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bambi-kinos · 2 months

Note

I just came across your analysis of However Absurd and thought it was lovely. I'm curious, as someone who thinks John and Paul had some kind of romantic or sexual relationship, what is your take on The Lovers That Never Were? Is he using the word "lovers" to mean "partners"? I have always interpreted it to mean that Paul knows there was something there but it never happened. Every time I start to be convinced that they were together in some way I think of this song and the devastating way Paul sings it in the demo and the heartbreaking fact that he still felt it that intensely 13 years after John's death.

Oh wow thank you! The server had a lot of fun discussing that, if it's good it's because I had a little help from my friends heheh (─‿‿─) ♡

I ended up writing a massive novel in response to all this so I hope you enjoy reading it heheh. For server members, I've pulled some quotes from my previous Discord essays on this topic so you'll see some stuff that you've read.

tl;dr - I don't think "The Lovers That Never Were" contradicts the secret relationship theory at all! I think it compliments it very well actually.

In order to get into All That, I will outline how I perceive what their relationship was built on and how they reacted to it. I should note that I don't consider this definitive. It's important to remember that we all have unique interpretations of John and Paul because of our experiences and our personal POVs. There is no single answer until Paul decides to tell us what happened and/or Sean publishes John's diaries (written and audio). Until that happens, we are all forced to look at the same material and draw our own conclusions which will naturally be shaped through our personal perceptions. Some of us are older and are much closer to the original culture that John and Paul were raised in; some of us are younger and grew up in a much more LGBT+ positive environment. This naturally has an impact on how we interpret John and Paul's relationship.

I say this because I know my POV on John and Paul is a bit different from everyone else's. I'm a historian by training but part of being a historian is the understanding that you will never fully understand the events as they happened because your personal viewpoint and inherent bias is simply too strong. But that's okay because this is a part of humanity that we all share, yeah? With that understanding LET'S GO!

Paul My view on Paul is that he's always understood that he's different from other men. I doubt he could put a name to it until very recently. Paul has synesthesia, he's bisexual, he connects to music in a savant-like way, he's neurodivergent which is why he takes criticism so hard, and all of that would still be true even if he didn't have left over emotional issues from his mother dying the way she did + his fraught relationship with his father.

Keep in mind that circumstantial evidence points to the idea that Paul orchestrated the meeting at the fête! He realized he had a mutual friend with John in Ivan (who is to say that he did not meet Ivan at a QM performance and had that mental realization there?) He went through Hot Girl Summer before and after the fête, wanting to be fucking fit so that he wasn't embarrassed to meet John! I did the same thing when I had a crush as a teenager!

So with all that in mind, imagine this: you're Paul McCartney. You met John Lennon barely a year after Mary died. You turned 15 on June 18th, 1957 and met John at the fête on July 6, 1957. At some undetermined point before this garden party you saw a beautiful boy on the bus and began riding it obsessively hoping the Teddie boy would get on it. You followed him to the chippie and stood in line behind him…allegedly because you thought "oh wow he looks so cool." Marky Mark thinks (and I agree) that you may have even followed John to at least one Quarry Man show before the fête. Is this 'normal' behavior? Or is this the unhinged behavior of a teenager with a massive crush? The kind that comes about when you see a cute boy with red hair, and red is the color you associate with happiness, and then you find out that he plays guitar just like you and you follow him around until you see one of his performances and he's so good he knocks you back and then someone says "hi Paul, I didn't know you liked music!" behind you. And you realize that it's your friend and that you can meet the boy you have a crush on through this friend. You just need to lose weight and grow your hair out first.

When did Paul first see John, anyway? Before he turned 15 I'd wager.

I submit the idea that Paul has been in love John Lennon for his entire life. It will be 67 years of love when this July 6th rolls around. John was making a name for himself, he was known around town as "that Lennon." A minor celebrity like we’ve all had in our hometowns. Paul loved music. Before the internet you would go to the town square to hear a band.

Paul did that. Saw John. Pursued him with intent. When John went to Gambier Terrace to be with Stuart, Paul made a nuisance of himself showing up at their parties and playing the proto-version of "Michelle" in front of the girls…and John.

I love you, I love you, I love you That's all I want to say Until I find a way I will say the only words I know that You'll understand

I don't think that a 15 year old Paul McCartney would explicitly label his feelings for John as 'love' or a 'crush' but I do think that's what happened. When you're a teenager, a crush can express itself in many different ways. I used to have a big crush on a girl who was a volleyball player at my junior high school…that expressed itself as intense admiration. I even told one of my friends that I thought she was 'really cool.' It wasn't until later that I realized that I had a crush on her.

But I think that Paul has always known that he's 'different' and that he wasn't like other boys while growing up. Part of his touchiness about his looks comes from being bullied but I also think that he's a lot more self aware than he pretends to be. I think he realized relatively fast how he felt about John (maybe once John picked up with Stuart and Cynthia at art college.) I think he carried that with him for years hence his anguished response to being jilted in Hamburg and how furious he was at John for running off to Spain with Brian. He didn't realize it immediately but once it sticks to you then it fucking sticks. I think that Paul has done a lot internal wrestling with being a bisexual man and what that means for him and that he has been wrestling with it for decades. I think he was fully in the grip of that wrestling as he and John's friendship began growing and Paul realized what was happening to him. He does enjoy women but I also think that he felt it was necessary to pursue them heavily as a young man to camouflage himself.

I don't think a day has gone by since 1957 where Paul has not known what he was. What exactly that means for him…is up for interpretation. That's where the gray area is. But IMO Paul has almost always known that he's sexually attracted to other men and that John woke this in him. The big question for Paul is what he should do about it.

John There's been a lot written about John and his sexuality that I won't rehash here but truthfully I think John was in a similar place to Paul in knowing that he's always had a sexual preference for other men. John was a lot less comfortable about it though. Having unprotected sex with his girlfriends was, IMO, John trying to subconsciously engineer a situation that would "fix" him via an accidental pregnancy necessitating a marriage.

Of course that didn't do anything because it never does. John still felt chemistry with Paul when they met at the fête, with that quote about them "circling each other like cats." IMO John felt something immediately -- it's not entirely clear what -- though I don't think it "love at first sight" like with Paul. IMO their friendship, while still rooted in that chemistry, developed very naturally for John and he got to enjoy a platonic relationship with Paul before he put it all together. I say this because John saw Paul as a kid, not a peer, and that this endured for their lives in Liverpool pre-Hamburg. I struggle to imagine John or Paul deliberately inciting sexual or romantic contact during that time period aside from the group wank sessions (which were really trolling sessions from John.) Like, when Julia died, John went out and sought peers at art college like Cynthia and Stuart, other students his age. John and Paul bonded over losing their mothers and Paul has that quote about pranking people with the "oh yeah…my mum's dead thanks <3" bit but it also seems like John didn't want to be around that all the time. He lost his Uncle George and then his mother, he was starting to think that he was a death-curse on men in his family and that he brought suffering with him. He wanted to be away from that so he took a vacation from music to get a chance of scenery. Which meant putting Paul in a place of competition with Stuart and Cyn but I don't think John was thinking of that initially (though he exploited the situation later.)

Then Hamburg happens and they run wild. I have an entire meta about this that you can read here but I genuinely think John did not see Paul as a full fledged adult and potential sexual partner until they were in Hamburg in the red light district. I think that something happened there that we don't know about, that it's tied up in Stuart deciding to be with Astrid, John jilting Paul, Paul saying "fuck you I'm done" and getting a job at the coil winding factory in Liverpool after being deported, John tracking Paul down and spending weeks (probably) groveling and then giving Paul an ultimatum to come back to the Beatles. All of that screams 'I just realized I'm in love with my best friend and I'm freaking the fuck out' to me lmao.

John and Paul Of course something else changed after that too and John and Paul ended up becoming so close that even the Liverpool squares around them noticed. I think that whatever was going in their relationship, it started here. In the place where John and Paul were equally distraught with each other, the future of the band was uncertain, and Paul wanted a sign of commitment from John so that he didn't feel like he wasted years of his life. And of course John always felt compelled to be the man Paul wanted him to be so he treated Paul to a vacation in Paris which was so life affirming for them that it stayed with them for the rest of their lives. IMO the Paris vacation was explicitly romantic for them.

I think a switch flipped in 1961 and they went from "messing around" to "there's something there." It erupted in Paris and they showed each other more understanding and care then they expected from each other. John did sexy pin up poses for Paul in a bed that they shared; John remembers how the French held each other in their arms and just kissed each other, lovingly; Paul felt that he discovered the answer and that all those big name philosophers had nothing on the self realization he came to inside himself. Paul even took a photo of John that high lighted his package! Thanks to @louiselux for pointing this one out:

The thing was all the kissing and the holding that was going on in Paris. And it was so romantic, just to be there and see them, even though I was twenty-one and sort of not romantic. But I really loved it, the way the people would just stand under a tree kissing; and they weren’t mauling at each other, they were just kissing. — John Lennon, Playboy interview 1980

“We were like Paris existentialists. Jean-Paul Sartre had nothing on us. Sod ‘em all - I could write a novel… It was all inside me. I could do anything now.”

Paul McCartney, Anthology

Something happened in Paris and it wasn't just them getting haircuts and John buying Paul milkshakes. There was commitment there. And then the spell comes over them again when they return in January 1964:

The first night, John and Paul stayed in their suite, listening to records and reading fan mail. George, who had been signed for 100 pounds a day by the Daily Express to write of his experiences in Paris, went to a nightclub in the Place Pigalle.

Back in the City of Light, John and Paul slept till three o'clock in the afternoon. That much everybody agreed on.

Quote by Vincent Mulchrone from Daily Mail: George Harrison was astir early, but John Lennon and Paul McCartney slumbered on until frantic photographers forced them at lens point into the Champs-Élysées.

Derek Taylor (a British journalist) wanted to know why the Beatles slept so much. "My office wants to know what they're doing in Paris, so they'd better be doing something."

Love Me Do by Michael Braun

But I know what you're thinking. "What the hell does this all have to do with these two songs?"

And my reply is to keep a few things in mind:

Paul takes criticism and slights incredibly hard, possibly overreacting in some places and letting them overwhelm him mentally.

He never got over Barcelona, he never stopped resenting Stuart and Brian, he never got over John pulling the rug out from under him regarding the order of their names in the song credits. He contemplated committing suicide by smothering himself while he was in Scotland recovering from John leaving him.

John Lennon had a baby with a woman in the middle of all this. Julian Lennon was born April 8, 1963, conceived in July 1962, less than a year after Paris.

However Absurd & The Lovers That Never Were I listened to "However Absurd" and "The Lovers That Never Were" in that order. My immediate reaction is that these are both the same kind of song: they are both expressing sadness and frustration with John. This is a common theme with Paul's post-1980 John songs. What I find interesting is that they depict different though related gripes regarding John. In "However Absurd" Paul is expressing his longing for a cottagecore fantasy romance with John and then expressing frustration at John mocking him for it:

Ears twitch, like a dog Breaking eggs in a dish Do not mock me when I say This is not a lie

But in "The Lovers That Never Were" Paul expresses a different gripe: frustration that John won't commit to him and "anticipating" the break up that he secretly knew was coming ever since 1963 when John abandoned him and his own son to play patty-cake with Brian in Spain:

I hang patiently on every word you send Will we ever be much more than just friends? As for you, you sit there playing this game You keep me waiting

When all of the clocks have run down All over the world We'll be the lovers that never were

For as long as the sun shines in somebody's eyes I believe in you baby, so don't tell me lies For as long as the trees throw down blossoms and leaves I know there will be a parade of unpainted dreams

And I know dear, how much it's going to hurt If you still refuse to get your hands dirty So you, you must tell me something… I love you Say goodbye or anything

All of the clocks have run down Time's at an end If we can't be lovers we'll never be friends

John's penchant for disregarding Paul's feelings and even weaponizing them against Paul; the dashing of Paul's cottagecore dreams that were made and solidified in Paris; the fact that John, no matter what his intentions, could not get his shit together and commit to Paul no matter what he may have felt. These two songs are not contradictory to one another. Paul's idea of "commitment" looks very much like what he had with Linda and John in 1967: sharing a home, sharing a bed, being together every day, preferably somewhere green and remote. Exclusivity. Remember that Paul deliberately sabotaged his relationship with Jane Asher by nailing a woman in their bed when Jane came home, knowing perfectly well that he was breaking their exclusivity agreement.

That IMO, is what makes someone a lover and not just a friend you have sex with and secretly pine for. No cheating, or at least your agreed version of it. No disrespecting the relationship. Continuously being together. What did John do instead of this?

I think that Paul started out his "relationship" with John carrying high hopes and then watched them crumble to dust, over and over, because John simply did not take him seriously. He got Cynthia pregnant, he ran around on Paul with Brian, he had the nerve to flip out on Jane Asher when Paul brought her around when he was the one who couldn't stay faithful to Cynthia.

My hot take is that these songs demonstrate that Paul simply could not imagine John ever truly committing to him and treating him as a true partner. The homophobia and yes ~society~ is in there too but Paul was happy to flout this when it came to just about anyone else, traipsing all over France with Fraser and Mal. The difference is that he flat out didn't trust John. Being jilted for Stuart in Hamburg loomed too big in his head. Cynthia and Julian loomed too big in his head. Brian and Barcelona, realizing that John would happily betray whatever agreements or understandings he had with Paul simply to screw Paul out of a deal, loomed too big in his head. I think in particular its Barcelona that made Paul think John didn't value any of their professed ideals. John broke Paul's heart years before Yoko came along.

He didn't trust John. Fatalism is easier than taking control of your own life sometimes, and in Paul's mind there was no reason to believe John was genuine. Like, Paul knew John very well! He had very good reason to think that John was simply not serious about him. And John, no matter what his intentions were, proved that correct over and over and over and over.

So ultimately, I think that's what these songs are about. The melodies don't necessarily reflect this when I listened to them but I think that "The Lovers That Never Were" in particular is juxtaposing bitter wink-and-nod lyrics with an oddly perky tune. It's Paul laughing at himself for ever thinking John was willing to commit. He's mocking himself because while he allowed himself to get swept up in the dream of a possible genuine relationship with John, he knew deep down that it would go the way it did. That John would find a reason to get tired of him and abandon him. And then when Yoko came along, that's exactly what John did. Paul fatalistically accepted that the time had come and John met Paul's low expectations of him.

The Weight I don't think John and Paul necessarily planned to have a secret relationship. It seems more like they bundled the sexual/romantic stuff into their "thing" where it was just part and parcel of who they were and what they did. "It's only gay if the balls touch" etc. At some point that changed but Paul became convinced early on that it wouldn't work out so he didn't acknowledge his own secret desires and dreams. There was no roadmap between him and John about where they were taking this exactly and how they were going to make it work. He had sex with John and even engaged with romantic actions with John, hoping against hope that something would change and he would be proven wrong, but then John would be careless and Paul would collapse into hurt.

And oh yeah: Paul never, ever discussed any of this with John Lennon. He never told John how hurt he was because he didn't want to put up with John's derision. He felt devalued and lost and in typical Paul fashion he chose to ignore this for years and never bring it up, forcing it to come out in bizarre nonsensical actions when he inevitably boiled over. Why would he choose to confront it? He made sure to set up several safety nets to catch him! Jane and the Ashers, striking out on his own with "The Family Way" score, rubbing John's face in his escapades with other males as a way to go 'see, I don't need you just like you don't need me. How about THAT?'

I don't think John ever intended to hurt Paul as badly as he did. He thought that if Paul was upset about something then he would know via their ~telepathic connection.~ I think that he deliberately overlooked warning signs because he felt intensely guilty about certain actions he took (God only knows which ones) and that he helped himself not see Paul's hurt. I do think if he had the slightest idea of what was going on in Paul's head then he would have changed tactics immediately out of fear of losing Paul forever. But at heart John was a coward and if he didn't want to see something was wrong then he wouldn't see it unless something forced his hand. Like say, having his former best friend/ex-lover look him in the eye and go "I can write new songs" and kill The Beatles in a court of law. (And of course once he realized what he had done, years after the fact, it was too little too late. He couldn't take it back. How do you make up for inflicting that much hurt on someone that you supposedly care for? This paralyzed John for years.)

This was obviously a huge mistake and I think it was one of the landmines that blew their relationship up. Paul allowed his distrust and bitterness to overwhelm him. He should have been honest with John about his feelings; maybe not immediately but when they were able to look back with some perspective. Paul should have realized that their relationship could take heat. He should have trusted John more and if he had then John could have risen to the occasion. Everything could have been different. No more "I believe in you baby, so don't tell me lies." No more "Do not mock me when I say/This is not a lie."

He even expresses this in a third song, one that IMO puts this entire thing into perspective and ties these three songs together with a neat bow. "This One":

youtube

Did I ever take you in my arms, look you in the eye Tell you that 'I do?' Did I ever open up my heart And let you look inside?…

Did I ever touch you on the cheek Say that you were mine, thank you for the smile? Did I ever knock upon your door Try to get inside?…

Please take note of the bolded "Tell you that 'I do'!" Paul's deepest regret with regards to John is not trusting him more. He wishes that he had opened up to John about his hurt and how he angry he was that John was devaluing their relationship. That he wanted to commit to John but that he was scared John wouldn't say 'I do' back.

