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blancheludis · 5 years

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A/N: @iron-man-bingo square: Tony vs. Air duct climbing!Clint

Fandom: Marvel, Avengers Tags: Fluff, Humors, 2012 Avengers, Team Bonding, Bets, Friendship Words: 4.102

Summary: Getting his eyebrows singed off once is not enough for Clint and he keeps trying to get into the workshop. Tony has fun thwarting his attempts. Naturally, they turn it into a war.

---

Tony stumbles into the kitchen long after dinner is over, mind still mostly focused on the new repulsors but in dire need of new coffee. He is almost at the machine when he notices that he is not alone in the room. Sitting rather sullenly in his usual seat is Clint, arms crossed in front of him, glaring at Tony as if he has eaten the last piece of pizza out of the fridge.

A smile tugs on Tony’s lips. He fights against it for all of three seconds before he lets it spread, feels it turn into a smirk.

“What happened to your eyebrows, birdbrain?” he asks, decidedly nonchalant.

He knows. Of course, he does. As focused on his work as he usually is, JARVIS’ intruder alarm has ripped him out of his work easily. Finding the intruder had been just as simple. Taking just Clint’s eyebrows in revenge had at least been a fun challenge. No one wants the charred remains of a SHIELD archer in their vents, so precision was the key. It is a good thing he is practised at using his fine motor skills.

“Have you ever thought about not booby-trapping your vents like a paranoid misanthropist with more money than common sense?” Clint snaps. He raises a hand up to his face and it hovers over the place where his eyebrows used to be.

Tony would not have thought Clint to be vain. Maybe his forehead is still stinging.

“Wow, you just used much bigger words than I ever gave you credit for,” Tony replies and makes the last steps over to the coffee machine. He turns his back to Clint like there is nothing to worry about. “But have you ever thought about using the hallways instead of the vents like a complete maniac?”

For a moment, the gurgling of the coffee machine is the only sound in the room, and Tony watches it trickle into his mug with a hidden smile.

“It keeps me nimble,” Clint finally says. His tone is a mixture of a challenge and a sheepish admission.

“I’m not going to deign that with an answer,” Tony says, although he has a dozen ready on his tongue.

This whole vent-crawling thing has started as a joke about Clint going from the circus to being an assassin and combining the best of two worlds. Who would ever expect death to come from an air vent, after all. Clint naturally had to prove then that he could move exclusively through the vents if he wanted to. Since then, it has become a theme.

“What did you even want in the workshop?” Tony asks, picking up his filled mug.

Clint looks at him, unwilling to admit anything despite having been caught already. “I wanted to get a peek at the new bow.”

“What new bow?” Tony asks immediately, pretending not to know what Clint is talking about.

The problem with being the Avengers’ in-house mechanic is that they are constantly expecting new toys. Not always actively, but it is not a nice surprise anymore when Tony brings them new equipment. Tony was working on a new bow but moved on to at least seven other, more pressing projects since then.

“The one you’re building,” Clint answers slowly, rolling his eyes for good measure. “For me.”

Grumbling, Tony thinks he might have to pick that one up again. “And how would you know about that?”

“Natasha,” Clint answers promptly.

Of course. Even when there is nothing exciting to learn, Natasha still has to dig for secrets. It is as endearing as it is annoying.

“I should have known this would happen after inviting two spies to live with me,” Tony sighs, taking a sip of his coffee. “One can’t keep her nose out of my business, and the other crawls around in places not made for humans.”

Suddenly, a grin spreads on Clint’s face as he sits up straighter. “Then why are the vents so big?” he asks, a definite challenge in his voice. “It’s almost comfortable up there.”

Because, Tony thinks miserably, he is sometimes too dedicated to a joke, and since they need to make renovations more often than not, considering how happy the Avengers as a whole are to deal out property damage, it was not actually hard to modify the vent system enough to allow comfortable passage for nimble archers.

Tony would never admit that, though. He has a reputation to uphold, and it is already mostly in shambles.

“They’re only that big on your floor and in the common areas,” he replies, realizing too late this gives too much away. “Not anywhere else.” Definitely not over the workshop.

“That sounds deliberate.” Clint’s grin grows until it looks downright indecent, smug.

“Careful,” Tony cautions and keeps his face blank, “your brain has turned on. You should use your five minutes of near-intelligence and go bother someone else.”

That is probably unfair. None of the Avengers is stupid. That would defy the whole purpose of the team. They are not meant to follow orders but to create their own solutions.

“That’s –” Clint says, ready to fall into the bickering, but then he interrupts himself. “You do have a heart underneath all that armour.”

Tony blinks. He is not sure how Clint has deducted that from Tony’s offensive commentary. It is, in any case, a dangerous assumption. For all of them.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tony says dismissively and turns toward the door with his mug in hand.

He is almost out of the kitchen when Clint calls after him. “Game’s on, Stark. Throw your worst at me, but I’ll get to see that bow.”

That offers a whole trove of opportunities for petty revenge and chaos-causing pranks. Tony likes the idea – even if that means he will have to put Clint’s bow on top of his work list again. He believes in his and JARVIS’ ability to keep Clint out, even with non-lethal measures, but if Clint gets in, Tony should have something to show.

“If I actually threw my worst at you,” Tony drawls, looking at Clint with exaggerated boredom, “they wouldn’t even have to pick your pieces out of the vents because you’d be vaporized. Perhaps I’ll keep a little stain in loving memory.”

Clint, the maniac, laughs, despite knowing full well that Tony is telling the truth. “Then throw your non-lethal, non-maiming worst at me.”

Sighing, Tony nods. “You really take the fun out of this sport. But all right, you’re on.”

It begins simple enough.

Tony has bars appearing in random parts of the ventilation system, keeping Clint either locked out or in. Alarms blare when Clint makes even a single step towards the vents. Things go missing. All kinds of traps have to be disarmed before Clint can go on his merry way.

In return, Clint makes a game of leaving things in Tony’s rooms or the workshop. Food or broken arrowheads or Tony’s favourite blanket that went missing several weeks ago.

Tony tries to keep Clint out, while Clint tries to leave increasingly outrageous proof that he did, indeed, get in.

The only one who notices is Natasha, although both Tony and Clint make her swear not to intervene. Winning this is a matter of pride, and they have no doubt she would end this in five seconds flat – although they cannot seem to agree on in whose favour. Probably her own.

One night, Tony steps out of the workshop for five minutes for a bathroom break and a coffee refill. When he comes back, a still hot pizza is waiting on his workbench, sitting there as innocently as if Tony has brought it himself. None of the alarms has been triggered, no archer-shaped stains are left behind.

Tony sits down and, not even bothering with having JARVIS scan the pizza, eats a slice. It is good and hot and definitely not supposed to be here.

Once he is done, Tony carefully puts the workshop on complete lockdown, and goes to find Clint. He does not even have to look for long. Clint is sitting in the living room, draped over the couch as if he has not moved in hours. There is a bit of soot stuck to his temple, though, and his breathing is a little bit too even to be natural.

