#I could have done the work as a guy and not gotten bullied and put down and discouraged by people around me after I started to pass

[riaki]

i literally cant stop thinkin’ about highschoolbully!gojo who used to be your ride or die ‘til he started getting attention from those popular jock type guys who are always assholes to everyone. and him being.. well, him means he preens under attention no matter who it’s from, so naturally he started to gravitate towards that group and their little troop of cheerleading fangirls. and then he started distancing from you and without either of you really realizing it, you’ve slipped between the other’s fingers. but the way he acts towards you makes you think he let you fall without moving a muscle to slow you down.

soon enough, a year swings by and by the end of it he’s gone from your life, save as just another face in the gaggle of boys who make crude jokes and laugh at smart kids and pop milk cartoons during lunch just for the hell of it. but you’re minding your own business, ‘cause you’re mature enough to realize that people come and go, no matter how close you might’ve been and you think it’s unfortunate that so many memories could be thrown aside in a blink of an eye, but it makes a lot of sense when you walk past satoru and his friends bullying some random kid. you don’t know him, but you’ve heard enough to realize it’s his girlfriend satoru’s flirting with while his ‘gang’ kick at the kid. and it’s sickening, but you don’t say anything when you walk by.

and when you don’t ever see the kid afterward and catch the dark eyebags under his girlfriend’s eyes, you come to the cruel realization that satoru isn’t the boy who’d bandage the scrape on your knee you got from tripping in the playground or buy you a soda because he’s noticed your sweat when you were walking home and you don’t have any money left on you.

it’s a glass half empty, half full type of situation. on the one hand, you don’t have him anymore. on the other hand, you don’t have him anymore. that is, you lost your best friend, but you’ve also lost someone who has the potential to absolutely ruin your life. and you don’t know whether to be glad or not, so you just mind your own business even if it hurts a little when he ignores you, stops tossing paper at your head in class (unless it’s to embarrass you) and stops walking you to and from school.

but the cherry on top of the shit cake is that he doesn't get it. so when he approaches you in the library one day after satiating the need to tear pages from books and make them into paper airplanes to throw at people, he doesn't seem to understand why you try to ignore him, or put off his attempts to hold a convo. but the worst part is that he's just sleazy and clueless about it. it's like he took an eraser and wiped every single year of your friendship off the chalkboard with one fell swipe, and you wish he'd done that too to the less-than-appropriate messages he and his friends had written towards one of your classmates.

he doesn't understand why you're hesitant to talk, and that's what makes it the worst. he always thinks he's in the right, and he keeps setting you off and it sucks that he knows exactly what sets you off. "i'm an asshole? what're you talking about? really, you're in over your head. you never change." he laughs, and you ignore him, and he gets bored, and he's about to leave when he spots your wallet open next to your book, on the table. there's a polaroid peeking out, and he recognizes the tufts of white hair to be him. but there's a weird feeling in his chest, and he thinks he gets it from you, so he leaves because he thinks you're weird.

and it goes on; you practically become a nobody in satoru's eyes, because of that weird, weird feeling you give him. it's unfamiliar and he's never gotten it before and he doesn't like it. but it's unavoidable when your professor pairs you two for the end-of-term project. and of course, you're ready to do all the work, because that's how it always was between you when you were kids. but sometimes he'd surprise you by helping, and he'd show you that he was actually intelligent just to earn your praise because he liked it. but he ignored you, and you did everything, and it would've been okay if not for his friends egging him on to present your entire project when the day came and leave you with no content for a grade.

that's the first time it hits him: does he really want to do that? but it's not like it'll be the first time; you've always taken the hits for him, because you're naturally smart and you'll pick yourself back up in no time, and you get why he does it, so it'll be okay. so he agrees, and he enjoys the time he gets to spend with you through it, but the nagging weird feeling that blooms in his chest like a pesky weed only grows stronger. that's all his feelings ever seem to do around you.

but before you know it, presentation day swings around. you had coffee this morning (on his card), and you're ready enough to shoot him a small smile that sends his heart a-flutter. so you go up, feeling up to the task and ready until— he starts talking, and talking, and talking, and people don't think that he's taking your words out of your mouth because he's intelligent when he wants to make you praise him and you don't get the chance to get a word in and you notice the guys are laughing and hitting each other's shoulders to themselves in the upper rows and before you know it it's over. people are clapping but moreso they're looking at you and they're whispering— but it's terribly loud and they don't bother to hide it. they call you things that shouldn't bother you but they do anyway, because it's satoru's fault, and you're such a fool for thinking you could have it your way again.

so you leave class early, excusing yourself and ignoring the way your professor gives you a distasteful look and scribbles something next to your name. you're out the door in a second, neglecting your bags and satoru's a little lost because— didn't he just do good? people were clapping, and laughing with him and not at him, but it's attention either way so he doesn't mind. so why do you? why did you look at him like he stabbed you in the back? and his friends are calling his name, and he wishes he could chase after you and do something but he doesn't.

and it's a little sickening what they do next; one of their girls grabbed your bags and tossed it to them, and they've started rifling through it as if they own it, tearing up your shit and dumping everything onto the ground and he's kind of just... glued to the chair by his feelings. his heart feels like it's been patched together and the weird fuzzy feeling he had in his chest that's been cultivating has extinguished to be replaced with something he realizes he's only ever felt when it comes to you— guilt.

he's so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't realize his friend is silently offering him something— nudging his side to get his attention. he takes it without really realizing he moved his hand, and his silent friend with the gauges in his ears and the dark hair gets up and leaves without another word. when satoru looks down, he realizes he's been given your wallet. "the reward for betraying your baby," they call it. like all you're worth is the money in your account.

he's a little curious. that's how he's always been; asking you questions, rummaging through your stuff, laughing sheepishly and shaking it off when you caught him red-handed. so he opens it up, ignoring your sad little cards and the funny look on your license. he's looking for something, subconsciously; but he doesn't find it. there's no white tuft of hair to suggest his presence in your life; just empty black leather. nothing else.

and he doesn't see you after. or the following day. or the following weeks; weeks that turn into months that turn into the end of school and he's graduating but you're not by his side. and neither are his so called 'friends'; the only thing he has to their name is your own ruined friendship. it's a shame; he feels alone. very alone. no fuzzy weird feeling, not even that thing people call guilt. no attention to chase, and connections are ever harder to make. it shouldn'tve mattered that much, right? it was just a presentation. why wouldn't you just come back to him like you always did? were you not still friends...?

but the blood is still on his hands, and he doesn't manage to ever wash it off. guilt has a way of festering; of weighing on the heart 'till there's nothing left to feel or think but unfortunate circumstance and what could've been done differently. it just sucks that he never tried hard enough to keep you from slipping between his grasp. and now, he doesn't even have a polaroid to your friendship's name.

pt.2

#idk where this came from #this has probably been done before so i hope this take is original enough 👨‍🍳 #new drabble style cus i got lazy ajgfbdshjg #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #jjk x reader #gojo satoru #gojo satoru x you #satoru gojo x reader #gojo x you #jjk x you #satoru gojo x you #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo x y/n #technically #jjk angst #gojo angst #billet-doux #satoru x reader #gojou satoru x reader #satoru gojo #gojo #jjk satoru #gojo jjk

[jade-jini]

yunjin is the only thing i can honestly think off 😭 also i’d love to see how y/n and loser g!p yunjin got together 🤭

(Look at this cute thing, I’m weak for her)

WELL OFC DEAR ANON lol. So continuing with how our loser g!p Yunjin and reader became all lovey dovey (sorry if it’s too long and if it took too long 😭) THIS IS ALL FLUFF.

As I mentioned, you guys are in the same program so you see her during class and often around campus, mostly just exchanging a few hi’s and comments about class stuff but it never became more than those short conversations. Yunjin can be a very outgoing loser, with her silly jokes and cute pickup lines and constant compliments. She was a sweet girl! Just didn’t feel brave enough to make a more bold move just yet:(. Sakura would always be like “NEVER BACK DOWN NEVER WHAT?!” And she’d be like “NEVER GIVE UP!” But then when she has the chance to turn her flirt into something else she panics and goes🧍🏻‍♀️

She was getting brave tho, she really was! Until that stupid jock mf had to ruin all the confidence she (and Sakura) has been working so hard to build. This guy was into you. At first he really thought Yunjin didn’t have a chance because how could a loser have one? but then he noticed how you’d giggle like an idiot with Yunjin and his brain went “danger 😐” so like a fvckin asshole the only thing he thought was to make Yunjin afraid to make any move at all, hurting her self esteem.

It was during a morning that she hadn’t see you around yet. She always looks forward to the classes you shared, and when she didn’t see you in your seat as always, she was so confused ‘cause you tended to be on time. She still had hopes that you’d eventually show up. However, her confusion turned into disappointment and sadness when half the class passed and you were nowhere to be found. Yunjin knew she was being dramatic but c’mon! Seeing you is her favorite part of the day :( she spent the rest of the class resting her chin on her books with a pout. Eunchae saw her friend and thought she looked like a sad puppy, she thought it was cute and funny but also had sympathy for her friend. During the little break they had before their next class that was in the same room, she tapped Sakura’s shoulder to get her attention.

“Yunjin unnie looks like a lost puppy when y/n is not around I swear” she told her while trying not to laugh. The eldest turned her head to her red hair friend and sighed with a smile as she shook her head.

“She kinda is if you think about it, I guess” she told the youngest, who couldn’t contain a laugh from escaping her lips. This caused Yunjin to look up to her friends with a frown.

“It’s not fair, why isn’t she here?!” Yunjin started, fixing her posture “Y/n doesn’t tend to miss class, and if she didn’t come to this one she might as well just miss the rest of the day and the classes we have together… ” she complained with a cute pout, but unfortunately somebody heard their conversation.

“Like you would know, wouldn’t you creep?” The guy said, while looking at the girl with a sarcastic smile (Idk bro picture a kpop boi here if you want ig-). “God you spy on her so much you know her schedule? AND you wanna talk like you’re close with her and know what she would do. You’re such a weirdo, that’s exactly why she wouldn’t look at you, you know?” He said with that disgusting mean tone, like he himself knew you any better.

Yunjin was surprised, she knew this guy and knew he wasn’t friendly specially with well, people who didn’t share his exact interest (aka if you’re a nerd), but she wasn’t expecting him to talk to her at all let alone insult her like that, I mean she has gotten kinda bullied before when she was younger but she has done her best to either ignore these people or to defend herself, to which her friends helped a lot.

“And who the fuck are you to talk to her like that?-” Eunchae started but Sakura stopped her grabbing her arm, making sure the girl didn’t start any trouble. The man just put his hands up and laughed.

“I’m just saying, y/n is way out of your league bro, you’re embarrassing yourself and most likely making her feel uncomfortable. Do you enjoy doing that?”

“I would never do that!” Yunjin was offended, she didn’t have any bad intentions with you. Did she cross any boundary? You would tell her though right? You looked like somebody who knew how to speak for yourself well enough, she’s seen it. “I’d never do that intentionally, and I’m sure she would tell me. So far she hasn’t shown any discomfort in any moment we’ve talked.” she said trying to sound a little more confident, mostly to also convince herself you actually didn’t dislike her.

“she’s just too nice to let you know!” He answered as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. “And who knows, maybe she laughs behind your back at your behavior and that’s why she keeps you close.” He finished before walking out of the room, not letting any of the girls talk back (Lord and Sakura know Eunchae was ready to curse Tf outta him) and leaving a mess in Yunjin’s head, filling it with a lot of insecurities and doubts. Girlie was gonna be overthinking about you all day and not in the sweet cheesy way she always does :(

“What. An. Asshole!” Eunchae exclaimed, getting a scold from kkura for the language “no I’m serious what’s wrong with him?? Who does he think he is?! Asshole…”

“Hong Eunchae!” Sakura said in a serious tone, making the girl simply huff and sit down with crossed arms and a pout (Manchae my kid). “Yunjini? Are you ok?” She asked in a softer tone while sitting in her chair next to her friend, who had such a sad and pensive expression “don’t pay no mind to that guy, he doesn’t know you and I seriously doubt he knows y/n.”

“Yeah exactly!” The youngest said “he’s probably just jealous that you always make y/n laugh.”

“Yeah but is it a ‘you’re so funny I’m enjoying this’ laugh or a ‘you’re pathetic and embarrassing’ laugh? Now I don’t know…”

“She’s not a bad person, unnie. You wouldn’t like her if she was, right? But if you’re feeling insecure, let’s see her behavior carefully and maybe we’ll be able to tell.”

the tall girl sighed, resting her head on her books again. Eunchae and Sakura just looked at each other (the oldest patting her friend’s head), not sure how else to comfort their friend, but hoping next time she sees you something good happens and you somehow get those thoughts out of her head.

——

Meanwhile, you decided to miss a class and went to this store you found online where they sell different types of merch about video games, animes, stuff like that, to buy some cool genshin impact photocards you saw online. You knew two things; 1. Yunjin liked that game a lot, and 2. She was probably not gonna make a move to get closer any time soon lol so you decided to give the game a try, and liked it a lot! And now you’re gonna buy some photocards for her as well as a way of making more conversation and getting closer.

Once you got them, you quickly put a Genshin Yunjin one on your phone case (some selfies for social media Ofc) and decided to finally go to class, excited to show this girl that you were basically crushing on the gift you got for her.

Your second class of the day was luckily one with Yunjin, so you were hoping to make it on time to talk with her a little bit before it started, and so you did! But weirdly, you caught the girl on her seat, very quiet while the friends of her who also shared this class seemed a little worried and empathetic with whatever was going on with the red hair girl. You took your seat close to them and waved hi to her friend, whose name if you remember well was Sakura. With a sign you asked her if Jen was ok, to which she replied with a “so-so” sign and a little smile. You nodded sympathetically and decided to maybe wait until later on the day to talk with her, now feeling slightly nervous yourself to make any move. However, while you were considering this option, kkura thought seeing you might cheer her friend up, so she elbowed Yunjin and let her know that you were in the room.

Once the girl looked at your direction, there was a sparkle in her eyes, the one that always appeared whenever she saw you or thought of you. However, once she remembered the mean words the idiot from earlier told her, her smile turned into a more shy, sad small one, and her eyes went to the floor.

“Yunjin? You’re not gonna say hi to her like always?” The Japanese girl asked her in a low voice, trying to motivate her dear friend.

“I don’t know, Kkura..” the sad girl said “What if I just make her feel uncomfortable? What if that’s what I’ve been doing? That’s not only embarrassing, but also not fair for her to feel like that, and not fair for me to keep my hopes high if I’m clearly out of her league. I don’t wanna get even more hurt and also I—”but your voice interrupted her sad rambling.

“Hey Yunjin, Look what I got!” You called, smiling that pretty smile of yours and showing her the back of your phone, hoping this somehow will help cheering her up. And it did! Yunjin’s expression went from sad, to surprised that you called, to excited.

“Oh. My. God. Is that a Genshin Impact special edition Yun Jin photocard ?!” She said in her peculiar loud voice and with a smile showing her perfect teeth. There. There it was. The excited and loud loser who caught your attention. “Omg, y/n! How did you get this? I didn’t even know you liked Genshin!”

“Well, constantly hearing you screaming about it made me curious!” You teased her while laughing, to which she blushed but didn’t stop smiling while listening to you “it was just a few days ago so I’m very new, I actually enjoyed it a lot so I decided to search info about the characters online, and went this morning to this cool store I found to buy some of these.”

“So that’s why you weren’t here earlier” Sakura commented, making you look at her a little surprised.

“Oh you noticed?”

“Yunjin did.” Eunchae answered while looking at her friend with a mischievous smile, to which Yunjin responded with a blush, a threat in her eyes and a promise for vendetta later. “She missed you and everything.”

“Eunchae!” She simply groaned, pouting at the embarrassment her friend made her go through. But to you it was actually really cute the fact that she noticed your absence.

“Well, please accept these as an apology then.” You said while getting the little bag that contained the other photocards and giving it to her. She was so surprised because a gift. For her? From you?! “I didn’t know who your favorite character was so I made sure to get as many as possible. Please take as many as you want, I mainly got them for you to be honest.” You admitted, feeling brave to confess your intentions, even with her friends around.

“Oh my~ this is so cute!” Eunchae squeaked while shaking Yunjin’s shoulder (visual representation), while the girl was just speechless holding the bag you gave her and switching from looking at it to looking at you, who couldn’t stop smiling, satisfied at her reaction while your hands were politely behind your back in a cute shy way. Of course, Sakura had to push her to get out of her shocked state. Yunjin shook her head to bring herself back before speaking.

“Omg y/n, I don’t know what to say, thank you so much!” She said, feeling touched by the detail. Yunjin was looking at you with such sweet eyes, you were making her fall deeper for you, and she didn’t know that’s exactly your plan.

“It’s ok. Just please make sure to leave some Yun Jin for me, she’s my favorite character you know?” You told her in a clearly flirty way and a wink, making sure the message was clear. This made the red hair girl’s eyes open wide as her face had no idea what to do, besides blushing and smiling like an idiot.

“Hehe, Yunjin unnie’s face is trying to match her hair.” Eunchae teased, making you and Sakura laugh at the taller girl.

“Hong Eunchae I swear to God.”

——

After that conversation, the professor entered the classroom, so you quickly agreed on hanging out after class to continue talking about your interest in common. Sakura had a class, and Eunchae went with her after mentioning she was grateful to be able to go ‘cause she didn’t want to third wheel you guys anymore, earning another groan and blush from her best friend. Talking with Yunjin was really nice, and she was really hyped and happy about sharing this topic, so much she decided to invite you to her place so you could continue there, watch some content and even play a little bit! She was excited of being able to teach none other than her crush how to play her favorite game.

Of course she didn’t realize the weight of her actions until you were actually in her room.

Oh god. Her crush was in her room. Alone with her.

Girlie went from excited to nervous once she saw you making yourself comfortable in her bed. Her bed was really soft and warm, and her room was cozy. It reflected her personality well. A nice combination of beige walls and white. Most of the room had warm colors, and the decoration was based on some posters, little shelves with albums and books, pictures and figures of video-games characters the girl was a fan of. She was very organized and clean, her desk having her computer and just a couple notebooks at the moment. You hoped you could spend more time there with her in the future (and no not only for the nasty 🤨).

“This is a really nice place Yun” you told her.

“Thanks, that’s one of the reasons I like spending so much time at home.” She said with a giggle doing her best to contain the blush in her cheeks because did you just call her by a nickname?😳 bro do it again.

“I get it, if my room was this nice and comfy I too would prefer to just stay and play all day.” You said as she lied down next to you.

“Well, you can always come and play with me!” She offered smiling innocently (aw my pookie wookie 🥺), but c’mon you had to tease her after saying that-

“You want me to come play with you, huh?” You said with an obvious teasing tone and a smirk moving your eyebrows up and down, now making it impossible for the red hair girl to not match her cheeks color with her hair.

“I mean! It’s always fun to play genshin with friends…” she said, trying to save herself from the embarrassment, but she felt it was too late so her hands went to her face as she groaned in a low voice. You laughed. She was so endearing, so cute. You couldn’t resist her and she wasn’t even trying to do anything at all. This is the girl you wanted. It just felt too right. It felt like home in your heart even before it did in your head.

“You remember I told you Yunjin is my favorite genshin impact character?” You asked her, taking her hands off her face but not letting go of them, to which she hummed in response. “And do you know why she is my favorite character?”

“Well, her playability in my opinion is really good. Her design and character description is also captivating, and since you mentioned you’re new to the game maybe that’s the reason you liked her. Although I must say I pr—” god this girl could talk. So what’s better than shutting up your crush with a kiss? Nothing bro. Nothing so that’s what you did. With a sweet kiss that she was doing her very best to correspond once the initial shock passed, as she’s been dreaming of doing since the moment her eyes fell on you. Your hand moved slowly from her own hands to her face, caressing it softly as her trembling hand went to your waist. As the seconds passed, her hands felt more comfortable, so she hugged you closer to her, to which you responded hugging her as well. Once you stopped kissing ( barely leaving any space in between your faces), you whispered in her lips “so again, do you know why Yunjin is my favorite character?”

And with her vision blurry and her mind clearly malfunctioning because of everything that was happening (but can you blame her tho?) she said:

“Who’s Yunjin?”

Bro are you serious.

#huh yunjin #Yunjin #huh yunjin x reader #yunjin x reader #le sserafim yunjin #kpop gg #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #le sserafim #le sserafim x reader #le sserafim imagines #le sserafim scenarios #le sserafim x y/n #g!p yunjin x reader #g!p yunjin #loser yunjin x reader #loser yunjin

[idontknowreallyidontcare]

Husband!König has many piercings, some he regrets some he admires himself from getting.

Getting in military after many years of bullying gave him lots of confidence, you can see it. From his lines in game you can understand how cocky and sure of himself he is. He’s a colonel now yes, but he was younger too. I believe he got to hookup more from his 19’s to his late 20’s, this gave him a possibility to discover himself, what he liked and to actually explore himself as a young adult. I believe he has had a brow piercing, the hole almost totally closed because he decided it was too risky keeping one on the field (image he actually rips it off because it gets stuck in something;-; ewwww) He just took it off and never really thought about putting it back in.

Classic but I do image him having a tongue piercing. Like listen, we know König eats pussy for pleasure, he would be okay with only feasting on your pussy for the rest of his life if he could choose to. So ofc, when he started to watch porn and noticed many actors having piercings, and how hot il looked while they ate pussy, he just went with it and got one. The fact that he actually went to a piercer instead of just asking Nikto for help by sticking a mf needle in his tongue and risking an infection, is actually pure luck, because our König is also a proud mf, he takes pride in being good at anything, And why wouldn’t he be able to stick a needle in his own tongue alone! (Thank god Nikto was the one to persuade him, he would’ve gotten an infection).

NOW, König has a big cock, we all know it, he knows it, everyone knows it. And how can his big attributes be highlighted if not by some downstairs piercings??? He’s got one on his tip, unfortunately removed due to the discomfort it gave him by constantly rubbing against his TOO TIGHT pants (whore). BUT DONT BE SAD! He once stumbled across a stack of porn magazines, they were old fashioned ones, probably from late 90’s, depicting naked man and women on each and every page (lol ofc they were porn magazine.)

A model in particular captured his attention, his soft dick resting on the side of a thigh, he could see the small piercings along the under part. Thank god König is also a tech genius, he works with advanced technology every day, so a silly and fast google search brings him to what he is looking for, that strange piercing’s name. Yes everyone, a Jacob’s ladder ;). He’s got one, his dick all hot and bothered form the moment he saw that model’s picture, because he was sure that it would feel SO GOOD to be inside a nice hot pussy, feeling how after each and every thrust the piercings would drag around the insides of a girl, making a moaning mess out of her.

Yes he got one, and he was very careful with it, König is a pretty clean lad, he may not have a skincare, may not use fancy lotions and shampoos, but he knows his routine, he keeps himself clean, even more now that he got the piercings. Well I think he got them in his 30’s, he was already mature enough to understand if he could or couldn’t take care of such an important body modification, and he went for it. He got it done when he knew he’d have the most time off from work, where he knew he could spent at least a few months outside the base and actually be able to care for the wound. Very sexy mature choice woof woof bark bark snarl gnawn

He has a failed lip piercing guys, if got ripped off when a bullet hit his face and scarred a bit of his lips, destiny wanted for the bullet to be deviated exactly by his lip piercing. He’s got a bit of a trauma now, refusing to get another one, but still grateful that the first one kinda saved his life and his face from the possibility of a fucking hole being planted inside of it. He was so sexy too, you have seen a pic (yes a pic, I never see anyone talking about how they actually have technology incorporated in their lives! They take pics guys! Like boomers probably, but they do!) you may try to convince him to get one again, and who knows, maybe he’ll actually consider, but only because YOU asked!! Image now the contrast of his tongue piercing and his lip one while he eats you out, woof woof bark, I’d faint.

#cod x reader #cod #cod mwii #konig cod #konig smut #konig x reader smut #konig x reader #konig call of duty

[morganbritton132]

Do you think Eddie and Steve have ever fallen victim to the weird trend of people calling the police to ‘save’ famous people? Like some fans of his tiktok became convinced Steve was holding him hostage after making 2+2=5 when they googled up Billy’s name

This is such an interesting question because I could see it going both ways.

There are always going to be people that look at Eddie and see wanted posters. There are people who will never be convinced that he didn’t commit those murders, and they’re only ever going to see a victim in Steve because of it.

Steve is clumsy. He has a head injury and issues with balance, and sometimes he gets confused. Sometimes he gets bruised. He’s cut his hand in the middle of a seizure and needed stitches. He’s broken his ankle and walked on it for an entire day.

Sometimes nurses and doctors see his injury and see his medical history, and then they see the scruffy guy calling himself his husband, and they ask him to step outside the room. They ask Steve questions and it always takes him a second to realize what they’re trying to get at because domestic abuse is not something that he can attach to Eddie in any capacity.

And Steve will get angry about it. How dare they think such a thing? How could they look at Eddie and see how much love he holds in his heart and think that he would ever hurt Steve?

 

I think that Eddie is always going to have some fans that see Steve as this bad guy that does not deserve to be with him. There is nothing that he will ever do that can change that. They are just angry that Eddie is with someone other than them.

I can definitely see them hearing about all the bad shit that went down in Hawkins and seeing Steve’s connection to some of it – The coverup story for Starcourt paints Robin and Steve as two dedicated retail employees that saved a bunch of children from a fire – and then take that extra step to twist it into something so much worse.

The kid that went missing in Hawkins in 1983 just so happened to be the little brother of the guy that stole Steve’s high school girlfriend? That’s interesting. That’s suspicious.

And his high school bully (that he apparently hit with a car!) just so happened to die in a fire at his place of work? Weird.

And despite the fact that the police and an angry mob couldn’t find Eddie, Steve Harrington – a video rental employee – happened to find him?

You pair the horror story that was Hawkins in the eighties up with Eddie’s scars and all the off-hand jokes people have made on live-streams about Steve’s sleepwalking, or with Steve’s reactions to being scared and you can make a convincing case for anything.

Eddie ends a live-stream early one night at Steve’s request and then an hour later, they’re getting a knock on the door by two police officers doing a welfare check.

Steve and Eddie are obviously confused, and Steve is really disheartened when one of the officers lets it slip that the person calling was concerned because of a live-stream.

It puts a damper on the date night he’d set up for them in the living room and he doesn’t really want to continue it after the cops leave. Eddie tries to find the bright side of the situation, “Babe, it’s nothing. It’s not like it’ll be in the papers.”

“They think I hurt you,” Steve says. “They – your fans think that I would – that I’d ever – and they’re not wrong, technically. I have hurt you before.”

“And I nearly cut your throat with a broken glass bottle,” Eddie replies, ignoring the way Steve scoffs at him. “Anything that you’ve ever done because you were confused or lost in your head, or sleepwalking doesn’t count. You weren’t all here and it’s not your fault if you aren’t aware of what you’re doing, right? And anyways, I’m typically bothering you.”

“You’re blaming yourself for me hurting you?”

“No, I’m – No. I’m not,” Eddie clarifies. “I am saying that I don’t always come into the situation knowing what’s going on and sometimes I make it worse. Sure, I’ve gotten a bit of a hit. You kick in your sleep. But you have never hurt me.”

“Is it El’s fault when the cabinets rattle when she has a nightmare?” Eddie continues because it’s clear that Steve does not agree with him. “Or that time she got so scared that all the lightbulbs shattered? You got cut when that happened, remember? You have a scar. Is that her fault?”

“That’s different. She can’t-“

“And neither can you,” Eddie says. “I’m telling you now, Stevie. You know what my life was like before I moved in with Wayne. I will never be in a situation like that again. So, if I was than I would not be here, but I am here because you have never done anything to hurt me, okay?”

#I think that Steve would deal with people assuming things a lot more in real life but that there is probably some dedicated Eddie Munson #hater out there that also posts YouTube videos like ‘7 signs Eddie Munson hurts people’ and it’s like Steve has a bruise on his arm #eddie munson tiktok saga #steve harrington #eddie munson

[comics-and-fanworks]

Hi! I found this Drabble and was curious on how you’d write your own story around it because of how amazing you are! So, if it’s not too much trouble, do you think you could write a Maribat story around this prompt please? Thank you!

“It was gentle moments like this that made her life worth it.  Of course these moments were few and far between, but they were there, and that’s what mattered.  She leaned into the gentle touch, the loving way his fingers ran through her hair.  The rise and fall of his chest.  The warm, beautiful sound of his heartbeat against her ear.  It was wonderful, so wonderful she knew that it wasn’t real.  

She opened her eyes, letting the tears slip down her cheeks as she looked around her cold empty apartment living room.  It had been another dream of something that was impossible.  She had been alone for so long, going outside as little as possible so that her curse of misfortune would not spread.  But she longed to make that dream a reality.

