#kitty is doing great now and is oblivious to the fact that her illness is the reason there are no new magazines for her to sneeze on | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

2manyfandoms2count · 3 years

Text

I love you (not) - Chapter 9

Tackling two prompts of @marichatmay again ('take a break' and 'cuddles'), it's probably not going to help much with catching up on the schedule but it's okay.

We are now a little over a third into the story, and... Are those real feelings that are emerging in the fake relationship? Perhaps... Still quite a bit of oblivious dumbassery to go, though, else it wouldn't be fun :D Hope you enjoy!

First | Previous | AO3 | Next

---

Chapter 9: In which Marinette gets mixed up in her checklist

"I'm sure I'm missing something…" Marinette mumbled as she read through her extensive to-do list of the day, tapping her pencil against her chin.

School

HomeworkFrench: Dissertation Maths: exercises 5,9,12 p.132 Science: Lab report English: Act III, scene 1 Hamlet History: revision test Extra last minute?

ALYA’S BIRTHDAY PREP: coordinate surprise party + finish gift

Kitty section: costume prototype for single 2

Art project: finish dress

Picnic Alya, Nino, Adrien

“I swear there was a seventh thing I needed to do today.” She squinted, scanning her surroundings in the hopes that it would jog her memory. There was so much going on these days that things kept piling up, but today she was determined to catch up with everything. She didn’t have much of a choice, anyway; most of the items on her list had a set deadline, and it was coming at her faster than she liked. She preferred not to get hit by the truck head on.

Her eyes landed on Chat Noir’s blanket, which she’d draped over the back of her chaise after he’d left on the night of his birthday, over a week before.

“Right! Chat Noir - Ask Chat Noir to take a break, ” she mumbled, scribbling down the last point, before setting the list down next to her computer keyboard. She'd abandoned the idea of full on breaking up with him given how their relationship was dragging on; a break seemed softer to ask for first, and it could easily be followed up by a breakup.

It was going to be a long day, but with a bit of rigour, and thanks to her early start, it would all work out.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much for one day, Marinette?” Tikki peeked over her shoulder, letting out a small yawn.

“Well, maybe for a normal girl, but not for Ladybug.” She yawned reflexively, and her kwami shot her a pointed look. “I know, I know. I have to power through, though - it’s not my fault I got sidetracked so much these past few days. I honestly wonder what Hawkmoth does as a living, the man has too much time on his hands.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get a tiny bit more sleep? To help with your productivity?” Her Kwami asked, looking slightly worriedly at the bags beneath her eyes.

“It’s 6am, Tikki, not the crack of dawn. I’ll have to be up by the time I fall back asleep again.” She waved her concern away. “I’ll just let the stress adrenaline work its magic. It’s going to be fine, don’t worry.” Tikki pouted doubtfully. “Now, would you mind reading me the Hamlet scene while I finish sewing up my project?”

---

This is a disaster , Marinette thought as the formulae she read on the page danced in front of her eyes. It didn’t matter how many times she went through them, they just didn’t compute.

She looked at the time: 6:45pm. She had fifteen minutes before her picnic, and she had to finish her maths homework, her dissertation, her History revision, the Kitty section prototype, and send out individual messages to remind everybody of their tasks for Alya’s birthday so it wasn’t too short notice for the weekend.

She tried to ignore the palpitations of her heart; maybe she’d overdone it on the coffee during the day. It wasn’t like she had a choice, anyway.

She’d discovered as she'd walked into class that she had a class president meeting with Mr. Damocles over her lunch break, which had been when she’d planned to squeeze in some of her work.

Then, while she’d been packing her bag at the end of her classes, ready to leave, an Akuma had emerged. It had been a tricky one, too; Chat and her had spent about an hour chasing it around Paris before finally catching it.

Adding to that the fact that her 6am rising had left her exhausted by the second period of the day, she really hadn’t been the most efficient anyway.

“I think you know what you need to do, Marinette,” Tikki said apologetically, as if reading her mind, floating up to her with her phone in her flippers. Alya’s number was already dialled on the screen.

Marinette sighed and took the phone from her, pressing the green button before lodging it between her shoulder and her ear.

“Hey girl!” Alya’s excited voice sounded on the other end of the line. “Nearly ready to go? We really picked the right night for a picnic; the weather’s super nice.”

“About that…” Marinette winced. “I’m so sorry, I won’t be able to make it.”

“You’re kidding, right? You ’re passing up on an opportunity to have a picnic with Adrien? Are you ill?” Alya said after a small beat.

“Trust me, I surprised myself.” Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose. “I just feel like I have a bit too much on my plate right now, and I wouldn’t be great company if I came. I hope we can find another time to go out again, but I think studying and going to bed early is what’s best.”

“It’s true that you’ve seemed kind of out of it lately,” Alya said compassionately. “Don’t worry about us, take care of yourself! I promise I’ll take loads of pictures, it’ll be like you were here. And I’ll bully Mr Agreste with you after our exams to get Adrien out again if needed.”

“Thanks for understanding Alya.” Marinette smiled.

“That’s what best friends are for!” She could almost see her wink. “Now, get back to work and then go to bed! We’ll see you tomorrow.”

There was a bit of chatter on the line before Alya hung up, as she met up with Adrien and Nino.

“Wait, Marinette isn’t coming?” Adrien’s almost disappointed voice was the last thing Marinette heard before the communication ceased.

She found herself quite immune to it. She decided not to dwell on it.

---

Adrien enjoyed the picnic very much, as he did any opportunity to hang out with his friends, but his eyes kept drifting to the empty space next to him, where Marinette would undoubtedly have been sitting, were she with them. He hoped she was alright; Alya had told him that the reason why she wasn’t coming was because she was studying, which was fair considering the amount of homework they’d been given in the past few weeks, but he did feel like she was overworking herself a bit.

He didn’t doubt her ability to take on all of her projects, but he wished she’d slow down a little, for the sake of her health. What would he do if his everyday Ladybug burned out?

He wondered what Alya’s curious gaze meant when he voiced his thoughts about the situation. He panicked a little when she said that maybe a boyfriend could help get her mind off of work - firstly, because Marinette technically had a boyfriend, which he was surprised Alya of all people didn’t know. He thought the two girls told each other everything. Was Marinette keeping their relationship a secret on purpose? Was she confused about their status, which, he had to admit, he wasn't sure was himself? Was she (the thought scared him) ashamed of him?

Secondly, he found his heart squeeze peculiarly at the thought of Marinette having a boyfriend other than him . He decided not to dwell on it.

He couldn’t help but take the long way home, passing at the bottom of her building, after the picnic, though. And, seeing that there was still light in her room at past 11pm, he decided that he should probably do something; for her well being, not as an excuse to see her, of course.

He transformed in a back alley, then extended his baton so he could peek through the window closest to her desk. Maybe she was already asleep, but had forgotten to turn her lights off.

The sight of her bent over a sheet of paper, hands buried in her hair as if ready to tear it out of her scalp made him knock.

Marinette jumped at the unexpected sound, and looked up, looking quite haggard. Her features softened when her eyes met his.

There was a hint of a smile on her lips as she opened the window. “Hey Chat, what are you doing here?” She yawned.

“Bedtime patrol, just making sure that citizens are going to bed at a reasonable time,” he smiled, stifling his own yawn.

“That’s nice of you. But, does that mean that I’m in trouble?” she drawled out, leaning forward to boop him on the nose. Her exhaustion was clouding her better judgement.

“Depends, are you nearly done with your studying?”

“When will I ever be nearly done,” she snorted, turning around to take a look at her checklist.

Her feet caught in the straps of her backpack and she wobbled forward, but Chat pounced inside in time to catch her before she could tumble down.

“Woah there, little lady… Your spatial awareness is worse than ever,” he said fondly as she clutched his arms. “Sorry, but I’m not letting you get back to work.”

“But I need to finish something…” Marinette protested.

“What you really need is to take a break.”

Marinette paused to think about it. Taking a break with Chat Noir… she seemed to recall that was on the list.

“Okay.” She shrugged.

“Good. Come here, then.” Chat Noir sighed in relief at her lack of resistance and started to lead her towards her bed, but before he’d let out his whole breath, Marinette was already trying to make her way back to her desk.

