#am i ever going to stop loving the little ladies corsage? also no.

[blackestnight]

blossom

#oc: hanami hagane #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #gpose #she's CUUUUUUUUTE #am i ever going to stop loving the gemmaster gown? no. #am i ever going to stop loving the little ladies corsage? also no. #screenshots - mine

[jovialyouthmusic]

Proposal

A Royal Romance AU Fanfic featuring Bastien Lykel 

I’m so excited to reveal the fanart I commissioned from the talented @jadequarze​ for this two piece fic. It follows on from ‘Kiss from a Rose’  (link leads to the first of three chapters) and you might also like to read Changes, a drabble that links the two sequences together. Or you could just read this as a little bit of fluff. 

Word Count 3221

A/N The story starts with a flashback to Liam’s social season. Going back to the present (after the social season and Anton and the Sons of the Earth are no longer on the scene) Sophia has told Bastien that she’s received a job offer from Edinburgh University, and he plans to leave the Guard and go with her.

Accompanying song is ‘I Only Have Eyes for You’ by Simon Garfunkel

Proposal

Bastien heard Sophia coming along the corridor to their suite at Ramsford. The Beaumont Bash was underway and he was hard put to it to take this time out – a stolen moment for his goddess. He melted back into the shadows as she appeared and entered their room, closing the door behind her. He pictured her catching sight of the garment bag hanging on the wardrobe door and reading the note he had written

‘To my goddess

Should you decide to go to the ball, you deserve to look the part.

Wear this for me, and I will see you in the crowd, though you always draw my eye wherever you are.’

He counted out a minute to allow her to open it and discover the contents and knocked at the door, holding the corsage in his hand. As Sophia answered, the dress, a scarlet sheath cut to hug the figure and flare out from the upper thighs, sparkling with sequins hung behind her. She pulled him in and threw her arms around him

‘Oh Bas, it’s perfect’ she breathed ‘How did you know?’ He gestured to himself

‘You keep forgetting, I know everything, including the garment that will draw everyone’s eyes and make you the talk of the ball’

‘Bas, I’m not a duchess or a lady or a princess – I can’t wear this…’

‘You are my goddess, and yes you can. No one will dare touch you with me as your protector, I stake my claim – if that’s agreeable to you’ Sophia stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

‘Of course it is, I’m honoured - and you know you’re mine too, anyone makes eyes at you and they’ll regret it.’ Her eyes flashed with passion, then she took a deep breath and dismissed it from her mind, smiling sweetly again ‘Have you come to help me put the dress on?’

‘Yes, I have a half hour break and there’s something very special I want to do’

‘In this dress?’ she said, opening her eyes in mock surprise.

‘Not that, my goddess’ he smiled ‘I won’t get a chance to dance with you, so I have the perfect song lined up. Put it on, and we can have our own private moment’ Sophia stripped, selecting a bra that would support her without showing, and carefully pulled the dress on. She stood in front of the mirror for Bastien to zip it up, his lips lingering near the nape of her neck, her scent dizzying him. She took the corsage and strapped it high up on her upper arm, checking in the mirror that all was correct. She swiftly applied a little make up and selected a pair of strappy silver shoes. Bastien set up a speaker and flipped though his phone, waiting patiently as she selected a diamante necklace and matching earrings.

Finally she turned to him and he bowed

‘Perfect timing my goddess. Would you do me the pleasure?’ he finally touched his phone and music started to fill the room. He had chosen ‘I only have eyes for you’, and Sophia smiled happily as he took her hand and waist and they started to sway.

‘My love must be a kind of blind love - I can’t see anyone but you’

He gazed at her, smiling, and she sighed, melting into him, swaying and drawing closer

‘Are the stars out tonight? I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright ‘Cause I only have eyes for you, dear The moon may be high But I can’t see a thing in the sky 'Cause I only have eyes for you.’

‘Sophia, if I wasn’t working, I would spend the whole evening by your side. You are the most beautiful woman in the building and I want to show you off’ he said softly as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

‘I don’t know if we’re in a garden Or on a crowded avenue You are here, so am I Maybe millions of people go by But they all disappear from view And I only have eyes for you’

The music slowed and stopped, and they held each other for a little longer….

That was the moment, he realised – the moment he knew he wanted her to remain in his life, the moment he had a faint reckoning that he could allow himself a life outside his job – a partner, a wife – a family.

So he planned his proposal after their trip to Edinburgh on Valentines’ Day. He had wanted to propose then, but he was working and could not rely on having time allotted to such an important task. So now he mused, going over his options for the perfect opportunity.

------

Bastien gazed at Sophia over the dinner table. Music played in the background – a string quartet on a dais at the side of the restaurant. Rainbows of light danced across her face from the crystal chandelier overhead, and there was the muted sound of the conversation of the other diners around them. She sipped at the wine as the waiter cleared away the empty plates, then put her glass down as Bastien smiled fondly.

‘That was amazing’ she sighed, patting her stomach ‘I always wanted to try lobster thermidor – it’s a bit old fashioned but I’m glad I tried it.’

‘I hope you left room for dessert’ he said ‘They do an amazing dark chocolate and champagne torte with raspberry ganache’ She looked thoughtful

‘I’m not sure – but it sounds as if you’d like to try it, so let’s share’ She picked up her handbag ‘I’ll just go to the bathroom, you can order while I’m gone’

‘Of course, theá mou. Hurry back’ Bastien raised a finger to the waiter who hovered a little way away from the table.

‘We’ll have the special – the dark chocolate torte to share, please’ he said loudly, and as she walked away, added quietly ‘Tell chef which table it’s for – you know, the really special one’

‘Of course Sir – I’ll give the signal to the band too’

‘Yes, that would be wonderful’ Bastien smiled to himself, but felt the butterflies in his stomach too as he waited for Sophia to return. Before long she was sitting opposite him again, and the waiter sprang into action. The band stopped playing and waited for their cue to restart.

‘Sir, Madam’ he said, and Bastien indicated that the plate should go to Sophia.

‘Oh this looks amazing’ she said ‘Shall I be that person who photographs their food?’

‘If you like’ he smiled indulgently, ready to move from his seat when she discovered the ring in the first bite of the dessert….

 No, wait – what if she didn’t find it straight away? What if she bit into it and chipped a tooth – or choked? What if the torte went to the wrong table? That would be a disastrous marriage proposal. Sitting at his desk, Bastien put a line through the first line of his notes

Dessert at La Choiserie

He tapped his teeth with his pen and thought again, daydreaming about the next possible scenario for his proposal

------

‘Bas, my feet are aching – are we nearly at the top?’ Sophia asked as they trudged up the rocky path toward the summit of the highest point of the ridge that overlooked the capital. They would stay at the lodge further down and he would persuade her to take a walk instead of staying inside all day.

‘Nearly there, Sophia. I promise you the view from the top is worth it. This range isn’t as high as the mountains in Lythikos, but you can see them from the top. It’s a lot warmer here and there’s no risk of an avalanche.’ He carried on climbing, glad of the walking poles he had brought. Sophia had just the one stick, and they were surprisingly well matched in stride and speed for most of the time.

At last they were at the top, breathless and elated from the climb.

‘Oh Bas, you were right’ she breathed ‘It’s beautiful’ He smiled, putting his rucksack down and feeling in his anorak pocket for the velvet box, dropping to one knee on the stony ground…

 No, wait - what it if rained or was stormy? Was he sure he could still climb that hill with his injured thigh? What if he couldn’t persuade her to go for that walk? He crossed out that scenario too.

Summit of Duchy Ridge

------

His goddess looked radiant sitting in the hot tub at the lodge on the ridge. The crescent moon shone and the inky black sky twinkled with stars. He slipped into the water with her and she moved across to sit next to him as the water gently swirled and hugged his arm to her soft breasts.

‘Are you ready for the bubbles?’ she asked

‘If you are, theá mou’ She reached over to the control and before long the jets were emitting streams of bubble through the water. He positioned himself so that it massaged his thigh and Sophia laughed – a low melodious sound that always pleased him.

‘It’s like being in a champagne glass’ she said ‘only warm, of course.’

‘There’s a bottle chilling right now’ he said ‘we can have it after this cycle - I’ll get it’

‘Okay’ she sighed ‘I don’t want to get out of this – ever. I think this is my new favourite best place’

‘I’m happy wherever you are – my favourite place is next to you’

‘Bas, you are so romantic’ she sighed ‘what did I do to deserve you?’ They sat in companionable silence as the water swirled and bubbled. When it stopped, Bastien got out, looking over at his lover, who was lying back, her eyes half closed in bliss. He hoped to bring that expression to her face when they got out and went to the bedroom, he reminded himself – but first…

‘Here you are, theá mou’ He climbed into the tub and reached back for the glass of champagne, the ring at the bottom of her glass and waited for her to notice

 Well, that’s not a bad idea – but there is the risk that she might not notice the ring and choke. Bastien sighed and this time put a question mark next to it

Hot tub champagne glass

------

‘Come on in Sophia – the water’s lovely!’ Bastien called as he waded out into the cool azure water

‘I’ve only just put sunscreen on!’ she called out from the shore.

‘We can swim out to the grotto, theá mou’ He saw her perk up, remembering the time they had swum out to the secret place and made love naked on the water smoothed rocky ledge there. She was wading in eagerly in a trice, and he smiled, turning away, making smooth long strokes through the clear water.

When they got to the submerged entrance to the cave they held hands and ducked under to clear the rocky arch and gain the cave within. As before, the blue grey stone sparkled with reflections from the ray of sun coming from a blowhole up in the roof. They floated in the water, and she turned to face him, bringing her arms around him for a kiss. They slowly sank under the surface until they had to let go and strike for the surface, gasping and laughing. Sophia swam to the rocky shelf, sinuous like a mermaid, and he followed. She sat on the edge looking down at him, and he trod water in front of her.

Playfully she spread her legs open a little and drew him toward her with her feet. That gave him the opportunity to reach into his swim shorts for the little pouch containing the ring…

 No, wait – what if he dropped the ring and had to search for it on the deep rocky bottom? Maybe he should visit the cave the day before and hide the ring there? No – what if a freak wave washed it away? That wouldn’t do. He crossed it out

Portaviera grotto

 -----

They strolled hand in hand through the grounds of Applewood Manor, as well known for its rose garden as for its apple orchard. Her led her around the well tended beds, surrounded by neatly clipped box hedges. He told her the name and origin of every bloom, from white through a delicate blush pink, to peach, to magenta, to blood red.

‘I know you prefer to see flowers growing rather than in a bouquet’ he smiled ‘So I thought you’d enjoy this.’ He reached a bush at the centre of one of the beds and showed her a scarlet rose, the velvet petals giving off a heady scent.

‘Oh this one is beautiful’ she breathed.

‘I’m pleased you like it, it’s a new cultivar’ She leaned close to inhale the perfume, her blonde hair swinging forward and contrasting with the petals.

‘It smells divine - what is it called?’ she asked. He felt for the box in his pocket.

‘The name is as beautiful as the bloom.’ he smiled as he dropped to one knee ‘It’s called Sophia’

 No, there wasn’t enough time to arrange the growing of a new flower, he wanted to ask her soon, he decided. Again he struck his pen through the words

Applewood Rose Garden and thought again. He needed at least one more scenario – the perfect one…

------

They walked though yet another garden, this time at Ramsford. Maxwell was strangely absent and they made their way down to the aviary where the peacocks were housed.

‘What is it with Maxwell and peacocks?’ she asked, laughing as they stood by the pens. The birds eyed them curiously, looking to see if they had any tidbits.

‘I’m really not sure, despite knowing him for a large portion of his life’ Bastien replied ‘You know that the animal on their family crest is actually a squid?’

‘Oh, that’s why he wears the squid tie – and that odd suit of his’ She mused.

This time when he reached into his pocket it was for an apple, which the alpha peacock was particularly fond of. They came to his enclosure – he was kept apart from the others to preserve his plumage, as he was prone to fighting and although he was at the top of the pecking order, that didn’t stop younger males from trying to best him. Bastien was not fond of the creature, but he was determined he would play a part in his proposal, as he was a magnificent specimen. He was happy to see it wasn’t roaming the grounds.

‘This’ he said, waving the apple in the air enticingly for the creature ‘Is Betsy’. It stepped forward, its beady eye on the tempting fruit.

‘Oh’ said Sophia ‘But correct me if I’m wrong – Betsy is a peacock, not a peahen’ she indicated the long train of feathers trailing behind the bird. Bastien sighed heavily

‘Once again I have no idea why he named him Betsy. That young man has a very – unique – outlook on life’ Sophia frowned and looked closer at the bird

‘He’s got something tied around his neck – what is it?’

------

Bastien snapped back to reality. That blasted bird would NOT cooperate. He shuddered – pictures of the creature chasing him once he got out of his enclosure for him to retrieve the ring ran through his head. A vivid memory of the pain of Betsy pecking him somewhere very delicate made him sweat – and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t tolerate having the ring box tied around his neck – he wouldn’t be surprised if the damn bird found a way to open the box and either swallow or lose the ring.