It was strange though, she had similar dreams before, but from what she could tell after studying them was that in every one it was the same boy.  Despite never seeing his face even once, despite never once meeting them, she longed for them.  Longed for the gentle love that they showed her, even if it was only for a moment.”

Hi! So sorry for taking so long! I’m currently in college and it’s killing me slowly, there’s been a lotta ups and downs, and my mental health is realistically not where it should be. Thank you so much for being patient with me, I really should have gotten this done sooner. Also I didn't know which batboi you wanted so I put them all on a wheel and spun it. I also rewrote some of the scenes in Miraculous like Lila's first appearance to make her a bit craftier and such.

I love this prompt! Thank you for suggesting it to me and for your sweet words! I hope you like this super cute Soulmate AU!

Also heads up this is super long and only loosely adheres to canon! The thing is so long because it took so long for me to get this done, one thing led to another and here we are. This thing is pages long and has 23,741 words. P. S, some of this was written on my phone sorry if the formatting is inconsistent! Also, let me know if I miscalculated ticket prices or made mistakes, and I’ll fix it! How I did the math was I googled a Disneyland Paris ticket price, took the highest value, multiplied that by the number of students going (They had a pass for ages 3-17 that I used for the students), and then did adult ticket prices for the two teachers. I multiplied those by seven days and added the results. My result came up to about 9,667 not including tax, so I chucked on a few extra thousand to account for Lila pocketing some of the money. 

