#dingo king

When a couple minutes passed and the murmuring audience shifted from curiosity to restlessness with no sign of Penny and no word from anyone else, he stood, pulled a ping pong ball from his pocket and bounced it off his snare. Penny hated it when he left them in his jeans pockets during performances, but being able to fiddle with them was soothing.

One of the light techs must have been desperate, because next thing he knew, the spot was on him. Experimentally, he bounced it couple more times, catching it between each bounce.

Titters sounded through the crowd, but one guy, sitting at the front, yelled up him.

"Quit clowning around!"

Dingo arched an eyebrow and grinned. He knew exactly what to do until Lu got back. He might not have clown paint on him, but he had something even better.

With a crazed smile he stood, pulled the lipstick he'd stolen from Bri out of his pocket, and coated his hand with the deep plum just to press it against his face war-paint style. He rubbed his hand off against his jeans and twirled a drumstick before sliding it into his back pocket. Loading his hands up with the rest of the hidden balls he shouted at the crowd.

"I'll show you clowning around!"

Another spot hit him, shifting colors. James thrummed a single low note that thrummed across the stage. Dingo nodded at him and the bassist nodded back, James would keep up with whatever he laid down… or bounced around.

What happened next would be his greatest accomplishment. Even if Marinette was back there showing them all up by bringing a whole human into the world.

Juggling was a newer hobby. A little something to do in the bus while the kilometers slipped underneath them hour after hour. Ping pong balls were light—lighter than drumsticks—and when one got away from him, no one threatened murder if the featherweight balls hit them. He'd been struck by his own sticks—and worse, seen them break—when playing around with them in close quarters with grumpy travel companions.

Dingo rolled his shoulders and shifted his weight before sending a volley of balls into the drums in a quick alternating pattern, the balls changed hands and he looked at the crowd expectantly. Some of them cheered, most laughed; no one sounded bored or worried. He tossed another volley, catching and releasing in a rhythm you could almost dance to. James followed him, giving the display a deeper feeling that traveled across the crowd.

The angles were tricky, so he captured all four balls and adjusted his seat slightly before sitting. To make sure he had enough room, he lobbed the ping pong balls up, juggling in earnest for a few seconds before redirecting them towards the drum set. He wished they were heavier. Something with a little more weight would be better, but for now, he was having fun and no one had jeered or booed.

The balls landed softly before coming back at him, ready to be caught and redirected until he had found the perfect pattern and some of the audience were stomping along.

Dingo laughed, nearly forgetting the why of it all. He sent on of the balls towards the cymbals—it impacted with a gorgeous ring, but it careened in the wrong direction finding a new home with a lucky fan who shouted when they caught it. Thinking fast, he juggled the balls against the floor tom and snagged another ball from his pocket as quickly as he could. He had one more to spare if things went sideways again.

Which they would. Dingo King had been told more often than most that he had that effect. But Lu was a loyal friend and had always stood by him—even against his better judgement—and Dingo would do just about anything for his mate, not to mention Marinette.

He shifted as he sent the new fourth ball into play against the drums, he wanted to be able to access his sticks easily as soon as he finished whatever wild madness it was he was doing.

By applying more force, he got the lightweight little spheres to speed up, creating an almost dizzying staccato against toms and snare. James kept up and the low bass kept him grounded as his fingers and eyes flew to intercept and redirect as needed. The longer he maintained the ping pong drum solo, the wider his smile grew. This was a different kind of fun.

Of course, he could also feel the moment the rhythm started to get away from him. His hand slipped just a bit, sending the ball towards the wrong drum and he knew he had only seconds to pull off a finale without flopping.

James felt it too. He held the last note and let it ebb, giving Dingo the room he needed to alter the pattern or rhythm as needed.

Dingo sent the next ball to follow the errant one, to keep them in concert. Then the next skipping off the hi-hat into the laughing, cheering crowd. Drum, cymbal, drum, hi-hat, pocket! Drum, cymbal!

Out of balls and breathing hard, Dingo whipped out his drumsticks with a wild whoop and flourish to play his trademark meet-the-drummer solo.

The crowd went wild. With a carefully practiced sweep of his leg, Dingo swept his stool out of the way, managed a spin, and crashed his cymbals with a grin before taking a bow.

He panted, watching the crowd as James took up a solo of his own. His earpiece crackled to life and his hands tensed around the drumsticks once again.

"I don't know what you're doing, but keep it up if you can." Penny's voice was calm, but Dingo could hear the strain behind her words. "It's going to a little while yet."

He'd forgotten why he was juggling ping pong balls on his drums for a moment.

A couple minutes of clowning around wasn't going to be long enough for a baby to be born, and he was all out of balls. He looked across the stage at James, who was coming to the end of his walk. With a drumstick salute, he joined him and they kept the rhythm going and the energy up just enough to hold the interest of the crowd. Most were sitting now, and there was a hum of chatter, but they were still there. Giving Luka the benefit of the doubt.

Dingo whispered a few words of luck for his best mate's wife. He laughed suddenly, because Marinette was hardly short on luck.

It was officially November first. It was officially no longer her birthday. But she didn’t mind. Not in the slightest. It had been an amazing day. An incredible day. 

A perfect day. 

But a tiring one. 

Couffaine parties tended to be… a spectacle. Usually a giant chaotic spectacle. And her sixteenth birthday… well, it had been a special day. A witch only turned sixteen once, after all. Couffaines had flocked to the city from all the corners of the world they had wandered to to help celebrate it. Of course, all her friends had been there too. As had most of their families. 

A sixteenth birthday was a big deal, and everyone had wanted to be there for the day she had been waiting for since forever. 

