MLB Femslash February (ft Rarepairs)

[Image Description] Comic layout in pen and colored pencil. First panel- A dropped phone with a cracked screen. The record light is on but the phone is face-up on the ground so the camera is not picking anything up. Second panel- Alya with an expression of terror on her face. She is wearing a black hooded coat. Third panel- A menacing werewolf with yellow eyes and blue fur as well as tufts of fur on the sides of its head reminiscent of bunched-up pigtails. Trees and a full moon are visible behind the wolf. Fourth panel- Alya is on her backside with the werewolf looming over her. Alya braces herself for the wolf to attack. Fifth panel- The werewolf's eyes widen as it recognizes Alya. Sixth panel- The werewolf happily licks Alya's face, which the girl finds gross. Seventh panel- Close-up on Alya's face as she looks in confusion and inquisitiveness, her glasses askew and wolf slobber all over her face and lenses. In a speech bubble, she realizes, "Huh... Wait... ...Marinette?" Eighth panel- The werewolf rubs her head against a surprised Alya's neck, smiling with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. Another speech bubble from Alya: "Oh! O...kay..."

Second image is a larger comic panel. In the background, Marinette, in human form, squats on a couch like a dog sitting, Alya's coat draped completely around her naked body. In the foreground, Alya cleans her glasses with a cloth, wearing just a light tank top (shown from the chest up). Marinette is blushing as she looks at Alya. In two conjoined speech bubbles, Alya says: "So, a werewolf attacked and bit you, and you've been wolfing around the woods on the full moon ever since, for six months?! I wish you'd told me. I would have helped you through this, with whatever you needed."

Third image, a block of text reads "27 Days Later". Alya appears as a werewolf with dark red fur, the fur around her ears and neck as well as the fur of her tail reminiscent of her human form's hairstyle. Her lupine form is wearing nothing except for her glasses. In side view, her hind legs are kneeling while her forelegs are straight, her head inclined upward to howl at the moon, with bubble text of a trailing off "Awoooooooooo". In the foreground, Marinette appears as a werewolf, the front of her torso upright. She has visible pupils this time to show that she is looking in Alya's direction. In a text bubble, she says, "Oops", but in a thought bubble, she muses, ""Awooo" is right!" followed by an emoji smiling with its tongue sticking out as if panting."

The artist's "WG" signature is written on all three images, on the first one being placed in a space outside of comic panels.

The downfall started with Zoe. Sabrina not fully understanding how badly the other girl wanted to undermine the entire Bourgeois family for even being a part of it at all. A huge amount of resentment in Audrey and also Chloe. Sabrina tried to bring her around to the idea of working together, if the other girl wanted to bring them down so badly from the inside.

Zoe pretended to understand. Then one day after graduation, she arrived home to find her Papa and a doctor sitting in their living room. Papa ready to sign papers to have her “put in good hands” for a little while. How Zoe came to him, a concern in her heart, that Sabrina increasingly seemed to be getting a little bit “obsessive” and how she “frequently seemed to bring up ideas for getting Chloe back” and “Sabrina said using the police database will not be a problem”.

A few months in a psychiatric hospital. A diagnosis of something she didn’t even think was an actual issue. What did they ever know anyways.

Upon getting out, Sabrina put up a degree of calm but deep down was feral. She found someone with a boat to sneak her across the English Channel over into England, when everyone was looking for her in Paris.

She found Chloe. Stayed with her for a few weeks. And those weeks between the girls were utter bliss. Audrey once again letting her attention flow elsewhere and leaving Chloe to an assistant, who didn’t care what she did as long as Chloe did her daily social media posts.

…A few that nearly got missed as both girls got tired from constantly catching up on lost time…

It took a month for everything to crash down.

Chloe this time taken to America. Sabrina back to France, where she ended up in psychiatric care for a year.

A year where no one came to visit.

-

Chloe was in hell.

Another runway show that she was expected to pull off without any mistakes. Audrey breathing down her neck, constantly watched by all assistants and security guards having strict instructions.

Not even enough leeway for her to go outside for a cigarette.