Building himself up in the door, Tony glares. “You did not get into the workshop,” he declares because he knows that as fact, at least.

This is still Tony’s sanctuary, still the place where he works on delicate and classified projects. No matter the game they are playing, Tony would not let Clint run rampage in the workshop, not even under JARVIS supervision. So, he knows Clint did not get in, which still leaves him without explanation for the pizza.

“I might have,” Clint counters with a grin, stretching further on the couch.

“You have not,” Tony argues with all the conviction he has. “Not a single particle of your skin.”

He just barely manages not to get closer to check Clint for burns or other signs that he has breached the invisible barrier between the vent and the workshop.

“My fingertip still hasn’t grown back from the last time I tried,” Clint mutters, staring down at his left hand with dismay.

He makes it sound more dramatic than it was. Tony has anti-thievery measures in place. It could have, potentially, taken Clint’s hand, but Clint had been very careful in sticking his fingers through the gaps of the vent, and Tony would not leave them with a one-armed archer. That would just be a waste.

“So how did you get a whole pizza on my workbench, and mostly intact at that?” Tony asks, fighting the urge to cross his arms in front of him. There is no need to feel defensive. Clint has not won yet since he has neither gotten into the workshop nor can he have glimpsed at the specs for his new bow, which Tony is keeping in an even more secure location, just in case.

“Trader’s secret.” Clint’s grin grows ever more smug, at least right until it freezes, pushed off his face by a frown. “What do you mean with mostly intact?

Tony opens his mouth, ready to spin a tale so he will not lose any more points to Clint. Then he shrugs. “The pepperonis were missing on one half.”

It looked deliberate enough, that it cannot be mistaken for coincidence or a mistake.

Mirth is playing in Clint’s eyes as he fights to keep his laughter in. “I got hungry.”

That implies he has been lying in wait for Tony to leave the workshop. He cannot have been there for long, though, since the pizza was still hot. None of this makes sense, but it only pushes Tony to step up his game.

“That’s –” Tony trails off, then shrugs, “not surprising.”

They share a look, full of challenge and the sweet joy of victory.

“Anyway, that’s a point for me,” Clint brags, showing too many teeth. “Perhaps you should just give up now.”

If Tony would have needed an encouragement to keep going, this would have been it. “Never,” he smiles and gets back to work.

---

That night, Clint’s screams echo through the tower. Bruce, who is in the workshop with Tony, freezes immediately, always expecting the worst. He does not look reassured in the least when Tony only smiles at the sound.

“What happened?” Bruce asks, already suspicious. “Why are you laughing?”

The simple answer would be that Tony has set a new trap and Clint fell into it without any delay at all. Justice served truly is the sweetest thing in the world.

“Don’t worry,” Tony says, probably causing the exact opposite, “Clint’s fine, if probably a bit cold right now.”

Before Bruce can ask any more questions, JARVIS speaks up. “Agent Barton wants to talk to you,” he announces, sounding just as smug as his creator feels.

Clapping his hands, Tony abandons their work without a second thought. “Put him through,” he orders excitedly. “Better yet, turn on the camera. I need to see this.”

Seconds later, Clint appears on the screen in front of them, big enough to show his dripping misery in all its glory. He looks like a drowned dog, hair plastered to his forehead, clothes clinging to his back. He is standing in a rapidly growing puddle, body tense to keep from shivering. The intensity of his glare in almost enough to burn Tony through the camera.

This scene, he decides, is beautiful.

“How?” Clint presses out between clenched teeth.

“How what?” Tony counters immediately, barely keeping himself from laughing out loud. He is so going to save a picture of this for later. “My, you seem a little wet,” he adds as if he has only just noticed. “I didn’t think it was raining outside – or that you ever go outside like a normal human being.”

Tony has a hundred more quips ready but bites his tongue to keep himself from using them. There will be time for them later. He plans on besting Clint far more often, and while he does not think he will ever run out of witty one-liners, it does not hurt to be prepared.

“How did you manage to build in a secret door in the vents right over the exit to my room?” Clint specifies, actually trembling now, although Tony is hard-pressed to say whether it is from cold or fury. “In the two hours since I last used it?”

It definitely has not been easy, but he is a Stark. Making the impossible possible is basically his day job.

Next to him, Bruce eyes them, wide-eyed and incredulous, but with tell-tale signs of exhaustion creeping onto this face. He is definitely tired of dealing will all of their shenanigans.

“Trader’s secret,” Tony answers, tasting the perfect sweetness of this comeback. “Also, how did you know it hasn’t always been there?”

From a strategical point of view, it makes sense to have countermeasures in place against all of his fellow Avengers. Tony does not think they are going to turn against him any time soon, not without being pushed into it, but it does not make sense to give Clint nearly free roam of the tower without being able to stop him easily.

Clint’s glare grows condescending. “I heard the mechanism when I opened the door,” he explains unwillingly. “That hasn’t been there before.”

That is a flaw, Tony realizes. If the guy with hearing aids can hear his trap mechanism, Tony has not done a good enough job of it, no matter how limited his time has been and that the trap worked beautifully nonetheless.

“Aren’t you attentive,” Tony drawls, mentally redesigning the whole thing. If he does not, chances are Clint will not fall for it again if it is needed at a later time.

Taking a step forward, Clint’s image grows on the screen. Tony can see goosebumps on the archer’s arms.

“There were ice cubes in there,” Clint says, voice full of accusation.

Tony hums and bites his cheek to not lose it right here. “Well, you’ve been so excited earlier, that I thought you might need to cool down a bit.”

It is Clint’s own fault, really. He challenged Tony to do better. He should know better than to bait Tony Stark.

“My whole bed is wet,” Clint continues, looking down at himself as if he still cannot believe what has happened.

Tony clicks his tongue. “You usually sleep in your nest in the cupboard anyway.”

Just as he thought, Clint’s head whips up, looking first at him then at the cupboard with instant suspicion. Tony has not hidden another trap in Clint’s room, but it is entirely all right with him if Clint thinks he has.

“Did you do something to that too?”

Now, Tony does laugh. “Do I need to?”

Eyes narrowed, Clint shakes his head, making drops fly from his hair. “Just you wait, Stark.”

Tony has no doubt that Clint is already plotting his revenge and he should tread carefully. That is part of the fun, though.

“Perhaps you should change your clothes first,” Tony taunts, unable to help himself, “or you’ll drip all over the floor. The cleaning bots don’t like that. And you don’t want to get on their naughty list.”

Clint growls something inaudible but stalks off towards his bathroom without further threats. They have run out of those fairly quickly, preferring to rely on actions to prove their seriousness.

Satisfied, Tony turns around ready to keep working, when he is reminded that Bruce is present and has witnessed the whole thing.

“What is going on?” Bruce asks, looking at Tony with disapproval. Behind that, though, Tony thinks he can see definite signs of amusement.

“Nothing serious,” he promises. “Clint and I have a bet going, but we have mutually decided to not use lethal methods”

For a moment, it looks like Bruce is going to ask more, and Tony would love nothing more than to rope him in. Alone, he is already near-unbeatable. With Bruce, he would turn this into a spectacle the entirety of New York would never forget.

