#keeping Secrets fanfic

[awesome-shoes-with-wings]

Do any of you ever wonder if Camp Half-Blood accidentally brought in a demigod of a different pantheon before?

This would be especially hilarious if it happens sometime after The Last Olympian/Heroes of Olympus, where the gods are required to claim their kids quickly.

A whole day passes, and the new demigod needs to sleep in the Hermes Cabin and Percy is furious. Meanwhile, the Greek Gods are pointing at each other and shouting, contacting the most obscure of mini gods. Chaos erupts on Olympus as every deity in Greek Mythology is called upon and interrogated. Hermes hasn't run around so much in centuries.

Hecate sits in silence, fully aware of what's happening, but enjoying the show too much to intervene.

#does anyone want a fanfic of this? #idk if the norse and greek gods are even aware of each other's existence #but it's funnier to imagine that they aren't really #hecate keeps them secret from each other to avoid zeus having a power struggle against odin #or something similar like that #this would be absolutely hilarious #especially if the kid turns out to be a child of a norse sea god #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #magnus chase and the gods of asgard #magnus chase #norse gods #greek gods #pjo #pjo tv show #pjo series #pjo books #heroes of olympus #percy is threatening the gods aka it's wednesday #the poor lost demigod is confused

[luxaofhesperides]

Ghostlights cuddling for comfort, but also they're oblivious idiots who are pining over each other but thinks its unrequited

“Ugh,” Duke says, dropping down onto the bench besides Danny.

Danny nudges him with his shoulder. “Rough night?”

“Slept for like an hour,” Duke mutters, “This sucks. My head’s going to burst like balloon and my eyes are about to fall out.”

“Yikes. You know, you could have just canceled for today. I wouldn’t have minded.”

Duke sighs and presses the heel of his palms against his eyes. “Maybe, but I would have minded. We barely see each other anymore, man. I’ve missed you.”

“Oh.” Danny bites his lip, trying and failing to stop from smiling. Something soft in his chest glows at the words, a growing spark of happiness in knowing that for this, at least, the feeling is requited. It’s nice to hear that he was missed, and it would be even nicer if Duke wasn’t in pain, pushing himself just because he didn’t want to cancel. Carefully, Danny reaches for him and pulls his hands away from his face. “Here,” he says, “Let me.”

His hands are always cold. Most of him is cold, really — side effect of having an ice core. Sam told him once that his hands were better than an ice pack, and he’s hoping she’s right or this is going to be weird. 

Danny gently presses his fingers against Duke’s temples, his hands cradling Duke’s face. Duke is tense for a few seconds, then abruptly relaxes, leaning into Danny’s hands. 

“Is this helping?” he asks, voice hushed to keep from aggravating Duke’s migraine.

“Mhm. Yeah, it feels great. Thanks, Danny.”

Duke goes completely limp, leaning against Danny. They sit there for a minute in silence, the rest of the world feeling far away. As nice as it is to just exist together, he knows what Duke needs most right now is quiet and stillness. Gotham is very much not that, and every honking car that passes by makes Duke wince, trying to turn away from the road even more.

“Hey, let’s head back to my place. It’s close by, and a lot quieter than out here.”

“Are you sure? I know we planned to go to the arcade today…”

“The arcade can wait. You’re more important.”

Duke blinks open his eyes and looks at Danny with something soft in his gaze. Being so close together, barely any space between them, with Duke looking at him like that makes Danny’s cheeks flush red, unable to think anything but please kiss me.

Which is never going to happen. Duke is his friend, and just his friend, no matter how much Danny wishes they could be something more. It’s a pipe dream, something so impossible it’s almost laughable. 

Duke likes being friends with normal human Danny. He doesn’t want to imagine how he would react if he found out about Danny being half ghost, assuming this imaginary reveal happens without Danny being hunted down and cut open by GIW agents. 

He’s still in hiding, always waiting for the worst as he stays in the apartment his friends (living and dead) had set up for him. The building is for ghosts so it technically doesn’t exists, which means it’s the safest place for Danny while he’s actively being hunted by the US government. 

He can’t be honest with Duke. Can’t be as close to him as he wants to be. Duke deserves more than to be dragged into Danny’s problems and put in danger.

Even so, Danny can’t help but want him around, pushing his luck each time they hang out.

“Come on,” Danny urges, standing up. He pulls his hands away and Duke’s brow immediately furrows, his pain returning. “It’s only a few streets away.”

Duke sighs, then visibly braces himself before he stands up. Danny tucks himself into Duke’s side, taking as much of his weight as he can as he walks them down the street. It’s times like these that he wishes he could reveal his powers safely and just fly them to his apartment. But even without the GIW gunning for his head, showing off powers in Gotham is a sure fire way to get a target painted on his back.

“Almost there,” he says as they turn a corner. 

His apartment doesn’t have a fixed address. It doesn’t have a fixed location at all, drifting around, but it likes this street the most, so this is where it usually is. Danny takes them halfway down the street, then turns into an alley, following his ghost sense. 

Where there’s usually a dead end is instead a building, looking as if it’s always been tucked away in this alley. Danny keeps a tight grip on Duke as they climb the front steps, silently asking for the building to let him stay while he’s with Danny. The door opens easily, which is as good as an agreement, and they’re inside without anything going wrong. The small entrance lobby is empty, with an area for packages filled with clearly magical artifacts carelessly wrapped in bubble wrap. 

Danny drags them past that quickly, hoping Duke doesn’t notice, and calls the elevator down. It arrives silently, the doors opening to let another tenant out. Carefully, Danny positions himself in front of Duke, making sure he doesn’t see how the tenant, who nods at Danny, has a still bleeding wound in his stomach that has him nearly split in half. 

“Alright,” he says, ushering Duke into the elevator, “Just a little ride up and then you can lay down.” He hits the button for the fourth floor and they ride up in silence, Duke dropping his head down to onto Danny’s shoulder again, wrapping his arms around his waist as he stands behind Danny. He’s glad Duke can’t see his face; there’s no doubt that he’s blushing like crazy and if that doesn’t give away his feelings, he doesn’t know what will.

Thankfully the elevator ride isn’t long. If Danny had to go for more than a minute with Duke breathing softly against his neck, his warm hands on his stomach, Danny would have collapsed into a pile of flustered goo.

He opens the door to his apartment and kicks his shoes off. Duke follows in suit, still plastered onto Danny’s back, refusing to let go. 

“Come on,” Danny says, leading him to the couch, “Sit down and I’ll grad you some water and painkillers.”

Duke nods against his shoulder, then slowly detaches himself from Danny and makes his way to the couch. He drops onto it gracelessly, pressing his face into a cushion. 

Danny winces. He must be feeling really bad. He knows how bad migraines can be with sleep deprivation, having suffered through high school with only a few hours of sleep at night, if he got to sleep at all. Frankly, it’s a testament to Duke’s strength that he lasted the entire walk to Danny’s apartment without complaint. 

He returns to the living room with a full glass of water and a bottle of Advil, setting them on the coffee table to crouch next to the couch and place a cold hand on Duke’s cheek. “Hey,” he says softly when Duke turns to look at him, “Is Advil alright? It’s all I had.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks, Danny.”

Duke sits up and shakes out three pills, then washes them down with water. He drains the rest of the cup quickly, then falls back against the couch with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Is there anything else I can do to make you feel better?”

Duke immediately reaches a hand out for him.

“Um?”

“Sit next to me. I feel better when I’m next to you.”

“Oh! Alright. Bet you’re only saying that because my hands are cold.”

“You caught me,” Duke laughs, pulling Danny onto the couch. He goes easily, tucking his legs beneath himself, and places his hands on Duke’s temples again. “Man, I owe you my life.”

“I don’t think my cold hands are worth quite that much.”

Duke hums, but doesn’t say anything else, so Danny settles in and focuses on keeping his hands a little colder than normal. 

The apartment is quiet. No sound from outside can reach them, one of the few ways the building looks after its tenants. Danny and Duke fall against each other, at ease with each other. There’s no need to fill in the silence, and with Duke’s eyes closed, Danny doesn’t have to carefully shove down his feelings and act normal. He indulges in the warmth of Duke’s body pressed against his, a hand on his knee and an arm around his waist. 

He keeps his hands as steady as possible as he looks over Duke, adoring all the little details he can see; a small scar on his chin, the fullness of his lips, the way his hair falls into his face now that it’s long enough to keep in braids.

“I can practically hear you thinking,” Duke murmurs, “What’s on your mind?”

You’re cute, he thinks, I feel safe with you. I want to kiss you. I wish I could be brave enough to be honest.

I wish I was brave. I wish I was brave. I wish I was brave.

“Nothing,” he says. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah. I might fall asleep though.”

“That’s fine. You know I would never say no to a nap.”

“Come here, then,” Duke says, and before Danny can do anything, Duke gets a stronger grip on his waist and pulls Danny down on top of him as he falls back towards the arm rest and gets his legs on the couch.

“Duke!”

Duke laughs underneath him, and Danny can feel it roll through him. Okay! This is definitely something he’s going to think about… forever. Wow, he can feel Duke’s abs tense up as he laughs, and has he always been ripped? Unfair. Also unfairly hot. 

“Is this alright?” Duke asks, voice soft and quiet. There’s a hesitancy around his words that Danny doesn’t like hearing, and he brings his hands down to sweep his thumbs soothingly over Duke’s cheeks.

“Of course it is, man. I’d never refuse cuddles.”

“Okay. I’m gonna pass out now. Wake me in an hour?”

Danny moves his hands back up to his temples and says, “Sure. Get some rest, Duke. You really need it.”

He feels Duke relax beneath him, breaths slowing down as he begins to fall asleep. It’s peaceful and quiet and Duke is warm in a way Danny never can be with his ice core. He doesn’t mean to fall asleep, but curled up on the couch with Duke in the safety of an apartment that only barely exists has him drifting off in no time at all.

. . .

(Duke wakes up before Danny. Their legs are tangled together and Duke has moved during his sleep, turning so Danny is held tightly to his chest, his back to the cushions, while Duke is balancing very carefully at the edge of the couch. 

It’s been hours, and he should be heading home soon, but he stays as he is, enjoying this quiet moment for as long as he can have it. Danny is in his arms, safe and content with him, his head no longer hurts beyond a residual ache he can easily ignore, and he can admire how pretty Danny is without being worried about Danny catching his lingering stares. 

These moments are precious to him, rare as they are, and he wants nothing more than to kiss Danny once he’s awake and let his feelings be known.

But the Signal has lots of dangerous people after him, and Gnomon has started causing problems in Gotham again. So he’ll bite his tongue and keep his less platonic feelings buried under lock and key until it’s safe enough for Danny to be around him more often.

And when that time comes, he can only hope that Danny will feel the same way.

That’s all far away from the stillness of Danny’s apartment. All that matters is that he has Danny in his arms. Everything else can wait. 

For now, this is more than enough.)