The party had started before the sun have even set, and it had lasted well into the darkness of the night. The last of their guests hadn’t left until the wee hours of the morning. No one had wanted to miss a moment of such a big day. She smiled to herself as she leaned back in her chair, lifting her hand to let purple sparks shimmer in the air around her. 

The entire day, from the moment she had woken up, had been rife with magic. 

And she had been able to fully partake in the magic for the first time. Now that she was a fully-fledged witch. 

She wasn’t usually one for showing off. But everyone had come to celebrate her birthday. To celebrate her gaining her full powers. And everyone had wanted to see her demonstrate her new powers. 

So she had given the people what they wanted. And she would have been lying if she had said she hadn’t been dying to show off…   

Just a little bit. 

She grinned at the memory of her seanmhair’s face when she had made ghostly tigers prowl the waters of the Seine while lights danced across the sky and shimmering sparks rained down on the Liberty. Maybe she had overdone it a little… but after the show Luka had put on when he had turned sixteen… 

 She could still see the delighted faces of her friends and family and the sound of Rose’s excited squeals in her ears. She could still see Luka and her ma beaming with pride as she showed off her new powers. Surrounded by everyone she loved and finally able to say she was a real witch… 

Everything had been perfect. 

She hadn’t even been able to bring herself to be annoyed by the fact that Luka and Marinette had made goo-goo eyes at each other the whole night and still refused to admit they were hopelessly in love with each other. 

But now, even after all her guests were gone and the rest of her family had turned in for the night, she was still buzzing. Buzzing with the magic that was flooding her body, having finally been unlocked. And with excitement now that she finally had access to her full powers. But she was also tired. Exhausted. It had been a perfect day. But it had been a long one. And no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t quite settle herself. And how could anyone expect her to sleep when there was still so much energy running through her? 

She sighed as Roarr let out a rumbling purr from her lap. Absently, she began to stroke her familiar’s fur as she gazed around her room. She had already put most of her gifts away to try and burn off some of the energy coursing through her. Not that it had helped much. Or at all. 

Her eyes drifted down to the panjas bracelet her ma had given to her as the marker of her coming to age and gaining her powers. She turned her hand from side to side, watching the gem shimmer in the low light of the new lamp Rose had given her. Her gaze travelled up from her bracelet to land on the lamp she had placed over her dressing table. 

She tilted her head to the side as she appraised the lamp. 

It was in the shape of a raven, holding a lantern from its beak. Rose had gotten it for her because she knew how much she adored ravens. They were such beautiful animals. They were wickedly clever too. And loyal. 

She frowned in thought. 

She had always been good at the minor conjuring they had done in school. They had only ever done the simple things. Tiny, inanimate things. That was all anyone without their full powers was able to manage. But she had always been good at it. The only one in her class who had her beat when it came to conjuring was Marinette. 

And while they had only ever done minor conjuring, they had learned the theory of major conjuring… 

And she had always wanted to try… 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Focusing on the steps they had learned in class, she imagined a raven taking shape in her mind. She imagined it appearing, feather by feather until it was fully formed. The image of the raven stared blankly back at her in her mind’s eye. When she was finally happy with the mental image she had formed, she took another deep breath in and reached for the energy coursing through her. She let the warmth of her magic wash over her in a wave of light as she willed a portion of it to gather. She visualized the magic pooling in a mass of purple sparks, and once she had gathered enough, she sent it raining down on the raven in her mind’s eye. The purple sparks disappeared where they touched black feathers, and the raven's eyes lit up.  

Her exhale was shaky from the exertion, but she was careful to keep it controlled as much as she could. 

When she opened her eyes, the raven was perched on the mug Rose had gotten for her. The raven looked at her with sparkling dark eyes, bright with intelligence and her magic. She held out her hand to it, and it hopped on. She stroked the silky soft feathers of its head. It let out a happy little chortle and affectionately tugged at a lock of her hair. 

She had actually done it. The raven was real. Well, not real, given it was a manifestation of her will and magic. But she could see it and it was solid, and it was acting real. All of which were the signs of a good conjuring.  

Of course, the sign of a masterful conjuring was if the conjured creature would develop a will of its own. Only time would tell but… 

The raven cawed, head butting at her fingers that had stilled on its head. She shook herself and smiled as she stroked his feathers. 

A shaky but ecstatic laugh escaped her as she continued to stroke the raven’s head. “I think I’m going to call you Nevermore.”

Roarr purred again from her lap before sitting up to nuzzle against her affectionately. Nevermore hopped to her shoulder and began gliding his beak through her hair. 

A slow grin spread its way across her face as she absently scratched the sweet spot behind Roarr’s ears. She turned her attention from Roarr—though she didn’t stop with the cuddles—to look at herself in her new mirror.

From the second the clock had struck midnight, signifying her birthday, she had felt different. It was only natural. She had finally become a fully-fledged witch. Of course, she would feel different. With all of her magic suddenly at her fingertips, coursing through her like liquid light, how could she not feel different? But…

She tilted her head. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she looked different too. Though, of course, that could have something to do with the magnificent nightgown and dressing robe. Her grin softened. Marinette had truly gone overboard for her birthday. But that was typical Marinette… 

Her gaze swept from her reflection to the mirror itself. The mirror was round and framed in black. And around the mirror itself was another frame. The mirror was intentionally off-centre in the outer frame and only took up a portion of it. The design was clever, with the outer frame forming a crescent moon around the mirror, with a space between the inner and outer frames. In the crescent-shaped space, there was a flock of bats whose wings connected the two frames together. 

She furrowed her brows as she stared at the bats. Then her gaze darted to her reflection, and Nevermore still perched on her shoulder. Conjuring Nevermore had certainly tired her out. But she was still filled to the brim with magic that she wasn’t used to yet. 

If she was going to get any sleep, she needed to tire herself out. Or use up some of the energy she was still buzzing with. 