“Wait, I actually still have so much to do…” She reached for her flashcards, which tumbled at their feet.

“Okay, tell you what.” He kept hold of one of her hands as he picked the flashcards up to avoid her escaping. “Why don’t you take a small nap, and I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the time. I’ll wake you up in an hour, and when I leave I’ll turn a blind eye on your choice between going to bed and getting back to work.” She looked at her doubtfully, and glanced at the cards in his hands. He took a closer look at them; their content was that of the test they had the next day. “I can read you these while you fall asleep so it’s not too much of a waste of time, if you want.” He waved them in front of her face, hoping she’d say yes. He really needed the revision, too.

Marinette nodded and he led her to her chaise, helping her lie down on it. He started draping his blanket over her and was about to go and sit in her desk chair when she grabbed his free hand and pulled on it, a lot more strongly than he would have expected from her, especially in her exhausted state.

“Take a break with me.” She shifted to her left and patted the newly formed space. “Please?”

Her pleading bluebell eyes were difficult to deny.

“Okay,” he said as he sat next to her. Marinette snuggled up against him and sighed contently.

Chat’s heart skipped a beat. He wrapped a tentative arm around her and cleared his throat before starting to read. “The Hundred Years’ war actually lasted one hundred and sixteen years, from 1337 to 1453…”

His own tiredness hit him like a truck after a couple of pages, when he heard her soothing, gentle snoring. He lowered the flashcards to watch her sleep. She looked so tranquil, a peaceful smile drawn on her lips as her body slowly followed her breathing.

He felt his eyes close, and soon the both of them were breathing in sync, holding on to each other.

Needless to say, Chat left a little later than anticipated the next morning, woken up by the rising sun. Neither of them complained, though; both had had one of the most restful nights in a while, and both aced their History test.

Each wondered if they weren’t onto something in terms of revision technique.

Adrien almost gloated to Alya about how maybe Marinette didn’t have a boyfriend who took her mind off of work, but she had one who took care of her while she studied. Almost.

#marichatmay2021 #marichatmay #miraculous ladybug #the miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #ml #miraculous fanfiction #miraculous fanfic #ml ship month #marichat #marinette dupain-cheng #chat noir #day 11: take a break #day 12: cuddles #elle writes #love you (not)

33 notes · View notes

auarchivist · 3 years

Photo

This picture can kind of fit into any one of various AU's. It showcases some of the characters I like to write and draw as well as a few original characters of mine.

((WARNING: long post incoming))

