mc-lukanette - Tumblr blog

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

MC-Lukanette’s “No Context November” 2023 Masterpost

` = ficlet

* = one-shot (or close to being a one-shot if a few paragraphs/a little more context were added)

^ = part of a larger AU/hypothetical story

{AO3 link for No Context November}

(Halloween bonus) * (3867 words) - A Horror-ble Idea {Lukanette} [Horror Movies] [Fluff] [Childhood Friends] [Confession] [Kiss]

Marinette had been friends with Luka for years, having shared just about everything except for her crush on him. Deciding it's time to change that, she tries to come up with the ultimate plan to prove her love for him.

It has varying results.

Day 1 ^ (1597 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Meeting Again]

Luka meets Marinette again after years and realizes that he wasn't the only one pining.

Day 2 ^ (2223 words) - {Lukanette} [Drama] [Confession] [post-"Silencer"]

Marinette makes a decision regarding Luka's confession in "Silencer," as much as she doesn't want to.

Day 3 ^ (2971 words) - {Lukanette} [Sleeping Problems] [Trauma] [post-"Chat Blanc"] [Light Girl Squad Salt]

Luka approaches an exhausted Marinette, unaware of her terrifying experience in an alternate timeline of Paris.

Day 4 * (1648 words) - {Lukanette} ["Silencer"] [Canon Divergence] [Marinette and Luka are Confident and In Love] [Love Square Salt]

"Clear as a music note, sincere as a melody." Those words kept echoing in Marinette's head, not unlike a chorus on replay.

And perhaps she was the song in his head simply because she'd wanted to be there in the first place.

Day 5 ^ (1086 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Charity Auction] [Silly] [Flirting] [(implied) Adrino]

A charity auction is held, selling off dates with famous men to any woman with enough cash to throw at them for it.

Marinette just didn't know the list would include a rock star's son.

Day 6 ^ (1431 words) - {Lukanette} [Silly] [Confession]

Two fools in love stop being as foolish as before.

Day 7 ^ (1707 words) - {Lukanette} [Luka Hears Heart Songs] [Rock Star Anarka Couffaine] [Luka's Father is Not Jagged Stone]

Luka senses music in most things he experiences, yet somehow Marinette is still a unique one.

Day 8 * (1963 words) - {Lukanette} [Post-Dating] [Gift Giving] [(Adrimi But Only Mentioned)]

Marinette had been dating Luka for a while now and she couldn't have been happier. He was everything she could've wanted in a boyfriend: attentive, mature, and incredibly loving.

But maybe there was also such a thing as too loving?

Day 9 ^ (3854 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Homeless Luka Couffaine]

Marinette worries about her homeless friend when cold washes over her town.

Day 10 ^ (3431 words) - {Lukanette} [Fantasy] [Witch Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Naga Luka Couffaine]

Marinette meets a musical naga boy while she's working on new ideas for her magic.

Day 11 ^ (1523 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Baker Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Childhood Friends]

Luka stops by a bakery in town and sees a familiar face. He has mixed feelings about it.

Day 12 * (2678 words) - {Viperbug} [Sparring] [Introspection]

For Ladybug, going on patrol just isn't good enough. Akuma battles aren't the time to be improving her skills, so she uses her nights to train whenever she can.

She knows just the partner to help her with that.

Day 13 ^ (4945 words) - {Lukanette} [Childhood] [Fluff] [Sleepovers]

Luka meets a new face during one of Juleka's "girls only" sleepovers.

Day 14 ^ (1974 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Florist Marinette Dupain-Cheng] [Luka Has Flower Nymph Genes]

Marinette gets an interesting customer in her flower shop.

Day 15 ^ (1636 words) - {Lukanette} [Fluff] [Introspection] [Outsider POV] [Possibly Post-Dating]

Juleka reflects on three separate instances of her brother and friend hanging out together.

Day 16 * (2765 words) - {Lukanette} ["Glaciator" Fix-It] [Adrien Salt] [Love Square Salt] [Introspection]

Marinette's first instinct had been to run away as she watched the culmination of her efforts end with her ice cream cone falling from her hands. After all, none of her efforts - no matter how strong - had gone anywhere or done anything substantial for her relationship with Adrien.

But if she ran, the cycle would only continue. She would do the same thing over and over for little to no return and it would continue to be that way for potentially forever.

So instead, she reflects, in part with the help of the new friend she'd made just recently.

Day 17 ^ (1150 words) - {Lukanette} [Luka Knows] [Nutrition]

Marinette shares a previously-unknown fact about being Ladybug with Luka.

Day 18 ^ (1797 words) - {Lukanette} [post-"Silencer"] [Music]

Marinette calls Luka about a particular location for their next music lesson.

Day 19 ^ (2281 words) - {Lukamouse} [Post-Dating] [Luka Knows] [Multimouse] [No Miraculous Timers]

Luka gets a tiny visitor during class one day.

Day 20 * (3070 words) - {Lukanette} ["Desperada" Fix-It] [Reincarnation] [Canon Divergence]

Luka wasn't self-conscious about his role in life. He was perfectly happy where he was as his mother's son, as Kitty Section's guitarist, as Juleka's brother. To him, his life had enough meaning as it was.

He just couldn't help feeling like there was something more to it.

Day 21 ^ (1699 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Merman Luka Couffaine]

Ladybug comes across someone interesting and her own heroism gets the better of her.

Day 22 ` (925 words) - {Lukanette} [Silly]

Marinette prepares a little something for Luka, but nothing ever truly goes according to her plans.

Day 23 ` (1194 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Post-Dating] [Trauma]

Luka helps Marinette work through the thoughts in her head.

Day 24 * (2808 words) - {Lukanette} [Jealousy]

As the months went on, Marinette found it harder and harder to keep up with her growing circle of friends and responsibilities. There were too many things to do and she wasn't "good or efficient enough" to do them. Other people had it easier, and she imagined they could replace her if needed.

Luka disagreed.

Day 25 ` (1386 words) - {Lukanette} [Post-Dating] [Gifts] [Fluff]

Luka goes to Marinette's house and catches her in the middle of one of her bad habits.

Day 26 ^ (2837 words) - {Vipernette} [Fluff]

Viperion goes out for patrol and gets appreciated by the only person he would seek appreciation from in the first place.

Day 27 * (3320 words) - {LukaFairy} [Adulthood] [Fantasy Elements] [Fairynette] [Introspection] [Love Square Salt] [Moments in Time] [No Dialog]

A tale of a fairy seamstress as she meets a model, a musician, and experiences love for the very first time with one of them.

Day 28 ^ (1703 words) - {Lukanette} [The Wish] [Silly]

Luka meets Marinette for the first time… sort of.

Day 29 ^ (1809 words) - {Lukanette} ["Chameleon" Fix-It] [Canon Divergence] [Luka and Marinette Are the Same Age] [Post-Dating] [Brief Class Salt]

Marinette gains an ally in her metaphorical battle with Lila.

Day 30 * (3381 words) - {Lukanette} [Cold Weather] [Silly] [Fluff]

Marinette hates the cold, and it's looking as though she's about to have a lonely day far removed from anything enjoyable.

Until, of course, Luka arrives at her home and they can't seem to part from each other for even a moment.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari

42 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Marinette scrolled through her contacts, struggling to keep herself covered by her blanket with one hand whilst using her phone with the other. She kept the hand just barely outside of the blanket, enough for her to see but without sticking it too far out of the cocoon of warmth she'd crafted for herself.

It was freezing, and moving was not an option, As she was sitting on her chaise lounge with her bed's blanket around her, she couldn't go to her computer nor do any of her usual hobbies that involved—well, anything. She could've downloaded a game on her phone to play, but she didn't need to end up becoming addicted. The last thing she wanted was to be featured in an article titled Paris Goes Up in Flames While Ladybug Works On Her Fictional Hamster Restaurant.

She'd just have to call someone. Her contacts were vast with all the people she'd gotten to know or needed to exchange numbers with, but the actual options were limited. There were certain expectations of what kind of call she'd get depending on the person, so instead of the name of the person, she pictured what she expected to get if she called them.

Drama, anxiety, gossip, more anxiety, crafts—ah—!

She stopped on one contact in particular, tipping her head back and letting out a triumphant exhale. It was after sunset, so she knew he wouldn't be working. She could only hope that he didn't mind being called.

Putting the phone to her ear, she waited. The rocking ringtone had her bouncing a bit, but she was careful not to move so much that it undid her cocoon.

Eventually, a click followed and Luka's familiar voice greeted, "Hey, Marinette."

She hummed contentedly, already feeling soothed. "Hi. Sorry if I interrupted anything."

"No. I left my phone on my bed when I went to get a drink," he explained, having already guessed (correctly) that it was the amount of time it took for him to pick up that concerned her. "How are you?"

"Nnngh," she whined at the mention. "Cold. My parents went away for the weekend and I don't want to warm up the whole house just for me." Pouting, she added with spite, "I think the space heater's in their bedroom, but they locked the door before they left."

"Ah." She could practically hear the sympathetic frown. "...You could break in?"

She snorted, knowing exactly what he was referencing, "I'm only an expert in sneaking into TV studios, not breaking into people's bedrooms. Besides, it's too cold to move anyway. Maybe the lock is frozen."

"Can I help?" He sounded genuine in the request despite not being there himself. The question made sense since she'd called: either she needed something from him or just wanted a distraction.

Marinette stalled on answering. Thinking it was one thing, but she feared it might sound embarrassing coming out of her mouth. A friend could say it to another friend without them feeling like it was weird, right?

"Uh, well... you already are?" She curled in further on herself, like a turtle trying to draw into its shell. "I thought it'd help with the cold if I called someone, and you... were the warmest person I could think of...?"

There was a sound on the other line - it could've been a word, could've been a choke, could've meant nothing at all - but then there was only silence. Marinette pulled the phone away to check the call, confirming that it was still going.

Finally, Luka spoke again, "I'll come over."

"W-what?" She put the phone back to her ear. "Right now?"

She could faintly hear footsteps as he replied, "I can help you stay warm."

"Wait—" She cut herself off when she heard a noise as if Luka had hit or stumbled over something, but he didn't make any acknowledgment or yelp over it. "Luka, you can't! It's too cold outside!"

"Maybe," he acknowledged, "but then I'll be at the warmest place I could be."

And then the call cut off, presumably as Luka hung up to leave. Marinette gaped at her phone's screen, then outright dropped her phone into her cocoon and fully submerged herself into it.

He called me warm!

Things had been like that ever since he had confessed to her, or maybe ever since they'd started work on the music video. She wasn't quite sure, but they'd definitely spoken and done more with each other as of late.

Either way, he was coming and she finally had something motivating enough to make her get up, taking the blanket with her.

——

Marinette was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, feeling strange about being close to the bakery without the warmth coming with it, when there was finally a knock at the side door. Her head jerked up, seeing Luka past the glass, and hurried to open the door for him.

A gust of cold wind blew in, sapping the warmth from her and causing her teeth to chatter, but Luka was quick to come in so they could close it as soon as possible.

"It's even colder out there than I thought..." Marinette trailed off, taking Luka in. "...Where's your coat?"

"I c-couldn't find it," he replied, movements notably slower than usual as he pulled at the strap of his duffel bag to bring it in front of him, "b-but I grabbed everything that might help with the cold—"

She reached up, his voice cutting out as she touched his cheek. It was like ice against her fingertips, earning a gasp out of her. "You're freezing!"

He might've said something in defense of himself, but she wasn't listening. She knocked the duffel bag strap from his shoulder, grasped the far edges of her blanket, and immediately went in for a hug.

The cold coming off of Luka bit her in return, but she didn't let go. He'd gone through all the effort to come by and she'd been raised better than to leave a guest to be cold.

Besides, two friends could share a little body heat, and he would've refused if she'd offered the entire blanket since it would've left her cold. In that respect, it was a genius idea that only Ladybug could come up with on the fly.

He was stiff, his heart racing from what she'd assumed was him having run there, but then he hugged her back. She'd been anticipating all of the cold, yet it wasn't all bad. He was still warm in the traditional Luka way.

——

After ensuring that he had recovered enough from the cold and had put his duffel bag back on, Marinette insisted that he share the blanket with her. There was a bit of back and forth over it considering the stairs, but ultimately they squished together and took the top corner on their side to pull towards their chest to keep at least their backs covered. There was no way the blanket would wrap fully around both of them, but they managed.

It probably wasn't doing a very good job of blanketing them, but it was equal and the only thing they could agree on. Surprisingly easily, they also went up the stairs in sync, as if stepping to a beat that only they could hear.

"Marinette," Luka began as they reached the top, looking around curiously, "did your power go out?"

"Hm? No."

While the lights were off and it was after sunset, it was still early enough that the light from the windows still made things visible enough. Besides, she had a plan in mind.

Pushing open the door to reveal the living room and kitchen, Marinette grinned in satisfaction at the feeling it brought her. She'd set up battery-powered candles strategically around the area, explaining as much to him, "Candles feel so much warmer than normal lights. I thought that if we couldn't deal with the real cold, we could deal with the cold in our minds. Atmosphere helps, you know?"