As ten years approached after college, things had been looking up for her despite the firm structure of her life. Audrey kept her away from Paris constantly, never allowing her to step foot anywhere close to France, in the ensuing years. The one time she came close, in Italy, Chloe felt like Audrey assigned extra guards.

Chloe didn’t care about that, or Paris. That city held nothing for her. Not anyone from her past, or her Papa.

…Or Sabrina.

She stared down into her tablet, and thought seriously about the last time happiness came into her life. The weeks spent with Sabrina, those easily were the best. Even through all the control, with her being there on her side, the world felt bearable.

…And Sabrina’s rightful place, always, is to be by her side.

Yet Chloe had been denied such happiness. And in turn, she burned Audrey at every opportunity. Numerous suitors sent her way with an expectation that Chloe needed to turn one of them into a husband, and all of them were scared off.

Thus why she found herself practically under lock and key again now. A fashion show in Milan, with Lila not far away as a model, still on with her preposterous lies.

Then all of a sudden from next to her, a familiar hand. Some scratch marks on it. Chloe knew who it was without even having to hear her voice.

Offering a cigarette, a smirk on Sabrina’s face.

“You look like you need a break.”

-

This time it lasted six months.

Sabrina planned and kept secret diaries from her Papa, all the while saving up money and occasionally doing dark work on the Internet behind VPN’s. All with one goal in mind: get Chloe, get to a safer place, and then go offline forever.

A “safer place”, in Sabrina’s mind, involved going somewhere behind a line. To a former Soviet country. A place where her skills can be useful and no one would give notice to two women living together, and where Audrey wasn’t able to get to them.

Nor anyone.

Chloe took to the idea right away, until cracks came about two months into the whole arrangement. Furious arguing. About how living off the grid isn’t a way to live at all. That it’s not enough. Chloe being used to a certain “standard” in life.

Sabrina, in her time alone, didn’t see any problems with anything. Why can’t Chloe just submit and allow herself to be happy? Yes, maybe they didn’t have much. They needed to stay hidden for the most part and couldn’t travel, but they were finally together.

And that time together was absolute bliss, yet again. Neither woman was able to deny it.

Then Sabrina’s heart shattered. The day Chloe called her mother to come and get her.

-

What more is there to say?

Not long afterwards, Sabrina entered a forced medicated haze. The world dulling down. Something her Papa put forward, to try and make her forget about the “game”, as she kept mentioning in a frenzy at the time.

Chloe ended up locked in a tower for years, in New York. Audrey not making the same mistake again.

By now Sabrina realized that Chloe might not have been worth any of the trouble. The game which started in their youth turned into a gamble that didn’t pay off. Chloe always was going to choose the path of least resistance.

Only recently did she find out also that Chloe had betrayed her twice. Once to Audrey, and then earlier to her own Papa.

Sabrina sulked on her way to her job. A private secretary. Supervised by another, to ensure that if she used her computer for anything other than work that she got reported.

She got off her train, and ended up being stopped in her tracks.

The figure disheleved, the blonde hair dulled. Someone who probably found themselves outside for a few days.

Or a week.

Sabrina knew on sight who she was.

And Chloe offered her a cigarette.

The pills in the back of her head screamed for her not to. Sabrina ignored all of them.

-

I love all of the clothing you make. So many of the designs are unique. How I wish you’d be able to make something for me.

Not a word of a lie, though in writing out this note Sabrina knew gave a much higher chance of being found out. Because Marinette, in her generous spirit and kindness, must have given an article of clothing or made something for the entire class over the past few years.

…Everyone except herself and Chloe.

Again, because their friendship held things back from the rest of the class, Marinette of course didn’t dare try to make anything. So it meant Sabrina admired all of the designs from afar, without directly commenting.

Secretly she knew Chloe also admired certain pieces that Marinette did; a yellow number that should have been for Chloe but instead went “anonymous” for a project got more than a few comments from her friend about wasting such a perfectly good dress when it should have came to her.

By donation, of course.