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It isn't everyday that James can get everyone together in one place, so when it did finally happen he planned on making the most of it with a little photo. It took a bit of moving around, but they managed to get everyone in the shot. FRONT---- From the far north is Paula, ever the joker type she finds good humor in almost anything. When she's not out in the wilderness or at home with her faithful blue ox, Babe, she can usually be found having tea and good conversation with her closest friend, Kitty. Out of all of the youngins Kitty has taken in, Hazel is by far the fondest of the bear woman, even going as far as to call her "Auntie Paula". A title Paula seems quite happy with. When it came to the new faces of their little group, Paula was always one of the first to warm up to them, but don't let her sweet nature fool you. Personality wise, she may be a teddy bear, but she's still a bear and she's got the strength to back it up. Up next is the ever chaotic coyote Huehuecoyotl better known as Huey. Despite what people say about him, Huey is more than just an oblivious fool. In fact, he has often surprised those that doubt him with his random moments of genius. That being said while there is a method to his madness, its still madness. He can often be found at the village of Hatfield ,where all see him as the spirit of the village, hanging out with Calamity or helping James with his research on Moguels and magic. If not, then he is more than likely stealing a scarecrow somewhere. Zim found himself at a low point, not too long ago, after finding out his mission to conquer earth was in fact just a lie by the tallest to get rid of him. Without goal or purpose and dealing with the realization that he might actually be a bad person, he fell into a state of depression. But all that changed when his ship crashed and he met Erma and the Williams family. Now he has turned over a new leaf, and is determined to achieve greatness by aiding those he can. Despite this though, Zim is very much still the ego filled, deranged megalomaniac he has always been, but now with more noble goals in mind. Despite his shortcomings in socializing Zim has managed to make close friends with Spinel and Catra and even forming a relationship with Erma's old babysitter Felicia (how he managed that is a mystery even to him). Felicia has been familiar with the paranormal for a few good years now. From being the Williams go to babysitter to dating a former Irken Invader. She has taken all the weirdness in her life in stride, almost unfazed by any of it. Cool and level headed under pressure, a quick thinker and a good dose of bravery has made her infamous to those she has faced on ill terms, especially among the Irkens. The young girl Erma is certainly a unique one, being a hybrid of human and Yokai descent, people in very high places have had their eye on the little girl for a long time, and for good reason as she is a well and true powerhouse of a child with abilities straight out of a horror movie. Despite this she is very much still a child and when she's not at school or at home watching a slasher flick, or the latest episode of Warrior Unicorn Princess with Gir, she can usually be found with her friends, Hazel Hali and Kaio (last two not listed). Frosta has certainly had an adjustment period to go through and to be perfectly honest, who can blame her? After all, its not everyday you lose your home planet. Luckily she has not had to face this alone and has adjusted rather well. All things considered. Nowadays, she lives with glimmer out in the country mastering her ice powers and trying to make friends. Turns out being former royalty can be a blessing and a curse when it comes to socializing. When Kitty found Hazel one cold, snowy night she had every intention of finding her a proper home elsewhere come morning. But that very night, with the fire roaring, and the child asleep by her side as she quilted, any such notions went flying out the window when morning arrived. Sense then Hazel has been living with Kitty and James slowly and surely coming out of her shell (pun intended) and has become very fond of her new found family. Its clear to those that know her well that she still has some inner demons to work through. Spinel is the one person that could possibly hope to match Huey in terms of randomness. After Zim stopped her injector plans, with the help of the crystal gems (if you asked Zim he did it all on his own) Spinel stayed on Earth to help fix the damage to beach city and afterwards the two were practically inseparable. The Irken was surprised to learn that the Toony Gem was in fact quite the genius in her own right. Spinel helps him with a number of his experiments when she's not helping defend the local villages or hanging out with the others. She's even become quite popular with the local children, due to her zany sense of humor and neat tricks and abilities. Which has led to her taking up a side gig as an entertainer. Couch---- Despite appearances Dr. James Algernon was, in fact, human at one point in time. When he was a young boy and the "black ick" had spread across the continent James had the good fortune of running into a young Kajortoq and since then the two had grown to be quite close (much to Paula's teasing). Of course one day old James let his curiosity get the better of him, and he came to an abrupt and brutally painful end. On the bright side, he did prove Chupacabras were real..and that they could get rabies. For most folks that would be where their story ended, but it seems no one informed James of that fact. As he somehow managed to have his soul inhabit the body of one of angels bizarre puppet dolls, made from wood and the bones of some kind of canine. An expert in the fields of psychology, anthropology, biology, and things retaining to the occult and mystical Dr. Algernon is driven by two things, his love for those he considers family and his borderline obsession with understanding the workings of Magic, both of which have blinded his hindsight and common sense a few times in the past. The anxious feathered snake Quetzalcoatl, better known simply as Corn, is a quiet soul. Ever sense he was a little hatchling raised by kitty, Corn has always been more at ease alone or with the people he knows well. He earned his nickname when it was discovered the serpent boy had quite the green thumb, especially when it came to growing corn. He has certainly appreciated the additional help he has gotten recently in the form of his adopted sibling figure Hazel and his kindred spirit Wrodak. Both of which he has become rather attached too. When Kajortoq was little she was best known for two things, having a lovely singing voice that could heal the sick and for acting way older than she actually was. Now a young adult, she is still known for those things but as of recently she has become known for being the new wielder of the Red Tezcatlipoca. This is an ancient and powerful artifact that takes the form of a burning red wood-stove poker, and can harness the power of the Earth's molten core. It is also said to embody "the virtue of Judgement". Despite her cold exterior, many who know her can vouch that beneath that is a kind, nurturing women. Which has lead her to being what some would call the "mom friend" of the group. It is not too far away from the truth either, as she is already looking after three youngins, Corn, Hazel, and Charles, and has taken Catra under her wing. Many do not know what to make of Ozama Angeline, or Angel as she is known by her friends. The powerful spirit seems to be a genuinely sweet girl despite her appearance, But the fact that she comes from the "Mictlan Woods", a Realm notorious for being a place for the lost and unwanted souls of the dead; and filled with strange doll and puppet beings made of bone, cloth and other materials (some seemily made by Angel herself), made people a tad hesitant to trust her. But over time people have grown to accept the patchwork girl being around (for the most part). Nowadays when she is not in Mictlan she can be found tagging along with her adopted human sibling figure, Charles and his friends. Charles is the very definition of "Problem child" which is no surprise given that his parents were from rival villages, leading to them abandoning him to perish in the cold of winter. He was found by Angel and Amaroq (not shown). This alone would have lead to the boy having issues, but then it just so happened that he was chosen to wield the Black Tezcatlipoca, a black mass that when left on its own, nearly covered the world in an endless sleep, before being sealed away by Xipe Totec and the three siblings (Xochiquetzal, Ixtlilton and Xochipilli). When he first started using the "black ick" he planned to simply use it to end the villager's feud, but given the fact that he's a kid dealing with the people who abandoned him just for being related to someone from another village, and he now had control over a powerful magical artifact, he got a little mad with power. If it weren't for Kitty and the others' intervention, things could have gotten much worse than it already had. Nowadays he lives both in Mictlan and with Kitty, and while it took awhile, everyone has come to accept him as a member of the group. He has even managed to make a few friends. back---- An expert in illusion magick, Wrip is a master of disguise, all with the help of the magick bottles she makes herself. If that doesn't work, this resourceful rabbit often uses her skills in flattery and persuasiveness to get her way. A trick that works on most, save for her significant other Vinkle. A long time ago Vinkle was charged by the local villages to reign in the illusive rabbit, Wrip. Whos untethered nature upset them somehow. The finer details of what transpired afterword's is unknown to all, except for them. As what they have told others has, in their words, "creative licenses" but in the end, whatever happened left the two falling for each other and forming a relationship. At first glances it would appear that Vinkle is not all that bright, given his quiet and seemly distractible nature, but in reality he is simply a man of few words and is surprisingly quite perceptive of things. Catras life has been, to put it lightly, rough. Her childhood was spent as a soldier in training in "The Horde" with Adora, both of witch were raised by the dark sorceress Shadow Weaver (because that's a name of someone I'd trust around kids). It was clear to all that while Shadow Weaver loved Adora like a daughter, she merely tolerated Catra, delivering torturous punishments on the Magicat for any discrepancies caused by either of the two. This harsh treatment would leave psychological, mental, and emotional scars on Catra. This would lead to her falling into a downward spiral, into villainy, leading to her hurting and driving away the few people in her life that still cared about her. Now after defeating Horde Prime and the exodus to earth, Catra continues her journey of redemption and luckily for her it is not a journey she's taking alone. From Kajortoq who has taken her under her wing, to her two close friends and co-former villains, Zim and Spinel, and finally Glimmer one of the few people in Catras life that has stuck around (and to who she "secretly" feels very deeply for). Glimmer, the former princess of Brightmoon, was once hailed as a hero of the rebellion and their battle against the Evil Horde. (Why they called themselves "The Rebellion" despite not being concurred by the horde yet is anyone's guess.) But close to the end of the war she lost her mother Queen Angella. This set her down a dark path, where her anger and grief led her to being manipulated by Shadow weaver. The conniving sorceress convinced Glimmer to activate a powerful device that paved the way for Horde Prime to find Etheria. After his defeat and moving to earth, Glimmer now tries to fix her reputation among the other Etherians as well as redeem herself. Since coming to Earth the former Princess has had a very rocky relationship with her old friends, not only for activating the device, but also for staying with Catra who she has grown very close to (and who she secretly holds feelings for) She has also begun looking out for Frosta, who still greatly admires the sparkly princess. Icobod, the resident Book worm/stick in the mud of the group, is extremely knowledgeable in a few magical and academic fields. He is also a rather superstitious bird and is obsessed with omens, taking even the most simple ones with the utmost seriousness. Growing up in Hollow, Ichy hid his moguel nature, spending much time in his human form, fearing scrutiny by others if they knew the truth. This lead to him growing distant, even amongst his friends. Nowadays he had grown more comfortable around others, with the resident Irken taking a liking to the "large birdman of science" as he calls him. Another thing worth mentioning is that he has a considerable crush on Wrip that he has not entirely gotten over. The adoptive little sister of Icobod, Chalchiutlicue, or Calamity as she prefers to go by, is in many ways his polar opposite. With a laid back, free spirit nature, she enjoys spending time out in the wilderness with her friend Huey. Make no mistake though, Calamity may be laid back, but when the time is needed she is more than willing to do what she feels needs to be done. She is also one to usually follow her gut, trusting her instincts despite others input. This has actually contributed to her becoming the wielder of "Tlalocs Tuning fork" a large intricately designed tuning fork that grants the wilder the power to control water provided one sing a certain haunting lyric. When Catra first joined their group, Calamity was very wary of her, but nowadays she has found in some ways a kindred spirit in the Feline Humanoid. The Newest member of the group, Irina is quite the brawler, seemly always having some kind of bruise or some other injury on her. Despite this the foul mouth canine has quite the cheery disposition, witch goes well with her morbid sense of humor. Her favorite hobby. it seems, is poking fun at Calamity, the only person around who seems capable of matching her wit and despite the Lizard girls statements to the contrary, she always seems happier with the Canine girl around. Nor can anyone deny the glances the two shoot each other when they think the other isn't looking. Last but certainly not least is "Wrong Hordak", or Wrodak as usually he goes by. When the former drone was cut out of Horde Primes hivemind he was a sobbing wreck as he saw himself as impure and lacking a purpose. Later on though, he saw through Horde Primes lies and aided in his downfall. Nowadays he is happy to be of assistance wherever possible. Usually helping Corn tend to his plants, or with Zim and Jame's research into the occult. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kitty, Corn, Calamity, Icobod, Huey, Wrip, Vincle, angel and chareles are from "No Evil" by Betsy Lee it can be found on YouTube and I highly recommend it especially if you love fantasy and Folklore as much as I do (witch is a LOT) Catra, Glimmer, Frosta and Wrodak are from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix by Noelle Steven Felitia and Erma are from the Comic series Erma by Brandon Santiago Zim and Gir are from Invader Zim by Jhonen Vasquez Spinel is from the Steven Universe movie and Steven Universe Future by Rebecca Sugar Hazel is from infinity train by Owen Denis

7 notes · View notes

ladyanput · 5 years

Text

A Hurtful Prank Pt.2

The second part to the fic inspired by @vivilakitty (I know this isn’t exactly what you said, I’m sorry)

Felix strode down the street of Paris. At the age of twenty, he hadn’t been back since that whole incident with Marinette, not that he hadn’t wanted to. But when it came out that Hawkmoth had been defeated and he turned out to be Felix’s own uncle was the villian that had caused havoc on the city, one small, cruel part of him had haughty thought that Adrien and his father weren’t so perfect after all. But as soon as that thought had struck, guilt ate at him, only imagining what his cousin must have went through, finding out that his own father was a villain and his mother was kept in a glass coffin beneath the house. He had been certain that the news must have crushed his cousin. Felix had reached out, but he had never received a response.

So here he was, two years after the incident, looking for his idiot cousin. As stubborn as Adrien might be, Felix had found out that he was staying in an apartment in Paris, living with a girlfriend. He never found out the girl’s name, but a small part of him said that it must have been Marinette. The thought alone made his heart ache.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the person headed his way, also lost in her thoughts. The two of them collided and went stumbling back. Felix shout his hand out, grabbing the woman by the wrist and steadying her before she could go falling onto the sidewalk.

“I am so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going! I didn’t mean-” The words died on his lips as soon as the woman stood and met his gaze with large, beautiful blue eyes. “Ma- Marinette…?”

Marinette stood there, looking rather stunned as she stared up at him. She had grown into a beautiful woman, her soft lips a beautiful rose, those jewel blue eyes of hers framed by long, dark lashes. She was about a head shorter than Felix, her shapely body clothed in a white blouse and black pencil shirt. She looked so.. So womanly, almost nothing like the stuttering girl he knew years ago.