From John's POV he's just being John; he's looking out for the band. God knows he tried to be what Paul needed him to be but he got mixed signals and inconsistent behavior and Paul's ice queen behavior frustrated him to no end. This resulted in an endless circle of "fuck you/no no no, fuck YOU/well fuck you then!/fuck you" that ended up killing what they had.

But John is guilty in this too. He never made himself accountable to Paul. He didn't explain his actions. He acted rashly and selfishly and then was shocked when it blew up in his face. He didn't consistently act like he loved Paul. He took Paul for granted and told himself that he was doing the right thing, because changing your behavior is very very hard. He didn't let Paul in when it mattered.

Did you ever take me in your arms Look me in the eye, tell me that 'you do?'

As Paul grew up and he started to come to grips with the "What happened" of it all, maybe he realized that he had procrastinated. That he put off what mattered most because he couldn't bear to make himself vulnerable as a young man. Maybe he was waiting for a perfect moment to open himself up to John knowing perfectly well it would never arrive, a common delaying tactic for insecure and avoidant people. Not admitting that the perfect moment would never come and that he had to extend trust to receive it in return.

If I never did it, I was only waiting For a better moment that didn't come There never could be a better moment Than this one, this one

I think he's still angry at John for multiple betrayals, slaps to the face, and devaluing the specialness of their relationship and their affection for each other. But I also think that Paul is angry at himself for not trusting John, for not working harder at their relationship. He also delivered multiple betrayals and slaps to the face to John, feeding John's insecurity and fears of abandonment. Making a mockery of their relationship and how special it was. Paul has been doing public penance for this ever since John died, which snapped everything into perspective and he finally realized the full scope of his own screw ups.

Because it took two to destroy a relationship this intense and this special. If Paul did not know that before...

Well. He does now.

#the beatles #mclennon #john lennon #paul mccartney #mclennon meta #my meta #mclennon server #this was a really fun ask anon thank you!

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imsparky2002 · 10 months

Text

Coward and Proud of It

(Nathaniel is drawing in his sketchbook after another akuma attack, and notices his classmates looking embarassed, their faces riddled with guilt.)

Nathaniel: Why do you guys look like that?

Alix: Dude, we’re such horrible friends! We forgot about you again!

(He looked confused. She sounded sincere, but why?)

Rose: I can’t believe we left you behind! We’re supposed to look out for each other!

Nathaniel: Uh, what are you talking about?

Nino: We didn’t go back to look for you dude! We were too busy saving our own skins. (He looks ashamed. Nathaniel realizes what’s going on.)

Nathaniel: Are you talking about the last akuma attack? You think you abandoned me?

Kim: Yeah! You were nowhere to be found. Weren’t you looking for us?

Nathaniel: Uh... no? Guys, you didn’t leave me behind. I left you.

(The entire class gasps in shock.)

Chloe: What are you on about, Kurtzberg?!

(He just rolls his eyes at the girl.)

Nathaniel: Whenever I am able to do so, I slip away from you guys. Afterall, Akumas seem to have a magnet for our group. And the best way to avoid getting killed is to lay low, away from the source.

Adrien: You make it sound like we’re a liability to you!

Nathaniel: *Bluntly* You are. You all run around like headless chickens, instead of ducking for cover and keeping your heads down. If this were a zombie apocalypse, you’d fail horribly. Well, except for Adrien and Marinette. Somehow you two always manage to avoid the brunt of the attacks. Not to mention you’ve never been akumatized yourselves. Main character energy if I’ve ever seen it.

Marinette: Yeah... that’s the reason. *Internally sweating*

Max: Nathaniel, you make up one fourteenth of a group. I am pretty sure we’d realize if you had abandoned us.

Nathaniel: Well, Max, for a guy with such a high iq, you clearly weren’t smart enough the other four times I did it.

Alya: Hold on a second, you’ve left us FIVE TIMES?!

(Nathaniel nods. He doesn’t understand why everyone seems so surprised.)

Nathaniel: You make it sound like it’s such a hard thing to do. When you’re all freaking out like that, it’s easy for a quiet guy like me to slip away.

Alix: (Talking about the Art Club Squad) But every time we texted you in the group chat, you acted like you were trying to find us. You even said you understood how panicked we got.

Nathaniel: Yeah, I was lying. You think I’m gonna reveal my escape plans? Then you’ll wanna join me, and I can’t have anyone from this class, even my friends, putting a target on my back via association.

Juleka: *Mumbling* Ouch, dude.

Chloe: Hmph! Well if you’re so elusive, tell us how on earth a nobody like you managed to survive all these attacks.

Nathaniel: Why should I tell you? You’d just try to join me next time.

(Rose uses her puppy dog eyes, and he caves.)

Nathaniel: Alright, fine. But I’m not taking any of you next time, you hear me?

(They grumble and nod.)

Nathaniel: Ok, Stormy Weather was pretty easy. All I had to do was avoid Alec, head home to my house, shut all the windows, lock the doors, hide under the bed, and done. For some reason, Akumas usually attack anyone unlucky enough to be outside. If they don’t have a specific victim in mind that is.

(The classmates all mutter in agreement. He had a point.)

Nathaniel: Next up was Guitar Villain, and once again you all ran off together, not even thinking of splitting up. And it seems none of you got the idea of just pretending to like the music. That’s what I did, just copied what I saw Ivan doing in class the day before, and headbanged like there was no tomorrow. I find the music to be cringe as all hell, not to mention the singer’s a deadbeat dad with an obviously fake English accent, but I had to fake it to make it.

Juleka: *Muttering* He really is a scumbag.

Nathaniel: Then there was Frightingale. I didn’t escape by myself, since I got a helping hand from a certain cute writer who I had been in the music video with. Turns out we had both been crushing on the other for awhile, and finally had the courage to ask eachother out. He took me to a safespot with the other kids in Mendeliev’s class, they took a liking to me, since I actually bothered to ask about their lives. You do realize that the kids besides Marc, Mireille, Jean and Aurore have names right?

Marinette: Of course we did!

Nathaniel: Really, what are they?

(The class is unable to even come up with a guess.)

Sabrina: Uh...

Nathaniel: That’s what I thought. Anyway, Zombizou was my favorite. Me and the Science kids got to kick love-zombie ass, and in order to avoid suspicion, Marc and I kept making out whenever they were near. It was so awesome! (He blushes before getting back on topic.) So yeah. You guys never abandoned me, I abandoned you. And before you say anything, no, I’m not sorry.

Alix: *Looking forlorn* But dude... we’re your friends!

Nathaniel: Well, you are. Most of the Art Squad is, but the rest of you only interact with me if you need something for your ships. You realize I’m an accomplished cartoonist, right? The Ladybug comic I work on with Marc is a huge success. I’m just as important as the rest of you!

Kim: Dude, we aren’t saying you’re not.

Nathaniel: Well I wasn’t important enough for any of you to notice I was being bullied by Chloe?

Chloe: Oh please, Kurtzberg. You got off easy.

Marinette: She made everyone’s life bad, Nathaniel. Not just yours!

Nathaniel: When you get bullied, everyone coddles you. When I get humiliated in front of the class, nobody besides my art friends came to comfort me, to explain to me why I got akumatized, why I was right to feel angry about what happened. Marc’s class also took the time to explain to me how it was creepy to write my self-insert being in love with a real classmate. They’re the reason I apologized to you, Marinette.

Chloe: Well if they’re so cool, then why don’t you join them!

Mylene: Chloe! We wouldn’t want that! Nathaniel’s our friend!

Nathaniel: Actually, that’s what I plan on doing next year. No offense, but I can only tolerate like half of you. I’d rather be with a class that actually recognizes my value, that takes the time to ask how I’m doing. If that makes me a background character in your world, so be it.

(He gets up and sees Marc waiting for him.)

Nathaniel: I’m not some helpless little lamb that gets lost whenever there’s an akuma. I’m a survivor, a coward, and I’m proud of it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna make out with my boyfriend.

(He smirks as he sees each classmate with their jaw on the floor.)

Turns out our Nath wasn’t abandoned after all. He’s just an escape artist. This felt so cathartic to write, and I hope you enjoyed it. As usual, let me know your thoughts in reblogs, replies, posts, and asks. @artzychic27 @msweebyness

#nathaniel kurtzberg #nathaniel #nathmarc #comedy #class salt #nathaniel sugar #they aren't all assholes #chloe salt #marinette salt #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #canon salt #smart nath

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darkwaltz-blog · 1 year

Note

Hello! Could you write allies with a girlfriend, who is easily aroused and has a lot of sexual desire?

ALLIES X S/O WITH A LOT OF SEXUAL DESIRE.

Warning: +18 content.

Sorry for the slow updates, I've been a bit busy the last few weeks. But I'm finally here again! ^^

Arthur Kirkland [England]

He's too proud to admit it, but he loves the idea that his S/O is always craving his touch, somehow it makes him feel wanted and boosts his ego.

Arthur has quite a few fantasies and hidden desires, but due to how busy he is, he never pays enough attention to them. An S/O with a high libido helps him a lot to be himself sexually. In the depths of the mind of the distinguished English gentleman, there is an evil being who enjoys subjecting his partner to punishment and obedience games.

If his partner tries to provoke him in public, Arthur blushes terribly as he quietly scolds her to stop. From there, your partner has two paths to choose from:

-If you stop, he will thank you and gently take your hand and place it in his lap.

-If you continue, prepare to be punished when you get home, suffering from the denial of your orgasm while your sadistic boyfriend insults you with the dirtiest language you have ever heard.

Francis Bonnefoy [France]

Francis would love to have a partner who is easily aroused. He knows how to show his love in different ways, but his preferred love language will always be physical.

He is a great connoisseur in sexual matters, he is a know-it-all who will always be above his partner in this regard.

He is a fan of communication. Since before starting the relationship, he has had a conversation with his partner where limits are set. He hates making his partner uncomfortable.

He loves when his partner is the one who initiates the intimate moments, the feeling of being needed turns him on instantly.

He is aware of how easy it is to stimulate his S/O, he loves to tease her with naughty comments or touches, and as soon as she gets turned on, Francis ignores her for a moment just to see her necessary reaction.

If his partner can't speak French, he whispers obscenities in his mother tongue just because he likes to see his S/O's confused face.

Alfred F. Jones [America]

Alfred doesn't have that high a sex drive, but he wouldn't mind having a partner who does. He loves physical contact, and he is someone with a lot of energy, and he shows it a lot in sex.

This boy is usually quite unaware of what is happening around him, most of the time his partner must be very direct with him and tell him what he wants.

He would enjoy watching his partner slip between his legs while he plays video games. He loves it when his S/O surprises him at random times and shows how much he wants his attention.

Alfred is usually very careless with his partner, he doesn't realize that traveling from one place to another doing different things takes him away from his affective responsibilities. His partner should have a talk where she discusses her main needs that she wants to be satisfied by him. It is best to be clear with Alfred if you want to get anywhere.

Ivan Braginski [Russia]

Ivan is very nervous about having an S/O with a huge sexual appetite. He is quite naive in this type of subject, but he works hard to reach the same level of experience as his partner. He is someone who learns fast.

This man is hungry for affection, he doesn't care if the only way to receive it is sexually.

Ivan is someone with a lot of insecurities. There are times when his mind fills with pessimistic thoughts that discourage him and make him paranoid: "If I always do the same thing with her, will she get bored with me?", "If I don't spend the time she wants, will she get someone else?", "does she love me or just wants me to have sex?"

Despite everything, he is someone quite accommodating, his partner only needs to tell him that she is eager to be touched, and he will devote his full attention to her.

He is extremely bad at understanding hints and double meanings. If one day his partner sits on his lap and starts kissing him (with obvious intentions of having sex), Ivan will think that his S/O just wants a cuddle and kiss session; he will limit himself to that unless his beloved tells him what she wants.

Matthew Williams [Canada]

Matthew is grateful to have a partner with a high sexual desire. Many people may see him as disinterested in such matters, but he has so many desires that he is eager to let it flow only with the person he loves.

He may seem like an innocent person, but once his partner gives him notice of how much he wants to be touched, the introverted Canadian turns into a complete stranger who won't stop until he takes her lover's breath away.

His stamina for sex is impressive, and this is even more evident when he receives praise from his partner. She just needs to tell him what a good boy he is, to get him turned on again. He lives for praise!

He loves that his partner is able to be easily aroused as he is too and is always in the mood to cater to his partner's sexual needs as well as himself. He doesn't mind that this happens in the least appropriate places, since he is not ashamed to freely express his sexual life.

Yao Wang [China]

Yao has been in existence for quite a few years, he has run into countless people. Meeting someone with a high libido would not be a surprise to him, however, it would still take work tailored to a relationship with such a partner.

He would have a lot of trouble adjusting to a relationship where his partner has a large sexual appetite. This man has lived for a long time, and many of the old customs have inadvertently stayed with him, based on that, Yao makes clear to his mistress certain conditions such as limiting any sexual proposals to the bedroom.

Yao is often embarrassed by many things, and her partner's continual sexual advances are included.

He's a fan of cute things, and seeing his darling blushing and panting under him is one of the most adorable sights he's ever seen, he tries so hard not to break down seeing his partner in that state.

#hetalia allies #hetalia axis powers #hetalia #hetalia x reader #america x reader #russia x reader #england x reader #france x reader #china x reader #canada x reader #matthew williams #francis bonnefoy #ivan braginsky #yao wang #alfred f jones #arthur kirkland #hetalia headcanons

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maspers · 5 months

Text

Ranking the Miracucast by good they are at playing UNO

Marinette: She has a strategy. She plays to win. Her family has been playing UNO since before Marinette was in nursery school. She is ruthless and takes no chances. There are no allies in UNO. ...She still ends up losing more often than not because that's just how UNO is. 7/10

Alya: She's mostly just at the table for fun, and really enjoys how into it her friends get. 4/10

Adrien: Yes. 10/10

Nino: You would not expect this man to be good at UNO. But everyone just kind of... ignores him? He just casually goes along causing no drama, until he's the first person to call "UNO!" and everyone wheels around in their seats to face him with shocked looks on their faces. Adrien, however, can see right through Nino's facade and the moment Nino says "UNO!" both of them know that it's on like Donkey Kong. 9/10

Chloe: She has no idea whatsoever how to play, but she refuses to lose to Marinette. There is drama. There is house rules. There is drama about house rules. But they keep inviting Chloe back to the table because when she plays she also *hosts* the game at Le Grand Paris, and while they may not be good at much the Bourgeois family DOES know how to host events better than anyone else. 5/10

Sabrina: Initially didn't participate and was just there to act as Chloe's valet. Then one day she joined the table and curbstomped everyone, then went back to helping set up the snacks like it never happened. This has happened a couple times since then, and nobody understands it. Adrien and Nino have begged her to teach them, and she acts like she doesn't know what they're talking about. The only person to ever match Sabrina in a game of UNO was Marinette's mother Sabine, and all the players that were involved in that game signed an NDA stating they can't reveal who won. I have no justification for any of this, but I can feel it in my bones. 11/10

Mylene: Surprisingly vicious, but experienced players have no difficulty dispatching her. 6/10

Ivan: Unfortunately he is not very good at this game. There was one time he actually won though, with a pretty good strategy, and his smile was brighter than the sun. Since then everyone has wanted him to win again, but none of them are willing to sacrifice their own chances of victory for it. Ivan doesn't mind. He's just happy to be included. 2/10

Rose: Everyone expects her to be secretly good at this game for some reason. She doesn't understand why. She's pretty average at the game, but enjoys when she plays a card normally and everyone else glances around in a panic. This is fun! 4/10

Juleka: By herself she's a little better than average, but she's a real menace when Luka is also in the room. She knows all his tells and micro-expressions, and since Luka is Luka (see below) that means she knows everything. There have been talks of banning the Couffaine Twins from playing in the same round as each other, but such a ban was pretty impossible to enforce. 8/10 by proxy

Kim: In regular UNO he's a complete failure, but when the group is playing with large amounts of house rules he starts doing really really well. Not on purpose. Most of the time, however, he just shows up to eat snacks and arm wrestle with Ivan in the background while everyone else plays. 3/10

Max: Like with every game he's played, he knows ALL the strategies. Card percentages, color probabilities, the works. He should, by all accounts, be an expert at this game. But he does not understand the Heart Of The Cards and so he keeps losing. 6/10

Alix: Is definitely cheating. All the time. Everyone knows it. And it hurts, because Alix is legitimately good at the game too. Her classmates are begging for a regular game, but she just loves seeing what weird stuff she can get away with. Alix/10

Nathaniel: He wasn't particularly interested in the game originally, but then someone (Chloe maybe?) commissioned him to make a massive custom deck with original art based on the superheroes. Since he makes the cards, he somehow also became the judge on what can and cannot become a permanent house rule, since that often leads to new cards being made. He's still really awful at the game itself, but everyone showers him with praise and view his title as Deck Keeper as worthy of unparalleled respect. And since he made the cards, he's the only one capable of countering Heart Of The Cards bullcrap. 5/10

