Summary: During another invasive interview pushing her towards Chat Noir, Ladybug panics and claims that she’s dating someone. Who?
Oh, just her civilian identity. Dominos unexpectedly topple.
Ko-Fi
-_-
It was a heat of the moment thing.
Ladybug really couldn’t blame herself. Well, technically she could, considering she had agreed to another hour-long interview with Nadja and Chat Noir. Where, of course, the topic inevitably turned back to the nonexistent romantic relationship between her and her partner, not helped at all by the fact that Chat kept egging it on and nobody seemed to notice or care about her discomfort. The moment Alya appeared on screen and asked “So when are you going to admit your feelings for each other?”
She snapped.
“I have a girlfriend.”
Dead silence encased the studio. Chat gaped at her, Alya gaped at her, Nadja gaped at her, everyone gaped at her. It was only until a hand reached out of the audience that noise came back in. “Excuse me?”
“Yes, I have to agree,” Nadja said, a flustered blush making her cheeks red. “Excuse me?”
Welp, she had already said it, so might as well. “I have a girlfriend,” she repeated. Chat and Alya continued to gape at her. She took a deep breath in and plastered on a stern look. “Nadja, did you ever think the reason why I don’t confess my feelings for Chat is because I don’t have any?”
Silence encased the studio, but it was the silence where people were muttering to each other. Ladybug waited. Chat continued to gape, but Alya shut her mouth and made an odd squeaky noise.
Nadja finally took a deep breath in. When she opened her eyes, she seemed to be staring at her in a different way. Not as an icon or an idol or a celebrity, but as if Ladybug was a real person. She hadn’t even realized that she hadn’t been looking at her that way. “No,” she said. “I’m…so sorry, Ladybug. I hadn’t considered that.” Ladybug nodded but didn’t say a word. “May I ask who it is?”
Well, crap. She hadn’t expected that. She was tempted to say, “No comment,” but then it would be possible that people would catch on to the fact that she was lying. She needed someone. Ladybug thought for a moment and then prayed Tikki wouldn’t be too mad.
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”
Once again, the room descended into muttering silence. Chat was pulling out his staff with the angriest look she had ever seen on his face. Ladybug couldn’t help but raise a brow at that. But then Alya spoke with a “NO WAY!”
Ladybug raised a brow. “Are you calling me a liar?”
“Yes!” Alya said, seeming to not care about the fact that she was being televised live. “She’s in love with Adrien Agreste! He’s her soulmate, I’m sure of it!” Geez, Alya, thanks. Chat’s muttering stopped. “She’s been struggling to confess to him since the attacks first began! He’s-”
“A boy, Miss Cesaire,” Ladybug cut her off, keeping her voice bored. Yes, she did have a crush on Adrien once. But her feelings had faded over time, especially when she thought of how he reacted to Chloe and Lila hurting her. “A boy that is well-known and popular with the female population of Paris. A boy that would be expected if a person asked about a celebrity crush.”
Alya stared at her. She could practically see her put the pieces together. “What about Luka Couffaine? She dated him for…a few months!”
“Her and Luka Couffaine, I have discussed with her,” Ladybug said, keeping her voice calm. Her mind raced- she would definitely need to talk to Luka after this. “I will not pretend to be a good girlfriend, Miss Cesaire. Marinette does not know who I am under the mask- if anyone says that they do, they are lying-” Hopefully, that dealt with Lila. “Our relationship had to be kept secret. I cannot take her out on dates or meet her parents. So, we agreed to an open relationship.”
Nadja cleared her throat. “She does not know who you are?”
Ladybug shook her head. “No. We agreed that, after Hawkmoth is defeated and I can retire, I will reveal myself to her and discuss our relationship from there. I’m only being open with my relationship now since she knows I am uncomfortable with people trying to ship me with Chat Noir-”
“Because they know we’re meant to be!” Chat burst out. Honestly, she was surprised that he hadn’t spoken up sooner. He grabbed her hand and tried to pull her close. “My Lady, think about it! We have so much more in common than some random civilian!” His eyes were dark, sending shivers up her spine. “You’re lying about Marinette, right? There’s no way you could fall for some random person-”
“Hey!” Alya spoke up, her voice bordering on fury. “Marinette’s not just some random nobody!” The camera shook as something slammed, most likely Alya’s fist slamming into the desk. “Marinette is the smartest, most creative person I have ever met! She’s probably the greatest actress of all time, and I would say that she has done so much more for Paris than you ever have on your own!” She took a deep breath. “Ladybug, you have great taste.” And with that, Alya’s camera cut short.
Nadja nodded. “Okay, next question,” she said, her voice still a touch strained from the bombshell that was just dropped on her.
Hopefully, this didn’t blow up.
