#I was completely out of commission yesterday because a friend needed help but do not doubt for a second I was not screaming about this

[the-conversation-pod]

Winter 2024 Teaser

And we're back!

We have been recording so much for you all this season! We completed the first year of the show, and what a year it has been!

We've made a lot of friends through this show, and even picked up some help from @ginnymoonbeam and @lurkingshan who got to produce their own episode!

To complete the year, we are opening our longest season by discussing the big shows from the Fall, including Only Friends, I Feel You Linger in the Air, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 2, before wrapping up the year with a packed Grab Bag episode.

As is our tradition, we will then have our Five-Part Very Important Internet BL Awards, covering our awards for Acting, Ships, Production, Best in Class, and Special Class Awards.

We'll then close out the season with our Lagniappe episode as always and hear from some of the listeners.

Enjoy teaser for the season.

The Conversation Transcripts!

Thanks to the continued efforts of @ginnymoonbeam as transcriber, and @lurkingshan as an editor and proofreader, we are able to bring you transcripts of the episodes.

We will endeavor to make the transcripts available when the episodes launch, and it is our goal to make them available for past episodes (Coming Soon thanks to @wen-kexing-apologist). When transcripts are available, we will attach them to the episode post (like this one) and put the transcript behind a Read More cut to cut down on scrolling.

Please send our volunteers your thanks!

[The teaser opens with the pod team chatting in a bar together.]

NiNi

Okay guys, so we are alive on the site of our annual–hopefully it's annual–podcast team staff meeting.

Ginny

Ohh! 

[Shan laughs]

Nini

And we just gonna give us, like, a little five-minute live about, like, what's—what's occurring? What's going on with the peeps? So, everybody say “hi.” Ben, say “Hi.”

Ben

“Whaddup?”

NiNi

Shan, say “hi.” 

Shan

“Heyo.”

Nini

Ginny say “hi.” 

Ginny

“Heyo!”

NiNi

And here's NiNi! So…

[Cut back to the normal recording booth.]

Ben

And we're back. Welcome to year two of The Conversation…

Ohh, let me try it again. [Strums fingers on desk. NiNi laughs]

I got this.

NiNi

Do you? Do you?

Ben

Yeah, I got this.

NiNi

Okay.

Ben

And we're back. Welcome to year two of The Conversation! Hello, NiNi.

NiNi

Oh my God, we've been doing this for a fucking year. How did we survive the last year? We did? I don't know how? But we did.

Ben

We survived it through sheer gumption and the Type-A planning of all of your lists that keep us organized between seasons.

NiNi

[laughs] I do be doing a lot.

Ben

This show is a BL podcast featuring two goofy-ass Millennials from the Caribbean who watch way too much BL.

NiNi

I mean, that's a good description.

Ben

NiNi, how would you describe me to the viewers?

NiNi

How would I describe Ben to the viewers?

Ben is… an intellectual. Ben is the kind of man who enjoys French film, I think.

Ben

I do. I actually watched one, like, two weeks ago.

NiNi

You see, I knew it. I knew it. Ben’s always getting me together, and that's the best part of our friendship. Ben is gathering me gently at all times—and I need to be gathered—sometimes, should be told, because I just be going off in too many different directions. 

So, a whole year with you. I have had a fabulous time so far, sir. And here's to many more.

How would you describe me?

Ben

You are a Thai BL girlie set upon by my goddamn queer cinephile sensibilities, who continues to put up with them.

[both laugh]

NiNi

I’m sorry [laughs]—I like other things!

Ben

I'm sorry. The Philippines is out of commission.

NiNi

[laughs] Rude. Accurate, but rude.

Ben

You're somebody with a really strong background in theater and dramatic storytelling who really appreciates the heightened drama aspects of the way Thailand approaches BL. The more telenovela BL becomes, or the more like big-romance-dramatic BL becomes—particularly in Thailand—the more fun you seem to have. 

And over the course of the last year when we've been unpacking these shows, we've been talking about where these shows really land emotionally for NiNi, who's into this for a lot of the fun and some of the camp and the way the romance plays out. And how I end up mostly focused on the queer truth that I can get out of these stories, and how strongly they resonate, and also how well put together these things are. 

We are the podcast for BL viewers who care about BL being genuinely good and not just fun.

[cuts back to the bar conversation]

NiNi

We are just doing like a little bit about—let's, let's pick a topic that's not gonna, like, piss off anybody too much.

Ben 

No! Let's start where we were—

[Shan laughs]

Ginny

You turned it on right when we were pissing people off!

[Shan laughs]

Ben

I am six drinks in. We're going in. Only Friends sucks— 

[NiNi laughs]

—and it made us like First and Khaotung less.

NiNi

Oh no…

Shan

Listen, it's the truth. 

Ben

Like! 

Shan

They were not the moment in this show.

Ben

Going into this show, Ginny and I were very quietly FK girlies.

[Shan and Ginny laugh]

Shan

Not that quietly.

Ben

You were not in our DMs!

[Everyone laughs]

Shan

I could feel the energy coming from your DMs!

[cuts back to the recording booth]

NiNi

It's been an interesting year for us. There have been highs, there have been lows, there have been arguments—very polite ones. There have been agreements. There's been a lot happening in the last year in the BL space and we're gonna talk about it really all through the winter season.

Season 5. Five seasons of this.

So we're going to talk about the things that we watched in the fall. We are going to talk about 2023 as a whole and what we got out of it. And it's winter, so you know what that means? We're going to give out some VIIB Awards.

Ben

I'm very excited for the VIIB Awards. It is the most contentious I think I have felt with you since we started doing all of this. Normally, I'm just excited to talk with you about things. I have never felt more antagonistic!

NiNi

Ben put on his eye black and he said, “What we not ‘bout to do!” 

[Ben laughs]

“These vibes you be feeling, that's all well and good. This is not the Vibes Awards, okauy? This is the VIIB Awards.” [NiNi laughs]

Ben

These are the Very Important Internet BL Awards.

NiNi

He's like, “You're gonna have to come with actual arguments.”

Ben

We will! We say these things are better than the rest? You better be specific, because there is a wide field of contenders!

NiNi

A very wide field, and I think that's part of the story of this year as well. For all the ups and downs, it has been a big year, I think, for BL. I don't know if you feel the same way.

Ben

I do. I mean, that's the problem for this year that we'll get into as we talk about this. This year has had some of my favorite good productions that the genre has ever produced, and that has made it really difficult for the things that are not.

We are not lacking for choice in the good.

[cuts back to the bar conversation]

Ben

And this show made me hate them.

Ginny

To be, to be clear: I still, like, this show did not make me hate either of them individually. Like, Khaotung did some phenomenal performances. First matched them. Maybe you disagree, but I did not feel that way about it. Yeah.

NiNi

[waves at Ginny to continue] All right! We’re getting it! 

Ginny

But I—

NiNi

It's going to be quiet, but I'll get it.

Ginny

—something about the way it was set up, I just did not. I came out of it feeling less hype about them as a pair.

Shan

Mhmm. I was never really a FirstKhao girlie. Like, I'm not into the pairs in general. You all know that I like ‘em to mix and match. But, I'm just like—

NiNi/Ben

Yeah, that's better.

Shan

—I just feel like they're both… They've both been better with other people, especially First.

[cuts back to the recording booth]

NiNi

We've got a packed season for you. Ten! Count ‘em: ten! It's our longest season ever. Ten fabulous episodes.

Ben

[laughs] Wait. What the fuck, really?

NiNi

Yes. 

Ben

Okay. 

[NiNi laughs]

So, if you want to hear people be kind of sassy and way too serious, and be more than a little bit drunk about BL—

[NiNi laughs]

—for about 15 hours over the next, like six weeks, we are your show!

NiNi

This is the Brown Liquor Podcast. [laughs]

[cuts back to the bar conversation]

NiNi

All right, I think we're gonna see if we get, what we get out of that. I don't know how much we're gonna get out of that. We will see. We had to try. [NiNi laughs as the audio trails off]

#lgbtq #podcast #bl series #thai bl #winter series #season 5 #japanese bl #only friends the series #i feel you linger in the air #what did you eat yesterday? #kinou nani tabeta #ben and nini's conversations #the conversation #on art

[oops-prow-did-it-again]

Hi, friends, so got some bad news

Yesterday, a package came to me and gf's new house with a name we didn't recognize, but addressed to our home. We found out it was credit card fraud through our landlord's dead mother. But the guy came looking for it this morning.

I'll admit, I'm a little afraid, and don't want to go to work unless they decide to try and find it in our house themselves. I'm running extremely low on money though, and can't really afford not to work. But my girlfriend would be left here alone if I did that, and she's not exactly capable of fending off a big guy like that if they decided to barge in. And we really need groceries tomorrow - we are completely out of food after today.

So, saying all that to say:

I'm opening commissions.

$40 flat for a fully colored piece (7x5in, 450dpi). $20 flat for a grayscale piece of the same dimensions. No upcharge for extra characters/people, though I may apply a 10% upcharge for complicated designs (lots of mechanical parts, complex patterns, detailed backgrounds). I will draw pretty much anything, nsfw, gore, you name it, so just ask.

I am not using a slot system, but I will tell you how far back in the list order you are.

Payments can be accepted through P-yp-l or C-shapp. I do ask for 50% of the cost upfront, but the other 50% isn't due until after.

Thank you and please reblog this! Examples of my work are in my pinned post!

Refunds can be given if only sketches have been made. If I've gotten into lineart/final stages, I will not give refunds. Not to worry, I will send sketches for confirmation before I move on.

EDIT: As it would turn out, my landlord is just stupid and accidentally told me this was a fraudulent purchase because it was made at the same time as an actually fraudulent purchase :))) the package actually DID belong to the neighbor, so I got to do the very fun and scary thing of write a big apology note on the box and hand it over to them.

That being said, I still am out of work for today and possibly the next couple days because NOW I'm afraid of retaliation, because this particular neighbor is very intimidating, and I don't want to leave my gf here alone. So I could still use help, but I didn't want to leave the false pretenses up that started this whole debacle.

Tl;dr: I still need help, my landlord is just an idiot.

#commission #commissions #digital art #help #help needed

[aro-pancake]

So Monday night we watched Pacific Rim.

Then, yesterday we met up with a friend, who mentioned to mr Pancake that Uprising exists. He got curious, so we watched it.

There is so much wrong with that movie.

I'll put a cut here because a) it's Spoilers if you haven't seen either movie, and b) it's a long, long rant.

I would die happily without remembering that movie even existed. So, thank you, friend, for reminding me of it. 😒

First things first, they're ignoring the established lore. On the words of Ron Pearlman, Kaiju bone sells for 500 dollars a pound, so why are there still so many carcasses laying about?

Also, the war ended 10 years ago! Why are Jagers still in production? The whole shebang of the first movie was that the program was ending, and they were given a final shot at the Jagers before the walls were done. The governments didn't want to keep the Jagers then, they sure as fuck wouldn't want to keep them after the war!

(Attack on Titan looking kinda weird.)

And why do they have Jagers strolling around casually? Those things are heavy and expensive to maintain. They would stay in docks until they were needed, make quick work of the Kaiju and return to docking. What's fueling the Mark VI Jagers?

Why wasn't Jake ever even mentioned in the first movie? Where did the kid come from? He just popped up and we gotta swallow it now? And this kid wouldn't be poor! His dad was Marshal Stacker Pentecost, ffs! His sister is Mako Mori! His family are all high ranking war heroes!

Then... There's the kids. The biggest human issue we had in the first movie was actual tension between the GROWN UP pilots, who were dealing with the apocalypse incoming their way. Now, we have kids fighting over who's getting the top bunk.

And don't (please do) get me started on the drift. First movie? They were all family. We had two Russian siblings, Chinese triplets, father and son, twins... People you already share memories with, what makes it easier to drift.

The second movie? They tossed a bunch of random kids together and expected them to drift on day fucking one! Not even Mako and Raleigh managed to drift on day one, and he was ready to give her the world the second she showed up. They actually spent time together before attempting to drift. Talked. Got to know eachother for a couple days.

Yes, sure, there was the impending apocalypse knocking at their doors so they had to speed run a drift compatibility. But it made it believable. The cadets on Uprising didn't have to deal with the world ending.

That Chinese lady? Boss, have the whole "I hate repeating myself" thing? Did they want to divert us into thinking she was the BBEG when Newt (Charlie Day, my second favourite character in the first movie) was acting completely out of character and LITERALLY DATING A FUCKING KAIJU BRAIN? LIKE THAT WASN'T INCRIMINATING ENOUGH?

[deep breaths] ok. I'm calm.

And did they want the boss lady to be a strong female character? She was annoying. They already had a strong female character. Yes. Mako Mori.

I'm honestly glad she died when she did, before they had the chance to destroy her character for good.

And why did they present the solution (Jagers still in commission) then the problem (Obsidian Avenger/return of the Kaijus) to justify the solution?

It's been 10 years since the war! The world wouldn't still be in shambles!

I would have liked that movie if:

"look, we built some Jagers again to put as a display/just in case, and transformed the Shatterdome into a wartime museum."

"oh no. The Kaijus are back! Who can help us now?"

Put together a ragtag band of fighters, trained by Mako and Raleigh (happily married, thank you. Also, please feel free to send some fluff fics of them my way), and they have to help new pilots to find their way into the drift. There would be a lot of awestruck new pilots, being like "omg, we're being trained by them!", while others are like "what do you know? Your war is over." And they have to wrangle the kids to get a fighting force to go and destroy the Kaijus.

