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mc-lukanette · 3 years

Note

Omg I am loving your dreaded string of fate au this is such an interesting take! As always your writing and ideas absolutely amaze me You are such a wonderful writer! If it isnt too much of a bother could we get some more writing for dsaf? Either way I hope you are staying safe, taking care of yourself, and that overall life is doing you good.

Thanks, everyone! And sure, you can have more!!

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[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

Luka wasn't sure why Marinette had called him over that day. As far as he knew, she was busy with projects, though he wouldn't complain about spending some time with her.

Still, he found himself tensing and steeling himself up as he walked up the stairs to her living room. The hum of her sewing machine could be heard as he got closer, reminding him of clothes, which led to the thought of thread, which then brought his mind to the red string of fate wrapped around her neck. His last venture as Viperion seemed to have improved his sensing, so now he could see someone's red string even if the person on the other end wasn't nearby.

Needless to say, he wasn't looking forward to it with Marinette.

He closed the living room door behind him, then went up the staircase, knocking to let Marinette know he was there. The sound of the sewing machine stopped, and he heard her footsteps come closer followed by the slight creak of the trapdoor.

Marinette's face was revealed to him, offering him a smile, and Luka tried not to stare too much at the red string still tied around her neck. He swallowed, but smiled back at her, which was genuine enough even if he was uncomfortable.

"Come on up," she welcomed, holding the trapdoor up for him. He nodded and walked up the rest of the stairs, hearing the trapdoor close behind him as he took a look around the room. He felt Marinette's eyes on him, but she voiced her thoughts before he could wonder about them.

"You didn't bring your guitar?" she asked.

He glanced at his back, then at her, having no way of telling her the real reason why he'd chosen not to bring it. "Yeah, I didn't. Sorry, did you want me to play for you?"

"Oh! No, it's okay—I mean, of course I love it when you play for me so I always want—but I understand!" She thankfully dropped the subject there, turning away to return to her seat. "You can make yourself at home or help yourself to the fridge downstairs if you want anything!"

"Thanks," he said with a smile, heading over to her chaise lounge and taking a seat on it. Even with Marinette's chair turned away from him while she used her sewing machine, he could still see the red string dangling off the side, though it faded into full transparency before it hit the floor.

In truth, he'd left his guitar behind to force himself to use less music and more words. He didn't want to hide behind it to try and ease his situation or make himself more comfortable with everything. The situation the love of his life - and more importantly, his friend - had gotten into through no fault of her own was horrible, and no matter how uncomfortable he was, he couldn't have been any more uncomfortable than her being strangled by fate itself.

He watched her, waiting for a lull in her work to ask, "Did you need anything?"

"Hm?" She looked over her chair to meet his gaze.

"I'm happy to be here anyway, but I didn't know if you needed me for something," he clarified.

"Oh." She understood. Waving a hand dismissively, she assured, "No! I just invited you here to hang out—" She gestured to her sewing machine, her eyes a bit shifty. "—with me, while I was busy but totally happy and relaxed and everything!"

Her wording was inherently suspicious. His eyes scanned over the room, noting the projects littered about that seemed so plentiful. He supposed he hadn't exactly been subtle in his concern for her, but he wasn't sure of exactly what tipped her off or made her feel like she had to "prove" her happiness to him.

Besides, he knew better, and he knew her. Even with the smile she gave him, her brows were furrowed and twitching, a tiredness to her eyes that definitely didn't show what he would call "happiness."

He gave her a nod anyway, not wanting to call her out when he was still piecing things together himself, and he didn't want to confirm her worries if she was merely suspecting that he felt that way.

He leaned back while she returned to working, his hand on the cushion underneath him as he considered what to say. If Sass was right in his beliefs, then Luka indeed had the power to change Marinette's fate, though there wasn't any specific method of how. He thought back to all of their conversations, wondering what he would've done differently if he'd known beforehand and trying not to get bogged down by "what if"s or blame himself for it.

He stared silently at the back of Marinette's head, remembering the day at the ice rink when he saw the same thing. She'd been running away, or more specifically running towards Adrien after he'd encouraged her to do so. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but from what he gathered from interactions he'd either seen or heard about, it hadn't gone anywhere. Maybe it hadn't even gone well at all.

Maybe he'd made a mistake?

Luka's mind grew heavy with the thoughts, his body falling back to lay down on Marinette's chaise. He didn't regret doing what he felt was right, but now he wondered if his wording could've been better.

"You should probably go over and talk to him."

He hadn't exactly been thinking at the time - a lot had happened that day - but he noted that he could've asked her how she felt. He could've questioned her on if she really wanted to go after Adrien. It was possible she'd wanted to go home on the subway with him, but was convinced to chase Adrien when he brought it up. Luka just imagined Marinette seeing Adrien and Kagami together, the red string tightening around her neck and then loosening when she was presented with the prospect of going after him.

He felt like he was the one being strangled, just thinking about it.

"Luka?"

He looked up, surprised, seeing that Marinette had stopped sewing at some point and had come to sit on the chaise lounge with him. She hovered over him, concern written across her features and the red string taunting him with its mere existence. Luka knew by now that she was very worried about him, and trying to wriggle or half-lie out of it wasn't going to convince her. He'd just really thought that she would've been sewing for longer.

He also jolted up into a sitting position upon realizing that he probably looked like he was making himself too comfy on her chaise lounge. She didn't seem to mind at least.

"...Marinette," he said slowly, trying to put his thoughts in order. She leaned closer as a sign that she was giving him her attention, and he continued, "Do you know why I let you go that day?"

She tilted her head and he belatedly caught that he hadn't been specific, still too lost in his own head. He opened his mouth to clarify, but realization struck Marinette before he could speak, her brows raising in recognition.

"Oh!" she gasped. Though the conversation was sudden, she didn't seem to mind rolling with it. "Um, yeah, I wondered about that sometimes. I mean, I knew that you knew that I—but I didn't know that you—but if you didn't back then, I—"

"No, your song was definitely in my head, even back then," he confirmed casually, smiling as he added, "Since the day we met, remember?"

She blushed at the mention of his confession, but nodded. "Y-yeah." Then, seeming to rethink the moment with that information in mind, she asked, "...Why did you let me go then?"

His eyes flickered to the red string, then back up to her face. "I want you to be happy, Marinette, no matter who it's with. I thought that Adrien would do that, but I hope I didn't make you feel like you had to go after him."

She blinked, the thought having seemingly not even occurred to her. She averted her gaze, her eyes darting around at nothing in particular. "Is...is that why you were looking like that?"

He didn't answer, but that was answer enough for her.

"Oh, Luka," she murmured sympathetically. "I—well—" She shifted uncomfortably. "—I shouldn't be talking to you about this. It'd be wrong when my feelings are so messed up. You..."

He shook his head. "You can talk about Adrien if you want. I'd be happy if you relied on me more."

He meant it. Even regardless of his fate sensing, he wanted Marinette to feel comfortable talking to him, even if it was about her love problems. He didn't want their relationship to be changed because of his feelings for her.

"Even more?" She raised a brow, the concept confusing her, but she didn't question him further. She hesitated, rubbing her cheek in thought, then dropped her hands to her lap and twiddled her fingers. "I-I don't know; about Adrien, I mean. I—" She sighed, giving a halfhearted shrug. "—he's not interested in me. He likes Kagami, but the girls kept telling me that I shouldn't give up on him because of how hard I tried." Then, stiffening, she waved her hands and rapidly assured, "N-not anything against your sister, of course! That's just what happened—and—" She huffed in frustration. "—it feels like I hit a wall, and I'm not going anywhere. Adrien doesn't notice me and I can't talk to him and... I'm tired."

Luka nodded silently to let her know that he was both listening and sympathetic towards her plight, also not wanting to interrupt her.

"Of course I tried hard, but Adrien and Kagami seem like they're good for each other and they should be happy together. Just, whenever I think of giving up or not trying, I..." She raised a hand to her neck in a gesture that he immediately understood. "It hurts, and Alya's always trying to get me together with Adrien no matter what I say. Maybe she knows best and maybe she's right, and that's why I always end up in crazy situations with him. Plus, everyone..." She looked away, her voice not having the enthusiasm one would imagine her next words would go with. "...everyone keeps saying we're made for each other."

Luka clutched his leg to ground himself while struggling to keep a straight face. He'd certainly never heard that one before, but it stung like his neck did just thinking about it. His lips pressed together, trying to contain his emotions, but he couldn't help blurting out, "No one's made for anyone."

She blinked at him, shocked, but he didn't take it back or apologize for saying it so suddenly. He recognized the fact that he was talking about destined love being nonexistent when he himself knew that "fate" was very much a real thing, but his actual opinion on the subject hadn't changed. As far as he was concerned, fate's "opinion" was about as valid as anyone else's when it came to someone else's relationship.

"No matter what Alya, or even Rose, say about you and who you love, Marinette, all that matters is you and who you want to play for. You deserve someone who makes you happy." He paused, lamenting the reality that she really hadn't gotten to think about it. "Does Adrien make you happy?"

He saw the string tighten, Marinette opening her mouth to respond before she seemed to stop herself. He felt like apologizing, but knew she wouldn't understand even if he did. She frowned, staring down at her lap and appearing conflicted with herself, so he reached out and carefully hovered his hand over her shoulder in a show of comfort. She glanced at his hand, noticing the gesture, but didn't immediately give him any sort of permission.

Then, to his surprise, she brought her hand up, gently grabbing his wrist and lowering it so his hand was placed perfectly on her shoulder. She didn't even let go, keeping his wrist held like she needed his hand there.

"...Luka," she whispered, her voice shaking, "I—no, you'll laugh, or think I'm crazy."

He squeezed her shoulder, not hesitating to insist, "I won't. I'm here for you, Marinette."

She finally met his gaze, and he saw a vulnerability there that wasn't there before. She was nervous, whether of his potential reaction to whatever she had to say, or something else entirely.

She took a breath, her fingers tightening around his wrist as she composed herself. The silence stretched, though he could tell that she was steeling herself up.

"The—the Adrien pictures," she began, tossing a pointed look to the wall where they were. "I don't remember putting them there."

He kept his expression schooled, not wanting her to overthink his reactions. Careful and quiet, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I-I mean, obviously I started putting them there, back when I first met him," she admitted, "but I took them down. They'd been down for a while."

Luka could confirm that. He'd been to Marinette's room before when she'd been sending in their Kitty Section audition to Bob Roth, and the pictures weren’t there.

She continued, "I-it hurt when I did it, but I did, and I threw most of them away. But then—when I wake up sometimes, they're back, and I don't remember putting them up. I-I mean, maybe I did but I just don't remember it? I stay up late sometimes and I won't remember falling asleep, so it might be like that, you know? I-I know you're not exactly like me and I'm sure you don't sleepily put pictures on your wall but..."

He smiled as best as he could, even though he was hurting inside. "I know as well as you do that creativity doesn't have a schedule."

She managed a smile in return, but it returned to a frown as she dropped her gaze to her lap. "A-anyway, I can forget things, but it's never been that bad, and sometimes they'll be gone for a while but then they'll be back a few days later. There's just—there's no other explanation, so it has to be me, right? I-I don't know if it's a sign or what, but if it is then I don't know what it's telling me? Because whenever there are a lot of pictures—" She made a vague gesture with a wave of her free hand, cringing as she added, "—something humiliating always happens. That usually gets me to take them down again, but then... well, you know." She rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, I probably sound crazy. I-I swear, I'm not trying to—"

"I believe you."

Her mouth halted mid-sentence, hanging open as she stared at him.

"I believe you, Marinette," he repeated, giving her shoulder another squeeze. He didn't need any further detail to know what happened, as there was no way Marinette would take down those pictures and then put them back up the next day, or even the day before that. It didn't make any sense, and while he hadn't seen the wisps of fate move things or brush them aside, he had seen them trip Marinette, meaning they had some level of physical control. It explained it all: the convenience of the pictures appearing and disappearing, as well as the amount of them there'd be.

"T-thank you," she murmured, her lips briefly moving to form extra words but nothing coming out. She looked shy, possibly from admitting something she hadn't told anyone before, but she at least wasn't so nervous anymore.

"You don't need to thank me," he assured, "but you're welcome. Just know that you can tell me anything."

She ducked her head, peeking up at him to ask, "How much do you want to know?"

"Whatever you're comfortable sharing with me," he replied.

"Everything?" She'd said it quickly, as if she'd blurted it out, but she didn't panic afterward. She merely looked at him, hope in her eyes.

He nodded without hesitation, wanting her to be certain that he meant it. She searched his gaze for a few more seconds, one last shred of doubt remaining, but he knew he'd convinced her when her body relaxed and she smiled at him with her whole heart. Her grip on his wrist lightened, her hand sliding off and back down to her side. He pulled back as well, his heart a mixture of emotions but mostly just happy to see her happy.

"I..." She turned away, facing her trapdoor. "I'm going to get some snacks first."

He watched as she pushed herself up, then stood as well to follow after her. "Do you want any help carrying them?"

She looked at him, confused. "You don't have to."

Instead of responding with the obvious - that he wanted to - he simply replied, "You're not alone anymore, Marinette."

He didn't need to elaborate for her to understand. He let himself get lost in the warmth of her gaze, hoping that he might see it more one day if he could ever get her string removed, even if her warm gaze would end up being for someone else.

#au: Dread String of Fate #Dread String of Fate: writing #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

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boldlyanxious · 4 years

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None the Wiser 3

Masterlist

All fic masterlist

Bio-dad Bruce prompt-siblings

Marinette spent the next few days pushing the idea of alternative parentage out of her mind. Instead she focused back on school. During their afternoon off, much of the class was going to the movies but Marinette decided she would use the time to work on her entry for a fashion contest for lycée students as a joint project among the top 3 fashion schools in Paris.

Marinette had drawn several ideas but hadn't decided which design she wanted to create. For the contest, she would need to submit 4 designs and create one garment to be judged. The panel from the 3 schools would judge then and the top 12 would be featured at a fashion the show along with recent graduates and would be offered a slot at a summer course put on by the fashion schools.

She had several ideas drawn and now she was trying to decide which design she would use. Maybe she could enlist her friends to help her decide but there was always a risk that if she brought her designs to school one of the other students would steal them. She was pretty happy with her inspiration. Slightly inspired by an akuma but could be more universal. The colors of the storm and lightning from Stormy Weather had shown her bright pinks, purples and greens contrasting with greys and blues.

Once she chose which designs to submit she headed to the fabric store to play around with materials and colors before making her final drawings with details of how they would be made. Looking at the materials would also help her decide which of her 2 favorites would be the one she would construct. She was careful heading there. She has seen a boy a little older than her and he left at the same time as her and was moving in the same direction.

