my fic was fully posted a few days ago so i’ve made a new pinned post, complete with incredible artwork from Cheese above and at the end of the post!
‘Out Of Character’ tumblr Master Page
AO3 link
Summary:
When fashion model Adrien joins Marinette’s D&D group with a grumpy and aloof character, it completely changes the dynamic of the game and frustrates her to no end. But when she later meets someone at a superhero LARP who has the complete opposite personality, her world is turned upside down yet again.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
inspired by the fact i went to see Fall Out Boy on Halloween with my partner and it was the best concert i’ve ever been to!
also because i love daydreaming scenarios whilst listening to FOB's music, so why not put my blorbos into those scenarios?
also, i know it’s almost december and so i am very very late posting this, but it’s only really *set* at halloween and not halloween *themed*, so let’s all agree to ignore the date of upload, yeah? 😅
It’s you friendly neighbor fanfic author here. In the light of this apparent new trend of people feeding unfinished fics to AI to get an “ending,” and some people even talking about “blanket permissions,” let me just say this:
I EXPLICITLY FORBID ANYONE TO FEED MY FICS TO AI. DUDE, THAT IS ABOUT THE LEAST RESPECTFUL THING YOU CAN DO. IF YOU DO IT, SHALL YOU BE EXCOMMUNICATED FROM YOUR FANDOM AND WALK ON LEGOS BAREFOOT TILL THE END OF DAYS.
AO3 has gotten hit with AI data scraping programs already, it’s possible that any fic you’ve posted that isn’t locked has already been trained on, it’s why there’s been several people who would’ve never done it otherwise archive locking their stuff recently
Oh yeah I know that I still have to lock my fics but this last reblog about a reader putting a story in chatgpt themselves to generate a fake ending is waaaaaaay worse in my opinion.
Like look, I know when I put anything out on the internet that someone somewhere is gonna take it and pretend its theres or share it without my permission. It's already happened to me with my analyses in the past. When I heard about the software being scrubbed I was sad but not surprised, it really was only a matter of time but there was little I or any other writer could do to stop that (whether AO3 could have is an entirely different matter)
But to me a person reading my unfinished fic and going "wow this is great but I want more I'll put this in chatgpt to get more instantly!" is actually SOOOOOOOO fucking insulting. That person is bascially saying they don't view me as another being but as a person meant to entertain. They're saying that the hours and tears and all that time spent writing was not actually that valuable because look a machine can do it just as well and faster!
That person is so egregiously wrong and selfish. They are no better than the dudebros who scrubbed the internet in the first place. They're worse because they KNOW it's not okay and yet choose to ignore that. They're worse because they're taking something that is very obviously very personal to the author and then saying "nah i want a machine to finish it cause im too impatient or don't care what the author thinks'
Writing is so goddamn hard but writers write for a reason. We write for you and for us and for the fandom and fic writers do it for FREE and yet that isnt enough? How are people who use chatgpt to write fic any different from people who steal art and feed artificial art generators? What's the point of me writing any more or ever why should anyone write if a machine is more valuable than me, a human being.
There's no excuse that makes this okay. NONE. If you do this unfollow me and do yourself and literally everyone else in the world a favor and DO LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE. GOD.
oh I wasn’t aware it was feeding the ai. I’ve inserted hundreds of fics into chatgpt for their continuation or for a different plot within the same context just for fun and out of curiosity… but I’ve never posted any of them…
Indeed, anything that is given to AI it can use later to draw from. That's why it doesn't matter if you post them or not as it has now access to those writers' texts without their permission.
In regards to your comment: Omg please know you have full permission to use this art as an inspiration for your writing
YOU ASKED FOR IT
“Unhappy Ending”
The road was slick with rain. Not that it was visible thanks to the street lamps being broken.
Perhaps that was why Ladybug hadn’t been able to dodge the akuma’s hit on the darkened rooftops; she hadn’t seen it coming. Chat Noir had night vision. Ladybug did not.
Time had seemed to slow down as Chat reached out a hand for the falling heroine. The raindrops suspended in the air around her, forming a sort of halo around her head only visible to him. Her expression was intense, twisted into one of horror and fear, and Chat felt it take an icy hold around his heart.
She had fallen with no power-up to save her…
Without thinking, he had attempted to push himself off the bat akuma after her, but was caught by the scruff of the neck and pulled higher and higher into the heavy clouds. He cried out for his lady but lost sight of her as they breached the storm, surrounded by stars in the now clear night sky. Scrabbling for a hold on the akuma, Chat became desperate. He needed to de-akumatize them and fast.
Where had Ladybug said the akumatized object was?
The belt!
Chat snatched it and ripped it in two, releasing the butterfly and causing the now civilian to transform and stop flying upwards. The two plummeted and Chat had to direct the civilian to grab hold of his waist so he could use his baton to slow their fall.
All he could hope was that Ladybug had managed to do the same with her yo-yo…
Having deposited the civilian on a rooftop, Chat had leapt around the city to try to find his lady. His heart hammering in his chest as visions of what could have happened to her swam around his head.
She had to be okay.
She just had to be…
He skidded to a halt as black spots came into view, plastered over the unmoving frame of a body lying on the road.
“No…”
Leaping over confirmed that it was Ladybug. She was completely still and the rain had soaked her hair. As gently as he could, Chat wrapped an arm around her and pulled her up, cradling her as tears stung his eyes. “L-Ladybug?” No response. “My lady, don’t do this to me.” Still nothing. “The suits are supposed to keep us safe. Why- wh- Ladybug, please…”
As Ladybug continued to remain silent, Chat felt the sobs wrack his body and the tears overflow.
He didn’t notice the headlights careening towards them, out of control on the rain slick road.
Rules: Make yourself using this picrew and answer the questions below!
3 Fun Facts about me:
I've volunteered for both the ACLU and the NCTE in the past!
My best friend and I first bonded over creating ciphers in elementary school
I have logged >6 months of playtime in Minecraft
Favorite season:
Fall!
Continent where I live:
North America
How I spend my time:
Drawing, writing, streaming on Twitch, reading, and being the DM for possibly the most ridiculous D&D players on the planet (affectionate).
Are you published?
Not yet! I've put querying for TMS on hold for the moment, but I'm hoping to pick that up again once Whispers is with beta readers!
Introvert or Extrovert?
Introvert with the social battery of a memory-leaking decade-old iPhone.
Favorite meal:
This changes on the regular, but my family makes a KILLER roast beef poutine and I keep thinking about it even though we had it, like, three days ago.
I'll tag: @writeblrfantasy, @my-cursed-prince, and @lanawritesalittle!! As always, 0 pressure to play, and this doubles as an open tag for anyone who wants to join in!
except for preschool, i have never been enrolled in an in person school
I've always lived around horses (but never owned any)
Favorite season:
spring! right now is my favorite time of year
Continent where I live:
North America
How I spend my time:
schoolwork, writing fanfiction/original work, helping my family any way I can, calling friends to watch media together, and reading (90% fanfiction 10% books lmao)
Are you published?
no <3
Introvert or Extrovert?
ambiavert! i will look forward for weeks to events with certain people and look back as my best memories as conversations with people, but it has to be the right people otherwise i would rather die
Favorite meal: this chicken avocado sandwich from california pizza chicken <3
tagging @ettawritesnstudies and anyone else who'd like to join!