TW: swearing, mentions of bullying, and minor violence, hints of PTSD, mentions of death

~~~~~~~~

Marinette knew the minute she had her first dream about him. She was sitting on a couch in a library working on her designs. A faceless man approached her, holding two mugs, and set one down in front of her, gently kissing her head. Despite her inability to identify this man, she felt safe with him and could feel love and affection swelling in her chest. He set his mug down and sat beside her, chuckling as she snuggled up. In comfortable silence, they worked on their own projects, not a care in the world.

When Marinette woke up that Saturday, she immediately called Alya. "Girl guess what? I just had my first soulmate dream!" She quickly removed the phone from her ear, correctly predicting the excited shriek from Alya. "Oh my gosh, Marinette! This is amazing! Did you see his face? Was it a guy? Was it Adrien?" Marinette jumped out of bed, an extra bit of pep in her step. It was going to be a great day, she knew it! "Yes, it was a guy. I couldn't see his face though... so that rules out Adrien." She hadn't even thought of that. Everyone knew that you wouldn't see your soulmate's face in your dreams until you met them! She would have to face the reality that Adrien was not meant to be hers. Alya heard her tone change, and thought quickly, "That doesn't necessarily mean that! People are reporting that they haven't seen their soulmate's face even though they had already met them in real life because the time wasn't right! Maybe Adrien is your soulmate but now isn't the right time because his supervillain of a father who could make Hawkmoth look like a saint won't let him date. Or girl have you considered that your soulmate could be a superhero? Lois Lane stated that she knew her soulmate before she saw his face in her dreams because he had a secret identity that obscured it! Your soulmate could be Chat Noir," Marinette made a face as she styled her hair, " or one of the vigilantes from Gotham! The way I see it is that you have three options. 1. It is Adrien, it just isn't the right time. 2. You haven't met them yet. 3. It's a superhero." Marinette laughed, "What if they're a supervillain?" "No way girl. You’re too sweet and pure for a villain. Anyways-" An Akuma alarm sounded, cutting their conversation short. "Welp, that's my cue. I gotta go Mari, duty calls!" And with that, Alya hung up to chase down the Akuma, while Marinette shouted out, "Tikki! Spots on!"

There she was, hiking through the woods with her soulmate. She still couldn't see his face, but she immediately knew why they were there. He wanted to show her someplace special, somewhere he'd never taken anyone before. Eventually, they found a stream, and she turned to see her partner rolling up his pant legs and taking off of his boots. "Throw a stick in the water to see how strong the current is. If it's too strong we'll have to turn pack." His voice was slightly garbled so she couldn't identify it, but she could clearly hear what he said. Picking up a stick she tossed it far out into the creek, watching as it lazily floated away. With that, she took off her own hiking boots, and the two made their way into the creek. The water was cold and she almost lost her footing, only to be caught by strong arms and pulled against her soulmate's broad chest. Marinette couldn't help the blush rising to her face as he held her. She could feel his gentle breath by her ear, along with the steady rise and fall of his chest. She could fall asleep listening to his heartbeat. He whispered, "Careful love. I don't want you getting hurt." He helped her stabilize and the two continued to make their way up the creek until-

Marinette woke with a start to the sound of her alarm clock. She cursed the thing, of course, it had to go off when she was getting to the good part. She realized as she rushed to get ready for school that she was able to identify something about her soulmate, they were both adults in this dream. She had been having them for a few months now, but this was the first time she could figure out any detail about when they would meet. It also didn't rule out any of Alya's theories either. She kissed her Maman and Papa and sprinted to school, thanking her lucky stars that she wasn't late. However, she was in for a surprise when she arrived at Mrs. Bustier's classroom. There was a new girl sitting in her seat, while the whole class gathered around her. Alya noticed her and waved her over. "Marinette! This is Lila Rossi! She just transferred here and she's from Italy! Guess what girl? She knows Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale too! She saved Jagged's cat and he wrote a song for her, and she taught Clara some of her most famous dance moves! She also works with Prince Ali on environmental charities!! She's so amazing!" Marinette paused. Jagged Stone doesn't have a cat, he has Fang the alligator, and Prince Ali focuses on charities for children, not the environment. She could also remember Clara doing all of her own choreography, so her suspicions were already raised. She had serious doubts about the girl in front of her, and despite wanting to voice them she held her tongue. "It's very nice to meet you, Lila! I'm Marinette the class president, welcome to Dupont." Lila looked her up and down and gave her a saccharine smile which only raised Marinette's suspicions even more. "Hello, Marinette! I hope we can be good friends! Alya tells me you like fashion, I happen to be a personal friend of Hubert de Givenchy, so maybe I can introduce you to him!" Marinette's eyes narrowed, Hubert de Givenchy had passed away in 2018, and if Lila really knew him she would have known that. Her classmates looked on with bated breath, clearly believing Lila knew these famous people.

"Oh, you knew him?" Lila nodded, "I was so sad to hear when he passed away in 2018. He really was an inspiration of mine," Marinette said, watching as Lila's eyes widened, but was impressed with how quickly she recovered, "Oh I know! I misspoke earlier, I meant his nephew!" Before Marinette could reply, the bell rang. Alya turned to her and said, "Marinette I hope you don't mind. Lila has really bad tinnitus from when she saved Jagged's cat from getting run over by a plane. She struggles to hear so we gave her your seat." Marinette looked around and noticed no one was in their normal seats. If Lila had her seat, it meant the only place left to sit was alone in the back. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but I really would have appreciated it if you waited for me to get here. I have no problem with Lila sitting there if she needs it I just wish you would have-" Lila cut her off with fake tears, "Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to cause problems I just wanted to be able to hear the lessons! I can move to the back if that makes things better." Shit, she was good. Marinette looked around at her classmates who were now glaring at her. Did they not hear what she said? She had no problem with Lila sitting there if she needed it, she just wished someone would've let her know! "Don't worry Lila, you can stay there it's not your fault. I guess Marinette has decided to have an attitude today," Alix said, glaring at Marinette. "I just said I wished someone would have let me know!" Marinette shouted. "Girl it's just a seat it's no big deal. Why are you acting like a child about this?" Alya crossed her arms looking at her. "It's not even about the seat," Marinette started, "It's about you making a decision that affects me without talking to me about it!" "Well, we figured that since you're our Everyday Ladybug you'd have no problem with it. Come on Mari, you're supposed to be nice." Adrien scolded, and before she could defend herself the second bell rang, signaling the start of class.

She dreamed of walking down the streets of Paris, her soulmate nowhere in sight. However, she felt happy, it was a good day. She was going to her favorite bulk fabric supply store and texting some friends about the project ideas that danced in her head. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, she knew this path by heart. She was planning on buying fabric to make a new spring line when she ran straight into someone, how embarrassing. Looking up, there was her soulmate, with his clouded face. He chuckled and asked where she was going in such a rush, and she stuttered out an apology. He offered to walk with her, making Marinette smile, they must have done this before many times.

The next few months were rough. Later that first day she had gone to talk to Alya and had presented evidence to prove Lila was a liar, but her best friend had simply shaken her head and told Marinette that jealousy was not a good look on her. Marinette had been stunned, she had nothing to be jealous about until Alya told her that everyone could see Lila had a crush on Adrien. Alya's words still burned in her brain, "I can't believe you Marinette. To try and ruin another girl's reputation because of a crush. You need to take a good look in the mirror." Marinette couldn't fathom why her best friend wouldn't listen to her and decided to go for a patrol as Ladybug. Then while she had been passing by the park, she had overheard Lila telling Adrien that she was the fox hero, Volpina. She had to say something, Lila might not realize how much danger she was putting herself in by making those claims. So she swung down, (and tried her best to keep her cool) and explained to Lila that there was no fox hero and that if Hawkmoth had overheard her she could be in danger. Of course, that caused Lila to get akumatized. To make things worse, a couple of days later Lila had cornered her and threatened her! Despite everything, she still believed her classmates would come around and see the truth.

That was exactly five years ago. Marinette really should have had less faith in the people around her. Lila got her expelled, Alya disavowed their friendship, and Adrien betrayed her worst of all. In his endless quest to avoid any confrontation, he pressured her to keep quiet, and when she didn't he turned his back on her. Marinette had quit trying to expose Lila years ago, but the brunette had kept her promise. Adrien just watched as their class left her out of their plans, destroyed her things, and ripped up her work, among other things. When she confronted him about why he was allowing this to happen, he just shook his head and told her it never would have if she had done what he said. Her heart shattered, and she prayed that her soulmate wasn't Adrien. The only people she had in her corner were her parents, Luka, and Kagami (who had quickly seen through Lila's bullshit after she'd tried to lie her way into Marinette's room), Nino, and Kim (they snapped out of it after Lila accused Marinette of pushing her down the stairs), and she had the newfound support of Nathaniel, Juleka, and Rose. The last three didn't want to rock the boat or have Lila's wrath directed towards them but had expressed seven months ago that they figured out Lila was lying, but after Marinette was nearly knocked into the path of an oncoming car, they began to be more vocal in their opposition. Chloe had also stepped back from tormenting Marinette, the two girls never talked, but were never hostile. Her friends couldn't do much while they were in school, and since they were busy with their own lives, Marinette truly felt alone. Even under the mask as Ladybug she was alone, witch Chat Noir had gotten so frustrated with her constantly refusing his feelings, that he'd almost completely stopped showing up two years ago. Her only solace was that Paris seemed to be on her side with that one, and whenever Chat Noir did emerge he was met with anger from the citizens he'd broken his oath to. On top of all that, Marinette hadn't had a soulmate dream in years, which terrified her to her core. Did her soulmate die?

"Tikki, I haven't dreamt of him in years! What's wrong with me!?" Marinette sobbed, holding onto a pillow on her bed. Most of her days ended like this, with tears. The Kwami were kind enough to protect her from akumas during these times, after realizing that Marinette was only putting herself at risk by bottling up her emotions. Her room had changed since the Lila Era began. She had taken down all of her photos, save a few, her bright pink walls seemed to lose their hue, and she only ever designed for commissions, simply because she knew she needed a portfolio for college. Tom and Sabine had tried their hardest to get their little girl out of Dupont, but her transfer papers kept getting "lost." They tried to get her into therapy, but with Hawkmoth around every therapist had a waitlist that was beginning to enter into years. Tikki was growing more concerned with each passing day, her Chosen was close to breaking. "Oh baby bug, there's nothing wrong with you! Soulmate dreams are different than regular dreams because they're tied to real people in this world. The interesting thing about them is that they show up when you need them." "But I've needed them! I need to know I'm not alone, that I haven't been abandoned, and that the universe doesn't hate me enough to take away everything," Marinette just sobbed harder before she froze, "What if Adrien really is my soulmate and that's why I'm not having dreams? I'm unlucky as it is, so this would be on par for me," Tikki was horrified that Marinette would even think that, and before she could say anything, a new voice cut her off. "No. That brat is not your soulmate, I won't allow it." There was Plagg, in her room, holding a familiar silver ring in his paws. "Pigtails after what he's done to you, as Adrien and Chat Noir," Marinette and the other Kwami gasped, "I won't let him. I won't let him hurt you anymore! Marinette I am so sorry, I should have done this a long time ago, but I let my gluttony and my pity for the kid cloud my judgment. I let him fail you inside and outside of the mask, Kitten I promise you I will never let a black cat holder hurt you again." Plagg nuzzled against her cheek, gratefully accepting Marinette gently kissing his head letting him know all was forgiven. "Besides! His karma is coming for him, but I have to warn you too. He's going to try and pursue you romantically because he doesn't like who his soulmate is." Marinette perked up at that, "Adrien knows who his soulmate is?" Plagg nodded, "Yep. One Lila Rossi. A liar and an enabler, how fitting. He had rejected her because at the time he was still convinced that Ladybug was his soulmate, but now that that's not true, he's turning his attention toward you. He found out from Alya that you had a crush on him, and so even though he knows you aren't his soulmate he's going to try and pursue you anyways." Marinette's brows furrowed, deep in thought. No wonder Lila was so obsessed with Adrien, and it explained why she wanted to get close to him. What Marinette needed was a plan, so she hopped out of her bed and made her way down to the kitchen where her parents were talking. "Maman, Papa. Would it be alright if I took a mental health day tomorrow?" Her parents seemed to light up at the thought, seeing this as an opportunity to give their child a break from her tormentors. "Of course! In fact, why don't you take the whole week off? You're ahead on your work and haven't missed any school this year. We'll call the school tomorrow and take care of everything." Sabine said, right before she and Tom were tackled by their daughter for a hug. With time to plan, Marinette made her way upstairs to begin her work.

It was gentle moments like this that made her life worth it.  Of course, these moments were few and far between, but they were there, and that’s what mattered.  She leaned into the gentle touch, the loving way his fingers ran through her hair.  The rise and fall of his chest.  The warm, beautiful sound of his heartbeat against her ear.  It was wonderful, so wonderful she knew that it wasn’t real.

She opened her eyes, letting the tears slip down her cheeks as she looked around her cold empty room.  It had been another dream of something impossible.  She had been alone for so long, going outside as little as possible so that her curse of misfortune would not spread.  But she longed to make that dream a reality. It was strange though, she had similar dreams before, but from what she could tell after studying it was that it was the same boy she had dreamed of before.  Despite never seeing his face even once, despite never once meeting them, she longed for them.  Longed for the gentle love that they showed her, even if it was only for a moment. Marinette quickly snapped out of her sorrow when she had a realization: She had dreamt of her soulmate again! She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face. A knocking on her trapdoor snapped her out of her thoughts, and her mother's voice brought her back to reality, "Marinette sweetie? Are you up? I have some news. We couldn't have timed this better, it's your spring break, so we don't need to worry about problems from Damocles or Bustier! Also, your class has left for their trip, so there's no way you'll bump into them! Alright, that's all I've got, go back to sleep." Marinette couldn't sleep, not after hearing that great news! The kwami were already waking up and grabbing their food from the minifridge she kept in her room, while Marinette dashed to her wardrobe. She had made herself an outfit a while ago but was too afraid her classmates would ruin it. It was a short light pink sundress, perfect for today's weather. She was going to spend the day out on the town enjoying her life. She had a considerable chunk of fun money saved up from her commissions and decided that she deserved a self-care day.

She had just left her favorite brunch spot and was making her way to her fabric shop of choice, texting her friends who had gone on the class trip. Marinette was the only one who was purposely excluded from it, and while her friends tried to drop the trip, Mrs. Bustier made them go because if that many people dropped there would be no way the class would hit their fundraising goal. Marinette was pretty sure some of that money was going straight into Lila's pocket, but she wasn't class president and had no way to get her hands on the class's records. Marinette didn't know the average price of sending 13 students plus two teachers to Disneyland Paris, but 12,000 euros seemed like a lot. And the worst part: she was still expected to contribute! Marinette was so wrapped up in the sheer ridiculousness of it all, that she didn't realize where she was going until she ran right into someone! As she began to fall, she felt a strong arm grab her by the waist and suddenly she was standing upright and looking up at the man she had just run into. He was stunning, at least 6'2 with medium-length dark hair he kept neatly styled. His tan skin radiated warmth, and his muscles were clearly defined by the dress shirt he was wearing. As her eyes trailed up from his sharp jawline, she froze when she saw his eyes. They were a rich green, held a deep, almost mysterious gleam, and were as sharp as a panther's. Like the cat, there was something wild about his eyes, hidden just below the surface. The only thought running through her head was a simple, 'He should be Plagg's next holder.' Suddenly the man staring at her let out a deep chuckle that rumbled in his broad chest, "What's the rush little Lily?" His voice was deep, with a sort of sharpness to it, like this kind of conversation was new to him.

"I, I am SO sorry sir! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and ran into you! I hope I didn't mess up your outfit!" Marinette was in full panic mode, the most attractive man she'd ever seen in her life and she just made a fool of herself. Instead of the rage she expected and was used to, he only smiled, "No harm done. I don't have anywhere I have to be, and besides you only bumped into me, you didn't spill anything on me. Can I ask where you're going? My family has just arrived from the U.S. and I was exploring the city." Marinette blushed, he looked so intimidating, but so far he'd been nothing but kind. Still, she had learned never to drop her guard, but... If he wasn't from here she supposed it wouldn't hurt to be polite. "I'm going to some of my favorite fabric shops in the fashion district... I'm a clothing designer and I was going to pick up some to start working on a spring and summer collection," She decided to take a gamble, "If you have nothing to do I can show you around." He smiled, "I would love that Ms...," "Marinette, and you are?" "Damian." Marinette smiled as the two began to walk toward the fashion district together, "Well it's very nice to meet you, Damian, even if it was in interesting circumstances."

When Damian heard his father talking about going to Paris to investigate the Hawkmoth situation, he quickly volunteered to go along as well. His official pitch was that he was closest in age to the young heroes of Paris, and would have an easier time getting them to talk. He also said it would look good to add a bit of international travel and education abroad to his resume. However, he had a secret reason for wanting to go to Paris: to meet his soulmate. Younger him would have scoffed at the thought, but he was not the same person he was when he first came to his father. Thanks to his brothers and Jon (mostly Jon), he had grown as a person, and now that he was close to graduating high school, he was beginning to think about the rest of his life and how he wanted to spend it. Of course, there were the staples, going to college, starting at least 5 charities for animals, and inheriting the cowl, but a part of him wanted more. A part of him didn't want to be alone. So he started looking back at all the soulmate dreams he'd been having since he was thirteen. Even though he'd dismissed it at that age, he at least had the foresight to write everything down, and using his Batfamily-honed detective skills, he deduced his soulmate was somewhere in Paris. One dream stood out to him, he was standing on a sidewalk in Paris when his soulmate crashed into him. From the way she spoke in the dream, he deduced that this was when they would meet. So there he was, standing on the exact sidewalk in the exact spot. He knew how ridiculous he must've looked as he texted his family, his official story being that he was going to look for clues about the heroes. Right as he was about to reply to a snarky text from Tim, he felt a small mass crash into him with way more force than it should have. He quickly spun around and caught the woman, and as he stabilized her he was able to get a good look at her. The first thing Damian noticed was how small she was, at least compared to him, however, she did have quite a bit of lean muscle. Her skin was pale, with a slight pink undertone to contrast her shoulder-length ebony hair. Her cheeks were lightly dusted pink with small patches of freckles, and her lips were ruby red. She almost resembled a porcelain doll. She was gorgeous, but what really took his breath away was her eyes. Framed in long dark lashes they were a beautiful deep blue. They reminded him of an ocean, deep and rich and sparkling under the sunlight. This had to be his soulmate. He learned her name, Marinette, and she invited him to go with her to the fashion district. Damian was content, while she may not recognize him as her soulmate yet, it was undeniable that she felt the same pull towards him that he felt towards her.

Before she knew it, Marinette had spent her entire spring break with Damian. She couldn't help it, she felt drawn to him, like she needed him to breathe. What surprised her the most, was the dream she had the night after she met him. She was sitting atop a building as Ladybug, watching the sunset, and next to her with the black cat Miraculous, was Damian. They watched the sun sink below the horizon, and suddenly the sky erupted into fireworks of all colors. The show ended with a sentence spelled out in fireworks "Thank you Ladybug and Panthère de Nuit." She knew the moment she opened her eyes that Damian was her soulmate, and from the texts, she'd received, he knew it too. The two of them agreed to take it slow, they were still very young and had just met. However, as the mini vacation went on, the pit of dread in her stomach began to grow, and she would have to return to school. She had told Damian what was happening with Lila, Adrien, everything. Needless to say, Marinette was surprised when he told her he would be in her class, and that he wouldn't let them do anything to her (Little did they know Tom and Sabine heard them, and Damian had just won their approval). So when he arrived to pick her up, he made sure they got to Dupont early. Marinette gave him a tour, and as they were walking he stopped to talk to people. "Don't you normally hate talking to people?" "Normally I do my Lily, but in this case, I do not mind. However, I do have an ulterior motive. By talking to these people, I've created an alibi. Look over there," Marinette looked over and saw Sabrina and Alix watching them and whispering, "Those are two of that liar's sycophants right? Well now that they've seen that you spent your time before class giving me, a new student, a tour, if Lila claims that you did something to her, two of her own followers have seen evidence disproving it. So either they mention that there's no way you could've done it because they saw with their own eyes that you have not even interacted with her, or they say nothing and you know what kind of people they are." It was brilliant. Marinette was a little miffed she hadn't thought of it before. The two walked to class, and Marinette whispered, "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. Adrien will give you the most problems. I heard from a friend that he was interested in me, even though he already knows who his soulmate is." "Is it Lila?" "Yes. I know enough about her to know that she's incredibly selfish, she hated it whenever Adrien gave me any attention, because-" "Because he was her ticket to fame and fortune, and if he had picked you she would be locked out." "Exactly. I do not doubt that the second she hears your last name, she won't give a shit about Adrien and will focus her full attention on breaking us apart." Marinette was shocked when Damian told her his last name, she may be oblivious but even she knew who the Waynes were. Plagg joked that it was the Universe trying to make up for how shitty it had been to her. She was not expecting the wicked grin Damian gave her as they arrived at their classroom. "I would like to see her try."

Before the two could reach their seats in the back of the room, Marinette was yanked away from Damian by Kim and Nino, "We don't know who you are but you don't deserve her!" Kim shouted, holding onto Marinette. "Yeah! Mari's the nicest dudette the world has ever seen, if you hurt her we'll kick your ass!" Nino said as he put himself between Damian and Marinette. There was a small moment of awkward silence before the group laughed. Marinette had warned him that her two best friends would try something like this, especially after she told them that he was her soulmate. Taking their seats at the back of the class, the group chatted about their spring break, until Lila walked in with the rest of the class. She readied a fresh accusation to fling at the ravenette but caught herself just in time. WHO was that gorgeous man sitting with Marinette? He put Adrien, a freaking model, to shame. Everyone else seemed to share that sentiment, and Alya was about to start demanding answers when they were spotted. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as the man glared at them. Marinette waved to Rose, Juleka, and Nathaniel, who quickly took their seats near the group of outcasts while Damian Batglared the rest of the class. "Can I help you?" He asked in an icy tone, one that demanded immediate answers. Alya balked, "We, we were just curious about you, since you're, um, a new student here." Damian pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed, "My name is Damian Wayne, yes, from that family. I came to Paris with my father for a business trip, and to find my soulmate, Marinette," Little mutterings of "no way," "That's impossible," and "I didn't think that bitch would have a soulmate," filled the room. "I plan on staying until graduation, and from there I will be going to college with Marinette. Let me make one thing clear: I will not hesitate to retaliate against anyone who tries to hurt my soulmate in any shape or form." Nathaniel could be heard whispering, "Oooh, I like him," To the rest of their little group, who nodded in agreement. After waiting for a second for anyone to challenge him, Damian turned back to Marinette, and almost like a switch flipped, began showing her pictures of his cat.

Lila couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Damian Wayne was in her class, the richest, most eligible bachelor in the world was in her class... and his soulmate was fucking Dupain-Cheng! She swore this had to be some sick joke. There was no way that THE Damian Wayne (whom she had instantly recognized because she had seen him once at a charity ball her mother had taken her to and committed his face to memory) had someone as pathetic as Marinette as his soulmate. The universe truly was cruel. She'd thought she was lucky when she found out Adrien was her soulmate and was devastated when he told her over the break he was going to pursue Marinette. But now? Now Lila knew she must be the luckiest girl in history! Glancing over at Adrien confirmed her belief, the dumbass pushover glared at his rival, and she knew he wasn't going to back down. This was perfect. All she would have to do is separate Marinette and Damian, use the mountain of evidence against Marinette that she made over the years to convince her future husband that his soulmate was no good, and then bam! In a few short years, her name would be Delilah Wayne! Adrien's persistence would only help her case, especially with Marinette's former crush on the blond it would be so easy to frame her for cheating. She would have to be careful though, just from the look in his eyes she could tell he would be much sharper than the rest of her classmates had been: he would be her greatest challenge yet. For now, she would bide her time, and perfect her plan.

Lila made her first move at lunch. She and Alya were sitting at a table, observing Marinette and her friends talking with Damian. "He's so kind to them, why is he such an asshole to us?" Alya muttered. Ah, an opening. "Well, I don't think it's really his fault. I mean he did say that he had come to Paris to find his soulmate, and well, Marinette IS a pathological liar," Lila said as she picked at her food. Alya nodded, "I just can't understand why they still hang out with her! They know what she does to you, they know she's a bitch!" "I think it's a mix of sunk cost fallacy and denial Alya. Nino and Kim have known her since they were little, so I think the reality of Marinette being a bully just can't compute for them. As for Juleka, Rose, and Nathaniel, I think they feel indebted to her or something," Alya nodded, agreeing with her logic. "Girl you're so in tune with people it's crazy!" 'Yes I am,' Lila thought, 'You have to be able to read people to trick them.' "Alya... Can I tell you something? Something bad happened between Adrien and me over the trip." The reporter's head snapped around to her, "What did that bastard do?" Lila began to channel the sorrow she felt when Adrien confronted her over the break, "He... He told me he didn't want me!" She wailed, just loud enough for Damian to overhear, "He called me a liar and all of these awful names, and he told me he was in love with Marinette and that he knew she felt the same for him! He told me if I told anyone about this he'd ruin me!" She cried. It was amazing that Adrien had just handed her this opportunity, completely unaware that he'd done so. As Alya promised revenge against Adrien and the whore who stole him from Lila, the girl in question carefully glanced over to see Damian looking right at her. Perfect. When Lila had decided on this plan, she decided the initial bonding point would be that they had both been betrayed by their soulmates. If Damian was emotionally vulnerable he would be that much easier to manipulate, it would also be the perfect story to pitch to the media as well, they were both betrayed by their soulmates and fell in love!

Lila was quiet for the rest of the day, waiting eagerly for their classes to end. She had a feeling that Adrien would make a move and wanted to be there to see what she'd have to work with. She made an excuse to leave class early and quickly hid behind the stairs. She had to wait a bit for them to leave and spent the time doing research about Damian on her phone. So he loved animals, was passionate about the arts, and was a master swordsman and martial artist. He also spoke seven languages including Italian!! Lila sighed, he was perfect. Finally, the bell rang, and students began making their way out of the building. Lila knew Marinette usually spent some time helping the art teacher before she left, so she was certain Adrien would wait for the girl. Risking discovery, she poked her head out and saw her plan falling into place. Adrien was standing at the top of the stairs, clearly waiting for Marinette. He was muttering to himself, about how it wasn’t fair, about how he couldn’t understand how Marinette could trust a stranger she’d just met. Lila had to keep herself from letting out an amused snort. Isn’t that rich considering their class’s track record? 

She had to wait for about fifteen minutes before she heard laughter coming towards the entrance of the school, it was Marinette, laughing at something Damian had told her, “Oh my gosh, are all your brothers on crack?” she gasped for air, “Sometimes it feels like it,” Damian chuckled. The two were about to walk down the stairs when Adrien stepped in front of them. “Hi, Mari. Can I talk to you, please? Alone.” Wow. Lila didn’t know Sunshine Boy could have such venom, she figured he must’ve been directing that at Damian. Lila could only imagine the glares between the two boys, not daring to poke her head out now and get caught, however, when she thought she heard footsteps back into the school she took out her phone and pressed record. “Why? So you can pressure me into silence again? If you need to tell me something, say it now because Damian and I have plans.” Lila had known about Adrien’s high road advice, and that Marinette had been so in love that she listened. She doubted the ravenette would fall for that now. Lila waited with bated breath to see what Adrien would do, and could not believe what she heard. “I think you should stay away from him. You only just met him, he’s probably lying about who he is Mari. You saw how he treated our friends-” “He has been nothing but kind to MY friends. That’s so rich coming from you Adrien. Lila comes along and lies about everything and it’s totally fine, I meet my soulmate and now suddenly you care about honesty?” “It’s a different situation and you know it Marinette. Lila’s not hurting anyone and if you expose her she could be akumatized.” “What about me Adrien? What if I’m akumatized because of the lies that have ruined my reputation, my belongings are destroyed, when I’m being excluded from practically everything? Do I not matter to you?” “What- no Marinette you matter to me! Besides it’s not that bad and you’re our Everyday Ladybug so-” “SO WHAT? So I’m supposed to accept being mistreated and abused? What are you even here for Adrien?” Lila could tell that Marinette was losing her patience and for a moment, she genuinely wondered if this would be what got her rival akumatized. Adrien took a deep breath, “Marinette you are an amazing woman, what I wanted to tell you was that I accept your feelings and will be your boyfriend.” Perfect! Adrien had given her just what she needed. Lila kept recording because even if Marinette didn’t respond how she wanted, she might say something Lila could doctor later. And it would seem that Marinette was finally shaking off her shock, “Are you crazy? Adrien, I haven’t loved you since we were thirteen, since you made it clear that not rocking the boat was more important to you than me. Besides, I’ve met my soulmate, and yeah we haven’t known each other long, I want to focus on getting to know him.” Adrien did not back down, “Come on Marinette! I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I know we’re meant for each other. The reason I know he’s not good for you is that you’re MY soulmate!” Wow. Lila wasn’t expecting such a bold lie from the blond, he must have been banking on the fact that Marinette had no way of knowing that Adrien was HER soulmate. Now that she had what she needed, she carefully snuck through the bushes and as soon as she turned a corner, she booked it for home. She wasn’t going to risk slowing down to look behind her, she figured since the two were still arguing that she’d successfully completed her mission. Soon it would be all over the media, ‘Model Adrien Agreste Ditches Soulmate for Useless Nobody: How Lila Rossi Saved the Day and Won Damian Wayne’s Heart.’ Lila knew she had a lot of work to do, and couldn’t wait to get started.  

After a long day, Damian returned to the upscale apartment his father was renting during their time in Paris. Marinette hadn’t been joking, her class was a nightmare! Damian had been skeptical at first, no way people could be that ignorant, but after what he saw today, he realized it ran deeper. They looked at Lila the same way people looked at him: They wanted something. Marinette had told him that Lila lied and faked evidence conveniently showing she knew famous people in their fields of interest, so it was likely they followed her because they wanted her to boost their careers. The Ladyblogger, someone who should have known to fact-check followed Lila like a sycophant, either knew she was lying or was really bad at her job. Then there was the other big problem in the class, Adrien Agreste. He seemed to believe he was entitled to Marinette’s love, despite his soulmate making it clear she wanted nothing to do with the blond. He had texted Nino about the Adrien-Marinette situation, and the DJ had filled him in. Marinette used to have a crush on and did some very crazy things to get his attention (Nino had also admitted the class had pushed her into some of the crazier situations), but Adrien either ignored her or was oblivious. At the time this was going on, he had a massive crush on Ladybug and still had a crush on her until recently. Googling the Parisian hero, he found a few things that made his blood run cold. First,  Ladybug had stated that she would never date a civilian (smart) in an interview. Second, the videos he’d seen from when Chat Noir was acting showed the hero displaying the same entitled behavior Adrien did, along with a couple of the same speech patterns and body language. Finally, Ladybug and Marinette looked very similar. There were some differences, but he couldn’t deny that the two could be sisters. A theory was forming in his head, Adrien had been Chat Noir, and after being rejected constantly by Ladybug, decided to set his sights on someone who looked similar to Ladybug. It was clear he still believed Marinette was a sweet, naive girl who would never say no to him, so he potentially thought he could pressure her into accepting his feelings.

  Damian was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice that his father and Tim had returned home, however, they certainly noticed. Bruce decided that this was one of those moments where Damian might need some fatherly advice, and Tim decided he wanted to hear whatever was giving Demon-Spawn trouble. It must be interesting. “How was your day Damian? I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen you lost in thought,” yes he could. It was right after Damian had been brought back from the dead. He watched his son’s head snap up, “I… I’m fine. My day was fine.” “No, you’re not fine. Something’s been on your mind since B mentioned going to Paris, so you can either tell us what’s up or I’ll hack your phone.” Dammit, Tim not now. Damian sighed, surprising both that he wasn’t putting up more of a fight. “The reason I wanted to come to Paris was that I had figured out my soulmate was here.” 

