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goldenlaurelleaveswrites · 1 year

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Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe ch 14

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Girl Squad iii

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe (AO3)

It has been such a long time, and I wanted to start by saying thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all of your kind words and the support you've shown me. I didn't respond because honestly, I get so flustered over compliments and such things when they're reacted at me, so all of the wonderful and kind things you all said to me had me hiding under the covers. But I read every single comment. I reread them actually, when I was feeling really stressed about school they provided me with comfort. Ive actually taken pictures of them to keep on hand for when I need a reminder. But I cannot thank you all enough for the care you have shown me, and I want you all to know how much it meant to me 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Now for a little bit of house keeping. The next chapter will probably take a while to go up because my break between semesters is relatively short (I finished my first semester a week ago today, and I start up again next week). Especially if it ends up being as long as this one did. I have also updated the chapter count! In all honesty, I meant to do this ages ago but I kept forgetting 😅

With all that said, again, thank you so much and I hope you enjoy 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

She rolled her shoulders as she made her way below deck, trying to work out all of the kinks that had made their way into her muscles as she had fought. It hadn’t been a particularly difficult battle, but it had been… annoying… Just how many times had M. Ramier been akumatized into M. Pigeon now? In the grand total of the two weeks since she had first donned the tiger miraculous, she had dealt with M. Pigeon three times now. He had to be well past fifty akumatizations by this point.

She sighed as she made her way into the kitchen, her attention laser focused on the fridge. It hadn’t been a hard battle, just a long one. And she was hungry. The light of the fridge was bright, but once she had blinked the stars from her eyes, her gaze settled on a box of pizza Luka had brought home from work the other day. She had just lifted the lid of the box when a voice broke the silence.

“Where have you been?”

Blindly, she grabbed a slice, then pushed the fridge door closed with her hip, and with the coveted slice of pizza in hand, glanced in the direction of Luka’s voice. He was sitting up on the sofa, watching her over the back of it. But as she made her way into the living area, she saw his legs were still stretched out along the length of it, like he had been sprawled out on it. He had his acoustic in his lap, and it was only then that she realized that the tv was on, the screen displaying what looked like a recap of the akuma battle. But the flickering image was silent. As was the guitar in his lap.

“It’s on mute?” she asked, ignoring his question as she glared at his legs, which were occupying the majority of the sofa.

“All the commentary was just Nadja’s usual tosh,” he said as he shifted to make room for her. “Y’know, the ‘Ladybug and Chat Noir are in love’ stuff and all that.”

“And you’re not playing?” she asked before taking a bite of the cold pizza.

Luka shrugged. “I was for a while….” He said, his voice trailing off as he began plucking at the strings. From the way his gaze drifted down to stare pensively at his guitar as his fingers deftly moved across the strings, it was obvious she was going to have to wait.

She chewed slowly as they sat in silence. Well, silence apart from his music. It was clear in the music his noodling was eliciting that he was trying to work out something he wanted to say. That was something most of her friends didn’t seem to understand about him; they all seemed to think he always knew exactly what to say. To be fair, when it came to music, he did. He was a complete and utter dork that way. And a nerd—well, music nerd— to boot. But if he needed to say something that wasn’t about music… he needed music to figure out how to say it.

It was something Marinette had understood pretty quick though…

“I’m just- I’ve been trying to figure out this song…” he finally said, his gaze still firmly on his guitar and his fingers still dancing across the strings, a familiar smile playing at his lips. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what song it was he was trying to figure out. Especially given the way his cheeks were turning pink. For all the ways Luka was different from their ma, they were similar in a few key ways. Namely, their lack of subtlety. “It’s just… I thought about what you said- what you’ve been telling me-”

“About the song.”

His hands stilled as he looked up and offered her a sheepish smile. “You were right.”

Finally, he was figuring that out. It had taken him long enough…

“But now…” he shrugged helplessly as he glanced back down as his guitar. Idly, he trailed his fingers across the strings as he stared at it thoughtfully. “I know what notes I want to play. How I want- how I hope the melody will go.”

“But you’ve committed to the notes you want to play next?” she asked, half afraid for his answer. It wouldn’t be the first time the idiot had found an excuse to designate himself to playing second fiddle. And given it felt like the Universe trying to tell him to take a backseat…

He looked up, his eyes flashing with an intensity that was strictly reserved for all things Marinette. “I didn’t want to pressure her.” A noble notion. A gallant one even. Even if he had been an idiot in the way he had gone about it. “But, you were right.” That felt nice to hear. “But then she was just so stressed. I didn’t want to be another thing for her to worry about. And now… now I’m trying to figure out the tempo of it. I don’t want to rush it. Especially not the next few notes.”

She would hardly say he was rushing things…

“But I think…” he said slowly, ducking his gaze in what appeared to be a futile attempt to hide the dopey, lovesick grin spreading across his face, “I think it’s time I asked her how she would feel about a duet.”

“‘Bout time, if you ask me.” Actually, it was way past time. In her opinion, anyway.

His head snapped up to protest, his eyes even more intense and bright against his flushed cheeks and his dopey, lovesick, Marinette smile. She couldn’t stop herself from smirking, and he seemed to immediately recognize his mistake. He ducked his head to try and hide his face, but it was too late.

She had seen the smile and the flushed cheeks. It wasn’t like he had ever done a good job of hiding that smile.

She sank back into sofa cushions, and grinning widely, took another bite of pizza. And immediately screwed up her face in disgust as a vile taste filled her mouth. Had she thought to grab a plate, she would have spat it out, but as it was, she had no choice but the swallow the offending bite. “Olives? Why did you bring home stuff with olives?”

“Serves you right,” he chuckled, though he was still trying—and failing—to hide his flushed face by inspecting his chipped nail polish.

“For what?”

“Teasing me.”

“I didn’t say anything!” Ok, maybe she had… but could he really blame her?

“You didn’t have to. You never have to,” he added as he rolled his eyes. “But you totally did.”

Ok, fair. He had a point. But still… “Rude.”

“Didn’t you check it first?”

“No, you distracted me.”

He furrowed his brows. “Y’know, you never did answer my question.”

“Hm?” she hummed as she began picking the olives off the pizza.

“Where were you? And stop that!” She just raised a brow, and then flicked another olive at him.

“I was out shopping,” she said off-handedly as she inspected the pizza for any olives she may have missed.

“I thought your big shopping trip was tomorrow…” he said. Her ears perked up at the sudden, entirely too casual tone of his voice.

“It is…” she said slowly, watching him through suspicion-narrowed eyes. “The pharmacy’s having a sale on nail polish and lipstick. I thought I would check it out.” It wasn’t a lie. She had been on her way to check out the sale when she had gotten the akuma alert. As soon as she had seen it, she had hightailed it back to where the Liberty was moored and snuck back on deck to wait in case Purple Tigress was needed. Which she had been.

“You didn’t get anything?’

She shook her head. “Probably best to wait until I have my dress before I decide on makeup and all that.” Technically, that was true too.

He hummed, and nodded as he listlessly plucked at the strings of his guitar, eliciting a tune that betrayed his casual facade.

“And you’re all going on the shopping trip.” It was obvious that wasn’t what he was really asking. Why he still insisted on beating around the bush when she knew how he felt about Marinette was beyond her.

Especially after he had just admitted he was finally going to stop being an idiot.

Well, about Marinette at least.

“Yeah. Well, the guys aren’t coming. I have no interest in dragging Kim around to look at dresses.”

Luka snorted. “That’s something I’d pay to see.” She rolled her eyes, but he just chuckled. “So…” he said slowly, drawing the word in a clear attempt to sound casual. “Marinette’s decided to go to the dance after all?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” she asked, nodding to the coffee table, where his phone sat before shoving the last bite of pizza into her mouth.

He looked at it thoughtfully, and she barely fought the urge to roll her eyes. Luka wasn’t the type to ask someone to a dance over text. Especially when that someone was Marinette. Because him going to a dance with her actually meant something to him.

But maybe that would at least get the ball rolling.

“I’m going to go have a shower,” she announced, rising from the sofa. Her muscles were still stiff, and she didn’t want to be any more subjected to Luka’s lovesick sighs and dopey smiles.

***

The shade was cool on her face, and provided a much welcome refuge from the afternoon sun. It was warm, bordering on hot with only a slight breeze to keep the edge of the heat off. The sound of laughter and a Saturday in the city mingled with the coos of the pigeons that were scattered around the park. It was evident in the air that the end of June was fast approaching, and with it, the dance.

Alix drifted past her, her bored humming and the ever so slight squeak of the wheels of her heelies joining the sound of summer in the park. Slowly, she let her gaze drift down to the open group chat on her phone.

Mylène 🌼 : Running a little late!

Mylène 🌼 : The rally one overtime

Mylène 🌼 : went

Rose 🌹💗: no problem!! 😊😊😊

Mylène 🌼 : on my way now

Mylène 🌼 : meet at the park?

Alya 🦊?!: sure meet you there

She sighed as she settled herself more comfortably against the tree she was leaning against, and let her gaze drift up. Rose was scrolling through her pinterest board of her vision for what she would wear to the dance, asking for Marinette’s opinion on the various ideas she had posted to it. Marinette was animatedly pointing to things on the screen of Rose’s phone, and though she hadn’t caught all of it, from the sounds of it she was explaining what silhouettes and shapes would best suit Rose.

She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. A couple of weeks ago, she hadn’t been sure when she would see Marinette smile again. At times, it had felt more like a question of ‘if’ than ‘when.’ She could tell Marinette was still stressed; her friend, though much more lively ever since Tigress came onto the scene, was still bit quieter than usual. More subdued.

But still…

She was smiling again. And that was a victory in and of itself.

And if Luka was finally getting some sense into that thick head of his… hopefully, Marinette would have a lot more to smile about soon.

Her gaze drifted from Marinette to take in the vivid greens of the park before stopping to land on Alya.

Alya was furiously typing away on her phone, her brows furrowed in concentration. She had said she was working on her next post for the Ladyblog… Part of her really wanted to give her fired the benefit of the doubt. And it was entirely possible that she was typing that furiously because she was writing another article. Chat Noir had been mentioning he and Ladybug—with a very pointed lack of mention of any other heroes—should do another interview with the Ladyblog. Ladybug had been noncommittal, but maybe she had ended up agreeing to it.

But no matter how much she hoped that was what Alya was typing, she wasn’t feeling particularly optimistic. Especially given Alya’s reaction when Marinette had announced she would go to the dance after all…

“So,” Alya said with a definitive air as she looked up from her phone with a smile. “I figured we would start at Genevieve Consignment, that way we can work our way down the street and hit all the best second-hand places first. Then we can go to the department and specialty stores as we make our way to that fabric store you like, Marinette.”

“And we’re getting dinner, right?”

“Yes, then we can grab dinner. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect to me!” Rose chirped.

Alix shrugged. “As long as we’re getting dinner, I’m good.”

“We can skip the fabric store this time, though.”

“Oh, already found the perfect fabric for your dress?” Alya asked, the beginnings of a knowing Cheshire smile spreading across her face.

Marinette shook her head. “No, I’m not making one.” The grin quickly dropped from Alya’s face as Marinette continued. “I was just going to buy one.”

“What?” A group of passing tourists shot Rose bewildered looks at the sound of her shriek. “But you always make your dresses!”

Despite knowing what she knew, she couldn’t help but be surprised herself. Not to the degree she would have been if she didn’t know certain secrets. But still…

Before she was able to muster her words, Alix cocked her head to the side and said, “But at the Winter Formal you were all excited about making your dress for the next dance.”

“What about Adrien?” Alya cried, “He complimented your dress at the Winter Formal. Don’t you want to impress him with another design?” Forget Adrien, what about the fact that one of Marinette’s favourite things to design was formal dresses? “Just think, he’d see you in a beautiful dress you made and he would see how incredible and talented you are and it would be perfect!” Yeah. Sure. Just like the last three dances… “It’s going to be the nigh, I just know it! It needs to be special!”

“Hey girls! Sorry I’m… what’s all the commotion about?” Mylène’s voice trailed off as she drew closer to them, her brows furrowing as her gaze darted between their faces.

“Marinette says she isn’t making her dress for the dance!” Alya announced.

“What? But why?”

Finally, the obvious question.

Marinette shrugged. “I don’t have the time. The dance is in two weeks.”

“But what about Adrien?”

An odd look flickered across Marinette’s face at Alya’s question. But before Marinette could say anything, Mylène gently bumped Marinette with her hip. “Don’t worry, Marinette,” Mylène said comfortingly, “I’m sure we can find a dress that’ll impress Adrien.”

Marinette blinked at Mylène. “I don’t want to stress about impressing anyone, I just want to find a dress I like.”

“We’ll make sure we find you the most perfect dress ever, right girls?”

“That’s the point of this trip, isn’t it?”

“Hey,” Alya said as she slung her arm around Marinette’s shoulders, “Maybe it won’t be as amazing as something you’d make, but we’re going to find the perfect dress! Adrien won’t know what hit him!”

Taking that as their rallying cry, Alix glided ahead. “C’mon slowpokes,” she cried over her shoulder, leaving the rest of them no choice but to follow.

She tried to catch Marinette’s eye as they started out, but she was sandwiched between Alya and Mylène. Marinette had said she wanted to find a dress she liked. But she had a sinking suspicion the search was going to end up binge for a dress Adrien would like.

“This is going to be so much fun!” Rose squealed as she sidled up beside her.

Despite the rather sour thoughts swirling in her head—and her suspicions that were quickly sinking toward the pit in her stomach—she couldn’t help at smile at Rose’s infectious enthusiasm and sunny smile. “It’s going to be a big day,” she agreed.

She was looking forward to spending the afternoon with her friends. Despite her ever-growing frustrations and resentment toward their habit of shoving Adrien into the epicentre of most of their hangouts, they were still her friends. And she was never one to say no to a shopping trip. Especially to second hand places, which they were hitting first at Mylène’s insistence. You never knew what treasures you could find in them.

But…

She bit back a sigh. She was glad Marinette was going to the dance; she had been really worried when Marinette had shown so little interest in it. She understood why Marinette hadn’t been focused on it, but she had still been worried. Marinette loved school dances. She loved any chance to celebrate something.

So it had been a relief when Marinette had announced she would go to the dance after all.

But it seemed the question of what Marinette was going to wear to the dance had brought a whole new host of problems…

***

“What about these?” She looked up from the box of gloves she was rifling through, looking for the match to the black lace opera glove she had found, at the sound of Alya’s voice, just in time to see her push a couple of dresses into Marinette’s hands.

Marinette looked down at the dresses in her hands. A look of apprehension settled over her faces as she held up the two dresses. “I don’t know, they’re not really my style-”

“Exactly!”

What?

“It never hurts to try new things, right?”

“I guess…” Marinette said, eyeing the dresses dubiously as she meandered toward the dressings rooms with Alya trailing closely after her.

“Besides,” Alya added slyly , “If you try something new, Adrien will have to notice you!”

Marinette froze in the entry to the dressing room. With the curtain still open, she could see the mirror inside the dressing room. And in the mirror, she caught a glimpse of a grimace twisting its way onto Marinette’s face before her friend slid the curtain shut behind her.

If Alya noticed the lack of response, she didn’t say anything. Instead, all she called out was, “Make sure you come out and show us!” before whipping out her phone.

She bit back a groan as she turned her attention back to the box of gloves with a scowl, though she did her best to hide it. At least if any of the girls noticed, she could blame it on having a hard time finding the matching glove.

She should have expected this. She should have planned for this. Because of course, the question of what Marinette would wear would end up being focused on Adrien. Especially given the hints Alya had been dropping about how Adrien didn’t have a date for the dance yet and how his father was actually allowing him to attend were as subtle as akuma costumes. So far, Marinette had brushed those hints off with hummed acknowledgements and deflections. But she wasn’t sure how much longer that would last.

And, much to her frustration, she hadn’t been able to do much about it.

Every time she managed to subtly redirect the conversation to a different topic, it would eventually—inevitably—circle back to Adrien. And it wasn’t just Alya, though she was definitely spearheading the efforts. The rest of the girls were dropping hints too. If it could even be called that at this point…

But the point of the matter was, she was completely outnumbered.

Honestly, she had been for a long time.

Yeah, Aimee had been able to help her with the photoshoot scheme. But Aimee was busy with her own stuff, especially now that she was working for Marinette’s parents as their social media manager and photographer. Aimee helped her when and where she could, but it wasn’t often. And even when she could help it was still just the two of them.

Her ma didn’t mind running interference when she was on board the Liberty, but that was as far as she would go. Besides, involving her ma would be like setting off fireworks in a library.

She sighed. If only she was able to get more help. But there wasn’t really anyone else she could go to…

The guys… she grimaced. Kim was an obvious no; the whole Ondine debacle had made it clear Kim wasn’t the most… in touch with the nuances of romance. Add in the fact that Kim was the opposite of subtle…

Max wasn’t an option either. While he could probably make a great spreadsheet of all the reasons why Luka and Marinette were so much better for each other than Adrien and Marinette were, somehow, she couldn’t see him being super into the scheming and meddling.

Nathaniel was a no too. He was too busy with his comic. And weirdly, he seemed to like the idea of Adrien and Marinette getting together.

Ivan? Marinette had helped him get together with Mylène. She wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to return the favour. But while he was friends with Luka, and in the band to boot, the problem was that he was also Mylène’s boyfriend. Which meant she had definitely told him all the ‘reasons’ Marinette should be with Adrien. No, Ivan was too close to this.

And Nino? Nino was an obvious no. Even if he at least had the decency to look embarrassed—hopefully he actually was—every time he was involved in a plot, he was still involved. And if push came to shove, she knew he would side with Alya over common sense.

Adrien- she wasn’t even going to go there.

But that was all the guys in class. And none of them were even close to being potential allies.

She sighed again as she let her gaze drift over the consignment store as she blindly rifled through the hodge-podge of gloves. She was losing hope fast.

Her gaze landed on Alix, who was picking through a bunch of shoes displayed in a bookcase with an air of disinterest.

Alix? Alix was a tough one. On one hand, she wasn’t afraid to say it like it was. If she pointed out how bad Adrien and Marinette would be together, she might actually listen and come to the same realization she had. On the other hand, Alix, while being the least invested in the plots, was still invested. And even if Alix did decide to jump ship, there was no guarantee she would help her. And if she did, subtlety would be out of the question.

No. Alix wasn’t an option.

Her eyes found Mylène just as her friend was going into a dressing room with a few dresses draped over her arm. There was no way Mylène would stand up against Alya. And Mylène fully supported the Adrienette ship in her own right, so it was a double no for her.

She glanced at Alya, who was still standing by the dressing rooms, grinning down at her phone screen. There was no point even considering Alya, given she was the one who led the charge on all the Adrien schemes in the first place…

Which just left Rose.

She sighed as her gaze dropped back down to the box of gloves.

She loved Rose with all her heart, and she wanted nothing more than to bring her in on her plans. And there was no doubt in her mind that Rose would fully support Marinette and Luka if she knew how they felt about each other, and how much happier they would be together. But there were two problems; she couldn’t bring Rose in without betraying Luka and Marinette’s trust, because Rose would ask questions. Rose would want to know all the details, even the ones she had sworn to secrecy. Even the ones Marinette didn’t know she knew…

The other problem was that Rose was in love with love. Yes, she would undoubtedly support Marinette and Luka. But she also still fully supported Marinette and Adrien because she was blinded by the romance. Blinded by the ‘made for each other’ narrative that Alya sold with every breath she took.

Halfheartedly, she pushed the last few gloves around not expecting to find anything. A flash of black half buried under a chartreuse suede glove caught her eye. Carefully, she shifted the mass of gloves to unearth the match to the glove.

At least she had found one of the things she was looking for…

“What do you think?” She snapped her attention up at the sound of Rose’s voice just in time to see Rose burst out of one of the dressing rooms, wearing a pink sequinned romper. “Is it too much?” she asked as she struck a pose.

Despite her heavy thoughts, she couldn’t help but smile. “For you? Never,” she murmured, eliciting a blinding beam from her girlfriend.

“Good, because I love it!” Rose squealed with a shimmy that made her and her outfit sparkle. “Those are cute,” she said, gesturing to the glove in her hand. “Are you going to get them?”

“Yeah. I-”

“Marinette!” She and Rose both turned at the sound of Alya’s voice. Marinette had emerged from the dressing room. Wearing her own clothes and with the dresses in hand. “How come you didn’t come out to show us?”

Marinette shrugged as she deposited the dresses on the rail for cloths to be returned to the shop floor. “They weren’t right.”

***

The metallic sound of hangers sliding against metal filled the air as she and Marinette rifled through the racks of dresses. They were on their fifth shop now, and neither of them had found dresses yet. A little further down the aisle, Alya was rifling through a display, muttering something to Rose and Mylène, but her words were lost in the distance between them.

Something between a sigh and a groan escaped Marinette as she slid a few more dresses along the rail, the hangers clattering together from the force with which she had shoved them. “This is hopeless!”

“Can’t you just wear something you already have?” She and Marinette both glanced up as Alix rolled toward them on her heelies, carting a silver and green windbreaker and a pair of ripped jeans along with her. “It seems like a simple fix if you can’t find anything you like. Didn’t Adrien say he liked that purple dress you wore the other week?” Alix asked as she stopped to pick through the rail opposite the ones that held the dresses.

Alix, her back turned and her attention on the row of clothes opposite, missed the way Marinette’s face soured at the mention of Adrien’s name.

“That’s a day dress, it’s not really an occasion dress.”

“Ok, what about one of the things you made for your shop? Or the dress you wore to the winter dance?”

Marinette shook her head. “All of that is too casual. I don’t want to be underdressed! And the dress I wore to the winter dance is made of velvet, it would be way too hot.”

Alix shrugged. “Well, if you’re not going to make yourself something or wear something you already have, keep looking. I’m sure you’ll find something. You’re the one that said there’s all sorts of hidden gems in these places,” Alix said, turning to motion to the racks of clothes in the thrift shop. “I found these,” Alix added, holding up her finds as if to prove her point.

“Those don’t look like dance clothes.”

She turned. Rose had come up behind her, and was surveying the clothes Alix was holding, her head tilted to the side and her brows furrowed.

“I’m wearing the suit Mari made me for the fall formal.”

“But you’ve worn it to the last two dances!” Rose cried.

“Yeah, cause it rocks. And black is a classic.”

“Thanks,” Marinette said quietly, her words almost lost to Rose’s squealed protests.

“But-“

“I’m ditching the jacket and wearing a different shirt, so it’ll look different. Oh, by the way, there’s a sequinned bag back that way.”

The allure of a glittery accessory was too much for Rose, who darted in the direction Alix had nodded, throwing a hurried thanks over her shoulder.

“Well,” Alix said matter of factly, “I’m going to go try these on.” And then she was gone, rolling toward the dressing rooms. She watched as Alix’s shock of pink hair disappeared behind a rack of clothing.

“I guess she’s right…” Marinette mumbled. She turned back to look at her friend, who was looking at the rail of dresses with a rather gloomy expression. They had been going through the entire rail, ignoring the size categories as the inventory was jumbled together . And there had been plenty of nice dresses, some really nice ones that were in Marinette’s size that had been in the wrong section. But Marinette had taken them rather reluctantly, and without her usual enthusiasm that came with shopping for clothes.

Slowly, Marinette began flicking through the dresses again.

She opened her mouth. And then closed it. Right from the get go, Marinette had insisted she wouldn’t be making her dress for this dance. When pressed by the girls, had said she just didn’t have time for making a dress. That was unsurprising, given everything. But that didn’t explain why she was so unenthused about the whole shopping process. She doubted all the Adrien comments Alya—and the rest of the girls—kept dropping every time Marinette even so much as picked up a dress were helping matters. But she couldn’t help but feel there was something more to Marinette’s disinterest in dress shopping…

“That one is nice,” she said quietly, nodding her head to the floral chiffon dress Marinette was examining. It was nice. It was a perfectly nice dress. The design was a little bland and the colour was a little boring, but it was nice enough for a dance.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Marinette sighed noncommittally.

“But…?”

Marinette shrugged listlessly as she took the dress off the rail and went back to flicking through the dresses. “I guess I won’t know until I try it. It’s just… it’s silly.”

“I bet it isn’t.” They were nearing the end of the last rack of dresses, and they had pitiful results so far to show for their effort. Marinette had taken only three dresses, and none of them had been met with much enthusiasm. She had grabbed a couple, but to be honest, she wasn’t all that concerned with what she would wear. She had a bunch of black dresses she could wear to the dance. It wasn’t like anyone would notice if she wore an old dress, given she always wore black to school dances. It was a classic for a reason.

Marinette bit her lip as stared steadfastly at the rail as she continued to search through the dresses. She could tell Marinette was weighing her words, trying to decide how best to say whatever it was she needed to say, by the way she stared so intently at the clothes on the rail. “Well…” she said slowly, a faint flush creeping up on her face, “it’s just that- it’s- it’s perfect!”

“What-“ she was cut off by Marinette’s squeal as her friend pulled a dress from the rack. And then shoved it into her hands…

She had been hoping Marinette had found a dress for herself. But…

Looking at the dress, she had to admit, it was perfect. Even if she was a little peeved Marinette hadn’t found a dress for herself. Slowly, she ran a hand along the silky fabric. Sprays of thorny roses had been woven into the fabric; the subtle black on black design almost seemed to shift under the store lights. It would look incredible under the lights of the dance.

“Oh, are you going to try that on?” She looked up from the dress to see Mylène wandering toward them, her arms laden with dresses.

She glanced back down at the dress. “Yeah, I am.”

“What did you find, Mylène?” Marinette brushed past her to look at the dresses Mylene had selected. “That one is really pretty!”

“Yeah,” Mylène sighed happily as she held up the dress. “Sunflowers are my favourite. Ivan’s too. So I’m hoping the fit will be good.” Mylène settled the dress back over her arm. “What did you find, Mari?”

“Not much,” Marinette sighed, her enthusiasm instantly waning the moment the topic shifted to her dress selections.

“That one is nice,” Mylène offered tentatively as Marinette shuffled through the scant few dresses she had found.

“It’s ok,” Marinette said half-heartedly. “But I guess we should go try things on. Unless you’re not done looking, Jules…”

“No. No I’m good to try things on now,” she mumbled, her brows furrowing as Marinette and Mylène both turned and headed in the direction of the dressing rooms. Judging from the way Mylène not so subtly kept looking at Marinette, it was obvious Marinette’s lack of enthusiasm wasn’t lost on her either.

She trailed after them, chewing her lip as she went. Marinette’s enthusiasm had quickly dwindled throughout the afternoon. Usually, Marinette adored thrifting and shopping in general. But she had been… listless. Or at least, when it came to shopping for herself. Every time her attention was turned to what someone else might try on, Marinette was bright and excited. But the second it came to her outfit…

“Look at what I found!” She emerged from the end of the aisle in time to see Alya rushing toward them, with Rose quickly trailing after her. Rose’s arms were laden with her own shopping bags, and what looked like dresses Alya had pulled for herself. Alya was brandishing two hangers; from one hung a swirly looking skirt the colour of ripe tangerines, and from the other hung a matching crop top. “Isn’t it great? I saw it on the rack one of the employees had just brought out from the back!”

“That colour would be gorgeous on you!” Marinette gushed as she reached out to examine the fabric of the skirt.

Alya preened. “Thanks. I mean, I still have to try it on, and I’ll try on the rest of the stuff I found but… I think it’s going to be the one! What did you find, girl?”

“Oh, you know, just a couple dresses. Should we?” she asked, nodding toward the dressing rooms.

“Absolutely,” Alya said as she shifted her newest find to one hand so she could take the bundle of dresses from Rose. “Thanks. Now come on!”

“You all have to come out and show us!” Rose squealed, already pulling her phone out, no doubt to summon Alix.

Mylène and Alya were already heading into dressing rooms. As she and Marinette headed toward the last free ones, she shot Marinette an encouraging smile. Marinette returned it with a smile of her own that wavered only a little before turning to fully disappear into her dressing room. She tugged the curtain of her own dressing room shut.

She made quick work of changing out her own clothes, and then she stepped into the dress. She tugged up the zip before stepping back to examine her reflection. The skirt was slim but… she gave an experimental swivel of her hips; it still had enough of a flare to flow nicely around her legs with a satisfying swish. It would be perfect for dancing. She turned and looked back over her shoulder to examine the reflection of the back of the dress. The narrow straps separated at the top of her shoulders, turning from single straps to three thinner ones that criss-crossed over her back in a woven pattern that reminded her vaguely of a spiderweb.

She turned to fully face the mirror again, and let a slow smile crawl across her face as she fished the gloves she had bought out of her bag. She slipped the gloves on, and her smile turned to a grin.

It was perfect.

All she needed was shoes and… she tilted her head side to side. A choker would be the perfect touch. A lace one maybe…

That was something she could do easily enough herself.

Her smile grew as she heard Rose squeal from the other side of the curtain. Quietly, she drew back the curtain. Alya was wearing the crop top and skirt set, and she was positively glowing as she struck a pose.

“What do you think?”

“It looks amazing, Alya!” Rose gushed, her eyes sparkling.

“It looks really great on you!” Mylène offered quietly. She hadn’t seen Mylène emerge, but she was standing there in the floral dress, her usually shy smile wider than usual.

“You look awesome too, girl!”

“You both look great,” Alix piped up from where she was sprawled on a bench by the entrance to the dressing room area.

“Yeah,” she said quietly as she stepped out of the dressing room. “Those really suit you both.”

The second the words left her mouth, four pairs of eyes snapped toward her. They were all silent. She could feel the weight of their gaze on her. A couple of months ago, with so many eyes trained directly on her, her shoulders would have been hunching and curling in, and her hands would have been itching to fidget with her skirt. But now-

“Bijou!” It was fortunate there was no glass nearby, Rose’s squeal was so high-pitched. “You look gorgeous!”

“That dress is perfect for you!”

“You look incredible!”

Her cheeks were growing warm under the force of their praise. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“Hey, Mari!” Alix shouted, ignoring the looks of other shoppers nearby, “get out here and take a look!”

Marinette poked her head out from behind the curtain, and her face lit up. “I knew it! I knew that dress would be perfect for you! You look incredible!”

“Thank you.” She couldn’t stop the grin from crawling across her face at Marinette’s praise.

Marinette’s gaze drifted over to Alya and Mylène, thought she remained awkwardly hidden behind the curtain, with only her head sticking out. “You both look incredible too!” she gushed. “Please tell me you’re all getting those!”

“Girl, I don’t know if I’m even going to take it off!” Alya laughed as she twirled. “I might just have to wear it out!”

“But then it won’t be special!” Rose protested.

“I’m definitely getting mine!”

“So are you going to come out, or what, girl?” Alya asked, still laughing gleefully.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Marinette promised before snapping the curtain closed.

She frowned. The look in Marinette’s eye at the mention of her coming out of the dressing room…

She hadn’t been particularly optimistic about any of the dresses, given Marinette’s reaction to them. Still, she had hoped that Marinette would like something. At least enough to show the rest of them.

But the sound of the curtain of Marinette’s dressing room sliding open dashed what shreds of hope she had left.

“Nothing?” Rose asked, her face falling.

Marinette shook her head, looking both disappointed and defeated as she hung the rejected dresses on the rack by the end of the line of dressing rooms. “Let’s check out the shoe store around the corner, I think I could do with a break from trying on dresses…”

***

The second she had pushed the door open to the shoe store and made room for the rest of their group to enter, Alix made a beeline for the display of sneakers. Rose took Mylène by the arm and hauled her toward the back of the store, where there was a display of glittering party shoes. Alya was hot on their heels, already exclaiming over a pair in the display.

Marinette hung back, lingering by the display stand right by the entrance. So she hung back too.

“Those are fun,” she murmured, nodding to the pump Marinette had picked up, and was absently turning over in her hands.

Marinette shrugged. “It’s fine,” she said quietly, before putting it back down and drifting toward one of the side walls. She trailed silently after her. Marinette stopped in front of another display, this one made up of scrappy sandals in a rainbow of colours. Marinette picked up a silver pair and smiled at them before putting them back down. “What about those?” she asked, pointing to a pair of black sandals.

“For you or me?” Marinette raised a brow, and then rolled her eyes and smiled in mock exasperation . “They’re cute. But I already have a flat pair like that. Honestly,” she said, dropping her voice, “I probably didn’t even need to come on this trip. I have a ton of stuff I could wear, and it all goes together.”

“The beauty of black,” Marinette said, nodding sagely. But then a little grin worked its way onto her face. “But if you hadn’t come you wouldn’t have gotten those gloves. Or the dress…”

“Touché.”

“Though…” Marinette hummed, “there’s no way I would have left that dress on the rack. Not when it’s so you.”

“That’s why you’re the best.” Marinette waved her off, smiling as she picked up another heeled sandal to examine it. “But honestly, I don’t need to buy any shoes. Not unless they’re something special. You know?”

“Yeah,” Marinette sighed as she put down yet another shoe before heading toward the next display.

She followed closely behind. They examined the next two displays in relative silence. The others drifted by, toting boxes of shoes to try or teetering past in shoes they were testing out. After another rejected pair of shoes, and once the coast was relatively clear, she leaned in a little closer beside Marinette.

“You don’t really seem to be all that into this. Is everything ok? Back at the last place, you were saying something when you found my dress. What was it?” she asked quietly.

Marinette looked up in surprise, but then her face softened and her cheeks flushed. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, about what I want…”

“Yeah?”

“I want to go after it. I want to design my own dress and go to the dance with-“ Marinette cut herself off as she ducked her head. But she didn’t miss the deepening flush in her friend’s cheeks. It was kind of cute how Mari and Luke were still so bashful talking about their feelings with her. It was infuriating. But cute. “But I have this… this vision of what the night would look like. What I would wear, who I would go with… Assuming he would would say yes.”

As if he would ever say no. If anything, the thing Marinette should have been worrying about was the likelihood of Luka accidentally skipping the whole ‘first date’ thing and proposing to her on the spot. But given Marinette’s past experiences with romance and her brother’s noble yet idiotic attempts to not pressure Marinette… she could see why her friend was feeling apprehensive.

“Were you- were you going to ask him?” she asked quietly.

Marinette gave a shallow nod of her head. “I was thinking about it. I want to. But it’s just-” Marinette turned to look at her with a wry, half-smile, “it’s scary, you know?”

“Yeah,” she agreed quietly. She did know. If Rose hadn’t made the first move, she probably never would have worked up the courage to ask her out herself. And she had had it so much easier, compared to Marinette. No one had shoved a supposed soulmate in her face while she was pining after Rose. “But if it’s any consolation,” she continued, weighing her words carefully. Her brother may have been more obvious that flashing neon lights, but he had still admitted his feelings for Marinette to her in confidence. “I don’t think you need to worry about him saying no.”

“Maybe…“ Marinette sighed, her eyes drifting toward the other side of the shop where the rest of the girls were and a frown twisting on her lips.”But even if he does say yes, I don’t have time to make my dress and…”

“Nothing is living up to your vision?” she offered.

Marinette nodded. “It’s just, nothing is quite right,” she groaned as she picked up a silver shoe. She had picked that one up three times already; it was a silver kitten heel with an open toe and a small crystal embellishment on it. She had been gravitating to that pair for a while now.

“Those seem to be telling you they’re right,” she quipped, quirking a half grin at Marinette when she glanced down at the shoe in her hands and then back up at her.

“Yeah, I really like them.”

“But?”

“But I don’t want to get a pair before I have my dress-“

“Oh, those are cute, Marinette!” Mylène said as she made her way over, only wobbling slightly in the wedges she was wearing. “I bet Adrien would think they are too!” Marinette had been doing a pretty good job so far of hiding the sour look that came across her face every time the blond came up, but cracks were starting to show in her facade. “What do you two think of these?”

“I like them,” she murmured, looking down at the woven wedges.

“Me too. But you might want to try a pair with ankle straps, they’ll stay on better when you’re dancing.”

“Oh, good point. Thanks!” She watched as Mylène went back to the other side of the store. Once all of her friends were out of ear shot again, she turned and dropped her voice.

“I take it the Adrien comments aren’t helping.”

Marinette shook her head. “I told them I didn’t want to try and impress anyone but…”

“They’re committed,” she sighed.

Speaking of committed…

“What did you find, girl?” Alya asked as she sidled up beside Marinette. “Oooh, those are great!” she added as she picked up the matching silver shoe from the display.

“Yeah, I really like them,” Marinette said, a wistful note in her voice as she smiled down at the shoe in her hand.

