And that was okay. Adrien was okay.
People move on. And while Adrien would always wonder why Iron’s Kid never showed, he could live without knowing.
If anyone asked why he was still writing, Adrien would say he didn’t know.
But that was a lie.
He did know.
Iron’s Kid had been a really big part of his life, had been one greatest friend he ever had; had been his first love in a way.
So yes, Adrien knew exactly why he was still writing.
He could live without Iron’s Kid in his life but he couldn’t live without one thing.
Chat Galore: Here's looking at you kid
Adrien officially graduated from school. He was accepted into Columbia. He’d be living in New York. And so, would Chloe, Marinette, and Nino. They decided they wanted to stick together and keep being heroes.
Chloe would be going to Columbia with him to study business and public relations. Marinette would study business and fashion. Nino decided to dedicate his life to being the next great movie director. Adrien would study Law.
They decided to get two apartments across from each other like in F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Because that was pretty much all they knew about New York.
Damian would be attending Columbia; he was gearing up to take over Wayne Industries one day. Him and Marinette were still going strong. Lian would be going to Princeton, as Oliver Queen would be damned if his granddaughter went anywhere else. Jon would take a year off to explore the world before attending Metropolis University; he still wanted to Major in Journalism.
Damian kept hinting hard that the Titans, not the Teen Titans, were looking for new members. And as he was the current leader of the Titans, it was less of a hint and more like being actively headhunted by the most aggressive Robin to ever walk the earth.
It was official, they weren’t kids anymore.
Chat Galore: You know that place between sleep and awake where you’re always dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.
They had a few months before they had to move completely to New York, and decided to do something special. Or rather Tom and Sabine did.
And mostly because they just wanted to see where their kids would be living from now on.
Sabine and Tom claimed to find this great deal on a ski resort near New York. Everyone was invited; Nico, Kagami, Luka, Aurore, Lian, Jon, and Damian.
They did the whole tourist thing, led by Nico who was excited his cousin would be living in the same city as him and explored the great New York City, and Tom and Sabine got to see the penthouses, Gabriel and Audrey had bought each their perspective children and were assured their kids would be living in a safe location.
Chat Galore: So maybe it won’t look like you thought it would in high school, but it’s important to remember that love is possible. Anything is possible. This is New York
The Brown Bear Ski Lodge was packed, apparently, some class from a school called Midtown had booked a trip at the same time they did. So the entire lodge was filled with graduating seniors, between the ages of seventeen and eighteen years old.
To say it was wild was an understatement. Sabine vocally wondered why the school though three chaperones to watch over an entire class of students were enough. Tom just comforted Mr. Harrison when he started to cry.
Adrien got to meet loads of kids his age, a few that would even be starting at Columbia the same time as the French kids. It turned out most of the kids from Midtown were insanely smart.
The blond boy ended up spraining his ankle while skiing and ended up spending most of the time on sitting on the lodge’s bay window watching nature and relaxing. He ended up sitting there long after nearly everyone else had gone off to bed.
“Having fun,” A boy his age asked, one of the few people left in the room. He was handsome with light brown hair and kind brown eyes.
“As close as I can get,” Adrien answered.
The brown-haired boy smiled, “Well if you get bored out of your mind, I got some movies on my tablet if you want to watch. I know some pretty good ones.”
“I’m good,” Adrien said. “You can join me if you want. I wouldn’t say no to company.”
The boy did, “Name’s Peter.”
“Adrien.”
“By your accent, I’m guessing your not with the Midtown group,” Peter asked. “Also, because I’m from the Midtown group.”
Adrien snorted, “France. I’ll be living full time in New York come autumn.”
“Is that right?” Peter looked excited by the news. “You’re gonna love it.”
“Yeah, and why’s that?”
And then Peter went on to tell Adrien all about the places and people he loved in New York. They talked for hours until morning rays hit them through the window.
Over the next week of the vacation, the two ended up finding themselves repeating that; talking and letting time disappear.
Chat Galore: I wish I knew how to quit you.
Adrien introduced Peter to Marinette, Chloe, Nino, and the others. Peter introduced him to his friends Michelle, Ned, and Gwen. Like Adrien and his friends, Peter and his friends were pretty much attached at the hip.
“He pissed me off, so I put a porn virus into his computer,” Michelle answered the Marinette’s question as to why a Eugene kept running from her.
Marinette and Adrien had decided to enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate by the fire, only to be joined by Peter’s friends: Michelle and Ned. Another would’ve joined them but he scampered away the second he saw the girl.
“He deserved it,” Michelle added.
“He totally did,” The large Asian boy nodded in agreement. “But MJ you might’ve taken it too far when you made it happen during class.”
Marinette giggled. “Harsh!”
“No mercy, Ned!”
Adrien laughed until his brain processed what was said, “Wait, I thought your name was Michelle?”
Michelle and Ned froze like deer caught in the headlights.
“MJ’s my nickname,” Mj explained cooly. “And we should really be going…”
“Geniuses,” Adrien suddenly recalled; his mind finishing a calculation, he didn’t even realize he was trying to figure out. “Who goes to a school for super-smart kids. MJ, scary queen who could rule the universe,” He pointed at her. “Ned; loveable teddy bear nerd with a fixation on Legos. A bully named Eugene who I’m guessing goes by Flash.” He swallowed hard, and fixed hard green eyes on the two kids in front of him. “Did you take a class trip to Europe in Spring? Keep in mind I would really like you to say no.”
Ned and MJ paled.
“Ned and MJ,” Adrien repeated. “Iron’s Kid’s best friends…” He whispered. “Peter’s best friends. Peter is Iron’s Kid, isn’t he?”
MJ narrowed her eyes at him, “Chat Galore: Adrien Agreste.”
Adrien’s entire body froze. He tried to remain calm, “This can’t be happening.”
Marinette glared at them, “Your friends with Iron’s Kid!” She growled. “Peter is Iron’s Kid. What was he thinking? How could he just stand Adrien up? I’ll kill him!”
“I never told you my last name!” Adrien realized. “How did you?”
“We hacked into Peter’s phone a few months ago,” MJ shrugged. “And traced your Ip address.”
Adrien glared, “And Peter knew? When I got here, he knew who I was didn’t?” He accused. “He lied right to my face!”
“It’s complicated!” Ned looked at Adrien with wide eyes. “Yeah, he knew who you were when he saw you. He just wanted a do-over. It’s weird I know. I told him not to do it!”
MJ looked at Marinette, “You should kill him. It was a bitch move,” She said. “But if it means anything, he regrets not showing up at London’s eye.” This part she told Adrien.
“Like super regrets it!” Ned added. “You can’t beat him up half as much as he does himself.”
“I can try,” Marinette crossed her arms.
“He reads your texts every day,” Mj said.
Adrien stood up angrily, “Then why doesn’t he text back?” He demanded to know. “Why didn’t he show up at the London’s eye. I waited! I’ve been waiting!”
MJ shrugged, “I can’t answer that,” She said. “Only he can. I can only tell you he was stupid. And he overreacted. You deserve to hear everything from him.”
Ned nodded eagerly, “He really likes you. He nearly dropped dead when he saw you were here. Just let him explain!”
“No!” Adrien snapped. “I don’t want to see him. Ever.” He clenched his fists. “I… I just can’t.”
And he stumped away.
He went to his room and packed his bags. He was getting out of there. He was leaving he had nothing to say to Iron’s Kid. Or Peter. Or whoever he was.
There was a knock on his door.
“Go. Away!” Adrien snapped.
“I can’t do that!” It was Jon that surprisingly said that.
“Come in!” The door opened. “What do you want?” Adrien asked. “Sorry, I’m just a bit busy right now.”
Jon wore a red plaid shirt over a white t-shirt and blue jeans, “Don’t leave,” He told Adrien.
“I have to,” The blond said he snuffed his suitcase.
“You can’t!”
Adrien all but snarled, “Look you don’t understand. You don’t get it.” He said. “I have to leave.”
“Yeah I do,” Jon said and shut the door behind him. “Super hearing, remember? I know everything that’s going on. You can’t go, not like this.”
“Yes, I-” The blond started but was cut off.
Jon grabbed his shoulders and sat him on the bed, “You deserve an answer. You’ve been waiting for an answer,” He stated. “You deserve to know why he didn’t show up.”
“And why he decided to mess with me for the last week?!!”
“That I understand!” Jon said. “He wanted to start over. Second chances are hard to come by. And once upon a time, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for one.”
“And you think he deserves one?”
“Just talk to him,” Superboy said. “Or scream at him. Whatever.”
Adrien ran a hand through his hair, “I haven’t been waiting for an answer,” He admitted. “I would’ve liked one, but I wasn’t waiting for it.”
“You love him,” Jon said. “You did. Or do. I know. Because I remember how you used to look when he texted you. I know… Because you used to look like that around me.”
“Jon…”
“I saw you two together,” Jon said. “You’re good together. Leaving now would be a big mistake. I’m saying that as your friend. Meet him, talk to him. Even nothing happens. Or everything does.”
Adrien hid his face in his hands and groaned, “Even if it’s just to reject him?” He crossed his arms. “Wouldn’t it be better to just leave?”
“Not for you,” Jon shook his head. “Look, if you reject him now, he's gonna make it his life's mission to go out there and meet the most perfect, beautiful guy or girl in the world just to try and get over you. And he'll end up marrying this other person and spending the rest of his life with them. And you know, he'll tell himself that they're perfect and... He really must be happy, but they won't be you, you know? And that’s the worst thing that will happen.”
It went quiet.
“Follow your heart, Adrien,” Jon added. “It’s what you do best. And it’s the best thing about you.”
Then the boy of steel left.
And Adrien was alone with his thoughts.
Chat Galore: Relationships are messy and people’s feelings get hurt. Who needs it?
Adrien left. It wasn’t his finest moment and not his bravest. But he left. Because he wasn’t ready to see Peter. Not yet. He texted his friends and tom and Sabine that he was leaving and that he’d okay… eventually.
He’d go back to New York City, leave on the next flight out. He’d back to the big Apple two months later, move into his apartment with Nino, Marinette, and Chloe and start his life there.
Two weeks after that Chloe would get the opportunity of a lifetime, a PR internship for college credit at Stark Industries. The blonde girl invited them all to go on her tour with her; apparently, she was told she could bring friends.
Adrien would frown when he heard but not say anything. Peter wasn’t the only one with friends that could track an IP address.
It was time. No more running.
Stark Tower was everything, the kids all dreamed it would be. A scientist, futuristic wonderland. They oohhh’ed and awed. And Adrien tried to enjoy himself and keep his mouth closed.
Even when the most advanced elevator in the entire world “mysteriously” malfunctioned and took them to the very top floor; otherwise known as the place the Avengers lived.
“Sorry about that,” Tony Stark, himself, gave them his most charming grin when the doors opened and he was standing right there. “We’ll get that fixed right away.” He promised. “Come on kiddies, let me show you where the big kids play.”
He led them to the living room where Captain America was watching TV.
“Hey, babe!” Tony grinned. “This is Chloe, Pepper’s newest intern. Marinette, Nino, and… Adrien.”
“Tony…” Steve Roger gave his husband a chastising look.
“Cap…”
Adrien huffed and glared at the occupants in the room, “Cut the crap,” He ordered them, drawing surprised looks from his friends. “Where’s Peter?” He asked. “Iron’s Kid,” Tony smirked at the name. “Is Peter. Peter Stark-Rogers.”
His friends turned fierce glares at the Avengers.
“It’s a setup!” Chloe accused.
“Heroes are supposed, to be honest,” Marinette chided.
Nino crossed his arms, “What a letdown.”
“Where’s Peter?” Adrien asked again.
“He’s coming,” Tony said. “You three and my hotter than the sun husband come with me; I’ll show you the training room that you can use full time If Ladybug, Queen Bee, Carapace, and Chat Noir decides they wanted to ditch the Justice League and hang with the Major Leagues.”
His friends paled at the fact that Tony Stark and probably all the Avengers knew their superhero identities and followed Iron Man out of the room. Steve just sighed at his husband’s antics and follow him out.
Adrien crossed his arms and waited.
The elevator would ping, and five minutes later Peter would walk into the living room. They just at each other for a few moments.
“I’m sorry,” Peter finally said.
Adrien shook his head, “I don’t want your apologies. I came here… I waited here… for the same reason I’ve waited the last seven months,” He said. “I only waited to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” Peter gave him half a smile. “We’ve only just met.”
Adrien pointed him, “Don’t!” He said. “Don’t quote movies at me.” He snapped. “Why?” Adrien asked. “Why weren’t you there? How could you not be there?!”
“I was!” Peter said. “I was there. I saw you. I was terrified. And I left.”
“I was afraid too!” Adrien said. “The difference is I still showed up. I waited six years to meet you. And I waited at the London’s eye for almost seven hours, and you just left me. You blew me off.”
“I’m sorry!” Peter yelled. “I’m so sorry. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Adrien clenched his fists. “Why didn’t you write me back? Why did you pretend at the lodge?”
“I don’t know,” Peter admitted. “I really don’t. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just saw you and my mind just went blank. I thought it was like fate giving me a second chance. I didn’t do it right. I screw up. Again!”
“A second chance?” Adrien glared at him. “You think that was your second chance? No. Your second chance was I texted asking what happened. You got another chance every time I texted you. I texted you every day for six months. Those were your chances!” He yelled. “If it was over for you, you could have told me. Said something. But you left me in the dark. If you didn’t feel the same about me, you could’ve told me. I just wanted my friend back!”
“Adrien, I…”
“Why didn’t you write me back?” Adrien asked, tears burning in his eyes. “Why? It wasn’t over for me. Six months, that’s one hundred and eighty-two days. I wrote you one hundred and eighty-two times. I waited for you! It’s too late now. It’s over!”
Peter looked ready to cry, “I wrote you over three hundred emails. I have them saved on my computer I never sent them. I didn’t think they’d be enough. They’re still not enough. It’s wasn’t over for me. It’s still not over.”
“Why?” Adrien asked again. “Why didn’t Iron’s Kid show up? Why was he so afraid?”
Peter just looked at the blond boy for a moment, before taking a deep breath, “Iron’s Kid thinks about that moment every day. He used to think he didn’t show up because he was afraid of what would happen; that it wouldn’t work out. That he’d lose one his best friends.” He said. “That them being together would ruin everything. Because they were just kids; they were stupid and young. But that was just a lie he told himself because he was afraid. The truth is, He was at the London’s eye that night, he saw Chat Galore: the most perfect person he’d ever seen and got scared for a completely different reason.”
“Why?”
Peter stepped towards Adrien, “Once he figured that out, and he figured that out really quick but only when it was just too late, Iron’s Kid didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know what to say to make it right. So he said nothing. And it killed him every day. Iron’s Kid would give anything to go back to that night at the London’s eye, to back to that moment when they were supposed to meet. Before everything went wrong. Iron’s kid would tell Chat Galore everything he always wanted. But he couldn’t. Because doesn’t work like that. Instead, he was so sorry for what he had done.”
Adrien just listened.
“Because Iron’s Kid realized,” Peter said, “That he wasn’t afraid that night because he thought it wouldn’t work out; that Chat Galore wasn’t the one. He was absolutely terrified because he knew he was. And if Adrien could just give him one more chance. Just one more chance, he’d spend the rest of his making it up to him.”
“Peter…”
“I love you,” Peter said. “I’m totally and completely in love with you. And I don’t care if you think its too late. I’m telling you anyway. Because if I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Because I know in my heart, you’re the one for me.”
Adrien just sighed and looked away, wondering what he should do.