Sadly, though, Bruce usually follows his common sense. “Just don’t kill each other.”

“That’s what non-lethal means, genius.” Tony grins but does not push. “Now, let’s get back to work.”

---

A week later, an explosion has the floor trembling and shortly after that, alarms are shaking the walls. They are different from the Avengers alarm, and yet everybody in the living room sits perfectly straight immediately, ready to throw themselves into the action.

Tony looks up lazily from the tablet he has been working on, registering the faces around him and, more so, that Clint is missing from the group. A smile tugs on his lips.

“No worries,” he says, getting slowly to his feet. “That’s the workshop alarm. I guess one of my experiments went wrong.”

It probably says a lot that the Avengers actually relax at that. Steve looks at him with vague worry, but no one looks eager for a fight anymore. Explosions have become too common an occurrence for them to still be unsettled by it. That gives Tony, who knows exactly that he has not left anything prone to blow up unattended when he left for dinner, to deal with what he guesses is another intrusion attempt from Clint.

As soon as he is in the elevator, he asks for a status update from JARVIS.

“Agent Barton has just attempted to blow his way into the workshop.”

That is surprisingly unsubtle. After weeks of sneaking and little bits of progress here and there, it seems wrong for Clint to attempt something as pedestrian as bombs. Especially since that is one of the first things Tony guarded his workshop against, considering the kind of work he gets up to in there.

“From the vents?” Tony asks for clarification.

“Yes,” JARVIS answers promptly, echoing Tony’s incredulity. Attempting to blow himself a way in from such a limited space as the vents is – such a Clint thing to do, really. “He did not get in.”

“Of course he didn’t,” Tony snorts, never having doubted his security measures. “Is he all right?”

If Clint were seriously harmed, JARVIS would have led with that. Still, they are friends now, and Tony cares for them, although he does not often admit that openly.

“I shielded him from the worst of it,” JARVIS reports. “His newly regrown eyebrows have been singed off again, however.”

“Pity,” Tony comments immediately, openly showing his grin. In the privacy of the elevator, nobody can scold him for that. “This is excellent news nonetheless. Close the cage.”

“Cage is closed.” If JARVIS had eyes, he surely would have rolled them at Tony now. He does not need to be reminded of such clear tasks. “I will monitor Agent Barton’s progress.”

Instead of going to the workshop, Tony directs the elevator to Clint’s floor and makes his way to the bedroom. There, he gets comfortable on the bed and waits.

The cage means that all entrances to the ventilation system are closed off, SHIELD agent and circus brat proof. If Clint thinks he can escape that without Tony’s approval, he will have a rude awakening.

Tony waits for the better part of an hour. If he were not eager to see Clint’s face when he arrives here, he probably would have lost patience long ago. For that exact reason, he does not ask JARVIS where Clint is or when he is expected to arrive. Not knowing when it will happen makes it easier to wait. Also, Tony wants to see whether he can notice Clint coming.

It turns out that he cannot. There is no sound and no other sign that heralds Clint’s arrival. From one moment to the next, the flap gets torn open and Clint glares down at Tony through the bars making his escape impossible.

Before Tony can say anything, any of the gloating greetings he has prepared, Clint calls, “I give up.”

It comes so unexpected that the words do not register with Tony for a full minute. Then he blinks, full of disbelief. “You don’t.”

Clint’s face is grim. The usual mischief and cunning are absent. He does not look angry either, but that is perhaps still coming.

“Don’t make me say it again,” Clint warns but then does it anyway. “You’ve won, Stark. Do you know how loud an explosion is in a place like air vents?”

If Clint has any brain cells left, he will have at least turned off his hearing aids beforehand and covered his ears.

“The thought might have crossed my mind,” Tony says slowly, desperately trying to gauge what is happening.

Clint does not give up. Ever. Not even when there are worse possible repercussion than simply losing a bet against Tony.

“So, yes, I’m done,” Clint says nonetheless, holding onto his nonsense. “One day, you might forget that I’m not a supersoldier or a god.”

Snorting, Tony shakes his head but keeps a close eye on Clint. Perhaps the explosion has done more damage than he thought, despite JARVIS’ scan. “I’m not in the habit of forgetting things.”

Clint bares his teeth at him – the effect of which is made worse by the bars separating them. “Apart from basic human needs like eating or sleeping or letting someone check your wounds after a battle,” he says, full of sarcasm.

“That’s not –” Tony argues but cuts himself off with a shrug. “Well, it’s not completely true.”

“Right, you only forget that when it’s about you.” Clint rolls his eyes. His missing eyebrows make that look comical, but Tony is not in the mood for laughing. “Anyway, it was fun while it lasted.”

“It – was,” Tony says slowly, wondering what he is missing.

“Right,” Clint announces and vanishes back into the ventilation system. A second later, his echoing voice adds, “See ya later, Stark.”

Confused, Tony walks back to his workshop. Clint is not one to give up, not even under threat of bodily harm. Something is up, he knows it. The victory, if there ever was one, tastes bitter on his tongue.

“Lockdown, J,” Tony says, relishing the safety of the workshop turning into his personal panic room with just one word from him.

Something is different, though. He cannot pinpoint what, but something is not right. Walking over to his desk, he looks at the mess of sketches and papers, seemingly unchanged from how he left them.

Following his instincts, he looks through the stacks, looking for clues since he is lacking any specific evidence. There. A small piece of paper falls into his hand. On it is a sketch of a bow and several arrow designs in addition to several notes and descriptions that are definitely not made in Tony’s handwriting.

Underneath all of that is written,

Since you’re successfully keeping my bow hidden, here’s what I’d like. Thanks.

P.S. I count this as a victory.

Unable to help himself, Tony laughs. So much for Clint not having come into the workshop. If anything, the explosion must have been a distraction after the fact. Clint’s endurance has to be admired.

Staring at the piece of paper, Tony sees the crude sketch coming to life inside his mind.

“JARVIS,” he says, turning towards the screen, “I’d say the war is not over, but I think Legolas deserves a little present to keep his motivation up. Let’s get to work.”

#iron man bingo 3000 #tony stark #clint barton #friendship #2012 avengers #pranks #air duct clint #whoever came up with that deserves a medal and a beating #not necessarily in that order #humor #fluff #my last bingo fill #i actually did it #my writing #ao3 #fanfiction

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deputy-dianablack · 5 years

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Peace, For Now

Happy 1st birthday to Far Cry 5! And a big thank you to Lexa, @edensgay, for organizing this birthday bash! I’m very new to fandom stuff and this was my first time really putting myself out there. This was so much fun.

