i hate formatting things

~

Saturday night, Marinette is leaning on the balcony above her room, staring out at the Parisian night. It’s been a quiet week, and she’s so thankful for that. Not because she doesn’t have to go and save Paris - she actually enjoys doing that - but because it means people are happy. At least, nobody’s upset enough to invite an akuma into their soul.

The day after Valentine’s, Adrien had sent a few curious glances her way. Alya had chastised her for not managing to give him the gift. Chloe had seemed… more annoyed than usual by her presence.

All in all, it had not been a great day and she is very happy to have the week done with. Chat hadn’t been around when she was patrolling and Alya was on a date with Nino, so the day had been… fairly lonely. There was lots of baking and designing done.

So it was productive.

It just… didn’t feel all that productive. Maybe that’s just because she’s been berating herself for not giving Adrien the gift.

“Why so down?”

Her head shoots up, from her gaze on the ground far below to the curious green eyes staring at her from her rooftop.

“Chat Noir? What are you doing here?” She can’t be in danger. He hadn’t tried to get Ladybug’s attention, so there isn’t anything wrong in Paris. But she can’t know that. “Is there something wrong?”

His lips pull into a smile, and he jumps from the roof onto the balcony with her, lounging against the railing beside her. “Of course there is. You’re looking sad. What’s the matter, Little Lady? Heart troubles from Valentine’s Day? I may have to keep an eye on you to make sure no akuma gets to you.”

His eyes are glistening with mischief, and if she was being honest with herself she would admit to the fact that her heart just skipped a beat. But she refuses to be because he flirts with both her as Marinette and her as Ladybug.

This is just how Chat Noir is, and there’s no meaning behind it.

Except Marinette doesn’t know any of this, just like she knows she isn’t going to become akumatized. She isn’t that upset. Just… annoyed at herself. But she smiles at him anyways and responds with a, “I must be pretty special for Chat Noir himself to think he needs to keep an eye on me.”

He chuckles and grins more, and she swears his eyes glint. “Purr-haps I just enjoy being around you.”

“I thought you were in love with Ladybug? That’s what the media makes it seem like.”

His face seems to fall for a second, but then he’s grinning again. “Of course I admire My Lady! She’s magnificent. Smart, witty, she puts up with my humor, she’s much more prepared than I am. She’s saved me countless times. Ladybug is the true savior of Paris.” His grin softens into a serene smile, and Marinette’s heart definitely skips a beat.

She needs to get back on track with why he’s here. No way can she stand this. It’s… confusing. “That hasn’t told me why you’re here.” There’s a small quirk of a smile on her lips, and she stares at him expectantly.

He snaps back to his regular self, grin and everything. “I love My Lady, yes, but you’re fascinating as well. I like being around you, Marinette. Is it so wrong for me to want to get to know you?”

Suddenly she’s unable to look directly at him, her gaze drifting to one of her potted plants. “Well… wouldn’t it be bad if Ladybug happened to see this? Wouldn’t she think we’re… you know… a thing?” She loves how she can’t word all the time. Words are hard. So is figuring out her feelings.

“I don’t think it would be. Ladybug… is out of my league. She’s on a pedestal far above the Eiffel Tower, in a place where I can’t reach her.”

Marinette feels a pang in her chest that she recognizes all too well. “I know exactly what you mean.” He tilts his head, curiously staring at her. She manages to meet his gaze for only a second. “My crush feels like that, too. Like he’s way out of my reach. I couldn’t even give him the palmiers I made for him…” She heaves a sigh then glances at Chat again, pulling a small smile onto her face.

“Don’t make such a pained face, Mari.” Her smile is gone immediately, replaced by a small frown to match his. “Maybe I should have saved a palmier for you. My Lady had bought some… Oh! You said you baked palmiers for your crush? And your family owns a bakery!”

It takes her a second to realize where he’s going with that, but then she bursts into laughter. “Chat Noir! I can promise you now, Ladybug did not come into my bakery while I was there to buy some palmiers. Perhaps she did when she wasn’t Ladybug, but I have no idea who it would have been.” That isn’t completely a lie. Ladybug didn’t buy anything from her shop; Ladybug baked the palmiers as Marinette.