#ghostlights #dc x dp #dp x dc #dcxdp #dpxdc #dc x dp fic #dpxdc fanfic #prompt fill #my writing #once again unable to resist the urge to write abt living buildings #duke and danny are pining no stop bc they're both like 'this is a bad time for a relationship/i have to keep too many secrets' etc etc #while also cuddling and going on dates that they dont call dates out loud and sighing wistfully when they think of each other #taking what small things they can while trying to hide their feelings.... #some other batfam member is going to stumble upon them in public and chat a bit w dukes friend #then walk away texting the group chat like 'hey duke and his friend are madly in love but too shy/stupid to do something abt it. #lets play cupid lol' and then theyre all trying to get duke and danny together #it gets to the point that every time they hang out it ends with them doing some nonsense to escape the batfam and their kind but unhinged #attempts to get them together #thanks for the prompt!!!

[flamingpudding]

Part 14 of Ghost Kid in Gotham

>>Masterpost >>AO3

<<1 Previous Next

The secrets we keep for others

Dick wanted to curse Talia. He really wanted to do that but he only did so in his mind. Damian was on to them now. He knew it in the way his little brother was following them. In the way he watched Bruce and him in his calculated way. It was only a matter of time until Damian would truly attempt to confront one of them.

And the likelihood that it would be him instead of Bruce was high. Even if Bruce was Damian's father, Damian tended to come to him first.

Dick also knew that he most likely provoked that himself. The moment Talia had mentioned teal and orange, he knew he had tensed ever so slightly knowing exactly who she was hinting at. Damian must have caught on to that. Especially as Damian had unconsciously repeated Talias last words to him on their way back from patrol.

It would be fine in other cases. But they had too little tidbits of information, nothing valid but more speculations they worked out with barely any worthwhile data. Dick had butted heads with Bruce because of this. They had fought over it until he got the man to leave his office and at least share the little bits they could confirm for sure. Danny's little bit of history they had as well as the existence of that governmental branch, were the two things they discovered with valid information.

Everything else was nothing more than speculations, theories built on corrupted data they barely managed to recover.

Even now as he sat on a couch with crossed arms and pouting watching Cass and Danny interacting with each other. He knew that Babs was working on recovering more of the corrupted files they managed to drag from a highly protected governmental server before it locked them out again. It was frustrating to say the least.

Damian was sitting next to him staring holes into his being while also keeping an eye on Cass and Danny. Just like with Duke, Danny didn't appear to mind their sister at all now. She inched closer to the child slowly and carefully, the kid not once hissing at her completely opposite to what happens when Dick got close to the child. He was allowing her as close to him as he let Damian and Alfred.

He pouted a little bit more as he noticed the side eye Cass gave him as she held out a hand to Danny and the little boy took it with a confused tilt of his head. The boy glanced over to Damian as if unsure what to do before Dick saw the telltale spark in the boy's eyes that Damian also had when he got an idea. He watched how Danny moved Cass' hand so her open palm faced him and he started to trace something while making small chirping noises.

It was only the four of them at the moment. But that was fine, it meant Danny wouldn't get too overwhelmed. He would get more and more used to all their presences like this. Somehow during their patrol last night Cass had gotten closer to Danny than any of them had besides Damian. It was good in Dicks opinion, it meant that Danny was slowly but surely opening up to them as well as starting to trust them. It would also mean that Damian would start to untense too.

It was obvious to them all of how protective and clingy Damian was with his apparently de-aged twin. He barely let Danny get out of his sight. Danny starting to trust them more would also mean Damian could relax more. But that would also mean that his little brother could turn his focus to other things.

Like trying to get information out of Dick.

"Richard." He knew that tone. Baby Bat wanted answers to the unspoken question that hung in the air since their encounter with Talia.

"Not now Dami." He could lie, say he didn't know what she was hinting at. That they didn't have a lot of information on teal and orange. Damian would believe him for the moment, trust him that he would share any information they find later on or maybe even start trying to gather information on his own.

Dick doubted that if Dami went to try and get any information on his own that he would get any further than they had. Bruce was still working on the governmental server they had gotten locked out of, several times now and all they ever recovered were corrupted files with too little information they only managed to withdraw after hours of running recovery programs specially designed and made by Babs and Bruce in tandem. It was a wonder that they hadn't involved Tim yet but considering what they were discovering it was also better that they hadn't.

He could lie and Damian would be none the wiser but at the same time he knew he couldn't do that to his little brother. No, not only Damian, to any of them. Dick knew it wasn't just Damian. Tim was buried in an investigation that had started out as curiosity over the note but got more and more serious the more he managed to discover and make connections. The book he found was the key item in it. Jason was returning to the Manor every night for days now, he had tried several times now to get Dick alone and he knew perfectly well why. Steph started to help Tim while Duke and Cass appeared to attempt to take some load off Damian by caring for Danny.

If they all came to him, he wouldn't care about what Bruce had decided about what to do with the little bits of information and speculation they had found.

But until then his siblings deserved to have a peaceful and unbothered time with Danny. Deserved to interact with him worry free and not biased or with a judgment clouded by heavy emotions. They shouldn't be forced to hide the rage behind smiles whenever they see this de-aged but still somewhat carefree child. Because Dick knew his siblings weren't as good as him with that.

He knew what kind of reaction each of them would most likely have. Especially with the way they had become attached to their new little brother. If they learned about Bruce's, Barbara's and his suspicions. Things wouldn't be as peaceful as they were now.

"When?" Tilting his head slightly towards Damian with a smile, he ruffled his little brother's hair. The other scowled clearly, not happy with the fact that Dick wasn't giving him the answers he wanted. The look in the younger eyes was telling. Good that the files on Danny were all on a sparetared file space on the bat computer only Babs, him and Bruce had access to. For once the old man's paranoia was going to play into their favor. Damian wouldn't find them when he snuck out later at night to search through the batcomputer files.

It was better this way.

He would tell his siblings when the right time came. Until then, he would keep the little pieces of recovered data a secret. They didn't need to know yet about the suspicions of what happened in the time frame between Danny being reported missing then reported dead and his appearing in Jason's apartment.

They didn't need to know about the corrupted sound files that were nothing but static before Babara managed to recover a little part of nothing but five seconds of a teen screaming his throat raw that he was himself. A heavily pixelated image that after hours of processing through recovery programs displayed only a small bloody section of a vivisection while everything else in the image was still heavily distorted or glitched. There even was a little video clip they managed to recover, not even a minute long and heavily distorted by the corruption.

But Dick had not dared to watch it.

Bruce's way of handling the situation was already bad enough as it was but it was getting worse the more they managed to recover. Absentmindedly he kept ruffling Damian's hair with a smile plastered on his face at his little brother's scowled. Yeah, even if Bruce's way of handling the information was not the best, for now it was better for them not to know, even if Babs' reprimanding words ringed in the back of his mind. It was only a matter of time before this would come to bite them, he knew it. And he threaded the moment his siblings would discover it whether it be through them finally sharing their suspicions or his siblings discovering it on their own. Or worst of all, Danny remembering it himself.

#danny fenton #dp x dc #danny phantom #dpxdc #crossover #dcxdp #fanfic #damian wayne #dick grayson #cassandra cain #bruce wayne #barbara gordon #de aged danny #feral danny #danny and damian are twins #demon twin au #Dick has his suspicions of what happened to Danny #its all because of the little data they recovered #Bruce is not handling it well #Babs is not happy with the both of them keeping it a secret #nore how they are handling it #Dick is convincing himself that its the best for his siblings #he is keeping his own rage hidden #he knew exactly who Talia meant with teal and orange #tw: implied torture #tw: implied experimentation #unedited #no beta we die like danny #ghost kid in gotham

[tizniz]

Inspiration Saturday ✨

Tagged by @theotherbuckley 🩵

Made another little somethin somethin for my beloved Forest Man fic. Y'all...this story...UGH.

Once he and Eddie are dressed appropriately and their shoes are on, Eddie leads Buck through the dark woods, silvery moonlight slicing through the darkness and offering them enough to see by. Their fingers are tangled together between them, neither speaking as they listen to the crunch of their footsteps over fallen leaves and scattered twigs. Buck inhales deeply, taking in the crisp and cool air, the muskiness of dirt and tang of nature sticking to the walls of his lungs. When he exhales, his shoulders release the final bit of tension he finds he’s been holding on to. He would be content to stay here forever. But that might have to do with the man grinning over his shoulder at Buck. “Nearly there.” “All good.” Buck replies. What he thinks is I’ll follow you anywhere, for as long as needed. That’s too much, too soon. Yet Buck knows it's true in his chest. In his heart. Buck could find himself falling in love with Eddie very easily.

NP tagging: @hippolotamus, @actualalligator, @actuallyitsellie, @disasterbuckdiaz, @spotsandsocks, @fortheloveofbuddie, @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove, @daffi-990, @jesuisici33, @cal-daisies-and-briars, @exhuastedpigeon, @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming, @monsterrae1, @epicbuddieficrecs, @elvensorceress, @eddiebabygirldiaz, @spagheddiediaz, @wildlife4life, @evanbegins, @devirnis, @loveyouanyway, @perfectlysunny02, @nmcggg, @smilingbuckley, @watchyourbuck, @loserdiaz, @excuseme-greentea, @wikiangela, @sunshinediaz, @scknight05, @dangerpronebuddie, @kitteneddiediaz, @incorrect9-1-1, @underwater-ninja-13, @mountedeverest

#eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie #911 fic #911 fanfic #buddie fic #buddie fanfic #buddie wip #this story is so good #i'm so proud #it does have a title btw #but i'm keeping it a secret for now #scheduled

[youngyoo-apologist]

OG!ChoiCale

Based off of a scene from [In the Borderline] on AO3

#tcf #tcf Cale #og cale henituse #original cale henituse #choicale #this started off as a shitpost #based off of this one joongdok meme #but then I decided to do something else but with keeping the caption and it ended up becoming fully rendered #this isn’t like the original TBoaH universe #it’s from a fanfic #lcf novel #trash of the count's family #lout of the count’s family #Twenty year long situationship #enemies to some secret third thing #they’re friends but r they lovers ? #that’s for u to decide

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: It was definitely dog-like. Huge, furry, it had a snout like a wolf and paws but… like a mix between hands and paws, the pads on its fingers rough to the touch contrasting the impossibly soft texture of its fur covering its knuckles, its claws weren’t sharp, they were dulled, filed, and rounded off like a dog that’d been on many a walk on nothing but pavement, Eddie didn’t want to say werewolf but… It was absolutely a werewolf.

Author: @piratefishmama

Note from submitter: Piratefishmama is a really good writer. Absolutely love their works.

#official fic poll #haveyoureadthisfic #pollblr #fanfiction #fanfic #tumblr polls #fandom culture #internet culture #fandom poll #Can you keep a secret? #stranger things #stranger things 4 #steddie #eddie x steve

[itsamenickname]

Attention all Bowuigi fans and supporters! I come to you with a wholesome Bowuigi idea:

Luigi eavesdrops on a conversation between Bowser and Kamek and/or Kammy, but instead of Bowser talking shit about him, Luigi discovers that the one and only Koopa King is actually talking about how much he loves Luigi and how he thanks Grambi and the Star Spirits every day that someone as sweet and innocent as Luigi wants to date a fearsome and selfish monster like him.