Tim dropped the coffee mug he was filling, and Bruce stared at his son in shock. “Oh my gosh! Did you meet them yet? What are they like? When will we meet them? How did you meet them-” “Tim.” “Sorry B,” “Start from the beginning Damian.” “I met her last week. She was going to buy fabric and bumped into me. We spent every day of her spring break hanging out and getting to know each other, and I was lucky enough to be in her class at the school you enrolled me in. I also found out she had been having trouble with some of her classmates,” “Is she drama-prone?” “Tim let him talk,” “Not necessarily. She’s being bullied and has been for the past few years. Her classmates are the typical users we encounter at Galas and believed her bully because she promised them she had connections. My main concern isn’t the bully, I can deal with her, but a boy in her class has begun to show some alarming behavior... From what I’ve figured out, he was the hero Chat Noir, and I think he’s become obsessed with Mari- my soulmate because of how similar she looks to Ladybug. From my information, I know that he has never shown any interest in her before and that when they were younger she used to have a crush on him. I also know that for whatever reason he’s no longer active as Chat Noir.” “So your theory is that because he no longer has access to his obsession that he’s shifted targets to someone he thinks he still has power over in order to pressure her into fulfilling his fantasy?” “Yes. However, I don’t think he’s realized that. I think a part of him genuinely believes he has feelings for her. I did some research on him, and he grew up with a very controlling and sheltering father, so he’s still incredibly naive, that or he’s so deep in denial he’s become delusional. He still seems to believe that staying silent about my soulmate’s tormentor purposely lying to ruin her reputation and all the physical torment she’s receiving is the right thing to do.” Bruce raised an eyebrow and Tim clutched at his pearls. “So how do you plan on handling this?” Bruce was worried, they needed to find out why Chat Noir was no longer active, if Damian’s theory was true and the former Hero of Paris got akumatized he could still be a massive threat. However, Damian was his father’s son, “I looked into some of the old posts on the Ladyblog before it… strayed. From some clips, I think my soulmate might actually have a connection to Ladybug.” Tim raised his eyebrow, “Damian it’s not that I don’t want you to be happy, but she sounds a little too good to be true. An amazing talented woman who just happens to know celebrities and heroes? Isn’t that the same thing that girl with the weird hair on the Ladyblog claims?” “Well, my soulmate can actually back up her claims.  Her class has had the most akumatizations minus the pigeon man, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Ladybug noticed, and my soulmate is connected to one of the most popular boulangeries in Paris that Ladybug has been seen stopping by. I was going to go out on patrol, and if I couldn’t meet Ladybug that way I’d find a way to see if my soulmate could get her attention.” Bruce nodded. The spotted heroine had been incredibly elusive, and he was beginning to suspect magic was involved. He gave Damian his blessing, and as his youngest son left to get ready for patrol he and Tim turned their attention to a new mystery: Figuring out who his son’s soulmate was.

Paris was beautiful at night. Damian stood atop the Eiffel Tower, looking out over the city. He could almost run the path between his classmates’ homes by muscle memory alone. While he may not like them for their treatment of Marinette, he knew his soulmate still cared about them to some degree, and if anything happened to them it would kill her. He was debating swinging by Marinette’s home but decided against it. While he felt like he could trust her with his life, their relationship was still too young to bring the baggage of a hero into it. He almost didn’t pick up on the gentle thud behind him, and when he turned to snap at Tim for bothering him, he froze. “Mari? My Lily?” He couldn’t believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was Ladybug… who looked exactly like Marinette. Her costume had changed since her initial debut, but there was no doubt who the woman in front of him was. This whole time his soulmate was also the hero they were trying to contact. “Damian? You’re Robin?!” “And you’re Ladybug.” That seemed to snap Mari out of her stupor, “I can explain! Please don’t be mad!” He would address that last bit later, but for now, he just leaned against the railing and watched as she began pacing back and forth. He’d wait all night if that’s what Mari needed to get her thoughts together. “I became Ladybug when I was thirteen. I was chosen by the Guardian of the Miraculous, and he snuck the Ladybug Miraculous into my bag.” “Forgive me but what’s Miraculous?” “Oh right,” He watched as Marinette took off the red and black earrings, “Miraculous are magical objects that are often worn as jewelry. Each Miraculous is connected to a Kwamii, and each Kwamii is the embodiment of a fundamental force of the universe,” A bright red flash came from the Miraculous, and next to Marinette was a floating Ladybug-like creature. The little Kawaii-thing flew up to him, and he carefully held up a hand to allow it to land. “Hello! Damian Wayne, Robin, Son of Bruce Wayne, Grandson of the Demon, and Heir to the Cowl. I am Tikki, the Kwamii of Creation! I am bound to the Ladybug Miraculous that my Chosen uses, and am the source of her powers! If you’ll excuse me I’m going to refuse with Marinette, it’s awfully chilly up here.” With that Tikki zipped back to Marinette, as soon as the two touched a bright red flash appeared and Ladybug stood before him again. “The previous Guardian, well long before he left and left the title and other Miraculous to me, lost two Miraculi, the peacock and the butterfly.” “Which are being used by Hawkmoth and Mayaura.” “Exactly.” Damian nodded, their theory was correct, magic was involved with the Paris situation. 

“Lily, didn’t you used to have a partner?” He watched his soulmate huddle into herself and immediately got off the railing to comfort her. “I did. Chat Noir wielded the Black Cat Miraculous of Destruction. He was my other half, my balance. Over time he got it into our head that because our Miraculi were complimentary, that meant we were soulmates. He began flirting with me constantly, calling me these embarrassing nicknames even when I asked him to stop, and would needlessly throw himself into danger to try and impress me. Eventually, he got tired of me turning him down, and he started missing battles and patrols. When he did show up he’d just get in the way, saying he’d help me again if I admitted we were soulmates. It got so bad his own Kwamii took the Miraculous back from him and brought it to me. I used to have temporary heroes I could count on, but they’re out of the question because their identities were exposed or they’ve chosen Lila’s side.” Damian hugged her tightly, he wasn’t one for physical affection but she was the exception. “So you’ve been alone this whole time? Oh my, Lily I’m so sorry,” he sighed, “Does Adrien know you’re Ladybug?” Marionette’s eyes widened, amazed he knew who Chat was. “Not that I’m aware of. He thinks we look really similar, but he’s seen Ladybug and I in a room together so I doubt he thinks we’re the same.” Damian nodded, “Mari I promise you I’ll help you through this, I just need you to trust me. My brother Red Robin and my father Batman are here-“ “BATMAN IS HERE?!?!” “- yes love. We’re here to help you take down Hawkmoth. I’ll help you take down Lila and figure out how to deal with Adrien, and then as soon as we graduate I’ll steal you away to Gotham.” He looked into her eyes and watched as a hopeful spark began to reignite. 

It was time for phase two of Lila’s plan. She was going to paint herself as Damian’s ideal woman, not by exactly mirroring his interests, he’d catch on to that. A good idea would be to lean into his love of animals. She had researched some well-known animal charities, and even though she really hated getting dirty, she had gone to a volunteer event the other day. Sure, the puppies were super cute, but Lila would rather spend her time working on her manicure. But now she has photos, timestamped photos. She took extra care to make sure her hair and make-up were absolutely perfect, checking on her secret weapon one last time before she left. She was going to save it until she absolutely had to, it would be either her killing blow or her final saving play. As she walked to school, she mentally mapped out her plan for today. She would brag to her class about her volunteer work, and show them the photos on her phone, then she would spread a rumor about seeing Marinette talking and being affectionate towards some random guy. ‘Lila Rossi!’ she thought, ‘You can do better than that! He would see through that in a heartbeat, they spend all of their time together.’ She decided to settle on making Marinette look bad. She’d have to be sneaky, Damian was clearly aware of her tricks and would be on guard, but Lila still thought she had a window of opportunity to convince him Marinette was the evil one. She went into a coffee shop and ordered an iced coffee, Lila wasn’t going to drink it, it was simply a prop she’d spill on herself as a direct result of Dupain-Cheng. She hated to sacrifice her favorite outfit but consoled herself with the knowledge that this would be rags compared to the luxury she’d wear as the girlfriend of a Wayne. Now she just had to decide how she’d spill the coffee, would she make it look like Marinette shoved her? No… too complicated. How about tripping? That won’t work, the little brat’s gotten too smart and now specifically looks for it. She would make it look like Marinette ran into her, and while it wouldn’t do as much damage as she’d like it to, it would be good to show Damian that his soulmate was WAY too clumsy to represent the Wayne Family. She was excitedly daydreaming about all the galas and events she’d go to, hell maybe she would start an acting career! Lila was so caught up in her fantasies that she almost ran into Alya! “Hey, girl! Don’t you look lovely today!” Lila smiled, “Hey Alya! I think you’ve got me beat today! Have you seen Damian? I’m worried Marinette might have said some things about me… and I wanted to talk to him and show him I’m not the person she says I am.” Alya scowled at Marinette’s name, “Ugh I bet she did! But she’s not here today. Her parents called and said she’d gotten sick over the weekend. Damian called in sick as well, and come to think of it, Adrien isn’t here either! Today should be an easy day for you!” Lila had to force a smile, this screwed up her plan damn it! Oh well, maybe if she got the chance, she could poke around Marinette and Damian’s lockers to see if there was anything she could find, it would also be a good chance to strengthen her hold on the class. If Lila is anything, it’s flexible, and she would never let an opportunity slip by.

Damian was looking around Marinette’s room, marveling at just how much his soulmate had accomplished. It looked less like a bedroom and more like a design studio, with mannequins adorned with projects ranging from just starting to fully complete, the walls papered with designs, and the occasional photo of friends or loved ones. Just underneath the papers, he could see the faint hint of a light pink painted wall. Bolts of fabric were arranged against another wall, organized by color and material, as well as a massive piece of wall art made to conveniently store different yarns. There was a closet filled with cases of embroidery floss and other art supplies. Under Marinette’s loft bed was a table with two sewing machines, a modern one able to do large-scale embroidery and Esme. Esme was Marinette’s pride and joy, a vintage singer sewing machine that was practically indestructible. Esme has been through everything, leather, denim, silk, you name it she’s sewn it. When she wasn’t in use, she was kept on her own table, in a place of honor within the room. Beside Esme was a vase of white lilies he’d given her, and a massive book. This was Marinette’s logbook, in which she kept meticulous records of everything: Who commissioned her, how much they paid, what they wanted, how much of each material she had, where it was, and other expenses. It seemed like wherever Damian looked, he saw something new. She made clothing, shoes, hats, jewelry, accessories, and the evidence of that was in her controlled chaos. Even though it was smaller than the Manor, he loved it, he loved everything about Marinette’s home and her family. They were warm and inviting, and it was reflected in their home, and in the daughter Tom and Sabine had raised. Marinette’s room was like her, bright and full of unique colors and energy. She was currently moving Esme to her spot of honor, and opening a special compartment in her desk. From the compartment, she pulled out a vintage sewing box that looked almost ancient (I’m sorry but they made the Miraculous box an EGG when they could have done something that could blend in). 

As soon as Marinette opened the box, sixteen bright lights shot out of it, flying around the room. “Alright everyone listen up!” Mari clapped her hands together to get the light’s attention. They eventually came to a stop in front of her, and Damian looked at them in shock. There were… SO many Kwamii, and apparently there was supposed to be more his soulmate had to recover from around the world. “This is Damian, my soulmate. He’s-” Marinette was cut off by the excited shriek of some of the Kwamii, “He’s going to help us take down Hawkmoth and Mayaura and rescue Duusu and Nooroo. He and his family are superheroes from Gotham and-” “He’s going to be the next Cat,” Plagg interrupted, the seriousness of his tone taking everyone by surprise. The cat Kwamii flew over to Damian, holding a small ring. “The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous are connected. One cannot be active for long without the other.” Damian’s eyes met Plagg’s, “And how do you know I am compatible with the Miraculous? I am Marinette’s soulmate but that doesn’t mean I am a match for you.” Plagg cackled, flying around Damian, who stood with his arms crossed, “You’ll do just fine! Much more serious than my last holder for sure! You are more compatible than Adrien was for the simple reason that you are deeply connected with Destruction itself. You come from a tragedy on both sides, a father driven to fight an endless war to avenge his parents’ murder, a mother who needed a pawn and heir to an empire of assassins. Not to mention, the Lazarus Pit.” Damian froze at the mention of the pits, and for a moment, he could almost feel the blazing fire of twisted life rushing through his veins. “Damian? Are you alright? Plagg? What did you do?” Marinette gently rested a hand on Damian’s cheek, she could tell he was reliving something… Plagg simply flew back towards the box. “I’m doing things differently this time Pigtails. I had some time to think… I need to be more responsible for you and for future cats and bugs. Nothing should be hidden between partners, and I know you love him, I know he loves you, but there are people in his life who will not approve. I think he should be the one to tell you when he’s ready. It’s a conversation that needs to be had for both of you. There can be no more secrets.” And with that, the Kwamii flew back over to Damian and gently placed the ring in his hand. The weight of it seemed to snap him out of his flashback, and he looked down at the ring in his hand. He remembered what he’d seen from the videos, he knew the basics of the Black Cat’s powers, and combined with his training, he would be formidable. “I’ll do it. What do I have to say to transform?” Plagg smirked, “Alright kid, all you’ve gotta say is, Plagg claws out!”

Alya was out with her class, chilling in the park after school. They had stopped and gotten smoothies and were working on their own projects in comfortable silence. Alya was busy chasing two leads: What were the Waynes doing in Paris, and where was Chat Noir? Sure, he didn’t do much in most Akuma fights, but he was still one of the heroes of Paris! Come to think of it, no new heroes had been called up since Hawkmoth discovered their identities. She had to take a little bit of pride in that, they were so good that Ladybug couldn’t find any good replacements. She thought about asking Lila for the inside scoop, but with how stressed her bestie had been lately due to Adrien and Marinette’s actions she decided against it. That was another mystery: Marinette. When had the switch flipped? What caused the switch to flip? Was she always like this and Lila was just the first to uncover it? She was also curious about Damian, why would nobody Marinette have such an impressive soulmate? She figured his bad attitude was Marinette’s fault, although, from the articles on her laptop, he’d never been the most approachable or friendly. ‘An asshole for an asshole,’ she thought. Although she’d noticed Lila had been eying Damian since he arrived, maybe she was giving him the benefit of the doubt? Alya shook her head and went back to her research. Something had happened to Chat Noir and Ladybug has been silent about it. She had her theories, and normally she’d run them by Nino, but since the two had broken up all those years ago… Alya sighed. Marinette split the class in two and nothing has been the same since. The Girl Squad was disbanded, she and Nino broke up, and class events rarely hit their goals because if the bully wasn’t invited, her supporters wouldn’t go either. Alya groaned and shifted positions, she NEEDED to finish her research about Chat Noir's disappearance. It’s been forever since she uploaded  Ladybug and Chat Noir content to the Ladyblog, even Alya would admit her blog had started to shift towards Lila content only. Just as she was beginning to give up, a message popped up on her screen.

Hello Ladyblogger. I have some information you might be interested in.

Alya stared at her screen. Was this a scam? She tried to click off the message, but it stayed. She should close her computer, and ask Max to take a look at it, but… what if this person was an inside source!? Carefully she typed out a reply.

Who is this? Why should I trust you? 

Her elusive new friend was quick to respond.

That’s funny. You were so quick to trust before. What changed?

She didn’t know if she should be freaked out or offended, but her curiosity would get the best of her.

I got betrayed by someone I thought I could trust. Now what do you want?

Oh, you got betrayed alright, or to be more exact, you’re currently being betrayed, you’re just too deep in denial to realize it.

‘What?! What could they possibly mean by that?’ Alya thought as her eyes narrowed and she looked around at her friends.

Look if this is you Marinette I don’t want any of your bullshit.

My name isn’t Marinette. It’s Red, and I happen to know about Chat Noir’s whereabouts or his lack thereof. But, if you want the file, you’re going to have to do me a favor.

Oh shit. There were many things Alya was willing to do for a lead, but she had a couple of lines that she refused to cross.

Oh Yeah? And what kind of favor is this? 

I need you to look into your class’s multiple akumatizations.

The feeling of wielding a Miraculous was exhilarating. Domain’s whole body was practically vibrating with an energy he’d never known. It felt like everything was amplified, he wanted to, no he needed to run, and could feel his senses sharpening and his emotions, or at least how he felt them, intensify. ‘This must be what Starfire feels like,’ He thought as he admired his new suit. It was all black with acid-green accents and made from the same material as his Robin suit. Instead of a belt tail and ears, he wore a long cloak with a hood, and two tiny bits poked up to form the ears. The cloak was lined in gold and the ears were tipped in gold as well. A solid black domino mask hid his identity, and his eyes were a bright shade of acid green to match the accents on his suit. The suit itself was made of a similar material as his Robin suit and was solid black, but if you looked at it in the right light, leopard spots were visible. He’d said to hell with the bell, and holding his cloak on and the sash-belt that doubled as a tail were held in place by a deep green cat’s eye gemstone His boots and gloves were solid black, and fitted with braces for extra support when landing. At the tips of his gloves were retractable claws that glistened in the light, and they were slightly curved so he could use them to grab onto buildings and climb. He still had the baton, but a sword was really more his style, but even still he marveled at the magical weapon. “Before you make your debut, you should come up with a name so you aren’t put on the spot like I was,” Mari said as she looked him up and down in the new suit. Damian thought for a moment, “Panthère de Nuit. Night Panther.” his soulmate let out a pleased hum, “Letting Hawkmoth know he faces a more dangerous apex predator?” “Indeed my Lily,” Marinette smiled, and with a quick, “Spots on,” the two were ready to begin Damian’s first patrol as Paris’s new hero.

The two heroes raced along the rooftops, with Panthère de Nuit easily keeping up, a credit to Damian’s training and time as Robin. The two finally came to a stop on a rooftop near the Eiffel Tower, they could see their class in the park below. “Okay, the second Alya sees us, she’s going to try and flag us down for an interview. Do you want to speak with her?” Damian thought for a moment and shook his head. “No. Since Lila has taken over her blog, I don’t think she is a reliable source of information. I do not trust your local news here as well, they seem to lean into rumors. Is there anyone reliable we can talk to?” Ladybug looked around and spotted a familiar parasol. Aurore. The two had gotten to know each other better since Marinette distanced herself from her classmates, and she found out that the blonde ran her own Ladybug-themed blog called On the Spot. While Aurore didn’t get the close-up Akuma footage that Alya had, she was far more accurate in her reports. She recorded information such as the time of akumatization, rough location, and the direction the akumas had been seen traveling from. She had meant to begin working with Aurore and decided this would be the perfect opportunity to start. “See that girl over there? The blonde one? She runs her own blog, On the Spot, and while it’s less popular than the Ladyblog, it is more accurate. We can talk to her, but we need to make it look natural, so our class doesn’t think we ignored them. 

As luck would have it, an Akuma decided to make an appearance. Frozer was back and seemed to be determined to turn Paris into a winter wonderland. “He has ice powers similar to Mr. Freeze, and the Akuma is in his ice skates,” Marinette said as the two rushed into battle. “The easiest way to get the skates would be to immobilize him. If we could somehow trip him, you could cataclysm the skates and release the Akuma.” Damian nodded, “Not my first time dealing with ice-themed villains. I can distract him, while you try to use your yoyo to catch him off guard. Do you want Batman and Red Robin to help with this?” “No. If Hawkmoth finds out they’re in Paris, he’ll for sure try to target them. Please be careful,” Damian gave her a reassuring smile. “Darling I promise I’m not the type to pick fights I can’t win.” With that, he leaped into action. Frozer had sent a blast of ice towards his classmates, which Panthère de Nuit skillfully blocked with his blade. The world around them seemed to, well, freeze as everyone took a moment to process what just happened. “And who are you?” Frozer asked as Hawkmoth’s signature mask appeared over his face. “Panthère de Nuit, the new black cat.” Frozer laughed, “Oh? So Ladybug’s finally replaced that mangy feline? Well no matter, you’ll be just as easy to defeat!” With that, several more blasts of ice were thrown at Damian, who easily dodged, blocked, and reflected. Frozer seemed to pale, if that was even possible, and began to back up for a hasty retreat. Damian couldn’t help himself, “What’s wrong? Not used to fighting a competent Cat Miraculous holder? Too bad.” His eyes met Ladybug’s and he nodded, the sound of her yoyo zipping through the air, and the thud from Frozer hitting the ground confirmed their plan had worked. Damian simply waltzed up to Frozer, and one Cataclysm later, a dark butterfly made a break for it, only to be caught and purified by Ladybug. “That was amazing! I didn’t even have to use my Lucky Charm! Well, I still have to reverse the damage but, you know!” Ladybug exclaimed as she did just that. Damian looked at his ring to check how much time he had before he transformed back and noticed the little pawprint was still full. Weird, he’ll have to ask about that later. A crowd of people had begun to gather, including their classmates and Aurore, Ladybug noticed her and smiled, which encouraged the blonde to ask her questions. “Hello, Ladybug! Great job with the Akuma, that has to be a record!” “Thank you! Aurore is it? Of On the Spot?” The blonde nodded excitedly, “Although, I can’t take all the credit. My new partner was amazing!” Damian sensed this was his cue, and stepped up to answer Aurore’s next question, “Who are you, and what happened to Chat Noir?” With one last glance at Ladybug, Damian spoke, “My name is Panthère de Nuit, and I am Ladybug’s new partner. Chat Noir, as well as some of the temporary heroes, have been permanently retired. The Black Cat Miraculous was taken from him by his Kwamii, who felt he was no longer worthy to wield it,” This was met with cheers from the surrounding civilians. “I promise to do a better job and be a reliable and competent hero that Ladybug and all of Paris can count on. All I can say to Hawkmoth and Mayaura is that your days are numbered.” And with that, the two heroes left to roaring applause. 

Adrien was watching his TV in horror. Plagg, not Ladybug, not the Guardian, PLAGG had taken his Miraculous. His own kwamii had betrayed him, did Plagg even have the power or right to take the ring from him? And now, he was seriously in a bind. If Plagg took the ring, it was safe to say that Ladybug had no idea who he was, and most likely had no idea who her new partner was so he couldn’t ask her to get it back for him. Not to mention the last time they spoke, they weren’t exactly on good terms. Yeah in retrospect skipping patrol and all those akuma battles wasn’t his best idea, especially because that soured his relationship with the people of Paris. If his dad had taught him anything, it was that public opinion mattered a lot, and now he couldn’t exactly count on the public’s support for Chat Noir. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, his best chance of EVER getting a Miraculous again was to pretend to support this new cat, and hope that gets him Ladybug’s attention. Adrien let out a groan and flopped on his bed, his whole life was a mess. Plagg had taken his ring and hadn’t even given him a chance to fix his mistakes (He’d been given many chances), Lila was his soulmate and causing trouble in the class, and then Marinette shows up one day with Damian Wayne claiming to be her soulmate! He’d looked it up, and it really was Damian Wayne, and not some imposter using his name, but it was still so frustrating! He couldn’t figure out just why Marinette was so smitten with the man when he seemed like such a terrible fit for her! Marinette was kind, compassionate, and warm while Damian was cold, selfish, and quite mean. Adrien had been nursing a small crush on Marinette for a while and had known about her crush on him before Alya told him. He still loved Ladybug but realized after a while that she really might not feel the same way, and he couldn’t help it when a brilliant girl like Marinette was in his class. It didn’t hurt that she and Ladybug could be sisters, but he just figured he had a type. What he couldn’t figure out was why she was so focused on Damian when she’d been in love with him for years! “Calm down Adrien,” he muttered to himself, “Mari’s always been a hopeless romantic, so it’s probably just the fact he’s claiming he’s her soulmate.” He also needed to do something about Lila. Sure, he still believed the high road was the best way to go, but he had never expected things to escalate to the point Lila and their class were physically harming Marinette. Walking over to his closet and pulling out a whiteboard and some markers, he began to work on Operation Win Back Marinette.

Across Paris, another student was working on a plan: Alya. She had been working on her newest lead, and chatting with her new friend, Red. True to his word, Red had given Alya information about Chat Noir and Panthère de Nuit. What she knew so far was that Chat Noir’s behavior had gone on longer than anyone in Paris had realized, and that this was not Panthère de Nuit’s first time as a hero. In return, she had compiled a list of all her class’s akumatizations, and why they were akumatized. She slowly began to notice four outliers in their class: Marinette, Damian, Adrien, and Lila. Damian she could explain away easily, he had just gotten to Paris and hadn’t had the chance to be akumatized yet, but that was where easy ended. Marinette had a few failed akumatizations, in which she was always able to break out of Hawkmoth’s control. Alya chalked it up to Gina teaching her some meditation methods she used, but what was harder to explain was why Marinette was almost akumatized. The first time made sense, she had just been expelled, but the others were a complete mystery. Adrien hasn’t been akumatized (I’m not counting Cat Blanc or Ephemeral), but it almost seemed like the akumas never targeted him. She had seen him express negative emotions before. Then there was Lila Rossi, who had been akumatized into Volpina a scarily high number of times. Drawing from her own experience as Rena Rouge, Alya knew that the Fox Miraculous was all about illusions, and an Akuma based off of a Miraculous will share its powers, but in a weaker state. Come to think of it, there were times Lila was akumatized into Volpina that didn’t fit. She would be crying because Marinette had bullied her, and still turn into Volpina. Alya knew that you would only turn into an akuma twice if you felt the same emotions both times, such as Mr. Pigeon, so something wasn’t adding up. Opening her laptop, she typed out:

Red? Are you on? I have a few Questions.

She waited nervously, tapping her fingers on the desk as she checked her phone.

Yeah. What’s up Ladyblogger?

Alya could’ve kissed her computer, she felt like she was closer than she’d ever been to uncovering something big.

I was going back through the list of my class’ akumatizations and noticed a couple of outliers. Do you have any information on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste, and Lila Rossi?

I never thought you’d ask. Here’s what I have.

Red sent over a bunch of files, with a ton on Adrien and Lila, and very few on Marinette.

Why does Marinette only have like, three things?

She isn’t a public figure like the other two, well at least under that name. Ever heard of MDC? That’s her. You aren’t a true celebrity if you don’t have an MDC original. 

Marinette was MDC?! This was news to Alya, but she guessed it would make sense. Marinette had stopped making them things a few years ago, saying she was too busy. If she was covertly running a fashion empire that would explain it. However, one last thing still haunted Alya, especially as she began to click through the files on Adrien and Lila. She paused for a moment, Red had sent her camera footage from the day Marinette was expelled, but why was it labeled as Lila’s file? As she pressed play and began watching, she began noting some inconsistencies. Before returning to the video, she typed out one last message. 

Red? I’m starting to think I’ve been lied to. 

For the next week or so, all anyone would talk about was Panthère de Nuit, and the hype was justified. He’d been spotted a few more times since Frozer, at Akuma fights and on patrol, and was just as skilled as his first fight. Videos were made speculating about his powers if he had any new ones, and where he could have possibly gotten the skills he used in his fight. The most popular theory came from Aurore, who hypothesized that Panthère de Nuit was not new to being a hero. The public was still a little apprehensive, since they remembered what they’d been through under Chat Noir, but were rapidly warming up to the man. Of course, a certain someone claimed to have more info than she did. Marinette sat in her spot with Damian by her side and rolled her eyes as Lila went on and on, “I’m so happy I was finally able to convince Ladybug to replace Chat Noir! I’ve been telling her for years that he isn’t a good partner, but she’s so sweet and sentimental, so she was hesitant to get rid of the partner she’s had since the beginning. Maybe now that he’s not around to get jealous, I can convince her to give you all your Miraculous again! Well, some people might not be worthy of wielding one, but that’s their own fault.” The class snickered and shot looks at Marinette and her friends, who simply ignored them. Lila had no way of knowing that some of the class would never wield any Miraculous again, their identities had been exposed and it was too much of a risk. Lila went on and on, even when Ms. Bustier came in and tried to start class. However, someone caught Marinette’s attention: Alya. Her former best friend was sitting with her laptop open to the Ladyblog analytics page, and she was watching Lila with narrowed eyes. She would occasionally stop and type something out. Her concentration seemed to stop when Adrien walked into the room, and Marinette quickly looked away to avoid eye contact with either. Damian shot a glare at the blond who was trying to get Mari’s attention, and the ravenette paid him no mind. Nino (Who still had connections in the Adrien fan club) had informed her that the model talks about her at his shoots, and when people ask if they’re dating he never denies it. “He’s trying to create a public narrative,” Damian had explained, “If the media picks up the story and the public catches on, it could spread like wildfire. Remember how everyone thought Ladybug and Chat Noir were in love and destined for each other? That resulted in people pressuring Ladybug to admit feelings she didn’t have.” The group nodded, clearly understanding that Damian was worried the same thing would happen to Marinette.

Adrien made his next move at lunch. Marinette and Damian, along with their friend group were going to spend their lunch at a nearby cafe. The group didn’t want to deal with Lila, and wanted to be able to discuss their topic privately: Reopening an investigation into who Hawkmoth is. Marinette had a theory board about it that she had made with Alya when they were younger, but the two stopped when they had their falling out. As they were leaving, Adrien approached them. “Hey, Mari! So where are we going for lunch?” I know a great place-” “We? Dude, you haven’t been caught dead anywhere near us since middle school,” Nino practically growled and crossed his arms. The ending of their friendship had been… explosive. Nino had gone to Adrien after he figured out Lila was lying, hoping to gather support to expose Lila and save his childhood friend’s reputation, and was horrified to find out that Adrien knew and pressured Mari to keep quiet. The following argument resulted in Nino being akumatized into Maskless, who was determined to “remove the masks” and expose people for who they truly are. It was a difficult fight for Ladybug, and after it was over, Nino disavowed the two boys’ friendship for good, the last thing he’d spoken to Adrien before now was, “I just can’t be friends with someone who would sacrifice a friend to avoid having to deal with a little discomfort. Talk to me when you grow a spine and maybe I’ll forgive you.” And the future director had kept his promise. This was the first time he’d spoken to Adrien in years. The callout seemed to catch the blond off guard, and he stumbled out, “Well uh, my father wanted me to talk to Marinette about an internship, so I was going to do that today at lunch. So Mari where do you want to go eat?” And with that Adrien made a move to grab Mari’s wrist, but was blocked by an angry Kim and pissed Damian. “Didn’t your dad teach you it’s rude to grab someone without consent?” Kim snarked. Nathaniel, Rose, and Juleka nodded, with Juleka working up the courage to add, “You’re forgetting that you aren’t the only model in the class anymore. I’m in the same gossip circles you are now, and I know you’re trying to make people think that Adrienette is a thing.” “That’s not true I-,” “Enough,” Marinette cut in, Adrien gave her a hopeful smile, while the others snickered. “Adrien, I already have plans with my friends and it would be rude of me to cancel at the last minute. Plus I seem to remember two very important things you’re conveniently forgetting: First, the conversation in which I very clearly told you I wasn’t interested, and second, the letter I received in the middle of class a year ago from your father telling me I’ve been blacklisted from the company. And from the looks on both your and Lila’s faces I can conclude you both had something to do with that. If Gabriel wants me to work for him, he needs to start by addressing the elephant in the room and the damage he’s done to my career before I could even graduate. Come on guys, we need to actually get something to eat before lunch is over,” and with that, Marinette and her group sidestepped a disappointed Adrien and made their way toward a cafe.

After they’d gotten their food, they got to work on their theory of who Hawkmoth was. “Here’s the list of people I considered before I knew for sure he had a partner,” Marinette set a stack of papers down, “And here’s the list of suspects after I had to start over once Mayura came onto the scene.” That list was twice as long and seemed to radiate an aura of frustration. The others each took papers and began crossing out people that they knew couldn’t be Hawkmoth. “Soooo… I think we can rule out some people based on the fact they don’t have time to be Hawkmoth or Mayura. Like we know they aren’t any of our parents because they’re too busy with work,” Rose chirped as she crossed off names with her sparkly pink Pom Pom pen. “So I hate to be that person but are we sure Mayura is Hawky’s only partner?” Nathaniel asked, playing with a pencil. Damian nodded, “Surely he has to have someone else. He can’t guarantee that someone in Paris is going to feel upset enough to attract an akuma even though Paris is a big city. It would make more sense if he had someone working to actively cause akumas,” the group seemed to be stuck for a moment after the obviously innocent people have been ruled out. The problem with Akumatizations is how little solid evidence is left behind. Hawkmoth can emotionally hijack someone and leave behind no DNA or fingerprints, or really anything. 

Damian had (and none of them except Marinette knew this) checked the databases the Justice League and Batfamily kept on the various super criminals of the world only to have it turn up empty, so the group was stuck… until a new voice cut in, “You’re assuming he’s smarter than he really is. I should know, I’ve helped him before.” Chloe and Sabrina stood in front of their table, with the heiress making a point to sit herself down at the head of the table and continued, “Be honest with yourselves, I’m not the only person with an attitude problem in Paris who didn’t care how many akumas I caused. There are many more who don’t care, and those people are the backbone of Hawkmoth’s operation whether they realize it or not. Unless you and Ladybug have a plan to make everyone in Paris act as sweet as pie, you need to stop acting like Hawkmoth is a genius. He thrives off dumb luck and takes advantage of problems others cause.” Marinette froze at the mention of her alter ego, “Why do you think I know Ladybug?” Chloe snorted and gave Marinette a look, “Dupain-Cheng you got that wannabe reporter an interview with her! Despite your family’s lack of financial wealth, you have connections coming out of your pigtails. If anyone in this hellhole keeps regular contact with Ladybug it would be you. Anyways, Hawkmoth isn’t the brains of the operation, that could be Mayura if she would stop going along with all his ridiculous schemes and grow a backbone. In the few times I’ve willingly helped him, it was clear that his plan was only cobbled together at best and completely on the fly at worst.” “Why did you help him in the first place?” Rose blurted out, and realizing her mistake she quickly covered her mouth. 