Lila: Has literally never played UNO before, though she will never admit it. 0/10

Luka: The jury's still out on whether or not his inner music hyper-empathy counts counts as cheating or not. Since they can't prove he's using it to know what everyone is feeling about their cards and plays, he's still permitted at the table. But the fact remains that he's very good at this the game. 8/10

Kagami: She has absolutely no idea what she is doing. The amount of cards in her hand sometimes gets so large Felix or Adrien has to provide one of their hands to help hold them. But she is also having the most fun she's had in a long, long time. So let's focus on the positives, shall we? -10/10

Marc: He swears the deck is not rigged in his favor. Nathaniel asserts there's no way he COULD rig the deck in Marc's favor, and Max ran the numbers to prove it. But somehow every time the group starts a new round Marc draws his cards and yup full of wild cards again. 6/10

Ondine: This was Kim's idea of a date. Ondine was not impressed. But she did stay for the snacks, and at least gave it the old college try. UNO just isn't her vibe, and that's okay. 1/10

Aurore: Doesn't usually play with everyone else, but she DOES know how to play, and one time she was asked to join a game when most of the group was unavailable and they needed more players. It was a bit awkward because she's a big Adrien fangirl and is used to playing with a different set of house rules, but they made it work, and fun was had. 4/10

Felix: He tries. He tries so hard. Everyone was wary when he joined the table, but there fears were unfounded because Felix is absolutely pathetic at UNO. He has the rules memorized. He keeps track of all the house rules meticulously, which interestingly means he's very good at keeping the game running smoothly. Everyone turns to him when there's uncertainty about a particular situation. But he just can not win. Ever. He doesn't even get close. He's managed to call "UNO" a grand total of once in his lifetime, and that was because the rest of his cards ended up in Kagami's hand instead somehow. It's awful. It's mortifying. He's a chess prodigy, an expert tactician, how has he been reduced to this? 1/10

Zoe: Was really excited to play, and let out a squeal of joy when she saw Nath's custom cards. She knows how to play really well, and was really quick on the uptake when it came to all the house rules, too. Since she's around technically the group no longer needs Chloe to host, but Chloe took that as a challenge to be an EVEN. BETTER. HOST. Zoe is not complaining, less work for her. And she still beats he sister most of the time, so it's all good. 7/10

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bucoliqves · 13 days

Text

13 years after the events of the book ivan is a somewhat famous journalist, probably due to some controversies. he's rushing off home after a dull work of editing.

he's been feeling overall depressed in the past few weeks. he's trying to write down the great inquisitor once and for all, but deep down he's concerned about the critics and his own skills. mitya and grushenka are nowhere to be found, alyosha is up in the mountains teaching little kids the abc. he's got no friendly faces in moscow.

he sighs and takes a turn, when all of a sudden he bumps into someone coming from the opposite direction. he ends up on the ground. the first thing he notices are flowers - yellow flowers scattered on the ground. then an all-too-familiar scent of milk and honey. the stranger apologises, lands out a hand, and before his eyes look up his heart has recognised her.

her face seems more tired, a few silver strands peek through her hair, but her charm hasn't left her. katerina is still as beautiful as the day he'd left her. screw the articles, he thinks, and in a matter of seconds he's invited her for a drink.

they catch up, talk about family business and reminiscence the past. she's married. they've been trying for a child but no use. he's all by himself in a big apartment on the sadovaya. seldomely gets visits, never from the people he'd like to see. some things are just meant to be this way.

she's read one of his articles. two, actually. maybe three. perhaps a bit more. there's even a possibility she's cut them out and kept them at the bottom of a drawer next to her bed.

well, if she knew he was in town all along, why didn't she drop by to say hi? they hadn't left on good terms. to be honest, their last goodbye was pretty cold - almost indifferent. she thought reaching out for a stranger was not right. and quite frankly, she was still way too prideful to make the first move, though she never would've admitted it. they were older now. one would expect them to be wiser too.

how about they try again?, he proposes. two seconds later he's already regretting it, but he decides to blame it on the alcohol he's barely touched. she seems hesitant, so he promises to show her a secret project he's been working on as a proof of their renowned friendship.

he leads her to his apartment and she's the second witness ever of his cursed poem. she reads the first page and he's sweating like a sinner in church. she makes herself at home and sits down on the divan, completely immersed. at page five she stops. could he read it out loud for her? it'd be much more impactful. matter of fact, why doesn’t he turn this into a play?

ivan doesn't answer, just complies. she's back with her tortures, but he can't understand why. when he's done he's almost afraid of looking back at her. she's staring at him in awe. she's always known he was one mess of a genius. to think that she'd always despised chaos... what exactly did he do to her?

he should turn it into a play, that's her final statement. a wonderful play with splendid costumes and the best actors of moscow. she can help with the money. she can even help with the editing. it feels good to help, to see right through and not to look away - and this time it's not martyrdom, no. it's something more genuine to inspire her. it's almost love.

#KATERIVAN FANFIC DRAFT I PULLED OUT OF MY ASS AT MIDNIGHT OUT OF SHEER DESPERATION #all for you #ruslit #tbk #the brothers karamazov #dostoevksy #russian literature #ivan karamazov #katerina ivanovna verkhovtseva

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atom-writings · 11 months

Note

Can I request Hetalia main 8 with an S/O who has bad periods that the nations don't understand.

Ivan probably would get stuck asking Ukraine about it and get mildly creeped out when she tells him about boob pain.

(Hetalia Main 8 X Reader) S/O with bad periods

(Gender Neutral) Headcanons ~ A/N JHFDGHJDKF YEAH but for ivan specifically i would argue he is actually pretty familiar with the struggles. Dear people who have periods i am so sorry. also i didnt do japan again sorry if u wer looking for him i wi. l do him seperately <3

Trigger Warning: None, just fluff!

Oh boy. You’re gonna have to be one teaching him about… everything related to periods. He’ll be like “What’s so bad? It’s just like a little scrape, isn’t it?” and by the end of the night he is Mortified by the process menstruating people have to go through. He is never going to downplay your pain again, don’t worry.

But he doesn’t know what to do to take care of you really… that’s his vice. He’ll just end up buying everything he can possibly think of to comfort you, and I mean… it’s something. It’ll dull the pain a little bit to eat an insane amount of chips while he plays with your hair all night.

If your legs go out or you need to go to the hospital during your time of the month, he is fully capable of carrying you wherever you need to go. Speeding laws be damned! When your entire body is trying to kill you from the inside out, you are the most important thing in the world to him.

For a long time, Arthur thought it was… unrefined to talk about things like periods. Of course, now he knows better, but that also means… he has no idea what’s going on down there. Or what it does to the body. So when you tell him about the back pain, the cravings, the light-headedness, the nausea… he is probably gonna be pretty doubting. Until you collapse or throw up on him. Then he’ll take care of you, hand and foot.

Literally. He loves giving massages, and he’s weirdly good at it. Of course, he’ll get you some pain meds (the good pain meds, too) and snacks, but also his hands are not gonna leave your body until your time of the month is over.

But until then, he is very concerned. Even if it’s the umpteenth time you’ve been with him through it, he’s still begging you to go to the doctor. Anytime anything does even slightly worse, he’s grabbing his keys, getting ready to speed you to the emergency room.

Francis may sympathize, but he really does not… understand the severity of the situation. When you moan about not getting out of bed, he’s just confused and a little annoyed. Sure, periods are painful, but… you’ve had so many, aren’t you used to it by now?

Feel free to educate him. Or hit him. Both work.

After that, he’s not making you get out of bed. He may not know your pain, but he is sure as hell not gonna force you to do anything. If your job tries to get you to come in, he’ll even start a strike outside for you <3

And considering that you’re probably his first partner who gets that much pain from your time of the month, he has no idea what to get you. Get him a list, and make sure you tell him not to find healthier alternatives cause otherwise you’re getting gross chocolate that’s supposed to help with pain. He’s trying to help… he’s just weirdly terrible at this specific part.

Don’t worry! He’s had to come up with remedies for this exact problem since before the invention of the wheel! It won’t taste great, but he’ll have you back in shape in no t- wait, why isn’t it working?! What do you mean your boobs hurt more now?!

He’s… really concerned for you the whole time. It’s hard for him to leave your side, even if you insist you’re used to it. I mean, surely this many cold compresses should relieve your… unorthodox pains. Frankly, he’s impressed. How many years have you been going through this? And without him to wait on you, hand and foot?! A shame…

If you need anything, he’ll happily make it for you. Yes, make it. He wants to be sure your care is as perfect as possible, so he only trusts his own hands. But maybe be wary if your legs tend to give out… his old bones are not meant to be carrying anyone around for too long. But of course, he’ll still do his best for you.

The Braginsky family has been cursed for… well, ever… with terrible medical conditions, so he is very familiar with the suffering caused by periods. He’s heard Natalya wail and moan for hours on end, and he is not about to let you go through the same pain! He will rip the radiator out of the wall to use as a heating pad if he has to!

He doesn’t panic as much as the others would, he already knows what you need and had it at home. That means he is not leaving your side for even a second! If you suddenly get new pains, lose feeling in anything, or have any other emergency, he is fully prepared to sweep you off your feet and help you deal with it. And he’s had to do much grosser things than take care of someone he loves, don’t worry about that.

Like you could bleed on his leg and he would not even notice, much less be upset. He’s just like, “Oh, dear, are you running out of anything? I can pick anything up for you if you need.”

OH YOU POOR DARLING! Don’t worry, he already called into work for you! You need snacks? Heated blankets? Medication? Stuffed animals? For him to hold you in his arms? He’s there! No questions asked! (He has quite a low pain tolerance himself, so he is nothing but empathetic towards you during your time of need.)

If it’d make you feel better… he’d love to massage your stomach... Don’t look at him like that! He just wants to help!

Also, if he sees you trying to put on any tight and uncomfortable clothing, he is getting you out of that stuff asap. If you need to go anywhere, he’ll go for you! Don’t stuff yourself into such suddenly ill-fitting clothing… you still look beautiful to him.

And if it gets too bad, you have the fastest (and most dangerous) driver in all of Italy to get you to the emergency room ASAP. So don’t worry your pretty little head, Feli’s got you!

Just because Ludwig knows all about the medical side of periods, does not mean he knows how to actually deal with you when you’re in horrible, horrible pain. The fact that although it may make you feel better, you are not up for doing anything, is just baffling to him. He may try to drag you out of bed to stretch and exercise. Please bite him when he does so.

Once you start describing your actual symptoms, he starts getting light-headed. No way… this happens every month? Incalculable back pain on top of your uterus exploding? You sure you don’t need a doctor? It’s really no hassle to carry you to the car, promise! But also, you could just take him up on that offer and change your mind and ask for ice cream. He would do it. Just saying.

Anything to relieve your suffering, really. He’s spending all his time worrying about you, so he’ll get anything you want without question. He can’t stand seeing you in so much pain… but he also can’t help but feel so blessed to have been born biologically male. Basically, you’ve got a servant whose in love with you for a week.

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rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 3 months

Text

A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter XIX - Brick by Brick

Chapter Summary: Kirigan has a plan that can help you end the war with Fjerda and Shu-Han. He just has to convince Nikolai it's a good idea. You struggle with the feeling of power you get from your amplifier. You try to push Aleksander away but he's not having it. Also, you mend a relationship with one of your friends.

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev, Zoya Nazyalensky/Nikolai Lantsov, Fedyor Kaminsky/Ivan

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Nikolai Lantsov, Genya Safin, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, Ivan, Fedyor Kaminsky, Zoya Nazyalensky, Tamar Kir-Bataar, Ehri Kir-Taban, Tolya Yul-Bataar

Word Count: 4491

A/N: Inspired by prompts: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100557/ https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100616/ moy – my (masculine object) tsar – ruler, king

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

@drinix

Nikolai has truly missed Alina. And Mal. But trying to decide anything with them, Kirigan, Ehri and Zoya in the room is almost impossible. He's not sure what's worse. Starkov and Nazyalensky bickering with the princess or the Sun Summoner and her husband arguing with the Darkling. Well, not exactly that. The peace advisor is mostly amused by the scoffing he gets from the couple.

After another one of such delightful conferences, the King decides he needs a drink. So, he's not protesting when Kirigan invites him for one. They go to his chambers and there sit with Fedyor and Ivan in silence for some time.

'Anyone else is having a headache?' Kaminsky suddenly asks. Lantsov grunts in answer.

'I honestly adore Alina,' he sighs and runs a hand through his face. 'But we won't decide on anything with her attitude.'

'It's understandable she doesn't trust me,' Aleksander says, not at all bothered. 'She won't agree on my ideas, expecting betrayal.'

'But you have good ideas,' Nikolai admits reluctantly. 'Zoya is even agreeing on them. Albeit, she's not happy about it.'

'I can't remember the last time I saw her happy,' Ivan huffs. Silence falls between the men once again.

'We're not ready,' Lantsov says a few minutes later, his voice quiet. 'When the battle with Fjerda comes… they will slaughter us all. Because we can't trust each other and come to an agreement about anything.'

'Then perhaps instead of focusing on something you can't fix at the moment, try focusing on something else?' Kirigan suggests.

'My window?' the King asks. 'I still want to know how it was broken.'

'Let's just say it involved some children,' Fedyor says with an innocent smile. Nikolai decides to let it go. For now.

'I was talking about our problem with Shu-Han,' the Darkling explains. Lantsov's eyes darken.

'I told you I can't demand anything from them,' he says. 'Yes, they attacked us. But we're still at war. Ehri and I are not married yet.'

'Which is precisely why they attacked so quickly and twice,' Ivan says. 'The moment you two get married, to attack us would be attacking the Shu-Han's people's favourite princess.'

'So what? Should we get married earlier?' the King scoffs. 'Not gonna happen. We have to wait for her family, who strategically delays their arrival. No doubt they're planning another attack.'

He looks at the Shadow Summoner, expecting an idea. It startles him how quickly it has become a habit for him. And the look on his peace advisor's face unnerves him.

'We could still use Ehri's popularity among her people,' Aleksander finally says slowly. 'If Fjerda were to kill her-'

'We're not going to get Fjerda to kill her,' Nikolai protests harshly. 'Nor anyone else.'

'She doesn't have to really die,' Kirigan says. 'After all, what was their original plan? That guard put in her place was to kill you, then kill herself with a Fjerdan weapon. People would get angry, take over Ravka and the princess would live happily on some farm or something. We can still do that. Just without the part where you die.'

'Thanks, I appreciate it,' Lantsov replies with sarcasm. 'So what, you want someone to kill Ehri's double with a Fjerdan weapon?'

'No, we just need people to believe Ehri was killed in an attack made by Fjerdans,' the Darkling reveals his plan. The King stares at him. And blinks. Then again.

'You want Fjerdans to attack us?' he blurts out.

'I would never want that,' Aleksander says with venom in his voice, standing up to pour himself another glass of kvas. 'But it's only a matter of time before they do. And I'm not talking about a battle. I'm talking about a sneak attack, infiltrating the Grand Palace.'

'Firstly, why would they do that if they're planning to fight with us, which we already know they want to do?' Nikolai says, standing up as well. 'Secondly, how would they even plan to get in? The Grant Palace is secure. Same as the Little Palace.'

'Nothing is ever impenetrable,' Kirigan chuckles. 'And of course, they will try something. They don't want Shu-Han to get the antidote first, do they? Nor [Y/N].'

Lantsov thinks. He sighs and sits down again.

'Let's say it happens,' he says. 'We win, Ehri "dies", Shu-Han gets angry. What then?'

'They join forces with us against Fjerda in retaliation,' Ivan answers. That part the King likes. He knows people would get angry enough to demand from Ehri's sister to get revenge.

'That still leaves me without a wife,' he says. 'And I need one. According to everyone but me, at least. Should I make an alliance with another country?'

'You've met the candidates, I presume?' Fedyor asks. 'Is anyone… acceptable?'

Nikolai winces. It's all the answer they need.

'Think about every woman you know,' the Darkling says. 'And I mean every woman. From each country. From your own country. Otkazat'sya. Grisha. Which one would be the best queen?'

Lantsov's eyes snap to his peace advisor. They stare at each other.

'That's what this is about,' the King guesses. 'You want a Grisha on a throne of Ravka. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to marry you. You're not my type. And you can't give me an heir.'

'You're not my type either,' Aleksander chuckles, amused. 'I want to marry [Y/N] one day. Besides, I told you. I don't want the throne anymore.'

'Then who?' Nikolai asks, exasperated. His three companions raise their eyebrows at him.

'Who would be the best queen from all the women you know?' Kirigan repeats.

'Zoya,' Lantsov answers after a beat. 'But she won't agree. She doesn't want to rule Ravka.'

'But she wants to be by your side,' Ivan counters. The King looks at him, baffled.

'What?' he asks and laughs. 'No, no, no. She doesn't think of me like that. We're… friends. Partners. But nothing else.'

'But you wish there was,' Fedyor says quietly. Nikolai thinks about it for a moment. He quickly shakes his head.

'No, it won't work,' he says and stands up. 'Well, thank you for a lovely time, gentlemen. Unfortunately, it's time to be the King of Ravka again.'