-_-
It blew up.
Tikki, thankfully, didn’t seem mad. “It was clever,” she said before encouraging Marinette to go to bed.
When Marinette woke up surprisingly early, it was to a ton of messages on her social media and email. By the time she left for school, it was a flood that she was too afraid to look at. Her parents were surprisingly happy for her, with her dad apologizing for blowing up in such a way on Chat Noir. “It’s okay,” she said, hugging him. “It was awkward, but it kept Chat from following Ladybug.”
“Which I can’t believe he did!” her mother groused. “You think he would know better!”
“Yeah,” Marinette sighed, old annoyance flaring up. “Me too.”
Thankfully, there wasn’t a crowd of reporters- yet. So Marinette wasted no time in rushing over to school before one did form.
Once she was there, she found herself pausing. A large portion of the people she saw were wearing Ladybug’s spots or LGBTQIA+ merch, from full outfits to just hair clips. Several stopped to smile and give her friendly waves, while others looked starstruck. This was a bigger reaction than she was expecting.
She waved back and headed to her classroom. She sent another prayer to the surprisingly quiet Tikki that nothing happened and opened the door.
The classroom was surprisingly quiet, with Lila sitting in the back looking like she had all the life drained from her, until Marinette stepped inside. “Marinette!” Alya said, jumping to her feet. She had switched her orange flannel for one bearing the pan colors. She wasted no time in rushing up and practically scooping her up in a hug. The shock meant that it took a second before Marinette realized that Alya was apologizing into her hair. “-so sorry, I should’ve thought more about Ladybug’s feelings, I never meant to hurt her, swear-”
“It’s okay,” Marinette said, pulling away to smile at her bestie. “I know how people can get with superheroes, I think Ladybug forgives you.” She poked Alya’s nose. “Although I’m annoyed that you tried to air out my crush on Adrien to all of Paris.”
Alya sighed, nodding. “I know. Now that I think about it, it was super not cool.” She tried for a smile. “I’m sorry, girl.”
Despite herself, Marinette couldn’t stay mad. “I forgive you. But, don’t do it again.” Alya nodded and with that out of the way, she could move on. She looked around and couldn’t help but raise a brow. “But what’s going on? Why is everyone either wearing Ladybug stuff or pride stuff? If I had known, I would’ve dug my pride stuff out.”
“Oh, haven’t you checked online?” Nino called, his headphones decorated with bi stickers.
Marinette shook her head. “I’ve been too afraid to,” she admitted. “My social media has been flooded with messages and emails.”
“Oh, I can sort those for you, dudette.”
“Thank you,” she sighed, handing over her phone. “The code’s still the same.” Nino nodded as he began to fiddle with her phone.
“Anyway,” Kim said, wearing a transmac hoodie instead of his regular red hoodie. “The entire queer community adopted Ladybug as a queer icon after her interview last night. People have been debating for hours whether she’s a lesbian or bi.”
“Uh huh,” Well, at least the community was supportive. “I’m glad people are supportive.”
“Of course they are,” Alya said, leading her to their seats. “It’s Ladybug and you, the biggest sweethearts in Paris. If anyone isn’t, they look-”
“RIDICULOUS!” Chloe stormed in, wearing her normal clothing. Her gaze could’ve set Marinette on fire as she marched up and slammed her hands on her desk. On closer inspection, her eyes were rimmed red. “Break up with Ladybug.”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you deaf?!” Chloe shrieked, slamming her hand down. “Break up with Ladybug! There is only one girl that is perfect enough for her to date, and it’s certainly not you!”
“And I’m guessing that’s you?” Alya scoffed before Marinette could figure out a proper response that wasn’t not in your life. “Please, everyone knows Ladybug hates your guts.”
“She does not!” Chloe shrieked, tears beading up in the corner of her eyes. “She thinks I’m great! She chose me to be a hero! She knows I’m great! She-”
“Lost the Miraculous by accident, and you refused to give it back.” Marinette interrupted. Chloe’s jaw dropped, and she gaped at her. “Yeah, she told me about that. She thought you would do better, be better if you understood how your actions affect Paris. But you didn’t.” She leaned forward and that angry spark in her, the one that had been burning in her since Adrien pouted and moaned, burned. “Your actions are why people were celebrating that you were leaving Paris when you decided to go to New York.”
“Marinette!” Adrien called, also dressed in his normal clothes, but she held her hand out.
“You are nothing to Ladybug. Just a hazard and a safety risk.” Marinette leaned back in her chair. “The only reason I made that party for you is because Adrien asked. Nobody else.”
Chloe shut her mouth. She looked around the room. Sabrina looked away. Nobody else did, staring her down, bonded in silent agreement. Marinette expected her to rage, to scream, to throw a fit. Instead, she straightened up and walked to her seat. The moment she sat down, she hid her face.