“Wha- Felix? Is that you?” She sounded stunned as her hand tightened on the umbrella she was carrying. He wondered if she wanted to beat him with it. He wouldn’t have stopped her. To his surprise, her face broke out into a breathtaking smile. “Felix, how are you? You’re looking great. Wait, weren’t your eyes green when I last saw you?”

“I-I usually wore green contacts.” He explained. His mother had always hated his grey-blue eyes, saying they weren’t as perfect as Adrien’s. So she had always forced him to wear contacts, and he had done so without complaint, until he had moved out of the house and moved into his own place. He had felt so free. “You’re looking great, I see you outgrew your pigtails.”

“Yeah, I thought when I got into lycée, I could use a change.” Marinette reached up and touched a lock of her dark hair, which now brushed against the base of her back. Felix had been right, she looked beautiful with her hair down.

Soon the two adults just stood there in awkward silence, not looking at each other. Cars drove by, and people brushed past. The silence was almost deafening to Felix, he wanted to continue this conversation, but didn’t know where to take it. Besides, who would want to talk to a guy who hurt you so badly in the past?

“Would you want to grab a coffee?” Marinette reached out a gently touched his arm, the smile returning to her face. Felix felt the blood begin to pound through his veins, rushing to his ears, making him feel as if he were about to go deaf. Completely oblivious, Marinette continued to rush out the words. “I mean, you’re probably busy, but I wanted to catch up, you know, since we haven’t seen each other in so long.”

“Coffee would be great.” Felix spoke up before she could sputter out more and embarrass herself. He took her hand without thinking, only to quickly drop it, visibly flinching. “I'm sorry.”

“Felix…” Marinette stared up at him, reached out for him, but he stepped away.

“Let’s go get that coffee, shall we?” He muttered, turning on his heel and walking away. His heart ached with every step, but he had to remind himself that she was with Adrien, and who would want a monster like Felix?

…

The two of them got their coffee and walked around as they drank and chatted. Marinette told him about how she was an up and coming designer in France, Clara Nightingale and Jagged Stone being the biggest amongst her celebrity clients. Felix had known she was the infamous MDC, a designer that had taken the world by storm with her designs that made anyone rush to buy them. He even had a few of her designs in his closet. Felix went on about telling her how his family had suffered much because of the scandal of Hawkmoth, that they were basically shunned by the world, even though they had had no part in what Gabriel had done. He had quit modeling, much to his relief, and now was still trying to figure his life out, to not be on the path his mother had tried to carve for him.

“I’m sorry… About your uncle.” Marinette whispered, taking a sip of her coffee loaded with sugar. Felix rose a brow at her, and she flushed. “I mean, it must have hurt, to realize that he was a villain.”

“I couldn’t care less about my uncle. He was a selfish bastard that only thought about himself and his needs, he didn’t care about anyone else. His goals as Hawkmoth made that very clear. I just hope Adrien had gotten that memo.” He shrugged, tossing his now empty cup in a nearby trash can. Marinette chugged down the remainder of her coffee before doing the same. “How is my cousin, by the way? I couldn’t get a hold of him.”

“Oh… I haven’t seen Adrien in two years, since… Since his father was arrested.” Mari whispered, fiddling with her hands as she stared down at her boots.

“What? I thought you were living with him…”

“What?” The word came out in a laugh when Marinette met his gaze. There was an amused twinkle in her eyes. “Where in the world did you hear that?”

“W-well, I heard that he was living with a girlfriend. Since you’re in love with him, I only assumed…” Felix trailed off, closing his eyes tightly in regret.

“Felix…”

He remained quiet.

“Felix, look at me.”

He opened his eyes, and realized where they were standing.

On the very bridge where he had kissed her and had hurt her so greatly.

Regret came rushing back.

“Felix, I stopped loving Adrien years ago. I… I fell in love with someone else. I realized that Adrien would never saw me as anything more than just a friend.” She whispered as she reached out and took his hand.

Marinette thought back to the final battle with Hawkmoth, to Chat Noir’s reaction when Ladybug, as the Guardian of the Miraculous, had ripped the pin out of Hawkmoth’s shirt and Gabriel Agreste had been sitting in his place. He saw the despair in pain in his eyes, and it clicked who her partner had been. But she had remained silent, letting the police take the man away, and had done her best to comfort the sobbing Chat Noir.

A week later, he had messaged her, telling her to meet him at the top of the Eiffel Tower. She had, and he had demanded that since Hawkmoth had been defeated, they should reveal their identities to each other. They weren’t in any danger anymore, what was the point with the secrets now?

Ladybug had smiled sadly at him, but agreed. Grinning. Chat Noir dropped his transformation and Adrien held out his arms wide, as if to make a spectacle of what Ladybug already knew. But the confirmation had only made the wounds on her heart sting more.

“Isn’t it amazing, my lady? Now we can finally be together, like we were destined to be! We can live happily ever after now, and have a big wedding, as well as-”

“Adrien, I can’t love you. I don’t love you, because you don’t love me.” Marinette smiled sadly at the model. He turned to her, a look of confusion on his face.

“What do you mean, my lady? I’ve always said that I love you, I never once lied.” He urged, reaching out for her hand. But she took a step back, widening the distance between them.

“Because you said to me that you could never love me. That I was only a friend, and that was all I could ever be.” She whispered, meeting his gaze. She watched the wheels spin in his head, before the horror filled his eyes and he slowly shook his head.

“No… Please, no, don’t tell me…”

A flash of pink light and Marinette stood before him, a bittersweet smile on her face. Adrien looked ill as he reached out for her.

“I’m sorry, kitty, but… I was in love with you. With you, Adrien, I had been since the first day we met. But on the day Felix came, I realized that you’d never love me for me. You were too lost in a fantasy of Ladybug that even if I told you who I was, you’d never want me. You’d only want Ladybug.”

“No… No, my lady, I love you!” Adrien frantically grabbed her hand, pulling her close. “This is all Felix’s fault! He was always jealous of me, because everyone compared him to me! He was saying stuff because he was jealous, my lady, whatever he said was a lie!”

“He didn’t say anything! In fact, I think he was more honest with me, even when he was pretending to be you!” Marinette snapped as she tried to tear herself free from his grasp, to no avail.

“What, don’t tell me you actually love that monster! He lied to you, my lady, he didn’t care about you for a second! He used you for a cruel joke, then when he got caught, he played all sorrowful, but he’ll always be the same, selfish, pompous asshole of a cousin that I had, who acts out like a brat because he’s jealous!” Adrien gave Marinette a hard shake. “I love you, he doesn’t! He probably doesn’t even remember you, most likely trailing along some other girls for a laugh! You’re nothing to him!”

“Adrien, you’re hurting me, stop!” Marinette felt hot tears prick her eyes at Adrien’s words, but knew they weren’t true. If it had all been a joke, he wouldn’t have taken the time to come to her home and apologize, right? He had cared in a way… Right?

“I love you, Ladybug!” He shouted, sounding frantic now.

And Marinette stared at him with large, teary eyes, before a bittersweet smile spread across her face. She hugged him, holding him close, before moving to grasp his hand. Adrien visibly relaxed.

“You see, my lady? I love you more than anything, I’ll do anything to protect you, as your knight in shining armor…” He whispered.

“I’m so sorry, kitty.” She whispered back, taking a step away,his ring firmly in her grasp. Her blue eyes then hardened and she transformed back into Ladybug. “As the Guardian of the Miraculous, I hereby strip you, Adrien Agreste, of your Miraculous. While you fought nobly, you have never taken your duties seriously. You often treated it as a game. I understand, Adrien, why you did. It was a freedom to you, but you never fully realized how big of a job it was. Hawkmoth is now defeated, and Paris is finally at peace. I thank you for your aide, Adrien.”

“N-no, you can’t do that! I am the true Black Cat holder, we are soulmates! We are meant to be, Ladybug, please!” The boy begged, reaching out for the ring, only for Ladybug to jump up onto the railing, keeping the ring out of his reach.

“You were never a true Black Cat, Adrien. I’m sorry, I really am… But I think right now, with all that has happened, it is too much for you. You’ve become unhinged due to grief, and I wish you well, and hope you build yourself a lovely, peaceful future, Adrien..”