He quickly leaves before anyone can say something. Silence fills the room for a minute. Then, the Darkling looks at his Heartrenders.

'Was it like that with me and [Y/N]?' he asks. Kaminsky winces and opens his mouth to answer delicately, but Ivan beats him to it by saying:

'Yes.'

'Hm,' Aleksander hums and sighs. 'Well, that must have been annoying. Sorry for that.'

'What now?' Fedyor asks. Kirigan walks to the window. He looks out of it, crossing his arms.

'The only thing we can,' he answers. 'We wait.'

For some dumb reason you can't understand, Nikolai has decided to throw a party. Yeah, there are many reasons to celebrate. His engagement (though not a happy reason for you), Aleksander's return and making peace with him, Alina's return (also not a happy reason for you)… but you still don't understand why you had to throw a party. And now, you're suffering because of all the small talks. You're pretty sure you won't be able to stop smiling. Ever.

You have enough when you catch two young Grisha staring at your lover and giggling. They're basically ogling him. Appraising him like a piece of meat.

Over my dead body.

You walk to them. You're smiling but your eyes are cold.

'Are you two seriously checking out Kirigan?' you ask. They look at you and snort.

'Oh, come on, he's cute,' one of them says. They giggle again. Your eye twitches.

'I know he's cute,' you say and lower your voice threateningly as you glare at them. 'But he's also mine.'

'Oh, please,' the other one scoffs. 'You brought him back. You created the antidote. You've served your purpose. If you think he'll still wants you after he's done using you, you're delusional.'

There was a time where you'd agree. They'd probably be saying your own thoughts out loud. But not anymore. Now you're sure about the Darkling's feelings for you.

'Let's see about that,' you say, smiling coldly at them. You turn around and march to Aleksander. You tap his shoulder and he turns. Instantly, his eyes light up and he grins.

'[Y/N]-' he starts but you don't let him finish. You grab him at the back of his neck and pull to you. You kiss him passionately in front of everyone. And you don't care at all.

'My, my,' Kirigan chuckles when you pull away. 'What was that about?'

'Staking my claim over you,' you explain, glancing over your shoulder. You see the two Grisha red with fury and embarrassment.

'Ah, I see,' the Darkling says and puts an arm around your waist. 'Can I do the same with you?'

He pulls you closer to himself and presses a kiss to your neck, closing his eyes. You smile. You're about to answer, but then you hear a loud bang and screams. You sigh.

'I hate it when you're right,' you say. Aleksander lets you go (but very slowly).

'It was obvious they're going to attack,' he says. 'And that this party is a perfect moment for it.'

'I still don't like it,' you huff. Kirigan chuckles and looks around. People are already panicking. The guards and Grisha try to calm them down. Nikolai tries to take back the control. Zoya, Alina and some others rush out. Princess Ehri is being escorted out by her guards.

'Can you go with the princess?' the Darkling murmurs to your ear.

'You don't want me anywhere near the fight again,' you sigh.

'I don't trust Ehri's guards, so I would feel better if you were with them,' Aleksander says. You raise your eyebrows at him.

'And since when do you care about her safety?' you ask, suspicious. 'What are you really after?'

'In short?' Kirigan asks and you nod. 'I want Zoya and the King to be happy, have a Grisha on a throne and I need you to be the bait to achieve it.'

'Cool,' you say after a moment, shrugging. 'But if you want me to be the bait that means you want them to attack me.'

'I perfectly trust your abilities to take down some Fjerdans,' the Darkling says, kissing the top of your head. 'And if they hurt you, they'll end up like attackers from Shu-Han in Lazlayon.'

You beam at him and hurry after the princess. You hear him chuckle as you do.

The guards and the princess are obviously not happy when you join them. They quickly change their mind when you are indeed attacked by a bunch of Fjerdans.

You're scared of the exhilarating feeling you feel when you use your powers on them. You feel powerful. Unstoppable. You totally understand now why Aleksander wanted more.

You concentrate on calcium in the bones of one of Fjerdans. You disperse it, causing all of the bones to break. The scream of agony he lets out works on you as a splash of cold water. You go pale and take a step back, your hands shaking. When did you become so cruel?

Ehri's scream wakes you up. You snap your head and extend your hands. A brick from the wall flies from it and hits the Fjerdan attacking the princess in the chest. He bends over, gasping for breath. He's then killed by one of Ehri's guards. But then they fall over as well. They must have been hurt as well.

You look around. It's over. The two others Fjerdan were killed as well. The Princess' guards sacrificed themselves for her.

You lean on the wall and slump down it. Your heart is beating fast. Your breath is uneven. Your eyes are wide. You keep hearing his scream.

Maybe a minute passes, when Nikolai, Tolya, Aleksander and Mal show up. Kirigan rushes to your side at once. Lantsov does the same with Ehri.

'Are you alright?' they ask at the same time. You shake your head. The Darkling frowns, because he doesn't see any injuries.

'I'm… fine,' the princess answers, her voice shaking. The King stares at her. Or more specifically, at the red spot on her chest. But she seems fine.

'It's not mine,' she says, seeing his gaze.

'But we can pretend it is,' Nikolai murmurs. All but Kirigan stare at him, confused. He hides a smirk.

'Excuse me?' Ehri asks.

'Princess, I know you want to marry me as much as I want you, which means not at all,' Lantsov says slowly. 'You just want to live happily on some farm or Saints know where. If we pretend you died here… you could have it.'

'Why would I want it?' she asks, confused. 'Why would you want it? Won't our marriage bring peace between our nations you so desperately seek?'

'If your people believe you had died killed Fjerdans… they will want to go to war with them,' the Darkling explains. 'They will join our forces and together we will crush them. Nothing unites more than a common enemy.'

'And then they will turn on you,' Ehri points out.

'They won't, because I still haven't held them accountable for all the attacks inside Ravka,' Nikolai says. 'After the war is won… I'll have a chat with your sister. I know how to stop Shu-Han from coming on us. So… what do you say? Do you want to live the life you've always wanted?'

The princess hesitates only a minute. When the rest of her guards arrive, she's lying on the ground, her eyes open and empty. Tolya is discreetly slowing down her pulse so the guards believe she's dead. They rage and mourn. And you watch it all with haunted eyes.

You do the same things you did with Aleksander three years ago. Genya makes one of the dead guards to look like Ehri and her body is taken back to Shu-Han. Ivan and Tolya go as well, to express their sympathy, apologise for not protecting the princess, represent Ravka at her funeral and discreetly convince people that the right move would be to join them and attack Fjerdans for murdering their princess.

You know everyone is anxious to see if this plan works. But you don't care. After Ehri is taken away from the corridor, you rush to your room and lock it. You don't let in even Kirigan which deeply worries him. He has no idea what's happened nor how to reach you.

When you finally come out of your room, you come across Zoya and Nikolai. You're surprised to find them taking a stroll outside at midnight. Curious and hopeful, you follow them discreetly.

'… On another note, when will you stop being angry with me?' you hear Lantsov when you're close enough to hear their conversation.

'When you will find yourself another wife,' Zoya spats. The King sighs. Nazyalensky huffs and turns to face him, causing them both to stop.

'I didn't like her either, but you needed her,' she says. 'You may have Shu-Han's support or not. But you definitely won't have an heir without her.'

'Unless I do with someone else,' Nikolai points out.

'With who?' the Grisha asks, raising her voice a little. 'You dismissed all other candidates!'

'Because the one I want as my queen and would be perfect for that role is not one of them,' Lantsov answers softly. Nazyalensky frowns. You can almost hear her trying to figure out who he means by that.

'Zoya…' the King says, taking her hands in his. 'We're an amazing duet. I know I wouldn't have been able to do most of the things I managed to do without your help.'

'Obviously,' the Grisha snorts. You roll your eyes but smile.

'I can't imagine doing it with anyone else,' Nikolai goes on. 'It took me some time… and Kirigan to point it out… but I dismissed all the candidates for one single reason. They weren't you.'

Zoya stiffens, understanding where he's going with it. He gulps, more nervous now.

'I used to think you're like a storm,' he says and chuckles. 'But I got it wrong. You are a storm. The most beautiful I've ever seen. As Sturmhond I both feared and admired storms. Dangerous and beautiful. Strong, getting what they want no matter what. Destructible and astonishingly beautiful. All of that applies to you as well.'

Nazyalensky looks away. You can swear you see her eyes shining when she blinks.

'You care about Ravka with all your heart,' Lantsov continues. 'You treat fairly both otkazat'sya and Grisha. You… you could be the most just queen this country has seen in all history. And… you'd make one man incredibly happy. If you even let me ask the question you know I want to ask.'

'I don't want the crown,' Zoya says quietly after a moment. The King smiles.

'Which is why you're the one who should have it,' he says and exhales shakily. 'I won't ask it now. Please, just think about it. And when I'll be able to ask you this without being decapitated, let me know.'

Nazyalensky lets out a huff. Nikolai kisses her hands, looking her in the eyes. Then, he lets go of her and walks away, leaving her alone, pondering.

You stare at her for a moment, debating whether you should go and talk to her. In the end you shake your head, deciding to give her time and space, and turn around. Which almost makes you bump into Aleksander.

'Shh,' he silences you and puts a finger on your lips, as you're about to yelp, startled. He takes your hand and quietly leads you away. He takes you to his chambers. You don't protest. You know it's time for you two to talk. Once inside, he lets you go and you face each other awkwardly.

'I was worried about you,' he says quietly after a minute and looks at you pleadingly. 'Tell me what's wrong, [Y/N]. I want to help you but I don't know what you need.'

'I know,' you whisper. 'I'm sorry. I just… needed to figure out what I feel and… it took me longer than I thought. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away.'

You feel tears in your eyes. Kirigan gently wipes them away. He takes your hand and leads you to his bedroom. You both sit down on his bed.

'Tell me everything,' he says softly. You inhale shakily.

'When Fjerdans attacked us… I controlled calcium on the bones of one of them… and broke them,' you start. 'All of them. Every single one at the same time. And I enjoyed having that kind of power. But then he screamed. And I realised what I've done. What I can do with my amplified powers. And it scared me.'

'As long as you're the one in control, you won't do anything more than you want to,' the Darkling says. You look at him with despair.

'But what if I want more one day?' you ask. 'What if… I'll start enjoying hurting people? I'll want more and more power?'

'Like me?' Aleksander asks quietly, not looking at you. You gulp. You didn't want this conversation to go that way. Silence falls between you two.

'I know better than anyone what you're going through,' he finally says. 'Well, maybe Alina does. But she rejected me, my experience. My fault, I know. But you have me. I promise to help you. Guide you. And stop you if necessary.'

'But if I desire more one day, maybe you could convince me to take over Ravka, like you've wanted,' you point out. He gently caresses your cheek.

'Past tense,' he says. 'I just want you to be happy now. And if you go after power… you won't be. It will never be able to fill the holes in your heart created by cruelty.'

He cups your face and makes you look at him. The softness in his eyes almost makes you cry.

'I know I may not seem as the best person to help you with your fear,' he says. 'But I'm a different man than I was when you met me. It has made me better, loving you. Which is why I know I can help you.'

You smile sadly and throw your hands around his neck after a beat. He puts his around your waist and holds you tightly.

'I love you,' you murmur in his shoulder. 'So much.'

'And I love you, milaya,' he says. 'You're my heart… my soul… my everything.'

'Can I… stay here tonight?' you ask shyly.

'You can stay here every night,' he answers and pulls away. But you quickly kiss him, not wanting to be apart. He chuckles softly and indulges you, not minding this at all.

It's probably not a surprise that you take your bath together. Nor that he helps you change into your pyjamas and you help him to get into his. And that when you get under the covers you instantly cuddle to him.

If it were up to you, you'd spend the next day by Aleksander's side. But he has lots of things to do. Including meeting with Nikolai.

'Tell me,' Lantsov says after they discuss the matter for which they met. 'When we first talked, you said you don't want your old position, that Zoya is doing a great job. But if everything goes according to your plan and she agrees to become my queen… she won't be able to be one. Leaving the position open for you. Was that your plan from the beginning?'

'No,' Kirigan answers. 'I truly believed she would to a spending job if she kept this position. But then… I got to observe you two together. I was amused. It reminded me of me and [Y/N]. That's when it hit me. That you're in love with each other. And then my mind went spiralling. How Zoya would be a perfect queen, how great it would be to have a Grisha on a throne of Ravka… and yes, the thought of me being the general of the Second Army crossed my mind.'

'Well, if it works, we win the war and Zoya will agree to become my wife… the position is yours,' the King says after a beat.

'I appreciate the trust,' the Darkling says.

'Well,' Nikolai sighs, 'I still don't trust you completely. But for now, you're holding to your end of the bargain. And whenever I see you and [Y/N] together my heart melts. Somehow… I'm starting to see you as a true ally. Who knows, maybe one day we could be even friends.'

'I'm looking forward to that… moy tsar,' Aleksander says with a smile. Only when Kirigan leaves some time later does Lantsov realises that it's the first time he addressed him like that. And for some reason he thinks that he meant it honestly.

In the meantime, while the boys have their meeting, you have your own. While you're reading a book, Zoya suddenly barges into your room. You stare at her, surprised.

'Do you sometimes hear Elizaveta's voice?' she asks, stunning you even more.

'Sometimes,' you answer, wincing. 'It gives me a great pleasure to shut her up. I take it you're hearing Juris' voice?'

'Yes,' Zoya sighs and joins you on your sofa. 'Usually, he has some good advice. Some teasing and annoying, but it's alright. But he won't shut up since last night.'

'Why is that?' you ask, deciding not to reveal you witnessed the King's proclamation.

'Nikolai proposed to make me his queen,' she answers after a moment of silence. 'Juris thinks it's an excellent idea. He also suggests I could overthrow him later. While I'm not sure about the former, I'm definitely not going to do the latter.'

'Good to know,' you say and exhale slowly. 'If you want my opinion, you'd be a great queen. Terrifying, but just. Exactly what the people need right now. Plus… it has the perks of being married to the man you love.'

She gives you a harsh look. You answer with a knowing one. She groans and runs a hand through her hair.

'I want to deny it, but I know better than that,' she says and suddenly becomes sad. 'I accepted that I can't have him. And now I suddenly could and… I'm scared.'

'Usually, to reach great things one has to overcome fear,' you say and take her hands in yours. 'I used to believe I can't have Kirigan. Now look at me. I'm with him and I'm happy. You can be, too.'

She sighs and presses her forehead to yours. She thinks for a moment, gnawing at her lip.

'After we deal with Fjerda,' she decides. 'Now it's too soon anyway, his previous fiancée has just "died". It would be too suspicious. Then… I'll decide.'

You smile and squeeze her hands. Suddenly, she looks at you.

'I still feel betrayed by what you did,' she says. 'But I also miss you. Can we be friends again?'

'Nothing would make me happier,' you answer, grinning. Zoya sighs.

'Good, because while I like Alina more than I did when she first arrived, she gets on my nerves,' she says. 'And I can't talk about it with anyone else, because everyone adores her. Besides you.'

'Ah, I knew you had ulterior motives,' you say teasingly.

'Obviously,' she says, rolling her eyes. You look at each other and burst out laughing. Just at that moment Tamar walks in. She raises her eyebrows.

'Am I interrupting something?' she asks.

'Nothing important,' Nazyalensky answers. 'What is it?'

'Nikolai wants to see you,' the Heartrender answers.

'I'll be right there,' Zoya promises. Kir-Bataar nods, sends you a glare and leaves.

'What was that about?' your friend asks. 'I mean, she never really liked you, but it's even worse after you had brought Kirigan back.'

'Oh, that,' you say and chuckle. 'She's angry with me and with herself, because while we were traveling to the Fold she asked me why I really was there. I said I wanted to bring Aleksander back right under your noses. And she didn't believe me, thinking I'm being sarcastic. And I wasn't. I was telling the truth, knowing very well she won't believe me.'

Nazyalensky stares at you, stunned. Then she bursts out laughing again.

'Oh, Tamar must be so furious about it,' she cackles and sighs. 'Brilliant on your side, I must say.'

'Thank you,' you say, beaming. She stands up and squeezes your hand.

'I'll come by later,' she promises. 'Something tells me I'm going to need you after this meeting.'

'I'm always happy to be of service,' you say. Zoya smiles weakly and leaves. You stare at her retreating figure and smile.

Yes. She's going to be an amazing queen.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Every comment makes my day!

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/135558463

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ts2cambremon · 2 months

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Cambremon- the events so far (pt.3)

See here for: Part 1 / Part 2

A heart-broken Galina made a deal with Bone Spirit, and asked for Ren to become obsessed with her, in exchange for the life of her unborn child.

Unfortunately, when the spirit asked for some of her hair, she gave the spirit a comb which held some of Kadja's hair.

Meanwhile, Kadja criticized one of the guards, Ivan, for his treatment of Serfs. He took this opportunity to let her know that he was aware that mana had gone missing. Caught off-guard, Kadja agreed to task him with the search for the mana.

Ren was starting to show more and more signs of being obsessed... but with Kadja.

Ren's disgust for Galina, on the other hand, was getting worse. Galina was growing desperate, beginning to understand that she had been tricked by Bone Spirit.