I narrowly avoided burning myself with 95% sulfuric acid and boiling water this past weekend :D
There are currently 33 oranges in my house
I've trespassed on private property at 3am to go stargazing an hour's drive away from school and civilization in general.
Favorite season:
spring! flowers on the trees give me life fr
Continent where I live:
North America
How I spend my time:
schoolwork mostly, reading, yearning for my garden at home, playing DnD and spending time with my friends, climbing trees, sewing/embroidery/textile arts, writing (allegedly)
Are you published?
Yes if you count my website and mailing list, no if you count real books you can buy, maybe if you count the short story on submission in a state of schrodingers superposition of acceptance to Nature's Magazine
Introvert or Extrovert?
introvert but I like to think I'm good at faking social enthusiasm
Favorite meal: right now its this creamy spicy bacon udon noodle dish my roommate makes because I know we're moving away soon and I'll never be able to replicate her recipe (she doesn't cook with a recipe) and so my ability to get it is on a dwindling supply
tagging @abalonetea @siarven @theroseempress and @ashen-crest if you want to join in!
My computer crashed when I tried to respond to this post the first time. Rude.
3 Fun Facts about me:
I have exotropic strabisimus!
I have a pocket watch that I wear on a necklace. (it tells time and looks very nice. Pocket watches are the best watches)
I own a sword! (not very sharp, but I could still give someone quite a whack with it)
Favorite season:
Fall! Nice cool/crisp weather, and where I used to live it got cloudy a lot. Also; crunchy leaves.
Continent where I live:
North America
How I spend my time:
Reading, writing/tampering around with writing-y things, watching movies/tv shows/etc, other Important Life Things, going on walks, painting, listening to music (usually while doing one of the other things)
Are you published?
mmmmnope.
Introvert or Extrovert?
Ambivert heavily on the introverted side. I love (most) people, and if I don't get out and do things/talk to people enough I get kind of depressed, but on the other side if I talk to people long enough I will suddenly feel a burning desire to stab them.
Favorite meal:
Ooh, hard question. Hm. I like a lot of different foods... I'll go with roast chicken and mashed potatoes. (I also like fish and chips, and there's this one potato thing my mum makes that is delicious... certain soups are really good as well...)
Thanks for the tag! :D
Tagging @elliottsbigstrongboyarms @ethaeriea @writingamongther0ses @wackus-bonkus-maximus and @hallwriteblr if any of you are interested!
awww empress you're a cutie 💞 and you seem like such a nice person! ty for the tag 😊
3 Fun Facts about me:
i am only 1 of 2 people on both sides of my extended family with curly hair! (the other one is my sister)
i'm part white, filipino, mexican, and native american
i speak english and spanish (and a liiiiiittle bit of french)
Favorite season:
summer ☀️ come on i'm a teacher!
Continent where I live:
north america. LA dudes ✌🏼
How I spend my time:
writing
wishing i was writing
procrastinating writing
teacher stuff like grading and planning
driving around in LA traffic
Are you published?
no 🥲 i tried but they kept rejecting me. so i went to ao3 to practice!
Introvert or Extrovert?
introvert! i love spending time with friends/family and i will go to most parties and social events i'm invited to. BUT it makes me tired as hell and i need 2-3 recovery days of not talking to anyone or doing anything after
Favorite meal:
my mom makes this conchiglie pasta with sun dried tomatoes, butter, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. i have no idea what it's called but it's so good guys my mouth watered just typing this.
tagging @lesbitorte and @erisluna35 if you want to do this!
Pierced extra piercings on my ears by myself when I was 15. It went fine but GO TO A PROFESSIONAL.
Can't live without mate 🧉
I am eldest everything on one side of my family (eldest grandkid, niece, cousin)
Favorite season:
Summer!! It means I don't get allergies 🤧
I really love spring tho, lot's of flowers and insects to see 🐝
Continent where I live:
South America, I'm argentinian 🇦🇷
How I spend my time:
Studying
Reading
Writing
Drawing
Cooking/baking
Trying to get a job 🥲
Are you published?
Nope, writing is a hobby and I do it just because it's nice to be able to write down a story about characters or getting thoughts out there in an artistic form.
Introvert or extrovert?
I think it depends. I'm usually a very shy person and I do have a social battery that tends to go down whenever I'm with people, but if I'm comfortable with people i will talk for hours to no end
Favorite meal:
Hard choice! There's a lot but I guess that my mom's arroz amarillo. It's rice with onions, bell peppers, garlic, scallions, carrots and a lot of condiments (she refuses to teach me how to make it yet!!). That rice always makes me feel better and it's what she would make whenever I was sick 💛🍚🍲
Tagging @torvalvt @heartfulselkie and @victorian-platence (no pressure tho!)
I'm the youngest of four (two olders brothers, one older sister)
I'm the resident animal person in my family (seriously anything that's animal related I'll be called up - from dog sitting to helping rescue a wild bird)
I wanted to be an architect when I was little because my Granddad was (a very good) one. That was until I learned how math-based it was. Good thing my Granddad was also an artist and one of my biggest inpirations growing up!
Favorite season:
Winter! Or maybe autumn. I like it cold!
Continent where I live:
Europe
How I spend my time:
A lot of daydreaming, writing, drawing and video games. If I'm not submerged in one of my AUs then I'm fixating on one of my games (right now its Stardew Valley).
Are you published?
Nope, though maybe someday? Being a published writer was something I always dreamed of but no idea if I ever will be. Right now I'm just loving having writing as a hobby, as its something very important and loved for me.
Introvert or Extrovert?
Introvert.. I am cringingly shy around people, even those I'm familiar with. I'm not too bad once I'm comfortable but my social battery is pretty dysfunctional.
Favorite meal:
I love anything my dad or his partner make - but if I had to choose it would be his partner's lasagne! Seriously I would love to have a life time supply of it.
(nowhere near enough ear piercings but i love the shirt and the haunted thousand yard stare lmao)
3 fun facts about me:
i lived on 3 different continents and 4 different countries before i turned 16
i’m really into rugby and broke a few bones when i played as a teen
i am an animal nerd and will ramble about them if my trap card is activated
Favourite season:
winter, though autumn is a very close second!
Continent where I live:
(currently) Europe
How I spend my time:
watching youtube, playing video games and d&d, writing ml fanfic, constantly listening to FOB
Are you published?
nah and it’s not really something i’m aiming for, i just write for my own amusement tbh, other people enjoying it is a bonus
Introvert or extrovert?
i’m kind of an ambivert? i am definitely an introvert and get socially exhausted very quickly, needing a lot of time alone to recharge, but i also can be very extroverted and animated when around people i’m comfortable with
Favourite meal:
it depends on my mood tbh, sometimes i really love curry, sometimes pizza, sometimes toad in the hole… right now i’m craving butter chicken 🤤
I’ll tag:
whoever feels like hopping on the bandwagon like i have!
i struggle a lot with writers block (and i currently have several wips on the go that i haven’t been inspired to write more of lately) so i can’t promise that i will be able to write something that’s been requested, but you can definitely send me an idea/prompt and i can attempt to come up with something!
though if it’s from a fandom i’m not particularly invested in and i’m not immediately inspired by it, i’m afraid it will probably be an outright no
Author’s notes: and this is the end! again, apologies for this ending a month after it should have done, i have definitely learned my lesson and won’t be posting any fics until they’re 100% finished from now on Dx but thank you so much for reading and commenting, i appreciate all the love this fic has been given!!! i do have a few more ml wips in the works so watch this space for more lovesquare shenanigans!!!
