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dozing-marshmallow · 8 months

Note

Mind If I request Chris x reader whos in a successful band? Maybe even a band that used to compete with his when he was still doing that?

Not at all! Sorry this took so long, my love, I hope you enjoy!💖 CHRIS MCLEAN X SINGER! READER ONE SHOT

Another great day at the studio.

“Great work, girls! Let’s call it a day.” you instructed, slipping your guitar case around your shoulders.

You were journeying home with them, not much of an extraordinary day, even with these new advertisements of singers (that weren’t you guys) stuck on lampposts and walls.

You didn’t pay much notice, until the image of microphones clocked in.

“What, who are they?” you ask your girls, ripping one off the wall and inspecting it with them.

“Is this a new band?”

“Who are they? Where are they from? Are they local?”

“A boy band! Everyone’s trying to do them now.”

“Fametown? Never heard of it!”

“Wait... Is that who I think that is?” you ask yourself, tapping on the face of one specific male, before it hit you,“No way! It’s Chris! The guy that lives on my block!”

You laugh. You didn’t have the best relationship with that boy... Every now and then, you would pull pranks on each other, whether it was silly stringing each other’s gardens or stuffing each other’s mailboxes with snails and frogs.

Nothing harmless, but nothing too extreme that would get you in trouble with one another’s parents.

“I have something fun to do when I get home~”

If this was going to go the way you think it was gonna go, the girls were going to have to make sure they didn’t have any of the other members from that band living on their street.

Knowing Chris, he wouldn’t be back home until six o’clock. So you made sure to take an unusual route back to your neighbourhood, and voilà, you saw the man at talk, in his jeans and piercings, strolling through the empty pavements.

You make your way over to him,“Soooo. You wanna get into vocals, McLean? What happened to your movies? Didn’t go so well?”

“Oh shut up, (Y/N)” already, his answer sour, but face candy,“And yep! We’re taking off, and we’re gonna be hella famous!”

“Wonder who you got that from.” you roll your eyes,“So uh, as you probably don’t know, a good name is very important when wanting to give a good opinion on something before you see it. Did you think Flametown was the best name to try attract a herd of people to like your music?”

“It’s Fametown, (Y/N). Learn to read.” he reprimanded, not too pleased with the fact you had one of their flyers in your hand, knowing how you were.

“That’s what I said. Flametown.”

“Fametown.”

“Ohhh! See what I mean! No wonder why you needed to make flyers! People would be bound to have your band shoved in their faces whenever they go out, so they wouldn’t forget you! If you really were successful, you wouldn’t need to do all this.” you snorted, waving the poster mockingly.

“Fametown is a very memorable band! Thank you.” he snatches the flyer from your hand,“Give that! You don’t deserve it.” his intention to feed his ego was torn down by the horror of childish graffiti scribbled too personally on the printed faces.

“Did I do that?” you smiled, retaking the sight of your work,“Whoopsies!”

“You think Fametown is a joke, (Y/N)?” Uh oh, one of the few times he was ticked,“Sooner or later, you and your band are gonna be crushed and forgotten like all the ants I purposely step on and you’ll be stuck on the streets, selling that disgusting lemonade you made back in fifth grade and you’re gonna wish you were more dignified in the presence of a worldwide famous celebrity.” Was that meant to be a threat?

My, what an impossible fate! But you’d like to respond to the real agitating statement,“Bozo, I told you then and now, if you listened to me, you would’ve known that it was passion fruit smoothies we were selling!”

“Tomato tomato! Doesn’t change the fact it sucked either way!” He spoke quicker, almost like this conversation wasn’t what he wanted to do on a Monday after clubs.

You don’t blame him, but you also don’t care- he always does it to you,“You know what else sucks? Your music in question! How do you manage to replicate the sound of a bunch of cats fighting in a litter box?”

“Aw so you actually took the time to listen to our tracks?” you wanted to slap that smile off his face,“Thanks (Y/NNNN)! You can be useful sometimes!”

Let him not get ahead of himself!,“What, like I wanted to? You blast that disgrace of music business so loudly, the old ladies that live down there paid to have their hearing aids stolen! Look what kind of impact you’re having on our community.”

It worked, because he scoffed,“Like you’re one to talk! Everyone I know either ends up binning your cds or changing channels on the radio whenever your songs come on. Must say, never thought it’d be so remarkable to be that atrocious.”

The barks of a tiny dog was so cute,“Well clearly you and your buddies have horrible taste.” you unfold a copy of your signed record deal,“See this? Take a good read.”

He paused as his eyes land on the status presented in front of him. Regardless if he was silent to think of a clever comeback or was in simple awe, he retorted back eventually,“Oh yeah? Well watch! They say that the longer it takes for abundance to come, the more of it will last when it gets here! By next month, that will be ours!” The Scottish in him was coming out more and more.

“Suuuuure it will, Chrissy.” you fold it and store it back into your bag, masking your ridicule in a sugary tone,“Don’t push yourself, it’s okay to not be great at anything.”

“Shut it!” he demanded again, clenching his fists, he wouldn’t do anything more,“Mark my words. We’re already greater than whatever lameness you’ve got going on.”

You could only laugh at his worked up being as you disappeared into your home, with a wave.

So the boy wants to play?

You plug your loudspeaker in.

It is on.

“Hey guyys... So we might need to extend our band practice time...”

#td chris #chris mclean x reader #td chris mclean x reader #tdi x reader #total drama chris mclean #total drama #total drama island chris #chris mclean #tdi #request #total drama chris #total drama headcanons

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wheeier · 3 years

Text

no taking back

summary: it was only fun and games. but steve had other plans.

warnings: modern au, tooth-rotting fluff i guess, little but of swearing

+ olivia rodrigo’s sour album (stream besties), the movie tangled at the end because it just radiates as a comfort movie

yes a modern au !!! i just saw this on tiktok (the sour part, but the rest was my idea!) and thought it was so cute so it gave me an idea to make it as a fic, enjoy !!!

steve harrington x fem!reader

olivia rodrigo’s new album just released and you were thrilled to listen to it and stream it the whole day.

when you finally got to listen to it, you asked your friends—robin, nancy, and the party, if they listened to it and which ones were their favorites.

robin told you that her top three were hope ur ok, jealousy, jealousy, and brutal.

nancy said she really loved favorite crime.

max said hers was also brutal.

el told you that she played good 4 u and traitor on repeat that hopper had to go into her room to turn it down.

when mike comes over to the cabin he can assure that el does indeed play them on repeat and get pissy about it (but he secretly loves the album, but he wouldn’t let her or anyone know that).

and lastly lucas and dustin are fans of deja vu and 1 step forward 3 steps back. max even told you that they would sing the bridge of deja vu on the top of their lungs.

you slightly laughed at the memory of them telling you about it.

however, there’s one more person that you haven’t talked to about it yet.

steve.

your smile faltered and faded when he came across in your mind.

your feelings for him had deepened over the time and listening to the sour album made it feel like you two had broken up, which in fact, is not true because you were never together in the first place.

suddenly, an idea popped in your head. instead of being sad about steve, you thought about texting him, although it’s almost 1AM, you knew he’d still be up.

