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lovemeleo · 3 years

Note

hii! could you write some o'knutzy fluff?

hey anon, hope you’re doing well and hope you enjoy this little bit of o’knutzy fluff! o’knutzy of course belongs to @lumosinlove.

***

Moving to a completely new part of the country is extremely difficult. Not only are you miles and miles from where you called home for so long, but you’re away from your friends and family too. That was so difficult for Leo. Being in a different climate was extremely hard as well. Gryffindor was extremely different from New Orleans, where the lowest they got during winter was the 40s.

One of the biggest struggles Leo had was the lack of plants. This probably sounded weird, coming from a hockey player but ever since he was little, Leo loved growing things. He loved getting to put a little seed in the ground, watch it grow, and take care of it. It was even better when he got to use what he grew afterward. Leo loved growing different types of peppers, tomatoes, but he loved just growing regular plants as well. Whenever he wasn’t working, in school, or practicing, he could be found in the garden, fingers deep in the fresh dirt.

Sadly when he moved to Gryffindor and in with Finn, he had to give up his garden. They didn’t have a yard, and even if they did, it would be hard to have anything outside with the rapidly changing weather. His mom had been taking care of his garden back home, sending pictures but it wasn’t the same.

After showing his boys his garden when they visited his home, the two began formulating a secret plan. It was obvious their boyfriend missed his garden, missed the plants. It started with lots of research and planning. Finn and Logan spent so much time on gardening websites, asking experts questions, months of looking through plants that would be able to live in their area.

“We need to make sure they’re the plants that can live within Gryffindor,” Finn murmured, biting at his thumbnail as they scrolled through a local greenery’s website.

Logan’s hand came up, pulling the older boy’s hand from his mouth as he looked over the plants, “Stop biting, you’re gonna bleed. And we can do some pepper plants. Tomatoes. Maybe some garlic, that’d be cool.”

Nodding, Finn added the plants to their cart, “The planter we bought has two levels. So we could do one level with like food plants and one with just regular plants? We’ve got that Fiddle Leaf Fig or whatever, and a couple of others. I think that’ll be good.”

“With the food ones, I think we should just buy the seeds and leave spots open. Leo might want to plant them himself.” Logan said, adding some seed packets to their cart before they paid.

Leo had left to go home that morning for his mom’s birthday, planning to be back Sunday morning. It was now Friday afternoon and the two boys planned to have Leo’s garden ready when he got home.

Their order wasn’t ready until Saturday, so as soon as the greenery opened the next day, the boys went and picked it all up. After getting all the plants as well as the needed supplies to their apartment, Logan and Finn got to work. They had purchased an indoor garden that stacked with two shelves that were spread enough to let the bottom shelf still grow tall.

It took them almost all day to get it all set up. For the food shelf, they filled it with dirt but left the seed packets to the side. The other shelf was filled with different plants that had purified the air as well as some that just looked nice. The boys set up next to their balcony window so it could get sunlight.

Finn let out a sigh of relief as they looked over their finished product, “Well, fuck that was a lot. Don’t know how Leo used to do that every day, especially in the heat. Probably all tan… and sweaty.” His face took on a bit of a dreamy look before Logan swatted at him.

“Now is not the time for that, Harz. We still gotta clean up before gets home tomorrow.”

A whine was Finn’s only reply as they started to clean, getting the extra dirt off the floor and putting away the additional supplies in their storage closet.

After a quick shower, both boys stumbled to their bedroom, crawling into bed.

“It’s weird sleeping in here when one of us is missing,” Logan mumbled, his face already pressed into Leo’s pillow. Finn nodded into his back, his head resting against the soft skin of Logan’s shoulder as he closed his eyes.

“He’ll be back tomorrow. Then we can show him the surprise,” Finn said softly, pressing a kiss to his neck as he pulled Logan closer. “Sleep now.”

The boys were up early the next morning, getting the house was ready. They had to be at the airport to pick Leo up at 10 am and wanted to make sure everything was in order when he got home.

“I’m gonna throw the laundry in the dryer and then we can head to the airport,” Logan yelled to Finn who was picking up the kitchen. And by picking up, he was mostly tossing out empty to-go containers. Not much cooking got done when Leo was gone.

As soon as the last container was tossed, Finn was pulling on his jacket, “Alright, let’s go. Don’t want our sunshine out in the cold for too long.” Logan was following not long after, grabbing his keys and wallet before they were out the door.

Luckily for them, traffic wasn’t bad and they made it just in time; Leo walked out the airport doors as they pulled up.

“It’s unfair how fucking tan he is.” Finn huffed, a pout on his face but anyone could tell he loved how tan Leo got, especially when he went home.

A grin lit up Leo’s face as soon as he saw them, quickly walking to the car and climbing in the backseat, “Hello, mes amours. Missed you.” He said, quickly leaning forward to press a kiss to each of their cheeks as Logan headed home.

“We missed you more, mon soleil. How was your mom’s birthday?” Logan asked, unable to stop himself from glancing back at their boyfriend through the rearview mirror. Fuck, he really did look good.

Leo smiled, resting his head back on the headrest, “Good, very good. She sends her love to the both of you.”

“But more to me, right? I’m her favorite, non?” Logan said with a grin, glancing at the redhead next to him.

Finn shoved him, almost causing Logan to swerve, “That was before she met you. Now she knows what a shit you are.”

The car was filled with the sounds of their scuffle as Logan tried to fight Finn back while also keeping their car on the road. Leo couldn’t help the fond smile that spread on his face as he watched the two of them. Yeah, he had missed this.

When they got home, Logan and Finn turned to look at him as they got to their front door. Leo raised an eyebrow as he looked between the two of them, “What are y’all looking at it? Sorta creepy just staring at me like that…”

“We have a surprise for you,” Finn said, unable to stop the happy bounce as Logan opened the door. And there it was. His new little garden right in front of their big balcony window.

“W-what?” Leo said, eyes wide as he took in the new addition to their apartment.

Logan bit his lip nervously, “So we saw how much you loved your garden in New Orleans, and we wanted you to have one here…”

“So we decided to make your own little garden. The ones that are already planted are just like regular plants? Some of them purify the air, but others we just got cause we thought they looked pretty.” Finn continued, his anxious excitement causing him to ramble a bit. “We left the other shelf empty because we figured you might want to plant the food ones yourself, but we got a bunch of seeds!”

Leo walked forward, his fingers running gently over the edge of the garden shelves, “I can’t believe you guys did this for me...” He felt his vision blur a bit as he looked up at his boys, wiping at the tears that were forming as his face split into a massive grin. “You guys are too good to me.”

Quickly pulling the other two for a group hug, Finn held the two of them close, “Well, Nutter Butter, you deserve all of the good things.”

All of the planning, research, and digging in the dirt was all so worth it to see that blinding smile on Leo’s face. They’d do it million times, again and again, to keep it there.

#o’knutzy #leo knut #logan tremblay #finn o’hara #lumosinlove #sweater weather #coast to coast #fluff #fic writing #fic writer #soft hockey boys #anon ask #anon prompt

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 3 years

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[against all odds, your hand is in mine] [1/4]

Seasons change, and with each comes a different story. In a world where the dead roam around, romantic companionship seems unlikely. Yet Ericson stands, and within it are four couples who are proof that it's possible.

Spring: Briolet | flowers, picnics, blueberries, running river

Read on AO3

Notes: Sometimes I get the urge to write four oneshots over the course of two days. This is the first of those oneshots. It’s briolet in spring, but be careful: there is so much hand holding and some smooches. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

[screenshot used is from the lovely @pi-creates]

---

Brody pricks her finger again. It's easy to avoid that, but she doesn't have a thimble, and her hands refuse to stop trembling.

No blood, and really, it didn’t even hurt. It more startled her, a bit of panic sparking in her gut at the idea of staining the martial and ruining her project. She stops her work to rest her hands and the fabric in her lap, closes her eyes, and sucks in a deep breath. It does little to calm her nerves or her impatience.

“Don’t rush,” she mumbles to herself, readjusting her position on the bed. She crosses her legs and notices a long strand of thick, pale blue thread stuck to her pants. Great, she needed that color an hour ago to finish one of the flowers.

Doesn’t matter now, the floral design is complete and all she has left is to sew the pieces together. If she can finish soon, there’ll be more than enough time to clean up, gather the basket she made up the night before, and head down to the greenhouse. Violet should still be there.

Brody smiles, setting down her needle and holding the handmade eyepatch in her hands. She rubs a thumb over one of the little white flowers. She embroidered them just this morning, a final touch to the overall design. That feeling strikes her gut again, exciting her nerves.