“You have to get them! Just think, Adrien’s always wearing that silver ring of his and…” Alya trailed off as he whipped out her phone and began typing. As Alya’s fingers flew across the keyboard on her phone screen, a pit began to form in her stomach. A second later, Alya’s phone dinged and her face lit up like the sky on Bastille Day. “Look!” Alya said as she shoved her phone into hers and Marinette’s faces. “That’s what Nino said Adrien is going to wear to the dance. You could match!”

She had to bite back a frown as she stared at the picture on Alya’s screen. It was of a suit spread out on what she assumed was Adrien’s bed. The jacket and pants were black, and the shirt was a stark, crisp white. Beside the suit was a pair of black dress shoes with silver buckles in the shape of the Agreste logo and a matching belt.

“If you wear these,” Alya continued, waving the silver show she was holding, “you can match Adrien. Even better!” Alya gasped. “You wear these and-“

“I’m not buying shoes until I have a dress,” Marinette said crisply as she put the shoe she was holding back down on the display with a note of finality.

“But Marinette-“

“I don’t want to buy shoes until I have a dress.” Marinette said emphatically. “I don’t want to end up with a dress and shoes that don’t go together.”

“But if you get a white dress you could match. And white would go-“

“There’s no guarantee I’ll find a dress to go with these.” Marinette said, her voice firm.

The fact that Marinette had left out the mention of a white dress did not escape her. Though it was hard to tell if Alya had noticed as well.

“Not if you keep shutting down everything you try on before you give it a real chance,” Alya groaned.

“I’ve been trying stuff on…”

“Yeah, but you haven’t shown any of the things you’ve tried on to us!”

“Nothing was worth showing.”

“See! This is what I mean! You aren’t going to make your own dress, but you’re not giving any of the dresses you’ve tried a proper chance… I still can’t believe you aren’t going to make your dress!” Alya said as she held up a pair of black pumps, frowned, then put them back down.

“I don’t have time. And, I don’t have a design! Even if I started now and kept the design simple, two weeks isn’t a lot of time.”

“But you have a sketchbook full of designs!”

“None for a dance though.”

“Whatever you say,” Alya sighed, with a rather disbelieving note in her voice. “But you need to wear something.”

“I know…” Marinette grumbled.

Something between a sigh and laugh escaped Alya. She wrapped an arm around Marinette’s shoulders, he face softening as she did so. “Don’t worry girl, we’ll find you something amazing to wear that’ll be sure to catch Adrien’s attention. And knock his socks off while we’re at it.” Alya looked away from Marinette to meet her eyes. “Right, Juleka?”

She hesitated. Just for a moment. A second, really. It wasn’t like she was going to agree with Alya. Well, not word for word at least… Something flashed through Alya’s eyes. It was so quick, she would have missed it if she hadn’t been looking.

“We’ll make sure you have something beautiful to wear,” she said carefully before smiling encouragingly at Marinette.

“Thanks, guys.”

Alya grinned. “Don’t worry, I promise Adrien won’t know what hit him!”

Marinette smiled—what seemed a pretty forced smile that didn’t reach her eyes— but said nothing.

“Alya!” They all looked up and across the store at the sound of Rose’s voice. Rose was haphazardly waving a shoe around, oblivious to Mylène’s attempts to get her to stop shouting and waving. “You have to come try these on! They’ll go great with your outfit!” Rose cried, brandishing a gold shoe.

“Coming!” Alya called, taking a step toward the rest of the girls before turning to look back over her shoulder. “You two coming?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Marinette trying to think of something to say.

“In a minute,” she said quietly. “I want to finish checking out the stuff over here.”

“Marinette?”

“Same. We’ll let you know if we see anything else you might want to try on.”

“Sounds good,” Alya said with a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes. And it definitely wasn’t her imagination. Alya’s gaze lingered on her for a second before she turned to hurry over toward Rose, Mylène, and Alix.

She watched Alya go, her stomach sinking a little with every step Alya took. That had been…

She shook her head, and turned back to Marinette. Marinette had started wandering further toward the back of the store. With a sigh, and another shake of her head, she followed.

Marinette had said that she didn’t have time to design and make a dress. It had to be because of Ladybug stuff, right? She definitely seemed less overwhelmed than she had a couple of weeks ago. Marinette was calling on her a lot for akuma battles, which were now taking way less time than usual. So that had to be helping. But…

It couldn’t just be the akuma battles that were eating up her time.

But what other duties there were that was keeping Marinette so busy. She knew there were the patrols Ladybug did to keep an eye on the city… She bit her lip. A couple days ago, after they had wrapped up a battle, she had caught the tail end of an argument between Ladybug and Chat Noir. He had been complaining about how things had changed ever since she became the ‘guardian.’ It sounded important, but she didn’t really know what being a guardian entailed. Or how much it was adding to Marinette’s already overflowing plate.

Surreptitiously, she glanced around the store. Alya, Rose, and Mylène were at the far, front corner of the store trying on shoes. Alix was listless wandering around looking at the sneakers. All of them—and what few other shoppers were in the store—were all out of ear shot.

“Your job still keeping you busy?” she asked quietly as she picked up a shoe and pretended to examine it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Marinette cast a quick glance around the store before nodding.

“Yeah. I took your advice. I was able to bring in another t- coworker. And she’s doing really well. She’s helping a lot.” She willed the flush beginning to brew in her face to subside. Marinette didn’t know that she knew what her job was. “But it’s still keeping me busy.”

“Oh?” she asked casually as she put the shoe down and picked up a pump that she didn’t even bother to pretend to look at.

“I’ve still got a lot of shifts I have to cover. I… I want to see how she handles more responsibilities, but I feel like it’s too early to ask more from her. She’s still new, and I don’t want to rush her or throw her in the deep end.”

“Would it hurt to ask? I mean, worst case scenario she isn’t ready.” But that wouldn’t happen. She would be ready for anything if need be.

“I guess… but even if she said yes, two weeks still isn’t much time… I would have to make the design and draft the pattern. And I don’t like using new patterns without a mockup first. And I would have to find fabric…”

She smiled at the sight of Marinette’s face, which was already morphing into the dreamy yet laser focused smile she always wore when slipped into the her own little world of designs and dresses and fabrics.

“I bet you’d pull together something amazing, even if it is only two weeks. You always do.”

Marinette blushed. “Thanks. I’d have to see if she says yes,” she hummed.

Of course she would say yes. But, “If she doesn’t, you know can always ask me for help, right?” It couldn’t hurt to remind Marinette she and Ladybug could rely on her.

“I know,” she said quietly, “and I don’t think I can ever tell you how much it means.”

She shrugged. “It’s what friends are for.”

“Well, you’re the best,” she said, leaning against her in an approximation of a hug before she bolted upright. She took a few hurried steps to the next display over and grabbed something—a pair of shoes she presumed though the store also sold bags—before whirling around. “What do you think of these?”

“They’re awesome. But I didn’t think those would really be your style-“

“Not for me! For you!” Marinette laughed as she held the shoes out to her.

Tentatively, she took them. They were incredible. They were open-toed sandals with straps that laced up around the ankle with straps made from a sheer black mesh, embroidered all over with black roses and twisting, thorny vines. Little black rhinestones were scattered across the straps, and packed onto the heels of the shoes, catching the light and glimmering. They were gorgeous.

But…

“I don’t know, I don’t really wear heels…” She had always felt out of place, being taller than so many of her classmates. And yeah, boys thinking she was too tall was the last thing she was worried about, but… she frowned. She had never really known how to carry herself; being so tall tended to draw a degree of attention—and comments—she had never really been comfortable with. And so she had always slumped and hunched her shoulders, and avoided adding extra height at all costs.

She had…

“Oh, that’s ok then. I just thought they would look amazing on you-“

But a tigress didn’t care what other people thought.

“But it wouldn’t hurt to try,” she said, kneeling down to look for a box in her size. Once she had the shoebox in hand, she sat on the closest bench, kicked her shoes off, and slipped the heels on. Once she had secured the straps around her legs, she stood up. The heel wasn’t too high, but between the heel and the platform… she was towering.

“Bijou!” Rose squealed, tottering over on sparkly pink heels that were far too tall for her girlfriend to walk in without risking breaking an ankle. “You look amazing!! You’re so tall!”

Tentatively, she took a few steps in them. They were comfortable. She would still be able to walk and dance in them. And… Tigress didn’t wear heels. Fighting akumas in heels was just asking for disaster. But somehow, they still felt like Tigress’s boots. They were grounding, but agile.

They were powerful.

“Those really suit you,” Marinette said, grinning.

“Yeah,” she said quietly as she took a few more steps, a smile forming on her own face as she watched the light bounce off the crystals, “they do.”

***

“C’mon girl, what’s wrong with that one?”

Marinette glanced at the reflection and wrinkled her nose. “It’s just… it’s not right.”

Personally, she had to agree with Marinette. It was a nice enough dress. It looked nice on Marinette. But it just wasn’t anything special. It couldn’t even hold a candle to the dresses Marinette usually made for herself for school dances.

But at least Marinette had come out of the dressing room to show them this one.

“I still don’t get why you aren’t just making one.”

“Well-“

“I know, I know, you don’t have time. But can’t you reuse a pattern or something? You need to wear something.”

“I know-“

“What about that one?” Alya asked, pointing to the floral dress she had found and shoved into Marinette’s hands. “Daisies are Adrien’s favourite flower…” Alya sang as her words trailed off, her grin wide and the promise of yet another scheme in her voice.

“I don’t like daisies very much. And-”

“I still think you should just wear the purple one,” Alix said from where she was sprawled in one of the chairs by the dressing rooms. “We already know he thinks it looks good on you.”

“It’s not formal enough though. Besides, I-“

“He’s already seen her wear that one. If she’s going to get his attention, we need something show stopping. Something that will make him notice. Like his favourite flowers, or-“

“He likes cats, so what about this one?” Rose asked, holding up a bubblegum pink dress with white cats printed all over it.

“I think that one’s more your style, Rose,” Marinette said. “And I don’t-“

“Oh good, I was worried if you got it you wouldn’t want me to borrow it later since you’ll be wearing it on such a big night.” Before anyone could say anything more, Rose zipped into the nearest open dressing room.

“What about this one?” Mylène asked from where she had been rifling through the rack of clothes that hadn’t been returned to the shop floor yet. She was holding up a white dress that had horizontal black stripes running across it, except for at the bottom hem where the stripers were thick, short and vertical. Almost like-

“It’s perfect!” Alya cried as she rushed over the Mylène to take the dress from her hands and inspect it. Oh no. “It’s like sheet music and piano keys! And it matches what he’s going to wear!”

The door to the changing room Rose had gone into burst open, and she emerged in a flurry of pink and white cat-printed skirts. “What’s perfect- oh! Oh, that is perfect! And it would be so romantic if you two matched!” Rose sighed dreamily.

This was not good.

“It’s actually pretty cool,” Alix, who was now sitting up properly, said.

This was not good at all.

“You have to try it on!” Alya said.

She watched as Alya rushed toward Marinette with the dress in hand. She needed to do something. Anything. But she was completely frozen. It was like watching a car wreck about to happen, knowing that disaster was about to strike but not being able to do anything.

“Actually,” Marinette said, setting her shoulders as she stepped back from Alya,”I was thinking, maybe we could check out some fabric stores after all? There’s a few not far from here…”

“Of course we can, Marinette!” Mylène said.

“So you are going to make a dress?”

Marinette’s gazed darted to land on her before flickering back to Alya. “Yeah,” Marinette said, nodding, “I think I figured out a way to make it work.”

***

She frowned down at the two spools of lace in her hands. One had a floral pattern that would compliment the roses in her dress and shoes nicely, but the other was embellished with little black seedbeds that would catch the light like her new shoes. Her frown deepened. She liked both of them. She could just get both. But she didn’t really need two new chokers. And she would still have to decide which went better with her outfit…

She was going to need a second opinion.

She started making her way back through the store to the approximate area she had left Marinete when she had decided to go check out the lace options. She found her in much the same spot, by the section of dressier fashion fabrics.

But Marinette wasn’t alone anymore.

“-absolutely perfect!” Alya exclaimed, brandishing a bolt of green taffeta. Maybe she shouldn’t have left Marinette alone while she went to go look at the lace… Marinette was staring at the bolt with a blank expression, and Alya looked like her birthday and Christmas had all been rolled into one. “Just think, when Adrien sees you in a dress that matches his eyes, he’ll have no choice but to notice you!”

Alya was already moving to push the bolt into Marinette’s hands. She needed to think of something. Fast. She needed to-

“That shade of green doesn’t suit me,” Marinette said coolly, taking a step back and away from the offered fabric.

Alya froze, still holding the bolt out to Marinette. She blinked. But she didn’t say anything. None of the girls did.

Marinette shifted her weight between her feet, her cheeks flushing as her gaze darted around at the other girls.

“But-” Alya started to say.

“I’m going to go look at the clearance section,” Marinette said quickly before turning on her heel a disappearing between two shelves overflowing with fabrics.

They stood there in silence for what felt like forever, but was probably less than a minute.

Mylène hummed thoughtfully, picking at the green fabric as she looked in the direction Marinette had disappeared to. “She’s right. This wouldn’t look very good on her.”

“Plus, it would put an instant target on her back,” Alix snorted. “Imagine Chloe’s reaction if someone other than her showed up wearing a dress that matched Adrien’s eyes.”

“I- I guess you’re right…” Alya sighed, her disbelief still evident in her voice. But then Alya shook her head, and her eyes cleared. “We just can’t let her end up wearing pink.”

“What’s wrong with pink?” Rose asked, crossing her arms and glowering at Alya as if her honour had been insulted. Which… it kind of had been… To even imply anything negative about the colour pink was a personal affront to Rose.

“Nothing!” Alya said, taking a step back as she raised her hands. “It looks great on her! And you!” Alya added hastily. Rose’s face softened ever so slightly. “It’s just that she always wears pink. If she wants to catch Adrien’s attention then she needs to stand out! Change up her look a bit! And just think how romantic it will be when he sees her in a new light at the dance…”

Alya’s words had their intended effect; Rose’s frown melted, mollified by the mention of dances and romance. And the reassurance there was nothing wrong with the colour pink.

“I guess you’re right. And it would be romantic…” except for the fact that no one should need to see Marinette wearing different colour for them to notice her “…but if she won’t wear green to match his eyes…” Rose lit up like a lightbulb, squealing in excitement. “What about red! It’s such a romantic colour…”

Oh no.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear red before…” Alix said thoughtfully.

Oh no.

“And I bet it would look great on her!” Mylène added.

Alya was grinning now. “It would! And… Adrien is a big fan of Ladybug… if she wears it, there’s no way he’ll miss her!” Alya crowed, already taking off in the direction Marinette had gone. “Red will be her lucky colour, for sure!” she called over her shoulder.

Oh no no no.

With a curse directed at Alya, the colour red, and the Universe for good measure muttered under her breath, she followed Alya and the rest of the girls further into the store.

***

Thankfully, Marinette left the store empty handed.

Which was not what she would have called a win an hour ago. But…

“I still can’t believe you didn’t get it,” Alya griped. “It was perfect!”

Alya was too busy carrying on to notice Marinette’s grimace. “I don’t want to wear red. And I told you, I don’t want to buy any fabric until I have a design,” Marinette sighed.

And she was sure that was true. Marinette always liked to have a plan. But she had also noticed Marinette had gravitated toward the soft, fluffy, cloud like tulles and the gauzy organzas and chiffons while they were in the store. And, she had noticed the colour Marinette had gravitated toward.

Basically the exact opposite of the scarlet satin Alya had shoved in her face and loudly declared as the ‘perfect choice for making a dress to impress Adrien.’.

“It’s ok Marinette,” Rose beamed, “there’s still time before the dance! I know you’ll finish your design in time!”

She mumbled her agreement. She had no doubt in her mind that Marinette would pull something amazing together in time for the dance. Especially, because she had also noticed the spark in Marinette’s eye when she had seen one bolt of fabric in particular.

She wouldn’t be surprised if Marinette went back tomorrow with a finished design in hand.

“So are we getting dinner now?” Alix moaned. She had been complaining about dying of starvation for the past half-hour. She had looked ready to rip her hair out when she had seen the inside of the fabric store, packed with shelves that went almost to the ceiling and were crammed with bolts of fabric. “We’ve been at this all afternoon.”

“Oh, come on Alix. This is fun! And it’s the last dance of the school year!” Mylène chided.

“And we only have a couple more shops left to go to! I still need shoes,” Rose chirped.

“There’s one more fabric store I want to look at. But, it’s still a bit of a trek. So that’ll be our last stop for the day, which means,” she said, cutting off Alix’s groan, “that dinner is the next stop!”

“We should go to Pierre’s!” Alya said as she glanced down at her phone.

“But I thought we were going to get kebabs?” Marinette asked, her brows furrowing.

Her stomach began to sink. The image of Alya furiously typing on her phone throughout the afternoon forced its way to the forefront of her mind.

Alya was up to something.

Something fishy.

“Pierre’s is closer.“

“That works for me.” Alix was already ahead of them, walking so briskly she was basically running.

“I guess Pierre’s it is,” Mylène sighed before moving to follow Alix.

She cast a surreptitious look in Alya’s direction. Alya was grinning widely, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Something fishy indeed.

She needed to do something.

But what?

She wracked her brain, trying to think of any possible way she could send Alya’s scheme off the rails. But she couldn’t think of anything. She glanced around at the rest of the girls. None of them seemed to put out by the change in plans. Alix actually seemed thrilled by them. But that was probably more to due with the fact that she was ‘literally dying of starvation,’ than anything Alya had planned…

And just what did Alya have in store? Was she going to try and set Marinette and Adrien up to have dinner alone? Or was she going to pull another movie theatre scheme, where Marinette would be forced to sit next to Adrien? It was possible there was another option she wasn’t even thinking of…

But it didn’t really matter what Alya had planned.

All that mattered was the timing.

She glanced down at her phone screen.

Luka would have just finished his shift a few minutes ago.

One of the great things about Luka’s job was discount—and sometimes even free—pizza. But what was even better about the pizza place he worked at, was its location…

Queen of Darkness 🦇: hey

Queen of Darkness 🦇: trouble clefts is having a sale on strings

Idiot 🎸: yeah

Idiot 🎸: i got the email

Queen of Darkness 🦇: can you get some for me?

Idiot 🎸: why can’t you?

Idiot 🎸: you’re literally out shopping

Queen of Darkness 🦇: alix is hangry

Queen of Darkness 🦇: I don’t have a death wish

Queen of Darkness 🦇: plus u owe me

It was true. He did owe her. A lot. And that wasn’t even counting the favour she was currently trying to do for him and Marinette.

Idiot 🎸: for what?

Idiot 🎸: what are you up to?

Queen of Darkness 🦇: who said Im up to something?

Queen of Darkness 🦇: u going to get me the strings or not?

Queen of Darkness 🦇: I know u need more too

Queen of Darkness 🦇: don’t pretend u don’t

Idiot 🎸: fine

Idiot 🎸: youre always up to something

Queen of Darkness 🦇: just hurry up and get the strings

She bit down on her smile as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. To get to Trouble Clefts from the pizzeria, Luka would have to pass by Pierre’s. And if he left now… there was no way he would miss them.

“You coming, bijou?” Rose was looking at her over her shoulder, her hand held out to her. She hurried to catch up the rest of the girls—she had lagged a little behind while texting—and intertwined her fingers with Rose’s. “What were you doing?” Rose asked as they followed the rest of the girls.

“Oh, nothing. Just checking my email…” she fought back a frown as Alya shot her a suspicious look that was so quick, she almost missed it. A frown of her own began to crease her face. Alya had been… not weird. But something felt… off. Before she could delve further into her thoughts, she was abruptly shaken from them by Rose launching into an animated debate with herself over whether she should wear the sequinned romper or the cat-print dress to the dance.

The rest of the walk to Pierre’s was filled with idle chatter, mostly about their success so far on their shopping trip and the dance in general. She would say it was uneventful. If not for the fact that she kept catching Alya glancing at her. That wouldn’t have been anything noteworthy, if not for the fact that every time she caught Alya looking, her friend looked away…

Add in the way she had looked at her in the shoe shop when she had asked for her agreement on finding something that would impress Adrien…

Her frown fought to return as Alya abruptly looked away for her for what felt like the dozenth time. But it was difficult to keep it at bay. The comment had been a bit too pointed for her liking. And the looks….

She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to overanalyze that. Especially given Alya’s attention had returned to her phone, on which she began furiously typing. She didn’t know what exactly it was that Alya was planning, but she knew that there was no way she was going to let it happen. Whatever it was. She just hoped Luka would get there in time.

They rounded the last corner and Alya noticeably slowed to an amble.

She was stalling.

“C’mon,” Alix groaned from up ahead, halfway between the rest of their group and the doors to Pierre’s. “I’m dying here.”

“We’re coming,” Alya placated, still moving at a leisurely amble.

“Not very-“

“Hey, babe!” She turned at the sound of Nino’s voice. Nino was standing at the other end of the short street with the rest of the guys from their class in tow. Nino was grinning awkwardly as he waved. “What are you all doing here?” Nino was a great director. And he had a good eye for acting. But he was not an actor himself. His voice was stilted, like he was reading from an invisible script and though his smile was obviously meant to be casual, awkwardness permeated it.

But Alya just grinned. “We were going to have dinner,” Alya said—much more effortlessly than Nino had said what she imagined were his lines—as she nodded toward the doors to the cafe.

“Cool,” Adrien said brightly with a sunny smile. “We were all on our way to grab some dinner too!”

“Really?” Alya called, “Why don’t you join us?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a thousand emotions flicker across Marinette’s face before it settled into a nervous frown. The rest of the girls were nodding and smiling. Well, Alix wasn’t smiling, she was too hangry for that. Her gaze darted back to the guys. Nino, Adrien, and Kim were already making their way toward them. But she didn’t see-

A flash of blue caught her eye as Ivan shifted to make his way toward Mylène. Luka caught her eye as he ambled toward them, trailing after Max. Lightning quick, his eyes darted to Alya, then back to her before quirking a brow.

“Luka!” The second Marinette called his name, his face softened and his attention was wholly focused on her.

“Hey, Marinette,” he said quietly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, coming to a stop in the loose little group they had formed. The idiot was trying so hard to be casual. But he was so obvious—hopefully not to Alya—what with the way he was smiling at Marinette like she was music personified. It was his Marinette smile. “It’s great to see you.”

Marinette’s smile was bright and wide, but somehow soft at the same time. Her Luka smile. “Luka! What are you-“

“Luka,” she watched as he slowly and deliberately turned to Alya. “What a surprise, what are you doing here?” If she were so inclined, she would have pointed out that it shouldn’t have been anymore of a surprise to see Luka than the rest of the guys given the scheme had obviously been staged to be a ’casual bump in.’

But now didn’t seem like the time or the place.

He shrugged. “I was out buying strings and we ran into each other. They were just going to grab dinner and invited me, and you know I never turn down a meal.”

“What a coincidence,” Alya said lightly through gritted teeth. Alya’s eyes darted to her again, before flashing back to Adrien, then Marinette. “Marinette!” Alya said, suddenly much more brightly. “You had something you wanted to ask Adrien,” Alya said, gripping Marinette’s arm, “didn’t you?”

Shoot.

What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to stop Alya now? Luka was here! But it wasn’t like she could just tell him to do something. Not now! Not with everyone watching. Kinda. More or less. Everyone was watching Marinette and Adrien. But if she did anything now, that would definitely draw attention to herself.

Marinette’s eyes went wide; Alya would probably say it was because she had gone off to Adrien-land, but she thought Marinette looked more like a deer in headlights. Her gaze was darting around at all of the expectant faces of their friends. Her hands were wringing the strap of her purse.

Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot-

“Actually, Marinette,” Luka said casually, his gaze flickered to her. Something flashed in his eyes. And just as quickly as his gaze had darted to her, it returned to Marinette, and his entire face softened all over again. “I was going to call you later, but since we’re here now; if you aren’t going to the dance with anyone, maybe I could take you? Or I guess,” he had that lopsided and lovesick grin on his face, “you could take me? Since it’s for your school and all…”

He had done it.

He had actually done it.

He had finally done it.

Silence overcame their entire group. It suddenly felt like she would be able to hear a pin drop.

Marinette’s eyes were still wide. But they had suddenly decidedly less ‘cornered wildlife’ quality to them. In fact… they were practically sparkling. And her face was melting into a dreamy smile and she-

“Yes, I’d- I’d like that Luka. To go to the dance. With you.”

Yes!

Just as suddenly as it had seemingly disappeared, sound returned to their group. Ivan said something about how it would be nice to have Luka at the dance too, while Kim loudly challenged Luka to a dance off—a challenge she doubted her brother had heard given the look on his face—and Rose was chattering excitedly about how great it would be to have the entire group at the dance. Nino cast an uneasy glance at Alya, which he tried to cover in a cough.

Alya shot a glare at her behind Marinette’s back, and she had to remind herself to stay cool. She offered Alya a tiny shrug and an innocent look. But Alya just narrowed her eyes.

“Great,” Alya said. If she were gritting her teeth anymore, they would likely shatter. “It’s always nice to go to dances with a friend.”

Her idiot brother didn’t say anything to disagree; given how dazed he looked —or too far off in dreamland, thinking up music that would go with Marinette’s dress or something—she doubted he had even heard Alya. He probably wouldn’t have noticed if a parade of akumas went by.

At least Marinette was too busy smiling at her feet to notice.

Baby steps.

And she could always give Luka an earful about it later. All that mattered now was-

“Yeah! It’ll be nice to have all my friends there!” Adrien agreed brightly before turning to Marinette. “So what was it you wanted to ask me, Marinette?”

Marinette jumped almost a foot in the air, the dreamy smile gone from her face. “Oh! I-I-You! Hair! Your hair!”

“My… hair?”

“I need to buy my dad some more shampoo- he doesn’t like the one he bought- what do you recommend?”

***

She dumped her shopping bags on the floor and flopped onto the sofa, stretching out to take up its entire length. Despite the rocky start, the shopping trip had ended up being successful.

Very successful.

“The rest of the shopping trip was a success?” Luka asked as he looked up from his guitar. They had parted ways after dinner; he had still needed to go get the strings for his guitar and her bass, and she and the girls had still had a few shops they had wanted to get to before they closed. “You get a dress?”

She smiled to herself. Between talking with Marinette—and the rest of the gang but really Marinette—and daydreaming, he hadn’t seemed to notice her shopping bags. “Yep.”

“Cool,” he mumbled as he fiddled with one of the tuning pegs. She watched him as he fiddled with the instrument. Luka was quiet. Not as quiet as her. But still quiet.

And the opposite of subtle.

It was obvious he had something on his mind. Or rather… someone, given what had happened outside Pierre’s… he probably had a lot on his mind.

“Marinette hasn’t gotten her dress yet. In case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t!” The flush in his face betrayed his lie.

“Sure…”

“So…” he ducked his gaze and continued to tune the guitar she knew for a fact was already perfectly tuned. “She isn’t making her dress? I know she’s been busy but-“

“We’ll see.”

“She’s going to look amazing…” he sighed wistfully, his dreamy gaze wandering up toward the ceiling.

“She is,” she murmured in agreement. “And you’re actually going to get to see her in her dress and everything. It’s about time you asked her out,” she said. She smirked his cheeks flushed bright red. He ducked his head to hide it, but she had already seen it.

“Yeah, well…” he said, drawing out his words. She could hear the smile in his voice. “I would have done it sooner…”

Her smirk softened into a smile. “I’m glad you finally got to this note in the song,” she said quietly.

“Me too.”

She ribbed him with her elbow, and smiled when he looked up at her again. “You sure were her knight in shining armour back there.”

His cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red. His face was bright enough to rival Ladybug’s suit. “I don’t know about that-“

“You’re right,” she sniggered, “More like her dork in ripped jeans.”

“Jules,” he groaned. “She just seemed put on the spot. She didn’t- Alya isn’t subtle.” She snorted. Truer words had never been spoken. “And… you were right.” If had felt good to hear that the first time. And it sounded just as good the second time. “And I’m tired of stepping back.”

Truth be told, he hadn’t stepped back in a while. Sure, he hadn’t asked Marinette out before today. But the past few weeks he had been there for Marinette. Really, he always had been. And now that she was in a place where she didn’t look like she would crumble at any minute… He had stepped in when she had been put on the spot. And he had asked her out in a way that was, if not impossible, at least difficult to read as completely platonic. Despite Alya’s best efforts. And while he had ended up asking her to the dance in front of everyone—something he wouldn’t have done if the circumstances hadn’t been dire—he had done it in a way that put as little pressure on her as possible. It was typical Luka… “Way to step up.”

“She’s worth it.” She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to have heard that. But she had to agree.

“So what are you going to wear?”

“What?”

“To the dance.”

“Oh…” He shrugged. “I guess my good jeans and a nice shirt-“

“You can’t wear jeans!”

“What? Why not? I always wear jeans to school dances.”

“Because you’re always playing them. But you’re going to this one. And, you’re going with Marinette!”

“Ok, yeah… maybe I need to rethink that.” She raised a brow and glared at him. “I will definitely not wear jeans,” he amended.

She nodded, but couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes. Just for good measure. Honestly! At least he hadn’t suggested he wear sweatpants.

***

Once Luka had gotten his new strings on his guitar and launched into noodling the sappiest and most lovesick music she had ever heard, she bailed. She had dumped the bags with her dress, gloves, and the laces—she had ended up getting both because a girl could never have too many black lace chokers—into her room and made her escape to the greenhouse with the copy of ‘The Art of War’ she had borrowed from the library in hand.

The air was still warm and the sun hadn’t quite dipped below the horizon yet, but the evening was definitely approaching its meeting with the night. Which mean it was the perfect time to relax in the greenhouse and get some reading in before the group chat for plotting schemes inevitably blew up.

She had just gotten to the section on adapting to shifting circumstances when her phone pinged. Of course. Just when she was getting to the interesting part… She groaned; she had known this would be coming. But she had hoped it would take Alya at least a little longer to pick up the twins from their friend’s house.

But it seemed luck wasn’t on her side.

Which meant Alya was back at it again.

Alya 🦊?!: NOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO???!!!

Alya 🦊?!: NOW ADRIEN THINKS MARINETTE HAS A DATE FOR THE DANCE

Because she did.

Because her wonderful, idiot brother hadn’t been an idiot and used the word friend.

Rose 🌹💗: she does have a date!!! 🥰🥰🥰

Alix 🛼 : u should know

Alix 🛼 : ur head looked like it was gonna pop off when he asked her 🤣🤣🤣

Mylène 🌼 : that’s not very nice alix

Alix 🛼 : it’s true

Alix 🛼 : 🤣🤣🤣

Alya 🦊?!: this is SERIOUS

Alya 🦊?!: HOW WILL ADRIEN AND MARINETTE GET TOGETHER NOW??????

It looked like Alya was in a full blown panic. Which wasn’t surprising given her ship was sinking. Fast. And she was floundering for ways to bail herself out.

Alya 🦊?!: THE DANCE IS OUR LAST SHOT BEFORE THE SUMMER

Mylène 🌼 : why do they have to get together before the summer?

Alix 🛼 : can’t it wait til I’m on vacation?

Alix 🛼 : then I won’t have to see any of the gross mushy stuff

Rose 🌹💗: it isn’t gross!!!!!

Alya 🦊?!: I’m serious guys!! This changes the whole plan!!!

Plan?

She should have known Alya would have some kind of elaborate plan for the dance, besides getting Adrien to ask Marinette or vice versa. But this was the first time she was hearing about it.

Alya 🦊?!: @Queen of Darkness what was Luka even doing there??

Queen of Darkness 🦇: he said he was getting strings

Alya 🦊?!: But y tonight??? Y from that store? Aren’t there others?

Queen of Darkness 🦇: idk

Queen of Darkness 🦇: I’m not his babysitter

Just his wrangler

Alya 🦊?!: But y would he ask her????

Alya 🦊?!: he knows they’re meant to be!!!!

Only because Alya kept telling him that.

Rose 🌹💗: don’t worry Alya

Rose 🌹💗: we can make a new plan for the dance!!

Alix 🛼 : I still don’t see what the big deal is

Alya 🦊?!: WHAT DO YOU MEAN????

Alix 🛼 : So what if she has a date?

Alya 🦊?!: ADRIEN CAN’T ASK HER IF SHE ALREADY HAS A DATE!!!!!!

Alix 🛼 : exactly

Alix 🛼 : wasn’t that our plan for the fall formal before Adrien got strep?

Oh no.

She had completely forgotten about that scheme.

That very ill-advised scheme she was glad they hadn’t ended up enacting.

Mylène 🌼 : so he’s helping her make Adrien jealous?

Rose 🌹💗: we’ve never actually gotten to try making him jealous!!

Rose 🌹💗: maybe they thought it would work???!!!

Like Luka or Marinette would ever play mind games like that.

Alix 🛼 : See?

Alix 🛼 : they go as friends and make Adrien think its a date to make him jealous

Alix 🛼 : like I said

Alix 🛼 : no big deal

Mylène 🌼 : I guess I would also feel pretty left out if I were him too

Mylène 🌼 : since he would have been the only one not going

Never-mind the fact Luka wasn’t a fan of school dances, he did have his own friends.

Rose 🌹💗: and we can always make backup plans

Rose 🌹💗: in case Adrien is too polite to act on his jealousy at the dance

Rose 🌹💗: we’ll make sure

Mylène 🌼 : we can meet at my place day after tomorrow

Rose 🌹💗: we’ll come up with the perfect plan!

Rose 🌹💗: and then Adrien and Marinette will live happily ever after!!!!!

Rose 🌹💗: right girls?

Alix 🛼 : sure

Mylène 🌼 : of course!

Quickly, she typed out her response. It would look odd if she didn’t agree. Of course, she wasn’t going to agree. Not word for word at least.

Queen of Darkness 🦇: everything will work out

She would make sure of it.

Dots appeared, indicating Alya was typing. But they kept disappearing and then reappearing. Until finally…

Alya 🦊?!: K

What was all that about? It wouldn’t have taken Alya that long, or that many tries to just type that response. And it was too blunt. Too curt.

It was suspicious was what it was…

She frowned at the screen. Waiting for Alya to say… well, something. But there were no more dots on the screen. After another fruitless minute of waiting, she tucked her phone back in her pocket and flipped back to the page she had been reading when she was interrupted.

But she couldn’t concentrate on the words. All those little looks and glances…the comments… and now Alya’s curt response to her—sure, it had been sent to the group chat, and maybe she was reading into it too much, but it felt like it was directed at her—they were niggling at her brain.

She didn’t like it.

Any of it.

A shadow passed over her head, and she was immediately on her feet, her book brandished like a weapon as she dropped into a fighting stance. You could never been too careful in a Shadowmoth infested Paris.

The figure who had cast the shadow dropped to the the deck in front of her.

“Ladybug?“ she asked as she straightened up.

Ladybug nodded and smiled.

“Is it an akuma…?” She had told Marinette to ask her—well, her ‘coworker’—for help. But she hadn’t expected her tonight. Given the look on Marinette’s face when Luka had asked her to the dance, she would have assumed Marinette was going to spend the whole night designing her dress for the- unless there was trouble which meant- but Ladybug didn’t seem to be in a rush. There was no aura of urgency in the air around her. But there was an embarrassed little smile in her face, and a dreamy look in her eyes coupled with the spark that was always there when she thought up a new design…

“No, no!” Ladybug waved her hands as if to calm and placate. ”No akumas or sentimonsters.” Ladybug bit her lip, flushing as she wrung her hands. Knowing Marinette was Ladybug was one thing, but it was so weird to see Marinette’s bashfulness on Ladybug. “I want to preface this by saying it’s no pressure and you can absolutely say no. But, I have a favour to ask you.”

#juleka vs. the forces of the universe #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #pro lukamari #juleka couffaine #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #rose lavillant #alix kubdel #mylene haprele #adrien agreste #nino lahiffe #miracuclass #alya salt #girl squad salt #adrien salt

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miraculouswolf99 · 2 years

Text

Adrien Protection Squad

I am a big Cat Noir/Adrien fan and no one can change my mind. I have noticed a lack of Marinette/Ladybug Salt across almost all fanfiction platforms. And if I have to make things more even on my own, then I will do it. So, here is my take on a Marinette Salt and Adrien Sugar story. Don't like, don't read.

(Marinette Salt, Alya Salt, Girl Squad Salt, Juleka Sugar.) (Takes place after the episode "Felix.")