Adrien screamed after her as she left him on the Eiffel Tower. Later that night, she cried herself to sleep. He had tried to get the ring back, but things got so intense, she had threatened to get a restraining order. Adrien had backed off right then and there.

Marinette blinked, being brought back to the present, before she shrugged, her smile sad, but she gave Felix’s hand a squeeze.

“I found myself thinking about someone else. Someone who I really shouldn’t have. I thought I didn’t know him, since he lied to me, but then I thought back to my conversations with him on the date he took me on. About how he loved classic literature, how he loved big dogs and wanted as many as he could get, once he got his own place. A guy who probably felt… So Neglected, because everyone was comparing him to the cousin they thought was so perfect, when he actually wasn’t.”

Felix felt his throat tighten and his eyes burn as sudden tears welled up. Then he cupped her cheek in his hand.

“Mari… I thought about you every day since I left. I hurt you so badly, Marinette, I was awful and selfish and spiteful. My family never let me live it down, yet you’re here, so nice and forgiving… Why? Why are you forgiving me, I don’t deserve that forgiveness!” Felix’s was thick with tears as he pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers.

“I don’t know. But… You could definitely make it up to me, by letting me know you. The real you. Not Adrien, not the Felix your family tried to mould you into, just you.”

“How a-about a date?” Felix whispered, a shaky laugh leaving him. “A movie, and some ice cream?”

“I think that sounds great.” Marinette beamed, but glanced up when thunder boomed overhead. Rain began to pour, and both broke out into laughter. “Here, hold on.”

Marinette opened the black umbrella and held it over the two of them. Felix smiled, and pulled Marinette against him. Sharing a smile, he pulled the woman who had taken a hold of his heart into a warm kiss, a kiss that meant he wanted to build something with her. Something genuine and true. Her returning the kiss made his heart soar and he knew he had found someone who finally wanted him, Felix Agreste, for himself.

Taglist: @vixen-uchiha @kuroko26 @theatreandcomicfreak @poshplumcot @bluerosette23 @ladylb @riarkle-felinettelove

#felinette #ml felix #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng

385 notes · View notes

acupmarley · 5 years

Text

I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE.

TAGGING: @acupmarley @dance-jackie-dance

LOCATION: Acup, around 4-6am, post-BOTB.

NOTES: HUMONGOUS YIKES.

MARLEY ROSE

Marley had chosen to duck out of the frisbee and nerf battle a little earlier than normal, to make her own camp at the Acup lounge so that she would be perfectly well rested to get up for her shift and bake a whole bunch of pastries for the weekend. By the time she’d emerged from her little cocoon, there were still some patrons lingering around in various forms of superhero dress. Marley held back a giggle as she made her way up through the building, but she stopped short as soon as one Jackie Puckerman came into her line of vision. Despite their rocky and turbulent history, they had been in a good place lately. In fact, Marley would consider Jackie to be one of her friends. Odd, probably unlikely, and very forgiving on her part, but she had come to love Jackie as a person and for the most part, let go of their past trauma with each other. “You okay, Jacks?” Marley asked softly, as she took a step closer to the young woman. “Have you been here since the battle?”

JACKIE PUCKERMAN

The last few weeks had been some of the best for Jackie. She was waking up before noon. She was running in the park. And she was eating vegetables. Freakin’ vegetables. Although she wished she could attribute the change to some self starting attitude, she couldn’t, not in the least. That thought alone made her feel queasy at the most inopportune times. The sole reason she had been feeling decent lately was one Marley Rose. She would never truly admit herself not matter how many times her subconscious attempted to make it known to her heart and brain. Jackie wouldn’t dare betray her own self like that. Sure she knew that her heart still felt things with Marley, but her heart still felt things with Kitty too. That didn’t mean that she was actively pursuing either avenue. She just felt like she would always have those feelings for those two girls.But now they were friends. And Jackie wasn’t one to ruin friendships, but she also couldn’t stand by and watch Kitty and Marley grow close while a bomb was ticking down between the three girls. She had never hung out with both girls at the same time, but Jackie had been watching them both at Battle of the Bands. After the traditional drink, Jackie made points of the interactions, the smiles, the laughs. She knew the ruse had to end. Both girls would be mad, yes. Both girls would hate her, maybe even each other, but Jackie couldn’t watch as both parts of her heart came together only to drastically tear apart later. Jackie had to make them hate her. Hell, maybe it would work out selfishly, maybe Jackie would get over them. The last few weeks though. Damn, they were good. Getting closer to Marley again. Taking her on adventures. It had to end, didn’t it? “Oh yeah, ha.” Jackie smiled sheepishly and rubbed her eyes before running a hand through her curly hair. Was that glitter on the palms of her hand? “Have you been here since the battle?” She laughed before poking Marley in the arm. A flutter escaped her stomach and entered her heart. She had to do this. It was a necessity.

MARLEY ROSE

Despite her better judgement, Marley smiled over as Jackie poked her arm. There was no harm in it, after all. It was nothing but friendly. Even the fact that she and Jackie could get to a friendly point was a major stepping stone for both of their maturities, she thought. And even though parts of Marley still dully ached from Jackie's betrayal in the worst possible way, this was okay. She could do this. When they'd been together, Marley had never felt safe. She'd never felt as if she could sit back and take a deep breath and know that Jackie would have her heart and her best intentions in it. Even through all the warning signs, Marley didn't think someone like Jackie would ever love her. And in a way, she was right. "Kind of!" Marley nodded, brushing her fingers across her apron. "I took a nap, but I have to go ahead and bake for the weekend. I'm only in for a few hours, then I'll be able to go home and take a big sleep." Quirking an eyebrow, she glanced at Jackie's haphazard appearance. "Are you okay?"

JACKIE PUCKERMAN

The smile. Jackie missed that more than she cared to admit. Sure, Jackie could take Marley places and do things for her and she would smile, but Jackie missed when that smile was all hers. Those were moments to hold on to when it was dreary out. Jackie knew that Marley and Fiona were together and perfect or whatever. She knew that okay. And of course Fiona was one of her best buds. Jackie would never do anything to betray that. The Jackie before, years prior, might have, but the girl had grown up. Slightly. “Little baker Marley. What’s on the menu for today?” Jackie tried to ease her own nerves with a chuckle, but the sound just didn’t seem to escape as it should of. It sounded forced as fuck. This wasn’t going well. “I’m yeah.” She shrugged. “How are you and Fi? Did you guys have fun last night?” This was a last attempt. She knew it was. But last ditch efforts sometimes worked right? Maybe she could steer the conversation or someone would walk in and ruin this altogether. Maybe she could be lucky.

MARLEY ROSE

"Um..." Marley racked her brain for the orders that had to be filled. "Croissants, scones, the usual. Lacey gave me this awesome blueberry lemon bar recipe that I'd like to try if I get some time. I normally just watch The Great British Baking Show while I'm working in the back and try to get some Mary Berry infused energy." Her smile was nervous, the air between them seemed inordinately tense. Still, Marley wasn't going to overthink it. Battles were always a night high in tension, maybe it had something to do with that. When she brought up Fiona, Marley instantly relaxed. "Yeah, she's good! We loved dressing up. Did you come to our nerf battle? It was so dark and chaotic, I didn't get to see everyone there." There was something about talking about her girlfriend that made everything that much better-- even though Fiona wasn't physically there, Marley could feel the safety net spread beneath her feet. Nothing bad could happen to her as long as Fiona was around. Perhaps that was the problem. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need water, or something? Breakfast?"(edited)

JACKIE PUCKERMAN

“Blueberry lemon bars. Damn that sounds amazing. Two things that I would never think would go together but just do.” She smiled fully this time, almost comparing the blueberry lemon bars to her and Marley. Two things that didn’t go together but somehow did. Well. Before. Before she fucked it all up. The thought made her stomach turn and she knew she just had to do it. Today. Now. Before it was too late. “Yeah I was there. I kinda felt weird about it I guess. My nerf gun is kinda huge.” She smirked slightly remembering how she felt to be surrounded by people that were happy, people that were in love and that were loved. Her heart hurt so badly that she couldn’t stand to be there anymore. She felt like a child again, begging her mother to bring her father home. “I kinda need to come clean about something. It’s been making me sick. Like, physically ill at times. I know that’s stupid, but I just.” Jackie stopped and looked into Marley’s eyes. For a moment she was lost. For a moment she was back to years before when the two dated and things were so much different. Those two people were no longer the same. That was evident. After this, things would never go back to how the use to be. And that scared her to death. Jackie ran her hand in her hair again, stalling. “I have to tell you because you’re friends with her and I don’t want this to come up any other time and it ruin things even further than it will.” Jackie stepped back away from Marley. “When I...” She took a deep breath, her heart beating faster. “When I cheated on you. I never told you who it was with.” She stopped and looked into Marley’s eyes again, searching for recognition. She didn’t know if she could continue. Her heart hurt in a way that was so familiar to her. You’ll never be good enough for her.