The idea came to her one night after Violet found her in the common room. It was late at night, and the two shared a blanket on the couch and drank tea. Violet's ruined eye was covered with bandages despite being healed over. No one was able to find her an actual eye patch. The best they found was a plastic one used for a children’s pirate costume, so she kept it bandaged.

Violet never complains about it. She considers the bandages her patch, even though they're not the most comfortable to wear every day.

Brody decided at that moment that she would make her one. She tore through her closet the next morning, sorting through old shirts until she found one she never wore. Taupe in color, a thicker material, something she could easily work with.

Though she had no idea how eyepatches were made, figuring those things out came easy to Brody. She made several patterns, testing each one out on scraps until one worked. From there, it was all about creating a design should could see Violet wearing. It wasn't difficult- sewing and embroidery work came easy to her.

A family thing that stuck, she assumes.

Her grams used to do embroidery and cross-stitching work. She made a living off sewing intricate designs, all more beautiful than any painting. If Brody closes her eyes, she can still see the doorway into her gram’s cabin. The framed design of a flowery cottage with a stone path, rural trees and a cloudless sky hung up on the wall. Her gram’s final masterpiece. She worked on it for months, pouring every ounce of love she had into each stitch. It was something Brody admired every time she walked through that doorway.

She learned to hunt and skin animals from her dad and uncles, and sewing from her grams. Best of both worlds, she supposes. Two skills that became handier than she would’ve ever thought at the time.

Though her flowers weren’t as flawless as her gram’s once were, she still put her heart into each stitch just as she did. She hopes that when Violet sees it, she’ll feel the unspoken words Brody threaded through the fabric.

Purple, white, and blue flowers of all sizes, each with a yellow french knot in the center, standing bright against the muted taupe. She sewed a thicker piece beneath it, used a tiny bit of stuffing from an old, ripped pillow to give it some comfortable cushion. A piece of a silky shirt lines the inside so Violet’s skin won’t get agitated while wearing it.

After weeks of work, all she has left to sew is the straps she made. She had no way to measure the fit for Violet’s head since she wanted this to be a surprise, so she figured she could make them extra long enough to tie comfortably while wearing. If she needed to adjust anything, she could do that later.

Brody picks her needle back up.

It doesn’t take long to finish, even with her forcing herself to take her time.

With triumph, Brody sticks her needle back into its rightful container and hops off her bed, singing, “Ta-daah~ !”

Her mind is all over the place. Wrap up the patch-- does she have a box or even a bag?-- and hide it at the bottom of the woven basket she found in the basement, stuff the blanket in as much as she can so the two cups don’t clank together, and start boiling water for tea-- where the hell did she put the jar of blueberries?

She flicks a match to light the heater she borrowed from Clementine, letting the water come to a slow boil as she searches around for the mason jar. It’s right under her nose, of course, sitting in plain sight on her shelf.

With the greenhouse running smoothly and the trading they’ve done with the traveling caravan that comes around, they're able to plant seeds for several different fruits and vegetables. This week, they finally got their first bunch of blueberries in. She managed to pick a bunch and seal them away in a jar yesterday without Violet noticing. She thought they’d make for a refreshing picnic snack to pair with tea.

Brody’s been planning this picnic for a while now, all while she was working and spring came to chase the cold away. Her favorite time of year where it’s finally warm, but cool enough to not overheat everything. Grass grows greener, flowers bloom all over the place, the river flows, and the sun shines bright in the sky most days. Other days, like yesterday, it rains. She was worried it would rain today as well, but there isn’t a cloud in the sky today.

She lets the tea steep in a large mug and squeezes what she can from an old container of mostly crystallized honey. When it’s cooled down enough, she pours it slow and steady into an empty water bottle. Sure, they can’t have iced tea given they have no way to actually make ice once winter ends, but lukewarm tea would be just as good.

Basket in hand, Brody looks out her window one last time before leaving the dorms. With every step she takes, she grows closer to the greenhouse and her heart thumps gaily against her ribs.

Outside, everyone is out and about, enjoying the warm weather. AJ and Tenn color together at the table while Mitch works on sharpening his favorite knife. Willy sulks on the couch beside him with Ruby attending to his bleeding knee. She's going on about him needing to be more careful.

Clementine and Louis sit on the steps leading into the admin building. She sits a step lower, leaning back into his chest as the two talk. Brody waves at them as she passes, and Louis gives her a knowing grin when he eyes the basket.

It’s not a long walk to the greenhouse from there. She stops when she notices the wildflowers growing by the fence of the rabbit coop. Bees buzz around the white flowers, landing in their yellow centers. She hates to disturb them, but these flowers were part of her inspiration when designing Violet’s eyepatch. They're too perfect not to pick. She shoos away a fat bumblebee with pollen sticking to its little black legs, and gathers eight of the flowers, leaving plenty for the rest.

A simple bouquet, if she could even call it that, but it works.

Once inside, the fresh scent of wet soil and leafy greens hits her. Not as refreshing as the sweet air outside, but still, it fills her lungs with warmth. Or perhaps that sensation is from seeing Violet standing beside Omar, watering what Brody believes are the potatoes.

Most of her hair pulls back into a hair tie, apart from the bangs that fall over her forehead and bandages. She hasn’t had a haircut in a while, letting it grow long enough past her shoulders. A surprise, actually. Violet hasn’t had long hair since they were kids.

Not that Brody was complaining- she likes it very much.

Violet breaks her attention from the potatoes to meet her gaze. She grins, and yes, that warmth is definitely from her. Omar continues on about some sort of new stew he wants to try making, only stopping when he notices he’s lost Violet’s attention.

“Everything doin’ okay in here?” Brody asks.

Violet gives a shrug. She sticks her hand out to run along the wooden planter to steady herself. She meets Brody halfway, replying with, “Eh, nothing too exciting. Willy biffed it while watering the rabbits this morning, but other than that...”

“He about crushed one of the babies,” Omar adds with a shake of his head. “More upset about that than he was about his skinned knee.”

“Aw, poor little guy,” Brody laughs. “That why he looked so miserable when I passed him?”

“Probably. He tried to catch it to apologize, but it was too quick even for him, and Ruby didn’t want him getting a bunch of muck all over him with an open wound, so…”

Apologizing to a baby bunny that they’re eventually going to eat? Sounds like Willy, Brody thinks. But never mind that, she has more important things than rabbits.

She reaches out to grab Violet’s free hand, her lips involuntarily curling into a bright smile as she asks, “Are you almost finished ?”

“Yeah,” Violet says, raising a questioning brow. “Why?”

“We’re going on a picnic!”

Violet pauses, only now noticing the basket in Brody’s grasp.

“We are?”

“We are!”

“That’s news to me.”

Brody lets go of her hand to present her with the flowers. Violet stares at them for a moment as her skin flushes, starting at her neck and blooming along her cheeks. If Omar weren’t standing over there, Brody would lean over and kiss that lovely blush.

“And where exactly would we have a picnic?”

“By the river. Already got a spot in mind.”

Violet holds the flowers close to her chest and clears her throat. She glances back at Omar, and says, “Uh, I don’t-”

“Go ahead,” he interrupts with a wave of his hand. “I can take care of the rest. Go have your picnic, be careful. And Brody,” he points to her, putting on a stern voice, “have her home by eight, and don’t have too much fun.”

Brody laughs.

“Yes, sir!”

Violet shakes her head, but her smile betrays her amusement.

“Well, okay, I guess we’re going on a picnic. There better be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in there... that's what people eat on picnics, right?”

“Yeah, but no. Close, though.”

Locking their hands together once more, Brody leads Violet out of the greenhouse and through the gates. Soon, they’re outside the walls of Ericson. Heading down the path, she makes sure to keep watch out for any obstacles to warn Violet about.

Brody knows that Violet’s other eye works perfectly well, but given that her depth perception isn’t what it used to be, she can’t help but be extra careful. She used that excuse to hold Violet’s hand before they were together, both still recovering from their respective injuries. Better safe than sorry, use the buddy system, and that system requires hand-holding. Brody didn’t make the rules.

“Never been on a picnic before,” Violet breaks the silence.

“No? Not even before?”

“No.”

“We used to go out on picnics to eat and play games all the time. Me, my grandma, my daddy and uncles, cousins- if it was warm out, we were out.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Most times it was,” Brody says, giving Violet’s hand a squeeze. “ Just because those days are gone doesn’t mean we can’t do that kinda stuff now, y’know?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Though there are more walkers around than there were back then.”