As soon as Marinette had arrived at the party - fashionably late at 11pm - and caught sight of Adrien, she had flushed a deep red, grabbed Alya by the wrist and dragged her into the bathroom. They still hadn’t spoken properly since the last larp game, though not for lack of trying on Adrien’s part; he had texted and even called her a few times but she hadn’t replied to anything. He wondered if it was always going to be this awkward or if he would have to back out of d&d and larp to make her less uncomfortable. Sighing heavily, Adrien ran a hand through his hair.
“S’up, dude?”
He turned as Nino stuffed yet another mini sandwich into his mouth and laughed weakly. “You remember at the beginning of the year when you told me about the larp game and I asked you not to tell Alya?”
Nino nodded as he chewed. “Because you didn't want Marinette to come.”
“Yeah… Well, about that…”
In the bathroom, Marinette had her hands on her head. “This is a disaster!”
Alya rolled her eyes. “Calm down, girl. It just means you’ve kissed the same guy twice and you’ve been in love with the guy you hate this entire time.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal, to which Marinette buried her face in her hands and let out a muffled cry. Smirking, Alya patted her friend’s shoulder. “Okay, it is a little bit weird. But I thought you’d decided Adrien was actually a nice person after all. Doesn’t him being Chat Noir make him even better in your books?”
“Alya…” Marinette looked at her friend through her fingers. “I invited him over… and had him in my room… as Chat Noir.”
“You what?! Girl, spill!”
“What do you mean, you visited her in costume? That’s weird as hell, dude!”
Adrien ran a hand down his face as Nino gawked at him and almost forgot about his party food. “Yes, you’re absolutely right, and I probably absolutely definitely shouldn’t have done it. But… she really wanted me to and I just… couldn’t say no. And it was possibly the best night of my life…” He trailed off with a smile as he remembered cosying up with Marinette on her chaise.
“Dude!”
Nino’s gawking turned into a glare and after a moment of confusion Adrien’s eyes went wide in realisation. “No no, not like that! Nothing like that happened! All I meant was… we watched a movie and… and cuddled, and it just felt so natural and so much like… I dunno, like home. She felt like home.”
Alya gave Marinette a sceptical look. “He didn’t make a move on you?”
Groaning at the memory, Marinette leaned her palms on the sink and shook her head. “If anything, I was kind of the one who threw myself at him. I tried to get him to stay but he didn’t wanna do anything when I didn’t know who he was. Like a total gentleman. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he had stayed and I’d found out he was Adrien…”
She looked up in the mirror as Alya snorted. “You are a mess.”
Marinette groaned again and repetitively banged her head on the rim of the sink.
“So, what, you think she’s too weirded out by the situation?” Nino gave Adrien a calculating look as he sipped some mulled wine in what he probably thought was a sophisticated manner.
Shrugging, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t blame her. I mean, I was kind of a jerk at the beginning of the year, even if I didn’t realise it at the time. And-”
Nino held out a finger. “I’mma stop you there, dude. You weren’t a jerk, you were just awkward. It’s not your fault you didn’t know how to interact with people in a normal way.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“Anyway, yeah it’s a bit weird, but like… she likes you, dude. Like, you you. Adrien you. You know what I mean?”
Adrien shook his head, perplexed.
“You started liking him at your birthday party, right?” Alya waggled her eyebrows at Marinette.
“I- did I?”
“Well, you definitely thought he was hot.” Marinette hissed through her teeth as she glared at Alya, making her chuckle heartily. She shook her head then continued. “I also seem to remember you making a comment about how cheerful he was, and how thoughtful his present was.”
“Yes, well,” Marinette mumbled under her breath. She then shook her head, struggling to piece together the events of the year. Trying to reconcile Adrien being the same person as Chat Noir had been a seemingly impossible task over the last two weeks, and his texts and calls only felt like more pressure to figure things out. She had hoped it would be easier to see him by the time this party came about, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of him in his black dress shirt with the collar undone and the sleeves rolled up her head had started spinning.
A pat on her arm made her look up at Alya giving her an encouraging smile. “I’m sure both you and Adrien can figure it out. But you need to actually talk to him to do that.”
Marinette nodded sullenly. She then nearly leapt out of her skin as a loud banging came from the bathroom door. “I’m sorry to interrupt but can you girls come out now? Juleka really needs to pee!”
Alya opened the door to a smiling Rose and flustered Juleka then moved passed them to find Nino. Blushing all the way to her ears, Marinette quickly apologised and ducked out, immediately bumping into Adrien’s chest as he walked towards the front door. He looked down at her in surprise and she felt her heart hammering against her ribcage. She could also feel his heart doing the same, as she had raised her hands to his chest in the collision. Taking a step back, Adrien apologised and looked away, his cheeks turning a light pink. Letting her hands fall to her sides, Marinette tried to decipher her feelings but it felt like a rollercoaster with way too many turns, loops and drops that went way too fast. On the one hand, she had hated Adrien for being aloof and unpleasant for the better part of a year, but on the other she had loved Chat Noir for being bright, carefree and kind and had hoped to find out who he was eventually. And Alya was right, she had started seeing Adrien in a different light in recent months; he had really come out of his shell and shown he was a more cheerful and caring person than she had realised. Surely she would be able to come to terms with them being the same person, right?
She was still in a world of her own when she heard the tail end of his sentence. “… so I’m gonna go…”
“Wait, what?”
He looked down at her with a pained expression. “I don’t want to make you more uncomfortable than I already have.”
Marinette shook her head nervously. “Please don’t go! I don’t want to ruin your night just because I’m rattlebrained.”
Letting out a short laugh, Adrien looked away again. “It’s not your fault, Marinette. I was… it was wrong of me to hide who I really was from you. I was just so desperate to spend time with you and not have you think I was a dickhead. But I guess I really was a dickhead for doing that…”
“Adrien,” Marinette reached a hand out for one of his and squeezed it gently, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, though she could still feel her heart going berserk. “I was the one who invited you over. I accepted that you wanted to be Chat Noir. It was probably weird, yes, but you were definitely not a dickhead. And…” She ducked her head in embarrasment. “I had a wonderful time with you…”
Adrien looked down at their joined hands then back at Marinette’s face and his cheeks deepened in colour. “As did I.” He paused then took a breath as if to say something else but Rose and Juleka walked passed, giving the pair knowing smiles. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, Adrien looked embarrassed for a moment, then a thought seemed to cross his mind and he turned back to the passing girls. “Hey Rose, is there somewhere Marinette and I could… uh, talk in private?”
Marinette felt her face burn yet again as Rose beamed at him. “Of course! You can use our bedroom or maybe the balcony. It’s a bit chilly out tonight so no-one else will want to go out there!”
“Hah we don’t want anyone to get the wrong impression so we’ll take the balcony. Thanks, Rose.”
“Don’t forget to kiss at midnight!” She winked at them before grabbing Juleka’s hand and waving at some of their other friends, leaving Adrien and Marinette to laugh nervously to themselves.
The pair collected their jackets, hats, gloves and scarves and a cup of steaming mulled wine each then made their way to the balcony. Marinette’s face was still bright red and had even deepened when she saw Adrien donning the light blue accessories she had made for his birthday. As they both leaned over the balcony’s railing, he smiled affectionately at her which only seemed to make things worse as she looked away over the glittering Paris skyline. Clearing his throat made her look back at him and his breath nearly got caught as he saw the streetlamps sparkle in her eyes. She was stunning. And creative and girly and passionate and unapologetic in who she was. “I’m in love with you.”