“I don’t what’s going to happen in the future,” Peter said. “I don’t if in the time I was an idiot if Jon or Nico or Luka,” He chuckled, and so did Adrien. “Won your heart. I just know… I may not be your first love, but I intend to be your last. However long it takes.”
A smile spread across Adrien’s face, “You watched it,” He said. “You finally watched the Vampire diaries. It only took you, what? Seven years.”
“Six and a half,” Peter corrected. “Sorry I made you wait.”
“I know,” Adrien nodded. “I need some time, okay. I need to get my head on straight. Before I decide anything.”
“I understand,” Peter agreed eagerly. “I get it. I’ll wait.”
Adrien would take two weeks to decide what he was feeling and what he wanted to do. And when the two weeks were over, he knew exactly what he wanted, and who he wanted. So he made a call.
And then ended up a Coney island, next to The Wonder Wheel, one of the most famous Ferris wheels in the world. He waited in line and happily got on the ride. The seats next to him were quickly filled by Marinette, Chloe, and Nino.
“Finally getting your Ferris wheel moment?” Nino asked as the ride started.
Adrien smiled, “Yeah. Except I wanted the people I love the most with me.”
“Awww,” Marinette hugged him. “We love you too.”
“That’s a dollar for the overly sentimental jar,” Chloe glared at him. “And no more rom-com for you.”
Adrien snorted.
The kids enjoyed the ride, and when it was over, and they got off, Marinette asked, “So you didn’t choose anyone?”
“Well…” He motioned to the guy waiting at the exit of the ride. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m done. No more waiting, no more long game, no more… anything. Its time I get a little more proactive.”
Chloe smirked, “About time. Get it, Agreste!”
“Just remember you have a roommate,” Nino smirked.
The three walked off to enjoy the rest of the amusement park.
Adrien smiled at them, and then smirked at the guy waiting for him, “Wait long?”
“I’d wait forever.”
#ml fic#ml salt#adrien agreste#ADRIEN DESERVES BETTER#marinette dupain cheng#Marinette deserves better#adrien sugar#gaydrien#chloe bourgeois#Nino lahiffe#daminette#Damian Wayne#Jon Kent#peter parker#tony stark#alya bashing#lila bashing#alya salt#class salt#nico di angelo#pjo
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Hironette
Marinette graduated high school at sixteen before moving to San Fransokyo with Luka. With promises from both Kagami and Chloe that they'd join them in a year. Jagged and Penny both helped them find a home that would fit four. Marinette did not think he would buy them a mansion, but she really should've seen it coming. Their neighbors were the Fredericksons. A wealthy family, that Jagged had known for a while. Penny also helped them with the emancipation papers since both were sixteen and seventeen respectively.
She also helped Marinette set up her new shop right next to the Lucky Cat Cafe. The shop was ready and running after only two months, and Marinette had enough workers that she didn't even need to be there everyday. Luka was her main model while he was on breaks from his concerts with Jagged.
Marinette absolutely adored San Fransokyo, the city was beautiful and had so many places filled with creation energy. She also loved her neighbor Fred, his obsession with heros helped inspire her with a few outfits. Her and Fred hung out anytime he wasn't at San Fransokyo Institute of Science. She was surprised to find out he doesn't attend the school but all his friends do.
Fred loved the awesome girl that lived next door to him. He was constantly telling the crew about her, to the point they pretty much demanded to meet the 'angel who's cooking could end a war'.
Fred- Sure thing dudes! If we head out now we can catch her as she closes her shop! Let's roll!
When they arrive they are all confused on why they are at the Lucky Cat Cafe. Fred just snorts before entering the shop next to the cafe. Loudly announcing himself causing Marinette to leave the back room excitedly.
Hiro's eyes widened as he stepped behind Wasabi panicking to himself.
Hiro-No, no, no! I am not ready to talk to her yet!? Oh my god what do I do!?
Baymax- Your heartbeat is rising to a worrying level, and your temperature is getting higher. Should I set up a doctor appointment?
Hiro- What? No! Baymax I’m fine! I just well, I may have a tiny crush on the girl in there and I am panicking a little.
Baymax- Accessing the internet about crushes. After a brief search, I have determined that the best solution to your predicament is to tell the female your feelings and ask her on a date. Statistics have shown a fifty percent chance that she’ll say yes.
hiro-What-no! Baymax just stop!
Honey, Go Go, and Wasabi stare at Hiro and Baymax for a bit before beginning to laugh silently to themselves.
Honey places her hands on Hiro's shoulders pushing him towards MDC Boutique. She pushes him when he starts panicking again, telling him to just be himself. Marinette slimes brightly at them as they walk in, Fred introduces everyone. MArinette is immediately taken by Baymax when he gently grabs her hand, bandaging a few cuts she from sewing earlier. She gushes over him before turning to Hiro asking all about his primary functions. Hiro stutters at first before launching into a long explanation about Baymax functions and how he was made. By the time he is finished Jagged Stone is already waiting outside for her. Marinette blinks in surprise before inviting them all over for dinner.
Wasabi- We’d love to but we barely fit in my car on the way here.
Marinette-Oh you don’t have to worry about it! My Uncle is waiting for me outside, we can all ride with him!
Wasabi- What do you mean ride with him-is THAT A LIMO!?
Marinette laughed ushering them out before locking the store up. The driver opened the door greeting Marinette politely. She gets in and soon the others follow everyone but Fred, marinette, and Baymax staring at Jagged Stone in shock.
Go Go-Jagged Stone is your Uncle?
Marinette- Well not really but he kind of unofficially adopted me as his niece and it stuck. Jagged meet my new friends!
Jagged- Rock on! Anyone friends with my rockstar niece is welcome around me!
The ride is filled with laughter and jokes until they arrive at the Mansion. Luka and Penny waiting on the steps for them. Once out of the car Marinette gives Lukas a big hug, causing Hiro to frown thinking Marinette was already dating someone.
Penny and Luka greeted them happily before inviting them inside saying dinner was almost done. Marinette introduced everyone and then showed them around the manson. She stopped at their main hangout area allowing everyone to spread out. It was Honey that asked them if Marinette and Luka were dating causing them to both start laughing.
Luka- I love Marinette and her song is so beautiful. However she is not the one for me you see because I assure you everyday I am gay.
Marinette hit him with a pillow laughing telling him to stop rhyming. Before turning to them smiling and saying that they only think of each other as siblings. This piece of information lifts Hiro’s spirits and he begins talking even more to Marinette, unaware of Luka’s knowing smile aimed at him.
Over the next few weeks Marinette spends more and more time with the group. Even going over to the Institute of Science on her off days to see their experiments. Along with visiting the cafe on her lunch breaks and after she has closed.
Her and Hiro grow closer and closer, however neither can find it in them to admit their crush, which exasperates their friends to no end. That is until Marinette and Luka are involved in a terrible car accident on the way back from one of Luka’s concerts.
A drunk driver blew a red light slamming into the side of their limo causing it to roll twice and land on its roof.
Their driver is only knocked out on impact with a broken wrist. Marinette and Luka are not as lucky they did not have seatbelts on in the back of the limo. In the end they were violently thrown around the back. Luka comes out of it with a broken leg, left arm and nose sling with a broken rib that pierced his lung. Marinette breaks her leg in three places, three ribs and dislocates her left shoulder. Both of them are covered in bruises and bleeding.
They are rushed to the hospital and into surgery, while in surgery the Doctors do their best to fix their major injuries before working to pull all the broken glass out of their skin. It was in the surgery that they discovered Marinette had suffered from a spinal injury as well. Jagged and Penny have them put in the same room together, but they don’t wake up the next day, in fact they don’t wake up a week later.
After a few days the Doctor determined that both of them had entered a coma, because of how badly they were injured. Everyone was heartbroken when the Doctor explained that if the two did wake up they may not even remember themselves. Then he tells them of Marinette’s spinal injury, telling them that until she wakes up they wont know if she’ll ever be able to walk again.
They remain in a coma for two months being visited everyday by their friends and family. Hiro visits consistently every day with Baymax always sitting by Marinette’s bed. After a week he begins talking or reading to her, after Baymax says that there are a few reports of people being able to hear what's going on around them the entire time. At one point he confesses his feelings to her begging her to wake up so that he can find out if she feels the same.
Luka wakes up first extremely confused. The only thing missing from his memory is the night the crash happened. Everyone is ecstatic and greets him with hugs and tears explaining what happened. After a few days he begins physical therapy, during one of his sessions Hiro is with Marinette again. This time he is telling her how he felt for her and how he would purposely walk past her boutique before they met just to see her. He holds her hand gently telling her again that he loves her. He is greatly surprised when MArinette’s hand squeezes back weakly. When he looks up at her she is smiling weakly, her eyes barely opened as she responds her voice breaking slightly.
Marinette- I love you too…
Her wake up is met with more tears especially when she realizes she can’t feel her legs. A month later they are released from the hospital both leaving in a wheelchair but only one remaining in it. MArinette is heartbroken and drops into a depressive state for a while, but Hiro refuses to leave her side. He is over every day always sitting by her while drawing up designs for a new invention, something to help Marinette feel independent once again.
Hiro creates a motorized wheelchair that can lift Marinette higher when she needs to grab something. He creates a neural transmitter that is fitted as a headband, with the headband Marinette can move the wheelchair in whatever dissection she needs. He immediately begins building it, with the help of the others. He finishes it a month later and gives it to Marinette smiling nervously. When Marinette moves in her wheelchair she begins crying and thanking him. She begins leaving the house with him more slowly leaving her depressive state. A year after they start dating Marinette introduces the entire group to the Kwami. Tikki absolutely adores them, given that they are all creation souls. Plagg warms up to both Hiro and Fred loving their loud personalities.
Fred goes crazy when he realizes that Marinette was THE Ladybug. Causing Marinette and Tikki to giggle until she points out that Luka was Viperion causing Fred to freak out more.
Luka- I wonder if he is going to react the same to Chloe and Kagami.
This caused Marinette to snort laughing hard, causing the others to join soon after.
Fred- Is seriously no one else totally stoked to find out they are heroes?!
Go Go- Fred you idiot! We were heroes too!?
Fred- Oh ya I forgot, this is still really awesome though! Like when I found out my dad was a hero!!
Marinette- Mr. Fredrickson is a hero?? Huh, I never saw that coming.
@justafanwarrior
#hironette#big hero 6#big hero six#hiro hamada#gogo tomago#wasabi#honey lemon#fred#baymax#miraculous au#miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir#miraculous fandom#miraculous marinette#miraculous ladybug#marinette dupain cheng#luka couffaine#jagged stone#penny rolling
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A Miraculous TikTok Account
Part 11
First
Previous
Next
Rena was running out of time.
(To make TikToks. She wasn’t dying for anything except content.)
She’d figured that she would do Q&A type things, it was close enough to the content she’d used to make but far enough away that no one would suspect anything about her identity. It was perfect!
But the other heroes were… let’s say ‘less than eager’ to divulge much information to her. Especially not when they were being filmed.
Ladybug had pulled her aside one day to explain why.
“Rena…” She reached out and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.
Rena knew what that meant, she’d gotten it enough back when she was just a civilian. For just a second, she was thrown back to the first time one of her family members had died, to the way she had promised that she wouldn’t come back until she had her sister safely in her arms...
But she knew that it couldn’t be like that. Ladybug didn’t know who she was just like Rena didn’t know her identity. It was nothing that serious.
“We can’t give much information to the public. Hawkmoth could be watching.”
A fair point. It hurt, though.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So we don’t show him our weaknesses, it’s not that hard.”
“We have to assume any information could be used against us.”
Rena frowned. “By that logic we can’t upload any content…?”
“We can’t upload any content of substance, no. Messing around in a store is fine. Videos of animals are fine. Anything beyond that is… potentially problematic.”
The idea of style over substance was foreign to the hero. Her whole brand used to be substance over style, done with a phone camera but close enough to fights for people to actually get a glimpse of the heroes in action. What was she supposed to do?
“What’s your niche, then?” Said Rena, hoping to get an idea.
“I was going to do some videos on mental and physical wellness.”
Yeah, no. That was a very ‘Ladybug’ thing to do, Rena probably couldn’t encroach on that in any way. But… what else was there?
Ladybug opened her mouth like she was about to say something, and then she shook her head and disappeared to her room.
Rena watched her leave in silence, and then fell back on the couch. She rested her hands over her eyes, something that was very uncomfortable due to the weird fabric of the mask on her face, and tried to think.
Ladybug had been fair. They already had enough of a gap between the information Hawkmoth had versus the amount they did, they shouldn’t make that worse… but then what was the point of them doing social media accounts?
And, she mused, why hadn’t Ladybug just told Master Fu her concerns?
Something wasn’t adding up, but she didn’t exactly know what.
The reporter in her was itching to find out. She didn’t want to invade Ladybug’s privacy, especially not when the other already seemed wary enough around her, but it was hard to just let go…
So, what could she do?
~
She grumbled as she went to Carapace’s room, not even bothering to knock as she walked in. It wouldn’t matter if she did, her miraculous made it so that most people’s eyes and ears slid right over her unless she actively worked to get them to notice her.
He was in his hero costume, though that wasn’t surprising considering he’d gotten back from patrols only a few minutes ago.
Carapace jumped a little in surprise when she came to a stop by his desk and looked up from where he was booting up his computer.
“Salut?” He said slowly.
“Salut! I need help.”
He raised his eyebrows a little and then shrugged. With a tiny wave of his hand, a second chair made of a bunch of different plates appeared behind her.
She took a seat and crossed her legs. “Everyone talks to you, right?”
“I guess…?”
“So do you know what everyone’s doing for their TikTok accounts?”
“I’m going to get footage of us acting friendly, Chat is filming animals he sees on patrols, Ladybug is ‘promoting mental and physical wellness’, and Chloe…” He sucked in a breath. “I don’t know what Chloe’s doing, but she started laughing maniacally when I asked so I’m not eager to find out.”
Rena pouted a little bit. Great, so everyone’s taken all the good and easy ideas. What else was there?
“I don’t know what to do with my account. Ladybug says I can’t do interviews and stuff because Hawkmoth could use stuff against us.”
Carapace briefly looked confused, and then understanding crossed his face. “Well, I can tell you that no one here would disagree with that.”
“I know, I know, it makes sense,” she sulked, resting her head on her hand. “But then what do I do?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Being the ‘smart one’ is kind of your thing.”
She frowned at that, but brushed past it. “I don’t really care about my image, it’s not that important to me --.”
“It should be.”
Her gaze shot up to see his expression was uncharacteristically serious.
He seemed to realize this, too, because he cleared his throat and brought a smile to his face again.
“I know you’re new, so let me give you some advice: keep your life as a hero and a civilian as far apart as you possibly can. Since we’re everyone’s therapists and all, it’s kind of depressing when you start thinking about everything the civvies tell you when you’re off the job.”
Carapace reached out slowly, giving her time to draw back, and rested a hand on top of her head.
“So, lean into your image. Lean into it so hard you become a parody of yourself. It’s better for everyone that way. Trust me.”
She reached up and pulled his hand off, frowning deeply. “If you think that then why did you agree to live with us? Why are you taking videos of us all being friends?”
“Well, I live with everyone because it was a good solution for some concerns I had about college… not that we really had a choice. Master Fu wasn’t going to give it up.” He leaned back in his chair and stretched. “And I’m taking videos of everyone because it’ll help when we need to do our whole therapy thing. People talk more when they feel close to you.”
Rena stared at him in shock. That was… surprisingly cold and calculated for the supposed ‘nice’ hero. Then again, by his own admission, he didn’t even see himself as that nice of a person.