#luigi #luigi nintendo #bowser #bowser nintendo #bowuigi #bowser x luigi #super mario #super mario bros #kamek #kammy koopa #mario fanfic #mario fanfic idea #foreshadowing #maybe? #idk I would like to include this idea in my next main Bowuigi story but I can't tell if I'll be able to at this moment in time #ooo maybe I can write a one-shot instead? #that would be both fun and adorable #but first things first: I need to finish writing TBTBWTK before I write anything else #also pay no attention to the weirdo who's debating on talking more about her next story or keeping it a secret in order to not spoil stuff #the struggle is real my fellow dudes #anyway that's enough of my rambling

[willowedhepatica]

"Tie my hands, and I'll knock my knees as I kneel down -- to the ocean floor, I will sink."

"Press the knife to my side as I begin to rot."

New fic incoming... Let's just say I've been in the mood for some (friend's to) enemies to lovers.

#warrior nun #avatrice #ava silva #sister beatrice #warrior nun fanfic #this one is going to be messy messy times #in the way that teeth tears flesh #but also in the way that trust is everything to ava and beatrice is keeping far too many secrets from her when they first meet #(not so strange considering she's tasked to kill her)

[acourtofladydeath]

Poly+ ACOTAR Week Day 1: Beginnings

All his life Nyx has been raised by his parents, Rhysand and Feyre, and their mate Tamlin. One day he decides to ask him mom how their bonds snapped and she is more than happy to oblige.

Inspired by the storytelling in "The Princess Bride" and "How I Met Your Mother" this is angsty, fluffy fun.

So excited to kick off the first day of @polyacotarweek with one of my favorite trios, Feytamsand. Start reading below, or read the entire fic on AO3 here!

“Mom!” I shouted through the hall of the River House. It was her day off, which probably meant she was painting. The River House had a state of the art studio for her to work in, but she typically painted wherever inspiration struck. Which means she could be anywhere. 

The house was entirely too large. Something I loved growing up when I wanted to hide, but hated when I needed to find them. Sure, we could mind speak, but once I walked in on my parents having daemati sex, something I literally didn't know existed before then. After that, I refused to communicate that way unless there was an emergency. 

“In here Nyxie!” She called back from the library at the end of the hall. It had a huge window overlooking the Sidra and sunset. Throughout the day light cast through the window, ricocheting through the room. As it traveled it glanced across the wide array of books, some gilded and some plain, painting the floor in its own way. With the kaleidoscope of colors and dancing light, it was one of mom’s favorite spots to paint. Aunt Nes spent most of her time here when she visited, but today it was just mom. 

“What’s up, baby?” Mom said as I walked in. Covered head to toe in paint, she turned to look at me and wiped even more on her apron and one of her mate’s old shirts. Now which one, I wasn’t quite sure. But judging by those giant, billowy sleeves and the gauzy white linen fabric I had a pretty good guess. 

“I’m not a baby anymore,” I scoffed from the doorway. There was no way I’d get any closer to her like this. Last time she hugged me while painting it took three baths to get it all off and my clothes had to be burned. 

“Nyx you are thirteen, you are definitely still my baby. Even a hundred years from now you’ll still be my baby. I’m your mother, that’s how it goes.” She smiled softly at me then, one of those smiles that told me she was thinking about the past and the future all at once. They were my favorites. 

“What did you need? Or did you just want to watch me paint?” My mom asked, slight worry in her eyes. I’d never been great at schooling my expressions like dad was, mom and I had that in common. We both wore our emotions on our sleeves for all to see. 

I sighed, settling in to ask the question that had been gnawing at me for some time now. “One of the kids at school said something today that bothered me,” I rubbed at the muscles in the back of my neck with one hand, my gaze cast down on the floor as I tried to find the right words. 

It took me several long breaths, but mom waited patiently even as I felt her own anxiety build. “They said…” I let out a long sigh, there really was no good way to say this. “They said it’s not fair that I have two High Lords for parents, or for you to have two mates. And it’s not the first time, either.” 

Mom wrung her apron uneasily between her paint streaked hands, her art now completely forgotten as she focused on me. “I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this love. We knew people might say things like this, Nyx. I wish I had better answers for you, but the Mother gave your fathers and I each two mates.” She looked up at me with apology in her eyes, something I never intended and didn’t need to hear from her again. “I never wanted it to affect you negatively though.” 

“I know mom, and I know we’ve talked it to death.” I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. “It’s just still a lot, you know?” A thought struck me then. I knew my parents were all mates, I knew they’d met around the time of Amarantha’s reign under the mountain. We’d had a lot of conversations that time so I wasn’t caught off guard if other kids or parents mentioned it, but still…

“How’d you all find out anyway?” 

Mom cocked her head slightly to the side, her brow furrowed just a bit. “What do you mean?”

“How’d you find out you’re all mates? I mean, we’ve talked about the mountain and how you met them, but I’ve never really heard the full story of how your bonds snapped.” 

A secretive smile slid across her face then, and my mom straightened her head toward me. “Would you like to hear the full story? I think you’re old enough now.”

“Only if you promise to spare the gross bits…” I said, internally cringing as the unbidden image of mentally walking in on them flashed through my mind again. Fighting back a shudder at the memory I continued,  "But I am pretty curious.” I smiled slightly, and her own brightened wide enough to light the whole room. 

“Are you too old to sit on mom’s lap for story time? I can change out of my paint clothes first, I know you’ve taken after your dad with how much you care for your clothes.” she asks, humor alight in her words. 

I feel the heat of a blush on my cheeks as I answer. “Definitely too old for sitting on your lap…but maybe not for the couch…” She knew what I meant. When I had bad dreams or hard days at school, sometimes I’d lay on the couch, head in her lap. It felt too juvenile to use the word ‘cuddles’ but I guess that’s what it was. A kid’s allowed to cuddle his mom right? 

A few minutes later, mom was back wearing leggings and one of her favorite sweaters. She sat on the couch next to the big window in the library and patted the seat next to her, warmth filling the space between us. I pushed off the wall from where I stood and went to join her. As I settled in, she began her story. “Alright Nyx, let’s start from the beginning. Here’s the story of how I met your fathers.” 

Continue reading at the first cut on AO3.

Please let me know if you would like off or on my taglist!: @pippsmcgee @born-to-riot @chunkypossum @bubybubsters @queercontrarian @yanny-77 @fieldofdaisiies @iftheshoef1tz @secret-third-thing

#acotar #acomaf #feysand #tamsand #feylin #feytamsand #poly!acotar #poly+acotarweek2024 #poly+acotarweek2024 d1 #spot the sneaky azris #nyx is a teenage menace but still love him #feyre throws a lot of shoes #Rhysand keeps secrets but what else is new #Tamlin is broody and lovesick #mother-son bonding #tamlin #feyre archeron #rhysand #nyxie pyxie #nyx archeron #nyx #acowar #under the mountain #spring court #night court #acotar angst #angst #pining #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fanfic

[gleefulpoppet]

Now Complete.

[AU] Kurt is a senior at NYADA. Blaine is a senior at NYU. They’ve never crossed paths, but they’re about to—in the most unlikely place in all of New York City. (Or, the one where they meet in a lingerie store and find their happily ever after).

Written for the @klaineadvent 2023 challenge. Chapter Count: 21 • Word Count: ~31k • Explicit •See tags on AO3

You can read it on AO3 [here].

#gleefulpoppet writes #klaine fanfic #klaine #klaine fanfiction #december klaine fanworks challenge #victoria keep your secrets #glee #glee fanfic

[porcelana-r0ta]

I know the respective fandoms of DC and Miraculous Ladybug have a certain disdain for MLxDC fics but I think there's a potential for fics where Luka leaves Paris and just keeps traveling to different US cities because he keeps figuring out secret identities and he's just this 15 year old kid growing increasingly frustrated and exasperated at how badly everyone hides their identities and he just has to pretend to be oblivious even tho it's Their Fault for being Bad At Secrets and shouldn't adults be better at this??????

#he goes to central city and he's like ah yes a city with an actual adult hero #surely he will be able to keep his identity a secret #and then that very same day he's at the bank setting up an american bank account and captain cold tries to rob it #and the flash saves the day as he does #and everything's great and dandy and secretive #but then #BUT THEN #he has to go to the police station about some paperwork for his witness statement (idk its fanfic just Write Something yk?) #and some guy laughs in the back of the precinct #and luka is like huh. that sounds like flash's laugh when he laughed at his own cold pun yesterday. #and he looks at the laughing guy and he's like oh hey they have the same jawline too. and same basic build. and god DAMN IT!!!!!! #literally just turning him into wes weston from my own fanfic which like. yeah i like the same concept in different flavors soooo #not a surprise #dcxmlb #dc x mlb #mlbxdc #luka couffaine

[fantasticalchaos]

Thinking of the thought that Danny is in two friendship groups (Secret Trio/Quartet/Group and the Nicktoons) that has someone (Randy and Timmy) that'll eventually have their memories wiped and has to deal with that twice...

#nicktoons unite #the secret trio #secret trio #secret quartet #nicktoons #angst be upon ye! #Cause the Norrisville Ninja (Randy) only lasts for 4 years until they take the Ultimate Lesson and have their memories wiped to make way fo #the new ninja! Meanwhile Timmy has Cosmo and Wanda until he’s grown up or not miserable anymore (fairy godparents are given to sad kids) #correct me if I’m wrong with these info it’s been while and I’m looking at the lore lol #but like- these two similarities are pretty angsty ngl #like it’ll hurt the Nicktoons and The Secret Trio (or Quartet/Group) for having Timmy & Randy gonna forget when the time comes #And then there’s Danny - whose in both groups! he’s gonna deal with not one but two!!! #That is unless there is a loophole or when a fanfic makes an exception for Randy and Timmy to keep their memories and whatnot #this some food for thought and me just thinkin of that just now #Plus I think Timmy (& his fairy god family) and Randy would get along well (minus the shenanigans they'll get into). #fairy odd parents #fairly oddparents #fop #timmy turner #randy cunnigham #randy cunningham 9th grade ninja #rc9gn #danny fenton #danny phantom #fanfic writing prompt #had this in my drafts #in a while

[luxaofhesperides]

Ghostlights as college roommates and maybe some identity shenanigans thrown in would be so fun! Maybe dannys doing a little vigilante work on the side as well to up the secret identity mayhem

Danny would like to say his college career is going well. Gotham isn’t where he was expecting to pursue higher education, but the engineering scholarship he got through the Wayne Educational Foundation was just too good to turn down. It even covered the cost of an apartment! Although, the apartment is shared with another student who got a Wayne scholarship. 

Even with that, Danny lucked out and got a great roommate. Duke Thomas is chill, kind, respects Danny’s space and doesn’t throw wild parties or invite random people in at all hours of the day. He even joins Danny twice a week for study sessions!

Really, it would be the perfect college experience except for one thing: the ghosts.