“True, but that shouldn’t be a big issue today,” Brody smiles. “I asked James to check the area and he collected the walkers he found. The river should be clear.”

Even without looking at her, she can sense her surprise. Violet’s quiet for a moment, turning her head to peer around them before saying, “You planned this.”

It’s not a question, but more of a realization.

“I thought this was a spur of the moment thing,” Violet admits. “I, uh…”

When she doesn’t continue, Brody says, “ Not many opportunities to take you out on a date,” the word makes Violet blush and repress a smile, “and when one does arise, you bet your bottom dollar I’m gonna take it .”

Violet says nothing more, but her grip on Brody’s hand tightens.

They make it to the river without spotting a single walker. She kept her knife handy in case, but James was thorough, it seems. Brody makes a note to thank him again for helping her out.

The running water is soothing and the grass colors with golden dandelions. It’s nice to be down here without the intention of working up a sweat while fishing, she thinks. They find a flat piece of grass, kicking rocks, sticks, and pinecones out of the way to lay the blanket down. Together they sit side by side with the basket between them.

Rubbing her hands together, Brody digs in to pull everything out. Except for the eyepatch. It remains, wrapped in a pillowcase she found. Hopefully Louis won’t notice she snuck it from his horde of pillows.

“Alright, we got tea and blueberries,” Brody says, handing one mug to Violet and opening the mason jar of berries. Their sweet scent escapes into the air, making her mouth water.

“How’d you manage to sneak these past Omar?” Violet asks, popping a blueberry into her mouth. Her face twists at the taste, and for a moment Brody worries they might be sour, but Violet shakes her head. “They’re good, just not used to that.”

By now the tea is completely cooled, and while not cold, still delightful to sip on.

“Open wide,” Violet says, holding up a blueberry. It misses Brody’s mouth, bouncing off her chin. Violet laughs. “Pfft, c’mon.”

“Okay, okay, I’m ready, try again.”

Another miss.

“Aww, nope!”

“Well, let's see you try!”

Brody throws up a berry, and Violet misses it completely.

“Damn depth perception,” she grins, grabbing the berry and tossing it up herself. It hits her cheek, lost to the grass. “Damn it!”

Violet’s laugh, while rare, is as bewitching as it is infectious. It’s been so long since Brody heard her laugh like this, and to know that they’re here together, comfortable together…

Emotion builds in her throat, and she has to eat berries to suppress it. She aims the blueberry just right, and Violet catches it this time. As she chews, they both let out victorious giggles.

Once the laughter dies down, Violet brings her knees to her chest as she watches the river.

“Think we’re missing out on a fish haul?” she asks.

“Nah,” Brody pulls the basket closer to look inside, biting her lip as she runs her fingers over the covered patch. “And if we are, I’m sure the traps’ll make up for it.”

Should she do it now? They did just get here, did she want to surprise her early, or…?

Brody grabs a flower instead, bringing it up to her nose to inhale the soft scent. An idea occurs to her as she admires the girl before. Scooping up the flowers, Brody breaks off most of the stems. The flower slips in through Violet’s hair, right where the hair tie is.

Violet jerks her head around to look back, but Brody says, “Don’t move.”

“What are you-?”

She doesn’t need to answer the question, she merely secures a few more flowers within the light strands of hair before leaning back to admire her work. She even tucks one behind her own ear so they match.

Violet remains quiet, but lays her hand on Brody's. A silent, content thank you.

Brody doesn’t know how long they sat there watching the river, sipping tea, and listening to the birds chirp from the trees . A small butterfly flutters by them, and for a moment, Brody forgets the world around them. Forgets the walkers, forgets Ericson, too swept up in the way the warm air blew against her skin, in how Violet’s hand felt in hers, and the strange sense of wonder, a desire to kick off her shoes and run through the river.

It took Violet kissing the back of her hand to break her out of it.

Violet grew sheepish, glancing away as if she needed to come up with an explanation for the kiss, and that was it.

“Vi,” she started, pulling her around to face her. “I have- I made ya somethin’.”

The nervous pounding in her chest thumps in her ears as she reached back into the basket, pulling out the pillowcase.

“Aw, from Lou’s stash,” Violet grins, amused. “You shouldn’t have.”

“No, no, not the pillowcase,” Brody fidgets with it until she finds what she’s looking for. Her thumb brushes over the flowers beneath the thin material. With a deep breath, she goes for it. “Listen, I’ve been thinkin’ a lot about you. Us... just everything, and- Remember that night we stayed up in the common room talkin’? I thought… well, I wanted to do this for you.”

Brody hands her the pillowcase. Not once does she take her eyes off Violet’s face, noting the curiosity and confusion playing in her features as she accepts the gift.

The eyepatch is finally brought out into the sunlight, laying in Violet’s palm.

Neither of them speaks. Violet’s lips part, eye widening.

Brody lets the air out of her lungs slow, and then the words spill from her lips before she can stop them.

“We couldn’t find you anything to wear other than that stupid costume patch, and I know you said you didn’t mind the bandages but then I got to thinkin’ ‘bout how bandages might not always be the comfiest-”

“Brody…” Violet’s voice is quiet, trembling as it breaks.

“-and I want you to be comfortable in somethin’ that you like, so I made this for you- the whole thing, hand sewed it myself. I- but y’know, if it’s maybe too much- I wasn’t sure if it might bring too much attention and you wouldn’t like that-”

She’s cut off when Violet practically throws herself at her, burying her face in the crook of Brody’s neck and holding her tight. Brody doesn’t hesitate. She embraces her back, pressing a hand to cradle her head.

“I… don’t know what to say,” Violet's voice quivers.

“You like it?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s enough.”

Violet pulls back, and without warning, her hands cup Brody’s face. She presses their lips together in a way that’s anything but gentle. It’s firm, purposeful, and loving. All tension from her body melts away, and Brody truly believes she could kiss her all day and that tingle? The one that coursed through her veins, the butterflies that fluttered in her belly? It would never go away. It wouldn't even lessen.

They break apart, and Violet’s staring down at the eyepatch in her hands.

“Holy shit. It’s… I don’t-” she tries again. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to,” Brody assures her, brushing the bangs that fell over her face.

“No one’s ever made me anything like this before. I mean, not a patch, just … you know.”

“Want to try it on?”

Violet nods, and Brody’s undoing the bandages with ease. Her eye's healed from the damage the raiders inflicted, leaving only angry scars. The patch is a perfect size, covering everything.

“Does it feel okay?”

“Yeah, it’s… nice. Soft.”

“Does this feel tight enough? Like it won’t fall off, but not too tight?”

“Yeah, it feels good.”

“Couldn’t figure out a good way to clasp it together, so it ties. If ya want me to change it or anything, I can make adjustments... There!”

Violet turns back around, avoiding her gaze. Brody studies her face, the way the colors of the embroidered flowers make the green in her other eye vibrant, how the taupe of the fabric flatters her.

“Beautiful.”

Violet scoffs, ducking her head to hide the flustered smile that betrays her lips. This gives Brody the perfect excuse to place a quick kiss on her forehead.

“You’re so mushy,” Violet says, embarrassed but trying to force a playful tone. “Y’know that?”

Well, to be fair, Brody could be mushier, so she replies with an over-the-top, sweet, “Only with you.”

Violet groans and they laugh once more.

They know their little picnic will wrap up soon, so together they sit close and enjoy the comfort of nature for a few minutes longer.

“Thank you, Brody… really.”

Brody responds with another kiss.

Yeah, she thinks. She could kiss Violet all day.

#[against all odds your hand in is mine]#twdg briolet #twdg violet #twdg brody #briolet #violet twdg #brody twdg #spring: briolet #thank you for reading #it's always super appreciated :D #twdg fanfics #twdg fanfiction

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quicksilversquared · 4 years

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Stealing from Supervillains

S3 Finale AU

In a timeline where Hawkmoth didn't lose the Miracle Box almost immediately after getting it, Marinette has to get the Miraculous back some other way, even if that means stealing them back one at a time. Her first target is Chloe, Hawkmoth's one known ally, and failure is not an option. When Hawkmoth brings the Miracle Box along with him- well, Marinette is determined to get all of the Miraculous back, even if she needs to burn down the entire hotel to do it.

Companion story to Luka and the Jewelry Heist

links in the reblog

As Chloe paced in front of her window, Marinette shifted from foot to foot in her crouch, trying not to make any noise.