That would make it a better movie. Not necessarily a good one, but one where we're willing to suspend our disbelief and fall back into the amazing lore of Pacific Rim.

Yes. I like the lore of Pacific Rim. Sue me.

ETA: it was such a bad movie, I only remember the names of two characters, Mako because Mako, and Jake, because he's supposed to be the main character.

#pacific rim #pacific rim uprising #talk about a bad sequel #for an amazing movie #pancake comments #pancake rewrites #movie critic #movie review #movie critique #is it too much to ask #for a sequel that isn't a moneu grab? #stuff the movie did wrong #movie analysis #movie critical #guillermo del toro #Guillermo del toro needs to go his game #i miss hellboy #his last good movie was Pacific Rim #it was a downward spiral #this movie is so badd #it made my bad movies radar break #I need Mako and Raleigh fluff fics as brain bleach #i want to forget

[keefwho]

April 24 - 2024 Wednesday

11:16pm

5/10

This morning I washed my bathroom floormats and scrubbed the whole floor. I also wiped down the crockpot I got from mom. For breakfast I made corned beef hash and oatmeal with apples.

For work I warmed up with bears, they are fun to draw. I worked on the Venus commission another hour and its coming along better than I thought it would. I was afraid I was borderline scamming the guy with how lazy it felt but it's actually taking some work. Then I worked on a couple of YCHs someone bought.

After lunch I prepared my crock pot to make the bone broth. I used about 8 hot wing bones I saved up and dumped then in there with a little vinegar and salt. The crock pot is old too, I found out it's from the 70s, apparently it came with the house. I didn't have much of an appetite but I made a pack of ramen for lunch fried up with some mixed veggies and onions. It was good but my tummy didn't like it so much, especially not with the yogurt I ate. I played the horse game a bit and was trying to solo a fishing event before a nice person came and joined me until it was complete.

While drawing today's request (which I hated), DV hit me up and we VCed for a little bit. We talked about friendships and relationships and life in general. A couple of his friends were there too. After the request I finished my first 'from life' art in VRchat and Im proud of it. Then I worked briefly on a cuck piece of my otter. I used my remaining work time to finish a version of my avatar with dog gear.

With work done I switched to Roblox horses. I played in call for a little bit but I left shortly after to decompress for the day. I played that for the next couple hours, doing a little training and goofing around. I send DS a goofy little video of me flexing after she asked me for strength. I only mention it because it was a small instance of letting my goofyness shine, I think often times I would avoid that. Then we called while she cleaned.

In bed we did puzzles. The crossword and connections were hard today. We read a chapter of Monster High where Cleo is being a total bitch. Then in KH2 I attempted the boss fight from yesterday but I'm too underleveled so I started grinding after she fell asleep.

I figured the bone broth would be done by now so I removed the bones and gave it a taste. It had color and an oilyness to it but it was a little bit bland and had a weird stinging aftertaste. I decided to put the bones back in and let it simmer overnight and see how it is then. I'm a little afraid to make a soup out of it however it turns out, almost like I've just made a concentrate thatll kill me.