Luka stared - really stared - at their surroundings, taking in the full scope of her efforts. His mouth opened when he met her eyes like he had something to ask her, but stopped short and shook his head instead.

"Luka?"

"It looks great," he praised. "I feel bad that the food I brought doesn't match the tune though."

"Hm?" She glanced at his bag, reminded of what he'd said earlier. "Oh yeah! What'd you bring?"

Determined not to release the blanket, he fumbled with the bag one-handed until she used her free hand to hold it in place so he could pull the zipper back. Inside was something large and fluffy, as well as two cups of instant noodles, each in different flavors.

Regretfully, he admitted, "We were out of hot chocolate."

"No no, this'll work!" She hovered a hand over the two, but hesitated. "Uh, can I pick either?"

"I picked two in case you didn't like one of them."

"Oh." That reassured her that Luka was happy with either, so she snatched the one she preferred. "We should have an electric kettle somewhere to heat the water."

Which, of course, led to another problem: they'd committed to the blanket by then and thus didn't have both of their hands free to actually work anything. Marinette didn't doubt that she could do it all one-handed in a pinch, but it'd be a pain.

Then, remembering what they'd done with the duffel bag just a moment ago, she glanced at her hand and Luka's, noting amusedly, "We have two hands between the both of us?"

He snorted, raising his free hand to show his approval at the ridiculousness of it all.

——

In the end, they worked together after all. Luka would open the cupboard, Marinette would get the kettle, he would turn on the sink while she held it, and so on. They struggled most getting the protective plastic off of the ramen cups, but it was fun and they managed with their level of teamwork.

She chuckled internally at the situation, imagining telling her partner as Ladybug that he was being replaced. Knowing him, that might be the one time he took something seriously, but it was funny to think about.

They did a little bit of clean-up while waiting for the ramen to be done, then carried both cups - utensils included - up to her room. Marinette had it set up in the same way as the kitchen, so there were more candles placed around to provide the perfect amount of warm lighting.

"Hold on," Luka requested. To Marinette's shock, he let his side of the blanket drop along with his duffel bag, putting his cup of ramen aside so he could slowly coax the large fluffy fabric out with both hands.

It was another blanket. She almost asked him why he hadn't used it before - not that she'd taken any issue with the results - but then the sound of something hitting the floor with a 'clack' got her attention. Searching for the source, she saw a large, unwieldy cable coming out from a spot in the fabric.

Ah. It was an electric blanket.

He laid it down on the floor and went to plug it in while she abandoned their original blanket on her chaise lounge. They both seemed to wordlessly agree that it was a better idea to sit on a harder and flatter surface to ensure that they didn't cause any spills with their cups.

When Luka returned from setting things up, they both sat on the blanket and fashioned the rest to go across as much of their lower body as possible. While it left their upper bodies exposed, they needed more room around their front to eat anyway and the ramen would likely do well enough in warming them.

"How is it?" Marinette asked while gathering up a good bit of her own with her utensil.

He hadn't actually eaten any yet, so she waited for him to take a bite. He chewed the ramen more slowly than expected, but she supposed he wanted to give her a proper answer.

"It's good." He glanced at hers as well. "What about yours?"

She took the bite, having been waiting for him to ask. It tasted good and everything, just as his did, but her takeaway was a pleased, "Warm."

They had a bit of a laugh before focusing on the food again. Marinette figured that she could've pulled out her phone and found something for them to watch while they ate, but it was actually nice just sitting with him and eating together.

While they ate, she found her gaze wandering to his ramen rather than hers, even though the only difference visually was the broth's color. It was strange how she'd been the one who got the first pick of the flavors, yet suddenly his was looking more appealing to her.

She kind of wanted to try it, but wouldn't it be rude to ask? It was only right that she make an offer first so things were fair.

"Luka," she called, preparing another bite of ramen. When he looked over to see what she wanted, she held it out to him. "Want some?"

His gaze went to the bite, then her, then back to the bite again. At first, she thought he might refuse her, but then he leaned in, opening his mouth and claiming what she'd offered him. The content hum that he let out afterward made her skeptical of his earlier implication that he liked both flavors equally.

Licking his lips in satisfaction, he asked in return, "Do you want some too?"

"Mhm~" She leaned in advance, trying to look prepared, not eager.

She didn't often have ramen, but she knew she'd tried the one that he'd had before. They must've changed the recipe too as, when she let him feed it to her, it tasted better than she remembered it being.

As she was chewing to savor it, Luka averted his gaze from her, though not looking at anything in particular. There was clearly something on his mind and she wondered if it had anything to do with what he stopped himself from saying earlier.

"...Marinette," he began slowly, "are you... comfortable with me?"

She tilted her head, having had no idea that had ever been a question for him. "Yeah, of course I am? Aren't you comfortable with me?"

He nodded. "I've always been comfortable with you, but I wouldn't blame you if you felt awkward after what I said at the TV studio."

"At the TV..." She blushed, the memory springing to mind immediately. "That? No, no way, why would I?"

He didn't answer, but she could tell that he didn't have a problem with what they were doing. He was just trying to understand, but understand what? She didn't get it. He'd confessed to her, sure, but they'd grown closer if anything else, so there was nothing to be confused by. She not only was doing everything he was doing on their little hang out in her home, but first, so if anything it was her who you'd think had the...

Marinette froze, even though she hadn't felt cold since Luka had gotten there. To say that a final puzzle piece was put in its rightful place wouldn't be accurate, as it was more like she'd been only playing with one when the entire rest of the puzzle dropped down to complete everything.

She hugged him for warmth for far longer than she should have, she pressed up against him and eagerly shared a blanket, she made sure that they continued sharing the blanket, she fed him and even wanted a bite of his food, and then there was the little detail of setting up candlelight.

Luka had been so befuddled by all of this because he'd confessed and she only got closer to him in response without explicitly telling him why that was. He could make assumptions, certainly, but he never liked to.

She stared down into the broth of her ramen, swirling it around while she gathered her thoughts. At the same time though, if she stayed quiet long enough, then Luka would no doubt change the subject to give her a way out.

She didn't want that.

"Do—" She pressed her lips into a thin line, mulling over the question once more. "...Do you want another taste?"

It sounded like a switch in topic and Luka treated it as one, nodding as if the discussion had never happened. He leaned towards her to prepare for another bite, but she silently set aside her cup of ramen. She took his as well, letting the two cups sit next to each other to leave their hands free.

Without another word, she took his confused face in her hands and kissed him. The salty taste of the ramen still lingered on his lips and hers, but she didn't care. She held him there, only able to hope that the gesture got her whole point across.

Especially because, as soon as she pulled away from his blushing face, she made a break for it. Leaving the electric blanket's warmth behind, she fled to the chaise lounge to her abandoned blanket and dove underneath, surrounding herself with it until it was like she'd made a protective dome around herself.

"I'm sorry!" she let out, even though it would sound slightly muffled to his ears.

There was a shuffling noise, followed by rapid footsteps that indicated Luka's approach. He sounded cautious, wondering aloud, "You're sorry... for kissing me?"

"No." Her answer was immediate. "Just... I-I wasn't used to things like this being like this."

Despite the nonsensical phrasing, he - being the fascinatingly understanding boy he was - somehow made sense of it. "...Being in love?"

"Mm," she hummed affirmatively. The chaise lounge's cushion underneath her shifted from the weight distribution and she knew that Luka must've sat down near her, so it was okay to be quieter as she elaborated, "It's never been comfortable before."

It sounded bizarre even though it'd come from her own mouth, but it was true. She'd done all manner of things for what she'd thought was love, most of them ending in either failure, outright humiliating herself, or both.

Yet, when Luka came along, the word "failure" didn't have a meaning in her relationship with him and she wasn't so anxious as to make a fool out of herself. They had already bonded as friends and he was happy with that - they both were - so where was the risk?

There wasn't any; just two teens who loved each other as both friends and lovers.

"You don't have to apologize," Luka assured. A lightness returning to his voice, he added, "But... I want to give you a taste too."

Marinette's face burned, and not entirely out of embarrassment. She'd come up with that line on the fly and he was actually rolling with it.

Slowly, she reached out for the edge of the blanket closest to Luka, lifting it up just enough to let some light pour in. He slid his hand right in front of the newly-made opening and, feeling prepared, she reached out and covered his hand with hers.

Pushing herself up with her other hand, she sat up and brushed the blanket back so it fell over her shoulders. Luka smiled fondly at her, grabbing at the electric blanket he'd brought with him on his lap so he could move and face her better. She helped him adjust until they were side-by-side against the chaise lounge's backrest, both laying on and being surrounded by the blanket's warmth.

Happy to fulfill his request, she let him caress her cheek and return her earlier kiss, all thoughts of ever having been cold before he arrived long forgotten.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

95 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

It was the day after the class seats had been swapped around, Marinette having since resigned herself to being moved to the back. She wasn't happy about being alone, but everyone else was with their own seats and the last thing she wanted to do was stir up a fuss again just to have it turned against her.

Making a case would've been less of an issue had she told everyone that she was actually no longer into Adrien and had an entire boyfriend to show for it, but Alya was too unpredictable in how she might react to that and the others hadn't seen her and Luka together long enough to understand. She loathed the fact that an infatuation of less than a year was what people were basing her character on - nowadays, she looked back on it like an artist who grimaced at their week-old work - but her private life was no one's business but her own. If she had to reveal it to convince people that she wasn't an evil person going after a "perfectly innocent" girl over a crush, then—

Well, normally she would say that it was her fault, but Luka had been firm about her not blaming herself for everything under the sun and she was really trying to stick to that.

Maybe being in the back won't be so bad, she thought, attempting to calm her mind. I feel, um... taller? That's something.

It wasn't helping.

"Alright, class," Miss Bustier called out, clapping her hands to earn everyone's attention, "before we start today, we have a new student who just transferred to our school and I'd like you all to give them a warm welcome."

A new student? Marinette shut her eyes and held back a groan, thinking that the current "new student" was already more than enough. If it was another Lila or Chloe, she might have to seriously consider bribing Master Fu for the fox miraculous so she could Mirage herself into class to avoid them altogether.

Also, as she was quickly realizing, the only available seat was next to her. This was a disaster, an absolute disas—

"Luka?" Juleka blurted out, uncharacteristically loud in her shock.

At the name of her boyfriend, Marinette's head jerked towards the classroom door, seeing him standing next to Miss Bustier like he belonged there. She blinked, glancing out at the hall as if the real new student would come in, but nothing happened. Even when she looked back at Luka, he met her gaze as if to wordlessly tell her that yes, he was there.

Just to make absolutely sure, she dropped her arms to her lap and pinched her forearm until it hurt.

After giving a general introduction that Marinette processed none of, Miss Bustier turned to Luka to ask, "Would you be alright sitting in the back next to Marinette?"

He nodded, not waiting to start heading up the stairs. Eyes, either curious or puzzled, followed him as he went, but he had his own eyes on his decided-upon seat.

Marinette could only continue gaping at him, even as he sat down and made himself comfortable. He eyed her, smiling softly, then reached out and slowly closed her mouth. The cheek caress that followed was so subtle and quick that no one could've caught it even if they were looking, but it finally brought her back to life.

Leaning towards him, she whispered in a panic, "Luka! What are you doing here?! How are you here?!"

He took a single glance at Miss Bustier, who was turned towards the chalkboard, then leaned in and whispered back, "I didn't want you to have to do this alone."

"But—!" Her face scrunched, mind racing in an attempt to understand. She'd told Luka about what happened with Lila, but that was only yesterday. For him to have found a way to transfer between then and now was—was— "That's crazy!"

He shrugged, unphased.

She gripped the table, as if it would give her the mental support needed to juggle the thoughts in her head. "You didn't have to go through all this for me! It's too much!"

That finally got a reaction out of him, but not in the way she suspected. He frowned disapprovingly, leaning in further and raising a hand between them to further muffle his words to others' ears. She felt his breath against her ear as he explained, "You're my girlfriend, Marinette; my girlfriend and my best friend. It's not 'too much' if it's what I wanted to do."

He left it at that, straightening up again and putting his focus towards the front of the class. She could only pout at him, hoping no one saw the blush on her cheeks.

It felt wrong, somehow. It was Ladybug who was supposed to swoop in to save people, not the other way around. She was the one who had to make choices on the fly to help others.

She could already hear Luka's voice in her head, shooting that idea down: "Ladybug can't be the savior all the time. Someone has to look out for Marinette too."

It was almost frustrating, losing a battle of words in her own head, but she'd be lying if she said that it didn't make her feel relieved to have someone who would back her up no matter what. Whether she chose to go after Lila or not, he'd be behind her the entire way.

She couldn't help herself. Checking to confirm that there still weren't eyes on them, she leaned up towards Luka and imitated his gesture, raising her hand between their faces. He'd seen the gesture out of the corner of his eye and tipped his head to listen better, but she kissed his cheek instead.