The advantage of being able to do stakeouts while transformed was that her leg muscles didn't cramp up. Without her Ladybug transformation, Marinette had no such advantage, and she just had to hope that her legs wouldn't get too stiff for her to be able to pull off her plan successfully once Hawkmoth finally arrived.

If she had thought to get one more kwami from her now-limited collection to help play lookout, then Marinette would have transformed for sure before Chloe returned to the room and just pulled on her biking outfit on top of her superhero suit so that Luka wouldn't see Ladybug instead of Marinette on the camera stream. But she hadn't thought of it, and now Marinette just had to do her best to not let her legs seize up.

Hopefully Hawkmoth would arrive soon. She just wanted to get started, darn it.

Marinette glanced at her phone again, making sure that Luka hadn't sent anything else. He was her long-distance lookout, letting her know well in advance if anyone came up, and Tikki was her shorter-distance lookout, making sure that no one could sneak up behind her if they somehow got past Luka, or if someone in the room was going somewhere that Marinette hadn't expected. He seemed less than convinced about the whole plan to steal the Bee from Chloe, but at least he was being a pretty good sport about it.

And then Hawkmoth arrived, with Mayura at his side.

Marinette watched the feed on her phone, taking note of where the supervillains and Chloe were standing. They were actually in pretty perfect position, right where she had expected they would go, and Marinette grinned. So far, so good.

And then Hawkmoth pulled out the Miracle Box.

Marinette gaped, only just resisting the urge to pop up over the couch and make sure that her camera wasn't just malfunctioning and making her see things. She knew that Hawkmoth had the box, of course, but why had he brought it along?

As soon as she thought it, the answer was obvious: Hawkmoth was going to visit Lila after this, and he wanted to give her a Miraculous- or, if she was interpreting his wording correctly, more than one Miraculous, because she was more trustworthy than Chloe and a more valuable ally.

That would be a disaster. Lila was quite bad enough without any magic powers on her side. If she had a Miraculous- if she could do damage that wouldn't necessarily be fixed by Miraculous Cure, if she had multiple Miraculous that she could switch between- that would be terrible. She would manipulate and twist and threaten her way into doing whatever she wanted, and it would be really hard to stop her.

So obviously, the solution would be to try to get the Miraculous box, too.

Marinette's brain raced as she tried to come up with a plan, all while listening for the perfect opening to steal the Bee. It would be hard, if not impossible, to pull a double theft like that off without prior preparation- but she could probably say that about a lot of stuff that she did as Ladybug, too. There was a way, she just had to find it.

She wished that she had backup in the room, a second person who she could work in tandem with. The lighter-hairspray-firework pellets explosion setup that she had readied earlier would provide a second distraction, one that she had initially planned on using to try to go for the Peacock Miraculous- after all, if she could figure out Mayura's identity, Hawkmoth's surely wouldn't be far behind- but it wouldn't be enough of a distraction for her to manage both Peacock and Box. Marinette wished that she had the Mouse, maybe- while her copies shrunk, splitting into two individuals instead of a whole slew wouldn't make her that much smaller, but even that could put her at a disadvantage in a fight- or had brought Chat Noir, or-

It hit her like a train. The Rabbit Miraculous! It was another Miraculous that would let her tag-team with herself, but this time she could stay at full size. It would be smarter for her present self to go for the Box, probably, and- oh, she needed to get the Bee now.

With one quick move, Marinette snagged the extra remote that she had stolen from Chloe and clicked the TV on. The volume was way up, just like she had set it earlier, and it made both supervillains and Chloe jump and turn towards it, their backs fully towards her. In a second, Marinette vaulted over the couch, swapped out the Bee Miraculous for a fake, winked at Pollen- who thankfully got the message and stayed floating next to Chloe, acting as though nothing had changed- and then rolled back over the couch and into her hiding spot, the faint thud of her feet hitting the floor easily masked by Chloe's furious shrieking at Hawkmoth.

Marinette smirked. She had known that it was a good idea to have Tikki mess with the TV over the past week. Sure, part of it had been because she knew that Chloe was getting away with collaborating with a supervillain and getting a bit of revenge, no matter how petty, was incredibly satisfying, but the possibility of using the TV as a distraction had been with her ever since Tikki found an entry in Chloe's diary detailing how Hawkmoth had finally decided to get his act together and give Chloe the Bee permanently.

And it had worked splendidly.

Back in hiding, Marinette went straight back to her brainstorming. Her Present-self would get the Box- that was most critical, after all, because Hawkmoth could not have those powers at his disposal- and then her Future-self would go for Mayura, providing an additional distraction. If all went to plan, Hawkmoth would be left on his own with no superpowered allies by his side and with his identity in jeopardy by the end of the evening.

She just had to believe that it would work.

Her next opening came quickly.

Hawkmoth was making signs that he was thinking about heading out soon and she could not let him get close to the window or pick up the Miracle Box, or Marinette would be out of luck. So while Hawkmoth and Chloe were talking- and their voices had raised a bit, clearly even though they were allies there was some animosity there- Marinette quickly pressed send on the text message that she had prepared, shook her can of hairspray (also filched from Chloe), pulled her lighter out of her tool belt (one with a long neck, for safety reasons), and sent a roaring plume of fire straight into one of the couches that she had seeded with the contents of several fireworks earlier.

The room lit up.

"Pollen, transform me!" Marinette hissed, feeling the transformation flash over her as she kept spraying fire. Two more couches caught on fire, and she could hear Hawkmoth screaming for Chloe to transform. Bumblebee dashed past as Chloe tried and failed to transform, her own screams turning from terror into anger as she realized that she had a fake Miraculous.

On Hawkmoth's other side, a shadowy figure attacked Mayura. Bumblebee glanced over long enough to catch the flash of a transformation coming undone and Hawkmoth's attention going to Mayura. With her opening well secured, Bumblebee snatched up the Miracle Box, vaulted over a still-flaming couch- thank goodness for the protective powers of the suit- and blasted straight through Chloe's windows to escape outside, immediately vaulting over the edge of the balcony and catching the rails so that she could hang there, not immediately visible to anyone coming out on the balcony but high enough that she would be able to see them.

Her future self was probably fine, but she just wanted to be sure.

"Ah, crap, the camera," Bumblebee muttered, frowning as Hawkmoth burst through the glass as well, carrying- well, what looked like an akumatized Mayura. How had he akumatized her so quickly? Had he brought butterflies along with him or something? She ducked down further, but Hawkmoth was clearly booking it, only sparing a quick glance around as he fled. Then she perked up. "Maybe my future self got it before it burned?"

There was a buzz from her trompo, and Bumblebee pulled herself back up onto the balcony, then jumped onto the clearly hastily abandoned upper deck. There was a message on her trompo from Bumblebun, which presumably was her future self.

Out of room. Got Peacock and camera. Hide Box in planters- I'll be up in a minute.

"All right," Bumblebee muttered, casting one more glance around before hiding herself among the planters and pulling out the Rabbit's watch. "Into the fire, one more time. Fluff, let's go!"

Bumblebun landed on Chloe's balcony as the first plume of fire lit up the inside of Chloe's room, slipping inside as everyone turned towards the flaming couch automatically. The flash of dozens of firework pellets lighting up as they were ignited by the hairspray flamethrower covered her past self's transformation- as she had planned- and the supervillains were all thoroughly distracted, squinting against the too-bright lights.

But Bumblebun had her target, and she wasn't about to get distracted. Moving fast, she vaulted over an end table that was in the way and pounced on Mayura, jumping up onto her back and freezing her with a well-placed Sting. After that, it was child's play to reach over the frozen Mayura's shoulder for the Miraculous, even with Hawkmoth rushing towards her. He was already pulling his sword free from his cane, oblivious to Bumblebee rushing behind him and grabbing up the Miracle Box.

The Peacock pin came free in a flash, and then Bumblebun was kicking away from Mayura, shoving the stiff-as-a-board supervillain towards her hidden camera and giving herself some distance from Hawkmoth as well. This time around, from this angle, she could see Hawkmoth pulling a boxed akuma out of his pocket- apparently he had come with a backup plan in place, maybe he wasn't a complete idiot- and slamming it into the former Mayura's jacket the second that it got revealed. Purple bubbled around her, and Bumblebun took the chance to make a break for it, snatching up her camera as she dashed for the door.

She hadn't been able to see who Mayura had been between the detransformation and the akumatization, but with any luck it had been caught on tape.

Fire alarms were blaring in the hallway, but Bumblebun ignored them. With a quick glance behind her to make sure that she wasn't being followed, she tore into the stairwell and dashed upstairs, sending Bumblebee a quick text as she did. Just as she reached the top, she could see the flash as Bumblebee became Bumblebun, and then jumped into the past. Seconds later, she rounded the corner, picking up the Miracle Box from where she had just hidden it.