She went around the corner and ducked into the store quickly. She was getting nervous. She moved between several rows, back and forth repeatedly checking the door. Eventually she decided the boy must have been walking in the same direction and focused back on her task. She spent quite a bit of time there carefully going through all the color combinations before narrowing her choices down. She purchased small amounts of several options so she could see how they would look in different lighting before she made her final choice.

With that done she was ready to head home. Her parents wouldn't expect her home for awhile but she wanted to finish her assignments so she could keep working on this without interruption. Unfortunately as she headed back down the block she thought she saw a shadow. Most likely she was just jumpy because of the boy from earlier.

She aimed herself directly towards a busier area. It would make her take the long way gone but she would be more likely to encounter other people. When he caught up to her she was almost in view of the back of the Grand Paris hotel. She tried to make a quick double turn down 2 streets but his longer legs and bold attitude had him catch up to her. Rather than attempting to run as he caught up to her, she turned to face him.

"What is it you want?" she asked venomously.

"Precisely what I was planning to ask you." he replied.

"Well you are the one following me around. See something you like?"

"I see nothing. You are nothing. I was brought up a prince and you could never compare."

"Well your majesty you shouldn't have to walk the same ground as me. Stop. Following. Me "

Marinette turned to leave but his arm reached out to block her, She turned her eyes on him, shining bright with rage. He curled his lips and narrowed his green eyes back at her.

"You think this sweet, innocent act will fool anyone? I have exceeded all the expectations put on me and you will never measure up."

He pushed her until her back was against the wall and leaned in close at the end of his statement. Marinette steeled herself for what she knew would probably injure both of them. She masked her face with fear, making her eyes wide. When his eyes showed victory she acted. She threw her head forward hitting his chin with her forehead. She suspected it would bruise but hopefully it would be hidden by her hairline. Grabbing his collar with both hands before either of them could pull back from the blow she pushed him one direction into the wall and ran the other direction.

Running down the street and turning down the next one put her right by the Grand Paris. She saw Chloe and Sabrina sitting at a table near there and without explaining she turned a chair to their table and sat down. She took Sabrina's sweater and put it on. She pulled her hair out and left it down with a piece of fabric from her trip she wrapped it around her head like a headband. Then she snatched Chloe's glasses off her head and put them on herself. This all happened quickly but she knew it would not be without protest.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Dupain-Cheng?" Chloe asked haughtily.

"Shh. Just for a moment and I will be gone. Also I will owe you." Marinette pleaded.

Whatever response Chloe has was paused as the dark hair boy ran out from the same place she had just come from. Chloe watched him knowingly as he looked around swiftly before walking on. They both looked at her as he walked past then and then out of sight.

"Should I call my dad?" Sabrina asked.

"I don't know anything about him. Chances are I won't see him again." Marinette replied.

She pulled off the stolen articles and stood to leave. As she walked away she could hear Chloe direct Sabrina to follow her home and so she could repay them with macarons. She was fairly certain that they did this specifically so she would not be walking home alone and she was grateful.

---

Marinette made it to her first class with a few minutes to spare. She had actually gotten pretty good at showing up a few minutes early during her time in lycée. She usually had her breakfast with her but it worked pretty well.

Somehow she managed to have no classes with both Chloe and Lila. She wondered if the administration had intentionally separated the girls. Her first class had only had Chloe, Adrien, and Kim from her collège class. Still those in the class were slightly surprised when Chloe stopped by Marinette before heading to her seat.

"Was everything okay after you got home?" Chloe asked.

"Oh, yeah. I was fine. I don't think I was seen after." Marinette said, trying to be vague since everyone was listening.

"Seen by who?" Kim said.

"It wasn't that man from the park was it? He looked sketchy to me," Adrien said.

"No, nothing like that. Just had a strange interaction with someone while I was shopping yesterday." Marinette said.

Chloe scoffed, "I'm sure you also just decided to do something decent with your hair today and you weren't just trying to cover that bruise."

"Are you saying I look cute?" Marinette said.

Marinette knew Chloe saying she looked decent was far closer to a compliment than she ever would admit to. Chloe tried to deny it while other voices had more questions. Adrien skipped asking and walked right up to her and started moving her hair looking for a bruise.

"What bruise?" Kim said.

"I think you're cute," said Noah.

That caused Marinette to blush even more than Adrien touching her face and hair. She pulled away and brushed him off. The teacher came in and the conversations slowed as people started pulling out books. Marinette was happy to no longer be the focus of everyone and set about getting her supplies ready.

Classes changed and the day went on. Marinette made the motions of going to her classes and taking notes. She was on her way to lunch when Luka approached her to find out how she was dealing with the revelation she had gotten over the last weekend.

"I don't even know what to think. He wants me to meet his kids. I met one Tim but his oldest and his biological child are supposed to arrive at some point."

"Are you going to meet them?"

"Yeah. We are going to that cafe with the really nice patio Saturday. Then they are headed back home Sunday evening."

"Would it be better if someone went with you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet. But you are the only person who knows."

"Well, my schedule is open that day. I'll leave it open just in case."

---

Marinette managed to arrive first on Saturday. She sat outside and waited. She still made sure she was close to the exit and her phone had the gps on. Her parents were still very nervous about the whole situation but they were allowing Marinette to engage as she felt comfortable, as long as she would follow all their rules.

So far Bruce had done nothing but make an attempt to know her more. He was allowing her to guide their interactions when it was clear he wanted more. He has mentioned her visiting him but as soon as she looked uncomfortable he shut it down and suggested he would keep visiting. The only thing Marinette really knew about him was that he was a businessman in America. Clearly he had enough money that he was able to fly to Paris without a thought. He was heading back tomorrow but he was already planning to return soon.

Marinette looked up at the sound of the door opening. Tim walked in with another man and she could see Bruce behind them but he paused before coming out to the patio. He seemed to be fighting with the other member of the party but Marinette couldn't see him. Tim greeted her with a big smile and introduced Dick, who had an even bigger smile and seemed to be vibrating with excitement. He used both hands when he shook her hand. Marinette thought if she had stood he probably would have pulled her into a tight hug.

They all turned back as Bruce walked out. She gave a small smile until Bruce stepped aside when presenting his son Damian. He was scowling and when Marinette saw him she was immediately wearing a matching scowl and crossed her arms. She had no interest in sitting and eating with him after he followed her around Paris just to insult her. She stood and made a mock curtsy.

"Oh, your royal highness, you grace us with your presence," Marinette said while bowing.

Damian clicked his tongue against his teeth. Bruce's face fell.

"Have you two met before?" Tim asked.

"It was nice to meet you all. We should definitely not do this again," Marinette said before she walked out the gate to exit the patio.

She could hear the voices arguing as she walked away and then the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Marinette, wait please," Bruce said.

"What?" she asked sharply.

She stopped and turned to him waiting but when he caught up to her he still didn't know what to say.

"I don't know. But I have to know that whatever Damian did won't cause you to never speak to me again."

"What makes you think he did something?"

"It's his M.O. You are upset and he is smug."

"I always thought it would be nice to have a brother. The reality does not live up to the hype."

"Perhaps I rushed things. We will all be heading home tomorrow. But I want to see you before then. Please."

"I'll let you know."

Taglist

#bio dad bruce #maribat #bio!dad bruce wayne month 2020 #boldlyanxious

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omniswords · 3 years

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chronicles of a parisian dumbass 19

i’m sorry i’ve been MIA ; ; i’ve been up to my ears in streaming and also returning to work in-person. either way, i hope you enjoy this update of chronicles. better late than never right?

strap in 💙💖

If Luka could get at his phone, he wouldn’t know what to type. maybe a vague, oh, fuck. Maybe some long thread about how cryptic conversation starters only ever scared him and ended both of his relationships—only to follow up with silence in the face of a couple of likes, or a reply from a sort-of-stranger that would debilitate him, remind him of his own vulnerability, more than it would reassure him. Hell, maybe even a message to Bubbles about how he was right all along that he’d need the luck. Or how Bubbles was right about how he really was in for it the moment he stepped into the bakery.

It’s just that, with the way Marinette Dupain-Cheng is looking at him on her balcony—all sad, scared softness—he gets the feeling that he’s not meant to repeat whatever she tells him.

Luka steels himself, loosens his death grip on the neck of the guitar, and releases a breath he doesn’t want to hold onto anymore. “Yeah,” he says. “Anything.” It comes out choked from how tight his vocal cords are. The way they get sometimes when he plugs in the microphone and hits RECORD.

She pats the floor in front of her and mumbles something about being on equal ground, and he slides down to meet her, guitar in tow. She looks like she wants to touch it, feel now real it is. Or how real he is. As though that moment with his card wasn’t enough.

“It’s about your sister,” she says, her gaze darting away in shame. “And Adrien. Sort of.”

“Okay,” he says. It’s slow, and uncertain, but he hopes it tells her he’s all ears.

Marinette looks at her lap and draws herself up and in. Like she’s wanted to tell him this for a long time. Like she’s only just found the words for it. “We were pretty close,” she says. “In grade school. Not as close as… Rose, yeah, Rose. But we were in the same class for a couple years. I helped her with some class picture stuff, she listened to me yammer on about Adrien after he joined our class… even helped me come up with some ideas on how to… confess to him? Win him over? I don’t know.” She rubs the back of her neck. “Actually, I think all my girl friends did that.”

Luka nods slowly, thinks of the school photos in the album Juleka bought from the thrift shop, tries to match faces in his head. He thinks he sees pigtails. Or maybe a bun. He could be wrong. “So,” he says, “you had it pretty bad for him, huh.”

“I dunno if I had it bad. Like I said, puppy love. I mean, I thought we were soulmates—God, I even named our kids—and I couldn’t even get out a sentence in front of him. I didn’t even like him at first. Plus, we were like, fourteen. I didn’t know any better.”

He shrugs. “Just cause you were fourteen doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.” He thinks he catches a blush stealing across Marinette’s face then, but maybe it’s just a trick of the lights. “So… what changed?”

“With Juleka? Or Adrien?”

“Both, I guess.”

Marinette turns her head away. “It’s dumb.”

Luka shrugs again, smiling faintly. “So?”

She starts to pick at her nails, like her hands are just looking for something to do. Without thinking, he gives the spinner ring on his index finger a flick to get her attention, then slides it off and hands it to her. She looks at it with questions in her eyes, then slips it on. It barely fits her index finger, and it wobbles when she gives it a curious flick of her own. It seems to get the job done, at least. “He lent me his umbrella,” she mumbles, final but sheepish. Then she follows up, before his brow can so much as furrow, “He was friends with an old bully of mine—Mrs. Bourgeois’s daughter, actually—and I caught him doing something with some gum on my chair. And I… misjudged him. “Another flick. “He was trying to make it up to me. And he said… he didn’t have any friends. He hadn’t even been to school.”

He lets out a hollow laugh. “Rich kids, huh?” And then, at the first sign of her discomfort, “Sorry, I—”

“No,” she says. “It’s okay, I was just thinking…” She presses her thumb into the curve and the aged grooves of the ring more than she actually spins it. Like she cares about losing it more than she cares about comforting herself. “I think everything around me told me that… that was how I was supposed to feel. Unwavering love. Now it’s been years, and I think… I think I just wanted to be that friend for him. I just wanted to be what he was looking for.”

Luka lifts his gaze from the ring to her face. “Who says that’s not love?” He doesn’t know where the words come from. They just feel like the right ones to say.

Marinette freezes, blinking at her hands. She doesn’t say anything; the only sound is the whine of his ring as the metal scrapes together with another flick.

When the silence goes on a bit too long for either of their liking, Luka clears his throat uncertainly. “So, um…”

She speaks so he doesn’t have to. “Juleka,” she murmurs. “Right, um…” It’s hard to tell who’s more uncomfortable between the two of them. Who's really supposed to say what next. “Well, I mean… you can sort of imagine that I wasn’t the only one who wanted to… y’know. Be with Adrien.”

Luka doesn’t have to imagine, but he nods anyway.

“Not”— Marinette hedges—“not that Juleka was competition or anything. I mean, duh. Just… there was this other girl—there were other girls, and…”

“You don’t have to tell me this,” he urges. “If it still hurts.”

She closes her eyes. Hard, and just for a moment. “Please let me tell you this.”

Her voice wavers. That’s all the cue Luka needs to stay quiet. To let her say everything, or nothing, at her pace.

“Her name was Lila,” she says. “She was a new girl. From Italy. Everyone liked her, except… she lied. Like, compulsively. About connections she had, places she’d been, charity work she did. And she did it because she wanted everyone to like her. She was just telling people what they wanted to hear because the attention made her feel important. She thrived on it.” She gets to her feet. “Sorry, I can’t sit still when I get all… agitated. You know?”

Luka gestures vaguely at the balcony space. “That makes two of us.”

Marinette takes that as her cue to start pacing and turning on her heels, only pausing every so often to stare up at the night sky. “I was jealous,” she admits. “I was also our class representative. And I might’ve… used that to my advantage.”

Maybe he shouldn’t say Hell yeah out loud, but he’s definitely thinking it.

“I kept tabs on people’s schedules, you know?” she says. “So we could work on important events and class projects and stuff. There was one we were planning for Adrien, to celebrate that he’d been in school with us for a year and all. And it just so happened that…” she shrugs, feigning apology. “All the days that worked conflicted with all her charity work.”

Luka whistles, half-impressed. “This the part where you tell me she decided to make your life a living hell like some high school drama villain?”

Marinette’s face falls. “Yeah,” she says, and her voice cracks, and he wishes he weren’t right. “But all she did was exactly what I did. Convinced… everybody… that every little thing I did was proof that I wasn’t a real friend. That I couldn't commit to anything because I committed to everything. And especially with how I avoided her… didn’t trust her, treated her cruelly. she turned everyone against me, a little at a time. Even Alya.” She shifts her weight. “Even Juleka.”

Luka’s heart sinks. He almost wants to reach for her hands when she paces toward him. Almost wants to kick himself for asking, “And… then what?”

She lingers at the balcony railing, perhaps preferring to tell the night sky the rest. “She got me expelled.”

Luka tenses.

Marinette doesn’t notice. “I’d been telling myself for months that I deserved it. Eventually I just… believed it. Let it happen. Never talked to my classmates again.” She shrugs. “I cried a lot. Transferred schools. Threw myself into… everything. Because if Lila said that was what I was doing—just over-committing—I might as well own it. And because if I was constantly doing something, then I couldn’t stop to think about all the bad things I deserved. And I couldn’t be paranoid about being judged for every little thing I did.”

“What…” He’s trying, with every fiber in him, to keep his heart from breaking for her. To keep himself from blurting out how well he knows the feeling. “What about Alya? And Adrien, and, uh… Mrs. Bourgeois’s kid?”