The situation was made worse by Ferenia, who spread the rumor that Kadja was Ren's lover... and made sure Galina knew about it, by mentioning it to her personal Serf in front of her door.

Meanwhile, Guard Ivan revealed himself to have been behind the mana theft. Acting as a middle-man for Galina, he convinced one of the Intendancy workers, Chel, to procure the mana in exchange for large sums of money.

The departure of the expedition was imminent, and Ren nominated his younger half-siblings, Inna and Lef, guardians of the hub in his absence. He also insisted on that Kadja should join the expedition.

Kadja tried to talk Ren out of his decision. She argued that one less Mage in the hub could prove disastrous, as there would be insufficient power to stave off the winter winds. Ren brushed her off, and mentioned that he had already found a solution for this problem.

Guard Ivan, sensing this was a good time to gain favour with the Cambremon lord, revealed to Ren and Kadja who had stolen the mana. He carefully worded his revelation to blame Galina and not implicate himself.

Ren was furious that Galina had stolen mana. While he wanted to get rid of her, divorce would cause tensions with her powerful family, and especially with her sister Serna, the richest merchant in the hub. Ivan offered to find a 'solution' to this problem by killing Galina while Ren was away, conveniently buying himself an opportunity to avoid joining the expedition.

Meanwhile, spiders swarmed and attacked the Intendancy. The Intendants and their helpers barely managed to push them back, and Chel was gravely injured. Andra and Ren's arrival managed to turn the tide of combat, and the spiders were all killed.

Ren approached Kadja after the fight, but she was uneasy with his recent behaviour and newfound attention towards her.

Bruk came to visit Chel, who was revealed to be his mother. Kadja started by comforting him, but in turn, Bruk comforted her, as Kadja expressed her terror about having to join the expedition.

Ren's "solution" to the problem of the winter winds was revealed: he and Andra summoned Bone Spirit, and made a deal with them. In exchange for the safety of the hub during their absence, Ren promised the spirit that he would make a sacrifice. Although the spirit had asked for someone of Cambremon lineage, Ren managed to change the terms, to sacrifice someone of Cambremon blood, one year after their safe return to the hub.

The expedition was off.

Their first challenge, an attack by demon hounds, was easily overcome. Andra dispatched them quickly with some fireballs.

Kadja ran into conflict with the Guards when she defended Janviya, Galina's personal Serf, who had been requisitioned for the mission. To protect her, Janviya was assigned to be Andra's personal Serf during the expedition.

In the aftermath of this conflict, Ren made his attraction towards Kadja plain. Kadja rejected his advances, arguing that he was a married man.

#ts2 #cambremon #ts2 medieval #ts2 fantasy #recap

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ijustliketoreadstuff · 11 months

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Kim chose differently

At the start of the series, Kim’s behavior was noted to be insensitive as he was seen making fun of Ivan for not being able to confess to Mylene back in “Origins part 1”, aiding and siding with Chloe against Alya back in “Lady Wifi”, ridiculing the zookeeper and his panther in “Animan”, etc. (more here) Now, although Kim did express less and less of this behavior as the series progressed, we never actually saw him being confronted about it, even more so was that we never truly saw him look back on his mistakes when situations escalated against him.

(Kim begs for help as he tries to hide from Animan, never looking back on why he was being pursued)

In “Derision”, Kim is finally faced with the reality of his behavior, and it is here where we realize Kim was all in all oblivious to the consequences of the things he says and does, as we not only witness him proclaim his admiration for Chloe’s beauty and sense of humor in front of his girlfriend Ondine, but also finding no fault in the cruel prank he helped carry out with Chloe the year before that humiliated and traumatized Marinette.

When Ondine shows great disappointment in Kim’s insensitivity and begins informing him of the wrong in both his behavior and actions, Kim is unwilling to be compliant about the situation as he genuinely believed he was not doing anything wrong by simply performing pranks and making jokes, why? because to him, it was only natural to assume everyone around him would share his sense of humor and find his actions just as funny as he did. Up to now, Kim has had the liberty of saying whatever he wanted and doing whatever he felt like, without anyone confronting him about his behavior.

So to Kim, Ondine wasn’t helping, she was threatening his free spirit, restricting him from speaking his mind and limiting what he could do. Hearing others tell him it wasn’t good to be himself, was an insult to him and his way of life. As a result, through his mind alone, Kim was willing to believe there was no fault with him, everyone else was just in the wrong for not attempting to share his sense of humor and were unwilling to understand that his actions(through his eyes alone) were only ever meant to be " just a joke". However, what ultimately makes Kim reevaluate himself, was coming to terms with what led him to be akumatized into Dark Humor in the first place. Near the end of “Derision”, when Kim is once again faced with the same conversation over his behavior, he looks at the charm Ladybug gave him and is reminded of the little words of wisdom he left her, “May it help you avoid making the same mistakes again”.

Although Kim was originally angry over Ondine’s words the first time, he understood it was his unwillingness to listen that caused him to be akumatized. Rather than make the same mistake again, Kim decided to take the time to really think about exactly what Ondine was trying to tell him and figure out if what she was saying was true or not, and sure enough, he realized she was right.

Ondine told him he does awful things even when he isn’t akumatized, and despite him not knowing whether or not his jokes would actually hurt someone, it was no excuse, because although he believed such jokes would be just as entertaining to everyone as it was to him, the fact of the matter was that his jokes were not always morally right. In one little moment, everything he had said and done in his life came flooding back all at once, and for the first time, Kim took the time to really think about what it was like being in the position of those who suffered the pain of his jokes, and thought about what Marinette had to go through as the person she liked not only humiliated her, but broke her heart, a feeling Kim had likely realized he was all to familiar with the day he had attempted to express his own affection to a girl he liked, that girl being of course, Chloe.

Chloe told him the year before that if you like a girl you should get on one knee, compliment her and give her jewelry, and as we all saw in “Dark Cupid”, that’s exactly what he attempted to do with her when he tried to ask her to be his valentine. The results were of course disastrous as Kim realized he was not only rejected, but humiliated as Chloe took an embarrassing picture of him and shared it with the entire school as a joke. It didn’t matter if Chloe did or didn’t know her little joke would hurt him, the pain was still all to real for him.

Kim said in the beginning of “Derision” that he is the way he is and he likes it, he had no intention of giving up what he believed was simply a part of who he was, but upon realizing the true pain his sense of humor had inflicted onto the people around him, Kim was willing to accept that living a life where he would continue to hurt others over his jokes for his own amusement, was simply not a way of life he wanted to continue upholding.

Back in “Syren”, when Kim expressed his admiration for the heroes, he explained to Ondine just how much he wanted to be just like them, but because he had no real powers of his own or any way of knowing how to train to be a superhero, Kim decided to instead uphold his life as someone who would help others in his day to day life, just as any hero would.

In “Party Crasher”, when Kim helped master Fu, Kim explained that he believed being selfless and helping others was something that should be as natural a reflex as it was for fish who would swim in the waters. It was Kim’s aspirations and drive to be selfless that made master Fu decide to entrust him with the powers of the monkey miraculous.

And so, as Kim was faced with the reality of his behavior near the end of “Derision”, the choice was left to him to either continue living as he was, regardless of what others thought of him, and expect others to abide by his views of the world and his sense of humor, or set aside his pride and accept the truth about himself, that he had committed wrong to not just one person, but to many good people.

Kim ultimately chose to commit himself to changing by making the effort to reevaluate himself and be willing to sacrifice the part of his sense of humor he now realized was never morally correct, not just for the sake of the good people around him, but for himself as he strived to become the hero he always wanted to be. Kim understood he had a lot to make amends for, and although he knew a sincere apology would not erase everything he had done, it was more than enough to let Marinette feel willing to set aside their past and give him another chance to better himself.

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ur-fav-inactive-writer · 9 months

Text

𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫

Part Two Part Three | Ivan Of Zandar x Fem!Reader | Request

WC: 2054

Crashes and the sounds of harsh kicks and punches sounded from the woods. It was a not-so-calm day for the rangers, Sledge being up to mischief again. It was their usual battle routine, fighting vivixs and then the new monster of the day. Well, they thought it was. They felt defeated and weak, beginning to lose hope on defeating the monster. That was when a light blue silhouette came from the woods and began fighting. It immediately snapped the rangers out of their fatigue. It was... another ranger?! It couldn't be, surely not! And... no way. They couldn't believe their eyes, you had just frozen the monsters. All fell silent for a moment, the only sounds being the heavy breathing of all the rangers.

"Who... who are you?!"

You turned your head, alarmed. You fell silent, pondering if you should trust them or not. They, too, were dressed like you. They must have powers like you do. Gingerly, you removed your ranger helmet, softly shaking your head to free your hair. They all stared in shock, all except one. Ivan lay there, staring, admiring your beauty. The way you shook your hair free made his heart swoon. You inhaled shakily, nervous to introduce yourself.

"(Y/L/N). (Y/N) (Y/L/N). You guys are like me... aren't you?"

As you spoke, you approached Ivan. You reached your hand out to Ivan, offering to help him up. Nervously, he took your gloved hand and stood up. He removed his helmet, as you did, and introduced himself. Preparing himself for what he was about to do, he gently reached for your hand. He held your hand up and began to introduce himself.

"Sir Ivan, Knight Of Zandar, the Gold Ranger. Pleasure to meet you, milady." He finished the sentence by pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your hand, causing both of your cheeks to turn a soft pink. The rest of the rangers got up and introduced themselves to you. They offered to take you back to their base, and you hesitantly agreed to their offer. They were all intrigued by you, especially by your powers. Of course, the energems had made them stronger and all that, but none of the other rangers had been gifted with ice powers like you had.

On the walk back to the base, you dazzled them with your powers. You created gorgeous snowflakes with your bare hands and made it snow in the small area you were in. All the rangers were giggling happily, messing around in the snow. You all laughed together as you wrapped up the snow and kept walking. Ivan made a point to keep close to you, and as you became acquainted with the rangers, you noticed Ivan still had a small bit of snow on his face. You giggled and wiped it off of his nose. He was flustered at this and blushed. You quickly realised how strange it must have seemed and began explaining and apologising. He let out a small chuckle and reassured you that it was okay. The rangers saw the interaction and immediately noticed how soft Ivan was being around you. They all gasped as they realised what was going on.

Ivan. Had. A. Crush.

They all started giggling at this, Ivan and you turned towards them. You questioned what they were laughing at, all of them brushing it off and saying it was nothing. You shrugged it off and made your way to the base.

~*~*~*~*~

You sat in the base, becoming properly introduced to everyone in the team. You demonstrated your powers once again, impressing Kendall. She told you that you should work in the museum and join the team. You were hesitant, is this really what you wanted? You told her you needed to think about it and said you were taking a walk. You sat on some steps outside the museum silently. You heard footsteps approaching and turned around. It was Ivan; he silently asked permission to sit next to you, and you nodded. He sat beside you and began to talk.

"I can understand why you may be hesitant to join. I was hesitant once too." He chuckled lightly, likely reminiscing back to when he first joined the team. His light laugh strangely reassured you. "but, believe me, joining the team is one of the best decisions you'll ever make. I have no regrets. The rangers are my family and I'm sure they'll become yours too."

You exhaled softly and turned your head to look at him. He stared into your eyes reassuringly. You felt his hand lay atop of yours and looked down at your hands. He quickly realised what he had done and drawn his hand back. You both sat there in silence, blushing.

"Okay. I'll join you."

He smiled at you, once again assuring you that you definitely wouldn't regret it at all. With him around, you're sure you wouldn't regret it. Ever since you layed eyes on Ivan, you felt comforted by his presence. In fact, you even thought you might have a tiny crush on him, as pathetic as it sounded. If you were to trust any of the rangers, it was him. You sat in silence for a few moments.

"Hey, um, Ivan. I don't really wanna go back inside yet, do you wanna go grab something to eat with me?"

He nodded happily and stood up. He took your hand, the same way you had taken his that day in the forest and helped you up. As you stood, you slipped a spot of ice and tripped. Damn you and showing off your powers and then forgetting to melt it. You let out a small shriek before crashing into Ivans chest. He just barely caught you before swooping you into his arms. He held you there for a moment, looking deeply into your eyes. You kept eye contact for a few moments before realising your compromising position. You were held in Ivans arms, bridal style, in broad daylight. A blush rose to your cheeks as you both realised this. Slowly, Ivan gently placed you down onto your feet, making sure you were stable this time. Little did they know the rangers had seen and snapped a picture. Oh, how they would tease Ivan about it later.

~*~*~*~*~

You walked to some stalls in a park, you getting a bubble tea while Ivan bought a strawberry milkshake. He also bought you a waffle to share. You offered to pay for it, but he was insistent on purchasing it and proving chivalry isn't dead. There weren't very many benches in the park available, other than a small section of one that would just about be able to squeeze both of you onto it.

You both squeezed on, incredibly close to each other, and began talking. Ivan told you all the stories he had from being a knight, to which you intently listened. You told Ivan all about your past and powers. You discussed your different ranger stories and much more. Ivan made your feel safe, you felt as if you could trust him for day one. As you were retelling one of your stories, Ivan couldn't help but begin admiring your beauty once again. He took in all your features, your gorgeous eyes, your perfect smile, the way your hair blew in the wind just right to make you look even prettier than usual. You were just so perfect. Ivan was in love. This wasn't just a small, schoolboy crush. He was certain. It is love. There was no way it was anything other than love.

The wind began getting strong, people deciding to get out of the park and go inside. You were wearing a gorgeous, short, summer dress (one that made Ivan become even further enamoured with your appearance) and began to feel slightly chilly. Heck, it made no sense, you were the ice ranger but still sensitive to temperature. You held your arms around yourself to try to preserve heat. The motion didn't go unnoticed by Ivan.

"You seem cold, milady. Please, take my coat. You need it more than I do."

You looked at him in shock. Was he sure? You politely turned it down, not wanting to be rude. He kept insiting, reassuring you that even without his coat, he would be fine. You kept declining until he made the choice to wrap it around you anyway. As soon as the coat was placed around you shoulders, you pulled it around yourself even tighter. It was so nice and warm, you sighed in content. Ivan smiled at this and took your hand, guiding you back to the museum.

~*~*~*~*~

It had been a week since you had joined the Rangers team. You had settled in perfectly. You were on break in the base whilst the rest of your friends worked. All of the rangers absolutely loved you, especially Ivan. They all stood in the kitchen, busy at work. Since you had been recruited, they changed out an old picture of the team and switched it out for one that had you in it. Ivan stood at the wall where it was pinned, staring intently at your smiling face with a lovesick smile. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Tyler's playful voice.

"Ivan! We get it, you have a huge crush on (Y/N) but can you stop staring at that picture and get back to work?" He turned his head around fast enough to give himself whiplash, seeming shocked at the allegation. "Sir Tyler, I've not got a clue what you're talking about, (Y/N) is merely a colleague." The Rangers snorted in laughter at this. They pulled out the picture of you and Ivan a week prior, you in Ivans arms.

"C'mon man," came Chase's voice. "You've obviously got the hots for (Y/N), we all see the way you stare at her. Especially when you were holding her like that. Good on you, dude, you'd be a great couple."

Ivan called it nonsensical, but he couldn't hide the blood that rushed to his cheeks at the thought of you two being a couple. He sighed and admitted it. "Fine, I might have just a little crush on her. But you mustn't tell her!" They all promised Ivan that they wouldn't dare tell you ever, and they all moved on with their shifts.

~*~*~*~*~

Another week had passed since that conversation, you being none the wiser to even knowing that it'd even happened. It was afterhours, Kendall had purposefully put you and Ivan on the closing shift together. You two were cleaning up, you on a high ladder dusting. You were in the middle of an interesting conversation and you were so engrossed in it that you forgot you were on a high ladder. You slipped once again and screamed. Within a moments notice, Ivan was beneath you and ready to catch you. You landed in his arms again, still in shock from the fall. You were both quiet, too stunned to utter a word. Suddenly, your stunned expression faded and turned into a humoured one. You began to giggle, which turned into an echoing laugh that caused Ivan to swoon over the sound. He asked you what you found so amusing to which you responded,

"It's just... It's just, uh, I'm getting deja vu. We're right back at square one again - me being your damsel in distress with you as my personal knight in shining armour." He couldn't help but smile at your words and even began to let out a small laugh himself. Your laughter died down, and you began examining Ivan's features. God, he was so pretty. Before you knew what you were saying, you began to talk. "Ivan, I think im in love with you." You gasped in shock at your words, preparing yourself to jump down and run away forever. Ivans grip on you tightened, and he stared at you in admiration. He couldn't hold it back any longer, he leaned forward and pulled you into a passionate kiss

"I've been waiting to hear those words since the second I met you, milady."

~*~*~*~*~

Unbeknownst to the two in the café, the Rangers were watching the cameras in the base. They were excitedly watching and waiting for something to happen. As your lips made contact with Ivan, they broke into loud cheers. High fives were shared throughout the base. Even Miss Morgan got involved, which says a lot.

"WHOOOOOOO, IVAN'S GOT A GIRLFRIEND!!!"