“Marinette!” Adrien barked. “That was horrible! You-”
“Told her what Ladybug thought of her and what she needed to hear,” Marinette said, interrupting him. She leaned forward, allowing the anger brewing in her at him to burn in her eyes. “And if you don’t stop and think about your actions, so will I.”
Adrien stared with wide eyes. Without another word, but a nasty glance back, he turned and sat down. Nino scooted away from him before turning and holding up her phone. “Here, Nette,” he said. “There was some hate mail from people like Chloe,” Chloe flinched. “But a lot more of people supporting you.”
“Oh, that’s sweet,” Marinette said, taking her phone back.
The rest of the school day passed in silence. Twice, Adrien tried to get her alone, apparently undeterred by her threat, but Alya and the rest of the girl squad made sure there was a bodyguard nearby until Adrien had to leave for a photoshoot. (Rose was tiny but fierce in her desire to protect Marinette.) The rest of the school left her alone, excluding a few people who asked for her autograph and pictures and a whole bunch of gifts and letters in her locker. Marinette tried to ignore the heat in her face with all the love and care.
Finally, the school day was over. Marinette walked out and breathed a sigh of early relief. She could see a few news vans waiting outside the bakery, so she had that to stress about, but she had gotten through the school day relatively unscathed.
The sound of a guitar met her ears and she paused, coming to a stop on the stairs.
Right. Luka.
She meant to talk to him after the interview, but Chat Noir had been following her, insisting to talk more about them, that she hadn’t been able to. So, here she was, standing on the steps, trying her best to not be seen by the musician as he strummed his guitar, probably waiting for Juleka.
It was tempting to run. But Marinette had to be braver than that.
She took a deep breath and marched down the stairs, coming to a stop right next to him. Luka paused in his playing, staring at her. Marinette couldn’t look him in the eyes. Instead, she found herself staring at her feet. “Hi, Luka,” she said and immediately wanted to facepalm. Hi, Luka? Just that? Not, hey Luka, did you see the interview where Ladybug revealed I was two-timing you with her even though we’re the same person-
“You should’ve given me a heads up that we were poly,” Luka’s voice broke through her haze. She glanced up. Luka smiled at her, although it was edged with something. “I have a cute boy in my class, his name’s Felix, and I think you two would love each other.”
Marinette’s mind blanked, at first wondering what he was talking about, and then realization. “You…you aren’t mad?”
“I…I don’t know how to feel,” Luka admitted, and it was strange to see him admit that. Luka was the only boy she knew who was best in touch with his emotions. “On one hand, it makes a lot more sense than you pining over Adrien like everyone thought. On the other-”
“I lied,” Marinette admitted. “I lied, a lot, to you and everyone.” She gripped the edge of her shirt. “I kept ditching dates for something dumb, not related to her,” Luka raised a brow, but she continued on. “Sometimes I wished she didn’t exist because I trust you, Luka, I trust you so much but I keep having to lie because I care about her too and hurt you and and and-” Warm arms engulfed her but she couldn’t allow it, she needed to say it. “I’m so sorry, Luka.”
Luka didn’t say a word, just held her. Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry too, Marinette,” he admitted. “I should’ve been better, maybe then-”
“No!” Marinette shoved him away. Luka stumbled back, looking hurt, but Marinette wasted no time in gripping his shoulders, staring him down. “You were wonderful,” she said, making sure he understood. “You were wonderful. I was the one who should’ve been better. I should’ve communicated better, I should’ve explained better about why I was leaving you in the lurch.”
“I was the one who got akumatized,” Luka said, staring back with wide eyes. “I went after you.”
“It was my fault you got akumatized in the first place!”
“No, it was not-” And now Luka was holding her shoulders, making sure she was looking at him. They probably looked strange, gripping each other’s shoulders like this, but Marinette didn’t care. “It was not your fault. It was Hawkmoth’s fault.” Right, right, Marinette needed to remember that. He was the one who took advantage of people. “We’re both crappy at communicating. We can work on that.”
Wait…
“You…want to try again?”
Luka paused and then nodded. “Now that I know more, enough to possibly understand some things,” He took in a deep breath. “Only if you want to?”
Marinette nodded back. “We can try,” And isn’t that what they all could do? “Maybe you can introduce me to Felix, and I can introduce you to…” She held up her hand at the sight of a familiar red car. “Hang on real quick.”
Luka blinked but nodded. Marinette smiled as they released each other before she turned and marched up to Kagami, who paused with a raised brow. Much to her delight, she wore gloves marked with the queer pride flag. “Wanna go on a date?” she asked promptly.