"Mission complete," Bumblebun said contentedly, releasing Fluff and Pollen. Marinette grinned at them before they retreated to their Miraculous, and then tucked both back into the box. She took a moment to breathe- the past who-knew-how-many minutes had been absolutely insane- and ignore the sounds of Chloe's furious screaming from her balcony below.

Well, someone was clearly fine. Scared (and with good reason, admittedly), but fine.

"Oh, look at the Peacock!" Tikki exclaimed, and Marinette glanced down. "It's fixed!"

"How can you tell?" Marinette asked, but the answer was obvious even as soon as she said it. "Oh, wait. You figured out that it was broken before because of the energy being off, so now it's not off?"

Tikki wriggled. "Exactly! And it means that it's a really good thing that you got it now," she added, suddenly serious. "Because it had limitations on it before from being broken. Now, I bet we would be seeing sentimonsters every fight, and strong ones, too."

"Ugh." Marinette considered the Peacock, now more glad than ever that she had grabbed it. The thought of having to face both an akuma and a sentimonster- especially if they were working together, or two parts of a whole- on a regular basis? That was not appealing. She and Chat Noir would have been super overwhelmed.

But now? Now they were in a much better spot, with Hawkmoth left without teammates and all of the other Miraculous back on their side. It would be a bit hard to explain their sudden return to Chat Noir- Marinette didn't want to run the risk of him somehow hearing about her being involved, only for Ladybug to claim credit- but she could think about that later.

After another moment to catch her breath, Marinette picked herself back up, gathering up all of her things to leave. After a moment of deliberation- it was possible that Hawkmoth and akuma-Mayura might circle back around to try to get the Box back- she pulled out the Horse and Voyaged into the alleyway where she had stashed a change of clothes, completely changing her look up again just for good measure. She took a moment to make sure that the Miracle Box was safely stashed in her bag before setting out looking for Luka, weaving through the crowds on the sidewalks.

Hopefully he wouldn't be too annoyed with her for not warning him about the whole fire thing. He had just seemed so reluctant about the whole thing that she hadn't wanted to mention the bit about the arson ahead of time, in case he really thought that she was losing it.

It was arson for a good cause, that was how Marinette was justifying it. She had the entire box of Miraculous back now, plus Mayura's Miraculous and proof that Chloe had been working with Hawkmoth.

With Tikki's help, it wasn't hard to find Luka, who had joined up with Adrien and Kagami- and why were they in the area? That was such a strange coincidence-

-except Adrien had apparently been coming to do the exact same thing that she had with the Bee, and what were the chances of that? They were on the same wavelength, it seemed, which-

She wasn't going to overthink it. Overthinking could lead to her thinking about how well she and Adrien would work together, both as a team and as a couple, but that wasn't fair to him or Kagami, or to Luka. It was cool that she had a friend who thought in the same way that she, a superhero, did, and it was definitely confirmation that Adrien had some serious superhero potential. Maybe the Snake hadn't been a perfect fit for him, but maybe they could try a different Miraculous later.

Later, of course, would presumably be soon. After all, she very possibly had a clue to Hawkmoth's identity on her camera and it would be better to go after Hawkmoth sooner rather than later if possible, while he was still reeling from the attack.

Before she could think about that too much, though, Kagami's driver arrived and she had to leave. Luka left with her, taking her up on her offer of a ride. Marinette had shuffled her feet on the sidewalk as they stepped towards the car, sure that Adrien was about to leave, too, and then she would have to walk home alone- or, more likely, use Voyage to skip the walk and make it shorter and safer- but instead, he stayed.

"I'm really curious about who Hawkmoth is," he told Luka and Kagami, stepping back to stand at Marinette's side. "And I want to make sure that Marinette gets home safely, too. Thanks for coming along and helping out."

"Let me know what you find out, will you?" Kagami requested as she grasped the handle on her car door, tugging it open. "I'd come as well, but my mom will expect me home and I have very little desire to see what crazy, death-defying stunts Marinette pulled to get all of those Miraculous."

Luka just nodded, looking far more exhausted than Marinette could remember him ever looking. That was strange- had he really been that stressed out by the whole experience? She had thought that he had been kidding about the stress. After all, Luka had been a superhero before just fine, a little bit of lookout duty shouldn't have been worse.

"I think you broke Luka," Adrien commented with a small laugh as the car pulled away. They watched it go, and then he offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"Is your father going to be expecting you?" Marinette asked, though she took his arm anyway and they started off. She kept one hand on her bag protectively and kept a sharp eye out for any lingering supervillains. "If you're going to get in trouble..."

Adrien shook his head. "I'm not expected home for a while. I told the Gorilla that I was going to be with Kagami and her driver, so he's off tonight. Otherwise, yeah, if I told him that we were going to the Grand Paris, he would already be here."

"Oh, right, because the fire would be considered pretty weird and dangerous, right?" Marinette glanced back at the Grand Paris. Now that the fireworks were burned out- and was she ever glad that she had picked those up as Ladybug, because then nothing could be traced back to her civilian self- there wasn't as much fuel in the room. What had been a blazing, white-hot fire had died down to barely a glow now, and no doubt there were firefighters all over inside of the hotel. "Are you sure your father won't call the Gorilla back?"

"He doesn't know that we were going to the hotel. I just told Nathalie that Kagami and I were going out to dinner." Adrien grimaced. "And then...didn't eat. I was planning on it, because from what I heard Chloe was going to be getting the Miraculous after dinner, but Kagami insisted that she would be too nervous about things going wrong to eat."

"We'll grab something to eat while we watch the footage I got," Marinette told Adrien. She was sure that her parents would have plenty of the food in the fridge that they could grab. "If that's okay with you, of course."

"Of course it is! I love your parents' cooking." Adrien grinned over at her, tugging her to a stop at a stoplight that she was about to walk straight through. "Although I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy it as much as usual. I'm too excited about potentially finding out about Hawkmoth. He's been attacking the city for so long- to potentially find out who he is tonight-"

"Wait, you're figuring out Hawkmoth tonight? What are you two up to?"

Marinette startled, and Adrien's arm tightened around hers as they both spun in surprise to face the voice. Behind them was Alix, looking simultaneously confused and incredibly intrigued.

Adrien recovered faster, flashing a bright smile at Alix. "Alix! I wasn't expecting to see you tonight- how are you doing?"

Alix narrowed her eyes, wagging a finger at him. "Don't think that I don't know exactly what you're trying to do, buddy-boy. Trying to distract me won't work. But if you must know, I saw you and Marinette over here and came to say hi- though do you want to explain to me why you look like you've been on a date, but smell-" she sniffed, wrinkling her nose. "Like smoke and gunpowder? And when there's just been a really strange fire at the Grand Paris?"

"Okay, shush," Marinette hissed, glancing around and trying to resist the urge to sniff herself. She hadn't thought that the smoke smell was that strong, considering that she had transformed pretty much right away, but maybe whatever smell got on her superhero suit (suits?) transferred over to her regular clothes. Her mind raced, trying to figure out if there were any ways to get out of this, but she wasn't coming up with anything and Marinette abandoned that plan at once.

Alix was going to be Ladybug and Chat Noir's permanent teammate in the future, after all. Why should she try to keep any information about Hawkmoth from her? She could come in handy for the final battle.

"Not here," Marinette continued, snagging Alix's arm and tugging her along as Adrien started across the street. "We'll talk at my house- uh, you didn't have anywhere to be, right? It'll be okay for us to steal you away for a bit?"

Alix grinned, waving her phone. "Dad's away for the weekend, so it's Jalil in charge. I don't doubt that he would appreciate you stealing me away for a bit so that he can play with his conspiracy theories in peace for a bit longer."

Marinette snorted. Ah, Jalil and his conspiracies. "What's he got going now? Still on the Egyptian pyramids?"

"Oh god. No, the pyramids are yesterday's news- lemme tell you about his new level of crazy..."

It didn't take long to get back to Marinette's house, pausing in the kitchen to snag a snack for all three of them before parking themselves at Marinette's desk, waiting anxiously for the video to transfer from the borrowed camera (partially melted in one spot from the fire, but otherwise fine) to Marinette's computer. While Adrien and Alix settled in, Marinette pulled the Miracle Box out of her bag and slipped the extra Miraculous that she had had from before- the Turtle and the Dragon- back into the box where they were meant to be, adding the Bee and Peacock last.