Juleka Couffaine was not known for her voice. She was the quietest one in the entire class. And that was saying something considering that Nathaniel was in her class. Nathaniel was the definition of the silent artist type who hardly ever spoke at all. So, if Juleka was somehow quieter than him, that really did say something about her own lack of using her voice.

But, Juleka was able to use her silence as a weapon. She noticed things that others did not. Being silent enabled her to easily hide and notice the things that others would not want to be noticed.

Juleka knew many things about many people. Things that they most definitely did not want anyone to know. Such as how Sabrina secretly hated Chloe and wanted nothing more than to be away from her, but knew that her father would get in trouble with the mayor if she did. Or how while Mylene supported Ivan and Kitty Section, she was not a fan at all of rock music.

Juleka thought that she was mostly alone when it came to people that noticed things. Until she became friends with the Flower Princess herself, Vallia Garden. Vallia and her twin brother, Lyon, were visiting Paris for a while because of a program they were doing at their original school which was like an exchange program, but without an actual exchange. The twins came from Greece, bringing along two heroes from their own home country.

The government had asked White Wolf and Beautifly to come to Paris to protect the twins. Their parents were known as the most charitable people in their country. Not to mention the richest. So, the government wanted the twins to be protected. Of course, they did not know that the heroes were also the twins.

Lyon is known as the Ice Prince. He gives many cold shoulders to many people. There are very few people that he actually is comfortable talking about in a more free way. He only really talks to Adrien, Kim, Nathaniel, Marc, Kagami, and Juleka. Vallia was the friendlier one out of the two of them. She got her nickname as the Flower Princess because of her bright personality on top of her always having flowers in her hair. She liked Juleka because she preferred her quiet nature over the energetic and talkative girls like Alya and Rose.

Juleka liked finally having someone around that noticed things. And both being a part of the Girl Squad, they definitely noticed something about them. Only after the events happened because of Adrien's cousin, Felix, Vallia decided to speak to Juleka directly about what they both had noticed.

Vallia caught up with Juleka after she got back to the Liberty after she got de-akumatized. They both sat in her room on the boat in order to talk.

"Juleka, I think we both know that things might have gone a little too far with the other girls," Vallia tells her.

Juleka nods. "I didn't think that it would get this far, but it has. I can't believe she would do that on a day like this."

"We should have seen something like this coming," Vallia said. "Marinette has always been so weird when it came to Adrien."

"Not just weird," Juleka says. "But obsessed. I don't... I don't actually tell this to many people, but Luka has had a few stalkers in the past."

"Oh my gods," Vallia swore, covering her mouth with her hands.

"It's why he attends online school rather than going to a private school or going to Dupont with me," Juleka explained. "Between his good looks and his musical talent, not to mention people noticing how much he looks like Jagged Stone, a lot of girls have stalked him in the past."

"I'm so sorry," Vallia felt so bad for them since Luka really was such a sweet guy.

"Luka has managed to deal with it and the stalkers all eventually were given restraining orders to keep them away from him," Juleka said. "But, having experience with stalkers really does give me perspective on the whole 'Adrinette' situation."

"It's just too creepy what Marinette is doing," Vallia says. "I have had this bad feeling ever since 'Operation Secret Garden' started."

"The schedule, right," Juleka already knew what Vallia was thinking when it came to what the Girl Squad had been shown that day.

"I highly doubt that Adrien told her his entire schedule," Vallia says. "Especially his schedule for three years into the future. She either followed him around, got it online, or used both. No matter how it is put, it is really creepy. I have no idea how Rose finds it romantic."

"I don't know, either," Juleka sighed.

"And do not get me started on all those presents that she has for him," Vallia got up and started pacing back and forth in Juleka's room. "She has gifts to give him up to when he is turning fifty. What in the name of Hades would make anyone think that is a sane thing to do?"

"It's also one thing to imagine a future to have with someone, but Marinette really does make it very creepy," Juleka added. "She not only has named all their kids, but also planned out how many they will have, what they will look like, and even what their interests would be. She also specifically says that they would have a hamster as well. As much as any girl fantasizes about what their life would be like with the person they feel that they are in love with, Marinette's fantasy is really just adding to her creepy obsession."

"Plus, if she ever actually did end up with Adrien and had kids, I fear what she would do and how she would act if they were not what she imagined," Vallia says. "She actually plans for them all to be blond while having her blue eyes. The odds of all their kids being blond with blue eyes are extremely low. If any of her kids ended up the opposite, as in having her dark hair with Adrien's green eyes, she might outright reject them for not meeting the fantasy that she created in her head."

"Chloe might cling to him a lot and proclaim her love for him constantly, but not even she ever went as far as Marinette does," Juleka said. "I never thought that I would say anything good about Chloe."

"Well, you have to admit that even with her still trying to get back the bee miraculous, she has been doing better, lately," Vallia admitted.

"I'm just remembering all the times that both Chloe and Adrien have said how they are each other's childhood friends," Juleka said. "Out of everyone, Chloe would be the one that would probably sympathize with Adrien the most since she would have also known his mother."

Vallia nodded. "Not even Chloe would do something as selfish and cruel as Marinette did. Today is the anniversary of when Adrien's mother disappeared. We all wanted to send Adrien sweet messages to let him know that we care about him and that we were here for him on a day like this."

"And yet Marinette used it to send him a love confession," Juleka clenched her hands into fists really tightly.

"YES," Vallia started pacing again, really pissed off. "Adrien must have been feeling more depressed and sad than he ever has other than the day this mom actually went missing. What he needed were support and friends. And what does Marinette do? Take advantage of his vulnerability to try and confess her so-called love to him. What type of person does that to someone when they are vulnerable like that?"

"What do you think we should do," Juleka asked the Flower Princess, who was definitely not looking very much like her nickname at that moment.

"I think... I think we need to tell Adrien everything we know," Vallia stated.

"WHAT," Juleka yelled, probably rocking the entire houseboat when she did. "Are you serious? This could destroy Adrien. He sees Marinette as one of his best friends. If he finds out what she's done, this could destroy him and his ability to trust others."

"You are correct about that, Juleka," Vallia sighed. "But, it's better than leaving him in the dark. If he doesn't know, then he will continue to hang out with Marinette. He will continue to sit in front of her in class. And most importantly, he will be unable to avoid Alya's attempts to get him and Marinette together since he would have no clue that they would even be attempts to do that."

"It would fuel more into Marinette's obsession with him," Juleka knew that Vallia did have a point. "But, would Adrien be able to properly recover from something he would probably see as the ultimate betrayal?"

"If he has real friends with him, he could," Vallia says. "Friends that he would know in his heart would never treat him like that. It will be hard for him, but it will be better once he has an actual support system."

"Should we tell any of the others," Juleka asked her. "None of the other girls would ever get on board with this, but what about the guys? Or those outside our class?"

"I tell Lyon everything and he is a good friend to Adrien," Vallia knew she could trust her twin. "So, he would definitely be my first choice to help us protect Adrien."

"I have noticed that he does not like Marinette or Alya very much," Juleka showed how observant she was again. "And since you two are also rich, Adrien would know that neither of you would even dream of trying to use him for your own gain."

Vallia nodded again. "What about the other boys, though? I know that Nino pretty much follows Alya's lead when it comes to Adrien and Marinette ending up together."

"I think the guys would actually be on Adrien's side," Juleka says. "They did throw that amazing party that ended up attacked by that Party Crasher akuma."

"Hawkmoth really did not even try to come up with an original name that time," Vallia rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it," Juleka agreed with Vallia.

"Well, we can definitely count on Kim to side with us and Adrien," Vallia said. "He is a lot smarter than people give him credit for."

"It also helps that as your boyfriend, you have probably ranted to him a lot about how much the girls were annoying you and creeping you out," Juleka smirked as she said it.

Vallia blushed. "You're lucky that you're correct and you're too cute for me to slap."

"You love me and you know it," Juleka giggled.

Vallia rolled her eyes again and got back on track.

"Lyon, Kim, and the other guys would certainly be on our side," she said. "While the guys are not as close with each other as the girls are, they are all still friends. And given that Party Crasher party, they obviously also care about Adrien."

"Nathaniel, Marc, Ivan, and Max may not know Adrien as well as Nino, Kim, and Lyon do, but they are still his friends," Juleka said. "Plus, Adrien is also an honorary member of Kitty Section even when he can not play with us because of his contract with Gabriel Fashion, so that does make Ivan loyal to him since he sees Adrien as a bandmate."

"Adrien has also actually been helping Nathaniel and Marc with their comic," Vallia tells her. "It turns out that Adrien loves anime, so when Nathaniel and Marc were having difficulties thinking of how to draw updated costumes for Ladybug and Cat Noir, Adrien helped them get some ideas by using his anime knowledge."

"I am... not actually surprised that Adrien loves anime," Juleka giggled.

"It does actually make sense," Vallia says. "Given that Gabriel is about as neglectful as a father can get, Adrien would probably have been raised more by Disney, cartoons, and anime than he would have been by his own father."

"Does Lyon still have that folder of evidence that he plans to use to get Adrien out of that house when it gets too much for Adrien," Juleka asked her.

"That folder has become a binder because of how much evidence that Lyon has gathered," Vallia stated. "He is waiting for the day when Gabriel pushes Adrien too hard. And given Gabriel hiring Lila when that girl is the least likely person to be a model ever, it won't be long. I mean, have you seen her hair? She looks like she has sausages dangling from her head. And that is not even touching on the fact that burnt orange is one of the WORST colors ever."

Juleka could not stop herself from laughing when Vallia said that. She may be known as the Flower Princess, but she could definitely be savage when she wanted to be. It was probably one of the few things that actually made people realize that Lyon and Vallia were siblings. Both of them could seriously smack talk like nobody's business. Neither of them started fights, but they sure as hell ended them with how great they are at verbally slapping people. Not even Chloe ever tried messing with them.

"So, we will most likely have all the boys on our side other than Nino," Juleka summarized.

Vallia nodded. "Do you think that we should try and get adults on our side as well? I mean, adults would probably be able to do more than a group of normal teens."

Juleka thought for a moment. "I... I'm not sure who we should get on our side in terms of adults. Since there will probably be legal stuff involved with his, my Ma is out. I love her, but everyone knows how much my Ma and Sabrina's dad do not get along."

"That's an understatement," Vallia knew very well how much the pirate mom and the policeman hate each other. "My dad is also out as well since he still speaks very little French. There has to be someone we can go to."

"This is definitely making me realize how much the authority figures in our lives have let us down," Juleka says. "Bustier is a nice teacher, but it is a toxic form of nice since he is always letting the bullies get away with their behavior while telling their victims to forgive the bullies even when the bullies are not sorry at all. And we all know that when it comes to Damocles, he is about as spineless as a person can get. Especially to those with money."

"Though, in a case like this, that can work in our favor," Vallia admitted. "Adrien, Lyon, and I are all rich, so Damocles would bend over backward to help us."

"Well, it would be less of helping us and more just doing what we want," Juleka said.

"Same difference," Vallia stated.

"I honestly think the best we can do is protect Adrien as best we can on our own," Juleka admitted. "Since Gabriel would probably just end up pulling Adrien from school, which is the last thing Adrien would want, we are definitely not getting him involved. Plus, I highly doubt that Bustier would do anything since she is always preaching about 'love' and 'friendship' and everything else that makes her sound like a kindergarten teacher."

"That woman has on the biggest rose-tinted glasses that I have ever seen in my life," Vallia shook her head. "It doesn't really help with the fact that it is a boy that is the victim. Gender equality may have come a long way, but that doesn't stop how guys are often ignored whenever they are the victims of a girl. During any type of rape prevention lesson, people are always talking about girls needing to protect themselves, but they hardly mention boys as anything other than the bad guy in any scenario. Guys can be victims just like girls can. Just like how you just told me how Luka has previously had stalkers."

Juleka nodded sadly. "I have seen firsthand how hard it is for guys to get any type of justice against a female assailant. Luka had to give so much evidence against the girls that no one could deny that he was actually the victim."

"It really is going to be up to us to protect Adrien," Vallia said.

But that was when Juleka's bedroom door opened suddenly, making both of the girls nearly jump out of their skin. Thankfully, it was just Luka. But, from the look on his face, they both guessed that he might have heard what they were talking about. And from how his eyes looked, he seemed to have been crying as well. Juleka knew that Luka had been crushing on Marinette. So, hearing them talk about the type of person she really is must have been like a punch to the heart.

"Luka..." Juleka tried to talk.

"How can I help," was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Vallia smiled as they gained their first ally to protect Adrien.

*****

To say that the boys were confused would be an understatement. Luka had texted Ivan, saying that he had wanted him to come to the Liberty to look at a new song he wrote. Kim was texted by Vallia, asking him to come to the Liberty with Max so that Luka and Juleka could also play Max's akuma villain game. Nathaniel and Marc were texted by Juleka, asking them to come over since she had an idea for their comic. Lyon had just come with his sister simply because Vallia told him what was going on. She did have to lock up his bow and arrows to keep him from going after Marinette, Alya, and the rest of the Girl Squad.

The boys were all sitting in the living room of the Liberty, which actually was a lot cozier than others would think given how much Anarka really did act like a pirate. Often saying how making a mess was a way of life to her. But even then, the houseboat really was a cozy and fun place to visit. Or live, in the case of the Couffaine family.

"You guys would not happen to know why we're all here at the same time, would you," Ivan asked the rest of them.

"Unless all of you also wanted to try out my video game, I have a zero percent chance of knowing that is happening," Max said.

"Juleka texted Marc and me, saying that she had an idea for our comic that she thought we would like," Nathaniel says.

"Luka texted me and asked me to check on a song he wrote," Ivan only got more confused.

"Vallia pretty much just dragged me here," Lyon shrugged. "Not until after she locked up my bow and arrows. She gave me a lowdown of what was happening, but I do not have every detail."

"Well, if she didn't let you bring your bow, then it probably has something to do with either Chloe or Lila," Kim chuckled. "They are the only ones other than Hawkmoth that you threaten to shoot with that thing."

"I may not be White Wolf, but I am still perfectly willing to shoot anyone that pushes me too far," Lyon smirked.

He may actually be the wolf miraculous holder, but it helped to say little lies here and there to keep his secret. Vallia also had to do the same thing to keep her identity as Beautifly a secret as well. They did not like lying. But, in some cases, it is just unavoidable where lying is the only thing they can do to keep their loved ones safe.

Vallia, Juleka, and Luka all then walked into the room. Luka took a seat with the rest of the boys as Vallia and his sister stood in front of them all.

"Our apologies for bringing you all here under false pretenses," Vallia started. "But, we needed you all here because we need your help."

"Are you two okay," Kim jumped to his feet, worried for his friend and girlfriend.

"Kim, sweetie, we're fine," Vallia had to gently get him back in his seat. "Juleka and I have talked about it at great length and we... and we need to stop Marinette, Alya, and the other girls."

"Stop them," Marc was confused. "From what?"

"We want to end this entire 'Adrienette' thing," Juleka stated.

"You mean by finally getting them together in order to stop those crazy plans Mylene is always telling me about," Ivan guessed.

"Hades, no," Vallia practically looked insulted at the idea of actually bringing Adrien and Marinette together.

"What we mean is that we feel... No... we KNOW that Marinette is probably the worst person on the planet for Adrien," Juleka had never sounded so blunt in her life.

"Huh," they made all the boys, except Lyon and Luka, get even more confused.

"You all know that when it comes to Adrien, Marinette can be crazy," Vallia said, the boys all nodding at that. "But, Marinette might be literally crazy. Juleka and I have been with the 'Girl Squad' for a while now and both of us have realized that when it comes to Adrien... Marinette is basically a stalker."

The boys all gasped at that. Though, most of them did not look like they believed the girls.

"We know that this may be hard to believe," Vallia started. "Especially since we know that Kim, Max, and Nathaniel have all been with Marinette for years in class. But, this is serious and we are not joking at all. Marinette has gone way too far with her crush. It's not even a real crush anymore. It's an obsession. A really unhealthy obsession."

"What exactly has Marinette done," Lyon asked them. "You did not exactly give me details when you dragged me here, Vallia."

"Marinette has just gone way off the deep end," Vallia says. "She has Adrien's entire schedule written down for the next THREE YEARS! Adrien certainly did not tell her that, because there is no way he would tell anyone his entire schedule for that far into the future. So, Marinette either gathered all the info online or followed him in order to learn it. Either way, it is extremely disturbing."

"Marinette also has gifts for Adrien," Juleka said. "And while that is sweet to think about at first, it is not sweet at all at the lengths she went. These gifts are all labeled, signed, and meant to be given to him for birthdays and Christmas for years to come. Even when he is turning fifty, she has a present for him. It's one thing to want to get someone a present early if they forgot a previous special occasion, but definitely not in the way Marinette does it."

"And while we feel that the girls should have been at least told about the all-boys party you guys wanted to throw for Adrien while his father was away," Vallia started again. "It was still wrong of Marinette to put on a disguise and basically break into Adrien's house that way just to be a part of the party."

"She did what," the boys gasped, having not known Marinette did that.

"Later," Juleka waved her hand to signal that they could talk about that later.

"It's just been made really clear to us that Marinette has gone off the deep end and needs to be kept away from Adrien," Vallia stated. "It's creepy, invasive, obsessive, and there could be a time where she might even end up arrested because of the lengths that she is willing to go to be close to him."

"She... She did only try out for the Mega Strikes tournament because of Adrien," Max remembered. "I will admit that being akumatized into Gamer because I was beaten by a girl was sexist of me, but Marinette had only wanted to be in the tournament because of Adrien."

"She also did try and give Adrien Luka's guitar when Jagged Stone came looking for a new guitarist," Ivan said. "That guitar means everything to Luka and she tried to just give it to Adrien even when she was well aware that Adrien plays piano, not guitar."

"There is also when Kagami's mother was akumatized," Nathaniel says. "Alix told me about how Alya and Marinette had planned for Marinette to sabotage her and Kagami's chances at the Friendship Game just because she was jealous of how close Kagami and Adrien were getting. So, she wanted to stop Kagami from winning the game even when Kagami really was just trying to make friends."

They all could not help but look at Nathaniel in weird ways. They had no idea how he had known Kagami's real reason for joining the game. Especially since they doubted that Alix knew that reason. So, Marc actually spoke up and answered their unasked questions.

"I hang around the fencing team a lot," he explained. "It helps me to write better fight scenes when I actually witness things like that. It's also why I always watch the Ladyblog whenever Alya uploads another akuma fight. So, I actually do know a number of the members of the fencing team, including Kagami. So, I told Nathaniel about it after he learned from Alix what Marinette tried to do."

They all nodded, understanding Marc's reasoning.

"Speaking of Kagami, Vallia and I were also at that movie premiere that Adrien took Kagami to," Lyon said. "We both saw that because of how jealous she got, Marinette actually teamed up with Chloe in order to sabotage Kagami. Kagami might be slightly cold and is also called the 'Ice Queen' by most people, but nobody deserves that kind of treatment."

"Marinette actually teamed up with Chloe," Ivan showed how shocked they all were.

"That is how jealous she gets," Lyon stated. "Only even getting worse when you remember that Kagami has never actually done anything to Marinette in the few times that interacted. It could have gotten a lot worse if Vallia and I had not been secretly interfering with their plans."

"Kagami is nice when you actually get to know her, as Marc has just proven," Vallia says. "So, she definitely did not deserve to be treated like that out of something as stupid as jealousy."

"I also have not gotten over how Marinette and Alya treated Juleka when Marinette tried to start her own website," Luka crossed his arms. "I know that Marinette apologized, but that still does not excuse everything that happened. I have been trying to get Juleka to come out of her shell for a long time. And yet the one time she does, it once again all becomes part of a plan to get Marinette and Adrien together."

Juleka looked at the others in the room. She had not told her brother the full story of what had happened. Both because she knew about his growing crush on Marinette as well as because he was always very protective of her. She knew that Luka would definitely have been pissed if he had learned about everything that had happened. He was a very gentle soul, but he also could raise hell if he was made angry enough. And upsetting his loved ones was really the only way to make him that angry.

"Alright, which one of you told him about that," she asked the group.

Without any hesitation, Lyon was the one that raised his hand.

"I regret nothing," he stated.

"I should have known," Juleka facepalmed.

"Well, I happen to agree that it was very wrong with how they treated you," Lyon stated. "No offense, but you are still a very naturally shy person. So, actually volunteering to model is a big step for you. That only makes it worse that you were basically forgotten by them the moment that Adrien was brought into the picture."

"That definitely seems to be a thing with Marinette," Vallia stated. "Whenever Adrien is involved, I don't think that she can see or notice anything else."

"And being honest, I doubt Marinette would ever actually have any chance with Adrien," Juleka, of all people, said.

That certainly got their attention. Of all people in the room, they did not think that it would be Juleka out of all of them that would say something like that. As someone that had been in the same class as Juleka for quite a few years, Kim had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"As much as I agree with you, Juleka, what makes you say it," Lyon asked her.

Juleka looked shy at all the attention on her, but she answered anyway.

"Well, it has been almost a full year since we have all met Adrien," Juleka explained. "Even those that were excited, shocked, or nervous about sharing a class with a known teen model, we have all calmed down and seen him as a person. But, Marinette has not changed at all about him. She is still a complete stuttering mess that can not form a single real sentence when talking to him. I don't think that she sees Adrien as anything other than the perfect model that his father makes him be all the time."

"I actually agree with Juleka about that," Nathaniel says. "It turns out that Kagami is really great at drawing. So, Adrien has been taking her to the art club, lately. He is always doing his best to get her to laugh because of how serious Kagami always is. He likes to joke around, make puns, and is generally probably one of the biggest anime fans that I have ever met. He is the complete opposite of the 'perfect model' that Marinette fell in 'love' with."

"If what she does is love, then I am glad most girls are scared away by my Ice Prince persona," Lyon stated.

"It also helps that you are gay," Vallia added.

"That too," Lyon agreed with his twin.

It was definitely shocking just how much this situation was causing. But nothing was more shocking than how it was causing Juleka and Nathaniel, the two most quiet people in their entire class, to be the ones that were being the most vocal about Marinette and her obsession. Though, they guessed that being so quiet meant that they definitely could see things that others did not because no one ever notices quiet ones like them.

"So, what exactly are we going to do," Ivan asked Juleka and Vallia since they were obviously the ones in charge of all of this.

"And why is Nino not here," Kim asked. "Shouldn't he also be here since this clearly involves his best friend?"

"We would have invited him, but he knows about everything that Marinette and Alya have done and yet never did anything about it," Vallia says. "For all that he says that he cares about Adrien and is his best friend, he certainly does not seem to care about how obviously obsessive that Marinette is."

The boys did not look as convinced as they had been when talking about Marinette's faults. But, at the same time, they did not really have any evidence to argue against them.

"As for what we are going to do," Vallia started. "We have talked about it and we feel that Adrien needs to be told everything that has been going on."

That was definitely a shock to the guys. They were all aware of how nice Adrien was, even to the point where he was a little naive, so they did not think he would react very well to hearing about this. They worried about how Adrien would react when he would be told.

"Are you two sure that he should be told," Luka asked them. "I know that I probably know Adrien the least out of everyone here since I am not in your class, but even I know this will definitely hit him really hard."

"It is a risk, but Adrien deserves to know," Vallia stated. "If Adrien doesn't know, he will still hang out with Nino, Alya, and Marinette. And that would usually end up with him landing right in the middle of probably even more 'Adrinette' plans that the Girl Squad will set up."

"As much as this will probably hurt Adrien, it is better he learns this now rather than later," Lyon agreed with his sister. "And as long as we let Adrien know that we are his real friends, that will definitely help him heal from the damage that learning about all of this will cause him."

The group all nodded, knowing that it was the truth. They just hoped that Adrien would not be akumatized over it. Because they were sure that if he was, then he would probably become the strongest akuma that Hawkmoth would have ever created.

*****

It turned out worse than an akuma. Adrien was a complete and utter wreck who seemed to have shut down everything other than his tears.

He was currently sandwiched between Luka and Lyon as the two boys were doing their best to comfort him. While it was Juleka and Vallia that had told him, their brothers had come along to be able to be there for the blond since they knew he would react like this. And Adrien definitely needed it.

Almost as soon as Vallia and Juleka were done, Adrien looked on the verge of either passing out or breaking down. Through a very shaky tone, he asked if they had proof of what they were saying. Neither of the girls was offended since they understood that Adrien really would want proof of someone he considered a great friend acting like that before he made any real decisions.

It was a good thing that Vallia had taken photos of everything in order to have proof. She showed Adrien everything she had. Marinette's wall of pictures of him, of the entire schedule she had for him, all of the presents, and there was also a video that she took when Marinette had been on one of her rants about their "future" together. Adrien had lasted about two seconds after seeing all of it before completely breaking down.

Lyon and Luka both comforted Adrien as best they could, understanding that someone like Adrien probably just had his heart completely broken. This was probably the first time that he ever really felt a sting of betrayal like this. Not even just from Marinette, but also from Alya, Nino, and the other girls in their class as well.

"I don't... I can't... Why did... How could..." Adrien could not form a single sentence as he sobbed.

"We knew that we had to tell you the moment that we knew Marinette had gone too far," Vallia tells him. "We couldn't let this continue."

"We are so sorry about this, Adrien," Juleka says. "You do not deserve to be treated like this by those you call friends. You are a person, not some type of prize to be won."

"I just... I have always talked about how much I hate fangirls and fanatics in general," Adrien managed to actually talk. "There have been times where girls have often tried sneaking onto photoshoots or breaking into my dressing room. Some have even tried stalking me to the point of attempting to break into the mansion. They terrify me. How could they do this to me?"

"We can try and sugar coat it for you, but that would not be helpful at all," Lyon said. "The only answer that we can give in general would be that Marinette has always had this obsession with you. And with you ending up in the same class as her, it only ended up with the obsession growing."

"You have made it clear that you want a normal life," Luka says. "I have heard from both you and your real friends how much you hate modeling. Your song is also very telling about how much you crave and hope for a normal life."

"I've just grown so tired of it all," Adrien looked and sounded so exhausted of his life. "I'm tired of running from crowds of fans, tired of having to be perfect all the time just to please my father, tired of having to look over my shoulder to see if anyone is following me, tired of never being able to hang out with my friends like a normal teen. I would give anything to be normal."

"We know that, and you have told them that, but the real problem was that they just refused to listen," Vallia said.

"You deserve better than that," Lyon tells him. "Vallia and I know more than others how hard it is to always be in the spotlight. People want to get close to us just so they might get either one of the gems in our family vault, an exotic animal from the sanctuary as a pet, or a rare plant. It's the hardest thing to really find those that want to be around us for no reason at all."

"We wanted you to know that we would be here for you," Luka says.

"I don't... know what to do," Adrien admitted. "While I have had stalkers in the past, this is the first time that it is someone I actually know."

"You do not have to do anything," Juleka places a hand on his shoulder. "We are going to be here to keep them away from you."

"I guess you can call us the Adrien Protection Squad," Vallia giggled.

"Did Lyon already threaten to shoot them with arrows," Adrien managed a small chuckle.

"I wanted to, but Vallia wouldn't let me bring my bow and arrows when she and Juleka told us about everything that was going on," Lyon admitted. "They are lucky that I am not White Wolf. Otherwise, we would be looking at some new ice statues in town."

Vallia had to convince her brother not to use his hero identity to seek revenge. Lyon had been very tempted to. If there is one thing that a wolf does, it's protect its pack. Over time, most miraculous users do tend to get more like the animal that their miraculous is themed after. It is one of the reasons why Vallia is always so good with plants given her butterfly qualities. So, Lyon was getting more like a wolf every day. Those like Ladybug, Cat Noir, Hawkmoth, and Mayura have not used their miraculous long enough for the same side effects to happen to them.

"You can be scary sometimes," Luka says. "I hope that you know that."

"Says the guy that can hear the heart songs of everyone he comes across," Lyon countered. "I've met empaths before and they are no joke."

"I think that it is really clear that we are the normal ones in our families," Vallia tells Juleka, who giggled in response.

"My mom thinks that she is a pirate on top of my brother being an empath," Juleka says. "I've always known that I am the normal one."

Adrien was able to smile at how they were all interacting with each other. Them being so normal was helping him adjust to what he had just learned about his other supposed friends. They were not treating him as if he was made of glass nor were they treating him with pity. Yes, they were worried about him and wanted him safe, but they did not do it in a way that made him feel as if he could not take care of himself.

"School is tomorrow," Adrien suddenly says. "I don't... I don't think that I can normal around any of them."

"You don't need to be," Vallia said. "You just try and go about your day as normally as possible while the rest of us run interference. But at the same time, you do not have to hide how you feel about them. You are your own person and they do not have the right to try and force you to be with Marinette just because she is obsessed with you and yet they only see it as a simple crush."

"You have no need to worry as long as the rest of us are around," Lyon tells him.

"Thanks, guys," Adrien smiled at them.

*****

The next day at school, it was definitely obvious to a lot of people outside of Bustier's class that something had changed for the nicknamed "Akuma Class." They saw that except for Nino, every other guy in the class almost seemed to form a barrier around Adrien as soon as the teen model arrived.

After having been given permission from Adrien to tell others, Marc told his friends Aurore, Ondine, Jean, and Mirelle from his class about what was going on. They all agreed to help keep Adrien away from Marinette and the other members of the "Girl Squad" during things like lunch, recess, and other general things where all classes were together instead of separated.

Even in the actual classroom, things had definitely changed. While being supported by Vallia and Lyon, Adrien went to Bustier and requested to change where he was seated. When he told their teacher that he was no longer comfortable where he was sitting, or with who he was sitting close to, she allowed him to change where he was sitting. Adrien chose to sit in the back, next to Lyon.

Adrien moving also had the rest of his "protection squad" moving as well. Vallia, who had been previously next to her brother, moved to be next to Juleka in front of where Lyon and Adrien now were. Max and Kim sat in front of them while they allowed Chloe and Sabrina to stay in their usual seats in the front. Nathanial and Ivan were not sitting next to each other at the desk on the other side of the aisle from where Lyon and Adrien were. They wanted to keep all the girls that remained in the Girl Squad away from Adrien.

It was definitely a shock to the rest of the class when they came in. Chloe looked like she wanted to say something since she was farther away from Adrien than before. But one look from Adrien made her be quiet. Marinette was the one that looked the most upset. If it was not for the fact that she had made it to class with barely a minute to spare, she could not come up to Adrien to ask why he and the other guys had moved.

Rose also looked upset because Juleka had nothing to say about Vallia taking her place next to the goth. Lyon's icy glare also did not go missed by them at all. And since he got back his bow and arrows from where his sister had hidden them, he was a lot more dangerous.

When their class had ended, Marinette had almost made a complete beeline for Adrien. But the guys had rushed Adrien out so quickly that he had basically been a blur. Lyon, Vallia, and Juleka all stayed behind so that they could confront the other girls over what was now going to be happening from now on.

They kept the girls in the classroom, only allowing Chloe and Sabrina to leave since they were not involved in the girl squad drama.

"We have something to say to you all," Vallia said.

The girls were definitely shocked. Especially since for the first time since they had known her, Juleka was standing tall and proud. There was barely a hint of her usual shyness.

"What are you talking about," Alya was the one to ask them.

"We are talking about how you all have gotten way too far when it comes to Marinette's obsession with Adrien," Vallia answered.

"I am not obsessed," Marinette looked like she wanted to yell at them, but did not. "I'm in love with him. There is nothing wrong with love."

"If what you have been doing is love, then I want no part in that," Juleka stated.

"Juleka, why would you say such a thing," Rose looked hurt and shocked. "Marinette and Adrien will be so beautiful together."

"That fantasy is going to stay a fantasy," Lyon crossed his arms. "I have met my fair share of stalkers in the past, but you all take the cake. Especially you, Marinette."

"Stalker! How dare you call my bestie a stalker," Alya looked ready to punch Lyon.

"He's calling it as he sees it," Vallia said. "Besides, there is no better way to describe Marinette. The wall of pictures, the screensaver on her computer and her phone, the box of presents, the schedule. She is a stalker and you are all doing nothing but enabling that toxic behavior."

"I am not a stalker," Marinette protested. "I did all of that because I love him. He is just so perfect in every..."

"He doesn't want to be perfect," Juleka interrupted her. "Adrien has said time and time again that he hates everything his father makes him do, especially making him act perfect all the time just because it is 'good for the brand.' He would do anything to just be normal."

"It's awful that you have the gall to claim that you love him when you do not even seem to care about what he wants," Vallia says. "Everything that you have done that you say is because you love him is all the same stuff that a stalker would say. They all claim to be in love with their targets with most of them even delusional about being in a relationship with them. Just like your made-up fantasy future with him."

"You're crazy," Lyon was blunt, to say the least. "If I had been Adrien, I would have moved the other side of the planet to get away from people like you."

Marinette had the gall to look like she was gonna cry at the things they were saying. Alya comforted her while glaring at the three of them.

"I can not believe that you three are acting like this," she was definitely pissed. "After everything we did to get Marinette and Adrien together."

"Have you ever once tried to ask about what Adrien might want," Juleka also crossed her arms. "Did it ever cross your minds that Adrien has a say in this as well? He might not even be interested in her that way. And considering how often he calls her 'just a friend,' then I say that he has already made his feelings really clear."

"Just because he is a guy does not mean he has to automatically be into Marinette simply because she is a girl that likes him," Lyon stated. "He is allowed to like her that way or not. And I highly doubt that he is going to want to have anything to do with her from now on."

"What did you do," Marinette shouted at them.

"We told Adrien everything," Vallia said.

"WHAT," the rest of the Girl Squad yelled.

"Why would you do such a thing," Mylene looked so shocked and scared.

"For someone that thinks that Marinette and Adrien are made for each other, you sure look scared about him learning about your actions," Lyon said.

"What you had done was not okay in any way, shape, or form," Vallia continued. "Everything that you have done is nothing other than showing that we are right about you being a stalker that is obsessed with Adrien. So, yes, we told him everything."

"And just as we knew what would happen, he was horrified, betrayed, and probably the most upset that we have ever seen him," Juleka says. "His heart was broken when he found out what you all had done. Especially Marinette. He thought she was a really good friend, but he now has seen her true colors."

"What you did was not cool," Alix glared at them.

"What was not cool was everything you guys and Marinette have done," Lyon said. "Not even just all the matchmaking plans, the schedule, and the presents, but everything else as well. Marinette, you teamed up with CHLOE because you were jealous of Kagami. Kagami never did anything to you and yet you tried to sabotage her because Adrien likes her."

"She is not the right girl for him," Marinette tried to protest.

"That is not for you to decide," Lyon yelled at her. "Adrien is his own person with his own desires. If he wants to like Kagami, then he has every right to. Especially if she likes him back. Real love is a two-way street."

"And what you did during the anniversary of his mother's disappearance was awful," Vallia said. "That was the day he needed our love and support the most. But you then made it all about you by taking advantage of his vulnerability in order to send a confession message to him. As much as we hate his other actions, Felix deleting those videos was the best thing he probably ever did in his life. Adrien did not deserve to have your selfish actions make that day even worse for him."

"I can't believe you three turned your back on us like this," Alya looked like she really wanted to punch them.

"I love him," Marinette was still showing her delusional state of mind. "I haven't done anything wrong."

"The sad part about that is how you actually believe all of that," Juleka said.

"Adrien knows everything," Lyon reminds them. "You are just lucky he doesn't want to bring up charges, which he is legally allowed to do because of your actions. Hopefully Adrien will actually be able to heal from this with the rest of us helping him."

"Time to wake up and smell the roses of reality," Vallia tells the girls. "Your ship had not only sank but it was sucked into a whirlpool never to see the light of day again."

The three of them then left the classroom, leaving the girls to try to plan more things to get Adrien and Marinette together. All plans that will be doomed to fail.

Not, the three only had one thing left to worry about.

And that would be trying to figure out how to stop Kagami from killing the entire Girl Squad when she learns what they did.

#ml salt #miraculous fandom #original character #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #alya salt #original miraculous #marinette salt #adrien x kagami #girl squad salt

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haphira · 2 years

Text

Marinette’s Hanahaki By: Haphira

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Marinette sagged onto a chair on the deck, the river breeze refreshing compared to the stifling silence she just left. Luka left her in the chair and grabbed a glass of water for her to drink. Marinette took it from him with a grateful smile and slowly drained the cup.