Kagami blinked. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then hummed. Marinette waited patiently. If Kagami had to think about it, than she was willing to wait. “Yes,” she finally said. “If your girlfriend is alright with it?”
Marinette nodded, feeling her face heat up. “Luka and I are trying again,” she admitted. “So he’s introducing a friend of his on our date. I wanted to introduce you to him, because I think you guys would be good friends, if not datemates.” She wanted to be honest where she could.
Kagami’s eyes brightened at the mention of friendship. “Then I certainly will come,” she said. “You have my number, so let me know the details.”
“I will.” She held out her hand and Kagami didn’t hesitate in giving it a squeeze. “Maybe after practice today, we can have our first date? At our usual spot?”
Kagami smiled. It was awkward, but it was sincere. “I would love that.” With one last squeeze of her hand, Kagami marched into the school.
Luka was chuckling when Marinette returned. “I guess we’ll have a full table,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll talk to Felix and figure out a good time for us.”
Marinette nodded. “Let me know the details.” She paused. “And, thank you, Luka.” Before he could respond she took off running.
Lying about her girlfriend went better than expected!
Laurie as a DM (Dungeon Master) and the rest of the crew to be players and honestly it will be chaotic at best.
I hope a writer ✍🏼 finds a inspiration from this and writes it, if it does get written, I would be absolutely be happy.
Weeks passed quickly, and Laurie got used to the new team easily. Everyone was really nice, and super supportive. They treated any small win, every single one, as a huge victory.
Dasher was a Jammer, and she had a hard time with jumping in her skates. So they had her working on it these last couple practices. She only jumped a few inches, just barely getting off the ground, but she followed through and stuck the landing. According to Barbie, it was something she never did, and of course everyone went wild. They all cheered and howled and barked, and CC went up to her and smacked her helmet into Dasher's before they started screaming at each other. Apparently, it was called a Victory Scream. At least, according to CC.
All the girls had their own celebration for a victory, actually. The twins, VantaBlacke and Blacke & Blue, would so Fortnite victory dances and hype each other up. Wrath would grab whoever was closest to her, usually Sailor, and spin around in a circle while screaming happily. Goldie would drop to her knees and do the air guitar, Dasher would do a wolf howl, Shortie would start happily punching whatever was in her vicinity, and Barbie would just...scream. Everyone joked that Salty (Laurie) needed her thing, her own victory celebration scream thing. Whatever she wanted to call it.
Laurie hummed softly, weaving her way around the cones Hex had set up for her on one skate and occasionally watching the scrimmage that the rest of the team was doing.
"Pepper."
K.C. had to do a Star Pass, handing the cap off to Barbie, who was the Pivot for the red team.
"Pepper!"
Laurie watched the brunette race off around the track and take the lead-
"PEPPER! Less gawkin', more skatin'!"
"Yes, Coach!" She slammed her other skate down and continued to weave through the cones. She kept watching them, and cheered once Barbie had won the Jam. "Bar-bie! Bar-bie! Bar-bie!"
Barbie just smiled and giggled, giving a bow to her one person audience. "Thank you, thank you! It's hard carrying my team!"
"Carrying? Puh-lease!" Cutie said. "I can out Jam you any day of the week!"
"Oh, you wanna go?!"
"Yeah! Let's go!"
"Ladies, ladies! Save the rage for the bout!" Femme said as she stepped between them.
"The bout?" Laurie skated over as Hex cleaned up the cones.
"Yeah! First bout of the season!" Barbie smiled and held up her hand for a high five.
"When is it?" Laurie seemed hopeful. Maybe she was ready to play?
"Tomorrow, right here! Playin' on our home turf." Jamilton high fived Barbie so she wouldn't be left hanging.
"Oh..."
"It's ok, Salty-Babe!" Belle skated over and gave her a side hug. "You'll be ready in no time! You're already doing great!"
"She's right, kiddo," Queen said. "We just gotta work on your backwards skating then we can put you in the scrimmages. A few more practices and you'll be on the rink in no time."
Laurie gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Coach."
"I mean it. You're good at this. I have a feeling you're gonna take us to the championship."
Laurie felt a sharp sting to her heart. "Championship?" She asked, her eyes wide with fear.
"Yeah! We never get past the qualifiers, but every year JRDA have a national junior championship tournament!" Barbie said excitedly. "If we make it to finals, we'll be skating in New York City! And we can meet the New York Nukes!"
"I hope we can go! I'd love to see Circle Jerk in person!" Brawli squealed. "She's, like, my biggest derby inspiration."
Laurie gave a nervous smile. "Awesome..." she said weakly, giving them a thumbs up. She was gonna blow it. Again. And she thought junior roller derby was better than softball.