Hi @the-insomniac-emporium! I’m your giftee! This was my first time writing for someone else’s OC and it was such a dream! Lilac is an amazing character! I hope I did her justice! This is a short, happy piece about Lilac making peace between Eden’s Gate and the Resistance! <3

Lilac’s leg bounced up and down as she waited for the Resistance Leaders to arrive. Lilac, the Father, John, Jacob, and even Faith were all standing on a bridge. Behind them stood a few select Chosen, including her siblings.. Just in case things went south. Which hopefully it wouldn't. Violence was not going to help the situation and Lilac was very against it. The bridge they stood on connected the Henbane and the Valley. They stood facing the Valley. The Resistance had been taking back most of the Valley so there were very few members left there. John wasn’t very happy about it. Especially when the Junior Deputy took his house. Lilac’s former job was a Deputy for the Hope County Sheriff's Office before she joined the Project at Eden’s Gate. This entire “war” was the worst possible thing that could have happened to Hope County. So many lives lost due to misunderstandings. It took weeks for Lilac to plan this and even get both sides to agree. Jacob took the longest to agree. He would have much rather “Captured and trained” the Resistance members. Which meant more violence. It was Lilac’s mission to show both sides that violence will not solve their problems. The Collapse is coming, Hope County is in shambles, and the days are getting shorter. There needs to be peace, or at least a ceasefire until the seasons change once again. She would make sure it happened.

The weather was amazing in the Henbane but it was easy to tell that things were changing. The usual overwhelming heat of the Henbane had been replaced with cool breezes and the crunching of leaves beneath the feet of John and Jacob as they paced around. The Father leaned against the cream colored pickup truck they arrived in. Faith stood by Lilac’s side staring off into space. Lilac stared straight ahead. Waiting and waiting. The sooner peace is made, the sooner everyone can relax and get a good night's sleep. Everyone has been tense lately with the rising power of the Resistance. Lilac can tell that it's starting to bother the Heralds and even the Father, himself. It’s why she organized this meeting. This war isn't good on anyone. It's doing no good to the people resisting or to Eden’s Gate. The violence needs to end.

At the sound of vehicles nearing, everyone stood at attention. The Resistance was approaching. 2 pickup trucks and 1 muscle car. The muscle car had to be the deputy's. The air grew thick with tension as they stopped their vehicles right before the bridge. Lilac recognized some people who were exiting the cars but it was difficult to tell from that far away. Whitehorse was there. A man wearing aviators and red. Lilac didn't know him but he must be important to the Deputy otherwise he wouldn't be here. She noticed that someone had caught Faith’s eye. A woman who had gotten out of the car with Whitehorse. She wore a hood and had beautiful dark skin.

“See someone you like?” Lilac joked to lighten the mood. All she got in return was a harsh glare from the girl in the white dress. She looked back at the Resistance and her eyes finally landed on the Junior Deputy. The cause of all this violence and mayhem. She was a tall woman. She carried herself with confidence but she looked tired. Even from across the bridge, Lilac could see that. Standing next to the Junior Deputy was none other than Joey Hudson. She heard rumors from other Eden’s Gate members that there was a romance between the two deputies but those were just rumors. Who has time for romance in the midst of this chaos?

“How is this going to go down, young Lilac?” The Father asked. This meeting is fragile and it could go wrong in the blink of an eye. Both sides are very aware of that which is why they brought backup. Lilac hopes no violence will come today. So she brought up the idea of just her starting out the ceasefire. After all, it was her idea.

“I’m going to go up there first and talk with the Junior Deputy. And if she wants to talk terms with you guys, I’ll tell you to come. This whole thing could fall apart if the wrong thing is said or people get too hot headed” Lilac looked to Jacob and John. They didn’t look to pleased with her attempted humor but they do nod.

Lilac turned towards the Resistance members. The Deputy stood staring right back at her. Hudson grabbed her arm and said something to her. The Deputy’s face remained unchanging. She was a tabula rasa of no emotions. A blank slate. She nodded her head and Hudson let go of her arm. The Deputy nodded her head towards Lilac and began walking forward. Lilac followed suit and went to go meet her in the middle. Every step forward felt like she had a ball and chain around her ankle. She had to do this. For her people. For Eden’s Gate.

“So. You want peace? Did those 4 agree with you as well?” said the Deputy before they even stood face to face.

“Yes. If anything, a ceasefire for all of winter. If we don’t make peace right here, right now, many will die.” Lilac responded. The tension between the two was heavy. So much was at stake. Maybe even their own lives.

“It seems now that more peggies are dying than my people. Is Joseph scared that he’ll lose his precious flock?” Sneered the Deputy, “So now he’s here, begging for a ceasefire?”

“He’s not here, standing right in front of you. I am. We all need this ceasefire to happen. We won’t survive the winter if we keep fighting like this. No matter the numbers, no matter the strength. We’re all losing people. And fast. Stopping this ‘war’ and putting down all of our guns is the only way we’re going to survive the Collapse” Lilac spoke.

“You know, none of us believe in that crap? Whatever Joseph thinks may or may not happen doesn't give him the right to kidnap, enslave, and kill innocent people” The Deputy retorted.

Lilac took a deep breath and kept trying, “None of us are innoce-”

“Oh don't give me that bullshit! People should not be ripped out of their homes and stuck in a chair, drowned in a river, or drugged up with some flower! It’s not right! What you're doing is not right!” She shouted, “How do you expect us to make peace if the people who you support are doing all of those things?”

“The ceasefire will have terms that both sides will have to agree to. The Father and the others agree with me. We need this peace to happen. Our people must live. As well as yours. All of this violence is pointless. We need to find a common ground and survive the winter and the Collapse. It’s coming very soon” Calmy spoke Lilac. But on the inside, she was shaking.

“The violence is pointless. But we didn't start this fight. Joseph Seed did. The second the first person was forcefully taken. He started this.” Spat the Deputy. She was obviously upset with the Father. Lilac would not lose hope. She will convince the Deputy that peace is what both sides want.

“I don’t agree with everything the Father says. You must know that. I just want this war to end. I want the violence to stop. And if you think for a second, you'll see that peace is necessary for us to survive. I used to be a Deputy. Like you. But I found my home with Eden’s Gate. And I know you found a home with your people. You and I can stop all the bloodshed. Right here, right now. Think about all the good it will do. It’s going to be hard at first for our communities to live together but eventually everything will even out. I know it will.” Lilac paused for a minute to let the taller woman think over it and continued, “Deputy. I'm not here to beg you and your people to stop fighting. It just became clear to me the danger that we’re all putting ourselves in by continuing this war so close to winter. If we can call a ceasefire just until winter’s over, I can settle for that too. It would be best to just stop the war right now. But a ceasefire would be just as good. I really think the best decision would be to let this happen. We all need the peace. To rest up, heal, grow, and have lives again. Ending this war would bring about a new time in Hope County. A danger free Hope County.”

The silence after Lilac’s final words was long and heavy. The Deputy was obviously thinking hard about what the hazel eyed girl was saying. And she thought long and hard. Lilac kept a calm composure but she was nervous. Very nervous.

After several minutes of dead silence, the Deputy sighed and spoke, much calmer this time, “I’m going to grab some people. You bring those 4 here.” She pointed behind Lilac. Obviously at the Father and the Heralds, “And we’ll talk terms of this ceasefire. I can’t promise complete peace but I can get you a ceasefire for the winter, most likely.”