Marinette’s eyes went wide. “You- you are?” Adrien nodded simply and watched as she glanced away and a million thoughts seemed to cross her mind. Her expression cleared after a moment and she looked back up at him. “I think… I think I am, too.”
Adrien raised his eyebrows, his heart fluttering in his chest, then smirked. “You’re in love with yourself, too?”
She snorted and gently nudged his arm with her elbow. “Silly cat.” Turning to face him properly, she smiled shyly. “I’m in love with you, Adrien.”
Mirroring her movement, he raised a gloved hand to brush a hair behind her ear and revelled in her blush deepening yet again. She loved him. Marinette loved Adrien. He began to lean down towards her when the music inside quietened and people not just in the apartment started counting down from ten. Turning back to face each other, the pair smiled. They could wait just a few more seconds.
As soon as the chanting got to one and cheers erupted from all around, Adrien leaned down again, though he didn’t need to lean far because Marinette launched up onto her tiptoes to capture his lips with hers. This was an entirely different kiss from their first two. It was confident and fierce and neither of them could stop smiling the whole way through. Almost forgetting about trying not to spill their wine, Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette and lifted her up, disbelieving how happy he felt at that moment as she giggled against his mouth.
Marinette pulled away momentarily. “Happy new year, Minou.”
Adrien beamed back at her. “Happy new year, Nettie.”
Author’s notes: so this took a long time to finish, but good news! not only have i finished the entire fic, i also commissioned @akumatizedcamembert for some art of a particular moment in this chapter! it’ll be at the end of this chapter so make sure to check the bottom of this page for some fantastic art! i will also be posting the final chapter on the 31st so keep an eye out for that!
Marinette had spent the majority of November and early December furiously creating new costumes for the December larp event, as it was taking place at the Grand Palais instead of the original arena. Something about the organisers not being able to lease it for the weekend because December was a busy time of year, and the Grand Palais had been frozen over for December. It would also offer some good publicity as people could watch as the game played out on the ice. So they had come up with an in-world reason for it being a slightly smaller frozen landscape and had instructed the players that could make it to the event to bring skates and modify their superhero costumes to look like they had ice power ups. Not being content to just modify her suit, Marinette had created an entirely new one, complete with thermal fleece padding, fur trims on the hood and where the gloves and boots joined the main suit, and blue snowflake gems on the spots. When Alya had seen her handy work, she had begged for a similar suit of her own. Marinette was happy to oblige, as she had been inspired to draw more designs based on the winter suits. And it totally wasn’t just so she wouldn’t have to think about the kiss.
Alya had been teasing her about it for the entire week since and kept referring to Adrien as Marinette’s supermodel boyfriend. But something just wasn’t clicking in her mind. Something about Adrien at last week’s party was nagging at her... He had called her Nettie. Had he even heard anyone call her that before? She couldn’t recall a time when either Alya or Nino had said it in front of Adrien. So how did he know about it? And… the way he said it sounded so much like…
Marinette shook her head and focused on tying her skates up. She hadn’t seen her partner yet, and their texting had ceased altogether since the night before the party, which was suspicious. The lump in her throat was refusing to go, no matter how much she tried to swallow it away. Alya - now dressed as an icy Rena Rouge - could tell how nervous her friend was and was trying her best to keep things positive as they got ready for larping on ice.
“C’mon, girl. I know it’s weird and complicated, but just try to enjoy today, okay? Adrien’s not here, and fighting bad guys is always fun!” Alya grinned at her friend but Marinette still felt apprehensive. What if Adrien was there?
The sound of a megaphone being turned on alerted the pair to the organisers signalling that In Character time was starting, and they made their way to the rink. Marinette wobbled as her skates hit the ice, threatening to slip onto her bum, when someone caught her. Looking up, it was clear that Alya was not the one who had prevented her from falling, as she was stood in front of her looking over her shoulder with a smirk. Gradually looking round, Marinette felt her face flush. He had also made a new suit, with fur lining his hood and blue gem accents dotted all over his black suit. He had even dyed the tips of his messy blond hair blue. If Marinette wasn’t so flustered she would have made a comment about it being over the top, but she couldn’t deny it suited him. His contacts were still the same green cat eyes and his grin was still the same Cheshire cat grin. Marinette felt her heart thu-thump thu-thump thu-thump against her ribcage as if it were a bird desperate to escape.
“Looks like this new power will have a slippery slope of a learning curve, eh LB?”
Laughing nervously, Ladybug clung to Chat Noir as he raised her to her feet and began skating alongside her. Before long, Viperion and Ryuko had joined them, along with Rena and Carapace, and the partners’ arms had been unlinked in favour of aiding their accelerated skating. Even Queen Bee had tagged along, possibly because they were the only heroes attending this particular event and she didn’t want to be on her own. There were still a few of the miniaturised Parisian landmarks dotted around the rink, painted blue and white to match the ice and donned with Christmassy decorations, and the group deftly weaved between them whilst a few “civilians” leisurely skated around. A muffled thud came from the Arc de Triomphe being pushed over, and the heroes spun around to face the akuma. Glaciator was back. Ladybug knew exactly how to deal with him. She looked over to Chat Noir only for her heart to sink as she saw that Ryuko had grabbed hold of his arm and the pair were skating off to one side. Rena and Carapace partnered up and sped to the other side to flank the akuma. Only Ladybug, Viperion and Queen Bee remained, the latter of which raised an eyebrow.
“If either of you think you can pair up with me, you can forget it.”
Viperion gave Ladybug a small smile. “I know who you really want to be paired up with.”
Ducking her head, Ladybug tried to hide her blush. “I mean… we’re supposed to be partners, that’s all…”
“Is that why you looked so dejected when he rushed off with Ryuko?”
As if Glaciator could hear their conversation, he bellowed at the pair approaching him that they were with the wrong partners. Chat Noir and Ryuko nearly fell over as Glaciator hurled several scoops of brightly coloured ice cream at them and they sped off in different directions. Viperion gave Ladybug a small smirk then turned to glide after Ryuko, leaving an opportunity for Ladybug to go after Chat Noir. She hesitated until Queen Bee rolled her eyes and pushed her in his direction, muttering something about her being utterly ridiculous. Trying not to fall flat on her face, Ladybug threw herself into skating full pelt towards Chat, though she hadn’t thought about how to slow down when she got to him. “Chaton!”
Chat spun around just in time for Ladybug to slam into his chest, sending both of them sprawling over the frozen floor. “Ice of you to catch up, milady. But maybe slow down a bit next time so we don’t break the ice!”
Snorting, Ladybug propped herself up on her gloved hands to look down on him, then nearly fell back down as all the blood in her body rushed to her face. They were so close. Too close. She was straddling him and if anyone hadn’t seen her crashing into him just moments before, it would look incredibly suspicious. Even he was blushing from their proximity, and his expression was one of confused surprise. Ladybug threw herself off him and landed on her bum. Chat snickered as he sat up and straightened his costume. “It seems you really need to work on your glacial awareness, milady.”
Ladybug groaned and she swiped at his outstretched hand before actually taking it and allowing him to pull her to her skates. They both blushed again as they stood upright, their chests nearly touching, then they turned as Glaciator knocked over another nearby set piece trying to get away from the other heroes. He spun around and lifted a purple painted scooper at Ladybug and Chat Noir. “I’m Glaciator, the mean ice cream man, and I am your number one fan!” He then dug his silver scooper into a bucket strapped to his hip and threw the resulting scoop of ice cream at the pair, making them jump slightly apart.