"Awesome?! It's better than awesome!" Barbie screamed. "It's amazing! It's fantastic! Wonderful! Awe inspiring! Kick ass unbelievable spectacular phenomenal stupendous miraculous Grade A fucking amazeballs!"
"BARBIE! I TOLD YOU TO STOP SWEARING! YOU CAN SWEAR WHEN YOU'RE 16!"
Barbie winced and smiled. "Sorry, Mama... But still! WE COULD TO NEW YORK AND MEET THE NUKES!"
Laurie just gave another weak smile, muttering about how it was awesome and amazeballs before skating off the rink and taking off her gear with the rest of the girls.
"Alright! Already making a plan!" Sweaty said to her. "If we start doing some extra training now, then we'll definitely kinda sorta be not terrible enough to play and we might not fail the team again!"
"You need to stop talking," Laurie said, swatting at her shoulder.
"I...didn't say anything..." Big Red said, looking confused.
"Oh!" Laurie looked up and giggled softly. "Sorry, just talk to myself sometimes. I know, I'm crazy! Ha ha!" Laurie blushed heavily and became incredibly focused on untying her skates.
Big Red just nodded. "Anxiety?"
"Yeah..."
"Want me to beat it outta ya?" Big Red held up her skates.
Big Red just shrugged and put her skates away. "Got it."
"So... The tournament?"
"Yeah. I doubt we'll go to finals, but it's at least fun to play. Our qualifier bout is against the Minions of Mayhem. They have a low win rate, so we'll be able to crush them to dust." She stood up and grabbed her derby bag. "See ya tomorrow!"
"Huh?" Laurie just cocked her head.
"The bout," Big Red clarified. "Just because you can't play, it doesn't mean you have to miss the game."
"Yeah! We need a cheerleader in the stands!" Rythm said, nudging her in the side with her elbow.
Laurie smiled and nodded. "Yeah, totally."
"Awesome! See ya!"
Laurie finished getting her gear off and went outside where Paula was waiting and warming up the car.
"Hey, Salty! Wait!" Sailor raced over, Barbie and CC at her heels.
"Huh? What's up?" Laurie turned back to them, waiting for them to continue.
"You're coming to my sleepover, right?"
"What sleepover?" Laurie cocked her head in confusion.
Sailor groaned and slapped Barbie upside the head. "This is the last time I tell you anything..."
"I got busy!" Barbie defended.
"Busy with what? Searching for Italians?" CC said, rolling her eyes with a smirk.
"Both of you hush!" Sailor yelled. "Anyway, we usually have sleepovers before our bouts or whenever we need to kinda calm down. Also like a last night of fun before the Big Game kinda stuff, ya know? It's usually just the three of us, like a tradition thing, but we wanted to invite you."
"Like a show of good faith, welcome to the team thing."
"Yeah! Party with the OG 3!" Barbie shouted enthusiastically.
"Oh..." Laurie looked nervous. "Umm-"
"You can totally say no! If it's not your thing, we get it!" Sailor said.
CC backed her up. "Yeah, we totally appreciate boundaries. If you just need some me time and self care, that's totally ok. You do what's best for you. It's gonna be an all weekend thing, and the whole team is gonna be there after the qualifier anyway. It might be too much."
"No, no, I'd love to! But... It's my Dad's weekend and..."
"Ohhhhhh, you're a Double Christmas kid," Barbie said softly. "Got-"
Sailor slapped her up side the head, cutting her off. "Barbie! You can't say that!"
"WHAT?! IT'S TRUE!"
"I'll ask my dad and see what he says," Laurie said simply, trying to keep the peace.
"Yeah! Text the group chat and let us know."
"What group chat?" Laurie cocked her head in confusion again.
Sailor and CC slowly turned their heads to Barbie. ".....you didn't invite her to the group chat?"
"I FORGOT!"
"You're a terrible derby godsister," CC said simply.
"I'm going to kill you." Sailor started to follow Barbie as the girl ran away.
"Do you have Discord? I can send you an invite." CC pulled out her phone, ignoring the screams of mercy in the background as she found Laurie's profile and added her into the Discord server they made for the team.
"You should get going so you can pack and stuff. Hopefully I'll see you at Sailor's." CC smiled and waved goodbye as Laurie got into the car and drove away with her sister. She stared at her phone intensely, smiling and giggling at the group chat antics.
Yay, you made it, Laur!
Goldie Today at 4:43 pm
CHANGE YOUR NAME!
VantaBlacke Today at 4:43 pm
WE CANNOT KNOW YOUR REAL NAME IT SHALL RUIN THE MYSTERY!!!!
🧂Salty🧂 Today at 4:46 pm
This good?
VantaBlacke Today at 4:46 pm
Yee yee. All good.
🎀Barbie🎀 Today at 4:47 pm
Nooooo make it pink so we're matchy matchy!