Sabrina rolled her eyes through that entire rambling. Such a misfortune to have a mother like Audrey, someone who can tear apart the entire fashion world with just a single cutting remark. As much as Sabrina was sure Chloe wanted to wear something from Marinette, pride got in the way.

And from that Sabrina suffered in silence.

In that silence she thought about commissioning Marinette as a way to get around any stigma. Chloe wouldn’t be pleased but Sabrina had her own allowance. Maybe a scarf, in a nice brown-orange colour. Or a sweater.

Or a dress. Something flowy…

Then Sabrina realized Marinette then had to take her measurements, and a deep blush formed on her face in the middle of a boring part of class.

-

For what it’s worth, I don’t believe the same as Chloe does about you.

With every note Sabrina took a risk. At some point Marinette is going to find a way to bring this up with her “girl group” and they will help her get to the conclusion.

The words she put together now also might get Marinette there, though so far Sabrina noted that either through some miracle or curse the other girl seemed oblivious to it all. Sabrina really didn’t want to push the envelope, yet now was the time to speak out.

To ensure that, in time, Marinette knew she didn’t feel the same about her as Chloe did.

In the back of her head, a doubt arose. After all, the object of her affections is a girl who didn’t even glance her way in class or in school because of her best friend. The situation isn’t ever going to change. Progress stalled out. Sabrina felt stupid for pursuing this any further.

No. It’s time to stop. No more notes. You already have your answer, don’t you?

Why should Sabrina Raincomprix get herself messed up in something complicated anyways.

-

I want to reveal myself. I do. But I don’t even know if you like girls.

And yet.

And yet.

So stupid. So much risk. Sabrina thought that she had her conclusion, where stopping the notes felt like the definitive answer.

Then over a few days, Sabrina thought “to hell with anything definitive”.

Valentine’s Day approached. The last one for the class ever. So it felt like the time came for a reveal. The mere idea of doing that in front of Marinette in any way was enough to send her into a spiral of fidgeting. Things might be easier if the other girl actually gave a sign that she’d be into a crush from a girl, at all.

Sabrina did hit a calm moment as she thought about that one, particular “conclusion” aspect. She knew that through all of this torment, the idea of being with the opposite sex in any way had no appeal whatsoever.

Wistfully Sabrina noted, most of society isn’t the same. Yet another way she is an outsider.

She was getting tired of that.

-

I hope you don’t find my notes creepy. You have to believe me, if there was any other way to contact you, I would.

Sabrina planned again for this note to be a “last” one. It felt like continuing down this path wasn’t giving an answer, as Marinette didn’t show any signs of knowing where the notes came from, still.

She sighed and pulled open her locker, only to be confronted by a note that fell to the ground. Opening it up gave a significant shock.

Meet me at my locker on Valentine’s Day, after school.

The note is ambiguous. Maybe someone else sent it. Someone in the class who heard the story, as it had been spread around, and figured out that it was Sabrina sending these things to Marinette.

Did she want to know the answer?

Chloe would expect them both to leave together, as per always. A fury of thoughts sparked up in Sabrina’s mind about how to get out things with her quickly in order to come back to the school.

Say she forgot a book? No, too easy.

Or that her Papa wanted her home right away after school? No, Chloe would see through that.

Maybe pretend to be ill? Actually very easy. She felt like throwing up on the spot from the anxiety this brought on.

Sabrina breathed in and out, doing exercises designed to calm her down. After many months, weeks of feelings going high and low, sadness over maybe nothing ever coming out of this…

…and still, nothing needed to be the expected result. Marinette probably is doing this to try and let her down easy. To dash all of her dreams.

-

Sabrina never knew hugging someone felt so good.

Marinette being more than receptive to her notes, her crush, a possible future. More than what Sabrina ever thought possible and she might have cried in Marinette’s arms, if not for the fact that she didn’t want to.

“How…how are we going to do this?” Sabrina always felt like she needed to have the answers, at least with academic proofs. They came easy. Answers about herself didn’t. Except now she knew, she liked and preferred girls. She didn’t always need to agree with her best friend. She didn’t have to give in to the voices of self doubt.