MARLEY ROSE

"Really?" Marley asked, tilting her head to the side in slight confusion. She'd thought it was a semi-popular flavor, but then again, Marley trolled enough baking blogs and Lacey's shop to ensure that she'd never run out of ideas. Every time she baked, it made her miss Millie more than she could ever say. Part of her wanted to make it big just so that she could buy Millie a nice place in Jersey, right by the ocean, and visit her whenever she wanted. "Well, I guess you'll have to be my first taste tester, right?" Come clean. Making me sick. You're friends with her. Ruin things even further. Cheated. Never told you who. There it was. The other shoe. Jackie was a dancer, surely she understood the significance of a ballerina hovering in a death-defying way on one foot. Despite all that Marley had been through, she steeled herself, wondering how much of her heart was left for Jackie to break. In all the years that it had been, Jackie hadn't told her. Honestly, Marley didn't want to know. There were so many souls living in New York City, it would have been easy for someone to capture Jackie's. Not when they were exciting. Not like freshman year Marley, still scared of her own shadow. Not like Iowa Marley, who hadn't found her voice yet. "You can tell me anything," Marley promises, and that much is true. Jackie can tell her anything, she's more than entitled to, and if Jackie wants to get this off of her chest, then that's fine with her. If it will make Jackie feel better, all the more reason to go gung ho with it. Marley has a sneaking suspicion in the pit of her stomach that this is going to make her feel worse, because if her oblivious, naive brain was working into enough overtime she might be able to put the pieces together that one of her friends had been the one who Jackie cheated on her with. Marley's painted-on smile is reassuring, and gives no indication of the storm brewing between her eyes.

JACKIE PUCKERMAN

“That’d be awesome. You always made my stomach happy.” Jackie smiled reassuringly, knowing Marley needed that sometimes. Jackie stopped, biting her lip slightly and switching her weight to her other foot. Jackie needed something to hold onto or she was gonna collapse. “I don’t think I told you initially because the wound was still too new, ya know? And it hurt you and it hurt me. Obviously not as much as you, I’m not dumb enough to say that. I just. I couldn’t bring myself to say it aloud, make it true.” She stopped. God she was an idiot. “I know it was true and it happened and I was stupid. I can say I’ve grown from it but I know that doesn’t help.” Jackie couldn’t meet Marley’s eyes now. She could feel the sting of tears begging to run down her face and give everything away. She sniffed hard, steeling herself for what was to come out of her mouth. “It was Kitty.” Jackie breathed out. Her voice almost above a whisper. “Like I said, you guys have gotten closer and I had to tell you so that it didn’t come out later and explode even further and decimate everything.” Jackie shook her head. “I know that I’m fucked up and that maybe I shouldn’t have said anything but I couldn’t let you just sit by and feel like an idiot down the road and think we were in on some sick joke against you cause I swear to G-d we weren’t.” She had to stop to breathe. But her breath didn’t come. Her heart pounded loud in her head. “I...don’t know what to say. I know that the last few weeks have been...nice between us and I hate that I had to ruin this again but you deserved to know. I...had to tell you.” Jackie almost stumbled as she switched her weight again. It was out. It was done. She should have felt better, but somehow she felt like that wound was reopened and spewing out putrid acid that would threaten to eat her alive.

MARLEY ROSE

It was Kitty. It was Kitty. It was Kitty. It's just like the movies, really. Marley doesn't even hear the rest of Jackie's explanation, and it doesn't make much sense to her. If it had come out later, then Marley would be even further removed from the situation. Maybe she and Kitty would laugh, maybe they'd have kids of their own, and laugh over the time they both were caught up in a tizzy over the same girl. The same three girls. As soon as all of the oxygen gets sucked out of the room, Marley panics. In a way it's a relief, because she's always known that Kitty hated her and couldn't understand why. How stupid had she been, to think that it was something trivial like a crush? How stupid had she been, that they'd held this secret together and let her make an absolute fool out of herself? Marley thought back to every single one of her sleepovers with Kitty, to the times they'd lay crying in bed together over Taylor Swift's latest song, and couldn't help but wonder why she just hadn't told her. Then again, it wasn't her secret to tell. It was Jackie's. Jackie didn't owe her this explanation. Jackie didn't have to tell Marley who it was-- that didn't matter. It could have been anyone. Jackie had still cheated, still decided that whatever she potentially had with Kitty was better than her relationship with Marley. Kitty was exciting, after all.Marley wants to scream. She wants to yell, she wants to give Jackie a piece of her mind, she wonders how she possibly could have listened to hours and hours of explanations of how it was a mistake and Jackie still loved her when clearly it wasn't. She hadn't. She's furious. Why not? Why hadn't they told her? Why had Jackie waited until Marley had been lured into a false sense of security, a safety net? Why hadn't Kitty bothered to clear the air? Were they really friends, or was this all some kind of delusion. No, a voice in her head argued back. Kitty loves you. You love her. You're past this. There's an explanation. You know it. Marley opens her mouth about three times to give Jackie some kind of final blow, something she could say to make Jackie hurt more than she does right now. "Excuse me, please." She turns on her heel and locks herself in the storage room for half an hour instead.

#ftf: i knew you were trouble #ftf: jackie #jackie #ftf

2 notes · View notes

wolfjawswriter · 6 years

Text

Le Gentilhomme Aimant Sans Pitié - Lockwood x Lucy 1

“What the Hell is that Chain for?!” Lockwood x Lucy

Lockwood and Co. Series

Summary: What happened with La Belle Dame Sans Merci, but reverse.

————Lockwood————

Our clients certainly made an image of themselves. There were two of them; an older man and a girl possibly our age. The man was short and roundish, he wore a yellow jacket with leather patches on the elbows, a grey waistcoat which was pushed outwards by his belly over a white v-neck shirt that allowed some of his chest hair to show and some deep red pants that basically screamed for attention. Quite a looker really.

The girl beside him was skinny and scrawny like a malnourished kitty. She had a pair of faded jeans and a long pink shirt that fitted her much too big and only managed accentuate how thin she was. Her mouth was a delicate, sad line, her eyes sunken and seemingly far into the unknown and her face framed with a long mane of hair that somehow shadowed her eyes.

“This is Mr Lewis Tufnell” Holly said as they walked in “Mr Tufnell and…”

“And Charity Budd” Mr Tufnell walked forward and shook out hands. The lass moved behind in a trance-like state, her hands heavily perched together in front of her. In fact, too heavily-

I looked at Lucy to make sure she noticed them too, and of course she did. George walked in with the tea ready and stopped, open-mouthed when he saw it too, and Holly was feverishly gesticulating at us.

The girl was being held by a chain. It didn’t matter how polished and shiny it looked, it was a chain.

Mr Tufnell did not wait for an invitation and sat down on the sofa, pulling the girl down after himself. She seemed to sink into the couch, her shoulders slouching and the chains clicking softly as she settled herself.

I cleared my throat.

“Er, good morning” I began a little uncertain “I’m Anthony Lockwood. Now, Mr Tufnell-”

“Call me Lew!” He exclaimed flamboyantly “Plain Lew Tufnell! That’s how I like it. No airs and graces about me, I hope. Proprietor of Tufnell’s Theatre, not to mention Tufnell’s Marvels and Tufnell’s Traveling Fairground of Astonishment and Delight. More to the point, I’m also a man at his wits’ end, for my establishment is cursed by an evil spirit that threatens me with ruin” He made a small pause to sigh and notice Holly’s seed cake on the table “Ooh. Is that little morsel for me? Smashing!”