🧂Salty🧂Today at 4:47 pm
Lol
Better?
🎀Barbie🎀 Today at 4:47 pm
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
CC Today at 4:47 pm
Text us here when you get the yes or no from your dad
🧂Salty🧂Today at 4:47 pm
Got it
"Who are you texting?" Paula teased. "Is it a boy?"
"No!"
"A girl?" Paula seemed excited by that.
"No! I'm talking to my team! They finally added me to their group chat..." Laurie curled up and watched them all texting each other, smiling in her silent observance.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Practice was running later than usual. Laurie tried to keep her mind and hands busy by playing some Mario Kart, but she kept getting distracted by car doors opening and closing outside. Every couple minutes or so, she paused the game and looked out the window, getting disappointed when it wasn't Dan.
"Dad'll be home soon." Paula tried to keep her calm. "You can hang out with your friends soon."
"Yeah, yeah..." Laurie just got back to playing her game and trying to beat the hard CPUs.
Laurie paused the game when she heard her phone buzzing repeatedly, playing the loud Jam buzzer. She thought it was from her team, getting into another argument about if pineapples and kiwis could go on pizza, but it was just the Pickles. She forgot she was part of the group chat.
Roshie Today at 5:57 pm
Omg pls tell me you all saw what Sammy did
Kai Today at 5:57 pm
I still can't believe it tbh
The Mighty Yuwen Today at 5:57 pm
I could've done it blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back
Taylor Today at 5:58 pm
Shut up, Yuwen! At least I'm not getting a scalded in the face with hot beans! 🙄🙄
Sammy Today at 5:58 pm
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 oh my god
Laurie Today at 5:58 pm
Huh?
Roshie Today at 5:58 pm
Oh, it's an inside joke
Hannah Today at 5:58 pm
You had to be there for it to make sense
The Mighty Yuwen Today at 5:58 pm
I honestly forgot you were still here
Kai Today at 5:59 pm
Hi, Laur!
Laurie Today at 6:00 pm
Hi, Kai!
Kai Today at 6:00 pm
How's derby so far?
Laurie Today at 6:00 pm
Pretty good! Everyone's super nice.
Kai Today at 6:00 pm
Awesome!!!!! Can't wait to see your first game!
The Mighty Yuwen Today at 6:01 pm
Wasn't one of us supposed to remove Laurie since she's not on the team anymore?
Kai Today at 6:01 pm
YUWEN!!!!
Taylor Today at 6:01 pm
YUWEN!!!!
Roshie Today at 6:01 pm
YUWEN!!!!
Sammy Today at 6:01 pm
YUWEN!!!!
The Mighty Yuwen Today at 6:01 pm
WHAT?! I HAVE A POINT!
Tom Today at 6:02 pm
What are we talking about?
Roshie Today at 6:02 pm
Oh my god 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Laurie bit her lip, feeling another sting to her heart.
"We should probably leave just make it easier on them," Sweaty said. "They're gonna forget again anyway."
Laurie Today at 6:03 pm
Don't worry, Yuwen. I got it 😊
Laurie left the group chat server and tossed her phone aside, trying not to cry as she focused back on her game. She seemed to perk up when she heard the door open.
"I'm home!" Dan called out, setting his stuff on the kitchen table.
"Dad!" Laurie got up and rushed over, hugging him tight.
"Hey, Lare-bear," Dan said as he pulled her into a side hug. "How was derby practice?"
"Yeah, practice was fine. Is it all right if I go to a sleepover at my friend's house for the weekend?"
"Oh, did Taylor invite you? I overheard her talking about it after practice." Dan turned away, pulling some stuff out of the cabinets to start on dinner.
"O-Oh..." Maybe Taylor just forgot. They aren't on the same team anymore, so they don't see each other much. "No, it's one of my teammates, Sailor... He invited-"
Dan turned around, looking furious. "A boy?! Absolutely not!"
"No, no! Dad, Sailor is AFAB."
"A-what?"
"AFAB. It means Assigned Female At Birth," Laurie explained. "He's like Kai, but in the opposite direction."
"Oh..." Dan turned back around, continuing to gather ingrediants. "I still don't want you going over at a boy's house. Especially a boy I haven't met. When does this expire....?"
"No, Dad, Sailor is still figuring that stuff out!" Laurie tried to reason. "Plus, CC and Barbie are going to be there tonight, and the rest of the team will be there tomorrow! Sailor wont hurt me!"
Dan turned to face her, seeing the desperation in her puppy dog eyes. "You're absolutely sure?"
"Absolutely! Please... They invited me so I could feel like a real part of the team and be a part of their traditions..."
He sighed heavily. "Alright. Text me when you get there and if they try anything, and I mean anything, you call me immediately, got it?"
