Posted last night as part of @whiteleyfoster’s Write This In Your Style challenge! There’s quite a number of fics there, so browse them all!
Across the centuries, Crowley comes to his favorite chateau, to watch his favorite angel at work and listen to his favorite poetry…
A centuries-long tale of devotion, pining, and love that is at once illicit and elevating, passionate and disciplined, human and transcendent… courtly love.
Crowley’s eyes stayed locked on the trobairitz and the crowd of men hanging on her every word. “What can I say? With entertainment like this, I barely need to lift a finger.”
A mildly annoyed tsk. “I hardly think a little flirtation even counts as wickedness.”
“Does if they’re already married.” She thought over the angel’s statement again, then snapped her head around, eyes wide, to study him. “Hang on, are you saying—”
“I’msaying that I expected you to be here because you always lurk in this corner when we come to Soifort.” The hall had changed very little in two hundred years. The tapestries were more numerous and complex, the stained-glass windows brighter, and the guests more vivacious. Aziraphale had changed even less, though his tunic hung longer and now incorporated a great deal more silk, particularly in the long flowing sleeves, and his cloak was now pinned on the right. But the most startling change was the look in his eyes. They shone merrily in the dim hall, and cast a light, a heat Crowley had only glimpsed a few times before. “Don’t expect me to do your work for you again.”
“Already done. Just taking a well-deserved break.” Crowley pushed away from the wall, circling Aziraphale, the dark train of her bliaut trailing behind her. “Or didn’t you notice this entire region has fallen to heresy?”
“Oh? And I’m to believe this was yourdoing?” He laughed, a delightful sound echoing through the room. “My dear lady, I doubt you could even tell me what Catharism is.”
“We..we actually made it, I never thought I’d get this far”
Person A spoke, panting as Person B stood behind them, both of them out of breath. Barely escaping with their lives.
“Yeah, I can’t believe it either. I guess I can bring back the bucket list -“
Person A perked up to Person B’s statement. Turning around to see Person B blushing, assuming it was from being so overworked, overwhelmed and the adrenaline still pumping through both of their veins. Got closer to Person B.
“What’s this ‘bucket list’ ?”
Person A teased jokingly, watching as Person B stiffened from the question. Tense and a look of uncertainty taking over their expression, which concerned Person A. Person A let out a nervous chuckle in order to try and ease Person B’s tension.
“We’ve known each other for years [Person B], you can trust me with whatever it is,”
“That’s the thing [Person A], we’ve known each other for so long. And if I tell you I fear I might lose you, or - or that awkward tension when —“
Person B began to anxiously ramble, hugging themselves as paranoia filled their head. Person A watched on for a moment, trying to listen to everything but soon it became incoherent.
“[Person B], please, you don’t have to tell me, really -“
“No no, you’re right,, I should trust you with it - better now than never right ?”
There was a short silence and soon Person B cleared their throat, finally getting their thoughts in order.
“What I’m saying is,, I love you”
“Awe I love you too !”
Person A obviously replied, making Person B anxiously frustrated for a split second.
“No ! Not like that, far from that ! I mean like, the I wanna hold your hand, hold you in ways that those couples we make fun of together do-“
Person A’s heart raced once again, their face turning the same shade of red as Person B. Person A smiled, lunging themselves at Person B and hugging them.
“I was hoping you felt that way about me too, [Person B’s nickname]”
There are a lot of stories where at the end of it the love interest’s last words to the protagonist are a love confession. But it’s always “I love you” or a variant of it. But what about:
“I love you too.”, their love breathed with one last broken smile, before their body lost all its tension and with it all life. The protagonist barley took notice of how they basically collapsed onto their love, how their fat tears ruined the others shirt. Not that it mattered. Not anymore. No.
The only thing they really took notice of, were the last words, screaming at them, begging for attention from seemingly ever last corner of their mind.
‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’
No. That wasn’t quite right though, now was it? No. There was this last, tiny, seemingly unnecessary word at the end.
‘Too.’
‘I. Love. You. Too.’
‘I love you. Too.’
‘I love you too.’
Yes; that’s what they had said. Meaning…. they had known. They had known, all this time and they never said anything, why didn’t they say anything, we could’ve been- weren’t we- maybe if we- NO- nonononono
Pictures of unlived moments that were never meant to be, flooded their mind; seconds of memories passed by long ago, burning their eyes. And that last sentence, screaming, begging. Too much. It was all to much. But it all ended in a single question:
There are a lot of stories where at the end of it the love interest’s last words to the protagonist are a love confession. But it’s always “I love you” or a variant of it. But what about:
“I love you too.”, their love breathed with one last broken smile, before their body lost all its tension and with it all life. The protagonist barley took notice of how they basically collapsed onto their love, how their fat tears ruined the others shirt. Not that it mattered. Not anymore. No.
The only thing they really took notice of, were the last words, screaming at them, begging for attention from seemingly ever last corner of their mind.
‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’ ‘I love you’
No. That wasn’t quite right though, now was it? No. There was this last, tiny, seemingly unnecessary word at the end.
‘Too.’
‘I. Love. You. Too.’
‘I love you. Too.’
‘I love you too.’
Yes; that’s what they had said. Meaning…. they had known. They had known, all this time and they never said anything, why didn’t they say anything, we could’ve been- weren’t we- maybe if we- NO- nonononono
Pictures of unlived moments that were never meant to be, flooded their mind; seconds of memories passed by long ago, burning their eyes. And that last sentence, screaming, begging. Too much. It was all to much. But it all ended in a single question:
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Dazai asks quietly, looking anywhere but directly at Chuuya. “After all this time at my side, you haven’t realized?” Chuuya makes a noise that’s almost like a scoff, but he refuses to say anything, instead clearly waiting for Dazai to elaborate. So he does. “Everything I’ve ever wanted, I’ve lost. As soon as I gained it, it was already gone.”
“So, what?” Chuuya speaks after a moment of silence, “Is that your way of confessing you wanted me? Because you sure as hell lost me. You made damn sure that you lost me.”
“That’s probably the stupidest thing you’ve ever asked me.” Dazai replies, but it lacks his familiar bite. He swallows around the rest of the words he wants to say but no matter how hard he tries, he can’t push them down.
He’s spent years pushing away the words he wants to say, carefully selecting words that are almost what he wants to say, but not quite. He has spent all the time he’s known Chuuya carefully crafting a wall between them to keep Chuuya at a predetermined distance, to keep him just far enough away that Dazai didn’t risk losing him permanently. Because no matter how hard he pushed, no matter how many times he pulled away, Chuuya was always there. He always showed up in the knick of time if Dazai needed him, sheltered him from the horrors of the world, created his own personal bubble of comfort. It was as addicting as it was terrifying because no matter how hard Dazai tried to keep his distance, Chuuya kept slipping closer and closer to him— to his heart. And so he’d spent all the time he’d known Chuuya terrified that he would lose him permanently.
Because this— this wasn’t permanent loss. This was a drastic separation to avoid permanent loss.
“You bastard—“ Chuuya starts to turn away and that final wall that Dazai has up between them crumbles at the gesture.
“Of course I wanted— want you.” Dazai says without thinking, the words practically ripping themselves out of his throat. “I’ve never wanted something more.”
His words pause Chuuya in his tracks. Dazai finally looks over at him, looks at the rigid line of his shoulders, at the stiff set of his jaw in profile. He doesn’t honestly have any idea how he expects Chuuya to respond to the confession he never intended to give but at this point his only option is just to wait and find out.
“Youbastard.” Chuuya repeats, turning to face him. His eyes are hard and angry as he looks at Dazai, but there’s something else in there, too. Dazai has seen Chuuya pissed off more times than anyone else in the world, he was absolutely certain of that. But he’d never seen Chuuya look quite like this. “You do realize that you lost me through your own doing, right? That you did this? I wouldn’t have fucking gone anywhere if it weren’t for your shitty attitude!”
“Chuuya—“
“Hell, I still haven’t gone anywhere, have I? Not really!” Chuuya reaches out to grab the front of Dazai’s shirt and drags him across the small distance that was separating them. “No matter how big of an asshole you are, I keep coming back, don’t I? Here I am, right now, saving your ass despite all the shitty things you’ve done to me!”
“I was trying to protect you!” Dazai replies honestly.
“Protect me?” Chuuya roars and Dazai can feel the firm press of his fist against the front of his sternum. It’s not painful exactly— it’s more of a grounding feeling, something to keep him directly in the moment. “I never asked you to protect me! I’m perfectly capable—“
“Of course you didn’t! Dazai reaches up to grab Chuuya’s wrist, holding it in an equally tight grip. “You’d never ask me to protect you!”
“So then why—“
“Because I wanted to!” Dazai’s last tread of composure snaps as he stares at Chuuya’s incredulous face. “Because someone has to! Because losing you by putting some distance between us was better than losing you for good!” Chuuya is still staring at him with that mix of emotions that Dazai can’t quite place, his jaw clenched tight as if he were holding back his own outburst. “At least this way I know you’re aliveand you have a chance at happiness.”
There’s a long moment of silence that follows Dazai’s words and it echoes so loudly in his head that it makes him wish he could take all of those words back. Chuuya lets go of his shirt, both of their hands falling back to their sides as Chuuya finally looks away and breaks their eye contact. There’s a reason he didn’t tell Chuuya why he disappeared, a reason why he has fought so hard to keep his distance. Chuuya wouldn’t understand. He was too hot-headed, always thinking with his anger than any practicality, he wouldn’t—
“Without you?” Chuuya finally breaks the silence and it sounds like each word physically hurts him to say. “You think I can find happiness without you?”
“You hate me.” Dazai points out. Because Chuuya has said it almost every time they’ve been together since they were fifteen goddamn years old. Because the only thing Chuuya does more than save his ass is remind Dazai how much he can’t stand him. If he were to play Chuuya’s voice in his head, it would say I fucking hate you.
And sure, he knows that Chuuya doesn’t hate him in the sense that most people hate someone else. He knows that Chuuya feels some amount of the bond that he feels— like Chuuya had said, he was still here. No matter what had happened between them, no matter what bad blood stained both of their hands, they always found their way back to each other. So no, Dazai was secure in the idea that Chuuya didn’t hatehim hate him. But he had also thought Chuuya would be glad that he was gone, at least a little bit.
“Yeah,” Chuuya still doesn’t raise his head to meet Dazai’s gaze, his hat hiding his expression from Dazai. “I do. But for some godforsaken reason, I fucking love you more than that.”