My tummy is hurting before bed

~~~

Today Costar said "instead of trying to fix a friend's pain, ask how you can help them hold their sadness." Combining this with acceptance told me that I should be able to accept other people's pain as inevitable and something I can't "solve" as much as I want to help sometimes. I think the best thing I can ever do to "help" is to offer insight to what value the pain might hold and to ask the right questions to promote perspective. Other than that all I can do is listen and ensure that I'm here for them no matter what. Sometimes thats all people need.

#journal #diary

[gludgenbell]

Tell us about your your day! Did anything interesting happen?(answer by the end of the day)

04 12 2023;

I missed the bus for school so my sister dropped me and my brother off

My classes are biology, graphic design tech 2, participation in democracy and algebra 2-

So I started the day with biology and learned about the systems in the body; in depth

But it was a short day today so class was not an 95 minutes and I spent 6 minutes getting to my second period because it's at the back of the school

And all biology classes are at the front

I made my shirt yesterday for the shop my class is doing this Friday, and today was a crunch day

We finished more pre-orders, did keychains, more shirts, and stickers especially

I did some promotional video editing on the side

By lunch I was very hungry, was the first one in the cafeteria as usual and went to the wrong meetup spot (where my friends hang out)

Got a bit insecure that I'm always the last person to find out specific things even though I try to ask everyday, but it's whatever and we talked about a guy who didn't like women taking birth control

Because she'll piss it out and it'll end up in the tap water and then everyone will be drinking birth control

And we came to the conclusion that he just wants to be a dad so badly ✊️

Anyways

3rd period was fun, we're writing our own constitution and my friends and I are my teacher's prized group because we always make the projects fun

And now we're collaborating on a for fun storyline about a night school for Knights (because we had to design a school and we came up with: Knight of Bell; the Night School for Knights [18:00-00:00])

Anyways there's this chill guy Kjell who's always in my group and I'm just mentioning him because he's nice

Was late to my 4th, as always, today because I had to piss

Class went surprisingly well, I drew as per usual and worked on requests for my table mates because I mention commissions and they tell me no so a sketched easy request it is

Took the bus home and talked with another friend (she lives in my community) about the night school for Knights and the rival character

My sister picked me up from the bus stop, the dogs in tow, and we went around getting gummies and catching pokemon

I did some more writing for my story spirits of eden and then discussed with my mom possible shirt designs for our upcoming fundraiser (I'm going to Utah for our next next game maybe and since I'm already doing shirt work my parents think it'd be nice to use my art)

(In general also, if I want a shirt design my dad said he'd help me get what I need together)

Then I got nervous because all my art is sketchbook art and no real digital ones at the moment and I'd like to show actual art like everyone wants and I don't have much at the moment...

I asked my younger sister to help me with Mt laundry, then started a sketch of rukkadehvata (hope I spelt it right) and scheduled it for sometime saturday I think?

Around 7ish I started fixing my room; just putting my clothes away

All my siblings and both my parents were home so we gathered and decided to play fnaf 1 (we don't do this extremely often; it's always a treat when we get these nights together) and it was my turn at night 3

I didn't realize Freddy would move and my strategy did not account for him until I kept hearing his music and peeked at the stage

Only to find it

Completely empty

But I lived!

Freaking foxy jumped from phase 1 to 2 in under a second where I flipped the camera twice because I didn't get a good look the first time 😒😒😒

In between that I was playing sky with my wives, and the night will end with me in my room, drawing Rukka again

I did not call with one of my wives as I usually do; but all is well! Another time another time

I'll sleep in an hour

#gludgen answers! #anonymous #long post

[fertility-journey-20s]

Cycle number 16... CD 2

My period arrived right on cue yesterday. I think it tried to sneak up on me as im usualy greatest with 1 day of spotting but nope, it tried to trick me this month. I thought wow even if I wasn't pregnant it'd just be nice to have a longer luteal phase because all I seem to see is posts about shrot luteal phases and what's even considered short - the majority suggest 10 days or less so I'm loving the fact I am right on the boarder at 11 days. Folks in the USA might find that their OBGYN or whoever they go to for fertility help when they get to the big 1 year, they might actually care. But here in good ol' England our NHS are so under funded that they just don't have the resources to care and I'd you tick their bog standard boxes which means your have nothing obviously wrong with you and so you are not expecting infertility then they just won't investigate any further. This all depends on your CCG (clinical commissioning group) but mine says if your blood tests and semen analysis come back A-OK then they just won't have anything to do with you until you reach a full 2 years of unsuccessful conception. Yippee because waiting lists are so long I bet nothing will happen for another year after that and in the mean time I'm getting older and older and falling behind every month compared to our friends and family.

I'm fed up with the questions and the jabs towards us "when are you giving me grandchildren" "its about time you had some kids of your own" my husband nonchalantly days "were trying!" And I kid you not he has had the following responses "are you really trying?" (Because it's been over a year without success of course question our definition of "trying" or how "hard" we try) and the latest is "well your not trying hard enough" I wanted to scream, I'm so tried of it all. I'm (we're) doing everything possible, there is literally no more we can do.

I track my cycle I have a regular cycle I ovulate every month I have my period every month without fail.

We both take pre conception vitamins to tryand help our chances

We have regular sex (every other day)

I know when I ovulate each month because I track BBT very accurately as well, every morning without fail at 6.45 am after a complete full night of sleep and I take it immediately after waking up...

We use fertility friendly lube

I even tried pre seed which is such a weirdly medical way to lube yourself up, nothing quite romantic like going to the bathroom 15 minutes before I "suprise" (and my surprise I mean I've been mentally preparing myself all day to have sex later on that night) my husband with sex to the fill up a syringe type thing with lube, squat, insert said syringe into my vagina and fill myself up with lube. Absolutely lovely. This has not been used very often especially when it didn't do anything for us.

Even oral sex has been reduced because somewhere it said that saliva can interfere with sperm 😫

I am "relaxed" in a sense that most of the time I'm trying to focus on other things I have the same stress levels of anyone else who works full time and manages 8 members of staff.

Our BMI is fine and isn't a concern either.

At this point no one at all has any advice that I need or want, all I need is someone to understand the absolute pain and heartbreak I feel every month with the dreaded period arrives. And unfortunately I don't know anyone who has experienced that when they haven't had any children. Everyone I know has been extremely lucky with how quickly they became pregnant.

I think I should just get some more dogs.

I will be OK in a few days. But today I'm struggling to just get out of bed and that's OK to. Because I need to go through these emotions.

#trying to conceive #ttccommunity #fertility #ttc #ttcjourney #ttcsupport #health & fitness

[marauderundercover]

How We Fell: Ch. 28

Day 28: Call a Friend/Hanukkah

AO3

Prev

Marinette flounces down onto her couch, dropping her head into her hands. She’d just had an entire three hour long conversation (on her yoyo) with Carapace and Chat Noir. They were planning on moving in on Hawkmoth on New Years Eve. Which was three days away. She was excited, but she was also terrified. What if their plan failed? What if they lost? How much longer could Paris handle this? How much longer could her team handle this? Nino was already putting his life with Alya on hold. Sure, they were married, but they weren’t even able to live together. Nino was too determined to see the battle through. Which was nice, but still. Then there was the continued problem with Chat Noir and Young Justice. He insisted that he had tried to get ahold of them, but that none of their representatives would get back in touch with him. It was beyond frustrating, and she honestly didn’t know who to believe. She knew that, for a while, Chat Noir had been distant. He’d stopped showing up to battles at all at one point almost two years ago. And he was distracted when he was there. But then he got better, and he was back to the partner she was used to. The one she had missed. She didn’t understand the disconnect now between him and Young Justice. Why was there so much…drama there? And then there was the strain she felt it putting on her relationship with Damian. Not that he knew the strain was there. She’d lied to him yesterday. Well, it was a lie by omission but still. She hated herself for it, and for not being able to be completely open with him. And with her other friends. She knew Jon’s identity and assumed Nino knew hers, but none of them could talk about it. It hurt to constantly try to be multiple people. It was exhausting. Her phone rings suddenly and she sighs, before glancing at it. The tension in her shoulders immediately melts away and she smiles at the caller ID.

“Hey, mon amour.” She says.

“Hello, habibti. I hope I didn’t wake you up.” He says. She frowns and glances at her clock, wincing at the time. She definitely hadn’t slept last night and it was, currently, only seven in the morning. Definitely much earlier than she would willingly be up for on Christmas break.

“Would you believe me if I said I woke up an hour ago?” She asks hopefully. He sighs.

“You didn’t sleep, did you?” He asks. She sighs.

“No, I didn’t. And before you lecture me, I know it’s not healthy. I’m trying to do better, I just- I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed lately.” She admits.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” He asks.

“No, I don’t think so.” Marinette says sadly.

“Would you like to get lunch today? We could go out somewhere nice, take a break from everything else.” Damian suggests.

“That sounds nice.” She says.

“I’ll pick you up at noon?” He suggests.

“Sounds great. I love you.” Marinette says, loving how freeing it felt to utter those three little words.

“And I you.” He says before hanging up. Marinette grins, excitement thrumming in her veins. She had plenty of time to take a quick nap and work on some commissions before lunch.

“Marinette, we really need to talk.” Tikki says, zipping into the room, the panic clear on their face. Marinette blinks in surprise, not used to seeing the kwami in such a state.

“Of course. Are you okay?” She asks, turning so that she can focus on her friend. Tikki zips around, obviously their version of pacing as they shake their head.

“No, I mean, this isn’t about me, Marinette. It’s about you and your team. And Hawkmoth.” They say frowning.

“Oh.” Marinette says, panic creeping up on her. “Am I- is this about our plan?” She asks. Tikki nods.

“Yes. And I tried to tell you sooner, but I couldn’t because-” They’re cut off by the shrill ringing of the akuma alarm. Marinette winces.

“It’s okay, Paris can wait a few minutes.” She says, trying to help Tikki calm down. They start to cry, startling Marinette.

“You can’t go. He-” The burner phone, the one that only Carapace and Chat Noir had the number for, begins ringing shrilly. Marinette frowns apologetically.

“I’m so sorry Tikki. Just, just give me a minute, okay?” She asks. Answering the phone, she immediately shifts into Ladybug mode. “Hello?”

“LB please hurry. I’m not- Dude! Not cool! I haven’t seen Chat Noir yet and I don’t know- listen dude, swords are not- SHELTER!” He yells, before the line goes dead. Marinette’s eyes widen.

“We have to go.” She says. Tikki, who was still crying, nods slowly. Marinette feels awful, but she calls her transformation before throwing Kaalki’s glasses on and calling a portal. Dropping into Paris, her eyes widen at the giant green shelter currently protecting a group of people, including Carapace, as a dozen people with swords continuously stab at the green shield. This wasn’t going to be easy.

---

She was right. And she hated it. Several hours had gone by, no sign of Chat Noir, and she and Carapace had already been forced to recharge several times. She was starting to worry that he’d either been taken down by a minion as a civilian, or was a minion himself. She and Carapace had both tried to call him, several times. Ladybug had even used the burner phone, but no luck.

They also weren’t having much luck finding the actual akumatized person. Just a lot of minions. With swords. She glances at the clock and swears under her breath.

“Carapace? I gotta make a quick call.” She says. He gives her a thumbs up, but focuses on the minion he was busy fighting. Hopping up onto a low roof, she pulls out her yoyo and dials Damian’s number.

“Hello?” He says, and she can practically hear the frown in his voice.

“Hey Damian.” She says, keeping an eye on her surroundings.

“Marinette? Did your number change?” He asks and she has to suppress the urge to groan. Unless she took the time to press the right buttons on her yoyo, it came up as unlisted. Which was usually helpful, but not so much in this moment.

“I can explain that later. I might be a bit late for lunch.” She says, feeling awful.

“Is everything okay?” He asks. Marinette starts to respond, but yelps instead as another minion shows up out of nowhere, slashing at her with a sword. “Marinette!”

“Just a sec.” She says, muting the call as she throws her yoyo forward, wraps it around the minion and pulls them close. “I was in the middle of a conversation.” She chastises before yanking their sword away and using the butt of it to knock the minion out. Huffing, she unmutes the call. “Sorry about that, just uh, klutz moment?”

“Marinette, what is going on? Do you need assistance?” Damian asks, worry clear in his voice. Marinette frowns.

“Uh no?” She says unsurely. Honestly, it might be time to move up their plans. See if they could get Hawkmoth today.

“Are you-” He starts, but she screams in pain as a sword is inserted into her shoulder. Yanking away, she snaps her yoyo shut and immediately starts fighting the minion. It was time to end this.

---

Damian Wayne liked to think of himself as a level headed individual. Yes, he could get angry. He was his Father’s son, after all. However, he always believed that he could stay calm in tricky situations. That belief, though, crumbled the instant he heard Marinette’s pain filled scream.

“Marinette!” He yells, panic shooting through him. But the call disconnects. Making his mind, Damian grabs his keys and rushes out of the manor, towards her apartment. He definitely broke several traffic laws as he sped through Gotham, but he didn’t care. He had to make sure she was okay. Parking right in front of her building, he takes the stairs two at a time, not wanting to wait for the ancient elevator. Rushing to a stop in front of her door, he knocks twice. Not hearing any movement on the other side, he uses his spare key to unlock the door and enter the apartment. He stays silent as he clears the apartment, scanning for any sign of a struggle. Any sign as to why his girlfriend was hurt. And how. But there was nothing. Pushing down his panic, he tries to call her back on the number she’d just used, but the call would not go through. It was almost as if the number did not exist. Frowning, he tries her personal number.

“Pick up, pick up.” He mutters into the phone.

“Hi!” She says chirpily, and he sighs with relief. “This is Marinette. I can’t come to the phone-” He growls and hangs up, pacing the living room for a minute before calling her back.

“Hi! This is Marinette. I can’t come to the phone-” He hangs up again. He runs through his head for any contacts they have in common who she may have contacted. Kent? Maybe….making up his mind, he exits the apartment and locks the door again. Taking the stairs two at a time again, he decides to call Agreste on his way to the Batcave. If he hadn’t heard from her either, Damian would just have to try and find her as Robin. He had more resources that way.

“Hello?” Agreste answers on the second ring, sounding as though he had recently been exercising.

“Agreste, this is Damian Wayne.” Damian says, switching his phone over to the bluetooth in his car.

“Yeah, obviously. I have caller ID. What is it?” Agreste asks with a huff. Damian frowns.

“I was calling to see if you had heard from Marinette.” He says. Agreste grunts, sounding almost as if he was in the middle of a fight.

“No, I haven’t. Is that all?” He asks, clearly frustrated.

“What is happening?” Damian asks.

“Akuma attack. Gotta go.” Agreste huffs out, the line disconnecting.

“Call Jon Kent.” Damian says.

“Calling, Jon Kent.” The car says, the sound of the phone ringing echoing throughout the car.

“Damian! What’s up?” Kent asks happily.

“Have you heard from Marinette?” Damian asks.

“No? What’s wrong, you sound worried?” Kent asks, clearly concerned. Damian lets out a slow breath, trying to calm himself. He was no use to Marinette if he was panicked.

“I was on the phone with Marinette, she screamed, and the call disconnected.” He says simply.

“I’ll try listening for her. We’ll figure out what it is, Damian. Don’t worry.” Kent reassures him.

“If I do not hear from her soon, I will be going out as Robin to look for her.” Damian says.

“I’ll make sure my suit is ready.” Kent says simply before hanging up. Damian feels a small wave of relief wash over him. They would find her. She would be okay. She had to be okay. Using one of the exterior entrances for the Batcave, Damian freezes as he hears Marinette’s voice ring throughout the cave.

“Marinette?” He whispers, unbelieving. He rushes forward, but stays hidden in the shadows when he sees it’s Ladybug on the screen talking to his Father. Not Marinette. He frowns. He was so sure…

“Our plan’s been moved up. Chat Noir is MIA and we can’t find the akumatized individual. It’s almost like they don’t exist. Which isn’t the point. I need someone to help scan security cameras, try and help us get a location on Hawkmoth. Maybe even Chat Noir? I don’t know, I’m just worried that he’s hurt and that Carapace and I aren’t around to help him.” Ladybug rambles. Damian narrows his eyes as he looks at her. Her face had scratches, and the fabric on one of her shoulders was darker than the other. Most likely drenched in blood.

“Of course, Ladybug. Do you need additional backup?” His Father asks. Her eyes widen slightly and she ducks down as a sword comes into view.

“Listen asshole, you already made me cancel my damn date. Stop trying to kill me!” She screeches, somehow gaining control of the sword. She flips it and the hilt of the sword disappears momentarily, a thud occurring out of sight before she twirls the sword, relaxing her shoulders slightly. Damian gasps lowly as he looks at her, and it’s almost as if a layer of magic surrounding her melts away. He tunes out the rest of the conversation because he realizes: Marinette is Ladybug. Skirting around the edges of the cave, he makes it to the locker room. Grabbing one of his suits, he pulls out his phone and calls Kent again.

“I need a pickup outside my house in two minutes. We are going to Paris.”

---

“Carapace, fall back. We need to recharge.” Ladybug says tiredly. He nods, taking a few steps back to stand in line with her. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she manages to swing them away from the horde of minions that were quickly approaching. Swinging into her go-to alcove, she lets her shoulders slump.

“Okay, seriously, where is the akuma? Or Hawkmoth? It’s like he’s trying to play with us. Trying to mess with us.” Carapace huffs out. She shrugs before turning, both standing back to back as they let their transformations drop.

“I have no clue. And Batman is having trouble trying to find anything. I hate how this is all happening right before we were supposed to execute our plan. Seriously, how is our luck this bad? The Ladybug Miraculous is supposed to be good luck.” She huffs out.

“Oops?” A familiar voice says. Marinette’s eyes widen as Chat Noir lands in front of them, his eyes wide.

“Chat Noir!” Marinette shrieks, hoping he hadn’t been around long enough to know.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry you guys. I didn’t- Well, the plan wasn’t-” He starts to ramble, a terrified look on his face.