"Of course!" She rushed forward and hugged him. "Thank you thank you thank you!"
Dan gave a gentle smile and patted her back. "Anytime. Go pack your bags." He watched her run off to her room before calling out, "And don't forget your toothbrush again!"
"I won't!" Laurie started shoving clothes in her duffel bag before grabbing her phone and texting her derby team.
🧂Salty🧂Today at 6:07 pm
HE SAID YES
🎀Barbie🎀 Today at 6:07 pm
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
My mama said you're riding with me. Send the address and we'll be there soon
Laurie quickly sent over her address and finished packing, giving her sister a hug and her dad a kiss on the cheek before waiting outside.
Ladybug is ‘addicted’ to The Dupain-Cheng bakery pastries
So this is just a dumb prompt / idea I got. But what if someone (Alya/Lila/Chloe/Adrien) start to notice Ladybug’s tendency to dissapear toward or come from the direction of Marinette’s house. The entire class has talked about it before with some openly wondering if Marinette is Ladybug or if there missing something!
Adrien is adament that hell no Marinette can’t be Ladybug (because shes obviously Multimouse duh!) because how could Mari fight Akuma’s when she cant carry a box of Macaroons without tripping over herself.
At first there is not enough evidence but maybe oneday Alya just straight up catches a photo of Ladybug on Marinette’s balcony and presents it to the class, Lila hates the attention the baker is getting but hopes that maybe if Marinette is Ladybug she can get her akumatized and destroy her life.
Eventually Marinette stumbles into class late and everyone practically assaults her demanding to know if shes Ladybug when Marinette is justifiably confused (aka doing her best to feign innocence) Alya presents the information theyve gathered of Ladybug often seen heading toward/from the bakery the fact shes seen around the area often and finally the nail in the coffin- The photo! Marinette quick as a whip realizes she needs to cover her tracks and thinks of a lie just weird enough to work:
Marinette heaves a heavy sigh acting like some great weight is upon her shoulders and the class gasp and whisper could it really be? “I really didn’t want to have to tell anyone… But you guys are just too smart!” Alya is preening, Adrien jittering his leg like a madman, Lika scheming, Chloe… Horrified. “The truth is… Ladybug is addicted to my families pastrys!” Wait? What!?
Before anyone can ask Marinette launches into an explanation, that Ladybug drops by CONSTANTLY that she’s always requesting snacks from Marinette and has admitted to dropping in near daily in her civilian form! Her favorites happen to be feta spinach quiche and the chocolate breads! Marinette even says she’ll get improptu requests from Ladybug for pastry deliveries hence why shes late so often! And everyone… Believes her! Because of course Ladybug must be starving with all the akuma fights! Who are they to deny the hero of paris her chocolate breads? Alya even apologizes to Marinette for ragging on her for the constant tardiness she had no idea she was delivering treats to LADYBUG! And oh! Now Alya knows how Marinette got her all those Ladybug interviews! Isnt her bestie the BEST! Adrien is relieved and dissapointed oddly enough? But covers it with a comment about how of course their everyday ladybug was helping the parisian hero ladybug!
Marinette rejoices! Her secret is safe for another day! And she covered for her civilian life as well. What Marinette did not anticipate however - was Alya posting the story with photo included of Ladybug’s apparent love of Dupain-Cheng pastries and how hungry her and Chat Noir must be fighting Akuma’s all the time! From Alya’s blog the topic ends up being discussed on the news! With citizens and celebrities alike talking about how suddenly their concerned about how thin the super duo are and several restaurants come forward offering free food whenever the heroes are feeling hungry! The bakery itself gets flooded with bussiness Adrien is shocked one day to come home to a box of Dupain-Cheng macaroons and his father mentioning offhand that the cake he ordered was quite light.
Chat Noir is living for the new bounty of food! He cant go out on patrol anymore without being hailed down by a citizen or bussiness owner who eagerly hands him food of all kinds! Finally he knows what its like to feel FULL and what a wonderful thing it is! That is until Ladybug finds him sprawled on a roof groaning face covered in icing from a cupcake binge. Ladybug is also being offered food and though she tries her best to refuse shes met only with insistent smiles and older woman winking telling her its okay to cheat a bit on her diet! Truthfully Marinette didn’t realize just how thin she was getting and while in costume the food does seem to give her a boost of energy she never knew about. Soon she and Chat dont even realize its become a habit and the citizens of paris delight in noticing that Ladybug and Chat have both put on some weight and seem more energetic! Plus it becomes a twitter challenge to catch a photo of the super hero duo eating together either on roofs or in other odd places!