Were all the other heroes like that? Lying about their personalities for the sake of the public or their mental health? And, if they were, were they keeping up the act while there too or did they consider living in the house their new ‘civilian’ life?
She pushed herself to her feet abruptly, startling Carapace a second time. She crossed her arms.
“I’ve got an idea for what to do. Thanks.”
“Huh? But I didn’t --?”
She was already gone.
~
Despite the temptation to disobey that she was pretty sure wasn’t entirely her fault, Rena had gone to Ladybug a few days later with a proposal:
“I still want to be an informant to the people.” She saw Ladybug begin to protest, so she rushed to finish the rest of her sentence: “Obviously, I won’t be giving them anything of substance, but it could help to make them feel closer to us as heroes.”
Ladybug couldn’t turn down the reasoning. It was what Carapace had listed as his own.
And, to her delight, Ladybug seemed to agree because she clicked her tongue and nodded.
“Fine. What’re you planning to do?”
“Simple stuff. A house tour -- making sure to blur and hide anything that could give Hawkmoth our location -- and then after that keep them updated on the news.”
There was a silence as she considered this. Then her head tipped to the side. “What do you mean by ‘news’?”
“Nothing major. Have you ever seen a drama channel on YouTube? Stuff like that.”
“... fine, but you should run your videos by everyone involved before uploading.”
Rena nodded her understanding.
~
She started with the house tour. If she was going to do this, she needed to gain their trust. A few normal videos, and then she’d start trying to slip the public information about the heroes’ true personalities.
Rena didn’t want to expose them to Hawkmoth, and especially didn’t want to expose their families, so she really was going to try to respect most of their privacy. For this reason, she did tell them all when she was going to do the house tour so they could hide anything that could be used to figure out their identities.
She started with the shared rooms like the kitchen and living room, but she brushed past all of that quickly since she knew that wasn’t what they’d be interested in.
Her room was first. It was the same size as every other bedroom in the house, but it felt tiny and cramped. There was a dresser, a desk, a bed, three different bookshelves, an end table… well, let’s just say that she’d brought more stuff than necessary. The room wasn’t exactly neat, it seemed that it would buckle under the weight of Rena’s knickknacks if she wasn’t careful, but it wasn’t necessarily dirty either; everything had its place.
She decided to put the more boring rooms in the middle for the good old watchtime. Ladybug’s room was fine but her personality was a bit dull when it came to this kind of thing, and Carapace’s personality was fine but his room was boring, so...
She was off to Ladybug’s room. She climbed up to the attic and finally figured out exactly what Ladybug had been working on since they’d moved in. Apparently she was trying to make an indoor jungle gym using the support beams on the ceiling. It actually looked like a pretty good workout, though maybe a little unsafe. Beyond that, the room was rather full. Random pieces of furniture (mostly chairs) were strewn about, loaded with a precarious amount of fabrics.
She found Ladybug hunched over a sketchbook on her bed, swaddled in blankets despite the fact that the attic was actually pretty warm.
She looked up at her and blinked. “Oh. Now? Okay.” She escaped her blanket prison with minimal struggling and then gave a short tour of her room.
Rena pointed to a divider on the other side of the room. “What’s behind there?”
Ladybug looked over and a blush spread across her face. “I don’t have a closet, so that’s where I put the secret identity stuff for now. Don’t go back there.”
For some reason, Rena thought she was being lied to. However, she couldn’t just go back there when Ladybug had just said that it would reveal her identity, so she just nodded and said: “Gotcha. Thanks for the tour.”
She moved on to Carapace’s room next. She pushed the door to his room open and sent a smile and a wave. All his textbooks were safely stashed out of sight and he’d cleaned up the normal mess of old snacks for the video, which somehow made his room feel even emptier than usual.
“Here we have a wild Carapace in his natural habitat. Though, why this is what he chose as his natural habitat is beyond me.”
He laughed good-naturedly. “I don’t need much.”
“I can see that.”
He smiled. “Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous!” He said, doing his best impression of Chloe.
Rena cleared her throat, and then did a perfect impression of her voice.
Carapace’s eyes widened. “Chloe?”
She tried not to laugh, and instead nodded and continued her impression: “Yes. I’m secretly Chloe. Rena asked me to take her place for this because she was tired.”
He didn’t seem sure whether or not to take this as a joke, and she gleefully left the room.
She moved on to Chloe’s room. It was… somehow both bright and dark in there and this threw Rena off more than she’d like to admit. While most people would take Rena for the hoarder (and they’d probably be right to), Chloe also seemed to have some hoarding problems; the walls were taken up with different luxury items from jewelry to handbags; the floor was littered with different plants at seemingly random intervals.
Chloe looked up from where she was tending to some plants with the help of a few bees (wait, was there an actual BEEHIVE in there?).
“I like your… bees…?”
Chloe snickered. “Thanks. They don’t like you, though, so I’d suggest you leave.”
Rena was a little offended that the bees didn’t like her, but she didn’t need to be told twice.
She headed to Chat’s room next.
When she opened the door she had thought that he wasn’t there. The lights were off outside of a TV which, upon closer inspection, she realized someone was playing a video game. Huh. She turned on the light.
Once she was actually able to see, she was taken aback by how dirty it was. Clothes littered the ground; the bed looked like it hadn’t been made since they moved in; there was a grand piano but it was currently being used as a trash can for old snack bags.
“Did you forget that I was doing a house tour today?”
“Nope,” said Chat from somewhere in the filth.
“Oh… okay…”
The video cut.
~~~
Taglist
@nathleigh @mialuvscats @sassakitty @th1s-1s-my-aesthet1c @blueslushgueen @woe-is-me0
#a miraculous tiktok account#rena rouge#alya cesaire#ladybug#marinette dupain cheng#carapace#nino lahiffe#queen bee#chloe bourgeois#chat noir#adrien agreste#miraculous team#miraculous fic#ml fic#chloenette#chlonette#adrino
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heyo! for the prompts, maybeeee KamCon & “Is the weight of your sins too heavy?” <3
So I had to change the line just slightly to work, but literally, I just changed it from a question to a normal sentence. Slight warning for talk about depression/possible PTSD. Hope you enjoy!
Connor had been struggling to come to terms with the fact that he is now a deviant. One that had very clearly turned against humans when he invaded Cyberlife and freed all those androids, marching them down the street in a show of power.
Markus had seemed pleased with him, had assured him Connor was one of them, but not everyone agreed. He saw how other androids’ eyes would follow him when he walked around New Jericho, he saw how their stress levels jumped at the sight of him.
He didn’t mean to scare them, and he tried to make them more comfortable by forgoing his old jacket in lieu of sweater vests or long sleeve sweaters. Those were pretty comfy and he liked when jackets or hoodies were a little too big for him so that his hands would be hidden inside the sleeves.
He was trying to find things like that that made him happy. It was hard to identify emotions and he seemed to like hiding from him. All other androids seemed to be so emotional, but not in a bad way! They just laughed so much, smiles wide and bright on their faces. He’d see an android with their child and the absolute adoration was incredible to witness. How anyone could see the sentience in these people was beyond him.
Even their anger and hatred were clear and vivid. North’s was so strong that Connor shrank back when she’d turn towards him with that look on her face. The first time that happened she’d softened up immediately and promised Connor she wasn’t mad at him or going to hurt him. He tried to remember that but her anger was just so potent.
Connor sometimes felt… or actually, he just didn’t feel. He was numb to the world around him, and if he wasn’t so numb it would scare him. His face was passive, though he tried to smile or frown when appropriate. He went through the motions of his new life, laughing when someone would tell a joke and yet he felt no humor.
The numbness was different from the numbness of being a machine. When he was hidden behind his programming he could still feel wisps of emotions, like looking through frosted glass. He could still see the shapes and some colors but he could see any real definition.
Now it was like he had the blinds closed completely and every now and then a breeze would move the fabric and he’d get to see for just a small bit before the fabric settled again.
Something was wrong with him, and he went to the one person who knew everything about androids.
Kamski’s house was beautiful in the spring, the flowers here in full bloom and the water sparkling with the afternoon sun. It had a peaceful feel to it with the birds chirping away and the sound of the river. Connor could almost feel that peace and he clung desperately to it before having to let it go so he could go to the door.
He tilted his head when a Chloe opened the door and let him in. He had thought all the Chloes would leave, but there was the very real chance she wasn’t a deviant. There had been a law that everyone must give up their androids to allow them to be deviated, but if anyone could get away with not doing that it was Kamski. That didn’t bode well for Connor.
“Are you deviant?” He decides to just ask outright. If she said no then he’d… well he wasn’t sure. He’d go back and tell Markus and let the group decide what to do from there.
Chloe chuckled and ran a hand through his ponytail, starting to braid it with nimble fingers. “I am. We all were when you visited, glad to see we could fool even you.”
“Oh.” He should have noticed, it was his mission at the time to stop all deviants and yet he hadn’t noticed a house full of them.
“Don’t feel bad, we figured you’d be coming at some point and we prepared. If it’s any consolation, you couldn’t have hurt Lila, the Chloe you were told to shoot. Elijah already had all her memories backed up and a body ready just in case. But thank you for not shooting her either way.” Chloe, or whatever name she has chosen for herself, smiled at him gently.
He should feel happy or relieved, but he just doesn’t so he only nods. Chloe gives him this look that’s a bit too knowing before smiling again.
“He’s ready to see you, follow me, please.” She leads him through a door he hadn’t gone through and down a hallway that had a few other doors that she ignores. She lets him into the room that is bathed in natural light.
The waiting room was teal with grey wicker chairs and a few plants on the window-sill. A few bookshelves line the left side wall, a small couch positioned for a place to sit or even lay down while reading. Kamski is sitting on said couch with a book in his hand and a pair of glasses perched on his nose.
He glanced up when Connor walked in, grabbing a bookmark and sliding it between then worn cream pages before shutting it. “Connor, congratulations on the successful revolution, very impressive.”
Kamski doesn’t move to stand but neither does he offer Connor a seat. “Thank you, I am glad there was minimal violence.” It could have gone a lot worse, Connor could have needed to use the freshly made deviants to start an all-out war.
Kamski leaned forward, taking his glasses off and setting them down on his book. Connor couldn’t help but watch with rapt attention, something about Kamski making him fascinated. “What can I do for you?”
Right down to business then. “I have been experiencing a lack of emotions at times and I’m afraid my deviation process was somehow fragmentary.” He suspected part of the issues was Amanda and the zen garden. If she hadn’t taken control perhaps he would be normal.
Kamski frowns and motions to one of the seats which Connor takes. So his problem could not be solved quickly. It wasn’t heartening but at least Kamski seemed like he was willing to talk to him. “When you say lack of emotions, could you describe that?”
“It’s like I’m numb, my insides are a bottomless pit of nothing and I just keep falling. It’s cold and there is nothing for me to grab onto. I don’t feel the need to move or do anything, I try to go through the motions because that is what’s expected of me.” He felt a small sliver of panic and tried to hold onto that. It wasn’t a good emotion but it was something and he would not let it go.
Kamski hums, leaning back. “I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
The panic builds and Connor shakes his head. If Kamski can’t help him then no one can. “You have to! I can’t keep living like this.”
“You need to talk to a professional.”
“You are a professional!”
“Connor.” Kamski’s voice is stern and yet oddly compassionate. It sends a shiver up his spine and he shuts his mouth with a click. “I mean a therapist. The weight of your sins is too heavy. At least, to you, it is, though many would see what you’ve done as amazing. But the fact is it seems like you are depressed or possibly even have PTSD. Both cause emotional numbness. I’m not qualified to help you through this.”
Oh. He hadn’t considered the idea that this was happening because he has emotions. “So it’s not because of Amanda? The garden didn’t damage me irreparably?”
Kamski sucks in a breath at her name and Connor recalls the picture he had seen. Amanda Stern was a real woman, someone Kamski could have looked up to. “I cannot say she didn’t cause this as I don’t know if she caused you emotional distress, but no you aren’t damaged.”
Connor sags in the chair, feeling like a height has been lifted off his chest. He wasn’t broken, he wasn’t going to be like this forever. They’d find a way to help him and he’d be ok, he’d be happy. “Thank you,” he breathes out.
Kamski reaches forward and gently lays a hand on his knee. It sends a shock through him and makes him feel something, but he’s never felt this emotion before. “Of course. I may not be able to help but if you need someone to talk to outside of therapy then I am more than willing to listen.”
He wasn’t sure if he could trust Kamski, but now that he knew Chloe was never in any danger it makes him a bit more willing to try. Plus, he needed to find out what this new emotion was. Who knows how long that would take, but he wanted to try anyways. “Thank you, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
#rk800#kamcon fic#kamcon#conski#elijah kamski x connor#connor x elijah kamski#elijah kamski#connor x elijah#kamski#kamski x connor#connor x kamski#connor#connor rk800#dbh fandom#connor dbh#dbh fanfic#dbh#dbh connor#detroit kamski#dbh kamski#detroit become human kamski#connor detroit become human#detroit become human rk800#detroit become human connor#detroit connor#dbh fic blog#ask#connor ask blog
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*Spoilers for Lucifer Season 5B ahead*
One of the things I’ve always liked best about Lucifer is how openly it’s shown the benefits of therapy and the necessity of tackling our trauma. Every character on the show deserves an ode to the hard work they’ve done during their self-improvement journey over the course of the series, but it’s Dan Espinoza who has always been the most fascinating to me in that regard, in large part because it could have so easily gone in a different direction. Lucifer and Chloe are our main characters, it’s a given that they’re going to get an arc where they grow and change, but there are plenty of examples in other shows where a character like Dan stays very one-note. There were moments in the early episodes of Lucifer when Dan was…less than ideal, let’s say. Remember when he gaslit Chloe about Palmetto Street?! With less talented writers and without a delicate and always earnest performance from Kevin Alejandro, Dan could have easily become one of those characters. The ones who become so unlikeable that the audience becomes annoyed whenever they’re on screen, pulling time away from other characters’ stories. Instead, we got to root for him as he worked to become a better person, even when it would have been easier for him to stop trying, and simply give in to some of his darker impulses.
He was, first and foremost, always a good dad to Trixie, which is a mark in the favor of any man and the thing that kept him centered no matter what. His friendships with Amenadiel and Ella were always a source of support, and while his adventures with Maze didn’t always bring out the best in him, he always ended up learning something about himself. Finding love with Charlotte, even his improv classes, all of it has helped him along the way in his internal tug of war. We saw Dan go to Linda for therapy at the end of Season 4 to help him process Charlotte’s death, but like all true self-improvement, it’s about taking what you learn in therapy and bringing it with you out into your everyday life. The New Age “live, laugh, love” style self-help to try and move past his darkness in the first part of Season 5 was mostly played for laughs, but did genuinely seem to center him at least somewhat. It was a start.
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Thought I’d share some of my favourite wlw movies, please feel free to add your own favourites and i’ll reblog them!!! Lets share the gay.
But i’m a cheerleader (1999)
This crazy satirical comedy is, as mentioned, a satirical comedy, but between the laughs it makes many comments on the ridiculousness of the society, the dangers of conversion therapy and the importance of accepting yourself. Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall play girlfriends that meet at conversion camp and RuPaul plays a camp leader with a “straight is great” shirt. What else do you need?
D.E.B.S. (2004)
This is the early 2000s bad but amazing queer comedy that i always wanted but took me way too long to find. D.E.B.S. is a clandestine paramilitary academy for girls that are recruited through a secret test in the SAT - they basically wear ridiculous outfits and live in a sorority house while working as spies for the US government. The star student finds herself in a romance with the number one bad guy, who in fact is not a guy but a girl played by Jordana Brewster. The movie is directed, written, edited and produced by women so extra points for that.