“It’s okay dude.” Nino says gently, his eyes closed. Marinette pinches the bridge of her nose, wanting nothing more than for this to all be a bad dream. Everything that could go wrong, was going wrong.

“No, you don’t understand.” Chat Noir says, shaking his head. Marinette frowns.

“What do you mean?” She asks.

“Plagg, claws in.” He says. She yelps and squeezes her eyes shut.

“No, Marinette, Nino, please, look at me.” He says, effectively outing her to Nino (though, she was pretty sure he already knew). “Guys please.” He says again. Marinette opens her eyes, blinking in surprise.

“Adrien?” She says.

“No way.” Nino says, not opening his eyes.

“Open your eyes, ya goof.” Marinette says with a laugh. Nino huffs, but opens his eyes, jaw dropping.

“I can’t believe you’re Chat Noir.” He breathes out. Adrien chuckles.

“Surprise?” He says. Marinette frowns.

“Your Father-” She starts, and Adrien nods, a hopeful look on his face.

“Yeah, I know, but see, now that we know each other’s identities, it’ll be so much easier.” He says. She frowns.

“Easier for what? I thought our team worked fine.” She says. He sighs.

“Yeah, sure, but now that you know everything, you’ll give me the earrings, right?” He asks. She flinches, taking a step back as he takes a step forward.

“What?” She says under her breath.

“Your earrings? I really didn’t want to have to fight you guys, and now that we know we’re all friends under the masks too, you’ll give them to me, right?” He pleads. Tears spring to her eyes as she shakes her head.

“No, no, Adrien what are you-”

“I’ve been helping my Father.” He says quietly. “I just- I want my mom back.”

“Run.” Nino whispers before calling his transformation and lunging at Adrien. Marinette quickly calls on Tikki before swinging away, moving as quickly as she can as she hears her friends fight behind her. The panic shoots through her veins as she realizes how difficult this just became. Adrien was Chat Noir. Chat Noir was on Hawkmoth’s side. Hawkmoth, technically, already had the ring. She swings into one of the towers of Notre-Dame, everything starting to piece together in her mind. When he’d stopped showing up for battles. When he stopped being as helpful. The fact that he wasn’t working with the Young Justice at all. She chokes back a sob, immediately throwing a punch as someone lands in front of her.

“Ladybug, stop!” Damian yells. Her eyes widen at the sight of her boyfriend in his Robin gear standing next to Jon.

“What are you doing here?” She asks, wiping furiously at her eyes.

“I was worried when you screamed and the call cut off.” He says.

“Well I didn’t mean to worry you, but I don’t exactly have a better reaction to being stabbed- oh shit.” Her eyes widen as she realizes he knew. “How long-”

“Earlier. I was in the cave while Father was on the call with you.” He says simply. She tries hard to ignore the awful churning in her stomach. Another thud makes her tense, then relax immediately at the sight of Carapace.

“Somehow, we’re still linked, we’ve gotta keep moving cause he can definitely still track us. We can’t afford to detransform until we’ve taken their Miraculous.” Carapace says firmly, wiping blood off his face. Ladybug’s eyes widen.

“What the hell did he-”

“LB, dudette, love your concern, not right now.” He says firmly, glancing at the other heroes before pursing his lips. “You tell him?” He asks, nodding towards Jon. Ladybug winces, shaking her head.

“No, I-”

“Mari, Nino, please come back!” Chat Noir yells, and she can tell he’s moving towards them fast.

“What the hell-” Damian starts, but she cuts him off.

“Not right now. I’ll explain later.” She says, running and leaping out of the tower.

“Please! Just- look, we don’t want to hurt you! Especially now that I know you’re my friends. Please.” Chat pleads, calling after them. An idea pops into her head.

“Then get your Father to show up. Meet us himself and promise us that he won’t hurt us or our families.” Ladybug calls back to him. She pauses on a roof, breathing heavily as she watches him also pause. He tilts his head to the side, and she’s not sure if he’s thinking, or using a comm to communicate with his dad. The thought makes her stomach churn. How often had Hawkmoth listened in on their meetings? Their plans? Their hangouts where they all claimed to love and care for each other. Where they promised each other that everything would be okay. How long had he pretended to be on their side? How long had he been a traitor?

“Fine. He says…the top of Françoise Dupont in fifteen minutes.” He says, glancing longingly at Jon before rushing away. Ladybug waits until she can’t see him, then collapses to her knees, letting out a long scream.

“I gotchu LB, don’t worry.” Carapace says gently, wrapping his arms around her as she gives herself just a minute to cry. A minute to let everything sink in. Because besides everything that had happened, he was still her friend. She cared about him, and the fact that he had turned on them hurt like hell.

“What is going on?” Damian asks, the worry clear in his voice. Sucking in a deep breath, she wipes her eyes, letting Carapace help her to her feet shakily.

“Chat Noir has been working for Hawkmoth.” She says softly. Carapace huffs, and she glances at him.

“That’s putting it lightly, LB. He betrayed us. This wasn’t some spur of the moment shit. He planned this. He’s been working with him for a while. He was the mole. The reason Hawkmoth always seemed one step ahead of us. He tried to get LB to give up her earrings earlier. Once he realized that we’re friends under the mask too. God, how could I be so stupid?” Carapace yells, whirling around and punching a chimney. He swears under his breath and shakes out his hand, the bruises on his knuckles already forming.

“Who is it?” Jon asks, sounding panicked. Marinette winces, turning away. “Who is it?” He asks again, softer this time.

“I think you know.” She says. His face crumbles, before a hard mask covers it and he whirls around, flying towards the school. Shit. She zips after him, hearing Robin and Carapace scramble to follow. She lands a little bit away, frowning at the scene in front of her.

“Did you ever even love me?” Jon asks. Chat-no- Adrien whirls around, eyes wide.

“Jon-”

“No! Did you ever care about me? About any of us? Because if you did- if you did, Adrien, how the hell can you stand there and work alongside someone who has emotionally tortured people for years?” Jon screams, tears streaming down his face. Adrien frowns, glancing around as if looking for some sort of backup.

“But, my mom-” He says. Jon shakes his head.

“You could have asked for help! The second you found out she was here, in a coma, you could have come to the League. Or Ladybug or someone and asked for help. So many different heroes could have helped you, and would have been willing! Especially since you were a hero. God, Adrien, you were a hero! You stood there and watched LB get totally wrecked at several different attacks, all because you didn't have the fucking guts to stand up and say that something was wrong. Or at least the fucking decency to stay home if you weren't going to help her.” Jon growls out. Marinette winces, not used to seeing this side of Jon. Adrien sighs, taking a step towards Jon. He visibly flinches as Jon takes a step away from him.

“Jon, please, I’m begging you. I just-”

“No. We're done, Agreste. I am so beyond hurt, right now. I- I loved you, Adrien. I loved you and you hurt me. You hurt the people I care about. People that I thought you cared about-” Jon freezes, visibly tensing. “How long have you been working with him?” Marinette inhales sharply. That was the one thing she hadn’t asked. The one thing she wasn’t sure if- she didn’t know what she’d do if it turned out their entire partnership had been a lie.

“I-” Adrien hesitates, and her heart drops. “I’m not sure you want me to tell you.”

“How long?” Jon yells, the pain clear on his face.

“Almost two years.” He says, and Marinette can’t help the tears that start streaming once again.

“Did you ever even love me? Are you even sorry?” Jon asks, shaking his head.

“Yes! Jon, I’m so- I never meant- I love you. Please.” Adrien pleads, rushing forward and trying to grab Jon’s hands. Jon shakes his head, flying away, probably to wherever Robin was hiding. Marinette glances at Carapace, who had landed next to her. She reaches down and squeezes his hand in reassurance. Chat Noir was Ladybug’s best friend. Adrien was Nino’s. Taking in a deep breath, she moves with him to stand in front of Adrien, who had tears streaming down his face.

“Where is Hawkmoth?” She asks, wanting nothing more than to get this over with. He hiccups, swiping at his tears.

“I uh, I don’t, he should be coming.” Adrien mutters out, his face contorted with pain. “Mari? Remember when you said I didn’t have to be perfect to deserve love?” He asks. She bites her lip harshly, ignoring the sting from the breaking of the delicate skin.

“That didn’t mean you could go and work with a villain, Adrien! God, do you know I would have done anything to help you bring your mother back? I would have walked through hell for you, Adrien. I would have even gone to that stupid misogynstic temple full of people who hated me, if it meant I could learn the right magic to help. Why didn’t you let us help you?” She says, shaking her head.

“Because he did not need your false promises, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” Hawkmoth says, landing next to Adrien, Mayura landing behind him.

“Well what a dysfunctional family.” Carapace says, narrowing his eyes. Hawkmoth- Gabriel, purses his lips.

“Lahiffe.” He says with a nod.

“Now you can give us the earrings and we can fix mom and everything will be okay. Because you won’t hurt them, right, Father?” Adrien says, glancing at his dad hopefully. Gabriel quirks an eyebrow, holding his hand out.

“The ring, Adrien.” He says. Adrien frowns.

“You won’t hurt them, right Father?” He asks. Gabriel’s eyes narrow.

“Do you want your mother back or would you rather protect your little friends?” He asks. Adrien winces, glancing up at them. And for a moment, for a split second, Marinette thinks he’s on their side. That it was all an elaborate prank. But then he frowns at them.

“I’m sorry.” He says, taking his ring off and ignoring Plagg’s cries as he passes it to his dad. “I just want my mom back.” Before Gabriel can slide the ring on, a figure flashes forward and grabs it, rushing back to stand by her.

“I believe this belongs to you, LB.” Kid Flash says, his eyes sad. She nods firmly, turning and glaring at the group in front of her.

“I suggest you hand over the Miraculous now.” She says. Gabriel roars with fury, a cloud of purple and black magic forming over him. Gritting her teeth, she turns to Kid Flash and raises an eyebrow. He nods and darts forward, barely visible before he’s standing next to her once again. He passes the two brooches to her, and her stomach churns. All of this. Five years of torture. Of dying, and hurting. And never being able to actually feel. It never would have happened without these little pieces of jewelry. And the man in front of her. Five years of pain. Over.

Next

Permanent tag list: @stainedglassm @kittenmywaythrulife @laydeekrayzee @doll246 @queenz-z @deathssilentapproach-blog @literaryhiraeth @unoriginalmess @crazylittlemunchkin

Story tag list: @kking13 @jayjayspixiepop @ritacrow-blog @fangirlingfanatic @basenikon @toodaloo-kangaroo @maribat-calendar-events @hammalammadamdam @kittyditzydancer

#maribat #maribat fanfiction #maribat fanfic #maribat fic #maribat adrien agreste #maribat identity reveal #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat nino lahiffe #maribat damian wayne #maribat kid flash #maribat robin #maribat jon kent #maribat ladybug #maribat chat noir #maribat carapace #daminette #daminettedec21 #maribat december #adrijon #maribat hawkmoth

[archived-kin]

you braid your favourite fire boy’s hair (and get indirectly confessed to, maybe)

note from kin: some of you may say that diluc is too calm and stoic to be an arsonist but i refuse to believe the man hasn't set a tiny bit of fire to kaeya’s house at some point or another

fandom: genshin impact

character(s): gn!reader, diluc, aether (mentioned), venti (mentioned)

pairing(s): diluc/reader

warning(s): none! (except, like, hair brushing and stuff? i don’t if that counts but i also don’t know what sort of trauma people have so,,, here’s the warning just in case)

genre: fluff

“How do you even manage your hair?”

Diluc shoots you a look over the bar as you lean forward on the counter. “What are you talking about?”

It’s another one of those nights where Mondstadt and the area around it is pretty quiet. Normally you’d be out doing commissions or just general favours for the public with your adventuring buddy Aether and his friend (pet? guardian fairy?) Paimon, but he’s been in Liyue for the last week or so helping Zhongli run some errands, and likely won’t be back for another few days. He had asked you whether you’d wanted to come with him - the two of you make a dynamic duo like no other, after all - but the last time you’d spent time with Zhongli, you’d ended up having to pay about ten thousand Mora in terms of expenses on his behalf. You love the guy, but he really grinds your gears with his inability to comprehend how basic currency works sometimes.

So off Aether had gone to Liyue, though not without promising to bring you back a Starconch or something in return for your offer to patrol his area for him in his absence, and you had stayed behind in Mondstadt, promising to let him know if anything about his missing twin sister comes up while he’s gone.

As much as you’d like to (mostly for poor Aether’s fragile sense of self worth), you can’t say it’s been a particularly difficult week without him in terms of work - you miss your friend, of course, but there haven’t really been any outstanding attacks in the area that you didn’t manage to take care of within the hour. The lack of disturbances also means that Mr Darknight Hero over there hasn’t had much to do either, so he’s spent most of the past few nights behind the bar - which means, of course, that you’ve been coming is much more often than usual to see him.

Angel’s Share is a bar by trade, so of course it’s open all night to any gracious patron looking for something to drink. More than often it’s full, being one of the more renowned taverns in the city, but today is a day of rest, and so Diluc had closed up shop about half an hour ago.

Why are you still allowed in Angel’s Share if it’s closed, you ask? Well, obviously it’s because Diluc likes you so much!

No, that’s a lie - while you’ve always thought of Diluc as a close friend, you’re more inclined to believe that Diluc himself is only letting you stay here past closing time because he owes you for helping him out with a particularly overzealous Abyss Mage that had gotten a little too close to the city gates yesterday.

Still, you can’t help but hope that there’s some other reason behind his lenience...

“Hair’s hard to take care of, and you have a lot of it,” You respond matter-of-factly, dipping a biscuit into your mug of tea and shoving it whole into your mouth. Much like Diluc, you prefer to abstain from alcohol when you can - ironic, considering you’ve spent so much time in a bar recently. “I’m just curious. What do you do with it when you go to sleep?”

He shakes his head with a quiet scoff and returns to polishing an empty tankard. “I don’t do anything with it.”

“What, so you just leave it in a ponytail all the time?”

Diluc looks up to see you shooting him a scandalised look. He sighs, evidently not particularly willing to put up with one of your moods this late at night. “Of course not.”

You relax a little, only to stiffen right back up when he continues, “I take it down to wash it.”

“You—” You take a deep breath in an effort to calm yourself, setting your elbows on the table and pressing your hands together as if praying to Barbatos to save this poor man’s hair-ends. Finally, after a moment of silence, you ask, voice hushed, as if afraid that the answer will be too much for you to handle, “How the hell is your hair still so pretty?”

Diluc pauses in the middle of putting his freshly-polished tankard away. He takes a long while to formulate a response - whether because he’s nonplussed by the gormlessness of your question or something else (because he’s flustered, maybe? You know better than to hope in vain, but you can’t really help what your idiot of a heart does to your mind).

Finally, though, he mutters in reply, “Pretty?”

Your hand hesitates in the middle of reaching for another biscuit from the plate sitting next to you. Diluc doesn’t sound offended, but you know better than to assume that he isn’t. You don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with calling his hair pretty, but maybe it stings his ego as a man or something?

“Uh, yeah…?” You curl your fingers around your warm mug and pull it towards you, staring determinedly down at its contents to disguise your growing nervousness. “I mean, well, it always looks really healthy and soft and glowy and stuff…”

Well, if he wasn’t offended before, he probably is now. You mentally cuff yourself around the head, reminding yourself that you shouldn’t let yourself get loose-lipped just because you’re so relaxed in the homeliness of the tavern. It doesn’t matter how comforting the warmth of the mug in your hands is, nor does it matter how fuzzy just being in Dilic’s presence makes you feel - you need to watch what you say.

But then you see Diluc move out of the corner of your eye, and you look back up to see him standing much closer than he was before, a smile tugging at his lips. You can practically feel your heart screech out of pure surprised joy as he reaches out and gently brushes his knuckles against your cheek.

“Thank you,” He murmurs - do you dare to hope that you hear affection in his voice? - and pulls away as quickly as he’d come close. “I appreciate it.”

You aggressively force your breathing to even out as he moves back to his work, going about his usual duties of making sure all the bottles on display are tightly shut and squeaky clean. Surely the fact that he willingly initiated contact with you - and such intimate-feeling contact at that - must mean something? Diluc has never been the type to be physically affectionate with friends, not like Kaeya, who you’re pretty sure has kissed about half of his entire friendship circle, or Lisa, who has absolutely zero qualms about giving a stranger a bone-crushing hug if they need one. Even if this only means that he considers you a closer friend than the others, though, you can’t help the delighted flutter in the pit of your stomach.

Diluc’s touch has far more power than you’ll ever admit - brief as the contact was, it’s sent such a rush of adrenaline through your entire body that you somehow muster up enough courage to abruptly ask, “Would you mind if I braided it?”

Diluc pauses again. You watch him in anticipation as he slowly turns around to look back at you. “...why would you want to do that?”

“Uh—” You struggle to come up with a decent reason that won’t make you sound like a lovesick fool, and eventually settle on, “I just think it would look nice?”

Diluc stares at you in silence for so long that you begin to think that you’ve lost him completely with your out-of-nowhere request. Then, however, he gives you a curt nod. “Go ahead.”

You barely catch yourself in time to prevent your shock from showing on your face as Diluc moves out from behind the counter and sits down in the seat beside you. “...uh?”

“Go ahead,” He repeats, reaching up and untying his hair from its low ponytail. It tumbles over the back of the chair in messy waves, reflecting the light of the fire so precisely that it almost looks like it’s glowing in the dim lighting of the tavern. “I assume you know how, since you offered.”

It takes you a moment to do something other than stare in pure dumbfounded surprise, but once you snap out of your mini-trance, you nod hurriedly and get to your feet, reaching in your pocket as you do so. You’ve made a habit of carrying around spare hair ties and a foldable wooden comb ever since you and Aether had started working together - his hair comes undone from its plait a lot in battle, and it’s always all matted and tangled in the morning if he lets it down to sleep - which means you won’t have to fumble about for an hour trying to comb’s Diluc’s abundance of hair out with only your fingers.

Diluc is sitting as prim and proper as ever in his chair as you hesitantly move around to stand behind him and - after a long, uncertain pause - begin to brush his hair. His back is ramrod straight, which doesn’t look comfortable at all, but you suppose that whatever works for him is fine.

“That feels nice,” He murmurs quietly as you carefully tease out a knot. Your hands freeze for a moment, then silently continue with their work. “You’re good at this.”

After a pause, you reply, equally quiet, “I get a lot of practice.”

He hums in reply, and the deep rumble of his voice almost seems to fill the room. “...with Aether, I presume.”

You nod, then realise he can’t see you and hurry to give him a verbal answer. “Yeah.”