Lilac visibly sighed with relief and agreed. Both women turned around and walked back to their respective groups. Lilac was thrilled. Peace even for a small time was still peace. Everyone will benefit from this. She couldn't be happier. Things were going so well. As she approached the leaders of Eden's Gate, she prepared to break the news.

Faith spoke first, “How’d it go?”

“Peace for the winter is most likely going to happen. We all just have to go make terms of the agreement and it’ll be settled. Remember, we need this to happen. So no threatening to brainwash anyone, Jacob. No drugs, Faith. John, just try and speak the least amount possible. And Father, let's pray for the best!” John scoffed and pretended to be offended from Lilac’s comment.

“Yes, we should all pray before we go make peace” Joseph spoke. The 5 of them held hands as the Father led them through a prayer. When they broke apart, Lilac turned and saw the Deputy was already waiting for her.

“Let’s go make peace and hopefully not end up in peaces!” She laughed at her own joke. No one else laughed with her. Lilac just shrugged her shoulders and kept walking.

“Just to make one thing clear, this is a peace meeting. So I have gotten all of my friends to leave their weapons back at the cars. Much to their dismay. I hope you did the same with those 4.” The Deputy spoke.

“Yes. We are all unarmed and ready to talk terms. We’ve also decided that it would be most fair for the first term to be made by you and your people as we are asking you for a ceasefire” Responded Lilac.

The Deputy seemed pleased with the response and said, “I know who you have with you. Joseph Seed and his siblings. Let me introduce you to who I have brought to talk peace. To my right, you will see Nick Rye and Tracey Lader. Two people who have been wronged by your people. And to my left you will see Sheriff Whitehorse, my boss and Joey Hudson. These people have been wronged specifically by two of yours. Faith and John. But all of them are willing to talk peace for their own reasons. So, the terms? Everything wrong the cult is doing to our people needs to stop. Tenfold. Cleansing, Brainwashing, Angel making. It all needs to stop. Our people don't want that. At all. That's our first term. Do you have one?”

“Stop blowing up my shrines” Faith.

“And my silos” John.

“Leave my wolf beacons alone.” Jacob.

“I think they just mean leave cult property alone for the time being” Lilac spoke for the group before glaring at the Heralds.

“Fine. That can be arranged. Our next term, everyone who is not already a member of your little cult will be left alone. Permanently. If they want to join, that is their choice. You will stop forcing people to join. Even if you say it's your duty to lead people through the end of the world. People still have free will. You will not take that away from them” Spoke the Junior Deputy. The Father didn't look to pleased with this next term. He and the Deputy got into a stare off. Trying to intimidate the other with just their eyes. Joseph eventually turned to Lilac and nodded.

“Okay. When you took back the packing facility, you also took a main food source for Eden’s Gate. Our next term is that your Resistance and Eden’s Gate members will share the food over the upcoming winter to ensure survival and show good spirit.” Lilac spoke with some attitude. It was clear to see that everyone was getting tense. The sooner this was over, the better. She’s trying to hurry things along.

“Fine. I’m sure we can manage that. Our last term is that when winter is over, we meet back here and discuss whether or not we will be returning to war with you and your posse. Until then, no cult stuff, leave our people alone, and try not to bother us. Do we have a deal?” The Deputy spoke and held out her hand for a handshake. A handshake which Lilac happily gave her. It was done. Peace had been made between to extreme enemies. The Heralds behind her all turned around and began walking back to the trucks. There was much work to be done now that there was a ceasefire. Orders had to be given and guns had to be turned in. Like the Heralds, the Deputy’s friends also turned around and walked away. Muttering under their breath. This was a ceasefire held together with hot glue, toothpicks, and a whole lot of hope. But it would have to work.

“Thank you for this, Deputy. We all need this peace. Hopefully it can last longer than just the winter.” Spoke Lilac, softly.

“This ceasefire is dangerous business. People are tense and this will be difficult to adjust to. You got what you wanted. This is peace. For now” And with that, the Deputy turned and walked back to her car where Joey Hudson was waiting for her. When the Deputy got close, Joey pulled her into a hug. It warmed Lilac’s heart. Despite them being enemies, love is a language that everyone can speak. And whether or not it was romantic, there was love between Hudson and her Deputy.

Lilac turned around and half skipped over to Faith and hopped into the truck. There was work to be done in the Henbane. And Lilac would be able to rest easy for the first time in a very long time. She brought peace to a county at war. She was happy.

#fc5birthdaybash #this was so much fun

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cass-chan12 · 7 years

Text

Closer than you think (part 2)

Fandom: Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Genre: Romance & Comedy Pairing: Adrienette, LadyNoir, Marichat, Ladrien Rating: K+ Type: Two-shot, (part one)

Summary: The person you're meant to be with might be right in front of you, all it takes is some searching.

Paris couldn’t have looked more beautiful than it did at dusk. The beautiful pinks and oranges lit the sky and the Eiffel tower shone in pride over the city. The city was looked after in more ways than others and made it peaceful to live in… well for some.

Due to the unfortunate circumstances of Hawkmoth living somewhere in the city, akuma incidents tended to occur a regular basis. But fear not! Ladybug and Chat Noir are the protectors of all Parisians!

Two partners with unique skills and good compatibility is definitely a recipe for a good team. But…

It makes it difficult when love is in the mix…

Due to some love struck craziness, Chat Noir had done something he should have never attempted to do, but the poor boy was at his wits end.

He found out Marinette Dupain-Cheng, is his very Ladybug.

It definitely came as a shock but it made so much sense and provided so much clarity, and it made him fall harder for her albeit it made her madder at him.

After that fateful day when he found out, he gave strong hints she knew him in her day to day civilian life and that she practically gave away her own cover and to top it off he refused to tell her who he was and made a game of the matter.

Marinette’s competitive side was unleashed but her temperament wasn’t as easy to control, especially when he mocked and teased, giving him the advantage.

One particular time after solving an akuma incident and the crowds had cleared around them, giving them a few minutes before reverting, he had started some jabs at her ego.

“Great job as always MariBug- Ooops! I mean Ladynette- Oh Sorry! No no, Ladybug…” He teased, trying to act clever in using new names.

She glared at him and turned her back to him preparing to leave until she heard his voice again.

“Why not stick around Bugaboo, it doesn’t matter if you revert after all~” he sang cheeringly.

She froze and gripped her yoyo hard.

She breathed in and out and whipped her yoyo across to swing away without saying anything, not to mention she was having a tough time not kicking his tail and killing him on the spot.

By the time she got home she was fuming. Jumping into her bedroom from the trapdoor Marinette released her transformation and didn’t give much time for Tikki when she started to rant and huff.

“What a relentless Ally Cat!” she seethed as she walked to her chaise and then to her computer, pacing back and forth.

“He was a little over the top…” Tikki admitted

“Not only that, he blabs my name, well half of it, as a joke and anyone could have been nearby!” Marinette collapsed onto her chaise and groaned unbecomingly.

Tikki floated over to her head and patted it sympathetically and heard Marinette pipe up again.