Marinette turns to face him, leaning back against the railing, and something in her face—no, everything—changes. There’s a tiredness in her eyes, a twitch in her hands. Lines in her face that shouldn’t be there for decades. As though she’s just lived them all over again. “I didn’t talk to Alya for over a year. I couldn’t be friends with her. I couldn’t even talk to her.” Her gaze lowers. “It was really hard on Nino.”

“Nino?”

“Our friend. well. My friend. Her boyfriend. He’s the one I’ve been helping for that summer project.” She folds her arms tight. “He apologized first. If it weren’t for him, Alya and I still wouldn’t be talking. And Chloé, well… Mrs. Bourgeois’s recommendation letter had nothing to do with her. I entered some contests with my portfolio and won a couple of them.” She flicks her gaze back. “I did run into Chloé once. In New York. I guess she decided to live with her mom for a while. She kind of took the ‘enemy of my enemy is my ally’ approach. Which was… weird. But tolerable.”

Luka searches her face, even at a distance, and settles on the end of the deck chair again. “What about Adrien?”

The pause that follows is heavy. He can’t tell who feels the weight of it more; he just hopes it’s equal. Marinette scrunches up her lips, braces herself on the railing, and all those decades come back. “Well,” she murmurs. “I guess you don’t really realize what you have until it’s gone, huh.”

He sobers. “He felt guilty.”

“I guess we all did.” She scuffs her heel. “I guess we all do.”

Luka waits. There must be more she wants to say.

There is. She even starts pacing again. “My guidance counselor used to tell me that all that’s necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. It was supposed to be comforting.”

He raises an eyebrow. “It doesn’t sound very comforting.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” she says, “He reminded me they were still good people, and good people could do bad things, and even if they were still good, it was okay for me to not want those people in my life anymore. I dunno.” She rocks on her feet. “Maybe someone told Adrien the same thing and he couldn’t stand doing nothing anymore.”

“Did you want him?” he asks. “In your life? Do you still?”

She heaves a laugh like it’s hard to do. “Would you think it was messed up if I said yes?”

“No, of course not.”

“He could see it,” she says. “What Lila was doing. That was why he felt so bad. That was why he convinced her to clear my name. Turns out he knows how to use things to his advantage, too.”

Luka softens and runs his fingers over the body of his guitar. “He must love you a lot,” he says, “if he was willing to do all that for you.”

At first, Marinette doesn’t say anything, only grips the railing tighter. He can see it, how her knuckles go white, as though there’s something she’s trying to forget. Then she murmurs, “She tried to talk to me. Juleka did. To… apologize… I ghosted her. I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. For a while, I didn’t want to deal with anything anymore. I don’t want you to think it didn’t hurt me, because it did. It did hurt.”

Luka’s stomach turns. He puts his guitar down. “That’s why you’ve been so nice to me, huh…” There’s a lump in his throat that he tries to swallow; he only partly succeeds. “You felt guilty about avoiding her and just… wanted to make it up to her.”

Something flashes across Marinette’s face. Horror, maybe. Or shame. “No, I—that’s not what I—”

“I’m not upset.” He’s not. He’s staring at the floor with a pit in his stomach and a shake in his limbs, and his knee is starting to throb again in protest, but he’s not upset. “Really. I get it. If that’s what you needed for your own closure, then…”

A ragged breath and a sniffle cut him off, and he’s barely able to lift his gaze before Marinette kneels in front of him, placing his ring in his palm and closing his fingers around it. He can’t revel in the touch—won’t let himself—because her hands are cold. Trembling. “Don’t go,” she whispers, squeezing his hand tight, and when he looks up there are tears staining her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t even be asking this of you, just… please, don’t go.”

Luka learned, a long time ago, to look for the things unsaid. when I can’t make it really meant I’m trying to avoid you. when you’re certainly different really meant God, you are a level of fucked-up I can’t put into words. When we need to talk really meant it's over.

He hears, “Please don’t go,” and he thinks he finds, I want you in my life. Don’t you want me in yours?

Or, maybe, I need you.

Or maybe it’s as simple, as desperate, as, Not you, too.

He’s known Juleka, and maybe even himself, long enough to know what that sounds like in other people.

“Hey,” he murmurs. “Hey, I’m not going.”

Marinette freezes, still staring at their hands. “Why? You have every reason to.”

“Because I’m not.”

“You’ve known me for like, two months, as what? A baker’s daughter? Overly nice customer service? Someone who just gave you kindness out of some dumb high school guilt?”

“I’m not going,” Luka says again.

“You should.” Marinette rubs her eyes dry. “Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to.” He coaxes his hand open, slides the ring back onto her finger. “Isn’t that enough?”

Marinette studies the ring, giving it a cautious flick. As though touching it might break it altogether. “It’s too big.”

“Then I’ll trade you.” Luka takes the ring back, digs around in his pocket, and fishes out a couple of guitar picks. “Here. Take one.”

One of them has a picture of Jagged Stone’s face. The other has a Kitty Section logo, crudely painted on with some of Juleka’s old nail polish. Marinette takes the first one almost instantly with another sniffle, examining it from all sides. “He’s… my favorite.”

“Yeah.” Luka smiles, not minding that she can’t see it, and thinks of the album cover. “Mine, too.”

She runs her thumb over the faces and edges, blinking away whatever tears threaten to stick around. “Why?” she asks again.

“To prove it.” He tilts his head. “To prove I’m not going.”

She turns the pick this way and that, but doesn’t put it away just yet. Instead, her eyes drift toward his guitar and the amp, and then up to him. “Hey,” she says. “Do you think you could do me a favor?”

“I know,” he tells her. “I won’t tell Jules about any of this. And I won’t make you talk to her if you don’t want to.” And I’ll stay. I swear to God I’ll stay.

“Not that.” Marinette presses her lips together, still sitting on her knees. Still holding on to the pick for dear life. “Can you play it again?”

“What, the song from your playlist?”

“Me.” She looks away, her cheeks flushed and blotchy. “Can you play me. Again.”

Luka’s heart picks up, so loud he can barely hear anything else. Even her. “Yeah,” he says, setting his guitar in his lap, “Yeah, I think I got it this time.”

i guess it’s eleven now.

#miraculous ladybug #lukanette #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #fic: chronicles of a parisian dumbass #ah.............. emotions.

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mikauzoran · 4 years

Text

Marichat: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Twenty-Five

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...as a “yes”.

“So…why are we going on this date as Princess and Chat Noir?” Chat inquired, hanging upside-down off of Marinette’s chaise longue as he watched her put the finishing touches on her chameleon-like makeup. “Wouldn’t it be less fuss to go as Adrien and Marinette?”

“Nope,” Marinette decreed, rubbing her lips to spread her lipstick evenly and letting the word go with a pop. “Reasons. Come help me with my necklace.”

“Yes, My Ladylove,” he chuckled, flipping over the chaise and going to her side.

He grinned widely when she handed him the bell necklace she’d worn for many of their special occasions.

“I’m a fan of the bell,” he purred, carefully working the clasp and slipping it around her neck.

“I know,” she chuckled. “That’s why I’m wearing it.”

Chat pursed his lips, giving his girlfriend a scrutinizing look. “You’re up to something.”

Marinette shrugged.

A wave of dread hit him, figuratively knocking his feet out from under him. “Am I forgetting an anniversary?” He scanned his mental calendar, trying to come up with a significant past event.

“Nope.” She shook her head with a mysterious smile. “Just a regular Saturday in August.”

He frowned, sensing that there was something he was missing. “It’s the eighth day of the eighth month. I’ve heard that the Chinese consider eight a lucky number, so it’s an auspicious day, at least.”

“That’s what my mom said,” Marinette snickered. “Come on. Time for our date.”

Chat quirked an eyebrow in suspicion but obediently followed as she made her way up to her loft and out onto the balcony. “May I know where we’re going, Princess?”

“To get ice cream. André’s waiting for us on the Pont des Arts,” she informed, giving his bell a gentle tap.

People gawked and took pictures much as they had done for the past three and a half years, but, between dating Chat Noir as Princess and Adrien as Marinette, Marinette had long ago gotten used to the attention.

They got their ice cream from André and took it up to the rooftops to eat in relative peace as they watched the sun set in a rolling wave of citrus colours: tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit pink fading into soft lavender and rich indigo.

“You’re planning a surprise,” Chat accused through a wide grin.

Marinette shrugged, leaning in to give their shared ice cream cone a nonchalant lick.

Chat Noir presented his evidence: “You colluded with André so that he’d be waiting on the Pont des Arts for us.”

Marinette smiled enigmatically, refusing to play into his hand.

He pursed his lips and studied her. “So…”

She kept smiling.

He frowned. “Are you going to give me a hint?”

She shrugged again.

His frown morphed into a pout. “Are you at least going to tell me where we’re heading next?”

“Jardin du Luxembourg,” she granted, trying to play it cool, even as the ring box burned a hole through her purse.

They strolled through the garden hand in hand, the shade of the trees combining with the twilight to afford them a little more privacy.

“Do you feel like I love you?” she asked as they approached the Medici Fountain.

He gave her a puzzled look but answered immediately, “Princess, I know you love me.”

She shook her head. “Yeah, but…do you feel like I love you? Do you feel loved?”

“Oh,” he breathed, nodding as he understood what she was really worried about. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Don’t worry, My Love. I do.”

She blew out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good. Because you’re always going out of your way to do things for me to make me feel loved, and I just…I worry that I don’t speak your love language. I worry that I don’t say it enough or that I don’t say it in a way you understand.”

She stopped at the thigh-high fence around the fountain basin and turned to look at him. “You’re so precious to me. I want to make sure I’m taking care of you. I want to make sure I’m doing this right.”

“Princess, you are,” he stressed, tugging her over to one of the countless green metal chairs encircling the fountain. He sat, pulling her down onto his lap. “Why so serious tonight?” he whispered, giving her hair a comforting nuzzle.

“Just…nervous. Doubting myself, I guess. I worry a lot,” she mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I’ve noticed.” He clicked his tongue and began to purr soothingly. “Don’t worry, My Ladylove. I see the effort you put in, how much you care about getting it just right for me. Most of the time you nail it, but, even when you don’t, I still see how hard you tried, and that means just as much to me as if the romantic gesture you were going for had gone off without a hitch. I feel loved, so don’t doubt yourself.”

She took several deep breaths and let them out slowly. “Okay…. Okay. Good.”

“I knew it,” he snickered when they arrived at La Méditerranée and the server escorted them to their table. “We’re recreating our first date.”

“Maaaaaybe,” she chuckled, cocking an eyebrow nervously. “Is that romantic or cliché?”

“Romantic,” he assured decidedly. “…So long as you don’t feel compelled to order oysters just because we had oysters on our first date. I know you think they taste like seawater snot.”

She covered her mouth to muffle the sound as she burst out laughing. “Your father would have a heart attack if he knew you’d said that out loud in public.”

Chat shrugged, a wide, knife-like grin spreading across his lips. “You see, that’s the perk of being Chat Noir. Father doesn’t get to control or have an opinion on what I say in public.”

She shook her head, setting her menu aside to reach across the table for his hand.

The bell around her neck glinted in the dim restaurant light, and his smirk softened.

“It’s okay,” he assured quietly. “He doesn’t matter. I don’t need him; I have you.”

She nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. “…In all seriousness, I was planning on ordering oysters.”

His eyebrow arched. “You hate oysters. They make you gag.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously, you’d have to eat them, but I want a shell to take home to go with the one from our first date. It’s a memento that I treasure, so…” She smiled shyly, a cherry blossom blush leaking out from under her Princess mask.

“As my Princess wishes,” he replied with as much of a bow as the seating arrangements allowed.

Chat settled the check as they leisurely finished their crème brûlée and he prattled on about the musical about Molière’s life that he had just seen with Nino and Luka.

All of the sudden, it dawned upon Chat that Marinette had been uncommonly quiet, nodding and making little sounds in all the right places to let him know that she was listening but not making any contribution to the conversation herself.

“Is everything all right, Princess?” He peered across the table at her in concern.

“Fine!” she hurriedly assured a little too loudly and then looked around to see if she’d disturbed any of the other diners. “Fine,” she repeated, voice lower. “I was just…”

His head tipped to the side. “Just…what?”

His eyes scanned her face, searching for the answer.

She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I love you.”

The worry faded from his face as he beamed. “I love you too.”

She reached across the table, interlacing her fingers with his. “I love you, and I can’t imagine ever feeling this way about anybody else.”

His eyes widened.

“You’re the one for me,” she stressed, gaze locked with his. “Even though I sometimes doubt whether I’m what’s best for you, I’ve never questioned how I felt about you. Even when things were messy, you’ve always felt right to me. I’ve never been uncertain about you. From day one, you being my partner felt natural. My head may not always have been in the right place, but my heart has never wavered.”

Chat nodded speechlessly, eyes tearing up as he let her words wash over him and tried to absorb them.

She squeezed his hand and then let go, moving to fish the ring box out of her purse as she stood.

Chat gasped, right hand moving to cover his mouth as he gawked at Marinette going down on one knee.

She smiled nervously. “I want us to be partners in everything for the rest of our lives…. Will you marry me?”

With a choked sob, he pulled her to her feet and swept her up into his arms, spinning her around as he pressed his lips to hers.

“Y-Yes,” he laughed as he pulled away, staring into her eyes in love and wonder and joy. “Yes, yes, yes! To be by your side is a dream come true.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she chuckled, pressing a kiss to his nose. “Wanna head somewhere more private so I can give you your ring? I don’t want to take it out here because it’s kind of unique, and I’m afraid someone is going to get a picture of Chat Noir wearing it and expose your identity.”

“My place okay?” he suggested, and she nodded eagerly.

Later that night as they cuddled in Adrien’s bed, Adrien couldn’t stop playing with his new ring. It was stainless steel with a black band in the center. On the band was an erratic line pattern reminiscent of a heartbeat on an EKG monitor.

He pulled it off his finger and admired the engravings around the inside of the band for the dozenth time.

Home. Love. Family. Forever.

“Explain the inscription again,” he begged like a child desperate to hear their favourite bedtime story one more time.

Marinette sighed, rolling over to nip his shoulder before patiently acquiescing. “‘Home’ because home is where the heart is. My heart is with you, so I’ll always be home by your side, and you’ll always have a home in me.”

He had to hold back tears yet again because her knowing that he needed that promise, that stability meant more to him than words could say. She knew without him ever having to tell her what he needed.

“‘Love’,” she continued, “because that’s what we have in many different forms. Love for one another as friends, as romantic partners, as teammates, as people.”

“And ‘family’?” he prompted.