His pout is obvious, and she can just barely see a blush under his mask. It’s adorable and makes her grin some more. Then he smiles a bit and chuckles. “Well, at least I got a laugh out of you. Laughter is good for the soul. Helps with heartache.” His face softens all over again, and once again there’s a skip in her chest.

“T-true,” she stammers, having to look away from him to keep her face from getting any warmer. She’s always been in Ladybug-mode when around him, even as Marinette, but right now… there’s something different. He’s showing a side that she hasn’t seen before, and she has no idea how to react to it.

She hears a curious ‘mreow?’, then Chat is in her face, his big green eyes staring at her and lips curled up in an amused smile. “What are you looking away for, Little Lady?”

Marinette’s face flares up red, and she presses her back against the railing of her balcony, very glad for the fact that it’s a very sturdy railing. “N-no reason!” His smile grows into a grin. A very Cheshire grin. Stupid stammer. As an idea comes to mind, she puffs her cheeks out with a pout and crosses her arms over her chest. “I never took Chat Noir as the kind of guy that would push himself on a girl.”

That makes his eyes go wide, and he hastily takes a few steps back. He seems flustered. Almost upset. Like he didn’t think she was joking. Her acting must be better than she thought.

She smiles a bit and takes a few steps towards him. “I was just teasing, silly kitty,” she hums, flicking his bell once. He swallows and stares down at her, eyes getting even bigger.

Realizing she definitely just seemed a lot like Ladybug, she takes a step back from him and bites her lip, worried about what his response to that is going to be.

“I- uh… should get going. You know. Make sure Paris is safe.” He takes a few steps back, eyes stuck on her as his face seems to heat up more. Before Marinette has the chance to respond, Chat has turned his back on her and is sprinting away.

~

Marinette, mustering all her confidence, had made some very special pastries for her very special crush on February 13th. But that must have used all her confidence as, come the special day, she wasn’t able to actually go up to him to hand him the ladybug-patterned bag of pastries she had baked specifically for him. Even when Alya was behind her, whispering courage into her ear and giving her back a shove before disappearing to give Nino the chocolate she had made, she couldn’t do it. Maybe it was because she had seen the amount of Valentine’s presents he had in his locker, maybe it was the over-done pink and red and hearts all over her school, maybe it was how Chloe seemed even clingier than usual.

There had been a moment where she was almost able to, holding the bag in her arms as Alya was pushing her towards the blond. He had turned, she’s pretty sure he had seen the bag immediately, and smiled at her.

Marinette sprinted to the bathroom and later got chewed out by Alya when she was found.

She just couldn’t do it.

The ladybug-patterned bag stayed hidden away for the entirety of the day, only coming out after school was over and Ladybug was out to protect her city. Today was, thankfully, not like last year’s Valentine’s day. So far nobody has been akumatized. There doesn’t seem to be a threat of an akuma, either. Today may be a relaxing day for Ladybug - and Chat Noir, she muses, as she sees her black feline companion leaping along rooftops.

She yoyo’s her way over to him, and the way his grin grows wide and eyes light up as he sees her makes her lips grow into a wide grin as well. “Happy Valetine’s day, Chat. Here’s to you not trying to kill me this time around.” She hands the bag out to him, easily able to pass it to him. He’s dependable, he’s witty (even if most of his wit is shown in the form of horrific puns that she still enjoys anyways), and she feels comfortable around him. They’ve worked together for more than a year at this point, and she can’t think of a time that she’s given him a present.

“My Lady?” He sounds shocked, his eyes wide as he takes the gift, then turns mischievous. “Have you decided to show your undying love to me?”

She snorts and rolls her eyes at him. “Oh yes, totally. No, you silly cat, I was just thinking of how I didn’t get you anything last year. Besides, you know, your sanity back.”

His grin is wicked. “With a kiss, I believe.”

Her cheeks color a bit. “Hush! Or I’ll take the sweets right back.”

“No take-backsies!” He’s clutches the bag to his chest, then grins at her. “I suppose it would be rude of me to not give one of these a taste, huh? Purr-haps I’ll give you a treat of my own if they’re good.” He winks, and she snorts again.