“If he’s such a fan, why is he acting so chilly towards us?”
“Ladybug and Chat Noir are made for each other! But they have been standing under the mistletoe and have done nothing about it!”
Eyes widening, Ladybug turned to Chat Noir to find her expression mirrored on his face, then they both raised their gaze to a sprig of mistletoe hanging from a lamp post above them. Ladybug groaned. This was just like at Alya and Nino’s party. And if Glaciator’s remark was anything to go by, it would happen almost exactly the same way as it had then. With an added audience looking on from the perimeter of the rink… Looking back at Chat made her stomach sink, as his face had flushed and fallen. He clearly didn’t want this. Ladybug slid backwards a half-step when Queen Bee yelled across the rink at them.
“You’re so lame, just kiss already!”
Chat let out a breath, then closed the distance between them, giving Ladybug a smile as her face flushed a deep red. “It’s tradition, right milady?”
Swallowing thickly, she nodded, then took a deep breath, inhaling Chat’s sandalwood cologne. The same cologne Adrien wore… She didn’t have time to dwell on that fact as Chat quickly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It was exactly the same kiss as at the party. His lips moved against hers and she felt a jolt of excitement run up her spine as she responded. One of his hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer whilst the other cupped her face, and she found herself sliding a hand up under his hood to entangle her fingers in his hair just as she had a week ago. Just as she had a couple weeks before that on her balcony… Suddenly Chat’s breath hitched and he pulled back, recognition in his eyes. “Ma-?”
“Okay love birds, we need your help here now!”
Blushing at the applause from the crowd, the pair turned to see the group still trying to subdue Glaciator and leapt away from each other towards the ruckus, trying to focus on the game and not each other. These revelations would have to wait until the game had finished and there weren’t a bunch of onlookers. Glaciator was more difficult to deal with this time around, possibly due to the icy terrain, and because there were more of them fighting him at once. Also probably because Ladybug and Chat Noir kept stumbling every time their eyes met or they got close to each other, which slowed things down a bit. Eventually the group freed the butterfly figurine, wiped the purple paint off it, and helped André out of his costume.
There was a brief pause for lunch, with a festive buffet spread for the role-players and organisers. Most people were hungrily tucking in, making the most of the small bites of turkey sandwiches, various cheeses, mini gateaux and glasses of champomy, but Adrien kept trying to catch Ladybug who kept making flustered excuses and rushing off. Did she not want to talk to him now that she knew who was beneath the mask? If he had figured it out then he was sure she had too. Though he knew she wasn’t as taken with Adrien as she was with Chat, so was the revelation that they were one and the same too much of a shock to her? He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before turning to the buffet. He guessed he would just have to be patient with her.
After a couple hours of eating and resting and a zamboni repairing the ice the heroes’ skates had torn up, the game was back on. The next akuma was a man dressed like an ice sculpture called Frozer who had an assistant following him with a giant tub of snow which he kept digging into to throw snowballs at the heroes. Ladybug continued to avoid going near Chat, much to his dismay. It made things awkward when she was nearly hit by Frozer and Chat had to leap to push her out of the way, as she had begun stammering and scrambled away on all fours as fast as she could. He understood that they needed to focus on the game for now, but they would need to talk at some point. Preferably before Rose and Juleka’s party on new year’s eve… And the way she was avoiding him made him think she really wasn’t happy finding out who he was. Adrien sighed again before returning to the group to cleanse the butterfly they had extracted from Frozer’s skates, ending the game and receiving a cheer from the audience.
art by the amazingly skilled and talented @akumatizedcamembert!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Spidrien's worst fears are coming true. Can he save Marinette in time?
@art-the-f-up is doing a draw/write this in your style prompt and i was inspired to write this little one shot for it! i’ve also included the art that spoke to me the most as well as another post (linked in the work) that i was inspired by and hopefully it fits okay! enjoy!
Author’s notes: apologies for this being posted a few days late, i’ve had a really crap few weeks and haven’t had the time/energy for this stuff, and this might affect the final two chapters as i still haven’t finished writing them… but hopefully i can get them both done before the end of the year!
“Adrien!”
He had known it was coming. But that didn’t mean he was prepared for it. Adrien turned to see Marinette weaving her way through her friends to get to him. Adopting what he hoped was a suitably surprised expression, he attempted to calm his breathing and moved towards her. “Marinette?”
“I, uh…” She looked flustered. She also looked goddamned gorgeous. The theme of Alya and Nino’s Christmas party was ugly sweaters, but Marinette was the complete opposite of ugly in hers. It was obviously handmade by her; strawberry milk pink with white snowmen and snowflakes. But she’d tied her hair in a neat bun at the top of her head, wore sparkly snowflake earrings, and had done her makeup to match the pink of her sweater. Adrien could feel his heart threatening to escape his green and white Agreste brand sweater, whose patterns were calculated enough to be deemed ugly.
Marinette blushed to match her sweater and glanced up at him and then away sheepishly. “Can we move over here? Where it’s a little quieter?” Adrien nodded and followed her to the corner of the living room where the white and gold decorated Christmas tree was situated. It wasn’t much quieter sound-wise as the music filled the entire apartment, but there wasn’t anyone else standing nearby. He looked down at her as she fidgeted, apparently trying to look everywhere but his face. “Well… first of all, Merry Christmas.”
Adrien couldn’t help the small smile that played on his lips despite his nerves. “Merry Christmas, Nettie.”
She looked at him properly then, a suspicious expression threatening to spread across her face, and his heart rate continued to increase at his slip up of using her nickname as Adrien. Marinette then took a deep breath. “Adrien, I… I think I owe you an apology.” She frowned. “No, I do owe you an apology. Walking out on that D&D session a couple weeks ago was rude and out of line. I should have voiced my discomfort instead of punishing you for it. And Marc. I already apologised to them over text but… Well, I felt like my apology to you should be in person. And not just because I don’t have your number.” She laughed nervously.
“Was that you asking for my number?”
Marinette’s eyes shot to his and he silently cursed himself. Why did he say that? Even if she did want his number, he couldn't give it to her - she already had it saved in her phone as Chat Noir’s number! He put a hand to the back of his head and laughed probably a little too loud. “Just kidding! I, uh, my phone’s run out of battery and I don’t remember my number anyway!”
She raised an eyebrow at him then glanced away with an unreadable look on her face. “Um, okay… Anyway, I just wanted to, I guess, have a talk with you about that game. And about…” When she looked back at him, her expression was pained, making Adrien flinch. “Uh, Plagg’s confession.” Something about the way she said his character’s name made him think she knew it wasn’t just Plagg confessing to Tikki.
“W-what is there to talk about?” Adrien shuffled from foot to foot uncomfortably.
“Well, it felt- to me at least, it felt like it came out of nowhere. This whole year I was under the impression that Plagg hated Tikki-”
“Because he didn’t say much to her and acted aloof?”
Her eyebrows went up slightly. “Yes. And when he did speak to her, he always seemed standoffish.”
“That’s because he was nervous… Tikki was so bright and friendly and caring, and Plagg was enamoured with her from the moment they met. But he could never seem to find the right words to speak to her, no matter the subject. So he just didn’t say much at all…”
Marinette’s face betrayed some of her thoughts as surprise and suspicion settled over it. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before clearing her throat and actually speaking. “Adrien, are you-”
“Hey, you guys are under the mistletoe!”