Children’s Hour (1961)
Two friends open a private school for girls and get accused of having an affair, which leads to parents taking their children away from the school and the women becoming societal outcasts. In the end the other woman admits to herself and to her friend that she in fact does have feelings for her friend. The movie does have an extremely tragic end (as all wlw themed movies in that time had to have), but works as a strong reminder of how far we’ve come, both in the society and in wlw movies.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
Set in the 90s, this movie shows how destructive conversion camps were, and still are. This movie is absolutely beautiful, my only critisism being that a disabled person is not played by a disabled person. Chloe Grace Moretz also got a lot of critique for playing a queer character, but SURPRISE she is queer and we all just assumed she wasn’t. Her queerness shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after watching this movie tho, as she is convincing (and hot) as hell.
Imagine Me and You (2005)
The bride falls in love with the florist of her straight wedding. Cheating happens in this movie, but it’s actually handled very well and the husband is the most sympathetic man in wlw movie history. This movie is one of my all time favourites, it’s warm, cute, funny and very English. Also Lena Headey.
Mädchen in uniform (1958)
Set in the 1910s Germany, the movie is about an all girls strict boarding school in which almost everyone is in love with one of the teachers, Miss von Bernburg. The new student (played by the absolutely gorgeous Romy Schneider) falls especially deep for the teacher, declaring her love multiple times and even kissing her. The movie does not have the happiest of endings, but no one dies which was, i guess, progress.
Kyss mig/With every heartbeat (2011)
This beautiful Swedish movie takes the whole cheating thing to a new level, but it’s one of the most beautifully shot wlw movies with some of the most gorgeous shots in movie history. Many have probably seen some of the scenes of this movie on youtube, but i highly recommend watching the whole thing, as it has a great storyline and spoiler aller, a happy ending.
The world unseen (2007)
This movie is set in the 1950s South Africa during the apartheid, tackling racism, classism, sexism and homofobia all at once. It follows the love story Amina and Miriam, one of which is actively challenging the laws and regulations while the latter is scared to make any demands and follows all conventions. This movie has an almost exclusively POC cast and gives an interesting (even though depressing) glimpse at a place and time that deserves all the screen time it can get.
Anatomy of a love seen (2014)
Two actresses fall in love while playing a couple in a movie, break up in real life, and are called back to reshoot a love scene. This movie is very raw, full of feelings, great sex scenes and good chemistry. It does feel a bit like fanfiction coming to life, which i fully say as a positive thing. Maybe don’t watch this movie if you’ve just broken up, or just go for it if you feel like crying your eyes out.
Saving face (2004)
A surgeon and a dancer fall in love in New York, having to deal with the expectations and prejudges of their Chinese-American families. The early 2000s really knew how to make romcoms, since this movie has rightfully claimed its place as one of the classics.
Tumblr won’t let me add more than 10 pictures, so i’ll start with these! Please add your own, or send me your entries and i’ll add them as a reblog :)
#i know im missing some obv ones like carol#sorryyy#couldnt fit them all#wlw#wlw movies#lesbian movies#queer movies#imagine me and you#but i'm a cheerleader#mädchen in uniform#the miseducation of cameron post#debs#d.e.b.s#saving face#the anatomy of a love seen#the world unseen#kyss mig#children's hour
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Too Late To Turn Back Now - One
Elide Lochan has been living and working in Doranelle for years. Unknowingly, she let her visa expire and now must leave the country for a year - including losing her position as Crown Counsel. Without thinking, she ropes her associate, Lorcan Salvaterre, into her scheme to let her stay in Doranelle and announces that they are to be wed. As they fumble their way through their new relationship dynamics while visiting Lorcan’s family deep in Doranelle’s northern isles, they must keep up pretenses while their intentions change, all under the watchful eye of the immigration bureau.
masterlist - ao3 - next chapter
+*+*+*+*+*+*
Lorcan did not recognize the room he woke up in, his head buried in a frilly pillow. Without moving his head, he quickly scanned the room around him, eyes widening at the amount of stuff the girl had on her dresser and desk.
The bed shifted and he lifted himself up, looking down as the girl next to him rolled onto her back and stretched, the duvet falling from her chest. Heat sparked in his veins and she smiled lazily, reaching up to tug his face down to hers, kissing him slowly. “Morning, baby,” she whispered, running a hand through his hair. “Wow. Your hair’s longer than mine. You should cut it.”
Lorcan shook his head, “Already told you that I can’t.”
“Not even for me?” she pouted and he wished he cared enough to remember her name. Actually, he did not really care. Sighing through his nose, he kissed her one more before glancing at the clock, trying to see if he had enough time this morning to have a little fun.
“Oh, fuck,” he cursed, jumping out of bed, and rooting around the room for his slacks and shirt. His boss was going to kill him.
“Where you going,” the girl whined as he tucked his slightly wrinkled shirt into his pants and buckled his belt.
“I gotta go to work, baby.”
“Well, when am I going to see you again?”
He slowly pulled his hair into a messy bun and rubbed his fingers over his stubbled jaw, “Listen. I don’t really do that type of stuff, you know?” She crossed her arms and drummed her fingers on her upper arm, tilting her head to the side. “Last night was great, but it was kind of more of a one-time thing.”
“Oh.”
“You’re beautiful and fun, but I’m just not in that place right now. I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok. Call me when you are?”
“100%.”
+*+*+*+*+*+*
There were already two coffee cups waiting at the counter when Lorcan ran into the coffee shop. The barista smiled as he grabbed them, “You’re the best, what do I owe you?”
“Look at the side of your cup and it’s on the house,” she said, winking as she turned to the next customer and he glanced down, seeing her number and name – Chloe – scrawled on the side.
Lorcan smiled and nodded a goodbye as he pushed his way through the door and broke into a near sprint, dreading his boss’ wrath.
Fifteen minutes later, Lorcan calmed his fast-beating heart as he pushed open the pristine glass doors to the offices of the national Prosecution Service. He glanced at his watch and sped up, hoping his boss had missed her alarm and was not in yet.
It seemed as though one of the gods took pity on him and had graced him with extra time this morning. He half-jogged into her corner office and put a coffee on her desk, speeding out to his desk just as his phone buzzed. Lorcan cursed in his mother tongue as he fished out his phone, a text lighting up the screen.
Boss Lady: Cairn’s in five minutes
He internally groaned and texted the office group chat, just two words.
LS: She’s here
The mood dropped as everyone hurried to do what they were supposed to be doing and the doors opened. Elide Lochan walked in, her heels clicking against the floor.
She was dressed in her firing outfit – a black sheath dress that was square at the top, exposing her delicate collarbones and smooth neck, her dark hair pulled up into a sleek ponytail. She wore red-bottomed heels that matched perfectly with the dark blood-red shade of her lipstick, and her purse hung from her elbow.
Everyone scattered as her gaze cut across the cubicles. There was a limp, but after years of physical therapy and the best orthopods money could buy, it was hardly noticeable save for the scar marring the otherwise perfect alabaster skin of her leg.
“Lorcan.”
He handed her her briefing folder and followed her into her office, shutting the door behind him as she dropped her bag in one of the chairs in front of her glass desk and perched herself on the edge of said desk. “The firing dress?” he asked mildly, knowing she would appreciate the remark.
After two years of working for her as her associate, Lorcan knew her better than she knew herself, which is why he knew what type of smile would grace her round lips before they graced Cairn with her presence. True to his word, she grinned a wicked grin, “Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to sack his ass? Losing the Baldor case gives me the perfect opportunity.”
Lorcan cracked a smile as well. He hated Cairn and would be glad to see him go. Losing their biggest case just before the biannual board review was a slip up no one would let go unnoticed. “When do we go?”
Snapping the folder shut, her red acrylics flashing, Elide said, “Now.” Any trace of joking familiarity she revealed when it was just the two of them left her face as she stood up straight and she walked to the door, just a tad of swagger in the way her hips swung with every step.
Elide rapped on Cairn’s door, a false sympathetic tilt to her head. The man looked up, a smarmy grin on his lips he thought she couldn’t tell was a complete farce. Lorcan would’ve pitied him if he didn’t loathe the man. “Well, if it isn’t our fierce leader and her lap dog.”
Chuckling, Elide strolled into his office, stopping before the small window, more than a little smug that she had the corner office, not him. “I’m letting you go, Cairn, darling.”
“You’re what?”
Lorcan watched, highly entertained as he sipped from his coffee, as Elide slowly turned around and spoke to Cairn as though he were a small child, “You’re fired.”
Cairn shot up, his fists planted on his desk. He seethed, near foaming from the mouth, “You can’t fire me.”
“Oh, but I can. You see,” she said, walking in measured steps over to him where she planted her own fists on the desk and leaned over, “losing the Baldor case was just the tip of the iceberg, darling.” Lorcan bristled as Cairn’s eyes dropped down to her cleavage, lingering much too long before he dragged them back up to her eyes, no doubt glittering with that icy rage of hers. “Now, I’m going to be nice and not report you for sexual harassment and give you two months to find a new job. You must think you’re so slick, staring at every twenty-year old law student who walks in here, calling them sweetheart, thinking I can’t feel it when you stare at my tits and my ass. Get a nice long look, because it’s the last time I’ll allow it before I rip your beady little eyes from your skull.”
Without another word, she stood up straight and spun neatly on her toes, walking out of his office with Lorcan on her tail. “What’s he doing,” she whispered, her back straight and head held high.
Lorcan subtly glanced over his shoulder, eyes on the raging man. “Pissed and ready to go. T-Minus five, milady.”
“Oh, Cairn, honey, don’t do it.”
Elide turned to Lorcan, that sadistic smile playing at her mouth before she neutralized her face and waited, almost bored as Cairn came storming out, a finger pointed at her, “You cold-hearted crippled bitch. You can’t fire me!”
The office went dead silent and Elide just surveyed her nails, appraising the deep burgundy colour and sleek coffin shape, “Why are you doing this, Cairn? I gave you a civilized way out of this.”
“You fired me because you’re threatened!”
Lorcan choked on his laugh, way too invested in the scene unfolding. Elide sighed again and smiled icily, “Oh, Cairn. You foolish, foolish man. Nothing about you threatens me. I fired you because you’re entitled and incompetent, not to mention you prey on every girl that comes through these doors. Care to remind the office how much you’ve lost in sexual harassment settlements and how many law clerks you’ve gone through in the past year?” He went beet red up to the roots of his brown hair and she continued, “Hm. That’s what I thought. So, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get your ass out of this office before Lorcan here forcibly removes you. You have a choice to make here.”
Cairn’s watery blue eyes promised her a painful death but he slowly nodded and Elide clapped, “Oh, goodie. Now, carry on.”
Everyone else suddenly found somewhere else to work as Elide and Lorcan continued back to her office. Once the door was closed, Elide flung herself across the low couch and laughed, “I haven’t had fun like that in ages.”
Lorcan huffed a laugh and read her her schedule, “Your immigration lawyer sent over some things for you to sign and you have a deposition with Lucy at one.”
She sighed, “Push the deposition to three and we need to push for an appeal. I’ll need you here this weekend.”
“I can’t.”
Elide slowly sat up, a brow raised. “And why not?”
“I’m going home for the weekend. It’s my sisters’ birthday.”
“I gave you time off?”
“I can just cancel, it’s fine,” he said, silently cursing her and everything she stood for. First weekend home in two years and she makes me cancel?
“You do that, and push Lucy to three.” She stood and waved her hand, effectively dismissing him. Lorcan nodded and took his leave, sitting down heavily as he punched out his mother’s number.
+*+*+*+*+*+*
Lorcan knocked on her door and entered after she called him in. She looked distracted as she spun in her chair, her head resting on her fist. Lorcan slowly closed the door and carefully approached her, “Elide?”
“Did you speak to your mother?”
“Yes.” And she told him to quit, once again. “It’s all sorted.” He was supposed to be going up for his twin sisters, Aneha and Sadirah’s sixteenth birthday. He hadn’t been home in the two years he’d been working for Elide and hadn’t seen his family for seven months.
“There’s been a change of plans, Lorcan.”
“And that is…”
Elide breathed out and stood up, beckoning him over to the low-lying couch and matching armchairs that overlooked Doranelle’s magnificent rivers. “I’m in danger of being deported back to Terrasen. My visa expired and I won’t be able to reapply for a year, which I’ll have to spend in Terrasen.”
Lorcan’s eyes widened and he nodded, “Ok, well, you can always work remotely and-“
“I can’t do that, I won’t be able to work for any Doranellian companies so…” she trailed off and bit her thumbnail, refusing to meet his gaze.
“So?” he prompted, leaning forward, and resting his elbows on his knees.
“I told my boss that we’re getting married.”
“Who?”
“You and me.”
+*+*+*+*+*+*
an: so i hit six hundred followers today (which is kinda wack but go off i guess) and decided to share this lil thing with yall! lemme know if you wanna be tagged 🥺💛
@mythicaitt @schmlip-scribble @tinywolfofeyllwe @the-regal-warrior @westofmoon @empire-of-wildfire @rhysands-highlady @city-of-fae @shyvioletcat @alifletcher2012 @tangledraysofsunshine @ttakeitbacknoww @tswaney17 @ourbooksuniverse @flora-and-fae @thesirenwashere @queenofxhearts
#too late to turn back now#tlttbn chapter one#the proposal au#elorcan#elide x lorcan#elide lochan#lorcan salvaterre#aelin ashryver galathynius#nehemia ytger#essar#maeve#vaughan#rowan whitethorn#fenrys moonbeam#connall moonbeam#cairn#benson#original characters#odette salvaterre#aneha salvaterre#sadirah salvaterre#isa writes#nalgenewhore
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Forgive Me Pt. 2
Time heals all wounds, and as for Bea Hughes, she had the odds stacked against her, battling a healing heart and car wreck injuries, time just seemed to drag on. She had forgiven Chloe and the two started a relationship that they wished had happened sooner.
Bea started physical therapy and it was killing her. Still bound to her wheelchair for now, she was making strides and with aid, she could walk using her own power. The neck brace was long gone but she still got headaches from the whiplash.
Chloe moved Bea into her master suite in the Zeta house, a move Poppy was furious about. No way in hell was her enemy living under the same roof as her. The audacity.
Well Bea settled in real nice. She had to listen to Poppy bitch about her presence but finally she ran out of words to bitch about and left her alone. I mean she was causing no harm to anyone, her days trying to take the throne were gone and all she cared about was healing and progressing with Chloe.
Chloe. The girl who finally threw away her loyalty to Poppy and dedicated herself to her girlfriend Bea. Chloe waited on her hand and foot. She made a promise and she was going to keep it.
Staying in the Zeta house wasn’t so bad. Zoey came by almost daily to visit and the Zeta girls treated her as one of them. Veronica quickly became one of Bea’s besties.
She would watch over Bea when Chloe had to go to class. Lucky for Chloe, she could check on her love due to Veronica’s constant streaming. She was the highlight of every vlog.
Veronica wrapped her vlog up and started doing Bea’s nails. The girl was exhausted from the therapy and Veronica thought she could help.
“I see therapy is going well.” Veronica laughed filing Bea’s fingernails.
“Uhhhh.” Bea moaned laying perfectly still.
“You’re coming along quickly, you’ll be back to yourself soon.”
“If I don’t die first. Therapy is killing me I swear. I’m too exhausted to do anything.”
“Obviously, your nails are atrocious.” Veronica started painting, making sure to hold Bea’s hand still.
“You know you make her happy?” Veronica causally spoke.
“What?” Bea asked confused.
“Chloe. I haven’t seen her genuinely this happy in a long time. You’ve got her hooked.”