Danny thought they’d stay in Amity Park. They had no reason to stray from the city where the portal was, and his parents are more than enough to keep most ghosts away. It took his friends, Jazz, and even Vlad to convince Danny that he wasn’t abandoning Amity Park and that the city wouldn’t fall while he took a few years to focus on himself. 

He worried right up until he got to GCU and walked the campus for the first time. Then he decided to enjoy the four years he had on the scholarship to get his degree and live his own life like a normal person.

To say he’s pissed about the ghosts is an understatement. 

The one thing he was looking forward to most is not being Phantom. Gotham is home to the Bats and they’re more than capable of handling everything in the city. It means there’s no need for him here and he can focus on school and enjoy going on invisible flights without worrying about being hunted down or having to fight a ghost. 

“Are you fucking kidding me,” he mutters under his breath as he feels the familiar chill race up his throat, A cold mist wafts out of his mouth, curling around his words, and Danny quickly ducks his head and hides it from sight. 

“Did you say something?” Duke asks, looking up from where he leans against the kitchen counter, squinting at a recipe on his phone. 

“Nah,” Danny lies. “Just stressing.” He gestures to the papers he has spread out on the dining table, then stands up. “I’m gonna take a walk. Maybe that’ll get my brain to work correctly tonight.”

“Got your phone on you?”

Danny reflexively drops a hand to his pocket, checking that his phone is where it’s supposed to be. It’s what Duke asks every single time Danny mentions going out, worried about Danny being unprepared for Gotham. It’s nice of him, though Danny does wish he can say that he’s survived a lot worse than a few muggers. 

“Got it.”

“Alright. I’ll try to work on dinner while you’re out.”

Danny nods and offers Duke a small wave before pulling his shoes on at the door. He grabs his keys and heads out, double checking that the door is locked behind him. 

Then he glances around the hallway, checking that the coast is clear, and pulls up the chill of awareness in his chest. Slowly, he breathes out, watching the blue mist waft out and lead towards the stairwell. 

“Wonder who it is this time,” he mutters to himself, going into the cold, concrete stairwell. It always feels a little off in there, as if he’s been removed from the rest of the world when the door closes behind him. His footsteps echo oddly in the space, so Danny chooses to fly instead, keeping his feet off the floor. 

A few flights down is when he sees her: pale and translucent, a faint blue glow around her. She’s a familiar face. Emilia is one of the first of Gotham’s ghosts he’s met, leading to the rather unpleasant realization that ghosts don’t only come from the Infinite Realms. There’s a strange sort of magic in the very foundations of Gotham that makes it the way it is, creating ghosts that are different enough from what he’s used to that it leaves him off balance. 

Gotham keeps her dead. Few get to pass on peacefully, and most have to wait until they grow weak and wither away, a second death, before they can be released from the living realm. The ghosts of Gotham are pale and weak, for the most part, and try to cling to him so grow stronger from his ectoplasm. 

Most want him to help them pass on, or give them a way into the Infinite Realms. Some want him to bring justice to their killers. Others want to kill him and take his ectoplasm for their own so they can continue their reign of terror in Gotham, unable to be stopped even in death. 

Emilia gives him warnings. It’s not always her, but she tends to be the one to draw him out of his apartment, pulling him into a vigilante lifestyle because he can’t bring himself to refuse anyone who asks for his help, and the dead in Gotham have no one else to ask.

“Danny,” she greets. “Nueve is out again. He’s going after the ghosts near Chantilly Street.”

“The sun isn’t even down yet,” Danny grumbles. Nueve, an old gang enforcer who died a few decades ago, cannibalizes other ghosts. It doesn’t destroy the other ghosts, not really, but it makes them feel pain when they shouldn’t be able to feel much at all. Taking their limited reserves of ectoplasm makes him momentarily stronger, and he uses that stolen strength to try to harm the living.

He’s been successful a few times. Danny makes sure to rip him apart as much as possible these days; he won’t be here forever, but he’s hoping that within his four years at GCU, he’ll be able to permanently stop Nueve.

Times like these, he misses having a Fenton Thermos with him. Though he’s not entirely sure it would work on Gotham’s ghosts with how different they are. 

Emilia follows him down the stairwell to the ground floor. Once there, Danny shoves his hand into the floor, taking out the backpack he’s hidden in it. He’s done this change of clothes so often he can do it in just a minute now, hiding his face and pulling on gloves beneath a large hoodie with old ectoplasm stains along the sleeves and hem. A gas mask is pulled on as well, covering the bottom half of his face, a necessary addition to his Ghost Work Outfit™ after he almost got caught in some Fear Gas during Scarecrow’s last attack. 

“Alright,” he says, “Lead the way.”

Emilia takes off through the wall and Danny hurries to follow, going invisible as he hits the streets. 

It’s still early evening, the sun not yet fully set. Plenty of people walk along the sidewalks and cars pass by endlessly, honking at each other as they try to go twenty above the speed limit. Danny does his best to avoid running into everyone, deftly dodging the reaching hands of a few ghosts who spot him as he sprints by. 

They only go a few blocks away from his apartment building, turning into a dead end alley where a group of teens (living, for once) are stuck with their backs to the wall, clinging to each other as they warily watch the man in front of them carelessly twirl a gun around his finger. 

The man makes a strange clicking noise in the back of his throat, and it takes Danny a moment to realize that he’s trying to talk. 

Still invisible, Danny sneaks around to stand in front of the teens, ready to bodily protect them. The man looks alive, and Danny see any ghosts around save for Emilia, standing at the mouth of the alley. There’s something strange about him; his movements seem just a little off, not quite as fluid as they should be. It’s not the movement of someone on drugs. It’s something that screams uncanny valley.

The gun’s handle drops solidly into the man’s palm. He makes another few clicks, then raising the gun to point at the teens.

“Bad idea, pal,” Danny says dropping his invisibility. The teens behind him startle, gasping and trying to press themselves further into the wall. 

The man’s eyes flash weakly and the pieces click into place in Danny’s mind. Nueve must have gotten strong enough to possess someone. That is… alarming, to say the least.

He rips the gun out of the man’s hand and tosses it aside. Then he pushes away the man’s arm when Nueve makes a clumsy attempt to punch him. With his chest left wide open and undefended, Danny takes the chance to shove his hand into the man’s chest, feeling for the familiar chill of a ghost. 

And then he wraps his fingers tight around it and pulls out Nueve, leaving the man to collapse. 

The teens behind him scream and Danny winces. 

Pulling out a faintly glowing human figure from someone’s physical body does not look good. It’s the best way to end a possession, but it does look alarmingly like he’s just ripped someone’s soul out of their body.

Keeping hold of Nueve’s ghost, Danny steps to the side. “You guys should go now. Take care.”

The teens don’t need any more prompting. They take off in a run, tripping over each other in their haste to get away.

Danny spares a glance to the man unconscious on the ground, but there’s nothing he can do with an angry ghost in his hands, so he has no choice but to leave him there as he flies up to a rooftop farther down the street. 

“How many times do we need to do this, Nueve?” he asks tiredly, shaking the ghost.

“These streets should be mine!” Nueve howls, trying to break free of Danny’s grasp. But he’s quickly growing weak, his energy fading, and Danny’s holding back his own ectoplasm as tightly as he can. “They may have killed me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still take what I’m owed!”

“Dude, you’re dead. There’s nothing here for you. Move on.”

“You don’t get to speak on this, outsider. You think a freak like you has an say over us? You can’t stop us. You don’t even know what’s coming.”

Danny squints at him. “What, are you planning a heist or something? With your gang of dead people too weak to lift a piece of paper?”

“We’re not all dead. We’ve got living folk helping us and we’ll be taking you out first when we hit the streets.”

“Good luck with that,” Danny says flatly, “Begone with you.” 

Without giving Nueve a chance to say another word, he rips Nueve’s head off his body. His ghost wavers, then dissipates like smoke, fading away. 

Another side effect of whatever it is Gotham does to her dead: their ghost forms are remarkably fragile and it takes only a bit of strength to tear them to shreds, giving him some peace before they reform again. It won’t stop Nueve from striking out again, gathering enough strength until he’s able to possess some other unfortunate soul, but Danny’s bought himself some time to figure out what the hell was he talking about?

There are living folk involved with whatever he’s planning. It’s probably another gang, maybe someone with magic who is able to see ghosts? Which is not great. Danny doesn’t know much about magic; even when facing ghosts who used magic or magical artifacts, his go to method of dealing with them is to start throwing hands like there’s no tomorrow.

Well.

It’s a problem for later.

For now, Danny needs to get back to his apartment and work on his calculus homework. Hopefully he can finish it before he gets frustrated enough that he gives up and lies face down on the floor until Duke manhandles him onto the couch, where he’s less of a tripping hazard.

He’s just about to get back to street level when his Fenton Luck strikes again and he hears someone land on the roof, just a few feet behind him.

“Hey there, stranger,” the Signal says. “You know, we run into each other so often it feels rude not to introduce ourselves. Why don’t you go first?”

Danny turns to face the daylight vigilante, standing with his arms crossed as if that would make him look any more approachable. He’s been popping up wherever Danny’s out dealing with ghosts, which is very not great for Danny’s plans to have a peaceful, normal college life. 

Biting his tongue, Danny gives the Signal a quick two fingered salute, then goes intangible and drops down through the building. His invisibility sweeps over him and then he’s running through the streets, hoping it’s enough to keep the Signal from following him to his apartment.

He skids to a stop in the stairwell, dropping his intangibility just in time to crash into the wall. Panting, Danny waits for a tense minute to see if he’s been followed. 

When the door to the stairwell remains closed, he lets out a slow breath, then pulls off all the pieces of his Ghost Work Outfit, shoving it back into his bag. He takes a moment to fix his hair, messy from the hood, then shoves the bag back into the floor, safely hidden from curious eyes. 

Then he very casually walks up the stairs to the fifth floor and walks down the hallway to his apartment. His keys clang together when he opens the door, and Duke usually hears it when it does, but just in case, Danny calls out, “I’m back!”

He’s learned to announce himself after a few late night walks almost ended with him tackled to the floor when Duke thought someone was breaking in.

Duke doesn’t respond as he toes off his shoes. The stillness in the apartment feels off, as if the world is holding its breath. Cautiously, Danny walks in, trying to find his roommate.

He’s not in the kitchen. The living room is empty. Duke’s bedroom door is open and he’s not in there either. 

Something cold lodges itself in his chest. 

“Duke?” he tries again, looking over their apartment again for any sign of struggle, or something terrible happening, or even a mess that Duke needed more supplies to clean up. 

There’s nothing. The apartment is as it’s always been, just with an empty space where Duke should be.

Worried, Danny stands in the middle of the hallway, trying to figure out what he should do next. It’s because he’s standing so still, surrounded by silence, that he hears it: a light thud outside the window. 

Danny turns and he can swear he sees something large moving outside the window, disappearing from sight just as Danny takes a step into Duke’s room to check on it. He rushes to the window and pushes it open, looking down at the street, then side to side, and finally up to the last three floors of the building.

Nothing’s there.

Slowly, Danny pulls his head back inside, closing and locking the window. “Must be my imagination,” he says, trying to convince himself it’s not a big deal. 