Pulling back quickly to look normal just in case the pecking sound had been caught, she dared only a single peek at Luka to catch his reaction. He was trying and failing not to grin, probably looking as if he was just very interested in the lesson to any outside eyes. It occurred to her then that, had they been in the front or middle rows, it would've been impossible to not be seen by anyone behind them.

Letting an imaginary Marinette in her mind cheer and jump around for her due to being unable to do anything even close to that in class, her thoughts screamed, Being in the back is the best!

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette #type: salt #episode: Chameleon

224 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka walked his bike towards the Liberty, ready to sit on his bed and meditate since he didn't have anything more to do that day. It wasn't a particularly stressful time, but school had just started up again and he was still getting used to it.

He was about to lift his bicycle to cross the gangplank when a voice called out, "Luka! Luka Couffaine?"

Turning to look over his shoulder, he spotted a girl around his age hurrying down the stairs to join him on the path next to the Seine. She hopped down the last two steps in her haste, Luka hitting his bike's kickstand with his heel so it could stand upright while he spoke to her about whatever he wanted.

He opened his mouth to confirm that he was indeed Luka and ask her what she wanted, but she'd already advanced on him. She gripped his arms, looking at him seriously as she asked, "Do you know who I am?"

He blinked, caught entirely off guard. He would naturally assume that someone who would step into his personal space and grab him like that must've known him, but he couldn't put a name to her face. He eyed her black hair, her blue eyes, and her white, black, and pink clothes, trying to put together anything at all. Maybe she was one of Juleka's friends?

His heart strangely skipped a beat as he took her in but, in the end, nothing came to him. Feeling somewhat guilty, he replied, "Sorry. I don't."

Rather than the disappointment he expected, she stepped back with a grin. Smacking her palms together, she turned her back to him and raised her fists in the air in triumph, exclaiming, "Yes! I did it!"

He grew even more confused, a fact that the mystery girl didn't seem to notice immediately. She spun to face him again, wholly animated in her gestures as she rambled excitedly.

"This is great! I can't believe it really worked!" She flailed her arms about like she had too much energy inside of her. "I went back, and now there's not even anything stopping us from dating! I'm ready!"

His lips parted, but nothing came out. He had absolutely no idea of what she was talking about, though his heart skipped another beat at the mention of them dating. He put a hand to his chest, keeping his poker face on whilst trying to puzzle out the feeling he was having.

Finally, the situation caught up with her. Her eyes darted up and down, taking him in, then squinted in thought. She eased back, gaze wandering like she was trying to gauge what she'd said and what she hadn't. Luka noted that she was still breathing a little hard from having run to him and figured that the exhaustion hadn't helped her thoughts come through coherently.

"Ah, I came here, then asked... and then..." She trailed off, mumbling more to herself than him. When she met his gaze again, it was with embarrassment. "I should probably explain, right?"

——

"You're from the future?" he repeated as they sat at the edge of the path, him sitting cross-legged while she dangled her legs off to the side.

"Yes! Or—" She hesitated, crossing her arms and correcting, "Maybe not the future, exactly? This might be another dimension. I went back in time but the time before now must've changed too."

He only nodded, blindly following this tale to whatever unpredictable conclusion she had.

"Long story short, I - we - were heroes? There were these miraculouses that you used to power up, but someone was using them for evil." She brought one leg up so she could hug it to her chest, letting her chin rest on her knee. It was strange to see her without the energy she'd had before. "He got a hold of a bunch of them, even yours, and found out everyone's identities except for mine and Chat Noir's. I couldn't stop thinking about how much danger you'd be in, and after you..."

She trailed off and blushed, covering her face. Luka couldn't make out every word she was saying, but there was something in there about "not planning this far."

"Anyway!" She put her hands down, forcing her next words out. "I had to do something, to stop him, to protect you, to protect everyone, so I made a wish!"

"A wish," he echoed, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

"...Ah, I guess you wouldn't know," she realized. "You need my miraculous and Chat's, and then you can make a wish for a price. It's—" She brought her hand to her mouth, biting her thumbnail from nerves. "It's kind of against the rules? I think I made the right choice though. The miraculouses are gone, but I'm sure that's what the kwami would've wanted. Now no one can use them for evil anymore." She paused, gaze contemplative, then glanced at him. "Oh, the kwami are..." She waved dismissively. "Never mind. I sound crazy enough already."

"But you still told me," he pointed out.

"Well..." She shrugged, embarrassed. "You had one of the time miraculouses, so if anyone remembered, I thought it might be you?"

That was a blatantly bad excuse, especially with how she'd approached him. Leaning towards her, he asked cautiously, "Is it about what you said? About us...?"

He purposefully didn't finish to give her an out, but she didn't take it. She straightened, letting her leg back down with her other, and sighed.

"Yeah. I—" She stiffened in an epiphany. "Wait, I—I should've started with this."

She started patting herself down, searching her person for something unknown. Her jacket didn't have pockets and the ones on her capris were fake, so she opted to check the purse at her side.

"I think my body came back with me, so..." She gasped in delight, pulling out something small enough to be hidden in her closed fist. "Here! Look familiar?"

Luka watched as she opened her hand, revealing a Jagged Stone guitar pick resting on her palm. To anyone else, it probably seemed inconclusive, because how could a guitar pick that anyone could have - and that he personally had multiple of anyway - prove anything?

Except he knew his guitar picks, to the point of having them on display in his room. That was how he could tell that the one in her hand wasn't just any Jagged Stone guitar pick, but his. He could see all the notable wear that he'd done to it ("tough love," as his mother called it) like they were fingerprints on glass.

He reached out, giving the girl a brief look for permission, then took the pick from her and started examining it further. She was happy to let him do so to prove her case and he caught her smiling out of the corner of her eye.

"You gave it to me the day we met," she explained, a lightness to her voice that wasn't there before. "I was in a pretty bad mood over another guy, but he's not important now."

Luka had no idea that the "unimportant" guy she was talking about was Paris's sunshine boy, at least in another timeline.

"I'm, um... sorry for throwing all of this on you." She giggled self-derisively, rubbing an arm. "I was so happy that everything worked out, even if you didn't remember me. I was always so busy being a hero that I didn't have any time for anyone, but now I don't have to worry anymore."

And she'd thought to see him first, even if she didn't say it explicitly. Her story being accurate meant that there had been any number of people to check on or go to, yet he was the one she'd gone for. He was the one she blurted out her whole story to, despite how fantastical it seemed. Despite them not having any relationship that he could remember, she was comfortable enough to be vulnerable around him. If he took everything she said into account, that had also meant that they were either near-dating or one of them had confessed, and considering that she'd already mentioned that she was too busy for people, that only left him to have done so.

At the thought, he felt something warm on his skin; lights that weren't from the sun exactly, but what he imagined it would feel like to have stage lights shining down on him. It felt right, somehow.

"Luka?" the girl called.

He'd been lost in his own head, still processing everything she'd said. He stared, noting the hand outstretched for a friendly handshake.

She smiled, though it was more awkward than before. "I already changed the timeline, so things probably won't happen the same way, but... it's just nice to meet you again. I'm Marinette." She glanced off to the side, the edges of her smile twitching as she added in a murmur to herself, "I should've started with that too."

She'd reigned in her earlier statements now that she'd calmed, having gone from, "we can date, I'm ready," to, "it's just nice to meet you again." She was preparing - expecting - for the possibility that they wouldn't hit the same notes twice, but if he were honest with himself, he was already interested in her in a way. She seemed nice, funny, and incredibly adorable, not to mention how she was entirely unpredictable in her actions.

He chuckled, deciding not to voice the thought for the time being. As she'd said, she was apparently free of anything holding her back anymore, so they could take it easy.

He reached out to her outstretched hand, holding the back of it with one and placing the guitar pick back in her palm with the other. Her eyes sparkled with hope as her gaze darted between him and the guitar pick, reading the wordless reassurance exactly how he'd intended.

Returning her smile with his own, he replied, "Nice to meet you again too."

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

93 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Everyone knew of the seamstress, famous more for her work than even the glowing fairy wings on her back. She could do anything for anyone and was always willing to help. She could sew any design asked of her, make repairs to have clothes look brand new again, or alter as necessary if someone might need an outfit fitted for them.

It was an experience simply to see her work, fingers deftly working away without any sign of stopping until the job was finally done. Her boutique was lined with her products and sources of inspiration, yet carefully selected so as to not overwhelm anyone. Helping her along was her trio of mice, who eagerly rolled spools across the floor and carried needles to her whenever she requested them.

Despite all of that, what she was most known for was her ability to sew emotions into clothes, ranging all the way from joy to anger. People who wore clothes infused with happiness felt better after a rough day, those who wore clothes saturated with sadness would find it easier to cope with their own by comparison, and those who wore clothes instilled with anger—

Well, they were probably gifted those clothes by someone who wasn't exactly happy with them.

The seamstress had a wide range of intense emotions ready when needed. She would imagine munching on a sweet cinnamon roll for happiness, the time she'd found her childhood toy ripped for sadness, and the cruel treatment she'd received from a bully long ago for anger. Depending on the circumstances, the memories she used would vary, but there was one feeling that she'd never been able to put into her clothes:

Love, specifically the romantic kind. Everyone who'd known her or heard the rumors was aware that she'd never had a relationship in her life, which seemed ridiculous to them. She had alluring blue eyes, black hair that was suspected to feel like silk, and most importantly, a big heart. She'd had suitors left and right offer themselves to her, but she turned them all away.

To her, love was important. She lamented the fact that she'd never felt it before and longed to be able to sew love into something one day, but she wouldn't choose just anyone.

Then came the model.

It'd been a stormy afternoon when they'd officially met. She'd been metaphorically trapped under an awning, unable to step outside lest her wings get wet, when she noticed a photoshoot (certainly an unsuccessful one) across the street being cleaned up. The model, his role obvious given that she'd seen him in fashion magazines, had spotted her and crossed the street to reach her. She suspected that she was easy to see with all of her brightness.

He offered her his umbrella without a word and, in the next instant, she heard thunder go off. The atmosphere made it seem weirdly like the perfect meeting, his blond hair glistening from the rainwater soaking it and his eyes reflecting the light of her fantastical wings. Their hands even brushed when she took the offered umbrella, her wide eyes never leaving him until he'd disappeared into his fancy car and drove off. Rain hadn't even been forecast that day and they wouldn't have met without it there.

It seemed like fate, a thought she only became more sure of when another chance encounter came.

She'd been walking to a store for new sewing supplies when alarmed cries alerted her that something was wrong. Following everyone's gaze led her to the sight of the model plummeting from the roof of one of the tallest buildings in the city, a pair of angel wings at his back that weren't doing any work in saving him. She abandoned all other thoughts and flapped her own wings, flying up to meet him and secure him in her arms.

The actual catching process had been rough - he was still bigger and heavier than she was - but all in all a success. She landed him safely on the ground and inspected the damage to what she'd now recognized as a magically-charged pair of fake angel wings, clicking her tongue in disapproval at the poor craftsmanship. Naturally, she fixed them up so he could control them properly and not have them start failing again at the slightest gust of wind.

She caught his emerald eyes sparkling when he thanked her for it, the both of them noting that their meeting had been a coincidence once again and he could've died had she not been there.

This had to be it, she'd thought. She was in love, it was destiny sending her exactly what she'd desired all along, and he would receive her first piece of clothing imbued with love.

A scarf was ultimately what she'd decided on, representing the warmth of their hands in contrast to the chill of the rain. Daydreams of the perfect moment to hand over the completed product flooded her mind, potential confessions playing back-to-back as she sewed away and debated on which would be the best to do. She imagined his god-sculpted face close to hers, either reciprocating her feelings or confessing himself, the mere image making her hands work even quicker for it.

However, an obstacle came when she stopped short of completing it, something that had never happened before. She pinched at the fabric, stretching and examining it every which way to determine the issue, but she couldn't place it. Perhaps the colors were off, or the width was wrong, or a combination of things that made it difficult to pinpoint just one.

She resolved to start again the next day when her mind was fresh, but the same happened again. It became a cycle for her of designing, sewing, and never finishing because she wasn't happy with it.

Her mice did their best to support her, though within reason. If she tried an all-nighter, they would make a tower out of themselves to flick the light switch off, wordlessly telling her to head off to bed when she worked too hard.

Sometimes, she wondered if it was her skills that were lacking. For all her fame and abilities as the fairy seamstress, she couldn't manage a simple scarf for someone she insisted that she was in love with. The model was even more famous than her - even more talented - and anything less than perfection would inevitably bring shame to his very name. She wasn't alone in her adoration of one so beloved by everyone and praised as a light rivaling the sun itself, which meant that she was competing with others for the final place at his side.

Admittedly, it added a lot of pressure, but any time she'd considered giving up, something would happen. She'd see the model's face on something as she passed by, they'd happen to be in the same place and make eye contact, or she'd catch him on television getting interviewed about his incredible life.

Other times, he would come to her, bursting through the boutique's doors like an angel opening heaven's gates. He'd leave her with any manner of things, mostly roses, but he always made sure to leave her with flirtatious parting words and promises to come back soon. They were only minutes of her day at a time, but nonetheless encouragement to continue doing exactly what she was doing.