The moment he takes one of the palmiers from the bag, she realizes something she totally glossed over: they’re shaped like hearts. Palmiers naturally look a little heart-shaped, but these were made specifically to look like hearts. The filling is pink, too.

Oh, God, it really does look like she’s confessing her undying love for him. And this is what it would have looked like if she actually gave these to Adrien.

Wow, I am so glad that didn’t happen. That would have been embarrassing.

Like having the mischievous feline raise his eyebrow and smirk at her wasn’t a little embarrassing. “Don’t make that face at me, I just happened to have some leftovers from…” From what? She can’t just tell him that these are what she was going to give her crush but chickened out and gave them to him instead! “From what I bought myself.”

That was a terrible lie and she’s pretty sure he knows that as well as she does.

But he doesn’t question her more than that, shrugging it off and popping one into his mouth. His face lights up, and he pops another three into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out almost cartoonishly.

She laughs, and the way he pouts at her only makes her laugh harder. “You look so ridiculous, Chat! Like a hamster.”

The pout grows.

She giggles and takes a step towards him, reaching into the bag so she can grab a palmier for herself. Of course she had tasted a few after she was done making them, but she’s very proud of these because they taste so good.

Chat swallows and hugs the bag tightly against himself, getting possessive in a very adorable way. “I thought these were the leftovers of what you bought yourself? How come you want more?”

“Oh, come on! I ba- bought these! Don’t limit how many I can have.”

He grins and dances backwards as she chases after him, shoving two more into his mouth. She chases him to a whole other rooftop, and right when she’s about to snatch his belt-tail he turns and catches her in an embrace, the bag of palmiers lightly thumping against her back.

It’s Ladybug’s turn to pout, finding his change in tactic to be kind of annoying but very him. “Happy Valentine’s Day, My Lady,” he hums, leaning in and pecking her cheek before she can come up with any kind of retort. “Thank you for the very delicious treats. Now, should we do our patrol of the city?”

“Y-yeah…” She stares up at him, cheeks not quite as scarlet as her outfit but definitely giving it competition.

~

The whole world knows when Karkat Vantas is in a bad mood. Well, his entire world. Anyone outside of his sphere doesn’t matter to him unless it enters his sphere, and the moment they leave his sphere they no longer matter to him. The signs are clear: his shoulders are more slouched more than usual, his glare permanently daring someone to talk to him, his words harsher and insults more creative. A simple ‘go fuck yourself in a corner’ becomes a ‘dig to the farthest depths of the Earth and jerk yourself off until the weight of the core of this Godforsaken planet crushes your shitty excuse of an existence’.

Those who know him are smart enough to stay out of his way. And if they’re new to his world, they quickly learn. Except for one.

The only person to ever continually confront him is Terezi Pyrope, grinning nightmare. To the public, he makes it sound like she’s almost always a nightmare that he’s stuck with merely because he’s a masochistic asshole. To those he’s close to, he’s honest: Terezi, his girlfriend, is the best person in the world and is the angel he doesn’t believe he deserves. The only days where she isn’t the best are his bad days.

Such as today.

“Can you fucking not tug on me like a hungry leech attempting to suck the soul right from my body? You have to join a waitlist to do that.”

Terezi stops tugging on his arm, a frown on her face, then moves her hand to be tugging on his hand instead, grip firm. “Then get off your ass! Come on, stand up, I have something special for you. And it’s actually special. Not me pulling some trick on you.”

The growl that comes in response doesn’t sway her, continuing to tug on him, and he eventually gets up with an aggravated huff. “Fuck, okay, I’m standing, so-“ A kiss cuts him off. It isn’t playfully short, there aren’t any teeth nipping at his lips; it’s sweet and soft, and despite her fingers not wandering along his chest or in his hair he can feel the tingles they leave on him.

She breaks the kiss but doesn’t move her lips far from his, still close enough for them to taste the other’s breath. “Now we dance. I’ve got music downloaded and everything just for this.” While she didn’t know his bad mood would be today, she’s had this planned out for a while.