And, Sabrina needed to give a bit of her vulnerability over to Marinette in order for this to work.

Marinette, for her part, wrapped an arm around Sabrina as they walked out of the school.

“I say we start hanging out more, and then go from there. We don’t need to have all of the answers at one time, Sabrina.”

Sabrina took this answer to heart, and then allowed herself to actually be hopeful of the future.

“Okay. I can do that.”

“Great.” Marinette turned to go home, and then stopped.

“You will need to come over soon though.”

Sabrina’s head cocked to a side, curious as to why, before Marinette spoke up again. “I’ve had a dress design with you in my head for ages.”

Her face burnt up again as Marinette laughed. “You said you wanted something from me!”

“But I don’t know how to repay you.” That being the truth. Sabrina figured that money, while appropriate, wouldn’t even come close.

“Yes you do.” Marinette said with a wink. “You just need to write me more notes.”

-

Sabrina didn’t think of herself as a writer.

The notes she gave to Marinette originally were simple, direct, to the point. Wishes and desires. A belief that nothing ever probably would come out of them. A way to vent her heart.

She pulled out a page of the stationary she used to write the notes, and put down a pen to the paper. The words didn’t stop until a full page sat on Sabrina’s desk.

I wish it is possible for me to come out to you, and tell you more.

“I’m sorry Marinette, but this isn’t written by me.”

It took a month for Alya to get Marinette to gather up her courage to ask Adrien outright about the note, especially when another one found its way into her locker. She showed both to Nino beforehand and he believed that the stationary seemed familiar, just not the handwriting.

And hearing Adrien’s rejection of the note, though it did cause sadness, gave rise to more questions than answers.

Because it if isn’t him who wrote them, then who?

-

I love all of the clothing you make. So many of the designs are unique. How I wish you’d be able to make something for me...

If Adrien didn’t write the note, combined with how the handwriting flowed and with the ask that someone is asking her for something made…

Marinette came to a conclusion, whoever it is, they were a girl.

Kim wouldn’t leave notes. Nino is with Alya. Ivan with Mylene. Max’s handwriting sucked. Nathaniel more than likely would have done a drawing instead of a note.

She then briefly considered that maybe Juleka was dropping off the notes for Luka. Or for herself.

Marinette let out a groan in the middle of class, causing a few mock laughs from Chloe.

-

For what it’s worth, I don’t believe the same as Chloe does about you.

A clue. Also a faster note. The person sending them stuck to a once a month schedule, yet this one came right after the events of the day before.

Alya hummed in response. “That means they can’t be in another class. Must be someone who saw Chloe first hand yesterday.”

Marinette kept a more open mind, considering word can get around the school fast.

-

I want to reveal myself. I do. But I don’t even know if you like girls.

Marinette thought over this note in class. Did she like girls in a romantic way? Something she’d never really thought about before. Aside from a significantly large crush on Adrien, which seemed to have died down lately, the idea of a girl crush didn’t even pass over her mind.

If she did have to crush, Marinette noted, there were more than a few options. Even Alya joked not long ago that if she wasn’t with Nino, being with Marinette was “a natural fit”.

It now dawned on Marinette, maybe Alya wasn’t joking about that.

-

I hope you don’t find my notes creepy. You have to believe me, if there was any other way to contact you, I would.

Marinette held a meeting with her “girl group” in order to try and get to the bottom of this. Surely one of them must know more?

All of them denied anything. Rose and Juleka of course were now an official couple and said that the writing did look familiar to someone in their class. Alix didn’t want anyone, though said the idea of the notes was sweet. Mylene agreed.

Rose brought up that considering so many have been eliminated, there left only three possibilities: Chloe, Lila, and Sabrina.

And so, Marinette decided on a plan of action.

-

Three identical notes. All saying the exact same thing.

Meet me at my locker on Valentine’s Day, after school.

Marinette knew the risks in spreading such notes around the class, though she used a computer to make them in order to be “generic”. The girl group also was in on the plan, so that when Lila tried to wave the note around the class to prove a “secret admirer”, she got met with polite smiles.