The pair turned to stare at Alix in shock. She had sidled up next to Marinette, precariously holding a drink and pointing above them with the biggest lopsided grin on her face. She must have been drunk. Adrien and Marinette looked above their heads to see that there was indeed a large sprig of mistletoe hanging off the tree between them. It was sneaky, as the white berries matched the other white decorations surrounding it, so it wasn’t really visible at first glance.
Adrien looked back down at Marinette, desperately trying to keep his breathing steady, but she was still staring at the foliage, again with an unreadable expression. He cleared his throat and took a half-step away from her. “We don’t have to-”
Alix suddenly scooted behind him and shoved him more than the half-step back towards Marinette, much to her shock. “Oh, yes you do! It’s tradition! Alya made me kiss Kim under the mistletoe earlier, so there’s no way I’m letting you guys get out of it!” She then moved back to Marinette’s side and jabbed a finger in her ribs, eliciting a pained exclamation. “And it has to be for five seconds at least. You can’t get away with just a peck with me around!”
Panic settled over Adrien. Marinette obviously didn’t want this and he wasn’t going to do it unless she said otherwise. But Alix was being difficult. What could he say to stop her from-
“Alright, fine.”
“I’m sorry?” Adrien blinked down at Marinette in shock. What did she just say?
When she looked up at him, he was almost more panicked by her expression. She looked like she was calculating something, but there was also something softer behind her eyes that was sparking some kind of hope in him that he barely dared to think about. She gave him a small smile and shrugged. “It’s tradition, right?”
Adrien felt that his heart might actually explode with how hard and fast it was pumping. Marinette closed the gap between them and put her hands on his chest. Surely she must be able to feel how nervous he was… Her expression took on a surprised edge, but the softness was the predominant look in her eyes now as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. She then closed them and began leaning up. Adrien took a breath and leaned down. Then their lips met.
One second.
Marinette’s lips were so soft and tasted of mulled wine.
Two seconds.
Adrien began moving his own without thinking.
Three seconds.
Was she responding? He could barely believe it.
Four seconds.
Adrien found his hands moving of their own accord, one wrapping around her waist and the other cupping her face.
Five seconds.
They should be pulling apart now, right?
Six seconds.
One of her hands snaked its way up to his hair and fingers became entangled in it, just as they had a couple weeks ago. Only this time his hair wasn’t wet and her fingers ran through it with ease, sending jolts of electricity down his spine.
Seven seconds.
Alix laughed loudly and the pair leapt apart, both breathing heavily. She grinned as they glared at her, and gave them a thumbs up. “Well, that was definitely more than five seconds and you clearly enjoyed it! You can thank me lateeer.” She winked and blew them a kiss then laughed her way over to where Alya and Nino were stood gawking with their mouths open.
Adrien turned back to Marinette and rubbed the back of his head where her hand had just been. “I, um-”
“I think I need another drink.” Her voice was high-pitched and strangled, and he couldn’t read her expression as she turned to walk away, but her face was bright red, much deeper than the pink of her sweater.
“O-okay…” Adrien stayed rooted to the ground next to the tree, but stared after her in confusion. What the heck just happened?
As soon as Adrien closed his apartment door, his phone beeped with the particular noise which alerted him that Marinette had texted Chat Noir. Looking at his phone in almost annoyance, he read the contents of the text as he dropped his bag on his sofa. [Is there any possibility you could visit tonight please?] His eyes widened in disbelief. What a strange situation he found himself in, to be rejected and then summoned by the same woman in the same night. They had texted an awful lot since their chance meeting at Comic Con, but hadn’t seen each other in person other than when he was Adrien and not Chat Noir. So to be invited to visit her as Chat Noir… He frowned, realising something.
[In costume…?]
He didn’t need to wait long for a response. [Oh… I guess so, if you still don’t want to tell me who you are…]
Adrien sighed unhappily. [If you knew my reasons for not telling you, you would understand.]
[I’ll admit, it is a bit weird, but I would still like to see you, if you want
You would have to come to the balcony though, if you’re gonna be in disguise…
I’m not sure my parents would appreciate a guy in a black hood and mask coming through the front door!]
Adrien had seen the building Marinette lived in. Nino had taken him to her parents’ bakery once in a sneaky attempt to set them up, but she hadn’t been there and it had been a profoundly awkward experience talking to her parents, no matter how kind they had been. But he had got a glimpse of the balcony she spoke of, and he had a fair idea of how to get up there, as one of the attached buildings had an outside staircase up to the roof. He couldn’t exactly tell her that Chat Noir knew all this, though… She’d either be suspicious of his identity, or assume he was a stalker.
[How do I do that?]
While she explained her address and a way to get to the balcony, Adrien donned his outfit, covering it with everyday clothes so he could walk through Paris without looking majorly creepy and weird. He could hardly believe he was doing this, but he couldn’t pass up this opportunity, both to see her and to get her side of the story from tonight’s disaster of a D&D session.
Finding a secluded alleyway near to Marinette’s house, Adrien pulled off his overshirt and jeans and stuffed them into his messenger bag, then mussed up his hair, covered it with his cat-eared hood, and stuck his mask to his face. He suddenly realised that he’d forgotten his cat-eye contacts in his hurry to get there. Hopefully Marinette wouldn’t look too closely at his eyes tonight… He then found the outside staircase and began climbing, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once he’d reached the top, he had a bit of a jump to pull himself up onto the roof, then he turned to see lights softly glowing from behind the wall that must have been sheltering Marinette’s balcony. He quietly padded towards it and peeked round to see a piece of waterproof fabric had been attached to the wall, potentially hiding her from view, but he could hear quiet music and the occasional flipping of pages in a book between scribbling on paper. As carefully as he could, and trying not to look down at the terrifying height he would fall down if he slipped, Adrien sidled around the dividing wall until he was safely behind the balcony’s railing, and grinned down at his princess. All thoughts of her walking out of the game store earlier that night melted away as he saw her tongue sticking out of her cute mouth in concentration over her books.
Marinette looked up when she heard his footsteps and saw Chat Noir standing with a fist on his hip and a wide grin on his face looking down at her. Her own grin spread across her mouth and she dropped her pen, jumping up to envelop Chat in a tight hug, nearly bowling him over. “Oh, I’m sorry!” She then kissed both his cheeks in greeting and he felt electricity shiver up and down his spine with each contact.
“I-it’s okay, Purrincess. Are you alright? Is something wrong?”
She turned away from him quickly, facing her study nook. “N-no, why would something be wrong?”
Chat looked at the back of her head with apprehension. “Well, you’ve never asked to meet up before, and it’s pretty late at night… People tend to only want to meet up late for one of two reasons.” He grinned again in a jokingly suggestive way.
Marinette’s face flushed as she turned to look back up at him from under her eyelashes, a small smirk playing on her lips. Damn, she was so pretty. “What makes you think I didn’t want to see you for the other reason…?”
Oh boy. Chat swallowed hard as his own face flushed, desperately trying not to think of that kind of scenario with her. If she did want that, it wasn’t going to happen tonight on their first “proper” meeting, and not like this with him in disguise. “B-because I don’t think you’re the kind of girl to do that kind of thing with someone you don’t really know…”
She looked at him a moment longer, almost as if she were assessing him, then nodded, the smirk turning into a softer smile. “You’re probably right, of course.” Only probably? “And… you’re right about there being something wrong. Well, not wrong, as such. Just…” Chat followed her as she walked back over to the cushions she had been sat on, clearly doing homework of some kind, and plopped herself back down on them. She puffed out her cheeks and slowly let out the air filling them. “I’ve had a weird night.”