Karkat does so much for her, bending himself out of shape on occasion just to make her happy. Rarely does she ever do something like that for him. So she decided that was going to change. He’s a true romantic at heart, and she was going to take advantage of that like he takes advantage of her love for cherries. She went on a hunt, found slow songs they could just sway to, solidified her resolve to try this when he’s next in a sour mood. It isn’t as grand as the things he’ll do for her sometimes, but it’s a step in the right direction.

And, for once, she’s fine with taking little steps if it means learning each and every little thing that makes him happy.

“Fuck music. We don’t need that to dance.” Karkat’s arms snake around her waist, pulling her closer to him and holding her there. “And I don’t want to let you go.”

A giggle slips out, and she rubs the tip of her nose against his. “My phone’s in my back pocket. You wouldn’t have to let me go.”

He hums in thought. Then one of his hands drags down her back and slides her phone out of her pocket. He rests the side of his head against her, and she keeps quiet, instead closing her eyes and taking in his scent. She doesn’t need to ask what he’s doing.

So instead she just focuses on the warmth soaking through his clothes and to her, how their body temperatures contrasting so perfectly creates the perfect warmth for her and the perfect cooling for him. How his natural scent is like a drug to her. He smells like sweetness, like a candy she can’t describe, and it’s absolutely intoxicating.

After several seconds of silence it’s clear that he found the album in her music labeled ‘For Karkat’ because one of the many songs she downloaded starts playing. Then he slides her phone into her back pocket again, giving it a little pat before trailing his fingers to rest on the small of her back.

“What happened to ‘fuck music’?” She giggles her words, smiling up at him as he starts to sway the two of them to the sound of the waltz. “I thought we didn’t need any.”

He makes a snorting sound, an edge of his lips quirking up into a small half-smile. “We don’t need any.” He doesn’t say anything more than that before walking them to a more open space in their apartment, where they’re less likely to bump into the couch or coffee table.

Terezi doesn’t press the issue, deciding that maybe he’s playing the music just because she went out of her way to do it. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to admit that he needs music to dance. She certainly needs it. She still has to rely on him even when there’s music because she can’t feel a rhythm properly.

They sway, he slowly twirls her, they peck each other’s lips or cheeks or jaws or noses or foreheads, and they stay silent. While Terezi wants to ask what happened, she knows he’ll only open up about it if he’s ready.

And, after a while, when his head is no longer feeling like it’s about to explode from stress, Karkat finally opens up. “I lost a big publishing deal early today. I don’t know how much money we would’ve made, but it doesn’t matter because we aren’t going to see any of it. They sent me a cryptic email about having to see me in person at a stupidly early morning meeting - which is why I wasn’t here when you woke up - then made me sit through an hour long meeting that boils down to ‘we have to cut back on costs and you aren’t worth the money so bye’.” He sounds so tired, his gruff voice hurting and quiet. His head rests on hers, his eyes closed as he takes in her scent. She smells like shampoo, like paperwork and… justice.

It’s the most comforting smell in the world to him.

She sighs his name, then tilts her head and kisses him. It gives her a chance to think and keeps him from devolving into a ramble about how he isn’t going to be going anywhere as an author. “You don’t need a shitty publishing company like that if they’re having to cut back of authors. They’re losing money for a reason, Karkat. I can support us, you know I can. So take all the time you need to find a good publishing company.”

“I feel so shitty that you’re having to shoulder the burden.” He holds her closer, their swaying stopping. “Maybe I should just self-publish. Advertise my own way. It’s been months, Terezi. But… Fuck, would I even make any money? I’d have to pay for advertising out of pocket, and I don’t know the first thing about that. It’d take me months more to really learn, probably some more money…” He trails off with a sigh, sounding defeated. Almost like he’s given up.

Her fingers had been hooked in the front of his shirt, but now they’re cupping his face, her thumbs stroking along his cheeks. “You’ve got burdens of your own, dummy. I have a stable job, a steady pay, I don’t mind paying for things until you can get situated. We have plenty of time.” She pulls him in for the same kind of kiss as before, her playful nipping put away for sweetness.

It feels so unlike her to be like this, to be so sweet and soft, but when she feels his weight shift to be leaning against her, when she tastes a sigh on her lips, her chest swells with love. She’s doing this for him. For her Karkat.