Luka hovered for a moment waiting for her to finish the first glass before refilling it. After handing Marinette the second glass which she sipped on slowly, Luka pulled up a crate and sat down in front of her.

“How are you feeling?” Concern colored his voice but he spoke softly. Marinette hummed and looked down.

“I’m tired and feeling drained. Whenever I have bouts of Hanahaki it always takes a lot out of me. Since I’ve been dealing with this for so long… well there are side effects.” Luka’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What kind of side effects?” He asked.

“Well, I’ve developed a shortness of breath, I can’t get as much oxygen as I used to. And I think my muscles have become weaker, they haven't started deteriorating yet, but it’s on the list.”

Luka clenched his hands closed, his knuckle turning white while he breathed in slowly and exhaled harshly.

“Marinette, this can’t go on.”

“I know,” Marinette said quietly.

“You could end up being hospitalized if things get any worse. I don’t want to see you waste away in a hospital bed.” Luka unclenched his fist and ruffled his hand through his hair.

“What can I do to help you?” Luka looked earnestly at her. Marinette’s mouth opened in shock. She really wasn’t used to people taking care of her.

“I-I don’t know? You have been doing more than anyone else has tried.” Marinette said. She took another sip and a still silence fell between them.

“Melody, you deserve so much more than that.” Luka reached out a hand, palm up, an invitation for her to take it. Luka was always giving and asking permission even for the little things, it made Marinette tear up. She took his hand and lightly squeezed it.

“Just keep believing in me, and being here. It means a lot to me. You aren’t asking me for any gifts or favors. You aren’t demanding answers that I don’t want to give, and-” Marinette paused, she could feel an itch on her neck but ignored it.

“And you don’t presume to know what is best for me, you ASK me and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. To have agency over myself and have someone respect the boundaries I put.” Marinette sighed. And looked back into her half full cup.

“I have one more thing to say to them then, could you walk me home? I’ll be exhausted after I’m done.” Marinette asked Luka, Luka smiled lightly, squeezing her hand and stood up.

“For you, I’ll walk the length of the earth if you wish.” Luka gently tugged Marinette up and made sure she was steady before letting her hand go. A flicker of sadness passed on both of their faces but neither noticed the other’s.

Marinette and Luka walked back to his and Juleka’s room where everything was quiet. Marinette opened the door and everyone jumped to their feet all talking at once.

“Quiet!” Marinette yelled, getting everyone’s attention.

“I have one last thing to say to you before I go home. You all hurt me. And I’m not ready to hear any apologies right now,” Alya got a look on her face when Marinette said that.

“I need space and time from you all. When I’m ready I’ll let you know when we can talk again.” Marinette stated calmly. She looked at everyone in the room, most had ashamed and sad faces, but Alya looked mad.

“Alya,” Marinette said, the command in her voice gave everyone a start. “If you don’t heed my words, and listen to the boundary I set, then consider this: I will break up our friendship.” Alya looked sick but didn’t say anything.

“That goes for the rest of you too, if you hound me before I’m willing to talk then I will break our friendship.” Marinette sighed, “I am saying all this so you take me seriously, I don’t want to end any friendships with the people in this room, but if you don’t respect me then I will. I’m done being treated the way you all have been treating me, and it ends now.” Marinette stood firm and turned to leave. She didn’t see what happened but Marinette noticed that Luka was between her and Alya, who was much closer than where she was before.

“Listen, for once in your life, to what Marinette said and take the time to think about your actions and the way you have been treating her.”

Alya looked mad again but glanced at Marinette who turned her head to see what was going on. Alya looked conflicted before she spoke, “But, Marinette-”

“I’m serious Alya, if you hound me about this, about my Hanahaki, about the apologies owed to me, I will break our friendship.” With that Marinette faced the door and stepped out not looking back once until she was back on the deck.

Luka was smiling fondly at her, which made Marinette blush in response.

“Do you think-”

“It was necessary, Marinette, I hate that you had to go to that extreme, but I don’t think that… everyone… would have listened otherwise.” Luka said. Marinette got the feeling that “everyone” wasn’t the word he wanted to use but she appreciates him trying to be diplomatic.

Luka and Marinette grasped hands once again, both slightly blushing at the contact but neither pulled away.

“Take me home?” Marinette looked up to ask Luka, his heart stopped a moment at how beautiful she looked.

“Of course, Melody.” Luka replied, his voice strained a little and cleared his throat.

Luka thought Marinette wouldn’t accept a compliment about how beautiful she looked right now, so he ended up not saying anything, but it didn’t stop him from stealing glances at her after off-boarded the Liberty. Throughout the walk to Marinette’s place, Luka and Marinette lightly chatted about nothing and stole glances at each other when the other wasn’t looking. It was a calm and peaceful night, Marinette realized with a start that she hadn’t had one of those in a while.

Once they reached the doorstep of the apartment building Marinette and her family lived at, they both paused. Luka brushes back a stray hair while Marinette stares at him with red cheeks, Luka bends down and asks, “May I give you a cheek kiss, Marinette?”

Marinette’s face was on fire at this point but she squeaks out a yes and nods. Luka slowly bends down and lightly kisses Marinette. When Luka straightens up he sighs and gives Marinette a wistful soft smile.

“Good night Marinette, I hope to see you again soon.”

Marinette nods, “Yeah, soon…”

Luka waits until Marinette closes the door behind her before he starts heading back to the Liberty, his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie and starts humming Marinette’s heartsong.

Marinette collapsed on her bed with a big sigh, with everything that happened that night she was beyond tired. She felt like things were settling down now, even after the hurricane of emotions and events that happened at the Liberty, she realized it was a long time coming. Marinette needed things to change, and now she was confident that they would, one way or another. After settling down to sleep and whispering Tikki goodnight, Marinette fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

#hanahaki #hanahaki with a twist #alya salt #girl squad salt #Pro Lukamari #pro lukanette #lukanette #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fandom

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jasontoddssuper · 11 months

Text

Momo Yaoyorozu is Marinette Dupain-Cheng but Todoroki Shouto is NOT a Adr///ien A///greste.For starters,Shouto is a king of color,Adr///ien is a blonde ass white boy who's writers had him teach a chinese girl her own language.For seconds,Shouto refuses to repeat the cycle of his abuse his dad started,Adr///ien wouldn't know what consent was is if it beat his ass in akumatized form.For thirds,Shouto is goth in every way but physical,Adr///ien dresses like the obligatory comphet crush on a middle school dramedy and just has no swag period.For FOURTHS-

#todomomo is nothing like LS they're literally twinnin' lukanette so hard tf y'all on😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#momo yaoyorozu #marinette dupain-cheng #todoroki shouto #adrien salt #todomomo #t4t todomomo #todomomo protection squad #antiadrienette #anti f////elinette too shipping a biracial girl with her assaulter is fucking gross💀#bnha geekery #marinette sugar #pro todoroki shouto #my marinette and momo are blasian and my shouto is part bangladeshi on rei's side + they're all trans bi and autistic #letters from summer #aizawa dont look

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goggles-mcgee · 2 years

Text

Replaced: She’s a Star Now

Newest chapter in the story for @miner249er

Beginning

Last Chapter Next Chapter

Summary: The girls decided they were overdue for a hang out in their favorite park. Rose was delighted but the park and small things kept reminding her of their former friend Marinette. She knew she missed the girl but she would never admit it to the others and a big part of her hoped the girl missed them. If she did it certainly wasn't enough to set aside whatever she had against Lila. But Rose was an optimist, that is until she saw just how much they were missed.

__________________

The Jardins des Tuileries was truly the Girl Squad’s favorite park to hang out in. It was picturesque and made Rose feel like she was in a fairytale no matter what direction she looked. It always made her feel unbelievably happy when they had the time to visit and just have the day to relax and do whatever they had planned. Though it had been a while since they had been able to go due to Lila’s busy schedule and since they deemed it ‘Their’ spot, none of the girls wanted to go to the park without their sweet Italian friend. To be honest though Rose did feel guilty that they were there considering that said friend wasn’t even in Paris that weekend. Lila apparently had some sort of party to go to that she couldn’t miss considering the host was a close personal friend. They all understood of course but they had been bummed out since they had planned a day in their park, but Lila, ever the kind soul, said they could go without her and have fun since they had already had everything planned. She had looked sad at giving her permission and at first they hadn’t wanted to go without her but Alya had been in a mood lately and they wanted to cheer her up with some good old fashioned girl time.

Their favorite journalist had lit up when they had talked about visiting the park and truly it had been awhile since all of them could hang out and not just in smaller groups. That was why they had all been so excited and put their everything into planning and working around everyone’s schedules, Lila had even been free! But then she remembered that party a little last minute but Rose could never be frustrated with her like she knew some of the girls had been at the news. It wasn’t Lila’s fault she had a bad memory, apparently she used to have a photographic memory but because of an accident that occurred when she saved the lives of an elderly couple, she had lost her photographic memory and had problems remembering things ever since. Rose had helpfully reminded the girls about that before they got too frustrated and just like that they had let it go, not that they had said anything to Lila but Rose didn’t want there to be tension when Lila got back from her small trip.

Rose knew there was tension anyway and the source was Alya. No one knew what was wrong but after the interview Ladybug did on Aurore and Mireille’s blog the reporter had been in a mood. At first Rose had been like most of the class and thought it was because Ladybug and Chat Noir were no longer partners but something told her that was not the issue. Contrary to what a lot of others thought of her, Rose’s head was not constantly in the clouds and she could be observant. Alya had many signs when she was in distress over her favorite hero duo, her hands were either ink stained or still had her compression gloves on them after a long night(s) of writing or typing, she tended to wear worn t-shirts rather than her beloved flannels and she always had this fire in her eye. There was no fire this time. Her hands were still ink stained, but her nails were bitten. She was wearing the worn t-shirts, but it was the same shirt days in a row. Then there were her eyes. Oh her eyes.

Rose loved peoples’ eyes, she knew how creepy that sounded but she was very much a believer of the saying that eyes were the windows to the soul. If she could draw she would have sketchbooks full of her favorite people’s eyes in her life. Her all time favorite eyes were Juleka’s even if she hid them behind her hair, she sighed as she thought about her best friend who seemed to be more busy as of late. She missed the girl’s honey-hued eyes, but she understood that her friend had things to do, but those eyes held everything her shy friend couldn’t say. They lit up with joy, practically sparkling like the amber pieces she hid in her treasure chest in her room on her boat. When Juleka was angry, Rose thought her eyes resembled one lone piece of yellow apatite that was in the same treasure chest as the amber. Honestly Rose could go on and on about Juleka’s eyes, or really any one of her friend’s, the point was she saw how dull Alya’s eyes were and that was never a word she would use to describe Alya’s eyes. Ever.

Even now, they were dull as all of them started setting up their picnic. She pretended well enough though Rose observed, as it seemed like no one else noticed the too-wide smile Alya had painted on or the tense way she held her shoulders. Or maybe they had and they were just like Rose, holding their observations to themselves. Either way, they just wanted to have a nice time and bringing up whatever was bringing Alya down was sure to bring the whole group down. It sounded cruel but that’s just how they operated. They hung out and had fun until the end of their planned outing and that’s when they would bring up anything bothering them, so Rose would be patient and wait till the end of their hang-out to ask Alya and be there if her friend needed comfort. It felt weird to wait because she really wanted to know if her friend was okay and what was troubling her and waiting and not asking made her feel this crushing weight of guilt.

Thinking about it, this hadn’t been how they used to do things in the group. When it was Marinette with them they had no problem asking what was troubling each other or simply bringing up their own troubles because they knew they could talk it out or have the group distract them. Rose could admit to herself that she missed how the group was and she could also admit it was because of Marinette that the group used to be so open and wonderful. Marinette made them all feel like their troubles weren’t as big as they felt they were in a good way, she was a shoulder to cry on and you could always count on that no matter what, and she was always determined to help or fix whatever the issue was. Rose missed Marinette, she would admit that to herself because she could admit it to no one else, she missed those blue-bell eyes. They never spoke about her anymore and to be honest, Rose hadn’t thought about her in a while.

Her heart clenched at the thought. That used to be one of her best friends. They used to gush about the latest romance movies and the latest installments of the C-dramas they followed thanks to Marinette’s Mom's love of them. They used to have sleepovers, one-on-one and with the group that was made all the more fun and cozy by Marinette’s parents letting them bake their own sweets. Marinette used to help Rose pick out the perfect stickers for her scrapbook no matter how long Rose took, she had been endlessly patient with her. Marinette had been one of the first people she wanted to show a finished song or poem to because her excitement and joy were so infectious. Marinette was kind, compassionate, loving, loyal, and overall wonderful. She had been a great friend, one Rose had thought she had known and one she had ultimately lost. No, not lost, Rose and the others had pushed her away, but all the blame couldn’t be put on them. Marinette had been extremely rude to Lila and had continued to do so and make the girl feel awkward and unwelcome so they simply stopped…everything. They stopped talking to her, they stopped hanging out with her or inviting her to hang out and slowly the hole she had left had been filled by Lila.

It’s not like they had meant for it to go on for so long. They had genuinely thought that Marinette would cave and apologize for her behavior towards Lila and that they would all get past it and become friends. Marinette was a lot of things but they had forgotten, she was also incredibly stubborn. She thought she was right so there was no proving her otherwise despite them telling her how good a person Lila was and all her charitable deeds, it was like it went in one ear and out the other. It had been frustrating until eventually they forgot, it sounded awful when Rose thought about it but they well and truly forgot about what they had been doing and in the process they had forgotten about Marinette. They were having so much fun welcoming Lila and then just being her friend! She always had amazing stories to tell and advice to give, she had connections that she graciously promised to make for them, and she was such a strong and kind person despite life making things hard on her with chronic illnesses and such.

“What’s going on in that head of yours Pinkie Pie?” Alix’s voice pulled Rose from her thoughts.

“Oh nothing, just got lost in a stray thought is all. It’s a beautiful day today isn’t it?” Rose deflected as she did best.

“Very! I’m just glad it’s not as windy as it’s been.” Mylène chirped as she set down a plate of cheeses and sandwich meats on their picnic blanket that Alix brought.

“Oh I know what you mean,” Alix said as she popped a grape into her mouth and placed down her own dish of sliced fruits and bread on the blanket. “My dad nearly had a fit the other day because he had the window open and his paperwork almost escaped with the wind.”

“Poor thing.” Alya giggled behind her hand, it was so good to hear her giggle. She too brought something for the picnic, her mom had made the girls some roasted red pepper tapenade that Rose was especially looking forward to with the baguette Alix had brought. Alya also placed down the Quiche Lorraine they had bought from a traiteur on their way to their spot, at first they had had their hearts set on some tomato tarts despite it not being summer, but the smell of the Quiche Lorraine won them over in the end.

Rose smiled as the girls spoke and placed down the lemon meringue tart she brought as well as the juice. She had bought the tart before they had all started gathering to meet as she was assigned dessert for this particular day. They all took turns to bring the dessert ever since…ever since Marinette was no longer part of the group. No one spoke about it but Rose knew, she knew each time they bit into whatever dessert the others brought that it didn’t compare to anything they could have gotten at Tom and Sabine’s. She felt bad saying that about the new boulangerie & pâtisserie she and her parents went to but she knew it in her heart to be true. Ever since the class cut ties with Marinette, it was awkward to go to Tom & Sabine’s and act like everything was normal and Rose really didn’t have the heart to try and do so. That was when Rose had told her mother about Marinette’s change in character and why she hadn’t been going to Tom & Sabine’s to get her pastries and bread.

Her mother had been upset for her and rather down about not going to Tom & Sabine’s for their goods, they were regulars, but her father hadn’t minded much. He had actually been a little happy to try and find a boulangerie closer to home. He had and luckily it was a boulangerie & pâtisserie just like Tom & Sabine’s but what he didn’t want to admit and what her mother wouldn’t voice out loud was that it was nowhere near as good as the treats they had grown accustomed to. Her mother had begun to not so subtly ask her if things with Marinette were better and Rose wanted to cry every time she asked, because goodness did she want things to be better.

Rose wanted Marinette to be part of the group again, she wanted them to all be together. She wished whatever Marinette thought Lila had done or whatever thing she was jealous of could be resolved so they could all be one big group of friends again. Rose just knew that Marinette and Lila would get along if Marinette would just give the Italian a chance, but Marinette was blinded by her love. Where once Rose would have thought that to be peak romance and devotion, now she found it slightly aggravating. Kind of like all the times their Team Adrienette Plans failed because Marinette couldn’t do what was planned. Rose was a believer in True Love but love still took hard work, her parents were a glowing example for her, so every time a plan failed she couldn’t help but feel like Marinette hadn’t been trying hard enough.

Doubting a friend was always an awful feeling

“I wonder what’s going on over there.” Alya mumbled.

Rose blinked her thoughts away as she turned towards where Alya was looking. It was the bit of the park that was closer to the Place de la Concorde, it seemed like people were evacuating the area but not in a hurry so definitely not an akuma, besides they hadn’t heard the Akuma Alert go off.

“Well this might have something to do with it.” Alix announced as she grabbed a paper off a tree and brought it over to them. “Seems like they are going to be shooting a music video of some kind over there. They rented the space, just that space, not the whole park. So like we can watch from a certain distance if we wanted,”

“Oh that sounds cool!” Mylène said as she too looked over at the spot where people looked like they were setting up tables, trailers and other equipment.

“Did you guys want to go over?” Alya asked.

“Nah. We just set up our picnic, we would have to put everything back and then find a new spot and that just sounds like too much work to do on an empty stomach.” Alix groaned before she sprawled out on the grass next to the blanket.

“To be fair we haven’t taken out everything,” Alya teased as she reached into her lunch bag and brought out a small container, “I forgot to bring out the butter.”

“Alix brings up a good point. What if we eat then go see what the music video is about? I mean they are just setting up right now.” Rose suggested.

“Betsy Bubblegum gets it!” Alix said from her spot on the grass which made Rose laugh, she adored the nicknames Alix came up with for her. They had a good mellow time just enjoying their picnic and Rose couldn’t remember the last time they had had such a peaceful day. Lila just made life so exciting and interesting but it was nice to just be once in a while. Though, she did miss Lila and wished she could have joined them on such a beautiful day.

“Hey girls! Surprise!” Rose perked up when she heard a familiar voice and turned to see Lila walking towards them. She was so happy to see her friend that she jumped up so she could embrace the girl.

“Lila! What are you doing here?” Alya asked, her mouth agape.

“Oh it was the darndest thing.” Lila said with a wave of her hand as she sat on the picnic blanket and got comfortable. “The party for my friend got canceled. I can’t say who they are as you guys know, biiiiiig celebrity who didn’t want anyone to know they are vacationing here in Paris, but poor thing ate something bad I guess and got sick.”

“Oh that’s awful!” Mylène gasped. “Where did they eat?”

“Well, I don’t want to say anything. I’m sure the staff was just having an off day or something…but they said they had gone to eat at Le Grand Paris.” Lila confessed. Rose stiffened when she saw Alya go absolutely rigid, the smile on her face froze. Rose hoped she had heard wrong, because if she didn’t she didn’t like the odds of Alya not exploding at Lila for her comment. Especially because Alya had been off for a while so this was not a normal Alya they were dealing with, this was a stressed Alya.

Alya opened her mouth and Rose braced herself but just before Alya could say anything they all heard Mylène’s soft voice, “Is that Kagami?”

All of them turned so fast to see Kagami who strode over to the part of the park that was being used for the music video. Rose had no idea what she was doing over there but she was pretty sure that was not where she was supposed to be. She could hear Alix fill Lila in over what they were doing over in that spot and how the Italian made a sound of interest. It was with that one sound that they all decided to pack up their things and move closer. As they got closer Rose saw Kagami show a couple security guards-who Rose guessed was with the music video crew-a badge of some kind and was let through.

“I wonder what Kagami is doing over there.” Alya mumbled.

“Well, she is rather pretty, maybe she’s a background dancer or something.” Rose suggested.

“Isn’t she a sword person thingy?” Lila asked. “Not to judge or anything, but why would she be involved in a music video? It just doesn’t seem like something she would be interested in.”

“Well maybe-” Mylène had begun but cut off as they saw another arrival of people they knew walking towards the film location of the music video. This time a known duo. Aurore and Mireille this time walked the path towards the security guards, Aurore was shielding the both of them with her parasol and the two giggled about something. They showed the guards badges and Rose watched in shock as the two made their way over to Kagami and gave the girl a friendly greeting and hugs. Kagami hadn’t even looked awkward nor like she wanted to push them away, she actually looked happy. Genuinely happy.

“They know each other?” Alix asked but no one answered.

“This just got weirder because I’m pretty sure that’s Ondine heading over there as well.” Alya said clearly shocked.

And she was right too. Ondine, with the kind of confidence that Rose envied, strutted over to security guards to show them her badge all the while waving at Kagami, Aurore and Mireille. Once she was given the okay she ran up to the trio and pulled them into a group hug which made the small group break out into giggles. It was such an odd little group that Rose was kind of thrown for a loop as she watched them interact and she could tell her friends were as well. She could see Alya’s fingers flying across her screen texting Kim, probably questioning him about Ondine but as much as Rose loved Kim, she knew he probably had no idea what Ondine was doing there. She was trying to guess what the next surprise was going to be but nothing would have prepared her for seeing Luka and a completely different Marinette.

“Mari…” Alya breathed out when she too saw their former friend.

It was a shock, perhaps the most shocking thing that they had seen yet. She just looked so different from their former friend that it was hard to believe that was who they were seeing walk hand in hand with Luka. For one, her hair seemed to be longer since she had it up in loose space buns, the shock wasn’t that it was longer and they hadn’t noticed, no the shock was the fact the underside of her hair was dyed a light pink. Rose heard the girls muttering something about her looking like a punk or dressing in punk fashion but Rose had sat through many of Marinette’s fashion rants and this looked more grunge than punk but really she was no expert so she wasn’t sure. She had on a well-worn cropped Jagged Stone tank top that was most likely Luka’s judging from the size, underneath that was a pale pink tank top to cover any skin that would have been showing from the over-shirt. Her pants were black and high waisted, they were capris and the cuffs themselves had a pink plaid design on them that was also on where the pockets looked to be.

Rose gasped when she realized Marinette also looked taller and her eyes dropped to see Marinette was wearing black platform boots with pink laces. She had one fishnet sleeve that went from her mid bicep to her wrist on her left arm and it was adorned in various kinds of bracelets, one that Rose just recognized that she saw Ondine, Kagami, Aurore and Mireille wearing too. Oh…Friendship bracelets. On her right hand she had a black fingerless glove and a black cuff bracelet on. Around her neck was a matching cuff choker but attached to it was a Jagged Stone guitar pic, one of Luka’s Rose guessed. Marinette completed the look with a pink plaid bandana on her head and some round black sunglasses. It was a very different look but Rose thought she looked breathtaking.

They all watched silently as Marinette and Luka made their way over to the security guards all the while swinging their hands back and forth between them cutely. The guards let them in right away, no badges necessary. The odd group of friends, because really that’s what they had to be, all rushed together to give out hugs and greetings and just talk and laugh and Rose…Rose felt breathless. Marinette took off her sunglasses and Rose watched as her eyes lit up in joy as she interacted with her friends. She saw how her eyes softened when talking with Luka and she absolutely could not ignore the smile she wore the entire time. Rose couldn’t remember the last time she saw Marinette smile or look that comfortable. She missed that. She missed making Marinette laugh and smile and she felt like she wanted to cry just watching the little friend group interact.

“She looks…” Lila began.

“Happy.” Rose cut her off. “She looks…happy.” Happy without them.

It would be a couple weeks later that the Girl Squad found Marinette’s YouTube channel where the music video that had been shot at the Jardins des Tuileries was posted. They had watched it silently like when they had watched the new friend group meet. It was good Rose admitted, and it hurt to admit, because that used to be her friend and one person used to be her bandmate. They had watched other videos they had found on the page, all music videos, and they had been stunned. They hadn’t even known that Marinette could sing! But it was that song from the Jardins des Tuileries music video that haunted them.

It was a song about finding new friends. Better friends.

Next Chapter

343 notes · View notes

gameguy20100 · 1 year

Note

Imagine this:

*during Girl Squad's meeting*

Marinette: We have a problem. My cousin, Jeanette (read:Saltinette) will be coming.

Alya: Why this is a problem?

Marinette: Do you remember Adrien's cousin, Felix? Jeanette is "my equivalent" to him. She is worse than Chloe and Lila combined.

Rose: *optimistically* She can't be so bad.

*next day*

Girl Squad: *after witnessing Jeanette threatening people that she will make everyone hate them if they don't treat her if she was "Queen of the Universe"* Marinette was wrong... her cousin is even worse than "Chloe and Lila combined".

Marinette: I warned you.

Alya: Am I that bad a friend? She accused me of destroying you sketch book.

Juleka: She tried to make Luka bully me. Who does she think she is?

Zoe: I am not a Mary Sue! What does that even mean!?

Kagami: Can I stab her? She called me a bitchy ice queen.

Rose: I am not a pushover!

Alix: I say we teach her a lesson.

Marinette: It won't help she'll never listen.

(Meanwhile)

Jeeanette: You know that cousin of yours is pathetic, right? Letting his father abuse him like that. Stand up for yourself you pathetic doormat!

Felix: I think I'm in love.

#miraculous ladybug #ml au #marinette dupain cheng #girl squad #Saltinette #saltinette salt #felix fathom

19 notes · View notes

naeverse · 4 months

Text

Helping Hands

🎖️staring: ColonelMiguel x Soldier Fem!Reader

🤎preview:

“It's because you are too quick to touch what you truly desire instead of building up to it.” He said matter-of-factly, his voice, gravelly and rough and making your stomach flutter.

“Just like shooting at the range, so quick to press that trigger, you haven't even perfected your form yet.” He smirked, placing his hands on either side of your head, trapping you under him.

“It seems you need more than just practice, Muñeca. Seems you need a lesson on self-control and discipline…”

🪖 summary:

You've been a part of Colonel Miguel O'Hara's team for a while now, but so far, you haven't made a good impression. It seems you can't do anything right without the assistance of your colonel by your side. Even though your COL is helpful, he's cold and stern, always making sure you know how much of a disappointment you are to your squad. You feel like a failure to your team, despite trying your hardest, and even more so to yourself due to your inability to satisfy your own sexual needs. But, just like with everything else…

Your Colonel is here to help.

🎖️ tw/cw: Big Dick Miguel, Breast Worship, Caught Masturbating, Clitoris Stimulation, Dirty Talk, Dominate, High Sensitivity, Public Sex, Shower Sex, Face Slapping, Size Difference, Spanking, Standing, Submissive, Rough, Unprotected, Wall sex, etc…

🤎 Pet names: Muñeca (Doll), Princesa (Princess), Chica (Girl)

🪖rating: 18+ explicit I SMUT I

🎖️Word Count: 10.8k

(I do not own any of the photos used! All credit goes to the original artist!)

“Cease fire!”

The bellowing voice of your Colonel, Miguel O'Hara, shouted across the shooting range. Your finger instantly froze upon the trigger of your pistol, turning to look at him through your protective shades.

Your Colonel studied the untouched target before shaking his head in disapproval. You heaved a sigh, lowering your weapon.

You, honestly, weren't that skilled in the force. You struggled in hand-to-hand combat, always ending up on your ass with a bruise somewhere on your body. Always slipped or hurt yourself when running through the elaborate obstacle course on base and took too long to disable a practice bomb which would have resulted in you and your team's death.

Many on your force don't know why your Colonel still hasn't dropped you, even you pondered the thought.

By your teammates, which were mostly men, you were given the name. ‘Slip-up.’ They always teased you, saying that if you couldn't do your part in the force, at least they had something to look at whilst they worked.

Their insults hurt and although you loved being a part of the team, you couldn't help feeling annoyed and frustrated all the time when it came to your abilities. You always tried your hardest but despite it, you still were, honestly,

Ass…

But, even though you already saw yourself as an utter failure, Colonel O'Hara always added more salt to the already gaping wound. He made sure you recognized every debacle you made, especially, right now with your inability to aim properly.

“Where’s your head at, soldier!?” He shouted, walking over to you, his beige shirt clinging to every muscle in his large torso. His hardened pecs, broad shoulders, and defined 6-pack accentuated under the cloth as he approached you.

You honestly didn’t know what your problem was, except that you’ve been here with Miguel since the crack of dawn and you still haven’t gotten a single shot on the damn target.

“My apologies, Colonel.” You hastily replied, causing him to scoff, crossing his arms over his chest. “Get your act together. You won’t be able to apologize if the enemy has already shot you dead.” He snapped, causing you to give him a nod.

He looked you over before sighing. “Get in position.” He commanded. You briskly followed his order, drawing up your weapon, bending your knees, and closed one eye.

“Do not fire.” He told you, his heavy footfalls beginning to move around you. Your heart was, oddly, beating rapidly in your chest. You didn’t know if it was due to the overwhelming anxiety, you always felt when you were under the stern Colonel's gaze, or the fact that he was so drop-dead gorgeous that you didn’t want to make yourself look like an even bigger fool than you already had.

“Your form is all wrong.” He commented, placing his large hands on your waist from behind. Your breath hitched, a deep blush covering your cheeks as he shifted your hips, turning it to the right. “You are too tense. Loosen up.” He whispered; his sharp cheekbone pressed into your cheek. His voice was deep and seemed to resonate through your entire being.

You could feel yourself heating up like an ignited furnace, shakily exhaling to calm yourself. You rolled your shoulders to relax in hopes of having better control of your planted feet in the dirt and your weapon in your hand, but it felt impossible with him being so close.

You gasped when you felt his combat boot abruptly kick your legs further apart, his hands tightening on your waist. “You need to widen your legs, and get your head in the game.” He said against your ear, loud enough to be heard through the heavy-duty headphones that adorned them.

His calloused fingers lingered on the fabric of your dark green, brown, and beige camo shirt before he pulled away, leaving his scorching touch imprinted on your hips. “Open your eyes, soldier. Do you think that is a telescope you are looking through? You chose the wrong profession then, kid." He teased with a deep chuckle, making you clench your jaw.

You opened both of your eyes, peering through your glasses at the target.

“Now, that you got your head out of your ass…” Colonel O'Hara muttered, standing beside you with his arms crossed.

“Fire!”

He commanded, your trigger finger going rampant as you fired repeatedly. The splitting sounds of the pistol were muffled due to your headphones, but still loud nonetheless. With every shot, your body recoiled back. Not enough to throw you off balance, but enough to send another burst of adrenaline through you that urged you to click the trigger again and again.

You continued firing until Colonel O'Hara's voice boomed across the yard.

“Cease fire!”

He yelled once more, your finger lifting off of the addicting trigger. You stood up from your position and watched your superior observe the damage you had made on the target. When he walked over to you, his bronze, chiseled face was so stern and devoid of emotion that you couldn't tell if you had made a shot or not.

“Good job, kid. You hit the board at least.” He said with a tight-lipped smile. It didn't seem like he was disappointed anymore.

‘Progress…?’

You pondered as you breathed a sigh of relief. Miguel observed your small being before him with stern eyes. "You did better today." He said, reaching over and taking the pistol from you. Compared to the weapon in his hands, he made it look like a mere plaything as he carried it with so much confidence.

“Now hit the showers. I expect you to be out in 20.” He ordered. You nodded, giving him a departed salute. You removed your shooting gear, placing them in their respective places by the range before hightailing it to the showers.

You didn't want Colonel O'Hara to call you back for anything.

You were so exhausted from shooting the same gun and staring at the black silhouetted targets that your vision was a little wonky.

You sighed, stepping into the locker room and walking over to yours. The locker rooms were gender mixed. Males and females showered together due to there, honestly, not being many women in your force. To save money, your base went the cheap way out and blended the two.

Colonel O'Hara had his respective team with you being a part of it. You could count on your fingers just how many females were in your force, making you feel a little out of place sometimes amongst the men, especially with their excessive teasing.

You undressed, placing your beige combat boots, camo shirt, pants, and undergarments into your locker and grabbing a towel to cover your nude body. Once you acquired all of your bathing essentials, you exited the lockers to enter the showers.

The showers were like cubicles. Each held a shower head plastered on the wall but with no curtains.

There were only three showers that had a curtain but those were always occupied, thankfully, the room was empty upon your entrance.

‘I can finally enjoy a peaceful shower.’

You thought, remembering all of the other times you used the shower room and how it was always filled with men, playing and bathing with each other in the nude as if everything was fine. You could never wrap your head around how comfortable they could be to shower beside one another and converse like normal.

You could never…

Always deciding to postpone your bathtime or endure it and shower in the farthest cubicle away from everyone, but even then you were still teased.

So with a huge grin, you happily drew back the curtain and stepped into the shower. You placed your bathroom items onto a small shelf and hung up the towel that was worn around your body before turning on the water.

You gasped, the water was always ice cold upon turning it on. You didn't know if to be thankful for the sudden rush of alertness or irritated by the amount of shivering you always did afterward. Nonetheless, when the temperature changed to be a perfect blend of warm and hot, you melted upon contact with the satisfying liquid.

You sighed, running your hands through your hair and feeling all your sore muscles from the long training with Colonel O’Hara, relax. You proceeded on cleaning yourself, filling your washcloth with your bodywash and beginning to wash up.

Whilst enjoying the heat and bathing yourself, you began to remember everything from this morning - the harsh training, the endless shouts from the stern Latino, and the frustration of not hitting that damn target came flooding in.

Before you could beat yourself up, you started to focus more on your Colonel than how much of an ass shooter you were.

How he carried himself with so much confidence, and always looked like his muscles packed pounds on his body, causing him to walk so heavily and wide. Being in the military, you've been with your force even at the worst of times. Experienced moments where you were starved, under extreme elements, and times where you had to go days without properly bathing or doing so at all.

You've seen Colonel O'Hara at his worst, and even then he made starving and reeking of musk look good.

It was also rare that you even saw him nude.

Colonel O'Hara was a male who hated to be caught with his pants down, literally.

He despised being seen as weak and vulnerable so during his time of bathing, he woke up at the crack of dawn to shower. You heard him one time, leaving his room, which was apart from the bunks, you and the normal soldiers resided in, to go to the shower room.

But the one time you've seen him fully was on a mission. One that the Colonel had selected you to participate in, himself.

During a long journey, everyone took turns to shower or take a quick bath in a river, waterfall, or whatever water source was nearby, your team would use to your disposal.

On this particular mission, a lake was the nearest form of bath system your team could use. You got paired to freshen up with the last group which happened, your Colonel joined at the last minute.

The man was ripped, you knew that. You can see it through any piece of clothing he wore, but surprisingly even his ass looked good.

You didn't think you were much of an ass girl until you caught sight of his when he was bathing in the lake that day. How his ass had the perfect mixture of muscular and plumpness was blasphemy, and to top it off, his back muscles seemed to flex and bulge with every movement he made. He was even packing in the front.

How his large, veiny hands ran the water over his body, his palms brushing over his pecs, abs, and biceps, and the look of pure concentration on his chiseled face made the scene even more hotter. His golden-brown body seemed to glisten despite the lack of proper cleaning the lake did for anyone's body that day.

It was a miracle no one saw you, it would have been embarrassing with how much ogling you were doing. You could hardly bathe yourself without sparing him occasional glances that left you certain when the gods sculpted your sexy Colonel, they were playing favorites.

He was perfect…

His honeyed body was sculpted with bulging muscles, sinewy limbs, taut abs and thighs, a few scars littered his being here and there, but even still, those scars intensified his attractiveness.

As you stood, washing off the soap studs that coated your body, just recalling the memories and thinking of how magnificent of a specimen your COL was, your core throbbed in desire.

You've secretly felt this way about your Colonel ever since you were assigned to him. How could you not when he traversed any land as if he owned it, whether it was on the battlefield or just walking to catch a meal at the base cafeteria.

When Colonel O'Hara was in the room, you, everyone, even the damn fly on the wall knew he was there. He just had that aura about him that demanded attention even though he was the type to strongly despise it.

The warm water continued to run down your body, washing away the soap that covered it. But it wasn't as hot as his touch that still was permanently burned into your sides, and you couldn't stop thinking about how right his hands felt on you…

His calloused fingertips pressed into your hips, his large hands engulfing your waist like you were a mere doll. If only the guy knew how much control he had over you, in the, not so, professional way.

Now, he even had you fingering yourself just by the mere thought of him. Your fingers thrusted up into your warm entrance, wishing it was his thick ones that were touching you. Your other hand found the shower wall, trying to stabilize yourself under the running water as you fingered yourself.