There’s a long silence between the two of you. You continue to work your way through Diluc’s abundance of hair, painstakingly spending far too long combing out each tangle and kink out of fear that you’ll hurt him if you get too rough.

You don’t know how much time has passed by the time Diluc finally speaks up again. “You spend a lot of time with him.”

It’s a statement, not a question - but you can’t blame him for phrasing him that way. It’s well-known around the city of Mondstadt that you and Aether have been partners-in-crime ever since the two of you had bonded over nearly being stampeded by a swarm of hilichurls and working together to kill them all. It’s odd that he’s bringing it up now, though… you wonder why.

“...well, I do, yes. We are adventuring partners…”

Diluc inhales and lets out a soft sigh. You don’t miss the way that his shoulders tense up slightly. Another long silence passes, and he finally murmurs, “I might be a little jealous.”

You freeze again. Did you hear him right? Did Diluc really just say what you think he just said? He’s… jealous?

You don’t even have time to try to formulate a response before he starts speaking again. “The two of you are always out exploring together. It’s rare that we get to see each like this.”

“...hey, now…” It’s not often that you’re unable to find words - you’ve always had a sharp tongue. Right now, though, it feels like they’ve all dried up in your mouth. “What are you trying to say…?”

Diluc pauses. Then he lets out a soft chuckle - one that has no right to have the effect on you that it does. “...nothing. I just mean that it’s nice to be able to spend time together like this.”

He doesn’t continue, and you take that as a sign that this particular stretch of the conversation is over, and return to carefully separating his hair into segments. Your hands wobble imperceptibly as you do so, but if he notices, he doesn’t say anything about it.

Diluc sighs and lets his shoulders relax as you start pulling the locks of hair over each other into the beginnings of a long braid, carefully tugging it closer to the base of his head so that it looks a little neater. You’re not sure whether you want to go for something similar to Aethar’s plait or something more intricate, but considering the hour, you’d probably be better off keeping it simple. You wonder briefly what colour ribbon would look nice against the deep red of his hair, but quickly shut the idea down - it’s already a wonder that Diluc is letting you do this, and you don’t want to push your luck.

(You don’t know this, but, though his face is calm and composed, Diluc is so hyper aware of his stuttering heartbeat that he’s sure you can hear it. He almost wishes you would use more force with your hands, if only so that he can feel the movement of your fingers more clearly - there’s something therapeutic in the way they weave through his hair. He could almost fall asleep there on the spot, so soothing is your presence and the warmth of the fire, but he wants to talk longer.)

“Hey,” you begin, suddenly feeling that the quietude is more awkward than comfortable. “If you’re ever free, uh… I’m sure Aether wouldn’t mind if you came out on an expedition with us. There are some rumours about an Oceanid popping up in Starfell Lake…”

Diluc makes an indiscernible noise in response to indicate that he’s thinking about your question. You wait with bated breath, only to feel disappointment drop in your chest like a rock when he shakes his head, shifting the incomplete braid in your hands.

A moment later, though, the pressure disappears as he says quietly, “I’d much rather go with you alone.”

“Oh…” You breathe out loud before realising your mistake. You resist the urge to slap your hand to your mouth to shut yourself up, and instead hurry to rectify yourself by continuing, “That sounds good.”

Diluc chuckles again. “You don’t sound particularly enthused by the idea.”

“No, that’s not what I meant!” You shock even yourself with just how indignantly loud your voice gets. You hasten to quiet yourself, continuing much more mutedly, “Um— I mean, I’d love to.”

You can’t see his face, but you can almost hear Diluc’s soft smile in the way he speaks. “Then it’s settled. I’ll take a look at my schedule and let you know when I’m free, alright?”

You can’t help but feel an enormous grin pulling at your own mouth. Well, can anyone really blame you? You’ve just discovered that your unrequited feelings for Diluc might not be as unrequited as you’d initially thought! It’s almost too good to be true - as if you’re dreaming. It’s like the two of you are one of those couples in Venti’s songs, the ones that he likes to play after a good hour of so of drinking, staring meaningfully at you at the end of each… line…

Wait a minute…

A flame-haired noble with a stare as cold as ice, who does his duties by day and hunts evil at night? An adventurer with no roots left at home, who clings to action so as to not feel so alone? The longing stares across a busy room, the late nights thinking of a face so dear, the romance waiting to blossom and bloom, the hopes and wishes that they would stay here?

Son of a hilichurl! That cheeky bard really wrote a song about you and Diluc - and you somehow hadn’t noticed!

“What’s wrong?”

You jolt out of your train of thought as Diluc turns around to look at you. The faint concern on his face is enough to send butterflies spinning through your stomach. Stupid heart. Am I really that weak for this man? “Huh?”

“You haven’t moved in a while,” He says by way of explanation, gesturing to the end of the braid that you’re still holding. “Is there something bothering you?”

You stare at his face - at the deep red of his irises, the flutter of his long lashes, the strands of red hair framing his face, the faint freckles on the slope of his nose. You breathe out a quiet laugh. Perhaps there will never be a time when you can tell him the true extent of how you feel about him, but this will certainly be a start.

“No, nothing at all. So, about tomorrow…?”

#unedited #genshin impact #genshin imagines #diluc x reader #genshin diluc #genshin aether #genshin venti #i wrote this at like two in the morning so i'm sorry if it sucks #you know i thought i'd be more desperate for wishes when i played this game after seeing everyone online #but i'm already so attached to my team now that i kinda don't want any new characters??? #(my team is aether kaeya barbara and lisa btw) #i've levelled up chongyun up because i was debating replacing kaeya as the cryo in my team but now i just use him for the electro hypostasis #and that's it #i've just got fischl and sucrose sitting it here at level one because i can't be bothered to level them up #anyway sorry about rambling #enjoy this little thing darlings!!

[malleux]

little one. | k.a

-> Pairing: Kaeya Alberich x Parent!Fem!Reader

-> Genre: Fluff, More platonic than romantic idk reader has feelings they’re not too acted upon

-> Requested: Yes

-> “ooooh! can i have a single parent!au for whoever you choose in genshin?? thank you!”

-> Summary: Kaeya accidentally meets your daughter

-> A/N: this is the cutest ask ever, and if you know me from my other writing accounts, you’d know that i’m a sucker for au’s! i did take some personal liberties ofc because the request wasn’t really specific. thank you anon! this fic really didn’t turn out the way i had wanted, but i didn’t know how to incorporate all of my ideas, so maybe i’ll do a part two who knows :)

Being an adventurer was a difficult job. Being a mother was also quite difficult. Being both was even worse.

Completing quests and going on daring missions was one of your favorite things to do, but protecting Ella was your priority.

Your five-year-old was your pride and joy, the best thing to ever happen to you, despite you having her at a young age. You and your daughter lived a happy life that you kept completely separate from your adventurer work. Nobody except for Jean and Lisa even knew about Ella, as you preferred to leave her with a babysitter on the days you were around town.

Ella was with the babysitter now, as you were sitting at a desk in the library, researching more on Abyss Mages before taking on a commission that included them. Your mind wandered, though, imagining how Ella would make you play dolls with her when you got home. She’d then play by herself for a bit while you cooked dinner, only to bathe and fall asleep very quickly after that. Goodness, you really missed her-

“Y/N! Just the girl I was looking for.”

You peeked up from your book, quirking an eyebrow. “You were looking for me?”

“I just wanted to remind you about tonight.” Kaeya chuckled, laying his hand on the top of the sword attached to his hip. “You promised me you’d get a drink with me this evening, remember?”

Ah, shit. You did remember.

You’d lost a bet yesterday with Kaeya, and his reward was you stopping by Diluc’s tavern with him for a few drinks. You hadn’t drank since you became pregnant. Kaeya didn’t know this, of course. You’d only moved to Mondstadt a few months ago, but you’d become close friends with the Calvary Captain and the other knights.

Yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to tell everybody about your daughter. Especially those who you may be slightly... romantically interested in. You’d had men in your life before who knew of Ella. They’d ultimately left, leaving both you and your daughter heartbroken. You kept her a secret from then on, unable to put your daughter through that again.

“Yeah, yeah. I remember.”

“You better. I’ll pick you up from your place this evening.” Kaeya winked at you- or blinked, you really couldn’t tell with that god-awful eyepatch- and walked back to his own office. You blushed at the thought of being alone with him.

Was it like a date? Just two friends getting drinks after work? What? You slightly hoped for the former.

There was no denying that Kaeya was an extremely attractive individual. He was everything you wanted in a man, plus some. You often daydreamed about what it would be like to be with the Cryo user- how happy Ella would be around him and how well he may be with children. You imagined your family to be happy. But alas, that was just a daydream.

One that you had to quit imagining. You were getting too hopeful.

You shook your head and closed the book, deciding to head out of Mondstadt to complete the commission.

꧁꧂

“Mommy!”

A grin appeared on your face as you scooped your daughter into your arms, spinning her around in a hug. Ella’s babysitter stood in the doorway with a smile on her face, watching your toddler tell you about her day.

You walked over to the older lady, smiling back apologetically. “I’m sorry to ask this, but I completely forgot that I had promised a co-worker to go out with them tonight. Would it be any hassle for you to keep her a little longer?”

“Of course not.” The sitter waved her hand and you set down Ella, who skipped to her room to play.

“Thank you so much,” You sighed, “I promise you’ll be compensated.”

She only laughed and turned to go into your daughter’s room, leaving you to head to yours.

You began getting ready, but you had to pause, feeling anxiety sink into your chest. It had been a while since you'd had feelings for someone and while this evening may be a casual, platonic outing to Kaeya, it was nothing less than nerve-wracking for you.

Was it platonic, though? Kaeya was always quite the flirter with you- but he was like that with others, too, wasn’t he? Was this a simple co-worker get-together, or was he picking you up from your house for a potential date?

Wait, picking you up from your house?

Kaeya was coming over to get you. To walk with you to the tavern.

You internally panicked. Ella always cried before you left and today was probably no exception. You weren’t ready for him to know about your daughter yet. That was something for when you were 100% sure he wouldn’t be weirded out. He wouldn’t, you were sure, but your nerves definitely told you otherwise.

“Miss Y/N? There’s someone at the door.”

You froze in your spot for a second, but thanked the babysitter and rushed to the front door.

“Hello little one.”

“My mommy’s in her room getting ready!”

“Oh, is she now? She’s getting all prettied up?”

“Mommy’s already pretty!”

“Aha, yes she is.”

You couldn’t help but wince at the sound of Ella and Kaeya’s voices. All secrets were out the window now, you supposed. You came to the doorway and scooped Ella into your arms, giving Kaeya a weary smile.

“I’m sorry for making you wait, I’m ready when you are.”

Kaeya chuckled, “Let’s go, then. I do believe that we have a lot to talk about now.”

You sighed and put your daughter down, giving her a kiss on the forehead before following Kaeya to the tavern. The walk was silent, but your mind wasn’t. You were dreading whatever “talk” Kaeya had mentioned, already fearing the worst. He’s a rather liberated man- there’s no way he’d be interested in a girl with a kid, right? That would tie him down too much.

Your panic attack was cut short as Kaeya entered the tavern and loudly greeted the people inside, leading you to a seat in the corner of the room. You sat silently, fiddling with your fingers and avoiding Kaeya’s gaze.

“So, when were you gonna tell anyone?” His voice made you look up.

“I mean, Jean and Lisa know...”

“And I didn’t? I thought we were close, Y/N.” There was an obvious joking tone to his voice, but you still felt a sharp pain in your heart. You felt guilty.

“I just don’t want a lot of people knowing of Ella. It gets complicated, especially being an adventurer with some enemies. Friendships can get complicated, too.” And relationships, you refrained from saying. “Please don’t see me any differently-“

“See you any differently? Why would I do that?” Kaeya furrowed his eyebrows. “I already adore having one of you around, so it’s even better that you’ve got a cute little mini-me running around too. I understand it gets hard, but you’ve got Jean and Lisa, and now me, to help you out. I’ve only met her once, but I love her already.”

Your chest warmed at his words and you gave him a small smile. Kaeya returned it and looked down at the table, reaching towards your hand and giving it a tight squeeze. “There are no ill feelings towards you just because of that. Some people aren’t too supportive of single parents, but that’s not who I am. Anything you need, you can count on Kaeya to help.”

“Thank you...”

You squeezed his hand back and he beckoned a waiter over. The evening was spent drinking and laughing, never once releasing hands.

#fanfiction #fic blog #x reader #lay writes #writing #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin kaeya #kaeya x reader #kaeya ragnvindr #kaeya alberich #kaeya imagines #au #parent au

[shera-dnd]

I totally forgot there was a raffle fic from last month I didn't get to, so WHOOPS

but here it is now!

So who is ready for some Little Witch Academia and some rarepair nonsense?

I guess I have to keep my brand going even when I'm writing commissions, and there is nothing more on brand for me than the mean girl begrudgingly falling in love for the sunshine girl

Enjoy the Hannakko everyone

Hannah England had had a long day. Barbara was taking part in some big event for writers so she could promote her new book. Which meant Hannah had to go help her set everything up, and keep her from yelling at and/or making out with Lotte. After previous experiences in these events, Hannah had to accept they were both equally possible.

Thankfully she didn’t have to help her best friend stay focused this time. Though she still had to play secretary for her, and also help move several boxes of books around, and spread the word of the event around. The specifics didn’t matter, what mattered was that it was late, she was exhausted, and she needed a drink.

So she let Barbara go make some bad decisions with the cute nerdy witch she liked, and decided to hit the pub instead. She managed to find a nice looking place nearby, with a chill atmosphere. It was the perfect place to get some food, relax, and get slightly drunk. Just what she needed right now.

It was also the perfect place for Hannah to practice her favorite hobby. Judging people. Well, it was actually people watching, but she had a habit of getting mean halfway through, and some people made it too easy. Like that weirdo sitting in the corner with their hood up. Who does that in the middle of a pub? Are they stalking someone?

Hannah already had a whole nasty scenario forming in her head for what this creep was even doing here. But then she noticed a familiar pair of red eyes under that hood, and she simply couldn’t believe who the creepy weirdo was.

“Akko!?” She blurted out, causing the person in the hood to jump up in place and yelp.

“Y-Yeah that’s me,” Akko admitted, pulling down her hood, “you got me. So do you want an autograph or… wait, Hannah?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Hannah just had to laugh at that reaction, “and why would anyone want your autograph?”

Not waiting to be invited, and not caring if Akko was going to or not, Hannah decided to take a seat at her table, intently watching her old colleague. It had been years since she had last seen Akko and even though she had grown into quite the beautiful woman, she still looked just like the same hyperactive girl she met back at Luna Nova.

“Well I kinda returned magic to the world,” Akko reminded her with a casual shrug, “and I also had a show here just yesterday.”

“Is that what you’re doing here then? Hiding from all the fans?” Hannah asked, and Akko just groaned. Hannah couldn’t hold in the little snicker at that, “and here I thought I’d never see the day Atsuko Kagari didn’t want to be the center of attention.”

Akko pouted, and Hannah noted that she still looked adorable when she was grumpy.

“Hey! Being the center of attention is my job now,” she argued, “I need a break from it every once in a while. Anonymity can be nice sometimes.”

“And you didn’t use transformation magic because…?”

She refused to answer, instead looking away and silently sipping her beer.

“You forgot about it, didn’t you?” Hannah teased.

“I was tired okay!” Akko complained, “you know I don’t think well when I’m tired!”

“Good to see you haven’t changed that much,” she joked.

“Hey, I’m a grown ass woman now,” Akko whined, completely countering her own point, “I have changed a lot.”

“Is that so?” Hannah asked, happy to leave Akko to try to defend herself while she asked the waiter for her own meal.

“For starters, I finally learned how to take a hint when it comes to relationships,” Akko declared proudly.

Hannah at least had the decency to wait for the waiter to leave before shooting her friend a very unconvinced, “really?”

“Yeah, I guess I can’t just pull a Diana with everyone I meet, and just annoy them into being my friends.” she answered, happy to make fun at her own expense there, “I mean you never seemed to fall for my charms.”

“Hah!” Hannah exclaimed, slamming both hands on the table, “I knew you had charmed me! It all makes sense now! I knew that wasn’t a real crush!”

Now it was Akko’s turn to laugh, not a sensible snicker like Hannah’s, but a loud, obnoxious guffaw.

“The other kind of charm, Hannah,” she explained, still laughing a little. Then realization hit her like a truck, “wait…”

Oh no.

“You had a crush on me?” Akko asked, and Hannah died a little inside.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she vehemently denied, trying to look more offended than embarrassed, she was failing. Miserably.

“Oh my god, you had!” Akko declared, absolutely beaming at her.

Hannah refused to respond to these accusations without her lawyer present. Instead she quietly waited for the waiter to bring her food, and tried to have her dinner without making eye contact with Akko, again.

Akko did not respect those efforts one bit.

“So, how does it feel like to finally be on a date with your high school crush?” Akko teased, and Hannah nearly spat her drink.

It took her considerable effort to be able to even swallow with Akko’s shit eating grin trained on her like that. Worst was the fact she knew she probably looked as red as Akko’s eyes right now. Akko’s… really pretty eyes.

Hannah was so doomed.

“What happened to ‘I learned to take a hint’!” She accused, desperate to get the attention away from her.

“I don’t know, it looks like my plan to annoy you into loving me worked,” Akko joked.

“Lies and slander!” Hannah answered, her voice caught somewhere between a squeal and a shout, “I could take you to court on this kind of defamation!”

“Or you could take me on a proper date.” Akko offered, undeterred, “how does friday sound?”

The gall this woman had to look her in the face, and propose something so absurd, so preposterous. This was ridiculous. Completely insane. She did not get to taunt her like this and just get away with it.

No!

Hannah England would not let this stand!

Oh, who was she kidding, she still had it bad for Akko.

So she slumped in her chair, and begrudgingly admitted, “sounds lovely.”

#little witch academia #lwa #hannah england #akko kagari #hannakko #fanfic

[strangeinternetwasteland]

Cross the Line- Bakugo X Reader 18+

WC: 3.5K

Warnings: Angst, Anger, Unprotected Sex, Swearing

 “I am pregnant, Kaa-Chan.” You whispered as his hand was wrapped around your throat intent on killing you. He lowered his hands and walked away. You were the enemy, the one he had to kill.