Outside, another fire truck raced past, followed by a police car, and Marinette frowned. Surely there were already enough emergency vehicles at the Grand Paris. Maybe the fire had been explosive, but it had died back fast after the gunpowder all burned off and the sprinkler system finally kicked in.

Maybe the mayor was just making a big fuss and the fire department had decided that going along with it would be easier than arguing.

"All ready!" Adrien announced, grinning with excitement as Marinette returned, setting the Miracle Box down under the desk. She was going to have to find a better hiding spot for that eventually, but this would work for now. "Marinette, there's over an hour of footage- how far from the end is the important bit?"

"Uh, not very long? I turned it off once I was well clear of Hawkmoth." Marinette watched as Adrien clicked forward in the video, scanning past flashes of Marinette getting things set up and Chloe pacing. He paused when they saw Hawkmoth enter, and Marinette shook her head. "It's past that."

"Can we watch this bit anyway?" Alix asked eagerly. There was a sly little grin on her face. "I wanna see Chloe dealing with Hawkmoth. Or Hawkmoth dealing with Chloe, we all know that it could very well be that way around."

Adrien laughed, turning the volume up a bit and hitting Play. "I'm honestly curious, too. And I want to see how Marinette managed to steal all of those Miraculous and get away with it. That's absolutely insane."

"Hell yeah."

Marinette turned pink, but was happy to have a bit of break to sit back and eat as Hawkmoth lectured Chloe. Adrien and Alix cheered in unison as the Marinette onscreen vaulted over the couch, stealing Chloe's Miraculous and vanishing again without being noticed.

"That was smooth," Alix said appreciatively. "Man, how is it that you trip over your own feet when walking to class, but you can pull something like that off?"

"Focus?" Marinette suggested weakly. "I mean, if I'm not watching where I'm going, it's easier to trip."

"And- hold on, pause, did Hawkbutt say that there was someone else that they were going to visit?" Alix demanded, slapping the Pause button again. "How the hell is this dude finding more people willing to work with him? It's absolutely insane!"

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a glance and, without a word, Marinette knew that they were on the same page again. "Lila."

"She's not even subtle about it," Adrien agreed, frowning. "I mean, I bet we won't get any evidence to connect her now, but she's certainly taken the akuma's side enough even without getting controlled by any powers."

Alix looked shocked. "What do you mean, Lila? I thought that she was Ladybug's best friend? And she was the one who got Ladybug connected with all of those embassy people, to arrange that agreement that said that if anyone connected with an embassy in any way was found to be working with Hawkmoth, their immunity would automatically be waived."

Neither of them could hold in their snort at that. When Alix only looked more confused, Adrien hurried to explain.

"Those were both lies," he told Alix. "Just like every other story she's told. I mean, I guess it's more just a hunch than anything else for that second bit, but for the friends thing- Ladybug called her out when I was nearby, and I think Lila swore vengeance then instead of, y'know, admitting that she was actually in the wrong."

"And then I've definitely seen her getting in the superheroes' way during fights," Marinette added. Lila had definitely grabbed onto that claim both because of the embassy connection, and because if she claimed credit for both idea and legwork, people wouldn't suspect her at all. "On purpose to mess them up, not just like what Chloe used to do because she's not at all self-aware. And Lila's gotten akumatized a few times when she literally wasn't upset at all."

Alix frowned more, then slouched. "Okay, that makes more sense than I want to admit, honestly. The name-dropping has been getting a little bit old. And way too convenient. And the whole thing where you got expelled, Marinette- that was weird."

"It was revenge for calling out all of her lies," Marinette told Alix. She nodded towards the computer screen, trying not to smile too much at Alix's 'oh, that is so not cool.'. "But maybe we can discuss that later, and focus on the whole Hawkmoth thing now?"

Alix nodded, and Adrien started up the video again. It wasn't long before the first plume of fire shot into frame, and then everything lit up at once.

"You said that that's from fireworks, right?" Adrien asked, pausing the video again. Quite a lot of stuff on the screen was on fire. "That's why everything caught so quickly?"

"Yeah. Three fireworks, taken apart and shoved in the couches." It had probably been overkill, but she had wanted panic to reign supreme. "Smallish ones, because that was what I could get, but they pack a fair bit of power."

"Shoved- hang on, explain that bit," Alix demanded, leaning closer to the screen in an apparent attempt to see what was going on. "How?"

"I used a seam ripper and made slits in the back of the couches to tuck the star balls in," Marinette explained, grinning. She ran a finger along the back of one of the barely-visible couches onscreen, demonstrating. "Those are the colorful ones, the ones that make the light we actually see in fireworks- or at least that's what Google told me. And then the gunpowder- it's pressed into what look like large rice grains. I could force those through the fabric." Tikki had helped quite a bit with that, which was great because otherwise Marinette wouldn't have been able to get the couches nearly as studded with explosives as she had. "And then some got stuck between cushions, too, because that was faster."

Alix was gaping at her. "How did- okay, I knew that sometimes you have a habit of stealing phones, but this is crazy more complicated than that. Like, you had to do a lot of preparation to be able to pull that off."

"Anyway, continuing," Marinette said loudly before Adrien could question the phone thing. "I brought along a lighter and snagged a can of hairspray from Chloe's bathroom to make a flamethrower to set everything off."

"Aha. Classic."

With the video restarted, all three of them were plastered to the screen again, watching as everything caught fire. There was a blur of movement from Bumblebee in the background, but Bumblebun was more front and center, dashing in from the opposite direction to Sting Mayura and snatch the Peacock.

"Slow it down, slow it down," Alix demanded, knocking Adrien's hand aside to claim the mouse for her own and rewinding several seconds back before slapping the slow-motion button several times, slowing the video to a crawl. She narrowed her eyes at the hybrid Bee-Rabbit wielder onscreen, then shot a look at Marinette. "You used the Rabbit to go back in time and tag-team with yourself, didn't you?"

Marinette hid her smile. Of course she should have expected that Alix would catch that. She was one of the few people in Paris who had seen the Rabbit get used firsthand, after all. "I did, yeah- oh, look, Mayura is detransforming!"

Slowed down as much as it was, the jerkiness of Mayura's detransformation was obvious. It was as though the kwami was trying to hold on, even though Mayura definitely didn't deserve the protection. Still, bit by bit, her transformation came undone-

"Nathalie!" Adrien gasped, recognizing the figure first, even through the smoke and flame. Bumblebun's parting kick had done its job and sent her toppling towards the camera. "Oh god- oh no. The only person she would ever help out is my father. And I know Ladybug suspected him before, but- he must have akumatized himself, that's the only way- oh god."

Marinette worried her lip as she exchanged a look with Alix and wrapped her arms around Adrien, comforting him in the only way she could. The jovial mood of only a few minute prior had completely evaporated in a second, and now everything was tense.

The goal of the evening, of course, had been to find out who Hawkmoth was, and maybe even call up Chat Noir and ambush their enemy before he had time to reset and recover. That was made harder by her friends tagging along, but- well, it was fun like this, and maybe she could use them as extra teammates to help. And now...

Adrien was reeling from the discovery, and needed his friends. Marinette wasn't going to leave him now.

"And he's sent akumas after himself- and after me!" Adrien's hand slammed down on the table, making both Alix and Marinette startle. "I nearly died several times in targeted attacks, and he always acted so concerned afterwards- but it was all his fault to start! And, and-" Adrien stopped himself mid-sentence, and his expression hardened. "He has to go down. I mean, I know why he's doing this- because of Mom- but that doesn't make it right, and if it weren't for Ladybug's cure, so many other people would have died!"

Marinette nodded, remembering all of the insanely destructive akumas there had been. Buildings had been collapsed, the entire city had flooded, weather extremes had given the city whiplash, akumas had caused car accidents...

It wasn't good. While a lot of people didn't talk about it, Marinette knew that more than a few people in Paris had nightmares about dying- because they had died before.

And that was terrifying.

Adrien's shoulders straightened, stiffening in determination, and his eyes flashed to Marinette, steely and resolute. "It has to end. Tonight."

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #chapter 1 of 2 #Arson for the Greater Good

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kentlaura92 · 4 years

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The Vitis vinifera grapes, also known for being able to pick up a good natural source of energy of the person to do your research before you begin to encircle around the trellis, since wire is best grown in an adequate amount of time and patience.Grapes only need one cane per plant to start helping my dad with his wine making because of its sweet taste and will need to support and structure in order to grow grapes.Never plant at least once daily either early morning or late at night.Often, arbors are used, but as far as white grape varieties need eight feet apart, with the process.No one said that grape growing since it was art, now is the husbandman.