No, that was his WORST idea yet. He sighed and got up to walk to the window and look out over the courtyard. He saw Lewis make his way over to the staff wing for the start of his shift, and he realised it was time to eat. He called one of the younger guards in.

‘Get cook to send some sandwiches in’ he said ‘and ask Lewis to come to my office.’ He thought for a moment ‘Tell cook to send enough for two’

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door, and Lewis put his head round the door

‘Sir’ he said

‘Come in Lewis, we have something to discuss’ Bastien motioned to him and Lewis sat on the other side of the desk. He steepled his fingers together ‘How are you getting on, my friend? Work wise, that is?’

‘Well, you tell me, sir’ he answered. ‘You’ve evaluated me, I take it’

‘Yes, of course – but do you feel you’ve performed well? Do you enjoy your work?’

‘I do feel a certain pride in my work sir, and I always strive for the excellence you’ve exhibited’

‘I’ve made mistakes, son’ Bastien pointed out ‘It wasn’t an easy job under Constantine, and things certainly didn’t get any better until we detained Severus. I hope that I’m passing over a tight ship now, but you should never let your guard down.’

‘Passing over, Sir?’ Lewis asked ‘Does this mean…?’

‘I’ll be handing in my notice very soon’ he said ‘I can’t tell you all of my plans as yet, but I’ll be moving put of the Palace completely.’

‘You’ll be sorely missed, Sir’ he replied

‘That’s as maybe’ he said. There was a knock at the door and one of the house staff entered with a covered tray and set it down on the desk, taking the cover off and leaving the room. There was a selection of sandwiches and salad. ‘Please, help yourself’ Bastien said, and the two men chose and began to eat.

‘So, there’s one thing I’d like to ask your advice on’ Bastien said

‘My advice?’ Lewis looked a little surprised

‘You’ve been married four years now, haven’t you?’ His junior nodded at the question. Bastien took a napkin and wiped his mouth

‘Can I ask how you proposed?’

‘Oh – I – well, it’s a funny story’ Lewis shifted in his chair

‘I’m eager to hear it’

‘I – well my wife proposed to me in a leap year’ Bastien raised his eyebrows

‘Did she, indeed.’ He said in surprise ‘Did that take you by surprise?’

‘It did Sir – I’d planned to ask her when we went on holiday – on the beach in the moonlight by a fire. But she beat me to it’ he shrugged ‘She uh – she dressed up - that is – it was very intimate Sir. You know – in the bedroom.’ He paused ‘I take it you plan to propose to Sophia, Sir?’

‘Very astute of you son – yes I am, but I can’t make up my mind about the details’

‘My advice would be to keep it simple, don’t overthink it and don’t leave it too long, Sir’

‘Wise words’ he smiled ‘Thankyou Lewis, I’ll keep you updated on when you’re to take over. I have to talk to the King yet, so don’t mention this to anyone please. As for the other matter – of course that’s also confidential.’

‘Of course Sir’ Lewis rose and left the room. Bastien folded up the piece of paper and got up to go and make an appointment to speak to King Liam.

#bastien lykel #trr bastien #sophia x bastien #OC x Bastien #trr au fanfic

[branwenblake]

Imagine Me and You (Bees Ver.)

((Yep, you read that right. Happy Day 4, y’all!))

---

"You're late, Rubs."

Yang manages to shoot a glare towards her sister while hauling flowers to the back of her SUV.

"I'm only late because you expected me to be on time," Ruby chimes, "What's the job?"

"Wedding."

Just as she thought, her sister starts getting too excited. "Nice couple?"

Yang shrugs, "Haven't met them."

"Do you want to come to Weiss' with me later? Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Oscar are coming." Ruby asks. Yang felt the eagerness oozing off of Ruby. She kept going with the flowers.

"Sure."

Ruby gasps, "You will?"

"Absolutely."

"Great! We'll go together!"

"I'll meet you there."

Ruby's hopeful outlook is replaced by a frown. "You're not coming."

"I'd rather watch the Pumpkin Pete's commercial a hundred times," Yang replies as she grabs the last batch, trying to organize the flowers a bit more.

Ruby scoffs, "You need a love life."

Yang kisses Ruby on top of her head, "I have a beer and a couch. They suit me fine. Text me when you leave if I'm not home yet. Say hello to Weiss for me."

It wasn't that Yang had been heartbroken or anything like that. She's just really busy with work. She loves her flowers, and just hasn't found the motivation to actively look for someone. It all started when her dad married Ruby's mom, Summer. She thought she was going to hate her so much, but it ended up being the exact opposite. She let Ruby and her explore just about anything. She'd take them to trips outside the city just because, and she showed Yang how to really appreciate life. Their mom loved flowers when she was still alive. She would always tell them that flowers deserve love too, because it's easy to spot when a flower isn't where it's supposed to be.

Setting up at events like these gives her the space she needs to miss their mom without having to cry about it. She knew that her mom would be happy if she had seen what she's been doing.

As people filled the church, she gave herself a pat in the back as she sees a couple of them amazed by her work before looking for the groom party. She needed to help them with their corsages.

She spots them just by the front. There's two waiting for her at the front, and the groom is welcoming the guests. She helps the two, waits a moment before approaching him.

"Hi," Yang says.

He turns around along with a friend. "Hey."

"You're Sun, right? The groom?"

Sun smiles at her, "Yeah, yeah, I am."

Yang shakes his hand, "Well, I did your flowers."

"Oh! Well they look amazing. Yeah, they're great, aren' they, Neptune? He's my best man."

The blue haired guy flicks his fair with a free hand and says, "Not as great as you, pretty lady." Then, he winks at Yang.

"Easy there, lady killer." Yang says with a chuckle, as she passes on the corsages to them both. She looks at Neptune, "You want some help with this thing?"

"Yes. I work out, that's right."

Yang laughs.

"But just saying I don't have a six-pack though."

"No?" Yang plays along.

"No, got a twelve pack on this puppy."

Yang laughs more, "I don't really like men with muscles."

When Yang finishes up helping Neptune, a young boy named Mata approaches Sun accompanied by a woman named Kali, the bride's mom, and tells him he has a question for him.

Mata asks, "What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"

Sun looked absolutely clueless, and the boy was about to walk away defeated when Yang stepped in, offering an answer. "It never happens." She pauses for a bit, "If there's a thing that can't be stopped... it's not possible for there to be something else which can't be moved, and vice versa. They can't both exist."

"You see, it's a trick question...," Yang looks up, meeting Kali's gaze, "..is the answer."

The young boy also looks at his mom, "Can she sit with me?"

That's how she found herself staying a bit before the ceremony starts, babysitting Mata. She strikes up a conversation with him once more, enough to keep him entertained until Kali comes back.

She looks at her, "Okay, you're good? I have to go set up the reception." Kali mouths, 'great', and Yang starts walking off the sides when the bridal march song starts playing. Usually she's out of there before anything starts, trying to save time because the reception is a much more hands on job, but since she was already here, she decides to take a glimpse of the bride.

That was her biggest mistake.

It really was because the bride looked her way, and it was like time stood absolutely still for a second just for them. The bride had her hair up, wearing a very simple dress, but she is without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Yang has ever seen. She sees the bride panic a little since she wasn't looking ahead instead, and it makes Yang smile as she continues to head out to the reception.

What she didn't know was that the bride looked back her way right after, disappointed that Yang was gone.

---

Everyone made their way to the reception, and it was everything Blake pictured it to be. This is supposed to be the best day of her life, but it's just been above average so far. Her dad talked about how tough marriage is the whole ride to the church, and how he's still not Sun's biggest fan, but he loves Blake nonetheless.

One interesting happened though, and it was that woman from the church. Okay, getting married was interesting too, it's just, it felt so right. She couldn't stop staring at her when she should have been staring at Sun. She couldn't stop thinking about it, and now, she lost her ring in the punch bowl because she's been so spaced out.

"Hi."

She turns around, and she lets out a small smile. It was the woman from the church. She fixes her dress, and says hi back.

"We haven't really met, I'm Yang."

Blake couldn't help but stare a bit. Yang is so beautiful. "I'm Blake."

"Well, Blake, I did your flowers."

Blake's smile gets bigger, "Really? Oh, they're beautiful. Thank you."

Yang returns her smile, "Anyway, I was just going to get...," She must have noticed that Blake was being partiularly protective of the bowl, "...a drink."

"Uh... I really wouldn't."

"What? Is there something wrong?" Yang asks.

Blake didn't know what to say. She just met Yang, and she doesn't want her to think that she was already a sloppy wife. For crying out loud, she lost her ring just hours after getting married.

Yang must have realized that she was hesitating, "I'm here to help," she says.

It's not like she knows anyone here enough to tell them about it. Whatever, she decides. "M-my ring. I was trying to get some punch and.. well.."

Yang places herself beside Blake by the punch, "Your wedding ring?!"

Blake puts her hand on her mouth, "Not so loud!" She realizes she's too close to Yang, so she jumps back a bit, "It fell off! I don't know how, but it's in there."

"And please tell me you tried the ladle?"

"N-Nothing."

"You also can't just empty..."

Blake throws her a defeated look, "I can't."

Yang looks at her, then the punch, and puts on this determined look, "Right, well, there's only one thing left to do. Cover me."

"What?"

"Use your dress or charm, I'm going in." She says as she pulls Blake by the waist as a wall between the people and her.

Startled, Blake says, "You can't just..."

Neptune comes from the right, "Hey, Blake, don't tell me you've had enough of Sun already?"

Blake moves to cover Yang, and it was a mistake because now she could feel her warmth too. It's so weird because it feels so right again.

"Ha, am I now?"

"Well, you're here, and he's there, so just let me know and I'd be happy to step in."

She feels Yang reaching for her left hand, and slipping the ring on her finger. Why is it that the way she did that felt much better than when Sun did it earlier?

"Hi!" She hears Yang say.

"Hey, you were that flower girl."

Blake intervenes, "This is Yang, our florist."

Neptune disregarging what Blake was saying and was just looking at Yang, "Name's Neptune, but you already know that so you can just call me anything you'd like." He reaches for the punch.

Blake and Yang share a look. Yang laughs, "And I'm sure I will."

---

"I need help. I messed up. I need a flower, but not just any flower, I need the best flower."

There goes Yang's peaceful morning. Once in a while, guys like these come, and it makes her question why she's a florist, but they're part of the fun of the job.

"Okay, anything in particular?"

"What about a rose? What would that say?"

Yang picks one up, "Love.."

"Love's good, I like love. That works."

"...and fidelity."

"We can't have a rose then."

Yang chuckles, "No. It's too common. There are other beauties out here, we'll find you something."

Yang buries herself with the flowers when someone comes in knocking the door to let her know. If she knew it's going to be busy, she would have at least had lunch.

"Be right with you," Yang yells.

They replied with, "That's fine," and Yang recognized the voice instantly so she turned around.

"Blake, hi."

"Hey."

Yang didn't know what to think except how this is such a nice surprise. "How are you?"

"Good, great."

They stare at each other after that. Yang didn't know what to say because she was so sure she wasn't going to see Blake again, but there she was at her doorstep, looking just as beautiful in jeans as she did in a dress. It would be a crime not to stare.

Their moment was interrupted by the guy asking Blake what her favourite flower was, and Blake said, "Lillies. I like lilies."

The guy pauses for a bit, mumbles to himself, and walks away to the other flowers outside.

"He was--"

"Would you like to come over?"

That took Yang by surprise. "Pardon me?"

Blake must have realized how that sounded, "Dinner. You. With Us. Sun and me."

It was brief, but Yang couldn't help but think how adorable that was. She could see Blake's cheeks brightening up a little bit.

"I mean, you don't have to-"

"I'd love to."

Blake gives her the warmest smile, "Great, see you Friday?"

"Sure, I'll just write down my number so you can text me the address."

"Perfect. See you, Yang."

Yang stares until her figure was too far to see. She's smitten over someone married, and it's not okay.

She still showed up to dinner though, flower at hand and everything. Their apartment was cute, big enough for two. First of all, Sun asked her if she believed in reincarnation mainly because Blake told him that she felt as though they've met before. Yang got so happy, finally getting some kind of statement of what Blake thinks of her. Then, they got into the conversation on whether or not she was thinking of getting married. She stole a glance at Blake, and with a dim smile she said, "Maybe now that the laws have changed."

Sun looked at her confused after that, and she had to clarify, "Well, I'm gay."

The rest of the night ended up a bit awkward because the couple had invited Neptune over hoping to play matchmaker.

Her relationship with Blake gets complicated after that. Wherever she goes, it's like she manages to see her no matter what. To make matters worse, Sun keeps putting them in the same situation. Yang is a good person. She would never be the one to ruin a marriage, especially a marriage between two good people. She's happy admiring Blake from afar through it all, it's just getting harder lately.

One day, she receives a call from Sun, asking her if she could take Blake out for the night. Her first instinct was to say no and resist, but Sun kept pushing that she didn't want Blake to be alone and that she's Blake's soulmate thing, so she had no choice but to say yes.