“What could he possibly gain from torturing me like this?” She grumbled.

“You know Chat Noir, he seems to like teasing you when he can, whether its puns or poor jokes.” Tikki sighed as she sat on her holders head.

“Well it has to stop, quite frankly I don’t like being beaten at this game of his. He said he knows me in real life so the question is who it is and how I can catch him…” Marinette brainstormed.

“I sure we’ll think of something Marinette. For now, you should start on your project for school. Hero’s need to do homework too.” The little polka dotted kwami lightly joked.

Marinette internally nodded and lifted herself off her chaise and headed to her desk to start her project for school.

She gave off a soft sigh “I hope tomorrow will get better.”

Tomorrow didn’t get better…

Anyone who knew how ‘graceful’ Marinette was in the morning would have not been surprised by her running, bumping and tripping she had to accomplish to make it to class on time.

With an exasperated sigh Marinette sat down at her seat just in time for class with her best friend smirking and shaking her head at her.

“Girl, how in the world did you make it here without breaking any bones? And I'm not talking about yours.” Alya said in her usual sassy tone.

Marinette rolled her eyes “I'm lucky I guess” she dryly joked.

A stifled laugh came from the class door and both girls looked up to see Adrien was the one making the sound. The two stared at him, with no emotion on their faces- confused to why Adrien thought Marinette’s sarcastic comment amused him.

He stared back and in a panic he faked a cough to pass off the first sound he made.

It seemed to work since Alya changed the subject.

Marinette tried to follow along with the new conversation at hand but she couldn’t focus. Sure on a day to day basis Adrien clouded her mind but today she found it particularly difficult to tear her eyes away from him sitting in front of her.

His head tilted to the side to look behind him and their eyes locked for a moment. Her eyes few back to Alya’s face pretending to pay attention.

She could only pray her cheeks weren’t as hot as she felt.

‘Why did he just look at me? He usually never turns around…’ she panicked internally.

That was the least of her troubles that day.

In science she fell asleep and Ms. Mendeleiev had been on her wits end and sent the sleepy girl to the Principals office… not to mention she got paired with Chloe again in Chemistry.

So far everything was in shambles and to Marinette’s detriment she definitely was not living up to Lady Luck as one would think.

It was almost time to head home in time to help her mother with dinner, which Marinette was eternally grateful for since she feels like she needs to end this day. As she was leaving the school grounds a familiar blonde popped up in front of her.

“A-A-Adrien!” she squawked by his sudden appearance.

He was smiling very charmingly, with or without his knowledge that reminded her of the emotion of smugness. But it didn’t end there, no, Adrien just had to stop her heart once more… but not in the way she was expecting

“Fancy meeting you here Marinette.” He joked, which was an occasional occurrence but then he winked at her and did the finder guns…

She blinked once. Twice.

‘Umm what?’ she almost said aloud.

Her lack of response panicked the blonde but kept his cool and spoke again.

“Sorry about what happened in class, I mean being paired with Chloe; I know she can’t be easy. Too bad you guys don’t have good chemistry…”

Marinette couldn’t stop herself but she rolled her eyes and huffed at the pun but instantly regretted doing it so gaudily.

Adrien oh so desperately wanted to call her out on her Ladybug side showing but controlled himself from doing so.

Marinette tried to play off her eye roll with an attempt to laugh at the joke her crush made but came out sounding awfully fake. Adrien could tell and tried to contain his own laughter.

“Sorry for the pun, I know a lot of people aren’t fans” Adrien apologised.

Marinette panicked “What- no no no! I-I love puns! I have a friend who can’t stop making them! Yours was funnier though! Yep!”

She groaned at herself and ceased speaking in general. And ‘I have a friend’ is used very loosely right now as she wants to strangle said friend till his miraculous runs out.

No. no, no she will not think about that cat now, certainly not when she’s in front of her school crush!

‘Who reminds me of Chat’ her mind whispered.

She screamed at herself internally ‘He does not! It was just the pun!’

“Uh Marinette?” Adrien called out.

Marinette broke of her trance and looked bewildered to Adrien; she was somewhat disgusted at herself for zoning out so badly. Her face did certainly make Adrien chuckle.

“The joke must have been bad if it sent your mind flying” he said and winked at her.

Her face, which was red already, felt hotter tenfold. And the wink could kill… thankfully she was a hero that could handle it… barely.

“But don’t worry” he continued “You pulled a very cute face”

Oh boy, scratch that last comment she was a goner.

Adrien didn’t realise his own comment before he said it and he himself was screaming internally.

‘Really? Cool it with the flirting, you don’t want her to find out by shameless seducing!’ he scolded himself.

Before she could make an audible sound Adrien leapt to his recovery “Anyway I’ll see you around!” he said and dashed off.

She still stood in place, mouth agape and face red, ready to die. She… just couldn’t believe her ears! Adrien… ADRIEN just called her cute?! She wished someone was videoing or something.

“Well that was worth snooping around for” a familiar voice called out.

Of course Alya would be nearby with her phone pointed at Marinette who was still inaudible and red.

“Marinette B-R-E-A-T-H-E.”

The Raven headed girl did as she was told and gasped for a large gust of air and breathed out as slowly as she could had.

“I… didn’t dream that right?” she whispered.

Alya smirked and waved her phone “Do you want the proof?”

Marinette let a free hand cover her face and lightly laughed “Maybe another time… I don’t think I can handle it right now”

Alya chuckled lightly and adjusted her bag “I’ll send it to you later then. In the meantime why don’t you walk by the park and cool down”

It was a good idea and Marinette certainly needed it.

Dusk was settling in and Tikki decided to take a nap in her purse. Perhaps with no one to talk to, she can sit in peace and sort out her thoughts. And with the park being right next door she can enjoy the whole sunset and return to help with dinner.

She sat on a bench under a lovely lush tree, enjoying the breeze sweeping through the leaves that refreshed Marinette along with the beautiful pink and orange sky calming her into tranquillity.

That was until a few leaves fell in front of her.

Her head turned upwards to see a naughty, very sly cat

“Still being a creep I see…” she sighed out.

“Still using that term I see” he countered with an impish grin.

Chat hopped down into the shadows by the bench and crouched down so no one could see him. She adjusted her body to face him but kept her body comfortable.

“Just how long are you going to torture me?” Marinette eyed her partner.

“You see it as torture, I see it as fun. And only until you find me, My Lady.”

Marinette snorted unladylike at his comment “You aren’t very easy to find Kitty. In fact I'm considering strangling you until your kwami comes out.” She jokingly threatened.

“Meowch I don’t want that to happen. So what? My charming personality not easy to spot?” he joked.

She laughed dryly “Hardly”

“Well I guess I should be blunt like the guy who made you blush redder than a cherry at school today” he teased.

On que her face went the cherry red he mentioned.

“You were eaves dropping?! How dare- Grr- I… I can’t believe you!” she almost yelled out loudly but kept it tapered in case someone was walking past.

“You could say I got a front row seat” he snickered.

Before she could speak or possibly hit him he spoke again “So was that purrhaps my competition?”