Sailor Man

You: hey

You: u up?

Sailor Man: duh

Sailor Man: this has been our nightly routine u always bother me when i’m about to go to sleep

You: fuck off

You: don’t pretend that you’re not binge watching outer banks until 4am

Sailor Man: i’m not?!?

You: yeah right

You: anyways

You: can u do me a favor

Sailor Man: will i get free pizza afterwards

You: no

Sailor Man: k

You: what the fuck

You: fine

Sailor Man: hehe

Sailor Man: what’s the favor ;)

You: dont get me started with that winky face i swear ure so dead when i see you at the wheeler’s house tomorrow

You: have you listened to olivia rodrigo’s new album

Sailor Man: ohh the bitter album?

You: ITS SOUR DUMBASS

Sailor Man: I DONT KNOW?!?

You: I CANT DO THIS HJAGSK

Sailor Man: shut up

Sailor Man: i’ve heard some of the songs but i haven’t fully listened to them

Sailor Man: why

You: can you like

You: ask me to be ur girlfriend then break up with me right after so i can experience and actually feel the whole sour album

Sailor Man: what

You: just do it !!

Sailor Man: you’re so funny (y/n/n)

Sailor Man: okay

Sailor Man: will you be my girlfriend?

You: yes !!!

You: ...

You: hello

You: dont tell me u fell asleep

Sailor Man: i’m not doing the last part you might as well forget about it

You: wjat

Sailor Man: :D

You: wtf

You: okay steve cut it out i’m not doing this anymore u’re not funny

Sailor Man: nope

Sailor Man: go to sleep we’re dating now that’s how this works

Sailor Man: okay i dont know if you’re still reading this now and i am terrified to say this to you in person like TERRIFIED. might piss my pants if i did. so (y/n/n), my favorite dumbass, my favorite person to talk to at night even if it interrupts my binge watching marathon, you make me so happy to the point that even when i sleep you’re still in my dreams. i like you. i have like the biggest fattest crush on you. and thank you for doing that sour album thing or whatever, because of that i get to finally ask you out

you rolled on your back after you read the message, facing the ceiling as your mind processed what just happened. was he playing with you? was he actually serious about asking you out?

Incoming video call...

Sailor Man

you took a deep breath before tapping the green button and placing it back down on the bed.

“hey,” you can tell that he was tired based on his voice. “can you show your face, please? i miss you.”

ignoring the butterflies in your stomach, you hesitantly lifted the phone and shifted your position to lay on your side. “hey.”

“hey yourself.” steve grins. that stupid grin that makes your stomach turn, that grin you always want to see everyday.

“what’s..up?” you avoided looking at him and started to admire your surroundings and the posters placed on your wall. this was the only time you were glad you weren’t with him in person.

“i just wanted to see if you’re okay.” of course he will ask that. he's steve. he cares about other more than himself.

“i am, thanks.” you showed a smile that doesn't reach your ears and steve knew something was bothering you. “hey, look. i'm sorry about my confession- if it made you uncomfortable i'm sorry-”

“no,” you cut him off, looking back at his face on the screen. “i’m fine, really. you don't have to apologize. i was just, surprised.”

there was silence between the two of you for a few seconds, before you spoke again. “did you mean it?” you voice was only above whisper but steve managed to hear them. “of course,” he answered almost too quick, without any hesitation. “i've been trying to find the perfect opportunity and had been asking god for signs because i can't make a move myself-”

“asking god?” you chuckled and steve smiled hearing them, glad that he somehow lightened the mood. “well, more like begging.” he continues and you giggled.

once your laughter died you both fell into silence again. you still couldn’t believe that out of a fun joke, it would turn into a whole another situation. “so, um.. just so you know, i’m not mad, or upset, or anything. i really was just surprised. it felt like a dream because i didn’t know that you like me back and all i did was just supposed to be a fun joke but—”

“hold on, back?”

“what?”

“like you back. you said i like you back.” steve sat up on his bed and fixed his hair as his eyes widened. “i did...” you said slowly, not catching up.

“does that mean you..”

then it hit you. “oh, right. yeah. i- i like you..too.” you waited for his reaction and once you saw him smile you couldn’t stop yourself from doing the same.

“i knew it. and well, i guess that confirms it. we’re dating now. no taking back.” he smirks then laughs when your rolled your eyes. “don’t flatter yourself, harrington. i did not say shit.” you pointed your index finger on the screen, barely containing your giggles.

“based on your beautiful smile i think you don’t need to say it. i like you, and you like me. we’re dating.” steve gives you a teasing smile. you tried keeping your serious face but it won’t last longer so you finally smiled again. “alright, fine. no taking backs. we’re dating.” you said then laughed as he whisper-yelled ‘yes!’ while fist pumping the air.

he soon joined your laughter and you stayed like that until your jaw was pretty much in pain because of your smiles. when it was all quiet again, you both just admired each other’s presence through the screens of your phones. “i wish i was there with you.” he mumbles. “yeah, me too.” you hugged your cold pillow beside you, closing your eyes for a moment and imagining it as steve.

“are your parents home?”

you snorted at his random question. “i’m actually alone right now, they’re out because dad got promoted at his work so he and mom and i think a few friends went out to celebrate. they should be home by an hour or two. why?”

“nothing.” was all he said before hanging up. you were left confused but then he’s your best friend after all, so you knew right then and there that he’ll do something stupid. after you turned your phone off you suddenly felt watching a movie so you went to the kitchen to make some popcorn.

when it was finished and had been put in a bowl, that’s when you heard your doorbell rang—in a pattern which you recognize, and only one person does that.

you let out a quiet laugh when you realized who it was and set the bowl on the counter before opening the door.

“hi!” steve greeted you with a smile. “uh, hi?” you laughed nervously and stepped aside for him to go in. “i smell popcorn, are we having a movie night?” he says as he steps inside and shrugged off his jacket. “actually yeah, i’m planning on watching—”

“tangled.” he finishes off, you subconsciously smiled upon hearing your favorite movie. “how’d you know?”

steve snatches a few popcorns from the bowl as you both arrived in the kitchen. “(y/n), you have watched that movie 7 times this week and always gush to me about it.”

“well, you’re the only one that is around my age that i can talk to with that movie. robin and nancy aren’t that into it.” you replied, grabbing the bowl and making your way back to your bedroom, steve following your heels. “and you think i’m the best option to talk to about that?” he asks, plopping down on your bed and resting his back on the headboard.

“you’re not complaining.” you shrugged as you grabbed your laptop and sat beside steve.