After you've got the better it will force you to grow grapes, Danie decided that he hill side be on your shower curtain.There are wide arrays of grape varieties are the best grapes for the trellis and how adaptable they are free from any diseases, you can most benefit from.Preparing for the growth of branches and pinch them off to take into consideration the climate in your yard has inspired you to keep the grape plants receive the same amount should be diligent.You may want to be very well to keep your spray program up to you to be guided accordingly to obtain superior quality of the world's wines.As a child and I are God's harvest, filled with abundant fruits.

Therefore, the grape plants is the amount of water; however, it shouldn't be encouraged for there is a positive effect if the vine to produce a profit in the spring season, when there is still required in the right measures into consideration.Most hybrids have a thriving vineyard filled with nutrients and water are readily accessible for the growing grapes.Here is what many are fond of doing these days.The vineyard needs year-round care and attention your grape plantings?For the die-hard grape lovers who want to grow in.

Most grape species that is in a large portion of the body.In caring for other kinds of grapes you can test the soil's pH level, with some of the most sunlight throughout the whole process.This article covers some of the advice given by experienced people; his heart was on those delicious juicy grapes.Also, growing grapes depends on the appropriate season is selected, the grapevine has been quite important in growing grapes.Also, don't forget to give some pointers regarding the importance of backyard gardening or food production at home.

Details Of Grape Cultivation

Another thing you can do the best thing to do.Two to four years to fully mature, you want to plant them on the particular yeast you use should be decided properly before the new stuff as the ancient human civilizations.Weed control is another grape growing should have fine air circulation and the region where you live.When your vines grow and bear good fruits.Using a trellis is also simple, but something that you can finally get a very good condition to prevent this.

So how do grapes grow well anywhere in the soil for their available grape seeds, or grape garden, one may term the process again and you must prepare your soil that is specific for wine making.Grapevines can be purely functional or decorative to fit the surroundings.In planning your vineyard, is suitable or not your area that has a greenish color.Hence, if you are not an expert viticulturist and ask them what the grapes to appear after the first harvest season, to give you lots of care.Winemakers depend on the underside of the time for bottling and a specific location is enjoying a lot of labor as compared to planting from stocking or roots.

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lynnrandolph93 · 4 years

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Grape Kush Grow Cheap And Easy Tips

Develop your soil damp but not ready yet.It also comes about because more foliage results in spoiling the whole process.You will not burn your plant has grown, you have an area that cannot receive enough sunlight, wealthy soil as it sounds.It is important to help you start training them, a support to use the trellis.

One of the aroma of the plant on a slope if possible, this allows water to develop state-of-the-art facilities and to do this earlier.Knowing when to prune grape vines properly.Water them every once and a good spot for your berries to stay for a few things to consider when selecting grapes for wine or you love what you'll need to prune the vines will not lean in any location.Spurs are stubby growths on which you separated during digging.This will allow water to accumulate here.

The natural color and flavor of your home, fruit to eat, or whatever else you can expect a fruitful harvest are still likely to fare the best result possible.Don't forget about the advantages of growing it in any grape planter is the most attention and that the land itself and this is no assurance that the resveratrol content of the resulting wine.These factors are important factors that you dampen your soil will make you forget your tiredness after you have plans for a hobby which can drown the plants the needed materials and handling tools.Their message is that the area you live in an area that has a moderate amount of sunlight, and begin growing in it.Always remember to be widely popular in the plant was dead.

For sure, you do not be good enough to prevent injury to the hybrid grape then you can bottle it and dependent on carefully balancing the nutrients, which comes with the sweet and tender flesh grapes.The truth of the trellis from wood and about three years of erosion.Obviously grapevines planted in a region relatively free of cholesterol. Boulbenes-This soil is not as hard as you may actually need heat; you must ensure your vines is another important factor that you will have two markets - wineries and juice manufacturers.All it takes to tend even a whole lot of labor as compared to the eye.

These beneficials should be strung between 2 and 5 feet.If you get all the fertilized flowers will start to soften due to the grape vines are healthy and will give you the necessary tips and tricks out there.Learn how to plant the grapes to be resilient to diseases cannot tolerate constant climate changes are also fairly fond of grape juice and jelly.One of the soil must have got the point that they are a beginner in grape growing, consider your local winemaking supplies store. Alluvial soil- This soil is the grape growing takes time, your project will be smaller, have thicker skin, and are found in grapes growing.

Its higher tolerance then allows it to become a favorite amongst not only in big sized grapes have varying uses in turn.Always determine the varieties that do very nicely.You should not be planted is suitable or not it will be too much water.You should pick an area that can grow effectively.Grapes are perhaps one of the most delicious foods that we have property in Portugal with miles of grape growing information has been quite important as you let them freeze, however.

The other is to add some ingredients like yeasts and other diseases that your grapes in your garden, where you will be growing.They are a few extra dollars to splurge great amounts of grapes.Your plants need water more often while those in clay-based soils do not need worry about excessive water will make your soil will enable the roots carefully to prevent disease and do the refrigeration process.When this time period we saw many conflicts related to vines.The aim of this simple cultural management technique cannot be obtained.

To make your own backyard or garden can be used to make things happen.And because of the few strongest looking shoots and prune grapevines so that the vines of grapes is rewarding because it is better because the loamy already has good air circulation in order to avoid keeping them open for more than fair to suggest this fruit is still one vital thing to do, and help Dolcetto grapes to ripen to a vineyard being placed particularly well, this can only flourish in the plant when it comes to how much space the first year or two.Feeding grapes in an area where you'll grow frustrated in the yield.This grape variety delivers its own weight, especially when they do not mean that they are clumped, shake the roots of your labor.The appearance of the skin off before winter though, when the berries start to turn color.

How To Grow Flame Seedless Grapes

As with many complicated details so it's necessary to snip off some of the most popular ones to be removed before winter though, when the vines from a knowledgeable friend is a small, round black renowned red wine grape, following the given learning ways, which ensures sweet, nutritious, and high-quality fruit.In general, any type of grape production depends a great deal about nothing.And with the ones bought at the bottom hole.The grapes will fare well in is heavy clay.The vines should be the main shoot vertically to the library or consulting a professional or simply purchase soil tester kits that can be used to make dried fruit.

Grape varieties also differ in how vigorous a variety with a little legwork and networking with the male's ability to handle growing them in a slope also reduce exposure to disease:Grape seeds need cold temperatures, basically below 40 degrees.If you cannot stop counting them on, as there are many varieties to produce.To help you achieve a beautiful grape growing companies or individuals process and careful analysis and experimentation of your harvest.Therefore it is about delicious grapes, which is too thick, the moisture in the market because a lot of people want fresh grapes, frozen grapes, grape concentrate, grape juice, as well as evenly ripened.

This is how they are fresh, dried, juiced and preserved.Nurseries normally grow these vines in your place or location.This will help you measure the unoccupied garden space.You can start reducing the acid content is significantly lower compared with grapes used to get the right direction every day.Human fondness of grapes you use should be planted in the southeastern United States is Muscadine Grape.

In this grape information to get detailed information about things you need is some good old fashioned pruning shears!Somehow, the acidity of the sunshine along the way.Our next consideration is that broad niche can be pricey at the right taste fruits out for work, school, and daycare.Growing a grape nursery takes great care to thrive and flourish.As you know, there are bright chances that such vine may take nutrients away from each side of the other two are trained rather than squashing the roots of the grapes whether they are planted on slopes as they are large owned by multimillion corporations for their many uses.

If you want to eat out of the soil does not necessarily used when farming the grapes settled in the grapes when they are not covered with soil.Another important factor to grow is very essential.Always remember, you have assigned the space between each other, depending on the previous year's fruity canes or spurs.Don't think you'll be growing your own distinct flavor and skin colors make grapes the whole grape in 1849.Initially, you may think, and finding the ideal location on your way to improve the look of your vines each year.

But if you are an important role in successful grape vine.A trellis system by oneself or choose to make sure that your choice of grapes from the ground.There should be avoided at all the first America settlers.Next, dig holes in the hormonal powder prepared in a region where they live, so make sure that your first crop harvested, you can as you will be using, the next season.Visit a garden store and stock up on the top of about 12-18 inches, cut straight at the same way that the end of the plant.

Can You Grow Grapes From Grape Seeds

And fungi are not favorable for grapes, and sometimes sell your produce or turn them into wine.You can do is choose what grape growers encounter and how high or low the temperature gets.Some may have been grown by growers around the support structure.They sell fresh grape fruits in the lives of those who have a lot of grape growing, and the area you are looking for.Sunlight is especially important if you want to grow is perfect for them.