Chloe simply sighed, “I guess I do owe you all an explanation since I was responsible for most of your akumatizations. When I agreed to help him, I was at my lowest. He prays on weakness in any form it comes in. I was always taught that I was born lucky, and everyone else was just lucky to be born- yes Kim I know what show I’m referencing- and for the longest time I believed it. I believed I had the right to act the way I did, and my parents encouraged it, but as I started getting older, it became clear that I didn’t inherit my mother’s talent so she started distancing herself from me. My father tried to fill the void by just giving in to everything I wanted. I know he loves me, but he wanted to be my friend instead of my parent, and that whole dynamic messed me up even more. Then I met Marinette fucking Dupain-Cheng, a girl who my parents taught me to consider less than dirt beneath my feet… but she somehow had everything I wanted,” Chloe clutched the smoothie in her hand, and couldn’t meet Marinette’s eyes, “Your parents love you so much, and are so involved. They made it to every event our class had, while mine couldn’t be bothered, they encouraged you when you failed and promised to help you, while my mother would scream at me and tell me I was a waste of her time. They helped you learn how to deal with your problems instead of paying them to go away. I was and still am, so jealous of you Marinette. I’d give anything in a heartbeat to trade places with you, but instead, I did the only thing I knew how to do: I lashed out. I made your life hell for years, long before Lila came around, in fact, I’m surprised that you didn’t dump our class sooner. In all the years I bullied you, not a single one of them helped you, they avoided you, and the second you stood up to me they tried to act like all those years just disappeared,” Damian, who was mainly focusing on how Marinette was reacting, quickly noticed the shame on the faces of their friends. While he wanted to rage at them for what they’d done to his soulmate, he stopped himself, he knew he couldn’t now that he was Panthère de Nuit if Hawkmoth found an opening… He focused back in on Chloe’s story to try and calm down, “Anyways, when Ladybug came onto the scene, I immediately latched onto this idea that if she was my friend, all my problems would be fixed. I would have an amazing friend who would get my parent’s attention and make all my problems go away, but I screwed it up royally. When I found the Bee Miraculous, I thought it was a chance to redeem myself. I should have just returned it to Ladybug instead of causing that train accident, I thought if I showed her that I could be a hero then maybe she’d accept me. She kept giving me chance after chance, and I kept fucking up because I would let my ego get the better of me. When I lost the Bee Miraculous, when I realized Ladybug wanted nothing to do with me, and when I realized it was all my fault, I broke. I was convinced that I was destined to destroy anything good in my life, and that was when Hawkmoth approached me about becoming Miracle Queen. I was so emotional that I forgot who I was talking to, and gave him everything he needed to convince me to join him. After that… I was bitter, bitter at the world, Ladybug, Zoe, you name it I was upset at it because something had occurred to me during that time. I realized that I was never born lucky, that’s you Marinette, I was actually the one lucky to be born- shut up Kim let me have this- even though you were going through hell, you still had people in your corner who support you unconditionally. I know Ladybug hates me, I know you do too, but if she really wants to defeat Hawkmoth all she needs to do is get him at his lowest, and Mayura will follow him down.” With her speech over, Chloe and Sabrina simply got up and left, leaving a stunned table in their wake. “Get him at his lowest…” Marinette murmured to herself, and she kept muttering it all the way back to school. 

As the school day neared the end, Marinette had gone to the restroom, promising to meet Damian by her locker. As the Wayne heir waited, he heard a gentle, ‘ahem,’ and turned, expecting to see his soulmate. Instead, he felt his blood pressure spike as he was face to face with the ravenous wolf that looked at him as if he were a gullible lamb, a.k.a, Lila. She looked a mess with puffy red eyes and mascara streaks down her face reaching her chin, it was clear to anyone she had been crying. Damian narrowed his eyes, this might not be one of her fake crying episodes, but it clearly was still a carefully laid trap. They were alone, with no witnesses to watch what was about to go down. Lila hesitantly held her phone out to Damian, and tears began rolling down her cheeks again, “I… I thought you should know,” she sniffed, pressing the play button. Damian listened with a raised eyebrow to the conversation Lila had supposedly recorded, “Marinette you are an amazing woman, what I wanted to tell you was that I accept your feelings and will be your boyfriend,” Adrien’s voice could be heard loud, and clear through the recording, Damian opened his mouth but Lila cut him off, “There’s more hang on,” Soon after, his Lily’s voice could be heard, “Adrien, I have loved you since we were thirteen-” With that Lila stopped the recording and began to cry, “I know Marinette’s probably told you all these nasty things about me… but it felt wrong to say nothing and let her keep manipulating you like this when I know what I heard.” With that, Lila went back to sobbing and wailing about how her bully ‘stole’ her soulmate and was a filthy cheater. If anyone else was around, they would have caught the Bat Glare Lila herself was too wrapped up in her act to see. Damian wasn’t surprised Lila stooped this low, in fact, he wasn’t surprised she didn’t stoop lower and try to fake a pregnancy or something, but it dawned on him that this was the perfect opportunity to end Marinette’s torment and he decided to take it. “Oh, you were there for that conversation too?” Lila froze, and looked up at him with fresh tears still rolling down her cheeks, “E-excuse me?” A deep laugh that rumbled like thunder cut through the tension. “Do you seriously think I would have let Adrien speak to my Lily alone when I knew he would try to pull something? And do you seriously think I wouldn’t consider the possibility someone could have been listening in,” With that, Damian pulled out his own phone, shooting Lila a vicious smirk. “Let me fill you in on what you conveniently missed,” As he pressed play, the smirk only grew as he watched the color drain from Lila’s face and his voice played from the speaker, “Agreste there is no way you are her soulmate. I saw Marinette in my dreams, and she saw me in hers. Besides, I know your soulmate is Rossi. She was determined to make a scene today at lunch, and it tipped me off that you would try something like this. I suggest you listen well Agreste because this is the only time I will be kind enough to give you some advice. Leave Marinette alone. All you have done is hurt her and allow others to hurt her. You have stood by and watched as a petty ectoparasite burrowed into Marinette’s class and allowed her to spread her manipulative disease. Even if by chance you have somehow seen the light and exposed the truth tomorrow, which we both know you will not do because you are too much of a coward and care more about what other people think of you, it’s too late. You have blown all your chances, and Marinette is far too good for you, someone who will throw her to the wolves to avoid a minor inconvenience. So stay away Adrien, if you know what is best for you.” With that, Damian placed his phone in his pocket and looked back at Lila. 

“You know, I really ought to thank you, Rossi, you tipped me off to Agreste’s plan and allowed me to collect evidence to foil your own. I have that entire conversation recorded from the moment he approached my Lily, and I have already been recording this one too,” Lila’s eyes widened and she looked like she was about to faint, so Damian moved in for the kill, “Do you really think you’re the first one to try and pull a stunt like this? I am from one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the world, did you really think you would be the first to lie about my soulmate? How convenient, you happen to have a recording of Marinette supposedly accepting a confession from Adrien, and that you finally worked up the ‘courage’ to tell me the first moment I am alone and Marinette is not here to defend herself. I will give you some credit though, your editing skills could fool someone who is not looking for signs of manipulation, and could have definitely fooled our gullible classmates, which brings me to my next point,” Damian channeled his rage into a calm, icy glare, “You will cease tormenting my soulmate immediately. I am not afraid to expose your lies and underhanded tactics to our class, but let me give you some more incentive. Before, Marinette did not have the… legal resources to handle you properly, but I have my family’s lawyers on speed dial Rossi. Marinette is not my wife yet, but the same protections that cover the Wayne family extend to her. So if you know what is good for you, you will shut your mouth and never speak ill of my soulmate again, or my lawyers will see what other secrets you have been hiding.” Taking that as her queue to leave, Lila booked it toward the exit like the devil was on her heels. Operation: Lila Wayne was clearly dead in the water, and Damian would be sure it stayed that way. Once she was gone he took a deep breath and got his emotions in check, just in time to see the love of his life jogging towards him. “Sorry! I realized while I was in the bathroom that I left some stuff in the art room!” He smiled as the familiar feeling of warmth returned to him. It was wonderful, being in love.

Alya just got finished pacing around her room for what felt like the hundredth time. She stared at her computer, open to the video she had yet to publish, and the one that would be the final nail in the coffin for her career. She knew deep down she had to do this, it was the only way to atone for all she’d done. A chat popped up on the screen from Red:

Are you okay Ladyblogger? I know this is a tough decision, and I’m here for you. 

Alya smiled, over their many late-night conversations, Red had become a good friend and close confidant. She’d never meet up with him in person, that was online safety 101, but he’d helped her come to some difficult conclusions.

Yeah. Just trying to settle my nerves a bit. I know I have to do this, it’s the right thing to do, and lately, I’ve struggled with that.

You’ve got this. I think it will go over better than you think it will. 

With that, Alya closed her eyes, counted to ten, and pressed the upload button. A video titled after one of the worst things she’d ever said was now on the front page of the Ladyblog, a video she could never take back.

Marinette and Damian were in her room, munching on a variety of cookies and discussing their plan to end Hawkmoth’s reign of terror once and for all. Their brainstorming was interrupted when a notification popped up on Marinette’s phone, and a new video had been posted to the Ladyblog. The two shared a look and a shrug, sure, why not? It wouldn’t hurt to see what Lila was saying now, instead, they were met with a thumbnail of Alya sitting at her desk, and a video called ‘A Good Reporter Always Fact Checks’ was staring back at them. Damian pressed play, and the two sat back to see what this was about. 

“Hey everyone, it’s the Ladyblogger. This video is VERY different from what I normally post, and it needs to be because I have a lot I need to say. Many years ago, when I was just starting out I posted a video about a girl named Lila Rossi who claimed that she was Ladybug’s best friend. That video has been removed, but at the time I thought nothing of it. A girl who was my friend confronted me about it, and rightly, called me on the fact I had no evidence to prove anything Lila had said. Instead of fixing my mistake, I told her that a good reporter always fact-checks, but that wasn’t what I did. I am here today to apologize to her and to all of you for failing you. I neglected to do the right thing and gave a liar a platform to spread dangerous misinformation, but I also took that liar’s side and turned against the best friend I’ve ever had. 

I met Lila Rossi when I was thirteen, and I along with most of my classmates naively believed every word that came out of her mouth like it was gospel. She told us that because her mother was a diplomat, she had gotten to meet and work with all these famous people and that she could talk with them and help our careers. We were so excited, there was someone who could help us reach our dreams and she was doing it out of the kindness of her heart. Hindsight really is 20/20, and looking back there was no way any celebrity in their right mind would be that deeply involved working with a teenage girl to the extent Lila claimed. I can’t speak for my classmates but I know a part of me kept believing her because the fear of pissing her off and then it all turning out to be true kept me loyal to her. I was a coward and afraid that if I questioned her I would lose out, and that later turned into fearing what I’d done in her name if it turns out she was lying. This resulted in me interviewing her and publicizing her lies and misinformation, giving her a platform to fuel her own ego. To put it simply: I didn’t fact-check, and now everyone is paying the price. I’m sorry. I’m so, so, so, sorry. Taking her videos down doesn’t fix the damage she caused, and just saying I’m sorry won’t either. It sounds cringy but I promise to do better, but I don’t expect you all to stick with me now that I’ve proven not to be a reliable source. For accurate, truthful information, check out Aurore’s blog On the Spot. She’s a great reporter and has done a much better job than I did. I would also like to apologize to Ladybug, and not just for giving Lila Rossi a platform. I want to apologize for all those shitty things I did to try to figure out her identity and push LadyNoir even after she clearly expressed multiple times that she was uncomfortable. Most importantly, I want to apologize to my former friend and ex-boyfriend,” Marinette’s eyebrow raised a bit, “They caught on to Lila’s bullshit years before I did and tried to snap me out of it because they cared about me. But instead, I dug my heels in and participated in icing them out from the class, and stood by while they were harassed. I broke up with my boyfriend over this whole mess because I was appalled he’d take Lila’s “Bully’s” side when the truth was that they were the ones being bullied. All I can say to them is that I’m sorry and that they don’t have to forgive me. My teacher taught us that we always need to forgive and be the bigger person, but forgiveness isn’t something owed, it's earned. I’ve acknowledged my wrongdoings but I haven’t yet begun to work to make things right. So to that girl who was my best friend and one of the best people I’ve met: I should have trusted you. This isn’t your fault, it’s mine, and I am so sorry for what I’ve done.” Marinette sat and stared, stunned at Alya’s admission and watching in awe as the blogger exposed Lila’s lies to the world. Out of all the people to do it, she never thought it would be Alya, Lila’s self-proclaimed BFF. However, it also meant the last variable in her plan was taken care of, so walking over to the Miraculous box, she took what she needed and gave a variety of Miraculous to Damian. Standing on her toes she kissed his cheek and whispered, “Text Red Robin and Batman, tell them to meet us at the Eiffel Tower at Midnight. And if you would be so kind, please take these Miraculous to their most recent holders. I know I said I retired the old heroes, but we’ll need most of them again. I have one errand to run, and I’ll meet you there.” Damian nodded, and kissed Mari’s forehead, “Be careful my Lily.” and She hesitantly broke away from his embrace, transformed, and snuck out through her balcony. 

Alya was scrolling through the comments on her apology/Lila Rossi exposè video, it was a habit she never could break. Yes, there were quite a few harshly criticizing her, and a couple were straight-up name-calling, but the majority of people were happy she’d seen the light and were encouraging her not to give up on her dream. Her phone was blowing up with texts and calls from her classmates (and quite a few angry voicemails from Lila), but she couldn’t bring herself to care. A part of her felt at peace, even though she mourned the loss of her dream. A knock on her door snapped her out of her spiral, it was probably her mom coming to give her a pep talk and reassure her she did the right thing. But as she opened the door to her room, a familiar set of pigtails nearly made her jump out of her skin. “Hi… I came to talk,” Marinette said, and Alya moved back to let her in. This felt so right, but wrong. It called back to the many sleepovers they had, laughing about boys and reading superhero comics, but this time it was like two opposing soldiers laying down their arms in a tentative truce. Marinette decided to break the awkward silence, “So I saw the video. I have to admit, I certainly wasn’t expecting you to expose Lila like that.” Alya gave a half-hearted chuckle. “Neither did she. She’s been blowing up my phone with voicemails calling me every name she can think of and promising to ruin me. Well, she’s too late 'cause I already did that.” Marinette looked over at the comments, skimming through them. “Not necessarily. You apologized, admitted you were wrong, and have already begun working to undo some of her damage,” “But that doesn’t excuse what I did to you, to Nino, and your friends.” “No, it doesn’t, but you’ve owned up to it which is admirable. What snapped you out of it?” Alya smiled softly, “I made a friend who got me to stop and think… and also got me access to the school’s cameras. I don’t know how much of the video you watched but I played the video from the day you got expelled and it showed Lila framing you so Damocles and Bustier are in some hot water right now.” Marinette laughed, genuinely, it felt so strange for Alya to hear, “About time! I can’t help but wonder how many other people they messed up, besides us.” “Oh, a lot. I plan on exposing more, but that’s a problem to take out another day.” Marinette perked up a bit, “Speaking of taking out problems, I need your help with a big one.” Alya nodded eagerly, ready to make up for her years of inaction. “I asked Aurore to post this too, but I need you to post this article,” Marinette handed her a piece of paper to read, as she read, her brow furrowed a bit, “You’re not planning on taking on Hawkmoth, are you? Oh my god, you are. I don’t know what secret weapons stash the Waynes have but-” “Tikki spots on,” Standing there, in her room, was Ladybug, where her former best friend once stood. Before Alya could find her words Maribug, no, Ladynette, no, Ladybug cut her off, “I have a plan but I’m going to need Hawkmoth to panic thinking the Miraculi are slipping out of his grasp. We need this to bait him out.” Alya was stunned, and began to stammer, “Of course! I-” “You said you wanted to work to make things right, so if you’re willing,” Marinette held out an oh-so-familiar fox necklace, “I’ll need Rena Rouge’s help too.”

Chloe was sitting in her room with Sabrina, pretending to be invested in whatever show they were watching. In her mind she kept replaying that day she spotted Marinette and her group in her favorite cafe. The conversation she had… she had never expected to spill her heart out like that. Her mother always told her that she could never be vulnerable, she could never let others see any weakness, and yet there she sat pouring out her heart. Eventually, Sabrina had to leave, they did have school tomorrow, and the heiress was left alone. Alone was something familiar to Chloe, especially since her Icarus Moment, as she called it, was something she dreaded. She knew her parents would leave her out to dry in a heartbeat, she knew Zoe had her own life and that the two sisters would never be close, and she knew all her daddy’s employees would quit the moment they found something better. All she had left was Sabrina, so she clung on for dear life. She’d stopped treating her friend like a servant a long time ago, and even when she was at her worst, Sabrina stuck by her. Initially, it was out of fear, Sabrina knew that if she was going to swim with sharks it was better to be a remora. She had many chances to leave but stuck around time and time again and Chloe realized that maybe Sabrina really did care for her. Then there was the hot mess that was Adrien. He’d tried to give Chloe the “Her lies aren’t hurting anybody” speech a while ago, but the heiress wasn’t having it. This girl had humiliated her and needed to pay. She and Sabrina decided to gather information, and that was how they overheard Adrien making Marinette agree not to do anything and later Lila threatening Marinette. 

Chloe had always felt a little bad for the baker’s daughter, she was madly in love with Adrien but had no idea what he was really like, he could be incredibly manipulative if it meant avoiding an uncomfortable situation. She knew that Marinette wouldn’t trust her to outright accept help from the heiress, so she decided to back off entirely, a cease-fire of sorts. It helped that this coincided with her revelation that she was jealous of Marinette and her family. When Damian Wayne joined the class and declared himself Dupain-Cheng’s soulmate, Chloe thought, ‘About damn time.’ She’d seen how the former class president was treated and knew she most likely had another major stressor (Chloe theorized she was Ladybug’s woman in the chair, working behind the scenes), so she was a bit relieved to see the universe finally being kind to the ravenette. Unfortunately, it also marked the turn for Adrien to go off the deep end. He had confessed to Chloe before that he knew about Marinette’s crush, but that he was pretty sure his soulmate was Ladybug, and he’d also said that she’d be his second pick if that didn’t work out, and she certainly got an earful when he found out his soulmate was Lila. After she and Sabrina returned to school after their run-in with the Mari Squad, Adrien stopped her and asked her to help him win back Marinette. “Agreste,” She remembered snapping, not bothering with any nicknames, “You’ve lost your mind. Dupain-Cheng finally, FINALLY has something positive working out for her and you, one of the main sources of all her anguish think you can just waltz back in? You don’t really love her Adrien, you said it yourself she’d always be your second choice, and when your first choice fell through and your soulmate turned out to be Lila you sought out your consolation prize. Let me give you some advice: Life isn’t a fairytale, you can’t expect Marinette to wait for you forever or to completely throw away her life for you.” She doubted Adrien would get the message, but at least she tried. If she was naïve, Chloe would wonder if this marked the start of the end of their rivalry and the beginning of a new friendship, but the logical part of her knew that the damage she did was too great. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a sound coming from her balcony. She groaned and got up, thinking a pigeon had crashed into the door and was now stunned on the floor. But when she opened the door, she was shocked, there was Ladybug and Rena Rouge on her balcony. Ladybug smiled gently, and in almost a whisper asked, “Is Queen Bee available?”

The three women arrived at the Eiffel Tower just before midnight. Their arrival was acknowledged by a majority of the Miraculous team and Red Robin. Batman stood back, silently observing. Marinette could feel the nerves rising in her stomach. There was Batman, in person, and he was here to help her. Alya seemed to be going through a similar mental process, trying desperately to act professional and not fangirl, until Red Robin greeted her, “Well, well, well. Gotta say I wasn’t expecting to see you here Ladyblogger!” Alya’s jaw dropped, “Red??” Tim threw his head back and laughed, “Yep! I needed some information for our investigation, and figured I’d help you off the sinking ship in the process.” Before Alya could reply, Batman spoke, “Speaking of information, we were able to figure out That Hawkmoth and Mayura are Gabriel Agreste and his assistant Nathalie Sancoeur by hacking into various cameras to track the akumas, and from there we monitored his activity through his security system,” “For the record I’ve seen better security from Rogues like Crazy Quilt,” Red Robin interjected, Batman sighed and continued, “We have solid evidence that will hold up in court, so our main objective will be to catch him,” the Dark Knight turned to Ladybug, “So I’m assuming you called us here because you have the plan to do that.” Ladybug nodded and stepped forward to begin to tell the team her plan, “So as most of you know Hawkmoth and Mayura get their powers from the Kwamii within their Miraculous, that’s the same thing that gives us our powers,” She clarified for the Gotham heroes, “All we have to do is remove the Miraculous from them, and their transformation will be dropped and they’ll be powerless. However, the tricky part is actually getting them to come to the fight themselves. The nature of their Miraculous allows them to create minions to fight for them, hence the Akumas and Sentimonsters, so it’s very likely that they’ll try and distract us so they can escape. We have a mostly full Miraculous team, minus the mouse, rabbit, ox, and horse, but those can easily be given to other holders to fill that void,” The group felt a mix of emotions at the realization that some of their classmates had still yet to try and make amends for what they did, but knew that it was for the better until they could fully trust the former team members again. “So in order to get them out, we need to get them to their lowest, a point in which they’ll be so desperate that they’ll feel like they have no choice but to face us themselves, and we’ll do that by making them think that everything is slipping out of their grasp.”

Adrien had just gotten home from school, and turned on the TV in his room, flopping down on his bed. His day was AWFUL because the night before Alya had made a video on the Ladyblog exposing Lila completely out of the blue. Needless to say, the class was furious, and then their fury was directed at him when they found out he’d known the whole time and the things he did to keep Marinette from exposing Lila. He’d tried to argue that yeah he’d made a mistake, but no major damage had been done and that the small stuff could be fixed, so they should all just move on and be friends again. That had only added fuel to the fire, and all of this was before Marinette and Damian walked in. Adrien could practically feel his blood pressure rising at the thought of his rival’s name. He’d changed Marinette, encouraged her to stand up for herself, and in Adrien’s opinion was shaping her into a toxic person, but it seemed like he was the only one who could see it! More and more people gravitated to Mari like moths to a flame, and she was enjoying quite the popularity spike while he and Lila were seemingly deemed the school’s outcasts. If he still had his ring he would go to her as Chat Noir and demand that she stop the bullshit and fix everything, but he couldn’t even do that. Lila had contacted him, screaming that he’d ruined her plan to split up Dupain-Cheng and Wayne, and if he’d just followed her lead, he’d have what he wanted and she’d have what she wanted. For once he wished he listened to Lila, especially when she told him that Damian had a recording of his confrontation with Marinette and her rejection. His lawyers explained that there was nothing he could do,  the Wayne family was a legal juggernaut so even if they did have a valid case, they would simply be able to drag it out until the Agrestes had no choice but to drop it, the same thing Gabriel had done to countless people before. They drilled into his head that any move he made against Damian Wayne would bring the wrath of his lawyers and that for once, Adrien was in a position of weakness. 

He was brainstorming ideas on how to convince Marinette to leave her soulmate when the TV switched over to breaking news. “Ladybug and Panthère de Nuit will be meeting with members of the Justice League and Justice League Dark today in order to transfer over the Miraculous to the hero teams. According to statements from Ladybug posted to the Ladyblog and On the Spot, ‘Hawkmoth’s attacks have become far more brazen, and in order to assure the safety of Paris, I felt it was necessary to entrust the Miraculi, including the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous, to people who can properly protect them,’” The screen cut to Ladybug and Panthère de Nuit handing over what was supposedly the Miracle Box to the superheroes Batman, Red Robin, Zatanna, and Doctor Fate, The box was almost in Zatanna’s hands when a loud boom caught the attention of the heroes, and as the camera turned to show what they saw, Adrien gasped. There were Hawkmoth and Mayura on the back of a massive multi-headed dragon Sentimonster, with an army of akumas and amoks floating around them, ready to turn at least half of Paris into their own army. A burst of fire was shot from one of the heads of the dragon, with Ladybug, Panthère de Nuit, Batman, and Red Robin easily dodging. Zatanna and Doctor Fate, along with the Miracle Box disappeared in the familiar smoke of an illusion from the Fox Miraculous breaking, in fact, the whole area seemed to disappear, and when the smoke settled, it showed the heroes and villains trapped in a large Shell-ter. It struck Adrien that this was never a poorly executed plan that Hawkmoth discovered, this was an ambush. Realistically, he knew he shouldn’t get involved, he didn’t have a Miraculous and would be putting himself in great danger. However, he was convinced that if he showed Ladybug that he could still be a hero, she would have to give him a MIraculous, and he could prove to Marinette that he was the best match for her. So he left for the battlefield.

Everything so far was going according to plan. Hawkmoth and Mayura had taken the bait and were now trapped in the Shell-ter with the Heroes. Rena Rouge was working overtime, creating illusion after illusion to confuse the devious duo. Carapace’s Shell-ter was holding strong, preventing anyone from entering and potentially getting akumatized. Vipereon was given the rabbit miraculous as well and was currently hopping between dimensions and using Second Chance to reset the fight and figure out the next moves they should make. King Monkey (with help from the Mouse Miraculous), Pigella, and Caprikid were using their respective powers to work with Batman and Red Robin to try and throw off Hawkmoth and Mayura’s concentration. Meanwhile, Ryuko, Panthère de Nuit, Purple Tigeress (also using the Ox Miraculous), and Rooster Bold were handling the massive dragon Sentimonster. Ladybug herself was along the outskirts of the battle, with Miss Hound and the “new” Bee hero Swarm. Ladybug was using her yo-yo to get her allies out of the way of various attacks, and waiting for the signal from Vipereon to use Lucky Charm. Swarm was waiting for an opportunity to use Venom to stun either Hawkmoth or Mayura, while Miss Hound was using the Horse Miraculous to teleport around to take shots at hitting the villains’ Miraculous. All of the heroes were connected with earpieces so they could communicate and monitor how each other was doing, and so far everything was going smoothly. 

For the first time in forever, Ladybug was beginning to feel hopeful that this nightmare would be over soon, when Miss Hound caught everyone’s attention, “Ummm… Why is Adrien trying to get in? Does he know that Hawkmoth is his dad?” Red Robin dodged an attack from an enraged Mayura, and quickly answered, “Not that we’re aware of. Although we did find out that he was Chat Noir, so maybe he thinks he can help,” Ladybug sighed and declared she would handle it, swinging off to the border. Sure enough, there was Adrien, banging on the Shell-ter, and he perked up as soon as he saw her. The only thing standing between the former partners was a magical green wall. “What are you doing here Adrien? It’s not safe!” Ladybug crossed her arms and glared, she did NOT have time for this! “I’m here to help My Lady! So tell Carapace to drop Shell-ter and let me in,” The blond boy shot her his best Chat Noir smile, while Ladybug simply raised an eyebrow, “I can’t do that Adrien. Lifting the shelter would allow thousands of akumas to escape and terrorize Paris. It would be too much of a risk and put too many people in danger. Besides you don’t have a way to fight, so you wouldn’t be any help.” She hoped that would put an end to it, but she was wrong, “But I can help! If you give me a Miraculous I can help you defeat Hawkmoth. Please Ladybug we’re partners, we’re soulmates! I should be there fighting with you!” Adrien was persistent she’d give him that, but there was no way she’d let him in, potentially ruining everything when they worked so hard. “No Adrien, I will not be giving you a Miraculous! Every single one of them is in use right now and to take one away from someone would put them in danger. Besides, you already blew your chance when you were Chat Noir! You proved that you were never in it to protect people, and you were barely a decent partner! There were several times Hawkmoth almost won because you were goofing off or just didn’t even show up. Finally, you aren’t my soulmate, you never were. Just go home, go home, and sit this one out,” That seemed to cause him to only get more upset, “This is because of the new cat isn’t it?! He’s convinced you I’m some awful person so you’d give him the Cat Miraculous instead of me! It’s mine, not his! Master Fu chose me! I am the real holder of the Cat Miraculous, so you have to do what’s right and give it back if you’re such a ‘real hero’!” Ladybug sighed, “And Plagg, the Kwamii of the Cat Miraculous took it away from you because he felt you were unworthy to wield it. Why would I give it back to you then? Leave Adrien.” With that, she turned away, ready to rejoin the battle, but stopped dead in her tracks, “I should have known all along Ladybug, you aren’t a real hero. You’re just a narcissistic, pathetic, lonely girl pretending to be this great, benevolent hero because, in your real life, nobody loves you. Nobody wants you. I used to think I was your soulmate, and it’s clear I’m not because there’s no way such a vile person like you could ever have one. This is the only way you can get attention, and you strung me along in the process! If anything, you’re just as bad as Hawkmoth!” Adrien spat, before storming off. Ladybug took a deep breath, fighting back tears. It hurt to have someone she cared about, and used to love say such vile things about her, but now was not the time to lose focus, she had a battle to win. 

Diving back into the fray, she quickly tugged Caprikid out of the way as Hawkmoth tried to strike him. “You good,” He asked as the two regained their footing on a building, “You left your earpiece on so we kinda heard all of that. Panthère de Nuit looked ready to kill him at one point, and the rest of us would back him up if you want.” Ladybug chuckled a bit, “Thanks but the Miraculous Team is adopting the Bat’s no-killing rule. I’ll be okay, no, I’ll be amazing once we end this!” “Then I’m happy to inform you that it’s time for Lucky Charm,” Vipereon chimed in, “Swarm! Miss Hound! Take the shot! Lucky Charm!” Panthère de Nuit Cataclysmed the Sentimonster, causing cracks to form, destabilizing Hawkmoth and Mayura, with some help, the Amokized pendant was caught and quickly broken. Swarm hit Mayura with Venom, and her Miraculous was taken with Miss Hound’s fetch, leaving a defeated Nathalie, and Hawkmoth standing alone. Ladybug would have to move quickly so Hawkmoth couldn’t Akumatize Nathalie, and looked down at the Lucky Charm in her hand: A lily. Looking around, she quickly developed a plan, Grabbing a few supplies, she made her way to the tallest point within the Shell-ter, and set a trap for the Akumas. Sure enough, the allure of a flower overpowered Hawkmoth’s control over the butterflies, and as a result, they left the villain powerless. The heroes were quick to surround Hawkmoth, and with no Akuma and nowhere to ruin, it looked like his reign of terror was over. “You’re done Hawkmoth, you lost,” Ladybug declared as she jumped down to meet the villain. His cane, which contained a small blade, was ripped out of his hands by Batman, who did not want to risk the former villain attempting to stab Ladybug out of desperation. Seeing as he had no way out, all Hawkmoth could do was sigh in defeat and remove his Miraculous. Once it was securely in Ladybug’s hand, Carapace let the shelter down, and one Miraculous Ladybug later, the destruction of the battle seemed like a distant memory. 

It was like waking up from a dream. For a moment, no one said anything, what was left to be said? News helicopters were now flying overhead, as people began to gather around. A few stunned police officers made their way to the front of the crowd to arrest Gabriel and Nathalie, and as they were marched away the crowd erupted in a roar of jubilation. The Miraculous heroes were quick to leave the scene, and not a moment too soon, since their transformations dropped shortly after they landed on a distant roof. As the rest of her team celebrated, Marinette turned to look at the Eiffel Tower, where it all started five years ago. It didn’t feel real, Marinette looked down at the celebrating crowd below,  she was happy, but she also felt lost in a way. Being Ladybug had been such a huge part of her life, and she hadn’t really planned what she’d do once Hawkmoth was defeated. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a familiar arm wrapped around her waist, “Hey,” Damian murmured. She could feel a smile growing on her face, “Are you doing okay my Lily? I thought you would’ve been celebrating as well,” Marinette leaned into his side, “I feel like I won the lottery… but I’m not sure where to go from here. I’ve been Ladybug for a good chunk of my life, all the plans I made revolved around being Ladybug and responding to Akumas. Now I don’t really know what to do with myself,” “Come to Gotham,” Tim shouted at the pair, effectively ruining the moment. Damian turned, shooting Tim a glare over his shoulder. “He’s not wrong you know,” Batman started, getting everyone’s attention, “You’ve proven yourself to be incredibly capable, and now that the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous are back in your possession, the threat they pose has been taken care of. We would be honored to have you join us and the rest of the Gotham Knights.” Marinette was stunned, she stammered over her words trying to piece together a sentence, “I, I don’t know what to say-” “How about yes?” Damian asked as he leaned in for a kiss. “Alright then. yes. “ Marinette responded as her eyes fluttered closed. Before their lips could meet, the moment was ruined, “Get a room!” Tim called, resulting in a groan from the couple, and laughter from their friends. 