And with that, Marinette crossed her off the list. Whoever did the notes needed to be discreet and Lila ruled herself out.

Which meant that the last two suspects were Chloe and Sabrina. Chloe, for her part, seemed disinterested the whole day. Only perking up when flowers got delivered to the school that she sent to herself.

Marinette noted that Sabrina kept to herself the whole day and fidgeted more and more as the clock beat down closer to after school.

It might be nothing.

Yet as the minutes ticked on further, Marinette gradually accepted it. The answer made sense. Especially why Sabrina didn’t feel like being open about her feelings.

Then Marinette had to question herself again as both Chloe and Sabrina rushed out of the school when the bell came.

-

Marinette figured no harm in waiting, so she sat by her locker for an hour after school. Opening it up right after the bell she did not find another note.

Sighing, she hoped that a direct approach finally would provide an answer. No such luck. Maybe her assumption is incorrect and the person sending the notes was outside of their class.

Which meant trying to get Aurore, Zoe, and Mireille involved. Or maybe even Kagami?

Not the best of situations, especially when Marinette had been coming around to the idea of Sabrina having a crush on her. The idea of her heart expanding out to consider girls in her crushes and loves took some time and confronting a truth. She wanted to explore out this newly discovered path.

With Sabrina? Maybe. She knew the path with her may have some rocks simply because of Chloe, a girl who Marinette didn’t see eye to eye with at the best of times.

At the end of the hour, Marinette got up from her locker and prepared to walk out of the school, feeling defeated in her idea that Sabrina is the one leaving the notes…

…and got proven wrong when Sabrina entered the school. A note in her hand. Marinette hid around a corner, hoping she wasn’t seen, as Sabrina carefully put the note into a slot in her locker.

Marinette knew her next move was risky, but she did it anyways. She pulled out from her hiding place as Sabrina turned down the hall to leave.

The two girls stared at each other. Sabrina couldn’t look her in the eyes, and Marinette spoke out.

“…I…I guess you were worth waiting for?”

Sabrina gasped in response, tentatively taking steps towards Marinette and speaking quietly.

“You know, don’t you? You figured me out. I thought I was being so careful. This is a mistake, I should have never done the notes, I shouldn’t have-“

“Sabrina, no, please.” Marinette approached Sabrina carefully and with a smile on her face. “I don’t think this was a mistake, I loved the notes. They’re very sweet.”

Sabrina stared at the ground, her face glowing as red as her hair as her hands fidgeted with the bottom hem of her sweater.

“The n-note I just put in your locker said I’d stop sending them-“

“You don’t have to.”

Sabrina finally pulled her eyes forward enough to look at her, and Marinette noted that Sabrina seemed completely torn up.

“I don’t want to put myself between C-Chloe and you-“

“You don’t have to Sabrina, we can figure things out as we go along.”

Sabrina let out a small laugh. “This is. It’s more than I thought. I didn’t even think I could come back to the school today, after your note.”

Marinette opened up her hands, a signal for Sabrina to put hers in together if she wanted. “You knew it was from me.”

Sabrina nodded. “I mean no one else knew. Eventually I threw up after leaving Chloe’s place and figured maybe…maybe finally I can get closure.”

Inwardly Marinette felt a tinge of guilt, that she could cause such emotions in another. Then she noted, this had been building up for some time. Maybe even further back; Sabrina was a presence in her class for years.

Then Sabrina’s eyes started to water. “I understand if you don’t want any part of me or my c-crush, Marinette. I can just figure out a way to let it die.”

Marinette thought about this extensively before putting the return note in Sabrina’s locker. If the past can be left behind, and even if Sabrina felt she can hold herself out of Chloe’s grasp.

“Sabrina, I wouldn’t have put a note in your locker if I didn’t think this was worth a try.”

In a moment, Sabrina’s face went from sad to one of amazement. “Can…can I hug you?”

Marinette smiled in return. “Of course you can!”

Pulling in Sabrina, Marinette felt a warmth come over her that she had never experienced before. This felt different from hugging any of her friends, or even her parents.