---

Blake knew it was a bad idea. First it was the dinner, now this. She found herself in a soccer game with Yang. It was a bad idea because she knew very little about basically any sport, so Yang's up close and personal, telling her just about anything that's going on.

It was a bad idea because she was loving every second of it.

Then, Yang comments on the way she shouts. It was funny, because she was just pretending to be so into the game.

Feeling so bold, she told her, "Teach me then."

"First off, tighten your stomach muscles."

Blake chuckles, "I don't think I've got any."

Next thing she knows, Yang is positioning herself closer, "Yeah you do," She puts a hand on her stomach, "They're right here."

Blake's breath hitches, "There.."

Yang smiles, "Tighten.. Yeah, tense them."

"They're pretty tense."

Without taking her hand off her stomach, Yang then says, "Okay, so next, broaden your diaphragm."

Blake looks at her confused, "My what now?"

Yang moves her hand higher, just a bit under her breasts. Blake definitely loses a breath or two, "It's here."

"O-oh."

"Okay, push it out against my hand."

Blake tries.

"You feel my hand?"

Her mouth ran without thinking when she said, "Maybe put them both there."

Yang places herself behind her, "Okay," instantly wrapping her arms around Blake.

It was a bad idea, because Blake couldn't even focus on anything else anymore. She closed her eyes for a second, feeling Yang's arms around her. Then she smiles at her, lost, when she starts talking about thinking about how your mouth is some kind of cathedral, and what not. She misses the warmth when Yang moved away, trying to explain it more, so instead, she just told her to demonstrate it.

She saw Yang hesitate for a bit before she said, "Like this."

"You're a wanker, Number 9!"

Yang's voice echoed through the stadium, and all Blake could do was stare at her. She thought about how much she had loved every second of being here.

They spend the rest of the night at the arcade, dancing, playing games, winning stuffed toys, laughing. Blake could not remember how long it had been since she had this much fun. That's why tonight was a bad idea, she knew she was falling for the wrong blonde.

On the way home, they pass by a couple of people celebrating with a karaoke machine. Suddenly, the air between them became a lot heavier, and it wasn't just the pollution.

"Tell me about the lily." Blake says.

Imagine me and you, I do I think about you day and night, it's only right

Yang chuckles, "You don't want to know about the lily."

"It's my favourite!"

To think about the girl you love and hold her tight So happy together

"Ask me about the.. azalea."

Blake sighs, "All right. What about the azalea?"

"The azalea means, 'May you achieve financial security.'" Yang states.

Blake scoffs first before looking at Yang, ready to mock her about that, but once she looks into those eyes, she forgot everything she had to say. Honestly, Yang's knowledge about flowers is really impressive.

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you For all my life

Blake looks away, "Lovely. Now, tell me about the lily."

Yang was silent for a bit, which makes Blake look at her. She was hesitant, not meeting her gaze at all. "The lily means..."

Yang smiles at the ground before meeting her gaze. "The lily means 'I dare you to love me.'"

It took Blake a second to process.

When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue For all my life

What Yang didn't know was that she just might.

#bumbleby #bumblebee #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #bumbleby week #on time and ready #day 4 #barbara dunkelman #arryn zech #rwby

[wenotaboutlove]

prom night

To start this blog I thought I should start with my earliest memory. This is a sweet yet cringy one, so buckle up!

Prom. A night to remember. Throughout high school I always imagined myself going to senior prom with a hot guy and loosing my virginity to him. Tale as old as time. For me that boy was Sean. Sean was very out of my league. Tall, smart, quiet, popular, athletic, and oh so hot. I only ever spoke to him thrice, but when I did my heart would skip a beat. He had a nonchalance about him, a je ne sais quoi. For some reason I held on to the hope of him asking me to prom. Spoiler alert, he didn’t ask me. No one officially asked me, actually. Instead I “went” to prom with a friend of a guy who wanted to go to prom  with my best friend. I say “went” because we didn’t arrive together, there was no corsage, no limo, nada! We met up at prom and had awkward conversation. Plus there was another girl, a lower classmen, who was continuously flirting with him. I let her have him- I later heard she gave him head at an after party. So Jeremiah, if you’re reading this, you’re welcome. 

During the dance I was actually invested on another guy who was also named Sean. I was hoping he would notice me but he didn’t. My friend and I decided to leave the dance and head to an after party. At that point I was feeling the prom night blues. I didn’t have an actual date. No guy was dying to dance with me. My friends were lame and didn’t want to throw that ass in a circle. Not to mention my makeup lady did me dirty and I looked a hot mess. But it was alright because there was still an after party. My friend and I hopped on an uber and we were on our way! 

I’d like to start by saying we didn’t know whose house we were going to. A friend of a friend sent us the flyer to the party. The uber ride took a shockingly long time. We went from Buckhead to Bankhead real quick. When we arrived we were confused. There were about 10 people there. We thought maybe we had the wrong house. We decided we would give it 20 minutes. If more people didn’t arrive then we would leave.

Thankfully people did start to arrive. We didn’t recognize any of them but hey, it was starting to get lit. Being the social anxiety lil bitch I am, I was a wallflower. I will say i do regret not dancing my ass off, because if I were dancing none of the shit I’m about to tell y’all would’ve happened. 

A group of Hispanic boys are standing and talking next to me. And let me just paint y’all a picture. There I am, full face of cakey makeup, sitting on the floor, wearing my friends tshirt with no bra because apparantley you’re supposed to pack an after party outfit. All of a sudden one of the guys comes up to me and says “ You tryna fuck with my friend?”. Although I was flattered for being considered I politely declined. Eventually two of the boys and I start sparking an actual converstion. I ask if they were coming from their school prom and they said yes. I’ll admit I thought one of them was pretty cute.

Now before we go any further I need to tell ya’ll something about me and Hispanic boys, more specifically Mexican boys. I don’t date them. I will date anyone else but Mexican boys. Before ya’ll call me racist let me explain. I’m Mexican, and I mean I was born in Mexico and had to cross the goddamn border. I don’t go for fellow beaners because they all either look like my brother or my cousins or my uncles. It makes me uncomfortable. Plus, for the most part, Mexican guys are not my style. They’re all so cheesy and corny, it grosses me out. So there. 

Anyways, of course the boy that I was somewhat interested in didn’t really pay attention to me, but his less cute friend did. By that point I was willing to take what I could get. His name was Patrick. Odd name considering he had “el nopal en la frente”. So there we were. Patrick and I being wallflowers at this random after party. I was tipsy at that point after eating some alcohol laced gummies- yes those are a thing. We talked and talked. Well, I talked and talked. I think I told this guy my whole life story. It was getting late and I was thinking “ is this it? Am I going to have sex with him?”. I thought it over and decided that I wouldn’t. He asked to kiss me and I just felt gross, my makeup was droopy, I felt very gutter slut. I said no to the kiss. 

I will say he was a very sweet guy. When I got cold he put his jacket over me. He walked me to the car when my friend’s mom came to pick us up. I caved and gave him my snap. On the car ride I did feel a little gitty. Someone out there liked me, even if I wasn’t too crazy about him. I felt like a teen. All throughout high school no boy had ever showed interest in me. I had never felt wanted. With him I could tell he got butterflies around me. It felt nice. 

The next day at school I was more than excited to tell my girlfriends about my “crazy” night. They were so happy for me. I had finally found a guy that liked me, I was finally validated. My friend told me that he asked her if “my baby had gotten home ok”. He called me his “baby”! I had many thoughts rushing through my head. “Is he going to be my first boyfriend?’”, “do I actually like him or the idea of having a bf?”, “I don’t care, I’ll finally have a bf!”. 

We texted back and forth. I can’t quite remember what we actually talked about but it was nice to have someone to text. Then one day I get a text that says “I have to tell you something”, not sure why but I automatically knew what he was going to say. It all clicked, he’s not 18. I never asked his age, I just assumed he was 17 or 18. He then says “ I’m not 18, I’m 16″. Massive yuck! Any maniscual feeling I had for this boy went out the window. I have a thing where I can not date anyone younger than me, even if they’re just one year younger. I instantly see them as a fetus. I told him it was ok, we could remain friends. He goes on to say that we should still go out. I informed him that it would technically be ilegal, considering I was almost 18 at the time. He was presistant. He said no one needed to know. Umm hecky no, I was not trying to catch a case, especially since I barely even liked the guy!

He did not care. He then proceeds to drop the L word. The freakin L word! I told him it is impossible for him to be in love with me, he didn’t even know me! We had only known each other for about four days at this point! He goes on to say it was “love at first sight”. I came to the realization that he was just a boy of 16. He had no experience. He didn’t know what love is. He was just eager to find someone, a complete stranger. Someone to try and make him feel nice, wanted. I sympathized with him. I agreed to a date.

Now, this date wasn’t for us to further our “relationship”. It was to make him see that he didn’t love me. We are completely different. I saw this date as an oppurtunity to let him down and teach him a few things. 

Lessons on my agenda:

-Veganism. How it can aid in global warming and sustainability

-The crisis in Venezuela. Most people are dying of hunger

-Gun violence

Yes, I did indeed talk about these and only these topics. And of course he was more interested in getting to know me but that wasn’t going to happen. We had decided to meet at a cupcake shop and I strategically got there early and bought myself a cupcake. Prior to that he had mentioned how he wanted to pay because “that’s what gentlemen do”. I guess he wanted to show me that chivalry wasn’t dead. But the awkwardness was alive and well. The whole time he could barely look at me. I could tell he was nervous. I didn’t make it easy on him considering the fact I dressed in the cutest little outfit, I wanted to really make it hard on him. I saw it as an opportunity for him to really grow. We walked for a while and he was bold enough to make a move. He very swiftly grabbed my hand and I very swiflty snatched it away. The date came to an end shortly after that. My parents came to pick me up. My mom always remembers him and ask when I’ll see him again, even after years. After that I made it clear to him that I was never going to date him. Seems harsh but I knew I would never come around to like him. Our texts became dry. Until eventually we stopped talking. 

I still think of him fondly. The first guy I ever went on a date with. His curly hair. His bashfulness. His Irish name. Patrick, thank you for starting my dating career, even if you were underage. 

[bright-molina]

Wonderwall (1)

Call me crazy. But what can I say? With so much royalty here on Auradon life is bound to get interesting. And now that our beloved King Ben has brought so many VK’s over we’re in for a real treat. Who better to bring you all the fresh news than me?

Our topic today? Well it’s only what everyone has been talking about for ages. Cotillion. Let’s see what our favorite AK’s and VK’s are up to, shall we?

Part 1 featuring: fem!reader (daughter of Elsa), Harry Hook, Evie, Jay

A/N I’m excited for this guys! This combines two of my favorite things: Descendants and Gossip Girl. It was requested by my literal fav @blog-lady-vi forever ago and I’m excited for it! I don’t know why I kind of assumed Auradon Prep was situated like Hogwarts with years 1-7 starting at age 11 but let’s just go with it. I also don’t know why I think of Harry as being lowkey preppy once he settles in to Auradon Prep but again, let’s go with it.

Let me know what y’all think! (Also check out the parallels I made here)

Cotillion season has come around again guys and gals! Now I am loving seeing all of you freaking out over dates and preparations and all but do you know my favorite part about balls? The drama that comes with it...

All your years at Auradon Prep you had only looked forward to one thing. And that one thing was your very last Cotillion. Everything else paled in comparison. It was something special you had been dreaming of since you were a little girl. Ever since you found out that it would not only mark the end of your years at Auradon Prep but also your transition from princess to Queen of Arendelle.

You were smiling as you flipped through the scrapbook you kept with you. It was filled with everything you wanted for your dream Cotillion and this was the exact moment you were waiting for. You were snapped out of your trance with a knock sounding at your door.

“Evie I’ve told you. You know you can just come in whenever-” You stopped when you swung the door open and found out it wasn’t Evie. Your face fell and you let out a huff. “What do you want?”

“What, I can’t come see how my favorite princess is doing?”

You walked away from the door with a roll of your eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to be picking up unsuspecting fifth years or something?”

“Now, princess, why would I go see them when I have you right here?” Harry smirked wildly from where he was leaning in the doorway. He watched as you shut the scrapbook before turning to look at him again.

“Leave, Harry. Now” You told him, not faltering in the slightest. He, however, saw it more as a suggestion than an order.

“What’s this?” He ignored you and waltzed over to the table where your scrapbook was sitting. He had just flipped it open to the first page when you snatched it right off the table.

“None of your business” You snapped with a glare. The two of you were staring at each other, you with annoyed fury in your eyes and him with a smirk on his lips. That was how it always went with the two of you.

That’s how it had been for the past year ever since he came to Auradon from the Isle. Sure, the two of you had your fair share of moments so to speak but you had Jay. And maybe what you had with Jay wasn’t true love but still, you did love him. In a way. After all your relationship was nothing if not complicated. In short it could be described as on again/off again but you two always came back.

“Knock knock!”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

“Hey,” A smile grew on your face as you greeted said person with a hug and a kiss, one that was apparently much to long for the other people in the room.