You moaned, eyes closed tightly whilst you chased that trembling ache, that pleasurable high that had been caused by that hunk of a giant down at the shooting range. You wiggled another finger inside, emitting a loud cry to burst from your chest.

But your two fingers weren't enough...

The only thing that could cure the burning longing in the pit of your stomach was the enormity in between that man's legs.

The massiveness that was off limits to you.

The forbidden meat that you couldn't taste…

You gritted your teeth in frustration, continuing to chase that high that you knew you couldn't ever reach. You didn't know how long you'd been in the shower, fingering yourself with the knowledge that you could never seem to get yourself to release.

You felt it once when you were with your first boyfriend but after you broke up and got into the military, nothing!

You feel the rush, the spasming, the addicting pleasure and trembling of your legs but that was it.

Not in a long time had you felt that satisfying crash of ecstasy. You’ve always got to the peak of it, but never could get over it, always leaving you sexually frustrated; but you try.

Goodness, you do try…

“Oh, fuck.” You whined, gripping the wall whilst thrusting your two fingers inside of your dripping pussy. The sensation felt so good, the feeling of being full, and that delicious friction with every penetration of your fingers made your eyes flutter.

You were so adamant about this being the day you made yourself climax that you didn't even hear the heavy footfalls on the tile flooring of the shower room.

You were too consumed by the pleasure and of that sexy view that was engraved in your mind of Miguel bathing in that lake. His massive, broad body, gorgeous ass, and enormous cock. How it wasn't even fully erect and it was big.

You imagined him here with you, his fingers being what was inside of you, feeling the stretch of his thick digits as he pounded them into you at such speeds that it was inhumane. How his cock would do even more damage, drilling into you until you saw stars and could barely remember your own name.

But you would be certain to know this.

He'll make sure of it.

Moaning and crying it out at the top of your lungs as he pounded into you mercilessly, dominating and controlling you like he did. Every. Single. Day.

“Oh yes. Fuck- Miguel!" You whined loudly, completely blinded by your erotic act that was being driven and led by your sexy Colonel.

You were so immersed in what you were doing, you didn't even notice when the curtains were drawn back.

You didn't know what had happened, just that the shower looked a little brighter than before, and the sudden rush of cool air on your bare backside made you shiver.

Completely dazed, you turned around to make eye contact with the Colonel himself.

His beige muscle shirt, camo cargo pants, and tan combat boots still adorning his massive frame. Even though he'd found you in the worst way possible, his face was emotionless, a still painting in a museum.

“I thought I told you to be out in 20.” He sternly said, his deep voice bouncing off the secluded shower room. Your bottom lip trembled, your hand instantly drawing away from your core. Your evident slick glistening on your fingers as you noticed his dark eyes shift to them and back to your face.

You didn't know what to say…

‘Sorry, I didn't come out sooner, Colonel. I was so busy fingering myself to the thought of you that I lost track of time.’

That's a one-way ticket straight to a Non-Judicial Punishment and no telling what your consequence would be.

So you just stood there, completely nude and with the shower running, still trying to make sense of what the hell was happening with your foggy brain.

Honestly, you were still stuck in la la land, seeing Miguel bathing in that lake and having a perfect view, not at all attentive to what was happening before you.

Your Colonel scoffed, looking you over. “Soldier! I asked you a fucking question!” He shouted, making you jump, and snapping you out of your trance.

Finally, you realized what the hell was happening.

‘Oh shit! Miguel, just caught me-

to him!'

You wanted nothing more than the walls to swallow you whole.

Your hands hastily turned off the shower and covered your sensitive areas, your cheeks a deep red. “O-Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry.” You said, about to go into a spurge of apologies when Miguel stopped you.

“I don't want to hear a fucking apology, I want to hear what the hell you were doing.” He declared angrily, his bushy eyebrows drawn low over his dark eyes. You gulped, quivering before him because you couldn't possibly tell him what you were doing.

You'll die from embarrassment…

“I-I can't-”

“Don't give me that bullshit, soldier.” He spat, stepping closer to you in the tiled cubicle. Your eyes widened as he cornered you to the wall.

“Tell me what you were doing.” He said through gritted teeth. He looked furious and that it made you scared beyond anything.

Of course, you've seen your Colonel angry, it was honestly his default setting, but directed towards you was a different story.

You gulped, your pupils trembling under his intense gaze.

“I-I was…t-touching myself.” You confessed with a blush, averting your gaze which only seemed to make him angrier. “You know how I feel about that. Eyes on me.” He sternly spat, as it took everything to meet his gaze once more.

His cold face and amber orbs held little to no sign of what his next reaction, response, or move would be.

It made everything even scarier.

“So you're telling me, you were in here for almost an hour and you still haven't released?”

He asked in a nonchalant tone as if he hadn't asked something so erotic. You gulped, your arms tightening around your body to hide your sensitive areas even more, your cheeks reddening even more.

“C-Colonel I-”

“Y/N.” He said your name so coldly that your entire body tensed up.

He hardly addressed you by name and when he did, you knew you fucked up.

“Answer the damn question. It's a simple yes Colonel or no Colonel.” He demanded, his large frame towering over you, making you feel so small. “N-No, Colonel. I-I haven't.” You admitted, biting your bottom lip anxiously. You probably spilled your guts here in this shower more than ever in your entire lifetime.

You felt like one of Colonel O'Hara's targets whom he strapped to a chair to interrogate, except he didn't even pull out a single weapon and you were already blabbering your deepest secrets to him.

How pathetic were you...?

After your confession, he just stood there looking down at you, your stomach clenching and your heart beating so loud in your chest, that you were certain he could hear it.

Until he smirked, looking you up and down. “Don't tell me you can't do that right either, soldier.” He teased, making your entire body burn up in embarrassment. “N-No, it's not like that.” You stammered, your hair completely soaked and your body dripping with water from your previous shower.

You just felt like you had to defend yourself in front of your Colonel. It felt like every time he was around, you couldn't do anything right. You were certain your COL had been taking notes on all of the things you couldn’t seem to do and you didn't want pleasing yourself to be added to the list.

“I-I just can't, okay.” You told him with a dejected sigh. He tilted his head, a deep chuckle rumbling from the depth of his chest. His eyes taking in your small form compared to his massiveness. “It's simply because you are too quick to touch what you truly desire instead of building up to it.” He merely said, his voice, gravelly and rough and making your stomach flutter.

“Just like shooting at the range, so quick to press the trigger, you haven't even perfected your form yet.” He smirked, placing his hands on either side of your head, trapping you under him.

“It seems you need more than just practice, Muñeca. Seems you need a lesson on self-control and discipline.” He whispered into your ear, his lips against your skin making you shudder.

You didn't know what he could mean. The only thing filling your brain was another round of harsh training of push-ups, pull-ups, and laps around the whole damn base.

A training so extreme you didn't know if you could even handle going through it, especially after the long, one-on-one training at the shooting range.

You wet your lips, gazing up at your COL's hardened, defined face. Even from this angle, which was usually an ugly one on others, he looked good.

“W-What do you mean?” You inquired, you knew better than to make an excuse or complain about your exhaustion.

Colonel O'Hara would work anyone overtime if you bitched.

He smirked, turning to draw the curtains back before meeting your perplexed gaze.

“I'm talking about a lesson of pleasure, Muñeca.”

Your eyes shot open, staring at him in utter shock.

This had to be a dream.

You were ready to hear the thunderous voices of one of the lieutenants anytime now, waking you and your fellow soldiers up from your deep slumbers to start your day of training and missions.

But either the lieutenants were sleeping in, or this moment was real.

Nonetheless, you were about to lose your shit.

“P-Pleasure?” You fumbled over your words, your backside already pressed against the wall. Miguel hummed, stepping closely up to you, sandwiching you between him and the white tiles.

You instantly lost the ability to breathe, not due to his enormous frame crushing you into the wall, but the fact you could feel every one of his defined chest muscles against your body through his shirt.

The hardness and solidity of them were enough to reawaken that desire in your core.

You bit your lip, his dark hair falling over his face whilst he loomed over you. “How long has this been happening, soldier?” He asked in the same stern tone as if he was demanding you to shoot another clip into a target. You gulped, peering up at him, trying to keep eye contact. “Since my last relationship, sir.”

“So before enlisting?” You gave him a curt nod. He hummed, looking you over before his dark eyes lingered upon your shield arms. “Stand up straight, hands at your side. You know the drill.” He spat harshly inside of the small cubicle shower.

Just his mere tone was enough to control and completely dominate you. Your arms shakingly moved from over your breasts to rest on your sides as you stood erect, the mere position changes thrusting your bare breast forward.

You bit your lip, hoping he didn't notice how perky and hard they were, but you should have been ashamed to think otherwise.

His gaze instantly was directed to your breasts, a smirk spreading across his tanned lips. “You turned on, Muñeca, or is your little body just cold?” He laughed, making you blush.

You hoped that was a rhetorical question because you didn't want to answer it.

His tanned hands left the wall to cup your bare breasts. The roughness of his palms on your supple flesh was enough to make you drip a puddle onto the tiled flooring.

You whined, wincing a little at how painfully hard and sensitive your tits were. He fondled them softly, testing the waters, but you couldn't help but squirm in his hold. “When was the last time you gave these babies attention, hmm?” He asked, squeezing the sensitive flesh in his hands and brushing his thumb along your nipples.

Honestly, you couldn't remember. You hardly paid attention to your chest when it came to pleasing yourself. Like your Colonel said, you just dove right into where you needed it the most, ignoring everything else.

“I-I can't remember.” You responded, causing him to click his tongue. “So impatient. Just like you and that gun.” He said, continuing to caress your highly sensitive breasts in his hands.

“But we are going to fix that, even if it takes all afternoon until the sun sets and when it rises in the morning of the next day.”

He whispered into your ear.

“You'll learn to be patient, chica.”

He spat before lowering to bring one of your swollen nipples to his mouth.

Pleasure like never before hit you like a freight train. His skilled tongue swirled around your hardened pebble, teasing and flicking it as you melted under his ministrations. His other hand worked in tandem with his sucking, rolling your other nipple with his thumb in time with his tongue.

You mewled and whined, grasping for anything when your hand found a railing. Your head fell back against the wall as he pleased your chest, his towering body bent over to suck at your breasts. Sloppily sucking and coating your pebbled flesh with his saliva with every taste like he was starved predator finally seizing its prey.

Your legs trembled, the feeling so familiar, as your eyes fluttered. Your grip on the metal bar tightening.

“C-Colonel.” You called out to him, your thighs coated with your essence.

You needed him, more of him.

He hummed in response, but not ceasing his suckles. Your face became flushed, your core, completely soakened and desiring to be filled.

Longing to be fondled by his skillful hands.

For him to play with your pussy like he handles his guns, so rough, yet attentive, and proficient.

“I-I want you to touch me, d-down there.” You said in a trembling voice.

He suddenly bit your sensitive nub, his teeth capturing your nipple, emitting a cry from you as he tugged away to look up at you. He shook his head, rising to his full height. Your eyes followed him, his figure looming over you once more. “Soldier, you haven't been listening to a thing I've said, have you?” He said in a gravelly tone, almost disappointed and a little angry. Your cheeks reddened, your lips quivering. “I-I'm sorry-”

Your words were cut off when his hands slammed onto the wall on either side of your head. The sound was deafening and your heart felt like it had jumped out your chest. He pressed his lips to your ear, his voice sinister and gut-wrenching.

"Rush me again and I won't hesitate to punish you." He snarled into your ear. His words sliced through the closed space, sharp and precise, leaving wounds that stung like the cut of a razor into your skin.

It terrified you and left your body a little shaken.

You felt his eyes, look you up and down, taking in your trembling form. "Now keep that little mouth of yours shut, unless you are addressed, soldier." He sternly said before pulling away.

Silence except for the thudding of your loud beating heart filled your cubicle. You weren't able to alleviate your quivering being, as the next words he uttered, shook you to your very core.

"Turn around.”

He commanded, making your eyes widen in shock and worry. You were stuck between desire and utter terror.

However, you followed his order.

You didn't want to anger him any further.

You turned around, shakingly placing your hands on the shower wall, your bare backside to him.

Your Colonel was a scary man, an even scarier one when he's on a mission; but you never thought even in the bedroom he could keep his same ominousness.

Your ears and sense of touch were on high alert. You felt colder than before whilst the incessant small drips of water from the showerhead were slowly driving you crazy.

The suspense was suffocating, to the point you were begging for something to happen, anything!

"You are so needy, chica."

He said from behind you, the sound of him unfastening his belt and zipper filling the shower after his words. Your heart skipped a beat, fingers flexing against the wall. You wanted so much to turn around and see the magnificence behind you, but you knew he would punish you if you did.

"Despite your...neediness, I need you to listen. To obey my commands, chica." He uttered, a sharp gasp escaping your lips when you felt his hands on your waist, his bare chest against your back, and his cock poking into the back of your thigh. You whimpered softly, your juices spilling down your legs.

"And what did I tell you, hmm?" He urged, moving his cock into the gap between your thighs, brushing his length along your slick folds.

You knew this was a trap. He wanted to see what you would do, now that his impressive cock was right where you wanted it most...

You moaned, gripping the wall, and trying to find your words. "T-To be p-patient." You said through breathy gasps. He hummed in agreement. "Good, soldier, and what did you do despite my command?" He asked into your ear, his lips brushing the lobe and making you shudder under him.

All you've ever wanted was him, making his demand for patience utterly impossible.

It was despicable how, in spite of your Colonel’s knowledge of your intense desire to feel his touch, his cock, his body against your own, he was ordering you to wait. You pressed your forehead into the shower wall, biting your lip and ignoring his question.

You didn't want to wait.

You couldn't, not with your body practically begging for him, and your arousal leaking onto his cock and down your thighs.

You shook your head, grinding onto his shaft that was nestled between your legs, failing his test horribly. With every gyrate of your hips, his mushroom head brushed into your clit over and over again. The feeling was so good and pleasurable it urged you to move your hips faster, chasing that sweet sensation.

Miguel's deep groan into your ear only made you quicken your pace until his deadly grip on your hips forced you to stop. "Fuck, Chica. You just can't seem to listen, can you?" He spat harshly into your ear. You whimpered, feeling him move his cock from between your thighs to press it along the curve of your ass. "I-I'm sorry."

"Stop with the fucking apologies." He growled, his hands lowering to grope your rear tightly, emitting a cry from your lips. "All you do is apologize but do the same damn things." He hissed, feeling his dark eyes look you over, a deep chuckle passing his lips. "You are practically shaking in my hands, but it's not from fear, is it, you little slut?

It was as if he had punched you right in the gut. You knew your Colonel was observant, from being alongside him from the one mission you were allowed to participate in. You remembered the usefulness of the skill, but you wished right now that he wasn't.

He was capturing everything and didn't hesitate to bring it out into the open.

Indeed, you were trembling and quivering under him. The desire and lust for him were overwhelming, and just his mere touch was causing you pleasure. "N-No. I-It's not...f-fear" You honestly replied, shamelessly lowering your head against the wall. He snickered, feeling his defined chest rumble against your bare back. "Shit, you want this so damn bad, don't you? Want my cock inside of you?" He inquired, only making your stomach tighten in want.

It was as if he had read your mind. Knew all your dirty thoughts. You bit your lip, unable to confess something so embarrassing.

A sudden harsh slap to your ass made you jolt and cry out in a mixture of ecstasy and agony. Miguel's large hand wrapped around your throat, pulling you flush against his hardened chest.

"Answer me, soldier." He said harshly into your ear, his hand giving your neck a warning squeeze, briefly cutting your oxygen before your lungs were filled once more. "You are aching to be fucked? Yes or no?" He asked through gritted teeth whilst you were gasping desperately for air. Your hands left the wall to grasp tightly around his massive wrist and forearm, his limbs looking so humongous in your hands.

Despite his roughness, this was all you've ever wanted. What you've desired. You found yourself frantically nodding, his hand still snug around your throat, fingers pressing into your neck. "Y-Yes." You panted, causing him to groan, the sound so very sexy in your ear.

"And yet, you are faced with a predicament aren't you, Chica? Believe you can't cum, is that right?" He asked in a teasing voice, your face reddening at his recollection of your embarrassing secret.

You nodded, his other hand leaving your waist to slap your ass once more. "With words."

"Yes!" You cried out, feeling him tug you back against him. "Isn't that a shame that you cannot handle it yourself? You want me to do it for you?" You bit your lip, squeezing your thighs tightly together. "T-That's...correct sir." You whispered, his hand around your waist beginning to explore your body, caressing your thighs, stomach, and hips.

He took your sensitive breast into his hand, tweaking the tender nub and groping the supple flesh roughly, drawing a wince and whine from your parted lips. "That makes you selfish." He sternly said, tightening his hold around your neck, even a little bit of his strength left you gasping for air. "We could get in a hell of a lot of trouble if we are caught and yet, you still crave me." He stated, reading you like an open book.

Were you that easy to read?

You thought you were careful with your attraction towards your superior. You made sure the only time you pleasured yourself to him was somewhere secluded and away from everyone, that when you were ogling at him, no one was watching. So how the hell was he doing this?

Unveiling all of your deep secrets without you even having to open your mouth.

It was bothering you so much…

You wet your lips, nodding slowly. "Y-Yes...I-I still do." You told him, his hand still enclosed around your throat and continuing his sensual play on your breasts with his other. "Y-You make it impossible not to, sir." You rasped, trying to keep your voice stable in his hold.

Silence filled the shower room after your confession leaving you nervous about whether he'll leave or not.

You did, technically, admit that the two of you could get into serious trouble if you continued, yet due to your blinding lust for him, you didn't care.

Even if you didn't, your Colonel could lose everything.

Does he think less of you now?

Did that make you even more of a slut in his eyes?

Your mind was swirling, trying to ponder what the hell was going to happen. However, the more you thought, the more your worries intensified.

Suddenly, a blur of movements occurred, everything happening so fast that you were unable to keep up.

Miguel spun you around, turning you to face him, sometime during the movement, he turned on the shower. The water cascaded down your bare beings and dripped off every sexy and tantalizing contour of both of your bodies.

Your eyes roamed his massive frame, finally seeing him fully. His coppery, scarred, and muscular body was in front of you, as everything about him was big. His shoulders, chest, arms, hands, and even his cock.

Your eyes shakingly looked down at the monster between his legs. The enormity you've been dreaming about and lusting for since you've become a part of his team.

You thought it was big when you saw it at the lake, a few feet away from you, but nothing could prepare you for how it'll look in front of you.

Like his enormous frame and towering height, his cock was impressively thick and long. The tawny, sensitive skin was covered in veins with a bulging one that ran down the underside of it. His tip was a flushed, angry brown, already dripping with pre-cum.

A patch of coarse dark brown hair, adorning the top of his well-endowed shaft, trailed an irresistible path up to his navel and hairy toned chest. Even though you've fantasized about his cock regularly, in reality, it was even more astonishing.

He stepped up to you under the water, his gaze predatory behind his dark hair that had become a drenched nest upon his head, wet chocolate strands sticking to his forehead. He took your throat into his large, calloused hand once again, your body welcoming the oddly pleasurable sensation.

"Widen your legs."

He said in a deep voice, his lips drawn down in his usual permanent scowl, regardless of his mood. Your heart leaped at the command, hastily widening your stance, your backside flush against the tiled wall. You shuddered as the steamy air of the shower graced your throbbing core.

His other hand fell down your stomach, tracing patterns as he went. You shakingly exhaled, his touch felt so foreign, yet satisfying all at once. "You are so desperate to cum, Muñeca, that you skip all of the delicious parts." He chuckled, returning to his lecturing. His hand occasionally squeezed around your throat, cutting off your oxygen, before bestowing you with the gratifying air once more.

Your eyes rolled, hands springing up to grab his massive forearm in your hands; although, your fingers couldn't enclose around the bulging limb. He teasingly trailed his other hand along your body, finding your sensitive breasts again, drawing a hiss from your lips. "So, tell me. How do you do it, hmm?" He asked, rolling the hardened pebble under his calloused thumb.

You moaned loudly, squirming in his hold. The sensations, a blend of pain and pleasure due to your heightened sensitivity, leaving you indecisive on the satisfaction of his touch. "H-How do I -gosh do what?"

"Touch yourself. Where do you start?" He asked once more, his fingers continuing to tweak and fondle with your breasts. Your cheeks reddened, eyes opening to gaze up at him to see his serious and stern ones staring right back.

You didn't know why he enjoyed hearing you speak. He knew where you started, it was the sole reason he was here.

But with trembling lips, you responded to your COL. "D-Down there." You panted, bringing a smirk to his lips.

"So, I was correct. You don't know how to please yourself." He uttered, his hand moving from your throat, leaving behind his warmth and burning touch.

Your eyebrows furrowed at his words. You hated to hear that from him.

Something else that you couldn't do without need of assistance, and it was always his.

Whether it was shooting a gun, learning how to not trip over your own feet whilst running or discovering the weakness of your opponent in a fistfight.

He was always there, assisting you with your troubles but making sure you knew how much of a failure you were as he did.

But this was even more embarrassing than any of your other inabilities.

This was something you shouldn't need help with. You should be able to satisfy yourself on your own.

Why the hell did you depend on him so much?!

It was so damn frustrating...

"A-Apparently so." You whispered dejectedly, instantly gaining his attention. "Then let's fix that." He uttered, his hands moving up to caress your breasts, his touch gentle for the first time.

You sucked in a breath. "You want to start with these babies." He whispered, thumbs ghosting over your tender nipples. "Go slow, feel the sensations, and once you are ready." He gave them a sudden tug, pinching them harshly. You moaned loudly, back arching off of the wall.

A fire felt like it had sparked underneath your skin, a blinding sensation washing over you. Your eyes fluttered, looking up at him to see his cold eyes staring back.

He smirked, leaning towards you and placing an open mouth kiss on your shoulder. Your breath hitched. "The goal is to slow down. Enjoy the moment." He whispered into your skin, trailing more of his searing kisses along your collarbones, the water falling upon your bodies.

You wanted so much to touch him, to feel his musculature under your palms. But, honestly, even though you were practically dazed with pleasure,

You knew your place and his…

He sucked softly at your skin, licking up a trail of water droplets up to your neck. You moaned; the sensations so intense. He wrapped his lips around the pulse point of your neck, continuing his sucking, but keeping you unmarked.

You didn't know to be thankful or upset due to his cautiousness of sucking such pretty love bites onto your throat. It would had been wonderful to see them there, knowing it was from him.

You gasp escaped your lips when you felt his heavy cock against your abdomen, throbbing and twitching in desire. Your stomach coiled up in a delectable burn, a feeling that was a distant memory. Your moans came out breathy and airy, and your soppy entrance pulsated in want.

Miguel could feel it.

You were ready for more.

He gave your throat a final lap, before pulling away. His eyes stared at you, seeming a little darker than before. "Then…

You touch."

He whispered, his thick fingers trailing a teasing line down your stomach until finally, his two fingers found your bud of nerves.

You jolted, hands flinging up to grasp his biceps. You moaned at his touch and the feeling of how solid his muscles were. His fingers moved in a circular pace, swirling the saturated bud. You writhed and squirmed, bringing a smirk to his lips.

"Is this living up to your dirty thoughts, Muñeca?" He inquired with a chuckle. You blushed horribly, remembering your loud cries with his name included and how he probably heard. You frantically nodded, unable to speak.

His fingers were as skillful as you thought, fondling and caressing your bud and sending waves of tingles sprouting throughout your body.

Your legs trembled, your chest heaving whilst your breathing increased. He pressed a finger into your bud making you choke out a moan, nails piercing his biceps. He snickered, lifting your leg and exposing your pussy even more for his play.

He quickened his pace, his fingers rubbing your engorged clit at such high speeds you saw stars.

He hadn't even inserted a finger yet and you were already feeling that high approaching, that pleasurable crash that you always deemed impossible.

But you should have known he'll take you there…

And even further…

He widened your slick folds, replacing his fingers with his thumb, pressing the thick digit into your exposed clit, and inserting two fingers into your soppy entrance. His movement, becoming even more erratic inside of you.

You cried out loudly, looking down at his hand that was moving so fast against your clit and thrusting inside of you. You’ve never felt such speeds, unable to do so yourself, as the intensity of it was brutal. Your juices splashed everywhere, dripping onto the floor whilst he continued his assault.

Moans became stuck in your throat, your gut started to tighten, and your eyes rolled so fiercely you saw white. "Yes, chica, just like that." He growled. "Cum for me." He snarled, and you lost control.

Your limbs felt like jelly, thighs convulsing and pussy clenching around his fingers as you came in hot juicy spurts. Your arousal gushed out, spilling down your thighs and coating his hand. You shook uncontrollably, becoming a trembling leaf in his arms and unable to utter a word.

Miguel continued to please you through your orgasm, driving you over the limit and making you cream until you couldn't anymore.

"This what you wanted, chica?" He asked through growls, running his slick fingers through your wet folds upon your fading orgasm. You were highly sensitive, whimpering and nodding frantically. "Yes, g-goodness yes." You whined, practically on the verge of tears by the sheer intensity.

He laughed at your glossy eyes and flushed cheeks. He smirked, looking at you. "Had enough?" He asked, dark eyes following you.

Honestly, you wanted to nod.

Just the thought of going through another burst of pleasure was exhausting, yet your core throbbed in desire for more of that addicting sensation.

"N-No...I-I can take more." You said through trembling lips. His smirk broadened across his tanned lips. The sight, breathtaking.

"That's what I like to hear, soldier." He said, drawing his hand from between your legs to take hold of your neck once more. You gasped, his thumb tracing patterns across the base of your throat. Your hands fell into place on his forearm, his entire body, mostly his chest, covered in a sensual tangle of dark brown hair.

His rugged look exciting you even more.

Upon coming down from your high, your numbness faded away allowing you to feel and become aware of your surroundings again. His hands were calloused against your throat and skin, rough after years of handwork and harsh labor. Even his manly scent of musk and sweat reawakened that desire inside the pit of your stomach.

Everything about your Colonel you adored, the burning wish deep inside that he would grace you with the feeling of his cock; because, at the moment, the longing to be fucked by him was the only thing on your mind.

Your COL, lowered your leg, running his palm along your thigh to grip your hip. "Want to be fucked by a real man, soldier?" He inquired with a smirk. "I doubt that ex of yours fucked you like I can." He uttered, his voice dripped with confidence, making your stomach flutter.

It seemed as if your COL secretly enjoyed hearing you confess to that erotic question. That burning and so very enticing inquiry.

He knew how much you wanted it.

How much you wanted him, yet this was his second time questioning your desires.

"Yes, I-I want you to fuck me." You uttered through trembling lips, gazing up at your massive Colonel. His dark eyes were cold but held a hint of amusement, peering down at you like a mere ant.

The shower was completely silent, except for the running water that dripped around your naked bodies. Time was the last thing on any of your minds as he gave you that rare smirk that ignited the butterflies in your belly, making them fly rampant.

He pressed his thumb into your throat, your breathing turning more into a wheeze. "Don't expect me to be gentle." He said gruffly, his other hand trailing down your body to rest on your rear, his rough palm squeezing your supple cheek. A strangled moan escaped your lips, your core throbbing at his warning and touch.

"I-I didn't want you to." You replied through gasps of air, his smirk broadening.

He didn’t utter a word, using his other hand to lift your leg, hoisting it up over his right shoulder. You gasped, turning to the side and resting both hands on the shower wall. Miguel smirked, grasping your leg and pulling you towards him. You whimpered, biting your lip at the heat and hardness of his cock brushing against your core.

“Remember, Soldier…” He whispered, moving his hand from your throat to take your hair into his tight grip. He yanked your head towards him, making you wince.

“You asked for this.”

He uttered sinisterly before a sharp delightful, yet painful sensation shot through your body. You choked on a moan, feeling his large tip sink inside of you. You held onto the wall for dear life, his grip around your leg dangerously constricting. “Fuck, you are tight.” He snarled into your ear.

Just his tip was inside and your walls felt like they were being stretched to the extreme, despite being soaking wet. You whimpered, burrowing your face into your inner elbow, as his cock throbbed inside of you with every clench of your walls.

“T-Too big, C-Colonel.” You said into your arm, your words muffled, but intelligible. He groaned, the sound resonating from the depths of his chest. "Mierda, you can take it.” He growled, his cock straining inside of your tight walls. You whined, the sensation of the extreme stretch of your walls was so strong that you could feel the tingles in your toes.

It was almost hard to stand…

"Relax, Princesa. Loosen up." He whispered into your ear. Although he uttered the same words from the shooting range, it sounded so much sexier coming from his lips, causing your stuffed entrance to quiver. He groaned, gradually sinking more of his cock inside of you upon your walls easing up. You choked out a moan, fingers flexing against the tiled walls.

"Now, take a deep breath." He rasped, his large hand completely enclosed around your ankle that rested on his right shoulder. You tried painstakingly to focus on your breathing until you found the capability to do so.

You inhaled through your nose and upon exhaling, he pushed the rest of his enormity into your tight walls; his tip pressing against your cervix. You screamed in shock and at the burst of pleasure and pain.

His cock was enormous resting snugly inside of your inners as he held your body tightly against his massive one. Every twitch of his shaft felt like it was in your throat whilst the coarse hair of his cock, brushed against your sensitive bud.

You moaned softly at the overwhelming sensations, tensing around him. Deep grunts passed his parted lips at every choke of his cock by your clenching walls. “Ay cono- you are squeezing me so good." He gasped, his eyes fluttering whilst you whimpered into your arm.

His hardened pecs rose and fell against your raised leg with every breath he took, the feeling only increasing the pleasurable sensations in your core.

Without warning, he slowly pulled out to his mushroom head and plunged back in with the force of a jackhammer, the impact, resonating. You cried out as he soon found a merciless pace inside of you.

With the first snaps of his hips, it instantly took your breath away and made your brain mush. The thrusts that followed were a blur. Your eyes rolled uncontrollably whilst he fucked you senselessly.

You couldn't scream, moan, or cry, every thrust stole your breath away like it wasn't yours to begin with. Your Colonel took you again and again, never ceasing his pace and you were slowly losing your mind with every slam of his cock into your pussy.

“Still believe you can't cum?" He grunted into your ear, hoisting your leg up higher and widening them. You silently moaned, the blood rushing to your ears causing his dirty question to be left unanswered as his cock burrowed deeper inside of you with each snap of his hips.

You pulled away from your arm, drunkenly looking down at the magnificent sight of his cock rapidly thrusting into you. His tanned shaft moved so fast that it was a blur.

You still couldn’t believe this was happening, looking up at your Colonel with a desire to see his face and engrave this surreal moment into your brain.

His dark eyes, blown with lust, met yours, his tanned lips parted while he rutted into you with all his might. His balls smacked into your thigh with every thrust, causing the most pornographic flesh-slapping sounds to fill the tiled cubicle. The water from the shower splashed off your Colonel’s back to pool at your feet, but your eyes stayed trained on Miguel despite the shower blinding your vision.

Your stomach began to burn unbearingly, like a ball of tangled yarn tightening with each passing moment. You couldn’t think, only focusing on the blinding pleasure that was bringing you closer and closer to that blissful end. “C-Colonel…” You were only able to whimper through the overwhelming ecstasy.

“Have to cum, soldier?” He inquired causing you frantically nodded. He chuckled, increasing his pace and snaking his other hand to your front, rubbing frantic circles onto your clit. You screamed out and instantly became undone in his burly arms.

Your eyes rolled back, convulsing harshly in his arms as your release came crashing into you like a tidal wave. Your pussy fluttered around his cock, clenching him tightly and earning a sexy groan from Miguel into your ear. “Fuck- There we go.” He whispered, continuing to fuck you through your orgasm.

The sensations were blinding and so good. It left you wanting more of the forgotten feeling.

Your legs trembled horribly, leaving you unable to hold yourself up; but it was as if your COL knew you and your body, although this being the first time he’d ever touched you.

He hastily pulled out and lowered your leg from his shoulder, making you gasp. He chuckled, leaving you to balance on your jelly legs. "Tired yet?” He inquired. “Knowing a little thing like you, I don’t think you can handle another round.” He taunted, giving you that teasing glare of his.

The look he gave you when the other members of your squad were around.

Challenging you to push your limits, to not look weak, and most of all…

To not disappoint him…

You hated that look because it was a complete and utter mindfuck.

And every single time…

He got you.

You hastily shook your head, resting against the wall to stabilize yourself. “No, sir. I-I’m fine.” You breathlessly replied.

His smirk broadened, as like always, you’ve run right into his trap. “Good.” He uttered, suddenly, hoisting you up and pressing your backside against the wall. His large hands rested underneath your thighs and effortlessly held you up.

You gasped at the abrupt action, wrapping your legs around his waist and resting your hands on his scarred and coarse-haired chest. You met his piercing gaze, his usual confidence, dripping from his very being.

“I’m just getting started with you, soldier.”

He said, not giving you time to react before pushing his length back inside of you. You instantly cried out, your arms flinging around his thick neck. He groaned, his one hand pressing into the wall, his fingers digging into your thigh. "Fuck, you feel good.” He growled, soon finding a relentless pace once again.

With every drive of his hips, your backside slammed into the wall, leaving you certain your back would be bruised later. Your eyes rolled over and over again, his cock continuously touching deep inside of you, making your toes curl so much that it hurt.

He handled your body like a ragdoll, pounding his enormous shaft into you whilst holding you in his arms like you weighed absolutely nothing. The water continued to cascade down your bodies, now completely cold, but neither of you could feel a thing; too blinded with pleasure and of each other.

He took your jaw in his hand, turning your face to look at him. Your eyes fluttered horribly, his thrusting never ceasing. "Tell me this soldier.” He said through grunts, “Do you always moan my name when you please yourself?” He uttered and even during your fucked-out state, your flushed face turned a deep red in embarrassment.

His words clarified his presence during your failed pleasure session.

You didn’t know to be ashamed of him, your Colonel, overhearing you in such a state, or thankful, since now he was bestowing upon you the pleasure your body had been craving. Nonetheless, you tried to find the words in your scrambled brain to respond.

“Y-Yes.” You truthfully stammered. “I-I’m sorry.” You added, your reddened cheeks intensifying as he continued to move inside of you.

A breathtaking grunt that sounded like a chuckle, passed his lips, his amber eyes staring into yours. “What did I tell you about apologizing, hmm?” He inquired, his cock and words only causing the pit of your stomach to tighten once again.

“T-that you don’t w-want to hear them.”

“Correct, Princesa.” He replied, his eyes roaming your face, before sternness washed over his facial features.

"Let me hear it again."

He snarled, making your heart drop. His tone was the same when he was training you on the field, or barking orders to the rest of your squad. His gravelly, rough tone was rooted into your mind and shook you to your very core.

Suddenly, you felt sober and alert for the first time since he touched you.

“W-What!?” You exclaimed in shock. He scoffed, pressing you against the wall, leveraging you, and continuing his inhumane pace. "You heard me.

Say my name, soldier."

He groaned, the water from the showerhead continuing to spill down onto the two of you, blinding your already glazed sight.

You instantly couldn’t speak. Every plunge of his cock inside of your soppy pussy snatched the words from your lips and left your mind a complete mess once again. At your speechlessness, he abruptly slapped you, a sizzling sting filling your left cheek. Your face snapped to the right, a loud broken moan erupting from your throat.

You instantly became alert, your vision still a little hazy as he gripped your rosy cheeks in his hand, turning to face him.

"Fucking say it!"

He demanded, your stomach coiling at the desperate grunts that he was trying to keep hidden behind his gritted teeth.

"M-Miguel- fuck." You were finally able to muster. Saliva that was unable to be swallowed began to drip down the corners of your mouth and behind his clamped hand.

The sexy vein in his forehead started to bulge, his abs clenching against your stomach. "Hmm, say it again."

"M-Miguel! Mmm, Miguel, p-please!" You cried out. You didn’t know what you were pleading for, the reasoning completely unknown. The only thing clear in your fogged mind was your desire for him.

More of him.

Your words seemed to turn him on even more, a hot groan falling from his parted lips, his pace increasing. “Such a good girl for me, soldier.” He gasped, his hips snapping into you at such erratic and unwavering speeds, despite the duration of fucking he'd been doing into you. "Mmm, you are such a good little soldier for me.” He babbled, his fingers pressing into your face whilst your eyes rolled uncontrollably.

Your walls fluttered around his cock, contracting and gripping him tightly. For the first time since his assault on your pussy, his hips faltered, a curse spilling from his lips. "Mierda- I'm close." He rasped, yet, you couldn't take it anymore.