“‘Family’ because it only takes two people to make a family,” she recited, pressing a kiss to his jaw just above his scar. “So long as you have me, you will always have a family…and, someday, it won’t just be the two of us. Together, we can build whatever kind of family we want.”

“What about ‘forever’?” he whispered, wrapping his arms around her torso more tightly.

“‘Forever’ because that’s how long I’m making these promises for. What we have is permanent. I will never abandon you. I will never stop loving you. I will always fight by your side, no matter what the battle, if it’s dealing with work stress or taking care of sick kids. We’re in this together.”

“Thank you,” he sniffled into her neck. “This…all of this…you really hit it out of the park, Marinette. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more loved and understood than I do right now.”

“Good,” she sighed into his hair. “I really wanted to get this right for you.”

“You shouldn’t doubt yourself,” he encouraged. “You know exactly what I need, and you always take care of me.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she chuckled.

“Hey, I’m the only one whose opinion counts when it comes to deciding whether my needs are being met.” He gave her collarbone a playful nip, making her laugh harder.

“Thank goodness. I would never give me a passing grade.”

“…Hey,” Adrien interjected softly once the laughter had faded into comfortable silence.

Marinette angled her head so that she could look down at him. “Hm?”

“I know we’re already engaged because you asked me to marry you, and I said yes, but…” He chewed nervously on his bottom lip. “Would it be okay if I proposed to you too? Maybe as Adrien and Marinette?”

She took his face in her hands and crushed her mouth to his.

“I would love that,” she assured.

#Marichat #Adrinette #Adrienette #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Kissing #Fluff #Proposal #Writing Prompts #Mikau's Writings #Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses

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kittinoir · 4 years

Text

Phantoms Ch. 4

Read on Ao3 here

Adrien considered himself a kind, forgiving person, but even he stiffened as a familiar high-pitched voice grated against his ears.

“Hi, Adrien!” the voice chirped, right beside him now. Stifling a sigh, Adrien hauled his professional mask into place and opened his eyes, his relaxing thirty minutes in the hair and make up chair clearly over.

“Hi, Lila,” he said. Did she notice the undercurrent of tension in his voice? Did she believe the warmth in it? He certainly didn’t. He’d have to try harder than this. “Did you have a nice trip with your mom?”

“Oh, yeah,” Lila said breezily. She tugged the lapels of her jacket as she sat, straightening out an invisible crease. “It was so great to be home and soak it all in. Your dad even asked if I’d have time to sit down with him and talk about the latest Italian trends for his spring collection - after we shoot this winter one, of course!”

Adrien fought the urge to raise a brow at the lies that rolled off her tongue but her words had hit a nerve. His father didn’t even make time to have dinner with him; as if he was going to sit down with Lila to discuss her fake trip. He had to admit, he was beginning to see why Marinette had such a tough time stomaching Lila. It was harder than he’d realized.

“Of course,” he managed. At least he could avoid looking at her as Ava, his make up artist, tilted his face this way and that. He didn’t know how to navigate their uneasy agreement anymore. He’d kept her at bay for the better part of six months, trading on the only thing that was of any worth to her - his fame. But even that no longer seemed to be enough, and what more she wanted, he could only guess at. Her trip to Italy the past three weeks had been a welcome reprieve. He could only imagine how she would have reacted if she’d been in Paris during his endless hunt for Ladybug. It hadn’t been good the week immediately after his partner’s disappearance.

She seemed fine now, though, as she preened for Marc, her own make up artist. If anything, Lila seemed in higher spirits than he’d ever seen her. One upon a time Adrien might have thought she was beginning to find her place with their friends, but he held no such beliefs about her now. Maybe it wasn’t totally fair to compare her to his arch enemy, but Lila was every bit as dangerous and conniving as Hawkmoth. It had taken nearly losing Ladybug to an akuma to realize it. He wouldn’t underestimate her again. Especially now that he knew Lila’s two enemies were the same person. He didn’t even want to think about her discovering that little truth. They had enough problems to deal with as it was.

“I was thinking,” Lila said, her green eyes sliding to his, “Why don’t we grab some hot chocolate after the shoot, Adrien? You can catch me up on everything I’ve missed and we can spend some quality time together - you know, as friends?”

Adrien suppressed a wince, but it was impossible to miss the thinly veiled threat. The truth was he had a Chinese lesson waiting for him after the shoot and, had it been a normal night, a patrol to prepare for.

But normal was different now, and Viperion and Tigress had patrol covered. If Luka and Juleka’s mom noticed them missing, she never made mention of it - even if band practice had suddenly moved from their house boat to Ivan’s garage. At least, that’s what they’d told her, and the unfortunate truth was Chinese could be put off for an hour or two. Would have to be, if he wanted to uphold his end of their bargain.

“Sure,” Adrian said lightly. “My treat.”

“Like a date?” Lila said smoothly, raising a brow.

Adrien froze, his fingers white-knuckled on the arms of his chair. “What?”

“If it’s your treat,” Lila said, facing him, “Doesn’t that make it a date?”

“Not at all,” Adrien said, fighting for calm. “You can get it next time. Since we’re friends.”

He steeled himself for the tantrums that usually followed when she didn’t get her way, but instead, she just regarded him sadly. “Still not over Kagami?”

Adrien blinked. Kagami. If only. She’d barely spoken two words to him since he’d ended their relationship months ago, unable to move past his feeling’s for Ladybug. He didn’t blame her. But no, Kagami had never really held his heart. It wasn’t her laugh and her eyes and her warmth that he missed.

But as he took in Lila’s glittering eyes, he decided she didn’t need to know that.

“I just…don’t have those kinds of feelings for you,” Adrien said, giving her a facet of the truth - the most important piece of it. “I’m sorry.”

“I see,” Lila said with a short laugh. “My mistake. But I wish you would give me a chance, Adrien. You’d see what a positive influence you’ve been on me. How much I’ve changed. I think you’d be impressed.”

He doubted it, but Adrien kept the thought to himself as he stood. “I’m glad to hear it, Lila. See you out there.”

A blush didn’t even warm his cheeks as he made his way to his trailer. Dozens of girls confessed to him, every single day. He’d gotten used to it since he’d done his first campaign. Most of them didn’t bother him. After all, it wasn’t like any of them knew him personally. Lila did, but there was always an angle with her. She was after his name and the celebrity that came with it. If she had to go through his heart to get it, she would.

Luckily, his heart was guarded by the most formidable woman in Paris. And unfortunately for Lila, she didn’t hold a candle to her.

Still, the back of Adrien’s neck prickled as he got changed for the first look of the shoot. He’d never known Lila to go down without a fight once she had her mind set on something. He’d bet her sympathy was about as real as her sit down with his father. But she hadn’t forced his hand. Why?

His suspicions pestered him throughout the entire shoot. Was it that she genuinely wanted him to care for her? Did she really want him to be ready to move on before she pushed her agenda? And, the most far-fetched of all - was it at all possible she’d had a change of heart?

No, he decided as Lila simpered for the camera, cold even where she leaned against him. There was more to this - more to her rivalry with Marinette and her alter ego - than either girl was letting on. A rivalry he was beginning to realize he was somehow at the centre of. If only Lila realized there wasn’t a competition - Marinette didn’t want him. Not the way he wanted her.

“How about a kiss for this last shot?”

Lila’s voice shattered Adrien’s musings, bringing him abruptly back to the moment at hand. Had she said kiss? No, she hadn’t changed one bit.

Adrien glanced up to where Lila was pointing at the roof of the set. Someone had hung mistletoe from the rafters so that it just dangled into the frame, completing the winter wonderland theme that had been chosen.

Thankfully, the photographer saved him.

“No, no,” Vincent said with a shake of his head. “Romance is not the theme. Sharp, cold lines, minimalism, harsh beauty, that is the vision for Mr. Gabriel’s new line.”

Dramatic, Adrien thought, but from what he could tell, the set up did compliment his father’s designs - and thankfully, saved him from Lila.

“Of course, Vincent,” Lila said. “It was just an idea. I only wanted to show the clothes in their best possible light.”

Vincent waved her off, directing them into position as a light was adjusted.

“I know what you’re doing,” Adrien murmured as Lila stepped up beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she whispered back, a smile dancing around her lips.

“I meant what I said, Lila,” Adrien warned. “I don’t - ”

“I know,” she interrupted, annoyance flashing across her face as her facade finally cracked. “I just think you need a little help mending your broken heart.”

She wasn’t going to stop, he realized. She was going to try to wear him down. It would take the whole truth - as much as he could say - to get her to back off. He hoped.

“Sorry, Lila,” Adrien said, “But my heart isn’t broken. It’s just elsewhere.”

Lila’s head whipped around as those calculating eyes searched his face. Adrien wasn’t sure what she found there, but whatever it was made her scowl.

“Who,” she demanded quietly as Vincent called for them to take their position.

“It doesn’t matter,” Adrien said, lacing his fingers through hers where her hand rested on his shoulder. “It’s not you.”

They fell silent as Vincent began snapping away. Adrien had no doubt this shot would be the pinnacle of his father’s collection; certainly enough frigidness had formed between the two of them to be palpable on film.

“That’s a wrap!” Vincent called ten minutes later. “Great job everyone!”

Adrien relaxed, immediately stepping out from under Lila’s fingers.

“I can make you love me.”

Adrien froze, then slowly turned to face Lila. The girl was staring at him, determination blazing in her eyes, her hands clenched into fists.

“I really don’t think you can,” Adrien said quietly, a hard edge creeping into his voice. “I won’t say this again, Lila. We’re friends. Just friends. And if you want to continue being the face of Gabriel with me, you’ll respect that.”

Dangerous, but he’d figured out why she was suddenly pushing for more from him; she didn’t need his fame anymore. She had her own. Modelling for Gabriel had given her that, along with several other modelling jobs and a sponsorship from a cosmetics line.

But being fired from Gabriel would jeopardize that. It was hard to use someone’s name to open doors when you didn’t work for them anymore, and though Lila might not know it yet, her leverage over him had evaporated the day Marinette had revealed her identity to their team. He’d kept up the charade for convenience - and it was no longer convenient.

“It’s Marinette, isn’t it.” Hatred burned in Lila’s eyes. “It’s always Marinette.”

Adrien pursed his lips but stayed silent. There was no point in denying it. Everyone would know soon enough anyway; the way he felt was impossible to hide. It didn’t matter if she didn’t feel the same way about him. He’d been down that road before. He’d never ask anything from her she couldn’t give, but he’d never been good at hiding his feelings.

But loving her was the one thing he could not, would not apologize for, ever.

“Good bye, Lila,” Adrien said, turning back to his trailer. “I’ll see you at school.”

“Wait a second,” Lila said. He heard her take a few steps after him but she didn’t lay a hand on him again. “We have a date.”

“Not anymore,” Adrien said without turning around.

“You’ll regret this, Adrien,” Lila snapped. “I will own your heart!”

“A heart isn’t something you own, Lila.” Adrien smiled. “It’s something you give. And I’ve already given mine away.”

#phantoms #miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir #miraculous #echoes sequel

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mcsmmafia · 3 years

Text

Round IX of MC:SM Mafia 👥

THE 9TH ROUND OF MAFIA

What you did was go exploring and discovering new worlds, new stories. Yet, you never expected to end up in a place as strange as this.

Endermen… just… endermen everywhere! You have never seen anything comparable! Well, besides the end, but… this was a swamp! Anyhow, there was something in the wind. Something familiar, yet so odd… you just couldn’t put your finger on it.

Luckily, as you made your way through the wetland – constantly looking down on your feet to avoid triggering any of these oversensitive social phobics –, you hit your head right into an entrance door of a big mansion. Oh, it should be well lit in there – and that would mean that you could finally lift your head again! Seriously, your neck started to hurt badly.

So you knocked, and to your relief, someone opened it.

A person, completely covered in black and wearing a big, white pumpkin on their head, was this someone. You could see long, vividly red hair coming out of it. It reminded you of something… wait.

You turned around to glance at the swamp you were in- which was a bad idea.

Thousands of endermen were staring at you, as you stared back… your glance captured by theirs… if you would look away just for one second-

"Here, this pumpkin will shield your eyes from meeting the endermen’s!", the resident yelled and put it right on as you continued to stand there, petrified.

It should’ve helped, but… the endermen… just… continued to… to… stare…

"Alright, are you gonna come inside or what?", the resident asked. But you didn’t dare to move.

So they pulled you inside with force, and closed the door behind you.

"There, you’re safe in here. We have food, we have beds, everything you need. I don’t know myself where all these endermen are coming from, they just started to appear out of nowhere this evening… but anyway, do you happen to have a green flint & steel?"

You had to look out of the window – there it was, still watching you.

"Hellooo… are you listening??"

Those magenta, creepy, soul-eating eyes…

"Hey, I’m talking to you, I need the FLINT & STEEL!"

Even though they were not torturing physically, mentally, you could feel your sanity fading away…

"Urgh, FINE! You try one time to be nice, and this is what you get…"

You shrieked and nearly tripped turning around as you heard footsteps – oh, it was from the stranger… as they walked away… wait. The red hair, the mansion in the swamp- this person must be CASSIE ROSE!!! AND THERE WAS NO ESCAPE!!!

Dear guests, it is time. T

o hide.

BEFORE THEY STEAL YOUR SOUL!

But maybe there’s someone else you shouldn’t have triggered…

Story note: Ellegaard finally had managed to craft a command block and after all these years of research and trying, she wanted to try it out so badly – but since the whole wither sturm event, the use of command blocks was banned in her dimension. So, what else to do than visit new dimensions to experiment with her command block!

However, she was really unhappy when she realized that the first world she hopped into was in a swamp, near nightfall… urgh! How she hated these slimes – oh, yes, that’d be the perfect use of her new command block! Just… set the biom to… end… there we go, that should solve the problem!

…Wait, why are suddenly thousands of endermen appearing out of nowhere-

☀ Results of Day 1:

Harper wished everyone a good morning.

🌑 Results of Night 1:

Well, yes, endermen are kinda creepy, but for everyone to be this reticant… they were really overreacting, in Harper’s humble opinion! …Or were they? The more she thought about it, the more unsure she became – and as she peeked outside the window and met an enderman’s eyes, she suddenly was so petrified she couldn’t even move! She loosened from her rigidity when she heard a sardonic meow behind her. Dang it, that darn kitty stayed with her! She tried to pick him up, only for him to leave a quite aching wound on her hands. "Ow! Stupid cat!" Anyway, Winslow being here can’t mean good news, so she stayed alert and ready to fight.

Seriously, though… how rude of everyone! How rude to not answer a simple question, on which CASSIE’s life depended on… Looks like sje had to get the FLINT & STEEL the hard way, so she made her way to the living room and thought about her next action. Not being too glad being all alone, she decided to stake everything on one room: The kitchen. Meanwhile, Winslow would prevent anyone from coming to the entrance hall. It was the perfect plan! …Except that it didn’t work out. Not in the slighest. Dang it!