Marinette took one last look around her bare room, almost everything was gone except for her bed and a change of clothes. This was her last night in Paris for a while, maybe forever unless she came back to visit. In the month since Hawkmoth’s defeat, all of Paris had been in a state of constant celebration, and tonight there was supposed to be the biggest party of all: to wish Ladybug good luck and farewell as she joined the Batfam and by extension the Justice League. She would be the only hero moving up to the big leagues, with the rest of the Miraculous holders involved in the final battle releasing a statement that they would be permanently retired until further notice. They cited that it would be too dangerous to have so many Miraculous out and active on a permanent basis, potentially giving supervillains multiple targets to go after, and the potential danger each Miraculous could pose if they were to fall into the wrong hands. They wished Ladybug well and stated that they’d always be ready if she needed them again. Panthère de Nuit was publicly revealed to be Robin, the vigilante from Gotham, along with a slightly watered-down version of why the Bats were in Paris in the first place. No one really cared about the schematics, Hawkmoth was gone, and people could live their normal lives again. Marinette plopped down on her bed, sighing as she watched the Kwamii fly about the room. There really was nothing left for her in Paris, Hawkmoth and Mayura were gone, the rest of her class finally apologized, Lila was exposed and she’d just graduated high school alongside her soulmate. All she had to do now was go to college in Gotham, build her fashion empire, and help defend the world whenever she was needed. She was excited, who wouldn’t be? That excitement was dampened by a sense of melancholy, Paris was her home and she had so many good memories here, some she could remember vividly, like her soulmate dreams. “Hey Tikki?” The little Kwamii paused, floating over to her champion, “Now that I’ve met Damian, am I going to stop having soulmate dreams? I mean I’ve never had them consistently before… but it would be weird for them to suddenly stop right?” Tikki sat for a moment in Marinette’s hand, pondering her chosen’s question. “Well, it depends. Soulmate dreams work differently for different people, but you primarily seem to get them when you’re in a situation relating to hope. When you��re either full of hope or desperately need it, that’s when your dreams seem to come to you. They act like a promise, a promise that all will be well. So I imagine that you may occasionally have one when you need it most or when you feel particularly hopeful. Anyways, I hope you’re ready, it’s almost time for the party to start!” Tikki cheered as the Kwamii surrounded the two. 

Damian sat atop the Eiffel Tower as Panthère de Nuit, he watched Ladybug (It’s Lady Miracle now, he reminded himself) as she made her way across the rooftops to him. She was followed by cheering from the crowd of people, who all seemed to surge forward towards the celebration. Occasionally she would stop to pull a few people out of the crowd who looked like they were having trouble, but nonetheless, she was making good progress. She landed next to him gracefully, and he stood to meet her. “Hello my Lily,” he whispered as he pulled her into an embrace. “How was your last day in Paris?” She hummed contentedly as she kissed him, pausing a moment to snuggle closer. “It was good. I finally got apologies from the rest of the class, and anyone else who believed Lila. I only had to deal with Adrien for a few minutes, he tried to convince me to stay in Paris and go to college with him instead of leaving for Gotham. Papa showed him the door. And I also finished up the last of my packing! I’ve never seen the room so empty, it’s kinda scary.” Damian sighed, It seemed like Adrien would always be a pain in their sides, he couldn’t do much, but he seemed determined to be a constant presence in their lives. The two decided they wouldn’t focus on it now, they had a celebration to attend to. 

The heroes wove their way through the crowds, talking to people, and occasionally stopping at vendors to purchase some snacks or merch. Eventually, the two made their way to where the old Ladybug and Chat Noir statue stood. There were plans to take it down and replace it. “It should just be a statue of Ladybug, I only came to help defeat Hawkmoth, but she has been fighting him the whole time,” Panthère de Nuit explained to the mayor and various sculptors and architects that were discussing it. Ladybug was munching on a chocolate croissant from her parents’ booth, when someone spoke, “So this is it huh? You won and now you’re just packing up and leaving?” She turned to see Lila standing there, arms crossed and looking a mix between furious and annoyed. ‘Annoyed Hawkmoth didn’t drag me down with him,’ Marinette thought, swallowing the bite of croissant. “Hello, Lila. Yes, I got invited to join the Justice League, so I’ll be spending a few years in Gotham training with Batman. How about you? Got any plans?” It was a bit of an antagonistic question. Since Gabriel Agreste was exposed, the brand Gabriel had been in a perpetual death spiral. Adrien, with the help of the board of directors and some lawyers, was able to stabilize the company, but it was going through a serious rebrand and may have to downsize. So Lila’s future as a model was shaky at best. Lila however, did not show any uncertainty, “Oh I’m probably going to continue modeling, after I finish college that is. Who knows, maybe I’ll leave that behind and branch into acting. Now,” her gaze hardened, “Let’s drop the pleasantries shall we? Hawkmoth is gone, so I expect I won’t be having any more trouble with you-” “Unless you decide to work with a terrorist again. The only reason you haven’t been arrested is because there isn’t enough evidence Lila.” “And it's going to stay that way. You have no reason to go snooping around my life anymore, and besides,” Lila shot her a smirk, “I’m sure the Justice League wouldn’t like it if it got out that their newest member was stalking an innocent model, accusing her of outlandish crimes.” Ladybug laughed, “Considering some recent revelations about you I don’t think I’ll have a problem convincing them you’re anything but trustworthy. So stay out of trouble, because you’ll certainly end up getting in over your head, and someday no one will be around to bail you out.” Lila made a sound similar to an outraged chicken, and placing a hand over her heart she cried, “Is that a threat?” an obvious attempt to make a scene. Ladybug simply shrugged, “Nope. It’s a warning. Do with it what you will,” and with that, she walked over to Panthère de Nuit, and the two swung back up to the Eiffel Tower to watch the fireworks. The show was amazing, the symbols of all the Parisian heroes lit up the sky, and Marinette contentedly sighed as she leaned into Damian’s side. Life was good. After a couple of minutes, the grand finale began, with the final fireworks spelling out: Thank you Ladybug and Panthère de Nuit.

#marinette deserves better #adrien salt #lila salt #maribat #class salt #chat noir salt #adrien salt prompts #bustier salt #daminette #gabriel salt

[feralforfrank]

JEALOUSY, JEALOUSY.

BRADLEY "ROOSTER" BRADSHAW X FEM!READER

summary (loosely based on jealousy, jealousy by olivia rodrigo.) rooster and you have never liked each other. or rather—you haven't admitted it you like each other. one night at the hard deck is enough to change the dynamic between you.

cw ANGSTY ANGST, unrequited love, reader comparing herself, mention of reader almost losing control of her plane, rooster being kind of an asshole to reader when they were younger. enemies to lovers (and everything that comes with it; angst, fluff, etc.) NON-DESCRIPTIVE READER.

a/n reader's callsign is swift. i dont know if im going to put it on the next part (if i make a next part hehe) so i'm explaining her callsign here. she listens to a lot of taylor swift but shes also really swift/quick in the air. ALSO, this is my first time writing for tg:m, fingers crossed people read and interact with it!

masterlist | taglist

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw was annoying, and you hated him. Yeah, you despised him. All you two have ever done is argue and (passive-aggressively) insult each other.

So, why were you red from jealousy watching him flirt with one of Nix's friends?

Okay, maybe you lied. Maybe, you have had this massive crush on Rooster since you joined the Naval Academy. He was charming, funny and intelligent, not to mention hard-working and efficient. He was four years older than you and usually hung out with the older students.

All you could do was admire him from afar. Admiration turned into liking, which later developed into something more than a crush. But you never told anyone—you'd be crazy to do so. You've never even spoken to each other.

Until one night changed everything. 

You don't remember much from the night. One of your acquaintances was throwing a party, and after a particularly hard day, you'd decided to join your friends.

You were having fun until you weren't. You hated dividing people into stereotypical categories like people did in high school, but bullies exist wherever you go. In that case, even in the Naval Academy.

The guy was drunk, and so was half of his friend group. You don't even remember what he was making fun of you because all you could focus on was him. Bradley Bradshaw was part of that friend group, and—it might've been the alcohol talking—but he was checking you out.

He'd finally noticed you.

After that party, he paid more attention to you. But not the kind of attention you wanted. It started with small jokes about your ability to fly a plane. Sometimes you'd chuckle at them, for his jokes were creative and funny.

But he didn't stop there. You quickly realised he wasn't laughing with you but at you. It hurt you, but your crush towards him didn't disappear as you'd like. It grew stronger.

So, you stopped entertaining him and his friends. You couldn't understand why he kept making jokes that turned into insults when he knew you wouldn't react to them. 

It was a stressful day for you when you finally burst. You were training in the air, and you'd gotten paired against Rooster. He was throwing passive-aggressive jabs throughout the exercise, resulting in you nearly losing control of the plane. You'd gotten off your seat so fast, yelling at him for almost getting you killed.

From that point on and forward, all you two did was argue. Argue over the smallest of things. Were you at the top of the class? Rooster beat you when the next test came around. Were you planning on going to a bar? Rooster was there to ruin your night.

It was so much worse now that you were in Top Gun. You felt the obligation to look and be better than good, not only in front of him but to the rest of the men. Women in the Navy were rare, and you'd fuck Rooster up if he'd try to ruin the reputation you fought so hard to gain.

Despite your dislike of his behaviour towards you, you could never shake off the butterflies you got when he walked into a room or the blush coating your cheek every time he addressed you by your callsign.

You just wished—just for a minute—that he could look at you differently. You didn't want his glaring or snarky comments, but the charming smile he gave everyone when he entered the Hard Deck and the attention he paid to Nix's friend—what was her name again? Maria?

"If you keep glaring at them like that, people might start getting ideas," Phoenix whispered in your ear, and you could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Just lost in thought, Nix. I'm not looking at them."

Co-comparison is killing me slowly.

Her hair was smoother and silkier than yours. You could see how healthy and shiny it looked, even across the room, whereas yours was tired from being on a tight bun all day.

Her clothes fit her amazingly. Tight shorts and a white crop top highlighted her cleavage and perfect tan. You, on the other hand, had opted for a baggier pair of shorts and a Hawaiian button shirt that Rooster had teased you for having. I know you want to be like me, baby, but this is going too far. God, you wished he would comment on it now.

I'm so sick of myself.

I'd rather be, rather be,

anyone, anyone else.

Jealousy, Jealousy.

You'd rather be anyone else at this moment. You couldn't bear to watch the pair laugh, talk and for Rooster to completely ignore your presence. You were so used to having him around you, throwing insults, commenting on your appearance and getting red when you threw snarky comments back.

I wanna be you so bad, and I don't even know you.

You wanted to be her. Listen to the enchanting way he spoke and watch as he moved his hands around while explaining or narrating a story. You wanted to be the centre of his attention, the reason he was smiling. The urge to punch him was still there, but the fucking fluttering in your stomach was overpowering it.

She was so beautiful—you don't even think she was trying. Her smile and her posture. The way she held her beer, how she leaned on Bradley when she laughed, or how she lightly hit his shoulder when he teased her. Everything was perfect. This Maria girl was flawless—and you hated it.

All I see is what I should be.

Happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy!

All I see is what I should be.

I'm losing it. All I get's; jealousy, jealousy!

I have to stop, you think. You have to look away. The staring is getting creepy, and your self-esteem drops significantly each second that passes. Jealousy courses through your veins along with the remnants of your beer. 

You decide that's enough sulking. You came to the Hard Deck to drink and have fun with your friends. Rooster can go fuck himself. Or better yet, fuck the pretty blonde currently hanging off his arm.

"Where've you been all night, Swift?" You hear Coyote call you, as you approach the pool table.

"Here and there!" You shout over the loud chatter.

You watched as Hangman tried to get the pool ball in the socket but missed terribly, and suddenly the lightbulb above your head turned on. You had a terrible idea. The alcohol, combined with the jealous feeling running through you, gave you the push you needed to execute it.

"Hey, Hangman. Let me show you how to win this thing." You said as Fanboy shot the ball right into the socket.

You approached him, grabbing the pool stick and calling him behind you, and you set your hips at the right angle, your hands finding the right spot on the stick before calling him to come behind you. He placed his hands on yours, his body flush against yours. 

Right before you hit the ball, you look in the direction of Rooster. Maria is talking excitedly, but he's not paying attention to her. His eyes are fixated on you, and you find yourself smirking. Why are you smirking? He could have been glancing around, and you just accidentally caught his eye. That might've been the case, but the way he's glaring at the man leaning above you says otherwise. 

Is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw...jealous?

That'll teach him for flirting with another girl.

With precise movements, the ball is inside the socket, and you both cheer, high-fiving. "Yeah! That's how you do it, baby!"

You turn to his direction again, wanting to savour his reaction but what you see is more than enough to break your heart into tiny pieces. Bradley is kissing Maria. And it's not just a peck on the lips but a full-blown make-out session in the middle of the bar. And your heart breaks, just like when you realised he was laughing at you with his friends.

Your eyes tear, and you look down to avoid anyone spotting them. You look at your watch—23:17. You blink rapidly and look up, your eyes meeting Nix's worried ones.

Nix knew. She had caught you staring at him once too many times with that disgusting lovesick look in your eyes—her words, not yours. She'd pressured you until you finally caved in and told her about your infatuation with Rooster.

She looked concerned and apologetic, but it wasn't her fault. Maria wasn't at fault either. The woman was here to have fun—your stupid feelings had nothing to do with her. It wasn't her fault she happened to be extremely attractive and flirting with the pilot you hated but also wanted to fuck. Wow—that's a discussion for another time.

"I-I'll be going now. Good luck on your game, Hangman." You smiled at Jake, but it didn't reach your ears. 

You grabbed your bag from the chair next to the pool table, responding to anyone who said goodbye to you. You were halfway to the door when Nix caught up to you.

"Are you okay?" She asks, touching your shoulder gently.

You just nod, wanting nothing more than for your bed to swallow you. But of course, you can't have that. 

"Yo, Swift! Where are you going?!" Coyote's voice is loud enough to attract unwanted attention.

You open your slightly quivering lips, smiling as much as you can. "I'm tired from beating your ass all day in training today! I'm heading home."

"You didn't look tired to me a few minutes ago."

"Are you disrespecting a woman's choice, Coyote? While inside the Hard Deck?" Phoenix calls out, and the people who've gone quiet oh at her comeback.

Your eyes unintentionally shift towards Rooster, but you immediately regret it and turn your gaze elsewhere. His arm is around Maria's waist, but he's looking your way with—is that a worried look he shoots your way? Nah, it can't be. But what if it is? I'm not looking back again.

"Hey, Penny! Coyote just disrespected a woman! Ring the bell, please!" Nix's voice brings you out of your thoughts.

The bell rings, and she nods at you. This is your perfect chance to slip out unnoticed. The crowd cheers at Coyote, and he's defeated yet smiling expression. You're out of the bar in seconds.

But your quick getaway is the reason you missed how Rooster's expression fell when you left his eyesight. Or how Maria's waist felt too cold to hold—so he let her go—and how his face twists into regret as soon as he finds Phoenix's glare fixating on him.

You missed the mumble that escaped his lips; "What have I done?"

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#bradley bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster top gun #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw angst #rooster x reader #rooster fluff #rooster angst #bradley bradshaw fic #rooster fic #miles teller #miles teller x reader #top gun #top gun: maverick #top gun fic #enemies to lovers #fluff #angst with happy ending #hurt/comfort #frank writes

[mixes-archive]

Can we get König with a loud assertive reader? They have a past in bullying, and as we know König was bullied heavily as a child. So kind of a yin and yang situation.

What if at base (y/n if only visiting, they don’t work there, they aren’t a soldier and have a normal job) and someone starts picking on König, y/n rounds the corner and punches the fully trained soldier to the ground in one hit- and then shaking their fist and looking to their bf saying something like “well I haven’t done that in a long time” *insert cute giggle* then kicks the guy as hard as they can in the gut while he’s on the floor. König is just 👀🧍‍♂️😳

Bonus if the soldier gets up and König is just like I think tf not and stands in front of y/n/blocks them with his body protectively. <33333

Get decked, noob

OOC BUT OMG I LOVE THIS REQUEST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ANON, SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG BUT EXAMS HAVE BEEN KICKING MY ASS, ANYWAY I LOVE THIS SO MCUH YOU ARE MYBFACOURITE ANON NOE BUT DONT TELL THE ITHERS!!

You couldn't wait to see the look on Königs face!

For once, your boss had actually let you go home earlier. You had no idea why they did, but what did it matter? An occurrence like that should be celebrated! With food!!

You had visited Königs 'Oma' in Austria a few weeks back and managed to mooch a bunch of recipes from her that brought comfort to your lover back in his childhood. He had been really down for the last two weeks and now you finally had time to surprise him with one of those dishes!

It was a little after noon, he had told you his lunch break was at two, so you had a good hour and a half to cook this thing and deliver it to him so he didn't have to buy a stale meal from the cafeteria he was always complaining about. No pressure at all!

There was no time for debating what to make, you closed your eyes and picked one at random. Kaiserschmarrn! That looked easy enough.

Thank god it was easy enough to cook as you thought, you even added raisins. You couldn't quite comprehend how this man loved to add them to every sweet you let him, but if he likes it, you're doing it. You even found some apple sauce in the fridge, choosing to put it into a smaller, different container (while praying it was airtight because you just couldn't deal with spillage right now).

You put it all in a baggie, added a cute little note with a drawing of him and left your house. You just managed to catch the bus in the direction of his work, stopping only a little before.

The ride was a little stressful, traffic was slow and you had to wrap his meal in your coat so it stayed warm.

Once you finally got off, you pretty much sprinted towards the massive base. Pretty much everyone knew you there already, returning your cheery, loud greeting and pointing you in Königs direction before you could even ask. They've done this enough times to know exactly what you were there for.

You ran of with a quick thanks and entered one of the many buildings on base. Were it not for the numbers written on them, you would've definitely gotten lost in all these similar-looking buildings.

Navigating through the corridors, you relied on the signs on the walls to not get lost. The place seemed almost deserted, most soldiers would be in the mensa around this time.

Hope was almost lost until you heard talking! Finally, you could ask someone for directions instead of relying on signs in a language you stopped trying to understandin a long time ago. It even sounded like... König! Talking to someone! Oh you couldn't wait to surprise him! Sneaking up on the corner, you waited for the perfect time to strike.

You really hadn't meant to eavesdrop. Hell, you felt kind of bad for a second, but hearing their conversation made you glad you were there.

"God König, is it that fucking hard to land a shot? Honestly, it's bordering on pathetic... How did someone like you make it this far?"

"Look I- ich hab mich ja schon entschuldigt... Es tut mir wirklich leid, Mann."¹

"And will you stop acting like a baby? It's embarrassing. Hah, no wonder everyone picked on you back i-"

SLAP.

You hadn't given him the chance to finish his insult, putting all your anger into the punch. He fell to the floor, but you were far from done with him, giving him a few strong kicks to the stomach for good measure.

"Haha, haven't done that in a looonnggg time. Hey babe!"

"Ich- öhhh, hallo Schatz? What are you doing here?" König visibly relaxed, but was still playing with his hands, slowly swaying in a side to side motion with his hips. You ran up to hug him, burying your face in his massive, albeit covered, tibbies.

"Missed you. Got out of work early." You stuck your hand carrying the back into the direction of his face. "Lunch."

A smile made it's way in your face when you heard him giggle. He gently pulled the bag from your hand and opened it. Even with his mask, his eyes had that obvious smile in them.

"Wow! Did you make this?" He wrapped his arms around you, slightly leaning into your body.

"Yeah, tried one of the recipes from good ol' Oma!"

"Don't call her old! But... Thank you. Both for lunch and punching this fucker in the face. He made me very uncomfortable." His arms got tighter, pulling you further into him.

"Is he why you've been so sad recently? I've got a few more punches left in me!"

"Yes, but I don't think he'll be bothering me any more." He turned his head away, looking at the space behind you, his voice suddenly growing deeper. "Will he?"

A quiet 'no' was audible before panicked footsteps moved away from your location.

"Anyway, why don't you stay until my break is over? I know a beautiful place a few minutes away from here. Es wären nur wir beide?"²

"How could I ever say no to that, mein König?"

Translation:

¹ "Look, I already apologized. I'm sorry, man."

² "It would only be us two?"

Bonus:

"God, I can't wait to eat this Kaiserschmarrn... It smells so gooddd" You could practically hear the drool running down his chin, giggling at the thought.

"Do you only use me for food?"

He didn't respond, choosing instead to pick you up, bridal style, and start running.

"HEY! Don't distract from the question!! You would me König, you wound me..."

You dramatically feigned fainting as he started laughing loudly, the laugh you loved so much.

#könig x reader #konig x reader #call of duty x reader #cod x reader #könig call of duty #call of duty

[abominable-space-they]

One of my first Steddie fics was Steve going punk. I have a lot of feelings about Punk!Steve, so I am really pleased to see the fandom getting excited about it.

I was thinking about an Au in which Max discovers The Runaways & has a sweeping personal epiphany, gets into punk & starts playing the drums. She loves how cathartic it is, also that it's to loud for anyone to talk to her.

She starts teaching Eleven too as she learns. It turns out that once she's been exposed to the idea of making music, El has a gift. She picks it up with with an almost supernatural ease. Eventually they want to start a band, its the summer after 8th grade. Eleven switches to bass, bc she can, they recruit Erica who was absolutely scandalized to hear that no one knew she played piano & guitar. But they had a small problem when they wanted to do gigs. There was only one place, the hide out & they were extremely minors. In order to play, they had to have "a responsible adult".

There was no way any of their parents were gonna work for that duty.

Steve was the obvious answer to their problems. When he said he wasn't gonna spend every weekend sitting in a run down little bar, they offered him a spot in the band... which was a little unconventional but it was punk so whatever and actually Steve was perfect for a front man. He could talk to the crowd right? (Steve does not love the idea but sure fine he could do that maybe)

The thing is, these kids have worked so hard to make this happen, Steve can't actually say no... & If he was being totally honest with himself, he kinda loved being included. So he says yes to being a vocalist, co-vocalist.

He encourage them to also yell if they wanted... Erica has immediate ideas. The band progresses surprisingly well. When they decide they're ready Steve easily books a gig. Max & Erica are both massively annoyed it was so easy for him when it was their band and idea. But whatever they have their first gig planned

They argue about the name of the band for so long they have to emergency name it the weekend before the show so they can put up flyers. Max & El wanted to call it Mommy Issues, Erica had gotten really into X-Ray Spex & wanted to call them The Wrex. It got a little intense.

Steve in desperation suggested Cherry Rex... because it referenced The Runaways song Chery Bomb, and had the aesthetic energy of The Wrex & X-Ray Spex

To his shock they actually agreed on that.

Their first gig was on a Monday, to nobody but one very belligerently drunk guy who might have passed out in his booth. Of course they expected that more or less. It was more ok then they thought though, the girls had a blast... and actually so did Steve.

A month or three later and they'd slowly worked up the live band tenure and were getting their first Friday night slot. There would be four bands, two punk, two metal; Boondock Boyfriend, Death Vision, & Corroded Coffin. Cherry Rex were playing the opening spot being the newbies. Steve thought Corroded Coffin sounded vaguely familiar, but couldn't figure out where from. He wasn't to worried about it though, he was here for Cherry Rex.

Getting the parents permission to take the whole party to a borderline dive bar (he left that part out) had been one of the most trying experiences of Steve's young life, but in the end he got it done, and everyone was super excited.

------

Eddie always came early on the nights Corroded Coffin played, he liked supporting his fellow musicians, many of whom had only played parties and basements before they could get in here. It was a point of pride for him to not be a snob about it. He supported anyone and everyone who wasn't a bully or a bigot.

This weekend they had a whole new band, playing. He'd heard that it was a group of preteen punk rock girls, so of course the rock bros were grousing. He would have none of that though. He remembered when he first got into music as a preteen, the way it let him process feelings he was to scared to otherwise. He would definitely be there for their first weekend gig

So imagine his surprise when he finds Steve Harrington on stage. He introduced everyone Max on drums whom Eddie recognized from around, as well as her maybe? girlfriend?, who's name was apparently the number Eleven, on Bass. And Erica, who actually exhuded rock and roll energy, on guitar. Steve called himself their token adult. He spent half the time singing, but also dancing, sometimes being hype man for whomever was singing that particular song.

He was wearing a Hawkins High Tshirt that he'd scrawled The King is Dead across in Sharpie. Also light wash jeans, which Eddie had laughed about at first, but when he cut them off at the knee while they were still on his body, during Erica's song about self reliance, identity, and D&d... and he had fishnets on under them? He was completely won over. They were pretty good...and Steve Harrington, a punk? He was genuinely so fucked. So so fucked

(does Vecna & the upside down exist here? I don't know)

#fanfic #stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #steve x eddie #stranger things au #punk!steve #elmax #erica sinclair #eleven #jane hopper #punk au #rocker!eddie #max mayfield #band au #Cherry Rex

[finn-m-corvex]

Whumptober 2023 Day 1 - "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Hello everyone, and welcome to Finn's Whumptober! This is the first of the past fifteen days to come out, and the other fourteen will be releasing every hour on the hour! I've put an incredible amount of work into making these (the first batch is like. 30k words alone-) so if you guys have been craving some of my content, here you go! You're getting plenty nowadays!

GENERAL TWS FOR THE ENTIRETY OF MY STORIES: blood, vomit, beatings, assault, bullying, kinda gorey at some points, other stuff just be careful. I'll go back through and tag each individually if I need to!

Since I'm scheduling these, I won't have the opportunity to add anyone but @splinnters to the tag list, but there's going to be so many of them that I feel like it's going to be easy to find. Hope you enjoy reading all of these as much as I enjoyed writing them!

Words: 2.1k

Jay was bored.

Who knew working a party could be so mind-numbingly boring? The point of parties was to let loose and have fun, and yet here he was, stuck in a dumb stuffy suit in the corner only watching as everyone got more and more drunk off their asses. He sipped at his disappointedly non-alcoholic punch, pretending like he was keeping a careful eye over the rest of the patrons as they danced.

Getting called to watch Cyrus Borg’s work functions was one of the worst things to happen to him in recent times.

“Check in, everyone,” Lloyd said over the comm, and Jay tapped his foot against the ground as he waited for everyone else to sound off. Cole was standing on the entire other side of the room, and Jay had long since given up trying to hold a mime’s version of a conversation with his brother when the earth ninja only gave him an unimpressed stare after the first gesture. At least he was stuck in here with his best friend rather than Kai or Zane; knowing them, he would’ve gotten a full lecture rather than just a look.

A crackle, and then his beautiful Yang’s angelic voice. “Kai and I are clear.”

Part of Jay wanted to chime in and talk to her with a casual conversation about guest gossip, but he had already gotten in enough trouble tonight; he couldn’t start pushing it.

Zane and Pixal both spoke, and then it was Cole’s turn. “Jay and I are clear, although someone needs to start laying off the punch. He’s already almost spilled on himself more than once.”

“Hey!” Jay exclaimed, but he still kept it down so no one would start listening in. It pleased him immensely to hear Nya giggle over the comm, and it took every bit of self-restraint to keep from playing up the act. “I’m doing just fine, thank you very much.”

“Sure you are, bro,” Cole rolled his eyes across the room, and Jay felt his power start to flicker under his skin in frustration. Pushing the lightning down, Jay huffed, checking in with Lloyd before going back to his self-assigned duty of people-watching. At least he had a nice spot next to the punch table.

It wasn’t very long before someone bumped into him, causing his drink to slosh around and over the rim of his glass. Jay turned to face whoever it was, ready to give them a piece of his mind for almost getting punch on his nice shoes (seriously, they were brand-new!), but he stopped when he remembered that these people were all civillians and he did have to at least make an effort to be nice.

Unfortunately.

“I’m so sorry about that,” the stranger said, flashing his pearly whites and readjusting his cuffs. Jay’s danger sense was going off, and he resisted every urge in his body that was screaming for him to run far away from here. This was just a normal guy, so why was he feeling like this?

“Don’t worry about it, no harm done,” Jay chuckled, masking his discomfort with ease. It was one of his most used skills, especially in social situations.

“Surely you wouldn’t mind if I just got you another glass? Anything for a great hero of Ninjago!”

Never accept drinks from strangers, dear, he could hear his Ma say, and Jay always heeded the advice his mother gave him after the Underwear Incident.

He shook his head. “No thank you, don’t worry about it. Go enjoy the festivities, please, I insist.”

A rather cold goodbye for the sociable lightning ninja; Jay hoped that no one else would notice so it wouldn’t end up on the media. What a mess to clean up that would be, and the others already made enough messes online. The man huffed as if Jay had personally offended him, stalking off into the crowd where Jay’s eyes couldn’t be bothered to follow him. Frowning, Jay took another sip of his drink, only to bring it away from his mouth in confusion.

Why did it taste different?

Must be my lightning, Jay thought to himself as he drank it, noticing the previously sweet taste switching to salty. His lightning tended to change his taste buds whenever he suppressed it, just another little quirk of having powers, so this was just another case of that happening.

It definitely wasn’t the case fifteen minutes later.

Jay kept getting dizzier and dizzier as time passed, leaning back on the pillar and relying on it to keep him stable. Everything around him was spinning, the low lights blurring into vague patterns and swirling around on the floor at a speed that he couldn’t comprehend. He could feel the sweat gathering on the back of his neck, hot and sticking to his shirt collar. There were nails being driven into his temples, and he winced as the crowd suddenly cheered when Cyrus Borg came out on the other side of the room to start his speech. Pixal and Zane were on the stage with him, and Jay had to keep himself from screaming as the spotlights followed the three as they walked.

Up until now, he had hesitated everytime his hand went to his comm; he had already pissed Cole off once or twice, he shouldn’t say anything unless it was an absolute emergency.

His vision blacked out for a second, and Jay was suddenly hyperaware of everything happening around him. This wasn’t normal; this was an emergency.

“Cole,” Jay said, swallowing back the spit in his mouth that threatened to spill down his lips. Why couldn’t he feel his lips? Why did his throat feel like it was clogging up with something?

Reaching up with an arm, his brother looked quite bored. “What is it now, Jay?”

“Something’s wrong.”

Jay must’ve forgotten to switch to their private channel, because Lloyd’s voice came through the tinny speaker. “Jay, what’s wrong?”

“I-I’m dizzy,” Jay couldn’t keep himself from stuttering, and he started panicking as his knee gave out from under him. What the hell was in his drink?

Starting to push through the crowd, he could barely pick Cole out from the crowd, only hearing the earth ninja’s voice through his earpiece. “Jay, Jay did you drink something-”

And Jay was crashing to the floor.

Head smacking against the ground, Jay was coughing up spit, reeling from the loud gasp that surged through the crowd at the sight of one of the Ninja collapsing. Even though this was far from the first time that he had hit his head, he still found himself dizzier than before, struggling to ground himself in the forest of suit pants and dresses that he was stuck in. His hands were shaking as they tried to push him up, and he cried out as his elbows stopped working and his head hit the ground again.

Why couldn’t he feel his legs? Panic swarmed through his chest as he tried to wiggle his toes, but he couldn’t tell if it was working.

First Master, he was drugged.

“Move!” he heard two voices at once; one voice in the earpiece and the other through the ear not smushed against the tile. “Move out of the way!”

Other voices were clammering around him, and Jay would’ve yelled for them all to shut up if his tongue didn’t feel like it was a piece of cotton stuffed into his mouth. He was pretty sure he was drooling all on the floor, and he could feel the excess dribbling down his chin when rough hands pulled him upright.

There was Cole, face pinched in worry and hurriedly speaking into his comm. “I have him, he just collapsed and I don’t know why. Shut down the exits and get Borg out of here-”

Jay had to stop listening as the spotlights focused directly into his eyes, and he slammed his eyelids shut as if that were going to do anything. Cole was quick to block out the light, but the damage had been done; Jay leaned to the side and vomited, red punch spurting from his lips along with the small finger sandwiches that he had chowed down on earlier. Some of it landed on some poor patron’s shoes, and Jay opened his mouth to apologize only to upchuck more of his guts. His stomach heaved under the weight of his anxiety, feeling the voices around him change to a disgusted pitch, and the feeling of knowing that all of these strangers were seeing one of their protectors collapse and throw up like some drunkard made him flush with shame.

Something hauled him up from under the armpits, and suddenly he was on the move. Cole was taking him somewhere.

“Can’t take you anywhere without shit hitting the fan,” Cole grumbled, and Jay could feel the tears stinging at his eyes in protest. He didn’t mean for this to happen!

But was it his fault anyway? Could he have done anything to stop the man?

He was sat on some cheap chair a few hallways down, and Jay couldn’t move his arms or legs to try and readjust himself, the numbness spreading from his chest outwards. Cole pressed a warm hand to Jay’s forehead, feeling his cheeks and the back of his neck.

Jay felt so ashamed when he couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. “Cole, Cole-”

“What happened, Jay?” Cole asked, a serious expression on his face. He reached up to start thumbing away the tears. “Are you drunk? I promise you aren’t in trouble if you are, things happen.”

He shook his head as best as he could. “No, someone spiked it.”

Mouth agape, Cole clicked it shut, fury overtaking his features. “Who. The. Fuck. Spiked your drink?”

“A guy, he ran into me and must’ve put it in my punch,” Jay let out a small sob as the spinning room sped up. “I-I’m so sorry.”

“The only thing you have to be sorry for is not telling me sooner,” Cole stressed, cupping his brother’s cheek when Jay’s head lulled to the side. “First Master, is this why you were so fidgety? I knew something was wrong; I’m the one who should be saying sorry to you.”

Shaking his head, Jay felt the shame swell up even further. “It’s not your fault-”

“No, but I’m still your brother, and I should’ve checked in the moment I thought something was wrong.” Cole clicked his tongue, thumb brushing against Jay’s jaw in a way that had his heart aching. “I gotta check how bad it is, bluebell. How many fingers am I holding up?”

If Jay was being completely honest, it looked like twelve, so that’s exactly what he said. Cole’s worried face was not reassuring in the slightest.

Nya’s voice flowed into his ear, and Jay sobbed. He wanted her, he wanted her so bad. “Jay, honey, I need you to talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Some asshat spiked his drink,” Cole said briskly, shrugging off his suit jacket and draping it over Jay after seeing how hard the blue ninja was shaking. “He’s still conscious, but I don’t think he’s moving anytime soon. We’re in the hallway off to the left of the main room.”

Finally, the severity of the situation hit Jay: he had been drugged. Someone had deliberately sought him out and messed with his drink with ill intentions that Jay could only dream of, even though those dreams would actually be nightmares.

The thought of what could’ve happened if Cole hadn’t seen him go down made him sick to his stomach.