She'd been doing just that, toiling away at her literal labor of love, on an otherwise normal day when she got a new customer. Looking up from her work, it was apparent that he was not like the model in any way: he wore a guitar case on his back, his hair was pure black with blue at the tips, and his clothes were casual rather than designer. Those aspects with the addition of his black nails and earrings made him the definition of "self-expression."

He left quite the first impression based on appearance alone, but more surprising was what he'd come in for: a rip in his jacket that he asked her to fix. When she pointedly looked him over, specifically at his distressed shirt and pants, he could only excuse that it was different when it wasn't intentional.

The idea was so absurd that she'd laughed, and before long he was laughing along with her. She still agreed to the job, never one to question her customers to the point of chasing them off, and they'd talked while she repaired the rip. It wasn't even about anything special - mostly their jobs and various hobbies - but the mere suggestion that she'd like to hear him play was all the incentive he needed to come back the next day.

And the day after that, then the one following that one. She wasn't sure how it happened, but they always had a reason to see each other again, whether it was not having had time to finish their conversation that day or just because. She learned that his favorite color was blue, he'd dabbled in all types of music throughout his life, and he lived in a shared apartment with his sister. Said sister had even been one of the seamstress's old friends, yet somehow she hadn't crossed the musician's path even once. It amazed her that they'd missed each other so many times before now.

Before long, his arrival had become expected; natural. There was already a place to sit that she often let her customers have if it was a quick job or they didn't have anywhere to go, yet at times she would catch herself thinking of it as his. They never quite defined what they had, only that they liked meeting up and talking to each other.

Once, he'd brought her coffee in the morning, and she was surprised to see that it was her favorite. It baffled her, wondering how he could've known, until he spoke of a "rough morning" story that she'd entirely forgotten about by then. He was even embarrassed when he noticed that she'd already gotten a coffee herself and dared to insist that she didn't need to drink the one he'd gotten her.

She did anyway with whole-hearted appreciation, willing to risk the potential stomach cramps and caffeine overload. For someone with such a carefree air about him, he did put care into remembering little details even if they were ones given casually. In a way, she supposed that she wasn't any different, having made observations on and learned about his whole deal with "rips and tears." She knew which types of clothes he preferred to keep untorn, what skin on his body he didn't mind showing through the various slits, and even that he preferred his accessories to stay new-looking.

Her mice had taken a liking to him as well. If she ever noticed one of them missing from her workspace, she could look over and find them hanging around him, either tickling his skin with their whiskers or using him as their own personal obstacle course. She may've found herself staring a few times, watching his deft fingers adapt, straighten, or flex as needed while one of her mice swerved around and slipped between them.

If he ever caught her watching, he never mentioned it.

There were some days where they didn't talk at all, but it wasn't awkward like one would suspect. Either they were engrossed in their own work or it was simply an enjoyment of the other's company. The musician could be so still and content during such times that she occasionally wondered if he was asleep, but he was always aware of her presence. She'd discovered as much when she lost her favorite spool of thread, even to the point of shrinking down to pixie size so she could look in small spaces with her mice, and he was up in an instant to help her out.

He was just like that. Even when she was struggling with her scarf as usual, he gave her constant reassurances and offered to help however he could. There was no sign of judgment or doubt, only a steadfast belief that she could accomplish whatever she set her mind to.

It never occurred to the seamstress before how nice it was to simply have someone there. She'd fantasized about having a husband eventually, of course, but there was something different about experiencing what she had with the musician. They didn't live together, nor slept over at the other's home, but there were hints that the other had been there. He would take his wristwear off to wash his hands and mistakenly leave one behind, or one of her mice would go with him when it concluded that the inside of his guitar would make a good second home. She'd bring pastries to share from her parents' bakery and send him home with the box, or throw away a sketch in the trash and notice the crinkles of differently-toned paper next to it when he must've tossed a song he'd been writing.

It was the little things all culminating into a reminder that her days weren't just her, her mice, and whichever customers came by anymore. Putting a name to the feeling was difficult, but it was calm, safe, and warm.

Life continued as it was - the musician's daily visits, the model's infrequent ones complete with gifts and compliments, and failed scarves - until she'd wound up trapped in the rain once again. It was her own fault, having seen the cloudy skies but still jumping at the musician's offer to find some new albums with him. They'd gone down to the music store and picked up one album after another, discussing their musical tastes and making jabs about sellouts. Further still came the discussion of instruments as she prodded him for his experience on which he was most comfortable with besides his beloved guitar, all heads turning when he picked up a violin and started to play. Such soft music coming from someone dressed the way he was felt so uniquely him.

But then the fun ended the moment the seamstress turned to leave and noticed the rain outside. It was absolutely pouring, her wings already shivering in anxiety at the idea of being drenched. The musician himself hadn't even known of her issue until she explained, his eyebrows creasing with worry as he followed her gaze to the raindrops hitting the sidewalk.

Neither of them had an umbrella, but he leaned down to whisper a hesitant suggestion into her ear. She blushed, meeting his gaze to ensure that he was okay with it and receiving a resolute nod in return.

It seemed contradictory to shrink down when her goal was to avoid getting soaked, but not when his hands picked her up and settled her at the crook of his neck. He put his hood up next, leaving her in the space between the fabric and his skin whilst vastly lessening the risk of water coming down on her wings.

Sure enough, he stepped outside and only the fabric itself got wet, not the fairy tucked safely out of the rain's reach. She was stunned, not by the fact that it'd worked but that he'd gone through the trouble at all. He'd been willing to walk her home in the rain and, even if he would agree to stay at her place for the night, it took longer to get to her house than his.

When she pointed it out, his response was simple: that anyone would've done it. She shot it down immediately, insisting that he was diminishing himself needlessly and going much farther than protecting her from getting wet.

Then, like the sky after the rainclouds dispersed, everything became clear to her: the relationship she had with the musician, the feelings she had for the model, and the failed scarves that she'd accumulated over all this time.

Anyone could hand her an umbrella or give her shelter from the rain. Anyone could give her a bouquet of roses, and in fact many people did. Anyone could write a card, send her gifts, or even speak sweet words to her.

It took more than that to form a bond. It took getting to know someone and acting upon that knowledge. It took spending time with them even if the activity was simply enjoying their company. It took the ridiculousness of helping search for a spool for hours and not even batting an eye when it ended up being in the dumbest place possible.

It took love.

Looking up at the musician, she noticed the heat on his face despite the chill of the storm's wind. His footsteps were careful so as to not jostle her, but if she put a hand against his neck for balance anyway, she could feel his rapid pulse.

Putting her other hand to her chest, they were distinctly similar, like different instruments playing to the same songsheet or two strings coming together and tying into a neat bow. She suddenly had an urge to design something and it wasn't a scarf, the thing that was never going to get done when there'd been no love to put into it, having instead sucked away her confidence and time like it was a black hole.

No. She knew exactly what she wanted to make.

There wasn't a perfect moment, nor a perfect atmosphere, simply because she didn't feel she needed one. The musician had become a constant in her life and she only needed him to know that she wanted it to stay that way. The task was an effortless one, hindered only by the speed at which she could sew and the time he became available to visit.

When they were at a lull in conversation, she did it. The seamstress took her gift, approached, and held it out to him: a pair of fingerless gloves.

Being a creative force herself, she knew how important one's hands were. The were the tools necessary to sew or play music, and she'd always watched his when he was using them. They were the hands that set down the coffee he'd bought for her, the hands that played with her mice when she was too busy, and the hands that picked her up to place her outside of the rain's range. If he wore the gloves imbued with all her feelings for him, then it would be like he was always carrying her with him, the hands he'd used to express love being protected by her own.

The musician, normally one who always knew what to say, was left speechless by her confession. Even in the time it took for him to feel the gloves, put them on, and feel them again, he was still at a total loss.

Thankfully, as they'd proven over the course of their time together, words weren't always necessary to get one's feelings across. He looked at her, gloved hands cupping her face, and she caught her reflection in his eyes as he pulled her into a kiss. She easily reciprocated, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging him closer.

He might not have had the ability to infuse emotions into things like her, but she nevertheless felt the full force of his love.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

67 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

"You want me to patrol?" Luka asked, staring down at the snake miraculous being held out to him.

Ladybug nodded. "Yeah! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be great at it!"

That wasn't what he'd been thinking about, actually. Taking the miraculous from her hand and putting it on - something she looked oddly pleased about - he pressed, "I don't mind, but why do you want me to do it?"

The miraculous shifted into its disguised state, a light coming off to bring Sass back into existence. The kwami reclined back like he was lounging in an invisible chair, then waved a paw and replied, "Public opinion."

Luka stared, still feeling lost.

Ladybug tilted her head in Sass's direction, continuing, "It's hard for snake heroes to gain any favor from the public. Real snakes are scary for people and no one can understand your power more than you can."

He vaguely understood that. To everyone else, the snake's powers weren't particularly flashy and the only one who got to experience the reset timelines was him. He'd never particularly considered how people thought about it as he didn't really care, but he acknowledged that the two were making sense.

"I care about all my heroes," Ladybug added, putting her hands on her hips, "and I want the public to care about them too. I'm sure all you need to do is go out there, put on a little snake charm, maybe tell a few stories about your timelines, and everyone will get that Viperion does great work just like everyone else, if not greater."

He couldn't be sure if she'd added on the end because she meant it, or because she could only gauge his success rather than his time and effort. The thought that she considered him a hard enough worker that he could outpace others made him smile.

"I'll do it. Thank you, Ladybug."

She beamed. "No, thank you." She took his wrist with the bangle in both hands and lifted it to her chest level, as if reciting a prayer to it. "I have my own things to do, but I know you'll do a good job with or without me!"

He nodded obediently. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No! Or—" She paused, pursing her lips. It was the face of someone who felt like they were forgetting something. "Mm, not know, but..."

She pulled out her yoyo, popping it open and slipping her hand inside. Her tongue stuck out to the side as she searched for whatever she was looking for, at one point putting her whole forearm in. When the movement stopped, she lit up with a delighted, "Aha!" and lifted out a folded sheet of paper. She unfolded it to give it a quick check, then happily handed it over to him.

It was a map of Paris, lines snaking across with numbered indicators and circled locations. He would've assumed it was Ladybug's that she was letting him borrow if not for the "Property of Viperion" written in the corner, both 'i's dotted with hearts.

It was cute.

Ladybug sidled up next to him, pointing to the various parts of the map to explain, "This is the quickest way to get around the city while still making sure you're being thorough. The circled spots are where you can meet with a lot of people at once; great for public image. Even Chat doesn't know these."

"Really?" Despite the teasing tone in her voice, he knew she wasn't lying.

"He doesn't need it. He's a cat and people love cats." She rolled her eyes in faux exasperation, then nudged him with a playful smile. "We snakes and ladybugs have to stick together, right?"

He smiled back. He had no idea where this whole conversation of hers had come from, but he nodded and agreed, "Right."

And with that, she was ready to go, stepping away and waving him goodbye before heading off. Luka waved back, but felt eyes on him and turned his head to see Sass staring at him with a knowing expression.

"...What?"

He learned that day that Sass hissed when chuckling.

——

Patrolling was entirely different from fighting akuma, Viperion learned. There wasn't any real tension so long as he didn't find anything, and it felt like it served a nice role in getting him further acclimated to his hero self. He could jump and travel around easily enough when he was called upon, but it didn't escape him how his jumps grew more confident and his landings more solid as time went on.

Whenever he came across a circled area on the map, he would do as Ladybug had recommended and talk to the various civilians he'd find there. Unlike what he imagined would happen with Ladybug or Chat Noir, he had to check on them first rather than being called over for pictures or comments. It didn't bother him beyond the concern that he wasn't doing as much as Ladybug asked, but he couldn't verify until he went back to her.

Time passed smoothly enough, Viperion mentally checking off the map's numbers as he went. Near the end of the patrolling path happened to be around Marinette's house too, so he was in a good mood.

He was within eyesight of the place when someone suddenly called out, "Hey, Viperion~!"

He almost faltered, looking out towards the familiar voice to see Marinette on her balcony and excitedly trying to wave him down. He smiled unconsciously, feeling the natural pull she always had on him that urged him closer, but snapped out of it when he remembered that he was Viperion at the moment. He was supposed to be a stranger to her.

Taking one more look at his map, he noted the circle - oddly enough - right around the bakery. He supposed it could've been referring to the park nearby, but regardless, he was meant to be talking to civilians and Marinette was indeed a civilian.

If it wasn't what Ladybug had in mind, he'd twist the rules just this once.

Giving Marinette a look to convey his intent, he waited for her to step back before leaping towards her, allowing him enough space on the balcony to safely land. It was equally helpful that some of the various things on the surface had been moved in such a way that he'd had a clear place to drop onto.

"Hey... citizen." Wow, that sounded bizarre. "Can I help you?"