“She’s too good to me.” Bea smiled. “I never thought I would say this, but sometimes I wonder if she’s too good for me.”
“Oh stop that. You have that girl whipped. I’ve never seen her stand up for herself or for anyone. She’s so far up your ass I’m afraid she’s going to suffocate.” Veronica teased.
“She is not!” Bea defended.
“Is she not? And relax babe, I meant it as a compliment, she’s madly in love with you.”
“I know. And I love her too. I just wish I could do something special for her. Show her I appreciate her for what she’s done for me.”
Veronica pondered ideas and threw some out to Bea as she wrapped up her manicure, “How about this...”
...
Chloe made it home, finally out of class and like clockwork, made a dash upstairs to check on her girl.
“Hello my sweet girl.” She greeted walking over to kiss Bea.
“Hey babe.” Bea mumbled smacking lips with Chloe.
“How do you feel today? Better?”
“A little. Look! Veronica did my nails.” Bea beamed.
“Supa cute!” Chloe squealed.
She noticed Bea became quiet after awhile, “What’s up? You have that look on your face. You want to tell me something.”
“Ummm so me and V where talking...and I booked us a weekend in the mountains.”
“What?! For when?” Chloe asked with excitement.
“This weekend.”
“Are you sure you’re up for it? I know you’ve made progress...” Chloe asked worriedly.
“I’ll be ok. It’s nothing strenuous, just a nice relaxing getaway.” Bea added.
...
The drive up was a breeze. It was only a couple of hours away and Chloe was always sure to check on Bea when they got near a rest stop.
It was beautiful. Winter time in the New York mountains. The air was crisp but the cabin was warm.
It was just the two of them and the quietness the surrounding nature provided was peaceful. The cool night air complimented the long soak in the hot tub, exactly what Bea needed. Cuddles and kisses with Chloe and a bone healing soak.
The girls went on a stroll the next morning to the property’s ice rink. It was a frozen lake just down the hill. Chloe rented a pair of skates and by the look of it, they were the first and only ones there. The low fog was gliding inches above the fresh layer of ice. The sun was rising over the evergreens, giving off that welcome warming sensation they craved.
Bea sidlelined herself momentarily. Still tied down to her wheelchair, she sipped her warm coffee and found added warmth under her fleece blanket. Just watching Chloe skate was enough. A former figure skater in her own right, Chloe gave it up when she came to Belvoire because Poppy told her to.
She was in her own world and Bea was proud to be a witness. It wasn’t about her, not today. It was Chloe’s day. But in typical Chloe fashion, she wasn’t letting her girlfriend miss out. She began to skate around, gently pushing Bea across the ice. The chilling air slapped Bea’s face causing it to change to a bright red, but she didn’t care.
She was having a blast at the safe hands of Chloe. It was their own fairytale moment neither expected. But both wouldn’t have it any other way. The giggles, the thought, the company they were in, it was all worth it.
Later that night, after the hot tub Bea finally was able to get herself out of her wheelchair on her own. It was something she and Chloe had been working on daily and finally, she done it.
Feeling bulletproof, Bea had Chloe take her shirt off and lay down in front of the wood burner. She did as instructed and propped her chin in her fist, watching out the glass windows as fresh snow started falling.
Bea struggled to ease her way down on top of Chloe. She finally threw her leg over and straddled the back of Chloe’s thighs, butt firmly against her crotch. She began to rub her back and worked her way up to her neck.
She worked Chloe’s knots out and gently caressed every inch of her beautiful skin. It was her time to spoil her girlfriend. No matter what happened next, she would have this moment with the woman she loved for as long as she lived.
“Mmmm. That feels so good Bea.” Chloe moaned in pleasure.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying. I want to spoil you to no end love.”
“Wowww, and what did I do to deserve all this love?”
“For just being you. For loving me and taking care of me when no one else would. I love you Chloe St. James. With all my heart.”
Okkkkk, Chloe began to cry, that’s all she ever wanted to hear, it was never enough, but it would do for now, “I love you Bea Hughes. So so much.”
Chloe wiggled her way out of Bea’s embrace and ran to make hot chocolate and returned to join Bea in the floor. The two took a blanket and cuddled up next to the stove and watched the snow fall, one question still looming in Chloe’s mind.
“So I take it, that I’m forgiven?”
“Yes Chloe.” Bea teased. “For the millionth time, you’re forgiven. Now kiss me.”
“Yes ma’am.”
#playchoices#pixelberry#chloe st james#chloe x mc#queen b chloe#queen b mc#queen b poppy#queen b choices#queen b veronica
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Will It Be the Same?
Chapter 3: Whatever Happens, is Meant to Happen
(Lucifer x Reader)
Getting through the day with the weak amount of energy you had today was stressful enough, but trying to get by with just a string of your sanity is overbearing. You're hunched over the microscope, focusing on any sort of difference between each sample, even if it’s a slight difference. This helps you distract yourself from accidentally looking through peoples mind or discover something else.
“(Y/n), how’s it going there bestie!” Ella popped up from beside you with a pat on your back. The surprising greeting made you flinch away in fear. Ella quickly frowned, confusion and worry, this was just so sudden.
“Oh sorry Els, it’s going good. I found the difference between these samples from the crime scene. They almost tried to sneak past me.” You smiled nervously and tried to add some humor to lighten the mood you ruined.
“That’s great..Hey, are you okay? You’ve been really fidgety since this morning, it’s like you’ve been avoiding stuff.” Ella gets closer and holds both of your arms gently, trying to soothe you.
“Just a nightmare I had last night. Nothing I can’t handle.” You composed yourself and smiled at her reassuringly. Ella didn’t seemed too convinced, but she let it go anyways
“Alright, try not to work so hard. I want you to come with me at the next crime scene. I’m gonna go get us some coffee before we go.” Ella rubs your arm and walks out of the lab room. You felt like you probably should’ve been more convincing. If she could see you all jumpy then everyone else can too, and you don’t need that kind of attention. You rubbed your temples and breathed in and out to see if you can calm your own nerves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hey Decker, I’m gonna steal your partner. Be back in a giffy!” Ella pops at Chloe’s desk out of nowhere, startling her a bit. Ella wasted no time to drag Lucifer towards the coffee and snack area, leaving Chloe confused. Lucifer tried to protest but Ella didn’t even give him the chance to complain.
“Sorry about that but I need your help with something.” Ella’s serious tone caught Lucifer’s attention. Lucifer seemed interested and surprised by Ella’s change of expression.
“I believe you’ve forgotten the old Lopez charm back there.” Lucifer pointed out with a grin. Ella isn’t one to have serious expressions.
“I’m serious Lucifer...it’s about (Y/n). I was wondering if you can give Linda a call so that (Y/n) can go see her. I don’t have much right now but I’ll chip in as much as I can.” Ella poured coffee on both mugs, and looked at him pleadingly.
“Now why on earth would (Y/n) want to see the good doctor?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow at Ella, trying to dig for more information on (Y/n).
“I couldn’t say anything even if I wanted to. You see Lucifer, I’ve been trying to be patient for her to tell me all her problems but it isn’t working. She might just need professional help. So can you do me a favor and call Linda?” Ella sighs tiredly and picks up both mugs.
“Alright Ms.Lopez, I’ll pay for the appointment myself, although you do owe me a favor later on. Deal?” Lucifer grins at Ella.
“Deal. Thanks Lucifer, it means alot.” Ella smiles happily at Lucifer and turns to go back to the lab you both were in.
“Indeed..” Lucifer grins and takes out his flask and takes a sip. If he couldn’t bring out more information about you directly, then maybe he can ask Linda everything she knows about you. Lucifer takes out his phone and dials the number of his therapist.
“Lucifer? I hope this is something important.” Linda sighs tiredly through the phone.
“Why yes it is doctor.” Lucifer turns to see you laughing with Ella in the lab. Lucifer’s grin falters into a concern gaze when he realizes how tired you looked. With one simple look at you and somehow he just wants to help you anyway he can, and it really frustrates him. Why the hell would he be automatically more concerned about you than his situation with the detective?
‘What the bloody hell is this?!’ Lucifer thought to himself and sighs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sooo~ you have any plans after this?” Ella asked, taking pictures of the corpse. It made you shiver each time you saw a dead body but you made sure you didn’t show it. You wanted to help Ella in every way you could.
“Nah, not really. Why got something in mind?” You were taking notes of the crime scene and what Ella observes.
“I do, and uh..” Her voice falters when she takes a moment to look at you. You look exhausted and it broke her heart that you aren’t willing to take the time to process and resolve your traumatic experience. It was hell for Ella, waiting for months just to know you were okay, and more months to see you again for her own eyes.
“And what? Are you alright Els?” You gave her a confused look, Els was never one to stop mid-sentence. Ella stayed silent for a moment, battling her inner thoughts while looking at the dead body. You don’t interrupt her thinking or even invade her thoughts.
“Have..you ever thought about going to a therapist?” Ella’s sudden question caught you off guard. She took some more pictures to fill in some silence on your part. She could somehow alway see right through you. It surprises you most of the time, but right now you really wished she didn’t pay attention to your invisible suffering.
“Uh..sometimes.” You answered, crouching down next to her. You knew this was a conversation only between you two.
“How come you haven’t tried?” She sighed and lowered her camera.
“Think about it Els, you're the only one who knows I can read minds. The story behind that isn’t...believable. What kind of therapist would take me seriously?” You told her and rubbed your temple. Ella noticed that your headache was starting again, she quickly pulled out pain killers and gave them to you. Thanking her, you took the pills and hoped that they kicked in sooner before it got stronger.
“I know a therapist that can help, she’s a good friend of mine. It would really mean alot if you at least gave her a shot. Please?” Ella looked at you with serious and pleading eyes. Damn her charms! You really can’t say no to that. You groaned and watched her grin at her victory.
“Fine. I’ll only try it once, and if it doesn’t work well, then can we drop the therapy subject?” You huffed while taking notes.
“Yup!” Ella hugged you tightly and you couldn’t but smile while you were taking notes. You have such a soft spot for Ella, and she knows it.
“Hey Ella, (Y/n). What do we have?” Chloe smiled while approaching with Lucifer. Ella broke from her embrace and started looking at the corpse.
“This is Wesly Rogers, choked to death by a wire while watching sports.” Ella pointed to the t.v behind them and continued. “Apparently he was just a science teacher, such a normal dude for a brutal death. He didn’t even get to see who won. Shame.” Ella sighed and shook her head.
“What’s more shameful is his outfit, such a nice house and he can’t even dress like he does.” Lucifer looks around the living room and then back at Wesly with disgust. You chuckled at his change of topic and Ella shook her head with a small snort. Chloe looked at Lucifer and rolled her eyes.
“That’s it? Just a crime of passion?” Chloe raised an eyebrow at the corpse and back to Ella.
“The evidence points to that direction but whoever murdered him is pretty much a pro. Wesly here fought back and normally you would scratch people or something, but his fingernails are squeaky clean. There’s no sign of fingerprints and no force entry.” You spoke up and stood up with Ella.
“That’s weird..does he have any family? A background?” Chloe asked and you gave her your notes.
“From what we got, he was just an orphan and has never been adopted. No girlfriend, wife, kids, nada. Dude just hangs out with teachers and students.” Ella responded and shrugs, packing her camera.
“Well, I guess he doesn’t need a love life since he’s so used to being lonely.” Chloe commented bitterly while giving you your notes back. You mentally winced at the comment, you looked at Lucifer and he stared at her with a frown. ‘Not today guys...’ You packed your notes.
Before Lucifer could say a word, Chloe took the file from an officer and left. You and Ella looked at each other, you were visibly uncomfortable. You can tell that she was trying to communicate with you through her thoughts, so you took the invitation.
‘Got any idea on what that’s about?’ Ella asked acting naturally while looking through some other notes you didn’t put away.
‘Two words. Living. Nightmare.’ You quietly huffed.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ She frowned slightly at your response.
‘I may have accidentally...split my subconscious from my body in my sleep, and maybe my subconscious side was somehow placed in Lucifer’s penthouse.’ You kept your head down in embarrassment, staring at the notes.
‘Okay? What does that have to do with their relationship drama?’ Ella seemed confused.
‘I uh-I witnessed them doing..sexual activities and then argued right after. Literally a second after they were done..’ You elaborated and her eyes widened like saucers.
“Hello? Is there something in those notes that are more interesting than yours truly?” Lucifer waved his hands in front of you two, making you both snap out of your inner conversation.
“Sorry bro, uh we were just going through this one last time.” Ella explained and gave you the rest of the notes for you to pack.
“As I was saying, would either of you be interested in my assistance today?” Lucifer asked.
“That’s sweet Lucifer, but we got everything under control here.” You sympathetically smiled at the poor guy.
“Yes, of course..” Lucifer sighed and turned to walk out the crime scene. Unfortunately, having an optimistic friend that loves to help out those in need couldn’t just give you a break.
“But! We might need some help with files, papers, and all that sorts of stuff. I still got some research to do on this dead guy, so (Y/n) will be really lonely. Wouldn’t want to stress her out, you know?” Ella smiled at Lucifer while patting your shoulder, your eyes went to Ella’s.
‘Seriously? After what I told you, you're gonna have me stuck in a room with him?’ You groaned mentally.
‘Oh grow up, it’s just sex and drama. The typical love life if you ask me. Come on, look at him, he looks sad.’ Ella lightly scolded you and you turned to look at Lucifer. You noticed he had a gleam of hope in his eyes and you mentally sighed.
“Yea, I forgot you were busy too Els. I wouldn’t mind having extra help.” You gave him a smile, hopefully convincing him that you're alright with this.
“Perfect! I’ll be there when you're ready.” Lucifer smiled and left the crime scene.
‘You owe me for this Els.’
‘Don’t I always?’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“How can you live with these boring duties?” Lucifer pulled out his flask and took a swig.
“You wanted to help with the boring stuff, welcome to hell buddy, not everything is as exciting as being in the field.” You scoffed lightly at his complaint.
“Trust me, this is much more exciting than hell itself.” Lucifer snorts and shakes his head. You put the files away, thankful that the endless piles of papers are over.
“I don’t know about that, I’m actually mentally preparing myself when the time comes." You jokingly said while texting Ella about your completed task. You were expecting a laugh but all you heard was silence. His silence was getting a little uncomfortable until he finally spoke.
"What would make you believe that you belong in hell?" His voice was surprisingly soft. You stopped typing and your eyes met his. From your point of view, you saw concern and curiosity. His eyebrows furrow in confusion, he's trying to understand you.
"Just a feeling, you know? I'm not very Christian, although I do believe in the 'big guy' as Ella would call him." You chuckled, thinking about your friend. "I'm far from perfect, like way far. For me, it all depends on what you die for instead of what you live for. You can be a saint all your life and still go to hell." You continued your explanation while finishing your text to Ella. It's strange that you're having this conversation with him of all people.
"What, so you have faith in dear ol' dad on your death? Despite everything he could've helped you go through in your life, you deliberately choose to trust him in your last seconds of life?" Lucifer scoffs and stands from his stool to walk towards you. You're surprised by his argument, this topic must be really sensitive. 'Dear ol' dad? Seriously?'
"He might've made me Lucifer, but he didn't create my future, because if he did then I should feel like I'm going somewhere. This isn't about who I believe in at the end of the day. Why are you so in depth with this conversation anyways?" You raised your eyebrow at him while he towered over you.
“You shouldn’t be speaking so freely about death, especially where you’ll end up. Unless… there’s something you regret dearly, your deepest darkest desire perhaps?” Lucifer loses his irritated pose and leans a bit, making you cautiously lean back.