He leaves Duke’s room and begins pacing down the hall, anxiety building steadily in him. 

His phones in his hand before he can think his actions through, Duke’s contact pulled up on the screen. He should call. He should make sure Duke is okay, but Danny hesitates. Is this something to be freaked out over? Would Duke thing he’s clingy and nervous and a bothersome roommate? He doesn’t want to risk Duke asking for a new roommate next year when the lease renews.

But he’s worried. It’s Gotham and Danny just dealt with a violent, murderous ghost threatening him. Duke can deal with a stressed out, worried Danny if it means he’s alive.

He hits the call button before he can talk himself out of it. It rings on and on and on until Danny starts to panic about having to find Duke’s ghost to avenge his murder. 

The front door is thrown open so suddenly and so loudly, Danny jumps and his phone clatters to the floor. 

“Danny! Hey!” Duke says with a bright smile, trying to catch his breath. He’s still holding onto the doorknob, slightly hunched over as he pants for breath. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

“Where were you?”

Duke straightens up and closes the door, kicking off his shoes. “Oh, just… out. Shopping. For dinner.”

Danny looks over his empty hands doubtfully. “No luck finding what you needed?”

“Nope!”

“What did you need? Maybe I can go to a different store and get it for you.”

“You don’t need to!” Duke says. “I just needed… tomatoes?”

Danny blinks at him. “We have tomatoes. Did you not know we had tomatoes in the fridge?”

“Oh, do we? Good to know.”

There’s something very weird about this conversation, but Danny doesn’t pry. Duke is weird sometimes, but it’s fine because he kindly ignores some of Danny’s oddities that come from being a halfa and a semi-retired hero. 

“Do you… maybe wanna sit down? Catch your breath? I can make dinner tonight if you want.”

Duke waves a hand in the air. “No, no, it’s fine. I got this. Anyways, how was your walk?”

He definitely shouldn’t talk about the cannibal ghost and his threats to take out Danny with his gang. “It was nice. Very quiet. You know, for Gotham.” He punctuates this with an awkward thumbs up and immediately regrets it, but it’s already done so he commits to it.

“Cool! Great. Just wondering, did you see anything weird?”

“Depends on what you’re asking about?”

“Just some guy wearing black with a hood covering his face. He’s been active in this neighborhood and I saw some people talk about him online. Apparently he just appears out of thin air.”

Danny tries not to wince. That’s him, alright. Gotham’s newest neighborhood menace. “I don’t think so, but there’s a lot of people in Gotham that were all black and walk around with their hood up.”

“True,” Duke concedes. “Well, just be careful when you go out, alright?”

“I always am.” He gives Duke the same two fingered salute he gave the Signal. Duke stares at him for a moment, eyes dark and almost dangerous, then he smiles and walks into the kitchen. 

“Wanna make dinner with me? I think we can figure out this recipe together. Unless you need to do your homework.”

“It can wait!” Danny hurries to join Duke, grateful for an excuse to push off calculus a little longer. He understands what he’s doing in the class, there’s just… so much work. He doesn’t even want to think about the tests. The tests make everyone cry.

“Alright, let’s get to it, then!”

“You’re in charge, chef,” Danny says, laughingly, and bumps against Duke’s side. He expects a light shove in return, something Sam and Tucker always did, but Duke goes tense instead, letting out a sharp breath that Danny is all too familiar with. “Wait, why are you hurt? What happened?!”

He goes to lift up Duke’s shirt to inspect his shirt, see the damage for himself, but Duke smoothly moves out of the way, grabbing Danny’s wrists and stopping him in his tracks. “I’m fine, Danny. I just got hit. Lightly. Minor bruising, really.”

Danny looks at him doubtfully, then wrenches a wrist free to lift up his shirt before he can move again.

Minor bruising is not how Danny would describe the blues and purples that decorate Duke’s entire side. He can see the outline of Duke’s ribs through the bruising. “How is this being lightly bruised? What hit you?”

“A car?”

“A car?!”

Duke winces, then pulls his shirt down. “I’m fine, Danny, really. It was just from a car that didn’t want to stop at a red light. I stopped another person from being hit, but the car got me pretty solidly. You know how bad Gotham drivers are.”

“Sit down!” Danny says, pulling Duke out of the kitchen. “I don’t understand how you’re still standing. I’ll get some ice, and I’ll handle dinner. You just stay there and stop pushing yourself for no reason.”

“Playing nurse for me now?”

“If I have to.”

“Would you wear a nurse costume for me, too?” Duke jokes.

Danny looks him dead in the eye and says, “If I have to. Would that make you follow my instructions? A tight little nurse dress?”

Duke sputters, cheeks darkening, and looks away. Danny grins, victorious, and darts back to the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the fridge. 

“Maybe I’ll wear one for you anyways, once you’re all healed up. Only if you’re good, though.”

“Danny, you’re killing me here.”

“Better me than a car.”

Duke laughs and takes the ice pack, pressing it against his side carefully. “Oh, for sure. Thanks, Danny.”

“Hey, what are roommates for?” Danny shares a warm smile with Duke, then pats his shoulder and heads back to the kitchen to start making a simple pasta dinner. 

Life in Gotham is weird and stressful and full of ghosts and heroes who won’t leave him alone. But it’s not all that bad, really. He’s happy with how he’s doing in college, and he’s beyond lucky to have Duke as a roommate. So long as Duke never finds out about his halfa status, then he’s sure they’ll be able to last all four years rooming together.

He just needs to keep a secret. 

Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

#ghostlights #dc x dp #dp x dc #dcxdp #dpxdc #dc x dp fic #dpxdc fanfic #my writing #prompt fill #3.6k.... still counting this as short. i have not failed yet at my goal of keeping these fics below 5k!! #i love this prompt so much it even got me making ocs... i love making ocs this is such a treat for me #will 100% be revisiting this prompt in the future to turn into a longer fic bc i have SO MUCH to write for this #had to cut it off here to have just one scene that shows them as roommates w secrets #truly a struggle to keep this short. this could easily be 30k. the amount of identity shenanigans i can write.... #also playing around with the cursed gotham thing by making it affect ghosts :) perfect excuse to make my own gotham lore :) #btw duke 100% got injured chasing down criminals and thats how he got hit by a car. he wasnt fully lying abt it #he also tried to come in through the window of his bedroom. saw danny. quickly left and went up the stairs like a normal person #duke has his suspicions. danny is trying so hard to mind his business when duke acts strange and secretive #disaster in the making :) #thanks for the prompt!!

[noctisvixen]

The Earth

//Secret Life Spoilers\\

Warnings: Minor character death

Summary:

The Watchers always favored Scar; it was why they made him a Witness to begin with. To toy with him in a way that they couldn’t with the other players. To pick and choose between his locked away memories and give them to him in pieces in each new life. He wasn’t a winner or a Watcher, so he only received fragments that he would have to piece together. Then he would forget, and the cycle repeats itself with each new game.

But now he’s won Secret Life.

“Pearl, I’m coming for you!” Scar yelled as he ran to the edge of the small ravine. He hadn’t heard the fading thunder or saw the flash of lightning; his crimson gaze was too focused on killing his final target.  “I’m coming for you!” He yelled again when she didn’t respond. He swapped out his bow for his diamond sword, the once brilliant blue now stained red.

He leapt down into the ravine, swinging his head around as he searched for the brunette. “Where'd you go?!” He called, the grip on his sword tightening. Had she ran? After everything that had happened?! No, even with the faded memories of former lives, Scar knew Pearl. She wouldn’t have run. She was here and he was going to kill her, finally cure the itch in his hands by covering them in the final survivor’s blood. “Where'd you go?!” He called again, this time frustration dripping into his tone.

He wanted to end this now. He wanted his sword tearing into her. He wanted to see one more body bleeding out from his hand, to finally be the villain They wanted him to-

“She’s dead,” A voice- an all so familiar voice- echoed behind him. He spun around, sword at the ready as bloodied sand and awful screams before abrupt silence flooded his senses. He was ready to strike, to fulfill that want for more death. But the want left him, as if an ocean’s tide swept over him and left him on the shore, alive.

Grian smiled softly at him, as if sensing the tension leaving the other man. The avian looked different as a ghost, his wings white as a canvas and waiting to be painted to something new again. His brown eyes were a deep shaded purple, somehow lacking and still holding warmth at the same time. He wasn’t just a ghost, Scar remembered. He was one of Them. But good. Loving and kind, in his own ways.

“Scar...” He breathed, a gentle look of joy and pride dancing in his eyes. “You won.”

Scar stared at him, dumbfounded. It took him a moment to even register the words that left Grian’s mouth. “Oh.” He breathed before looking around. This wasn’t what he was expecting. Wasn’t there supposed to be some kind of feeling of victory? Of grief?

Why did Scar feel nothing?

“Really?” He asked, looking back at the Watcher in front of him. Grian said nothing, but his smile faded, especially when the sword in Scar’s hand fell from his grasp. He brought his hand to his forehead, his fingers brushing against his hair. “Oh my God.” He said. Then he cracked a smile, the only thing seeming appropriate even with the empty feeling in his chest. “How did that happen?” He moved his hand from his head to motion it to Grian. He tried to ignore how it was trembling. How Grian’s gaze flicked to it and then back to him, frowning and eyes showing concern. He tried to ignore it.

“How’d the guy with no friends win?” He asked, his smile broadening and a little snicker leaving his lips. “How did-” His laughter interrupted him. “H-how did the guy w-with no fri-friends win?” He laughed more, letting it echo off the walls. It really was ridiculous- How did he win with the odds so stacked against him? The whole server hated him, for his tasks and who he was. They wanted him dead because of it.

His eyes burned. His laughter stuttered, changing into something broken and rough. His breathing hitched, turning uneven and jagged. Something like a sob broke out from his mouth and his cheeks grew damp, tears flowing along them and falling to the ground. He gripped at himself in a makeshift hug, as if he could pull this horrible feeling out of him and feel victory or guilt. Anything but this.

But, void, he wasn’t feeling emptiness. He was feeling hate. His friends’ hate towards him. His hate towards himself and his actions. He had won, but at what cost? He killed Pearl, the only teammate he was truly able to get out of this mess. She had given the one thing he had wanted the whole game, and he killed her! She’ll never want to see him again, not after a betrayal like this.

His sobs wracked his body, his knees almost ready to give out until a set of arms wrapped around him and a small body pressed against his. Instinctively, his arms shifted and latched onto the person, just as he felt wings wrap around him and shield him from the world.

“It's okay.” Grian whispered by his ear, letting Scar hunch into him and sob. The wings around him pulled tighter while the avian’s arms held him as if he was fragile and precious. “We don’t hate you. We don’t blame you.” His voice remained soft, but firm.

“Y-you should.” Scar argued weakly. He didn’t deserve to be forgiven.

“We don’t.” Grian repeated, firmer this time. “These games make us do things that are hard to forgive, Scar. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be forgiven.” As he spoke, he pulled away and met Scar’s gaze. His eyes revealed understanding at a level that Scar couldn’t comprehend. But deep down he knew that he would soon.