She giggled - cute - and nodded at him. Beckoning to him, she stepped back towards the entrance to her bedroom. "Yeah. Come with me for a minute."

She was so forward about it that Viperion genuinely wondered if this was just something that happened with heroes, or only with Marinette specifically. Perhaps Ladybug had even been invited inside before?

He couldn't bring himself to refuse her, so he followed her down onto her bed, then down the stairs to the main part of her room. He watched her walk across and bend down to the chest near her chaise lounge, her hands fiddling with the latch to open it. She reached inside and pulled out something teal, but he couldn't quite see what it was with her body obscuring it.

Marinette, careful not to show him what was in her arms, walked over to a full-body mirror nearby. Finally turning to him, she held up the object and asked, "What do you think?"

Viperion's jaw dropped. There in her arms was a Viperion plush and, judging from his own reflection in the mirror, she'd even gotten the smaller details right. He got the distinct feeling that she had looked at him more than he'd looked at himself just to ensure that the plush was accurate.

"Wow, it's..." He approached, reaching out but not feeling able to touch the plush, as if he wasn't worthy of it. At Marinette's encouragement, he gingerly held one of the little arms and gave it a squish to test its softness. "This is incredible work."

"Thanks." She beamed, swaying her hips and looking pleased with herself. "I try to make one of everyone, but this one's my favorite."

He looked at her questioningly, touched yet confused, but she wasn't meeting his eyes anymore. Her gaze turning back at the chest, she gently placed the plush in his arms and returned to her collection to start pulling more of her work out.

Viperion glanced at the stuffed imitation of him, unsure of how to handle it but doing his best to give it support. Marinette must've seen him at some point while setting out plushies, given the otherwise random giggle she'd let out.

After roughly a minute, she'd finished, sitting in the middle of the two groups she'd set out and spreading her arms out above them. Indeed, there was a group of plush superheroes to one side of her and even a group of plush akuma to the other. If he really eyed their details, he could tell which had been made when she was just starting out and which she'd done recently once she had experience, but it was all equally impressive to him.

Bringing the plush with him, he sat down in front of her and let it sit on his lap. He couldn't care less what he'd looked like, too busy admiring her work. His face must've shown it without him saying anything, as she puffed her chest out like she was basking in the unspoken praise.

Then, his eyes locked on something purple, black, and out of place amongst the heroes. In any other circumstance, he probably wouldn't have focused or commented on it, but it was also of him: specifically, Silencer, his akumatized self who had relentlessly chased down Bob Roth and stolen the voices of multiple people, including Ladybug herself. Bitter memories rushed back to him of waking up after the fact and fearing what might've happened while he'd been under someone else's control, the worst being if he'd hurt Marinette in some way

"That's an akuma," he said flatly. His own tone caught him off guard, but Marinette either didn't notice or didn't mind his disdain for that particular plush.

She followed his gaze to the mini Silencer in question. Rather than realizing that she'd made a mistake, she smiled, picking up the plush and setting it on her lap. Hand resting on the soft helmet on its head, she looked at him and explained, "Yeah, but... he's a hero to me."

She couldn't keep saying things like that to him without elaboration. He could only take so much without letting his civilian self show.

Thankfully, she elaborated this time, "People at my school get akumatized all the time; sometimes right in front of me. I have to run away from them as fast as I can, because even if they're not after me, I'm still another potential target for them." She turned the plush so she could look at its face, her eyes going soft as she continued, "Silencer was the first time someone got akumatized to protect me; when I felt honored to be protected. He didn't want my attention either, he wanted to get revenge because of what Bob Roth did."

Viperion hadn't known that. He'd had a brief discussion with Marinette about something he'd apparently said, but he'd been needed on stage and couldn't finish any sort of conversation with her. It warmed him greatly, knowing that she appreciated him even as an akuma.

"Sure, he was still another one of Hawk Moth's akuma, so Ladybug had to take care of him," she acknowledged, "but I think he's a little misunderstood, like you."

"Like me?"

She nodded, bringing back her point from earlier. "That's why the Viperion plush is my favorite. You're the least popular out of everyone, but I bet you do so much work during your Second Chances. Even though you should be getting more credit for it, no one notices until you're going around—" She gestured between them, indicating their current situation. "—like this."

He grew quiet, already seeing the connection. His heart sank at the thought.

"...It's relatable," she whispered with a sad smile, her fingertips trailing across the top ridge of the plush Silencer's helmet, "not being noticed for what you can do, people seeing you at your surface level..."

Shifting, Viperion held his plush self to his chest and moved within arm's reach of her. With his free hand, he reached out, cupping her cheek to tilt her face up to him.

Quietly, but firmly, he told her, "For what it's worth, I think you deserve to be noticed for all of you, not just the part that people decide to see."

It was definitely pushing the boundaries of what he should be "allowed" to do as a hero, but at its core, Viperion thought that that's what a hero was meant to do. Saving Paris was only the surface level of what people saw heroism as: the deeper, more important part was to care for the emotional well-being of the civilians.

He'd already gone through akumatization once and he'd never wish such an experience on Marinette. Keeping her happy was a top priority for him, both before and now, regardless of how she felt about him.

Her mouth curving back into the smile he'd missed in its short time away, Marinette reached up and placed her hand over his. "Thank you. Sorry if I brought the mood down."

"This is my job—" It wasn't, not in the way she'd be thinking of anyway. "—and it's not much compared to what you did. Thanks for appreciating me."

She nodded, eyes shining with her own gratefulness. There seemed to be more that she wanted to say, but she dropped his hand and shook her head to rid herself of it. Regretfully, she admitted, "I shouldn't keep you any longer."

He nearly blurted out that she could keep him forever if she wanted, but he held back. Equally as regretful as her, he returned the Viperion plush to her waiting hands.

Marinette took it, taking the plush in her free hand and scooting out of the way. The movement left a Marinette-sized space where she'd been, which is where she decided to set the plush down. Putting the Silencer plush back where he was before, she also took the Ladybug plush and let it settle next to the Viperion one.

It left the two as the only ones in the once-empty spot.

"They look good together," she commented, looking over her shoulder at him.

He stared, not sure how to feel about his crush having an opinion on his relationship with someone else, but he didn't express it. She clearly thought highly of his partnership with Ladybug in a way no one else did, which he considered a positive.

"...Yeah." He grinned at her. "I think so too."

——

"So?" Ladybug clasped her hands together, curiosity in her eyes. "How'd it go?"

"I got to talk to people," Luka replied vaguely as he handed the miraculous back to her. His visit with Marinette had made everything else fuzzy by comparison. "There was no trouble, but there was only one person who wanted to see Viperion."

"I'm sure that'll change!" she assured, her blinding confidence thoroughly astounding him. Leaning in and grasping his shoulders, she insisted, "You deserve to be appreciated, whether that's as a civilian, a hero, or an akuma."

He went to thank her, practically overflowing with all the affection he'd received at that point, but he paused when her words truly registered with him.

Ladybug, however, didn't give him a chance to respond. She stepped away, stashing the snake miraculous into her yoyo and making her escape back out into the city with her usual wave of good-bye.

Luka was certain that he'd heard properly: she'd said akuma. He supposed it could just be a coincidence that Marinette and Ladybug had both happened to reference his akumatized self, but Ladybug's expression had hinted to him that it was more than that. It had been strange to him that Marinette's balcony had been open for him, and even more so that Marinette happened to be there like she was waiting for him. If both she and Ladybug had wanted him to feel appreciated (mission accomplished on that one, obviously), then it was possible that they'd teamed up to give him a double dose of gratitude.

Or at least, that must've been the reason, because the only other option was—

Ah.

Just like that, Luka blushed a deep shade of red, the memory of Marinette placing the Ladybug and Viperion plushies together burning itself permanently into his mind.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Vipernette

103 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka opened the side door to Marinette's house and entered with a skip in his step. Any day seeing Marinette was a great one, but they were going out for a date today. They hadn't decided on a particular place - only the time - but that was part of the fun in their minds.

However, he'd only taken a few steps before he heard footsteps charging at him, barely turning in time to see Marinette's dad approaching and two hands coming down on his shoulders.

"Luka," he spoke. The seriousness in his voice contrasted sharply with the words that followed. "Marinette is baking too many cakes!"

Luka blinked. Leaning his body as best as he could to see past the oversized man and into the bakery, he couldn't spot Marinette anywhere. He was confused, but glad, feeling that it would've shone a negative light on his abilities as her boyfriend to not be able to instantly spot her from out of the corner of his eye when he'd come in.

Looking up at Tom for answers, he asked, "Is she baking upstairs?"

Tom didn't respond, brows furrowed as he continued to stare, possibly waiting for something. Marinette's mother looked over her shoulder at them, putting Luka out of his befuddlement by explaining, "He means projects. Marinette has been working all day on her projects."

Ah, it was a metaphor. He should've known.

Shifting his eyes from Sabine to Tom, Luka patted Tom's forearm and assured, "I'll take care of it, Mr. Dupain. Thanks for telling me."

Tom hung his head, though it was hard to tell whether it was in relief that Marinette was getting help or defeat that he had to rely on someone else to go talk to her. "You're a good boy."

Luka pulled back, Tom returning to the bakery while Luka himself went up the stairs. Hearing that Marinette was overworking herself wasn't a surprise to him, especially since it was something he firmly considered themselves to be "still working on." It was a system they'd had of trying to help each other: she'd inform him of new things she'd committed to working on so he could catch on before she'd taken too many, whereas he would be a little selfish and express things he'd like to do that she'd yet to bring up in their relationship. While he was normally insistent on going at her pace, she insisted on letting him take her out of her comfort zone whenever he could. "One of the important things in a relationship is compromise!" she'd explained.

He chuckled at the memory.

Entering the living room, he headed up the stairs and knocked on the trapdoor to Marinette's room. "Marinette?"

There was no answer. He waited a generous amount of time, then knocked slightly louder in case she hadn't heard him. When that failed as well, he got worried and invited himself inside.

His eyes took in Marinette first and widened immediately. She was lying on the floor, having seemingly fallen from her computer chair at some point in time. Surrounding her were all sorts of jewelry, tools, and other various objects, but Luka's priority went only to her.

He rushed over, supporting her as best as he could as he tried to sit her up. Letting her lean against him, he called out, "Marinette? Hey, come back to me..."

He used his free hand to cup her cheek, which finally seemed to do something to her. She whined, her body turning towards him and weakly gripping the fabric of his clothes. He thought she might've fallen back asleep when she relaxed, but eventually, she started to open her eyes.

"...Luka?" she mumbled groggily.

He didn't wait to ask, "Are you okay?"

"Mm...mm?" She pulled back, squinting at him and then the rest of their surroundings. Her mental gears turned as she took in the room, then his presence, and finally the fact that both of them were on the floor. Realization overtook her face a few seconds later, a gasp escaping her as she shot up to her feet.

"T-the time! I—nggh." She staggered from the feeling of standing up too quickly.

Luka stood as well, one hand on her back and the other going to her side furthest from him. Once he was certain that she wouldn't fall, he scolded gently, "You promised to tell me when you accepted new projects."

"T...they're not—" She yawned, shutting one of her eyes and rubbing at her eyelids with the heel of her hand. "They're not projects. They're, uh... gifts."

"Gifts," he echoed, hoping that his tone got across the hope for a more complete explanation.

She shrugged for lack of anything solid. "I-I wanted to get ahead on a couple of birthday presents, but then that got me thinking about gift ideas for everyone else. I was worried that the motivation would go away if I waited or just wrote it down, so I kept working. Then I thought about all the other gifts I could make, especially for you before our date, and—"

"I don't need your gifts," Luka stated flatly, his grip on her side tensing. The almost cold tone he'd given her registered as he saw the anxious look on her face, and he added with a sigh, "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to make me anything if it means tiring yourself out like this."

She frowned, leaning against him and nuzzling his shoulder. "I...I wanted to show everyone how much I appreciated them. That's all."

"You shouldn't have to." Keeping her side held with one hand, he used the other to move her bangs so he could place a soothing kiss on her forehead. "I already feel appreciated, and everyone else should too. They shouldn't need gifts to be your friends."

She made a noncommittal noise, not willing to abandon what she'd worked on but acknowledging his point. Another yawn escaped her, arms wrapping around him as she buried herself against him even more.

"I'm sorry too," she murmured weakly. "Our date was today. You came all the way here and now I'm tired."

"Don't worry about it." He opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped short when he got an idea. Bringing her close with both arms around her waist, he wondered aloud, "Am I still allowed something selfish?"

"Of course?" She was still upset about "ruining" things but didn't shut down verbally. "Why? What do you want?"

Showing by action, he shifted against her so he could lean down. Putting one arm at the back of her thighs, he let out a small grunt as he lifted her fully off the floor.

"L-Luka?" Marinette's voice came out fully awake at the sudden loss of anything underneath her. She clung to him, not unlike a koala as her legs went around his waist for extra support.

"You should sleep." He was already walking, unphased by the weight of an entire person on him as he ascended the stairs to her bed. "I won't leave either, so we can count it as our date."