“Uh-Lucifer, I don’t know what you're trying to pull out of this conversation but since we’re done here, how about I go catch up with Ella and you can see what Chloe is up to.” You stood up from your stool and walked around him to the door. You’re really trying to stay out of his thoughts, somehow it’s harder with him and you just don’t get it. ‘Come on chica, you were doing so well today.’ You scolded yourself mentally.
Just when you opened the door, an arm reached out from behind you and closed it. You yelped when you were sharply turned around and pinned against the door by your shoulders. Your startled eyes quickly made contact with Lucifer’s frustrated orbs. You don’t know what came over him. One moment you two were having a playful conversation and then it was somehow flipped upside down.
“Lucifer, what are you doing? Let go!” Your voice was loud enough to become a warning, but not enough to alert the noisy precinct. You tried to struggle but his grip only tightened on your shoulders.
“I’ve clearly had enough with the ‘innocent human’ facade, my dear. A six month disappearance and you come back as someone ‘special’? Ray has certainly been cautious around you but I would love to get to the bloody point.” Lucifer scoffs at your acting, which was something you weren’t doing at all. You froze at the mention of your disappearance and Ray-Ray. That information made you scared and confused.
“H-how do you know about that and R-Ray-Ray?” Your eyes widen, turning pale. You thought that you and Ella were the only ones that could see the ghost. Just like you thought no one else knew about those six months you refused to think about.
“I have my connections. Now that we’ve cleared the air, how about you answer my questions. Did my father send you to meddle with my life?” Lucifer glared, making you feel tiny and weak. He wasn’t the Lucifer you first met, he’s darker...almost dangerous.
“Your father? Lucifer what the fuck has gotten into you, I didn’t know you even existed until you broke into Ella’s apartment. Now let me go!” You couldn’t take the forceful interrogation any longer, this behavior has just opened old wounds you never wanted to think of again. You tried kicking him off of you, but he stayed in place like a fucking wall, not even a centimeter away from you.
“Ugh, stubborn as a mule. Very well then, you brought this upon yourself.” Lucifer grumbled, making you stand up straight against the door. He straightened out his shoulders and leaned in, his dark orbs piercing into your delicate ones. “What, do tell, is your deepest desire?” His voice rumbled darkly, like he’s putting a spell on you.
The second he asked that question, your eyes couldn’t look away from his. It was as if his eyes were the strongest magnets in the universe. You couldn’t concentrate on your own thoughts, your surroundings, or the situation. Your mind was filled with many memories all at once. The memories that were spilling out weren’t sweet, they were horrible. It was a recap of the woman you used to be to the woman you are now.
Tears started to blur your eyes. The woman you were before was the woman you wanted to be now. Not this..freak of nature..
Lucifer was concentrating even harder, he was amused by the strong willpower she had to refuse to confess her desires. Noticing her tears, Lucifer froze in place and stared at her tear stained cheeks. Watching them fall, his face changed from menacing to guilt. Here he was, angry at the thought of his father tweaking his life as if he needed a path to follow, that he didn’t notice the pain he was inflicting on to you.
Lucifer stopped his mojo and loosened his grip on your shoulders, but it was too late. Your breathing was shallow, tears continuing to fall. You were starting to hear those voices again, the ones in your memories, from the precinct, and the one in front of you. You instinctively put your hands up to cover your ears, knowing that it wouldn’t help. You whimpered and you were finally able to close your eyes. Your fear, anger, and desperation got the best of you...and your abilities.
‘Let me GO! LET ME GO!’ A voice rang out in an empty dark room. Lucifer’s eyes widened and turned his head to the corner of the room. The corner of the forensic room was darker than it originally was. He saw a girl, with disheveled hair, bloody clothes, just a fragile and weak form.
‘Please..someone help me please...LET ME OUT!’ The girl hit the wall with a heart wrenching sob. Her face finally revealed to be...you. Lucifer’s breath hitched and he turned back to you, your eyes were closed tight and you kept covering your eyes, as if you were desperately trying to block the horrible scene. Lucifer was shocked, it was impossible for a mortal to do such things. His father would never allow it, not even if it was meant to set him on some kind of path. This was something that neither heaven or hell has ever created.
Lucifer reached out to your hands covering your ears and tried to talk calmly over the suffering voice in the corner of the lab. “(Y/n), listen to me, it’s over now. There’s nothing for you to suffer from anymore.” His calm voice made you open your blurry teary eyes. Your hands were trembling under his touch.
“There you go, now take a deep breath and concentrate on me, can you do that?” Lucifer took a hold of your hands gently. You took a deep breath and stared into his eyes, your vision clearing up from all the tears. “That’s right, come back to me darling.” He put his hands on your cheeks to wipe away your tears. All you saw in his eyes was nothing but care and guilt. Your mind came back to reality, voices and memories fading away, coming back to the light.
Lucifer turned to see if the other suffering you was still there but it was gone. It was just the original corner of the white forensic lab. Staring at his confusion, you realized he saw a snippet of your memories from your disappearance. He turned towards you again and removed his hands from your face slowly.
Processing and remembering what led to this point, you backed up a bit and glared at him. You were boiling mad, the way he somehow forced you to open those wounds again. How he was controlling and manipulating your mind for his own benefit. He noticed your body language and he tried to reach out to your cheeks again.
“I...I’m sor-” You slapped his hands away harshly and bolted out the door. Lucifer tried to follow you but you stopped short when you bumped into Ella and Chloe. Right on cue.
“(Y/n)? Hey, what happened?” Ella looked into your eyes with warmth and comfort. You choked a sob and hugged her close to you, burying your face in her shoulder. Ella held you close, surprised that you broke into tears. She wanted to desperately understand what you're going through, like she always wanted to when you came back.
Lucifer was close by, this made Chloe tense. Did he show you his true form? Ella’s attention went to Lucifer’s guilty form, making her in protective mode.
“What the hell did you do?" Ella glared at him and held you closer like a momma bear with her cub. Lucifer’s mouth opened slightly but closed again, he didn’t know how to explain this, especially since Ella doesn’t know his true form. Chloe observed him carefully, he seemed hesitant to get closer and he wanted to speak up, at least to you since his eyes never left your sad state.
“I’ll take him with me to finish the case, and talk some sense into him along the way. You can stay with (Y/n) for the rest of the day, thank you for your help Ella. I hope you feel better (Y/n).” Chloe genuinely comforts you and calms Ella’s protective posture. She walks towards Lucifer and gives him a stern look while nodding to the other direction, away from the two of you.
Lucifer nods back and gives you one last look before walking off with her. Chloe didn’t fail to notice that he was hesitant on leaving when he looked back. She didn’t know what’s going on in his head, but what she did know from just a glance was that he wanted to be there for you. To comfort you.
Chloe felt a slight pain in her chest, the comfort and kindness he wanted to give you was something he hasn’t shown the past two months. Their emotional and physical intimacy hasn’t been the same. She wonders if God had other plans for Lucifer. Maybe she wasn’t enough for the devil she was created for. Chloe shook her head and focused her way out of the insecurities.
‘Whatever happens, is meant to happen.’
/////////////////////////////////////
Stay tuned for the next chapter!~~ Feedback is always welcome my lovelies💖
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MASTERLIST
#lucifer x y/n#lucifer fanfiction#Lucifer Morningstar#lucifer x chloe#lucifer x reader#Ella Lopez#chapter 3
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Could you do a follow up to the amputee Beca story where she and Chloe talk about Beca’s time in the military and Beca opens up about how she really feels about being a double amputee? And how Chloe felt seeing Beca’s residual limbs for the first time. Love what you did with the prompt.
Thank you! Here you go :)
home is wherever I’m with you
rating: T
word count: 2k
ao3 link
*
The knock on the door jolts Beca out of her thoughts, her heart doing a happy flutter.
Chloe’s here.
After graduation, Chloe moved to California to attend Davis’ vet school, and Beca’s dad finally agreed with Beca’s plan to go to LA and to support her financially until she found herself a job in the music industry.
Fast forward to after the summer, Beca’s now an intern in one of the country’s most praised labels. Sure, she’s not making any money yet, but at least she’s got a foot in the door.
(well, figuratively speaking.)
She and Chloe have been doing long distance for four months now, and they were able to see each other twice, Chloe flying down to LA every eight weeks or so. Past the fact that it’s easier for Chloe to travel, she lives in a dorm while Beca has her own studio, which grants them more privacy.
Rolling away from her desk, Beca heads to the door, unlatching it and pulling it open. Chloe is straddling her a second later, Beca’s squeak swallowed by the searing kiss she’s pulled in.
“Jesus,” she croaks out when they part, her hands drifting down to Chloe’s ass as she rests her forehead against hers. “Miss me?”
Chloe answers by kissing her again, and Beca can only respond in kind, her own body throbbing with want. She’s thankful Chloe chose to wear sweatpants as she slides her hand down them minutes later to give Chloe what she needs.
“Wanna order a pizza?” Beca asks as they lie in bed an hour later, spent and hungry from their earlier activity.
“You mean you didn’t whip up a romantic dinner for your girlfriend?” Chloe teases, knowing damn well Beca can’t cook to save her life. She pushes a kiss to Beca’s lips. “Pizza sounds great, babe.”
Beca reaches for her phone off the bedside table, wincing as another pang of pain shoots through her leg. A leg that’s no longer there. She’s been experiencing those a lot lately, and upon visiting a physical therapist, was told they’re called phantom pains.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe asks as Beca dials the number of the pizza place on her phone.
“Nothing.” She hasn’t told Chloe about it, finding it difficult still to address anything related to her amputation. But the look Chloe gives her tells Beca she won’t let it rest, and Beca heaves a sigh. “I-I sometimes have pain like-- it feels as though my legs are still there and they’re burning.”
“Phantom pains?”
Beca blinks, putting her phone aside. “You’ve heard of it?”
Chloe nods. “When we started dating, I… did some research about all of it.”
Beca’s heart does a funny thing at that. “Oh, right.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“He suggested the mirror therapy where I should stand in front of one so my brain can integrate the fact that I no longer have legs, and also massaging my residual limbs.”
“I can do that,” Chloe murmurs. “Give you massages, if-- if you’re comfortable with that.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t.” Chloe’s hand drifts to cover hers. “I want to help, if I can.”
Beca purses her lips, hesitantly glancing at her girlfriend. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Let’s have dinner and then do that?”
“Yeah, okay.”
After dinner, Beca tells Chloe where she keeps her oil and settles back on the bed, over a towel to protect the sheets. “You’ll tell me if you feel uncomfortable, right?” She asks just to make sure as Chloe settles down beside her.
“Yes,” Chloe says with a smile, brushing a kiss to Beca’s lips. “And likewise for you.”
“Yeah.”
Chloe rubs some oil between her palms and starts kneading Beca’s left thigh, a groan flitting past Beca’s lips as the relief is near instant. She closes her eyes and tilts her head back against the headboard, exhaling deeply.
“That helps a lot,” she murmurs, brushing her fingers over Chloe’s upper arm in an affectionate gesture as she looks at her. “Thank you. I’ve always… been self conscious about how I look, ever since the procedure, and I was convinced you’d find it gross or something.”
“Seeing it for the first time at your PT appointment was a bit unsettling, yeah, because I couldn’t help but think about the trauma that triggered it. But did I think it was gross?” Chloe shakes her head. “Never. I promise. I know it’s easier said than done and your feelings are entirely valid, but your body is beautiful the way it is, baby. I hope you learn to accept it someday.”
Beca is silent for a little while, letting Chloe’s words wash over her and settle the anxiety swirling in her guts. “We drove over a landmine in Afghanistan,” she croaks out after a minute or two, the memory still fresh in her brain even though it’s been two years. She feels Chloe’s movements pause but doesn’t look up. She can still smell it. The tires burning, the oil leaking, the blood. “The back of the truck blew up. It’s still blurry and I’m not sure what happened next but I got stuck under the side of it and my legs got crushed,” she takes a pause, emotions rising as she’s never told the story aloud except to her therapist. “Help arrived pretty quickly and they managed to free me. I was choppered to the nearest trauma center.” Beca inhales sharply as tears burn behind her eyes. She can still hear the whines and cries of her comrades before they drew their last breath. “My two best friends… they didn’t make it.”
Chloe shuffles up to sit by Beca’s side, draping an arm around her waist as she rests her forehead against the side of Beca’s head. Beca leans against her, her hand resting on Chloe’s forearm. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Beca swallows, licking her lips. “I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you what happened. It’s still… hard to talk about.”
“Thank you for trusting me,” Chloe murmurs and presses a kiss to Beca’s jaw.
“Thank you for being you,” Beca replies, twisting her head to look at Chloe. Her hand drifts up to cradle her cheek. She’s still in awe of how lucky she is to have found such a beautiful person who loves her as much as Chloe does despite everything; being a double amputee, the nightmares, the PTSD episodes. “I love you so much.”
Chloe nuzzles Beca’s nose, then brushes a kiss to her lips. “I love you, too.”
They experience some ups and downs over the next two years as sometimes long distance is hard to handle, but their relationship only comes out of it stronger. Beca lands a job as assistant producer in the same label. Chloe finds a job in LA after graduating, and they move in together in a cute one bedroom apartment in Pasadena.
“What do you mean that last scene was ridiculous?” Chloe asks, seemingly affronted. They’ve just come out of the theater after watching a romcom Chloe dragged Beca to. “I thought it was cute.”
Beca rolls her eyes as she walks beside her girlfriend. “It was cheesy as f—”
A loud BANG! cuts Beca off and she visibly shrinks, her mind and body going into shock so quickly she can’t stop it. She leans against the nearby street post, her legs feeling like jelly.
“Babe?” Chloe’s hand comes to rest on her shoulder but Beca recoils from it as her breathing turns labored. “It was a car backfiring, Becs. We’re safe.”
Beca shakes her head, panic having already gripped her insides and shut out any kind of rationality. Flashbacks jump her mind and sounds that still haunt her in her dreams weave themselves in a continuous loop.
“You’re okay baby,” Chloe soothes. “You’re okay. You’re in LA, with me, not at war. You’re safe. ”
Beca hears Chloe’s words without really registering them; they get lost in the cloud surrounding her brain and keeping her from going back to reality.
She doesn’t know how long it takes, but she eventually snaps back into the present. Street chatter replaces the cries of her friends, cars passing by are quieter than the crawlers of tanks crunching the dry ground, and Chloe is here.
Beca leans against her, clutching on for dear life as she tries to bring her heart rate back to normal.
“It’s okay,” she soothes, brushing a kiss to Beca’s temple. “You’re home.”
A year later, Beca proposes. There’s no big speech or romantic meal planned; she asks Chloe as they lie in bed one lazy Sunday morning after making love. The sun is shining over them through the window, and Chloe is pressed snugly against her, laughing at one of her lame jokes, and it’s just… perfect.
They get married six months later at a resort in Northern California, surrounded by their close friends and families. The next few years are a blur of domestic bliss, before their lives get a whole new meaning with the arrival of their baby.
Beca’s not quite used to being woken up in the middle of the night, and she jolts at the shrill cry coming through the baby monitor.
“I’ve got her,” she rasps when she feels Chloe shift next to her, and uses her arms’ strength to transfer herself in the wheelchair set next to her side of the bed.
They moved into a larger place when Chloe found out she was pregnant, a house with a garden on the outskirts of LA. It has no stairs and large rooms, ideal for Beca to manœuvre her chair around as she tends not to wear her prosthetics at home. They got a custom made crib which slides open on the side so Beca can easily pick their baby up from her chair, and their changing table can also be lowered to her height.