And there was no reason she couldn’t do both…

                                                           ***

He groaned as he—unsuccessfully—tried to escape the pounding in his head by burying it under one of his pillows. Last night had been a wild party, even by Couffaine standards. Which wasn’t a surprise. Jules was the baby of not just his immediate family but the entire Couffaine Clan. And as such, her birthday had been an even more momentous occasion than it already had been. 

So naturally, the party had been wild. 

It had been fun. 

Too much fun. 

She deserved it all. Stars knew she had been waiting for her birthday for such a long time. So he, his ma, and the rest of the family, and all her friends had gone all out for her. They had even warped space around the Liberty so they wouldn’t get any noise complaints. But of course, that meant his head felt like it was trying to split itself open now… 

But it had been worth it. It had been the best party the Liberty had ever played host to. Guests hadn’t started leaving until close to three in the morning. 

He was pretty sure his voice was entirely gone from all the singing and laughing. And the talking… his mind drifted to the times when he and Marinette had found themselves alone together in the crowd. Dancing together. Sipping on punch and eating the cake her parents had made for Juleka. At one point they had even managed to have a quiet moment in the greenhouse. Just the two of them. Just talking. 

She had looked so beautiful…

She was always beautiful. But in her gossamer dress, under the twinkling lights of the party… she had been like a fairy.

He grimaced as another pounding throb ricocheted off the inside of his skull. The cool, silky feeling of scales slipping against skin tickled the back of his neck. A second later, he felt Sass’s tongue flickering at his ear. 

“Yeah, yeah, ok,” he grumbled. “I’m getting up. But you have to move first, buddy.” 

Once Sass had slithered off his back, he slid—toppled—out of bed. He glanced groggily around his room. His housecoat was… somewhere… They had been so busy cleaning—cleaning was a loose term—the rest of the Liberty that he had just shoved everything they didn’t want their guests to see in various rooms. Including his bedroom… 

He could look for it… but he didn’t really need a housecoat. Pants on the other hand… He ran a hand through his hair as he began scanning the room for anything even vaguely resembling pants. But the only pair he saw were the ones he had worn for the party last night and had kicked off as soon as the last guest had left. They were on the far side of the room, where he had flung them as he kicked them off. His room was small, but it seemed so far…

He groaned as another wave of exhaustion washed over him, along with another throbbing pound in his head. 

Nope. 

Pants weren’t worth the effort. He needed coffee. Like, ten minutes ago. 

Besides, it was just Jules and his ma—the out-of-towners were staying at a local B&B a friend of his ma’s owned—and they had both seen him in his boxers. Besides, it was unlikely Jules would be up quite yet. So she wouldn’t be able to make fun of him for actually wearing the boxers she had gotten him, the ones with the stupid cartoony snakes. 

He shoved his feet into a pair of slippers that weren’t actually a pair. One was from a pair of bunny slippers he had no memory of buying, and the other was plaid wool. 

More or less satisfied, though no more awake—or alive—he gathered Sass in his arms and draped his familiar over his shoulders, then trudged out into the kitchen.  

He had just poured some of the coffee he brewed into his mug when his sister emerged from her room. 

To say she was glowing was an understatement.

She swanned out of her room. The nightgown and dressing gown Marinette had made and gifted to her—stars Marinette was so talented—flowed around her in a cloud of purple and black tulle. Marinette had been so proud of herself when she found the spiderweb-patterned tulle, and he had to admit, it suited Juleka perfectly. 

Maybe too perfectly. With the dramatic sleeves and the billowing fabric, she was definitely channelling her Queen of Darkness energy.

A level of Queen of Darkness energy it was entirely too early for…

Something black fluttered up near the ceiling. He blinked, then rubbed at his eyes. He had thought he saw… But there was nothing there… 

“Morning, stupid.” 

He jumped. Juleka was standing beside him now pouring, coffee into the mug he recognized as the one Rose had given her as part of her present. 

“Wha…” She smirked and, with a raised eyebrow, nodded to his mug. He glanced down at it. Of course, he had grabbed the “Call me stupid’ mug she had gotten for him. He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head to try and clear it of the exhaustion still fogging his mind. But when he blearily blinked them open again, he nearly dropped his mug. 

Had that raven been sitting on her shoulder this entire time? 

Where had she even gotten a raven and- he rubbed at his eyes. Those were bats hanging from the beams that ran along the ceiling. 

Had she seriously… 

No. There was no way. He had to be-

“Problem?” she asked, in a voice that was somehow mild and teasing at the same time. 

“I’m going back to bed,” he grumbled before dumping the rest of his coffee down the drain. 

“Suit yourself,” she said as she turned, her dressing robe flaring out behind her. Then she swept back into her room. 

                                                          ***

She hummed happily to herself as she took another sip of her coffee. This morning so far had been pure bliss. She had woken up to the the most wonderful feeling of magic flowing through her veins. Her ma and Luka had told her she would get used to the feeling. But for now, she was more than all alright with not being used to it. Because waking up feeling that way—and just existing feeling that way—was amazing. 

And, of course, she had woken up to find Nevermore perched on one of the posts of her footboard, standing sentinel. Her bats had all found places to roost, scattered around her room. Waking up and seeing all of them there, physical embodiments of her magic and will… it was a feeling words couldn’t even begin to describe. It had been something she had been longing for for so long, and now that she was living it, it felt like a dream. 

Her entire morning had felt like a perfect, blissful dream. 

 Her morning routine had never been chaotic. It was one of the few aspects of her life she refused to allow the Couffaine Chaos to touch. But with Nevermore and her bats—she would have to name them all later—it was going smoother than it ever had been before. 