“yeah, probably because i like you.” it came out of his mouth casually. you froze in place and felt your cheeks heat up, finally nodding your head slowly, “..probably.” as you typed in the movie in your laptop you felt steve scoot closer, making your breath hitch.

you were both in a comfortable silence while watching the movie, except for a few jokes and comments that steve makes and him explaining how similar he was to flynn rider.

“you know, since i’m eugene, you could be rapunzel.” he suddenly says. you eyes were still on the screen but your eyebrows furrowed. “why? i’m nothing like her.”

finally looking at steve, you almost screamed how he was already looking at you. “oh, you are so rapunzel. you may not have the longest hair in the world, but you are pretty much similar.” he replies, smiling and not taking his eyes off of you.

you paused the movie and shifted your body towards him, intrigued by his explaination. “how so?”

“well, first off,” steve starts, resting his hands on the soft mattress. “you’re both sweet, you’re both a huge ray of sunshine, have gorgeous eyes and smile, and eugene is head over heels over you — and since he doesn’t exist in real life, i’d like to be the substitute.” he finished with a confident smile.

after about three seconds, you burst out of laughter. you laughed. as much as he loves the sound of your laugh, he can’t help but pout. “(y/n), i’m trying to be sweet here!”

“i’m sorry!- it’s just- i can’t help but laugh at your flirting.” you managed to say between your laughs. you know he’s kidding but he looked at you like he was offended.

your laughter died down and held steve’s face. “it’s cute, sorry.” you mumble with a little laugh. when he finally smiled you turned to your laptop and continued the movie.

steve gazes at you for a few more seconds before watching the movie with you again. “thank you.” you whisper, glancing at him.

“you’re very much welcome, my rapunzel.” he says smiling before he slides a bit down on the bed so his head could reach your shoulder and rests it there.

you giggled as you heard him whisper,

“thank you, olivia rodrigo.”

#steve harrington #stranger things #steve harrington fluff #fluff #imagines #stranger things imagine #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #stranger things fic #cute fic #i hope you enjoyed help #fluff fic #steve harrington x reader imagine #sour #sour olivia rodrigo #tangled

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ghoul-lover9000 · 4 years

Text

Random Facts about Dating Scream characters

Sidney Prescott

She never wants to go to any social functions so, if you have a party or a work function that you need to go to, she will plead for you to stay home and watch stupid rom-coms with her.

She will laugh at you if you do a grand show of affection. Not to be rude, but she thinks it’s so cheesy that she can’t help it.

Just hug her and love her and respect her. She needs it. Sidney really takes a risk every time she dates someone because she’s been hurt in the worst ways by the people she’s dated or what happened to the people she’s dated.

The ideal person to spend a lovely night in with, playing board games and watching TV together.

(Neve Campbell can step on my throat.)

Randy Meeks

He’s a firm believer in JiffyPop being the best popcorn. Not because it’s a better quality popcorn, but because it’s atmospheric, it adds to the tone of movie night. Trust me, you and him have movie night every week, if not twice a week. You both regularly fall asleep in front of the TV because he wanted to try to watch all of the Friday the 13th movies in one night or whatever series of horror movies he was craving.

Randy goes on rants all the time. You just need to know how to get him started. Say that Pulp Fiction is better than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and boom. It is done. Now your boyfriend has that cute passionate little glimmer in his eyes. The only way to shut him up now would be to kiss him and even that might not work.

He’ll only sit through a rom-com if he loves you.

So much fucking movie memorabilia. Posters, mugs, shirts, figurines, pajama pants, etc. It’s crazy. At least, you know what to get him for Christmas and his birthday every year.

(The only film major that deserves rights)

Billy Loomis

This man is a headache. So fucking dramatic, so fucking shifty. You don’t know what crimes he’s gonna commit, but he’s up to something.

Like Randy, you guys have movie nights, but his movie nights are more aggressive. Where Randy is just like “Hey, wanna watch The Shining? Oh, you’re feeling more Heathers tonight? Okay.”, Billy is like “It’s either Season of the Witch or Black Christmas. You get to choose.” Also, he’s a die hard believer in, if you’re watching a movie, you need movie snacks so your favorite movie candy and the greasiest popcorn ever will always be in supply.

He tells you about his homicidal habits in the most dramatic way possible.

Billy: I’ve done things, babe, I’m an agent of terror.

“Okay, I get that, but why did you have to accentuate that news with you dragging a fresh body into my yard?”

I’m not saying that you would end up dating Stu as well, but, if you were down for some passing around, you’re gonna end up with two boyfriends.

(Look at this fucking weasel. Like I love him, but he’s a little bit of a greasy boy.)

Stu Macher

Will act like a bit of an asshole in front of people, but really he’s just looking for a good time with someone he genuinely enjoys being around.

Will sometimes randomly just pick you up and refuse to let you down.

He’s very excitable. Being around him is kind of like having a shot of coffee. After hanging out with him, you’re tired, but it was worth it because he’s a lot of fun.

He loves putting his head on your lap. If you and him are hanging out and you’re sitting down on a coach, 9 times out of 10 his head is going on your lap.

He’ll never tell you about his killing unless you find out or Billy tells you.

Same thing from Billy’s headcanon. If you’re down with the poly, you’re gonna get poly.

(I don’t know what it is, but I have an affection for any Matthew Lillard character that I come across. He’s a good one. Idk)

Tatum Riley

This girl protects you with all of her might. If someone’s talking shit about you, she comes up to bat for you.

She knows exactly how to make you feel better. Comes over to your house when you’re sad with cheesy movies, tons of snacks, and desperate need to cuddle you until you are smiling again.

She’s very sensitive to your feelings so, if you’re uncomfortable or mad or just extremely happy, she’ll feel the same.

If you get into a fight with someone who deserved a good beating, she’s gonna be cheering you on the whole time.

Tatum: Break their nose for me, baby.

Will slap you with the truth. Will not play games with you. If she wants to be around you, she will and, if she thinks that shirt is ugly, she’ll tell you.

If he approves of you, Dewey is your brother now. He’ll check up on you and help you if you run into trouble. Honestly, if you’re even a little nicer than Tatum, he’ll approve of you so it’s not that hard.

(Tatum’s like so pretty. She could slap me and I’d be chill with it.)

Deputy Dewey Riley

Darling man. Sweet man. Cuddle this man. Love him.

He’s a hopeless romantic.

He gets you flowers, but not roses, no, no, this man gets you daisies because they look so much happier.

Deputy Dewey makes you dinner. There’s no arguing this point. He’ll look all through his kitchen for a recipe book that has the perfect recipe to impress you.

If you come to the police station to give him something that he forgot, he’ll get all blushy and happy to see you. All the other police officers are like “Damn, Dewey, how’d you snatch them up?”

Do anything romantic for him and he will damn near cry.