“Well, we were kind of hoping to share it out between us” George said, but I raised my hand.

“Before we deal with cake or curse, there’s one thing we need to discuss…” I hoped Mr Tufnell would take a hint, but he was obliviously clueless “Well, we can’t help noticing the chain…” The man seemed startled for a second there, but then smiled.

“Oh, that’s just for dear Charity’s safety. Don’t worry about it” I frowned.

“I don’t. But-”

“She won’t hurt you or your associates, no, not poor Charity here” He patted her long hair “She’s just not so particular about herself, if you take my meaning. See that cake knife there? If I weren’t vigilant, she’d be on it in a trice. Bury it in her own heart, she would, and spoil your lovely carpet”

I looked between the carpet and the knife, noticing how the others did too, then looked at the girl, pale and distant.

“She’d stab herself?” Lucy asked carefully.

“Assuredly”

“Surely, Mr Tufnell” Holly, who was perched in George’s chair, chimed it “If she’s, well, ill, she should be in a hospital. She needs doctors-”

“No doctor can help her now, miss” Lew Tufnell shook his head sadly “They’d drug her and truss her around while her life drains out of her regardless of what they try. In a day or two she’d just be another corpse who’s spirit’s gone. Waste of time, doctors. No, miss, we need you. That’s why we are here”

“I don’t understand” I said after a little silence in which I looked around at the others “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what we can do to help her. Now, if there’s a spirit in your establishment-”

“It was the ghost that did this to poor Charity” Mr Tufnell said. We gazed at the lass again; at her stillness, her passivity, her unseeing eyes.

“Ghost-touched, you mean?” George asked.

“No, not touched physically” Mr Tufnell answered, “thought, it was a close call, her heart is snared; his sucking her spirit out of her, making her weak. I don’t think she’ll live farther than two more nights, maybe less, then he’ll come to finish what he started” He looked at the girl sadly “If you destroy him, maybe it’ll break the link. Maybe she’ll come back. I dunno”

I crossed my legs in a businesslike manner. I still disliked the chain, but if it was the only thing preventing her from ending her life in a hurry, then something better be done, and quickly “You’d better tell us about this ghost, then” Lucy got to her feet.

“I think first we should all have some tea”

“And I think” George moved too “I should bury this cake knife where it belongs”

“That’ll be splendid” Mr Tufnell exclaimed “I love cake” Lucy started fumbling with the teapot and the cups in the tray.

“Some tea for miss Charity too?” Lucy offered her a cup, but the lass remained impassive.

“Oh no” Mr Tufnell took the cup from Lucy’s hands “She’s not eating anymore, not since it happened anyway” As she took care of the rest of the cups, I noticed how Lucy’s nice skirt went up a few centimeters (particularly on her behind) as she lowered herself a little. I kept my eyes away from the compelling image, as I had taught myself to do for the last years, but unmistakeable noticed how Mr Tufnell did not.

“Well” He remarked a little to himself, but loud enough for all of us to listen “You’re a bright little shower, and no mistake. Scrubbed and shiny and pleasing to the eye. I could find jobs for you on one or two of my shows, if this agency lark doesn’t work out” He flashed her a washy smile, which I noticed only made her frown a little scaredy “Couple of little dresses, a few sequins, twinkly tassels in appropriate places…you’d fit right in”

“That’s nice to know” I said through gritted teeth, my insides furiously boiling with something I couldn’t quite name “George here will bare it in mind. Now, how can we help you in our present capacity as professional psychical investigation agents?”

“Tell us about this evil spirit” Holly spoke crisply. She also hadn’t liked his comment; none of us had. She turned a page to her notepad and held her biro ready “What is it, how it appears, and how its affecting this poor girl”

“Its not just Charity who’s been affected, I’m afraid; there’s been a death too. The theatre and fairground are no longer a safe place for young lassies, no thanks to him” He took a great bite of the cake “I’ll be brief. I’m a busy man; I can’t sit around all day munching cake, even if you can. Well, the background’s quickly told. You’ll have heard of Tufnell’s Traveling Fairground, no doubt. Been in the family a hundred years. My old dad now, Frank Tufnell, he used to take it up and down the country, but what with the Problem, travel’s no longer safe. So, the last twenty years we’ve taken roots in Stratford, east London. There’s an old theatre in the site- Palace Theatre, its called; been there a couple of hundred yeas itself, they say- and we use it for magic shows and circus entertainments, as well as housing Tufnell’s Marvels. The fair’s set up permanently around it. A tenner gets you entry for the whole shebang, and for that, my friends, you have a feast of wonderment that never ceases or runs dry. Plus a free hot dog for kids on Sundays. Now that’s what I call value”

Listening to the man’s blubbering was like listening to the radio’s continuous advertisements about this and that and the other. Boring. I listened to him nonetheless, looking out the window for something more interesting to look at “Indeed. You mentioned something about a ghost”

“I did. It walks the theatre’s corridors at night in the guise of a cloaked man, athletic and suave, or so I’m told, yet with an evil heart” He shuddered greatly “His already taken one of my lasses, and Charity here won’t linger long. Any young lady he meets never lives to tell his tale. They call him…” He looked at the girl beside him and leaned forward, his voice descending into a whisper “They call him…Le Gentilhomme Aimant Sans Pitié”

#lockwood and co #Anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george cubbins #holly munro

23 notes · View notes

victorluvsalice · 4 years

Text

AU Thursday: Londerland Bloodlines -- On The Stage

You know what? Reblogging Kitty Briars’s reaction to getting dragged out onto the stage in the Nocturne Theater (just trying to figure out what happened to what should have been a simple honeypot con) has inspired me to share another snippet of “Londerland Bloodlines” with you all! Namely, what it was like for Alice when she woke up on the Nocturne’s stage! Unlike Kitty, she wasn’t unstaked until LaCroix started talking (as per the canonical cutscene), so we start with one very confused Alice trying to figure out how the hell she’s not dead. . .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good evening."

Alice blinked as, suddenly, the world came back into being around her. Twice in one night – who knew I could make a habit of dying? she thought, shaking her head slightly in an effort to clear it. Or, more accurately, who knew I could make a habit of coming back from the dead. Didn't he–

"He did," Cheshire confirmed, pressing a paw against her chest. Alice glanced down to see a large bloody hole in her chest, right above her heart. "You seem oddly immune to being slain in such a manner now, however. Perhaps Mr. Fish has given you a set of his own unique gills?"

Fish! Alice jerked her head around, gritting her teeth. That bastard! He'd gotten stabbed too, hadn't he? Had their mysterious assailants dragged him as well to the – the –

Dreary Lane Theater?

Alice raised an eyebrow, examining her surroundings. The old hulls of ships creaked above her, barely visible in the starlight filtering down through a watery sky. Glowing seahorses clung to whatever splinters they could find, little sparkles of light against the dim. Beside her, the great red curtains were tied up, nibbled here and there by eyefish. Around her bound and kneeling form stretched the wide stage, populated by her redheaded captor, his blond friend, a similarly-trussed and bored-looking Mr. Fish (Alice couldn't stop a hiss escaping her), another blond fellow in a smarter-looking suit, and – ah. I – didn't realize they made people that big, Alice thought, looking up the humongous creature that stepped up beside her. He looks as if someone made a lion walk on two legs!

"I know the Lion, and that is not him," Hatter proclaimed, gazing suspiciously at the giant as it crossed the stage. "Though he's certainly a wild beast of some description."

"Never mind him – who is this interloper who has taken over my stage?!" Carpenter demanded, stalking up to the blond man in the good suit. "Do you have no shamosity, my good sir? Do you have no respect for the dramatical arts?!"

Obviously the man did not, continuing on with his speech while Carpenter blustered. "My fellow Kindred – my apologies for disrupting any business, or interfering with prior engagements you may have had this evening," he addressed his audience, looking through the fishy faces gaping up at him. "It is unfortunate that the affair that gathers us together tonight is a troubling one. We are here because the laws that bind our society – the laws that are the fabric of our existence – have been broken."