While she had washed her face, one of her bats had fetched her a clean washcloth so she hadn't had to hunt blindly for one on the towel rack and drip water everywhere. Another of her bats had unscrewed all the lids to her skincare potions for her so that they were all ready to go for her. And as she had finished with each potion, the bat had secured the lids back on the vials for her. While all of that had been happening in the bathroom, Nevermore had been busy at work in her bedroom. Already, the raven had found an earring she had resigned herself to never seeing again, and he had also found the missing button to one of her shirts. The rest of the flock of bats had set themselves to work making her bed for her and sorting through the basket of laundry she hadn’t gotten around to putting away yet. 

By the time she had floated back into her room in a cloud of tulle, everything had been put in order for her. 

 She sighed as she placed her mug back down on her dressing table, taking a moment to smile at the lid of the mug. The black cat with devil horns was certainly her style, but the overall cutesy look of it was very much Rose. It was perfect. Just like the rest of her morning. 

Caffeinated, she turned her attention to her reflection; she couldn’t help but smile at her appearance. She was still in her new nightgown and dressing robe, and she was loathe to ever take them off. She may have technically been the self-proclaimed Queen of Darkness, but she certainly felt like a queen in her new pyjama set. And there was something decidedly luxurious about getting ready in such a magnificent outfit. 

She picked up her eyeliner and, after uncapping it, leaned in closer to her new mirror. She concentrated as she slowly traced the eyeliner along her lash line, listening to the chittering and squeaks of the bats and Nevermore’s chortles with half an ear as she flicked the end of the line out with practiced ease. The second eye took a little more concentration, but it was still effortless enough. 

Satisfied, she turned her attention to Nevermore. “Yes, that’s the one,” she said, nodding as the raven held up one of her chokers. The jet beads glittered in the light as Nevermore hopped off her jewelry box and flapped over to perch on her shoulder. He dropped the necklace into her hand and titled his head to the side. “Do you think you could get me my amethyst drop earrings? I think they would go nicely with my new bracelet. Thank you,” She pressed a featherlight kiss to his head. Nevermore chortled happily and then took off from her shoulder. 

She watched as he swooped across the room, back to the dresser where her jewellery box was before letting her gaze trail down to her new panjas bracelet. She had been beyond jealous when Luka had gotten his ouroboros. So jealous, she had counted the days until she would receive her own miracle stone. But it had been so worth the wait. 

The bracelet was beautiful. The black metal of the bracelet and rings and the connecting chains was delicately wrought, and it glinted in the light, not unlike the way a raven’s wing did. And the central stone… it shimmered the same deep violet as her magic. 

She couldn’t wait to put it back on. 

But first, she needed… she glanced over her shoulder at the two bats picking through her box of gloves. “No, the fingerless short ones. Yes. Those ones.” The bats fluttered over to her, each clutching a glove in their feet. Once she had taken the gloves from the bats and given them both a cuddle, she pushed her chair back and turned in her seat to survey the rest of the progress. 

As she had done her base makeup, the bats had pinned her hair up in rollers for her; to coax her second-day curls into loose waves. But that work had been quick for the nimble little creatures, so they had set themselves to work scouring her closet for outfit options for her. “The skirt on the left,” she said, directing the bat away from the lace skirt and toward the black velvet one. “And I think…” she mused, “I’ll go with the purple blouse,” she said. The bat holding said blouse squeaked and flapped over to her while the other bat put away her sole white blouse. “How’s it going, Nevermore?” 

The raven ruffled his feathers as he held up the earrings she had asked him to find in his beak. 

“Perfect.” She rose from her chair and shrugged off her robe into the waiting claws of some of her bats. As she retrieved her day clothes from the rest of the bats, they carried the robe to her closet to hang it. 

She could definitely get used to mornings like this. 

She was dressed in record time and back at her dressing table to finish her makeup. As she dithered between lipstick shades, her bats eased her hair out of the rollers, and Nevermore straightened the choker around her throat while Roarr watched from where she was curled up on the bed. She had just finished dabbing on her deep purple lipstick when there was a knocking at her door. 

Well, a banging. 

Her ma didn’t exactly knock…

 “How’re ye adjustin’ this morn,’ lass?” her ma asked as she stuck her head through the door. Then she grinned. “I see ye be adjustin’ well. How’s that jewel of yers?” 

“It’s perfect,” she said, holding up her hand with the panjas bracelet. “It’s better than anything I could have ever imagined.” 

“Good.” Her ma’s face softened into a rare, tender smile. “Bein’ fully-fledged suits ye, lass. Now,” her ma said, her voice going gruff again, “where’s that lad?” 

“He went back to bed.” 

“And he still be sleepin’ at this hour? Tosh. I’m off te work now, be a good lass an’ wake ‘im before ye leave.”

“I will.” 

She turned back to look in the mirror. She was almost ready. But there were still a few finishing touches she had to do before she was ready to leave for brunch with the girls. And there was no reason she couldn’t delegate… 

“Nevermore, could you do me a favour?”  

                                                      ***

He knew he wasn’t asleep. Not really. Not fully. He was in the foggy place between waking and sleep. He knew he would be miserable when he came out of it; he knew he would be groggy and even more tired than he had been when he had collapsed back into bed. He also knew the longer he stayed half-asleep, the worse waking up would be. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to force himself awake. 

Not when he was having such a good half-dream. 

It was just him and Marinette. Just the two of them. Together. Surrounded by music and softly glowing lights that reflected off her fairy-like dress. Maybe they were dancing, or maybe, they were floating. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that everything was soft and gentle and perfect. 

And that it was a dream. 

Because he and Marinette were just friends. He knew it was stupid to indulge in dreams like this. And yet, here he was. Apparently, Jules had gotten him that mug for a reason. 