…Yeah, if anyone caught the wind of Ellegaard’s command block- they would throw them out to deal with them. That could not happen. So she participated in the big silence and sneaked off to the dining room when no one was looking. Luckily, nobody followed her, so she could exhale and… wait, what if someone comes here!? She considered activating a trap, but then again, she didn’t really want to kill someone innocent. But, then again… she needed to defend herself! Although, how would she be able to defend herself when she had to deal with neck tension from sleeping on chairs? And so the decision was made: She would rest well in the bed chamber and deal with all her problems later!

Oh, Gabriel was not scared of no mobs, especially not endermen! But he was kinda intrigued by the idea of just staring at someone the whole night… maybe he should try it for himself? Hopefully Lukas won’t mind if he stared at him for a bit! Lukas sure seemed to be super afraid to sleep in the dark. "You can’t just cover all the windows, it’s the only light source!", they yelled at Stacy. "I can’t sleep without lights on!" Somehow, that did persuade Stacy to not cover up all the windows with books, and Lukas went to sleep, probably very soothed from knowing he won’t have endermen nightmares tonight. He slept through until morning, unlike Gabriel.

Endermen are terrifying, so as soon as night fell, Lukas went to hide in the library and cuddled Dewey to calm his nerves. He was even more terrified when he noticed Stacy trying to cover up all windows with books. "You can’t do that, the windows are our only light sources!", he yelled. "I can’t sleep without lights on!" Somehow, that successfully dissuade Stacy from actually doing it, so Lukas could go to sleep without having to worry about nightmares from those endermen. Yay for him!

Maya liked to act as if she didn’t have any fears, but, to be honest… endermen are super scary! In fact, she was so frightened by them, she couldn’t even move… so she continued to stare outside to the window when everyone else was going to hide somewhere else. When she realized that she was still here, standing in front of the window, she recovered herself and looked around. Oh no, Winslow was here, that’s not good… she should better flee to the attic while she still could! …She thought to herself and headed to the door, but she saw the source of all problem already being in the hallway, waiting to scratch any bypassers. No way she would try to deal with him!

Shudder… endermen are scary, but luckily Stacy had Wink to protect her back. Still, she couldn’t stand to see what was going on outside any longer, so she went somewhere where she could cover the windows with a load of books – the library! Ugh, the nerves of some people. "You can’t just cover all the windows, it’s the only light source!", "I can’t sleep without lights on!" Lukas sure was determined to not let Stacy have some peace, so she tried to keep herself busy brewing potions all night.

☀ Results of Day 2:

Harper thanked the goodness for zero deaths today, then got upset saying Winslow was with her. The grown kitty sneered at her and jumped up on a shelf, where he could watch her undisturbed. Harper considered drawing her stone sword, but revealing that she had a weapon wasn’t worth it for this good-forsaken felinae after all. 😼

Instead, she questioned everyone about their whereabouts. Gabriel and Ellegaard answered, also stating who was with them. Stacy then asked if anyone was with Harper, and Harper confirmed that Maya was with her.

🌒 Results of Night 2:

The kitty didn’t do anything… for now. But will he continue following Harper? Only one way to find out – to the bed chamber! And, look at that, she was alone there… oh, no, nevermind, here comes Maya- Her gladness over Winslow not having followed her quickly faded when she saw Maya’s pumpkin-head. She has been following Harper around it seems, and that could only be a bad sign… or coincidence. Either way, since Harper was pretty tired, she just asked her to not kill her and went to bed. And, to her relief, it turned out to not have been too much to ask for after all!

After the disaster that was the first night, CASSIE was determined to do it better this time around, so she told Winslow to stay put and went back to the living room. Oooh, nice party here! Three traps for three people, she couldn’t have wished for better conditions! Now, she only had to hope that they’ll be good and go to sleep, so CASSIE’s traps could hit… and- they did! Well, one of them, anyway.

Ellegaard wondered if it was a good idea after all to reveal exactly where she had been last night… welp, another problem she would deal with when she crossed that path! For now, though, she figured the best idea was to stay in the entrance hall and observe – no, not the endermen, that was a bad idea. Instead, she stared Winslow into his evil green eyes… and shivered! Looks like he won’t go away! She pondered about how to get away from this fluffy yet deadly little tomcat, but figuring that he won’t let her leave anyway, she concluded that the best thing to do right now was to have a little sleepless slumber party with him. Come here, Winslow! Come huuug!!! She chased after him for the whole night. Darn, he’s fast…!

After the enlightening results from stalking Lukas last night, Gabriel decided to do it again. Maybe if he kept stalking him, he could figure out who he really was! So he followed him to the living room and was surprised to see CASSIE and Stacy there, too. Anyway, back to business! Gabriel sat down and stared into Lukas’s very soul – well, for the first few hours, anyway. Slowly but surely, he had to blink with increasing frequency, and longer, and eventually, he drifted off to sleep… …When he clearly shouldn’t have, as he was awakened not by the first rays of sunlight, but by an heavy anvil dropping right onto his head, squashing him into pieces! Ouch!

Lukas had a good, enderman-free visit to the land of dreams, but as soon as he was awaken by the first rays of sunlight, he remembered why he felt uncomfortable in this world. He nervously awaited the end of the conversations in the entrance hall, and headed to the living room to find several people there too! Even though pumpkin faces surely aren’t as terrifying as those of endermen, Lukas wasn’t exactly glad to have this many people around him, so he snuck away to the hallway and hid there, hugging Dewey and nervously waiting for the sun to rise. Luckily, it eventually did, with nothing happening at all… or so he thought-

Last time, Maya missed her entry and had to bear the consequences – but that would not happen a second time! And because she was pretty tired from last night, she chose the best room to go to: The bed chamber! Oh, of course, Harper had to be there, too… she seemed pretty suspicious of Maya, even asking her ever so kindly to not murder her. …It kinda made Maya feel strong and superior, she liked it! Anyway, she didn’t have any murderous plans for now, so she went to bed and enjoyed the beautifully tender mattress.

Fine, so Stacy guessed that the library was where Lukas wanted to stay, but pillows will probably also do as a window cover, so she went to the living room and – OH C’MON!!! She really didn’t want to have another mindless discussion of "Oh, but I need light!" and "You vampire!", so Stacy skedaddled to the attic instead. Luckily, nobody else was there, so she could save her potion of swiftness, too. And THERE WERE NO WINDOWS! Killing three birds with one stone!!!

Gabriel was hit by a trap and died!

☀ Results of Day 3:

Harper asked everybody around who has got a pet and who hasn’t. Stacy, Ellegaard and CASSIE answered, all three technically honestly – although CASSIE at first claimed to not have a pet, but quickly corrected themself. Harper therefore concluded that Stacy and CASSIE were safe. Stacy however reminded her that they could be lying. Despite a friendly reminder from the voice from up above that closets don’t lie, nobody used their voting rights. Lukas claimed to have a pet, too, and Stacy vouched for that.

🌓 Results of Night 3:

Welp, three people have claimed to have a pet… and Harper was not one of them. Uh-oh. Anyway, since she couldn’t decide who to put into a closet, she decided to stay extra safe tonight and headed to the attic – and was relieved to note that no one followed her this time! Relieved, she went to sleep. Until next morning…

Ha! Not only did Harper believe CASSIE’s claim even after she quickly rectified it, the guests also didn’t vote anyone into the closet. How gullible they were! With a slight change to her strategy, CASSIE went back to the living room and sent Winslow to stay in the kitchen. And she was alone – which was only for the better! She set off traps in the library, gallery and dining room. And, the next morning…

It’s a bad thing that Ellegaard is among the suspects, but at least she didn’t get stuck into a closet. Well, actually, no one did… which in turn was a bad thing. But she had a plan – if anyone followed her into the bed chamber, she could set off a trap if she didn’t feel comfortable with them. …And oh my, someone did! At first, she was glad about the company, but in the end she didn’t feel safe around someone who cleary wasn’t a pet owner and wouldn’t respond to her, so she fled to the attic. Until next morning…

Okay, this time, Lukas would seek peace in a room where probably nobody would go to, because of the double traps risk – the dining room! But, of course, Stacy was there… and if that wasn’t enough, she immediately went and hugged his cat. Excuse me, Stacy!? – Wink is yelping for attention! Suspicious of Stacy’s behavior, he signaled Dewey to go sleep on her chest and went to sleep himself. Until, suddenly in the middle of the night…

Maya didn’t want to actively admit that she didn’t have a pet – she really hated narrow spaces, and maybe if she didn’t say anything, the others wouldn’t notice she was even there… It actually did seem to have worked, surprisingly. Nobody said anything… so she sneakily followed Ellegaard to the bed chamber, ready to play the silent detective tonight. She will stalk her until she knows her! But when she entered the room, she suddenly had a serious case of absentmindedness and forgot what she wanted to do at all. She spent the whole night trying to remember, until the next morning…

Being well-rested, Stacy figured she would endure the consequences one more time and actively followed Lukas to end up in the dining room with him. It was all for the kitty – yes, Dewey, you’re who she was talking about! Lukas gave her a confused-slightly worried look as she went and hugged his cat – and Wink yelped jealously. He will definitely forgive her, but still – how could she!?! After a good pet, she went to sleep satisfied. Until next morning…

The Last Night

He felt stared at… watched. Lukas suddenly awoke in the middle of the night, panting, as he had a nightmare about endermen chasing and dismantling him. But even the calming essence of Stacy’s dog beneath him wasn’t enough to calm him down… something wasn’t right-

He suddenly felt the urge to turn around and look at the painting of the chicken jockey behind him. It had never scared him as much as in this moment.

And now he knew why.

Where there used to be two empty, black sockets staring at the viewer’s soul, there were suddenly big, red pupils, staring into Lukas’s widened eyes. And then, in the next moment-

He couldn’t see anything, nor hear anything but a beaming sound, nor feel anything but pain as the red dots revealed themselves to be lasers, blinding Lukas and burning his hair, skin and body alive. It was faster than Lukas could even scream.

Wink of course barked as if there was no tomorrow, but the blinding laser light was too bright for Stacy to see. And then, the next morning…

"Guys, GUYS! Lukas is dead! DEAD-"

"Dead!?"

Harper, Ellegaard and Maya were shocked to hear the news Stacy had told.

"Dead-dead! I heard Wink barking in the middle of the night, there was this bright, red light- I don’t know exactly what happened, but I couldn’t find his drops in the morning, so it must have been a TRAP! All that’s survived is his cat, which I was cuddling this night…", Stacy said and took poor orphan Dewey into her arms. Wink whined sympathetically.

"I can’t believe it… who could do this, and why?! WHY!?, Harper cried. Then, suddenly-

"Oh, c’mon, you know exactly why.", CASSIE said, throwing something shiny in their hand up and down. Actually, it was the Flint & Steel-

"CASSIE!", Stacy screamed, well aware that this could only mean one conclusion. CASSIE must’ve been the one setting off the traps that killed Gabriel and Lukas!

"How could you", she continued, "you soulless monster, you absolute bastard, you never-forgiveable creature-”

"Hey now, listen! When I invited y’all to my mansion, I asked each and everyone of you for the Flint & Steel – completely pacifically, mind you – and no one, not a single person was kind enough to answer a simple question after I’ve just saved y’all from a bunch of endermen. What else should I have done??"

The guests were about to argue back, when suddenly, out of nowhere-

"It’s all my fault", Ellegaard confessed.

"…What?", everyone asked in union.

"It’s my fault those endermen appeared everywhere… I’ll show you how. But first, Cassie, can you crack my pumpkin?"

"Umm… excuse me?"

"Just do it, please.", Ellegaard asked ever so politely.

Cassie pulled out her diamond axe, slowly approached Ellegaard and awkwardly but gently strikes them right on front.

"Ow – That suffices, thank you…", Ellegaard said as she broke apart the pumpkin pieces and revealed her face – it was Ellegaard!

"Ellegaard!? What are you doing there-", Maya asked, more than surprised.

"Well, it’s uh, a long story. – But that’s beside the point. I have a little explanation to do. So…", she took a deep breath and revealed what no one had expected.

"So, after years of research and hard work, I have finally managed to craft… this."

She brang out something some of them had never seen before – a real, blinking command block! Everyone gasped at the sight-

"Why’re you all gasping? What is that?", Cassie asked unimpressed.

"It’s a command block", Ellegaard answered. Cassie’s eyes widened.

"But isn’t that-"

"Extremely rare and powerful? Why, yes, it is." She put it on the ground.

"You’re telling me you crafted that!?"

"I did", Ellegaard proudly responded, quickly followed by a rueful "And that’s the reason why this world is now overflowing with endermen – see, command blocks are forbidden in my world since a certain… incident, so I came to this world, hoping to be able to experiment a bit with it… but it all derailed when I wanted the swamp to end – suddenly, endermen started to spawn everywhere!"

"You set the biome to… the end?", Harper asked surprised. "Well, yeah, I was just trying to – wait… I set the biome to end… to end… to THE end… Oooooh.", Ellie facepalmed herself as the realization sank in. "Now I know what’s going on! Those endermen started spawning because they think it’s their home land!"

"Just set it to the plains or something. Can’t be too hard if you already done it once, right?", Harper suggested.

"Oh my, yes of course- how did I not think of that! Thank you so much!!", Ellegaard said and started typing into the command block.

But before she could finish, Cassie spoke again.

"Enough talking. I’m leaving!"

"Stop right there! We’re still gonna take revenge for Lukas!!", Stacy yelled and ran to grab her arm.

"Let – go – or do I have to resort to more murder!?", Cassie shouted, but Stacy didn’t let go.

"We’ll see who has the upper hand!", Stacy yelled and threw a light blue potion onto Dewey and Wink – was that… a potion of swiftness?

"Wink, Dewey, go and GET HER!"

With that, the two family-friendly pets turned into killing machines and jumped onto Cassie.

"AhhHHHH- Winslow, WINSLOW!", Cassie screamed as she fell onto the floor, dropping her axe and covering her face with her arms.

As called, Winslow appeared – and with him, about one thousand of loudly meowing calico cats. They jumped down from shelves, windows, cabinets – THEY WERE EVERYWHERE! 😼 😼😼😼😼😼😼😼😼

"AHHH! SO MANY EYES! THEY’RE EATING MY SOUL-", Maya freaked out.

"Wink! Dewey! Hang on there-", Stacy wheezed, grabbed Cassie’s diamond axe and swallowed another potion of swiftness. Then, she tried to lift the heavy axe and release it onto Cassie, but Winslow and the thousand other kittys punced onto her, oppressing her by pure weight.