Shockwaves engulfed your body, overwhelming and suffocating you in its electrified grip. Your back arched against the wall, whining and rambling through tears. "I'm cumming. 'm cumming." You sobbed, his cock attacking your G-spot one final time as you squirted in lengthy bursts.

The feeling was something you never felt before. It was different from when you came the first time with his mere fingers and the second on his cock.

Your eyes blurred, your mouth falling slack whilst tears spilled down your cheeks. Your essence sprayed onto him, coating his cock, abs, and thighs with your juices.

He cursed, moving his hand from your face to wrap his burly arms around your body. "Shit, Princesa, you are cumming so well for me." He growled. "I should reward you, shouldn't I?" He inquired breathlessly, a smirk spreading across his bronze, chiseled face.

You didn't need to answer, not like you could anyway, because it seemed your Colonel knew it already.

You were thankful for the implant that was placed into your arm upon enlisting as you knew exactly what your COL was planning.

He took your legs into his hands, placing them onto his broad shoulders, and pressed your backside into the wall. You tighten your grip around his neck, trying to prepare yourself, but it was useless.

Like a jackhammer, he hungrily plowed into you. You silently screamed, his cock rapidly disappearing in and out of your pussy. "Oh yes- going to fill you up so well, little soldier." He breathlessly groaned, his cock effortlessly pressing into your G-spot over and over again.

You were so sensitive, trembling and shaking in his arms. You sobbed at the intensity until your walls gripped him one final time.

"Ay, coño!" He exclaimed, in a low, guttural groan before spilling his seed inside of you. Your eyes rolled, his warm essence coating your walls and filling you up, just like he promised.

Your face scrunched up in pure ecstasy at the mind-numbing sensation, causing you to meet your peak once again. You trembled in his tight hold, eyes rolling whilst your release poured down your legs.

His load seemed to be endless as he emptied himself inside of you until the very last drop. He let out a shaky groan, burrowing the bridge of his nose into the crook of your neck, and holding you against the wall.

The both of you caught your breath, his cock softening inside of your full walls. The shower smelled strongly of sex and sweat. The icy cold water continuing to rain down upon your bodies, your beings finally recognizing the chilliness, but too tired to do anything about it.

When the two of you had finally gotten your strength, your Colonel lifted you from his shaft and onto the floor. His cum instantly began to spill down your jelly legs, the feeling making you tingle all over.

To stabilize you, his large, calloused hands were glued to your hips, just like they were at the shooting range.

Feeling just right, and as if they belonged there.

"Hope you learned something today, Soldier." He uttered, his voice taking on his usual commanding tone. You thickly gulped, looking up at the massive male with half-hooded eyes.

You weakly nodded. "Y-Yes...I have, Colonel." You whispered, bringing a tight-lipped smile to his lips.

"I'm glad to hear that." He said, pulling away from you and drawing the curtains back. Your warm body was instantly graced with a chilled breeze at his action, making you shudder.

The shower room was, thankfully, still vacant as his pile of clothes and boots were sitting just outside of the cubicle.

Before his large frame left you to clean up, he looked over his broad shoulder, his dark eyes on you. "I don't want you pleasing yourself anymore, soldier." He simply said, his words surprising you and making your stomach flutter.

"M-May I ask...why?" You hesitantly asked, still out of breath from the heated sex the two of you shared. He licked his lips, turning to you fully in the doorway of your shower cubicle, his eyes looking you up and down.

"Why, that pussy of yours has my name on it." He replied, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his large chest. “I’m the only one that gets to pleasure you.” He chuckled, looking you up and down. “Also because…

I’m the only one who can.”

He uttered, his eyes glued to every part of you. You couldn’t believe what he’d just said, staring at him in utter shock.

A small smirk spread across his lips at your stunned expression. "Now pick your mouth off the floor and get your ass out here in 20." He said, his usual stern voice, holding a bit of amusement. "Take any longer and I won't hesitate to come back and drill that order into your head until you understand. Got it, soldier?"

You bit your lip, cheeks turning a rosy red as you nodded. He pushed off the wall, simply picking up his clothes and walking towards the lockers.

You took in the last of his gorgeous ass, muscular backside, towering height, and confident stride as he disappeared around the corner and into the locker room.

You were still unable to believe that you, the forces' slip-up, were allowed to get a taste of that hunk of a man; and was able to climax so many times with him, despite the numerous times you tried and failed on your own.

You grinned, deep blush staining your cheeks whilst pulling the curtains closed. You turned back towards the cold shower, rotating the knob to the right in hopes of there still being warm water left.

Upon waiting, you couldn't resist recalling everything from that state of pure bliss that you just shared with your Colonel.

The moment, honestly, one of your sex dreams came to life.

Just thinking about it, made your leaking sensitive area throb to life once more.

Even as you stood under the water, muscles spent and core still dripping with his cum, an erotic thought filled your mind…

'Maybe showering a little longer than 20 minutes wouldn't be so bad...'

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed 'Helping Hands.' Make sure to like, comment, follow, and reblog! Love you guys!

Also my request box is open, if anyone is interested!!

<3 Taglist:

@oscarissac2099 @powerful-niya @szapizzapanda @mcmiracles @mreowmoreww @thedevax @jadeloverxd @lazyotakuofficial @migueloharacumslut @nattywattyy @homewreckingwreck @kinkybandages

#miguel o'hara #spider man 2099 #across the spiderverse #the blue panther #miguel ohara #miguel #miguel smut #miguel spiderman #miguel spiderverse #miguel x fem!reader #miguel o hara #miguel x reader #miguel x y/n #spiderman 2099 #miguel ohara fanfiction #miguel x you #miguel x reader smut #astv miguel #Colonel Miguel

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linamromero · 11 months

Text

𝘐 𝘎𝘖𝘛 𝘠𝘖𝘜 /// 𝘖𝘕𝘈 𝘉𝘈𝘛𝘓𝘓𝘌 𝘟 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘋𝘌𝘙.

It was only a week into January and you and the Manchester United team were in Malta for a few days as you had a game against Birkirkara.

Yesterday you won 0-10 and this afternoon the team were going on a boat trip to relax. Everyone boarded the boat, you were sat with your girlfriend and teammate, Ona Batlle.

You met Ona when you both played for the Barcelona B team until 2017 when you signed with the senior squad and Ona moved to Madrid, then to Levante.

Both of you were reunited at international camps that’s where you caught feelings for each other but more recently when you signed for Manchester United in 2019 and she in 2020.

“Are you okay guapa?"She spoke as you sat outside sunning yourself in just a sports bra and some Man U training shorts.

𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘱𝘢.

It was Ona’s nickname for you, she called you it ever since you and her went out for dinner one night in the Barcelona sun.

“Yeah are you?” You answered perching your sunglasses on the end of your nose.

“I am now.” She smiled, shuffling a little closer to you,“Because i’m with you mi corazón."

“Onita.” You spoke into her neck.

You or Ona hadn’t announced your relationship to the public yet and you didn’t want to yet. So you stayed clear of peoples phones, and tried to not act affectionate in the media however, there has been some speculation with fans and the press.

Lucía came bounding over to ask if we were coming in the sea, “Yeah we’ll come now.”

Millie was getting ready to film you and the girls jumping off the edge of the boat, “Are you ready, okay one, two, three go!”

All five girls dived into the ocean and it was so warm. Once Ona saw that Millie stopped recording she swam over to you putting her arms around your neck, “Oh hello you.”

“Hello baby.” She smiled, kissing your cheek.

“Not there, here.” You kissed her deeply on the lips.

Ona kissed you back, her lips were sweet but a little bit salty from the salt water, “Onita.”

“Yes baby.” She mumbled pulling away from your lips.

“Be careful.”

“Always.” Ona hummed into your neck, not really paying attention to what was around her.

You and your girlfriend just swam around in the water for a while before you decided to get out as your fingers were getting wrinkly, “Give me a hand please.”

You smiled down at your girlfriend, hauling her back onto the boat. Your phone seemed to have blown up from the time you were sunbathing to being in the water, “Joder!”

“What? Ona looked over at you with a towel around her shoulders.

“Have you seen this?” You shoved your phone in her face.

“Madre mía!" Her mouth hung open.

It was a cropped video zoomed in on you and Ona kissing in the sea. You read through the comments to try and find out where the video originated from.

It was Millie’s instagram story.

𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬. You thought that Millie had stopped recording, “Mierda, i told you to be careful!”

“Lo siento bebé, i really am.” Ona looked at you with doe eyes.

“It’s okay it’s not your fault.” You sighed rubbing the side of her face.

“I mean we can go public if you want, put the rumours to rest.” Your girlfriend placed her hands on your shoulders.

“Only if your ready amor."

Ona nodded, you said to her that you would post something when you got back to the hotel for the evening.

…

𝘓𝘐𝘒𝘌𝘋 𝘉𝘠 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳_ 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘖𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘚.

𝘺/𝘯_𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘻 - 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘪 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘺 𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘱𝘰🇲🇹❤️

{𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮🇲🇹❤️}

𝘰𝘯𝘢.𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘭𝘦 - 𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰😘

𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘻𝘹𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘭𝘦 - 𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.

𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘢𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴 - 𝘮𝘪 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘴🥰

𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘯𝘦 - 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴

𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘴 - 𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦🥹

…

“Nothing bad so far.” Ona spoke as she put her shoes on.

“No but that’s good right.” You looked down at your petite girlfriend.

“Yes they love you no matter what but i love you more.” She smiled as you left your hotel room.

You went out for dinner in the evening at a restaurant by the sea, drinking pints of beer watching the sunset, “I must say you look beautiful.”

“Ona is that the alcohol talking?”

“No you do bebé." A smile appeared on her lips.

“Gracias, you do too.” You replied drinking the last of your second pint.

“Let’s go for a walk on the beach.” Ona suggested, you nodding in return.

You took your sandals off as did Ona, holding them in your left hand and holding Ona’s hand in your right. You two walked on the wet sand so when the tide came in it washed over your feet, “Te amo."

"Te amo mucho." Ona kissed you with passion.

…

#ona batlle x reader #ona batlle #woso imagine #manchester united #manchester united women #malta 2023 #woso #woso one shot #woso x reader

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myemotionalsupportcharacters · 6 months

Text

Somebody I Used to Know

Abby Anderson X Reader (Y/N)

Warnings: smut, trauma, implied PTSD

Friends to Enemies to Lovers Arc

A/n: did this turn out three times longer than I meant it to be? Yes. Is it edited? Barely. Enjoy!

It had been years now since Salt Lake, but some things hadn’t changed.

Abby still avoided you in the halls, had you assigned to patrols she didn’t want to go on, glared you down in the canteen as you made your way to their table. Having a sworn enemy is hard when you share the same friend group.

You had been thick as thieves growing up. Abby’s dad had become yours when you turned up at the hospital running from a group of bad guys that had managed to kill your parents before you slipped away. You had begun to show signs of starvation, bloody and bruised, clutching a large knife with both hands as soldiers had to subdue you to get you inside.

When you woke up, she was there: changing the wash cloth on your head, all but forcing a glass of water down you as they tried to break your fever. Inseparable since that moment, you did everything together. You found his body together.

She wouldn’t let you go when they dragged you out of the room and onto a truck. Sobbing, pounding her fists into your back as you helped them drag her away.

In the back of the truck, red rimmed eyes and a firm scowl, she looked up at you.

“I’m going to kill him. I’m going to find him, and I’m going to make him pay.” Your throat constricted, chest burned, and all you could do was nod and clutch her tightly to your chest.

It was a few days later when she brought it up again. Laying in sleeping bags on a hard concrete floor, she rolled over to you.

“Y/N, you awake?” You rolled over to face her, barely illuminated by the moonlight breaking through the rotting roof panels. “I was serious. I’m going to track him down, and I’m going to kill him. You’ll come with me, right?”

“Abby, I miss him so much.” Tears filled your eyes, tipping over the edge and trailing at an awkward angle down your face. “I don’t know if I could do that. I don’t think he would want that for you…” she rolled over in her bag before you could finish, face hardened.

“Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

She didn’t talk to you again, betrayed by her closest confidant. How could you not see that this was her only option? Her only way to heal, to honour him?

For the first year, you approached her in the halls, included her in conversation, and was always met with cold silence and a flat glare. She slipped even further away when she started dating Owen. You had always known they would end up together at some point, but you couldn’t have imagined how insufferable he would become when they did.

Every opportunity he had his hands on her, poking and teasing, whispering in her ear. You watched as she swooned and giggled like a little girl, turning away from the sight and doing your best to ignore them. The resentment grew. It wasn’t just him anymore, it was her too. She had replaced you, with him.

Then came the Bonfire Incident (as it was known in the group). You had been buzzing about it for a month. Isaac had finally given the go ahead for a small celebration for the patrol squads after the new territory was secured. You would christen the new ground with a good ol’ fashioned bonfire, complete with barbecue and bootleg liquor.

The best part, Lexi was going. You had a small crush on her, and had heard through a mutual friend that she thought you were pretty. You had high hopes. All hopes were confirmed when she dragged you off to a dark section of trees, toting a bottle of smuggled whiskey she found on patrol. You drank, flirted and eventually, she had you pinned against a tree, tongue in your mouth and a hand down your pants.

“Fuck, yes, there.” You panted, leaning your head back against the tree as she dug two fingers into just the right spot and ground the heel of her hand against your throbbing clit. “Shit, so close.” Her lips dragged across your collarbone, and up your neck. A rustle caught your attention, and you tipped your head to the side, catching Abby sneaking between the trees. She stopped, holding your eye contact, expression switching quickly from caught to determined. Her jaw tightened and twitched, thick arms folding across her chest as she watched the scene unfold.

You held her gaze, letting out one final moan as you contracted around Lexi’s fingers, cumming so hard it took your breath away and made your toes tingle. Abby never looked away. Lexi moaned into your neck.

“So fuckin tight, doll. Bet you taste as sweet as you sound.” You looked around as she gently pulled her fingers from you, leaving you empty and pulsing. She brought her fingers up to your mouth, and your jaw dropped open. She placed them gently on your tongue, and you lapped up your own juices. “You’re so fucking hot.” She pulled her fingers away and pressed a quick hot kiss to your lips.

“What do you say we finish this later?” You asked, pulling away.

“Whatever you say, hun. You coming?” She pulled the whiskey back up to her lips, taking a swig.

“Just gonna straighten myself out.” Lexi winked, walking away. Once she was far enough, you turned to face Abby still leaning against the tree.

Abby stepped back out from the tree she had taken cover behind.

“The fuck was that?”

“Aw, Abby, Owen not taking care of you?” Abby let out a mocking laugh.

“I meant your choice in partner. Seriously? Lexi?”

“What’s wrong with Lexi?” You defended, folding your own arms over your chest.

“Nothing, nothing.” Abby held her hands up. “Just thought you had better taste than that.”

“Since when did my taste in women have anything to do with you, Anderson? Especially considering your own clear lack of judgement.” Abby’s face hardened.

“Fuck you.”

“You wish you could, Anderson. I’m just not sure you could keep up.” You pushed off the tree, reaching down to zip up your pants as you stalked back to the fire, leaving her in the dark.

You only found out the next morning that Owen had broken things off three days prior.

You felt awful, but pushed it down. She had spent the past couple years treating you like shit, and the one time you returned the favour, you suddenly felt guilty?

You shook it off, and returned to the normal routine. Until today.

You headed to the armoury, opening your locker and pulling out a slightly battered sniper rifle, a 9mm, and restocking your pockets with ammo. Pulling on your pack, you headed out back and hopped onto your assigned truck. You pulled a small book out your sack, and waited as everyone got loaded on.

It was tradition by now, everyone had learned you didn’t partake in the pre-shit show banter and chatter. You read, you shot, and then you chilled.

“The fuck is this?” You didn’t look up when you heard her voice. “No, Manny she shouldn’t be here.” You heard shuffling as Manny pulled Abby aside and talked her down. A couple minutes later she hopped onto the back of the truck and sat as far down the bench as possible.

“Apparently I’m covering your ass today.” Abby grunted, and you flipped to the next page. Tony chuffed, and looked over at Abby.

“She doesn’t talk before runs. Or during actually.”

“The fuck…” You tuned out Abby grumbling, zoning into your book until you felt Manny clap you on the shoulder.

“It’s time.” You nodded, stowing your book and standing. You followed him into the building, ignoring the gunshots that covered your entrance. You made your way to rooftop, Abby moving silently in your wake. Busting the door open, you quickly made your way to the edge, and began setting up the rifle. Abby stuck by the door, and you let out a chuff of your own.

“Heights.” You remembered. “Are you going to be able to do this?” You called to her.

“I’m fine. Worry about yourself.” Abby turns her back, focusing on the doorway.

Half an hour later and the street below was littered with corpses of runners and Scars alike. The Scars had come first, pushed out of hiding by the runners, all part of Isaac’s brilliant plan. The silencer on sniper mostly concealed your location, Abby had been stationed just incase any managed to slip through the building clearing or the first defence line. You had spent the whole time with your eye to the scope, all other sounds or distractions tuned out.

“All clear, fuck!” Manny came to a halt at the doorway. You hauled yourself up from the ground, disassembling the rifle, and packing it back up. You turned to see the pile of bodies Abby had left. Three scar, one much larger than the others, and five clickers. Abby was sat leaning against an air duct, rewrapping the bandages around her knuckles and wrist, a deep gouge oozing blood down the left side of her face.

“You’re welcome.” She grunts in your direction, standing and grabbing her rucksack.

“Thanks.” You returned, straight faced.

Abby stares at you for a moment, then laughs and stalks away. Manny looks between you, before following Abby.

The truck was silent on the ride back, two people lighter than on the way out. You sat, staring at the floor, ignoring Abby’s eyes on you. She had seen it when she got to the ground floor. The devastation you had left in your wake. At least four times the amount of her own kills. You had seen the way she looked at you as you got onto the truck. She hadn’t realised what living at WLF had turned you into, she hadn’t been paying attention. She’d never seen the look in your eyes after a run, hollow and empty. Hadn’t thought about why you didn’t want to talk about what went down on runs with the group, why everyone but your friend group tended to eye you as you walked down the halls. They’d fashioned you into a killer, and stollen the light that used to shine in your eyes. They’d done the same thing to her.

The showers were running hot that day, the fog they created obscuring her vision slightly as she watched you. You stood under the hot water, head tipped back, eyes shut as tears camouflaged with the water. Behind you eyes, a movie of your killing spree played out like pantomime. You saw each of them go down, saw their lives up until that point play out until the moment your bullet found them. Then you scrubbed it all away, and drifted back to your room with raw skin, and blurry eyes.

The knock came not long after.

“I know you probably don’t want to talk, but…please let me in.” You paused, hand over the handle, before you opened the door and walked away. You sat on the small couch and gestured to the coffee table. Abby sat, legs spread wide, leaning forward on her knees.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, and you pulled your knees to your chest, suddenly feeling vulnerable in your pj shorts and sports bra. “I’m sorry for ignoring you, I’m sorry for leaving you alone, I’m sorry for putting you on the shit patrol runs. I’m sorry for everything, fuck, Y/N.” She runs her hands over her face, finally looking up to see your vacant eyes staring back. “I’m sorry for scaring all those girls off when they tried to talk to you. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you. All of it, I fucked it all up… Somewhere in her rambling, your eyes hardened, became piercing. She watched you reassemble yourself, piece by piece, shut down and toughen into something else.

“You should go.” You cut her off. Her breath caught, noticed the way your fingers tightened around your calves, your breath became stilted. Suddenly you shot off the couch, moving towards the door. “Get out. Now!” You were on the edge, about to slip and the last thing you needed was Abby fucking Anderson witnessing you crumble. She stood, walking over to you. A breath wheezed in your chest, hands shaking, you recoiled away from her.

“Y/n…”

“Please. Leave.” The gasp that left you seemed to puncture the bubble around you, as your knees gave way and she caught you. She shoved the door closed, and pulled you into her lap, feeling you shake and gasp. Her arms coiled around your back, hands rubbing soothingly up and down your spine, letting you bury your head in her shoulder. “I hate you.” You whimpered into her, arms in a vice grip around her shoulders, nails digging into her shoulder blades.

“I know, I don’t blame you.” She sighs, pushing her head into your neck, rocking you back and forth. Slowly, your breathing returned to normal, body becoming limp. You pulled back, moving a hand to the side of her face as you looked down into big blue eyes almost as wet as your own.

“Don’t leave me again.”

“Never.” Abby sucked in a quick breath before pushing her lips to yours. It was gentle, tender as she waited to see how you reacted. She expected a slap, for you to crawl away, hurl the lamp at her. Instead you pressed yourself closer, hand moving to the back of her neck, tilting her head up and slanting so you fit together perfectly.

It got messy quickly, panted breaths and wet tongues. Somewhere between kisses her hands dropped to your hips, gripping and pulling. She groaned when she felt your hips roll against her, bucking up to press closer. The second time she did it, you let out a whimper that almost made her heart stop.

“Fuck, you make such pretty sounds.” She groaned, dropping her lips to your neck, down to your collar bone. You pulled back, tugging off the sports bra, and watching as she quickly wrapped her lips around a nipple. A hazy mix of tongue and teeth had your eyes rolling back.

“I want you so bad.”

“You’ve got me, I’m right here.” Abby shifted, laying you gently on the floor and trailing hot lips down your torso. She had your pjs and panties pulled down around your ankles before you could process the cold air that goose bumped your skin. She pushed your knees apart and up, latching to the soft skin of your inner thigh, teasing her tongue around the very edges of you. She teased until your hips were bucking up and your groans turned to whimpers before she ran her tongue over you.

“Fuck, you do taste sweet.” She groaned, delving back in to part your lips with her tongue before wrapping around your clit, licking and sucking until you were keening and begging for more. She teased a finger at your entrance, feeling the way you tried to suck her in, looking up to see watery eyes looking back at her. As your mouth parted to beg, she slipped a finger in gently, your head dropped back and hands shot to her head.

With hands full of her braid you pulled her closer, feeling her finger curl inside you, triggering a pulse so tight it rippled up through your abdomen. Her finger moved gently as she sucked your clit harshly into her mouth, flicking her tongue over the sensitive bud until your whimpers turned back into full out moans.

“So close, Abs.” You cried, hips wriggling as you tried to find the right spot to tip you over the edge. Abby slipped another finger inside, curling up again and speeding up slightly. She flattened her tongue, and the added pressure launched you over. “Fuck!” Your back arched almost painfully as your legs shook beside her head, she slowed, letting you ride out your high, hips jolting slightly.

Once she was sure you were done, she gently eased out and away from you, running her hands up your sides, and picking you up from the hard floor. She cradled you in her arms, placing a kiss on your forehead before settling you on your bed.

You were still floating as she tucked you under the covers, pulling her pants off and getting in beside you. She pulled you to her, and you nuzzled into her chest.

“I’m never leaving you again.” She placed another tender kiss onto your hairline, stoking your hair as you drifted off to sleep, a soft smile curling your lips.

#abby anderson #abby anderson smut #abby smut #abby tlou #abby the last of us #abby x reader #abby x fem!reader #abby x you

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goldenlaurelleaveswrites · 2 years

Text

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe ch 12

Juleka vs. the Forces of Ladybug

Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe (AO3)

I’m so sorry for the long wait everyone! I really wanted to have this chapter posted a long time ago, but honestly I just wasn’t feeling that great about any of my writing last month and ended up in quite the writing funk. I really appreciate your patience and support, and all of the lovely comments you’ve been leaving me. It really means a lot, and I want you all to know just how much I appreciate you taking the time to tell me what you think of the story so far!! 💖💖💖

I’m going to warn you all, I know I’ve been a bit vague with some of my responses to comments and that isn’t going to change since we are getting close to the end. I’ve had the ending written since December and I’ve managed to keep it a secret so far, I don’t want to spoil it now! So please forgive me for keeping responses vague, or not addressing parts of your comments. I swear I’m not ignoring what you have to say, I just don’t trust myself to keep my mouth shut 😅 Maybe I should start responding to comments with fake endings? 😝

Lastly, a bit of housekeeping. I will be going away on vacation this month, so while I will try to update, I want to focus on enjoying my holiday. So rest assured, if I don’t post in August, it’s just because I’ve been busy.

Now onto the story!

She had meant to follow Marinette. After two akumas in one day —and Hearthunter had been nasty. But of course, it had been! It was the Bourgeois —to say nothing of the total disaster Alya’s scheming had caused… she had figured Marinette wouldn’t want to be alone. But she had only turned her back for a minute! Just to make sure no one would see her sneaking off. But when she had turned around, Marinette was gone.

She had meant to follow Luka. She had seen him pedalling his bike like his life depended on it, and she had had a feeling he would lead her straight to Marinette.

She really hadn’t meant to intrude on such an intimate and vulnerable moment.

But from the side street she had been hiding in, she had seen the wasps before Luka and Marinette. And in a Hawkmoth-infested Paris—she didn’t care if it technically wasn’t an infestation if there was only one—she had learned to be wary of anything even remotely outside the ordinary.

And swarms of glowing yellow wasps definitely counted as outside the ordinary.

And she couldn’t just let those things sting Marinette or Luka! Paris needed Marinette. And Marinette might need Luka.

So she did the only reasonable thing she could think of in a split second; she flung herself out of her hiding place and tackled the two idiots out of the way.

And then there was a sharp pain, like a sting, in her shoulder.

And everything went black.

***

She woke up in the street, where she had tackled Marinette and Luka out of the way of the incoming swarm.

But there was no sign of either of them.

And she didn’t know why, but it felt like something had changed. Like somehow, the Universe had shifted.

***

She frowned at Marinette, who was busy frantically scribbling down notes in her notebook, despite the fact that they still had more than an hour left in the work period Bustier had given them.

Ever since that day with the wasps and the akuma nobody seemed to remember beyond said wasps... Marinette had been… different.

She had been quiet. Anxious- more so than usual, like she was almost always on the brink of panic. She had become more closed off as well.

Secretive.

It was… worrying.

That day, when she had woken up from the influence of the wasps, she had felt like something had changed.

At first, she had thought Luka and Marinette had finally gotten together. The way they had shared that ice cream by the Seine… the way they had looked at each other… It had all seemed to point to them getting together.

Except… they hadn’t.

They had continued to dance around each other, staring longingly at each other when they thought no one was looking and getting a wistful look in their eyes when the other came up in conversation.

Luka still spent every spare minute he had working on Marinette’s song. Or rather, songs. Because at this point, it felt like he had a whole album for her.

And Marinette…

Marinette warbled between hiding herself away and spending what little time she had just listening to Luka play. It seemed the only thing that provided any ease or comfort to the new and alarming frantic energy that had overcome her.

But those times were far and few in between and becoming increasingly more so. And to make matters worse, what little time they did get to spend together was always interrupted. Usually, it was an akuma that forced Marinette to run off, leaving Luka behind. But sometimes, when Marinette and Luka were talking—she wasn’t trying to eavesdrop! It wasn’t her fault the walls were thin—and it sounded like Marinette was opening up… she would shut down before running off in a flurry of nervous energy, spewing half-baked excuses over her shoulder.

She knew Luka was worried.

She was too.

The only difference was, she knew Marinette was Ladybug. And given the way the Universe had seemed to shift that day with the wasps, she would bet her best black lipstick that it had something to do with that akuma.

She just needed to figure out what it was that had happened.

***

She had her answer. Or, at least, an answer.

It was impossible to know for sure when she couldn’t exactly ask for the whole story.

But it felt like at least part of an answer.

It would at least partially explain why Marinette was so busy with akumas these days…

Carapace. Rena Rouge. King Monkey. Pegasus. Ryuko.

Out of action.

All of them.

Just like that.

Her frown deepened as Ladybug continued speaking to the cameras. “…for their own safety, as well as the safety of their families.” Ladybug’s face was the perfect image of strength and resilience. The facade was seemingly unbreakable. Looking at her, it would be impossible for anyone to tell she was wearing a mask in more ways than one. “They have my thanks and gratitude for their service. I-“ for the briefest of seconds, anguish flickered in Ladybug’s eyes. But it was gone in less than an instant. “Their courage and dedication will not be forgotten. It has been an honour working with them. Thank you."

Reporters began to shout from off-screen, firing off questions so rapidly and over top of each other. It was impossible to make out all of the questions, but she heard the words “why,” and “Hawkmoth” quite a few times.

It had to be those wasps. Viperion was the only temporary hero had been seen since the day those wasps had descended on the city. And Marinette hadn't been herself since that day.

“That will be all,” Ladybug said before swinging her yoyo and letting it pull her away.

Ladybug hadn’t even bothered with her usual catchphrase.

She switched off the tv and stared at the reflection of herself in the dark screen.

Almost all of Marinette’s back up... Gone…

She just had Viperion and Chat Noir—Adrien—left.

If she hadn't shoved him and Marinette out of the way of those wasps...

Would Viperion have had to been taken out of action as well?

Was that the Universe’s game?

***

She sighed as she watched Marinette disappear around a street corner.

Knowing the problem—or at least part of it, because who knew what else could be going on—was a double-edged sword. At least now, she had an idea as to what had caused the change in Marinette. But what could she do?

It wasn’t like she could march up to Hawkmoth and rip the miraculous off of him.

And how was she supposed to beat the Universe at this new game when she didn't even know the rules? It had been easy enough--relatively speaking--before, when it was just running interference with schemes and trying to get Luka and Marinette to see what was staring them straight in the face. But now...

Luka’s shoulders slumped as he sank back down into the lounge chair he had been sitting in. His eyes were still glued to the corner Marinette had disappeared around.

“I just wish I could help her,” he said forlornly, his gaze never wavering from the street corner.

She shoved his legs so she could sit on the end of the lounge chair. "You and me both," she said glumly.

Luka finally dragged his gaze away from the corner to look at her. “She won’t even tell me what’s wrong. She doesn't have to tell me anything. She knows that- I told her myself," Luka said ruefully. "But I wish she would.”

“I don’t know if she can.”

She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

She could feel Luka’s eyes on her again. “What do you mean?”

Shoot shoot shoot shoot- “Maybe she just doesn’t know how to talk about it? Or maybe she can’t? For whatever reason. But she still needs you,” she said, bumping him with her shoulder.

He sighed. "I don't know. It's not like I've been able to really do anything."

"Don't be stupid." Luka opened his mouth to protest, but she kept going. "You have been helping her. The calmest I’ve seen her lately is when she’s with you. You comfort her. It's a lot more than I've been able to do," she added bitterly.

Luka sighed. A faint yet sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He bumped her with his shoulder. “She’s lucky to have you as a friend, Jules.”

She shook her head.

She couldn’t comfort Marinette the way Luka could. She couldn't help fight akumas the way Luka did. All she could do was forge cease and desist letters and mess with Alya's schemes.

And for all she had done to try and help Marinette—and Luka—what did she have to show for it?

***

She cast another surreptitious glance at Marinette. At this point, she was surprised the tip of Marinette’s pencil wasn’t smoking from the intensity with which she was writing.

This was getting out of hand. Really, it had been out of hand since the beginning. But now… well, everyone in the class had noticed the change in Marinette. Even Chloe.

Well, everyone except Bustier…

The second Bustier had turned to start her PowerPoint, seemingly completely oblivious to everything that was going on with her students, Alya had sent out a text calling for an emergency girl squad meeting after school. Given Marinette hadn’t been included in the group text, it was obvious what the meeting was going to be about.

That had been at the beginning of class, and honestly, they probably could have had their whole meeting through text without Bustier noticing. But Mylène had pointed out it would probably be easier to actually talk. So they had agreed and all settled into pretending to pay attention to the lesson.

And the time had dragged since then.

Mme. Bustier was still cheerily droning on about personification and hyperbole, and dramatic irony and whatever else was relevant to the story they were reading. She hadn’t really been listening. No one had been.

Kim was slumped back in his seat, mouth wide open and snoring. Max was tinkering with his calculator. Alya and Nino were exchanging notes. Rose was doodling, Nathaniel was drawing, and Alix’s eyes were glued to the clock as it slowly ticked towards the end of the hour. Everyone else, barring Marinette, looked like they were ready to drift off at any moment…

Marinette was the only one who didn’t seem overcome by the early June energy—or lack thereof—that had the rest of the class half asleep.

Marinette was still scribbling notes on something.

“Oh my goodness!” She jumped at Bustier’s sudden outburst. In front of her, Kim snorted himself awake. She glanced at Marinette; she looked like she had just seen a ghost. Or like she had just seen Hawkmoth in the flesh more like it…“Look at the time! I didn’t realize we had so little of it!”

Bustier gave the class—now paying attention—one of her syrupy smiles. “I didn’t want to tell you all at the beginning of class, I know how exciting this kind of news can be, and I wanted to make sure we were all on task and ready for our learning…” she had to hold back a snort at that. “…but now that we’re close to the end of the day, I can tell you. There’s going to be a school dance at the end of the month. To celebrate an excellent year of learning! It will be held the evening of the last day of classes.”

Rose was suddenly vibrating with glee. Alya and Mylène had perked up too. In fact, the entire class had perked up.

She turned a hopeful look towards Marinette, only to have her hopes immediately dashed.

Marinette was furiously writing again…

She had hoped… foolishly, probably, but she had hoped the news about the dance would havegotten Marinette to perk up a little. Or at least gotten her to put her pencil down for a second. Because while she wasn’t as… enthusiastic about school dances as Rose was, Marinette loved school dances.

But Marinette either hadn’t even listened… or she didn’t care…

***

“She didn’t even listen when Bustier made the announcement about the dance!”

“I mean, she freaked out when Bustier started talking about it…”

“But she just went back to writing her notes-“

“Were we supposed to be taking notes?” Alix asked.

“She’s been acting so weird lately,” Mylène added quietly. “Has she said anything to you?”

“No! She hasn’t,” Alya sighed, crossing her arms. “It feels like I have no idea what’s going on with her these days.”

“And she’s always so busy now!” Rose’s eyes dimmed. “How many get-togethers has she missed now?”

“She missed the picnic on Saturday.”

Akuma.

“And the last trip to the pool.”

Akuma.

“And she said she was too busy to go shopping for craft supplies with me! It took me forever to pick out the perfect glitter without her help.”

Not an akuma. There hadn’t been one that day. But she was sure Marinette had declined for some other reason; she had never really thought about it before, but who knew what other responsibilities Marinette had as Ladybug besides saving the city?

“I went round to her place last week to ask her to fix a tear in my skating jersey. Only, her parents said she was busy with some a science project-“

Also not an akuma. Maybe it had to do with those notes Marinette always seemed to be writing?

Alya’s brows furrowed. “But we haven’t had any science projects recently.”

“I know. So I texted her. She said she was out.”

“And she’s been jumpy lately!” Rose added. “I saw her in the library, and I tried to ask her to borrow a pencil. But when I tapped her shoulder," Rose shook her head. "I've never seen her jump like that. And then when I asked what she was working on, she slammed her notebook shut.”

Marinette had always been jumpy. But it had been on a whole other level lately. Like every hand on her shoulder belonged to Hawkmoth.

“And have you noticed she’s put those trap locks on all her notebooks? Like the one on her diary? The other day, Ivan tried to pick up a notebook she dropped, and he almost got his hand stuck.”

To have a lock on her diary was one thing. A Completely understandable thing. Especially with Chloe and Sabrina in their class. But on all her notebooks…

She had never been that secretive before…

“The real problem is; she isn’t telling us what’s going on. Or anything for that matter!” Alya declared. “And I’m her best friend! She’s supposed to talk to me about this stuff!”

Marinette was supposed to be able to talk to her best friend. But she wasn’t obligated. Especially when said best friend had a tendency to steamroll…

“What stuff?” Alix mumbled. “We don’t even know what’s got her being weird.”

“Exactly!” Alya loosened her arms. Her shoulders deflated as she lowered her voice. “I heard her crying in the bathroom at school the other day, but when I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong… She said she wasn’t crying. And then she came out acting all happy.” Alya frowned. “It was weird.”

“Poor Marinette…” Rose sniffed, her eyes glimmering in sympathy.

Poor Marinette didn’t even begin to cover it. She couldn’t imagine the stress of being Ladybug. But to lose the temporary heroes and… Well, she wasn’t sure what else had happened. But she was sure it was more than just that.

And that whatever it was, it had to be awful.

“Maybe it’s the fact that Adrien and Kagami are dating now?” Rose asked.

Alya scoffed. “She dumped him last week.”

“What?” Rose’s screech was earsplitting. “How do you know?”