His dream self reached up to cup her cheek. “You’re the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the first day we met.” The words he had rehearsed and failed to say so many times were so effortless to say in the realm of dreams. “Marinette… I love you.” 

Her doe eyes widened until they were impossibly large, and her cheeks flushed the same hue as her favourite roses. She leaned into the hand cupping her cheek, even as her gaze darted down. He could practically see her mind working, searching for the words she wanted to say. But then she looked up at him through her lashes. And she smiled. Her dazzling, shy smile that was like a blanket of stars. 

She took a breath, her eyes still locked on his. Tentatively, she parted her lips. 

“Wake up, dummy.” 

The words came out of Marinette’s—dream Marinette’s—mouth, but that was not her voice. 

He jolted awake. His eyes flew open, and he couldn’t stop the yelp—not scream—that escaped his lips as he tumbled out of bed. 

“Time to get up, dummy.” 

He groaned and rubbed at his head where he had thwacked it against the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped he had just been seeing things. But when he opened them again and blinked the spots from his vision, the raven was still perched on his headboard, though it had hopped closer to the edge to continue to stare down at him. “Up and at 'em,” it said in a voice that was almost a perfect mimic of Juleka’s but was just off. It tilted its head to the side, staring at him expectantly with unblinking black eyes. 

He groaned again, letting his head fall back against the floor. So he hadn’t imagined the raven… 

Maybe if he just laid there, it would get bored and leave? 

He could practically hear the seconds ticking by as he lay on the hard ground. Sass was slithering over him, curling around him. But the room was silent, save for the rustling of feathers. He was just about to give up and open his eyes again when he heard the flapping of wings. 

But the sound wasn’t getting farther away. It was getting closer. 

A blast of air brushed against his face as he heard the raven landing on the floor beside his head. There were some scuttling steps. And then the bird began nudging at the side of his head with its beak, tugging at his hair and nibbling his ear. “Wake up, dummy!” 

He had to wonder if Jules had told it to talk directly into his ear or if he was just unlucky. 

“Fine, fine,” he grumbled, opening his eyes and sitting up. “I’m getting up.” 

The raven didn’t seem to fully believe him because it watched him as he dragged himself up off the floor and gathered Sass up, and draped him over his shoulders. And when he schlepped out of his room, it followed him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it settle itself on the back of one of the barstools. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he set about making a fresh pot of coffee, as the one he had originally made was now stone cold. 

He could feel the raven’s eyes on him as he made the coffee and scrounged up some cold pizza from the fridge. By the time the coffee had brewed, and he had poured some into a fresh mug—one that didn’t point out his idiocy—the bird still hadn’t lost interest in him. He glanced toward the living area, wondering if the bird would follow him if he went to have his breakfast on the sofa. 

Before he could find out, the door to Juleka’s room opened. 

She swept out of her room—because that was the only word that could describe the way she was walking—looking like the queen she proclaimed she was. 

“You lose something?” he asked, nodding toward the raven that was watching him from its perch on the barstool. 

She stopped and turned to stare at him. Then she tilted her head and gave him that innocent little frown that was the very definition of wicked. “No.” 

“So the living alarm clock…” 

“Ma said you needed to get up.” 

“And you had to get birdbrain to do it?” 

“His name is Nevermore,” she sniffed. “And I was busy getting ready.” Roarr yowled in agreement from where she sat at Juleka’s heels. 

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. But then, despite his annoyance, he smiled. “You’re wearing your cape.” He had been so proud of the idea when he thought of it. Of course, Marinette had been the one to actually make it, but he had picked out the fabric. With her help. And the idea had been his when he commissioned her to make it… 

“Of course I am, dummy! I love it.” To demonstrate her point, she twirled, letting the star and moon-spangled chiffon flow around her. 

“I’m glad. But you’re going out, right?” She nodded. “Aren’t you going to be a bit cold, going out like that…” his question trailed off as she raised an eyebrow, and bats came fluttering out of her room, carrying her wool coat. 

“You are saying?” 

“When did you find the time to conjure all of those?” There had to be at least a dozen bats. Plus the raven- Nevermore. And who knew what else she had up her sleeves?

She shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep last night, new magic and all that. I figured I might as well try some conjuring out. Thank you,” she added as the bats helped her into her coat. They squeaked in response, and some of them nuzzled her before they ascended to the ceiling to hang from the beams. 

“But don’t you think you’re taking this a bit far? I mean, you don’t have to use magic for everything.”

“I’m not actively using magic right now. You know how conjuring works. Or at least, you would if you paid attention in class instead of daydreaming about Marinette-” 

“I pay attention in class!” 

“Not according to Dingo-“

“You’re going to listen to Dingo over your own brother?” 

She raised a brow. “On this, obviously,” she deadpanned. “Besides, Bri says it too.” Heat flooded his face. It was too early to find out his friends were apparently traitors- “And I didn’t ask them to do anything,” she said, gesturing to her flock of flying friends, “I just wanted to try conjuring a few new friends. They’re the ones that wanted to help me get ready.”

Nevermore cawed in what was obviously agreement. Above him, the bats let out a series of squeaks. 

“Anyways,” she said breezily, “I’m heading out now.” She paused and sent a deliberate smirk his way. If Roarr could smirk, he would swear the tiger was smirking too. It was enough to send even more heat flooding through his face. But her words didn’t help. “I’ll be sure to say hi to Marinette for you.” 

He may have been more asleep than awake, but her insinuation wasn't lost on him. He spluttered out nonsense, fighting for some semblance of a dignified response. But he was severely under-caffeinated, and all his wit seemed to still be curled up in bed. All he could do was watch as she flounced toward the door, Roarr trotting beside her. But her bats and… 

“Aren’t you uh… forgetting something?” he asked, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the flock of bats hanging from the ceiling and the raven that was still perched on the back of the barstool. And was still staring at him. 