The words hit harder than any punch Chuuya has ever thrown at him and Dazai immediately feels the wind being knocked out of him. “You do?”
Finally, Chuuya raises his head to meet Dazai’s gaze again and nothing in Dazai’s life— not a single thing he has ever gone through— could have prepared him for the way Chuuya’s eyes looked staring back at him. Nothing could have prepared him for a soft side of Chuuya, a vulnerable side. Chuuya had spent his whole life fighting for his own place in the world, letting people use him and toss him aside as long as it didn’t damage him more than he anticipated. He had spent his whole life guarding his heart and protecting his dignity and here he was, staring back at Dazai with every one of his guards down.
That act of vulnerability was more of a confirmation for Dazai than words could have ever been.
But Chuuya confirms it with words anyways. Because he had always been the one of them who was brave enough to say what was on his mind, to put the facts out there if they needed to be said, no matter what the repercussion was. He was the one who had all the guts between the two of them. Dazai had only ever been a coward.
“Yeah,” Chuuya replies quietly, his voice as raw as the expression on his face— as raw as Dazai’s blackened heart feels in this moment. “I do. Because no matter what ridiculously stupid scheme you’re getting up to, I want to be a part of it. Because no matter how many shitty things you say, I want you to stay by my side. You thought you were protecting me by leaving but if you had spared even a second to think about what I wanted, you would’ve fucking known that the best thing you could’ve done was to stay with me.”
“I—“ Dazai swallows around a dry throat, the words catching before he can speak them. He forces himself to try again. “I didn’t know that’s what you wanted.”
“You’re annoyingly brilliant.” Chuuya replies dismissively. “You knew. And if you didn’t, it’s because you didn’t let yourself, not because I didn’t show you.”
And maybe there’s some truth to that. Maybe there’s a lot of truth to that. Chuuya has always known Dazai better than he’s ever wanted to know himself. If he really thought about it, he probably did know how Chuuya felt, what Chuuya wanted. But he had been a coward— he’d been so afraid of losing Chuuya that he hadn’t ever considered another option. He had been so certain that he’d have Chuuya taken from him forever if he ever let Chuuya close that he had convinced himself that this was best for them, that this was what Chuuya really wanted. He had convinced himself that it was the only way, even though everything they had ever done together, every moment they had ever shared had been evidence to the contrary.
Like Chuuya said, he was still here, no matter what Dazai had put him through.
“I’m sorry.” Dazai breathes, trying to put every ounce of sincerity into his voice. It’s a hard thing to manage when he’s gone so many years without being sincere, he hardly remembers what it feels like to tell the truth. Though Chuuya is the person he’s always been he most honest with, the person that honesty comes easiest with.
“I don’t want your shitty apology,” Chuuya scoffs before adding, more softly, “I just want you.”
The words fill Dazai with a warmth he had never thought suited him, a warmth he had never thought he deserved. It feels good— foreign, but unbearably good. He wants to keep feeling this way forever. He feels invincible, like he could take on anyone— even fate— if they dared to try and step in between him and Chuuya.
“Are you sure?” He teases, smiling as he leans towards Chuuya,, “I’ve been told I’m pretty annoying.”
Chuuya rolls his eyes but his own lips quirk up in a smile.
“Fuck yeah you are.” Chuuya mumbles before reaching up to yank Dazai down by the front of his shirt again, crashing their lips together.
At this point, Dazai won’t even deny to himself that he’s dreamt of this moment more times than he can count. He can admit that he had never— not once ever— thought he would ever get to experience it. He can also admit that this is better than every day dream, every late night fantasy he had tried to will himself out of. Nothing in his imagination could have properly prepared him for the way Chuuya would feel against him— no matter how many times he had held Chuuya after Corruption, no matter how many times he had hauled Chuuya’s half-dead body out of some warehouse, he had never imagined it would feel this good to actually hold Chuuya. He had never imagined it would be the singular best feeling of his life to catch Chuuya by the belt loops and drag him closer, the other hand tangling in the long hair that Dazai secretly loved.
It was the singular best moments in all the years Dazai had ever been alive— it was better than the high of coming out of a battle successful with Chuuya at his side. It was even better than the knowledge that he was the only one who could properly be a counterpart to Chuuya— and that alone had given him a secret feeling of giddiness for years.
Chuuya makes a small, pleased noise against his lips and Dazai thinks fleetingly that this is the only moment in his entire life that he would actually be upset to die. Because this right here— this thing where Chuuya is actually his— is worth living for more than anything else he has ever encountered.
Finally Chuuya pulls away, but he doesn’t let go of the front of Dazai’s shirt, his other hand gripping Dazai’s shoulder with equal force. “Don’t you ever try to pull that shit again.”
“If you wanted to keep being part of my schemes, Chuuya,” Dazai is grinning so big it actually hurts. “You could’ve just told me that.”
“I really do fucking hate you.” Chuuya mumbles, his scowl as big as Dazai’s grin.
Dazai kisses the scowl off of his face with absolutely no hesitation, thrilled when the only response he gets is a returned kiss and the feeling of Chuuya’s grip on his shoulder tightening as if he were worried that Dazai was going to disappear if he let go.
This time it’s Dazai who pulls away, his grin still huge but his expression more serious. He feels like he’s brimming with happiness— not even brimming with it, he’s outright overflowing. “So we’re really doing this?”
“It’s about goddamn time we’re doing this,” Chuuya replies gruffly, but there’s no actual malice to his words. The edges of his sentence sound just the slightest bit breathless and a thrill goes down Dazai’s spine at the knowledge he caused this. “No backing out now, Mackerel.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, hatrack.” Dazai replies. “I’m nothing if not honorable when I give my word.”
Chuuya laughs— actually outright laughs at that statement, shaking his head as he steps away from Dazai enough to remind Dazai that they are, in fact, two separate entities and not just one being, no matter how connected their souls have always been. “You’re a fucking comedian if nothing else.”
Dazai tries to put on an exaggerated pout but he’s still overflowing with that foreign happiness that he finds it hard to pull off. A tragedy, really, but he’s willing to give up his excellent acting skills if it means that he gets to keep Chuuya instead. After all, his life has always been about compromises and this is the first time he doesn’t actually feel like he’s losing something— the first time he’s actually gaining something and it’s the one thing he’s never been able to stop himself from wanting.
“Now come on, idiot.” Chuuya nudges him before gesturing with his head towards the door. “I think we still have a fight to win.”
Chuuya starts off towards the door without any hesitation but Dazai stops him before he reaches it.
“Chuuya?” He calls before Chuuya can walk through the door. He’s not afraid— he’s never been afraid when going into a fight with Chuuya at his side, and he’s even less afraid now. But this is still something he has to say now, something he’s tried not to say for so long that he’s not even sure if he’s going to be able too say it. But the moment Chuuya turns to look at him, a questioning eyebrow raised, the words come out easily. “I love you.”
Chuuya’s grin is sharp. “I love you too, asshole.” He replies easily, “And I’ll fucking kill you if you ever forget that,”
Summary: It happened during another crazy adventure, like always. It hadn’t been long since you both had to say goodbye to Donna, and you needed to be distracted from the sadness resting within yourself, so off you were to the next space & time-adventure. The one thing you hadn’t expected though, was for you to meet the future Doctor again - and this time he claims to be your husband. (Takes place during ‘Day of the Doctor’)
It was infuriating, to see the Doctor having to prance around with queen Elizabeth, acting like a couple, while you had to stay in the Tardis and check the readings. You knew that it was to save the world from a Zygon invasion, but still, you couldn’t help the jealousy and doubt arising in you. After all, even though the Doctor and you had gotten closer after the incident on Azitora 5, you still danced around each other, too unsure of how to proceed. You had no way to label your relationship with the Doctor, as you hadn’t had time for a proper conversation about it yet. And you knew why. The Doctor had a hardened shell around him, too hurt by previous experiences to want to open up fully. It had taken you a long time to learn about the time war, and even more time to learn the names of some of his previous travelling companions. At one point, you had wished that you could have been more like Martha, with how she had forced the Doctor to stop hiding his past from her. But alas, you found yourself gasping for air in the deep waves of regret and anger that rolled off the man, every time his past came up. One might think your worries were unfounded, seeing as his future self had told you about his romantic relationship with your future self. However, time can be rewritten, and you really didn’t want it to be. Didn’t want to risk it. It still hurt when the Doctor did his fake proposal to the queen, even if he sprung back on his feet seconds later and revealed his true intentions for doing so. But you did not have much time to dwell on it, making the decision to disobey the Doctor’s order and take off after the group when the horse had transformed into a Zygon. You were not close to them, as they had taken off running long before you could even comprehend what you saw on the Tardis’ screen. When you finally managed to catch up with them, they were standing in a clearing in the forest, and there were two Elizabeths’. That should have been what worried you, but instead, you fixated on the swirl of light in the air. ‘’…a tear in the fabric of reality. Anything could happen!’’ You heard the Doctor exclaim. A fez dropped out. And then, just a bit later, so did a man. A man you recognized very well, even after only meeting him once - or, well, seeing that face once. It only took a few moments, before your Doctor had understood what was happening, both of them taking out their sonic screwdrivers to show the other that they were indeed both the Doctor. ‘’…Compensating?’’ Your Doctor asked the other, ‘’For what?’’ ‘’Regeneration, it’s a lottery.’’ You couldn’t help laughing at that, pulling everyone’s attention towards yourself. ‘’Oh, hello love.’’ The future Doctor left your Doctor behind and hastily made his way to you. Before you had time to respond, you let out a small yelp as you found yourself dipped, his lips connecting with yours. In the background you heard a scandalized Oi, what? but found it hard to focus with the way he moved his lips against yours, holding you up with one hand around your waist and the other underneath your head, his fingers tangled in your hair. Just as he pulled you back on your feet, you felt someone pull on your hand, away from the one who had just kissed you. ‘’What do you think you’re doing? They’re my partner!’’ You Doctor tugged on your hand, trying to get you closer to him, and further away from the other Doctor, whom he was levelling with an angry glare. ‘’Well, they’re my spouse.’’ The future Doctor tugged at your other hand, though gently, as if to not hurt you during the tugging war between him and his other self, who had now gone still, eyes wide open and his jaw slack. ‘’…Spouse?’’ His voice was small, unsure and if you listened closely, filled with an undertone of disbelief. His grip on your hand has loosened, to the point where it slipped from his grip as you were pulled into the chest of the other Doctor, your hands on his shoulders to stabilize yourself, as he shot the Doctor a victorious smirk. ‘’Yes, spouse. Consider yourself a lucky fella, you’ve got that to look forward to.’’ He then shifted his eyes down to you, a gentle grin on his face, ‘’Hello again.’’ ‘’Partner? Doctor, what do you mean, partner? Who are these people?’’ Came the queens voices, understandably confused at the current events happening in front of them. The two Doctors glanced at each other, searching for words to explain, before the future Doctor took the word again. ‘’Well, you see, this lovely person,’’ He gestured to you, ‘’Is my spouse. Happily married for a few years now.’’ He then gestured to your Doctor, ‘’However, since I’ve been very busy, they’ve been travelling with this gentleman here for a short while - they’re travelling-partners, right?’’ He glanced at his past self, who was still glaring at his future self’s hand still placed on your waist, before snapping his eyes up again and giving a reluctant, ‘’Right.’’ ‘’Now, your majesties, probably a good time to run.’’ - A lot of things happened after that. You met another version of the Doctor. One, who was younger yet looked older than the Doctor’s you were with. The Doctor - your Doctor - and his future self seemed scared of him, but before you had time to ask, the queens’ soldiers emerged and took you all away. You then met the Doctor’s future companion, Clara. A lovely woman. Very quick, you noticed soon after meeting her. It had been a bit strange at first, since this woman too knew your future self, and spoke to you with a familiarity that you couldn’t reciprocate, but you soon found yourself chatting away with her, growing more and more accustomed to her. She was by your side at the Doctor’s wedding with queen Elizabeth, distracting you with funny stories of future adventures, so that you could do something besides staring at the man you loved getting married to someone else (even if he had no feelings for her). ‘’This future version of the Doctor, I mean your version of the Doctor, is he always this… affectionate?’’ You whispered to her. The future Doctor had indeed been very clingy with you since the moment you had met him during the incident on Azitora 5. You knew that with every new face came a new personality, but then again, you had only known one face for so long. It almost seemed impossible that the change would be this obvious. ‘’Oh no, he’s usually much worse.’’ Clara whispered in return, stifling a giggle, ‘’He’s clearly trying to hold back here. I think he realizes that this version of you probably isn’t very used to it yet. Future you is though. Oh, you two can’t go ten minutes without snogging, even when there’s a crisis going on.’’ She rolled her eyes with a grin on her face. ‘’It gets very embarrassing when the Doctor does it in the middle of explaining his plans to the terrified people around him.’’ ‘’He does that?’’ You gasped, embarrassed by just imagining such a situation. ‘’He does it often.’’ She laughed at your reaction. The future Doctor joined in on the conversation as well, just before the married couple had to kiss, slinging his arm around your neck and turning both of you away from the sight while recalling a story of a small planet that had the strangest traditions for birthday celebrations. - It was later, much later, that you met your future self. After stopping the zygons, after storing Gallifrey away, frozen in time, you stood with your future self before you. The Doctors’ were busy talking about the fate of Gallifrey just behind you, standing in front of the picture of their home planet. Your future self had appeared just then, a bit cross at being left out of the action, but mostly concerned about the Doctor and Clara. Their eyes locked with your own, both of you taking a moment to observe the other, taking in all the differences - big and small. Their hair was different, you noticed, and you could spot small scars on their exposed skin. No doubt from their adventures with the Doctor. Before you knew it, you were within a feet distance of each other, still silently looking at each other. ‘’Wow, that’s weird.’’ Your voice intermingled with your future self’s. Both of you let out a little laugh at that. The weirdness of the situation was indescribable. ‘’Alright, Doctor, if you could keep your attention on saying your goodbyes instead of making goo goo eyes at your spouse.’’ Came Clara’s voice from behind you. ‘’I am not making goo goo eyes.’’ Came the Doctors’ annoyed voices, spoken at the same time. - You were back in the Tardis, having said your last goodbyes to the others. The future Doctor had brought your knuckles to his mouth to leave a small peck, before turning back to your future self. The last glimpse you caught of them before the Tardis’ door closed, was future you leaning into the Doctors’ side, who was hugging them with one arm, leaning his head down on theirs and they looked at the picture once more, speaking in hushed voices. Saying goodbye had been hard. You were so glad to know that the Doctor’s home planet was safe after all, but it hurt to know that he wouldn’t remember it, that he would feel the guilt for so many years before he, perhaps, found Gallifrey again. But this was how it was, the best you could do was to be there for him until then. ‘’So, where to next? Any particular mood we’re going for? Or…-’’ ‘’Wherever you wanna go.’’ You interrupted him, ‘’I’m sure I’ll enjoy it anyway.’’ He shot you the excited toothy grin that made your heart do backflips, and started his usual ritual of twirling around the Tardis’ console, pushing buttons and pulling levers, before reaching the lever he always pulled last before takeoff. His hands stilled on the lever. ‘’(Y/n). You remember how I said we wouldn’t be able to remember any of this? Due to the paradox?’’ He spoke gently, eyes still locked onto the console panel, as if too shy to look at you. ‘’Hm? Oh, yeah, I do… Is there something else I should be aware of? Some side effect?’’ ‘’No! No, nothing like that. It’s just… I was thinking…’’ He trailed off, before standing upright and walking to stand in front of you. ‘’Doct…-’’ ‘’I love you.’’ You felt yourself flush immediately, butterflies going crazy in your stomach. With your head spinning, you tried to make yourself say something back to the Doctor, but no sound came out from your gaping mouth as you stared back at him. ‘’You and I won’t be able to remember that I said that.’’ He continued, ‘’And that’s exactly why I wanted to do it. Because I realized that this whole thing, I’ll experience it again in the future. The zygons, saving Gallifrey… getting married somewhere along the way. And… I wanted to experience this again too.’’ He admitted sheepishly, but not breaking eye contact, as your eyes searched his, confused. He continued; ‘’I know I love you. That’s not going to change just because we won’t remember this little adventure, and eventually, I’ll get to say it again for the first time. Or maybe, it’ll be you who says it then.’’ He paused for a moment. ‘’I’m… I’m not good at these romantic gestures, but this. This felt right. Like it was something I had to do, after everything that’s just happened… Or maybe I just couldn’t help myself.’’ The Doctor finally smiled. Just a small, nervous smile, and it strangled your heart. You had longed to hear those words for so long, to be sure that your affections were returned, and yet doubt clawed at your mind, unable to accept the reality that was unfolding in front of you. ‘’But, time can be changed, right? How do we know for sure that it’ll work out?’’ You asked him, reaching out to hold his hands in yours, trying to convince yourself that this was indeed reality and not some cruel illusion. His hands held yours gingerly, squeezing gently as he let out a low chuckle. ‘’Well, you did just spend a good portion of this crisis getting snogged by my future self, so I think we’re safe to assume that it will.’’ You let out a gasp, ‘’It wasn’t nearly that much! And besides, he’s you! It’s your fault for being such a sap in the future.’’ He laughed at that, tugging you behind him as he walked back to the lever, and then brought one of his hands up to cup your chin, the other one landing on the lever. ‘’You know, there’s one other thing I wanted to do.’’ He titled your head up, and tilted his own down, ‘’…If you don’t mind.’’ You brought your hand over his, leaning in closer with a smile on your face, ‘’I don’t think I do. So go ahead, Doctor.’’ As he brought his lips against yours, you heard the telltale sound of the lever being pulled and the Tardis began to hum, as everything faded. You felt a bit tired. The sort of tired you feel when you’ve just woken up from a long night’s sleep - at peace and very unwilling to move. You felt a puff of warm air against your face, prompting you to finally open your eyes slowly, before they jumped wide open when you saw the Doctor’s face just inches from yours. His eyes were closed as well, but began to slowly blink open as you took a step backwards. That’s when you noticed his hands holding yours. He noticed too, and let go of your hands with a nervous laugh. He scratched his neck as he looked to the floor for a moment, but then focused on the Tardis’ screen. ‘’Well, looks like we’ve landed somewhere, somewhen. I’ll just… go have a quick look.’’ He muttered, striding towards the door. You didn’t answer, too busy trying to get your giddy nerves under control, your heart beating much too fast for your liking. ‘’Oh, huh, doesn’t look like the worst place to have landed. Should we go take a look?’’ He offered his hand to you. The light from outside caught in his hair, and you almost tripped over your own feet as you walked closer, those cursed butterflies zooming around in your guts, as you slid your hand into his. ‘’Of course. Anywhere with you Doctor.’’
Summary: Time travel is always a bit unpredictable, and you’re never totally sure where you’re gonna end up. Travelling with the Doctor had made you prepare for many scenarios, but never one where his future self would be the one to declare that he adores you, before your own Doctor could.
Meeting the Doctor had been lifechanging. And life- saving , considering you’d most likely be dead if he hadn’t showed up when he did. That first wacky adventure had led to so many more, and you wouldn’t change it for the world. The trips amongst the stars was definitely something you couldn’t imagine yourself living without now. And your travelling buddy, oh that man. Or that alien , to be correct. You had found the thought funny at first - a time travelling alien who was somehow enamoured with humans and all their silly little habits. His overwhelming enthusiasm about everything human even made you appreciate your fellow humans a little more.
The Doctor was truly amazing. Everywhere he went, he explored with a sense of wonder and challenged any danger head on - willing to risk his own life multiple times in order to save others. But it was also the small things that made you so fond of him. It was the way he carried himself, confident yet somehow one of the most clumsy people you had ever met. The warm tone of his voice, all his small french phrases, his hugs. It filled you with feelings you shouldn’t have, for many reasons. The Doctor was busy with this life of travelling, he would live much longer than you ever would, and then there was you. No matter how many times the Doctor had exclaimed that you were brilliant, no matter how enthusiastically he claimed it, you couldn’t believe it would ever be enough to rival all of that which he could have instead. You didn’t want to look down on yourself, anybody back on earth would be lucky to have you, but what hope did you have with someone who could have anyone in the entirety of space and time - and already had an incredible amount of wannabe-flirts. It pained you to keep such a tight lid on your feelings, but you dared not do anything else. You would suffocate the urge to kiss him when he babbled on about something you could only hope to ever understand, you’d keep your lovesick thoughts to yourself when he complimented you. There was too much to lose to ever let him know.