“I’m tired.” Scar settles on saying instead of what he should be asking. It isn’t a lie though. He was tired. He’s been tired for a long time during this game. This is just the first time since this game started that he felt safe enough to let the exhaustion flood his body. The crying probably didn’t help either, even if it left him feeling a bit lighter than before.

Grian gave him an understanding smile. “That's okay.” The avian said, bringing a hand to Scar’s cheek. The newest winner leaned into his hand, closing his eyes and just enjoying the warmth that Grian’s skin produced. He hadn’t even noticed it before and when he opened his eyes to ask, Grian was no longer a ghost or Watcher. He was standing in front of him, his wings the wonderful design of Scarlet Macaws, the only kind of wings he ever saw on him in Hermitcraft. He saw gentle brown eyes and an even gentler smile. “Let’s go home then.” His voice was full of warmth and Scar couldn’t help himself.

A genuine smile graced his lips and he brought a hand up to hold Grian’s. “Let’s go home.” He whispered. The world around them was fading to white as the wind picked up around them, but Scar couldn’t find himself to care. Instead, he closed his eyes and let Grian pull him into another embrace.

He had won Secret Life, but his real victory was this. Finally being able to let his guard down. Finally getting to go home and rest.

And, after everything, finally being held in the arms of someone who loves him.

#vixwrites #(<- tag for my stories/writing prompts) #secret life smp #Witness AU #(debating if this counts as Traffic Paws or not; but for organization sake) #traffic paws #goodtimeswithscar #gtws #gtwscar #grian #angst with a happy ending #fanfic #honest to god- everyone has been doing angst for this man's ending #I love it but let's have some fluff and Grian rescuing his partner in crime #can be read as platonic or romantic #whatever you fancy- but the au itself has hermitshipping/trafficshipping #so keep that in mind if you decide to stick around

[rosie-b]

Tough Luck, Tender Love

Written for @ladrienjune days 17 & 20, Bad Luck & Passionate Declaration, 5756 words

A bead of sweat rolled down Marinette’s forehead as she stood frozen in front of Adrien, who still hadn’t spoken a word. She raised an arm to wipe it away quickly as her heart stuttered out an unfamiliar rhythm, and a red and black design came into view.

She froze. She’d put on her usual outfit today, but she was very obviously not wearing it now. The black spots on her red sleeve and glove could only mean one thing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng hadn’t confessed her love to Adrien — Ladybug had.

Read the rest on AO3 or just below!

After this, nothing will be the same, Marinette thought as she bit out the last words of her confession and winced as she prepared herself for rejection.  

Adrien stared silently at her, his mouth hanging open, as whispers swirled around them like the first winds of a storm. 

Marinette bit her lip. She always knew that asking Adrien out at school was a mistake, but it wasn’t supposed to cause such an uproar! Everyone at François-Dupont seemed to know about her crush on Adrien except for the boy himself, so why did it seem as though everyone had just received the shock of their lives? 

Within seconds, people started nudging each other and exchanging money. They were probably trying to be discreet, but that was impossible when nearly everyone had a bet to settle. Some people were pumping their arms in victory; most were shaking their heads in disappointment; even Ms. Bustier had a discontent frown on her face. 

A bead of sweat rolled down Marinette’s forehead as she stood frozen in front of Adrien, who still hadn’t spoken a word. She raised an arm to wipe it away quickly as her heart stuttered out an unfamiliar rhythm, and a red and black design came into view. 

She froze. She’d put on her usual outfit today, but she was very obviously not wearing it now. The black spots on her red sleeve and glove could only mean one thing: Marinette Dupain-Cheng hadn’t confessed her love to Adrien — Ladybug had. 

--*--*--*--*-- 

To be fair, Marinette hadn’t had much — or any — luck in confessing to Adrien so far, which was something that Rose had repeated multiple times during the intervention she was holding in the park near their school. 

But maybe it was just fate! Maybe she and Adrien were destined to be star-crosses lovers, like Romeo and Juliet, or the cowherd and the weaver girl. She could love Adrien, but only from afar, as the universe confined her to saving Paris as Ladybug and sacrificing her only chance at love until Hawk Moth was finally defeated.  

I can’t tell them that, though, or I’d lose my secret identity, Marinette realized. She nervously chewed on her lip as the girls continued urging her to either take up their new, foolproof plan and confess to Adrien or give up on him once and for all. 

“—And the best part is, all you have to do is sign this card! We’ll put it on Adrien’s desk for you, and that way no one else can claim to have written it themselves or steal it before he has the chance to see it. Foolproof! Right, Juleka?”  

Rose nudged her girlfriend, who nodded her head and muttered something that sounded like a yes. 

“We all agree! Don’t you see, Marinette? This is your best chance yet. If this doesn’t work, then nothing will.” Mylene folded her arms and set her face determinedly. 

Alya sighed and pushed up her glasses. 

“I know why you don’t feel like doing this, girl,” she said softly, her gaze darting to the purse Tikki was hiding in and returning to Marinette’s shimmering eyes. “But I do think this might work. There’s no reason for Adrien to turn you down now that he and Kagami aren’t dating anymore, and he’s started smiling at you more often. That’s a great sign, girl!” 

“Alya, I can’t date anyone while I’m you-know-who,” Marinette whispered. “It would be too dangerous. Besides, I barely have time for my school responsibilities! How would I have enough time to date Adrien on top of everything else?” 

“Are you really still hesitating?” Rose cried in exasperation. She had had enough of Marinette’s indecision, and since she was certain that Adrien returned her emotions, she was determined to put an end to her friend’s struggles once and for all. “Just give us your answer, Marinette!” 

Straightening, Marinette turned away from Alya to look at her gathered friends, who were sitting on the park benches and grass, looking at her in confusion and impatience. Alix checked her watch and��popped her bubblegum as she looked at Marinette. 

She sighed. 

“It isn’t that I don’t appreciate your plan, girls,” she said slowly. “I just don’t think dating Adrien is a good idea anymore. It isn’t that I don’t love him, because I do! But...” She rubbed her arm and puffed out a sigh. “I don’t think I’m the best person for him. He deserves someone who can be there for him all the time, and you know that girl is not me. I’m flaky, remember?” 

Mylene sighed. “That’s true, but that doesn’t mean he can’t love you, or that you don’t love him! Your emotions speak louder than you think they do, Marinette. Trust yourself!” 

“Yeah!” Alix said, holding back a knowing smirk. 

Rose headbanged her way through an agreeing nod. “You’ve done so much to help us, Marinette. Now, it’s finally your turn to let us help you!” 

Juleka mumbled in agreement, even brushing her bangs back to give Marinette an encouraging smile. 

“You can do it, girl,” Alya said, putting her hand on Marinette’s shoulder and turning her around so that she had to look at her. “You don’t have to, but I want you to know that you can . Put us out of our misery, huh? I want to go on a date without worrying that you’ll never go on one with your ‘Buttercup.’” 

“Please don’t remind me of that name,” Marinette muttered through a strained smile as a blush covered her cheeks. She dropped her head down and pulled Alya’s arms off her shoulders. 

The group watched her expectantly as she turned to face them all. 

“Fine,” she said in a confident voice. “How about a compromise? I promise to try to confess to Adrien on my own before the end of the school day tomorrow. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll take your plan. And if that doesn’t work—” 

“It will work!” Rose declared ecstatically. “I’m so happy for you, Marinette!” 

She hopped up from the bench and threw her arms around Marinette. The other girls quickly followed suit, forming a giant group hug around a beet-faced Marinette. 

“Thanks, girls,” she said in an embarrassed voice. She awkwardly patted their arms as they continued to hug her. “I’ll handle it from here.” 

__*__*__*__*__ 

It was bad luck. That was the only explanation for what happened next. 

Marinette had been planning to confess to Adrien with a fresh bag of chouquettes, drizzled with a chocolate heart design by Tom, after lunch ended. She would catch up to Adrien just as he was walking back into school, and that way she wouldn’t have any time to chicken out of her confession. 

Of course, an akuma had to strike just as Marinette finished scarfing down her grated carrots and was getting ready to dash over to the bakery to pick up the chouquettes. There was a new sentimonster to defeat, and so the akuma took twice as long as it should have. By the time it was over, it was time for Ms. Mendeleiev’s class to finish. Marinette would have to hurry if she wanted to catch Adrien before he walked back over to Ms. Bustier’s class. 

And hurry, she did. Focused on nothing but speed, she didn’t notice that her yo-yo never vanished as she replaced it at her hip. Usually, she’d be detransformed by now, but she’d had to quickly recharge and help the former akuma victim after purifying the akuma. Chat Noir had had to rush back to school, muttering an excuse about attendance and his crappy father’s punishment system.  

So, Ladybug had stayed behind to help the former akuma victim, who’d had some bad luck of his own. He had suffered a broken leg before his akumatization and had no one to help him to the hospital, into the ambulance she’d called and then headed back to the school. 

She found Adrien just in time, skidding into the hallway as he stepped out of Ms. Mendeleiev’s room beside Nino. 

“Adrien! I have to talk to you!” 

Marinette knew she probably looked like a madwoman, her hair frizzy and falling out of her pigtails. She licked her lips and quickly tightened her ribbons. That should help her appearance at least a little. 

Adrien’s mouth fell open as he watched Ladybug shift nervously on her feet, clasping her hands tight and breathing deeply to shake off her nerves. 

“Wha...?” He couldn’t manage to finish his question. 

Nino, who looked similarly confused, gently closed Adrien’s mouth and back away, whispering a quick assurance as he left. 

“A-Adrien, I...”  

Ladybug closed her eyes. No! She would not give in to fear this time. If Chat Noir was brave enough to take her rejection, she could be brave enough to take Adrien’s. At least then she would know his answer. 

She opened her eyes and looked into Adrien’s green ones with a determined huff. A camera flash went off to the side, but she ignored it. 

“When I first met you, I misjudged you,” she began.  

Adrien’s jaw dropped down even lower this time.  

“I thought you were conceited and superficial. But then, I got to know you. I saw who you really were deep down—someone sweet, sincere, and generous. Since then, there's something I've been wanting to tell you. But every time I try, it's like my brain suddenly freezes. But now, I think I'm ready.” 

One of the younger students hollered across the hall. Ladybug ignored whatever he said and kept her gaze steady as she finished her declaration. 

“Adrien.” The boy’s eyes widened as she said his name again, and he stared at her like he was hanging on to every word from her lips. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the painful ending to this surreal moment.  

“I love you.” 

Immediately, the whispers and camera flashes that Marinette had been blocking out rushed into her ears. She caught sight of people laughing, exchanging money, gawking at her as they spoke with their friends. Down the hall, Ms. Bustier waited for her last students with a frown. 

Adrien still hadn’t spoken. 

Marinette reached up to wipe the sweat off her brow, and that’s when the depth of her bad luck hit her. 

Really, what superhero would be reckless enough to publicly confess their love to a civilian, especially a famous one? 

There was no way this would end well. 