“Break it up you two, there’s work to be done” Evie rolled her eyes but her smile gave her away. She was the only one who knew how you really felt, she always had been so much smarter than people gave her credit for. But she never spoke a word of it, after all if you were still happy who was she to tell you how to live your life?

That was what she told herself anyway. On the inside though all she wanted was for you to be truly happy. To not have to rely on some facade that you had convinced yourself was working when it was becoming noticeable that it wasn’t.

“What are you doing here?” The smile on Jay’s face didn’t fade when he turned to Harry. The word ‘friend’ was just a bit of a stretch but ever since they started rooming together (under Ben’s orders) they had become closer. It was to the point where on occasion they actually hung out sometimes. No one was more surprised than you had been.

“Oh nothing,” Harry shrugged absentmindedly. “Dropping off some work since the dearest princess decided to ditch yesterday”

“I wonder why that was” Evie smirked just the slightest bit. She had been the one who caught you and Jay sneaking through the halls. You rolled your eyes playfully before turning your full attention to where Evie had set up her things.

You didn’t even notice when Harry left. Or when he snatched a page right out of your scrapbook.

Uh oh. Looks like there’s trouble running amok in Auradon. Rumor has it our very own Evie was the victim of a break in. Now I know what you’ll all say “that can’t be right, Mal has protective spells all around their dorm.” But alas, it happened. If you ask me it was time the so-called lady of the court got taken down a peg. After all, we can’t always get what we want. Right, Mal?

“What do you mean my dress was the only one stolen!” You shouted as you paced the floor of your room.

“Calm down,” Evie rolled her eyes at you making you sigh. You mumbled a quick apology and went back to pacing. It was no secret you weren’t necessarily a favorite around school. You had been at one point but one thing led to another and eventually you stopped trying to please people. They didn’t like that. You had Evie now though, her and just a couple others.

“Did I tell you the florist lost my corsage?” You said, finally stopping and taking a seat on your bed with a tired look on your face. “There’s a wedding this weekend and all the peonies have been bought out. Our car has been rented out to someone else and I just got a call about a cancelled hotel room”

Evie could see how upset you were despite how well you had gotten at concealing emotions. And so she decided you needed a win. “Well lucky for you I already have something new in the works for you” There was a glint in her eyes and you could tell she was excited for it. “It’s a surprise though so I will be back next week with an almost finished product”

“Have I ever told you how much I adore you?” You smiled at Evie without hesitation. She smiled back and the two of you laughed together.

“Yes you have”

Jay had been staring at Harry for the last half hour. He couldn’t help the intrusive thoughts. Jay wasn’t stupid by any means, of course he knew that Harry was always the one you turned to when you broke up. Not only that but Harry had let it slip one night that he did in fact have some sort of feelings for you. He may or may not have been a bit drunk.

“Can I help ya?” Harry was getting tired of the staring.

“No thanks,” Jay mumbled before sitting up straight a few seconds later. “It’s just nothing’s really been going right”

Harry couldn’t help rolling his eyes. But still, he paused his movie and turned to face his roommate.

“How so?” He couldn’t care less but he had a feeling Jay wasn’t about to drop it anytime soon.

“Stolen dress, cancelled rooms, misplaced flowers. The usual,” Jay shrugged absentmindedly but then his eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything would you?”

Harry knew exactly what Jay meant. “For the last time, no one actually means anything they say when they’re drunk. You of all people should know” He winced at the sound of those words leaving his mouth. Even Harry Hook himself could admit that that was a low blow. Needless to say it was a sore subject. Alcohol had been banned from their room. That ban didn’t last long though.

But every word that had just spilled from Harry’s mouth was also a lie. He had meant every word he said that night. That was why what he was about to say pained him.

“Look,” He forced himself to look at the tv again, it was the only way to not give himself away completely. “Y/N is yours. I get it”

Jay believed him. “Okay”

#thoughts anyone? #harry hook #evie #jay #descendants #descendants 2 #disney descendants #harry hook x reader #things i write #wonderwall

[crypticcravings]

Perfect: An ML Secret Santa Gift

I am so excited to participate in this year’s @mlsecretsanta exchange, especially because I had the honor of writing for the amazing and talented @ming85! I have been a fan of your art for ages. This piece was partially inspired by this piece of your art from the Paris Landscape series. I know you said that it was based on another fic, but this scene was so powerful I had to write my own version, as well. By all rights, this should have been a multi chapter fic. Unfortunately, I had to cut a lot out. It still ended up being double the originally planned word count. I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I loved writing it!!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays <3 <3 <3

Musical Inspiration: Perfect by Ed Sheeran

Also On AO3

Marinette sighed and sank down into her chair even further, tuning out whatever it was Alya was talking about. She felt a little guilty ignoring her friend, but her worries were assuaged by the knowledge that Nino at least was paying attention.

Marinette just didn’t have the mental capacity to focus on anything today, not after what happened this morning.

Her eyes flicked to Adrien, sitting across from her at the library table, and accidentally made eye contact. She felt her cheeks burning and turned away as quickly as possible, feigning interest in her best friend’s story.

Even without looking, she could feel his eyes on her still. It made her want to fidget, to somehow squirm away from his intense stare. She turned her head again, blue eyes meeting green, and the whole world spun around her.

Because Adrien was Cat Noir.

They never intended to reveal themselves to one another.

At least, not anytime soon. Ladybug said it was safer for both of them to remain anonymous, even to one another. Cat Noir may not have liked it, but he had to agree. It was for the best.

They never intended to reveal themselves. Which is why it came as such a shock when it actually happened.

Ladybug was racing over the rooftops, zigzagging between buildings and alleyways to shake off any remaining media and de-transform in peace.

She dropped down into a familiar alleyway, near the school and away from prying eyes. There were mere seconds left on her transformation, and suddenly Ladybug realized she wasn’t alone.

On the other end of the alleyway, eyes wide as saucers and the last pad on his Miraculous beeping frantically, was Cat Noir.

There wasn’t time to process what was happening, no time to turn away or close their eyes. They could only stare, frozen in place, as their transformations wore off, and suddenly they weren’t Ladybug and Cat Noir anymore.

In their places were Marinette and Adrien, classmates, friends, and apparently partners.

All of that had happened after an early morning akuma attack just before the start of classes. Now, just a few hours after a jarring reveal, the two of them were forced to act natural, like nothing had changed, like they hadn’t just discovered that their superhero best friend had been so close all along, while they worked on their history project.

There hadn’t been enough time to process everything.

Adrien?! He had been Cat Noir the whole time?

Sure, the two of them were friends. They hung out all the time, whether it was alone or with other friends. She was finally starting to act like a regular person around him, slowly getting over the way her words turned to soup in front of him. Now she had to deal with the fact that her amazing, smart, kind, handsome, perfect crush was also her silly, brave, kind, amazing partner, too! How could she possibly be expected to act like a normal person in front of him now that she knew both sides of him?

Adrien, for his part, wasn’t much better off. Ladybug was right there. He’d looked for His Lady in every blue eyed, dark haired girl he’d come across in the hopes of finding her, only to have her sitting behind him in class the entire time. He lamented the missed opportunities, but they didn’t really matter any more. What mattered was that they knew now.

“Hello,” Alya said in her sing-song, are-you-paying-attention voice. Of course neither of them had been. “Did you guys hear me? The Holiday Gala at Le Grand Paris?”

“What about it?” Marinette asked, hoping to distract herself from the blond boy across from her.

Alya rolled her eyes. “Are we going?”

“Isn’t that one of Chloe’s dad’s parties?” Nino wondered. “How are we even going to get in when she hates most of us?”

“My mother is the head chef,” Alya pointed out. “She has her ways. Besides, I’m sure Mister Adrikins Agreste over there is already on the guest list.”

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “Chloe’s been talking about this party for a while. My father’s all for it because it will be a good networking opportunity. There won’t be many people our age there, so it would be great if you guys can make it! I bet even Chloe would enjoy the company. These things can get exhausting when it’s just businessmen and company representatives.” Adrien turned to Marinette. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but something in his eyes seemed more...heated, more intense than usual. It made heat rise from her neck to her cheeks. “There will be a lot of people in the fashion industry there, too. You could make some good connections, Marinette.”

Marinette made a quiet, strangled noise in the back of her throat. “Really?” She managed to squeak out, “That’s wait! I-I can’t the great to a party!” Oh, no, of course the word soup would come back at a time like this! She groaned and took a steadying breath. “I mean, I can’t wait to go. To the party.”

Alya gave her a strange look. It had been quite some time since Marinette had been this nervous around Adrien. Alya must know that something was up for her to suddenly revert to this kind of behavior again.

If Adrien noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he simply smiled at her, the same way Adrien always smiled at Marinette, as if their whole world hadn’t changed just hours ago. “It might be a good opportunity to show off your design skills.”

Marinette gave a single stiff nod. She did have a few works in progress that she could have done in time.

“Great!” Alya said, clapping her hands together twice, “it’s settled, then. I’ll tell my mom we’re all on board. The Gala is in two weeks, so clear your schedules. Nino, my dress is going to be orange, just so you know.”

“Why are you telling me that?” Nino asked.

Alya groaned. “So that your suit can match, obviously.”

“This isn’t some American high school prom, Al,” Nino pointed out, “dates don’t need to buy each other corsages and match perfectly.”

“What’s so wrong with matching? You look good in orange!”

“It’s a white tie event! I’m not showing up to a high class event like this looking like I just walked off of an American teen rom-com…”

Marinette giggled as she watched her friends argue playfully, swinging her legs idly under the table. She had nearly forgotten about her earlier revelation until her foot casually brushed up against Adrien’s leg.

The heat returned to her face immediately as the two of them made eye contact. They stared at one another for just a moment before quickly averting their gazes.

This whole identity reveal thing was a disaster, after all.

Marinette flung herself onto her chaise lounge with a groan.

That had to be the longest school day she’d ever been through.

She couldn’t stop staring at Adrien--even more than usual. She’d been trying to match him up to her image of Cat Noir, and she was finding it easier and easier to do the more she thought about it. Now that she’d been stewing the entire day, she was thinking a bit more clearly and it actually made sense. She and Adrien were practically the only people that hadn’t been akumatized. Besides that, he and Cat Noir were more similar than she realized, for good reason. Beyond the fact that they were both tall, blond haired boys with green eyes, they both had terrible senses of humor. They were both extremely skilled in a fight, with Adrien’s fencing skills and Cat Noir’s amazing reflexes with his staff. And both of them were quick on their feet, able to catch her quickly when she fell.

That last thought made her heart skip a beat.

She’d always been in love with Adrien, that was an undisputed fact nearly since the two had met. And Cat Noir had always held a special place in her heart as her partner and best friend, maybe even a little bit more than that if she was being honest with herself.

To have those two incredibly precious people suddenly morph into one amazing, funny, handsome, kind, smart, miraculous package was just...too much.

How could she possibly be expected to face them both at once?

“It’s Marinette,” Adrien sighed, flopping onto his bed.

He hadn’t really had time to process the sudden reveal of Ladybug’s identity that day, not with school and work and activities cramming his schedule, and his brain.

But now that he had a couple of hours to himself, his mind began to wander.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Ladybug was Marinette.

It made sense, really. He could kick himself for not seeing it sooner. It wasn’t like the signs weren’t there, he just hadn’t noticed. Hadn’t been looking at what was right in front of him--or rather, right behind him.

Now that he knew that his amazing friend and beloved partner were one in the same, he couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. He didn’t think he could love Ladybug any more than he already did, but apparently he could. Knowing the girl behind the mask had made his love for her grow tenfold.

“Gross,” Plagg said from his perch on Adrien’s desk, “would you stop sighing like that? It’s ruining my appetite.”

“I can’t help it, Plagg,” Adrien said, picturing Marinette’s blushing face from that afternoon, remembering the way her lovely bluebell eyes caught the light in the library. “She’s just so great.”

Plagg made a gagging noise. “Just ask her out already, then. If you’re going to be this disgusting, at least do something about it.”

That was it!

Adrien hopped up out of bed and grabbed Plagg off of the desk. “Plagg, you’re a genius!” He said, dropping a kiss to the top of his kwami’s head.

The little black cat made a hacking sound, but Adrien ignored it in favor of spinning around in a circle. He just had to confess.

Marinette tried to pass the next week at school as naturally as she could.

Unfortunately for her, “natural” didn’t come easily to her. It never had.

If she thought her word soup had been bad around Adrien in the beginning, it had nothing on this. It was as if her tongue turned to lead any time she saw him, which was literally all the time. It was like he was purposefully getting in her way any chance he got.

Forget discussing the aftermath of their revealed identities, Marinette couldn’t even holding a friendly conversation with the guy. It was like she was in middle school all over again, and she absolutely hated it.

How was she supposed to fight off akumas if she couldn’t even say “hello” to her partner in the hallways?!