"OWW-", Sea screamed as they all extended their claws and scratched her good. This caused Wink and Dewey to let Cassie be and instead try to help Stacy, but the felinae were too many-

"Good thing I still have THIS-", Cassie said and revealed a bow and arrows, shooting down Harper, Ellegaard and Maya, who where just standing there, watching in terror. Then, she set a big fire in front of them and whistled her cat back.

"Winslow, come here, we’re going home tonight!"

Winslow and the other cats quickly followed, gracefully jumping over the green flames that circumvented Stacy and the others.

"Bye, suckers!"

And with that, the whole mansion and everything burned down. Meanwhile, the sun outside was shining again and endermen started to disappear, like they would on a normal plains biome.

And what happened to the command block, which was inflammable? Well, Cassie didn’t care.

CASSIE has won the game! 👥

#mcsm #episode 6 #mafia

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angelofthequeers · 5 years

Text

Ladybug and Reine Nuit: Chapter 15

The Evillustrator II

Disclaimer: I don’t own ML.

No, Lukanette won’t be a thing in this fic, but I’ve always loved their first meeting and some meetings do have instant chemistry that goes nowhere. And I thought @cobraonthecob would get a kick out of it.

@miraculousl4dybug @livinthebilife tagged as requested :)

Chapter 14 | Chapter 16

When she doesn’t find Evillustrator before lunch is over, Reine Nuit is forced to admit defeat and turn back into Alya to return to class. Thankfully, Adrien’s got her best friend’s back and explains to Ms Bustier that Marinette had been kidnapped by an akuma and could she please not penalise Marinette for being absent this time. Ms Bustier had just sighed deeply and mumbled something about “not another one” before beginning the lesson.

After school, Alya agrees to stick around in the library with Adrien and Nino to work on their project, if only to take her mind off her simmering worry for her best friend. There’s no guarantee that Evillustrator won’t hurt Marinette. He’s an akuma! One wrong move on Marinette’s part and she could be toast. It’s all she can think about even as they pack up and head their separate ways, agreeing to meet up again tomorrow.

Finally, as the sun sets, Alya pushes herself off her bed and heads over to her window.

“You really care about Marinette,” Plagg comments. “Blech. It’s sickening.”

“She’s my best friend, Plagg,” Alya says quietly. “It makes me feel – so – helpless that I couldn’t do a thing.”

Plagg’s uncharacteristically silent at that. “Then I say you should get a move on,” he says. “The quicker you go and save your friend, the quicker I can get back to my heavenly Camembert.” But he’s not fooling either of them.

“You’re right,” Alya says with a small smile at him. “Plagg, claws out!”

Once transformed, Reine Nuit leaps through the darkening city to the Seine. Although Adrien hadn’t given her a specific spot, it’s a simple matter to find a long boat with a park bench and a mini Eiffel Tower that has a large glowing orb on the tip. Seated on the bench are Marinette, wearing a beautiful white dress, and Evillustrator, who’s sketching something as Marinette sways to the music that’s playing from his sketchpad. Marinette’s eyes, however, are wide open and darting around, and she gives the barest of nods when she notices Reine Nuit leaping onto the boat without detection.

“I…actually draw a little too,” Marinette says, leaning in to Evillustrator. “I’m not as good as you are, of course.”

“I’m sure you’re a wonderful artist,” Evillustrator says warmly.

“Well, can I draw you something special for your birthday?” Marinette reaches for the pencil, but Evillustrator pulls it away from her.

“Sorry,” he says. “But I don’t feel comfortable giving you my pencil. Even though it’s you.”

“Oh…” The disappointment in Marinette’s voice is clear. “That’s okay…”

“Please don’t be upset!” Evillustrator hastens to say. “How about I draw you something special? Any requests?”

Okay, so Marinette’s plan had failed. Time for Reine Nuit to save her, because there’s no way the hero can get to the pencil before Evillustrator can draw something, and Reine Nuit will be damned if she keeps a civilian in harm’s way. Plus, she can’t exactly destroy the pencil without Ladybug around to purify it; not unless she wants the akuma to multiply and create a whole swarm of Evillustrators. An army of Stonehearts had been bad enough, thank you very much.

“Cataclysm!” she whispers. She takes a breath, then slams her palm down on the deck of the boat, and it immediately starts to crumble to dust. Evillustrator shouts when he realises what’s going on, but it’s too late; Reine Nuit swoops in and scoops Marinette up before he can react, then leaps to the river bank and away into the sea of city lights.

“You could’ve gotten his pencil!” Marinette huffs when Reine Nuit finally puts her down near the Notre Dame.

“You think I could’ve even gotten near that thing without him noticing?” Reine Nuit says, hands on her hips. “And I can’t destroy it unless Ladybug’s around, otherwise we’ll end up with a whole bunch of them. You’re welcome for saving you by the way.”

Marinette deflates before the hero’s eyes. “Oh. Right. Good point. Well…that plan’s busted, so I’ll just head home –”

“Uh, no you won’t,” Reine Nuit says. “I just snatched you right out from underneath him. That’s the first place he’s gonna look.”

“You’re full of good ideas tonight, aren’t you?” Marinette says with a raised eyebrow. Reine Nuit smirks.

“I’m full of surprises, cookie,” she winks. “Want me to take you somewhere safe?”

“I think I can manage now that I don’t have a supervillain watching me,” Marinette says. “Where’s Ladybug?”

“I dunno. And if she was here, we’d totally have taken Evillustrator down by now ‘cause she could’ve purified the akuma.”

Marinette rolls her eyes. “Thanks for saving me, Reine Nuit. You should go after him while he’s still looking for me, before he hides away again.”

Reine Nuit salutes and springs off in the direction of her best friend’s house. There’s nowhere else that Evillustrator could be right now, undoubtedly caught up in fury over losing Marinette. A few streets away, with her ring beeping furiously, she stops to detransform and feed a whining Plagg, then transforms again and heads off.

When she gets to Marinette’s rooftop, she hesitates only for a moment before opening the trapdoor and sliding down into the bedroom below. Marinette would forgive her. It’s not like she’s snooping, after all.

“You!” snarls a voice. Reine Nuit jumps and spins around, her staff out in front of her, to find a furious Evillustrator in front of the window, which has been erased from existence. “Where did you take Marinette?”

“That’s need-to-know, tomato head,” Reine Nuit drawls. Evillustrator growls and dives at her, but she smoothly dodges.

“Give me your Miraculous, you mangy cat!”

“Um…no.”

Back and forth they go, trading blows, knocking over the chaise lounge and the desk chair and everything in their way as they punch and kick and draw things into existence and try to secure the upper hand over their opponent. When Evillustrator knocks over a lamp and plunges a corner of the room into darkness, Reine Nuit’s eyes narrow at his muttered cursing and haste to return to the light.

Hmm. So, he needs light to draw. She can work with that.

“Focus, kitty!” A yo-yo hisses past her and knocks away the manacles that Evillustrator had drawn over Reine Nuit’s wrist. She jumps and gives Ladybug a grateful nod.

“Glad you could make it,” she says. “Any idea how to get his pencil? He can’t draw –”

“– in the dark,” Ladybug finishes. “I know. Uh…Marinette told me.”

“Ah, that’s how you knew we’d be here.” Reine Nuit hurls herself to the ground to avoid the swarm of punching gloves that hurtle at her. “Whenever you’re ready, angel bug!”

“Lucky Charm!” A ladybug-patterned roll of duct tape falls into Ladybug’s hands. “Huh? What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Figure it out!” Reine Nuit bends backwards like she’s playing limbo to avoid the buzz saw that Evillustrator sends after her, then kicks Ladybug’s legs out from underneath her to save her partner from a spiked whip.

“Got it!” Ladybug declares, beginning to unpeel the roll of tape. “Get him over near the bed and get ready to hit his drawing pad!”

“Not the pencil?” Reine Nuit says.

“Trust me, I’ll take care of that.” Ladybug pokes her tongue out at Evillustrator and throws the overturned chaise lounge at him. Edging behind the fight, Reine Nuit winces when it misses and instead knocks Marinette’s computer over, shattering the monitor screen into pieces. Yikes. Thank god for Miraculous Ladybug. Poor Marinette.

When she ends up behind Evillustrator, Reine Nuit extends her baton and sends Evillustrator flying towards Marinette’s bed. Ladybug acts quickly, taping his pencil hand to the bed’s ladder. But with his pad hand free, he can still easily draw, unless…

“Cataclysm!” Reine Nuit leaps over and swipes her sparking hand across the pad, turning it to dust.

“No!” Evillustrator howls as Ladybug pries the pencil from his immobilised hand to release and purify the akuma.

“Bye, bye, little butterfly!” Ladybug waves after the escaping white butterfly. She throws her roll of duct tape into the air and announces, “Miraculous Ladybug!” to repair all the damage done during Evillustrator’s reign of terror.

“Pound it!” the heroes declare as Evillustrator turns back into Nathaniel.

“Um – why am I –” The redhead blushes furiously. “Why am I in M-Marinette’s bedroom?”

“Long story,” Reine Nuit says. “You wanna take him back, Ladybug, or should I?”

“You do it,” Ladybug says. “I should go and bring Marinette back home before her parents flip out at her being out alone at night.”

Reine Nuit clicks and shoots Ladybug finger guns, then scoops Nathaniel up. “Okay, lover boy, let’s get you home.”

“Are you sure your mother and brother won’t mind a group of kids crowding the place?” Marinette says as they board Juleka’s houseboat after school the next day.

“Oh, not at all!” Rose chirps. “Ms Couffaine loves crowds!”

“That’s Anarka to ya, lassie,” says a thickly Scottish-accented voice. The owner of the voice – a woman with a long, steel grey plait down her back, pale skin, and electric blue eyes behind bright red glasses – approaches them from the control hub of the houseboat. “You should know that by now!”

“Sorry, Ms – uh, Anarka!” Rose says with a sheepish wave. Juleka laughs and takes Rose’s hand, interlacing their fingers.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered,” Juleka says. Rose giggles and flushes bright red. “Is Luka home, Mum?”

“Aye. He’s down in ya room.”

“Okay, so we’ll stay in the living room. Or we can work out here, if you guys want?”

Ivan shrugs.

“I don’t mind,” Marinette says.

“Don’t be silly!” Anarka says. “Luka wouldn’t be me son if he wasn’t used to a bit o’ ruckus! I’ll bring ya some snacks to tide ya over.”

“Thanks, Mum.” Juleka hugs Anarka, then leads her groupmates down into the living room of the houseboat. There’s a closed door on the other side of the room, with the soft sound of guitar notes behind it, but Marinette’s more focused on not breaking her neck in the chaotic living room with paint-splattered floorboards and instruments everywhere. But it’s not messy in an untidy way; rather, in an inviting, lived-in way. Comforting chaos.

“Okay!” Rose plops herself down on the couch with Juleka and pulls her laptop out of her frilly pink bag. Marinette and Ivan sit cross-legged on the rainbow floor. In the background, Anarka is tipping cookies onto a plate while singing a rock song that Marinette can’t quite name. “Marinette, since you weren’t here, we divided up the research and assigned you a portion!”

“She couldn’t exactly help not being here,” Ivan says. Rose gasps.

“Oh! I’m sorry, Marinette! I didn’t even think!”

“It’s fine,” Marinette laughs. “Really. What do you want me to research?”

They tuck into cookies and glasses of lemonade as they work, taking copious notes to whittle down later into an acceptable presentation. Marinette’s so deep into her research that she doesn’t even notice the person behind her until they say, “Particle physics, huh?”

“Wah!” Marinette shrieks and jumps away, yelping and diving for her glass of lemonade before it can tip over after she kicks it.

“Luka!” Juleka complains. “I’ve told you to stop scaring my friends like that.”

“It’s okay, Marinette!” Rose says as Marinette tries to calm her racing heart. “He did that to me too! You get used to it after the first few times.”

“I remember doing this project for Ms M.” The person sits down between Ivan and Marinette. Marinette turns to ask what the hell they’re doing, only to be rendered utterly speechless when she catches sight of them…him. Whoa. “Science was never really my biggest interest. I tried to write a song about particle physics for my bit of the research and Ms M scolded me for it.”

“How about you do our research, then, Luka?” Juleka says with a half-smirk. “Since you’ve already done this.”

“Sorry, little sis,” Luka says, returning her half-smirk as he pulls his guitar around to rest on his lap. His eyes are the same shade of blue as his mother’s, also matching the teal tips of his black hair, and he’s wearing ripped black jeans and a short-sleeved blue jacket over a white Jagged Stone shirt. He likes Jagged Stone! “Ms M said to me once that she hopes my little sister “takes science just a little more seriously than you, Mr Couffaine!” She’d totally know I helped you with it.”

“True,” Juleka says. Luka smiles at Marinette and strums a few chords that are both sharply clean and a total musical mess, hitting Marinette deep in the chest like a physical punch.

“I’m getting this from you,” he says. “It’s one of the clearest yet most chaotic songs I’ve heard. What’s your name? I’ve met Rose and Ivan, but I’ve never met you before.”

“Oh my god, Luka,” Juleka mutters. Meanwhile, Marinette’s heart is going haywire because…holy crap, this boy is gorgeous. And his music somehow exactly matches the utter chaos of Marinette’s soul!

“My name’s Mama – Ma-Ma-Marinette!” Marinette blurts out. Oh god, why is she stammering? Why is this her life? She’s very hyperaware of Juleka, Rose, and Ivan concealing grins, and she’d totally hit them if she could get away with it.

“Hello, Ma-Ma-Marinette,” Luka says, then snickers behind his hand. Marinette’s heart drops. Great. He’s gorgeous, but he’s also a jerk. This is really Juleka’s brother? Her feelings must be painted across her face, because Luka’s smile vanishes, and he adds, “Sorry. I tend to speak better with music than words. There’s just something so…pure and simple about it.”

“Aye, right y’are,” Anarka says as she takes away the empty plate and glasses. “But ya better not be distracting yer sister and her friends, Luka.”

Luka holds his hands up. “I just came out to say hi. And to get a cookie before they all vanished. Looks like I was too late.”

“Marinette’s parents own a bakery!” Rose says. “She should totally bring you some cookies next time! They make the best cookies!”

“And macarons,” Ivan adds.

“And everything,” Juleka says dreamily. Luka smiles.

“I’ll have to taste a Marinette creation one day,” he says. Blood rushes to Marinette’s cheeks.

“I – um –” She fumbles for something to talk about. “You play guitar?”

Luka snickers. “Yeah. And Juleka plays bass. But neither of us can really sing.”

“I hate singing,” Juleka says. “But Rose has the voice of an angel.”

“Aww!” Rose throws her arms around Juleka and kisses her. “You’re so sweet!”