“I’ll be right there,” and Jay felt his lip start to wobble as the sobs rushed up his throat, because he wanted Nya here now and he was scared and he was too cold but too hot at the same time and he couldn’t move and Cole was mad at him and why was his vision tunneling and oh shit was it always this hard to breathe-

A hand tangled itself in his hair, gently freeing it from its prison of hair products as Jay gasped for air. “Stay with me, Bluejay. Nya’s on her way and then we’re getting you out of here. You’re gonna go home and we’re going to spoil you rotten, okay?”

His hands scrambled for something to hang onto, his fingertips unfeeling, and Cole was quick to put his other warm hand into Jay’s as he readjusted the makeshift blanket over Jay’s form. It wasn’t nearly as good as a shock blanket would’ve been but beggars can’t be choosers. Jay forced his body forward, landing clumsily on Cole’s chest as the earth ninja quickly compensated for the extra weight. “I want Nya.”

There was yelling from the main room that made it hard for Jay to hear what Cole was saying. “I know buddy, she’ll be here soon. I’m going to hold you just like this for a little while, okay?”

“Okay,” Jay whispered, feeling the tears start to soak into his brother’s suit, and First Master he hoped it was going to be okay. 

#whumptober 2023 #finn's writing #ninjago jay #ninjago fanfiction #lego ninjago #ninjago cole #ninjago whumptober #whumptober day 1

[nutzgunray-lvt]

The Clusterfuck That Was the UA Press Conference

The press conference held in the aftermath of the Forest Training Camp Attack was promising, namely because UA was receiving valid criticism from the media in regards to how many kids were put in danger. Bakugou's behavior was also being criticized (for once, what a miracle), and the heroes were acknowledging how they'd become complacent in the era of relative peace that were living through.

But like almost everything else in this series, the execution left a lot to be desired in my opinion.

The media and public are painted as the bad guys for having legitimate grievances against UA's management and actions, and UA and the faculty are painted as being wrongly persecuted just because.

WARNING: anti Bakugou and anti Aizawa content incoming. Don't like, don't read.

1. Why was the media criticizing Aizawa for ALLOWING the kids to fight?

If anything, they should have been criticizing him and the teachers for NOT allowing them to fight until well over halfway into the attack (they could have found out from some of the students there). At that point in time, it was pretty obvious that the students were the targets of the attack, so why in the FUCK would you not allow them to defend themselves? Had Izuku not intervened with Muscular, he and Kota - a FIVE YEAR OLD - would have DIED. If those kids didn't fight back, THEY would have died (which is another complaint of mine - this would have been the perfect way to raise the stakes of the story and address the character bloat it suffers from).

2. How exactly did UA explain all of this to the parents of the students? And what exactly are these "safety measures" that the school brought up?

You can't possibly make me believe that parents weren't withdrawing their kids from UA after this (it's also one of my complaints about the dorm system), first year or not. In addition, the issue is that these attacks are happening OFF SCHOOL GROUNDS. How the fuck is increasing patrols around campus going to help? It should have been brought up that the LoV used the Sports Festival to plan out their attack, since UA did receive criticism for holding it so soon after the USJ attack to save face against the villains. I also love how they said none of the students appeared to be traumatized by the attack (we also don't see this supposed counseling that was offered to them), as if trauma responses don't vary.

3A. As is the case for the story as a whole, Bakugou's behavior is completely side stepped over.

I do like how the reporter brought up the fact that the League saw Bakugou's behavior as an indicator that he'd be the perfect villain. He brings up his attitude at the Sports Festival (something fucking NEDZU brought up earlier), and criticizes Aizawa for not reining him in. But then we get the famous Aizawa sermon about how "no guys, Bakugou's like this because he works so much harder than anyone else to be the Number 1 Hero!!!" The reporter does call bs and say that he asked for measures to control his behavior and not his own personal feelings on the matter, but so much fucking more could have been done. Bakugou's bullying in middle school could have been revealed (they could have interviewed his ex friends), as could his less than desirable behavior during his internship with Best Jeanist (since he was out in public). This could have brought heat onto Aldera as well for not doing anything to curb his behavior.

3B. Aizawa's clear bias towards Bakugou and his failings as a teacher are unaddressed.

So what, he believes that the rest of 1A doesn't work as hard as Bakugou apparently does, and isn't afraid to say so on live TV? The reporter could have called out Aizawa for this, especially in how he said the Pro-Heroes who criticized his attitude towards Uraraka should RETIRE and stop being heroes. For that matter, word could have gotten out about his abnormally high expulsion record and how it ruined the lives of so many ex students of his. For that matter, the class that Aizawa expelled and re-enrolled could have gone on record saying that they know their careers are effectively ruined, seeing as how the expulsion is staying on their permanent records. The reporter could have asked why he's staking so much on a student who is obviously a red-flag when he's expelled students for much less in the past.

4. Nedzu letting all of this happen unchecked wasn't addressed.

I like Nedzu. I think he's an interesting character, but for a supposed genius, he makes a LOT of stupid decisions. Why in the WORLD would he let Aizawa have the final say in expelling whoever he wants based on "potential" and "giving them a taste of death"? How has this not created any sort of villains or vigilantes? How has this not resulted in public blowback against UA from other hero schools poaching these expelled students?

#anti katsuki bakugou #anti shota aizawa #ua critical #mha critical

[jazzycurls]

You Belong To Me - part 2.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader (Brief) Billy Hargrove x fem! Reader

Summary: Its a surprise 😉🤫

Warnings/Tags: 18+ minors dni! Unestablished dom/sub relationship, bullying, cheating, angst, smut, phone sex, masturbation (let me know if I missed something)

An: Hi you guys! I guess I'm not new to writing anymore but I'm still a newbie. All feedback is welcome, be gentle please haha. Please do not steal or copy my work. Don’t repost without credit. This is my written work, everything besides the characters and plot points by the original writers, belongs to me. Love you guys and thank you so much for the support, hope you enjoy ❤

Word Count: 5,291

Eddie let out a heavy sigh as he flopped down onto his bed. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He had just got back in from the party and was mentally drained. His mind wandered back to the fight he had at the party with Chrissy. She had confronted him about his prolonged absence and it had quickly turned into a screaming match between them.

His conscious nagged at him about what he had done behind Chrissy's back but he didn't regret it, not for a single second. The only regret he had was that he had gotten with Chrissy before you.

You were from here but had moved away when your parents had gotten a divorce. The custody battle over you was brutal and had taken months to be resolved. After your mother had won the case, you moved back to town but by that point, he had already gotten with Chrissy. You were the only person before the battle with Vecna that cared to talk to him. You didn't follow the crowd and didn't join in when people bullied him, you were nice to everyone and that included him as well. He had wanted to ask you out but didnt have the confidence to do so at that time.

When you returned, his attitude towards you changed. Unable to handle repressing his emotions for you, he had begun to react to you negatively. Even now, with sleep threatening to overwhelm him, the only thing he wanted to do was talk to you. No matter how fucked up it was, his mind and body gravitated toward you every time.

He got up and went to the kitchen,  grabbing the house phone off of the counter, he quickly went back to his room, shutting the door. He dialed your number and held his breath as he listened to it ring. It rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

"Hello," you whispered breathlessly. You had just gotten out of the shower when the phone rang. You had run out of the bathroom, tripping over your shoes, and had nearly broken your neck to get to the phone in time.

"Y/n?" Eddie asked. "Hey, it's me."

The phone went quiet before you squeaked out "Eddie, Hi." You cleared your throat as you gripped the phone tightly, twirling the cord with your fingers. You glanced at the clock at your bedside, it read 1:00 a.m. "I thought you had forgotten about me," you whispered nervously, conscious of your parents sleeping down the hall.

"I could never forget about you, sweetheart," he chuckled, feeling a lot happier than he had a few moments ago. He took his arm, putting it behind his head, nestling the phone between his head and shoulder.

You smiled to yourself at his response. "So, did you have fun at the party?" you asked shyly. You had wondered what had happened when you left. Did he stick around or did he leave too?

"I don't wanna talk about it. Just know that it was no fun after you left." His voice was short and clipped, you could tell that whatever had happened, he was still upset about it. "What are you wearing," he asked, changing the subject.

"What?" you asked, confused at his question.

"I said what are you wearing sweetheart?" he responded again, his voice deep and hoarse.

His tone instantly made you calm and you answered without hesitation. "I'm wearing a bath towel— I just got out of the shower," you explained, feeling a flush spread across your face in embarrassment.

"Fuck, that's so hot. Do me a favor baby, take that shit off" he demanded softly. His hand sat lightly above his sweatpants as he fidgetted with the drawstring anxiously.

He could hear shuffling on the other end before you spoke again "It's off." You told him as you laid back against the bed.

"Stick two fingers in your mouth, get 'em, real wet honey." He palmed himself through the soft cotton of his pants.

You stuck your fingers into your mouth and swirled your tongue around them, pulling them out with a pop once your saliva dripped down your digits. "Touch yourself," he said huskily. His hand had slipped into the waistband of his pants, gripping his shaft as he stroked lazily.

You trailed your fingers lightly down your chest, swirling them around your nipple. The pebbled nub puckered up from the stimulation and you moaned lightly. The sound of Eddie's labored breathing could be heard through the receiver as you moved your hand down further.

You reached down to your lower half and parted your folds. You were already wet, which seemed to be a common occurrence around Eddie. Your fingers rubbed your clit gently, sliding a finger down occasionally to dip a finger inside of you.

"Are— are you touching yourself, right now?" Eddie clears his throat, mentally chastising himself for stuttering.

You however think it's cute, always calm and collected, you like to see him lose his composure over you. A small giggle falls from your lips, turning into a moan on a particular drag of your finger over your clit.

"What's funny?" He sounds breathless and the faint slapping of skin could be heard on the other end.

"You. I just think you're cute is all," you reply innocently, a small flush on your face. Leave it to Eddie to make you embarrassed, even when he has you masturbating on the phone with him.

A wide grin settles across his face at your response. "I want to fuck you so bad right now baby."

You whimper out needily "I want you to— to fuck me, Eddie." Your pace picks up and your fingers move diligently against your swollen clit.

Eddie strokes himself faster, leaning up a bit he spits directly onto his cock, helping to ease the strokes.

You clench around your fingers at the sound he makes. A tingle shifts in your tummy at the thought of him getting off to the sound of you.

"Yeah, rub that pretty little pussy for me. Imagine that it's my hands inside you."

You do as he says, gasping at the heat curling through you. Your fingers plunge in and out of you with a squelch as your other hand rubs fast circles into your clit. "I'm close." you cry out.

The sound of your cries spurs him on and he begins to buck up into his hand. "Cum for me baby," he grunts as the muscles in his stomach start to constrict.

The warm feeling in your stomach builds until you cum with a cry as your slick seeps out of you pooling onto the bed.

"Fuck," Eddie moans as he cums soon after. He shoots his load all over himself like he's still a virgin. Honestly, it's the best orgasm he's ever had. The thought that you got him there with only your voice makes him want to run to your house barefoot and stick his cock in you balls deep.

You clutch the phone in your fingers tightly as you try to regulate your breathing. "Jesus sweetheart, what are you doing to me," Eddie exclaims. He takes his shirt off and wipes off his chest, throwing the clothing across the room.

"I don't know what you mean." You exhale shakily as you take your hands from your wet and sensitive center.

"It doesn't matter," he says after a moment. The phone goes silent as you both lay, basking in the afterglow of your orgasms. Your eyes began to droop as sleep begins to settle in.

"Eddie?" you whisper sleepily.

"Yes baby," he answers groggily. He had just begun to doze off, listening to the sounds of your breathing.

"Do you like me," you ask him nervously. You blame it on your sleep-induced brain but you know that it's a question you've wondered for a long time.

Eddie takes a moment to answer, and just as you start to think that he had fallen asleep, he answers you. "I do," he responds. Soon after the phone fills with his light snores indicating he had fallen asleep. You toss your bath towel onto the floor and pull the covers over your body. You cradle the phone close to your ear and soon you're lulled to sleep falling into a peaceful slumber.

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A week goes by and the relationship between you and Eddie has drastically changed. Once your bully, he had now become your lover. He had made you orgasm from his mouth and fingers on multiple occasions, but when you went to reciprocate he always stopped you. You also hadn't had sex yet and honestly there had been many chances where you were more than ready and willing. Whenever you questioned him about it, he always responded by saying that the time wasn't right.

He was still with Chrissy and had not indicated that he was going to leave her. It was an unspoken agreement between the two of you to go on as if you didn't know each other. That didn't mean you were okay with what you were doing behind Chrissy's back and the potential damage this could cause. You just couldn't find it in you to stop. Secret meetings in the theatre room where he held the DND campaigns and the picnic table behind the school had become the scene for your heated sessions.

You were currently sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch with your friends. The sound of Eddie's voice could be heard clearly across the room. You couldn't stop your head from looking in his direction every so often. He sat at his table with the Hellfire Club, and at his side sat Chrissy with his arm draped protectively around her. Jealousy surged through you at the sight followed by sadness.

You quickly looked away lowering your eyes to your plate, only to find yourself looking back toward them. As if he could feel your gaze upon him, his eyes found yours. He withered at the look on your face, his arm left from around Chrissy with a guilty look on his face.

Unable to bare his heated stare, you got up from your table causing your friends to glance up at you in surprise. You gave a half-hearted excuse about not feeling well before discarding your tray and rushing from the lunch room. Tears fell from your eyes as your feet carried you as fast as they could to your safe place.

You sat on the bench of the table with your head hung low, mentally berating yourself for your behavior. Fat tears rolled down your cheeks faster than you could wipe them away. You had come to the realization that you were in love with Eddie. The thought scared you because what you had with him was temporary but you didn't want it to be. You knew what it was when this had started but you still allowed yourself to fall for him and you had fallen hard.

You knew what needed to be done but your heart ached at the thought. The crunching of leaves alerted you to a presence and you knew who it was without looking. He took a seat beside you and the wood creaked at the change in weight. You both sat in silence, the sound of your sniffling breaking the silence.

"Wanna talk about it," he asks tentatively. His mind has been in overdrive ever since you stormed out of the cafeteria. He had followed you soon after, telling Chrissy that he needed to prepare for the upcoming campaign. Gareth had backed him up but he knew that he would have to explain himself later for the lie he'd dragged him into.

"I can't do this anymore," you sniffled looking up at him.

Drops of tears clung to your lashes and your eyes were red around the rim. His heart broke at the look on your face, knowing that he was to blame. His heart felt as if it was in his throat and he gulped as tried to regain control of his nerves. "Do what," he asked weakly. He knew what you were referring to but hoped that if he played dumb you would change your mind and not say it.

"This," you gestured between the two of you. "I can't do this Eddie," you said, a sob causing your voice to crack.

"Baby, please don't cry," Eddie said softly, reaching out for you.

You scoot away from his touch, turning your head away. "Don't Eddie, this is hard as it is." You wrap your arms around yourself as you look at the ground.

"Don't do this, I need you," Eddie pleads. He turns towards you, ducking his head trying desperately to get you to meet his gaze.

You stand up from the table and move to stand between his legs. He leans back onto the table to look up at you. His hands grip your waist and you card your fingers through his hair. You press a sweet kiss to his lips, moaning softly as you slip your tongue into his mouth. He tightens his hold on you when he feels your tears fall onto his cheeks. The kiss becomes desperate as he pours his emotions into the kiss, trying his best to convey what he is feeling.

You pull away with a gasp, your lips are swollen and you look at him once again, his face is etched with sadness. "Goodbye Eddie," you whisper as you turn and walk away.

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Weeks pass by and you had done your best to avoid Eddie at all costs, going as far as to eat lunch in the library. You made sure to walk in the middle of the hallways and not the sides, that way, there was no chance of Eddie pulling you into a closet without someone noticing. With that said and done, that didn't mean that your heart didn't yearn for him. You never thought you could miss him this much but you did, you even found yourself missing the way he used to bully you. You felt pathetic and a fool because surely he was not hurting as much as you were.

Eddie was miserable, his already short attention span had gotten even worse now. His thoughts were constantly filled with you and he found it hard to focus on the most mundane things. It had even started to affect his relationship with Chrissy.

She could tell that he was depressed but didn't understand why. Whenever she asked what was wrong he always told her he was fine. She could feel him slipping away and the thought frightened her.

She loved Eddie, he had saved her and he was the only one who knew what she had gone through. Even though she wasn't in love with him like she had been with Jason, he was her source of comfort and she wasn't ready to give that up.

"I'm telling you, something's wrong Alice," Chrissy said worriedly. She stood next to her friend in the locker room. Gym had just ended and they had a couple of minutes before the bell would ring for the next period.

"I'm sure you're just overreacting, isn't he the dark silent type anyways?" she said as she fixed her makeup in the mirror.

Chrissy rolled her eyes in annoyance, she loved her friends but sometimes talking to them would give her a headache. It was one of the reasons she was drawn to Eddie, conversations with him were easy and she felt like he was the only one who actually listened to her.

When Chrissy didn't respond she turned toward her "are you still having sex?"

"Alice," Chrissy exclaimed as a blush spread across her face.

"I'm just saying— if nothing's wrong in the bedroom then I would say everything is alright," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders.

"We've never— I mean, we kiss sometimes but that's about it, our relationship isn't just about sex," Chrissy mumbled looking towards the ground, suddenly interested in scuff marks littering the tiled floor.

Alice turned to her in surprise "Really? Is he a virgin or something?" She raised an eyebrow in shock.

"I don't think so," Chrissy mumbled keeping her eyes trained on the floor.

Alice's face turned into a look of pity. "I'm sorry babe, you might be right, something is wrong."

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Eddie stood at his locker as he put his books up, preparing to go home for the day. In the corner of his eye, he saw you walk by in a hurry. He slammed his locker and took a step toward you. You glanced at him before speeding up, tugging your friend along. A sad look fell upon his face and he sighed in frustration.

He took off towards the double doors and stopped when he felt a hand grab his shoulder. It was his friend Gareth, "What's up man?" he questioned, feeling slightly irritated. He just wanted to get home so he could wallow in pity.

"What's going on with you?" he asked as he walked with Eddie towards his van.

"Nothings wrong— I'm just tired is all," he answered lazily.

"Bullshit man! You're walking around here all depressed and shit. It's making all of us miserable. Oh and don't think I forgot about me covering for you last week. What was that about?" He stood next to the van as he waited for Eddie to respond.

Eddie sighed in exasperation and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was close by. "I'm in love with someone and it's not Chrissy," he explained.

Gareth's eyes went wide with shock. "Wow, I mean— I wasn't expecting that. Who is it? Wait don't tell me, plausible deniability."

"I can't go on like this but I don't want to hurt Chrissy. We've been through so much together, I feel like I owe it to her to stay." Eddie replied, his voice beginning to crack at the overflow of emotions he was feeling.

Gareth slung an arm around Eddie, pulling him into a light hug. "C'mere bring it in."

Eddie allowed him to hug him, something that he normally would never allow but he needed it right now.

"Get a room!" A student yelled in passing as they walked to their car.

"Fuck you," Gareth yelled back, flipping his middle finger up at them.

After a moment Eddie pulled away and gave him a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, I needed that."

"No problem. You're a good person Eddie— a little fucked up but overall your still good," Gareth joked.

"Gee thanks," Eddie replied sarcastically. He opened the door to his van and threw his belongings onto the passenger seat.

"What I mean is that— you know what needs to be done and I trust that you'll do the right thing. Just know that I'm here if you need me."

Eddie nodded giving him another smile before climbing into his van. "Thanks, I'll call you later." He gave a wave goodbye before starting his car and pulling out of the lot.

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You let out a frustrated sigh as you rubbed your clit. You had been at this for half an hour and your orgasm was no closer than when you had first started. This had been a common occurrence since you broke things off with Eddie, you had been having trouble bringing yourself to orgasm since then. It was just a slight hiccup, maybe you were just going through some sorta phase that would eventually pass or so you had thought.

You knew there wasn't anything physically wrong with you. Masturbating had never been a problem before him so it must be a mental problem. You were too in your head and it was affecting your sex life now.

You sat up from the bed and hurried over to your phone. If you couldn't relieve yourself then maybe you should find someone who could. You dialed your friend's number and held the receiver. It rang a few times before you heard a voice on the other end.

"Hello," your friend Clara sing songed into the phone.

"Hi, it's me. Do you still want to go to the party?" you asked.

"Bitch, you know damn well I do," she giggled. "Why the change of heart? I thought you wanted to stay home and study or maybe mope about that mystery boy you've been hung up on."

"First off, I'm not hung up on anybody, and second, I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. I wanna let loose tonight," you answered back.

"Okay then— I like this new y/n! I'll come to pick you up in an hour okay," she replied excitedly. You gossiped for a bit before hanging up and getting ready for the party. Going over to your closet, you looked through your clothing in search of the skimpiest outfit you could find.

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You and your friend trekked up the small hill towards the party. Loud music could be heard from down the street. A light sheen of sweat covered your body as you breathed out from the exertion.

"Who the hell puts a house at the top of a hill," Clara wondered aloud.

You humped your shoulders in response. Your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Eddie and if he was going to be at the party. The plan was for you to find a cute boy to try and help keep your mind off of Eddie, at least for a little while.

The both of you had made it to the front door of the house and had paused to catch your breath. "You ready," your friend asked with her hand poised on the knob.

Your heart sped up and you nodded your head in response. "Hey, we don't have to do this. We can just go home and watch pretty in pink for the thousandth time." Clara joked as she grabbed your hand, rubbing reassuring circles onto the back.

"I'm fine. Just nervous but I'll be okay," you replied giving her a small smile.

With a nod of her head, she turned back towards the door and opened it. Usually, you would never enter a home without knocking but there was no way anyone would hear it over the deafening music blasting from the stereos.

You walked into the house and were instantly accosted by the smell of weed, cologne, and perfumes circulating throughout the air. The smell made your head spin, suddenly missing the fresh air outside.

"Let's get some drinks," she yelled over the music and you grabbed her hand as she led you to the kitchen.

Once you both had made it into the room you raised an eyebrow, giving her a suggestive grin. "Found the kitchen pretty quickly," you stated, grabbing a beer from the cooler nearest you.

A blush spread across her face as she grinned "Okay I may have been here a few times before." She opened her beer and took a swig trying to appear calm but you saw right through it.

You were shocked, this was the first time you and your friend had been to a party at this house so that meant...

"You slut, since when do you go to 'The Steve Harrington's' house enough to get familiar with the floorplan?"

"About a couple weeks ago, y'know around the same time you started being all mysterious and whatnot," she replied.

Guilt sat heavy in your stomach at her statement. You had become so involved with Eddie that you had neglected your friend to the point that you had no idea that she was even seeing someone.

"Hey, don't look at me like that." She wrapped her arms around you and pulled you in for a quick hug. "I had my own secret thing going on too, no need to feel bad," she said consolingly.

"Okay," you hugged her back, giving her a warm smile as she released you from the hug.

"Alright, so I know you hate parties so let's scope out some prospects for ya." She turned and scanned the small crowd hanging around the kitchen.

You kept your eyes glued to your drink, taking another swig as you tried to calm the butterflies swarming in your stomach.

"Hot blonde six o'clock and he's checking you out," she whispered into your ear.

You turned around casually, leaning back against the counter. Your gaze met blue intense eyes staring directly at you. You gasped in surprise, not expecting to find someone staring at you. Lifting your hand shyly, you gave him a small wave before looking away.

"Is he still looking," you mumbled with a grin plastered across your face.

"Sure is and he's headed this way," she smirked.

"Fuck." Taking your beer you tipped it up, gulping the rest of the liquid down quickly. 'I can't do this I'm not ready," you thought to yourself.

"You having a good time?" he drawled as sidled up next to you on the counter.

"Yep," you answered back. Your eyes wandered around the room before settling back onto him.

"Names Billy. What's yours?" he asks as he openly ogles you.

"Y/n," you reply shortly. You could hear an accent in his voice and with his looks, it was clear that he wasn't from here.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." He leaned in closer towards you and took a strand of your hair, twirling it between his fingers.

"Thank you," you said softly, your heart was starting to race from how close he was to you. Your mind once again wondered to Eddie. Was he thinking of you like you were of him? 'Probably not,' you thought bitterly, you shook your head lightly, as if that would help clear your thoughts.

"Wanna dance," he asked you, already grabbing your hand and giving it a light tug.

'What the hell,' you thought. 'Eddie has Chrissy but what about me? Who do I have?' You looked him over for a moment. He was cute enough; if you were into the fuckboy type you supposed. Definitely not boyfriend material.

"Sure, why not," you answer, letting him lead you to the other room. You turn back and wave goodbye to your friend. She gives you a thumbs up and you roll your eyes as you enter the living room.

Soon you're both in the middle of the floor and Billy's pulling you in close. His hands are on the small of your back as you both move to the beat. The slow song that's playing is unfamiliar but has a nice melody and you quickly find yourself humming along to it. You close your eyes and rest your head on his shoulder. For a moment your mind is at ease as if your brain had switched off leaving you carefree.

His grip tightened and you feel his breath on the top of your hair. With a smile on your lips and without thinking, a name fell from your lips. He stiffened and instantly, whatever moment you were sharing was broken. Before you could pull away, someone bumped into you and Billy, causing him to stumble away from you.

Billy quickly righted himself "Watch where you're going you idiot!" he shouted.

Your eyes widened in shock when you saw that it was Eddie who had bumped into you. "Fuck you," Eddie sneered as he looked between the both of you.

"The hell you say to me!?" Billy moved in closer toward Eddie and yanked him up by his collar.

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched the scene unfold in front of you, unable to move. Standing at his full height, Eddie grinned as he looked down at Billy, not backing down as he glared at him threateningly.

"You got a problem with me?" Billy's lips were pulled back in a snarl. His eyes were squinted as he sized Eddie up.

"You tell me, pretty boy." Eddie's response was calm but his eyes told a different story. His irises were pitch black and lit aflame with rage.

The music cut off and a small crowd had gathered around the three of you. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" someone begins to shout.

Billy quickly pushed Eddie back causing him to stumble. Eddie came back and pushed him back even harder. Before it could go any further you threw yourself in between the two of them without thought.

"Please stop, don't do this." Your hands were up and pushed against their chests, trying desperately to keep them at bay. You glanced at Billy, trying to gauge his reaction, and then your gaze landed on Eddie's last. Your eyes connected with his and you could see the sadness and anger he was feeling. "Please Eddie," you whispered, looking deep into his eyes.

After a moment he let out a deep sigh and backed away, throwing his hands up in surrender "Sorry man, thought you were someone else." With one last look towards you, he slipped through the crowd, disappearing into another room.

You looked to Billy and even though it wasn't your fault, you still felt the need to apologize. Before you could open your mouth he turned towards you with a sneer. "Sweetheart, I don't know what the hell that was but next time keep your freak on a leash." He turned and strode away, leaving you amongst the whispering throng of people gathered.

Your cheeks were hot with embarrassment and you could feel your head begin to ache. ''Fuck this, I'm going home," you mumbled as you made your way back into the kitchen. After asking a few people where your friend was, you went upstairs and knocked on Steve's door. The door opened and your friend stood on the other side. She held a sheet up to her body and her face was flushed with a light sheen of sweat.

You told her you were ready to leave and that she could stay if she wanted. "Are you sure?" she asked her face etched with concern.

"Of course, I'm just not feeling too well. You stay and have fun," you reply giving her a cheeky grin. She pulls you in for a hug and you tell her goodbye before turning to leave.

As you're heading out the door, you can feel a heated stare burning at the back of your neck. You turn around and lock eyes with Chrissy. Your heartbeat speeds up as she looks at you quizzically, her usual soft smile is replaced with a frown as she stares at you with her arms crossed. Eddie appears suddenly, breaking the stare-off between you two. Your eyes meet his and you see him make a move toward you, stopping as he glances over at Chrissy. You take that brief moment to quickly walk out the door and shut it before he or Chrissy has the chance to look back toward you.

You feel exhausted and you suppress the urge to scream. Choosing instead to walk down the tortuous hill to your car so you can go home and feel sorry for yourself.

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Taglist: @bibieddiesgf @tlclick73 @seventhlevelofhell @emmysuebull22

Part 3.

#eddie munson #eddie x reader #stranger things #stranger things smut #eddie angst #eddie munson angst #eddie munson smut #eddie my beloved #eddie smut #eddie stranger things #eddie x chrissy #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x y/n #eddie x you #eddie x me #eddie munson x reader smut #eddie munson hurt/comfort #billy hargrove #billy hargove x reader

[morgy-doo]

SBG x Bullied! Gyaru! Fem! reader

school bus graveyard, Ashlyn banner, aAden clark, Ben clark, Taylor and Tyler hernandez, Logan fields. Angst, fluffy end

TW: Bullying

Gyaru: A carefree and rebellious spirit

Y/N twisted a pencil between her fingers as she contemplated how she had gotten to this point. she didn't want to be shovelled in the corner stuck doing school work while others get free reign of the arcade. but she knew if she even moved the slightest than Barron would be pissed.

you see, Y/N was always seen as a black sheep, among her family, and mostly among her school peers. but she wanted somewhere she could fit in, so when she started her new school, she searched for exactly that. she quickly found it with Barron's rambunctious gang. they smoked, they skipped, they did things that Y/N considered cool as shit. that's where she wanted to be, they were her type of people, loose cannons per say.

so when Y/N approached Barron as asked to hang out, Barron greeted them with a smile but said there were some favours she would have to do first. she has been doing said favours for the last week, which was just doing their school work while watching them hang out. Barron considered it as hanging out as Y/N was in the arcade with them, but was not participating in any of the games.

this was not at all what she wanted. Barron stood up fully from his crouched position at the air hockey table, stretching his arms. "anyone wanna go out for a smoke?" murmmers of agreement responded and everyone slouched towards the fire escape. Y/N started gathering the books and paper to join when Barron looked over his shoulder and said "Oh Y/N, can ya stay in here and keep at the work, your doing great, and i really don't wanna like mess up your mojo, i really need this pass." Y/N huffed and slouched back down in her seat. "ah thanks, your a great friend." he shut the fire escape door behind him.

as Y/N sat and contemplated, she felt a bubbling pool of irritation flood her mind. so far she had not done any hanging out at all, and she has not been treated like a friend whatsoever. rising from the table, she grabbed Barron's books and slammed open the fire escape door, having an epithany.

she threw the books on the floor so they landed at Barron's feet in a scattered pile. he looked up with an annoyed look. "look Barron, you are a cool guy, atleast from what i have seen anyways. but i don't wanna do this anymore, i wouldn't mind helping you out with a paper the odd week or so but this is just dumb. you said if i do this then i could hang out with you guys but i have just been crammed in the corner the last week. so I'm done."

Barron glared, his greasy hair hanging in his eyes. he grabbed Y/N forcefully by the upper arm and roughly pulled her ear close to his mouth. "look, just because your at a new school, doesn't mean you can act like king of the fucking hill...your just some weird loser.. and when you came up to me so willingly then obviously i was gonna take the chance. your never gonna fit in here. but i suppose your used to getting used by the looks of you. fucking pathetic."

Y/N squirmed out of his grip and stepped back, she felt the familiar burn of tears and raised a hand to her eye, trying to disguise it as itching it. but of course knowing her luck Barron noticed. "Ahah! now that's just sad. aw you gonna cry because you have no real friends?"

thats when you heard the fire escape door behind you open, out came a ginger girl, a guy with green hair, a tall dude, a guy with glasses and a set of what Y/N would assume, twins.

"ugh, does this dick ever learn?" said the male twin. the group approached Barron slightly as the tall guy put a hand on your shoulder and smiled. he scribbled on a notebook for a second before showing you " hello im ben :)".

Barron had a slight look of fear cross his face, but it was gone as soon as it was there. he spat on the ground at the ginger girls feet and walked off, followed by his group. the female twin turned around and smiled apollogetically at Y/n. "you okay?" Y/N nods. "I'm Taylor, that's my brother Tyler, that's Aiden and Ashyln." she points in order of the twin, to the green haired boy and then the ginger. "and i can see your already aquainted with Ben."

"next time you should throw the books onto his feet, not the ground, that would hurt alot more." said Aiden, with that slightly eerie smile. the ginger girl lazily gestured to Y/N. "Airhockey, lets go."

it wasn't the exact group Y/N was looking for, but she was happy none the less. maybe that Aiden kid could be interesting...

sorry it seemed kinda cliche towards the end, but thank you for requesting.

#school bus graveyard #tyler hernandez #taylor hernandez #ashlyn banner #aiden clark #ben clark #logan fields #ashlyn SBG #ben SBG #aiden SBG #logan SBG #tyler SBG #taylor SBG #fluff #angst #Barron SBG

[charmixpower]

Im reading the comics, I've gotten though s1 and s2, and will eventually get to talking about them (I've already cropped all the parts from s1 I wanna talk about) and Riven has a very specific characterization, and I really love it