‘’Oh, (y/n), this one you’ll love! The Market Festival of Azitora 5! It’s a tradition that every 40th year, merchants from all sorts of different galaxies bring their most precious and interesting goods, and meet at this planet. It’s always very crowded, because everyone wants to see what interesting goods the merchants have brought with them from the corners of the universe, and there’s even a competition, where the merchant with the most special item gets a prize! And of course, you can’t forget…’’ The Doctor rambled on, as he circled the Tardis’ control panel, pushing buttons and pulling levers with little effort. You had tuned out the Doctor’s voice, and stared longingly at his animated form instead. You had to be careful that he didn’t catch you in the act, but you couldn’t help but let yourself indulge in moments like this.
‘’(y/n)?’’
You blinked, before quickly snapping out of your trance and answering the Doctor, who was now looking at you with an almost unsure gaze, his bushy eyebrows knitted in concern, an unknown emotion swimming in his brown eyes, ‘’Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry Doctor, I guess I zoned out a little bit. I’m just a little tired, went to bed late last night.’’ You were rambling, flustered, and you knew it must have been obvious. Luckily, the Doctor seemed content with having your full attention now, beckoning you to his side as he opened the door of the Tardis with his signature ‘’Allons-y!’’, before dragging you out into the market of Azitora 5 with him.
‘’Now, feel more than free to have a look around, but don’t let yourself get talked into buying something strange! And by strange, I mean anything that might threaten your life!’’ He said, as he mingled into the huge crowd, with you struggling to follow behind him.
‘’But Doc, how am I supposed to know? I’ve never seen any of this stuff before!’’ You counterpointed. At that, he stopped and turned around to look at you.
‘’Well… You’re right. I guess we better just stick together then, eh?’’ He asked with a light laugh, his varm fingers enclosing around your hand, squeezing it softly, before pulling you to his side. The butterflies in your stomach would not settle down, even after he shifted his attention to the surrounding stalls that you passed, your hand gripped tightly in his, rubbing his thumb over your skin gently every so often.
The next few hours were spent with the Doctor dragging you to nearly every stall to have a look (Obviously not nearly all of them, but it sure felt like it.) Every so once in a while, the Doctor would grab an item and show it off to you, claiming to have seen it many times before on his travels. The merchants weren’t too happy with this, and you found yourself dragging the Doctor away before they could get too agitated. That’s how you found yourself in an arena of sorts, the seats slowly being filled by the other visitors of the festival.
‘’What is this place? Why are they all sitting down?’’ You inquired.
‘’Oh! You remember that contest I mentioned? Well, this is where it happens. Now, quickly, let’s find a seat before they’re all taken.’’ He tugged you after him, as he sprinted up to the closest available seats. Your side pressed against his, making your skin burn beneath your clothes. It was almost painful. You noticed that his hand had yet to let go of yours, and when you tried to loosen your grip, he intertwined your fingers with his. Heat rushed to your cheeks, and you thanked whatever was out there, that the Doctor was too busy looking around the arena to notice the state of you.
‘’Any moment now, the merchants will go to the middle of the arena, one by one, and show off their item.’’ He let out a chuckle, ‘’This part of the festival is always a riot. One time, one of the merchants had brought a willowplik with her, and the problem was, that willowpliks aren’t very fond of crowds, so it started spewing nasty goo everywhere. That poor merchant wasn’t even aware that it could do that. Oh lord, the smell. It was so bad.’’ You couldn’t help but join in his laughter, the image of people fleeing the area in a panic to avoid some smelly goo was enough to make you forget your lovesick infatuation for just a moment.
Even with the Tardis translating everything the merchants said, you were grateful that the Doctor still took the time to explain the items they had brought in terms that you could understand. At some point, an alien took the stage, with a small cube in their hands. Their four blue fingers gripped it tightly in their hands, before raising it up into the air to show it off. It just looked like a grey metallic cube, but it lit up with blue lines when the alien pressed at a specific point.
The Doctor let out a whistle, ‘’Hard to believe they let one of those on the planet.’’
‘’One of those what? Is it something dangerous they’ve brought?’’ You tensed. Surely they wouldn’t allow anything into the competition that was dangerous. But then again, if it was supposed to be a showing of strange new items, there was a chance that the officials wouldn’t be sure if the item was dangerous or not.
‘’It’s an infinity cube. It’s named that way, because every time it is activated, something new will happen - you know, infinite possibilities. They’re banned on most planets, because of their unpredictability. Aaaand they’re going to activate it here… (y/n)! We have to get down there!’’. With that, he jumped out of his seat, and raced down, shouting ‘’Sorry!’’, whenever he hit someone with his lanky legs.
When you finally reached the ground, he whipped out his trusty sonic screwdriver, and pointed it at the cube, which had begun to rise into the air. The merchant was desperately trying to grab it, seemingly unaware of the item’s power.
The Doctor lowered his screwdriver with a frustrated groan, ‘’Ugh, you always act up like this when I need you the most! (Y/n), don’t get too close to…-’’ He turned around to look at you, and sucked in a quick breath, his eyes widening in terror.
‘’Doctor?’’ You had no idea why he was looking at you like that. You tried to reach out to him, but as you did, you noticed the blue shimmer surrounding your arm, ‘’Doctor? What is happening?’’
‘’(y/n)… Just, stay right there, I’m coming over to you. Don’t move!’’ He pleaded, slowly moving towards you, reaching his hands out to you. The crowd around you was restless, their murmurs and confusion slowly morphing into panic, as they realized that the merchant had no control over their item. You tuned it all out, unable to tear your eyes away from the Doctor’s, which were fixed on your form, as if trying to keep you in your spot.
‘’That’s it, (y/n). Come on, give me your hand. I’ll figure out what is happening and put you back to normal, alright? Just come here.’’ His fingers were so close to touching yours now.
Your voice came out weak, as if it came from another room, ‘’Doctor?’’. The colors of your surroundings were slowly fading, turning into a light blue, the shapes of the aliens in the crowd blurring. You felt queasy, almost weightless. You struggled to move your body.
When the Doctor tried to grab your hand, his fell right through yours, as if you weren’t really there.
‘’(Y/N)!’’ His voice turned to panic, his hands desperately trying to grab you, but you hardly heard it, your mind slowly getting lost in the strange blue fog. Then, it all turned white.
Whatever you were laying on, it felt somehow familiar. Opening your eyes, the first color you noted was the light blue. But this time, it seemed that it was merely the normal color of your surroundings, the blue glow from the infinity cube nowhere to be seen. You felt sore, your arms like jelly as you stood up, gripping tightly onto the railing.
While you were still trying to get your wits about you, you missed the sound of a door opening and footsteps. You let out a low groan, as you rubbed your temple, eyes still fixed on the floor, before you heard a quiet, ‘’(Y/n)?’’. It was an unfamiliar voice, and when your eyes fell on the person before you, you saw an unfamiliar face as well. Green eyes, brown locks combed to the side, and a noticeable chin. However, his eyes looked at you with such familiarity, that you couldn’t help but feel that you must’ve met him somewhere before. Perhaps on one of your adventures with the Doctor? But, surely you would’ve remembered a handsome face like his, you admitted to yourself, feeling a bit ashamed of your attraction to this unknown man.
‘’Who are you? Where am I? I was just at Azikorlaka, and then I woke up here. I didn’t mean to break into your ship, or home or whatever.’’ You felt flustered under his gaze, which was now filled with an emotion you couldn’t place, but if you listened to the small voice in the back of your head it would say disbelief , amazement, adoration. But you wouldn’t listen.
His eyes crinkled, as the corners of his lips lifted into a small grin, ‘’Azikorlaka? You wouldn’t by any chance mean Azitora 5?’’
‘’…Yes, that is what I meant, but, how would you know that?’’ You questioned him, your words laced with hesitance. Did this man have something do with you being teleported here? He didn’t seem dangerous, but at the same time you had no reason to trust him, no matter how silly and non-threatening he looked, fiddling with his bowtie and hair while looking at his reflection on a screen - wait, why was he doing that?
‘’I remember this. The day you disappeared - Although, only for a little while. But I always did wonder where you went. How ironic that it would be here, at this moment.’’ He sighed almost wistfully, looking at you in that particular way that felt too intimate for someone you swear you hadn’t met before.
‘’What do you mean you remember this? I haven’t met you before.’’
He stood in front of you now, close enough to reach you with his hand, which he gently placed on your cheek. Suddenly you noticed how tired he looked. Despite the quick fix-up he had just done, his clothes were still slightly ragged and askew. His other hand he slowly placed on your other cheek, his breath washing over your face as he leaned down.
‘’Oh, (y/n)…’’
You felt like you should move. That you should create some distance from this… stranger , but you felt frozen, unwilling to part from him. Sadness emanated from him, and it felt familiar. Why did it feel familiar ? He rubbed your cheek with his thumb, eyelids drooping.
‘’Wha…-’’
He kissed you. Without thinking, your hands grabbed onto the lapels of his jacket, your eyes blown wide. His lips moved gently against yours, as his warm hands kept you pressed against his tall form. You could feel the tips of his fingers getting tangled in your hair, dragging down your neck and all the way down to your waist. Somehow, he managed to pull you even closer, your eyes finally closing. The kiss made you weak in the knees, not used to being handled like this. To be kissed like you were the most important person in the world, as his soft lips molded against yours. You wondered if the Doctor would ever kiss you like this.
The Doctor.
Snapping out of your daze, you pushed the man away, his lips leaving yours with a small pop .
‘’What… is happening?’’ You asked, taking greedy gulps of air into your lungs. You had asked that in regards to the kiss, though it seemed your makeout-buddy interpreted it differently.
‘’I sent you away. It was too dangerous for you to be here. but of course this happens. You show up anyway. Oh, you never did listen to orders did you?’’ A fond chuckle passed over his lips, though the sadness in his eyes grew stronger. With his hands still on your waist, he suddenly pulled you in again for a quick peck on the lips.
‘’He…-’’ Another peck. He pulled away slightly, just enough to separate his lips from yours as he pressed his forehead against your own, looking directly into your eyes.
‘’I suppose… This must all be very confusing to you.’’ He let out a nervous laugh, ‘’I apologize. I couldn’t help myself, I miss you too much already and it hasn’t even been that long since I dropped you off.’’
‘’What are you…-’’
‘’Really, the universe might be ending and you’re just standing there, looking so… kissable! ’’ He exclaimed with vigor, as if it annoyed him, moving away from you as he continued, ‘’I might die and never see you again and then you show up just to distract me! You absolute vixen! If I survive this, you better say yes when I ask you to marry me!’’ He threw his hands up in the air, before twirling around the console you hadn’t noticed before, pulling levers and pressing buttons.