A fishwoman gasped, fanning herself rapidly with her fin. Beside her, a strange black man whispered in the ear of his Hispanic companion, who was regarding the stage with steely eyes. Alice scanned the crowd, curious. Most of its make was familiar – the usual couples who brought themselves to Carpenter's stage, content in the knowledge that his and Walrus's more murderous impulses had been curbed with the destruction of the Infernal Train. But speckled throughout, breathing the water like the cleanest air, were humans – or, at least, Alice assumed they were humans. They looked the part – a prim blonde businesswoman sitting with legs crossed in the front row, a lingerie-clad lady blowing a scarlet kiss to a bald black man in the balcony, a rough-looking biker type smoking a cigar by the door. But at the same time, there was something – off about them. Something – other. Something – Queenly?

"I am the only monarch here," the Queen of Hearts growled, a tentacle curling over her shoulder. "What lurks in them is far more – bestial. The Jabberwock to my crown, perhaps."

Lovely, just what I need – more people capable of setting me on fire from the air. Alice sighed, and winced as she heard the air whoosh through the hole in her chest. The hole that, by all rights, should have killed her. If it was even truly there, of course. Damn it, I wish I had a better handle on what was real and what wasn't right now. . .

"As prince, I am within my rights to grant or deny the Kindred of this city the privilege of siring," the smart-suited man went on, oblivious to the fact that he was baffling Alice more with each word. "Many of you have come to me seeking permission, and I have endorsed some of these requests." The prince paced the stage, regarding each attendee in turn. "However – the accused that sits before you tonight was not refused permission." His voice darkened. "Indeed – my permission was never sought at all."

"Oh, come off it, LaCroix," Fish drawled out, rolling his eyes. His guard gave him a look, but said nothing. "As if anyone takes you and your 'rule' seriously. I did what I knew was right, so can we finish up here and go?"

LaCroix shot Fish a glare. "As you wish," he replied, before turning back to the audience. "As you can see, he was caught shortly after the Embrace of this childe." He clasped his hands before him. "It pains me to announce the sentence, as up to tonight, I considered the accused a loyal and upstanding member of our organization."

There were a few snorts from the human-shaped members of the audience, and even the fishly attendees looked rather dubious. "'Loyal and upstanding member?' I'd trust a dodo over him!" Hatter declared, his hat bouncing. "And I do! Regularly!"

Fish, meanwhile, didn't seem to notice, too busy preening. "Finally, someone recognizes that I'm just doing my best for our world. Now, can we get rid of these ropes, or–"

"But as some of you know," LaCroix continued a little louder, doing his best to ignore Fish, "the penalty for this transgression – is death." He spread his arms wide, encompassing the mass of not-quite-humanity before him. "Know that I am no more a judicator than I am a servant to the law that governs us all. Let tonight's proceedings serve as a reminder to our community that we must adhere to the code that binds our society, lest we endanger all of our blood." He knelt, cupping Fish's chin with his hand, the falsest pity Alice had ever seen in his eyes. "Forgive me."

"Oh, for – you just have to drag it out, don't you?" Fish said, letting out a huff. "All right, all right, I'm sorry. I should have asked for your precious permission first."

A smile tugged at LaCroix's lips, vicious and cold. "Too late, I'm afraid." He stood up again, nodding to his lion. "Let the penalty commence."

The lion nodded back, then reached behind him and unsheathed the absolute biggest sword Alice had ever seen. Fish blinked as he raised it above his head. "Wait," he blurted, the first note of panic creeping into his voice. "You're not really – you're – you can't – I – wait! Wait wait wa–"

Sching! A good foot of metal broadways sliced through Fish's neck like it was air. Fish's head fell to the stage, splattering blood everywhere (Alice's stomach – growled?) – then, abruptly, dissolved into a pile of orangey ash. The rest of him soon followed, leaving nothing behind but a dirty coat, hat, and glasses. Alice and the Wonderlanders gaped at the scene. What – did he – did that actually – happen?

"Alice – I sincerely wish I could tell you otherwise," Cheshire replied, ears flat against his head and back arched.

LaCroix nodded, satisfied in a job well done – then his gaze slid to Alice. Alice stared back. Was he – she didn't even know what was happening, how could he – "Which leads to the fate of the ill-begotten progeny," he said at last, turning back to the watchers.

"Sir! Sirrah! Have I told you that you shine most utmostomously on this stage?!" Carpenter cried, darting in front of LaCroix with a wide, terrified smile. "Why, we should have you on every night!"

"Without a sire, most childer are doomed to walk the earth never knowing their place, their responsibility, and – most importantly – the laws they must obey."

"All the tea you could ever drink!" Hatter shouted, leaping up and down and making his leg springs squeal. "Sugar! Milk! Everything! All provided if you just let us go!"

"They are potentially dangerous – and a definite liability. Therefore, I have decided–"

"You can't behead her! That's my royal right!" the Queen screamed, pounding a tentacle against the stage. "This is madness! This is treason! This is–"

"This is bullshit!"

All heads, including Alice's and LaCroix's, jerked to the source of the interruption. The Hispanic man from earlier had more or less exploded out of his seat, and looked ready to storm the stage. His friends – the black man from before, and a young redheaded woman in a beret sitting in front of him – leapt up to restrain him. Around them, the other human members of the audience stirred, whispering and muttering amongst themselves. "Oh, I'm glad we left Nemo at home," a fishwife said to her fish husband. "This is far too much excitement for his blood!"

I wish it was too much for mine, Alice thought, looking between LaCroix and his protester. The way they were glaring at each other – oh, there was history there. And she was right in the middle of it. Please, please. . .

The tension stretched itself thin – then snapped, as LaCroix seemed to come to a decision. "If Mr. Rodriguez would let me finish," he continued coldly, folding his arms. He glanced back at Alice, lip curled, then schooled his features into calm once more. "I have decided to let this Kindred – live."

The whispering grew louder, crackling with intrigue. Hatter and Carpenter fell on each other in relief, while Cheshire rubbed up against her. "Seems you are worth more to this LaCroix alive." He eyed the hole. "So to speak."

Seems I am. Alice thought about jazz music, and a brief, dim glimpse of a pub. I'm – not sure if I'm relieved or not.

"If we're relieved, you're relieved," the Queen lectured, settling back on her tentacles. "Simpleton."

Hey, I've had a bad night.

Her redheaded captor shot his blond friend a look of intense surprise. "Seriously?" he murmured. "Fish's childe?"

"I guess she technically hasn't done anything wrong," the blond admitted, squinting at Alice. "Still – that's practically bowing his head to the Anarchs. How's the Camarilla supposed to keep power if he's giving up so much ground?"

"I know, I know – but as Mr. Rodriguez would like us to be aware, a sireless childe need not be a drain on us all," LaCroix said, raising his voice above the rabble. "We will give our new member a chance to prove herself. She shall be instructed in the ways of our kind and granted the same rights." He shot Rodriguez a look. "Let no one say that I am not sympathetic to the plights and causes of this community."

Rodriguez looked very much like he wanted to say just that. He settled for a glare and a nod before turning and stalking toward the nearest exit, his two friends trailing behind. LaCroix huffed, then turned to his remaining audience. "I thank you all for attending these proceedings." He hit them all with a hairy eyeball. "And I hope their significance is not lost." He waved a hand. "Good evening."

Recognizing the entertainment of the night was over, everyone promptly got to feet or fins and started filing out. The lingerie-clad woman caught Alice's eye as she passed the stage and gave her a wave, mouthing "Good luck!" before continuing onward. "Making friends already – fortunate," Cheshire commented, tail swishing.

Not the word I'd use, Alice thought, tugging at her wrists. At least not in my current position.

#londerland bloodlines #fanfic #vtmb #proof that I am working on the full-fledged fic of this AU!#I'm actually pretty pleased with this reading it back #yeah it could use a little polishing but #not bad for a first draft right?#I particularly like Carpenter demanding to know what the hell LaCroix is doing on his stage #and then all the Wonderlanders freaking out when it looks like Alice is going to be decapitated #plus the whole 'making it look like Dreary Lane Theater'#gotta start doing more of that in the rest of the story #and yes that is VV giving Alice a wave there #since she's gonna be one of the friendlies in the story I figured I'd start her and Alice off on a good note #queued

0 notes