~~~Eighteen Months ago~~~

“Y/N. You understand the mission, correct?” Shigaraki asked.

“You know I am not a fucking idiot? Who do you mistake me for? Chisaki or Dabi?” You retorted back.

“Y/N.” Shigaraki gave you a threatened tone.

“Get close enough to the loudmouth hero to kill him." The sarcasm dripped from your tone.

 "Good girl." He replied and left you alone.

For a few months, you followed Bakugo learned his schedule. You learned where he lived, how often he trained, his shopping habits, but most importantly, you learned that he didn’t have a significant other.

It was easy to become his neighbor, and for you to keep ‘bumping’ into him, but the hardest part would be getting to be part of his agency.

~~~Fifteen Months Ago~~~

“Hi! I am Quiver!” You were standing in front of Lord Explosion Murder in his agency. His crimson eyes narrowed looking at you in your hero suit. It was black and skin-tight with red accents.

“Do you want a fucking cookie?” He asked with disgust in his voice.

“Oh?” You feigned innocence. “Well, I am your new sidekick, but it looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I will just leave you alone.” You told him and you walked out of his office. You had heard he was difficult to deal with, but this wasn’t what you were expecting. You decided that if he was going to act like a complete and utter jackass you weren’t going to take it.

“Oi!” He came charging out of his office at you. “What the hell dumbass?” He yelled at you.

“Hm, well if you’re going to take that tone with me, I will come back tomorrow when you’re less stressed.” You told him as you walked out the door. You went home for the rest of the day.

The next day morning you had arrived and entered Lord Explosion Murder’s office again.

“Good Morning! I am Quiver!” You greeted him chirpily.

“Who the hell do you think you are leaving like that yesterday?” He yelled at you again. You turned around and left again. This continued for the rest of the week. He didn’t learn very quickly, but being cute probably helped him, you thought to yourself. By Friday, he had left you a seething voicemail saying how lazy, rude, and entitled he thought you were and that you were fired. You replied with a very short text stating, “K.” You knew it would probably anger him more. You weren’t there to make friends, you were there to kill him. 

When you arrived at work the following Monday, the receptionist's eyes grew wide. She very clearly heard the voicemail and very deliberately chose to ignore it.

“Good Morning, Sir.” You said as sweetly as possible. Lord Explosion just stared at you as if you were a ghost.

“I thought I fired you.” He said as calmly as he could. 

“Oh, you did? I didn’t really listen to the voicemail. I never do, but it seems as if you learned your lesson from last week.” You said with a hint of condescension.

“I don’t have time for you Dumbass. Just leave.” He told you with a huff of annoyance.

“Oh, Dumbass is a pet name?” You asked him. “I know that a sidekick isn’t what you want, but in order to be more appealing to not just the commission, but the general public as well.” You told him. Yes, you were all too well aware of his “image”, but with you working for the enemy, you truly didn’t care.

“Fuck, you’re right” he mumbled under his breath. He looked at you over steepled fingers. He stood quickly, to close the door to his office.

“Alright, Quiver, let’s begin.” He began as he sat back down in his office chair. The rest of the day, he went over rules for the office, his expectations for you, and how often he expected you to train. The rest of the week was tough but doable. The weekend didn’t come fast enough for you. As your patrol finished you got your weekly text from Shigaraki. You rolled your eyes and ignored him. The best thing about this job did not only do you have to stay away from the small hideout, but you could sleep in on the weekends, and you didn’t have to hear Kai or Dabi bicker.

Lord Explosion Murder noticed your smile. He saw how happy you looked after receiving your text.

“What’s got you smiling so big, Dumbass?” He asked you paying a little too much attention.

“Oh, nothing really. I get to sleep in tomorrow. As much as I enjoy working, I do enjoy a day off too.” You replied.

“You sure seemed happy after that text though.” He said with a hint of jealousy that did not go unnoticed by you.

“Oh, that was my annoying ass friend. He is going on about working hard and blah, blah, blah. I swear to goodness, his crusty ass is getting ignored all weekend.” You vented.

“Oh. Well. Okay, do you need me to walk your dumbass home?” He retorted not really sure of what to say.

“No, I am good!” You waved goodbye and ran at full speed to get home. You ran to your apartment in the building, showered quickly, changed, and fell asleep. 

The next morning you awoke to a yell, the voice sounded familiar, but you couldn’t place your finger on it. You walked outside to yell at whoever was causing the ruckus.

“I told you, nerd, that is not in bounds.” The male yelled. Looking down from your balcony, you saw Lord Murder Explosion. You did pick this apartment building because he lived here, but didn’t realize that he was his hero identity 100% of the time. 

“Hey, asshole? Could you shut your mouth? It’s too early for you to be yelling!” You shouted over your balcony to the group below.

“It’s the afternoon, dumbass!” He shouted back to you.

“Kaa-Chan, be nice. She’s your neighbor.” A green-haired man said.

“ You wanna fight? I could take you right now.” You shouted.

“Oi! Get down here and say that to my face!” He said the anger rising within himself. Without thinking, you jumped down ready to fight him. When he gave you his wide smile, your heart stopped for a moment.

“So you want to fight?” He asked with the most curious look on his face.

“Bakugo, don’t do this.” The green-haired man begged him. “The press will be all over this.” You knew with him there was always someone watching.

“Bakugo, don’t.” His friend with red and white hair said holding him back. It was no use though, he was in your face and chest to chest. You felt his warmth. The onlookers continued to gather, many with phones out ready to watch the fight. You knew that there was only one option in this case. 

You grabbed his shirt, and quickly closed the gap between the two of you. His lips against yours, and while his body was tense, he was not fighting it. You pulled back a moment, and looked up at him.

“Well isn’t this something Lord Explosion Murder?” You whispered before turning away and going back to your apartment/

~~~12 Months Ago~~~

The following Monday morning was awkward for Bakugo, but you didn't pay any attention to it, you really didn’t want to bring any attention to you at all. However, that isn’t what happened. You did bring attention to yourself and of course Shigaraki was very upset. The news died down pretty quickly, though, probably due to his one friend being Endeavor’s son.  The next three months though passed quickly and you never thought of the kiss again. 

The nights you patrolled with Bakugo he didn’t mention the kiss, he didn't’ mention anything about you knowing his hero identity, but he did try to get to know better. You were on the last patrol of the night, just before you said goodbye for the weekend, Bakugo spoke to you.

“So, uh. Quiver. Y/N. I don’t know what you want me to call you, but if you’re not busy, I’d like to take you out on a proper date or something.” A light pink dusting on his cheeks as he asked you.

“Is this because we kissed forever ago?” You questioned.

“No, Dumbass. Out of all the people, I hate you the least.” He retorted.

“Oh, how very manly of you.” You laughed at him.

“No. Forget it. It was very stupid for me to ask you.” He said walking away looking dejected.

“Tomorrow. 8PM. Don’t be late.” You told him as you skipped home. Getting this hero to die would be easy, so you thought.

The next day, you woke to a very angry phone call from Shigaraki. He demanded answers for why it was taking so long. If anyone else had done it it would’ve been done by now, and other bullshit you didn’t have time for. You knew that everyone would notice it was you right away. So while you ignored your phone call, you focused on your date this evening. The day flew while you were taking care of errands and miscellaneous tasks that you’ve been putting off for too long. 

Before you knew it, there was a knock at the door, you went to open the door, and saw Bakugo standing there with flowers.

“These are for you.” He thrust the flowers toward you while looking away.

“Thank you, these are beautiful. While I put them in water, why don’t you make yourself at home? I still need to put on my makeup.” You told him.

“Really? I don’t think that is necessary. I mean, you look beautiful the way you are.” His face was getting redder and redder. 

“Thank you, you’re very kind. I will be but a moment.” You told him as walked into the room. A few minutes you were ready.

“Okay, I am ready. What are the plans for tonight?” You asked him curiously.

“Well the stupid nerd convinced all of us that went to UA together to hang out. They want to have a few drinks and karaoke.” He admitted annoyance laced in his voice, but the look on his face told you otherwise. The night was fueled with alcohol, laughter, and memories. You knew that you had to keep it professional, and your job was to eliminate him, at least that is what you kept telling yourself.