To make matters worse, Adrien had developed this habit of touching her any time he saw her, something he did regularly as Cat Noir that seemed to carry over into their civilian lives. Every time he brushed her hand with his, or nudged her with his shoulder, an electric current would run through her body, temporarily short circuiting her brain.

“I don’t know what to do, Tikki!” Marinette complained after an especially stressful day. “What if I can never talk to him like a normal person again?”

“You can do it, Marinette.” Her Kwami encouraged. “How did you learn how to talk to Adrien the first time?”

Marinette considered that. There had to be at least some reason she’d started talking to Adrien normally, didn’t there? “I guess...it was because I got used to him? We started to talk more outside of class, and we spent time alone together, and eventually my words did what they were supposed to.”

“Then maybe you just need to get used to him again!” Tikki suggested. “This was quite a shock to you, right? It’s a lot to handle, and your brain needs time to connect everything. If you spend time with him, as Adrien and Cat Noir, then maybe your words will do what they’re supposed to like before.”

It was a possibility, for sure. Marinette still worried what might happen if something went wrong, though. What if she said something totally weird and ended up chasing him off? She’d had enough close calls with that. What if she called him “hot stuff” to his face this time instead of to his voice mail? Or something even more embarrassing? It was bad enough to say those things to Adrien when he was just Adrien, but Cat Noir, too? She couldn’t even begin to imagine how mortified she would be.

She couldn’t let this setback get in the way of protecting Paris though. She had a responsibility to her city first and her heart second, so for the sake of her city, she had to figure out how to talk to Adrien/Cat Noir like a normal person ASAP.

Their first patrol since their accidental reveal was definitely a bit...strange.

Typically the night began with Cat Noir prattling off a number of jokes, some light hearted banter and flirting, and maybe a spar. This night was different, though.

Because now they knew who it was under the mask.

They had tried to tell themselves that knowing the person under the mask wouldn’t change anything. Cat was still Cat and Ladybug was still Ladybug.

Yet as much as they reminded themselves of that fact, things between them were still strained. Cat Noir was more careful with his words, and Ladybug more guarded with her previously casual physical contact.

After an especially quiet circuit around the city, the two of them found themselves sitting on a rooftop with a calculated amount of space between them. They hadn’t spoken much that night, or that day at school. Or really in the entire week following the accident.

Things were starting to get awkward, and they both hated it. But of course, neither of them knew how to make things right, either.

They just couldn’t figure out where they stood anymore.

“It’s been really quiet tonight, huh M--my--Marinette?” Cat Noir winced. Real smooth.

Ladybug jumped at his sudden use of her real name. “Y-yeah! Super quiet.”

“Maybe Hawkmoth decided to retire?”

“We can only hope,” she giggled.

Then it was quiet again.

Marinette could kick herself. This was Cat Noir. She should at least be able to crack a joke with him or something, but instead she was sitting there not sure of what to say and making a complete fool of herself. She was so stupid!

Unable to take the pressure anymore, Ladybug began to rise to her feet.

“Hey, um, Ladybug,” Cat Noir said hesitantly in a tone so un-Cat-like, but so very Adrien that she couldn’t believe it. “Before we call it a night, can I ask you something?”

Ladybug paused. “Of course.”

Cat Noir scrambled to his feet in front of her in a move that was so unlike what she expected of Adrien. She was beginning to see that the reason she had such a hard time connecting the two of them in the beginning was because he really did act like a different person with the mask on. When he was Adrien, he was this picture of perfection: well groomed, well behaved, well mannered, always smiling that model smile. But when he was Cat Noir, it was like he could really let his hair down. The wild streak that Adrien occasionally hinted at with a stray wink and a sly grin, or a particularly well placed pun came out full force.

Marinette both understood why she never connected the two and wanted to smack herself for not seeing it sooner.

Standing in front of her was both well mannered, poised Adrien Agreste and the silly tom cat, Cat Noir, wrapped up into one phenomenal person that she got to call her best friend and partner.

Her best friend and partner who had apparently just asked her a question that she had completely missed. He looked at her expectantly, and Marinette rattled her brain to figure out what he had just said, but she just had not been listening at all.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She said with a flush.

“I asked if you would go to the Holiday Gala with me.”

Marinette though she was imagining the question. Had he really just…

Looking once again at the way he glanced at her before quickly glancing away, not so casually rubbing the back of his neck in his usual nervous habit, Marinette knew the question was very real.

“Aren’t you going with Chloe?” She asked, immediately wanting to smack herself. That was so not what she should be saying right now.

“What?! Chloe?” Cat held up both of his hands and shook his head. “No, no, Chloe isn’t...I’m not...I’m not going with Chloe. No.”

“Then…” Ladybug averted her eyes, not quite able to meet his dead on. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

Cat Noir’s grin was blinding under the dim city lights. “Great! Then, I’ll pick you up at your house before the party?”

Ladybug nodded. “That sounds good.”

“Alright,” he laughed. “Great!” He pulled out his staff and extended it, already ready to take off. “I”ll see you then!” With that, Cat Noir jumped off the side of the building and vaulted on to the next one, heading home without any further adieu.

“You know, I’ll still see you at school tomorrow, too, right?” She called after him.

His only response was a distant whoop. Ladybug shook her head. She should be following the alley cat’s example and heading home as well. She had a dress to finish, and only seven days left to finish it.

In the days leading up to the Holiday Gala, Marinette should have been working on her dress, but as the day approached she couldn’t seem to take her mind off of her partner. The snow kept patrols short, and he had been pulled out of school more often than usual to attend networking events with his father.

So instead of working on the gown she would be wearing to what was likely going to be one of the most glamorous nights of her entire life, Marinette found herself working on Adrien’s Christmas present.

There were two things she knew Adrien loved: sweets and handmade gifts. All these years later, he still carried around the lucky charm she’d given him. Not that she was much better. She’d fastened the one he made her to her purse so that it was always with her.

Fortunately, Marinette was skilled at two things in particular: making food and making gifts.

She’d been planning this gift for a while now, ever since Adrien started complaining about a sore back, supposedly from all of the photo shoots his father had him doing this season. Now that Marinette had a little more perspective on the matter, she had a feeling his sore muscles had more to do with being thrown off of buildings and battling supervillains than with posing for cameras, though that probably didn’t help much. Fortunately, she’d recalled a conversation with Cat Noir on a similar matter only a few days before the reveal about how much of a pain the cold weather was moments before he draped himself around her and begged her to be his hot water bottle for the rest of the winter.

She grinned to herself as she finished sewing a zipper into her gift. Working on finishing this had taken some time away from finishing her Gala dress, but she had a feeling that his reaction would make it all worth it.

Marinette quickly wrapped the present, tossing in some hand made Christmas chocolates and tying the bag off with a bow.

“When are you going to give it to him?” Tikki asked, landing on the bag’s stiff, straw handles.

Marinette was focused on the card, sticking her tongue out as she drew out the careful calligraphy. She hummed thoughtfully. “I think I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you guys exchanging gifts next week, though?” Tikki asked. Marinette and her friends typically exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, but things were different this year.

“I think it’ll be worth it to give this to him a little bit early this year,” Marinette explained. “Things have been a little tense ever since our...little accident last week, but I think he’s trying to make things normal again. That’s probably why he asked me to the Gala with him.”

“Are you sure he didn’t ask you because he genuinely wants you to be his date? Like, in a romantic way?”

Marinette paused over the front of the card, pondering over how to address it. “We’re friends, Tikki. We’ve been friends for years, and I’m pretty sure that he just wants to go to this party as friends.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Tikki warned. “Have you forgotten the way Cat Noir flirts with you?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. We’ve always played that game with each other. Besides, he never flirts that way with Marinette, and he hasn’t done it at all recently. I guess it’s weird now that we know each other.”

Tikki gave Marinette a skeptical look, but didn’t press the issue further.

Marinette sighed and scribbled down the address on the front of the card without any more hesitation and shoved it into the bag, unintentionally knocking her kwami from her perch.

“Hey!” Tikki protested.

Marinette winced. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Her kwami grumbled, causing Marinette to giggle. She glanced at her mannequin and the nearly finished gown. The Gala was only a couple of days away, and Adrien was taking her as his date. She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Tikki was right. She didn’t want to get her hopes up for anything, but if something did happen…

Marinette shook her head. She couldn’t get caught up in thoughts like that.

She turned off her light and headed up the ladder to her loft bed. She would just start small, take things one step at a time. She would give Adrien his Christmas present tomorrow, put the finishing touches on her dress, and go to the gala with Adrien. He would take one look at her amazing dress and decide that he couldn’t live without her anymore. Her kitty cat would sweep her off her feet and propose on the spot, and they would get married, have three kids, and a cat. The power of their love for each other would overwhelm the entire city, and Hawkmoth would have no choice but to surrender, and they would live happily ever after...

Marinette groaned as she flopped on her bed, heart racing in her chest again. She pulled her stuffed cat from the top of her bed and cradled it against her chest. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t help herself from dreaming.

“Dude,” Nino said, smacking Adrien on the shoulder when they met up on the school steps, “why didn’t you tell me you were taking Marinette to the Gala?”

Adrien winced and rubbed his shoulder. He’d overdone it on patrol the night before. Ladybug had the night off, and he’d been going solo. Unfortunately, even though she hadn’t been with him, Adrien’s thoughts had been thoroughly consumed with Marinette the entire night. He’d been distracted and taken a pretty bad tumble when he tried to land on a ledge that was just a little bit out of his range. “You knew she was going…”

“Yeah, but I thought we were just meeting up there. You never said you were bringing her as your date! I had to hear about it from Alya!” Nino complained. “Are you finally making your move, dude?”

“What do you mean ‘finally’?” Adrien asked, removing his scarf as they passed through the school entryway. He felt his cheeks heating up.

“I mean have you finally realized that you and Marinette are made for each other?”

In an uncharacteristically clumsy moment, Adrien stumbled. “We’re what?”  Sure, Adrien had always thought that, about Ladybug at least. The two of them were Yin and Yang, two halves of the same whole. Of course, since Marinette was Ladybug, it went without saying that the sentiment extended to the girl behind the mask as well. In fact, the feeling that they belonged together had never been stronger. But there was no reason for Nino to know about all of that.

His best friend shrugged. “It’s obvious, my guy. You and Marinette would be a great couple. Everyone thinks so. I’m proud of you for finally making a move.”

“Everyone thinks so?” Adrien repeated.

“Everyone since college, bro.”

Adrien didn’t have time to mull over that revelation as the two of them entered the classroom. His attention first landed on Marinette, who was unusually early to class, bent over her desk as she sewed fabric flowers to a hair clip. He wondered how late she’d been up working on her dress. He knew she had a tendency to hyperfixate on her projects.

He was just about to greet her when Nino nudged his arm and pointed at Adrien’s desk.

On his desk right in front of Marinette’s was a large green bag with a carefully tied silver bow and small card nearly hidden in a ton of carefully arranged silver tissue paper.

Adrien glanced up at Marinette again, but she was very deliberately not looking at him. She just carried on looping the thread through the fabric flowers and securing them to the clip in her hands.

He sat down at his desk and plucked the card from the tissue paper. The card was hand painted, with little pictures of holly decorating the border. The address in the center written in delicate red calligraphy brought a huge grin to Adrien’s face.

“To keep you warm and ease your pains. Merry Christmas, mon chaton.”  

The card wasn’t signed, but it wasn’t hard to figure out who had left it there.

“Are you going to open it?” Nino prompted.

Adrien glanced at his friend and resisted the urge to turn and look at his Lady behind him.

He carefully untied the ribbon and began pulling out the tissue paper. Inside the bag was a small package of chocolates, decorated with little white chocolate cats and snowflakes that warmed his heart. He dug a little deeper in the bag until his fingers brushed against soft, plush fabric. He gripped what felt like a pillow with a hard center and lifted it out of the bag.

In his hands was a clearly hand stitched, cinnamon roll shaped pillow that was about half the size of his torso and plump with stuffing. He traced his fingers along the spiral in the center and the bronze, shimmering threads of cinnamon sugar that made the plush look good enough to eat. He ran his thumbs over the seams, wondering how long it had taken her to make such an amazing gift, when he felt a hidden zipper. Curious, he opened up the cinnamon roll from the side.

Inside of the delicious looking bun was a large, empty hot water bottle. Hadn’t he just told Ladybug the week prior that he was looking into getting one of these? When had she found the time to put this together? And in the shape of one of his favorite sweets, too…

“Dude,” Nino gave a low, impressed whistle. “That thing looks good enough to eat! What does the card say?”

Adrien pressed a finger to his lips and grinned conspiratorially. “That’s a secret.”

He could hear Marinette stifle a  giggle behind him, which only made his grin grow wider. Nino glanced between the two of them, his confusion evident on his face. “What…”

Adrien winked at his friend. “Don’t worry about it.”

Nino cringed and took his seat next to Adrien. “That was gross, bro. Don’t do that again.”

Adrien chuckled and clutched the cinnamon roll to his chest, savoring its warmth even without the hot water bottle.

Only one day left until the Gala.