“I play drums,” Ivan adds.

“What is this, make-a-band?” Marinette jokes. But rather than laugh, the others frown around at each other.

“That’s…not a bad idea,” Juleka says. “Luka and I’ve always wanted to start a band.”

“Ooh!” Rose bounces in her seat. “Yes! Let’s start a band!”

“What about our project?” Ivan says.

“Project now,” Marinette says. “Band talk tomorrow. That is, if we’re coming back here tomorrow?”

Luka shares a look with Juleka, who rolls her eyes. “Yeah, we’ll meet back here after school,” she says. “Back to particle physics, guys.”

Marinette, Rose, and Ivan groan but pull their books and laptop back towards them.

“I’ll leave you guys to it,” Luka says, gracefully climbing to his feet. He smiles down at Marinette and says, “Nice to meet you, Ma-Ma-Marinette,” before heading back to his room.

“Marinette, no,” Juleka says when Marinette stares blankly after Luka. “He’s my brother.”

“Marinette, yes!” Rose squeals. “That was so adorable!”

“Marinette, can we work on the stupid project?” Ivan says. That last comment snaps Marinette out of her trance.

“Wha – oh, yeah!” she babbles. “Project! Right! Let’s do it!”

#miraculous ladybug #aotq fic #aotq: reine nuit au #chat!alya #marinette dupain-cheng #alya cesaire #rose lavillant #juleka couffaine #ivan bruel #luka couffaine #evillustrator #why yes i did want to see the birth of kitty section in canon #however did you guess #marinette no stop thirsting after your friend's brother #also rose stop being a shipper

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perditaalottachocolate-blog · 6 years

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April Weather (9)

@adrinetteapril 2018, Day 9: Jealous

Days: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | art | 6 | 7 | 8 | art 1 | art 2 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | art | 19 | art | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | art | 29 | 30 |

AO3 / fanfiction

Adrien needed a few moments to compose himself. He wasn’t blind or ignorant of Marinette’s good looks. But he expected cute, not smoking hot, holy cats are those paw prints on her br...

He choked on his own tongue, Marinette’s sassy tease only making things worse.

Breathe, Agreste. Breathe. It’s just a swimsuit, and not particularly revealing at that. Huh. Marinette was a genius, an evil genius. Without showing too much, or anything even remotely suggestive she turned his brain into mush.

Her giggle sobered him up. What a sly, cunning, fake girlfriend he got. Well, two could play this game. His gaze travelled down again, to the red spotted boyshorts and his lips stretched into impish smirk.

‘Hey, look at that Ladybu-

Marinette’s finger landed on his lips. It took all of his self control not to snatch it and kiss it.

‘I swear, Adrien, if you add that double t,’ she warned, eyes narrowing to slits. ‘I will end you, fake boyfriend or not.’

‘That Ladybug pattern suits you,’ he finished without missing a beat.

Her laugh was music to his ears. It ended too soon, as they got closer to Chloé who was greeting her guests. She was on speaking terms with him again. It took roughly a week for her to stop sulking and accept the reality of Adrien dating Marinette. It didn’t stop her from throwing herself at him at every opportunity though.

‘Adrikins!’ she shrieked and pulled him into a tight embrace.

He hugged her and quickly withdrew, taking Marinette’s hand. He raised a brow and waited.

‘Hi, Marinette,’ Chloé finally barked, looking the other way.

That. That was exactly why he decided against telling Chloé about the fake dating stunt, even though he told Nino. Just for the way she treated Marinette she deserved not to know. She would be insufferable if he told her.

Marinette murmured something in reply, earning a grunt of acknowledgement from the blonde girl, and they moved deeper into the party area.

Adrien absentmindedly put a hand on Marinette’s waist, like he did a countless numbers of times in the past days, when they were in public. It was just an innocent gesture, that hinted intimacy without really showing any affection. Yet this time instead of Marinette’s jacket his fingers brushed the bare skin of her side. Soft, delicate, velvet skin. And for a second time that day his neurons were fried.

Marinette tensed under his touch, but apart from that there was no visible reaction. After a moment she sent him a questioning look.

‘Sorry,’ he whispered apologetically, ‘I forgot you’re not wearing… I mean you’re wearing,’ he must have been beet-red by then.

She chuckled under her breath. ‘It’s okay,’ she smiled. ‘That’s what couples do.’ She nodded in the direction of Nino, who was wrapped around Alya’s back, his hands crossing over her hips.

‘Okay?’ Adrien squeezed her side lightly just to make sure and Marinette blinked in silent agreement. She must have had nerves of steel, he thought. At his touch she didn’t jump, didn’t move away or do anything that might blow up their fake dating ruse.

Still blushing at this new level of closeness, Adrien led her to the pool. They chatted happily, exchanged smiles and pleasantries with other partygoers and generally did everything that Chloé liked to call “mingling”.

And everywhere they went Adrien could feel jealous looks on them. He caught a few of the boys gawking at Marinette’s swimsuit only to move their gaze to him, showing so much hostility he couldn’t help but cringe. Thanks to his enhanced hearing he could also pick up envious whispers from the girls; gossip about “Marinette the gold digger”. Nothing new really, but it still stung. Adrien noted with relief that his friend probably couldn’t her them - not with that wide and relaxed smile.

A few people dared to come to them and compliment on the ladynoir outfit, as it was dubbed. Marinette thanked each person gracefully, while Adrien did his best to suppress a hiss each time someone checked her out so openly under the pretense of admiring her clothes. Marinette was much more than just a nice set of legs and boo- Easy Agreste. Marinette was so much more than just a nice body, like those shallow idiots seemed to think.

Kagami came to say hello. She also congratulated Marinette on her newest design. And then she started on how special Marinette was, and how many great things she heard about her from her classmates and from Adrien. He scratched his head. Was this Kagami’s attempt at wingwomaning or at flirting, he couldn’t tell.

But he thought about this all for a moment, his gaze drifting to the ladybug boyshorts. The shower of compliments about Marinette made him realise how much more he already knew about her, and his admiration for her only continued to grow. Kagami said a few days earlier that he had found a good replacement for Ladybug. But it only worked because Marinette was so damn similar to the spotted heroine, and not with her looks but also with her personality.

‘Adrien?’

‘Huh?’ Apparently he missed a part of conversation, because now both girls where looking at him with amusement. ‘Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.’

‘Sure you did,’ Kagami muttered. Her eyes skipped to the boyshorts meaningfully before she winked at him.

‘What was it you were saying?’ Adrien decided to ignore her.

‘Could you bring us something to drink?’ Marinette smiled gently. ‘Orange juice would be nice.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ he looked around in search of the buffet. ‘Be right back.’

As he headed for the bar, envious whispers followed. He ran into a few people from Chloé’s circle, which delayed his return. When he got back with the drinks Marinette already left the deck chairs. His eyes scanned the crowds in search of his fake girlfriend, but he couldn’t see her anywhere.

‘Hey!’ Finally a familiar voice caught his attention.

‘Ma-ma-marinette!’ someone gasped and he heard Marinette’s giggle in reply.

Adrien spotted her nearby. She was showing her costume to Luka, turning around slowly like a music box figurine. Luka’s eyes skipped over her exposed body appreciatively and he murmured a few words of praise to which she playfully hit him over the shoulder. She was touching him, he was looking at her, and Adrien was beside himself.

He felt a heavy hand on his own shoulder.

‘You okay, dude?’ Nino shot him a worried look above his glasses.

‘Yes, why?’

‘You don’t normally growl at me,’ his friend snickered. His gaze travelled to Marinette and Luka. ‘Oh.’

‘What is he even doing here? Chloé doesn’t know him!’

‘He’s Juleka’s plus one,’ Nino chuckled shooting Adrien a lopsided grin. ‘Jealous much?’ he teased.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Adrien rebuked. ‘You know we’re only pretending.’

‘Uh-huh,’ Nino pursed his lips.

‘What?’

‘Nuffin,’ the boy shrugged. ‘I’m gonna go and look for my real girlfriend. You might want to watch out for Nath and Jean. I’ve heard them asking her for a dance with them later.’

His heart sped up and his mouth went dry.

Where was all this coming from? They were staging this relationship for fake’s sake! He knew how great Marinette was, he knew people liked her. Why was it bothering him so much and making his head spin so fast?

Adrien turned away and took a deep calming breath. He would sort this out, he would get to the bottom of this. Just… not now. Now he needed to finally get to Marinette and just… just be near her, take her hand, or bump into her shoulder, or… or… just make any kind of contact. Just feel her soothing presence.

When he felt ready to face people again Adrien turned around…

… and looked straight into the glowing orbs of the Green-Eyed Monster.

#adrinetteapril2018 #day 9: jealous #perdita writes #april weather #adrinette #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #chloe bourgeois #Kagami Tsurugi #Luka Couffaine #green-eyed monster #pool party #jealousy #ml fic

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andromeda---galaxy · 6 years

Text

routine procedure (chapter two)

Philip stares out the window on the journey to Tivoli and feels like he’s working himself up. Hospitals already make him nervous because of everything that happened with Lukas, everything that happened after Ryan was killed, and he knows that’s affecting the way he thinks about this. He’s trying not to panic. He knows that’s the last thing Helen needs to see.

He feels Lukas reach over and start massaging his shoulder. There’s only the stretch of road ahead of them, the single red Honda they’d been contending with a while back so far ahead of them now that they can’t see it anymore.

“Got like half an hour,” Lukas says. “Gonna swing by mine real quick, leave Iz with Dad, then we’ll head straight to the hospital.”

Philip looks down at his phone.

“She said anything yet?” Lukas asks, clearly tracking Philip’s every move.

“No,” Philip says, trying to hide his dejection over that fact even though he knows Lukas can probably sense it anyway. He sighs, reaching up and taking Lukas’s hand, holding it in his lap. “It’s just his appendix.”

“Exactly,” Lukas says, squeezing his hand.

“He’s gonna be fine,” Philip says, eyes intent on Lukas.

“He’s gonna be absolutely fine,” Lukas says.

Izzy lets out a rumbling snore from the backseat that sounds like an affirmation, and Philip smiles a little bit, glancing back at her.

“Let me know if you need your hand back,” Philip says, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing Lukas’s knuckles.

“You can have it,” Lukas says. “You know all of this belongs to you.” His eyes trace down over his own body briefly and then he raises his eyebrows, smiling a little bit.

Philip holds Lukas’s hand tight, taking comfort in the deeply familiar thing between them. “My favorite thing,” he mutters, a little bit to Lukas and mostly to himself. “You.”

Lukas rubs his thumb along Philip’s skin.

They don’t spend much time with Bo and Sarah because almost as soon as they get there Philip gets a text from Helen, very brief, saying Gabe is out of surgery. He gets put in a room when they’re driving over to the hospital. Once they’re on the third floor and heading to see him Philip holds tight to Lukas’s hand, his head going dizzy.

He clears his throat as they’re walking and Lukas looks back at him, stopping in the middle of the hallway for a second.

“You okay?” Lukas asks.

Philip nods, but all of it is giving him a bad feeling. He feels like he’s trained himself to expect the worst, has only recently started breaking himself of it. He swallows hard, Lukas’s eyes still on him, and he nods again. They keep walking and Philip tries to chill out as they approach room 310, Gabe’s room. Lukas knocks, giving Philip another worried look.

“Come in,” Helen’s voice says, from inside.

Philip lets Lukas lead him inside even though he knows he should be the one leading. He’s sorta terrified to see Gabe like this.

It’s pretty dark inside and Philip’s eyes immediately go straight to the bed, which doesn’t assuage his fears at all, even though he’d been hoping it would. Gabe is in the hospital gown, his face pale and his eyes closed. It hits Philip hard, like a punch to the gut, instantly reminding him of Lukas in the coma. His mom dead a day later. The worst time of his life.

Gabe opens his eyes as they close the door and a small smile appears on his face. “Hi boys,” he says.

“Come on in,” Helen says, from beside him, closest to the window. “Don’t just stand there.”

Her voice sounds pinched and Philip recognizes the tone, though he knows it’s more than mild irritation now. It makes him worry even more, like even though the surgery is done and Gabe is here that something is still wrong.

“It’s okay, babe,” Gabe says, slowly looking at her. “We know hospitals suck, right guys?”

Philip knows Helen knows too. He swallows hard, worried about everything that’s in the air here, and he disentangles his hand from Lukas’s and approaches the bed, sitting down in the chair there. “How are you?” he asks, his voice going a little high. “How’re you feeling?”

“Oh, just fine,” Gabe says, managing a smile, but Philip can tell there’s a strain behind it. “It’s nice to see you two, just wish it was under different circumstances.”

“Gabe, you should have just told us you wanted us to visit,” Lukas says, going for levity as he hovers behind Philip, hand on his shoulder.

“Guess I wanted to try out your flair for the dramatic,” Gabe says, smiling at him.

Philip snorts as Lukas scoffs, tapping his hand on the back of Philip’s chair. “Alright, sharp as ever,” Lukas says.

“We’re a little bit off,” Helen says, her chair making a little squealing noise as she scoots closer to the bed. “Though he won’t admit it.”

“I didn’t expect to feel amazing after surgery,” Gabe says. His voice is raspy and he sounds tired.

Philip’s heart is beating really loud in his ears.

“You think things are abnormal?” Lukas asks, directing the question at Helen. Philip looks at the IV in Gabe’s arm, the paleness of his skin. He’s sweating and he looks a little out of it. Philip had looked online how the patient would be after an appendectomy and this wasn’t what he was expecting, even though he was worried about something like this. Everything feels off, and he’s even more convinced of it because Helen clearly feels the same way. He wonders if they’re both just being overly clingy, terrified because of their past experiences, their way of seeing the world.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Gabe says, but he sounds weak. Philip chews on his lower lip.

“Philip,” Helen says, meeting his eyes. “Can you come outside with me for two minutes?”

“We’re keeping secrets now?” Gabe asks, coughing a little bit.

“Just wanna talk to my kid,” Helen says, getting out of her seat. “I’m well aware he’ll tell Lukas everything later on anyway.”

Philip swallows hard and reaches out, squeezing Gabe’s wrist before getting up too. He briefly catches Lukas’s eye as he moves around the chair, grazes his arm with his fingertips before following Helen out of the room.

She’s stands there in the hallway and Philip has never thought she looked small before, but she does now. She’s got her arms wrapped around herself and she glances at the door, her eyes a little wild. “I don’t think things went right,” she says.

“How come?” Philip asks.

“Well maybe they did but I—I just don’t know, I feel strange.”

“Well, why?” Philip asks, shifting a little from foot to foot.

“I just know him,” she says, shaking her head. “I’ve seen him in pain before, I’ve seen him recovering, normal and just—there’s something else wrong. I know it. Something they didn’t catch, something that stemmed from the procedure—I don’t know.”