She was sooo ready to smack him but huffed at him “That is none of your business” she hissed.

The sneaky black cat leaped onto the bench next to Marinette and intertwined his hands behind his head casually “You can’t blame me for being a little jealous Bugaboo.”

She remained quiet at what he said. Chat Noir is and had always been a flirt but his recent actions of desperation to find out who she was screamed something else on his behalf. Did he really like like Ladybug? And knowing who she is now didn’t change his mind? Was that really what this all was?

“So you really do like me” she muttered.

He heard her though despite her quietness, and remained still.

“Wasn’t that always obvious?” He said back, feeling his cheeks heat up.

She raised her brow at him. ‘Well no not really’ she thought to herself. She always had thought he was a jokester and a silly flirt, she hadn’t ever thought it was because…

The revelation hit her and she felt awfully exposed. Her cheeks felt warm all of the sudden and thank the sun for hiding the red tones in her cheeks with its orangey sunset.

She coughed, recollecting herself “S-so then, now knowing your beloved lady is me, you h-haven’t changed your mind?” she stuttered

He smiled warmly at her that sent shivers down her spine, as if those green eyes had stared at her before somewhere else but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“It made things ten times better.” he grinned at her.

”In fact I feel so stupid for not putting it together sooner… the wit, the charm, the independency, the eyes, the freckles…” he chuckled “And overall, the ability to keep me wondering”

She was certain the sun couldn’t save her now with her blushing. Even her mind was screaming at her to stop.

She breathed loudly through her nose and caught his attention. She noticed that he also couldn’t hide his blush under his mask. So Chat Noir gets embarrassed too…

“And what about you, My Lady, what will you think of me when you find out my identity?” He asked barely audible.

Marinette looked to the suns last moments before setting, blinking slowly and tilting her head pondering.

“Well I guess I would be surprised since I apparently know you and I always assumed we never met out of costume…” she started.

“But I wouldn’t think less of you. You’re still my loyal, goofy, pun making, amazing partner and friend, I could never treat you less than that” she told him honestly.

He smiled at her words of endearment and couldn’t help but feel like he was floating on air.

And then her last words got him to think.

‘So there’s a chance you would treat me more than that?’ he thought

The sun finally set and Marinette sighed peacefully, she hadn’t thought her and Chat’s conversation would take such a usual turn from her trying to kill him to her complimenting him. Perhaps now that she had been so nice to him she could try getting some information out of him.

“I know what you’re thinking and nice try” Chat playfully said interrupting her thoughts.

‘Darn cat’ she cursed

He got up and brought his baton from his belt “Well time for me to dash Princess. Till next time” he saluted and vaulted towards the building.

“Till next time ally cat”

‘He might be closer than you think’ Marinette kept chanting to herself the following day

She hadn’t intended to think about him the whole night but Chat Noir plagued her thoughts and not in a good way. For the most part she was thinking about the fact that he liked Ladybug and her, not just one side of her but both…

Quite a number of times she had to pat away the red in her cheeks…

Never… never had she blushed about Chat Noir… but his sincerity was just so appealing at the time. No jokes, no teasing, just him speaking from the heart and she couldn’t get it out of her mind.

With her mind muddled up, Marinette hadn’t realised she walked into her last class of the day which was chemistry.

She snapped out of her trance and sat at her desk where Chloe was supposed to be at too since she was her new partner.

Marinette scowled in her seat without realising until the moving of the chair next to her caught her attention. Her bright blue orbs turned to look at Chloe but instead found a set of eyes that belonged to another.

Adrien’s eyes to be exact.

“Morning Marinette” he greeted

“H-Hi… uhhh what are you-?”

“I spoke to Miss Mendeleiev about swapping partners. I had Sabrina so I figured her and Chloe would get along as partners. I hope you don’t mind.” He explained

Her brain felt like it imploded… she was going to be his partner for the rest of the term? She wanted to pinch herself!

But at the same time her mind figured Chloe must be awfully mad that she’s Adrien’s lab partner and not her.

She forgot Adrien asked her a question and quickly answered his question before she seems rude “No, no I don’t mind!” she squeaked.

“Morning Mari” Alya’s voice called from behind her.

Adrien smiled at her and proceeded to write up some notes while the girls chatted.

Alya’s face turned devilish and bent down to Marinette’s ear “Chloe caused quite a ruckus earlier, wanting to swap Sabrina for Adrien. But Miss Mendeleiev put her in her place”

Marinette figured as much and cast her eyes to a glaring Chloe who flicked her ponytail arrogantly.

Marinette rolled her eyes and looked back at Alya “Great, I'm probably going to have to deal with her later aren’t I?”

“I'm sure it’s worth it though” Alya winked.

Before Marinette could respond Miss Mendeleiev entered the class and had assigned experiments.

Adrien smiled towards her “So new partner, why don’t we make this term Fluorine Uranium Nitrogen?”

Marinette blanked “Uh…”

Adrien laughed at her expression “You know… FUN.” He snickered again.

Marinette wasn’t sure how to react but released a half-hearted laugh “Wow…” she said without realising.

“Sorry Marinette,” Adrien laughed “I tell bad Chemistry jokes because all the good ones Argon”

“Oh my god…” Marinette huffed out of control and quickly slapped her hand over her mouth.

“Don’t worry! That is people’s reaction to chemistry jokes” Adrien laughed again.

Marinette laughed along too, not at the joke but how bad it was “Please stop, it hurts” she pleaded with a sheepish grin.

Adrien smiled ‘Finally she opened up’

“Adrien, Marinette, less yapping and more working!” miss Mendeleiev yelled from the front.

The two snapped back to work without hesitation but secretly peeked at one another.

And that’s how the whole hour went, just her, Adrien and very, very bad Chemistry jokes. For the first time in the history of ever, Marinette wanted to strangle Adrien Agreste.

Was that even possible?

Yes, yes it was, especially when he would relentlessly shower her with lame jokes.

For instance, he asked her pass a beaker in which she said ‘Kay’ and he’d reply ‘Well Potassium to you too’

Or when she wrote down the wrong formula he said ‘I Zinc that’s wrong’

And so on and so forth.

What she found the most odd about her day, was that she felt more like herself around the boy who made her act like a babbling idiot. How long would it last though… when she would look at him, even just a glance, she felt all those anxieties come back.

She wishes she could be herself like she was when she was around Chat, she wishes she could be good friends with Adrien like she is with Chat.

She frowned without realising it ‘That mangy cat always finds his way back into my mind’

The bell rang and broke her thoughts, she sighed in relief as it was the end of the day… a very long day.

“See you tomorrow Marinette” Adrien smiled brightly at her before exiting the class.

“S-see you to-tomorrow!” She called out

When he left the class she groaned and covered her face in her hands and felt the sympathetic pat of Alya.

“Why is it so hard to talk to him? I was doing so well during class…” she fake cried.

Alya’s interest peaked “What did you do differently during class?”

“Well the thing is that I didn’t do anything… Adrien started acting differently…” Marinette frowned to herself again in confusion.