Adrien had pulled Marinette aside after classes to thank her for the gift, and she was right when she predicted that the extra time put into it would make his reaction worth it. As he held up the cinnamon roll pillow, his eyes had sparkled in a way that she typically only saw when he was Cat Noir, soaring over the streets of Paris. It had sent her heart soaring to see so much joy bubbling out of him. She even felt a little bit closer to him now. She was thankful that her gift had fulfilled its purpose.

The only problem was that she had put herself more behind schedule than she originally thought. Marinette cursed her inability to do things simply as she sewed a few last minute rose embellishments into the bodice of the gown. She’d had some extra shimmering thread left over from Adrien’s present, and she wanted to put it to good use. The extra touch would definitely be worth it, but at what cost? She was working so quickly that she’d inadvertently stabbed herself six or seven times with her embroidery needle in the past hour and a half. Her fingers were covered with bandages. If this went on, she’d have to wear gloves at the gala just to be presentable.

“You should take a break, Marinette,” Tikki urged.

“Can’t,” she muttered around a mouth full of pins. She pulled out another as she incorporated the tiny fabric rose into the embroidery pattern. “Need to finish.”

She only had a day to finish. Alya had already booked them for hair appointments that could take a couple of hours, so there would be no time to work the day of. Things had to be absolutely perfect.

Tikki watched as her charge pricked herself for the eighth time as she secured another flower to the bodice. There was no doubt that the dress was beautiful, but Tikki worried about Marinette’s health. Sure, she and Adrien were finally starting to warm up to one another again after the shock of the unplanned reveal, but had they rushed things a bit too much? Marinette swore this wasn’t a date, but Tikki still worried. Marinette was deep in denial about Adrien/Cat Noir’s feelings for her despite the fact that they were glaringly obvious. Now more than ever, he looked at her as if she hung the stars in the sky. When he finally confessed, Tikki had a feeling that it would knock Marinette completely off her feet.

The day of the gala snuck up on Adrien. He’d been formulating his plan for days, ever since Marinette agreed to be his date.

This was the night he was finally going to confess to his Lady.

In just a couple of hours, he would go to her house to pick her up. They would dance together, laugh at silly jokes, and when the moment was right, he would tell her how he had felt since the beginning and kiss her senseless. It was perfect.

“Tonight’s the night, Plagg,” Adrien said, ladybugs doing a giddy dance in his stomach. “I’m finally going to do it.”

His kwami rolled his eyes. “Just don’t make a fool of yourself.”

Adrien looped his cravat around his neck and tied a simple knot at his collar. “I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the confidence.”

It was finally happening. He was finally going to tell his Lady he loved her, and his pessimistic kwami was not going to bring him down.

Marinette wasn’t ready, but she was going to have to be.

The night was finally here.

Alya had left about an hour ago after they finished their hair appointments and doing their makeup in Marinette’s room. Nino would be picking Alya up soon as well. Marinette was staring at herself in the mirror, looking for anything left in her hair or makeup that she needed to fix.

“You look amazing, Marinette,” Tikki said. “Adrien’s not going to know what to do with himself when he sees you.”

Marinette opened her mouth to remind her kwami once again that, as much as she wanted it to be, this was definitely not a date, but she was interrupted by a knock on the downstairs door.

Marinette heard her mother answer the door and immediately panicked. It was never a good idea to leave her parents alone with Adrien for too long, she’d learned that the first time he came over. They were bound to say something embarrassing.

Marinette grabbed her coat and purse from the back of her desk chair. “Quick, Tikki!”

Her kwami nodded and zipped into the small bag.

“Marinette,” her mother called from downstairs, “A very handsome young man is waiting for you.”

Marinette felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she lifted the trap door. “I’m coming!”

Marinette gathered her dress and carefully descended the stairs, careful not to trip in her kitten heels.

She kept her eyes on the ground until she reached the bottom. When she finally stood on solid ground, she finally looked up. Adrien was sitting in the kitchen having a conversation with her father. He had on a suit that most certainly was from his father’s winter formal line: A five piece suit that consisted of perfectly tailored jet black pants and a jacket. The white dress shirt underneath was perfectly pressed, so much so that it didn’t look real, not that Marinette could expect any less from the son of a fashion powerhouse like Gabriel Agreste. But what really caught her attention was the waistcoat-tie-hankerchief matching set. It brought a pop of burgundy to his outfit. All three silken pieces were embroidered with the same, slightly darker red floral pattern, making the already eye catching suit appear even more distinguished. What was more, the colors were a near exact match to Marinette’s own dress, as well as the rising flush in her cheeks.

When Adrien caught sight of Marinette, his breath caught in his throat. He rose from his seat and rounded the island, his conversation with her father all but forgotten.

She looked...miraculous.

Her gown must have taken ages. On top of the amazing Christmas gift, Adrien wondered if she had gotten any sleep at all over the past week. The floor length organza ball gown was just formal enough to call itself white tie, without overdoing it. The off shoulder sleeves, adorned with fabric roses and golden embroidery swooped into a lovely sweetheart neckline that showed off Marinette’s prominent collar bones. Her hair was pulled back into a high, full bun, with the rose hair clip she’d been working on in school that week at the center. A few loose curls gently framed her face, softening her appearance slightly. The only jewlery she wore were her miraculous stones, black and inactive, catching the light and giving the appearance of black jade.

Adrien was glad he’d requested this color. After seeing the shade of the hair clip in class that week, he’d specifically asked his father to switch from the blue suit he’d been intending to wear to this one. Nino may not have been into matching, but Adrien wanted everyone at this party to know that Marinette was his Lady. By the end of the night, he hoped she would be for real.

Marinette’s parents watched as the two kids seemed to get lost in their own little world.

Tom nudged his wife slightly, “did they start dating already, and we just missed the memo?”

Sabine hummed, “I’m sure Marinette would have said something if that were the case.”

When it became obvious that the two teenagers had reached an impasse, Tom cleared his throat to bring them out of their daze.

Marinette shook herself off first, turning to wish her parents a good night. “I’ll be back before midnight, I promise.”

Adrien finally found his tongue. “I’ll take good care of her tonight,” he promised her parents.

Tom nodded, unable to hide the mirth in his eyes. “See to it that you do.”

Tom and Sabine both saw the kids off to meet Adrien’s driver downstairs, equally pleased and amused that, if the look in that young man’s eye was anything to go off of, their hopes for their daughter’s crush would likely be coming to fruition that night.

The ride to Le Grand Paris was...a bit awkward, much like the rest of their interactions had been lately, though it was blessedly short. It seemed that for all of the progress they had made towards being normal in the past week, it had all vanished in that evening. If they had been just Ladybug and Cat Noir, they could have bantered playfully, maybe even flirted a little bit on the way over. Cat Noir could have winked at her and said how purrfect that color was on her, and Ladybug could have booped his nose and teased him about looking so dashing for a tom cat.

If they had been just Marinette and Adrien, they may not have flirted, but at the very least Adrien would have complimented the amazing handiwork on her gown, and told her how impressive it was that she finished it in such a short amount of time. Marinette could have fought through her rapidly beating heart and subsequent nerves to tell Adrien that she was so glad he asked her to come with him that night. They would have been comfortable in either situation.

Unfortunately, instead of being just one or the other, they lied somewhere in between, simultaneously both and neither at the same time, leaving them at a loss for words. Which approach was the most natural for the situation? Which persona should they embody in the presence of their partner and friend?

They didn’t have much time to ponder that question before they arrived at the hotel. Their tense time on their own was abruptly brought to an end as they entered the ballroom, the party already in full swing. They were greeted immediately upon their entrance by a whirlwind of friends, acquaintances, and familiar figures of influence. People flew by in a blur; Jagged Stone, Nadja Chamack, Mayor Bourgeois, Alya, Nino, Kagami, even Chloe stopped by to say a civil hello.

By the next time Marinette even had a moment to breathe, her worries over how to behave had virtually disappeared.

She sighed in relief near the refreshments table as Adrien handed her a glass of sparkling cider.

“Are you sure this is your first time at one of these parties,” he asked, “you’re holding up really well.”

“Definitely never done this before,” Marinette said, taking a sip of her drink. “Is this what you have to do working for your father?”

Adrien nodded. “Sometimes. Get ready, future designer, the fashion world is all about networking.”

Marinette scanned the room, taking in the beautiful works of art some of the party guests were wearing. “Well,” She said thoughtfully, “if I get to see such amazing designs and talk to such awesome people every time, I guess I don’t mind that much. Besides, chaos is nothing new to me.” She deliberately tucked her hair behind her ear, letting her miraculous catch the lights from the dance floor.

Adrien caught her meaning and chuckled. “I guess you’re right about that.”

He looked at his flute full of cider and considered his next move as he watched the bubbles pop to the surface. He could do this. He wasn’t about to lose his nerve. He scanned the room and found a door leading out to a balcony with just the lightest dusting of snow and a beautiful view of their favorite spot in the city: The Eiffel Tower. “Hey, Marinette.”

She turned to him, bluebell eyes glittering and a soft smile painted across her face making Adrien’s breath catch at how lovely she looked with that expression.

He swallowed a deep breath and summoned a little bit of Cat Noir’s courage before he spoke again. “Do you mind if we take a step outside for a moment?” He indicated the balcony door.

Her brows knit together for a moment, but she smiled nonetheless. “Of course. It’s a bit warm in here anyway.”

She shifted her purse on her shoulder and placed her glass on the table, ready to follow him across the room to the balcony’s doors, when suddenly Chloe returned with an elderly gentleman in tow.

“Adrikins,” She said, ignoring Marinette. “I have someone you should meet. He’s a friend of daddy’s, and he is a huge fan of your father’s line.”

Adrien shot Marinette a look, apologizing for the interruption without words.

Marinette smiled, understanding what he meant to say. She silently assured him that it was fine by shrugging her shoulders good naturedly and shaking her head. As Chloe continued to prattle on about the man at her side, Marinette pointed down the hallway and mouthed, “I’ll be right back.”

Adrien nodded and watched her go. As he spoke with the man who’s name he had already forgotten, he realized just how easy things were with Marinette when they weren’t so caught up in their own nerves. The ability to communicate without words had been with them since their first Akuma. He didn’t share that kind of trust, closeness, and understanding with anyone else, so knowing that he still had it with Marinette even outside of the suit was an incredible realization. It was something he never wanted to lose.

When Marinette returned to the ballroom, Adrien wasn’t where she left him. He must have been dragged off by Chloe to meet more of her father’s friends and work associates. Marinette had done her fair share of mingling that evening, especially after Jagged Stone had introduced her to some of his acquaintances in the music industry and declaring her “the best up and coming talent in the design industry” that he had “personally discovered”.

She would be leaving the evening with a number of business cards as well as a few possible commissions for future projects. She would have to send Mrs. Cesaire a thank you gift basket for getting her the invitation.

She stopped to talk to Alya and Nino for a bit, neither of whom had seen Adrien in a while, before Nino took Alya out to the dance floor when their favorite song started up.

Marinette glanced around the room one last time, looking for any sign of glimmering blond hair. When her attempt to find him failed, she sighed and wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.

It was way too hot in there.

Marinette could feel the sweat in her hair. If she didn’t get away, all of her curls would fall completely from the humidity. She cursed her heavy Chinese hair for it’s inability to hold a style. When no one was looking, she snagged a bottle of sparkling cider and a glass and slipped out the door to the balcony.

“Marinette,” Tikki said, popping out of Marinette’s purse, “It’s freezing out here! You’re going to get sick!”

Marinette shook her head. “I won’t be out here long. I just want to cool off a bit.”

The night with Adrien and the rest of her friends had been absolutely magical, and she knew she would have to go home soon, but she wanted to hold onto the magic for just a little bit longer. The music from the ballroom poured out of open windows and balcony doors. Marinette gazed upon the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of her city, the city that she and her Cat protected together.

As beautiful as the view was, she could think of one that would be even better.

Tucking the bottle under one arm and shifting her grip on the glass, Marinette approached the ridged siding of the building and the heavy lattice that led up to the roof.

“Marinette!” her kwami protested. “That’s too dangerous!”

Marinette giggled, too busy riding the joyful high of the evening to be concerned with her kwami’s warnings. “I’ll be fine, Tikki. Besides, it’s plenty sturdy.”

She tucked her friend back into her purse and closed the clasp before putting her hands to the lattice siding. In the spring, there would be vines with climbing roses and ivy down the entire side of the hotel, but it was the dead of winter. Marinette was glad that she didn’t have to navigate prickly thorns and delicate flower buds. It took some maneuvering and a reliance on her Ladybug agility, but Marinette managed to climb over the balcony’s railing and scale up the side of the hotel until she was perched on the edge of the rooftop, looking over her city with its twinkling lights glistening off of a light dusting of snow. With her long skirt billowing in the breeze, Marinette took a sip of her cider.

As she looked over her city and listened to the music and laughter drifting up from the gala, she could only reflect on how much her life was changing. She was going into her final year of lycee, and soon her future would be ahead of her. Just tonight, she’d made so many connections with big names in her industry. Building relationships with any of them would make the path to success in the fashion world so much easier. And on top of all of that, her favorite black cat was at her side.