#ur fav inactive writer #power rangers dino charge x reader #power rangers x reader #power rangers #power rangers dino charge #ivan of zandar x reader #ivan of zandar #dino charge x reader #power rangers x reader fluff #dino charge #tyler navarro #shelby watkins #chase randall #SoundCloud

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rebouks · 4 months

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Okay, so I'm being completely self-indulgent here but I went on a little foray and dug up a load of old posts n' such to go thru Wyatt's journey n' pick out some important moments/juicy tidbits so uh.. here it is if you're interested 😆

Major Somnium spoilers if you haven't read it yet tho so be warned...

The first hint of genuine emotion/doubt we see cross Wyatt's face, and it's about his father.. hmmmmm, also to be noted is that even if he did up sticks n' go to work with Ash, he wouldn't have been free of anything, least of all his father's judgement!

The infamous Silas scene, yikes.. two things here, anytime he mentions it, it's not Wyatt's reach, always Arturo's! Like Oscar said recently, he doesn't have any connections now that he's gone (and Ashton, so.. oops) Second of all, Bruno DID understand.. which is interesting. Wyatt's family may not have been any relation to Bruno by blood, but they were still his found family for a long time and he n' Wyatt didn't much care for each other either, but they knew one another pretty well (what they showed each other anyway aha..) So yeah, he didn't LIKE it, but he UNDERSTOOD.. much to Ivan's dismay 🙈

Wyatt pretty much admits here that he's pretending his way through life.. which is SUPER fun to look back on, 'cause we all took him at face value here, but who's to say it wasn't just another act? 🤷‍♂️ He learnt to look at the world through calculated logic at a very young age.. and he's kinda right, if you observe everything & everyone else from a neutral standpoint, it's pretty interesting what you can see that you might've missed if you were too angry, sad etc.. to notice...

Did anyone believe Wyatt when he said he would leave Joslyn's kids out of it? 'Cause he was telling the truth.. maybe she should'a called his bluff. An easy bargaining chip, never to be played.

After learning of Oscar's plan, Wyatt decides to help him.. why? I don't think he's sure at this point, he just knew he'd had enough of his father's disrespect and wanted to fuck him over.

This is suuuper interesting, mostly because of Bruno's "no".. he's a bit of a hypocrite ngl, cos he knew more than Wyatt, and for longer, that what he, Artie n' co. were up to was wrong, yet he stuck with them, protected them and continued to work for them anyway. The difference between them tho, is that Arturo respected and trusted Bruno enough that he would've let him leave if he wanted to, but he didn't.. and Wyatt never had that luxury ⚆_⚆

In this scene we (I think?) first got a glimpse into Wyatt's brain, and I particularly like this part...

Although he wanted to prove to Arturo that he had been right, he knew he couldn’t risk it. Doing so would only reveal his own betrayal. It should have been satisfying, but Wyatt could already feel himself shrinking under his father’s cold, piercing gaze as he realised his own son had deceived him so immeasurably. He didn’t need to know; his demise would be satisfying enough, it had to be.

Simply because as it turned out, it wasn't satisfying at all.. and Arturo was already well aware of his own son's involvement at this point, double yikes.

So everything's gone to shit but Wyatt/Darien are still sitting pretty with Ashton.. but why is it sad boi hours? Why doesn't it feel right? Hmmmmm.. I like this scene because Wyatt's pretty much lost his whole family and yet.. is he sad? He doesn't think so, not really. It's kinda the start of him "waking up" so to speak, with no one left to live "for" and no one to impress, please or serve he's lost at sea! It's fun, because honestly at this point he could have slotted neatly into life in Del Sol. He could've worked with Ash, business as usual, new connections and protections, lotsa women, lotsa money and power..... and yet.. it doesn't feel right? 🤔 HMMMMMMMMMMM

Thanks to Brynn's help, Wyatt finally comes face to face with the reality of his actions. It's interesting for so many reasons.. first of all, he'd always kept the details at bay, 'cause that's what he was used to, what was easier, what he was taught to do.. business isn't personal, right Pookie? 🙈 and Ashton hadn't exactly told the whole truth either, making out like the girls would work for him (which ig they would in a way, at least some of em.. but it's definitely worse than Wyatt assumed, which I think can show how naive he could still be sometimes) but with no daddy around to answer to/impress, and no one left to pretend to, Wyatt suddenly NEEDED to know and there was no one left to persuade him otherwise.

Love this scene.. Wyatt's still a little demented isn't he, taking sadistic pleasure in fucking someone over, but at least this time he's on the right fkin side. Look at that smirk.. ohhh Ashton you are fucked, but please enjoy your sauna whilst you can 😁

So it's been a few years at this point and Wyatt's had a hell of a lot of time to think, and a lot of distance from his old life. He doesn't really know who he is at the moment, but he's kinda learning to just BE instead of pretending all the time.. kinda scary, tho a little less so when you've adopted a cute old neighbour who invades your space with his genuine care and good advice. Something Wyatt's definitely not used to, but he doesn't completely hate it.

Not only does bumping into Brynn again make Wyatt realise how grateful he was for her help, but it also kinda forces him to stop ignoring his past. Her visit and their brief time spent together really made him start looking back at his old life n' tryna figure out how it fit into his new one. He still has no idea who he is or who he should be and it's particularly disconcerting to him how comfortable Brynn is around him, given what she knows...

He'd just about managed to keep it at bay until this point, but it's time for an existential crisis 🤸‍♀️

Ahhh baba Ichi is so kind 😭 would he still be so keen to help Wyatt if he knew about his past? Who knows.. but he sees someone struggling and he wants to help! I think it's interesting that Wyatt trusts him/likes him enough at this point to actually admit his doubts/feelings, which is more than he'd ever done before. He might not see it yet, but it's still progress.

Brynn's back, and she's about to fuck Wyatt's shit up (in the best way).. I love how he's been so wrapped up in his own misadventures that he hadn't even stopped to think about hers. If we're gonna look at things in black and white (which we don't do here but just bear with) they're both "bad" people who've done terrible things and made terrible decisions; driven by necessity, both perceived and literal. They've taken lives without regret, stolen from people who didn't deserve it, fucked people over for their own survival or for revenge ETC ETC.. and yet, Brynn knows she's not black and white, she knows she's still capable of being a good person and she can see it in him too, even if he's like ??? about it himself.

Wyatt not only admits his feelings to himself, but to Brynn too.. and goes against what HE wants n' agrees to her wishes instead, putting someone else first for like.. the first time EVER 😳

Though he was glad to know the truth, Wyatt was less than thrilled with Brynn’s plan; but she craved true freedom, and after everything she’d endured – in part due to his own transgressions – he figured he owed her as much.

What sorcery is this?!

Wyatt's not great with empathy or at putting himself in others shoes, but I loved this scene with him n' Oscar because now he's actually been forced into Oscar's well worn vans and he had no choice but to confront his previous decisions head on.. he did NOT like his own medicine and I think it's the first time he properly felt regret/guilt.. super important discovery.

Ahh the crux of the issue, daddy issues.. 😅 I'm not saying Wyatt didn't have free will or the chance to idk NOT partake in the family "bidness" but idk, he was indoctrinated into that life since birth. The fact that he eventually made it this far and didn't go totally insane in the process is still kinda impressive.

We don't have to forgive him, Brynn hasn't, and won't.. but people are grey and there's hope things will be different in the future. I love how much these two have been through in life, yet still managed to SOMEHOW end up with a second chance/a way to be & do better. Idk I think it's awesome (disagree with me if u want idc ahahakjsdksj) and I especially love that they literally know almost every nasty detail about each other but still perceive the other as "good" despite those details.. ough

With a dead dad (yay), plenty of distance, a lot of time and some forced introspection not only from himself but Brynn, Oscar, etc.. and ELLIS, Wyatt finally broke in the best way possible. It'll take time and it'll still be shit at times but now that everything's outta the bottle maybe he can piece everything together again. I especially love this part..

The moment Ellis had made his way into the world, something deep inside Wyatt’s soul had shattered, breaking into a million tiny pieces that pricked his heart with every shred of hurt, regret, and stifled guilt he’d ever buried within its previously impenetrable depths. Try as he might, the tears refused to cease.

I think it was easy to believe that Wyatt was a psychopath (that was the point) but we only believed it with such conviction because HE did too. I think he's relieved to finally learn that that's NOT the case, even if it's scary af tryna figure out who he is from scratch.. but hey, he has a pretty good reason too now. Being the dad he wished he had... ;-;

Anyway.. thanks for coming to my pointless, long ass, self-indulgent TED talk, if you read all this please take a cookie on the way out and know that ily muchly 🖤🍪

#ramblings #and like.. i mean major ramblings #sdkjskdj #god bless any of u that read this in its entirety #idk how much sense it'd make without reading somnium tho.. another reason to do so ahueheuh #fib extras #wyatt #ahhhh what an interesting man #love him or hate him idk.. his journey is still kinda fun to lay out u kno #twguns #twtrafficking #twdeath #?#kinda

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princess-of-the-corner · 5 days

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Sorry, was just musing on something & skimming a season 1 episode list and like, OK now I get why you have Princess Perfuma so late in the game XD But two main things:

1: While many Akuma are laid at Chloe's feet (& some were like Reflekta, Perfuma and Kung Food) some really feel more like a group effort, circumstances or her being targeted unfairly, IE:

Ivan/Stoneheart was initially just straight up Kim and then nearly everyone in class being on his back about Stoneheart. Mylene was the situation, most of the class was getting irritated and Chloe just seemed to be the last straw. (Also Nino inviting someone he described as a brat to be in his movie. Again, Chloe may not have been beloved but she wasn't reviled at first) Then there's Nathanial where it really feels like he should have gone after the teacher unless he was trying to nice guy Marinette by murdering Chloe which... Well either way its off putting XD

2: I do think the season 1 sequence of events struggles to make some sense, given you'd think Rose would know Chloe's not liable to be particularly nice after what happened with Juleka.

Unless Chloe hands out apology gifts/baskets in-between some episodes XD

"Sorry for locking you in the bathroom so I could be next to Adrien in the picture. Dad always said anything to win & well, you becoming an Akuma certainly gave you a win, so even? No... OK, how about if I give you this obsidian dagger ne- OK we're cool then!"

"Sorry for ripping up your letter to Prince Ali, I mean I'm not sure why you were so upset, Mama throws away, destroys or rejects all my gifts, but I guess if you got AKumatized over it that it was serious or whatever. So, here's like, a pile of plushies?"

Yeah like.

Okay first off I love the name 'Princess Perfuma' better than 'Princess Fragrance' like damn the English dub was robbed there.

But also yeah its.

I go over this a chunk in LL but there's a lot that either Chloé's actions were only exacerbating a situation that was already happening, or she was entirely in the right.

Stoneheart? She actually didn't cause that one! Yes she did upset Ivan at one point which. Yeah given they don't know what's happening/why he went monster I can understand her skepticism. But Mari calms him down. The first Stoneheart was Kim's bullshit, and the second Stoneheart was the confession going wrong.

Lady Wifi? Alya was 100% in the wrong here. She was breaking into, rifling through, and taking pictures of Chloé's locker. All Chloé did was demand that she be given the proper consequences for doing so. If the tables were turned and it had been Chloé who was caught going through Alya's locker but the principal had said 'eh no harm done go back to class' you can bet everyone would be pissed about it.

Timebreaker? None of these idiots figured out how to put a pocket watch in a pocket. Yes Chloé yoinked the watch to look at it, but breaking it was a genuine accident.

Rogercop? Chloé reported a crime to a cop, the cop was like 'the fuck do you want me to do about it?' and got fired for not doing his job.

Horrificator? Mylene was scared and getting overwhelmed and everyone on the production was getting frustrated at her. Chloé might've been the first to snap, but someone would've eventually and with the same result.

Dark Cupid? While her rejection was harsh, any kind of rejection could have set Kim off in that moment. She is not obligated to return his feelings nor is she responsible for his emotions.

Vanisher? That one kinda is her fault but also friends fight! Sabrina did something that upset her, no matter how small it was, and she had a right to be upset. Just as Sabrina had a right to be upset in turn when Chloé started ignoring her. While technically in the wrong on this particular argument, the kids shouldn't have to walk on eggshells around each other and pretend things don't hurt them just because some butterfly bastard might give them magic powers.

Evillustrator? The teacher was far harsher than Chloé had been. Hell Chloé's comments were actually /complimentary/ and just outing an obvious crush. While the teacher had screamed at Nath in front of the class, told him his art was worthless and ugly, and that he was failing his classes.

And yeah Reflekta, Kung Food, and Princess Fragrance are more her purposely being a dick. And I'm not pretending that Chloé is 'nice' at any of these points. But things aren't black and white.

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soulmate-game · 9 months

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The Heroes’ Game Chapter 5

I’m sorrry!!!! In my defense, the story is up to 20 chapters on AO3, soooo. But anyway, here we go!

—*—*—*—*—*

Prev First Next

Chapter 5

After Marinette was done emptying her stomach, she accepted a towel from one of the EMTs on site and wiped her mouth, rinsing it out with the water bottle also handed to her and taking a deep breath. The three vigilantes were still there, giving a brief report to the commissioner, who had escalated the situation earlier because of protocol. Marinette knew better than to be mad though, knowing he had done exactly what he should have had there not been such a thing as vigilantes.

Robin saw her recover, his gaze not really moving from her too often to begin with. He nodded to her once, a subtle jerk of his head asking if she wanted to join him and the other heroes. She shrugged and headed over. She knew she would have to give her own statement anyway, and the commissioner had already stated he wanted to talk to her personally.

The older man’s eyes lit up a bit in relief when he saw her, the softness in them relaxing something in Marinette. She gave him a lopsided smile.

“Hello. I’m commissioner Gordon, it’s nice to meet you. Although it would have been better under different circumstances,” he greeted politely. Marinette had to do her best to keep her eyes from straying to the ambulance that she knew held the corpse.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she introduced back, taking his hand in a brief bit firm shake. “I’m assuming you need my statement now?”

Soft eyes scanned hers, then flitted over to the vigilantes standing silently behind her for a second. “Only if you feel up to it,” he assured gently. “You were in a more precarious situation than any of the others, I understand if you need time to process and rest,” he was saying, but Marinette began to shake her head before he was even done speaking.

“I’m fine, Commissioner. I knew what I was risking when I decided to comfort Lila, the classmate who started having a panic attack, but I rather be the one in the dangerous position than sit back and let anyone else get hurt. Especially for something they can’t fully control,” Marinette let a little wry grin curl her lips. “This isn’t actually my first time being held hostage, just the first time guns were ever involved. France is much nicer than America in that respect, at the least. Not nearly so many firearms to worry about.”

Gordon snorted his agreement, and nodded over to a bench. “At least sit down, you’ve had a long day. And then we can start from the moment the bastards stormed in.”

Marinette’s nodded, turning to follow the commissioner.

“Cough once if you want us to pick you up after your statement,” Robin’s voice quietly filtered through their still active bond. Marinette coughed once. She didn’t think she would be getting a lot of comfort from her classmates, who were all silent or seeking comfort from their closest friend. She didn’t want to bother Alix, who was with Ivan and Kim. Besides, comfort wasn’t exactly what she needed right now. Not from them. If Chloe had been there, or Luka or Kagami, then she would have stuck to their side like glue— or like a koala, with how much hugging there was likely to be. But Marinette had become more closed off with her class over the years, and right then she just wanted some understanding silence.

Twenty minutes later found her, after a brief talk between Red Robin and Madam Bustier, on top of a rooftop with the three vigilantes. They had been really subtle about it, and she was pretty sure Bustier expected them to only escort her home. She knew the teacher wouldn’t check the hotel room when they got back, so she wasn’t really in any hurry.

The air was mostly silent that high up, onto the faint drone of usual city noise perforating the atmosphere.

“So,” Red Hood began conversationally. “Nightwing and Robin filled us all in on the Paris situation. Is that how you were able to remain so calm?” He asked, getting an elbow from Red Robin for being insensitive. To their surprise though, Marinette just chuckled.

“Unfortunately,” she responded with a grin. “Paris is a lot different than here, though, which I think my class forgot until tonight. They’re too used to everything bad being reversed by Ladybug,” she admitted, tilting her head back to look up at the sky. “I’m the only person in my class who has never been Akumatized. But for some reason, a lot of Akumas seem to be centered around me,” she closed her eyes and sighed. “I caused one on accident, when I snuck out to spend time with my friends instead of my Grandma who had come to visit and had a whole bunch of things planned. Her hurt from my decision got her Akumatized into a witch who tried to kill me,” she explained. “My dad got Akumatized once, and locked me up in a literal tower to protect me— that one was a bit weird,” she snorted again. “A classmate of mine got Akumatized after I rejected him. That one was… creepy. He forced me on a date and everything,” her nose wrinkled up. “I’ve become pretty careful about how I treat people, even more so than I already was,” she confessed. “Anything can set off negative emotions strong enough to get someone Akumatized. The only time I came close to getting possessed, my teacher pushed me out of the way and got Akumatized instead. That one was probably one of the most bizarre of the attacks,” she shuddered at the memory. “The worst part is that kids are actually the most at risk. I’ve had kids get Akumatized while I was babysitting them on several occasions, just because I didn’t let them stay up late or keep a toy they wanted. And—”

“Marinette, you’re rambling,” Robin interrupted gently. His voice made the girl open her eyes, and sit up straight from where she had been leaning back against the wall of the roof.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m just— he can’t come back.”