“Nino told me. She totally and completely dumped him. Apparently, she won’t even give Adrien the time of day now.”

Good for Kagami. Given Adrien had continued to flirt with Ladybug with every other breath he took…

What was wrong with him?

No wonder Kagami had broken up with him. Even if she didn’t know Adrien was Chat Noir… well, she assumed it was something to do with that. One way or another.

“But it might explain why Marinette is being so weird. If she doesn’t know Kagami and Adrien broke up…” Mylène mused.

Why did everything have to loop back to Adrien? And Marinette and Kagami were friends! Even if she did still like Adrien, Marinette would be supportive. She just knew it.

There was the whole skating rink fiasco that proved it.

And... oh.

She had been awful to Kagami. Not to her face, granted. But behind her back…

She owed Kagami an apology.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t get a sword to the face. But it was a risk she would have to take. When she wasn’t too busy dealing with-

“Why is she keeping all these secrets from us?” Rose asked with desperation in her voice. She laid a comforting hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder, but it didn’t seem to help much.

“If she’s not even telling Alya, then there’s a real problem,” Alix said.

Well… there was a bit of a flaw in Alix’s logic…

But something was wrong.

And Marinette needed support. Even if she would never be able to tell them what was wrong.

Mylène sighed. “So what do we do?”

Be there for her. Support her in whatever way she needs.

She opened her mouth to say as much. But Alya beat her to the punch.

“What Marinette needs is a friendly intervention!” Alya said decisively. Her stomach plummeted. Marinette needed support, but would she feel cornered if they tried to stage an intervention? “We’ll call her up together and see how she’s doing.”

Ok. A phone call was fine. Good. Marinette wasn’t obligated to pick up. Of course, Marinette was too polite not to pick up unless she was away from her phone. Or busy.

She was always busy these days.

But a phone call was good.

Noninvasive.

Easy to back out of if Marinette needed to.

“She isn’t picking up,” Alya mumbled.

“Should we leave a voicemail?”

“Who listens to their voicemails?”

“That’s why you never called me back!”

“Should we text her?”

“Shhh. We’ll leave a message.” Alya paused as the rest of Marinette’s voicemail prompt played. “Ok, and…. Go! Hey Marinette! It’s us,” Alya said into the phone.

She and the rest of the girls chimed in their greetings.

“We’re just calling to tell you we’re here if you need to talk. Whenever you want, wherever you want. Call us back.”

That was great! Perfect!

Supportive while giving her space.

Letting it be on Marinette’s terms.

She had had her doubts, but it was perfect!

***

She cringed at the clack of Alix’s jaw. How did she make it so loud? From where she lay sprawled out on her bed, Alya huffed. Mylène sighed as she picked listlessly at the buttons on the jacket she had shed after the first fifteen minutes of waiting. Beside her, Rose was tapping half-heartedly on her phone. She could just make out the images of the dating simulator game Rose was obsessed with playing.

She glanced down at her own phone, tilted so that none of the girls wouldn't be able to see it.

Queen of Darkness 🦇: is Marinette with you?

Idiot 🎸: no

Idiot 🎸: why?

If she was being honest, she had been more than a little disappointed when Luka had said he wasn’t with Marinette. When Marinette hadn’t picked up— and given she still hadn’t them back— she had dared to hope.

Luka’s response left her disappointed. But not surprised.

Queen of Darkness 🦇: just checking

Idiot 🎸: is she ok?

Idiot 🎸: I haven’t seen her since last week

Idiot 🎸: she said she’s fine

Idiot 🎸: but her song is off

Idiot 🎸: I’m worried

She sighed again.

Queen of Darkness 🦇: me too

“Ok. This is useless. She hasn’t called us back yet,” Alix groaned.

“It’s only been half an hour,” she mumbled.

“Maybe we should go to her house,” Alya suggested, already getting up from where she had been flopped.

“Maybe we should try calling again…” she offered.

Mylène brightened. “We can give her an eternal friendship bracelet!” she said as she dug a little baggie out of her pocket. She smiled as she dumped a bunch of colourful beads into the palm of her hand. “So that she never forgets that friends can tell each other everything and that we’ll always be there for her!”

She paused. Actually, it was a nice thought. And Marinette loved stuff like that. Ok, this would be fine.

“I read in a magazine,” Mylène continued as she began passing out beads, “that an ancient South American tribe did something like this. You tell a secret to the bead…” Oh no. “…in your mind.” Ok. In your mind. That wasn’t too bad. But still! They couldn’t go asking Marinette to share a secret she didn’t want to share! Even if it was just with a bead! “Once Marinette adds her secret to the bead, this bracelet will unite us all forever!”

This was going to end, if not in akumatization, at least badly.

Mylène beamed at them as she held up the strand of string, now with her blue bead strung onto it. “Ready?”

Alix scoffed. “Seriously? Wouldn’t it be more logical to take her out for a smoothie and help her work out her love problem?”

Yes!

But also no!

The bracelet thing was- well, Marinette liked tokens like that. But she had a feeling Marinette wouldn’t like one that had to do with secrets. And she was sure it was Ladybug stuff that was stressing Marinette out. Not romantic stuff. Well, maybe that was in there too. But Ladybug stuff was definitely a big part of it. And… well, that wasn’t exactly the kind of thing they could talk about over smoothies.

"Maybe we should-"

“Ok,” Alix said with an eyeroll.

What?

She had given in that easily?

"But-"

“But if we want to help Marinette, how is mentally sharing whatever’s bugging her with a bead going to help?”

“Alix has a point, Mylène…” Alya said slowly.

Oh no.

“Oh.” Mylène’s face fell. “I guess you’re right-“

“But we can still make it work! We’ll all just share our secrets out loud.”

Oh no no no.

***

One of her shoes nearly flew off as she raced towards the bakery, and she could feel a blister starting to form on her other foot. But she didn’t care. She needed to hurry. She needed to get there before they did.

At least, for the time being, they were still spilling their secrets to ceramic beads.

The good thing about shunning the sun was that she was pale. And the good thing about being pale was that whenever she said she was starting to feel sick, people would point out how pale she was —forgetting that she was normally that colour—and they would believe her.

Of course, there was still the issue that the girls would, sooner or later, be on their way to the bakery.

She needed to warn Marinette. Tell her about the bracelet- offer her an out. A cover-

She burst into the bakery in an out-of-breath mess.

“Oh my, Juleka! Whatever has you in such a rush, dear?” Mme. Cheng was already making her way out from behind the counter.

“I- I need to talk to Marinette…”

Concern flashed across Mme. Cheng’s face. And then relief. “You know, Juleka, dear. We’ve been a bit worried about her the past couple of weeks… she’s been spending far too much time alone in her room…” her voice trailed off as she glanced up at the ceiling. Mme. Cheng’s attention snapped back to her. She gave her a conspiratorial smile before heading back to the cash register.

She watched silently as Mme. Cheng rummaged through her wallet before pulling out two crisp, twenty euro notes. “Why don’t you take her out for dinner and maybe some ice cream. I’m sure that will cheer her up. And…” a hopeful look crossed her face, “maybe she’ll tell you what’s been bothering you. Heavens know Tom, and I have tried…”

She wasn’t sure she was supposed to hear the last part.

“Oh, you don’t need to- I was going to invite her out anyways.”

“Take it, I insist. She needs some fun right now, I think.”

Tentatively, she took the money. “Thank you,”she said with a small smile.

“Now go on up. She’s in her room.”

“Thank you.” She was a few steps towards the stairs the led up to the apartment above when she turned back. “Would you… if the rest of the girls come by, would you mind not mentioning I was here?”

Mme. Cheng’s brows furrowed. “Is there something going on with you girls?”

“No! No! I just- There’s a surprise! And the others can’t know I was here talking to Marinette.” It technically wasn’t a lie. The bracelet was a surprise. And the girls couldn’t know she was here, sparing Marinette from said surprise.

Mme. Cheng’s concern melted into understanding. Even if it was misplaced. “Of course. If they come by, they won’t know you were here,” she said with a wink.

With a sigh of relief, she turned and climbed the stairs.

She paused at the top of the stairs that led to Marinette’s room. The trap door was tightly shut, but she could hear Marinette talking to someone. Well, talking wasn’t the right word.

It was more than a little heartbreaking to hear her usually bubbly friend sounding like that.

And she could hear other voices too.

Ones that, given Marinette’s recent behaviour, were probably meant to be a secret.

Maybe it was that red… creature? The one she had seen with Marinette in that alley.

She went back down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she climbed back up as loudly as she could, channeling her inner Kim into her feet that weren’t used to trampling.

She was barely up two steps when the voices stopped.

When she reached the top, she knocked loudly.

“Uh- just a second!” Marinette’s voice sounded from inside. Tense. Teeming with nervous and exhausted energy. A second later, footsteps sounded above her, and the trapdoor flew open. “Juleka?” Marinette made no discernible effort to hide the surprise in her tearstained face. “What are you-“

“I’m sorry to barge in like this. I know on the phone we said anytime and anyplace you wanted. But I’m not here to talk- not unless you want to-“

“Then what are you-“

“The girls are making a secret bracelet.”

“A what? What’s a secret bracelet?”

“One that you tell your secrets too. They want to help- they want to know why you’ve been so stressed lately, and they think that will help. But… I know I don’t like sharing my secrets. Not unless I choose to. And not like that. I figured you would appreciate a heads up and-“

Marinette’s face was growing paler by the second. “Secrets? Me?” Marinette began to laugh. But it was forced and fake. “I don’t have any secrets!”

“Everyone has secrets. It doesn’t mean they’re big,” she added when Marinette’s forced smile faltered. Of course, Marinette’s were big. And not just big, they were big. Life altering big. “But they’re still private unless you choose to share them.” Her phone dinged. She glanced down at her messages.

Rose 🌹💗: heading 2 Maris place now

Rose 🌹💗: I’ll let u know how it goes

Rose 🌹💗: feel better!!!!!!!!!!!! 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

“They’re on their way.”

The fake smile dropped from Marinette’s face to reveal sheer panic. Her eyes darting over to the doll house—which hadn’t been there that last time she had been in Marinette’s room— that was displayed in the corner of her room. “But I can’t No- this isn’t- I have to-“

“Breathe, Marinette. Like Bustier showed us.” She sucked in a deep breath with Marinette. They could both do with some calming breaths. “Your mom wanted me to take you out for dinner anyways- she doesn’t want you inside all day,” she explained quickly. “And she said she won’t mention I was here- the girls don’t know I’m here right now. They think I went home with a stomach ache.”

The panic subsided enough to let confusion into Marinete’s face as her brows furrowed. “But why?”

She shrugged. “You’re always doing stuff for me. For everyone. And, you’re my friend Marinette; I’ve got your back.“

***

Dinner had been not awkward… ok, maybe a little awkward.

She and Marinette had gone out the side door and made a beeline in the opposite direction to Alya's place. They had eventually ended up in a cafe neither of them had tried before, given it was out of the way of their usual hangouts. But that had been good because that meant they were less likely to be seen by anyone they would know. And the food had been good too.

What had been awkward was the conversation.

Or lack thereof.

The bad thing about being quiet was that she sucked at small talk.

Marinette had been quiet, the way she had been since those stupid wasps that stupid Hawkmoth—well, his akuma—had sent. She had seen tears glinting at the corners of Marinette’s eyes a few times, but she hadn’t commented on them. Mainette had made an effort to conceal them; the least she could do was respect that.

Instead, she had tried to fill the silent air between them with conversation in a vain attempt to ward off the weariness in Marinette’s eyes.

She had tried to stick to light and cheery topics. And while Marinette had joined in and even smiled and laughed a few times, the sadness had remained lurking in her eyes throughout the entire meal. And the conversation had been far from stimulating.

"That was good," she murmured as she pushed the cafe door open.

"Yeah, it was." Marinette shot her a small, appreciative smile. But then she froze, just outside the door of the cafe. She began worring her lip as her shoulders deflated. “I guess I should be heading home…” she mumbled reluctantly.

“Your mom said I was supposed to take you for dinner and ice cream.” Marinette’s face immediately soured at the mention of the frozen treat. She bumped her with her shoulder, smiling. “Though, to be honest, I think I would rather go for just about anything but ice cream right now. Maybe boba?”

Marinette smiled at her. A real smile. Still tinged with that haunted sadness. But it was real. “Boba sounds good to me.”

“Cool. There’s a good place by the Liberty. We could hang out there for a while. If you want.”

“Yeah. That sounds nice.”

***

For once, the Liberty was quiet.

Her mom was at work. Luka would just be getting off his shift now, but she knew he had plans with some of his friends. Usually, she would be annoyed that Luka and Marinette were missing a chance to spend time with each other. But if she had wanted to have any hope at finding out just what exactly—more or less—was going on with Marinette…

Something told her it would be easier to get to the bottom of it without Luka hanging around.

She grunted as she pulled the gangplank back over onto the boat. Luka and her mom would both be able to get back onboard without it easily enough. And if they couldn’t, they could always text her, so she didn’t need to worry about them. Not that it was them she was worried about.

It would not do to have the girls come barging in to check up on her or devise more plans.

She had texted Rose, telling her she was going to try to sleep off her sudden illness. But she couldn’t rely on just that; Rose had a habit—an incredibly sweet one— of coming to nurse her whenever she was sick. And if Alya deemed the secret bracelet plan a failure… it would not be the first time she—or any of the other girls for that matter—schemed from bed.

Satisfied that no one would be able to climb aboard, she made her way down to her room, where she had told Marinette to make herself at home, stopping only to grab her bubble tea from the crate she had left it on. When she opened the door, she froze. Marinette was on Luka’s side of the bed, staring forlornly at his picture wall.

There were lots of pictures of Kitty Section, as well as pictures of him with his friends. Both his lycée friends and her friends. There were a few family photos scattered in amongst them. But the pictures that featured Marinette in some way were the most numerous.

And Marinette was staring at the one he had put in the very centre.

It was the same one she had at the centre of her photo wall.

The picture of the two of them Aimee had taken during the photoshoot.

“It’s a great picture,” she said from the doorway. Marinette jumped, looking back at her. “Sorry, didn’t mean scare you,” she added as she entered the room and sank onto her bed.

“It’s fine! I just didn’t hear you coming.” Marinette’s gaze flickered back to the picture of her and Luka.

“You two look happy in it,” she said carefully. When Marinette didn’t reply, she continued softly, “It’s one of his favourites.”

Marinette smiled sadly at the picture, letting out a breath that sounded like it wanted to be a laugh. Like she was remembering whatever stupid joke it was that Luka had been telling her when Aimee took the picture.

But then her smile fell.

“Sometimes,” Marinette said, looking at the picture with agonized longing, “I wish I wasn’t in love with him.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. Which had been stupid. Because she had been sipping at the dregs of her bubble tea. An errant tapioca pearl shot up her straw and struck her in the back of the throat. Marinette turned worried eyes on her as she coughed.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” she wheezed. “What- what do you mean you wish you didn’t love him? I know he’s an idiot but-“

“He isn’t an idiot.” Marinette turned to face Luka’s picture wall again, to hide her tears, she suspected base on the way Marinette rubbed at her face. “It… it would make things easier,” she mumbled.

“What do you mean?’

“I can’t date him,” she sighed defeatedly, “no matter how badly I want to.”

Liquid lead churned in her stomach. She was sure she already knew, but she needed to confirm it. “Why not?”

“It’s… complicated…”

“Try me.” Marinette gave her a dubious look. “C’mon.”

“Well…” Tentatively, Marinette sat down on the bed beside her. “I have a lot of responsibilities- you know, as class rep, and the bakery, and for my business…”

And as Ladybug. “Yeah.”

“So it doesn’t leave a lot of time for dating. And my schedule… it can change at any second.” She watched as Marinette traced a circle on the floor with her foot.

That made sense; there was no anticipating when an akuma would show up. If one showed up when Mari was in the middle of a date… she would have to end up bailing on Luka. But that hadn’t seemed to be a problem before… There had to be more to it than that. It was only recently that Marinette had had no time. Her frown deepened. “Is there someone you could ask for help?” Like Viperion. Then at least he would be ditching their dates too.

It wouldn’t be perfect, but it would be something.

“Not- not really…”

What? But she did call on other people to help. Yeah, some of them had been retired, but Viperion was still active-

The words tumbled out of Marinette’s mouth in a torrent.“I used to have other team- coworkers. They were on a temporary basis. But they could still come in to help out. But most of them had to retire. It was my fault that that happened.” What? “And… I’m supposed to handle it. It’s my responsibility.”

“But that’s not fair to you.” It wasn’t fair that Marinette was responsible for protecting Paris in the first place. “You shouldn’t have to shoulder things all on your own.”

“I mean- I do have a partner- coworker. A permanent one. So I’m not really doing it on my own…” Sure, Adrien was Chat Noir. But he didn’t really do anything. Not anything productive anyways… “…and I can still call in one of my other coworkers…”

That had been something she had been wondering about. Why had Viperion—Luka—been the only temporary hero to not be benched? And why had Marinette said it was her fault? Just what had happened that day with those wasps?

“…but it’s risky- I can’t always call on him. And his job- it’s tough.” No one actually knew for sure what Viperion’s power was. There was a lot of speculation that his power was time-related, but no one knew for sure, and Ladybug refused to comment on it. Just what was Viperion’s power that could be so tough that she was reluctant to call on him? She shook her head. That wasn’t important right now. “Besides, I’m still the one responsible for everything.”

“But why is ‘everything’ your responsibility? Don’t you have a boss? Or supervisor you could talk to about this guy?” Superheroes always had mentors in the movies Alya always made them watch when it was her turn to pick during sleepovers.

Marinette shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. “We have- had a- a boss of sorts. But he doesn’t- he- he had to retire. He left me in charge.”

Oh.

That… that had to be the missing piece…

The liquid lead that had begun churning in her stomach solidified into a vice around her chest.

“Can’t you hire new people if you’re in charge?” she asked tentatively.

“My boss didn’t like bringing in new people. It made things dan- complicated. And,” Marinette began to wring her hands, “my coworker. He’s well…”

“He’s… difficult?” she offered.

Marinette nodded. “He and I were the first… hires. He’s always been very protective of that. He’s never been very enthusiastic about bringing on more people. He gets jealous easily; he’s really possessive of the time we spend together, even when I tell him that I don’t love-“ Marinette flushed before lowering her voice back down from the shout it had been creeping towards. “And if I make him mad, he’s… difficult. And it ends up just making more work for me. So it’s easier to just…”

“Not give him anything to get jealous over?” Yup. That was definitely Chat Noir. She laid a hand over Marinette’s.“That doesn’t sound healthy.”

“I don’t think it is. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I had brought it up once. A few months ago. When my boss was still around. He never saw a problem with it. He said it was important for me and my coworker to trust each other and communicate…”

She hummed, encouraging Marinette to go on.

“And then… My boss- he had texted me. The day he had to- the day he retired. He had said it was urgent we talk about my coworker, and, well… I had upset my coworker recently. I had told him- it doesn’t matter. He was upset, and my mentor wanted to talk to me. But then I got roped into the Bourgeois party and- and then he- he had to quit.”

“So you never found out what your boss was going to say?”

Marinette shook her head. “We didn’t get the chance to talk. Wayz- anyways, it doesn’t matter what he was going to say. The only person he was close with didn’t know the details of what he wanted to talk to me about, so it doesn’t really matter. Besides, I have more important things to worry about now. I have all these new responsibilities he left me with, and he never had the chance to train me! I don’t know what I’m doing ,and I keep messing up, and the kw-“ Marinette clamped down on her rambling, her face growing pale. As if she had said too much.

Maybe she had.

But it was also obvious she hadn’t said enough.

She pulled Marinette into a tight hug. Luka gave better hugs than her, but he wasn’t here right now, and she was. And her friend needed her.

Her friend needed a lot of things. A lot of things she couldn’t provide. But she could do this.

Marinette clung to her, shuddering and shaking. She held Marinette, stroking her hair and humming quietly, the way her mom and Luka did when they comforted her. All the while keeping an eye out for black butterflies.

Eventually, Marinette pulled away, swiping at her face as she let out a shaky breath. “Sorry,” Marinette murmured.

“Don’t be.” She hesitated. She didn’t want to push Marinette, but at the same time, it didn’t feel right to leave things hanging there. Not when there was a chance she could… she didn’t know how much she could actually help Marinette. But maybe at least talking would help her feel better? Comfort her? Maybe help her process? If she had been handling this all on her own all this time… “Can’t you ask someone to share the responsibilities with you? Like a- what are they called? Co-manager?”

Marinette looked at her like she had just suggested she dye her hair lime green. “But- but my boss left me the job. I’m the one who has to do it-“

“Alone?”

Marinette nodded slowly. “Well, he did it alone… and there are- he had rules. Regulations.”

“You know how my family feels about rules.” Marinette smiled. It was small. Half-hearted. But it was a smile. “And maybe your boss did it alone, but it’s your job now,” she said gently, “you can change the rules if you want. You don’t have to do things the same way your boss did. You can delegate. You can ask for help.”

Marinette sighed.”My part- coworker… he isn’t very reliable. I don’t trust him to take things seriously. He’s more interested in having fun and impressing me than doing the job.” Marinette looked at her with dull eyes. “I’ve tried talking to him. But he never really listens. He might back off or step up for a day or two, but then we’re always back to square one. And I can’t keep doing that! I have too much to worry about! Too much to do!”

“Then ask someone else.”

“My boss- he chose this guy… it would be wrong to go back on his decision.” She couldn’t tell if Marinette was trying to convince her or herself.

“Would it?” Marinette bit her lip. “Just because your boss hired him doesn’t mean you have to keep working with him. If he isn’t helping, wouldn’t it be a good idea to bring in help more often?” Like Viperion. “Or replace him with someone more reliable?” Like Luka.

“But- what if I…” She could see the weight of the world in Marinette’s eyes. She could see the way she was running through every possible way in which things could go wrong. And no doubt blaming herself for them in the process.

“If your boss left you in charge, doesn’t that mean he trusted your judgement?” Doubt and exhaustion dulled the clear blue of her eyes. She hated this. Marinette should never look that way. “I know I trust your judgement; for what it’s worth.” The fact that that seemed to surprise Marinette was worrying too. “And I think you deserve someone who helps you on the job.”

Someone like Luka.

Marinette’s gaze dropped to her wringing hands. She could see the gears turning in her mind. They sat in heavy silence; more than a few times, she started to say something, then thought better of it. Marinette was thinking. It was best to let her do so in relative peace.

Finally, Marinette looked up from her lap. Tears were welling up in Marinette’s eyes again. But she was smiling. It was a wavering, watery smile. But it was a smile.

And for the first time in what felt like a long time, the spark in Marinette’s eyes was back.

“Thank you, Juleka.”

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inthememetime · 2 years

Note

Alfred finds and adopts three homeless teens while the whole of the Batclan is away, the three teens are of course The Fentons. Alfred on the other hand had been dealing with a bit of Empty Nest Syndrome and takes the trio in, so by the time the rest of the Batclan filters back there are three extra people in the Manor but the Fentons deliberately ghost the rest of the residents.

I love this for four reasons:

The potential for Alfred, who wishes Bruce would stop adopting small violent children, realizing that HE is the same.

You can't tell me Alfred, Danny, Dani, and Jazz won't be BFFs. Jazz is the only (mostly) sane person in this house besides him. Dani absolutely WILL spy and report on injuries in exchange for more of that casserole. Danny and Alfred have similar sarcastic wit.

"If we had a nickel for every billionaire with a secret identity we know, we would each have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weird it happened twice."

The SHENANIGANS!!!!!

Shenanigans include:

At first, Alfred doesn't tell the Batfam because they're a family of detectives. Surely they'll notice. Over time, it becomes a contest of who can make them suspect the most without being found.

Alfred either playing it off or staring with a raised eyebrow when one of the Batfam asks why/if he's talking to himself.

Jazz can only be turned invisible in the nick of time so many times before somebody finds out about her. "It says here, Ms. Fenton, that you have a brother?" "Yes, Danny. He died. But don't worry, he got better!"

When Tim is forbidden caffeine for a week, Danny drinks his coffee super fast or Dani replaces it with chamomile tea with black food coloring.

Dani: "You know Dick, you really shouldn't do that."

Dick, after a moment of panic, realizing there's nothing in the room with him. "....God?"

Dani, realizing how much chaos she can cause: "yeah, that's me! God."

Danny and Dani take turns being human just to walk past open doors. They all look enough alike to Tim, Dick, Damien, and a young Jason in uncertain light that the rest of the fam has to do double takes.

When someone calls Constantine over as a favor, he takes 2 steps into the manner, says no, and RUNS.

"So I've heard the voice of God, and it sounds like a 14-year-old girl."

"....how hard did Bane hit you again?"

"God says Jason is the one who stole your book."

"...right ok."

Bruce decides he's gonna go be Batman while wounded. He snuck out, so Al calls his Secret Ghost Squad.

Batman is repeatedly interrupted (*cough* saved) by 2 OP glowing metas. Constantine will no longer cross Gotham's borders.

Danny: "You need more ectoplasm. You're a growing half-ghost."

Jason: *shoots the wall* "WHAT THE FUCK WHO WAS THAT?!"

Danny: would you believe it was God?

Jason: NO

Jason figures it out first because he's being parented by a dead guy. He actually doesn't mind that much because he gets to visit the GZ

Cass figures out second because she's observant.

Dick figures it out third by spraying 'God' with paint. He then realizes he attacked an invisible creature that can go through walls with no idea how to fight it.

Tim figures it out by deliberately putting salt in his coffee to see what would happen.

Damien finds Cujo. He is Upset that Cujo already has an owner. Danny tells Damien in exchange for Damien to stop yelling insults at him. (Dani calls him Weak for this, and tells Damien 15 minutes later because he thought she was calling HIM weak and had Opinions)

"Oh shit."

Steph bribes the 'house spirits' for prank help, and then tricks them. They tell her out of Respect.

Duke starts talking to himself about star output on his homework, gets stuck, and SpaceBoi helps. Duke's 10 minutes into stars actually being interesting for once before he realizes he's talking to a ghost.

Bruce has been introduced to them by Jazz. Alfred made her after the 4th sleepless night due to researching the surprise metas.

Dani: its cool dude, but now I have to go prank Tim. Bye!

Vlad shows up for a private meeting with Bruce Wayne. The ghosties reveal themselves in order to kick his ass.

Alfred is the only person who can get away with calling Danny 'Daniel' and Dani 'Danielle'. Anyone else has Serious Regrets.

The Joker breaks Alfred's leg in a bombing. He's never seen again. Danny, Dani, and Jazz are a little TOO innocent

#inthememetime #danny phantom au #ask answered #dp x dc #come ask me things!#batfam

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good-griief · 11 months

Text

Time; Rejection

this is part one to my “time” fic series, i dont know how many parts there will be yet, but i hope yall like a bit of angst :)

warnings ambiguous relationship/feelings between abby and reader (for now), she/her reader, reference to torture (isaac’s questioning/rattlers), lasting effects of mentioned torture (later parts), morally grey reader, ambiguous/story-teller dependent interpretation of major past event between characters

part two part three

chapter one on ao3

When you split from your friends, it wasn’t the kindest goodbye. Salt Lake was fresh in your minds and to them, it felt like you were simply abandoning them by going to California after your long search together of where to go. They couldn’t understand why you’d want to go find fireflies after what happened— after what you heard about the hatred that was left for what you once were.

Abby was the most hurt by your decision. She didn’t speak to you after the moment you brought it up, and although her words weren’t anywhere near as cruel as the others’, they stung.

“Just know we’ll never see each other again,” she’d said, “‘cause as soon as I hear about any fireflies, I’m going the opposite fucking direction.”

And it was true. Four years had passed, and you hadn’t heard a word. You had no idea where they were. Whether or not they were okay. You didn’t even know if they were alive until you found yourself in Washington one winter month.

You’d been sent out on a mission and accidentally found yourself at the gate of someone’s Headquarters. Judging by the scenery; murals and graffiti, you only hoped it wasn’t the “Scars’”.

Their leader was harsh— brutal— in his questioning, and by the time he got the answers he was happy with, you could hardly speak. When he told you to head down to his medical station, you couldn’t even stand on your own.

You quickly grew a dislike for this group when you saw the rest of your squad was there as well, some even dead from the brutalization of their questioning.

Even when they took you to medical, they were all but kind. The grip on your arm, hands still tied behind your back, was bruising. They were tugging and pulling you when you could hardly keep up, making you trip over your own feet as they seemed irritated with you for even existing.

When you got to the medical room, you were shoved in. The force of it made you fall to the floor with no way to get yourself up, coughing until you spat up blood and heaved in a large breath.

“What the fuck, Danny?!” You could hear someone yell, presumably at the man who practically threw you when the rest of your comrades were sat down— not kindly either, but definitely not thrown.

“Trespassers. Thought they were Scars. Isaac had to deal with this one,” ‘Danny’ spoke, gesturing to you as one of the people there came to help you up. “She was difficult.”

The other person scoffed, but as you were helped up, you were momentarily dropped. One of your comrades said your name, telling you to “get up before they put you out of your misery.” That caused the person helping you to freeze, nearly dropping you back down before they got you onto your knees and wiped the blood from your face.

“No fucking way,” it was a girl’s voice, one you faintly recognized. You looked up at her, swallowing when you met her brown eyes. You looked over her, brown skin with faint beauty marks that you easily remembered the placement of. “Mel—“

“Nora?” You rasped out, your voice bringing the other medics’ attention— Mel’s attention. You couldn’t be sure it was the same Mel, but, by the way Nora said her name, you were almost certain.

“Oh my God,” was Mel’s reaction. You looked over at her, easily recognizing her from the mole on her chin despite her now chopped hair and hardly visible bump.

You were swiftly pulled into Nora’s arms, her eyes wide in shock as she hugged you to be sure you were real. You winced, quickly reminding the two of them why you were there and getting helped immediately.

“You know this bitch?!” Danny asked, scoffing as your hands were untied and your arm was slung over Nora’s shoulders.

“Fuck off,” she said, taking you to a separate room and leaving your squad with the other medics.

As you passed by your comrade getting treated, you were given a look that you knew meant you needed to get out of there as soon as possible or they’d leave you behind. You knew there wasn’t time.

When you were sat down in the room, Mel shut the door and said a code into her walkie while Nora treated your injuries. “I thought we’d never see you again,” she said as she stitched and bandaged, but you didn’t reply. “How did you get here? Did you know we were here?” Her questions ran on, but those stuck in your mind.

She said it as if she was excited to see you… Like you didn’t remember how both of them treated you before you left; telling you how they hoped to never see you again, how awful of a friend you were, they thought you were all family, the list went on. They were also the only ones to hug you when you left in the middle of the night, so you supposed their words came from hurt rather than malice.

You still remembered the night. You’d actually planned on staying with them and waiting to see what you found so you could stay together, but after Abby’s words at the mere idea you brought up, and the onslaught that followed from your friends, you waited until they were all asleep.

You quietly grabbed your things, sniffling and wiping your eyes, hoping not to wake anyone.

You left just as quietly, but that didn’t stop Mel and Nora from waking up, the two of them somehow knowing something was off.

“Don’t go,” was what made you pause and turn back as the two got up. “No one wants you to leave,” Nora said. “I mean, that’s why anyone said anything…” She trailed off, noticing your pursed lips. “We all want you to stay.”

“I don’t think so,” was your response. “I’ll try and find you guys again, or something.” You shrugged.

“How can you be so flippant about this?” Mel asked, face red and voice restricted as if she was trying to hold herself together. “How long have you been thinking about, just, leaving?”

“It was just an idea… I thought we might all go together, but…” You shook your head. “I don’t want to leave you guys, but I don’t want to stay either. It’d be better if I didn’t, I think—”

“Please?” Mel pursed her lips, arms crossed as she hugged herself. “Just lie back down. We can talk in the morning, or something? I’m sure everyone was just surprised. Maybe, it can be an option? Just don’t go.” Nora placed a hand on her shoulder.

She’d been up all night already, having been stressing herself out for most of it while Nora lied with her and tried to comfort her. She knew you’d try and leave while they slept. She knew you hated confrontation, fighting, all of that. She knew you were hurt, too. She just knew. She knew you’d make a decision like this after the things everyone said in response to a simple idea. How couldn’t you? They were all cruel.

But they were also all hurt.

Mel shrugged off Nora’s hand, taking both of yours in hers. “You probably won’t even survive out there alone,” she said. “we’ll find something. Together. Just stay— even just a little longer. You can still go if you want to, just… just give it some time.”

Your eyes drifted to Abby, who you’d usually be sleeping by. That night, you’d spent by the fire despite her asking if you were coming to lie down by placing her hand on your shoulder as she passed you. The small gesture, even if she meant well, was so passive that it practically made you think she was just telling you to leave.

She was awake when you looked at her though, possibly having woken up from the conversation, a nightmare, or maybe she never slept.

Her expression was lame, eyes holding your gaze for a moment before she turned over and gave you her back.

That was the deciding factor, you’d come to after all these years. What really made you not listen to your friend, begging you to stay, was Abby’s dismissal. It was a blatant rejection. She wanted you gone now. You knew she did.

That was what led Mel to apologize for what she said, giving you a long hug before Nora did the same, not even bothering to try and change your mind when she knew there was no stopping you.

When the rest of the group woke up, they were shocked to see you gone. Even Abby, who woke in a jolt and felt next to her for you, thinking maybe what she remembered hearing as a goodbye last night wasn’t actually the case. Though, when she felt the space next to her empty, not even your blanket there, it proved to be true.

It caused a rift between the group, blame flying each and every way until it was finally mended with time.

If you’d only given them some time.

“Were you trying to find us?” The question brought you out of your dazed state as you remembered the night in vivid detail. You often did, the memory flashing before your eyes and being able to completely ruin your day in just seconds.

“If I knew you were here, I wouldn’t have come,” you said quietly, voice hoarse and lacking conviction.

“We thought you might’ve…” Mel stopped herself, suddenly recognizing the attempted hostility in your tone. “What?” She frowned.

“We said our goodbyes,” was your response, forcing yourself to be dismissive. “After that night, I didn’t expect to see you guys again.” You watched as Nora finished off the last of her stitches, pushing yourself to stand despite the nausea that came over you when you did. “And… even if I wanted to, why would I want to meet like this?”

She seemed shocked, though Nora wasn’t surprised. She still remembered everything that was said. How all of your friends suddenly flipped on you. She didn’t expect you to be the same as before, but she also didn’t expect blatant rejection.

When you looked at her, knowing she always had something to say, she shook her head. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”

“Yeah… You guys, too.” You went to leave, but Mel stopped you.

“Sit down.” She stepped in front of the door. “You’re not even cleared yet.”

“Mel. Come on,” Nora sighed. She had a feeling if Mel pressed you, you weren’t going to be receptive. Judging by your demeanor, she expected you to snap at her. “Just let her go.”

“Owen’s coming… He’d want to see you,” Mel tried but was met with a frown as you stepped around her. She sighed, glancing toward Nora before looking back at you. “Is this really how we’re leaving things?” You were quiet, lips pursed. “You’re not even going to tell us how you’ve been?”

“I’ve been… fine.” You shrugged, knowing she was right but also knowing you didn’t have time to talk. “I’m also a medic.” Mel nodded along, waiting for anything else as you turned to her again. “I’ve missed you guys.”

“Us, too,” Nora said quickly. As if she’d been waiting for an opportunity to say so. “Everyone… They all talk about you; miss you. Abby—“

“I, uh, heard something recently that reminded me of you,” you cut her off before she could mention her. “Tommy… Joel’s brother. Turns out he settled in Wyoming when he left. People were talking about it… Figured it’s been hard to get leads— if you’re even still looking.”

Nora scoffed. “You have no idea…”

“Then, I’m glad I got to tell you.” You gave a nod, heading for the door.

“Come with us,” Mel pushed herself to try again. “To Wyoming. As soon as Abby hears about it, we’ll be going. You deserve to see this through, too.”

You grasped the handle. “I trust you guys to do that.” You then opened the door, leaving the two to feel dismissed as you did.

Though, when you did open the door and walk to your waiting squad to leave, Owen was rushing in. He stopped at the sight of you, staring for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, words leaving him and making him shut his mouth again as you gave him a tight, practically unnoticeable smile. He stepped aside, letting you and your group pass without a word.

You realized why he stayed quiet when you exited the small building. Abby, Manny, Leah, Jordan, Nick… Mel had called them all with that code. What she expected… Some kind of reunion? You had no idea, and you couldn’t wait to find out even if you wanted to. You gave a passing glance, not even sure they all recognized you, but that was all as you walked with your group toward the exit, wishing you didn’t have to.