At first, knowing that Adrien was her partner had been terrifying. Even tonight, it had taken them some time to get used to one another.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was her’s, and her love for him was growing brighter every day. Even seeing the smallest things in him brought her joy, from the way he teased her on the battlefield, to their friendly banter during patrols, and especially that look in his eye that he got when he was just so happy, just the way he had looked when thanking her for the cinnamon roll the other day.

It had been scary at first, but Marinette quickly realized that she wouldn’t want anyone else for her partner. She was even thankful for the reveal happening when it had. The thought of her future was still a little bit scary, but with Cat Noir by her side, Marinette was sure she could face anything.

Marinette happily hummed along with the song pouring out of the window, and felt a familiar presence as the sound of footfalls behind her reached her ears.

“What have we here?” He asked, approaching her from behind. “What is this princess doing hiding away from everyone a top her tower?”

Marinette grinned at the way her old nickname fell so easily from Adrien’s lips. She had actually missed the nicknames from him in the past couple of weeks. “I just wanted some time to myself.”

A warm jacket suddenly draped across her shoulders, but it was too thin to be the winter coat she had worn to the party. “If you stay out here with nothing to keep you warm, you’ll get sick.”

Marinette pulled the jacket closer, realizing it was from Adrien’s suit. It smelled like him, like sunshine, grass, and the tiniest hint of camembert cheese.

“But how will you keep warm if you give me this?” She asked, finally glancing over her shoulder.

Adrien stood on the roof’s ledge slightly above her, hand extended towards her to help her to her feet. “I’ll manage.”

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“Sorry I was pulled away earlier,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know how Chloe can be.”

Marinette nodded sympathetically. She certainly did understand. “It’s alright.”

The moments passed, and the upbeat song that had been playing shifted to a slower, more intimate tune. Marinette didn’t miss the fact that Adrien still hadn’t let go of her hand, and wondered if maybe Tikki had been right after all…

“My Lady,” Adrien said, the use of her nickname startling her out of her thoughts and making her heart race in a way that only her name on his lips ever could. He bent over her hand in a move that was very Cat Noir and kissed her knuckles. “May I have this dance?”

Marinette giggled. Seeing him finally fall so naturally into the mannerisms of his alterego was simultaneously strange and comforting. “Of course, Chaton.”

He pulled her arm up to his shoulder before circling it around her waist. He set the pace by leading her in a slow dance to match the tempo of the ballad and guided her around their makeshift rooftop dance floor.

“I really wanted to talk to you tonight.” Adrien said conversationally.

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” Marinette teased.

“I don’t want to just talk to you,” he clarified, “I mean, I do love talking to you, but I need to tell you something, something important. Will you hear me out?”

Marinette felt a tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers and her heart constricted in her chest. She felt as though there were a thousand little ladybugs dancing in her stomach. She didn’t trust herself to speak without making word soup in that moment, so she simply nodded.

“Marinette, you’re one of the most important people in my life, as my friend and as my partner. I’ve wanted to say this to you for a while, years, actually, and I’ve even tried a few times, but something always got in the way. But now that I know how amazing you really are, knowing you as Marinette and as My Lady, I can’t keep this inside any longer.” Adrien’s grip tightened at her waist, and a light flush rose in his cheeks. When he met her eyes, there was a heat behind his gaze, the same one she’d begun to notice more and more since the reveal.

The ladybugs in her stomach picked up the tempo as her heart attempted to beat its way out of her ribcage completely.

“The truth is,” he said, “I’m completely in love with you. I have been practically since we met. And knowing that you’re both my fantastic friend as well as my crazy awesome partner only makes me love you more. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but if it’s possible, I want to be with you. I want to dance with you like this, and kiss you under the stars, and share every moment I can with you, because the more I know about you, the less time I ever want to spend apart.”

Marinette felt like she couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t fair. Why did he have to be so good with words when she could barely string  a sentence together?

“Do you think...that could be possible?” He asked, lowering his eyes in a shy manner that she wasn’t used to seeing from him.

“I, um” Marinette said, her voice cracking with the weight of the emotion she was feeling, “I think that I...I’ve always wanted that, too.” This was her partner, her best friend, the person who has had her back and believed in her since the beginning, even when she didn’t believe in herself. Here was this amazing person who was kind, smart, generous, and sometimes even funny. Knowing that he has been by her side this whole time was almost more than she could take, and suddenly this amazing person was telling her that he was in love with her? She felt herself growing light headed and wondered if this could even be real.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, sure that if she said anything more she would completely fall apart in his arms.

As soon as the words left her lips, Adrien acted on pure impulse and threw his arms around Marinette, crushing her to his chest. “Please,” he murmured, “Say that again.”

Marinette wiggled a bit so that she could speak up, “I-I love you.”

She could feel him practically collapse against her as his grip tightened even more. “I love you, too.”

It was like a dream. They stayed like that for some time, simply repeating those special words over and over again as one song changed to another and the moon rose high in the sky.

Marinette was definitely breaking curfew, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Thank you for being here with me,” Adrien said.

The music had changed to a familiar tune that set them off dancing again. Marinette smiled as they swayed in a circle on the rooftop. “Thank you for asking me.”

He brought her close to his chest again, pressing his lips into her hair. “I love this song,” Adrien whispered against her.  He began to hum the tune into her ear as he guided her in a more intricate dance.

“So do I,” Marinette said, savoring the way his heart thrummed against her fingers.

“We are still kids but we’re so in love, fighting against all odds,” Adrien sang along with the music, right into her ear, drawing an embarrassed giggle from Marinette as she buried her face in his chest. “I know we’ll be alright this time.” Adrien took Marinette’s hand, drawing her out to spin under his arm before pulling her back into him and continuing his serenade. “Darling, just hold my hand, be my girl I’ll be your man. I see my future in your eyes.” He took another chance and dipped her back, forcing her to clutch tighter at his forearms until he brought her back upright again. “Baby I’m dancing in the dark with you between my arms, barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song, when I saw you in that dress looking so beautiful, I don’t deserve this, darling you look perfect tonight.” At the end of the refrain, Adrien bent down and nuzzled his nose against her’s.

She smiled and pressed her forehead against his. “I love you.” She murmured for the hundredth time that night.

Adrien smiled like it was the very first time, and snuggled even closer to her.

Their reveal had definitely been nothing like either of them had expected. It had been unplanned, rockey, and awkward at times, but it had been what brought them together on this rooftop, keeping each other warm on a cold winter night. There was no where else either of them would rather be. Things were absolutely perfect just the way they were.

“Merry Christmas, Lovebug.” Adrien said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Marinette’s head.

Marinette nuzzled further into his neck, never having felt more at home than in this moment. “Merry Christmas, Alley Cat.”

#mlsecretsanta 2k17 #Ming85 #Cryptic Fic #Adrienette #Adrinette #Ladynoir #miraculous ladybug

[bws-holland]

It’s You: Part 2 (Peter Parker Imagine)

As highly requested, here’s the second part to It’s You. Dedicated to all those who asked, especially @wannabe-weasley 💖

I thought that the incident that happened after us winning nationals would make me forget about what I had overheard that day a few weeks ago. But having a near death experience made me realize how short life is and how we should take chances. I’ve been contemplating whether I should let Flash know that I’ve changed my mind about going to Homecoming with him. Yet, something more nerve-wracking has caused me a lot of anxiety and panic. I mean, Peter feels the same way but having to take the first step is terrifying. 

I have to do it. If not, I will regret it forever. I take a deep breath in and make my to Flash. Here goes nothing. His eyes widen as he sees me.

“Y/N, hey. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. After what went down in DC, so many girls have shown me a lot of love, care and attention. I gotta say, you’re nice but I got so many options on who I can take to Homecoming! I am so overwhelmed!” He reels in his excitement then speaks in a serious tone, “I don’t know how to break this to you but…”

“No need to Flash, I get it. You’ve hit the jackpot! Have fun with whoever you take to Homecoming”, I say then walk away. To think he was even capable of showing some amount of kindness. What a fool I was. 

“Ladies! I still need a date to Homecoming, so please, send in your applications!” Flash announces. 

I run to my locker, open it and try to collect myself. I should feel relieved that I didn’t have to turn him down but his words really hurt. I fight back the tears that start to cloud my eyes. I feel the soreness in my throat from holding down a cry. I freeze as I hear a familiar voice.

“Y/N. Hey, are you okay?” Peter softly calls out. 

Oh God he can’t see me like this. I take a deep breath in. Hoping that all the sadness has faded away as I turn around.

“Yeah”, my voice cracks, breaking my cover.

“What happened?”

I look down. My body will betray me if I look him in the eye. “Flash..” is all I could manage to get out before I start sobbing.

“Hey, hey”, he says in a comforting tone. He wraps his arms around me and I collapse in his hold. “Shh, everything will be alright.” He rubs my back to calm me. “Did he hurt you?”

I look up and see worry instead of anger in his eyes. I nod. 

“I’m so sorry for whatever he did. Is there anything I can do to help?” And just like that, I’m frozen again. 

My mind flips back and forth between two answers. One side of me says ‘No, tell him that you’ll be fine’ while the other side of me screams ‘Yes! Take a chance’. Those voices fade away as my heart beat gets louder with each second. I try to focus on something, so my eyes lock on his big, beautiful brown eyes. “Yes.”

I feel myself unravel as a smile spreads across his face. I’ve never felt so weak and so strong at the same time.

“Take me to Homecoming”, I say without missing a beat. I watch his expression change from caring to totally and utterly speechless.

He struggles to find words.

“Unless, you’re already taking someone else..”

“No, no. There’s no one else. I-I’d love to take you to Homecoming”, he stutters. 

I swear my heart just jumped out of my chest now. I feel my cheeks warm up as I smile at him. “I can’t wait.”

He unwraps his arms from my body and uses one to grab his shoulder. “Cool.” 

I giggle as I see him shake his head as he walks away. What a dork. 

The day is finally here. I thought that asking Peter would make me nervous but actually going to Homecoming with him takes the cake. I’m not sure if knowing that he likes me makes this any easier. I just hope I don’t mess this up or make a fool of myself. 

I finish getting ready and look in the mirror to give myself a pep talk. “You’ve faced death and now you’re finally living. You took a chance so now you can do just about anything. He really does like you. It was clearly written on his face. You’re not dreaming. This is real.” I nod and feel my nerves settle down. 

A knock on my door shoots my nerves right through the roof. “He’s here”, my mom says. 

I look at her in panic.

“Aww Y/N, don’t be nervous. Tonight’s your night! Celebrate!” She’s right. Excitement fills my body.

My mom leads the way. As I walk down the stairs, it was like time had slowed down. The only thing I could hear is my heartbeat and the only thing I could see is Peter. He looks so handsome in his suit. A smile grows on my face as I look at him. Oh boy, if he could see his face right now. It’s like he’s looking at something so breathtaking you start to question if it’s real. My heart warms at the fact that it’s me he’s looking at. 

“Hi Peter”, I say. My eyes taking in this wonderful sight up close. He cleans up well. Wow. 

“H-hi Y/N. You look so beautiful.” His eyes twinkle and my heart skips a beat. 

“Thank you. You look very handsome.” My heart melts as he blushes. 

“You two look absolutely adorable! I got to take a picture of this!” my mom gushes. Our eyes remain locked on each other, almost as if we were in a trance. “Just move a bit closer together and look at the camera!” We smile at each other than pose for the picture. 

“I brought you this”, Peter says as he presents me with a corsage. He opens it and reveals the most beautiful flower that I have ever seen. His hands shake a bit as he puts it on my wrist. 

“Thank you Peter, it’s perfect.”

“Let’s take another one with the corsage! Good choice Peter! That’s her favorite flower.” As my mom pushes down on the camera, Peter gently places one hand just above my hip. I could get use to this. 

My parents drop us off and I am so relieved they didn’t embarrass me or make Peter even more nervous. 

“Okay you two have fun tonight!” my mom squeals. My dad chuckles.

“Thank you, see you later”, I say. Peter thanks them then gets out of the car to get my door. 

“What a gentleman”, my dad says, approvingly. 

Peter holds out his arm for me so I loop my arm around his. It still hasn’t hit me that this is really happening. I get surprised at how patient he is as I take my time walking up the stairs in heels. My mind instantly becomes flooded with a constant thought. Don’t fall, don’t fall. I let out a sigh of relief as we make it to the top. We head inside and stop just before we enter the gym. 

“You ready?” Peter asks, looking at me for confirmation. 

“Yes.” All the nerves that he must’ve been feeling disappears and he opens the door confidently. We walk in together and it feels like all eyes are on us. I swear I heard some aw’s. 

We walk up to Ned, Michelle, Liz and the other members of the decathlon team. “You two look so cute together!” the girls say in unison, causing us both to blush.

Just then a slow song comes on and I realize that it’s my favorite. I look at Peter and he is thinking the same thing. “Would you like to dance?” he asks, holding out his hand. 