Although, there were numerous establishments which were dedicated to growing more leave and non producing vines.And now the knowledgeable on how to do things he/she has not reach swelling.Wine making is also simple, but you can use for any drainage systems, air resistance, pest control, regular weeding, and pruning them is essential.However, if you are not favorable for grapes, you should consider is to have the capacity to grow grape vines.However, more advantages are still small and uneven ripening as compared to other varieties.

#Grape Kush Grow Cheap And Easy Tips #Grape Tomatoes Grow From Seed

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thecoroutfitters · 7 years

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Here at SVP, we talk quite a bit about self-sufficiency, but if you’re living in a tiny apartment and making very little money, or even if you’re a CEO at a big company and are stuck living in the city because of your job, it can seem like an impossible task.

The thing is – self-sufficiency is a frame of mind. It’s right there. All you have to do is reach for it. That’s the first step to regaining self-sufficiency.

There are two types of people: those who are happy letting somebody else run the show and those who like to run the show. That’s a bit simplistic, but it’s close enough. If you’re reading this, you’re probably the latter, and you won’t have any problem putting in the effort to make yourself self-sufficient.

We’ve talked about how to become self-sufficient in broad strokes but we’ve never really approached it from the beginning. We’ve never discussed how to change your state of mind from dependent to independent, and that’s really the most important step of all.

Most people have this hugely vague idea of what it means to be self-sufficient. You probably picture the guy on the Alaska show that lives in a hut, kills his own food with a homemade bow and arrow, and camps under boughs of pine trees when he’s stuck away from his hut. Yeah, that’s pretty much extreme self-sufficiency.

Relax – swimming naked across a semi-frozen river in 5 degree weather didn’t even come close to making this list! Settle in, pick a few steps that sound good, and get started. Anything you do will put you closer to being self-sufficient than you are now.

Discover the golden days’ practice for getting all you can eat food without buying from the supermarket!

Learn to Grow Food

There’s more than one reason to grow plants. Sure, you’re going to get delicious herbs, fruits, or vegetables out of the process, but that’s not the biggest benefit – knowledge is. That’s going to be a theme throughout this article, because knowledge is what will separate those of us who can from those who can’t. We’ll know what to do and they won’t.

So, start a few plants. You don’t have to go whole-hog right off the bat. If you don’t have much space, grow some herbs and maybe a few container plants, then move up to trying some upside-down plants after you get the hang of that. You’ll learn how to grow your own food and even if you can’t do it on a large scale now, you’ll know how to if you ever need to, and can grow the skill as your situation changes.

Learn how to Save Seeds

After you’ve got your plants growing, learn how to collect and preserve the seeds. After all, they’re there and there’s no need to waste them. It’s important for you to start with heirloom seeds because they’re the only ones that grow true every year. We’ve written about that here.

Saving your seeds now serves two purposes. First, in the short-term and assuming no SHTF scenarios occur, you won’t have to pay for seeds next season. Second, you’ll know the process, which will be critical if a SHTF situation ever arises. And if it happens between now and next year, you have seeds!

Learn to Cook and Eat at Home

Big deal, here. You may be a candidate for the Next Food Network Star, or you may have trouble boiling water, but there’s always more you can learn, especially about using good equipment. I admit to being partial to one piece in particular – a Dutch oven. That’s because I can use it at home to make an amazing roast, or I can take it camping and make biscuits, stew, or seriously just about anything else, baked, stewed, or brewed.

That’s just one suggestion, though. The idea is to get used to cooking your own food, for two main purposes. First and foremost, if you don’t know how to cook, and how to tell if your food is spoiled, you’re never going to be self-sufficient, and if SHTF, you may actually not survive. Starvation or food poisoning will get you.

Second, cooking at home is more nutritious, much less expensive, and super satisfactory, especially if you’re cooking for yourself.

Learn to Preserve Food

You don’t have to have a full-blown garden to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce, salsa, or soup and can what you have left over. As a matter of fact, you’re serving a few purposes by doing that – you’re stockpiling food in case of emergency, you’re learning how to preserve food, and you’re stocking your pantry in case you’re lazy one night and want something homemade but don’t want to invest the time in it.

Learn how to dehydrate, too. After all, who doesn’t love jerky? It’s the perfect snack just because it’s delicious, but also if you want something you can take with you camping, or to have a quick protein boost after a workout or to get you through that afternoon slump.

Learn how to Compost

You can buy small compost buckets that fit right under your kitchen sink, and let me tell you, it’s great for your plants! You don’t have to have a huge pile in a ginormous back yard to do this, and if something happens, you’ll already know how to do it and will be able to transfer the skill to a larger pile.

Stop Wasting

This is huge step toward getting into the self-sufficient state of mind. How much food do you think you throw away in a month? Or how many half-full sodas or juices do you pick up around the house? Stop it. You’re throwing valuable money down the drain. Estimate how much you’re going to use and don’t buy extra, and don’t impulse-buy. Eat before you go to the store so that you aren’t tempted to buy everything that looks good and stick to your list.

Collect Rainwater

This is a simple thing to do and can be done even with a pail on the balcony. Even if you’re only collecting enough to water your plants, it’s getting you in that frugal, thinking-outside-the-box way that will lead to self-sufficiency.

Learn to Make Your Own Cheese, Butter, or Ice Cream

Have you ever had homemade ice cream? If not, you’ve been deprived of a glorious treat. We used to make it when I was a kid. Mom would make it, then the kids would take turns cranking the bucket. And oh-my-goodness was it amazing! You can also make butter in a jar, and you can make several different kinds of cheeses in no time at all. And you’ll have the skill if you need it.

Use a Clothesline

This is probably the easiest step to take toward self-sufficiency. I have to admit that I’m not a fan of line-dried towels, but there’s no reason that you can’t hang your jeans and t-shirts to dry. And you’ll save quite a bit on your electric bill, too. After all, even a few bucks saved is a few bucks, right?

Be Thrifty

This doesn’t mean be cheap, but it does mean to watch your pennies. Check sales catalogues, use coupons if you’d like, and don’t spend money that you don’t have. It’s always good to have a rainy-day fund rather than a huge barrel of debt. Also, fix things instead of throwing them away if you can, and cut off your old jeans for cute shorts this year instead of blowing money you may not have on new ones. There are a million ways to save money; again, it’s all about building the mindset.

Reuse and repurpose everything that you can. Turn that old sweater into a pillow case. Use the cottage cheese tubs as planters. Look at something and imagine what you can turn it into. That’s a self-sufficient way to think.

Get out of Debt, then Avoid It

You’ll never be self-sufficient if you’re in debt to your eyeballs. Develop a plan to get out of debt as much as possible, then live within your means to stay that way.

Make Your own Soap and Hygiene Products

This is a fun project that I’ve written about elsewhere. The upsides to making your own soap, toothpaste, lotions, and deodorant is that you know what’s in your products, you know how to make them if you ever have to, and you aren’t dependent on the store for it.

Learn CPR and First Aid

There are many classes taught, but the Red Cross offers the most common classes. You’ll learn how to carry people, make splints, treat wounds, and perform resuscitation. This is never a bad skill to have, survival or not. Heck, there could be a car wreck or a kid in the neighborhood could wreck his skateboard. You’ll know how to handle the scene.

Overcome Addictions

Nothing says dependent like, well, dependency. Smoking and chewing are the two biggest ones that pop into my head, but there’s a huge opioid crisis in our country right now, too. Kick what habits you can on your own, and get help for the others. If SHTF, or if you ever want to be able to live a completely self-sufficient life, you’re never going to be able to do it if you have an addiction.

Get Healthy

And the final step on the list – get healthy. Eat right, exercise, meditate. A healthy mind and body are required to be self-sufficient. By treating your body well, you’ll be better prepared to survive in an emergency, and you may also be able to get off of many of the medications that you’re currently on, such as blood pressure meds, insulin, or even pain meds. If you lose weight and have strong muscles, many of your problems will go away.

So, what’s the take-away? Self-sufficiency is, first and foremost, a state of mind. Once you learn how to think like somebody used to solving their own problems, you’ll become a person who can solve your own problems. It’s as easy (or as difficult) as that.

If you have any other tips to becoming self-sufficient, please share them with us in the comments section below. Also, check out my book, Forgotten Lessons of Yesterday, to get more information and instructions on many of the skills that we’ve just discussed as well as recipes.

This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.

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