He will respect all of your wishes and will never try to force you to do anything you don’t want to do in the bedroom.

(Contriversal opinion, but I would trust Dewey with my life. Sweetest man ever. I would date him, but he is also invited to be my supportive uncle who takes me to Pride and takes me to get ice cream when I’m sad. Fun uncle energy 10/10)

#scream #90s movie #90s horror #scream x reader #scream imagine #scream headcanon #sidney prescott #sidney prescott x reader #randy meeks x reader #randy meeks #billy loomis x reader #billy loomis #stu macher #stu macher x reader #tatum riley #imagine #headcanon

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jasontoddiefor · 4 years

Text

Title: Robin’s Requirements Summary: The name’s Robin,” the kid said with Dick’s smirk and Jason’s accent. Bruce felt ice crawl up his veins. He was going to throw up.Robin number three wasn’t human and Bruce didn’t know how keep going after Jason’s death. They make it work (after a rough start). AN: I decided to put up all the chapters I’ve posted of this story so far in proper order on tumblr since some people prefer reading here. Here’s the AO3 link to the story! I update weekly!

Chapter 1

Summer in Gotham was almost unbearable. The smoke and ashes lingering in the air mixed with the heat radiated from the asphalt to create an atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe or even just move in. In-between the tall skyscrapers and the houses squished into spaces much too small for them, you got the closest you could be to the experience of boiling to death without actually dying.

Winter may freeze your limbs, break away one finger after another, but summer’s heat, similar to the blast of an explosion, burned away your skin.

The summer nights appeared to be the much kinder, softer counterpart to the day time for the poor creatures who had to make their way through dark alleys.

It was a farce.

Gotham wasn’t kind, she hadn’t been in a long time.

The coolness of the darkness lulled you into a false sense of security. You were exhausted already, scared of the shadows too maybe if you weren’t used to them, or if you knew what lingered beyond them, but at least death didn’t await you in the sun’s divine punishment.

A logical but wrong assumption.

Grim hunters stalked the dark, waiting for you to slip up, to make a mistake.

Or at least, they used to be there to sink their teeth into you.

For the longest time Gotham had been protected by three guardians, predators, but nowadays you only ever spotted one of them, and if you did, you were better off to slice your own throat, or so they said.

Nobody had ever attempted to deny that meetings with the Bat could get bloody, especially if you provoked him. Still, they didn’t used to look like a war zone, entrails spread over the grey asphalt as empty eyes judged you for all the horrors you committed. The Bat used to be kinder, more forgiving, more understanding.

He wasn’t anymore. He had broken like Gotham had so many decades ago.

He still protected the weak, the needy, the helpless, but he no longer fought for the damned.

Instead of being their ferryman, he brought them directly to hell. It wasn’t death, not yet, but by the time he was done, you would wish for it.

People wondered what had changed right up until the Joker nearly choked on his acid laughter in the Bat’s arms, laughing about little songbirds cut up so badly you couldn’t tell the red of their feather coat from their blood.

It made sense then that the Bat would start to lose control. Everybody knew that the little Robin was off-limits. You try to could hurt and maim him, or break him for sure, these were the rules of the streets, and if he wanted to fly through them, he had to acknowledge them, but only ever as long as the Bat was your actual target.

You did not target Robin, Gotham loved him.

(There was a price to be paid for his death.)

“Duke, honey, it’s time for bed!”

“I know, Mom! Just five more minutes!”

Duke Thomas considered himself to be a regular ten-year-old. He loved video games, Star Wars, his Mom’s cooking, his Dad’s jokes, and, above everything, Robin Spotting. It was so much fun to stay up late, hoping to catch a glimpse of that colorful uniform or hear the joyful laughter.

Duke had actually seen Robin once too, on his fire escape. The hero had smiled at him and then put his index finger on his lips, indicating for Duke to be silent. Caught up in his excitement, Duke hadn’t even been able to speak to the hero or do anything but stand at his window, jumping up and down. He had watched as Batman caught up with Robin and the duo had flown away, Robin pretty much glued to Batman’s side.

The alley beneath Duke’s window was dark and dirty, but the heroes had been able to light it up.

And now Robin was gone.

Duke couldn’t believe it.

The police hadn’t said anything about Robin’s disappearance. Duke checked the news every day when his parents weren’t watching him too closely, lest they start thinking he wanted to watch those instead of his cartoons, hoping to hear about something interesting that wasn’t economics. However, the papers had plenty to say about Robin. His Mom called them ‘gossip rags Duke was better off not paying too much attention to’, but he had read them regardless.

The papers claimed Robin was dead, said that the Joker had killed him.

Duke was sure they were lying.

Robin was magical, Robin couldn’t die.

(But the Joker rarely appeared to be human either.)

Maybe somebody just had to remind Robin that he was still needed here. Duke sometimes got so caught up in his thoughts, he forgot to do his homework. It was probably something similar for Robin

“Duke, lights out!” His Dad said when he passed by Duke’s room.

“Just one more minute!” Duke pleaded, not even looking up from his desk.

“Alright, alright.” Dad laughed. “But you have to tell me what you’re writing.”

He entered the room and stepped closer to take a look at the sheet of paper Duke had been writing on, but Duke quickly pulled it to his chest to hide his scribbles.

“No! You can’t see it! It will take away the magic.”

You didn’t show your parents the letter for Santa either, or it wouldn’t get to Santa. Of course, the latter wasn’t real, but Robin was. And honestly, there were rules about this kind of magic – his parents should know them.

Dad just raised his hands in defeat, still smiling in amusement.

“Okay, buddy, but tomorrow you have to share with the class.”

Duke frowned, unsure whether that would be enough time for Robin to get his letter.

“Later,” Duke yielded. “Once I know it worked.”

Dad’s smile softened and he patted Duke’s shoulder.

“Only one more minute, then bedtime. You have school tomorrow and I don’t want to get another call about you falling asleep in class.”

Duke huffed, but couldn’t hide his happy smile. “That was only once!”

“Once enough. Sleep well, kid.”

“Night, Dad.”

Dad walked out of Duke’s room, closing the door behind him so that Duke was staring at the Justice League poster pinned to the wood. Batman needed Robin, so Duke would remind the short hero that he had to come home.

He quickly finished his letter, packed it in transparent cover, and hid it away in his Super Secret Special box. It was actually just a shoebox he had painted yellow and orange and decorated with plastic gemstones, but Duke loved it. Then he turned off the light and crawled into his bed. Duke took his alarm clock from the nightstand and set the alarm for a few minutes before midnight. He wasn’t sure whether twelve o’clock really was the right time, but it seemed very important in a lot of movies, so Duke figured if he had to choose, he might as well go with this time. If he succeeded, he’d maybe write to the police as well, tell them how to contact Robin since the Bat-signal only worked for Batman.