‘’When you ask me to marry you?’’ You whispered to yourself, letting out a shaky sigh and rubbing your fingers against your temple, ‘’Why would you… Why would you ask me to marry you, I don’t even know you.’’ You managed to choke out, growing frustrated at the lack of answers. You just wanted to go back to the Doctor. You needed him to know that you were safe, you dare not imagine what he would do if you were lost forever.
The handsome stranger stopped his movement, looking at you again, now as if he had just been hit by a sudden realization. Removing his hands from the console, he slowly made his way over to you again, gently taking your hands in his.
He gave you a soft smile, ‘’(Y/n), look around you.’’
You blinked, confused at his request, before finally taking your eyes off him and letting them roam around the room you were in. It was blue, just as you had noticed when you first woke. But the layout of the room, it seemed so familiar. It was at the tip of your tongue. It was when you looked upwards, towards the ceiling, that’s when you saw the final piece of evidence. Gallifreyan. You still didn’t know how to read it, but you recognized the symbols from the small impromptu lessons you had had with the Doctor. Lowering your eyes again, you locked gazes with the man in front of you - The Doctor.
‘’We’re in the Tardis.’’ You gasped.
‘’You really only noticed now? What, too busy looking at your handsome Doctor?’’ He teased you, lifting one eyebrow with a smirk, seeming so damn pleased with himself, as your cheeks grew warm.
‘’I- You- Shut up!’’ You tried to remove your hands from his, your face hot with embarrassment. The Doctor had other plans, pulling you into a hug, burying his face in the crook of your shoulder, his own shaking with a warm laughter.
You let yourself enjoy the hug for a moment. He was the Doctor, and since he recognized you, it had to be one of his future regenerations. Part of you grew worried about the possibility of you messing up the timelines, but another part of you was concerned about something entirely different. He had kissed you - more than once. He wanted to propose to you. Something was wrong, it couldn’t be true.
‘’You’re gonna ask me to marry you.’’ It came out mumbled from your head pressed against his neck.
‘’It seemed like the natural next step, so yes.’’ He hummed, cheek nuzzling further into your neck, swaying you softly in the hug.
‘’…Why?’’
He pulled away to give you a bewildered look, ‘’Why? Well why wouldn’t I? I mean, you’re you , (y/n). And I lo…- Oh, you don’t know that yet, do you? Of course,’’ He let out a frustrated groan, his eyebrows knitting together as he slapped his hand against his temple, ‘’Of course! You were just on Azitora 5. Oh, I’m so stupid. Stupid Doctor! That’s why your behavior changed after that day… It’s all because of this!’’
‘’Doctor, I don’t understand…’’ You lifted your hand to place it on his cheek, only to notice the blue shimmer surrounding it.
‘’…Looks like we’re out of time. It’s time for you to go back to your Doctor, (y/n).’’ He murmured, looking slightly crestfallen.
‘’But wait! I can’t go now! You’ll be all alone!’’ You gripped onto his shoulders, shaking him, ‘’You shouldn’t have to face… whatever is happening alone!’’ Your voice was shaky, on the verge of breaking.
The Doctor’s hands found yours, squeezing them gently, before bringing them to his lips for a small kiss, ‘’(Y/n), there’s someone who is much more scared than I am right now, and that’s someone who thinks that he’s already lost you. He needs you, (y/n), you have to go back to him.’’ He leaned in to kiss your forehead, and smiled at you.
‘’But… You’re gonna be all alone.’’ You mumbled, sadness welling up in your chest at the Doctor facing yet another disaster with no one by his side. Your hands were now phasing through his, a sign that you only had a few seconds left.
‘’No, (y/n), you’re still with me. Even when you aren’t right by my side, I always feel you with me. And even though I know you’ll be extremely cross with me, when I go back to pick you up, I know you’ll stay. I couldn’t ask for anything more.’’
The blue shimmer was now clouding your vision, your eyelids felt unbelievably heavy as you blinked, your pleading gaze locked onto the Doctor.
‘’Oh,’’ He breathed, ‘’I almost forgot. (Y/n), I’m sorry to put the responsibility onto your shoulders, but when you get back to your Doctor, please, cut the poor guy some slack and take charge, would you? He may act charming and all that, but… Well, I was never too good at being totally honest about my feelings, was I…?’’
His words slowly faded into nothingness, as a blinding white filled your vision. The last thing you remember was his green eyes.
‘’(Y/N)!’’
Waking up now was harder than it had been before, as if you had just been in a deep sleep and was now being woken up by your parents, reminding you to get up for school.
‘’(Y/n)! (Y/n) please look at me.’’ Whoever was talking was cradling you in their arms, their body trembling just enough to be noticed.
Groaning, you attempted to swat the person away, ‘’Uggh, five more minutes, is that too much to ask for…’’
Wait.
Your eyes snapped open, worried brown eyes meeting yours. Concern was replaced with relief, as a tiny smile slipped onto the Doctor’s face.
‘’Hey.’’ He murmured to you, as if indeed speaking to a person who just woke up.
‘’Hi.’’ You replied back, unable to stop yourself from smiling in return. It was then you noticed your position, your cheek pressed against his clothed chest, one of his arms under your back, while his other hand was supporting your head.
‘’Good to have you back.’’ He said, his smile growing wider on his face, adjusting your position so you could sit up properly in front of him.
You took a look around you. You were still in the arena, but it was completely empty, deserted, except for you and the Doctor.
Sensing your confusion, the Doctor was quick to explain, ‘’All the guests were evacuated off the planet. It took some explaining, but they thankfully listened and are now parked in the planet’s orbit, until the threat is gone. The infinity cube may be dangerous, but all times it has ever been used in history, it has only affected the surroundings within a certain range. Now, I’ll put this little fella somewhere safe, and then we can give them the signal that it’s safe to come back.’’ He stood quickly, pulling you up with him and setting off towards where you left the Tardis, ‘’Do you remember what happened after you disappeared? I’m not entirely sure myself, but I’m almost certain that you were teleported somewhere else, but it was impossible to know for sure.’’ He mused the last part to himself, getting lost in thought.
‘’You didn’t know? …But, how did you get me back then? How could you reverse something you didn’t understand… wait, you said you sent the people away from the planet…’’ Realization slowly dawned on you, a terrible feeling in your gut. You stopped walking, the Doctor stopping a few steps ahead of you. His neck was craned forward, looking down at the ground, as if ashamed.
‘’It was the only option I had at the moment. And I… couldn’t just let you slip away, not when there was a chance I could get you ba- bring you back, I mean!’’ He turned his head slightly to look at you, with the face of a kicked puppy.
‘’You used the cube… You idiot! That could’ve been incredibly dangerous! What would I have done if you get hurt?’’ Marching up to the time lord, he backed up slightly as your face came close to his, ‘’You’re not the only one who gets to be worried, you know.’’ You pulled him down to your level, so you could lean your head on his.
He gaped at you, lost for words, ‘’I, uh, I’m sorry. I was just getting a little desperate, but, hey. Nothing too bad happened. Except for the pixies, those were a bit annoying.’’ He trailed off, his cheeks flushed as he broke eye contact.
‘’Well,’’ You started, pulling away before skipping ahead of the Doctor, turning around to yell, ‘’Why don’t you tell me all about that when you take me on a date to make up for this disaster of a trip.’’ You grinned at him, before turning around once again, leaving the Doctor behind, his eyes growing wide.
Notes: Thank you to @loverhymeswith for beta reading for me! And a HUGE thank you to everyone who supported Part 1! The response has been amazing and it really means so incredibly much to me!
Rooster… It had been a faint sound, feeble and hoarse, but he had heard you whisper his name across the coms. You were alive. For now at least. And Rooster was determined to do everything in his power to keep it that way even if that meant risking his own life.
He had seen the look of pain that flashed across your face as the missile that was aimed at his plane suddenly slammed into yours instead, and he had managed to catch a glimpse of your limp body as it hung beneath your parachute after you ejected. As much as he had screamed into the coms for you to turn on your beacon, as much as he kept insisting to the others that you were alive, part of him didn’t believe it. So, the second he saw your location beacon flicker to life on his radar, his heart leaped in his chest.
Now, as he ignored everyone’s incessant calls for him to return to the aircraft carrier, he was circling the area around your beacon. It seemed luck was on his side because, while he was unable to spot where you landed amongst the trees, he was able to find an old service road that had been recently cleared of snow. It wasn’t his best landing, and he knew takeoff would be tricky on the uneven surface, but at least it was something he could work with.
His engine didn’t even have time to sputter to a stop before he was out of the cockpit and jumping to the ground. The signal from your beacon had placed you not too far from here, but as Rooster sprinted towards the location, he saw no sign of you. A million thoughts spiraled through his head. Maybe you had been captured. Maybe the beacon had fallen off your suit and malfunctioned, turning on by itself. Maybe he wasn’t going to reach you in time, wasn’t going to have the chance to tell you….
But just then, he spotted something to his right. You were laying on your side with your back towards him, crumpled at the base of a tree with your parachute tangled in the limbs high above you. As he rushed to your side, he noticed your entire body was shivering but whether it was from the cold, the pain, or some sort of shock, Rooster couldn’t tell. Normally this fact would have worried him, but at the moment, he was just relieved for a sign that you were alive. As carefully as he could, he eased you onto your back, before gasping in alarm.
Summary: Adrien knows he’s forbidden to bite anyone expect for his mate, but, in an emergency, he ends up drinking Marinette’s blood…and realizing that his feelings for her haven’t been platonic in a long time. Now, if only he could convince her that his love is real and not the result of their intimate feeding session.
“Put me down!” Marinette demanded indignantly as Adrien ran up the stairs to the library with her in his arms. “We agreed that you only got to carry me like a damsel in distress that one time.”
“No,” Adrien patiently corrected. “We agreed that I got to carry you when there was an emergency. I think this qualifies.”
“I think I could run faster than you can carry me,” she grumbled as he kicked open the door to the library and screamed, “Akuma in Madame Bustier’s class!”
He dodged the resulting stampede of students and made his way to the stacks in the back.
“You can put me down now,” Marinette growled when they came to a stop.
“Nope,” Adrien responded, letting the “p” go with a pop as he surveyed their surroundings for witnesses. “Plagg, transform me.”
She was struck speechless for a moment as she marveled at him.