Situating himself on a few of the cushions beside her, Chat attempted to adopt a sympathetic demeanour. “Do you want to talk about it?” Perhaps he was about to hear her actual thoughts about that night’s session.
She looked at him for a moment, and he could see every detail on her face properly under the soft glow of the fairy lights. She had freckles. How had he never noticed that before? Then again, he’d never really been this close to her before. Her breathing seemed to hitch up as she stared at him. “Your eyes are actually green…” Adrien held his breath as she continued staring, mentally cursing himself for forgetting the contact lenses, then she seemed to catch herself and shook her head, laughing nervously. “Well, uh… I play D&D, right? Well, you know that, of course you do. And I know I’ve told you about this guy who’s in my group.” Slowly releasing his breath through his nose, Chat tried very hard not to react in any way that could give himself away, instead giving her a short nod. Marinette continued without paying him much attention, too engrossed in her own thoughts. “Well, the other two players weren’t there for tonight’s session and so it was just him and me being led on this two-person quest by the GM. And we butted heads, as we always do. But…” She frowned as she recalled the events and Chat wrapped his arms around his knees as he waited, attempting to keep his breathing steady. “He- or I guess, his character… just blurted out that he loved me. Er, my character. Out of nowhere! And up until then I’d always thought he hated me because he was always so short with me.” Adrien suppressed a flinch. She thought he hated her? Perhaps playing an angsty character with the girl he was in love with was the wrong choice…
“What, uh… what did you say? Or do?”
Marinette turned to him, uncertainty clear in her eyes. “I… didn’t say very much. Neither did Marc- uh, our GM. We were both kind of taken aback by it. Honestly, I… was probably really mean.” She buried her head in her hands and groaned. Adrien’s heart was racing as he watched her but he said nothing. After a moment, she ran her hands over her hair to rest at the back of her neck and looked up at him with a remorseful expression. “I walked out.”
“You walked out?”
“Yeah. I didn’t want to hear any more of what he had to say, so I just left… Am I an asshole?”
Chat let out a short bark of a laugh. “I certainly don’t think so. But… it probably would’ve been kinder to stay and let him explain. I know I would’ve wanted to be heard out in that situation…” He watched her carefully as she nodded, covering her face with her hands again. “Maybe he’s just been too nervous around you and he could never seem to find the right words to speak to you. So he just didn’t say much at all and that’s why he was acting aloof…” Marinette looked up at him with an unreadable expression, so he cleared his throat and continued. “Why did you walk out? I know you said you didn’t want to hear more, but why was that?”
“Well,” She lifted her head again but this time to look out over the railings at the gloomy Paris horizon. “I was… kind of scared that it wasn’t in character.”
Heart pumping furiously, Adrien swallowed before speaking again. “What do you mean?”
“I…” She looked back at him for a moment then shook her head quickly, seemingly dismissing her thoughts. “I dunno, I think I’m just imagining things!” She laughed nervously then the remorseful look came back. “But… I think I probably will apologise to him the next time I see him. Which will be at a Christmas party in a couple weeks, since Marc’s going on holiday and we won’t have D&D until they get back.” She frowned down at her hands for a moment, deep in thought. “I never thought him capable of feeling anything other than contempt but… Well, clearly, I was wrong.”
Chat said nothing as he watched her. She had genuine sorrow on her face as she spoke, and she probably had no idea that he was Adrien, so she had no reason to fake it. Perhaps this would be the start of the door opening for them to get to know each other better - well, without the very dishonest disguise he was wearing to get to know her now. When it was clear she had finished speaking on the subject, he picked up one of her books and flicked through the pages, turning it upside-down. “Is this what you’re studying? Looks pretty complicated.”
Seemingly grateful for the change in subject, Marinette snatched the book away from him, smirking. “Well, you probably know nothing about fashion, alley cat, so of course it’d be complicated to you.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised. My looks are in all the best catalogues!” He winked at her, but realised from her suspicious expression that this was perhaps a big clue to his real identity, so he laughed. “I’m kidding! Everything is complicated to me because I’m just a catterbrain.”
She snorted and shook her head. Before either of them could say anything more, they both looked up as they heard a few gentle plops of water hit the wall hanging above them, then a few became several, and several became many, until the heavens had opened up and rain began pouring onto the balcony in a steady stream. A lot of spray bounced off the previously dry paving of the balcony floor, and the pair exclaimed as they began to get wet. Marinette opened a skylight she was sitting next to and gathered all her study materials before she dropped herself inside, motioning for Chat to follow. Without thinking, he obeyed, and dropped through the opening to find himself crouched on Marinette’s bed, with Marinette herself knelt very close by as she reached up passed him to close the skylight. Her expression coupled with their proximity as she slowly crouched back down made him feel dizzy, and he was barely able to breathe properly. They stared at each other for a moment longer, before Marinette suddenly realised their situation and lurched backwards, nearly falling off her bed which appeared to be on a higher level than the rest of her room. Chat caught her hand just in time and the odd expression she’d had before returned until she righted herself, laughing nervously.
“Um, w-wanna movie watch you? I mean, do you wanna watch a movie? You can’t exactly leave while it’s raining like this, right?”
Not trusting his voice, Adrien nodded. Marinette nodded back, then clambered down her bed’s ladder to the lower room. As he followed, Chat took in all the posters, photos, fashion magazines, dress-making bust, and sewing materials she had in her room. He noted that one or two of the magazines had photos of him on the front page, obviously Agreste brand magazines she had been using for inspiration. His expression in those photos was impassive, even aloof, and he didn’t blame Marinette at all for thinking he was devoid of any proper feeling if that was the expression he had adopted in their D&D sessions. He turned as her PC monitor flared into life, and she opened the browser to find a movie streaming service.
“What do you fancy?”
The urge to answer with “you” nearly overcame him, but he forced it down and moved over to look at the options.
After the pair chose an action/comedy, Marinette quietly nipped downstairs to get refreshments, then she turned the lights off and they settled on her chaise with a myriad of cushions and a blanket. Adrien had made sure to sit a respectful distance from her, but somehow during the film they’d managed to inch close enough to each other that he was now draped over her lap and her fingers were softly running through his hair, her fingernails ever-so gently scratching his scalp. He was sure that if he’d been a real cat, she would’ve heard him purring like an engine. Thank goodness he was not! They stayed in that position until the credits began to roll, then Marinette stretched, yawning as she did so.
Looking up to her skylight, Marinette seemed to listen for a moment. “I think it’s still raining…”
“I shouldn’t really stay too much longer…” Even as he said it, Adrien wanted the opposite to be true. He’d never felt so… cosy. Cuddling up and watching films with Marinette felt like the most comfortable thing in the world, and if he could, he’d stay curled up on her chaise with her forever.
Marinette nodded, but she was wearing a smirk. “You really shouldn’t. One of us might get the wrong idea if you did.”
Raising an eyebrow as he sat up and adopted his own smirk, he leaned closer to her. “The wrong idea…?”