Falling asleep when he was so nervous turned out to be a chore. It felt just like the evenings before his birthday when he could hear the blood rushing through his ears and it kept him awake for as long as possible.

Duke managed to sink into sleep sometime after his parents had gone to bed as well. He hadn’t even noticed that he’d drifted off right until his alarm rang again and Duke woke up startled. Tiredly, Duke crawled out of his bed and put on his socks to minimize the sound he made. He picked put the box and began tonight’s journey.

When he opened the door, he winced at the jarring sound. Even if he tried to be as slow as possible, the door refused to stay silent. Duke halted to listen if his parents still slept. His father’s snoring turned out to be a rather practical way of measuring it. Thankfully, his parents also didn’t wake when Duke stole the house keys out of his mother’s purse. With his box in hand, Duke sneaked out of the apartment and headed towards the stairs leading up to the rooftop.

The air inside the staircase was stuffy, receiving no circulation whatsoever. On tiptoes, Duke walked past the doors of his neighbors, being exceptionally careful when he passed the apartment of Ms. Norrington. She was, in the words of his usually calm and kind mother, a mean old witch, except she hadn’t said witch, but another word starting with a ‘b’ that Duke was too frightful to repeat. The old lady and her ugly little dog always watched Duke and his friend with her mean big blue eyes, especially when they were carrying toys. In Ms. Norrington’s opinion, there was nothing more terrible than children playing and having fun. One of these days, she wouldn’t even wait until Duke had made a sound, she’d just snatch his football away as soon as she would spot him. Therefore Duke needed to pass her without alarming her.

One step, another, a third and a fourth and Duke had done it. Victoriously, he rushed up the remaining staircases to the rooftop. If his parents knew that he was up here, they’d ground him for sure. None of the kids in the apartment block were supposed to go upstairs because the fence surrounding the roof hadn’t been fixed in ages and someone could get hurt or, even worse, fall off the roof when playing.

Duke thought it was stupid. He wouldn’t ever be dumb enough to fall off a house. However, that hadn’t stopped the adults from locking the door between Duke and his goal. But for that purpose, Duke had snatched his mother’s keys. His own keyring only had the keys for the front and backdoor, one for his bike and one for his Cousin’s home. His mother, on the other hand, did possess a key for the top door.

The lock was rusty and the key wouldn’t turn properly when Duke tried to open it. Duke bit on his tongue in concentration as he twisted the key multiple times until finally, after what felt like ages, the door clicked and opened.

Duke slowly closed it behind himself again, as to avoid the wind pushing it into the lock again with a loud BAM! Certainly, old Ms. Norrington would wake from that. Duke would just have to hurry and be finished before she managed to get out of bed, put on her pink shoes, ugly old and gray bathrobe and made it to the door.

Gotham was an ugly city according to the news, but Duke had long since learned not to trust them. Sure, the city could be a bit cleaner, but monuments like the shining WE building or the green Robinson park in the distance were signs that Gotham wasn’t as shitty as people claimed. The breeze here up on the rooftop was quite enjoyable too. They should tell their landlord to repair the fence quickly so that Duke could play Batman and Robin with his friends up here. That would be way cooler than going to the playground. Here they would be up on a real rooftop and didn’t have to pretend the monkey bars were the top of the Crystal Palace. Thinking of his two heroes, Duke reminded himself of his mission.

He looked around for the best spot to put his letter and settled on the water tank. A short ladder was leading up to it and so, with his box secured under his arms, Duke began to climb. He slipped nearly once or twice, but always managed to catch himself at the last second.

Once he reached the top, he allowed himself to sit down just to catch a quick breath. He was working on a schedule after all.

Duke set his box down next to him and took off the cover, revealing his letter to Robin and his most prized possession: a Batarang.

He’d found it in the trash a while ago and ever since he had the supreme right to always play Batman if he wanted to. He hadn’t told his parents about it because he knew they’d take it away, even if Duke didn’t take it outside his room usually. Why would he? He didn’t want it to get stolen by others!

Duke reached for the Batarang and then traced its edges with his fingers. It was still sharp, if he wasn’t careful he’d cut himself.

Duke didn’t have a Bat-signal, but he also didn’t want to attract that much attention. He was sure that if he just scratched something in the wooden surface of the water tank, Robin would spot it sooner or later. With the sharp side of the weapon, Duke began to scratch a big R into the wood. He made sure his carvings were deep enough that they’d be seen from above.

Then, with as much might as Duke could measure up, he rammed the Batarang through his letter into the wood so that it wouldn’t just fly away when left unsupervised.

There, his work was done.

Content with himself, Duke allowed himself to observe Gotham for a little while longer, forgetting Ms. Norrington for a moment. He wouldn’t get a sight as neat as this one again in a long while.

Duke climbed down from the water tank and returned inside. He made it past Ms. Norrington’s door and slipped into his apartment and room, his parents still sound asleep and none the wiser of Duke’s little adventure.

Yawning, Duke pulled his blanket over his head. It was sad that he had to give up his Batarang, but maybe he’d get a new one once Robin returned. And Duke didn’t mind playing other heroes.

After all, now it was really just a question of time.

Beneath him, the city was wide awake, even during such late hours. He should probably return to the Cave for tonight, he didn’t have any supplies besides the one lone Batarang. While he was sure that his wit alone would suffice to support Batman, a utility belt filled with all kinds of tricky equipment would be immense support, never mind much more fun.

He was already on the move, heading home for the first time, when Gotham started screaming for help. Her shouts spoke of fear, of a terrified mother scared for her children’s safety.

Somebody was threatening her - who?

Batman wouldn’t approve of it, he was sure, but generally speaking, it wasn’t his job to listen to Batman. He was there to support the Bat and, more importantly, keep Gotham safe. He couldn’t do that from the Cave.

With a wild grin, he jumped from the rooftop, executing a perfect landing on the balcony of the next house. Quickly he moved forward, making his way through the cold September air to come to Gotham’s aid.

He was Robin.

He had been born for this.

#dc #batman #bruce wayne #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #Alfred Pennyworth #fanfic #robin's requirements #dc comics

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waltzofthewifi · 5 years

Text

Kota Chapter 2: Three Weeks Later

Chapter 1 | ToC | Chapter 3

I thought I posted this already, but I couldn’t find it so here it is again

Three weeks later, and Lacy was about halfway done unpacking.

She had finally gotten around to the box with all her photographs in it, and had pinned them up on the wall across from the window. She had new photos there too - Mylene and Ivan sharing ice cream, Alix winning a skating race, Marinette hard at work on her designs - and her small wall was already covered.

Of course, half of them fell down in the middle of the night, scaring Lacy's heart out of her chest and keeping her from falling back asleep for another two hours.

She was tired the next morning, and late.

"Stayed up late working on the chemistry assignment?" Alix asked.