Chat Noir gave her a patented Adrien wink. “Like what you see, Princess?”
She immediately schooled her expression into a disapproving frown. “No. Now, leave me here and go do your job, Alley Cat.”
He rolled his eyes. “My only job right now is protecting you.”
Before she could protest, he extended his baton, launching them out of the library window and up onto the rooftop.
“Your job is to protect Paris!” she snapped when her stomach had settled back in its proper place.
“Well, I can’t very well do that until I know you’re safe,” he argued, beginning to lose patience with her stubbornness.
“I’m not defenceless, you know,” she shot back at him. “I don’t appreciate you treating me like I’m incompetent because I’ve got news for you: I’ve survived a hell of a lot of akuma attacks without you carrying me around like an infant.”
He slowed to a stop on a roof a few blocks away from the school and gently set her down.
She was about to continue her tirade about her autonomy when the distraught look on his face took the wind out of her sails.
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way,” he insisted. “That’s not what I think of you. Like, at all.”
She blinked in surprise at his vehemence coupled with the desperation with which he was trying to convince her.
“Marinette, I respect you so much,” he stressed. “Trust me. I know how capable you are. I mean, I can’t count how many times I’ve seen you defend yourself and others—both with your words and whatever jerry-rigged weapon you could get your hands on. There’s a reason I nicknamed you our ‘Everyday Ladybug’. I never meant to make you feel like I thought you needed me to protect you.”
She pursed her lips, looking away as she thought about how much she did need him as her partner. “…Then, what’s all this about?”
He averted his gaze, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I think I’m just kind of freaking out, honestly. It’s my fault that Lila is after you, and if she hurt you because of me…”
He shuddered and tentatively looked up at her.
“I need you to be safe so I can focus, Marinette,” he confessed, stepping forward and taking her hands in his. “Please let me take you to the Mansion. You’ll be safe there. Even if she does realize you’re there, the Mansion can go into lockdown, and she won’t be able to get you.”
Marinette winced even as she gave his hands a squeeze. “Minou…listen. I know your brain is making you think you’re in love with me because I gave you my blood, but you need to fight it. You can’t be preoccupied with me while you’re supposed to be fighting akumas.”
His ears drooped, and his tail curled self-consciously around his left calf. “I’m sorry that my feelings are inconvenient for you, but I think I’m done fighting them. I don’t want to live in denial anymore, even if you can never feel the same way about me.”
She pulled her hands out of his so she could cover her face with them as she groaned. “Adrien, it’s not like that at all. You have no idea how much I want—”
An explosion back at the school cut her off, and both of their faces blanched.
“You need to go. Now,” she urged.
“But—”
“—No buts. Paris has to come first, Chat Noir,” she insisted with an intent frown, hoping he would come to his senses.
Instead, he wilted further. “My head knows you’re right. It is my job to fight the akuma and save the day. It’s hard, though, when my heart is screaming at me to put you first.”
She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to ignore the screams in the distance. “…Adrien, do you love me?”
He nodded fervently. “Of course I do.”
She stepped in, looping her arms around his neck.
His hands automatically went to her waist.
“Okay.” She took a steadying breath. “Well, the best way for you to prove it is to trust me when I say I can keep myself safe.”
He looked away, struggling against his kneejerk reaction to scoop her up and get her out of harm’s way.
“I need you to leave me here and go defeat Lila. Can you do that for me?” she coaxed.
“Marinette…” he tried to argue.
“Didn’t you tell me this morning in the boiler room that you’d do anything for me?” she pressed.
He winced, mentally kicking himself for his thoughtless promise.
“Well, I want you to go fight an akuma for me,” she wheedled, reaching up to play with his hair. “Can you do that, Chaton?”
He blew out a sigh, dropping his head to her shoulder. “Yes, Princess. One defeated akuma, coming right up.”
“Good boy,” she purred, leaning in to give his neck a little nip right above the collar of his suit.
He sucked in a sharp breath, sparks shooting through his veins as he held back a moan. “You wreck me, you know that?”
She pulled back with a sad smile, giving him a pat on the cheek.
She wasn’t ready to tell him that the feeling was mutual.
“Go, Chaton. And stay safe.”
He nodded and dropped her off on the street level so that she could flee if the fight came her way.
With a heavy heart, he went into battle.
Chat Noir was a mess.
Thank goodness Ladybug was there to combine his tail, the basketball hoop in the school courtyard, and a car tire to take down the akuma and return things to rights.
“You okay over there, Chaton?” she called out to him as she made her way over for their customary fist bump.
He opened his mouth to assure his partner that everything was fine, but he couldn’t make the words come out.
Out of nowhere, his emotions caught up to him, and tears began to bead in the corners of his eyes.
“Oh, Minou,” she cooed, coming over to cup his face in her hand. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. There’s just a lot going on. Could we meet up in fifteen and talk? There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
She nodded, lowering her hand to his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I’ll see you then.”
He took off to find a safe place to detransform and feed Plagg, and he ended up in Marinette’s room. He collapsed on her bed and buried his face in her cat body pillow while he waited for his kwami to recharge.
Her normally soothing scent made him want to cry, but he held it together.
He was just about to transform back when he got a text from the girl in his heart and on his mind: “Just wanted to let you know I’m safe. Thank you for protecting me. You did a good job, and I’m so, so proud of you.”
A bittersweet smile stretched across his lips. “She knows how to push all of my buttons, doesn’t she?”
“Not that she knows she’s doing it,” Plagg grumbled.
With a sigh, Adrien called on his transformation and headed for the roof of Notre Dame where Ladybug was already waiting.
“Everything alright?” she cautiously inquired, head tipping curiously to the side.
He shook his head, taking a seat beside her. “I should have told you right away, but someone found out my identity.”
Her mouth rounded into a small “o”.
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “It was an emergency, and I had to detransform in front of someone. It was my fault for getting into a bad situation like that, but I didn’t have a choice about revealing my identity.” He took a steadying breath and blew it out. “…I understand if you need to take my ring away.”
She gave a squeak of alarm. “Well, now, hold on a minute.”
She put her hands up in protest. “I mean, do you know this person? Are they trustworthy?”
“Oh, absolutely,” he assured without having to consider it. “I trust her completely, and she cares about me a lot, so I know she’d do everything in her power to keep me safe.”
She pretended to consider this for a moment. “…Then…I don’t think there’s a problem. At least, not a big enough problem where we need to consider finding a new holder for Plagg. I mean, don’t go letting more people find out, but…it sounds like this is okay.”
He was struck dumb for a moment before he found the composure to respond.
“Of course. I won’t let this happen again,” he assured with a wink, trying to hold in how thrilled he was. “…You’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would.”
She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “Maybe I’ve mellowed with age.”
He rolled his eyes. “Because you’re so old at seventeen.”
She gave his arm a slap. “Hush, you. Somedays, I feel ancient.”
“Mood,” he sighed.
There was a beat where they gazed out at the city thoughtfully before she asked, “…Was that all you needed to talk to me about? You seemed really upset earlier.”
He laid back on the roof, resting the back of his wrist on his forehead. “I’m kind of a mess recently. You see, she found out something else about me too, and she’s surprisingly fine with it. Like, really fine with it.”
Ladybug arched an eyebrow. “Should she not be fine with it?”
He pursed his lips. “…I don’t know. My kneejerk reaction a week ago would have been ‘of course she shouldn’t be fine with it. I’m literally a freak. How could anyone be fine with this?’ …but she’s said some stuff to me that’s really made me think and challenge those preconceived notions.”
He swallowed. “Now, I’m starting to think…maybe I’m not the monster I thought I was after all.”
“Chat Noir,” Ladybug chastised sternly. “Of course you’re not a monster!”
He winced, giving her a sheepish smile.
She huffed in frustration, shaking her head. “…So, you’re having a hard time because she’s shaken up your worldview?”
“Partially.” He looked away, cheeks beginning to flame red as he forced himself to keep going. “Mostly, I’m a mess because I…um…we…we did something that you’re only supposed to do with a romantic partner.”
She forced herself to keep her face neutral so as not to give herself away.
“Oh?” she inquired, but the syllable cracked.
He covered his face with his hands. “We basically had sex.”
“What?!” she screeched.
“I know!” he groaned, dragging his hands down his face. “It was an accident, but I really wanted to, and she seemed into it, so now we’ve got this weird friends-with-benefits thing going on.”
“Oh?” she repeated hoarsely as her brain screamed. “That’s…nice.”
“No, it’s not,” he groaned but then seemed to reconsider. “Well, I mean…okay. It’s nice when we snuggle and she hugs me and gives me little nips on the neck.”
He shook his head, trying to get back on task. “But that’s not the point. The point is, after we did that, I realized that I’m in love with her.”
“And that’s a problem?” she pressed.
“No,” he insisted, sitting back up to face her. “It’s wonderful—she’swonderful. Of all the people I could have fallen for, she’s the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful… I’ll have you know that my taste in women is impeccable. She’s honestly out of my league.”
“Is she out of your league if she’s already slept with you?” Ladybug challenged.
Face a florid red, Chat looked away. “She did it because she’s selfless like that. I was a mess, and she compassionately sacrificed herself because she felt sorry for me and wanted to help.”
She cocked a skeptical eyebrow. “I mean, I’d hardly consider you a pity lay. …So, what’s the problem?”
He covered his face with his hands again. “She thinks I’m delusional and that I only think I’m in love with her because of what we did.”
Her eyebrow climbed higher. “And you think she’s wrong.”
“Iknow she’s wrong,” he insisted, dropping his hands and looking her pointedly in the eye. “I didn’t develop feelings for her afterwards. I discovered what the feelings I already had for her were. I’ve been in love with her for years. I just didn’t know that that’s what it was.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she gaped at him in shock. “You’re in love with her…for real?”
He nodded desperately. “She seriously is the best person, Ladybug. She’s wicked clever and funny and kind and brave. She always has time for others, no matter how busy she is. She’s always helping people and standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves.”
A soft smile worked its way onto his face as he continued. “She makes me feel safe, and she genuinely cares about me. She always listens to me whine and makes me feel like my feelings matter. She makes me feel like not so much of a weirdo. …She makes me a better person because she believes in me and shows me how to be better by her example.”
His grin turned sad as he met her gaze again. “For the longest time, I thought she was the best friend I’d ever had…and I don’t think I was necessarily wrong. She is my best friend, but she’s something else too. She’s the person I want to be worthy of. She’s the person I want to spend my life with.”