“Sorry!” Marinette rushed to salvage the burning ruins of her confession. “I don’t—I’m sorry—I—” 

“I love you, too,” Adrien said, his eyes full of wonder. 

Ladybug licked her lips. “What?” 

“When you see Marinette again,” Adrien continued, keeping his eyes fixed on Ladybug’s, “Tell her that I love her, too. You were delivering her message for her, weren’t you?” 

Icy shock mixed with guilty relief flooded Marinette. 

“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, the confession was from Marinette. Because she loves you, but I don’t love you! That would be ridiculous!” 

“Utterly,” Chloe muttered from behind Adrien. Ms. Bustier directed her back into the classroom. She rolled her eyes as she left. 

“So, you’ll tell her, then,” Adrien was saying, and Marinette snapped her gaze back to his. 

“Yes! Absolutely! She’ll be thrilled,” she said with an awkward laugh. Then she shot finger guns at him. Another camera flash went off, and she cringed. 

“Perfect,” Adrien said, holding the ‘r’ just a second too long. “And tell her I’m sorry that she had to go home sick. I’ll visit her after school, and we can talk about it more then, okay?” 

Ladybug nodded, unsure whether to swallow down the hope she felt or let it grow. “Okay,” she whispered.  

But her eyes narrowed as she continued gazing up at Adrien. He seemed like he’d figured out more from her speech than she’d thought. How did he know it was Marinette’s confession? Had someone told him? 

It had to be Chat Noir. But why would he tell Adrien? 

And who else had he told? 

Ladybug felt a stab of betrayal. 

“No,” she told Adrien, clenching her fist and ignoring the wild pounding of her heart. “I’ll come visit you after school. I mean, if Marinette is sick—”  

That was another thing. Adrien had provided her with the perfect cover for her tardiness, but how had he known to do that? 

If he knew, then Ladybug might as well personally deliver her Miraculous to Hawk Moth. 

“—If she’s sick, then you’d better not visit her, or you might catch whatever she has. I’ll deliver your message to her and keep being your go-between for the day. Is— is that okay?” she finished nervously. 

Her excuse didn’t make sense. If Adrien didn’t know who she was, he would just suggest he and Marinette talk over the phone, something way more normal and far less complicated than communicating through Paris’ busiest hero. 

But Adrien only nodded, stars in his eyes, and Ladybug’s heart sank. 

“I’ll be waiting by the window for you, m— Ladybug.” 

Yeah, he knew. But he looked so excited to see her again that Ladybug almost didn’t care. It was hard to remember that her world was crumbling when the boy of her dreams was gazing at her like she’d granted his every wish by just existing. 

“All right, if you’re done delivering Marinette’s message, you can leave now, Miss Ladybug,” Ms. Mendeleiev’s nasal voice called out. 

The superhero jumped and whirled around. “Oh! Sorry! Yes, good students don’t hold up class time. Er, good heroes! Heroes like me,” she said, giggling nervously as she walked into the wall. 

Adrien caught her as she fell. She practically leapt out of his arms. 

“Byedrien! Bye, Adrien! And Ms. Mendeleiev! And the other students who I definitely do not know! ” Ladybug pushed the nearest door open and scurried through it. 

It led to the bathroom, but that was okay. She was very experienced in escaping from bathroom windows.  

And there were definitely no pictures of Ladybug entering the men’s room being posted right now. Nope! Those thoughts could wait for another time. Marinette had finally confessed to Adrien!  

And it had only cost her secret identity. 

Was it bad luck, she pondered, or had its opposite led to her passionate confession? 

__*__*__*__*__ 

After she managed to convince her mother that she really was sick (of school, at least), Marinette sat in her room, watching the video of her confession play in a loop on the news. Apparently, superheroes confessing to supermodels on behalf of other, normal girls was headline material in Paris. 

It was amazing that Marinette hadn’t noticed what she was doing, that she hadn’t felt her suit on her fingers and known before she opened her mouth. It was also amazing that Adrien, although he had figured out her secret identity, had protected it instead of sharing it with anyone. 

It gave her hope when she shouldn’t be able to feel any. 

Well, she had to feel some hope now that she knew Adrien loved her, too! It was the best outcome of a love confession she’d dared to dream of (almost, after the one where they got married and moved to the beach with their cute, fuzzy hamsters). 

He’d really said that he loved her! She hadn’t dreamed it up, Marinette marveled as she watched the video for the fifteenth time. As soon as it ended, she went to hit the replay button again, but Tikki landed on the mouse and blocked her from clicking it. 

“Marinette, don’t you think this is a bit excessive? School has been over for almost half an hour now. Shouldn’t you go visit Adrien like you said you would?” 

Tikki had seemed very excited by the prospect of her visit, though Marinette could not fathom the reason why. After all, she’d just lost her secret identity to the same person who’d found it out before in a doomed timeline that led to her poor kitty being akumatized. 

Oh, right, Marinette remembered. That was the real reason she was watching these videos. She needed something to distract herself from the sense of impending doom she’d been feeling. 

“Well, the Gorilla could be late to pick Adrien up,” she said to Tikki, offering her weak excuse with a wide grin that was probably less reassuring than she’d hoped. “I don’t want to be caught by M. Agreste if he’s the only one at the mansion now.” 

Tikki quirked her brow. 

“You need to talk to him, Marinette! How else will you know if he figured out your secret identity or not?” 

Marinette sighed. “I already know he did! He even knew I’d panic about it and made up an excuse for me to go home instead of staying at school!” 

“He was also the first to suggest that you talk more after school! Which means that he’s probably in his room now, waiting by the window for the girl he loves to come say hello! But instead of doing that, you’re watching a scratchy recording taken on a phone for the umpteenth time! Marinette, when I picked you to be my holder, I thought you’d be much braver than this.” 

Oh, Tikki could play dirty when she wanted to. The other kwamis snickered to themselves as they watched their Guardian splutter her excuse as she evaded the only true course of action. 

“I can be brave! But right now I’m being cautious, which is another heroic quality I should have! After all, the whole ‘leap before you look’ is Chat’s thing, not mine!” 

Tikki giggled. “Well, leaping before you look sounds an awful lot like what you did earlier today, Marinette. The two of you are more alike than you might think! Now,” she said, moving off the mouse and clicking the power button on the computer, “Get off that chair and go visit Adrien! If you still haven’t transformed in one minute, then I might murder you before Alya gets the chance to.” 

Tikki’s eyes glittered playfully as Marinette glanced at her discarded phone, which was still blowing up with ignored notifications from her reporter friend and what seemed to be half of Paris. 

Marinette swallowed. “I guess anything’s better than that. Tikki, spots on!” 

Throwing open the trap door, Ladybug flung her yo-yo around a distant building and took off towards Adrien’s house, swallowing the butterflies in her stomach back down.  

Why, oh why had she confessed to Adrien as Ladybug? Why hadn’t she just taken the girls’ idea and signed a card as Marinette, or would her awful luck have ruined that plan, too?  

Would she have signed the card as Ladybug? Or worse, would she have asked for more constipation medicine instead of drawing a heart by her name? 

Why do some people think ladybugs are lucky? Marinette wondered as she deftly avoided crashing into Adrien’s window. If I was lucky, I would have never fallen in love!  

Ladybug straightened up on the windowsill and looked into Adrien’s room. He probably wasn’t home yet, because Tikki had been exaggerating about the time and oh no he was looking right at her!!!  

Ladybug did a panicked dance that looked a bit like she was Vogue-ing and fell off the windowsill. 

She landed in a tree. 

“Ow,” she commented blankly while internally slapping herself. The fall had been so short that it hadn’t hurt! 

 But Adrien didn’t know that. Clapping his hands to his cheeks, he gaped at Ladybug in horror. 

There’s the reaction I was expecting earlier, Ladybug thought drearily as Adrien threw open the window and started climbing down the wall to help her out of the tree. 

“Ladybug! Are you okay? I am so sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you like that! I thought I told you I’d be by the window earlier!”  

He reached out for the branch that Ladybug had landed on, but just barely couldn’t reach it without coming in danger of losing his grip on the wall. 

Ladybug’s eyes widened.

“Adrien, be careful! You’re going to fall!” 

Adrien shook her worries off. “It’ll be fine, my lady, I’ve done this a million ti—!” 

He grabbed onto the end of the branch and let go of the wall as he started speaking, but the branch was not as strong as he’d given it credit for. Unable to support his full weight, it cracked off from the rest of the branch and fell, dragging the model down with it. 

“Adrien!” Two voices cried out in harmonized horror. 

Ladybug jumped up and tossed her yo-yo to catch Adrien as a black blur zoomed out of his window and dropped down after him. 

The yo-yo string wrapped around Adrien’s waist while Ladybug’s brain short-circuited as she registered both the reason the black blur’s voice was familiar and the nickname Adrien had just used for her. Unable to handle the surprise of finding out her partner’s identity, she fell off her perch for the second time that day. 

Plagg moved out of the way as she tumbled past him, and milliseconds later, she wound up tangled upside down in the yo-yo string with Adrien about a meter and a half above the ground. Luckily, Plagg hurriedly wrapped the end of the string around a thicker branch, which brought their progress to an abrupt and jarring halt before they could come to a crash landing. 

“Ugh,” Adrien groaned, and Ladybug nearly shivered out of her skin. 

“I am not a cat!” she snapped, and Adrien twisted around to look at her. The yo-yo string spun around accordingly, intensifying the queasy feeling in Marinette’s stomach. 

“I beg your pardon?” 

Why had Ladybug ever opened up her mouth? She should have known only gibberish would come out! Still panicking, she did it again without thinking. 

“It’s pawdon! And you’re not getting any until we get out of this tree!” 

Adrien blinked. It probably would have been adorable if Ladybug hadn’t been looking at them upside down while she got spun in dizzying circles by her own weapon. 

“My lady, I really am sorry about the reveal, but I was so scared when you got hurt! And I can’t think straight when the girl that I love is in danger!” 

He pulled out his best pout while Plagg sat on top of the yo-yo string tied around the branch and stared wide-eyed at him. 

“Transform, you rollot-headed cheese curd! Transform and destroy the string!” he cried impatiently. 

“But then we’ll fall,” Adrien pointed out, and Ladybug craned her neck upwards in the direction Plagg’s voice had come from. 

“Why don’t you just untie the string, Plagg? That would be a lot easier!” 

“Yeah, I thought you hated transforming!” Adrien called. 

Plagg flew down and landed on the string tying Ladybug and Adrien together.  

“You’d still fall if I untied the string, you solid slices of Swiss! Only Adrien wouldn’t be protected from it, because he wouldn’t be wearing a suit!” 

“But it’s only a meter drop,” Adrien protested. “I’ll be fine!” 

Ladybug jerked, swinging the string in a sideways motion. “Do you want to get hurt? Take Plagg’s advice!” If you really are Chat Noir, she added silently. 

Adrien stared up at Ladybug for a moment. “Whatever the lady wishes. Plagg, claws out!” 

Good, we’re at this part of the dream. Shouldn’t I wake up now? Ladybug asked herself.  