With Alya back and Mylene sitting with Ivan, Lacy had claimed the seat next to Alix. It was a horrible idea - neither girl could focus, and the unfocused-ness doubled around each other - but somehow they, and Miss Bustier, had survived the arrangement.

"No, my photos fell down and scared me last - wait, what chemistry assignment?"

"The one due tomorrow," Alix replied. "Don't tell me you forgot about it again."

"Ugh. I completely spaced on it," Lacy confirmed. She swore heavily in Greek. "That means I'll have to spend all night tonight working on it."

"And miss our movie night at Marinette's?" Alix questioned. "Can't you finish it at lunch?"

"Maybe? If I try really hard."

Having given their compliments of the morning, Max sat down behind the girls and Sabrina in front. Bustier called the next to names from the basket, and Alix and Mylene stood up.

Lacy sighed and twirled her pencil between her fingers. She had so been looking forward to the movies tonight, but her grade in chemistry was already horrible and her chemistry teacher scared her too much to risk letting it drop. Besides, she wanted to do well in school this year.

The door flew open, and Marinette stumbled in. With a flustered look at Bustier, she took a seat next to Alya, and the girls whispered with each other.

"On the bright side, at least I'm not the last one here," Lacy muttered.

"It's not a surprise," Max contributed. "Both you and Marinette have shown signs of sleep issues."

"I don't have sleep issues," Lacy argued. "Something on my wall fell down and gave me a heart attack."

In the seat in front of Lacy, Chloe scoffed. "Lacy, if you want my opinion-"

"I don't."

"You startle too easily."

"I do not," Lacy argued.

"For once, Chloe has a point," Max stated.

"Of course I - what do you mean, 'for once'?"

Alix and Mylene sat down, and Bustier called for Alya and Lila.

"You did screech pretty loudly when Adrien snuck up on you the other day," Kim added.

"That's not fair," Alix commented. "Adrien startles everyone."

"You should have heard Dupain-Cheng the other day," Chloe added. "I thought someone had been murdered."

"Speaking of the sunshine child," Alix commented. "Look who's even later today."

Adrien had suddenly appeared at his desk, telling Bustier that he was sorry he was late, his father didn't want him going to school with an akuma out.

"There was an akuma?" Lacy asked.

"I didn't hear of one," Alix replied.

"I did," Kim said. "Countryside. He was tired of all the traffic noise so he made the cars disappear."

"I was caught in it," Chloe said. "It was terrible! I thought it was going to ruin my hair!"

"Is there a reason you're in this conversation?" Alix questioned.

Chloe huffed. "I'm just trying to be nice."

"Right," Alix replied.

"Lacy and Chloe," Bustier called.

Lacy obedient stood up and walked to the front. Chloe stood next to her.

Lacy looked over the girl, thinking of something to say. "You like nice for someone who just disappeared."

"Of course I do," Chloe replied. She hesitated for a moment. "I guess your hair looks nice today too."

That was a lie, since Chloe never thought anyone's hair looked nice except her own, and Lacy's was still in the braid she had worn to bed the night before, but Lacy didn't mind. It was way too early in the morning to be picky about things like that.

Lacy slid back in her seat next to Alix.

"And finally, Marinette and Adrien," Bustier called.

"Poor girl," Alix commented. "She's going to melt the second he compliments her."

Adrien gave Marinette his blinding model smile, and she visibly wilted.

"I really love the new Jagged Stone poster you made!" Adrien said.

"She made another one?" Chloe asked. "You'd think Jagged Stone could afford a real artist."

"Makes it that much cooler that he chose Marinette, don't you think?" Alya challenged from across the room.

Marinette cheeks burned red as she stuttered her thanks. She fell quiet for a moment.

"Marinette?" Bustier prompted.

"What? Sorry. I - umm - I really like you - I mean, your, um, hair today! I mean. It's always nice! But it's extra nice today!"

Lacy winced in sympathy, and Alix rolled her eyes.

"Alright class," Bustier said. "Let's get started. Marinette, can you collect last night's homework?"

The first couple classes went by as usual, and then came chemistry.

Lila had some sob story about hurting her wrist that kept her out of the lab, so Nathaniel ended up partnered with Alix and Lacy. It took a total of three seconds for him to become overwhelmed by the two unfocused girls.

"Miss Hatzi," Miss Mendeleev said as she passed by their table. She snatched a beaker from Lacy. "That's not even remotely safe."

"Sorry," Lacy squeaked, intimidated as usual by the teacher.

Mendeleev sighed. "The three of you will be getting an extra homework assignment on lab safety. For now, please be more careful." She placed the beaker back on the table and moved on to helping Sabrina with something.

Lacy released a breath. "Sorry. My last school wasn't big on safety."

Well, that wasn't totally true. Bad safety practices was something Lacy picked up at Camp Half-blood, where nectar and ambrosia fixed most injuries and anything could be repaired by Valdez. Piper had tried to encourage safety practices in her cabin, but it never reached far.

"Don't worry," Alix said. "Mendeleev may be mean, but she catches everything before it happens."

"I appreciate your faith, Ms Kubdel, but I won't always be around to 'catch everything," Mendeleev said.

"She also hears everything," Alix added.

Lacy smiled, and did her best to be more aware as they continued the experiment.

About ten minutes before the period was over, everyone's phones beeped with an akuma alert.

"It's just outside the school," Alya reported. "We're in the evacuation zone."

"Confirmed," Max said. "We should find somewhere away from the streets to hide."

"Good idea," Mendeleev said. "Turn off your burners, put your chemicals back in their akuma-proof containers, and get to the library."

While Alix and Nathaniel replaced the chemicals, Lacy flicked the switch off on their burner. The rest of the class did the same - a process which took less than five seconds.

They were too slow.

Something shrieked. The outside wall began to crumble. Lacy felt herself push Alix and Nathaniel away from the wall.

Lacy slid shoulder-first into the corner of Chloe's desk, and car crashed into right where they had been a second ago.

Lacy's heart rammed in her chest as she stared at the car. It looked like on back in New York, the one where if Mitchell hadn't pulled her out of the way -

Lacy could still hear Amelia's scream, could still see the blood from the two asleep mortals - the two dead mortals - stuck in the front of the car, could feel the roar of the monster who had thrown it, could -

"Lace? Can you take a deep breath?"

Lacy forced her eyes shut. She wasn't there, she wasn't there, she was in Paris, and the car hadn't hit anyone, and she wasn't still in New York with monsters and dead sisters and -

Lacy forced herself to inhale.

"There we go. Inhale, hold, exhale. Inhale, hold, exhale."

Lacy obeyed. In, hold, out. In, hold, out.

"Open your eyes," Alix said.

Lacy opened her eyes. Alix was kneeling next to her, concern in her eyes. Nathaniel was heaving as Ivan and Nino helped him with his leg, which was stuck under the car. Mendeleev and Mylene were on Lacy's other side.