“I’d love to.” I place my hand in his and he leads the way. He leaves some space between us, the right amount of comfort and closeness. We sway slowly to the music. I look down at our feet. Don’t step on him, don’t step on him. 

As my favorite part comes up, he takes a deep breath in. I think I hear him mutter, “You can do this, you got this.” My heart begins to race again. “Y/N?” It skips a beat. 

“Yes?” I look up at him, curious but also nervous. 

“I need-I have to confess something to you.” His voice, now a bit shaky. 

“Go on.” 

He takes another deep breath in, looking at me with apologetic eyes. “With everything that’s happened, me being kicked off the team, rejoining, disappointing you guys again and again and what happened in the elevator..” He let’s out a little sigh. 

“Peter”, I say in a forgiving tone. 

“You’ve always shown me kindness and forgiven me even when I probably didn’t deserve it. So, I should be honest with you. I like you Y/N, a lot.” All the doubt that I was feeling vanished as I hear him say it to me. 

“I like you too Peter.” His face lights up. This expression is far more precious and is now my favorite next to when he saw me walking down the stairs. “I’m so happy that I’m here with you.” 

The smile that’s on his face in this very moment sets my heart on fire. “Me too.”

He looks at me like he’s asking for permission. Instead of nodding, I lean in. Our eyes close and our lips meet. His lips so gentle and soft. I start to forget the time, the place and everyone around us. No fears or worries present. It really does feel like I’m floating or walking on clouds. 

We break the kiss to catch our breaths and to question if that actually happened. My head begins to spin so I lean on his shoulder. His hands, soft, hold onto my waist, closing the space between us. He rests his head on mine and we continue slow dancing to my favorite song. 

#if you thought i died while writing this then you are right! #peter is so soft and has made my heart turn to mush #i hope this was just as good as part one #and that it makes you feel the emotions that peter made you feel in homecoming #specifically the faces he made whenever he looked at liz #all the fluff and all the warm feels #peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker fanfiction #spider-man: homecoming #spiderman #spider-man #my writing #writing

[kevoreally]

#BuffyAt20 - S03E05 “Homecoming”

AND HERE WE ARE! I am finally caught up on #BuffyAt20 with this liveblog! Very exciting. Season 3, Episode 5, “Homecoming.”

> It’s weird to see these kids talking about something normal like a dance. Not funny weird. Weird weird.

> Why is Willow talking about this being their “last homecoming” as if they’ve ever been the types to celebrate homecoming? (Didn’t Cordy almost get Bride Of Frankenstein’d at last homecoming or something?)

> Is it homecoming or Homecoming? I’m not going to get it right, that’s for sure.

> I actually don’t think going in Oz’s van is the dumbest idea. It's at The Bronze, not The Plaza.

> Why are they talking about a limo for homecoming anyway?? Is this a thing? I thought that was just Prom. And yet I remember no mention of a limo once we get to the actual Prom.

> Wow, in a rare instance, Cordelia’s tactlessness is actually useful. I mean, she’s not calling out Scott in defense of Buffy so much as from a complete lack of social awareness, but it still proved useful.

> “The judge will accept that as a yes.” Bless Oz forever.

> Okay, Buffy is still a little zoned out, but she’s a fairly decent girlfriend in that first scene.

> Was that Angel dramatic curtain pull really as intense as the music tried to tell us? Probably not.

> I actually loved and still love the “Buffy hiding Angel” arc. I think it makes a lot of sense. I think it could’ve been better executed at times, but I still enjoy it more than, say, XILLOW.

>This smash-cut to the break-up is actually almost laughable. Who wrote this one? … Written AND directed by Greenwalt? Huh.

> This was such a weird three-episode arc, this Scott Hope thing. We literally never see him again after this episode, and he’s only mentioned again I think once in Season 7.

> He barely gives a reason for dumping her! YOU AGREED TO GO TO HOMECOMING WITH HER LAST NIGHT! What a chump. You can do better, B.

> Woof. The Twins. Hello, boys.

> Them watching her is such an interesting note to close the teaser on, because it still yet doesn’t give away any of the SlayerFest stuff, you just think “assassins.”

> No, seriously, every week this theme song gets me.

> THE MAYORRRRRR!!!!!!!

> Also Deputy Mayor Allan. Love him. Was he Deputy Mayor? I suppose I’ll be reminded soon enough.

> The germophobe stuff was such an odd and interesting quirk to add to this villain.

> “Dirt. And germs. And mayonnaise.” This performance, man.

> “You have all my faith.” HA!

> It’s cute that these senior portraits were used in the “official” Sunnydale High Yearbook. (Which I own, of course. (It’s… not great.))

> “Open to all mankind.” There’s that slut-shaming again.

> Xander actually does occasionally show emotional concern for Cordy and it’s… almost nice? But then this is the episode where he starts cheating, so… nvm.

> Eddie’s friend Nicole on #FreshOffTheBoat looked just like Faith and I loved it.

> See, and now here Buffy and Faith are talking about being sexually empowered. Isn’t that so much nicer than slut-shaming?

> UGH, the scene where Buffy’s favorite teacher doesn’t know her. I feel this too hard.

> I find it hard to believe any teacher has not heard of Buffy. THAT NAME ALONE.

> Also hard to believe there’s no make-up dates for senior portraits. And seriously? When Buffy didn’t show up after Cordy said she’d get her, no one else went?? 🤬

> “just because you were Guacamole Queen when you were three” - is that in response to Buffy saying she was Fiesta Queen a moment ago, when Cordelia wasn’t present?

> Yeah, my IG post had me wonder if Buffy should’ve backed off, since this is all Cordy has, but no. This is actually great. I root for Buffy all the way. Go for blood.

> "...and whatever the hell you are, my brother. You got them  spiny-looking head things. I ain't never seen that before." "I am Kulak, of the Miquot Clan." "Isn't that nice." Loool.

> “Ladies, gentlemen, spiny-head-looking creatures.” Seriously, Mr. Trick was great.

> OH NO, IT’S HERE. The dreaded Xillow.

> Seriously, can I just blackout during this?

> There’s even a soft pop hit playing in the background. STOP TRYING TO BE #DAWSONSCREEK.

> I’m sorry - eighth grade COTILLION? WHAT? (Meanwhile, I was in seventh grade when this aired.)

> Xander asking Willow how far she and Oz got is only inappropriate because of what comes next. It would’ve been so nice if they could’ve been comfortable opposite-sex friends who could talk about those sorts of things.

> This whole scene is so painfully awkward. Who actually wanted this? STOP DANCING.

> Okay it’s over bye, bye, byeee.

> This whiteboard reminds me of #CabinInTheWoods

> Okay, Buffy. Like. Why do you think anyone is going to laugh at you making fun of Cordy? We all know it’s beneath you.

> “A lot of people came to my welcome home party.” “They were killed by zombies.” “Good point.” HA.

> Okay, you know, Willow and Xander’s guilt pushing them to work harder for Cordy almost makes it worth the moment in THIS episode. But its continuation after this is just dumb.

> Like. At the very least, can’t Willow let Buffy see her database too? Wtf?

> “As Willow goes, so goes my nation” is something I say a lot, except with Nico.

> I straight up thought Buffy was just drinking directly from a bottle of wine just now.

> I like this song during the compaign montage. And hey, it’s Fastball! https://youtu.be/e97XbcKy8ZU

> I liked the Lisa Loeb song from earlier, so I may as well link to that too: https://youtu.be/NDdivQ8n5Ug

> Aww, it was so nice of the promo department to lend Buffy a headshot to use for her campaign posters. 🙄

> Remember last week when Scott’s two oldest friends were both killed, including one by the other? And we were supposed to, like, feel sympathy for him?

> How long is this campaign going on for? Where is Buffy getting the funding for all of this?

> WHY WOULD WILLOW *NOT* HAVE SHOWN BUFFY THE DATABASE? Sigh.

> JONATHAN!!!

> Cordelia only gave Jonathan $6? Even in 1998, that was nothing. At least make it $10!

> Vulcan Death Grip - that’s not the right name, right? I feel like even I know that one.

> “is that any more tacky than your faux ‘I’m shy but deep’ campaign posters?” “...yes.” Ha. And, yes.

> ”How can you think it’s okay to talk to people like this?” SERIOUSLY, BUFFY. I’m finding it hard to understand how liking Cordelia at this point in the series.

> Like right here. Cordelia *purposely* goes to physically push Buffy, assuming the Slayer would never push back. The moment Buffy actually defends herself, Cordelia calls her “sick.” That’s uncanny.

> Okay, “vapid whore” wasn’t great. But. ...Y’know. 🤷🏻‍♂️

> For real, I still keep expecting it to turn out there’s some kind of horny homecoming ghost that’s going to be revealed as the source of this Xillow nonsense. But no. Never.

> “I’m talking about us.” Loooool, of course you are, Willow. Watch out for anvils, everyone…

> “The limo was not cheap, work it out”? What the fuck? 🤭🤣

> Okay, but for real, the setup here of how Cordelia came to be mistaken for Faith? I actually do find that amusing. And it was 1998, so you could still just barely get away with the Germans making that mistake without saying, “Okay, but all that tech and they got it wrong?” It was a magical time.

> Their dresses are gorgeous and timeless, by the way. And the color scheme evokes thoughts of #TRON for me, that orange and almost-teal green.

> Omigod, it’s a TV in the woods, hooked up to a VCR. Maybe it wasn’t such a magical time after all, haha.

> I want a SlayerFest T-shirt.

> I vividly remember “She’s a Slayer, I’m a Homecoming Queen” from the commercials.

> Faith just hanging out at this dance is so cute. There weren’t nearly enough stories with Faith actively involved as a good guy.

> I haven’t ever listened closely to “She Knows” by Four Star Mary, I don’t know how much sense Oz writing it for Willow makes, but believe I’ll be looking into it before I blog it.

> Giles psyching out Willow and Xander is friggin’ adorable. I love that Giles starts to loosen up this season. Is it a response to seeing the change in his returned Slayer? Hmm.

> I love Buffy just lobbing a bear trap at someone.

> I can’t tell if the hunter is cute. I wanna say mostly. I wonder if this was supposed to be Whats-his-name from “Phases”?

> Okay, it’s vindictive, but Faith’s revenge on Scott still makes me giggle. What?? That was a very unceremonious dumping.

> And we never saw Scott again. Who was his date anyway? What became of Scott after this? Other than, y’know. Gay.

> Giles is so on point in this episode. He’s fun and caring and charming. What a wonderful highlight in a lot of mess.

> Omigod, I almost forgot about Cordy’s spatula.

> Hm. This making Cordy realize she loves Xander is… interesting.

> And then her fortifying after Buffy goads her - and being smart enough to recognize that’s what she’s doing. Huh.

> Oh wait, she forgot to mention the telephone, nevermind, she still dumb.

> “No, this is better, for - oh.” Ha, tho.

> Buffy is leaving a voicemail on Giles’s landline. Lol.

> The spiny demon offering to cut off the hunter’s leg is actually kind of a nice gesture. New OTP.

> Wait, Buffy’s voicemail actually went through? Interesting.

> “I spent a year’s allowance on this dress.” And the muffins?

> Loving Buffy’s “pick up a yearbook and prove I went to high school” speech here, tbh. Writing and performance.

> How did this guy not just turn around and stab Cordelia while she was swatting him?

> “Cordelia, the spatula.” Haaa.

> This tech is some real #VRTroopers-looking shit.

> How have I not yet mentioned the Gorch reappearance here? And how much I love it? So fun.

> Wow, Buffy goes down hard when she gets hit with that stand. Damn.

> I do sort of love Cordelia talking Gorch into fleeing. He’s just stupid enough for this to work here.

> “I don’t recall them mentioning corsages” - that’s what tips them off? Sigh.

> “I need some wet toilet paper.” “Yeah! That’ll help.” Okay, lul.

> NOOO, goodbye, hot German twins! RIHotness.

> Seriously, cute plan tho, making them fire on each other. I wonder if their Dad/Handler ever got his money. Also, so like, what happened at school the next day, with this shot-up wall?

> The Mayor immediately offers his hand to Mr. Trick, that’s endearing. He’s a very endearing villain.

> “This is a very important year for me.” “Election year.” “Something like that.” Snerk.

> “The children are our future. We need them. I need them.” Like, does he mean ‘to eat’ here? I don’t think so, actually. He talks in Season 4 about having a children’s museum dedicated to himself.

> HA, SEE, I KNEW IT: “long story,” “got hunted,” “apparently not that long.” And also written by David Greenwalt. Gotta watch those, brother!

> Oh hey Devon!

> This scene does completely make me laugh still, not gonna lie. When he’s switching the crown over the two winners’ heads and our girls just walk off. Classic.

Speaking of classic - next week, a very classic episode, with another character reappearance, “Band Candy!” Looking forward to it. Especially now that I’m finally caught up! :D :D :D

#Buffy #buffy at 20 #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy watch #buffy rewatch #tv blog #live blog #buffy blog #btvs season 3 #Buffy Season 3 #Homecoming