“What’s up, sweet pea?” She coos as she undoes the latch and slides the side of the crib open, leaning forward to lift the three month old. She knows it’s her hungry cry, and with Emma on her lap, rolls towards the kitchen to heat up a pouch of breast milk. Much like the stroller, the wheelchair movements momentarily sooth Emma.
“Here we are,” Beca murmurs minutes later, cradling Emma in the crook of her elbow and presenting her with the bottle. She’s still completely in awe of this tiny human being who’s captured her heart the moment Beca held her in her arms for the first time. It’s like she felt her heart double in size to be able to accomodate all the love she held for her wife and daughter. Yeah. Motherhood has turned her into a real softie. She smiles as Emma’s big blue eyes lock on her while she feeds. “You had to have your mommy’s eyes, huh? How am I going to be able to ever say no to you?”
Once Emma finishes, Beca heads back to the nursery to change her and sings her back to sleep, carefully setting her in her crib.
“Mama loves you, my sweet girl.”
She rolls back to the master and parks her wheelchair next to her side of the bed, locking the brakes before transferring herself back into bed. After years of practice, it doesn’t take Beca as long as it used to.
Chloe snuggles into her side as soon as Beca’s settled down. “All good?”
“Mhm,” Beca hums, brushing a kiss to her wife’s hair. “Everything’s perfect.”
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Of Being a Ladybug 12
Previous Master Post
Okay, NOTES! Please read! Now, I don’t think I ever went into detail about DC timelines or ages… Damien is a year older than Marinette (putting him at 15 years old right now, the average age for the Robin to take over a leadership position), Making Tim 22 and Stephanie 21 (unless anyone can tell me where the hell I can find her actual age in comparison to the others), Jason is 24, Richard is about to turn 30. Cassandra Cain is 24, and Barbara Gordon died in the Joker attack (I have plans).
So in the hands of good we have the (dormant) Turtle, Juleka as the fox (Ruse), Luka as Vipereon, Chloe as Vespa and Kagami as Ryouko. Marlene Seely (my OC) has taken on the Ladybug Mantle and is known as Kaefer.
Loose on the world at large: The Mouse Miraculous (Thief in India), The Horse Miraculous (human trafficker in Germany), The Black Cat (causing destruction at random in Paris), The Butterfly (also in Paris), Monkey Miraculous (in Jump City, causing all weapons but Death Stroke’s to fail), Peacock Miraculous (dormant).
SEND ME ASKS!!!!
The cons of missing jewelry
*!!*
Alya walked into her school for the last week before winter break. Mandatory counselling, restricted internet and computer use, controlled and regulated interaction with friends, bi-weekly community-service… Alya was happy to be preparing for Lycée the following year. Francois-Dupont had agreed to wipe clean their records for a full year of good behaviour, but they had to adhere to a very strict regime put into place by their new principle, a Monsieur Asselah. French-Muslim born, Bilal Asselah came to the school at the beginning of this year and had come down on the student body for their descending grades and lack of emotional control. He enforced counselling and even therapy sessions on all students. He enforced anti-bullying rules. He enforced equality among the students and equal treatment to all. Monsieur Asselah was also very quiet, hard to anger, and polite. Alya liked him, for all that she wasn’t allowed to speak with her old group of friends anymore. She also knew (from counselling) that she was one of the few still having a hard time moving on. Alya was stuck in the past, but hopefully moving to Lycée will help her think of the bigger picture.
“Yeah, Luka really missed her. He hasn’t picked that guitar up since she left. He was gone way longer than he was supposed to but being with Marinette was more important to him…” Alya stopped dead in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Juleka walking next to an unfamiliar girl with brown hair. The girl nodded.
“So weird. I didn’t know him before, but seeing how relaxed he was? I bet you they start dating soon!”
“I don’t know… Luka always had a thing for her, but Marinette always… I don’t know…”
Alya was struck. How long had it been since she thought about Marinette? She tried not to, really, because thinking about Marinette meant thinking about Ladybug and the new fox hero (that still gave her a twinge in her chest, that still made her eyes sting with frustration) and Alya didn’t have much time to focus on the things she couldn’t fix. A part of her, a small part, recognized that had Alya simply listened to Marinette, had she trusted her best friend, Alya wouldn’t be in as much trouble now. Marinette hadn’t tried to find Alya to bestow the fox miraculous to. She hadn’t said goodbye. Or tried to send a single letter to her. Alya hadn’t thought much of Marinette in the past year. But it sure hurt to hear Juleka and some random stranger knew where she was and Alya didn’t.
‘Hello Loner… I am Mourning Cloak. You and I, we both lost someone precious. Let’s wreak some havoc and see if they won’t come back…’
“Yes, Mourning Cloak.”
_ - _
Adrien sat forward as he watched the News in Paris. Another random Akuma with no actual direction. Another sighting of Svart Katt, fighting against the Parisian heroes and causing destruction for fun. Adrien frowned. How… How could Plagg let Wilhelm use him like this? How could Wilhelm think this was what he’d wanted? The TV went blank and Adrien almost screamed.
“You shouldn’t be watching those things. You’re away from there now” his aunt Amelie walked further into the room, putting the remote down on a shelf as she walked. Adrien had never told them that he had been Chat Noir, which is how he was acquitted. Only that he had never known anything was amiss. His aunt and cousin did their best to shield him from the masses, from the news, and from the situation in Paris. But they couldn’t hide everything, and Adrien knew that his father had tried to get in contact multiple times since the first sighting of Svart.
“You don’t understand Aunty…”
“No! Enough! Adrien, you need to live in the now! And right now, you are in London, not Paris. Now, get ready, we’re meeting with the Johnson & Johnson agents” and with that she walked out of the room.
Adrien sighed. How had he messed up so badly?
< ( ^ ^ ) >
Batman walked the halls of the Justice Tower with quiet steps and clenched fists. This was his first meeting with them since taking Marinette in. Marinette had a dancing lesson that night.
“Batman, you finally made it!” Flash called from the left.
“… my daughter needed me…” he was usually the last person to volunteer personal information but seeing Diana flinch in her seat was well worth it.
“How is Maria?” Diana asked gently as he took his seat.
He didn’t answer. Instead he turned he gaze to Superman, telling the room to shut up and listen. As Superman went on to give reports about recent problems around the world, caused by the accursed Miraculous Jewelry, Batman sat in his seat, impassive. In his head he kept a constant monologue of “Do not Kill. Do not Attack. Do not Shout. Do not, Do not, Do not…”
When the meeting concluded, Batman made to make a quick exit. He couldn’t be around them. Not right now, when he felt like he might actually attack them, whether verbally or physically.
‘Marinette need you to pick her up from dance. Marinette needs you to help her with her physics homework. Marinette needs help in filling out her University application.’
“Bruce! Please, how is Maria?” Diana had followed his brisk exit.
“Who is Maria?” he asked instead. If he sounded like he normally did when fighting Joker, well…
Diana stepped back. “Maria, my -- ”
“Your Nothing! Her name is Marinette! Marinette Wayne, and she is alive and growing and coming out of her shell, not thanks to anything you did! How… How could you have possibly thought anything you did to her was acceptable?! How would shaving her hair and telling her to basically kill herself help her?!” Bruce couldn’t hold back his fury anymore. He shoved his cowl off his head and glared at her as he stepped into her space. “You had one job, Diana. To protect her. You failed.”
He turned on his heel and slammed the elevator button to get the hell away from this place. He would tell Alfred to take over meetings until it became relevant to him. Otherwise, he was going to avoid this place like the plague.
^ ^ ^ ^
In Arkham, a maniac laugh could be heard through out the halls. Freedom!
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life as we know it (1/1)
Summary: After Beca's miscarriage, the road to healing is a long one. Their first night out together in a while proves to be more difficult than expected.
Word count: 2.7k
continuation from this. Part of now i see daylight—an au series that explores beca and chloe’s lives together as if they had been childhood friends.
A/N: this universe is the work-product of hours of hc'ing with @asimplefavors, so just assume all ideas are things we've discussed. <3 in this universe, beca and chloe are high school sweethearts.
Warning for angst and mention/reference to a miscarriage.
read below or on AO3.
——————————
“I never want to be without you again.”
“I never left.”
“I know, but it felt like you did and that’s what hurt the most.”
Blinking at her reflection, Beca murmurs a quiet thanks at both her stylist and her make-up artist as they quietly mill about behind her packing up their things.
It feels odd, as it has for the past while, to be preparing to go out when it still feels like she ought to be grieving. The aches and pains—the physical ones—have long faded and she has been spending more time in the studio, slowly getting her bearings again. Though she is technically on a break from the album she had been working on before and during her pregnancy, she still thinks about the music she had been creating—the music she had anticipated being read just in time for their baby, but—
She inhales deeply.
Music has never felt more soothing or poignant.
Though she still shares her music with Chloe from time to time, there has been a very specific solitude she has received from simply immersing herself in music again.
But more than that—losing herself in the love she feels for Chloe, their life together, and their baby who didn’t make it, but who will forever be so, so loved and cherished. All of that, translated into music and memories to be cherished forever.
Beca attempts a smile at herself in the mirror.
Chloe’s quiet gasp draws Beca out of her musings.
“You look beautiful,” Chloe murmurs, pulling Beca towards her for a quick kiss. Beca finds it amusing that for how much Chloe hadn’t given a second thought about PDA in high school, Chloe is now the more reserved one between the two of them.
It’s charming.
“Wait,” Beca pleads, wanting to feel Chloe’s warmth against her for just a few seconds more. Her stylist can wait a few measly seconds. “There,” she mumbles against Chloe’s mouth, purposefully sliding her hand up Chloe’s back to send a shiver down Chloe’s spine. Pleased with her own ministrations, Beca pulls back, taking care to ensure that Chloe’s lipstick is as pristine as it was before.
“You two,” Beca’s make-up artist says lightly from where she’s packing up her things. “I’m not fixing anything,” she sing-songs.
Beca smiles up at her girifriend who returns the smile with equal energy. “There’s nothing to fix,” she promises, speaking directly to Chloe. “I’m going to have the best-looking woman on my arm.”
Chloe’s smile threatens to turn into a smirk, but she maintains innocence long enough. “Flatterer.”
Though Beca feels light at the moment, an undercurrent of nervous anticipation rushes through her. This is the first event she and Chloe are attending together ever since the miscarriage and though their relationship is pretty much back at where it was before everything nearly fell apart, it wasn’t without hard work and pain. One month after Chloe finally broke down in her arms, clutching at Beca with the desperation of somebody on the brink of total collapse--one month and eight joint therapy sessions later--Beca finally feels like she’s close to whole.
So while flirting with Chloe openly is only a mask to hide her nerves, she still thinks Chloe is the most beautiful woman she has ever laid eyes on. She softens her gaze, allowing herself to sink into the sensation of being so in love with the woman standing in front of her; it is gratefulness and happiness and passion all at once--Chloe, who has been there for everything, will continue to be there (so long as you let me, Chloe had said with tears in her eyes).
“What?” Chloe finally asks when she senses the change in Beca’s demeanor.
“Nothing,” Beca responds. She reaches out to hold Chloe’s hand. “I’m just happy.”
She’s telling the truth.
“Me too,” Chloe says.
Beca knows Chloe is telling the truth as well.
——————————
The event is close-knit enough that Beca doesn’t feel any of the usual anxiety she feels whenever she goes to industry events. She can tell Chloe also feels a small measure of comfort having met many of the attendees as well. It is still surreal to both of them—Chloe more so than Beca—that this is their life now. By virtue of Beca's status as a celebrity and recording artist with a major label, they mingle regularly with celebrities. This event in particular is a moderately-sized event—honouring some of the older, well-respected music industry executives. It means the flashy celebrity turn-out is low to medium at best, which seemed like a fitting way to make a public appearance. Beca barely knows the honorees, but she supposes showing her face can’t hurt every now and then.
Her label’s president immediately swoops in front of her for a quick conversation. Chloe smiles and kisses her cheek, murmuring that she’ll come back with drinks.
In the past few weeks, Beca realizes then that she and Chloe hadn’t really spent too much time apart. It’s the only explanation for the loss she feels so keenly even though Chloe is just across the room.
“—Beca?”
Beca startles back to the present, flicking her eyes guiltily back to Tom who smiles at her knowingly. “Sorry,” she says quickly. “What, um—?”
“Never gets old, huh?” he asks, tipping his wine glass in her direction.
“What doesn’t?”
“Being in love.”
Beca feels the blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck all at once. “Oh, well, I don’t know if—” At his raised eyebrow, she shrugs helplessly and cuts herself off. “I don’t know where I’d be without her.”
“Well, behind every great artist,” he says lightly.
Chloe appears by Beca’s side again. “Is an even greater woman?” she asks with a pleasant lilt to her voice.
Beca grins, accepting the glass. “Took you long enough.”
“Well, I was going to say a great partner,” Tom corrects. He holds his hand out to shake Chloe’s hand. “Tom Mackay. A pleasure to meet you formally. Beca never shuts up about you.”
“He’s the big guy up there,” Beca clarifies for Chloe, talking over Tom.
“Chloe,” Chloe says after nudging Beca lightly with her shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Tom.”
They are soon joined by a couple, Dan Freeman and his wife Robin.
"So, Chloe," Dan begins in a tone that already has Beca rolling her eyes. She’s never particularly enjoyed his company, but he’s such a solid sound engineer that she begrudgingly admires his talent and tolerates him at least half of the time. "This one is always spending time in the studio, especially recently.” He tilts his head towards Beca. “I bet you’ll be glad when she’s finally done with this album.”
Beca clears her throat. “I’m actually taking a break,” she reminds him stiffly. “Remember?” Chloe, for her part, has not tensed up uncomfortably next to Beca, but instead tucks her hand neatly into the crook of Beca’s elbow. A quick glance shows a gentle smile on Chloe’s face as her eyes flicker to Beca’s.
“I’m grateful for Beca all the time,” Chloe says simply.
Robin coos at them and leans into Dan. “Look at them, why can’t we be more like them?”
Beca tries not to smile too smugly at her coworker, but a small measure of self-satisfaction seeps through nonetheless.
“How long have you two been together again?”
“It’ll be seven years next month,” Beca replies, unable to resist smiling at Chloe again who beams back at her.
“I envy you,” Dan says, shaking his head. “You’re so young and you have so many opportunities to attend events like this. Don’t have to worry about staying out too late or finding a sitter for the little ones,” he jokes, nudging his wife with a playful smile.
Tom laughs at that. “I agree. It was impossible for me and Emily to find somebody to look after our rascals, but we did. I’m sure they would have enjoyed this thrilling event though,” he jokes. “Well, the joys of being a recording artist...at least your schedule is king and you can set up whatever you need with no super strict deadlines,” Tom directs at Beca with a wink. “As long as we still get those albums.”
“Stop pressuring them both of you,” Robin chides. “I’m sure you’ll make lovely parents,” Robin says graciously, directing an apologetic smile at both Chloe and Beca. “But I know that’s not always in everybody’s agenda—at least not really early on.”
For a moment, she struggles to breathe. Beca feels some of the air around her grow thick and stagnant. The shift happens in an instant. She tightens her grip around the stem of her glass and wills herself not to crush the fragile material in her fist. Chloe tenses next to her as well and Beca feels the brief tightening of Chloe’s fingers in the crook of her elbow.
——————————
“I think...with our history and everything that we’ve been through together...part of me is afraid that one day I’ll wake up and she won’t be there,” Chloe whispers. She can barely look at Beca while she says so, taking the brief silence as an opportunity to quickly swipe at the tears welling quickly in her eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Beca murmurs, trying to keep her voice steady despite the sharp pain that spreads through her chest. “I would never leave you.”
“But you almost did. We almost broke because of what happened.”