He breaks the kiss this time, slowly pulling his lips away so he can kiss her forehead. “Okay. When I get a good deal, a deal that doesn’t wuss out on me and leave me on my ass, I’ll get you that ring. I haven’t forgotten about that promise.” His voice is still quiet, but he doesn’t sound defeated anymore.

“I love you. I don’t need a ring to know you love me, too. So there’s no rush. Okay?” She kisses him a few times, each kiss more and more similar to her playful pecks. The last kiss ends with her sucking on his bottom lip.

He lets her, a smile on his lips. “Well even though you know it, I still want to tell you I love you and want to put a ring on your finger.” He turns his head just enough to kiss her thumb. She giggles and plays with his lips. “Sorry for being such an ass,” he mumbles, kissing her thumb a few more times.

Terezi hums and runs her thumb along his bottom lip, then kisses him again. “I’m just glad you didn’t throw more of a fit when I was trying to get you to stand. And that this managed to work.” Her fingers crawl into his hair, tangling in his curls, and she pulls him in for a few more playful kisses.

Karkat chuckles against her lips, his fingers trailing up her spine then back down, keeping the pattern slow. Then he sways them again, not even in time with the music until a few seconds in. “You’re fucking perfect. Now let’s just dance for a little longer. Then I’ll hunt for another publishing company. Okay?”

~

“You’re an absolute fucking freak,” Karkat grumbles the moment he and Terezi are behind the closed - and locked - door of their weekend getaway’s hotel door.

Terezi snickers and wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his and his body against the door. “Says the guy that’s still got a hard-on from our fun on the beach.” She bucks her hips against his gently, humming at the sound of his groan and the way he grasps her tightly, his nails biting into the skin above her swim bottoms.

He pushes himself off the door, walking the two of them to the bed. He’s trying to take control of this situation, but she has different plans. So even though she lets him push her onto the bed, she flips the two of them over so she’s the one on top, her nails in his shirt and hips resting right on his hardness.

His nails dig into her more, and he groans out a lovely, “Fuuuuuck,” when she slowly starts to move, grinding on him. She almost never gets to hear these sounds when he’s in charge; he keeps himself quiet, in control, making her scream and writhe with pleasure. But when she’s in charge he lets himself go, whining and groaning and begging for her and she loves it.

She leans down to rest her chest on his, still moving her hips, and nibbles on his ear. “Do I get to be in charge?”

He groans, his nails digging into her more as he tries to press their bodies together more. It makes her moan, and he shudders. “Fuck, yes, dammit, you’re already on top just fuck me.”

She giggles happily and sucks on his ear before sitting up again and tugging on his long-sleeved shirt, pulling it off him and exposing the pale, pale skin underneath. Her poor Karkat can never enjoy the sun like she can, his skin white and free of freckles, unlike hers - she may be only a little more tanned than him but her body is coated in sun kisses, showing her love for being outside.

The moment his fingers are going to undo the straps of her top she digs her nails into his chest, bringing them down slowly. He grunts and bucks into her, his own nails going into her back. “Goddammit,” he hisses.

“Patience,” she hums back, trailing her nails down his torso to his pants, tugging on them playfully. He groans and bucks his hips again. “I’ll make this torture all worth it. You know I’ll never keep you suffering for long.”

“But you’ll sure as fuck drag it out.”

“No more than what you do to me.”

He doesn’t argue back, knowing as well as she does that there’s nothing else he can say to that. And she rewards his silence by kissing him, slowly but surely tugging his pants down and leaving it to him to pull them off completely because her fingers are at his boxers, tugging on the elastic band and giggling against his lips when he makes an aggravated sound and pulls them off the rest of the way.

He’s hard and ready, and when he goes to undo her bathing suit she doesn’t scratch him. His fingers are quick at getting her top untied, and she flings her top off as he plays with her bottoms like she had played with his boxers. She’s giggling at first, but when he slips a finger between her and the bathing suit and brushes against her so perfectly her giggles turn to one long moan.

She’s naked in an instant, one hand stroking his length and the other on his chest, resting on his heartbeat. He has a hand in her hair, fingers running through the red affectionately, and his other is cupped against her womanhood, his middle finger teasing her clit. They draw out moans from each other, hips rocking against hands in a steady rhythm, until one of them breaks.