Her face flushed a bright pink, illuminated by the movie credits scrolling on the monitor. Chat Noir grinned at Marinette, lingering close to her for just one more moment, barely daring to hope for her to ask him to stay but knowing he shouldn't even if she did, before standing up and stretching. He gathered his messenger bag then began climbing the bed’s ladder. Marinette followed a beat or two after, and opened the skylight for him. He watched her carefully, then leaned forward to give her a small kiss on each cheek, thrilled that it caused the pink on her face to deepen, then he pulled himself up through the opening and onto her balcony. Watching the rain clouds gradually make their way across the dark Paris skyline, he wished he could stay there and listen to the rain gently patter against the wall hanging and balcony floor with Marinette, talking and laughing and, dare he think it, flirting all night long…
He sighed as he raised his hood and readied himself to clamber over the rooftops, stepping out from under the shelter of the wall hanging to be showered by the rain, then stopped as he felt fingers entwine with his. Glancing down at the small, delicate hand wrapped up in his large, clawed glove, his heart skipped a beat as he looked at the owner and her bluebell eyes twinkled under the fairy lights. He could see her breath getting rapid as her gaze flicked between his own eyes and his mouth, and he couldn’t help but mirror her, though he stared at her soft pink lips a fair bit longer than she had glanced at his. Did this mean what he thought it meant? That Chat Noir had done what Adrien couldn’t and had somehow won her affection? They continued staring at each other for what seemed like an age and only a few seconds at the same time, then she finally broke the silence and his heart leapt into his throat.
“Don’t go…”
Oh, how he yearned to obey those words. He turned to face her properly, not really sure if he could believe what was happening.
“Chat… stay…”
Her voice was more breathy, as if she barely dared to do more than whisper. Taking a step out of the rain and closer to her until their rapidly rising and falling chests were nearly touching, Chat began slowly shaking his head, droplets falling off his hood.
“Please?”
It really was a whisper this time and he could feel his self control growing weaker. A hand snaked up his slick with rain chest and neck to entangle fingers in his partially sodden hair as Marinette slowly leaned up. Adrien knew that if she did this, he definitely wouldn’t be able to leave, and she would discover who he was. Before her lips could get any closer to his, he reluctantly took her hand from his hair and held it with the hand he was already holding in between them, whispering back to her.
“I’m sorry, Marinette, I can’t.”
Marinette stiffened and began pulling away, and Chat cursed himself for causing her this grievance.
“I want to! Believe me, if I could, I would never leave…”
“But you have to go…?”
They locked eyes and an unspoken conversation occurred between them. Adrien knew at that moment that he would be back again another night. Hopefully very soon. And hopefully maybe even without a disguise. And maybe that time he wouldn’t stop Marinette from entangling her fingers in his hair. Or from letting his own hands rest on her back and waist. Or…
Chat stepped away, knowing he needed to stop his train of thought before he attached himself to her and never let go. He held onto her hands though, and raised them to his lips in a sweet parting, relishing the deep shade of pink it made her cheeks turn.
“I’ll see you very soon, Purrincess.”
“Goodnight, mon Minou.”
A pleasant tingle ran down his spine at her nickname for him, and at her use of possession. He was her kitty. Hers. Marinette’s. Adrien may have failed tonight but Chat Noir certainly hadn’t. The wide smile that plastered his face never left, even as he vaulted around the dividing wall between her balcony and the roof next door. Even as he clambered over to the building that had the outdoor stairs attached that he deftly lowered himself down onto, being careful not to slip. Even as he found the deserted alleyway to pull on his everyday clothes over his wet costume. And even as he began the long walk home under the yellow glow of the street lights and the pouring rain. The whole way, he replayed the night’s events in his mind, and the whole way, the smile stayed, until he threw himself onto his bed, texted Marinette that he was home, and grinned at her reply until his face was sore. He was Marinette’s Minou.
Because someone might as well!? And look at this. Look. At. This.
Does this look right to you??
These are just the last three fics I wrote. I appreciate the likes, believe me I do, but you have to understand. Likes do nothing for content creators. It’s the reblogs. Because that’s how you find shit on your dashboard. Through reblogs. Not likes. This isn’t twitter or tiktok or instagram. This is a website that’s run by the reblog system.
Reblogging helps content creators put their stuff out there. Why do you think so many people stopped writing fanfic and creating beautiful fanart and edits? It’s because they put in hours of work and don’t get nearly enough notes for their masterpieces. Yes we do this because we enjoy it but like…some validation won’t hurt. A boost of confidence here and there might be all someone needs to finish whatever thing they started and left.
Too many children in the comments like ‘I think authors should be able to share ko-fi links :) it’s just nice’ and ‘OP is just a cop.’ Homie, OP is trying to keep AO3 fully functional without interruption. I will report your ass, too, because I value fic artists and our freedom of expression and my audience and our shared history far more than I value the few bux you wanna make on a commission.
It is not hard to link to your Tumblr or Twitter with a vague message like, “If you’re looking for my other works or other ways of supporting me, go here: link.” I have had people buy me coffees after enjoying my fic and asking where to support me. I threw up a link to my Tumblr and people cared enough to follow it. They were fully understanding when I explained in the comments that they could not commission me and I could not link them directly to any donation platform, but they could go to xyz link to read more. And they did! Nobody has to put AO3 directly on the firing line.
Go ahead and commission independently. Just do it anywhere else except on AO3. And then don’t come crying to the community when you, personally, get a C&D from a massive corporation.
AO3 is our bullet shield. Tumblr will pull your shit down. Wattpad won’t fucking protect you. LJ and FF.net already sold our asses for one (1) corn chip. AO3 is trying to protect us, you goddamn lemmings.
If you cannot follow the rules that protect fanspaces, you do not belong in our fanspaces.
The only people who misunderstand this are doing so intentionally and maliciously. Do yourself a favor and block the infants who think this isn’t a big deal.
Please remember that this ALSO INCLUDES FANDOM CHARITY AUCTIONS.
When you post charity auction fics, DO NOT note that they are commissions in any way. You can note them as “here is my thank you gift to X for such-and-such event” but please please PLEASE do not list them as commissions.
I think a lot of younger people are seeing this as a moral panic by OP. These are NOT being laid out as moral injunctions! This is not about being good! This is about covering your own ass and keeping fandom away from larger-scale legal trouble. No one is saying “If you break the rules you’re BEING BAD!” They’re trying to tell you “breaking these rules is DANGEROUS for yourself and potentially others as well!”
Given the nature of the copyright-law environment we exist in right now, this is the way the world works. This is the way we gotta do it.
Plop a link to your Tumblr on it, and nothing else. This is Degrees Of Separation 101. You put a link to your Tumblr on AO3 and you put a link to your Ko-fi on Tumblr and you can argue that the Ko-fi link is there so people can give you money for unrelated reasons, like your taste in memes or your pictures of your beautiful and wonderful and hilarious cat.
And you keep any fic commissions and any mention thereof on Tumblr and OFF OF AO3 so AO3 cannot be held accountable for the possibility that you might be taking money for fic elsewhere. Tumblr is not AO3’s jurisdiction. AO3 IS AO3’s jurisdiction, so the merest hint of commercial activity on that site will get you shut down for the safety of the site as a whole, so it can continue to carry out its purpose.
It’s quarantine, basically. Commercial activity can kill the Archive, so you keep commercial activity far away from the Archive. You keep the commercial activity on Tumblr, which is functionally undead at this point and, having a multitude of purposes, is far better at obfuscating just what the money is going for.