"T-that doesn't sound like a date," she feebly refuted.

"We didn't make any plans," he reminded her, "so it could've been anything, even this."

She didn't have an argument to that, only an unconvincing whine.

The soft surface gave slightly under his and Marinette's weight as he got down on both knees. Marinette untangled herself from him so he had his hands free to pull back the blanket for her. Once she got comfortable and had made room for him, he laid down as well and covered the both of them. It was the first time he could ever say he was truly pushing his luck with his "selfish" requests, but the situation had called for it and he knew it was the only way to get her to accept.

When she snuggled against him for warmth that she definitely didn't need, he knew it was the right choice. He hadn't approved of what got them there, but couldn't complain about the results.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

85 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Ladybug just barely managed to squeeze through the window of the Liberty without being seen, her groan overtaking the sound of her detransformation. Finding places to hide as Marinette was simple when she could so easily slip out of a group, but when Ladybug got so much attention from everyone, it was nearly impossible to get back to where she was before. As it was, she'd had to use her aqua powers to hide in the water until she was sure it was safe to leap into the Liberty.

Maybe I should start carrying the mouse, she thought, slapping her cheeks to try and snap herself back into focus. Her mind whirled as she tried to remember what her excuse had been so she could follow up on it.

She was pretty sure it’d been snacks; she’d told everyone that she was heading downstairs to get snacks and drinks for them.

Heading over to the door leading to the deck, she opened it back up and hurried to grab some trays to put snacks on. Fumbling to gather things to make up for the time she was away, she tried not to get distracted by the conversation she could faintly hear up on deck.

"Haven't you wanted to change your look? It's been months now," came Mylene's voice. "Those costumes are starting to get old. I don't know about everyone else's, but Ivan's is starting to get beat up."

Marinette froze. Even without hearing the specific words, she knew they were talking about Kitty Section's costumes.

"We could ask Marinette to fix them up?" Rose suggested.

Alya dismissed the idea. "She's been busy all week! There's no way."

She wasn't wrong. Marinette tensed, already thinking about what'd just happened. She was living three lives - Marinette, Ladybug, and now the guardian - so it was only logical that she couldn't keep up.

"Oh," Zoe piped up. "If it's the costumes, I could find someone who's worked with real bands before on costumes? You could get a designer who could make something that'd last for a long time."

"Really? That's right, you even know the mayor!"

"That'd be awesome!"

"As long as you don't let Chloe hear, okay?"

Marinette fidgeted with the tray, hating the fact that a familiar jealousy was stirring in her chest. She and Zoe were friends, with Marinette being the one who vouched for her in the first place, so she had no one to blame but herself. Zoe was a great person: she was friendly, not awkward, and was even building a better relationship with the mayor of Paris. Anyone would want her company and Marinette couldn't compete with that.

It was inevitable that the costumes could get worn or damaged too, even by accident. She breathed up, steeling herself for the topic as she took the trays of snacks and started heading up to the deck.

Then, she heard Luka chime in, "They're Marinette's designs. We worked on them together and those two weeks are a verse I never want to forget."

"You don't have to throw the costumes away or anything," Alix interjected, confused by the emotional weight behind the words. "You'll just have new designs."

He paused, then directed his voice elsewhere as he asked, "What do you guys think?"

Some hums sounded amongst the rest of Kitty Section, Rose speaking up first to say, "New designs just mean we have more designs, right?"

Ivan added on, unsure, "I thought it was cool of Marinette to make these for us. It's kinda hard finding stuff that fits me."

"Mm," Juleka hummed noncommittally. "I like the worn look..."

"I guess it would be up to the band," Mylene pointed out. "Maybe we could vote yay or nay?"

"We're not getting anywhere like this," Alya countered. "All I'm saying is that it'll just put pressure on—"

By that point, Marinette had already stepped into view with the trays. She'd taken time and focus so as to not topple anything by accident, but was still wholly aware of the conversations. All eyes darted to her and it was difficult to tell who felt awkward and who was simply waiting for her to speak.

Keeping her expression as flat as possible, she went over to the nearest table and set the trays down. Standing straight to face everyone, she told them, "It's like Alya said: I'm busy. I'm not reliable enough to make repairs or new ones either, so..." She shrugged as casually as she could. "Those designs were made on a time crunch anyway, and I want you guys to have the best."

"See?" Alya gestured at Marinette whilst looking at Luka. "She thinks so too."

Having just been Ladybug a few minutes ago, Marinette had already had more than enough attention for the day. Preferring not to involve herself further, she turned on her heel and started heading back below deck, leaving Zoe free to use her connections without guilt of her watching.

"Marine—" Luka called behind her, but stopped short. She heard his footsteps follow after hers, but didn't discourage him and continued walking.

As she re-entered the lounge room, she went straight for the couch; not around, but straight ahead for the backrest. Putting her hands on top, she hefted herself over and plopped down onto the cushions, allowing her to lay back and stare up at the ceiling. A click of the door followed and Luka's face soon hovered over her from above the backrest.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Why? You were trying to defend me."

He put his forearms up on the couch, allowing him to lean forward more. "You're part of the band too, to me. I shouldn't've said anything without you there."

"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question.

"I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something deeper to it."

As deep as a bottomless pit, Marinette lamented, wanting to scream but not having the voice to. Instead, she waved her arms about and continued to insist, "Look, I really am busier than when I made you those outfits! That's why we we couldn't date!"

His eyes widened at that, and it took her a moment to realize why: she hadn't specified that part when they'd broken up. She'd been tired, emotionally drained, and not thinking particularly clearly at the time, so the actual reasoning had been left out.

"When you're ready, I'll be here, Marinette," was what he'd said then, but the actual timeline after the fact was a little fuzzy for some reason. She guessed it was also related to her exhaustion.

She sat up to be closer to him, talking again before she could think further on it, "I'd feel awful if Kitty Section had to keep holding itself back because I don't have the energy for it, okay? You guys need new costumes and Zoe is the best for the job, so don't do this for me—"

"Zoe?" Luka's brows drew together in puzzlement.

"...Yes?" She tilted her head, equally confused by his response. "She's the one who offered. She has connections that I don't."

He shook his head. "That's not it. She's not the best for the job, she's just finding someone else to do it."

Marinette stopped halfway to a reply, having been caught in her mindset. Either he was that observant or she was extremely transparent about it. She planted her soles on the floor, turning so that her back faced him.

Luka walked around the couch to sit next to her, keeping a careful distance but being close enough for them to talk comfortably with each other. "Zoe can't do what you do, Marinette." Then, thoughtful, he assured, "But we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Except that was just the thing. She wanted to - always wanted to - yet there were never-ending obstacles to that. Everything she said had to be carefully calculated or she'd run the risk of causing everyone more trouble, but sometimes the choice would just be taken from her anyway if she waited too long. It was a tightrope walk of balancing words she should say with words that she shouldn't.

And she wanted off.

"I—" She grit her teeth, hands gripping the fabric of her capris. "It's not... it's not about what she can do. It's about what she doesn't have to. She doesn't have to worry about a packed schedule, or dealing with responsibilities she didn't ask for, or making time to do something for a friend because she can find someone else to do it."

Luka let out a hum of acknowledgment. She saw his hand reach over out of the corner of her eye, hovering silently over her hand closest to him. When she didn't pull back or express displeasure, his hand dropped onto hers and squeezed.

"There's nothing wrong with being jealous," he told her.

Stiffening, she pulled away from him on the couch and stood back up, arguing, "But there is! Zoe hasn't done anything wrong and I'm not allowed to want you after what happened, especially not when she's just a better me!"

"...What?"

She groaned, messing up her own bangs just so she could fix them again. "A better me. She was bullied too, but she's not—she's not like me. No one teases her or makes fun of her for what she does, but I'm such a disaster with everything that—"

"You want me?" he clarified.

Marinette met his gaze, having thought that was obvious from having told him why she'd had to break up with him. "Yeah? Who wouldn't?" Paying no mind to the blush that appeared on his face, she continued to throw her arms out and vent, "But I don't make people happy! I don't fit! Zoe doesn't get upset like I do, she doesn't have to run off all the time, and she doesn't make people argue over costumes since she's not the one who makes them anyway!"

She couldn't even look at Luka anymore, too ashamed to face him directly. She couldn't recall how she'd made the connection between her own issues and Zoe's, but finding out that she was jealous was another matter. It took time to properly recognize the feeling, but only because her initial experiences with jealousy were different.

Specifically, with Adrien. Whenever it came to seeing other girls around him, she'd wanted to interfere, to stop it at all costs. The exception had been Kagami at times, but due to a mixture of guilt and a desire not to lose her friendship with someone who'd openly told her (openly told Ladybug) that she prioritized pursuing Adrien over said friendship.

With Luka though, she'd never felt any rivalry or animosity towards anyone she deemed a "better fit" for him, and she never thought to act out on it. While Zoe had never made attempts to go after Luka herself, Marinette imagined it was only a matter of time if Zoe was indeed a better her, and she'd find it hard to complain if it ended up working out.

The difference in her states of jealousy was obvious: one was an obsession - "eyes on the prize," so to speak - while the other was a genuine love and desire to see the person she loved be happy. It hurt thinking about how it would all end regardless, but she was prepared to face it.

"...Marinette," Luka began slowly, still piecing his words together. He inhaled, exhaled, then finally said, "You can't decide that."

She faltered, scared to look at him directly in case she had an unpleasant expression on, but too confused not to do something. She turned her head just enough to peek at him through her bangs.

He continued without her asking directly, "No one makes me happy the way you do. Not Zoe, not anyone. You can't decide who fits me best just like everyone else can't decide what to do about the costumes without hearing you out first."

"But..." She shook her head despondently. "It was a nightmare dating me? I don't want you to want me if it'll just lead to that."

"What if you're the musician?"

That got her to look at him, in sheer befuddlement if nothing else. She'd registered the oncoming metaphor, but still failed to follow it to its conclusion. "What do you mean?"

"What if you're the musician, and I'm the guitar you had to stop playing because the music didn't sound right?" He put his hands in place to act as if there was a guitar in his lap. "Then you see a newer, fancier guitar that comes with all sorts of accessories, and everyone thinks you'd look great with it."

She gaped, horrified by the thought. "I-I wouldn't want that!" She sat down next to him again, huffing. "Just because it's new and fancy doesn't mean it'd work for me, and I already have memories with the guitar I have now! Maybe the music didn't work but—"

Something clicked. Luka must've seen it in her expression too, his frown making way for a smile instead.

"...There's nothing wrong with the instrument," she finished quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah. It was bad timing. Even the best musicians can get the timing wrong when it matters."

Sliding closer to her as she'd done earlier to him, he gripped her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Marinette gasped sharply, suddenly surrounded by warmth when she'd felt so cold before. It really was as if he'd never let her go so long as she didn't move.

Whispering so as to not break the moment, Luka questioned, "Do you know what it was about my dad?"

She gripped onto whatever fabric was nearest to her, uttering a soft, "M-mm?" in response.

"I know he left, and it hurt me, but he came back in the end. He wanted to make it up to me. He could've decided that I wasn't worth it, or that he still wasn't interested in being around me, but he didn't." He rubbed her back, seeking to soothe her. "I believe in second chances, and if someone wants to ask me for one, then it's my choice to let them back in. I'm choosing you, Marinette."

She blinked rapidly, feeling potential tears coming on. While reluctant to pull apart from him, she broke the hug momentarily to see his face again. The temptation to jump on the offer was strong, but she admitted, "I...I don't know how to convince myself that it's okay."

"I can show you," he offered. "We'll take it at whatever pace you want, and I'll show you that it's okay."

Her eyes give him the answer before her mouth did, her body stunned still by the gesture. She'd really thought that she'd lost him for good and that there wasn't any hope left, but he stuck with her anyway.

She wanted to kiss him in gratitude, but it didn't happen right away. The close contact made it easy for her to let her hands wander, fingertips trailing across the bare skin of his forearms. Luka accepted all of it, reciprocating by touching her face and feeling along her cheekbones as if he hadn't already memorized every centimeter of them.

They were the kinds of touches that she'd - that they'd - wanted since they got together in the first place, but never did. They're gentle yet eager, tentative yet meaningful.

The kiss followed afterward, somewhat clumsy when their noses bumped, but they weren't deterred from continuing. They held each other, relishing in the contact they hadn't gotten to have the first time they'd attempted it at the cinema. Even the soft 'click' as they pulled apart became ingrained in Marinette's memory as something special.

Luka touched his lips with his fingertips, feeling along the surface, but stopped to point out, "You've been worrying about me this whole time."

"H-hm?" She also had to stop herself from touching her lips to reply.

"What about you?" he prompted, staring at her directly. "How do you feel?"

Her lips quivered, but she was smiling. Knowing that he knew the answer already, she threw her arms around him to return his hug from earlier.

She felt happy. She felt like she could safely talk to him about things without fear or repercussions. She felt the weight of the world lift off her shoulders, even if it was only for a moment.