Ladybug gave a soft gasp as the weight of his words sank in and left her feeling dizzy.
He looked away with a sigh. “It really hurts that she keeps telling me it’s all in my head. She’s so adamant that it’s not real that it’s kind of obvious that she doesn’t want me to have these kinds of feelings for her.
“And that’s okay,” he sniffled as tears caught up to him once more. “It’s okay. She doesn’t have to love me back. I mean, I’m used to that, but…I just want her to know that what I feel is real. If she could just say ‘thank you, but I don’t feel that way for you’, that would be fine. I just want her to stop telling me that my love for her isn’t valid.”
“Oh my gosh,” Ladybug breathed, mind awhirl. “Chaton, I am sosorry. I didn’t mean…”
She bit her lip, quickly coming to a decision. “Come with me. Please. There’s something I need to show you. It’s really, really important.”
He quirked an eyebrow in confusion but obediently assented. “Lead the way.”
She stood on shaky legs and yoyoed her way across the Seine, back to the bakery.
“Ladybug…why are we here?” Chat asked warily as they landed on Marinette’s balcony.
“I’ll tell you when we get inside,” she assured with a weak smile, looking like she was going to pass out.
They dropped down into Marinette’s loft, and Ladybug collapsed onto the bed.
“I’m so sorry,” she insisted, barely holding back tears. “I’m so, so sorry.”
Before he could ask why she was apologizing, she whispered, “Detransformation”, and everything became a little clearer and a little more confusing all at the same time.
He dropped his own transformation and covered his face with a groan. “I can’t believe I told you we had sex.”
She burst into hysterical laughter. “That’s what you’re focusing on?”
“It’s better than fixating on how I just bared my heart to you about how in love with you I am and how you’re going to reject me and never be my friend again because I’m a clingy, needy freak!”
She pushed herself up and took his hands in hers, fixing him with a stern look. “Adrien, you are none of those things. Didn’t I tell you last week? You’re an amazing person. You’re incredibly sweet and kind, even to the people who don’t deserve it. Youmakeme a better person by showing me how it’s done,” she stressed.
He blinked at her, completely perplexed. “You really think that?”
She nodded vigorously. “Adrien Agreste, you really are the full package—the brains, the looks, and the personality. You’re the one who’s out of myleague.”
A raging blush and a tentative smile quickly took over his face. “I… Thank you for saying that.”
“I’m not just saying that,” she insisted. “Adrien…I love you.”
He blinked, not comprehending. “You… What?”
She swallowed and tried again. “I’m sorry for all the times I turned you down, all the times I hurt you. I never meant to hurt you, Chaton. I love you.”
He continued to stare at her. “I don’t understand. Where is this coming from?”
Her face coloured as she looked down at their hands. “From my heart. I’ve loved you for a very, very long time, Adrien…ever since you were kind to me when I’d been a judgmental jerk…ever since you gave me an explanation I didn’t deserve.”
She forced herself to meet his awed gaze. “I’ve loved you since the day we met and you gave me your umbrella.”
His mouth dropped open. “You’re serious? You’re not just saying that because you’re enthralled by me because I bit you?”
She shook her head. “No. Adrien, I really, truly love you.”
“But what about that other boy?” he pressed. “Ladybug always said there was a boy she loved.”
“Adrien, that was you,” she gently informed. “You were the other boy, and I was so blindly loyal to you that I didn’t allow myself to acknowledge my growing romantic feelings for Chat Noir…maybe like how you didn’t let yourself think of Marinette romantically because of your feelings for Ladybug?”
He swallowed hard as her words hit him straight in the chest. “But you…this past week, when I told you I loved you, you were so adamant that you didn’t want to talk about it and that you didn’t think my feelings were real.”
Tears welled in his eyes yet again. “If you loved me, why would you do that?”
She winced, mentally kicking herself. “I was trying to protect myself. I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case it wore off after a while. I have spent literal years dreaming that you’d notice me as more than a friend, and I didn’t want to risk getting hurt when you inevitably realized you’d been mistaken.”
“Oh, Marinette,” he breathed, pulling her into his arms and guiding her down onto the bed on top of him. “My poor Princess. …I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” she whispered into his neck, giving it a penitent nip.
Her heart fluttered when he started to purr.
“Well.” He swallowed, voice thick. “It sounds like we’ve both hurt and been hurt by one another. I don’t know about you, but I’m bad at holding a grudge. Do you think we could try to forgive one another and move on? I know I, for one, am tired of being miserable. I’d sort of like to be happy in love now.”
She lifted her head, stroking his hair as she gazed down at him. “Yeah?”
He nodded.
She gulped. “M-Me too.”
Tentatively, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his.
She was just about to pull back when he enthusiastically began to return the pressure.
Her fingers tightened in his hair, prompting a happy rumble in his chest.
There were a number of false starts and much giddy laughter before they finally found their rhythm, trading little sucks and nips.
“Open your mouth and let me stick my tongue in,” Marinette finally demanded in frustration after they’d been kissing for several minutes and Adrien had remained woefully ignorant of her attempts to gain entrance.
A cherry blossom blush spread all the way from his neck to his ears as he blinked at her in surprise. “Isn’t that moving kind of fast?”
She rolled her eyes. “According to you, we’ve already had sex.”
He gave a startled meep and averted his eyes, blush growing in depth. “That was the only thing I could say that made sense without telling Ladybug I was a vampire! I’m not…I’m not actually ready for that kind of thing.”
“Aww,” Marinette cooed, affectionately nuzzling his jaw. “That’s really cute that you want to take things slow. I thought guys were all sort of pushy about that kind of thing.”
“None of the guys I know…that I know of,” Adrien muttered self-consciously. “I’m a little sheltered.”
“It’s okay,” she assured, giving his cheek a peck. “I like you just the way you are. …So, wanna go back to kissing?”
“Okay,” he agreed, feeling a weight lift off of him. “Thanks for understanding.”
“Of course. …Just let me know whenever you’re ready for more because I can’t wait to get my tongue in your mouth,” she confessed, suddenly not scared to be forward with him.
His cheeks went pink all over again. “Do you think that’s a good idea? You’ll probably cut yourself on my fangs.”
“Oooooh, I look forward to it,” she chuckled.
He let out a startled laugh. “You little minx. You’re just trying to trick me into sinking my fangs into you, aren’t you?”
“Guilty,” she admitted, diving in for another kiss.
“I’m going to have to keep an eye on you,” he snickered. “You’re much too clever for me.”
“I thought you liked my cleverness.” She hummed.
“I turn to goo when you’re clever, Marinette,” he confessed.
“Good to know,” she replied with a predatory smirk that left him with no doubt that he was in trouble.
Summary: Adrien knows he’s forbidden to bite anyone expect for his mate, but, in an emergency, he ends up drinking Marinette’s blood…and realizing that his feelings for her haven’t been platonic in a long time. Now, if only he could convince her that his love is real and not the result of their intimate feeding session.
About a week later, Adrien was shocked to find Marinette waiting for him by his locker a good twenty minutes before the start of class.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Princess?”
She rolled her eyes. “I set, like, five alarms. You should be grateful.”
He hummed in interest. “Oh, yeah? I mean, I guess I already thank the universe every day I get to see your beautiful face, but…is there something specific I should be grateful for today?”
She had to avert her gaze as she struggled to contain her rapidly spreading blush.
She cleared her throat and pushed a rogue bang back out of her face. “I…uh… Wow. It’s really hard to sentence when you say things like that.”
“—No!” She waved her hands wildly, almost hitting herself in the face as she assured, “It’s fine! I don’t… I just…”
She took a deep breath and sighed it out. “Sorry. Just…grab your stuff for class and come with me?”
Nodding, he obediently did as bid, stowing the things he’d brought home for assignments and grabbing the texts and notebooks he needed for class.
Still blushing, Marinette began to lead the way to the boiler room where they were unlikely to be disturbed.
Adrien’s shoulders slumped as he followed her, making him resemble a kicked puppy. “…I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He tried to apologize again.
Marinette gave a start. “What?! No. Adrien, you’re seriously fine. There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“You’re not just saying that to be nice?” he pressed. “Because I know I’m kind of a lot when I love someone. Please let me know if the flirting starts to annoy you.”
She blew out a sigh and turned to take his hand as she guided him through the door off the courtyard, down into the bowels of the school.
“Chaton, I promise you that it’s fine. You’re not annoying me or making me uncomfortable or anything.”
He pursed his lips. “If you’re sure. Because I’m kind of a compulsive flirt, and I know I used to get on Ladybug’s nerves all the time, so I want to try to have more situational awareness with you.”
Marinette came to a sudden halt and slowly turned to gawk at Adrien in horror. “Oh my gosh. You’re Chat Noir.”
He blinked at her, his head tipping to the side. “Yes? You’ve known that for almost a week now.”
She shook her head, quietly shrieking, “Clearly, I shoved that to the back of my mind so that I could process the fact that Adrien Agreste is a vampire and thinks he’s in love with me and likes snuggling in my bed!”
His surprise quickly turned to confusion. “O…kay?”
Her eyes went wide as she whispered, “Oh my gosh. You’re in love with Ladybug.”
He winced and then held up his hands defensively. “I mean, okay. Yeah. I think a part of me will always love Ladybug. It’s a little hard to totally forget your first crush, but…I just want you to know that the feelings I still have for her don’t diminish what I feel for you, Marinette.”
She shook her head, holding up her hands to stop him from saying more as she struggled to process. “That’s not what I meant. Even if your feelings for me were real and not a side effect of drinking my blood,”
Adrien’s heart cracked a little bit more at her ardent denial of his feelings. It was starting to become clear that she didn’t wanthim to have feelings for her and that she was desperately hoping that they would go away if she repelled them enough.
“…there would be nothing wrong with you having feelings for Ladybug too,” Marinette continued, oblivious to Adrien’s hurt. “I was just thinking—I just realized…Ladybug rejected you.”
Adrien looked away. “Yeah. It turns out that people who actually know me pretty well don’t find me to be an attractive romantic prospect.”
Marinette winced, mentally kicking herself for being so blinded by her crush on Adrien that she hadn’t noticed her amazing partner.
“I’m so sorry, Adrien,” she whispered, hanging her head in shame. “I’m sorry that she hurt you. If I could go back and make her see what an incredible person she was turning down, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
He gave a sullen shrug, still not meeting her gaze.