Abby nearly doubled back, but she stopped when Manny grabbed her arm. “That conversation won’t go how you want it to,” he warned. “Just let her go.”

How many times she’d heard that in reference to you, how many times she had to just accept that, only to see you walking past her without even a word just now made her so upset she felt sick. She couldn’t pinpoint why. She couldn’t even understand it herself. But she could feel her eyes stinging, her nose reddening as a sudden wave of nausea passed over her.

“You have to let her go,” she could remember Owen saying when he found Abby listening to an old tape recording you must’ve forgotten to take with you.

“I found this,” was her response, holding up an old photo of the two of you that you also left behind. She had a hard time believing that was an accident, though.

“Just let her go,” Leah said the morning they all woke up to you gone. Abby was insistent on tracking you, knowing you wouldn’t be far. “What if we find a body? What are we going to do then?”

“What the fuck, Leah?” Nora scoffed at her.

“I’m not the one that said anything to make her leave in the first place,” she bit back. “And now you wanna go find her? Go fuck yourselves.”

“Let her go,” Nora told her one day, having gone to Abby’s room and seen that old photo. The moment she did, that’s what she told her, and in response, Abby tossed one at her. She picked it up, surprised to see a picture of you, her, and Mel, apprenticing Abby’s dad in his greenhouse. “Where’d you get this?”

“Leah has a bunch.”

Despite everyone telling her to let you go, none of them wanted to. Somehow, they still couldn’t understand how you just left. Even if they told you to, they couldn’t grasp it. They’d all said horrible things to each other, time and time again, and they moved past it, so how did you leave? How could you?

It was a mix of anger and regret they all felt, but seeing you that day made their anger with you for leaving subside. After all those years spent thinking of you, wondering whether or not you were okay, fighting over whether or not to go and find you, you wanted nothing to do with them. You didn’t even want to acknowledge them, let alone speak to them.

If it hadn’t been for the news Mel delivered from you, Abby probably would’ve gone back to her room and burned every picture of you. They were in her drawer, taped to maps, in a journal of her plans after she found Joel; find you. Instead, she left them as they were.

Maybe, this was how you were meant to say goodbye. Less so on a bitter end, but without resolution, your feelings about one another up in the air with neither of you wanting to define them or what they meant.

Or maybe, it was supposed to go like this.

Months later, after all hell broke loose. After Abby finally found what she was looking for, she was left still unable to find peace. She thought she did. She thought she found the fireflies, just where Owen said they’d be, but there were months of delay. Months of torture, and pain. If she could see herself, she probably wouldn’t even recognize the person she was looking at.

Yet somehow, you did.

You heard about the newest recruits– two that had to stay in the medical facility for some time thanks to the rattlers, but now that they had been released, you hadn’t heard much about them.

At least, not until you were introduced to a young boy added to your training group. He was skilled with a bow, and surely could’ve been a soldier, but for some reason, he wanted to learn how to heal. You didn’t ask why, but when he asked to stay a little longer with you in your greenhouse, you didn’t object, gladly talking to him about whatever he was comfortable bringing up.

Eventually, after at least an hour, the door to your greenhouse was opened. “Lev?” A girl’s voice spoke up. You almost recognized it, but figured it was unlikely that you did. The boy perked up, looking back at the door with a smile as you continued to work and re-pot your plants. “Hey… What are you still doing here?”

He pointed his thumb back at you, busy enough not to be eavesdropping. “I asked to stay a little longer, so she could teach me about making medicines.”

“Your patrol group is waiting for you.”

“Shit,” he muttered, the word sounding foreign coming from him and making you chuckle. “Can I come back later?” He asked you, earning a sweet smile.

“Of course!” He then rushed out as you finished what you were doing, carrying the plants back to where they should be. “Did you need anything?” You called to the girl still in your greenhouse, speaking from behind a hedge of flowers. “Sleep tonic, or something?”

“No… uh…” She was mumbling, words incoherent until she said your name, “Is that you?”

You set down the pots, heading through the maze of plants to get to the front door. You paused, looking over her. She was smaller, her muscle diminished to the point that it was hardly there anymore, and her hair chopped. It must've grown, now down to just above her shoulders, but you remembered hearing about a girl with hair cut close to her head. You frowned at the sight of her.

“You don’t… recognize me do you—?“

“What did they do to you?” You asked over her, walking up to her tentatively, hands reaching out as you thought about whether or not to make a move to hold her. Your eyes met hers, head tilting as your brows pulled together. “Abby…” Despite your better judgment, you reached out and pulled her into a hug, shocking her. Your hands ran over her hair, knowing why she let it grow out all those years; knowing she would never cut it herself.

“Fuck,” she cursed under her breath, quickly pushing away from you and turning her back to you as her hand went to her face, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose.

You pursed your lips, looking to the floor. “Sorry. I forgot you didn’t like—“

“It’s not that.” She scoffed at you, blinking rapidly before she turned back. “I just— It’s just that I lost everyone else… I didn’t think I’d find you.”

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cottoncandy-cult · 7 months

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Kakashi Hatake x Chubby! Reader

Kakashi gave a tired sigh as he walked down the all too familiar path, he had finished training his squad for the day and was making his way home. A tired smile slipped on his face when he noticed a large and old cherry blossom tree starting to bloom, though it was pretty he was smiling more at the memory attached to it. He had been a cocky punk as a kid and even as a teen he had a bit of a streak in him, but there was one person able to wash away that aggression. (Y/n) was just a couple years younger than him and he had first met her when some new chunin had been bullying the (E/c) eyed girl, she was a bit heavier than most girls her age but she also wasn't exactly interested in being a kunoichi so she had no real reason to go out of her way to exorcise as a ninja would. Kakashi had recognized her from a small restaurant he occasionally visited which he later learned was owned by her parents, so he decided to step in and run them off since he did out rank them, and their behavior only shined a stained light on the village. But that had just been the start, before long they had become friends and eventually things had fallen into place and they had become lovers as young adults, one of his more recent memories had been proposing to the beautiful girl beneath that very tree.

He had fallen hard and by the time he noticed he was already love struck, she was a sweet and gentle soul who he felt was far more beautiful than the vein and rude jonin who loved to boast about how they're "peak attractiveness." Something he thought was a bunch of BS since for quite a few It was obvious they had only just barely had the skills to reach their ranks, most of them couldn't hold a conversation unless it was about them or someone else and he just couldn't get passed how ugly they were on the inside. His angel may have been different from most, but she was still beautiful to him in her own perfect way. He closed his eye as he continued his walk, though he began walking faster as his stomach growled. It was Wednesday, meaning his wife was making eggplant and miso soup with salt-broiled saury, one of his favorites. He loved her cooking; he was exhilarated to learn that out of her siblings she'd be the one to inherit the family restaurant. Her brother had become a ninja and her sister wanted to be a fashion designer and seamstress, Kakashi liked making jokes that talent runs through her family as it made her flustered.

Upon walking through the door his stomach announced his arrival, making the male blush while lowering his mask when hearing his wife's laugh from the kitchen. She stood in front of the sink, the front door opened into the kitchen and to the left had been the living room. "Welcome home love." The (H/c) haired girl turned from the boiling pot on the stove to look at where he stood near the front door, the house smelled of soup and grilled fish and teased him with the fact that he'd have to get cleaned up before he got to eat. "Thanks, beautiful, I'm glad to see you're in a good mood." The silver haired male chuckled and made his approach to the blushing girl, curling his arms around her waist as she turned to face him and rested her hands on his chest when gazing up at him. "Things went rather smoothly at the restaurant today, the new waitress has really made things a lot easier. How was your day? Did the kids tire you out as usual?" Her question had a grin quirking his gorgeous lips, making him chuckle as he leaned his forehead to hers. Feeling her gentle hands rub his temples and brush through his hair his body relaxed into her, his single black eye gazed into hers. "A bit, I'll save the stories for dinner though. Thankfully they weren't as much of a handful as they usually were." He leaned back, letting her sway them from side to side and listening to her beautiful laugh. "Well why don't you go get cleaned up, it should be finished by the time you get done." This statement made the male nod before he leaned down to kiss her forehead, reluctantly slipping away from her to go shower as she continued cooking. Neither noticing the preteens dangling from the window, the 3 kids who made up squad 7 had peaked up just in time to see him hug the girl. Though unfortunately for them they had been so startled at the fact he was in a relationship that they hadn't paid any attention to trying to see his face, and upon noticing Kakashi about to turn around they panicked and slipped off the ledge left to dangle and missing their second chance.

-------------------------Bonus:

The next day Kakashi had met the team at the training grounds, but he was both surprised and mildly concerned when he got there and they all three stood with their arms crossed like parents who just found their child's porn stash. "Uh.... Good afternoon..." He raised a hand in an awkward wave and feeling oddly threatened. It was then that the 3 rushed him, Kakashi had to fight every instinct that insisted he run away as he could almost feel this situation was gonna get weird. "Don't good afternoon us Kakashi sensei! Why didn't you tell us you were married!? Why don't you wear your ring!?" This had been Sakura speaking up first, the girl clearly thinking about the worst. So, with a sigh Kakashi decided to just rip off this band aid, so he removed one of his fingerless gloves to show his wedding band protected within. "It just never occurred to me, it's not like it changes anything." That was when Naruto popped up in front of him, startling him far more than he ever thought it would. "You should have told us it was to Miss (Y/n), we could have been eating lunch at the Konoha Lotus!"

That had Kakashi quirking an eyebrow, he forgot that Naruto did eat things aside from ramen from time to time. But he still didn't see what had the three riled up, that was when Sasuke spoke up next. "It's nice to know you aren't an ass like Kaiba." Kakashi cringed at the mention of being compared to such a male, Kaiba having been a petty little man whose thoughts and opinions were only skin deep. "Just how vain did you all think I was!?" Kakashi gave an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Well, I mean a lot of girls do have a thing for you, we always thought you were oblivious or just playing hard to get. At least we know you're just loyal though." Kakashi felt his head drop as a weight dropped onto him, he never realized how his attempts at ignoring the fawning of his fangirls made him look. Buuuuut at least they knew he was a devoted husband now, maybe they'd listen just a little bit better from now on. Though he doubted that, then it would just be too easy.

#candy cult vault #fluff #x reader #fem reader #chubby reader #naruto #kakashi x fem reader #kakashi x reader #kakashi hatake

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chloe-skywalker · 10 months

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It's A Girl - Matt Casey

Matt x reader

Kelly x friend reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 420

Requested: Something about Matt Casey and his wife expecting there first child, a baby girl. -@Anon

Summary: There’s a certain someone that really wants to know the gender of Y/n and Matts baby. Can you guess who it is?

Masterlist

One Chicago

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“I can’t wait to get this baby out.” Y/n said as she walked over to sit on the couch from the kitchen. It was nice to have her husband and their bestfriend home after a long week.

“You done y/n/n?” Kelly asked amused at his pregnant friend. He did feel bad for her, the pregnancy hadn’t been an easy one.

“Yes, Severide. I am.” Y/n narrowed her eyes playfully at the salt n pepper haired man sitting across from her.

“Are you still coming over to help set up the nursery after shift tuesday?” Matt asked coming into the living room, handing Severide a beer before sitting down next to y/n.

“Yeah. of course I want to help set up my nephew or . . . Niece’s room.” Kelly smiled, hinting obviously at the certain information he has yet to be told. Kelly has been the most excited besides Y/n and Matt for the baby to come and he’s been trying to get the gender out of them since he knew the couple found out.

Y/n laughed at his antics, before turning her head to face Matt. “Come on Matt, I think he deserves to know. He is an uncle and Godfather right.”

Matt smiled nodding, giddy about finally letting his best friend know the gender of his baby. “Okay, okay. Let me go get the thing.”

“Thing?” he asked with confusion all over his face as he looked at Y/n since Matt left the room.

“Yes, thing. We planned a way to tell you.” Y/n smiled, also excited for Kelly to know the gender of their baby. Matt and her both knew Kelly was going to be very included in their child's life.

Matt came back into the room with a small gift bag with tissue paper coming out the top. Once he handed Kelly the bag he sat back down next to his wife, both smiling at the Squad Captain as he stared at the bag in his hands. “Go on, open it.”

With the encouragement Kelly did as told excitedly digging into the bag. “No!” he looked up towards the couple across from him with pure excitement lit up in his eyes. “Are you kidding?!”

Y/n nodded with watery eyes, loving his reaction. “We’re having a baby girl.”

The rest of the night was filled with so much happiness from all 3 of them. And Kelly knew Stella was gonna be so pissed she didn’t end up coming that night.

Taglist: @padawancat97

#matt casey #imagines #imagine #x reader #y/n #matthew casey imagines #matt casey x reader #matt casey imagine #matt casey imagines #kelly severide #one chicago #chicago fire #chicago fire imagine #chicago fire imagines

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cherrycola27 · 9 months

Text

false god

Series Warnings: Mythology!AU. Language, alcohol, drinking. Military inaccuracies. Mutual pining, unrequited love. Allusions to and eventual smut. Minors DNI. 18+. Individual chapter warnings will come as needed. Banner Credit @thedroneranger

Masterlist Previous Part Next Part

Specific Chapter Warning: Mentions/ description of anxiety/ panic attacks

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Chapter 4: Ghost

Adjusting to life in California had been surprisingly easy. Teaching at Top Gun made you feel useful. And respected. Something you hadn't felt in a very long time. In the four months that you had been here, you'd grown close to the Dagger Squad. They considered you one of their own now.

You had let yourself form friendships with them, though you didn't tell them every aspect of your life. You needed a few secrets here and there.

You'd also found yourself spending more and more time with Bradley. He brought a light to your life that you had been missing for quite some time. Both of you were still dancing around the line between friends or something more. You yearned to let him in, to let him see some of the skeletons in your closet, but there would be too many questions. There are too many things you didn't have explanations for.

So, you settled for being wingmen, and dare you say it, best friends.

It was better than nothing

True to his word, you hadn't been able to get rid of Bradley. He came over a few times a week to watch TV, eat whatever you'd made, and play with Hydra and Cerberus. If he wasn't in your apartment, you would pop by his. The two of you spent so much time together, you'd exchanged keys to the other's place.

You weren't planning for it to happen, but Bradley had to go home one weekend to Virginia to see his cousin graduate from college and he gave you a key to water his plants and check his mail.

Phoenix and Halo had whisked you away the next weekend for a girl's trip, and you'd asked him to keep an eye on your Cerby and Hydra. Neither of you had returned the lent spare keys, but neither of you really minded. You enjoyed having that small piece of each other constantly with you.

You hadn't had someone you could count on in your life like this for a very long time. Sure, Minthe and Hecate were there to support you, but it was nice to have someone closer to you. It was nice to feel—wanted.

It was nice to be wanted

.............

The warm days of spring faded into the hot months of summer. One Monday afternoon, Hangman stopped you on the way to your card and handed you an envelope.

"What's this, Jake?" You asked him.

"It's an invite. I'm have a birthday BBQ and pool party at my house this weekend. I'll have food and drinks. You can bring your own beverages if there is something you really want, but not required, just pack a swimsuit and the SPF." Jake said before walking away to flag down more of the squad.

You tucked the invitation into your bag and got in your car to drive home. Later that night, you tossed and turned in your bed before drifting into a fitful sleep.

As you drifted off, the silk sheets suddenly became salt water. Your limbs felt like weights as you struggled against the drag of the water. Everything was cold and dark as you tried to keep your head up. You desperately gasped for air as you fought to keep from sinking, but the current was too strong. It was dragging you under. You couldn't breathe.

The water filled your lungs. You scream so loud, but no one heard a thing. Suddenly, you shot up out of bed and gasped for breath. A cold sweat had broken out across your body, and Cerberus and Hydra stood at the edge of your bed, looking at you.

You looked around and saw that you were still in your room on dry land.

You panted as you tried to calm yourself. You opened your nightstand and grabbed some of the lotus flower Dinoysus had given you. You broke off a small part of one and grabbed your water bottle.

Hydra and Cerberus gave you a judging look as you swallowed the herb. "Oh, don't look at me like that." You told them, as you laid back down and let the calming effects of the lotus wash over you and send you to a dreamless slumber.

You just wanted to be numb

Wednesday afternoon, Bradley came over. You'd unintentionally started a routine of pizza and reality TV. There were no expectations, no pressure, just the two of you, some food, and some mindless show. It was—nice.

During a commercial break, you got up to get some drinks for the two of you and take your plates to the kitchen. You were shuffling around when Bradley asked, "You're coming to Jake's party on Saturday, right, Angel?"

You paused as you stepped away from your fridge and closed it.

Why did he have to ask?

"Um—no, probably not." You replied quickly.

"What? What do you mean? Jake can be a massive dick, but he throws some great parties. Do you have other plans or something?" Bradley asks as he hops up from your couch and joins you.

"No, I don't. I was just planing in hanging out here." You shrug. "Then why aren't you going? You're a part of the team now. Everyone is going to be there. Jake is making a shit ton of food, and he had his own pool. We wouldn't have to share it with anyone like we do the one here." Bradley tries to convince you.

"C'mon, Angel, you'll have a good time." Bradley softens he holds your gaze for a moment and can see your jaw tick as you are trying to formulate an excuse.

You don't want to talk about this

"Why don't you want to go?" He asks you.

"I'm just not a party person. Can we talk about something else? Or go sit down before we miss the rest of the show?" You try to push past him and change the subject, but Bradley plants his feet and stays firmly in place.

"No, there is obviously something bothering you about this. I'm your friend, Hades. I just want to know why you're so against it." Bradley continues to pry.

"Bradley, can we not do this? You're going to think it's stupid or that I'm just overreacting." You try to convince him to drop the subject. But if you've leaned anything about him, you know that Bradley is just as stubborn as he is kind.

"Try me." Bradley says.

You sigh and finally give in and gesture towards your couch. You sit at one end, and Bradley takes a seat across from you. Hydra jumps up into your lap while Cerberus curls up at Bradley's feet.

"I don't want to go to Jake's party because I'm scared of drowning." You tell him. Bradley blinks slowly and looks at you with a strange expression.

"Drowning? Angel, correct me if I'm wrong, but you have to be able to swim pretty well to be in the Navy. And you have to go through tons of emergency water training. Why would you be scared of drowning in a pool?" Bradley asks you.

"Because of my last mission." You whisper. You drop your eyes to avoid Bradley's gaze.

"What happened on your last mission?" He asks you.

You sigh and take a deep breath. Were you really about to bear your heart to him?

What if Bradley thought you were weak after this?

What if he looked at you differently?

"I was stationed on a ship in the Indian Ocean. My squad, we went out and did a nighttime recon mission. It was supposed to be routine, nothing crazy. A monsoon was coming in, and the water was just crazy, we ended up moving the mission up because of the weather. Everything was fine at first, but on the way back, we had some faulty intel." We started taking fire." You explain to him.

"I was mission leader, I made sure my crew made it back safe, but I took a lot of hits. Lost both engines. I tried to gain altitude before I ejected, but I couldn't. I hit the water hard when I punched out." You continued.

I was all tangled up in my chute and couldn't detach from it. It was so dark, and the water was so choppy. I kept getting tossed around, and the waves kept pulling me under. It took hours for them to find me. I was unconscious when they did minutes away from drowning." You tell him.

"I spent weeks in recovery and therapy. I couldn't even look at water, let alone go in it. I can barely spend more than fifteen minutes in the shower without having a panic attack." You confess.

You don't tell Bradley, but you did drown on that mission. You just reincarnated before you were rescued. In your three thousand years of life, you'd died a lot of deaths, but drowning, that was the worst one. It was also the only one you had nightmares about.

"Hades—Angel—I—I'm so sorry that happened to you. I had no idea." Bradley says. He isn't totally sure how to respond.

"It's fine, no one knows." You say as you wipe a few stray tears from your cheeks. You can't believe you've let yourself be this vulnerable around him. Bradley is the first person besides the Navy mandated therapist your last post made you see that you've told all of this too.

Now he knows that you aren't as strong as he thought you were

Bradley lets out a heavy sigh. You know he is trying to process what you've told him and trying to come up with the best response to make the situation better because that's what Bradley does. He tries to fix everything. It's endearing really.

"Come to the party with me on Saturday. You don't have to swim, but you can still lounge around, have some good food, and day drink with us. And if anyone gives you shit, I'll take care of it." Bradley tells you.

"Bradley—"

"Angel, I wasn't asking. I'll pick you up at ten." Bradley tells you before turning his attention back to the TV with a smirk on his face. You shake your head.

What had you gotten yourself into?

True to his word, Bradley is knocking on your door just before ten on Saturday morning. Even though he has a key, he doesn't want to just barge into your apartment.

You're just about ready when you open the door for him. He does a double taken when he sees you.

"Wow." He says. "You look amazing."

You smile and thank him. He isn't wrong. You look pretty good. You're wearing a black one-piece suit. The top has a sweetheart neckline that makes your chest look amazing. There is a triangular shape cut out just under your breasts that offers a teasing peak of one of your tattoos. You have a long floral skirt tied around your waist as a cover-up. Your hair is in low messy bun, with a wide brimmed hat over it. Your aviator sunglasses are perched on your nose as you slide your feet into some sandals and grab your bag with your sunscreen, a towel, and a book.

You grab a case of wine coolers from your fridge, and Bradley promptly takes them from your hand as the two of you walk out of your apartment.

He insists on driving because you're both going to the same place, so there is no point in taking two cars. Bradley puts your things and his in back of his Bronco before opening your door and helping you in. He then jogs to the other side, his open Hawaiian print shirt flapping around as he does so before he climbs in. It gives you a wonderful view of the tonned skin under it.

It takes you a minute to realize it, but the two of you almost match. You chuckle to yourself.

The drive to Jake's is about twenty-five minutes. It's filled with fun conversations and throwback eighties rock, which is a personal favorite of Bradley's.

The last bars of an AC/DC song play, and Bradley is about to say something when you hear the almost tropical beginning of your favorite song play. You quickly hold your hand up to shush him.

Before he can even register what is happening, you're belting out the opening to Bon Jovi's "Miracle." Bradley slows down for a red light and watches you, awestruck as you sing every word to the song. He can't help but join in with you on the second verse, and the two of you are harmonizing as he drives down the road with the wind whipping through your hair and the windows down.

As the song finishes, he turns down the radio before turning to you. "You know that song?" Bradley asks with a surprised tone.

"It's only my most favorite song, ever." You tell him with a laugh.

"Really?" He acts like he doesn't believe you. "Yeah, there's just something about it." You shake your head.

"It was one of my mom's favorite songs, too. She said my dad learned how to play it for her on piano and surprise her with it. She used to sing it all the time, even after he passed." Bradley said.

"Well, she had great taste." You tell him.

A few minutes later, the two of you are pulling into Jake's driveway. Bradley throws the Bronco in park before saying, "Don't even think about touching that door handle." He hops out and jogs to the passengers side and opens the door and extends his hand to help you out.

You thank him and remind him you could have done it yourself, and he reminds you yet again, that he was raised better than that.

You grab your things from the backseat, and Bradley grabs the wine coolers you brought before the two of you make your way to the front door. Javy, let's the two of you in. He takes your drinks and puts them in a cooler before wrapping an arm around Natasha's middle and joining the conversation she was having with Bob and Halo.

You find Jake out by the pool in a pair of American flag swim trunks. He is grilling and drinking a beer. He greets you and Bradley warmly before telling you where the bathroom is, where some extra towels are, and that anything in his kitchen is fair game.

You spot a lounge chair under a massive umbrella and take your things to set up shop. The rest of the team meander outside. You apply some sunscreen as Phoenix sits down next to you. Coyote gives her a quick peck on the lips before jumping into the pool with Fanboy and Payback.

Once your arms and face are covered in SPF, you stand up and untie the floral skirt cover you have on and put it in your bag.

Jake lets out a long whistle as he saunters over to you. "Hades, didn't know you had so much ink." He remarks as he shamelessly looks over your thigh and the lettering peaking out from the cutout in your bathingsuit.

"Yeah, I have a thigh sleeve of everywhere I've been stationed." You tell him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to put on some sunscreen, and if you could not burn whatever you're cooking while you oogle me, that would be great." You tell him before plopping down. You're just about ready but can't reach your back. You would ask Phoenix or Halo, but they are on the other side of the pool talking now, and most of the boys are splashing around in the water. So, you politely call Bradley over and ask for his help.

He's more than willing to spread the coconut scented lotion over your back and shoulders. And you'd be lying if you said that his calloused hands on you didn't feel good. You wonder what they might feel like in other places.

He's your best friend and wingman. Stop

Once his finished, you thank him and slather a layer of sunscreen playfully on his face. You aren't sure how much it will help. It seems like no amount of SPF in the world keeps him from turning red.

The afternoon is actually going surprisingly well until sweet, stupid Bob makes the comment, "Hades, why haven't you gotten in the pool? It's like a hundred degrees today. Surely you're hot sitting up there?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Bob, really. I'm just enjoying getting my tan on and reading my book." You reply. That seems to satisfy him and the rest of the squad for now. Everyone except for Jake.

When Jake Seresin threw a pool party, everyone got in the pool. It was like the laws of nature.

After feasting on bugers and hot dogs and ice cream for lunch, everyone took a break to reapply sunscreen, refresh drinks, and chat for a bit. After about thirty minutes, Phoenix and Halo dove in the cool water and begged you to join them. You declined them.

A few of the boys got in and tossed a football around. You peered over the cover of your book. Using your sunglasses as a cover, you shamelessly checked out Bradley. The water glistened off his toned and slightly sunburnt body. You had to bite down on your lip to suppress a moan.

A few minutes later, Jake declared that everyone should play a few rounds of Chicken.

Nat quickly hopped up on Javys' shoulders while Paybacm hoisted Fanboy on his. Omaha helped Halo up, while Bradley scooped up Bob. The rest of the squad watched and laughed at the chaos.

You laughed at how ridiculous everyone looked. Everything was fine until Jake came up to you and grabbed you by the hand.

"C'mon, Hades, you're going to be my partner." He said as he tried to drag you to the water.

"No, Jake, I don't want to." You protested. "It will be fun. It's a pool party, you have to get in the pool." Jake said. You dug your heels in, but Jake didn't seem to care. He quickly scooped you up and ran towards the edge to jump in.

You flailed your arms and screamed at him to put you down, but it was no use. "Bradley heard the panic in your voice, but there was nothing he could do to stop Jake from tossing you into the deep end of the pool before he jumped in behind you.

The blue water enveloped you as you sank down. You struggled to orient yourself as you desperately sought the surface.

It seemed like it took an eternity for your head to break through the water. Once you did, you drew in a panicked breath, and the anxiety set it.

You were gasping for air as Jake and a few others laughed, but the moment they saw the wild look in your eyes, they knew something was wrong.

You were vaugly aware of Bradley and a few others calling your name, but you were blinded with the need to get out of the water.

You gripped the edge and hauled yourself out of the pool, not caring if your knees scraped on the concrete before grabbing your towel and running inside like a frightened animal.

A silence falls over the rest of the group as everyone gets out of the pool to process what just happened.

As soon as his feet hit the concrete, Bradley barrels toward Jake like a bull in a china shop.

"Bagman! What the fuck was that!" Bradley screams as he squares up with Jake. His hands land on his chest and push him back a few feet. Jake recovers and tries to remain composed.

"I was just messing around. I didn't know she was going to freak out like that." Jake defends himself.

"She said she didn't want to get in. You couldn't respect that, could you?" Bradley continues.

"Listen, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. I was just playing around. It was supposed to be a joke! It's not like she gave a good reason for not wanting to get in!" Jake shouts as Bradley continues to invade his space.

"It doesn't matter if she gave one or not! She had a good reason for not wanting to get in. Hades doesn't owe you an explanation. You should have just let it go. But no! Now you've probably given her a fucking PTSD flashback!" Bradley shouts.

That catches everyone's attention. "Wha—what do you mean?" Jake asks, suddenly shrinking down and lowering his voice.

"I mean—ugh—she asked me not to say anything, but Hades wasn't going to come today because on her last mission, before she transferred here, she almost died. She got shot down over the ocean, and her parachute got caught in currents. It was a night mission, and the water was rough, and she almost drowned. She said water has freaked her out ever since." Bradley explains to everyone.

Jake swallowed thickly. "I—I didn't know." He states. "Yeah, neither did I until she told me. I hope you're happy with yourself, Jake." Bradley spits out before turning to grab his shirt and towel and heading into the house to look for you.

You had bolted into Jake's house. You made a beeline for the bathroom and slammed the door behind you before dropping to your knees in front of the toilet and dry heaving. You really thought you were going to puke your guts out, but nothing came. After a few minutes of coughing and sputtering, you sat back and leaned against the bathtub. And then the tears came.

They streamed down your face like a river. They were tears of anger, embarrassment, and shame. You were angry at Jake for throwing you in the pool, but you were angrier at yourself, and the reaction you had.

You were embarrassed and ashamed that everyone saw you freak out. They were probably all laughing and making jokes at your expense right now. I mean, you were in the fucking Navy and afraid of the water.

You could hear them laughing at you now.

The thought of made you cry even harder. You were cold and alone and ashamed of yourself as you sat on the floor of Jake's bathroom. Your shoulders started to shake because you were sobbing so hard.

You tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down, but the anxiety thrummed through your body, racking your brain.

A few minutes passed, and you heard a knock on the door.

"G—go away, Jake. I don't want to talk to you." You stammered out between sobs.

"It's not Jake." You heard Bradley's voice through the door. "Can I come in?" You hesitated before reaching up to unlock the door. Bradley slowly opened it, and his heart sank when he saw you.

You were propped up against the tub, knees to your chest, tear stained cheeks, and shaking.

Bradley dropped to the floor beside you. He pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around your shoulders before pulling you into his lap. Bradley immediately began rubbing soothing circles on your back and whispering calming words.

You melted into his chest as you continued to tremble. "I'm sorry." You sqeaked out.

"Don't be, Angel. I used to have panic attacks when I was a kid. I've been where you've been. My mom used to take care of me and talk me through them. Just take some deep breaths. Try to relax." Bradley told you calmly.

You tried to relax and breathe, but the overwhelming feeling of dread wouldn't go away. Bradley could feel how tense you were in his arms, so he tried something else that his mom did for him. He sang to you.

At first, you didn't register it, but Bradley's soft voice washed over you as the familiar tune of "You Are My Sunshine" filled the small space.

You pressed your head further into his chest and listened to his heartbeat. That, in combination with his voice, started to bring you back from the edge.

You steadied yourself enough to sit up and speak to him.

"Thank you." You told him as you wiped the tears from your face. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, I've been there. My mom used to sing that song to me when they were really bad." Bradley smiles at you.

"She sounds like she was a great lady." You tell him. "She was." Bradley replies.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bradley asks you with genuine concern in his voice.

"I'm so embarrassed." You tell him. He looks at you confused. "Why? Do you think you're the first one on the team to have a breakdown in front of the group? When we were training for our last mission, Phoenix and Bob had to eject. The first time, they tried to get back in a jet after Bob froze on the tarmac and locked himself in the locker room, and Phoenix started shaking so bad she puked on Coyote when he went to comfort her." Bradley told you.

"Yeah, but you guys knew what happened. Nobody out there knew about my accident. All they know is the legend that follows me around. I'm supposed to be strong, unbreakable—not—not weak. And over something as menial as water?" You sigh and bury your head in your hands. Fresh tears threaten spill over.

"No one thinks you're weak, Hades. And don't be mad, but I kind of blew up on Jake and told everyone what happened. I probably shouldn't have, but I wanted him to know how much of an ass he was." Bradley admits to you.

"It's fine. It was going to come out sometime. You didn't hit him did you?" You ask him.

"No, but when I left to come in here, Nat was giving him down the road, and I wouldn't be surprised if she did." You both laugh.

"I'm sorry that I probably ruined everyone's day. Jake probably hates me for ruining his party. Good gods, that's all I ever do is ruin things." You sigh.

Bradley shakes his head and takes your face between his hands. "Listen to me, Angel, you didn't ruin anything. No one hates you, and no one thinks you're weak. You have been walking around with his burden alone when you didn't have to be. I've seen you fly. Hell, I've taken a peak at your file. You are an amazing person, and so fucking strong. You've got to be to put up with us all the time." Bradley laughs.

He looks deep in your eyes, and you can tell he's sincere. "I think you're amazing. You're the best pilot I've ever flown with. You're a great person in the air and on the ground." He assures you.

Your lip quivers as you fight the urge to cry again. Bradley rubs his thumbs across your cheeks, and before you can register what's happening, he leans forward and presses his lips to yours.

They're soft and warm and taste faintly of the salty margaritas all of you had at lunch. You're just getting used to the feeling of his plush mouth against yours when he suddenly pulls back and looks at you with wide eyes. You push yourself off of his lap and put some space between the two of you.

"Hades—I—I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what I was thinking. You're my superior officer, and my wingman and my best friend. I just—I'm sorry, can we pretend that never happened?" Bradley stammers out. Panic setting deep in his features

"Yeah." You say flatly. You've never felt more dejected in your life.

"Do you want to go home? Get some rest?" Bradley asks as he stands up and helps you to your feet.

"Yeah, that's fine." You sigh, willing yourself not to cry.

"Great. I'll go get our things and meet you out front." He tells you before bolting out of the bathroom. You're left standing there in a daze, the tingle of his lips still on yours.

Bradley quickly goes to grab your things and his. He's still mad at Jake, but more than that, he's mad at himself. He is still dizzy from the way your lips felt on his, how your body moulded with his, like it's where you were always meant to be.

The way you tasted, sweet, with a dash of salty, was exactly how he had imagined it—no it was better. He knew that he'd never get enough of it. But now he was kicking himself. He'd pushed you away so easily when he should have pulled you closer. But, he didn't want to take advantage of you. You were emotional and vulnerable, and it's not the way he wanted your first kiss to go.

He can't believe that he told you to forget it happened and that he gave you some bullshit excuse. You looked so hurt, and that's when he realized you'd wanted it just as much as he did.

"Fuck," Bradley cursed as he shoved your things into your bag, you probably think he is an ass now and he has probably ruined his chance with you.

"Is Hades okay?" Bob comes up to Bradley and asks him.

"Yeah, she's okay. But I'm going to take her home. She's still kinda shaken up." Bradley tells him.

"Understandable. You've gotta take care of your girl." Bob says. Bradley tenses at the comment. "She's not my girl, Bob, were just friends." Bradley tells him sharply.

"You sure about that?" Bob asks, as if he can read Bradley's mind. "Yeah, I'm sure." Bradley says before telling everyone else goodbye.

You're standing by the Bronco waiting for him when he makes it to the front of Jake's house. He unlocks your door, but you yank it open before he even has the chance to do it for you.

The drive back to your apartment complex is silent. There is no throwback playlist on, no playful conversation. Just the sound of the wind blowing around the two of you, and even that isn't loud enough to drown out the quiet for Bradley.

You don't look at him the whole drive back. Your beautiful smile, the one he's grown to love so much, is nowhere to be found.

He silently pulls into his designated parking space. You jump out of his car before he has even cut the engine. You grab all of your things before quietly heading to the elevator. It's a silent ride up to your floor.

You don't expect Bradley to get off when you reach your level, but he follows you down the hall to your door.

You unlock it without a word. "Angel, if you need anything, text me, I'll be right down." Bradley tells you as he stands in your doorway. He's hesitant to cross the threshold and come in. He's not as confident as he was before.

"Thanks." You say not meeting his eyes. "Angel, look—I—" Bradley doesn't know what to say, and quiet frankly, you don't want to hear it. So he settles for telling you that he hopes you have a good evening before turning on his heels to leave.

"Rooster, wait." You call to him. He pauses, you called him Rooster. You haven't used his call sign since the first week you moved here. Now he knows he's really messed things up.

"Yeah, Angel?" He asks as he turns to face you, still using the nickname he gave you.

"Here." You say to him as you had him the spare key to his apartment that you've had for well over a month that he hasn't bothered to ask for.

He's reluctant to take it from you. He liked the idea of you having a key to his place. He feels a piece of his heart break as you press the cool metal into his hand.

"Thanks." He breaths out before leaving.

You close the door behind him and lock it. You shake your head, trying to keep the tears that cloud your vision from falling. You were kicking yourself. This is why you didn't let yourself fall for someone because it always ended in heart break.

Who could love someone like you, anyway?

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