The following months went by fast, when you weren’t working, or training, you were hanging out with Bakugo and his hero friends, or just the two of you. Everything was blissful.

~~~9 Months Ago~~~

Angry with the lack of contact and results from you. Shigaraki had enough and was going to take things into his own hands even if you were a casualty. 

“Dabi, I need you to go and see what is taking Y/N so fucking long.” He demanded. “Don’t kill her yet, we will kill her when we kill that loudmouth as well.” 

Dabi just shook his head and walked out the door. Whatever you were doing wasn’t his problem. To him, getting rid of you wouldn’t matter to his plan. So he did as he was told. He followed you and learned your schedule over the next few weeks. 

“She’s so fucking predictable.” Dabi said to himself as he snapped a picture of you and Bakugo kissing. When Dabi returned, he informed Shigaraki of what he found, and together, they plotted your downfall.

~~~6 Months Ago~~~

Bakugo had awoken to a phone call in the middle of the night. He felt you stir in your sleep next to him. He rushed getting his things together and left slamming the door behind him. You turned over in the bed and looked at the alarm clock. The bright red number read 2:43 AM.  You texted Bakugo quickly. He responded with Hero Shit. I’ll be safe and see you soon.

You couldn’t sleep. You got up and paced around his apartment. There was something gnawing at the back of your mind. If it was an urgent matter, you’d be called as well. If it was something more serious, they’d only call in the Professional Heroes. Which led you to believe that this was the case. 

Two hours later, a very tired Bakugo entered the apartment. You ran into his arms, and held on to him for longer than you should have. 

“Were you worried about me dumbass?” He asked you playfully, but the worry was thick in his voice. There was no mistaking it.

“No. Never, but if I didn’t get called in with you, it must be serious.” You told him. You knew you were lying. You were worried, and that scared you more that whatever he was just told. It meant that you had already failed in your mission. That you actually cared.

“Y/N. I need you to know this. I love you, and I will never let anything happen to you. The League threatened us. Specifically, you and me.” Bakugo told you honestly, and openly. “They didn’t give a specific timeline, it was just a general threat, but I thought you should know. Keep your guard up.” 

Your heart leaped at his words. You knew you failed. You knew you weren’t supposed to fall, but you did.

“I love you too, Katsuki. I will stick so close to you, you’ll wanna hurl me off the balcony.” You replied. He kissed you deeply with every emotion he felt. He pulled you into the bedroom to further explain how he felt.

~~~3 Months Ago~~~

The two of you were public, there was no denying it. The Commission felt the transparency was necessary to let the League know that a threat wouldn’t stop anyone from living their life.  The public cheered for you. The threat was always in the back of your mind. You weren’t sure what scared you more, Shigaraki ceasing all contact with you or the calm that had come over the city.

During your late-night patrol, you and Bakugo happened upon a crying child. Bakugo quickly picked up the child. Cradling her in his arms, and trying to soothe her. It was right then you realized, you wanted a family. Life of a villain wasn’t conducive to having a family. Bakugo found the child’s parents within a matter of minutes, and if you weren’t sure before, you sure were in love with him.

You dragged him into a dark alley where no prying eyes could see the things you were about to do. You took him and pushed him against the wall, and kissed him hard. He happily grabbed you by the waist and pulled you closer, pressing his hardening length against you.

“What are you doing?” He hissed into your neck where he left a trail of kisses, causing you to shiver.

“I saw you with that child, and I thought why not try right now?” You shot back. You unzipped his pants to free his hard dick. Your eyes grew at his size every time you saw it. You undid your pants and pulled them down, exposing your dirty little secret, that you weren’t wearing any panties.

“Y/N.” He groaned into your ear as he pressed eager fingers into you. “Shit. You’re so wet for me already.” You took him in your hand and started stroking him slowly. 

“You know if we weren’t in the middle of a patrol, I’d definitely take my time.” He told you in between breaths.

“I want you Ka-” He kissed you hard, entwining his tongue with yours. He was so needy for you. He grabbed you by the hips and lifted you on top of him, making sure you and he were lined up. He slowly entered you. The way his hips moved slowly at first to let you adjust and then quickly increased his speed made you moan loudly.

“Keep quiet, dumbass. I don’t want to get caught fucking you on camera. Although that would be pretty hot.” He smiled at you. You were already so close for no good reason. You felt yourself release on him.

“Well, shit. You were already hot for me huh?” He asked you cockily and he increased his speed. You couldn’t deny it felt amazing. 

“Tell me where you want me to come, because if you want a child I will give you one.” He teased you. All you could do was nod at him.

“Oh, did I fuck you stupid?” He asked you smugly.  He didn’t wait for an answer, he released deep into you, painting your walls white with his seed. He kissed you once more before dressing and acting like he didn’t just fuck you in a dark alley. You got your bearing and did the same.

~~~Present Day that Morning~~~

You had been feeling off all day. It wasn’t like you to feel sick, but here you were feeling nauseous. You ran to the toilet and slammed the door behind you. You let all of your breakfast out.

“Dumbass! Let’s get going, we’ll be late for the meeting.” Bakugo yelled at you. You immediately felt better, quickly rinsed your mouth with mouthwash and walked out the door.

The Commission had summoned all heroes and their sidekicks for a meeting due to the increase in League activity. You often wondered what Shigaraki was thinking, but since he was number two, whatever it was that number one wanted he got.  The meeting was boring and lasted a while, and there wasn’t any new information. You were dismissed and were told to continue on your patrol routes as normal. 

You felt that same feeling coming over from this morning. You quickly left and ran to the bathroom. You sent a quick message to Bakugo telling him you weren’t feeling well, but you’d see him on patrol. You went to the corner store where you picked up some medicine. You came across the pregnancy tests. You hesitated for a moment, decided against it and kept going. The gnawing feeling at the back of your mind started up again. It didn’t let up until you had a test in your hand.

You headed back home, took some medicine and ripped the test open. You knew you couldn’t be pregnant. There was only one time you and Bakugo haven't used protection, and you had your period since then...right? You didn’t think twice about it, peed on the stick and waited for the results. 

It was on your patrol route that evening, when you were confronted by the League.

“Hello, Y/N.” You heard a deep voice.

“Dabi?” You replied, he was ready with his quirk with intent to kill.

“I don’t think so.” Bakugo came charging at him with rage in his eyes. 

“Do you think that some pathetic grenades will stop me from killing her? She betrayed us for you.” Dabi confessed. The look on Bakugo’s face changed from rage to utter betrayal. He shook off the words. He didn’t actually believe you’d do that.

“She loves me, you dumb piece of shit. She’s one of us.” He barked at Dabi, firing shots at him. 

From the shadows emerged Shigaraki, he silently walked up behind you and clicked his tongue.

“Such a shame, that boy is a fool.” He left you alone for a moment and went over to Dabi.

“Well, if you are one of us, Y/N, finish the job you were sent to do.” Shigaraki shouted to you. “Kill this hero that stands in our way.”

Before you knew it, you were pinned against the wall. The anger that radiated from Bakugo’s body was undeniable. His hand wrapped around your throat, tight enough to kill. You gasped, clawing at his hands.

“Kaa-Chan, I’m pregnant.” You whispered. He lowered his hands and walked away. You were the enemy, the one he had to kill. He fought back Shigaraki, and Dabi enough until other heroes arrived to help. He walked back to where you were, all of the feelings he felt for you were real. How could you betray him like this? All his hopes of having a family, being a father, being a husband, and a great hero; were crashing down as soon as they were built. The pain in his face was almost audible, it broke your heart. He took a deep breath, got super close to your ear.

“You’re dead to me. I loved you. I gave you everything I had. You’re lucky I didn’t kill you right here and now. Get your shit out of my apartment. I never want to see you again.” The venom dripped from his words. He turned around and didn’t look back.

#bnha smut #bakugou smut #bakugo x reader #bakugo x yn #bakugou angst #bnha bakugo katsuki #bakugo x you

[keefwho]

July 25 - 2023 Tuesday

10:47 AM

My friend just needed someone to talk to and I’m always happy to help in any way I can but I did a bad job trying to comfort her, even if she only needed someone to listen. I’m also a little scatterbrained today or just vacant so I wish I could have been more help. I literally couldn’t think of anything good to say. I guess I’m most worried about coming off as indifferent or uncaring because I care a LOT. She probably knows that though. 

2:53 PM

I feel things and think things but I don’t want to write about things or think about them. Mostly because I feel mentally tired right now. Im not in the best shape to be making progress but I have learned that progress must still be made regardless. I can’t always wait for the right moment. I guess there also isn’t anything pressing me right now so I can take a smol break. 

In general I know I’m having a hard time feeling like myself right now and instead am following what I’d describe as a sort of natural code. Im doing things without thinking about them. There is little exploration and creativity going on in my head right now, I’m just existing. My capacity for true deep empathy is lowered because of this. I’m not really here in a sense, or not at the capacity I want to be. I know this must be normal though, I can’t be on top of this kind of thing all the time. I’m sure this kind of thing happens to everyone. I’m just trying to get to know it better so I can accurately appraise myself whenever I get like this. 

I also had a very small incident with an onion. Its the kind of thing that harks back to the peak of my anxiety surrounding food and my stomach. I chopped an onion in half so I could use one half in my lunch and the other half went in the fridge. I still have some iffyness about eating anything “raw” even if it’s safe to do so. I hinged a lot of my sense of food security on making sure everything I ate was fully cooked no matter what it was (except for some obvious exceptions like chips, crackers, canned stuff, etc.). So I still found it to be a little exercise to take a slice of that onion and use it on my chicken burger uncooked. It’s an important little exercise though and I’m proud I did it, even if it wasn’t a very big deal. 

10:56 PM

I want to get on bed this time so this has to be brief hopefully.

For breakfast I had left over rice a roni from yesterday. I watched one of the newer episodes of Craig of the Creek before streaming. 

Stream went okay, I only did half commission work again since I’m doing it for the paying double guy. I had to stop the stream halfway through to call and listen to my friend but I started it back up for a little bit afterwards. I completed a little colored sketch in a way that I liked so hopefully I can keep doing that to get more of my ideas out. 

I cleaned up some and did my mini workout for the first time. Im really starting to feel it in my legs again so it must be working. During my shower I watched a new video from Lemino about the JFK assassination, it was interesting. Im surprised and also not surprised at how stupid people can be when giving testimony. 

Lunch was a chicken burger and a granola bar, very good. 

During today’s drawing request I edited one of my coloring brushes to be easier to blend with and I really liked the result. It offered more flexibility per stroke. After that I worked on this cute drawing of mine and my friend’s sonas again, it’s REALLY coming out well. When work was done I spent some time working on my horse avatar again, it’s also looking good and I’m so excited to be horsies with my bestie.

I hung out with her while I worked on it and we chilled for a bit while she showed some things. I didn’t know what to do with myself, I just wanted to chill so I wasn’t very lively. My eyes also hurt all evening. After she moved upstairs we played Zelda for a bit, it was nice. 

I wish I could have been less out of it, I’ve definitely been in a funk today and yesterday. I could probably figure out some straightforward exercises to turn to that could help me realize that I’m a living, thinking person when I’m struggling to perceive myself. 

#journal #diary #anxiety #friends

[cirruslypumpkin]

I did 2 faces ups in one DAY!

Yesterday I did it. Two different faces in one day. I was going to open up commissions yesterday and draw bust for others because I am going to need a lot of funds soon for medical reasons that are spiraling out of my control. Needless to say I got my tablet set up, opened my art program and jus stared at it for a while not wanting to do that, nor feeling the urge to do so. I wanted to do something for myself because in all the chaos a lil a self care helps a long way (and having supportive friends/husband) helps out a lot too!  So yesterday these two laides happened and the start of a 3rd but she’s still very much a WIP. Plus I need to find these two bodies and complete their actual make over before getting to ahead of myself. I’m very happy with how they both turned out since my hands have been shaking and trying to keep very still has been an ordeal in itself. Proud. Yup I’m proud of what I did. 

#faceup #doll custom #mydolls #doll repaint #cloudyfen

[dessarious]

What Makes a Family? Pt3

AO3   Beginning    Previous   Next

Her attempts to get her parents to excuse her from school failed miserably. They were well aware she didn’t have any urgent commissions, so she trudged to school, hoping she’d make it to class without seeing Adrien or Alya. She didn’t make it inside the gate.

“Did you see the news?” What did he do, leave the house early to lay in wait for her?

“Good morning to you too Adrien.”

“Lila was Akumatized, just like I told you she would be.” She did not have enough caffeine in her system to deal with this right now.

“Yeah, five hours later. Not to mention Lila gets Akumatized every other week whether or not I’m around. Everyone else goes to therapy or finds an outlet to control their emotions, but she feeds off of it. That’s not my fault.” Adrien just blinked at her in shock and she used his confusion to move around him and head into school. She was almost to the front doors.

“Marinette, can I talk to you for a minute?” Ivan was standing off to the side, looking nervous. Well that wasn’t something she expected.

“Sure, what’s up?” She walked closer since he seemed rooted to his spot. He had to take a couple breaths before speaking.

“I… I just wanted to thank you for what you said yesterday.” She cocked her head at him in confusion. “About parents not wanting their children and treating them badly because of it. I realized that a lot of the things my dad lashed out at me for weren’t my fault and I told him last night I wouldn’t take any more of his shit.”

“Wow, umm, I’m glad it helped.” He gave her a pained smile.

“He kicked me out.”

“Oh, Ivan! I’m so sorry!” He waved her off.