Philip feels like he’s right on the edge of a panic attack but he has to stay strong for her, level-headed. “Has he said something?”

She shakes her head again. “I’m sure he just wants to get out of here, start recovering at home, but I just—I looked up this whole thing when it was happening and possible complications and I’m just—I’m just worried there were complications and we don’t know yet. Things can happen, easily.”

“You’re just basing this off how he’s acting?” Philip asks, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

A couple nurses walk by them and Helen steps a little closer to him. “You think I’m being paranoid?” She doesn’t sound mean or accusatory. She almost sounds nervous.

“No,” Philip says, fast, because he knows he’s freaking out too, that Gabe doesn’t look good, and if it was Lukas he’d be assuming the worst until things were absolutely perfect again. Fuck, that’s—that’s what he did. After the coma, after the kidnapping, after the hospital stay. He remembers the day when he’d finally been distracted enough from his fears about Lukas’s wellbeing for a solid twelve hours—it was July fourth, which Lukas had used as a day to take Philip around town, getting burgers and hot dogs and ice cream before they watched the fireworks in the park.

It had taken that long.

Philip can imagine what Helen is feeling. He knows her relationship with Gabe is deep, all encompassing, and he isn’t the type of man to get sick often. Philip has heard about the great flu two months after they were married and how Helen dealt back then. This is ten times worse.

“No,” Philip says again. “But maybe we should just—give it some time, see what the doctors say and then we can come to conclusions.”

She nods, wetting her lips. “He did just get out of surgery. I keep trying to remind myself of that but it just—I don’t know.” She shakes her head again and Philip hates seeing her like this.

“You have a feeling,” Philip says.

“Yeah,” Helen says, her voice hitching.

“I get it,” Philip says, his throat tight. He knows what that kind of love feels like. How they nearly read each other’s minds. How they can touch the curve of each other’s feelings in the air, can get all of it with one look even if the other is trying to hide behind a mask. He never could have even imagined what soulmates felt like before he met his own—and it strikes him then, the threads of connection here between the hallway and the hospital room, two sets of soulmates and the small family they’d made together. It’s steel, strong, and fuck, Philip understands her worries. He loves Gabe. Gabe is the father he never had. But seeing it from her point of view—the love of her life, the person who makes every day brighter—if he ever lost Lukas, he knows he wouldn’t be able to go on without him.

“It’s just…it’s Gabe,” Helen says. “I just—I don’t know. I didn’t expect it to be sunshine and rainbows when he had his damn appendix pulled out of his body but—I’m probably just overreacting. Worrying. Just—not used to anything happening to him and I guess I’m—falling into that trap of expecting the worst.”

“Can’t blame you,” Philip says, worry straining behind his own eyes.

She smiles a little sadly and reaches out, cupping his cheek. “Thank you for coming, sweetheart,” she says. “Hopefully we get him home fast, I know you two have class. You probably can’t miss too many days.”

“Mine’s mostly online and not til the end of the week,” Philip says. “Lukas called in—anyways, we’ll—we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

She nods at him, tugging him into a hug. He buries his face in her shoulder and prays it’s all gonna be fine. It’s just his appendix.

It’s gotta be fine. It just has to be.

“When did he fall asleep?” Philip asks, in the car with Lukas half an hour later.

“Pretty fast,” Lukas says, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “We talked a little bit, he said Helen was worried but he didn’t want you to be.”

“Did he say how he felt?” Philip asks, and he doesn’t want to sound like he’s interrogating him but he sorta feels like he is.

Lukas shifts his lips to the side. “He didn’t feel good—”

“Did he say that?” Philip asks, his heart hammering against his ribcage.

“Not exactly,” Lukas says. “It’s just—I don’t know. It’s hard to gauge it. I remember what it felt like when I woke up. You remember me?”

“Yeah,” Philip says, slowly. He tries not to think about those times but it’s been coming up more and more lately with everything that’s going on, potential therapy for Lukas and now all this with Gabe. Philip feels like his head is spinning.

“It’s hard to measure it, for real, like, how somebody is gonna look or feel or whatever after going through a surgery,” Lukas says. “I think we just need to like—maybe chill a little bit. I know it’s shitty and it makes us all worry but tomorrow we should have a better idea of what’s—what’s going on.”

“That’s pretty much what I said to her but I was just trying to make her feel better,” Philip says.

Lukas shrugs. “It makes sense, though.”

Philip nods. He doesn’t know what to think. He doesn’t want to wait, doesn’t like how this makes him feel. His stomach is twisting and that old feeling of being utterly trapped in his helplessness is sinking into his bones.

“It’ll be okay,” Lukas says, in that tone that he knows soothes Philip’s soul.

Philip chews on his lower lip and isn’t convinced. They pull into the driveway of Lukas’s place, and Philip kinda hates calling it that in his head because it’s really Bo’s place, not Lukas’s. They have an apartment together now. They live together, they’re getting married. Philip can’t let himself fall into the past because his anxiety is trying to choke him to death.

Lukas turns the car off and shifts a little bit so he’s looking at Philip. “Want me to do the thing?”

Philip brightens up a little bit. “Yes,” he says, probably too fast. But he’s desperate.

They shift more in their seats and square up facing each other, and Philip closes his eyes. He feels Lukas reach out, putting his fingers on Philip’s temples. He begins massaging gently, starting up the accompanying humming they’d came up with in a fit of laughter two weeks ago.

“Cheer up sleepy jean,” Lukas sing-whispers, still massaging, “oh what can it mean—to a daydream believer and a—homecoming queen….” He leans in, pressing his lips to both of Philip’s cheeks, then the tip of his nose, then his mouth. Once, twice, and again, and then he stops, sliding his hands down Philip’s face, thumbs over his eyelids.

“Better?” Lukas asks.

They come up with it for panic attacks, when Philip was getting a little overwhelmed looking at the details of his case against Dour. Lukas had heard the song on a commercial earlier in the day and it just came out, a soundtrack to his soothing massaging and touching, and it’s turned into a sort-of ritual they trade back and forth, same hand motions, each trying to mimic the other. Philip loves it.

“Yes,” Philip says, nuzzling their noses together. “Thank you.”

“Of course, babycakes,” Lukas says, giving him another brief kiss before pulling back again.

It still feels a little funny sleeping in Lukas’s bed here, considering how much things have changed since they used to do it every other night. They usually stay with Helen and Gabe, considering Lukas is still pretty awkward around Sarah and his dad when they’re together. He’s slowly getting better. Slowly being the key word.

Izzy is down at the foot of the bed, laying on her back and snoring away like she usually does. Philip had left his phone off silent all night just in case Helen called, but he’s yet to get any kind of call or message.

He watches Lukas sleep, knows he’s on the edges of a dream and close to waking, his eyelids fluttering. The fan fills the room with white noise and Philip thinks about his conversation with Helen yesterday. Her weird feeling about Gabe—Philip knows he’s gotten feelings like that about Lukas before with hardly any warning, just like a texture in the air or Lukas moving a little differently.

It sure is something, the connection between certain people. He wishes it was explainable, put down in some kind of scientific quadratic formula he wouldn’t understand anyway if he saw it, but it might make more sense knowing it’s there.

“Thinking too hard,” Lukas mumbles.

A small smile spreads across Philip’s face. “Maybe,” he says.

“’bout what?” Lukas asks, eyes still closed.

“Do you, uh—believe in magic?” It’s not really what he wants to say, but it’s what his mind narrows it down to in the moment.

Lukas’s eyes slowly open. “Magic?” he asks.

Philip shrugs a little bit.

“You mean like—between us?” Lukas asks.

Magic. “Yeah,” Philip says. “Like—people—soulmates.” He blushes when he says the word. “Stuff between them.”

“Kinda like Helen’s feeling, right?” Lukas asks. “With Gabe?”

“You think people involved like we are can like—sense that kinda shit?” Philip asks. “Like we’re so in tune with each other that we’re like—”

“On the same wavelength?” Lukas asks, raising an eyebrow.

On one hand it almost confirms Philip’s crack theory and on the other it makes him feel a little embarrassed at how stupid he must sound.

“Yeah,” Lukas says, before Philip can say another word. He blinks a couple times, drawing Philip closer by pressing a hand to his lower back. “I think it’s a mix of you’re together so often with the person you love that you sorta subconsciously memorize everything about them and like—cosmic shit. Soulmates are soulmates, we’re dragged together because we’re meant to be together, and that’s the universe working right there. Magic.”

Philip finds himself smiling hard. He loves when Lukas gets like this.

“Like that whole shit with Dour,” Lukas says, spitting out the word like it’s toxic in his mouth. “Even not being with you, even with you trying to hide it from me—I knew something was off, I could tell. I just—I could feel it, and I know you.”

Philip touches Lukas’s face, nodding. “I know, I—I’m the same way with you. And that’s exactly why I believe her.”

Lukas shifts his lips a little bit, eyes briefly glancing down to where Izzy is moving around, trying not to fall off the end of the bed. “Yeah,” he says. “Hopefully the doctors are keeping an eye on shit. You’d think they’d know if there were any complications.”

“Yeah,” Philip says. “You’d think.”

They have breakfast with Bo and Sarah, which mostly consists of Sarah feeding Izzy bacon under the table and monopolizing all of her attention. Bo seems concerned about Gabe, overly so, but makes no move to try and visit the hospital. It confuses Philip for a little bit, knowing how close Bo and Gabe have gotten lately, until he really thinks about it. Then he realizes that between Lukas’s mom and Lukas himself, Bo probably has his own perfectly understandable dislike of hospitals.

When they’re five minutes down the road Philip’s phone starts ringing, Helen’s picture flashing on the screen. His heart lurches and he picks it up fast as he can.

“Hello?”

“He has a fever but they’re just giving him goddamn Advil and acting like they’re gonna let him go tomorrow,” Helen says. “I think these people are being goddamn negligent.”

“What does he say?” Philip asks, rubbing his hand over his chest, trying to calm his heart.

“He’s admitting he doesn’t feel the best,” Helen says, and that worries Philip the most. “I think they’re getting like this because the insurance might not cover a longer stay.”

“Jesus Christ,” Philip says.

“I don’t even care about that, we’ll deal with it,” Helen says. “I don’t want them forcing him out if he’s not ready to go, and the fact that he’s admitting he’s not ready to leave really means he’s not ready. I still think something else is going on but they’re not even looking into it. Just acting as if this is how it is, like it’s normal.”

Philip swallows hard. “We’re on our way right now.”

“Okay,” Helen sighs. “See you soon.”

They hang up a moment later and Philip stares straight ahead, holding his phone tight.

“What’s going on?” Lukas asks, tentatively.

“Nothing good,” Philip says.

When they get up into the room and open the door both Helen and Gabe are standing there, struggling to make it over to the bathroom. Lukas quickly moves to Gabe’s other side, wrapping his arm around his neck before any words are exchanged. Philip shuts the door, his heart in his throat, and he feels like he can’t breathe. This isn’t the scene he was expecting.

Gabe is even paler than before, but he manages a smile for Philip. “So Helen just screamed at a nurse,” he says.

“Really?” Philip asks, raising his eyebrows at her.

The three of them take a few uncertain steps.

“I wouldn’t say screamed,” Helen says.

“It was close to screaming,” Gabe says, and he grimaces.

“He’s supposed to be able to be up and around twelve hours after the surgery,” Helen says. “Does this look like up and around? He can barely walk. Everything that’s going on isn’t right, they’re not doing their jobs.”

“You think something else is happening?” Lukas asks Gabe, as they slowly maneuver towards the bathroom.

“Unfortunately, I think so,” Gabe says, clearly his throat. “It, uh, well—”

“He’s having trouble going to the bathroom,” Helen says. “Meaning it’s impossible—”

“Alright,” Gabe says, laughing a little bit. “They don’t need—”

“What?” Helen asks. “They’re family.”

Gabe sighs, shaking his head.

“Feels woozy too,” Helen says. “Fatigued, lots of tenderness and pain in his abdomen.”

“Thinking it might not just be the aftermath of the surgery,” Gabe says.

Philip doesn’t know what the hell to say. He wants this resolved like yesterday. He needs Gabe to be better. He snaps himself out of his head and rushes over when they get close to the door. He opens it fast, watching Helen nod at Lukas.

“Okay, I’ve got him,” Helen says.

“You sure?”

“Yeah—”

“I’m sorry, boys,” Gabe says, giving Philip a sad look over his shoulder.

“No,” Philip says, fast. “No, no, it’s fine.”

“One second,” Helen says, maneuvering around and closing the door behind them.

It feels strangely silent, the air heavy and thick all around them. Lukas heaves a sigh and walks over to Philip, brushing his hair out of his face. Philip leans into his hand, closing his eyes.

“We should all raise hell,” Lukas says, his other hand on Philip’s hip. “Then they’ll have to do something.”

“Or they’ll have us arrested,” Philip says.

“Yeah right,” Lukas says. “Helen’s a sheriff. She’ll arrest them fir—”

They both turn around when they hear Gabe throwing up. Philip’s heart lurches again and he hears Helen murmuring to him, and the sound of it almost makes him feel like he’s gonna start crying. He can’t imagine anything permanent happening to Gabe. It would fucking destroy Helen, which would destroy him.

They’re his parents.

Lukas leans in, kissing Philip’s forehead. “I love you,” he whispers.

“Love you too,” Philip mutters, his voice breaking.

The bathroom door opens but they don’t come out, everything silent for a couple seconds. There’s a high pitched sound in Philip’s ears—he and Lukas walk over, see them standing there in the brightness of the bathroom, Helen with a firm grip on Gabe’s waist.

“What’s wrong?” Philip asks, his hand on the door handle, pulling it open a little wider. He feels Lukas walk up behind him. His chest is going tight and he bites down hard on his lower lip.

Gabe is sweating, breathing hard and leaning on Helen heavily.

“Gabe,” Helen says, her eyes intent and focused on him. “Gabe, can you—”

He’s trembling, blinking slowly, looking like he wants to say something. And then he drops, crumpling in her arms. The high pitched sound in Philip’s ears reaches its peak and he can’t hear anything, the hair on his arms standing up as both he and Lukas move in without thinking, trying to help Helen ease Gabe to the floor. Both Helen and Lukas are saying Gabe’s name, trying to talk to him, but Philip can’t hear anything, can’t see, his vision blurry with tears. Gabe is limp, his eyes closed and Philip can’t breathe, can only fear the worst, the worst that’s been clawing at his heels his whole goddamn life.

Now it’s Gabe.

#philkas #eyewitness #philip shea #lukas waldenbeck #my writing #DO NOT WORRY #it will be okay in the end #sorry this took so damn long

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