“He kept telling lame Chemistry jokes and puns and I couldn’t help but laugh or scoff at them. I can’t believe he saw that side of me,” Marinette suddenly panicked at her realisation.

“Did he react badly to your reactions to the jokes?” Alya asked

“I guess not” Marinette whispered

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. Your dislike for it maybe spurred him on to make more… Wow he’s not the sweetheart we painted him as.” Alya said in a humoured tone.

‘He did have a mischievous look in his eyes… Ugggh! This makes no sense!’

It really didn’t, Marinette couldn’t really think straight from the start of the class and well for the remainder of the time.

‘I need to clear my head’

And so she did, after she waved Alya off, Marinette transformed and took to the roofs of Paris. She leapt further and higher and swung faster with every thrust of her yo-yo. This was how she’d clear her mind, feeling the wind in her face and letting adrenaline coarse through her body. Her mind travelled to a simple and peaceful state were only she would be found.

Being Ladybug gave her that freedom, that indescribable fleeting feeling that she loves so much. Being Marinette is amazing but being Ladybug was equally as enchanting in such a different way.

The Hero in polka dots landed on top of Notre Dame and released a shaky breath of exhaustion. She didn’t particularly like the part where her adrenaline wore off and she was left exhausted.

She stepped near the edge and breathed in as much as she could from the familiar view she had fallen in love with so long ago. So high and secluded, her mind felt completely at ease. Until…

“Thought I’d find you here Miladybug” Chat’s voice said from behind her.

She gave him a deadpanned face without her knowledge.

“Everything okay?” he asked cautiously.

She snapped out of the facial expression and gave him a confused one “Yeah, just… needed fresh air. Chemistry class took a lot out of me today” she answered partially truthfully.

‘More like Adrien confusing me…’ she thought.

“Did your teacher tire you out? Lab partner?” he asked

“NO!” she answered too quickly.

“I-I mean no, Adrien couldn’t tire me out. He did confuse me today though” she said without thinking.

‘What am I saying? This isn’t something you should be discussing with Chat!’ she scolded herself.

“Oh?” Chat said surprised “How so?”

“Nothing to worry about” she answered again quickly, trying to dismiss the topic.

“Oh c’mon, he obviously got a reaction out of you” he punned playfully.

She snapped and was prepared to raise her voice.

“Oh my God you sound just-!”

Wait…

Time seemed though it slowed down.

And the more the realisation came to her the faster time sped.

Chat Noir’s eyes constricted at his mistake and wrapped his own hand around his mouth which was clearly not going to help him now.

Marinette could only stare at him in a mixture of shock, anger, happiness, relief and pure… pure realisation.

“-just like him… Adrien?” she breathed out.

He could only stare at her. He thought this moment would be… less tense. He pictured running into his arms and boom! Happily ever after! But he couldn’t quite comprehend how his heart was ready to shatter if she rejected him.

She wasn’t sure what to think until her brain recalled all the times they had been heroes together…

“A-all this time…” she mustered some words out in which Adrien became more anxious.

‘All those flirts, patrols, him jumping in front of me all the time… oh my- I kissed him during the Dark Cupid incident! This… this can’t be real!’

“Marinette, don’t be mad” Chat asked walking towards her, looking so… worried and sad.

The masked hero let out a shaky breath, forgetting her own anxieties, and looked to her partner who looked as if she pulled a knife on him. She knew full well of his fear of being rejected. In the end did he really want to be found out?

“Silly cat,” she breathed out, still comprehending what’s going on in front of her and forgetting everything that made her worry.

“Remember what I said? I wouldn’t think- I couldn’t think less of you.” She shakily spoke

“R-really? You don’t hate me?” He looked down at his feet

“N-never!” She took a step closer to him

‘You just happen to be the boy I have a crush on’

…

“W-what?” Adrien choked out.

Marinette’s face turned either pale or burning red.

“D-did I s-say that out… out…loud?” she managed to say.

He nodded slowly and looked to the ground again but not in sadness but in disbelief.

‘I want to die. I want to die. I WANT TO DIE’ she screamed internally.

“So… do you only like Adrien?” he asked in a monotone voice.

Her thoughts of how she wanted to die died… pun intended and she focused on Adrien.

Her heart soared at that moment and she could only do what she’s been afraid to do all this time.

“I thought I did… until an ally cat kept sneaking his way into my mind.” She mumbled due to her embarrassment.

He could hear her perfectly though and his heart felt like combusting with joy.

The several steps that separated them were being filled by Adrien, slowly but fast enough to send Marinette’s heart into her throat and nearly choking her.

Only a step separated them and Marinette couldn’t move, she could only look into familiar green eyes that looked at her so fondly and lovingly.

‘What is he going to do’ she panicked

In a swift move, Adrien’s arms wrapped around Marinette’s small frame and encaged her in warmth and his head tucking itself in the crook of her neck.

He didn’t forcefully grab her and trap her, no, the right words were soft and gentle and dare Marinette think- blissful.

“If you want me to let you go, say so.” He whispered but at the same time also desperately asking her not to say no.

She didn’t; she instead had raised her own arms and wrapped them around him. Hugging him back felt so natural and it felt better than any adrenaline she could muster up jumping from building to building.

Adrien’s heart swelled at her returning the hug. But he yearned for more…

He lifted his head and leaned back to look at her.

She looked up at him, her eyes bold and blue and certainly curious. Her cheeks were bright red and making her look absolutely adorable.

“Marinette… I want to kiss you” he whispered.

Her whole face turned red and she had immediately averted her eyes from his.

“I won’t if you don’t want to” he quickly added.

She looked up at him quickly “I-it’s not that I d-don’t want to” she interjected “It’s just…uh… it’s m-my first-”

“It’ll be mine too” he smiled and reassured her.

She stared at him, feeling anxious and so unbelievably happy at the moment. She bit her lip out of habit which didn’t help Adrien contain himself.

“I-I want to kiss you too” she confirmed.

He smiled and leaned down slowly until their lips met in a sweet and pure first kiss.

She couldn’t keep her eyes open at all; her thoughts were drowned by the feeling of Adrien’s lips on her.

First kisses were exactly what they are set out to be- a learning curve, a new sensation, a burst of affection. The kiss was short but the two felt like it had been longer and wished it would last longer but they slowly separated, both flushed and very embarrassed.

Marinette started to giggle all of the sudden which caused Adrien to raise his eyebrow at her playfully.

“And what is so funny, Milady?”

She stopped her giggling “I just realised something… You also gave away your identity! And with a stupid chemistry pun too!” she giggled again loudly.

He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Looking at his lady, his Marinette giggle at him and return his feelings. He couldn’t feel any happier right at this moment.

“Chemistry puns are not stupid! They are the cat’s meow!” he grinned.

“And now you’re lumping in your cat puns, how pawful” she deadpanned.

“See my lady, we are meant to be” he grinned.

She only rolled her eyes at him. And let her mind wonder again,

‘To think this dork of a cat had been sitting right in front of me in class this whole time’

‘He was closer than I thought’

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