But that must not always be the way dreams worked, because there was that one time after Oblivio when she’d dreamed that Adrien turned into Chat Noir and then he’d kissed her and she— 

As she was still thinking, the string disintegrated around Ladybug and she and Chat Noir fell to the ground in a tangled heap. 

“Your foot is covering my eye,” Ladybug complained. Chat Noir moved it immediately. 

“Sorry,” he apologized as he moved Ladybug’s heels off his chest and stood up. Offering Ladybug a hand, he pulled her to her feet. She nearly fell over again, and he steadied her with a hand. 

“I really am sorry,” he repeated as Ladybug carefully stretched out her arms, which had been pinned to her sides by the string. 

“It was my fault, I should have remembered you’d be at the window,” she said sheepishly. “And, as for the identity reveal? I wouldn’t have figured it out if it weren’t for Plagg.” 

Adrien detransformed and frowned at his kwami.  

“I’m entirely innocent,” Plagg said, crossing his arms. “I am also starving. I need cheese!” He looked pleadingly at Adrien. 

“I don’t think now is a good time for cheese, Plagg, but if you need some, you know where it is.” 

With a cheeky wink at Ladybug, Plagg zoomed off to Adrien’s room before she could say a word. 

“All this because of a poorly executed confession,” she grumbled, scuffing the dirt under the tree. 

Adrien tilted his head. “Poorly executed? My lady, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven because I was so happy! Your delivery was perfect. If it wasn’t for the fact that you were Ladybug at the time, it would have been purrfect!” 

Ladybug pursed her lips. “You made that joke before,” she said, wagging a finger at him. “I can’t believe I didn’t get it! I can’t believe I didn’t notice you were Chat Noir,” she groaned, covering her face in embarrassment. 

Adrien laughed and delicately peeled her fingers apart so he could peer into her eyes.  

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice you were Marinette,” he said in a voice so sweet it made her heart skip a beat. “But I guess that’s the way the Miraculous work, isn’t it? Or else we would have figured it out on the first day.” 

Ladybug giggled as she lowered her hands from her face. “We really should have,” she said. “But I guess I was too busy falling under your spell, instead.” 

Adrien blushed. “You— really?” he squeaked.  

Ladybug smiled as she reached up to ruffle his hair. He leaned into her touch the way he always did. 

 “Yes, really,” she said softly. “Weren’t you listening to my confession? It’s always been you, Adrien,” she said, tapping his cheek with one finger. “I fell for you the moment you gave me your umbrella and showed me who you truly are.” 

Adrien grabbed her hand and held it to his cheek, gazing into her eyes with a look so tender it made her want to melt. 

“I fell for you on the first day, too,” he breathed. “You were so scared, but so courageous! You stood up to Hawk Moth and gave hope to all of Paris. I’ve never met anyone so brave.”  

Turning his face, he pressed a kiss to the inside of her palm, and Ladybug gasped as a blush took over her face. 

“I said to myself back then that I’d love whoever you were under that mask. And I was right,” he said, tracing its edges with a smile. 

Marinette looked at him in wonder. “You do? Even though I’m the worst Guardian ever? A-and even when I can’t talk right to you most of the time?” 

“Even then,” Adrien assured, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose and smiling when her blush got even darker. “For the record, I think you’re a wonderful Guardian. And I think your stuttering is quite adorable.” 

Surrendering her face as a total loss to the flames licking at it, Marinette dropped her head onto Adrien’s shoulder. 

“You’re abhorrable,” she said into his shirt. Holding up a finger, she took a breath and tried again. “Adorable! I think you’re adorable, too. And now that we’re finally out of that tree, I think I know how you can earn my pardon.” 

Wrapping his arms around her, Adrien hummed quietly. “What is it?” 

“Take me on a date. Next Saturday, in the park, after your piano recital. I’ll bring the pastries,” Marinette said as she returned his hug. 

“I’ll bring the flowers,” Adrien said happily.  

Marinette felt her heart swell as he kissed her hair and held her closer to him.  

“I’m so happy it’s you,” he whispered into her ear. 

“Me, too,” she confided. “I’m so happy. I don’t think Chat Noir could be anyone else.” 

A camera flash went off in her eyes as she lifted her head.  

Ladybug pushed herself away from Adrien and spun him around so he could see the problem. 

“Alya!” she gasped. “What are you doing here?” 

“You weren’t returning any of my calls, girl,” she said, putting a hand on her hip. “All you did was send one text panicking about how Adrien knows who you are now. Listen, all of Paris knows that you were planning to visit Adrien after school. You guys are lucky it’s just me who showed up. I was expecting there to be at least a dozen camera crews here already.” 

“Hold on a minute,” Adrien said, scrunching his eyebrows. “Do you know?”  

Alya hesitated, her gaze wandering from Adrien back to Ladybug. 

“She does,” Ladybug said, wrapping her arms around herself. “Alya knows. I’m so sorry, but I had to tell someone!” 

“Ma—Ladybug was basically having a panic attack when she told me,” Alya said, defending her friend to Adrien. “It only happened because she needed the support, and she couldn’t see another way. She hadn’t been planning to reveal her identity to me, or you for that matter.” 

“Trust me, I know she wasn’t,” Adrien said. “I only figured out who she was because of a weird coincidence, actually.” 

“Oh? And here I thought it was obvious,” Alya commented. “We’re lucky you covered for our girl, or all of Paris would have figured it out from that confession. Which you had better have accepted, by the way, or I will have Chat Noir cataclysm you for me.” 

“Oh-h, you will?” Adrien asked in a strangled voice. 

Ladybug laughed nervously. “Well, we won’t be needing that, Alya! He said yes.” 

“Good,” Alya said, folding her arms with a smile. “I’m so proud of you, girl! You finally faced your fears and confessed to Adrien. And see where it got you!” 

Ladybug grinned at her friend, but as Plagg reappeared behind Alya’s head and zipped back into Adrien’s pocket while she wasn’t looking, she remembered something important. 

“Actually, Alya... there’s another reason that threatening Adrien with Chat Noir wouldn’t work. Right, Adrien?” She looked up at him imploringly, hoping that he got the message. You don’t have to tell her, but we need to think of something to say!  

Adrien cleared his throat. “Oh, yeah! Are you sure it’s okay for her to know that, though?” 

Marinette shrugged. Telling Alya would be simpler than trying not to act like she was in love with Chat Noir or coming up with some explanation of her sudden turn to polyromanticism. It also carried a large danger with it, but she’d proved herself to be capable of handling it before. 

Alya was frowning as she looked between Adrien and Ladybug. 

“What’s going on, Marinette?” she asked quietly. 

Adrien twisted the silver ring on his finger. “I’m Chat Noir,” he said, watching Alya’s reaction closely. 

She blinked twice, then adjusted her glasses as she peered at him. Plagg peeked out from Adrien’s shirt pocket, and her jaw fell open. 

“Oh, wow,” she breathed. “You really are him! I totally called it!” 

“What?” 

Ladybug flushed. “You put a filter on a photo of him one time as a joke, Alya. That does not count as calling it.” 

Alya grinned. “Was it a joke? Or was it my awesome reporter skills coming in handy? Because I seem to remember you being the one who thought it was a joke.” 

Adrien smirked at Alya. “But you didn’t guess who Ladybug was, right? I did,” he bragged. “Back during Kwamibuster. Of course, my lady was clever enough to cover her tracks, but I knew there was a reason Multimouse looked so cute!” 

Ladybug let out a squeak, which made Alya smile. 

“You didn’t tell me about using the Mouse! I bet you looked adorable,” Alya said, and Adrien nodded his agreement. 

“You should have been there! It was the most impressive thing I’ve ever seen.” 

“It wasn’t that impressive,” Ladybug said, wishing the fire in her cheeks would cool down. “I just did what I had to do.” 

“She’s so humble, too,” Adrien said, looking at her with a smile. “My heart never stood a chance.” 

Ladybug spluttered and hid her face in her hands as Alya laughed good-naturedly.  

“Well, since you’re safe from the paparazzi, I think I’ll leave you two alone now so you can keep talking. You should probably keep an eye open, though. Oh, and if you ever want to formally announce your relationship as Ladybug and Chat Noir? You know where to find me,” she said with a wink. 

“Thank you, Alya,” Adrien said politely. “We’ll think about it later, once we figure all the details out.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything else. All right, then, Alya out!” 

With a cheeky salute, she turned and walked toward the wall around the mansion, which she scaled with an ease that would have sparked the opposite feeling in M. Agreste had he been there to see it. 

“Alya was right about the press, you know,” Adrien said casually as Ladybug watched the spot Alya had disappeared from. “If you want, we could go somewhere else to talk. There’d be less of a chance of causing a scandal.” 

“I think you mean causing another scandal,” Ladybug sighed. “You’re both right, of course, a press intrusion is the last thing we need right now. Still, it could always be worse! I might have messed up my confession, but I was lucky enough to have— well, you. You’ve always got my back, kitty.” 

“You and me against the world,” Adrien said in agreement. “I think I got lucky, too. Until recently, dating you seemed like an unattainable dream. And yet, here we are,” he said, lifting her hand for a kiss. “I finally get to be with the love of my life.” 

Ladybug couldn’t stop a smile from blooming on her face as she gazed back at Adrien warmly. 

“And I, mine,” she said, her breath tangling with his as she moved closer. “I love you, Adrien Agreste.” 

He didn’t need to say anything back as he leaned closer and wrapped her in his arms. 

The kiss said more than enough.

#ladrienjune2023 #ml fanfic #ladrien #rosie-b writing #identity reveal #miraculous ladybug #takes place after in season 4 after gang of secrets and glaciator 2 #the ending tried sooo hard to turn into marichat but i managed to keep it ladrien

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

NEW FIC: Four Can Keep a Secret

Because I have zero self-control, I am here with a new fic, Four Can Keep a Secret. This is a more lighthearted fic, more along the lines of Batting a Buck & Change, if you liked that story. I've had it in the works for a while, just other ideas kept getting bumped ahead of it haha.

Summary:

When Ravi and Hen accidentally see Buck and Eddie, who are trying hard to keep their new relationship a secret, in the middle of a romantic moment, they try to make them confess without the rest of the station finding out. Shenanigans ensue.

Snippet:

Buck pulls off his gloves and bends over to scratch the Irish Setter.

“Hi, buddy,” Buck coos.

“Don’t get bit,” Eddie grumbles, in a tone that makes it sound like he’s suggesting exactly the opposite, striding past him without a second glance, and climbing into the ambulance. 

It’s the first thing one of them has said to the other since they took the call.

Ravi watches the way Buck’s lips twist downward, but his eyes never leave the soft, red fur of the dog. 

“What’s that about?” Ravi asks.

“What?” Buck says, giving the setter a final scratch before standing up. 

“Eddie,” Ravi clarifies. 

“How would I know?” Buck shrugs, then walks past Ravi towards the engine.

Ravi wants to scream. 

#4 can keep a secret fic #buddie 911 #911 fanfic #911 fic #daisies and briars writes #911 #evan buckley #eddie x buck #buddie fanfic #eddie diaz #ravi panikkar #hen wilson