“Nope,” she said popping her p. Then she smirked. “I”m going out with Marinette, so they’ll stay here to keep you company. Wouldn’t want you getting lonely while you pine away, now would we? You all be good and take care of Luka, won’t you?”  

Her bats let out another cacophony of squeaks as Nevermore chortled. She smiled and then turned in a whirl of flowing hair, and laughing, climbed up the stairs and slipped out the door. 

Nevermore hopped over to the bar stool closest to him and cocked his head to the side. “Idiot in love,” he said, in that voice that was so close to Juleka’s, it was downright unsettling. 

He groaned. Jules had been so excited to gain her full powers. But he was beginning to think it maybe wasn’t so great…

____________________________________________________________

Ravens can talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfsnHVaScjg

Juleka’s mirror https://www.joann.com/place-time-halloween-mirror-wall-decor-with-bats/18746420.html

Juleka's mug https://twitter.com/SoftnessDaily/status/1576286090285109248?t=ls2kBzdSp2dwZcObJ1SVoQ&s=19

It lands face up between them, putting Dingo, and his attire, fully on display.  “What do you think of what LuLu sent me, Nettie, dear?” he poses this way and that, showing off the three piece pale pink lingerie set, the intricate lace of the babydoll nightie just barely covering him. “Bri insisted it wasn’t for me, but you have to admit, it’s my color.”

“Dingo Peregrine King,” Luka growls softly, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “ Why did you put it on?”

“That explains this,” Marinette chuckles, holding up the little stuffy.

Dingo crosses his living room to get a better view of the screen, partially to see the toy and partially to yell at Luka for full naming him, the lace not quite able to hide everything with him being so near the camera.  

“DINGO!” Luka roars, covering the screen of the phone with his hand.

The Australian freezes at his friend's tone, and sits down so only his fallen face is in view.  They can see Bri pop into the room and sigh.  “Told you not to put it on,” she sighs sitting next to him.  

Marinette picks up the phone and tugs a huffing Luka down to sit next to her.  “Merry Christmas,” she offers in hopes of breaking the tension.  She elbows her husband’s side when gives only glares. “Merry Christmas,” Luka grumbles.

“Merry Christmas,” Bri smiles, nudging her own partner.

“I’m sorry, mate,” Dingo tells him sincerely, his head hung a little low.  “Was just supposed to be a joke.  I was going to replace it with a new one.”

Luka sighs deeply, some of the tension leaves his shoulders.  Marinette squeezes his knee, out of view of the screen.  “You can’t,” he finally answers.

“It’s my design,” Marinette explains after a few moments of heavy silence.  “I’ve been working on some lingerie designs but have been too nervous to bring them to life.  I’m assuming Luka had Juleka and Rose assemble them, just like this guy,” she pauses to hold up the toy dingo again and looks to Luka who simply nods, still clearly upset.  “Looks like there was a mix up in the wrapping and tagging.”

“Aw, fuck,” Dingo groans, dragging his hands down his face.   “I fucked up. I wouldn’t have- obviously if I knew-  Sorry.  Might have taken it too far this time,” he finally admits, apologetically.

“Might have,” Luka nods gruffly.  

“It did get the point across though,” Marinette smiled gently, rubbing his leg, and kissing his cheek.  “Though I would have chosen a more traditional model,” she can’t help but add with a giggle.  “Thank you.  I do love it.”

Luka smiles back at her and catches her lips in a quick kiss.  “Merry Christmas.”

“Does this mean I don’t get my kilt dingo,” Dingo asks, grabbing their attention.

“I think Marinette gets to hold him hostage for a bit,” Bri suggests.

“You're supposed to be on my side,” Dingo whines, leaning his head on her shoulder and pouting up at her.

“You’re an idiot,” she shakes her head.

“Your idiot,” he grins.

Bri rolls her eyes, but a little grin sneaks through and she kisses him ever so quickly. “For now.”

“We should probably start getting ready if we’re going to make it to family dinner,” Marinette prompts after a quick glance to the clock.

Bri nods in understanding. “Same time next week?” Luka gives his own nod. “Merry Christmas!” Bri cheers one more time with a wave, Dingo joining in before the call ends.

Luka groans and practically melts into Marinette once she sets the phone down. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“It’s fine, babe,” Marinette assures him, raking his fingers through his hair as he buries his face deeper into her chest.  “It really did look wonderful, and I really appreciate you bringing it to life like that.  It gave me the confidence to keep working on that line.  So thank you. I love you.”

“I love you,” Luka smiles gently, raising his head to capture her lips with his own in a long, sweet kiss, placing a light little kiss on her forehead once they pull away.

“Besides,” Marinette laughs.  “It will make a good story to tell at Christmas dinner.”

"H-hello?"

"Is this Marinette?"

"Yes I'm Ma-ma-Marinette… Who are you?"

"Ah I'm Luka the best man, Jagged and Penny paired us to walk down the aisle together. Things are uh pretty chaotic and I haven't seen you yet so just making sure you're not the one getting cold feet."

"No, I uh just pulled up. Where did the petting zoo come from?"

"Jagged's idea."

"You know, sometimes I forget he's technically a Couffaine then he pulls shit like this. Where is Anarka when I need the courage to slam his famous and insured face?" Her neck gave up trying to support her head and she let it flop forward to blare her horn, startling the llama and delighting Jagged as he fought to stay seated.

"I'll come to you." Luka's voice was actually soothing and calmed Marinette's nerves enough to move her head to the steering wheel. Distant sounds of goats screaming at each other and the loudness that was Jagged seeped into her quiet space within the car. A light knock on the window drew her from her quiet place within her mind, and Marinette emerged from her car instead of just rolling down the window.