“It’s okay. Mylene’s dad said I could crash on their couch until I figure something else out. It’s strange being in a house where I’m not getting yelled at all the time, but it’s nice.” She had no idea his home was like that. Ivan was always so quiet and let everyone else talk about themselves. How do you know someone for years and not see something so important?

“I’m really sorry that you’ve had to deal with that all this time. If you need any help, with anything, let me know okay?” He just gave her a smile, patted her shoulder, and walked into the school. She really needed more caffeine.

“Girl, we need to talk.” Marinette actually groaned out loud. She didn’t mean to, she just couldn’t help it. “Don’t give me attitude when I’m trying to help you.” She turned to find Alya glaring at her with her hands on her hips.

“Help me with what exactly?” Given the look she was getting, Alya thought she was being flippant, but honestly she wanted to know.

“You need to make peace with Lila. I know Adrien has been on you about it lately. Don’t you want to do something to impress him?” She was so tired of this conversation.

“No.” Alya opened her mouth but Marinette just kept going. “I’m going to try and explain this to you, again, and this time you’re going to listen. I am not interested in Adrien anymore. I haven’t been for years. You would know that if you ever bothered to listen to me rather than lecture me about Lila. And as for Lila, the only way we’ll be friends is if she has a complete personality change or I get hit in the head hard enough to lose my memories. Because as long as she keeps lying and I know that she is, we can’t be friends.” Alya rolled her eyes.

“I can’t believe you’re still using that as an excuse. Name one thing Lila lied about.” Marinette just shot her a flat look.

“Just about everything that comes out of her mouth. Honestly, how many times has she spun some story about how I cornered her in a hallway to yell at her? You never believe that, yet you still believe all her wild stories. If anyone else told you that garbage you’d fact check it. I don’t understand why you just assume she’s telling you the truth.” Alya was frowning but it looked more like it was directed internally. Maybe she was finally ready to think for herself. “Also, I’ve been in a relationship for almost a year now.”

Marinette practically ran into the school after that parting shot. She shouldn’t have said it and she knew Alya would find her later to question her, but she hoped that it would help her realize Marinette didn’t care what Adrien thought about her. At least no more than anyone else. Surprisingly, the rest of the school day went really well. Lila seemed subdued. She had no idea why but it made her life easier so she didn’t feel like questioning it. Alya honestly just seemed shellshocked. Adrien was sulking. Maybe she should be that blunt more often.

When she got home, the bakery was closed. She just stood there blinking at the doors for a moment. She pulled her phone out. No texts or missed calls. It wasn’t a holiday. Did her parents have an appointment she’d forgotten about? That feeling of something huge happening hit her again, far more powerful this time. Before she even knew what she was doing, she ran to the side door and up into the house.

“Maman! Papa!” She burst through the door and stopped in confusion. Her parents were there. Kagami, Luka, and Chloe were there. Relief hit her hard and it took her a moment to notice the older gentleman in the room. “What’s going on?” Both of her parents looked worried. Chloe was just glaring at the stranger. Luka and Kagami had been sitting hip to hip but scooted apart slightly so that she could sit between them. Well that couldn’t be good. “Is someone dying?”

That seemed to break some of the tension. Chloe let out a snort of laughter and her parents seemed slightly less tense. The gentleman was studying her and it felt… normal? That didn’t seem exactly right but he wasn’t making her uncomfortable.

“No sweetheart. Everyone is fine as far as we know.” Her Papa’s gentle voice released all her remaining worry. At the same time, no one seemed to know how to continue. Finally the older gentleman stood to address her.

“Miss Marinette. My name is Alfred Pennyworth. It’s very nice to meet you.”

AO3   Beginning    Previous    Next

Ko-Fi

Tag List

@moonystars14 @ladybug-182 @elmokingkong @smolplantmum @jessigurl-design @trippingovermyfeet @its-salty-bug @whydoexamsexist @scorchdragon88 @alenee13 @lil-1254s-blog

#maribat #bio dad bruce wayne #marinette dupen chang #Alfred Pennyworth #mari needs caffiene

[rosesgonerogue]

I didn’t so much fall in love- It kicked me in the face Chapter Three

The Wayne Manor was exactly what Marinette had come to expect after years of knowing famous people. It was expertly decorated, but it had an almost somber feel to it - it matched Gotham’s general aesthetic. 

Also meeting expectations was the Wayne family itself. Marinette had done her homework, taking hours to research each member long before setting foot in Gotham. It was clear that they had been warned to behave, but chaos still bubbled beneath their calm facades, she could see it in their eyes. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, allow me to introduce you to Masters Bruce, Richard, Jason, Timothy, and Damian.” 

Marinette nodded to each in turn, her hand unconsciously tightening on Leo’s. She took a steadying breath. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and this is my son Leo. If you’re interested, I made some macarons for you, as I do for most meetings with my clients.” She set the box on the coffee table. “I would recommend eating them in the next day or so.” 

Tim looked like he was going to faint, and it was then that Marinette noticed the harsh bruise on his jaw - almost like he’d gotten kicked. Surely it had to be a coincidence, there was no way… 

Damian huffed, and the entire family seemed to stiffen. When he spoke, his words were sharp, acidic. “You’re meant to be a seamstress, not a baker. Besides, what kind of professional brings a child to a business meeting? Is his father too worthless to watch him?” 

Everyone in the room froze, and Marinette could feel the warmth drain out of her. She felt eerily similar to when Tikki used ice powers, in fact. There was no way for her to know, but when she spoke, Marinette’s words carried the weight of an avalanche. 

“You yourself are legally a child sitting in on a business meeting, Monsieur Wayne, and I did not object to it because I trust your father to parent you how he sees fit. I could explain to you that other than myself, my only options for Leo’s care are my parents, who are busy preparing for my mother’s surgery while running the most successful bakery in Paris, or my friends, who are all dealing with professional lives of their own. I could explain that, but I shouldn’t have to, because he is my son, and I will raise him as I see fit. And I’m a fashion designer, not a seamstress. This isn’t the seventeenth century.” She paused, staring the offender down. “Do you have any further objections, Monsieur Wayne?” 

A small part of her glowed in satisfaction when Damian ducked his head. “Do as you must.” She missed the way that Tim blinked owlishly, exchanging surprised looks with Dick.

Instead she straightened her jacket, murmuring a few comforting words to Leo before finally letting his hand go. “I prefer getting to know my clients before I actually begin, it helps me make the perfect piece. Does some-”

“I’ll be first,” Jason said, shoving Dick out of the way.

“Perfect. If you’ll come this way, Monsieur Todd, we can sit…”

*************

The satisfied look on Jason’s face was more than a little disconcerting to Tim. He didn’t really feel like hearing the woman who’d occupied his mind for the past day, so he turned his attention elsewhere. He still needed to come to terms with the fact that she had gone head to head with Damian and come out on top after all.

Leo was scrutinizing one of the paintings on the wall, a tiny version of MDC herself. He had the same dark hair, light freckles on pale skin, and wide blue eyes…

No. Please no. Tim glanced subtly at Bruce. Surely he wouldn’t try to adopt either parts. Marinette was an adult with two living parents, and Leo had Marinette, so they were safe, right? 

Regardless, that would be an issue for another time. Tim found himself crouching next to Leo. “That painting is of Monsieur Bruce’s parents,” he said in French. 

The child switched his soulful eyes to Tim’s face, his expression serious. “You know French.” 

“Yes, I really like languages, so I learned as many as I could,” Tim said, resisting the urge to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Your name is Leo, right?” 

“Yes, Monsieur.” 

“You can call me Tim. Are you enjoying Gotham so far?” 

Leo thought hard for a moment. “Maman and I had a lot of fun today, but yesterday was a little scary, the way it sometimes gets in Paris.” 

He desperately wanted to ask Leo more about the scary things in Paris, but it wasn’t fair to ask a child. Instead, Tim let the boy pull him around the parlor, asking questions about anything he found even remotely interesting. 

“And that is the trophy Dick, my oldest brother, got for gymnastics in seventh grade,” Tim explained, hefting the boy higher up so he could see the object in question more clearly. “That’s the ribbon Jason got for a creative writing contest, and Damian’s martial arts trophy. A couple of these belong to Bruce…” 

Leo stared at the glass case like it would afford him the answers to the universe before looking up to Tim’s face. “Where are your trophies?” 

“What?” 

“Everyone else has trophies. Where are yours?” 

“That’s… I mean, I have some, I just didn’t think they were very important,” Tim said with a shrug. 

“But families should be together,” Leo said with wide, unblinking eyes. “That’s why I wanted to come with Maman, even though it made your brother be mean to her.” 

Tim smiled, pushing down the barrage of emotions fighting within him. “You’re right, you’re absolutely right. Your Maman is a very smart lady.” 

“Maman is the smartest,” Leo said solemnly. 

“You must be right again,” Tim said conspiratorially. “She’s also the best at making clothes.” 

The boy’s face didn’t change in the least, there wasn’t a trace of a smile, but he slowly patted Tim’s cheek. “I like you.” 

“That’s high praise.” 

TIm golted, his cheeks flooding with color when he found himself next to Marinettte. She was smiling kindly when she said, “Thank you for watching Leo, that really wasn’t necessary. But I didn’t know you spoke French. That’s very impressive, Mr. Drake.”

“Call me Tim, please. And you’ve caught me, I have a deep love of languages. It’s helped in this position, though,” he said with a smile. “Business transactions are a lot easier when you don’t need a translator.” 

“I’ve also found that to be true,” Marinette said, lips quirked. “It’s finally your turn for your consultation. We can do it with or without Leo, whatever you would prefer.” 

“Leo and I are friends now, of course I would need his opinion!” Tim said, just barely noticing that he was still holding the child. “After all, I need his help making sure that I have the best suit at the entire Wayne Gala.” 

That actually coaxed a smile out of the boy, and the resemblance between him and his mother had never been stronger. Marinette looked surprised, but her eyes were warm. “A lot of designers despair over men’s fashion, you know. People lash out whenever you stray too far from the traditional designs, and no one can really reinvent the suit. While it doesn’t let us exercise as much creativity and freedom as women’s fashion, I actually love things like this. Men’s suits are all about attention to detail - how I can work to show your personality in an appropriate but memorable manner. Do you have any specific requests?” 

Against his will, Tim felt his face heat up, doubtlessly turning as red as his vigilante suit. “I fully admit that I was the one who originally commissioned you. I even had to fight Damian. And yet, I haven’t thought about the specifics of what I might want until now.” 

Thankfully, Marinette laughed. “You’d be surprised at how often that happens. That’s perfectly fine. I just didn’t want to leave out anything you desperately wanted. Do you have a specific color for your suit in mind?” 

“Black?” Tim asked helplessly. “I’ve followed your career for a long time, Mademoiselle, but that doesn’t mean that I know anything about fashion. I just know that your fashion seems… magical.” 

Marinette’s lips quirked upwards, a knowing sparkle in her eyes. “That’s an interesting comment. I have a proposal for you, Timothy Drake. If you have any pressing requests I will include them, but I want to keep yours a surprise.” 

Tim swallowed, completely unprepared to deal with the sparkle in her eyes. “I trust you.”

“The exterior is going to be a neutral color because you’re a business man who needs to keep up appearances. That means the most fun we’ll get to have is with the lining. Any opinions?” Marinette asked. “I only bring it up because it’s the most flexible part.” 

“I don’t know, I think all of my suit linings are black or gray,” Tim said, slightly distressed. 

Leo stared him down with serious eyes before saying, “Maman, the inside needs to be red. Ladybug red.” 

“Ladybug? You want me to look like a beetle?” Tim asked. 

Marinette smiled slightly at his comment, but her eyes were fixed on her son. “Are you sure, mon cher? Ladybug red?”

“That’s what he needs,” Leo confirmed. 

Thinking about his brothers’ laughter if he showed up in a polka-dot suit, Tim asked again, “Ladybugs? Are you sure, Leo?” 

“Oh, not the bug,” the fashion designer assured him, finally breaking eye contact with her son. “She tries to keep her existence quiet, but Ladybug is one of Paris’s heroes.” 

“She’s the best hero,” Leo said solemnly. “But you’re nice like she is. You need to have red like she does.” 

There was a strange look in Marinette’s eye that Tim couldn’t quite decipher, but she smiled nonetheless. “You should feel honored. Once someone back in Paris asked me to make something in Ladybug red, and Leo hid the fabric so I had to make it in a slightly different shade. He must really like you.” 

He wanted to say something, anything. Tim had never felt so… he didn’t even know how to describe it. He had spent his life building it into what he had wanted it to be, propping himself up with his accomplishments. He stood alone in his skyscraper, trying to catch up to Bruce and his brothers, but Marinette and Leo had violently dragged him down to the ground, standing outside with everyone. Maybe his family had never been as distant as he thought. 

Or maybe the caffeine withdrawal was finally getting to him.

Taglist: 

@ii-fox-demon @queen-in-a-flower-crown @novaloptr @saphiraazure2708 @iamabrownfox @smolplantmum @redhoodedtoad @loysydark @slytheringinger300 @finallyaniguana @brokenwordsarehard2 @abrx2002 @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @moonlightstar64  @marinettepotterandplagg @black-streak @purplesundaze @maribat-is-lifeblood

Note: 

Damian’s going to be a jerk in this. Beware. 

#maribat #timinette #marinette x tim