Most importantly, she felt loved.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

112 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka stirred at a clattering sound, groaning as he slowly opened his eyes. It was still dark outside, but he could make out the open door leading to the balcony. The warm yet empty spot next to him told the rest of the story, a frown overtaking his face at the familiar song he'd heard far too many times.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes as best as he could, he forced himself out of bed and headed towards the open doors. The balcony itself was vacant save for the two chairs there, so he stood on one of them and knowingly looked up towards the roof of the house.

Sure enough, Marinette was sitting there, staring out at the city with a far-off look on her face. Her lips were parted and her eyes were half-lidded, the expression he tended to catch her with when she was lost in her own mind.

Hefting himself up onto the rooftop, he went over to sit next to her. His leg brushed against hers in the process, earning her attention as her head swiveled to face him.

She wasn't surprised to see him, but frowned guiltily and insisted, "You can go to bed. I'm sorry for waking you up again."

He shook his head, raising his arms out in a silent offer. "The bed's not as inviting without you."

Her lips turned to a pout, but he could tell by the blush that she was still touched by the comment. She touched his thigh, hesitating, then slowly shifted to slide closer and let herself up onto his lap. He hummed, pleased, then wrapped his arms around her and let his chin rest on her shoulder.

She placed her hands against his arms, leaning back against his chest as she sighed. Staring up at the sky, she expressed, "I feel like I should be doing something."

"Like what?" he prompted, despite knowing the answer.

"Patrolling, stopping some late night crime..." She shrugged. "Something like that."

"That's not your responsibility," he muttered, squeezing her tighter. "It never should've been."

"I wish it was that easy." She turned her head, nuzzling him in an effort to soothe herself. "Chat probably doesn't do this."

"Chat never took it the way you did. That's not your fault." He nuzzled her back and breathed up, taking in her scent that had long since mixed with his ever since they began living together. "You don't owe Paris your life."

He knew well enough that it wasn't as easy as saying so, and the constant visits she made to the rooftops told him as much. Even though she'd stopped being Ladybug back in her teens, the scars from those times remained.

The scars of being responsible for all of Paris's safety, for having to juggle her civilian life with her hero one, and knowing that failure was not an option without tearing her life apart. She was lucky to come out unscathed beyond the psychological damage, though he was hard-pressed to call it "luck."

"What if I hadn't given up the earrings?" Marinette wondered aloud. "Maybe I really was the best ladybug, or there was something I could've stopped if I had them."

"Or maybe not," Luka argued casually, "and then you'd be coming up here even more often, being even more miserable."

"It's not... miserable..."

He gave her a flat look. She turned her head away, but he could imagine the expression of being called out for the obvious.

"Still," she retorted, even if it wasn't a proper argument, "I was picked out for the job by the guardian, then I let him down by giving up."

A bit of bitterness seeping into his voice, he countered, "Maybe he should've picked someone who could enjoy it, like Chat did." Letting go of her waist, he took hold of both of her hands and caressed the back of them with his thumbs. "You shouldn't have to put off what you want for everyone else."

"I know." More frustrated, she clutched his hands tightly and repeated, "I know. I hate that I can't stop thinking about it. I was just a teenager. I was supposed to think about school, fashion, romance!"

He nodded, letting her vent without interruption this time.

"But then...." She groaned, slumping against him. "Then Ladybug happened, and everything went wrong. I hate liars, but I had to keep secrets from everyone. I had a schedule to write everything down on, but I couldn't keep it or remember anything because akuma could happen at any time. Everyone thought I was flaky or didn't care and I couldn't do anything about it!"

He moved his head, placing a comforting kiss at the crook of her neck. She stiffened momentarily, then exhaled and released the tension he'd been feeling in her body.

"...Sorry," she said.

"Don't be." He brought one of her hands close enough to his mouth, giving one more kiss to each digit. "You know I don't mind being out here with you. I love listening to you, even if you think it should be a hassle."

She whined, shifting against him. "Stop making it hard to stay in my own head."

He chuckled, dropping her hands so he could hug her again. "I can't. I loved you back then and I love you now. I won't let you forget it."

She twisted, Luka releasing her just enough so she could turn around and straddle him. Holding his face in her hands, she kissed him once, twice, and then a third time, each with increasing length than the last.

He cherished all of them equally, sighing blissfully at her touch. Despite how long they'd been together, he'd never lost the emotional high he got from it.

"Let's go back to bed," Marinette whispered, the tiredness coming back to her voice. "I think I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" As much as he wanted her to rest, he didn't want her to force it. "We don't have to."

She nodded. "I got out what I wanted to, and it's cold tonight." Hugging him, she buried her face into his shoulder and murmured, "My only responsibility right now is keeping you warm."

He had no objections to that.

They separated, only long enough for them to get down from the rooftops and get back into the bedroom. Luka closed the balcony doors behind him and went to join Marinette back under the covers, arms wrapping back around her as she snuggled close to him.

While her trips to the rooftop had started ever since she'd given up the earrings, they'd grown more infrequent as time went on, as well as taking less time. He looked forward to the day when she'd stop going altogether, forgetting about Paris entirely to focus on what really mattered: herself, and everything that made her happy.

The fact that one of those things happened to be him was just a bonus.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

61 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Marinette sighed, adding a newly crumbled paper to the amount surrounding her as she got a new sheet to write on. Best-laid plans and all, but she genuinely thought that she'd have something put together by now.

Luka was supposed to come by and she wanted - no, needed - it done by then. Her parents already knew, so familiar with Luka that he was just welcomed right into the house whenever he came over, no questions asked.

They were proud of her for so easily taking initiative as opposed to certain past endeavors, but she could do without the uncertainty that came from the humiliating memories those endeavors caused her.

She hummed, her leg bouncing as she tapped the blunt end of her pencil on her new piece of paper. Setting the page down in front of her, she started to write again, trying for a different tone this time.

She still wasn't satisfied.

As she was working, the door creaked behind her. She sighed, figuring that it must've been one of her parents checking on her; they always enjoyed meddling when it came to her love life and they hadn't come so far.

"Can you be too formal in a love letter?" she asked as she straightened up. Throwing her arms up, she explained, "I want it to sound serious, but Luka's not a formal kind of guy. I'm trying to confess, not ask him to join a business meeting!"

She got silence in response and mentally groaned. If they were going to interrupt, the least they could do is help!

Setting her pencil down, Marinette grasped the top of the backrest and twisted to look towards the door, prepared to tell them just that. Her mouth opened to speak, but stopped short when she realized who was actually standing there.

It was Luka, his eyes wide and a pink blush having bloomed across his face. Within the next second, Marinette's face mirrored his, horror striking at what must've just happened.

She turned back, eyes scanning her surroundings that she'd been ignoring until now. Seeing the blatant sunset outside the window, her hands fumbled to grab her phone and turn the screen on.

The time staring back at her told her as much: that she'd spent far longer on her love letter (attempt at a love letter) than intended. Just as the panic started to form, she heard footsteps approach and looked up to see Luka standing nearby.

"I...I can explain!" She stood up with the paper in hand, crumpling it between her palms. "We—we really were supposed to hang out! I was going to greet you at the door! It's just that I wanted to put this—" She spun on her heel to throw the paper amongst the others. "—in your bag or something as a surprise, but I couldn't find the words and then you came in and I thought you were someone else and I asked what I did, and now—!"

She stopped short, her blush spreading all the way up to her ears when it hit her that she'd just excused not coming down to greet him instead of accidentally confessing. She'd embarrassed herself before on such matters, but not like that.

As she stood there, waiting for the inevitable laugh that was about to echo throughout the room, Luka suddenly said, "It's perfect."

Marinette paused, noting that his laugh sounded vaguely like a sentence, then glanced over her shoulder at him. He wasn't laughing, only standing there while looking wholly serious.

"W-what? What was?" She gestured at the papers surrounding her. "My crumbling technique?"

"Your confession." He smiled, taking the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. "It was perfect."

In all of her knowledge of teenage slang, she couldn't recall an instance where 'it's perfect' actually meant 'that was the worst thing I've ever seen.' Furthermore, Luka had never lied to her, which led to only one conclusion.

She faced him, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "You mean it?"

He nodded. "I don't care how it sounds." Reaching a hand out to her, he added, "The feelings you put in are all the same."

"Oh." She swallowed, still absorbing that she'd just stood there, blurted out a confession in the middle of all of her failed love letters, and he'd just accepted all of it. Even when she took his silent offer and let him have her hand, it didn't quite feel real.

Luka, turning his attention to the mess scattered around the room, knelt down to grab one of the balled-up pages on the floor with his free hand. Standing back up, he presented it to her, asking, "Can I still read them?"

"Those?" She snapped out of her daze enough to respond. Waving an arm at what was future garbage in her mind, she reminded him, "These are all my failures!"

He shrugged, unbothered. "I want to see what my girlfriend wrote for me."

"But why would you—" She perked up, losing her train of thought entirely. "Girlfriend?"

He grinned, not responding verbally but his entire expression saying 'yes'.

Eventually, he'd managed to convince her, both of them collecting the papers before sitting on the couch together. Snuggled up against Luka's side while he uncrumpled paper after paper, she determined that her attempts must not've been failures after all.

Especially because each of them brought a new smile to his face.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

64 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

After spending all of her teenage years as Ladybug, Marinette had thought that nothing could surprise her anymore. The magical earrings had chosen her a long time ago and, as an adult, she practically had all of Paris mapped out in her head. If she needed to go anywhere, she could do so in minutes.

That was exactly what she was doing, using her yoyo to swing from building to building as she made her way home. She'd just wrapped up some typical hero things - stopping a bank robbery, saving a kitten in a tree, the usual - and was looking forward to some rest at home.

Her eyes had long since grown adjusted to picking out the smallest details even while she swung along, so when she caught sight of what appeared to be someone lying face down in an alleyway, she stopped immediately. Letting herself drop down to the ground, she backtracked the small distance on foot and hesitantly peeked into the alley. Despite any horrors she may've seen in her line of "work," she still wasn't good with horror, so she hoped it wasn't a dead body.

It wasn't, but what she did see still had her jaw dropping. There in the alley was a merman, who must've somehow wound up there so far from the ocean. His black and blue hair obscured his face, but she was certain he was unconscious. There weren't any visible wounds to speak of and his body didn't react to being shook or poked.

Ladybug tapped her cheek in thought. Merfolk were rare enough that she didn't know much about them, but she could guess that he'd gone long enough without water nearby. That was the nice possibility anyway, and she preferred not to think of the other.

Thanking herself for her indoor pool at home, she grabbed one of the merman's arms and slowly settled it on her shoulder, trying to lift him into a carrying position. She could feel the thump of a heartbeat when her hand briefly touched his chest and was reassured for certain that he was alive at least.

——

Upon letting the merman down in the shallow part of her pool, Marinette pulled up a seat and tried to focus on a sketchpad in her lap. It probably - no, definitely - looked weird seeing someone handling a simple paper and pencil near water, but she needed something to do and wasn't inclined to leave the merman by himself.

...Pool water is fine, right? she wondered as she idly scribbled. If anything bad happens to him, are there merfolk police that will come after me?

It occurred to her again that she had no idea how he got there. For all she knew, he was dragged out of the water and ditched somewhere, the thought of which making a shudder run through her spine. She hoped that he'd be able to understand a map at least, as then she could simply take him home.

That, of course, all hinged on the fact that he was friendly, but Marinette felt her instincts had been honed enough by then to be able to tell. She'd offered him her pool - not that she used it anyway beyond practicing her aqua powers and bringing nonexistent dates there to swim - so the ideal was that he'd realize she meant no harm. He wasn't restrained in any way, after all.

I should stop thinking about it, she resolved, having long since learned that such paranoia had gotten her nowhere. Then, she looked down and realized that she'd been sketching the pattern on his tail without thinking. Sighing at herself in faint embarrassment, she flipped to a new page and started again on a sketch not in the least involving merfolk.

She was barely a minute in when a single splash caught her attention. She looked up from her sketchpad, noting that the merman was starting to stir and move about. His tail must've given an involuntary twitch while he was waking up and hit the water.

His eyelids fluttered open, revealing deep blue irises that slowly took in the room around him. They darted down to the pool underneath him, his tail intentionally swishing in the water this time, then his sight landed on her.

Marinette blinked, shoulders tensing. In all of her "infinite wisdom," she hadn't thought about how to strike up conversation yet. "...Hi?"

He blinked back, squinting, though she could tell that it was because he was still waking up. He pushed himself up tiredly with his arms, then pointed deeper into the pool and asked, "Do you mind if I swim over there?"

"What?" How was that his first question?! "U-um, sure? Go ahead!"

He took the invitation immediately, slowly adjusting his position to allow him to properly swim into the deeper part of her pool. She found herself inching towards the edge of her seat, head raised as she watched him effortlessly swim around. Had she had a swimming partner like that, trying to adjust to her aqua powers would've been a lot less difficult.

After a moment of moving about in the water, the merman emerged like he'd done the equivalent of a morning stretch. He looked refreshed, his eyes more focused as he moved his bangs out of his vision. "Thanks for saving me. I could've been in big trouble if you didn't find me."