And as usual, it’s Terezi that gets impatient first, whining and squirming as she wants more. Karkat dips his fingers to press against her entrance, teasing her for just a moment, then moves his hand so she can take the reigns. The teasing makes her whine more, and she digs her nails into his chest for that moment. Then she’s settling her entrance against the tip of his member, pressing herself down on him.

Once he’s fully nestled in her she giggles and kisses along his jaw, rocking just enough for them to feel the friction. He groans and bucks up into her, getting pinned down by a hand a moment later. “I’m in control,” she hums, slowing her movements more.

He groans and brings his nails down her back, leaving red marks on her pale skin and sending shivers through her. “You’re the fucking worst.”

“You’ll be saying something completely different by the end of this.” She bites his neck and sucks, flicking her tongue against his skin and relishing the way he squirms and groans. Her fingers go to toy with his hair, tugging on it gently as she marks his neck with bites and sucks and kisses, wanting to show him her love and wanting to make sure nobody mistakes him for single.

He is very much her Karkat, and she is very much his Terezi.

“I know,” he mumbles, his voice softening as he strokes her head, “but Goddamn does it suck right now.”

She giggles and sits up, his hands falling from her hair and her hands moving to his chest. “Would you be less annoyed right now if I had done some sucking first?” His grumble is all the answer she needs, and she laughs at him. “You’re ridiculous.”

His face goes red. “Shut the fuck up! You’re really, really good at sucking. Like holy fuck. It’s the one thing your tongue’s good for.”

“I’m insulted!”

“No you’re not! You’re laughing at me! If you’re going to laugh at least fuck me while you do, since you aren’t going to let me have any kind of control here.”

She giggles some more and complies, easily starting to move on him. Her hands press against him, giving her more to push off of as she rides him, bouncing and closing her eyes to let the pleasure wash through her. It’s not like she’s going to be able to see his expression or anything; her sight is limited to blurry colors and what she can feel.

Karkat has ideas of his own, and where he had been grabbing at the sheets before one of his hands was now between them, his finger pressed against her clit and rubbing, stimulating it just enough to make her moans louder. He groans and arches his back, and one of her hands goes to clasp around his wrist, holding his hand there. She doesn’t want to run the risk of him suddenly stopping.

It isn’t long at all before Terezi’s losing her rhythm, a combination of her fucking Karkat, him playing with her clit, and the moans and grunts he’s making coming together to push her closer and closer to falling apart. He catches on and works her clit faster, flicking it and being a little mean, knowing exactly what he needs to do to make her unravel.

She’s gone in a few more seconds, her moans turned to screams as she digs into his skin, and his free hand goes to her upper thigh as he takes control, helping her continue moving while he snaps his hips into hers, wanting to help her ride her orgasm through to the end but also needing his own release. She continues to move, following the motions he’s guiding her through, and she mewls out a moan as she feels him finish, oversensitive now from her orgasm.

He guides her to slow down, and she settles herself on top of him, nuzzling into his neck and kissing the hickeys she left there. “I love you,” she mumbles, shifting so his flaccid length slides out of her and she slides to be resting on her side next to him, one of her legs still laying across him.

“You’re the fucking best,” he whispers back, toying with her hair and pushing it away from her face. “I love you so, so much.”

“Let’s cuddle a little before getting cleaned up? We should probably call housekeeping to get some clean sheets. There’s gonna be sand all over.”

He snorts and kisses the top of her head, turning onto his side and pulling her flush against him. “You just want an excuse to get back to the beach, don’t you?”

“I was thinking of doing the bar that has a view of the beach. It’ll be sunset soon, right?” She smiles up at him, knowing he only agreed to this trip to the beach because he’s in a rut writing-wise. What better place for romance novels than the beach? And even if he doesn’t get any ideas from this, it’s a break he’s been needing.

“I never knew you had a hidden romantic side.”

She nips his bottom lip and gives a playful tug. “Your sappiness is infectious.”

He hums and kisses her. “Careful, Pyrope. You may get me back in the mood.”