"Fuu- uhm, Feyline! Hi! What are you doing here?" She glanced around, looking for Tikki. "How long have you been standing there?" She picked at the collar of her shirt before realizing that it was all feyline themed and frantically attempting to cover the obvious merch of the superhero standing in front of her.
"As much as it's in no way a habit for me to drop down on pretty girls' balconies," she purred out, sparing a look at the shirt Anthea was wearing with a smirk before continuing. "A hero of Paris is supposed to look out for her citizens, especially charming princesses who are bashing their faces into a wall." She leant backwards, a movement Anthea recognised from her times as Adalia.
"Really subtle, kid." Plagg mocked for only Emma to hear, the voice coming from somewhere inside her. It took everything she had not to hiss a reply back at him.
"You could have at least knocked fur ball."
"The door was open. You really should shut it, it's getting colder and we'd hate to have such a pretty thing as you to get sick." She teased, rapping against the wood of the open door.
"You're right, I should. Right in your smug little face." Anthea stepped out of the balcony, shivering gently as the cold night's air brushed against her bare shoulders, ignoring the hero's attempt at flirting.
She stood in front of Feyline, flinching as they took her hand though the touch was gentle and willing on both parts, albeit she would never admit to it..
Feyline pressed a kiss onto the upside of her hand, her lips soft against the slightly rough skin. Small cuts and scrapes from fencing and boxing felt tender under the slight weight of Feyline's mouth.
She looked away scowling, attempting to hide the blush that crept up her cheeks.
Feyline pulled away a second later. Anthea would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little disappointed that she now had to go about her night with the lack of Feyline's warmth brushing against her own, now knowing what it felt like.
"Now what's with the outfit, someone a fan?" She mocked with a playful and lighthearted grin Anthea knew well. She had gotten all too used to the quickwits surrounding Feyline, adjusting within a few days of fighting beside her and was now always ready to retort back.
So why was it now, as she could feel the smudge of green lipstick still planted against her skin, she couldn't think of a snarky return to the quip that had been shot at her.
"Princess?" Feyline blinked, a worried expression crossed a usually carefree face and Anthea didn't like the unfamiliar look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased you."
"No. Uhm, sorry no It wasn't that." Curses to Tikki, wasn't she supposed to bless her with good luck? She felt as if she was wearing the same ring that adorned the hand that was cupping her cheek.
Wait, when did that happen?
She wanted to lean into the warm touch, to hold her head there forever and to be one with Feyline. That was until she remembered where they were standing, where people could see them.
"Uhm, would you like to come in? We could watch a movie?" She asked absentmindedly. It took her a second to realize what she had said, it only clicked when she was Feyline's eyes widen, her tails flit towards Anthea and her tail point upwards slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry- You're- are you on patrol? I shouldn't have asked." Anthea winced as Feylines tail swung low, wrapping itself around the base of her booted leg.
"No, no. I'm not, Adalia should be on patrol in a couple hours, I just wanted to get some fresh air. If that movie offer is still on the table, I'd be honoured." She prayed to the god inside her ring that the redness she felt creeping down her cheeks was hidden under the mask. "No pressure, of course!" She hurriedly added, trying her best not to pressure Anthea.
"I would love that, my room might just be a little messy but I hope you can excuse that." She smiled, leading the way into her bedroom.
Oh god, Feyline wondered how she would react if she knew they had been there before. In a worse state than it was now. If she knew it was because of her helping to clean it just a day before that it wasn't as much of a mess as usual. Anthea had a habit of getting too distracted by the little things in life, leaving things like cleaning to pile up. She delved into code for twelve hour periods, ignoring basic things like eating and drinking as she felt herself become wrapped up within the lines of the program she dedicated so much time to. It had taken a few years before she finally eased up, allowing herself only a couple hours of coding a day to make room for the more important things. Emma had subsequently become accustomed to weekly drop ins, helping her friend clean and making sure she remembered not to fall back into the habit.
She followed suit, wandering through the balcony door with a shyness that could make one believe she had never been there before.
Anthea plopped herself onto the freshly made bed, she must have made it in a rush as Feyline walked through the door. She patted a spot beside her before pulling the duvet over her legs.
"I have some snacks in either bedside drawer, if you'd like you can have some. What movie would you like to watch?" She smiled fondly, and god did it make Feyline feel like gelatine.
"Oh, I don't mind. You pick, you are the host after all!" She replied, sitting haphazardly beside Anthea only to be pulled backwards and smothered by the thick duvet. She pulled her head from the blanket, disgruntledly grumbling before feeling any frustration melt away as Anthea's perfect laughter filled the air and her teeth nearly shone, bared back in a joyous smile.
"Alright!"
Feyline felt her breath hitch, she could hear every gentle breath and feel every small shift as Anthea picked the movie. She felt suffocated in love, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around Anthea and nuzzle into her hair.
She wanted to rest her cheek on the top of Anthea's head, to feel her pressed against their chest and to feel her move ever so slightly as she breathed, entwined together intimately. She wanted to cuddle during the colder days that were coming, nestled under the duvet and pressed up against the warm mass of Anthea.
"You're so sickeningly sweet, it's stinkier than rotten cheese. Just hug her, kid." That same voice, belonging to none other than her kwami, filled her head again. She ignored it, choosing to focus on the movie Anthea had put on.
At some point shortly after, she must have fallen asleep.
They woke as the sunlight struck across her face, groaning and rubbing their eyes only to be met by the fabric of the mask. She attempted the task of propping herself up, only to stop as soon as she felt a stirring against her chest.
She lay there, half sitting and half laying, against the headboard. She recognised that ribbon and she recognised that hair. The movie infront of them had finished and the alarm beside her read 9:34am.