Luka was tall and slender, ocean blue eyes matched the tips of his hair and would match the color of her dress for the ceremony perfectly. He radiated a soft aura that drew her into staring for longer than appropriate.

"Well hello there fair Maiden of Honor."

"Ah yes hello mysterious Best Man. Would you happen to know how bad things are?" The designer bravely faced the stream of messages on her phone, some only minutes old and others hours old. Asking for an update methodically from everyone individually, she let Luka guide her into the venue.

"Jagged is currently trying to convince Penny to keep a llama or a goat from the petting zoo, half of the guests are either not coming at all or left because of the chaos you see around you. The wedding party is here and just enough people to provide witnesses and news coverage. One of the photographers had to back out and the fill in is allergic to the flowers, his only allergy actually, nice guy otherwise. The goats have eaten some of the décor and their fearless mountain climbing leader took off with the ring pillow."

"Where the rings are sewed on… So at this point, the cake is the only thing safe. I can work with that, first let's find Penny because I'm sure her blood pressure is through the roof, next we need to remove the flowers that are a problem, if Ivan is here then he has the fake bouquets in his van and we can put those inside and have the photographer that's not allergic take the pictures outside. Jagged will be Jagged but when it's time he will behave and only have eyes for Penny so let him do his thing. We need to find the rings so get as many people looking for them as we can. Once I check on Penny I'll figure out the rest, I'm getting updates and rearranging as we speak."

"You know, this is kind of weird for me…" Sky blue eyes met ocean and time suspended again for a moment, "I know Jagged considers you like his unofficial niece so it makes it weird that you are absolutely beautiful and I feel like he might try to kill me for just being around you."

"N-no it's fine! I mean he chose after all, if he has a problem I'll take a page from the captain's book!" A blush graced her pale cheeks, accenting the light blush she had applied earlier. "Now go be a Best Man and make sure the groom doesn't sign his life away and marry a llama instead."

"Aye aye fair maiden." Luka winked and parted ways, leaving Marinette’s heart racing more than it was before.

"Stupid pretty boy with their stupid smiles… Penny, are you in here?" Marinette knocked on the door, waiting until it opened.

"Hey Mari, I knew what would happen when I said yes to Jagged but please no more animals."

"Don't worry, no more animals. The cake is fine but I need to find your rings which I guess a goat ran off with?" 

"Yeah, Jagged wanted to get a picture and the goat took advantage." Penny laughed and resumed her seat where Jean-Luc was already fixing her make-up.

"So this is going to be Plan P?" Marinette teased, taking a moment to change into the other dress.

"You bet! Once the circus is over here we will all meet up at your parents bakery for cake and food." Penny winked carefully, causing the younger woman to giggle.

"Let me go find those rings." Throwing on some flats, Marinette left the room with a wave and headed outside. If the goat was a mountain goat then he was probably hidden with the trees. Hiking up her skirt and trekking through the mud that was somehow everywhere and followed the distant sounds of child-like screaming.

There stood the goat, calming chewing on the ring pillow and staring at her with it's judgmental eyes.

"Okay, you give that back right now."

"MAAAAAA!!!" It bleated loudly before resuming its speedy chewing

"Don't make me do this…" The designer tried to get closer and the goat kept retreating with every step. "Oh come on! You know, what fine!"

"MAAAAAA!!" It screamed again and she took the chance to lunge and tackled the goat into the mud. Trying to get a solid grip on the ring piow was difficult as the goat kept trying to kick here or just rip the pillow in two, she wouldn't mind that much, after all it's the rings she was after.

"Just give me the rings and you can keep the stupid pillow you ugly stupid goat!" Marinette grunted as it became a test of tug of war, the sound of fabric ripping made her panic and kick the goat. It worked to get the goat to let go but it charged her and screamed in her face. The sound covered up the approach of the two men.

"Uh Marinette, why are you wrestling with a goat?"

"Oh you know, thought I would try my hand at it, have you seen these guns from gator chasing," She flexed one arm a couple times, "or how about these legs?" Hiking her skirt up wasn't her best idea ever but it was so worth the blush and cute word vomit from her wedding date.

"I uh well, yeah. I mean- you look hot as IN YOU'LL NEED TO COOL OFF BEFORE THE WEDDING!" Luka groaned and covered his eyes in shame.

"Oi mate, are you ogling my goat?" Dingo slapped his back, nearly causing the musician to topple into the mud with Marinette and the goat who resumed chewing on the ring pillow it had stolen, the rings recovered sneakily.

"Okay, the arch can burn for all I care and maybe fry up some bacon if we're lucky." She accepted Luka's help to get up and onto a less muddy patch of grass. The trio made their way back, Dingo as she learned, was fond of Napoleon and argued the entire way back.

"I'll 'ave you know that pigs are some the best pets!"

"No way, Hamster all the way! You can't even own one in the city unless it's a teacup pig and why would you even want one?"

"Oi! All pigs are cool, you can't just love one kind because that's not true devotion!" 

"Will you two stop-" Luka froze as the smell of smoke wafted closer and squinted thoughtfully. Was that, yup the arch was burning. 

"Great, Plan P is fully in action now!" The maiden of honor groaned, slapping her hands over her mud smeared face.

"Oh god no! Please spare Napoleon! No bacon at this wedding!" Dingo sprinted across the field to where the pigs were kept.

"Well let's find the bride and groom and get the hell outta here." Luka proposed, calmly walking the rest of the way with Marinette keeping pace. There was a firefighter giving directions to everyone to stand far away from the building and the burning arch.

"Well this is not what I expected…" A tall blond muttered to himself, standing apart from the rest of the group.

"Well it is a Couffaine wedding, they are chaos magnets." Marinette joked, attempting to rid herself and dress of the half dried dirt clods.