Let me talk about what makes up his v character

Fuck you, there is a mission

This is the first thing you'll notice. Comics Riven is probably the first to remind everyone that, yes, this is a mission, not a chance to hang out with the girls, stay on target

He also is notably always trying to get anything related to RF done as quickly and well as possible

Like literally anytime he shows up in the comics during a mission he avoids any sidetracks as hard as he can to focus solely on the mission

He will bitch at the others to get their heads in the game and get their asses in gear and it's really funny

Riven gets into this whole huge fight bc he thought someone was shit talking RF

The Shab Stone comic is p good but it goes against Riven's very strong "prioritize the mission at all costs vibes". Riven would not go rouge, he knows he can't pull off his idea with only one~two people. Bitching the entire time and being soo salty and passive aggressive at Helia it makes everyone uncomfortable? Yes. I can definitely see him fucking needling Helia hard. I can't see him running off tho

Like, Riven is the only guy who hasn't let a mission gone sideways bc he wants to hang out with one of the Winx up until this point. My favorite dialogue from him is when Musa is aggressively shooting her shot and Riven is like "hmm I think this might be a lizard type monster"

He simply would not break rank, he'd be a fucking major asshole and attempt to bully Helia into listening to him. But not intentionally endanger the mission

That's something only s1 show Riven would do in his fucking dumbassary, s1 comics Riven is too busy drinking his respect RF juice

Like yes Riven is a dumbass and an asshole, and I would understand and respect this conflict if it was s1 show Riven, but s2 comics Riven would die before doing something that harmed a mission. Please let him be awful in character consist ways

He is always extremely serious looking around Musa in s1 except for the first time he had a proper conversation with her

Riven talks to Musa, calls her beautiful, like literally that's what he says, Musa somehow interprets this as him mocking her (which fuels my hc that Riven just had a voice that sounds mocking and sarcastic which causes him so many problems) and from this on in the s1 comics he maintains a serious ass face when looking at her

Throughout the comics it's reassured that yes, Riven does have feelings for Musa. No clue how that works with him dating Darcy but no one ever accused these comics of being canon

My favorite interpretation of this is that Riven, after completely wiping out with Musa the first time, put all his focus into trying to impress her and it still didn't work but it didn't work in a funny way

In my translation he calls the Winx girlies

Nothing to add that just made me very happy

He is a MASSIVE introvert

Comics Riven will avoid large groups of people like it's his fucking job. He will go to a party and sit on the sidelines because he fucking hates people

He's always on the fringes. He's outside during the dance, sitting on the beach when everyone is chatting in a cafe, he literally runs off to where ever he's least likely to be bothered and doesn't come back

There's a magic spell that makes people argue in one comics and Riven is never shown to argue with others because he straight up doesn't speak. Yes, that could be because the writers didn't want to write about him, but literally every other boy except Helia got in on it. Riven literally took a vow of silence so he wouldn't get mixed up in that shit, amazing

He doesn't even give his opinion on the mission most of the time, or anything. He stands far away from his squad and is kinda vibes in the background. The strongest "people....no thank you" energy. The only person he visibility likes being around is Musa and he gives her small smiles and holds her but is still pretty fucking quiet when it just them and if there's a mission usually talks about the state of that

He is so bad at talking to people I love him

He's everything I wish s3 Riven was

This is literally ideal s2 on Riven. Someone tried to piss him off by saying Musa was with some guy and Riven was like "Literally where does it say that this is any of our business"

This is full s2 Riven setting up a date for Musa with someone else energy and I am absolutely living for it

He's in his lane, focused, flourishing. Completely disgusted with the idea of parties and hiding out back on a rock somewhere enjoying solitude

#winx club #Winx riven #winx comics #rus chatters #winx club riven #winx musa

[indecisive-v]

alright, people put translations for yonah and deep cover on youtube so i finally caved, here's thoughts i wrote as i listened

YONAH

now, in t1, it looked to me like kotoko felt it was a necessity to do what she did? like there was no other way to save the victims of those she hunted down, and that makes sense to me

but it's looking now like she's just gotten so used to it that she likes it, and i think she tries to reason for it by saying she's doing the dirty work so others don't have to

she's the one out here beating up the bad guys, partly because kind young es shouldn't have to and partly because comatose weakling es can't

jackalope in novel secret content: es is great at this. peak warden material, A+ 11/10

kotoko in yonah: you're kinda bad at this lol

oh no i just had a Thought. forgive me for what i'm about to say and never let me cook again

so kotoko mentions "karmic retribution" right

my stupid idiot brain that had an undertale phase back in the day thought about sans 💀💀💀

karma and lack of i-frames are what allow sans to hurt you extra bad despite him only having 1 atk

kotoko is the same color as karma's poison effect and the prisoners' "i-frames" are disabled when es is asleep. she thinks she's sans underta- (i am sent to the prison)

kotoko in yonah: what's next, are you gonna start forgiving prisoners just because they're hot?

jackalope at the VERY BEGINNING: vote em inno because they're hot, vote em inno because you just like their Vibes, idc do what you want lol

Deep Cover

HOLD UP WAIT THIS IS A BANGER HOLY GOD I'M ONLY LIKE 4 SECONDS IN

yall weren't kidding about her stealing es' "under" lmfao

OH NO THE DISS TRACK

ok. done listening. i'm normal now.

just kidding gonna listen again

either kotoko figured something out in regards to the 11th prisoner es theory or she is a believer in the theory herself, or both

yep still a banger

funny thing, harrow to me felt like an anime op, now deep cover feels like an ed

you were all saying this was instant guilty material but i don't think it's... THAT bad...? maybe i'm just a lil head empty

at the same time though, good luck kotoko inno truthers fr 💀

i have a little more hope now after listening that the mv will soften the inevitable guilty storm? they better be cooking good lol

kotoko's diss track felt like it was her lashing out in anger after what es told her in the vd, mixed with her thinking "hey, everyone's in here for murder, right? and it's about whether you forgive them as opposed to whether they're actually 'innocent'? well, i can't forgive a murderer, no matter what."

kotoko has already stated in her t1 interrogation that she at the very least hasn't been bullied in the past, and while that doesn't eliminate the possibility of her having another sort of tragic/traumatic backstory (or her having been bullied but not thinking it counted for some reason), it could also just be that she's really misguided due to being a lone wolf and having no one to work with, bounce off of, and validate her but herself. being alone like that does shit to a person

#milgram #yonah spoilers #deep cover spoilers #milgram spoilers #kotoko yuzuriha #milgram es

[enchantinglyjade]

✩ I Can Dream About You ✩ Part 1

Sebastian Kydd x OC

Masterlist | Next

Warning: Swearing Note: Y'all I'm so excited to start working on new stories(I will not be abandoning Milk & Honey BTW). But I have so many new ideas I'm excited to share. Hope you enjoy!

-

Castlebury High School.

I hated it here.

Honestly, I wished I would have just gotten bullied, at least that way I’d have proof that someone actually saw me, but instead, I was invisible, a nobody. When people passed me in the halls, it was as if they’d look right through me. I was a ghost, haunting the halls in my first year of high school.

But then, Donna saw me.

She saw me sitting at the lunch tables eating alone like I had always done. She felt bad for me, invited me to her table, offered me a spot in her circle, promised me the world. She trained me, taught me how to do makeup, dress nice, sneak out of class without my parents ever finding out. I felt confident and beautiful. People finally started looking in my direction, but not at me, at her, not that I would have known the difference at the time anyway.

Now,

I’m invisible with a leader.

I fell for it. Fell for dirty tricks and lies. I was vulnerable and she played to my weaknesses. She thought my ghostliness would be useful to her. She had me doing all of her dirty work that the Jens were too sloppy to accomplish. She’d make me fake her mom's voice to call her in and out of school, steal blush and lipstick for her at our local beauty store, and sit on lookout while she and her newest boy toy did unspeakable things in the locker rooms. All in exchange for what? A chance to stand within a 4 foot distance from the princess?

Donna was the most popular, prettiest girl in school, and I let her manipulate me into her perfect little minion.

I tell myself at least I’m not a band geek, but every day that passes, I can only envy them. I bet they have so much more fun than me. I can’t imagine being allowed to be openly smart and talented under Donna’s shadow. Damn, I wish I was a band geek.

After 3 long years of pink lipstick, hair ratting, and wearing the most horrendous of neon colors, senior year was upon us. I’m 18 now, graduation is so close I could practically taste freedom. 9 more months and I'll finally be able to kiss this school goodbye for good.

Then he showed up.

Sebastian, the bad boy that just transferred here. He practically dripped with charisma and experience, and quickly became the knew ‘it’ guy in the school. Donna, of course, had to have him.

“Ooo, check out the new hottie.” Donna blurts out, twirling her hair and smacking her gum, watching as a few boys from the football team talk to him. “He’s perfect. You guys are gonna help me get him.”

I admit, he was gorgeous, but he wasn’t anyone special, just another asshole trying to be the cool popular kid. Guess I can’t say much, that’s basically what reeled me in, but atleast I’m aware of my own shallowness.

“How are we gonna do that?” Jen 1 asks.

“I’ll think of something, don’t worry.” She says scheming in that evil head of hers. “Come.” She waves for us to follow in her direction and the 3 of us do so like the good little pets we are. She struts over, purposely putting an extra sway in her hips as she passes Sebastian, earning her a glance from him and the entire student body present in that area. She smiles, wiggling her perfectly pink polished fingers at him, before continuing forward without a second care in the world.

I follow only a few feet behind her and the Jens. For a moment, I peek up to see if this Sebastian guy really fell for such an old trick in the book, to see if he really is the chump Donna thinks he is. When my head rises, I accidentally make direct eye contact with him. He nods as a greeting to me, causing my lids to widen. I never had anyone look at me before, I feel almost shocked that he can even see me. Self conscious, I turn away, awkwardly pacing back over to my clique.

I can’t believe he looked at me. For that long too. And after Donna! I shake my thoughts away following Donna into our next period. Maybe he’s just desperate, looking for anything with legs. If he’s looking in my direction he must be EXTREMELY desperate. What a pig.

Lucky for me, I find out I have the privilege of sharing American History with the new king and queen of the school.

Donna, of course, snatches the seat right next to Sebastian. I settle for 2 rows behind her, close enough that she can call if she needs an extra swipe of lipstick, but far away enough that I won’t be in direct line of her bullshit.

The teacher goes on and on about boring nonsense while the class quickly wallows into sleep. Donna boredly taps her pencil on her desk, eyeing the man candy next to her. She leans over while the teacher turns his back. “Love the jacket. It’s so vintage!” She whispers, gracefully gliding her hand up the sleeve of his jacket.

He chuckles. “Thanks. My dad’s.”

A week goes by of shadowing Donna as she works her magic and he still hasn’t taken a hint. Her frustration only built up everyday that he denied her advances, which only meant it’s been a week of hell for The Jens and I. For a moment, I had hope. Maybe he wasn’t a pig after all. I mean, it didn’t take most guys a week to catch on to Donna’s clues and definitely didn’t take them that long to ask on their own, unless they were insanely out of her league and intimidated, which he is clearly not. I thought, maybe he’s a guy that respects himself and has actual standards for what he wants in a girlfriend. Or better yet, maybe he wants something stable and long term. But eventually, my hopes were diminished.

On my way to third period, I walk straight into them talking in the dark art hallway in the basement. It didn’t take a genius to see how private this area would be to ‘talk’. Guess he doesn’t take long to start getting busy.

I mutter an apology to them, and while avoiding Donna’s glare, I quickly scurry away.

“I’ll catch up with you later, Donna.”

“Alright, ‘Bastian. Don’t miss me too much.”

‘Bastian’. Please, I’m gonna be sick. They already have nicknames for each other? They’ve only known each other for a week! What kind of weird, phony-

“Hey.”

My soul nearly jumps out of my body. I twist my neck to see Sebastian jogging in my direction, before stopping in front of me. “You dropped this.”

Is he…talking to me? I stay frozen, hoping to stay out of the way of whoever he was talking to, but when I notice he doesn’t move, I glance over my shoulders, desperately trying to find the person that should be answering to him.

“I’m talking to you.” He chuckles.

When I turn back towards him, I find out he is in fact talking to me. He holds his arm out, an english notebook in hand with my doodles plastered all over the cover. I shyly take it from him, stuffing it in my arms with the rest of my books, and when I thank him our eyes lock for only a second time since I’ve known him. His stare puts shivers straight down my spine. He really does have some beautiful blue eyes. But before I allow myself to see anymore of him, I spin on my toes speeding towards my class.

“Hey, wait up! Where ya headed?” He says, jogging back over to my side.

I swallow, voice dry and groggy from being inactive most days. “Art.”

He continues to walk the same direction as me. “I have art too. Funny. Never noticed you in there.”

I sigh. Just another confirmation about how much of a ghost I am. “Most don’t.” I mutter under my breath, pushing open the art room door and sitting at my seat near the back of the class. Much to my dismay, Sebastian takes the seat next to me, slamming down his bag next to my leg. I take in a deep breath, ignoring the fact that I can practically feel him looking at me, before reaching over to dig through my backpack for my sketchbook. When I place it down on the table in front of me, he speaks.

“So…You a Jen? I’ve noticed you follow Donna around most everywhere.” 

Why is he talking to me? None of Donna’s exes ever bothered to get to know the Jens, let alone me, so what does he want? Is he some sort of psychopath? Maybe he’s gonna try and manipulate everyone into thinking he’s some great guy so we won’t think he’s a suspect when Donna’s body gets discovered on the news or something…

I adjust myself in my seat, scooching over an inch away from him. “No, I’m an Alex.”

“Alex.” He repeats slowly in a way that makes heat rise to my cheeks. I guess I never really heard anyone but teachers say it. Damn, I really am a loser, aren’t I? “I can tell, you seem like you have an actual personality…and awareness.”

A small grin appears on my face from his comment, but I quickly force my cheeks back down. He’s a psychopath, remember!

He leans over the table in an attempt to peek at my face, but I snap my head away and hide myself behind my hand, completely embarrassed that he’s even acknowledging my existence in the first place. What is he doing? Why is he so weird!?

“Aw come on, don’t be like that. I saw that smile. No need to be so serious and guarded.” My smile can’t help but creep back just a little bit. I lower my hand peering curiously, but suspiciously at him over my fingertips. He leans back in his chair, lip curling when he meets my gaze for a third time. “You know, Alex, you don’t seem too bad.”

I drop my hand now, nervously fumbling with the rings in my sketchbook, while my stomach flutters with butterflies. Donna really bagged a weirdo this time. “Thanks…?”

With that, the bell rings and the teacher begins giving out instructions. While she speaks, I flip open my sketchbook and make a few last scribbles and smudges on my last drawing.

Sebastian slaps his forearms down obnoxiously loud and forceful, causing the whole table to shake. I pull my pencil away just in time before it smears down a dark and unerasable line in a place I didn’t want it and clench my teeth as I watch him inch closer to me and my paper. “So, why aren’t you taking a class with Donna? Aren’t you supposed to be bodyguarding her every move.”

I take a pause, ensuring he wasn’t going to move again, before touching the pencil back down on the paper. One of the Jens is in Math with her right now, assuming she’s not skipping. Donna wouldn’t get caught dead on this side of the school, art was my time. “Only moment of peace I get.” 

He bites his lips together in thought while he smacks his hands down onto the table, pounding out some sort of rhythm, and once again making me pause my drawing due to the shaking. I place my pencil down entirely, figuring I was going to get nowhere with him near, and sigh in frustration, succumbing to a conversation with him. “Didn’t peg you as the art type.” 

His head snaps back quick in my direction, surprised I spoke up. “Oh, I’m not. Required. Didn’t know you could draw.” He says leaning over onto my side of the table once again, eyes glossing over my still unfinished sketch. “Wow. That’s amazing.” He says in awe.

Let me guess, he can’t even draw a stick figure?

“I can’t even draw a stick figure.” He exclaims on cue.

Typical. I never got spoken to much, but one thing people could speak to me about was my artwork. But every time it’s always the same line. I roll my eyes, placing my head in my hand and boredly scratching at the wood chipping on the edge of the table. “I’m sure you can’t.” 

He scoffs out a laugh, simultaneously furrowing his brows. “What? You think I’m some jock or something?”

Not what I was going for but, “Might as well be.”

He nods slowly, humming to himself while he sits back in his chair. He doesn’t say another word to me until the bell’s ringing to dismiss us. “It was nice talking to you,” as he walks out of the classroom.

6 words. 6 simple words that left my mind jumbled all night on their meaning. Was he being genuine or sarcastic? Had I said something really wrong? Made a bad first impression? I knew I shouldn’t have said that last thing. I’m such an idiot. I don’t know why I care so much anyway, it’s not like he was ever going to talk to me again regardless of what I said. Though, even that would be proven wrong.

The next day at school, I saw him again. It was one of those glorious times Donna decided to be too cool for school. He was at one end of the hallway, I at the other. He strides down the hall like it’s a runway, looking to charm anyone that dares to glance his way. He could mesmerize anyone with that charisma of his, and he nearly gets me every time.

I grip the backpack straps on my shoulder as he comes closer and closer, unsure if I should bother looking his way to greet him. He probably forgot who I am already. It’d be embarrassing if I waved at him and he didn’t know who I was.

To my surprise, he waves first. “Hey, Alex.” He enunciates, making sure I knew he was talking to me. 

I wave back, barely having enough time to smile before he had already passed by. That one interaction was enough to leave my stomach swarming with light and bubbly feelings. My heart pounded loudly for him from that day forward and I just knew I was destined for trouble and disappointment. 

He was Donna’s, she made that very clear, and she always gets what she wants.

I needed to get rid of these feelings as quickly as I could, but life is never that easy, is it?

#austin butler x reader #austin butler #austin butler imagine #austin butler fanfic #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler smut #austin butler angst #austin butler fluff #sebastian kydd #the carrie diaries #austin butler sebastian kydd #sebastian kydd x reader #sebastian kydd x oc #oc #black fanfiction #black reader #austin butler x black reader #black writers #enchantinglyjade #i can dream about you #80s

[scribblestatic]

More chubby boy brainrot (tw fat shaming, just in case)

I can't believe I haven't been putting these under the long post separators, I'm so sorry lol

---

Izuku squints his eyes closed as the kiss lands on his nose. A flourish of tingling later, and the burning sensation on his face is gone. He feels a bit of energy drain from him, but otherwise, he feels just fine.

"Well, that should do it. Here, have a little sugar. Looking at your medical records, it's alright in moderation."

"Oh, thank you..." Izuku looks at her computer. "Uhm, I noticed that people tend to get tired after you kiss them...uhm...why is that?"

"Hmm? Ah, it's because my quirk heightens a person's natural regenerative processes. So, to heal you, I'm using the energy you already have. Although, no one should take it too far--getting too excessively injured can override your body's healing energy, so even a kiss won't save you. Be careful, alright dearie?"

She pops a candy into Izuku's waiting hand as he nods quickly in agreement.

"...But...I guess..." He scratches at his cheek. "Why...maybe because the injury was so light..."

"Hmm..." The elderly woman tilts her head slightly as she thinks. "I'm not so sure about that. You have hyperthyroidism...while that causes the weight gain, sweating, and heat intolerance, you also have more DNA-synthesizing connective-tissue cells and shorter cell cycles. I wouldn't call it a benefit in the least, only that it can explain why my kisses don't make you too drowsy."

Izuku blinks, looking down at his hand, still holding the candy. If he looks closer, he can see the slight pale scars from previous wounds he'd gotten due to bullying.

Even back then, he found that bruises would fade with time, and he'd develop scabs pretty quickly if he got cuts. He'd also injured his fingertips during the exam, but Recovery Girl's kiss at that time made it as though such a thing never happened at all. So, part of the thing they were bullying him for also allowed him to recover faster.

"Don't take healing a little faster as an excuse to get hurt, young man," she says sternly, her gaze sent in a frown.

"O-Of course. Thank you."

He then pops the candy into his mouth, letting it dissolve on his tongue. It is quite tasty, like butterscotch, but with a more powdery sensation to it.

After giving his thanks, he leaves and heads back to class, sadly having to leave behind Eraser Head's signature. Though, Izuku understands why, since a particularly crafty student could possibly do bad things with it.

By the end of the day, he's practically glowing with delight.

Sure, there were a few hiccups, like being in class with Kacchan and realizing All Might's teaching at the school (not that these things aren't totally cool! it's just...personal circumstances and all.) But he can't help but feel quite positive over his future potential in the school.

After all, in the physical test, he didn't come last! His hard work has been paying off!

A hand on his shoulder startles him enough to squeak.

"Oh! My apologies, I thought you heard me!"

When he turns, it's Iida Tenya! They haven't exactly gotten off on the wrong foot. But also, knowing how annoying he can be, he can understand why Iida would react to him the way he did at the exam.

Still, the boy's scolding is still quite fresh in his memory, and he can't help but wonder if he's done something wrong again. Seemingly unaware of his conundrum, Iida begins to speak.

"I've been meaning to talk with you, but it wasn't the right time. First and foremost, I wanted to say how astoundingly you acted during the exam! In hindsight, I see you recognized the true purpose of the practical... As much as it pains me to say, you were the better man!"

As he gives this confession, his arms and hands move robotically. It surprisingly lessens his apprehension, feeling as though this guy is perhaps a bit awkward. Izuku could very much relate.

"Uhm...I didn't...realize it either."

"In a real scenario, I would definitely do the same as you did!"

Izuku stands there for a bit, listening as he summarizes what he could've done better. Then, when he turns slightly, Iida perks up.

"Ah, right, you were heading home. Do you ride on the subway back?"

"Oh...uhm...yes."

"I see. I do as well! Let's ride together, then."

Perhaps someone else would find it pushy, but Izuku feels that warmth bursting in his chest again.

Someone! Wants to ride with him! And talk with him! While Izuku doesn't have much he wants to say, he doesn't mind listening at all. And Iida seems quite talkative! Perhaps he's awkward, but, he really didn't mean anything bad at the exam. Izuku immediately puts it all behind him.

As they head off, Iida starting to talk about Aizawa's deception, Izuku hears another familiar voice.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

They both turn around, and it's the nice girl that kept Izuku from falling on his face! The one he helped, and the one who waved at him today! Infinity Girl!

"If you're going to the station, I want to come, too!"

"We are! You're...the Infinity Girl," Iida replies.

Izuku's mouth opens in a little surprised gape. They even thought the same thought! Only friends do things like that, right? Are they already friends now?! But it's so sudden!!

"I'm Uraraka Ochako! You're...Iida Tenya, right? And you..." She looks at him with kind brown eyes. "Midoriya...Deku!"

Izuku stares blankly for a moment. Then, against his will, his mouth starts twisting in discomfort, despite not wanting to make everyone uncomfortable. Still, she notices it.

"Oh, did I get it wrong?"

"Ah...uhm..." Izuku looks down and away.

He doesn't want her to feel bad for getting his name wrong. She's such a nice girl, so he doesn't want to disappoint her. But being called Deku...

The thought of being called that in his new, fun school makes his stomach twist. So, he could just think of this as politely correcting her misunderstanding. Yeah.

Maybe she didn't mean it. Or...is this a new form of bullying? Well, it wouldn't be new. Sometimes, students would act nice to him before slowly becoming meaner over time. He was hoping he could get some friends here, but maybe...

Just...try it. Just try straightening it out, and see what happens.

"I-It's Izuku, actually," he replies anxiously, trying to hide it behind a wobbling smile.

"Izuku? Then, why did the explode-y guy call you Deku?" she wonders, looking confused.

"Hmm... He seems to have derogatory ideas about quirkless people. He said not to expect much from him despite his heroic acumen. Is it perhaps an insult?"

Izuku can't think of what to say, so he just nods.

"Oh! Goodness, I'm so sorry," Ochako immediately apologizes. "It's just, well, I thought it had a kind of 'can do it' [dekiru] feel to it, you know? So, I said it without thinking. I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun."

Oh... She really hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. She wasn't being mean at all. He almost wants to cry in gratefulness.

"It's okay...uhm...if you want..." And he can't help but start to blush a bit. "Y...You can...call me...Izuku?"

Is that too soon? People often say you only get on a first-name basis once you know someone very well. Maybe he's moving too quickly? But he was often called Deku, which some could consider a form of his first name, though derogatory. People calling him by something close to his first name, if not the name in general, doesn't disturb him. But what about--

"Hehe, sure! Is Izu-kun okay?"

Izuku's rampaging thoughts immediately calm. His face turns completely red at that, sweat coming off of him like a halo. But his smile is genuine as he nods, his curls bouncing.

He's too happy to notice the little pale blushes on Tenya and Ochako's faces as they look at him. He reminds them, immediately, of a small, chubby puppy wagging its tail so fiercely that it falls over.

With that settled, the three of them head off to the subway, talking about this and that. Izuku ends up not saying a whole lot, but his smile stays genuinely pleased the entire time. Basking in the presence of people he has cemented as friends is so fun!

--- --- ---

The next day, Izuku knows his heart isn't prepared. But it's unavoidable.

They'll be doing a regular school day, including every class they would normally have. English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Japanese Language and Literature, Art Studies, the works. Not necessarily in that order, but they all occurred before 3:15pm.

All the while, Izuku's able to geek out over his favorite heroes! Present Mic, Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Midnight... Even his lunch is made by Lunch Rush, who consistently belts out gourmet food at prices he can afford! If he doesn't watch himself, he'll end up gaining more weight again! But...just as long as he doesn't go over his goal threshold, it'll be fine if he adds some healthy snacks to go see Lunch Rush again, right?

Izuku feels enamored by the school during these periods, though, the closer it gets to 3:15, the more dread begins to fill his heart. Perhaps it won't be so bad. Maybe he is overthinking things. He's not sure.

And, if he thinks realistically, there's no way All Might would embarrass him by pointing out how he doesn't belong, right? That's not what All Might does. He's an upstanding and amazing hero who, despite his newfound anxiety around him, is still Izuku's favorite hero!

He just...really doesn't want to disappoint him by showing up in front of his hero when he'd already said he couldn't be one. It's like taking All Might's wisdom and slapping him in the face with it, treating his insight as useless.

Anyone would be upset. So, Izuku really hopes that, maybe, someone else could do the heroics class. But he's already heard from others that All Might's a teacher. Wouldn't teaching heroics be right up his alley? Oh...if only he had more time to ready his heart...

But eventually, 3:15 arrives.

"I aaaaam..."

The door to their classroom slides open, All Might posing as his cape flutters heroically.

"--coming through the door like a normal person!!"

Izuku feels two emotions shoot through him. The first is his normal excitement, the same thing that always appears when he looks at things related to All Might.

The second is fear. Because of that fear, he simply gazes at the hero as he enters, despite knowing his current outfit is from the Silver Age of his career. He would've called out such a fact, along with the excitement from the others. However, he's too busy trying to disappear into the background of the class to try.

All Might introduces their first assignment for his class: a Battle Trial. The hero outfit designs they'd sent to the school after receiving their acceptance letters pop out of the walls in their completed forms. They come in briefcases with set numbers on them, with #20 being Izuku's. It seems the cases also function as a seating chart. Izuku's just happy he can keep his seat at the back of the class.

Though, it also means that he's one of the last ones to get his briefcase since his is at the back. He quietly steps past All Might to get his before scurrying away to the bathroom to put his on...but since he added armor to his outfit, perhaps that'd be hard. Then, he'll change in the shower area instead.

All Might's gaze trails after Midoriya as he flees the room, his smile not wavering despite the stab to his conscience. Of course the boy wouldn't want to be near him at the moment. He'd simply have to be patient and kindle some form of trust between them. That way, Midoriya will feel comfortable talking with him again.

But, the boy isn't the only one who needs his attention. Right now, he's been put in charge of training 20 young heroes to become much better versions of themselves. He's a new teacher, but he's sure his attempts at getting better with educating and gaining experience will help him--and consequently, the kids--succeed.

--- --- ---

Izuku's hero costume is about as he expected.

His first designs were all, honestly, quite trashy to him. Although he liked the rabbit ear-like protrusions he'd drawn on it in reference to All Might, the rest of it was basically useless. Of course, he had no quirk to benefit from, so he hadn't been thinking too deeply about the design. But, once he started working out and cleaning up trash and doing such things on his own, he began reevaluating the design.

Since he's quirkless, he needs to be sturdy. His power output will be weak no matter what he tries, so the best he can hope for is having high defense. A hero with low attack power...he's not the most pleased by that, but it's what he has to work with for now. Maybe he'll get strong enough to pack a punch.

Anyway, sturdiness. The first thing that came to mind was a suit of armor.

Looking at some old war outfits, he decided to steer away from some of the designs, but the materials they used were interesting. Military fits could also work well, so he incorporated a bit of that into his design. Since he wants to be fairly low-key and in the background, he doesn't splurge much on the colors, staying around deep greens and blacks. Something like a stealth suit...

Though, the stealth part kinda went out the window with the large shield and backpack he asked for. The backpack carries medical supplies--after the whole exam ordeal, he realized even more how important having a variety of first-aid tools would be. And his shield attaches to his back or backpack with magnets.

He also had to think about what to do as a design choice. It would create his overall image as a hero...

Izuku enters Ground Beta, following after his other hero classmates.

He wears a grey, hooded outfit with a semi-medieval helmet under it. The mechanized layer behind the metal of the helmet makes his eyes appear as two bright-green ovals while feeding him additional details about his surroundings he wouldn't see just with his usual vision.

He has thicker armor protection on his shoulders, elbows, forearms, chest, and legs, with grip gloves to hold onto objects. The back of the chest plate had a harness with part hiding under the back of the cloak allowing Izuku to magnet-lock the shield in place. Instead of a backpack, the designer gave him a utility belt with the same first-aid contents he wanted.

Also, for reasons unknown, they added small ear-like appendages to the top of the hood. It admittedly looks a bit cute...and, well, it might actually be very helpful. So, he doesn't have any complaints. It fits well with the back cape.

[Essentially, something like the hunter's Pathfinder armor from Destiny 2, but a bit more medieval fantasy. Add some Batman in there, but green and more like a mongoose. I might draw it at some point.]

He has a silver-gray rectangular shield, though it didn't appear to be made entirely of metal. Holding it in front of him, if he crouched, it could conceal his body, so it was quite sizable. It had simple beveled designs on the edges without a symbol or anything in the middle. That part was mostly his fault--he couldn't think of anything to put there.

"Izu-kun? You look so cool!" Ochako cheers, wearing her puffy-legged outfit. "I wish I drew mine a bit more clearly. Isn't this kind of frumpy?"

"A-Ah, I don't think so!" Izuku says earnestly. "I think...it looks cute? Like...Uhm. Bubbly. I think it fits your floaty theme?"

"Oooh...I didn't think of it that way! Hehe, that's a great thought. Thank you!"

Izuku smiles, though it shows as closed-happy eyes and a little green blush.

Tenya is similarly armored up, though his outfit has less of a medieval look and more sci-fi, with clear benefits alluding to his quirk. Izuku wants to gush over its appearance, but he's already focused on asking All Might a question, so he doesn't want to interrupt him.

All Might...

He hasn't said anything specifically to or about him so far, so maybe he doesn't care that he's there after all. Has he been panicking over nothing? He's not sure...maybe the top hero has already decided he's a lost cause and wasn't worth pointing him out as an example of someone who doesn't listen to his advice.

A part of him feels like apologizing...

He shakes his head slightly as Tenya asks how their groups will be picked. Thinking over the assignment, it's a very old-style one. However, such a thing suits the No.1 hero, and the way he presents it makes it seem more exciting than it probably would be otherwise. Besides, it's a somewhat realistic scenario. They could always end up having to stop someone from blowing up a bomb in the future.

The teams get called out one by one after Tenya accepts his explanation as to why it's being done randomly:

A: Midoriya and Hagakure

B: Todoroki and Kouda

C: Yaoyorozu and Ojiro

D: Bakugou and Iida

E: Sero and Aoyama

F: Sato and Kaminari

G: Asui and Kirishima

H: Mezou and Mineta

I: Uraraka and Tokoyami

J: Jirou and Ashido

"Kyaaa~ Your suit looks super cool, Midori-kun!"

Hagakure hops over, her body only visible because of her shoes and gloves. Little buttons appear to clip her gloves on her wrists, though a matching pair are on her shoes as well. They have a slightly opalesque appearance.

"Ah, th-thank you. Uhm...Hagakure-san, right? It's nice to work with you." He glances over her body. "Is your suit made out of a material to--"

"Nah, I'm naked."

Izuku blinks. Then, a moment later, two black Xs appear where the eyes had been, his whole facial screen turning green.

"W-WH-WHA--"

"Haha! I'm just jokin' with you! Yeah, it's made with some fancy mimic cloth that kinda uses my quirk~" Still giggling, she presses one of the opal buttons on her glove, invisibility spreading out from them. "It's only active if I press the button. I can deactivate it, too, just in case I get injured and someone needs to know where it is, y'know?"

"A-Ahhh..."

Relief floods Izuku's body, sweat budding at the base of his neck. Goodness...he really should've known. The government had started a law over how nude heroes could be because of Midnight. Her introductory outfit had been...controversial.

"Alright, let's get started!" All Might calls out, sticking his hands into a light and a dark box. "The first two pairs to do combat will be the following!"

Izuku hums, wondering if he'd have the chance to watch some of his classmates and evaluate their quirks. It would be nice to be able to do that--watching then trying for it.

"The heroes this round will be Pair A!"

Ah. Never mind, then.

"The villains this round will be Pair D!"

Izuku freezes up.

Even though All Might is still speaking, his eyes aren't watching. Instead, he looks over to where Kacchan has been standing stiffly, his shoulders exposed and arms presumably heavy with some sort of thick grenade devices.

It doesn't take a genius to have some sort of idea of what those are for, especially since he knows Kacchan's quirk.

The other boy waits until All Might stops speaking, telling Iida and Kacchan to go into the building and prepare as villains. But once that's done, he's headed inside.

He takes a moment to look back at him, staring at him directly.

And the grin he has on his face is exceptionally unkind.

#au post 9 #static drabbles #static writes #chubby deku au #mha au #bnha au #bnha