"Okay, five things you can see," Alix said.

"You," Lacy breathed out. "Um, the ceiling. Miss Mendeleev, Mylene, and Nino."

"Good. Four things you can hear?"

Lacy nodded. She was familiar with the technique, now that she could think.

"I can hear Nathaniel talking, um, is that Chat Noir yelping in the distance? Police sirens, and a helicopter?"

"Three things you can touch?"

"The ground," Lacy said. "I can feel the ground, I can feel - ow, my shoulder." The burning sensation has started, or she could finally feel it again, and she was suddenly aware of how close she was to the leg of a desk. She tried to push herself up, but it made the pain worse. "What happened?"

"You collided with a desk," Alix replied. "It was actually pretty cool. You basically tackled us out of the way of the car."

"Almost out of the way," Nathaniel complained.

"Don't worry dude," Nino said. "You'll be out of here in no time. Chat Noir and Ladybug are already at the scene."

"Feeling better, Lace?" Alix asked.

Lacy nodded. "Yeah, a little."

"Good," Alix said. She sat down next to Lacy and crossed her legs. "Anyways, did I tell about my new art project?"

By the end of the school day, the tightness in Lacy's chest had finally gone away, but she still felt drained from the akuma attack.

It was way too easily for Alix to sway her to go with to the movies with the girls instead of doing homework. Since the movie started later, the girls (minus Lila, who was busy with a "charity event", and Chloe and Sabrina, of course) all met up in Marinette's place after school.

While Marinette, Alya, Rose, and Mylene talked romance up in Marinette's room, Alix, Lacy, and Juleka took advantage of the large number of sweets in her kitchen.

"I wish my dad baked like this," Alix said, munching on a macaroon Marinette's dad had given them.

"If he's willing to learn, I could always teach him," Mr. Dupain offered.

Alix shook her head. "Maybe someday, but right now he's busy with that new baroque exhibit the louvre is putting in."

"Hey girls," Alya called, stepping down the stairs. "Marinette said she had some new creations for you."

"Ugh, great," Alix said. "More clothes."

"Oh shush," Lacy replied. "We all love Marinette's designs and so do you."

The three girls followed Alya back up to Marinette's room, where a pile of clothes covered her chaise.

Marinette was helping Mylene into a new sundress, but she smiled at the girls as they entered.

Alix sat down on her desk, pushing papers out of her way as she did so. "So what'd you have for us?"

"Just give me a minute." Marinette finished fixing Mylene's sundress and walked to her chaise. She pulled out a skating helmet, with a jagged green and pink design.

"Cool," Alix said. Marinette handed her the helmet, and she tried it on.

Alix gave Marinette a bright smile. "This fits so much better too! I'll wear it for my competition next week for sure!"

"I'm so glad you like it," Marinette said. "I had the idea while watching you race with Kim the other week."

"You mean watching me beat Kim in a race," Alix corrected.

The girls all chuckled.

"Oh did you hear about Lila winning that competition in Venice?" Alya asked.

And Marinette's face dropped instantly.

"The one with the big clean water charity?" Rose asked. "Designing those awareness posters?"

Lacy rolled her eyes immediately, and then regretted it when Alya raised an eyebrow at her.

"I just," Lacy started. "Making paper posters for environmental awareness doesn't make any sense." And she definitely had heard enough about that. Environmentalist came by the handful at Camp Half-blood.

"Weren't you listening girl?" Alya asked.

"Um, no actually?" Lacy replied. "I was distracted from the akuma attack earlier."

"Oh, right," Alya continued. "Rose brought up similar concerns too. But Lila said that she managed to convince the manager of the contest that it should all be paper-free! The posters were for online uses only."

"Of course she did," Marinette muttered.

"Girl, you're impossible," Alya replied.

"If it's online, did she show it to you?" Marinette challenged.

"She said she would," Alya replied. "She just didn't have the file with her."

"But wouldn't she be able to look it up?" Marinette questioned.

"Marinette, please, there's no needed be jealous," Alya replied. She leaned in closer to Marinette. "Adrien wasn't listening either."

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Who cares?" Alix asked. "Marinette and Nathaniel have both done cooler things with their art. Anyways, if we want to make the metro, we should be heading out now."

The girls all nodded and began gathering their items. Alya and Mylene continued talking about Lila's achievements, and Rose and Juleka talked about how excited they were about the movie. Alix gave Marinette another thank you for the helmet before walking up next to Lacy.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Juleka-"

Lacy kept her eyes on Marinette as she cleaned up her chaise. Something was definitely wrong, but she barely knew the girl. How could she help?

She almost kept going, but something stopped her. Maybe all Marinette needed was someone staying behind, even if she wasn't close with Lacy yet. After all, what was wrong with trying?

"Why don't you go on?" Lacy asked. "I'll meet you down there."

"If you say so," Alix said.

She followed the rest of the girls down, and Lacy turned to Marinette.

"You alright?" Lacy asked, sitting on the armrest of the chaise.

Marinette gave Lacy a fake smile. "I should be asking you that. Sounds like the akuma really scared you."

"Yeah, I - Alix was able to talk me through it. I guess those akuma survival classes have been making a change." Lacy frowned. "You just avoided the question, didn't you?"

"I'm fine, really," Marinette lied.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I won't push it," Lacy said. "But I can tell something's bothering you."

Marinette sighed and sat on the chaise. Lacy moved so she was sitting next to her.

"It's Lila," Marinette said. "I know you probably think she's some great person."

Lacy shook her head. "Lila? No. She lies like she breathes."

Marinette looked up at her. "You know?" There was an accusation hidden in her eyes, and Lacy had to look away.

"I'm, uh, really good at reading facial expressions," Lacy admitted.

"Then why haven't you said anything?" Marinette questioned.

"Because..." Lacy sighed and looked down at her hands. "Well, she scares me. Back at my old school in Brooklyn, there was this girl a lot like her, who used to bully me, and I don't know I guess since Lila reminds me so much of her I just... get scared. I don't want to have to deal with that again."

Marinette's facial expressions softened. "I know bullies like Lila can be scary. I have my own history with them, even before Lila showed up. People always tell you that you're the bigger person, that people like that shouldn't bother you, but-"

Lacy nodded, remembering something her father once told her. "You can't just flip a switch on what's bothering you and what's not."

"Exactly," Marinette said. "She hasn't done much to ostracize me yet, but just hearing all her lies, and seeing her use everyone, just-" Marinette groaned and stood up. "I can't just sit back."

"Well then, you're a lot braver than me," Lacy replied.

Marinette smiled at her. "Don't sell yourself short. You never know how brave you can be if you don't give yourself a chance."

"You'd make a great inspirational speaker, you know," Lacy commented. "Marinette, just so you know - I may not be vocal in class or around others but, if you need support, just let me know. I've been told I'm a good listener."

"Thanks Lacy," Marinette replied. "I might just have to take you up on that."