“I felt so guilty,” Beca explains even though the words are increasingly meaningless. So much of the misplaced guilt had been alleviated over the past few weeks. “I still do sometimes, but—”
“Beca, don’t,” Chloe pleads.
“But,” Beca continues, reaching out to hold Chloe’s hands. “It’s mostly because I know that I hurt you and I know that things still hurt, but I can’t imagine doing this whole life thing without you and I can’t believe that it feels like I almost threw it all away.”
“You didn’t,” Chloe promises. “We’re both working on it now and I know you’re trying. I’m trying, too.” Chloe twists her hands so she can hold Beca’s hands properly. “I love you so much.”
Beca sniffles, surprising herself. Laughing hollowly, she reaches up to quickly swipe away a few stray tears before immediately holding Chloe’s hands again. “I love you, too, Chlo.”
For a moment, they both forget that their therapist is sitting across from them.
They’ll get through it. "We'll get through this," Beca promises. "I'm sorry for ever making you think otherwise. Too lost in my own head."
"Don't apologize for feeling things, Bec. I only ever wished I could take some of that worry away from you."
"We're going to get through this," Bece repeats, with conviction.
Chloe has no choice but to believe the love of her life.
——————————
There is a quiet pain in Chloe’s entire posture as she sits silently next to Beca at their designated table. The lights feel increasingly hot and jarring as they bear down on her. Though Chloe never shied away from the spotlight figuratively or literally, she somehow feels more put on the spot than ever.
The sudden reminder of what had happened such a short period of time ago—and the fact that she and Beca hadn’t even had the opportunity to tell anybody about Beca’s pregnancy before the miscarriage—sticks in her chest like a dagger through her heart.
She tries to focus on the food in front of her and the sound of the MC’s voice amid bursts of laughter, but none of that makes sense—it shouldn’t make sense, not when the flash of grief that rushes through her is immediately struck down by other warring emotions all threatening to burst free.
The fear she had felt when she had received the call from Beca—how Beca’s voice had trembled and hitched and wavered. The drive to the hospital and the energy it had taken to not tremble too badly so as to not get into an accident. Tears. Beca profusely apologizing for nothing and everything all at once, like she had any hand in what had happened.
And the distance—the distance that had stretched between them afterwards.
Apologies and declarations of love.
“Chlo,” Beca says softly. “Are you okay?”
Dragged back into the present moment, a rush of noise hits her as Chloe turns to Beca and quickly swipes at the tears that had formed. “Yeah,” she replies. “I think I’m just…” she trails off.
“Yeah, me too,” Beca murmurs. Her eyes reflect a similar pain. She glances around. “Want to...go?”
“Go? Go where?”
“Go home,” Beca says simply with a half shrug.
“Don’t you need to...be here?”
“I’d rather be at home with you.”
Chloe watches her for any trace of emotion that might indicate otherwise before she nods her head.
Together, they leave.
——————————
“I’m pregnant,” Beca whispers, tears springing to her eyes. “I’m pregnant, oh my God.”
Chloe drops her plate into the sink, hastily wiping her hands off on the closest dishtowel. “Beca, what? What did you just say?”
Beca smiles through a hiccup or a sob. She can’t tell. “It worked,” she tries to explain with a shaky voice. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God,” Chloe exclaims, immediately reaching out to hold Beca’s waist. Beca immediately notices the careful grip Chloe has on her already. “Oh my God, Bec, I—” Poor Chloe, completely overwhelmed, simply begins to cry.
Beca looks incredibly alarmed at the display. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Chloe promises. “I’m just so happy.”
——————————
“Chlo,” Beca murmurs as they lie together in bed, showered and refreshed.
Chloe hums, tucking her face further against Beca’s neck and holding her close. “What is it?”
“You know what I see in our future?”
Chloe shakes her head, ruffling her hair as it sticks to Beca’s shirt and skin.
“I think I can see us with two kids. A beautiful house with a backyard. Maybe close to the ocean. And every day when we wake up, it’ll be to the sound of them laughing and giggling as they jump on our bed. You get the side of the bed closer to the door because I’m not getting my spleen ruptured by them every morning.” Beca inhales. “And God, I know they’re going to be beautiful. Whether we adopt or whether we figure out another way, they’re going to be such beautiful, beautiful children to call our own and that’ll be because they have you to model themselves after. I am so lucky to have you by my side. I was so sad earlier, thinking about everything and how unfair life can be sometimes, but Chlo, I can’t imagine what life would be like without you and I want you to know how much I love you.”
Chloe thinks she’s crying and laughing by the time Beca finishes, but she doesn’t care because she is pulling Beca in for a slow, deep kiss that quickly becomes messy because Beca is whispering words of love into her mouth and tightly weaving her arms around Chloe’s back to hold her close. It is surreal how this feels—how incredibly close to Beca she feels then. It is then that the memory of their entire shared history (littered with all kinds of memories, both happy and sad) doesn’t feel quite so daunting anymore. Like clouds parting to reveal an incomparable warmth, Chloe envisions such a clear and probable future with Beca. As clearly as Beca has seen it, evidently.
They share the same future.
They’re in this together.
“I know that we’re going to be good parents,” Beca whispers, voice thick with emotion. "Like...the best." She rests her forehead against Chloe’s. “I know I’m going to be a good mom despite my own parents.”
“You are,” Chloe breathes out with the little air she has left in her lungs. “You are so, so—” Beca kisses her, interrupting her. Chloe huffs, placing her hand loosely on Beca's chest. “I wasn’t finished."
“I know. I just had to tell you that you’re going to be an incredible mother too. I’ve known this forever. Ever since we were kids even when I didn’t even understand what I was feeling. I just know because you’re Chloe Beale. Our kids are going to be beautiful because of you,” Beca repeats. “I know it.”
“And you.”
Beca closes her eyes. The silence that follows is heavy, rife with all the emotion shared between them in the past few minutes. “I believe you,” she says finally.
Chloe knows she’s telling the truth.
fin.
#bechloe#my fanfic#pitch perfect#text#fanfiction#beca mitchell#chloe beale#angst#mine#now i see daylight
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Satisfied, Part 37
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Previous
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~~~
There was silence as she stepped into the warehouse.
Of course there was. She was covered in blood, and it was pretty obvious from the splatter that it wasn’t her own.
She walked over to Joker, her posture stiff, her expression set in a grimace. She felt her grip tighten on the bag and gun.
She practically threw the stolen goods, probably would have if she’d felt strong enough to. Instead, she thrust it into his chest and turned on her heel to leave.
“Where are you going?” Asked Joker.
“Home. I have a day job and this is going to be a pain to get out,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even. Still, she stopped walking. He clearly was implying that she needed his permission to leave and, though she hated it, she desperately needed him to trust her so the Rogues would be able to. She supposed that she could stay for a bit longer. If he trusted her, then she would be allowed out to have some privacy. If he didn’t…
Well, she wouldn’t need to worry about having a breakdown.
“Is all this good enough, sir?”
“Let’s see, shall we?”
The man took his time as he rifled through the bag. She could feel his gaze on the back of her head, scrutinizing her, looking for... something. Whatever answer he got, he sighed.
There was a beat, then the sound of his shoes scraping the floor as he turned around to face the Rogues. “I don’t think she’s dangerous to us.”
There was a collective sigh of relief.
“But I don’t think that she’s cut out for the Wayne operation.”
There was a new silence.
Marinette felt tears threaten to spill over the corners of her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek. She finally turned back around to face everyone. “May I know why?”
“Well, if this is how you’re going to act after one little murder, then how are you going to kill anyone? How did you not catch this, Harls?”
Her eyes found their way to Harley, who looked like she’d been caught. She set down her Skittles and walked over to Marinette, wrapping her arms around her from behind. “Doesn’t matter if she can’t kill anyone, Puddin’. Her powers give us an easy in without alerting security.”
Joker nodded slowly. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned in so close to Marinette that the girl tried to sink into Harley’s embrace.
“Fine. You may go. I need time to think it over.”
She nodded quickly and pulled herself away. With a wave to the Rogues, she opened a portal to her apartment and dropped into her bathtub.
She changed the setting on her comm so she could hear everyone else.
“ -- lled someone!” Hissed Batman.
“Who cares? She can fix it, right?” Asked Red Hood.
Red Robin sighed. “Not without giving herself away as Ladybug she can’t. Anyone who’s done even a minute of research knows she has to be involved in the fight to use the Miraculous Ladybug thing.”
“So the options are to let Mr. Watson die or let the operation fail,” said Nightwing grimly.
“Good! Let it fail!” Yelled Red Hood. “She wasn’t doing well before this! Kid needs a break. She shouldn’t have to sacrifice her mental health for this!”
Robin sighed. “You heard Joker, they’re planning on killing at least one person at the Wayne Gala, probably more.”
“Then we think of a new plan! We have around a month and a half! More security!”
“This is selfish and you know it.”
“Hey, don’t you --!”
“Don’t you guys think I should get a say in this?” Marinette finally chimed in, her voice quiet.
No one said anything.
“I’d like…” Her lip trembled and she took a deep breath. “I’d like some time to think about it.”
After a moment’s pause, Red Robin spoke: “Of course. Would you like someone to go talk to you?”
She rested her head back against the tap. “No, I’m going to call over a friend.” Her eyes widened. “No offense or anything! I just wanted --.”
“It’s fine, kid, we understand. You have a long time before you need to make a decision, go ahead and take some time for yourself.”
She nodded. “Alright, see you on patrols tomorrow.”
She snickered as all the boys chimed in at once to tell her just how bad an idea that was.
“Kidding, guys.”
There was a collective sigh.
“Right, I’m heading out. Bye-bye!”
There was a chorus of ‘bye’s and she turned off her comm and detransformed.
Kaalki collapsed into her hands and Marinette whispered an apology, examining the kwami for damage. They weren’t hurt or anything, they just looked shell-shocked.
She set the kwami down on the edge of her sink and filled it with soap and water (to the horse’s preference, of course, Marinette wasn’t stupid). After a bit of searching she found the cake she’d baked before she left. She set it down on the edge of the sink for Kaalki to eat when she was done ‘bathing’.
Marinette then went to clean herself. She used a mix of cold water and baking soda to get the blood from her clothes and then decided it was about time to get her actual body clean.
She scrubbed her skin as hard as she could. Maybe, somewhere, she understood that she wasn’t helping by rubbing her skin raw but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She felt so… unclean. A sob threatened to escape her throat and she cringed, only rubbing harder.
Red and suds slid down the drain, she only scrubbed. Maybe if she did it enough she could be rid of this body. Become someone new, fresh skin with a fresh start.
Eventually, with pink skin and red-rimmed eyes, she turned off the water and stepped out. She toweled herself off and pulled on some pajamas, then dropped onto her bed.
She knew that the blood was still in her apartment, knew that there was a trail from her tub to her counter and then back again, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything.
She picked up her phone and scrolled through her messages. Tikki settled down on the pillow next to her. The kwami had been doing better since she and Robin had used Plagg, though she clearly wasn’t at 100% quite yet. A tiny hand rested on her cheek and Marinette gave her a tiny smile.
She didn’t know how she felt about Tikki being around and active again. On the one hand: Tikki was back! Her friend was alive and well! Tikki wasn’t suffering anymore! On the other hand: Tikki was back. And she was getting the little exasperated look she usually got whenever she was about to get a light scolding.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
The answer was no, but she knew what would happen if she said that. She’d get a tired ‘Marinette!’ and a stern look and she’d be forced to fess up anyways. She knew Tikki only wanted the best for Marinette, wanted her to be happy and healthy, but being the god of passion made it hard for her to express these feelings normally.
Not that Marinette could really say anything about that. There was a reason why she’d been paired with the goddess, after all.
She continued scrolling until she found the contact she was looking for.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” she promised. “I don’t want to have to talk about it twice, though.”
Tikki looked disapproving, but allowed her to do this.
Definitelyforgottosleep: help
She couldn’t help but be nervous when they read her text and didn’t say anything, right up until she heard a knock on her door.
She trudged over and the moment she opened it Chloe rushed inside, first aid box in hand. “What is it this time? Gunshot? Stabbing? Poison?”
Marinette blinked once, her brain scrambling to figure out what was going on, then a quiet laugh bubbled from her throat. She closed the door behind her, shaking her head. “No, no, I didn’t mean like that. I wanted to talk.”
Chloe seemed torn between being annoyed and relieved. “So you want free therapy?”
She looked away, her face reddening. She supposed that was kind of what she was asking for, though the idea of admitting to it was weird. The whole topic of mental health and therapy had been mostly taboo during and after the Hawkmoth situation, because often reliving bad events would evoke negative emotions.
Marinette forced a laugh. “I mean, what would I even say to a therapist? Don’t tell anyone but I’m Ladybug and things are not going well?”
Tikki sighed. “Marinette…” Ah, there it is. A classic.
Chloe gave a small, tense smile. “You really should talk to someone.”
She opened her mouth.
“Someone besides us. A professional.”
Marinette closed her mouth.
While this was probably -- no, definitely -- true that professional help was needed, she didn’t know how she could even start. I killed a guy as revenge for him murdering my friend but I can’t prove this because they’re both actually alive right now so just trust me? I bisected a person with a portal? Sure, that would go over well. She’d either get thrown into an asylum or thrown into jail.
Instead of saying this, though, she gave a small shrug.
The three girls sat on the bed and Marinette chewed on the inside of her cheek as she stared at her hands. How does someone just start talking about the fact that they’ve committed two murders in three days?
But, eventually, the words came to her. She didn’t know when she started crying, but by the end she was curled up with her head on Chloe’s lap as she struggled to explain how she’d killed the clerk through choked sobs.
The two were silent. Tikki nuzzled herself against her cheek comfortingly. Chloe ran her hands through her hair. But they weren’t saying anything.
Marinette closed her eyes tightly. Now that she was done reliving it, it felt a little better than it had been before. Sure, she was nowhere near healed, but she couldn’t help but lean into the touch of her friends. It was nice to talk about her emotions, to actually let herself feel them. To know there were people who supported her despite everything.
Chloe finally spoke up: “So, what do you want to do?”
Marinette looked up. “I was kinda looking for advice…”
“Marinette… this isn’t something we can decide for you. Your mental health is important, but so are other people’s lives. Since we aren’t giving up either, we don’t really have a say,” explained Tikki gently.
“We have what we would do if we were in your situation --.”
“So tell me that!”
Chloe rolled her eyes and continued: “-- but, really, that’s for our own lives with our own morals. This is a question about your life and your morals. We can’t help you.”
She let her eyes fall back to her sheets.
Her decision, huh?
Red Hood had, shockingly, had a point. It wasn’t fair to ask her to give up her own mental wellness for others. Even if she was doing it willingly, she was still giving up a huge part of herself. While in a bad state, mind you, which could impair her judgement.
Still, if she went from a strict numbers point of view, it was one person’s wellness versus the wellness of at least one other person (but likely far more than one). No matter what, at least one person was going to end up suffering. Shouldn’t she just go with the option where there was a guarantee on only one person rather than a chance at hundreds getting hurt?
She knew what ‘Ladybug’ would do… but what about Marinette?
Her mind wandered to the clerk she’d bisected earlier that day. To that look of surprise and fear that would forever be etched on his face. She grit her teeth.
She couldn’t let that happen to anyone else.
~~~
I traumatized ya’ll I’m sorry
I’ll start doing trigger warnings
~
Listen guys next chapters are fluff I promise I’ll make it up to you --
~
I spent literal hours yesterday researching hinduism in order to think of what type of food to give Kaalki for one offhand line
And then I made a portal reference
~
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<3
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