“I’m sorry, Chaton,” she repeated, gently wrapping him up in a hug. “I’m sorry she broke your heart when she should have treasured it.”
He slowly inhaled her sweet, strawberries-and-oatmeal scent, and it was hard to be sad. He pushed aside his woes and concentrated on the warmth of her in his arms.
“Thanks, Marinette,” he whispered into her hair, giving it a nuzzle. “It means a lot that you care.”
“I care about you more than you know,” she sighed, squeezing him a little tighter.
They stayed like that, content in their embrace, for almost a good minute before Marinette remembered why they’d come to the boiler room in the first place.
She slowly released her hold on him and slipped her hand into his with a smile, tugging him further into the room. “I wanted to show you something.”
She fished in her bag and pulled out a small, cylindrical object about the length of her pointer finger and the width of her thumb.
He cocked an eyebrow. “What is it?”
“It’s a lancet device,” she explained. “I saw it while running an errand at the pharmacy this weekend, and I thought it might be good.”
His eyebrow only arched higher. “What’s a…lancet device?”
She popped the cap off, showing him the tiny needle within the device. “It’s used for getting blood samples. People with diabetes use it to prick their fingers so they can check their blood sugar.”
She pulled down the little lever on the side of the contraption, and he watched as the needle retracted. She pushed the button, and the needle sprang forward with a click.
He gave a start at the unexpected sound but quickly relaxed at the symphony that was her chuckling. “…So, what use do you have with it? Last time I checked, you’re not diabetic.”
She turned her dazzling grin on him as she recapped the device. “Since you’re so opposed to biting me again, I thought this could be a safe way for me to periodically give you snacks to keep your strength up.”
His jaw dropped, and a strangely warm feeling burbled up in his stomach. “You… For me?”
She nodded.
“That’s brilliant,” he chuckled, carding a hand through his hair. “But, doesn’t that hurt?”
She shook her head. “I tried it at home to make sure I could handle it, and it’s not that bad. I mean, it stings when it pricks, but the pain doesn’t even last a full second.”
“You are the most thoughtful person ever,” he cooed, absolutely melting at the fact that she would do something so selfless for him. “But are you sure it’s not going to hurt your hands? Won’t it make it hard to work on designs?”
She waved away his concerns. “I jab myself with pins all the time, and this is a much smaller needle. It doesn’t hurt nearly as much, and I can’t even tell where I poked myself. See?”
She held up her left ring finger.
He squinted at it, carefully scrutinizing, but he couldn’t make out the wound. “…Okay. But are you sure about this?”
She smacked him on the arm. “Shut up and drink my blood already, Dumb Cat.”
He burst out laughing. “Well, when you put it that way…do you want to give it a try?”
She nodded, prepping the lancet device and pressing it up against her finger. She pressed the button and then gave her finger a squeeze, producing a shiny red droplet that made Adrien’s mouth water.
She laughed—a bell-like sound—as she held her finger out to him. “You’re looking at it like Nino’s steak last week.”
“Like I said at the restaurant,” he purred as he gingerly took her wrist. “My body knows what it needs…and that’s you.”
Marinette shivered as he wrapped his tongue around her finger, sucking at it like a suckling kitten.
Her stomach fluttered as he gave a contented sigh.
She swallowed. “Is it good?”
“Very good,” he assured, nuzzling at her wrist.
She hummed contemplatively. “It doesn’t feel as good as when you bit me.”
He choked on a laugh, looking at her with half-lidded eyes. “Oh, yeah? You want me to sink my fangs into you?”
She had to hold in a whimper as memories of his body under hers, his mouth on her neck, flickered to life once more in her brain. “Is it weird if I say yes?”
“No more weird than some of the things I’ve said to you,” he assured, pulling her into his arms.
“Adrien,” she breathed, tipping her head to the side to expose her neck for him.
“Sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “I don’t think right before class is the best idea, and I think we should wait a while before I drink from your neck again. I read online that you’re supposed to wait eight weeks between blood donations to make sure you’ve fully recovered.”
Marinette pulled back to gawk at him, pouting, “What? Noooo. That’s, like, two months!”
He smiled sheepishly. “I’m really sorry, Princess, but I don’t want to take any chances with your health.”
She grumbled under her breath as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Maybe tonight I can come by and give your finger a prick with my fangs instead,” he offered, trying to appease her.
She blew out a sigh and whined, “I want you to sink your teeth into me. You can’t really do that with a finger. There’s not enough real-estate. Could you maybe bite my arm or my leg or something?”
He bit his bottom lip and replied honestly, “I don’t think I have enough self-control to sink my fangs into you and not drink.”
“Fiiiiine,” she groaned, encircling her arms around him tighter.
Her voice was softer, more affectionate, as she added, “I guess this is good enough.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Thank you for understanding. You have to believe me when I say that, if I could, I’d do anything for you, Marinette.”
Her breath hitched.
“…I just don’t trust myself, and I can’t put you at risk,” he admitted regretfully.
“It’s okay,” she assured, turning her head and giving his neck a light peck. “I’m the one being selfish.”
He shrugged, beginning to pet her hair. “I don’t mind. You have no clue how much I wish I could spoil you.”
“…You’re being awfully affectionate,” she noted.
“Being with you makes me feel things,” he confessed.
“Is it because you just drank my blood, so your brain is making you think I’m your mate?” she inquired guardedly.
“I don’t actually know that that’s a real thing,” he reminded as he nuzzled her ear. “Like I said, Maman never really talked much about being a vampire. All I know is that she told me that I couldn’t bite someone other than my husband or wife. I don’t know if that was a rule for me specifically or if it’s something all vampires live by.”
He raised his head to gaze pleadingly into her eyes. “Can’t you just let me be in love with you?”
She froze, eyes going as wide as galaxies.
“Stop overanalyzing everything and just let me feel close to you,” he begged. “Father never allows me to express my emotions, so this isn’t something I get to do often. There’s so much love closed up inside of my heart, Marinette. Please let me let some out.”
All resistance drained from her, and she suddenly didn’t care if his feelings were only the trick of chemicals in his brain.
“Come here, Chaton,” she coaxed, pulling him back into a hug and giving his neck a nip.
He shivered with pleasure, contentedly sinking into her arms.
As the class packed up their things for the lunch break that day, Alya turned to Marinette and chuckled, “I see you’re still on a scarf kick.”
Marinette shrugged. “They’re cute.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to hide a hickey,” Alya teased.
Adrien tensed, holding his breath as his mind began to race.
Misinterpreting Adrien’s panic, Nino reached out and rested a hand on his best friend’s back, whispering, “Hey. It’s okay, Mec. Don’t worry.”
He raised his voice as he looked over his shoulder at the girls. “Yeah, but we all know it can’t be a hickey because Marinette isn’t seeing anyone.”
Marinette giggled nervously as her hand flew up to her neck. “Yeah. What Nino said. I mean, why would I have a bite mark on my neck? Ha! Me! With a hickey! Ha! That’s crazy!”
Alya’s eyes narrowed at her friend’s trademark bad acting skills.
Marinette started to sweat as she doubled down on her awkward, too-large grin.
“Oh my God,” Alya whispered, a devilish smirk spreading over her lips. “You do have a hickey!”
“What?! NO!” Marinette yelped as Alya made a grab for the scarf.
“Girl!” Alya giggled. “How could you not tell me? Who have you been necking with?”
Adrien’s guilt got the best of him, and he shot up out of his seat. “It was me! Ibit her.”
His eyes anxiously scanned the room as he waited for an outburst of judgment and rage.
He was sure everyone was about to grab their pitchforks and torches, but his classmates just stared at him, struggling to process.
“Hold the phone,” Alya demanded. “What?”
Adrien looked from one friend to the next, pleading for them to understand. “I was feeling weak, and she was right there. She was so close, and she smelled amazing, and I just…I couldn’t help it.”
With a growl of frustration, Chloé stood to stare Adrien down with her hands on her hips. “Adrien Agreste, we do not bite people! What the hell were you thinking?!”
Adrien shrank, hanging his head at the rebuke. “I’m so sorry, Chlo. Like I said, I was weak, and I wasn’tthinking.”
“Hold on.” Marinette interrupted, gawking at Chloé. “Are you…like him?”
Chloé flipped her ponytail and rolled her eyes. “Please. I am nothing like him. Idon’t go around biting riffraff like you.”
She turned back to Adrien with a disappointed huff. “So, are you two dating now? Really, Adri-chou. You have abysmal taste.”
Adrien flinched, panicking under the class’s expectant gazes and turning to Marinette for help.
Marinette didn’t get the opportunity to respond, however, because, just then, Lila got to her feet and sniffled loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Marinette, how could you?”
Marinette balked. “Me? What did Ido?”
Lila pointed accusingly. “Not two weeks ago, I pulled you aside and told you that Adrien and I secretly had something going on, so it made me really uncomfortable the way you were throwing yourself at him.”
Several jaws dropped, and eyebrows shot up into hairlines at this plot twist.
“What?” Adrien choked at the same time Marinette scoffed, “Excuse me?”
Lila shook her head, large crocodile tears dribbling down her cheeks as she continued. “And then you went behind my back and seduced him away from me anyway. I thought you were a good person, Marinette. How could you?”
A murmur went through the class as they all exchanged uncertain looks, unsure of what to make of this.
Adrien stepped out into the aisle and moved next to Marinette, slipping his hand into hers.
“Lila,” he called gently, hoping to diffuse the situation. “I’m sorry if you misunderstood, but there’s never been anything romantic between us. I don’t know if you felt like there was something there when we modeled together, but that was all acting for me. I’m sorry, but I’m in love with Marinette.”
The class exploded into a flurry of exclamations and questions. Arguments broke out, and money started to exchange hands.
Meanwhile, Lila shrieked, desperate to get everyone’s attention back on her. “Adrien, you know that’s not true! You’re only saying that because she seduced you!”
Lila sent a glare Marinette’s way, threatening, “I’ll never forgive you for this!”
Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed, too tired to deal with any of this. She went back to packing up her things and refused to play Lila’s game.
Adrien opened his mouth, about ready to confess that Marinette didn’t return his feelings, when Alix gasped, pointing up above their heads as she shouted, “Akuma!”
Wholesale panic broke out as everyone scrambled away from Lila.
“We need to get you out of here,” Adrien hissed urgently to Marinette, pulling her out into the aisle and towards the door as the butterfly landed on Lila’s bracelet.
Cries of, “You’ll pay for this, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” echoed behind them as they fled.