“No, he can’t,” Red Robin agreed, the man plopping down to sit a few feet from her. Robin was still standing about a foot to Marinette’s right, keeping watch over everything. Red hood had actually been the first to sit down, legs out straight in front of him. He was to Marinette’s left. All three men knew exactly who Marinette meant when she said ‘he’, and focused on her as they prepared for the breakdown.

“I just— I don’t get it,” she started, staring down at her clenched fists as her eyebrows pulled down low over her eyes. “I’ve seen people die before. It happens a lot in Paris, surprisingly. One time, when a girl was Akumatized into a mermaid monster and flooded the whole city, I didn’t quite get to a high enough roof on time. I had to swim for a bit, straight through—“ she took a deep breath before continuing. “Straight through so many bodies. Only about a couple thousand people out of all of Paris survived that attack, but Ladybug won and everything was fixed. Nobody remembers dying. The survivors are the ones in therapy, and everyone else is confused as to why. But it wasn’t her fault. She was manipulated, used, brainwashed. I get that. I don’t blame her, nobody who understands the situation blames her for it. It’s all on HawkMoth. But this— today—“ she couldn’t help it, she swung one arm out and punched the short wall next to her. A few chips of brick broke off from the force. “She was a grown woman in her right mind, she wasn’t under magic and she took pride— I saw her eyes, she enjoyed it— she enjoyed killing him. She felt no remorse, she didn’t hesitate, as if she had been waiting for the chance to murder. And I can’t understand that. I’ll never understand that. That’s what made me sick. The thought that somebody can just not care,” Marinette’s next laugh was wet, and she could feel the warm tracks of tears down her cheeks. “Maybe that’s naive of me. Maybe I’m too idealistic. But I just can’t understand. I’m so used to understanding, sympathizing, knowing exactly why people do things. But I can’t. I can’t do that here—or maybe I can. Maybe the answer is just because she wanted to, and it sickens me.”

“Good,” Red Hood was the one that spoke up, his tone level and serious. “That makes you better than most of us. But you can’t let it keep you down. You can’t let it change who you are. Not understanding isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. It means you’re that much less likely of ever becoming like her.”

Marinette took a deep breath again, letting her shoulders relax. “Maybe,” she agreed softly. “But I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to beat someone into a pulp as much as I did right after she shot him. I’m not typically a very violent person, but,” she looked over at the damage she caused to the wall next to her and wrinkled her nose with a small, self-deprecating grin. “I still have my moments.”

“... that high kick sated some of it, I hope,” Robin spoke up finally. Marinette looked up at him, and immediately frowned. His body language was much more withdrawn than when they first arrived at the roof and she didn’t know why. Was it something she said? “Any harder and you would have crushed his windpipe.”

“Yeah!” Red hood perked up again. “That was a thing of beauty! Perfect disarm of the bastard’s gun, too. A bit improvised, but very well done. Who taught you?”

Marinette rubbed the back of her neck shyly, letting out an embarrassed laugh. Years of spontaneous practice, she thought sarcastically. Aloud she said; “Not long after the Akuma attacks started, my mom decided I needed to learn self defense. She has three black belts, believe it or not, and took it upon herself to teach me,” Marinette told them. It wasn’t even a lie, though her mom had taken almost two years before starting to teach Marinette. “My dad is usually the one people expect to be the dangerous one. He’s huge and being a baker has given him some serious muscle,” she explained with a fond smile. “But whenever we have a rowdy customer? It’s not my dad that scares them off, I can assure you.”

All three of them chuckled or smiled a bit at that. Marinette stood up, stretching her arms and looking over the rooftops longingly. She still had energy to work out, adrenaline that hadn’t quite faded, but she figured going freerunning after everything that had just happened was probably not the best idea. Instead, she turned to Robin.

“Okay,” She wiped her face to clear any lingering tears and offered him a surprisingly bright smile for the kind of day she’d had. Robin found himself blinking at it. “Enough sobbing! I think I’m ready to go back to the hotel now,” she told him, earning a nod. Narrowing her eyes at his closed off mannerisms, she turned her head to the other two heroes, who had already stood up. “Can Robin take me back on his own? I don’t want to keep you guys from your patrols any longer than I already have.”

The two red-themed heroes shared a glance before shrugging. “We’ll be nearby,” Red Robin replies first. “But Robin’s not a kid anymore, so it should be fine.”

“Besides, we know better than to get in between soulmates,” Red hood added, swinging his arms to warm them up. “Just remember, we are all hooked up to the comms so if you’re gonna do anything, please shut them off fir—“

The helmeted hero was forced to duck under a katana swipe that nearly took his head off, Robin growling.

“Don’t be lewd!” He snapped, sliding his sword back into the sheath on his back. Marinette, poor girl, was overtaken with laughter.

She just laughed, new tears breaking out of the corner of her eyes from the force of the laughs. “W-we’ve barely known each other for a d-day!” She choked out between guffaws. “Oh god, it’s barely been twenty-four hours. What even is my life?” She stood up, getting control of herself and rubbing her forehead. She patted Robin’s arm in a show of confidence trust honestly surprised Red Robin and Red Hood.

Then again, the two of them had grown up believing that Damian’s soul mate would either be just as bloodthirsty as him, or scared off by him in less than five seconds. So. Marinette was honestly turning their whole worldviews topsy turvy. Her smile, wide and open and bright, contrasted Robin’s straightfaced brooding as he grunted and held a hand out to Marinette. She had just had one good, emotional rant before going completely sunny and energetic again.

And honestly? The two older heroes didn’t know whether that fact worried or impressed them more. If she hadn’t already admitted to being used to suppressing her emotions, they would have just figured it out.

—*—*—*—*—*

“Are you okay?” Marinette asked when they reached her hotel room, turning on the lights for him after they climbed through the window together. The boy in question raised an eyebrow over his domino mask, crossing his arms.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

The pigtailed girl rolled her eyes, gently setting her purse down on the couch in the room. Wayne had sprung to get everyone full blown suites for their month-long stay. Something about it being more comfortable for such a long trip.

It also softened the blow of everyone having to sign waivers for the trip. It was the reason Marinette knew the trip wouldn’t be canceled over the robbery mess at GothCorp. Everyone and their parents agreed that they would not cancel the whole trip if crime occurred around the students but none of them were hurt, though they could pull out individual students if they were injured or the parents were that worried.

“Ever since my little rant,” she started, Robin’s eyes narrowing at her downplay of what had happened. “You’ve been more closed off and subtly avoiding me. Did I say something insulting?”

Robin blinked, surprised she had caught it. “You could have waited until we slept to ask me,” he pointed out. One delicate eyebrow raised, blue eyes staring into his own green ones flatly.

“Oh yeah? Would you have gone to sleep at all tonight?” She asked. “Or would you have avoided me?”

Robin remained silent, making Marinette nod.

“It was…” Robin paused, thinking over what he wanted to say. “Red Hood has killed a lot of people,” he said instead, making his soulmate blink slowly at the rapid subject change. She tilted her head slowly, and then nodded knowing that Red Hood wasn’t the actual subject there.

“Yes… My research told me a bit about that, though it was pretty vague,” she admitted slowly. “But he doesn’t anymore.”

“He still uses guns.”

“Okay, Robin,” she sighed and sat down on the couch next to her bag heavily. “But Red Hood is still a hero now. He spends his nights fighting crime. Do I condone killing? Obviously not. But he’s trying to be a good person, and that’s what matters to me. He doesn’t confuse me like the girl earlier did.”

“Oh,” Robin said softly, unable to look away from her for a long moment. She just smiled back at him calmly, not knowing why her soulmate had needed to hear those words from her but somehow feeling like she understood anyway. Robin used a sword, and it was clear he was a master of it. It wasn’t a stretch to assume he might have killed before. “I see. Well, I’ll leave now. We will see each other again in a short while anyway.”

“Of course,” she agreed, still with that soft smile that Robin couldn’t quite look away from on her face. “See you in the Mindspace.”

Robin didn’t respond, just jumping out of her window.

“He seems nice,” Tikki’s voice piped up, making Marinette look over to her Kwami floating in the air a few feet away with a sly smile on her face. Marinette felt her cheeks heat up.

“H-he is…”

“You did good today, Marinette,” Tikki praises, patting her wielder’s hand with her own tiny one. “And not just with the attack. You did good with your Soulmate, I think he’s the kind that will need to be confronted about his emotions. He won’t talk about them first,” the Kwami informed the teen, who nodded and got ready for a much needed shower before bed.

“I know. I don’t even know how I know. It’s partly his body language, or his word choice, and I have gotten pretty good at reading people. But…” Marinette just shrugged. “I guess part of me just knows what I need to do.”

Tikki laughed. “Ah, to be young and soul-bonded~” Tikki teased.

“Tikkiiiiiii!”

—*—*—*—*—*

#maribat #mlb x dc #ml x dc #dc x mlb #dc x miraculous #damimari #platonic jasonette #damian x marinette #marinette x damian #maribat fic #the hero’s game

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foggyxrayspecs · 1 year

Text

Security Measures

Prompt: Yelena is an underboss in her family’s organization. Her latest mission calls her to exact revenge on an old friend that no longer has her sister’s best interest at heart. While infiltrating his operation, she enjoys dismantling all his security, including his guard dog.

Warnings: dark-ish, sub-themes of human trafficking, heavy petplay

Word Count: 2k

A/N: I like the idea of Yelena taking on a pet that is essentially a loaded gun. With all her new toys, she gets super nerdy about studying the mechanics of how it all works. Then she’d devote herself to mastering the ultimate switch — a deadly weapon and a big, dumb lapdog. Hijinks ensue! Tip of the hat to @scarlettwlw for letting me borrow the Widow AU Yelena. (Much appreciated!!!) All future chapters (link)

The faint swipe of the plastic card key and the affirmative beep of the reader has you up on your knuckles and knees in seconds. The auditory enhancements behind your ears dial in on the soft echoes of boots and amplify them. You frown at the closed door in front of you and concentrate on listening to the soft murmuring of two people entering the corridor. One of them is the Boss, and the other is unknown. A stranger. They don’t sound too tall, but you’ve learned not to judge what’s in small packages.

-----------------------------------------------------------

IN THE ROOM

You let out a soft woof to yourself and crowd the door under the handle. As the voices grow louder, you can make out the language. Russian. You preferred it when the Boss spoke English, allowing you to understand what was going on. When you know what's going on, it's easier to guard him properly and not get in the way. Not getting in the way is the thin margin that keeps you on the Boss's good side. A side that has been disappearing as of late.

Uncontrolled, you begin barking your head off, actively dropping your voice to catch all the lower registries of bass you can gather. You've got one thing on your mind — to protect the Boss, the space, to warn the stranger. Sound waves roll off you towards the door, willing the wood to buckle under the weight of your ferocity.

Click. The door opens, letting in the smells from the corridor. The Boss is tense. The stranger is — you sharply inhale — then the world goes black as the Boss tosses his heavy peacoat at you, covering your head.

"SHUDDUP, FUCKING MUTT! Holy hell!" You hear the Boss circle the desk and flop down in his chair, kicking his boots up on the mahogany surface. "Come in and take a seat, Yelena. There much to discuss."

The stranger pauses two steps into the room as the door closes.

"Ah, you have a guardhund," she says, gently surprised.

"Yes," you hear the Boss sigh. "They've been installed here for six months since the attempted break-in. Not worth the money if you ask me."

You feel the coat being gently pulled from your head. As you blink away the darkness, you are immediately captured in the green gaze of the woman. Her eyes assessing. You swallow down more barking.

She mutters to the Boss, "Ivan. You should not treat your protector so haphazardly."

"It's good for them. They aren't a lot of fun, you know."

"Fun? Is this how run your business?"

"Yelena," the Boss says in a low husk. "You know I know how much you like your fun. Lisbon…with Magda?"

The woman chuckled and nodded, "Yes, I remember. Well, the Portuguese had it coming." You could tell she was forcing herself to relax as she sat in the chair opposite the Boss's desk.

Your training keeps you constantly vigilant. You stare down the stranger. You cannot help but give a low growl of warning deep in your throat. She just winks at you. You blink back. You tilt your head, showing the barest amount of curiosity.

"My sister has a pet."

"Oh, yes, I've seen her. Glued to Natasha, beautiful… a little spoiled," the Boss grins.

Yelena chuckles. "Yes, her puppy is quite a handful."

"Well, at least she has personality. This one… " He motions to you. "They just sit there. Staring. It's… a little creepy."

Yelena barks a laugh. "It sounds like they are doing their job."

Over the next half-hour, you listen to the Boss and the woman — Yelena — converse in a foreign language. Yelena sneaks glances at you every few minutes. You take her in unabashedly, watching every move she makes. The Boss didn't seem to care that she was still heavily armed even after the screening from the crew members at the front entrance.

The Boss's sharp laugh and scrape of the chair pull you back into the moment. The Boss rounds the desk and envelops Yelena into a hug, rubbing her arms. You watch her endure the embrace, holding her breath. "Okay, we've got a deal. So good to see you again, Yelena. It will be a pleasure to see you much more often, yes?"

The woman gracefully breaks his embrace and steps back, her eyes falling on you. She easily says her goodbyes with a slight nod and leaves the room. You inhale the last of her heady scent.

-----------------------------------------------------------

YELENA'S APARTMENT

"So, he's got a guardhund."

"Christ. How the hell did he get one?"

"Probably his mother. So, we'll need to add that into the mix."

Natasha hums absently.

Yelena takes a breath. "I don't want to kill the pup. How do I… dominate them?"

"Oh, look at you. My little sister… the handler."

"Shut up. I need to know to plan the rest of the mission. And, I don't know… you are the one with the PET!"

"Puppy and a guardhund are two very, very different things." Natasha sighs. "Most pets — even guardhunds — don't respond well to being forcibly dominated. Muzzle grabs and alpha rolls do nothing to assure them that we are in control. Instead, they make us appear more aggressive, out of control, and untrustworthy, increasing their stress.

"Since you've got time. I think you need to play to your strengths. Win them over the old-fashioned way. Earn it. If that fails… food." Natasha hums again. "Also, we could try one other thing…"

Yelena raised an eyebrow.

-----------------------------------------------------------

IN THE ROOM | Three days later…

You dig your teeth into your cuff for the thousandth time that day. The leather feels good in your mouth. You begin the delicate work of chewing the edges around your wrist. Whatever you can do to pass the endless time.

After you finish the first phase of your leatherwork, you sigh heavily, looking up at the window where the light is finally dimming.

Your ear perks at the sound of solitary footsteps entering the corridor. You pull back your ear muscle to focus the tech on amplification. It was her again. Yelena.

You push yourself from resting on your haunches and roll forward to balance your weight onto your knuckles. You exhale a soft huff of breath as your body tenses in anticipation.

You keep quiet as she slides the key card and opens the door, quietly shutting it behind her. You frown darkly, watching her.

She drops down to you. She was not looking into your eyes, but you could tell her attention was on you. "No enthusiastic greeting today? Am I not a threat? Forgive me if I don’t trust your judgment."

You offer a low growl and show her your teeth. You are meant to protect this room — its sanctity, its secrets. She slowly raises her hand to one of the many zippers on her vest. You growl louder. She lets out a quick "Shh!"

Your interest is captured when she lifts her hand and takes treats from her pocket. You hold still, nostrils twitching. Your shock collar training keeps you from being ruled by food motivation, but it's been such a long time since you've eaten. The Boss likes to keep you hungry to keep you on edge. Still, you hold when she presents you with an outstretched hand with three delicious-smelling morsels. You growl louder.

"Ahh, no treats? You have a strong will," she says softly.

You watch her with serious eyes. She smelled as good as she did days ago, her voice soothing, her energy calming. She forces a yawn, showing that she's not interested in confrontation. She drops the treats on the rug next to you.

She raises her hand to another pocket and pulls out a handkerchief that smells repugnant. You sneeze and growl heavily. She quickly tucks it away and opens another zipper to remove another folded cloth. "Nope."

Your attention snaps to the new cloth. "Mm, this has your attention. You like this?"

She holds the handkerchief out to you, and you smell it greedily and begin softly licking the cloth texture. "Ah, Natasha was right about the pheromones. She'll love that. Look at how you are licking…licking it all up..."

She tries to take the cloth back, and you can't help but reach out and bite it. You try to pull it back from her grasp. “You love women's pheromones, mm? Want to play tug-of-war?" She lightly tugs the cloth, and you move closer but start digging in with the heels of your palms and your knees, leveraging your strong muscles to pull back.

She grins and gives it to you, watching you as you jerk back and then begin to lower yourself to the ground immediately and lick the cloth in earnest. You hear her hum softly, and then you feel a light touch on your back. She waits three seconds, then moves her hand between your shoulder blades. “Many bruises.” She purses her lips and clicks her tongue, “Have you been fighting? Or, have they done this to you?”