Marinette’s parents for the record: are delighted to learn that Ladybug loves their food! They just wish Marinette would have told them sooner! They make Ladybug and Chat Noir themed desserts not long after and they sell out first thing each morning. Chat cries when he see’s the little macaroons and cupcakes based on himself and makes a point to be caught eating both several times (once with Marinette herself).
First of all, no, she isn't dead, no, it wasn't a fight, she just moved away, it's just-
She ghosted us. All of us. Like, a month before summer ended. I wasn’t super close to her, but obviously I was worried because it was like she disappeared off the face of the earth.
We had to find out through the coach, like a month later. She didn’t say goodbye or anything. I think that’s what hurt them the most.
I tried to be a good friend, talk to them and all that, but… well, things didn’t really work out. We’re fine now, obviously, but yeah… things get weird if I bring up Laurie around them.
That’s mostly because we just… haven’t really talked about her. I don’t have a problem answering, though, I’d just appreciate it if people didn’t ask when they’re around.
Ah! Anyway, my mom’s here, uh, subscribe, comment, and all that stuff. Bye, chat.
A collection Win or Lose incorrect quotes cuz the fandom needs feeding
Kai: Truth or dare?
Rochelle: Truth.
Kai: How many hours have you slept this week?
Rochelle:
Rochelle: Dare.
Kai: Go to sleep!
Rochelle: I don’t like this game.
Yuwen: They got pickles on them.
Kai: They do.
Yuwen: What if I don’t like pickles?
Kai: Just tell them not to put em.
Yuwen: I’ve already placed my order.
Kai: Well I don’t have pickles. Let’s trade!
Yuwen: You would do this for me?
Kai: Absolutely.
Yuwen: …
Yuwen: If you have enemies that need taken care of-
Kai: When I was like 8 or 9 years old my grandma took me to a store. And behind the counter there was this display of toys and my grandma said, “Pick out one of those toys.” And I said, “I’ll have that Wonder Woman doll!” And the woman behind the counter looked at me and said, “That toy is for little girls.” And my grandma looked at me and said, “Is that the toy you want?” And I said, “Yesss, Grandma, gimme that
✨Wonder Woman doooll!✨”
And she bought the doll for me and the woman shot me a dirty look. And the moral of the story, I think we can all agree, is that GRANDMA MADE ME TRANS!
Laurie: I made this friendship bracelet for you.
Rochelle: Oh, you know, I’m not really a jewelry person.
Laurie: You don’t have to wear it.
Rochelle: No I’m gonna wear it. Forever. Back off.
Ira: We’re going to a candy store?
Taylor: What? No, it’s midnight. Candy stores are closed.
Yuwen: We’re gonna rob a candy store?!
Yuwen: I can be your partner for the next race.
Taylor: Sorry, Yuwen. It’s a sibling race.
Ira: Maybe there’s a contest for lonely children after this.
Taylor: It’s only children, Ira. A lonely child is what you’re gonna be when I sell you.
Frank: You know the sound that a fork makes in the garbage disposal? That’s the sound that my brain makes all the time.
Yuwen: I only have one emotion: anger.
Taylor: You texted me a hundred heart emojis earlier.
Yuwen: Out of anger.
Kai, stuck on a ladder: I’m scared, dad.
James: Do you trust me, kid?
Kai: Yes.
James: Come on, kid.
*Kai falls*
Rule number one, never trust anybody.
Rochelle: You can’t make everyone like you. You’re not Laurie.
Yuwen: What? Not everyone likes Laurie.
Rochelle: Who doesn’t?
Yuwen: Well-
Rochelle, pulling out a bat with nails stuck in it: Give me their names.
Yuwen, holding a python: Guys I impulsively bought a snake, what do I name him?
Rochelle: You did WHAT-
Kai: William Snakespeare.
Rochelle: Who else is hiding in the laundry room trying to listen to Coach Dan and Mr. James’ conversation?
Kai: Me. I’m in the laundry basket.
Yuwen: I’m in the washing machine.
Laurie: I’m in the closet.
Kai: We accept you, Laurie. <3
Laurie: No. I’m literally in the closet.
Taylor: Love is love. <3
Taylor: Babe, I’m breaking up-
Yuwen: I’m pregnant.
Taylor: I mean the call.
Yuwen: Right, sorry. I panicked.
Kai: WHY IS THE FIRST AID KIT FILLED WITH SOUP?!
Yuwen, bleeding out: Well it was funny at the time.
Laurie, watching Rochelle and Kai panic: What’s going on?
Yuwen: Rochelle is having a midlife crisis and Kai is just having a crisis.
don‘t be sorry, for I would thank you for answering my question, mostly because I was bored and curious and for that I may or may not draw the characters with their dragons. Again I thank you for answering my question.
snowghoul
dededos
areudirty
pixelskylines