She had no time to react to the time, all her attention being stolen by the woman standing by the blinds gaping.
Feyline shot up, forgetting the sleeping girl on top of her.
"Ugh.. What's going on? Five-" She yawned, blinking hazily and sleepily, taking a second to adjust and realize the situation, only partially however as she took no notice of her mother. "OH MY GOD, FEYLINE OH I'M, OH I'M SO SORRY I DIDN'T-" She buried her head in her hands, flushed red and embarrassed beyond belief.
"Anthea. Would you care to explain why you were asleep beside Feyline?" Her mother finally collected herself, she didn't seem mad however. It was almost as if she was trying to derive information, a secret perhaps?
"Maman, I'm sorry!" She clambered out of bed, standing beside her mother and avoiding eye contact with Feyline. "I promise, we didn't do anything. I was frustrated over English homework and took to banging my head against the wall. Feyline was on patrol and saw me, she just came over to check if I was okay. I offered to watch a movie, wanting to show my appreciation to Paris' heroine." She paused for a moment, watching her mother sigh in relief and her eyes widened. "That's all. Because I'm not an incompetent fool!" She hissed out, furrowing her brows for a split second.
"If that's all, Feyline would you like to have breakfast before you leave? I take it Anthea hadn't the manners to ask you, nor do I suppose you meant to stay overnight." Alya smiled, a welcoming gesture.
"I'm honestly quite shocked you aren't berating me for falling asleep next to your daughter, miss." Feyline replied, thankful that Alya was such a kind woman.
"No, I understand how tiring it can be to be a hero. Being Rena Rouge was exhausting enough, I can't imagine what it must be like for you."
"You were Rena Rouge?" Feyline's ears perked up and her eyes almost turned to stars, she looked at Alya with such admiration it was adorable. "You were my favorite hero, besides Ladybug and Chat noir obviously!" She bounded out of the bed, eager to talk to the woman who had not only been around her since they were born, but also defended Paris as she was now destined to.
"Thank you. I would love to talk about it more next time you come round but I think your parents would be worried right about now. Come, take a croissant and head home. You're welcome around any time."
"Oh, thank you so much. Your hospitality is so kind!" Feyline was still star struck, she didn't notice Anthea leaving the room for a few seconds before returning with a buttered croissant. Anthea handed it to the hero, still avoiding eye contact.
Alya left the room, giving a knowing tap of the nose to Anthea as she did so.
"If. Uhm, if you'd like we could do this again. Maybe tomorrow night?" She mumbled, picking at the collar of her sleep shirt that still had a Feyline joke plastered across the front.
"I would love that princess." She purred out again, in a similar flirtatious tone to when she had first arrived the previous night.
"That's such a ridiculous nickname, fur ball."
"Would you rather something stupid like-" She cleared their throat before continuing, her voice now a few pitches higher in a mischievous but affectionate mocking voice "Queen cuddler of the sleep realm."
Anthea snorted, punching her arm gently.
"Go back to princess, I'd rather never see you again than be called that."
Anthea blushed. 'I'd rather never see you again than be called that.' implied that seeing her was something she cared about.
She regained herself quickly. "I should get home, after all I've got a club in a couple hours. It was enchanting to see you, princess. The same time tomorrow?" She asked, confirming their plans.
Anthea nodded, smiling and waving as Feyline vaulted away.
—-
"EMMA! Where have you been?"
Her fathers voice was drowning in worry as she fell through her window, calling her transformation away and throwing Plagg the mandatory cheese- and an extra piece, an apology for staying transformed the entire night.
"I'm so sorry Papa, I fell asleep on patrol last night." She hurriedly explained, walking over to her dad and hugging him.
"Yeah, next to a certain girl." Plagg added between bites. He loved to cause whatever chaos he could afterall.
"I'm never giving you cheese again." She hissed at him for a moment before turning back to her father, who was now holding his head in his hands as he grumbled something.
"Uhm, Anthea invited me to watch a movie after I saw her banging her head against the wall?" She offered as an explanation. "I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm so sorry."
"You scared me, Emma. I didn't want to lose you, what if you had been hurt." He tugged at the waves of blonde that framed his face, a habit he had picked up from her mother.
"I know, I'm sorry." She whispered, guilt panging in her chest.
"It's fine, just tell me if you're going round hers again so I know you're safe. Please?" He pulled her into another tight hug.
"Yeah, I'm sorry papa." She mumbled into his shoulder.
He was first to pull away, the familiar grin full of mischief back on his face.
"You can tell me all about last night later." He wiggled his eyebrows, teasing her. "For now, you need to get ready for ballet."
"If i weren't running behind schedule I would cataclysm you right now, but I don't have the time to spare." She protested, shoving him backwards.
"Hey! If you do that, who'll cover for you when you mysteriously disappear for a night. Your maman was asking so many questions, you're lucky Nino trusts me enough to back me up without thought."
She grumbled, pushing him up and out of the room so she could change for ballet.
—-
"My dear and beloved daughter. Would you care to explain? " her mother shot her a look as Anthea left her bedroom.
"I would but isn't it about time to pick Emma up for Ballet?" She skirted around the subject.
It was her mothers week to drop the two gives off at the activities hall. They both attended a club there twice a week. Emma did ballet, she did Fencing. However, she also took up boxing lessons with her Aunt every Sunday.
"We're talking about this when we get home. I hope she doesn't know about Adalia." her mother picked herself up, swinging her keys around her index finger and glancing a sceptical glance at Anthea.
"She doesn't. It's okay maman." Anthea reassured, pulling her boots on as she hopped out of the door.