The trapdoor opened, and Alix's head popped up. "Are you two coming? We're going to be late!"

#kota #fanfiction #my writing #if this is a duplicate I'm sorry

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waltzshouldbewriting · 5 years

Text

Kota Chapter 2

CW: I don't know what might affect someone, so I'm putting this warning here that there's a PTSD flashback/panic attack in this chapter, and mentions of death/blood.

Chapter 2: Three Weeks Later

Three weeks later, and Lacy was about halfway done unpacking.

Of course, half of them fell down in the middle of the night, scaring Lacy's heart out of her chest and keeping her from falling back asleep for another two hours.

She was tired the next morning, and late.

"Stayed up late working on the chemistry assignment?" Alix asked.

"No, my photos fell down and scared me last - wait, what chemistry assignment?"

"The one due tomorrow," Alix replied. "Don't tell me you forgot about it again."

"Ugh. I completely spaced on it," Lacy confirmed. She swore heavily in Greek. "That means I'll have to spend all night tonight working on it."

"And miss our movie night at Marinette's?" Alix questioned. "Can't you finish it at lunch?"

"Maybe? If I try really hard."

Having given their compliments of the morning, Max sat down behind the girls and Sabrina in front. Bustier called the next to names from the basket, and Alix and Mylene stood up.

The door flew open, and Marinette stumbled in. With a flustered look at Bustier, she took a seat next to Alya, and the girls whispered with each other.

"On the bright side, at least I'm not the last one here," Lacy muttered.

"It's not a surprise," Max contributed. "Both you and Marinette have shown signs of sleep issues."

"I don't have sleep issues," Lacy argued. "Something on my wall fell down and gave me a heart attack."

In the seat in front of Lacy, Chloe scoffed. "Lacy, if you want my opinion-"

"I don't."

"You startle too easily."

"I do not," Lacy argued.

"For once, Chloe has a point," Max stated.

"Of course I - what do you mean, 'for once'?"

Alix and Mylene sat down, and Bustier called for Alya and Lila.

"You did screech pretty loudly when Adrien snuck up on you the other day," Kim added.

"That's not fair," Alix commented. "Adrien startles everyone."

"You should have heard Dupain-Cheng the other day," Chloe added. "I thought someone had been murdered."

"Speaking of the sunshine child," Alix commented. "Look who's even later today."

Adrien had suddenly appeared at his desk, telling Bustier that he was sorry he was late, his father didn't want him going to school with an akuma out.

"There was an akuma?" Lacy asked.

"I didn't hear of one," Alix replied.

"I did," Kim said. "Countryside. He was tired of all the traffic noise so he made the cars disappear."

"I was caught in it," Chloe said. "It was terrible! I thought it was going to ruin my hair!"

"Is there a reason you're in this conversation?" Alix questioned.

Chloe huffed. "I'm just trying to be nice."

"Right," Alix replied.

"Lacy and Chloe," Bustier called.

Lacy obedient stood up and walked to the front. Chloe stood next to her.

Lacy looked over the girl, thinking of something to say. "You like nice for someone who just disappeared."

"Of course I do," Chloe replied. She hesitated for a moment. "I guess your hair looks nice today too."

Lacy slid back in her seat next to Alix.

"And finally, Marinette and Adrien," Bustier called.

"Poor girl," Alix commented. "She's going to melt the second he compliments her."

Adrien gave Marinette his blinding model smile, and she visibly wilted.

"I really love the new Jagged Stone poster you made!" Adrien said.

"She made another one?" Chloe asked. "You'd think Jagged Stone could afford a real artist."

"Makes it that much cooler that he chose Marinette, don't you think?" Alya challenged from across the room.

Marinette cheeks burned red as she stuttered her thanks. She fell quiet for a moment.

"Marinette?" Bustier prompted.

"What? Sorry. I - umm - I really like you - I mean, your, um, hair today! I mean. It's always nice! But it's extra nice today!"

Lacy winced in sympathy, and Alix rolled her eyes.

"Alright class," Bustier said. "Let's get started. Marinette, can you collect last night's homework?"

The first couple classes went by as usual, and then came chemistry.

"Miss Hatzi," Miss Mendeleev said as she passed by their table. She snatched a beaker from Lacy. "That's not even remotely safe."

"Sorry," Lacy squeaked, intimidated as usual by the teacher.

Lacy released a breath. "Sorry. My last school wasn't big on safety."

"Don't worry," Alix said. "Mendeleev may be mean, but she catches everything before it happens."

"I appreciate your faith, Ms Kubdel, but I won't always be around to 'catch everything," Mendeleev said.

"She also hears everything," Alix added.

Lacy smiled, and did her best to be more aware as they continued the experiment.

About ten minutes before the period was over, everyone's phones beeped with an akuma alert.

"It's just outside the school," Alya reported. "We're in the evacuation zone."

"Confirmed," Max said. "We should find somewhere away from the streets to hide."

"Good idea," Mendeleev said. "Turn off your burners, put your chemicals back in their akuma-proof containers, and get to the library."

While Alix and Nathaniel replaced the chemicals, Lacy flicked the switch off on their burner. The rest of the class did the same - a process which took less than five seconds.

They were too slow.

Something shrieked. The outside wall began to crumble. Lacy felt herself push Alix and Nathaniel away from the wall.

Lacy slid shoulder-first into the corner of Chloe's desk, and car crashed into right where they had been a second ago.

Lacy's heart rammed in her chest as she stared at the car. It looked like on back in New York, the one where if Mitchell hadn't pulled her out of the way -

"Lace? Can you take a deep breath?"

Lacy forced her eyes shut. She wasn't there, she wasn't there, she was in Paris, and the car hadn't hit anyone, and she wasn't still in New York with monsters and dead sisters and -

Lacy forced herself to inhale.

"There we go. Inhale, hold, exhale. Inhale, hold, exhale."

Lacy obeyed. In, hold, out. In, hold, out.

"Open your eyes," Alix said.

"Okay, five things you can see," Alix said.

"You," Lacy breathed out. "Um, the ceiling. Miss Mendeleev, Mylene, and Nino."

"Good. Four things you can hear?"

Lacy nodded. She was familiar with the technique, now that she could think.

"I can hear Nathaniel talking, um, is that Chat Noir yelping in the distance? Police sirens, and a helicopter?"

"Three things you can touch?"

"You collided with a desk," Alix replied. "It was actually pretty cool. You basically tackled us out of the way of the car."

"Almost out of the way," Nathaniel complained.

"Don't worry dude," Nino said. "You'll be out of here in no time. Chat Noir and Ladybug are already at the scene."

"Feeling better, Lace?" Alix asked.

Lacy nodded. "Yeah, a little."

"Good," Alix said. She sat down next to Lacy and crossed her legs. "Anyways, did I tell about my new art project?"

...