"Well Jagged has always been… Unique. Good to see you again Marinette."

"I resent that, Jagged is the dumpster fire and Penny is the best and craziest person on earth since she somehow agreed to marry that mess."

"Uh, who are you?"

"Me? Wait, Marinette don't tell me you're mad at me again!"

"Luka what on earth-"

"This is why I told Pa it was better if we didn't show up to his wedding, your anger issues. First you nearly gave poor Nona a scare when you wanted to eat Napoleon, then set the arch on fire and lastly took off after Samuel, a poor defenseless goat."

"Uh how do you know each other?"

"Oh this again?! Lemme tell you, this little spitfire is my wife and she's been pissed at me ever since our arranged marriage was official on paper."

"Luka! That's enough!" The mud on her face hid the blush but the tips of her ears were it began to flake glowed red.

"Baby, you know we're supposed to talk when you're angry with me, that was the agreement."

"Shove it up your ass!"

The wail of sirens startled the three adults but what nearly knocked them over was a blur of neon green, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"HELP ME MATE, I CAN'T GO BACK! IT'S NOT SAFE!!"

The station was filled with a workflow hum as the entire wedding party and a few guests waited in the cell block for someone to explain why everyone had been arrested and brought in. Marinette had made use of the sink and cleared off as much dirt from her being as she could. Penny was steadily ignoring Jagged who at this point had been pleading with her and trying to get a straight answer if they would still be tying the knot or not. 

"Couffaine! You're next!" The Sargent growled, shuffling paperwork around. Roger was slowly trying to inch away to not be caught in the crossfire and pulling the rookie away with him.

"Uh which one sir?"

"What do you mean which one?! Just Couffaine!" The Sargent snapped, taking a deep pull of his coffee. When he looked up to see a group of people his face went stone blank.

"Okay so uh, maybe start with the charges and we can help decipher the correct Couffaine?" The petite Chinese woman bite her lip in nerves, echoed by the blond dressed in a matching pink dress. Glancing around he saw a slender woman holding the hand of said blonde in pink, also in a nice party dress. A man with purple hair to match, oh Jagged Stone, was dressed in a suit with a spin. Another woman with purple hair standing next to him and dressed in the more elaborate gown. He easily recognized Anarka by her grey hair and fierce glare, even if she was cleaned up nicely. To the left of the only one brave enough to speak was a young man, a flower in his lapel matching the one on her dress but with light blue tipped hair. Behind him was a kid with a mohawk that nearly grazed the ceiling and a slender brunette who was trying to keep from bouncing around the cell.

"Sorry Sargent…?" The woman tried again, offering a hesitant smile.

"Sargent Le Grand and you are who?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng  uh Couffaine." He blinked twice and looked back through the paperwork.

"Why the hell did no one even specify male or female for the perp?! Or a first name, even an initial would be helpful!"

"Sorry Sarge, I uh just -"

"Forget it rookie, there are a pile of complaints and I can't read them aloud so why don't you tell me what you're in trouble for and I'll find the ticket?"

"Uh that's just it sir… We were all rounded up at the wedding and brought here with no explanation."

"I do not get paid enough for this." He downed the remaining coffee and left the desk, making his way into his office.

"Oi where are you goin'?! You can't keep us cage like a bunch of goats!" The mohawk kid finally escaped the brunette and rattled the jail bars.

"Someone figure out these charges and get them out of my cell!" Sargent le Grand promptly got up and went into his office, slamming the office door shut.

“Roger, why donna ya be a good boy and let me and me crew out of here? You know we have the Boat Fund for when you’re hoititty rules and our love of chaos clash.”

“Anarka, I really do have to charge the tickets before we can discuss payment. uh, “ Roger glanced at the Sargent’s door and saw it still closed. “Okay so we have one charge of setting public property on fire, one count of illegal animal petting zoo, “

“He said he was rock ‘n roll with her permits!”

“One count  of naming your pig Napoleon, haven’t seen that in a while…”

“Oi! I can name my piggy whatever I please!”

“Two counts of animal abuse, one for feeding the goats pillows and one for what’s assumed trying to bury it alive,”

“Oh please, I had to chase it through the woods and mud because it took off with the pillow in the first place!”

“One count for act of terrorism, this one being related to flowers and serious life-threatening allergy,”

“He was a fill in, he signed the disclosure and those charges are bogus.”

“And to wrap it up, one count of illegally sailing in the city.”

“Give me Liberty or give me death!”

“I’m just going to mark all this down and charge the fund. I do apologize for having to crash your wedding Mister Stone and Miss Rolling, I do hope you have plans to finalize your commitment.” Roger opened the cell door and everyone filed out, Dingo sticking his tongue out before being smacked by three different hands.

“Oi!”

“Oi nothing fashion hazard!” Marinette snapped, moving to the front of the group. “Here’s what we’re going to do, everyone is going to quietly make their way to my parents bakery which is just a couple blocks away. While we are there, we can take turns cleaning up and then enjoy a nice meal and some delicious cake that Papa has worked so hard to make perfect for today. At this point, if someone is ordained and could marry them while at my parents house that would at least complete my to-do list.”

“I got ya mate! Let’s gooooo!” Dingo whooped and took off running while Brielle shared a look with Luka before following.

“Well definitely a memorable day wouldn’t you say Marinette?” Penny asked as she slipped her arm around the younger’s.

“I’ll say… You aren’t thinking of having spawns with him are you?”

“Hey, rock n roll is the life for me, no worries my favorite rock n roll designer!” Jagged chimed in, pausing his argument with the Captain for a moment.

“Aye, with Juleka and Luka that’s all the extra chaos he needs.”

“Uh I can explain…” Luka hunched over and raised his shoulder’s to hide somewhat.