Yelena starts rubbing between your shoulder blades, and it feels like heaven. You barely close your eyes and revel in the touch soothing your knotted muscles. Since you were kicked in the back last week, you had tried to surreptitiously roll on the rug or rub against the Spartan furniture in the room to ease your body aches. You grunt softly as she begins to dig her fingers in. "Aw, you are in such tension."

You lean into her, now sucking on the cloth in your mouth. You subtly ask for more pressure by arching into her hand. She generously gives it to you, softly moving her other hand to guide you on your side. She massages your muscles intensely, and you let out a low whine of pleasure and relief.

"Ah, you are a good pup. Well, you are more like a bear. You are fierce, but you are just a baby. Yes, just a little cub," she modulates her voice high and low, then high again.

You can't fucking help it; you lean into this new feeling of warmth in your chest and let your tongue lull out and turn all the way over onto your back, showing her your belly and narrowing your eyes to everything but her and her beautiful voice. Yelena.

Yelena gives you a brilliant smile and few more belly scratches and then quickly raises to her feet, leaving you blinking out of your joyful haze. You watch her turn on the Boss's computer and tap the keys. After a few minutes, she pulls a stick from the machine's side and tucks it back into a new pocket.

You hear her sigh and walk back over to you, folding herself down on her haunches and gently stroking your chin.

"Drop it." She hooks her thumb into your jaw and pries it open so she can remove the handkerchief. You whine softly, and she smiles at you slowly. "You like my smell. Very good, cub."

After she quietly leaves, you snap up the treats in your mouth and chew as you stare at the door, listening to the light steps of the blonde woman. You hope she turns heel and comes back.

-----------------------------------------------------------

IN THE ROOM | The next week…

You can hear the Boss pause his typing. He stabs the intercom with his finger and calls out to his crew operating the front of the shop — only static returns.

You hear footsteps in the corridor. Yelena.

You wait. As the sound of her boots reaches normal human hearing levels, you smell the Boss's anxiety spike in fear.

You wait, wanting to turn invisible. You don't want him to say the words. Those damn words that make you into a ravaging beast.

Yelena swipes the card and opens the door.

"Atta…" The word dies on his lips as Yelena puts a bullet dead-on in the Boss's forehead.

She cuts her eyes to you and pats her thigh twice, "Come here, cub. We're leaving."

Fuck, that voice. You obey.

#dark!yelena belova #dark!yelena belova x reader #dark!yelena #grey!yelena #security measures #scarlettwlw #widow au

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celestiall0tus · 2 days

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Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 33 - Frozer

Beginning || Previous || Next

Alix grumbled as she put on a pair of ice skates. She glanced around at her classmates and plus some doing the same. They all excitedly chatted while she fumed. Chloe chatted with everyone before she sat down beside Alix.

“You ready for this?”

“Can I say no and still leave?” Alix asked.

“Oh, come on. You can’t leave now. You already told Adrien you’d do this.”

Alix mumbled and crossed her arms. She sank back in her seat as she regretted agreeing to this charade. Chloe rolled her eyes and saw to everyone else while Adrien sat beside her.

“Hey, thank you again, for coming along. I know it’s not exactly your cup of tea, but I appreciate it still,” Adrien said.

“Said after you begged me to come along despite my clear disdain for the very idea of all this.”

“Oh, come on! It’s a little fun, right? Besides, Chloe’s in charge of this. Everything should be fine.

“If she’s in charge, then she has the power to exclude Kagami, Lila, and Marinette.”

“True, but I sorta asked her to not exclude Kagami and Lila. Marinette, well, I can’t explain that. Maybe they, and I mean Marinette’s friends, hope to help her?”

“They have more faith in her than I ever could.”

“You don’t have a lot of faith in anyone.”

“Exactly, but those three particularly. I mean, fuck. Lila isn’t going to attend because of her whole ‘affair’ with Bloody Bug. Kagami is thoroughly brainwashed and conditioned. Marinette, well, at least she has people she can count on.”

“Well, Sabrina did point out that we should give people second chances to be better, and that everyone has the potential to be better. So, I told Chloe to give them those chances. Oh! And I’ve also brought a special friend.”

“Oh? Who would that be?”

Adrien turned as Felix took a seat next to him.

“Alix,” Felix said.

“Felix. Been a while,” Alix remarked.

“Yes, well, get used to it.”

Alix hummed when Chloe blew her whistle, getting everyone’s attention. “Thank you all for meeting me here. As you all know, I’m hosting a Valentine’s dance for couples, and polycules, this Valentine’s Day. You’re all here because you losers need some help, so here I am to play your cupid. Now, let’s begin! I want to see you guys pair off and hit the ice. Any left behind will be matched based on my expert opinion.”

Everyone exchanged glances before people paired off. Nino and Alya, Juleka and Rose, and Mylene and Ivan were amongst the first. Luka and Marinette were pulled out onto the ice alongside them.

Alix tsked. “I don’t envy Luka, but good on him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Huh? Oh, he has a crush on Marinette.”

“He does? I thought he had a crush on you?”

“I guess he has one on each of us. In all honesty, I’d rather he just be interested in Marinette. Being with me could be… messy.”

“I don’t think he minds who you are, Alix.”

“It’s not that. It’s just, well, I’m aromantic. At least, that’s what Juleka and Rose said it’s called. And I agree with them.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s this ‘aromantic’ thing you bring up?” Felix asked.

“It just means that I don’t experience romantic attraction. From what I’ve gathered on my own, there are many different types of aromantics. I’m still not completely sure where I fall, I just know that I don’t care for romance, don’t understand it’s finer points, but also do want companionship.”

Felix and Adrien exchanged glances before Kagami arrived. Kagami glared down at Alix, before she looked at Adrien. Alix snarled until she noticed Felix’s wide, enchanted eyes that were fixated on Kagami.

“Let’s go, Adrien,” Kagami ordered.

“Ah, well, you see, I-,” Adrien started.

Felix stood up. “Please, I beseech you, skate with me instead.”

Kagami’s brow furrowed as she took a step back. “Excuse me?”

“Your ebony hair that illuminates with shades of blue is reminiscent of the night sky under a full moon in its silver, resplendent glory. The freckles that adorn your beautiful skin are like stars painted on the night canvas. And your eyes are like a low, inviting fire out of the silvery mist of darkness. They call out like a siren sings to her victims, beckoning all who dare gaze upon you in until they are ensnared by your ferocity. You are the night and the moon personified. Please allow me to be your Sun.”

Adrien’s eyes sparkled at Felix’s poetry while Alix made gagging noises. A slight blush formed on Kagami’s cheeks before it vanished.

“Fine, but just this once.”

Felix beamed as Kagami led him onto the ice.

“That was beautiful,” Adrien whispered.

“That was sickening,” Alix retorted.

“What? But-!”

“Uh, Adrien?” Sabrina interrupted.

Alix and Adrien turned to look at Sabrina.

“Hey, Rin. What’s up?”

Alix raised a brow when she saw Sabrina blush.

“You… you wouldn’t mind if we skated, would you?”

Adrien lit up. “I’d love to!”

Alix watched Adrien head onto the ice with Sabrina. Alix smiled, happy for him, but that happiness was soured by a gnawing envy. She frowned as she looked around to see nearly everyone had hit the ice save for her, Kim, and Chloe. Chloe turned towards her when Kim moved in and stole her away towards the ice.

Alix watched everyone skate around the rink. She sighed as loneliness ate away at her and tore her apart. She took off her skates, returned them to the front desk, and left. She headed away from the building as Tikki and Ziggy poked her back. She grumbled as she put in an earbud, flashed her phone, and put it in her hoodie pocket.

“What do you want?” Alix asked.

“What’s wrong? You seemed happy, but then you weren’t,” Tikki pointed out.

“It’s nothing. I just… I didn’t want to be that freak that’s always alone while everyone has fun. That’s all.”

“Well, why not join the skating anyway? Who says you need to have a partner?” Ziggy asked.

“That’s not how it works. Besides, I… I don’t know. It may not be bad to have someone as a companion. Not that I’ll ever have that.”

“Why not?” Tikki pressed.

“Yeah, why not? You seem to have plenty of options available,” Ziggy added.

“It’s… it’s not like that. I can’t go to any of them. I don’t… I don’t want to give them false hope or lead them on, or whatever.”

“What do you mean?” Ziggy asked.

“I… I don’t know. I just… a lot of things are changing. I’m starting to, I dunno, want things I never did before.”

“Like wanting a boyfriend or girlfriend?” Tikki asked.

“Please, don’t use those terms. They make me feel… icky. Use companion. It feels… better.”

“Ok. So, does this include wanting a companion?”

“I… I think so.”

“But don’t you have a lot of companions already?” Ziggy asked.

“I have friends, and I love them dearly, but I also want a little something more. I want someone who’d accept me, all of me.”

“I don’t understand. Don’t you have that already? I mean, you have Adrien, Rose, Mylene, Ivan, and so many others. Are they not enough?” Tikki questioned.

“Not… not like them. They’re friends, but I don’t want them. They accept all of me that they can, but I want something that will accept all of me. Do you understand?”

Tikki hummed and shook her head.

Ziggy considered, then gasped. “Oh! I think I do! Don’t worry, Alix. They’re called hormones. They’ll pass in time.”

Alix pinched the bridge of her nose. She opened her mouth when a scream tore through the air. She turned around to see everything was covered in ice. Her heart dropped seeing the people caught in it turned into ice statues. She ducked into an alleyway, transformed into Bloody Bug, and took to the rooftops. She hovered above the ground with her skates as she surveyed the area. The entire city had been transformed into an icy wonderland with everything turned to ice. She jumped down from the roof when a blur ran past her. She lost her balance but regained it as she faced against an ice-skating villain.

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“I am Frozer and I’m here to ice over your world.”

Bloody Bug pulled out her yo-yo and braced herself as Frozer advanced. She dodged his attack and threw her yo-yo at him. He slapped away the yo-yo when a lasso ensnared him. She furrowed her brow as he was lifted off the ground and dangled from the rooftop.

Bloody Bug looked past him at a girl dressed up in a deep gray-brown cowgirl ensemble with a white shirt with an eagle on it, yellow face bandana that covered only her mouth, white, messy short hair, and yellow cowgirl boots. The cowgirl tied off Frozer and jumped down. The cowgirl tipped her hat to Bloody Bug.

“Howdy, pardner. Name’s Outlaw. I reckon your that famous red bug I’ve been hearing all ‘bout,” Outlaw said in English with an American, southern voice.

Bloody Bug’s face scrunched up in confusion. She opened her mouth, shut it, and held up a finger for Outlaw to wait. She moved over to Frozer, inspected him, before she destroyed his ice skates, and released the Akuma. She caught it, purified it, and released it. The ice that covered Paris evaporated as Frozer reverted to Philippe, the figure skating trainer at the ice rink she was at earlier.

“What happened? Where am I? Why am I tied up?” Philippe asked.

“You were akumatized. What happened?” Bloody Bug asked.

“Huh? Oh, right! Andre Bourgeois was going to shut down my ice rink to build a gym for his wife, Audrey Bourgeois. The only way I could stop him was if I got someone to sign up for my lessons. And, as luck would have it, there were a whole selection of people to ask, but no one wanted to sign up.”

Bloody Bug opened her mouth when she heard Outlaw grumble in English about Audrey Bourgeois and the horrible person she was. She pursed her lips then shook her head before she let Philippe down.

“Head back to the rink, Philippe. I know someone there who might be able to turn things around for you.”

“Really? Who?” Philippe asked.

“Can’t ruin the surprise now. Hurry back.”

Philippe nodded and headed off. Bloody Bug sighed and turned to Outlaw.

“Thanks for the assist, Outlaw. Always happy to see others rise to the call of action,” Bloody Bug said in English.

Outlaw stared blankly at Bloody Bug before her eyes widened. “Wait, you actually speak English? Hell yeah! What did you think? Was I heroic enough?��

“You were amazing. I hope to see more of your heroics, Outlaw.”

Outlaw bounced around happily. “Hell yeah! I don’t get to do shit like this back home. Granted, the ‘real’ heroes take on the baddies. So, I give them a little trouble before I help. I know they hate me, but they also love me.”

“Well, you’re welcome to help as much as you please while you’re here.”

Outlaw whooped and hollered. “You bet I will! This was too much fun not to.”

“I’m glad. As for now, I have to get going. I need to see to something else.”

“Ditto. Later, Bug!”

Bloody Bug and Outlaw parted ways. Bloody Bug headed back to the ice rink, de-transformed, and grabbed a pair of ice skates again. She slipped back into the rink and put on the skates while everyone else checked on each other. She glanced up as Adrien noticed her and started towards her when Philippe returned.

Alix took a deep breath and headed for the rink’s entrance. Chloe, Rose, Adrien, and Luka rushed to check on her. She ignored their fussing and held out her hand. They all stopped and exchanged confused glances.

“Look, I’m helping someone out. I need a partner for a demonstration, the rink cleared, and as many people to record this as possible. So, who wants to suffer my company for this?”

Chloe, Rose, Adrien, and Luka exchanged glances before they each reached to grab Alix’s hand. Adrien got to Alix’s hand first and she held it fast. She guided him to the middle of the rink while everyone else emptied it and sat on the sidelines to watch. She ignored everyone else and searched for Philippe, who stood near the exit and watched with bated breath.

“So, what’s really going on?” Adrien whispered.

“That man was akumatized. The mayor threatened to take away the ice rink if he couldn’t get someone to sign up for his classes. When he couldn’t, well, you know.”

“Oh! I get it. So, we’re putting on a demonstration to get people to sign up, right? But how are we going to do that when we aren’t figure skaters?”

Alix grinned and led Adrien around the rink. She gave herself a couple warmup laps to readjust and refamiliarize herself. She took a deep breath and led Adrien through a basic couple figure skating routine with simple twists, spins, and lifts.

“Woah, Alix, I didn’t realize you knew how to skate like this. I mean, I knew you could skate, but isn’t ice skating something entirely different?” Adrien asked.

“It is, but I had the best coach. My mom.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. She’s a big reason I started skating, and why I stopped ice skating.”

“What happened?”

Alix took a deep breath. “We used to come to this rink and she’d just skate. I often watched her skate her worries and problems away. I watched the ice listen to her unspoken words and everything melted away. I loved seeing it all vanish and the moment she became one with the ice. She was incredible.”

Adrien giggled. “I see why you always tend to skate when you’re angry or bothered.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But I took more to roller skating than ice skating, but I still learned for her. For that chance to experience what she did on the ice. To move as she did, let everything fade away, and for there to nothing except you and the ice. I admit, I have that with roller skating. But being back on the ice, something feels… different. Bittersweet.”

“Well, why did you stop ice skating?”

“When her health started to decline, and she couldn’t skate. I kept it up because I loved doing it and she loved to watch me. She got Philippe to keep my lessons, but we stopped that because it wasn’t the same for me. It wasn’t her that was teaching me. When her health plummeted and she could go anywhere, I stopped ice skating and just stuck with roller skating.”

“Did you miss this?”

Alix considered. She blocked out the murmurs that buzzed in the rink and focused on everything else. The silence filled with the scraping of skates on ice, the chill that rushed around her but never got to her, and the serenity and peace she felt rising within her being on skates. Tears fell from her eyes.

“I did. I really did. I loved this, but I let her death stop me.”

Adrien squeezed Alix’s hand. “It wasn’t her death. You were just grieving, Alix. She meant the world to you, and she still does. But I think the greatest way you can honor her memory is to reclaim what you loved. Starting with this. Show me the bliss of the ice you both shared.”

Adrien let go of Alix and skated to the entrance of the rink. He gave her a thumbs up while he remained on the ice. She took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. Silence fell over her audience as they waited for her.

“Tikki, Ziggy, get in the hoodie pocket,” Alix murmured.

Alix felt Tikki and Ziggy move through her into the pocket. She shook off the sensation as she tore off her hoodie. She shuddered at the cold that nipped and wrapped around her bare arms and right shoulder. She took a step, then another as she skated up to Adrien and tossed him her hoodie and cap. They shared a look and a nod before she turned back to the rink.

Alix took a deep breath as she skated forward. She started with simple spins and jumps before she took off around the rink like she was in a roller rink. She felt the rush of the cold as she raced around that ebbed away as she moved into elegant twirls and risky jumps. The cold disappeared and she closed her eyes, losing herself to the world she lost once again.

Alix felt a peace she hadn’t felt since her mother fell ill. A peace that she couldn’t achieve with her roller skating, which only eased her anger. Here on the ice, there was stillness. She found the ice listened to her and melted away her problems, just as it did for her mother. She smiled and let the tears flow as she gave herself to the ice.

Adrien watched in awe with everyone else as Alix put on an amazing display of figure skating. He saw a few people rush to Philippe to sign up for classes with Chloe amongst them. He was happy it worked, but he was happier for Alix. She felt calmer, happier, at ease. Even as he saw her cry, he wasn’t worried. She was at peace.

Alix brought her skating to an end and rejoined Adrien by the entrance. She stood still until she hugged him. He returned the hug and held her close.

“You were amazing, sis.”

“Thanks, bro. That felt… that felt great.”

“Wanna ditch and get ice cream?”

Alix snorted and laughed. “Alright, let’s go.”

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