His statements only brought more questions to her, both ping-ponging around in her head until she'd settled on addressing the latter first. "You weren't in trouble before?"

He swam closer to the edge of the pool - nearest to where she was - and rested his forearms there. "How much do you know about merfolk?" When she didn't answer for a few seconds, he took pity on her and explained, "We cast spells using our voice. I thought I practiced my shifting spell enough, but I ran out of magic before I could find my sister's place."

So it had nothing to do with water then, but exhaustion. Marinette's lips pursed, tapping her pencil against her sketchpad as she contemplated if it'd be offensive or not to ask the next burning question that'd surfaced in her brain. The merman stared, this time with curiosity, and her resolve broke to ask, "Um, does she... live at the aquarium or something?"

The way he flashed her a grin, as well as the slight shaking of his shoulders, gave away the almost laugh. Marinette flushed pink, desperate to defend herself.

"S-secretly, of course! I don't go to the aquarium but I know they don't have merfolk there!"

That got a snicker out of him, though he tried to hide it behind his hand. Once he'd calmed, he corrected her, "No. My sister lives with her human girlfriend here. She just has more practice using the shifting spell than I do." He smiled, just slightly shy as he admitted, "I've never been on land before, but I wanted to surprise her."

"Your sister lives on the land?" she pressed further, only growing more baffled the more he explained. "How great is this girlfriend? They must've known each other forever."

To her continued shock, he shook his head. "She started practicing the spell since she first saw her."

"What?!" Marinette didn't know how she went out to do generic heroism and came back with this. "So it was love at first sight?"

"Sound," he clarified, but quickly realized that wasn't descriptive enough. "Merfolk are so rare to see because most of us don't need to leave our groups. We hear the song in everyone's hearts and it tells us right away if someone's the one, so we fall in love quickly."

"Oh." That was all she could say at first, but when she thought about it further it made sense. She'd been wondering why he was so calm around her and willing to divulge such information. Now she knew: he'd already "heard" that she was trustworthy.

She blushed, faintly embarrassed at the idea of having her "soul" read. Unconsciously, she held the sketchpad against her chest, as if she were exposed and trying to cover herself.

"Sorry." He raised a hand in a gesture to show that he meant no harm. "I can't control it."

"It's fine," she assured, mentally digging a hole to bury the urge to ask what he thought of her song. Hurrying to change the subject, she asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"Mm." He had an expression that said he didn't know. Looking away, he ran a hand through his wet hair, mulling over his potential options. "I guess I'll have to go back and practice more, since I can't stay human long enough."

"Can't you just stay here?"

The merman's head jerked back to her, wide-eyed. "...Are you sure?"

Marinette put a hand over her mouth as if it would push back the words she'd already said. The hero instincts had kicked in, always encouraging her to put herself out there for others even if it was an inconvenience to her or overly-impulsive.

"Ah—" She genuinely thought about it since it was too late to take it back. "Yes? You could go to your sister's house from here once you feel better. Besides, you taught me about your kind and are going through all of this just to surprise someone, so..." She shrugged for lack of better reasoning. "I think I can trust you?"

He beamed. Putting both hands flat against the edge of the pool, he pushed himself up to sit on it, thus leaving him free to offer her a handshake. "Thank you...?"

The trailing off at the end was a gentle request for her name. She smiled back at him, getting off of her chair in order to kneel down next to him and shake his hand. "Marinette."

"Luka," he introduced in return.

She was sure that the pool's water had been cool, but his hand was warm.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette #Merman Luka Couffaine

90 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka had always felt like there was something missing from his life. It wasn't something he could put into words, but it was undeniably there. As if he were a guitar without strings, he grew into a teenager without being able to express it to anyone.

When the news of Hawk Moth attacking Paris came, Luka wanted to do... something. It was like an instinct stirring inside him telling him to go, to go do it, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He stood up when he heard the news of danger and looked for someone who wasn't around, or he'd rub at his wrist as if there was something meant to be there.

Things became better yet more confusing when he finally met Marinette. He'd seen her in pictures before but never in person, and he felt a little more whole just at the sight of her. Ladybug added a bit more as well when he got to meet her up close. It felt right and he couldn't help seeing the similarities between her and Marinette.

There was even something deeper - something sad that made his chest feel tight - but he couldn't place it.

Then, the day came when Hawk Moth's latest akuma, Desperada, arrived on the Liberty. It was also the day where everything finally clicked into place.

——

Luka was wandering the sewers, looking out for any sign of Adrien when he heard voices. Following them to their source, he walked until he spotted them from around a corner, though he stood back just in case he was interrupting something important.

Ladybug and Adrien stood there, still mid-discussion. While Luka couldn't see Ladybug's face nor what she was holding in her hands, he could tell that neither seemed particularly happy.

"And..." Ladybug began, "you really don't remember anything?"

Adrien shook his head, desperate to cheer her back up. "No, I do! I remember all the timelines I reset!"

"That's not—" She sighed heavily. "Never mind. Thanks for trying, Adrien."

He looked a mix between utterly dejected and confused, but she didn't clarify and turned around instead.

"...Oh—" She stopped in surprise. "Luka?"

Luka took that as his cue to step out fully, rubbing at the spot his guitar strap would be if he had it on. "Sorry. I didn't want to intrude."

Her reassuring smile was bittersweet. "It's okay. I'm glad you came along, and we were just—" She turned her head to gesture at Adrien, but he'd already run off somewhere. Looking back at Luka, she insisted, "Anyway, it was nothing important."

He decided not to pry, noting how disappointed she looked as if her world had come crashing down. There was still an akuma on the loose and he opted to focus on that instead. "You said you're glad I'm here?"

"Mhm." She held something to her chest, hidden in her fist, and closed her eyes. "I... I need a temporary hero to help me against Desperada."

He eagerly stepped forward, putting a hand to his heart. "Whatever you need, Ladybug, I'm here to help. Anything to protect my family and friends."

She nodded approvingly, perking up. "That's what I like to hear."

Then, she presented the object in her hand to him, and all of Luka's other thoughts ceased. He was certain she was still talking to him - his mind faintly registering what sounded like a rehearsed speech she might give to any temporary hero - but his focus was locked on the bangle in her hand.

Marinette, Ladybug, and now the bangle: the snake miraculous. It felt like everything had been building to that very moment, like the "something missing" in his life was finally about to be filled in.

He didn't hesitate to accept her offer, the bangle feeling smooth and natural in his grip. Taking a breath to steel himself up, he raised his other hand and slipped it through the bangle.

Almost instantly, he was hit with an intense way of dizziness. His vision blurred as he staggered, but he could still make out Ladybug's concerned face.

"Luka?!" she called in alarm, gripping his shoulders to help keep him upright.

Memories flashed in his mind, ones that weren't his own and yet were. Fighting evil, donning the snake miraculous, and the partner who was always by his side all replayed in his mind like a movie set to fast-forward, yet he somehow comprehended all of it.

He'd live a different life, and not just one life but many before his current one. While Sass was known as the kwami of Intuition, the snake represented so much more than that and the miraculous's design showed as much.

Renewal - a cycle that never ends - and with help from Tikki it was all complete: the creation of lives and a cycle of reincarnation. It was an arrangement that he'd had with his ladybug partner with the express permission of their kwami, to essentially go on forever with their undefined but undeniably strong relationship.

It hadn't been perfect. Things weren't nearly as nice in the past before the world had truly advanced, and the most heartbreaking part about it was that they didn't always make it through together. He'd die, or she'd die and then it was just a matter of waiting until they reincarnated again. Luka vividly remembered times where he'd won the battle but wished he'd lost if it meant they could've gone together, even if they would've inevitably seen each other again anyway.

Yet, even that was far preferable to what had happened in his last life, because the biggest difference between his last life and this one compared to all others was time. It was far too long of a distance even though he knew it wasn't the same for Ladybug.

She'd cut him off from the cycle. He recalled his last moments of laying on her lap as she stared down at him with tears in her eyes. She'd grabbed his wrist, hand wrapping around the bangle as she told him not to reincarnate again, or at least not until the world was safer for them to live together freely in. It would have sounded like an order too if her voice hadn't been so faint and sad.

However, he knew it would be enough to make a dent in their agreement. He opened his mouth to beg her to take it back or let him plead his case, but it was too late. His consciousness had been failing him and he closed his eyes for the last time.

And now, in the present, he opened them back up again to see her once more, different yet the same person he'd loved through multiple lifetimes. At some point, she had moved him to sit while he recovered, but he hadn't been able to pay attention due to the sheer rush the return of his memories caused.

"Are you okay?" she asked, cupping his cheek worriedly.

"I—" Luka took a deep, shaky breath, trying to gather his bearings after the intensity he'd been through. There were too many mixed emotions and he still knew better than to throw all of that on Ladybug when there was still an akuma going around. Instead, he told her simply, "I remember."

"You..." Her eyes lit up in recognition, then became glossy with unshed tears. "Y-you remember? You remember!"

She threw her arms around him, pulling Luka into a tight hug while she buried her face into his shoulder. She kept mumbling incoherently against him, but he still picked up a few "I missed you"s and comments about how glad she was to have him back. He felt torn, finding it hard to resist his partner's hug but unable to help thinking about all the time he'd lost with her because of what she did.

After a moment, he relented to his body's almost instinctive reaction to her, placing his hands on her back and focusing on the tightness of her hug. Gently but urgently, he said, "We should take care of the akuma. It's not safe here."

She slowly pulled back, sniffling but nodded in agreement with him. As conflicted as he was about things, he couldn't sit still at her tears either and reached out to wipe a trail of tears away.

The knowledge that they could talk later kept him going.

——

Ladybug had let him keep the miraculous even after the battle was over, agreeing with Sass that the snake miraculous was "back where it was meant to be." Once they'd safely recharged, they took off for Marinette's house to recuperate.

She hadn't even pretended to hide her identity from him anymore. Not only did she already know his, but they knew from multiple reincarnations that trying to keep their identities secret from each other was a losing game.

While Luka laid back on Marinette's chaise lounge, she fled the room to get them drinks and give him and Sass a moment to themselves.

"I've already talked to her," Sass spoke up from Luka's shoulder, having not left it since the detransformation.

"What?"

"About what she did." His tail flicked back and forth almost anxiously and it was difficult to place the exact expression on his face. "A long time ago, over multiple lifetimes, but it's your own choice for how to handle it."

Luka could only nod, though he was more than happy to be filled in on anything that happened while he was gone.

Roughly a minute later, Marinette returned with two ice cold cups of water in hand. She passed one to him and kept one for herself, pulling her computer chair near the chaise lounge to sit close to him.

Even though he'd thought over exactly what he wanted to say ever since he got the memories of his past lives back, Luka's mind was drawing a blank. Undeniably, it was a complicated situation, because although they were still themselves whenever they reincarnated, it didn't stop them from changing as time went on.

Marinette had changed. She was more fidget-y - more anxious - than he remembered in any of his past lives, and he wondered if it was due to not having him around for so many of her own. He didn't want to assume, but he knew that he at least would've grown restless as well had her cycle been cut off and he'd been left without her. They might not have needed each other to win battles or be heroes, but they wanted each other.

"...I'm sorry about Adrien," Marinette suddenly said, breaking the silence.

Luka stared, both surprised to hear that be the first thing addressed and confused because he'd already forgotten about Adrien's involvement in all of this.

She continued, looking away and elaborating, "I-I didn't think we'd be apart for so long, and I wanted you back so badly. I thought that he was the snake." She paused, then shook her head, smiling bitterly. "That's not true. I didn't really think it, I just wanted to believe it. I fooled myself with the idea that having your cycle broken for so long might've changed you, and since you have green eyes as Viperion..." She shrugged for lack of any excuse for herself. "I almost gave up hope before you remembered."

The reasoning sounded crazy even to her, only further showing her desperation on the matter. He looked down at his drink, taking a long sip while he attempted to collect his thoughts.

"Then why'd you do it?" he asked. It was the only thing he could ask. "Why'd you break my cycle?"

She squinted at him like the answer was obvious. It didn't matter if it was or not, he just wanted to hear her tell him in her own words.

"B-because I didn't want to see you get killed anymore?" she replied. The hold on her glass of water shook and she threw her other hand outwards. "And you didn't like seeing me killed!"

"So you thought you should suffer alone," he finished disapprovingly. Already anticipating her potential replies, he added, "I never blamed you, Marinette, or thought it was your fault when something bad happened."

She hunched in her chair with a wobbly frown, staring silently at her cup. Luka felt Sass's weight leave his chest and looked to see that his kwami had flown off, just barely catching the teal and red lights phasing through the floor to give them privacy. Marinette didn't even notice.

"...Maybe some of them were my fault—"

"Marinette," he sighed, not in exasperation at her but at the kind of people who gave her that kind of mindset. He sat up straighter on the chaise lounge, reaching out to take her hand. "You're so smart, but you can't be perfect. I never expected you to predict everything, and I never wanted either of us to stop reincarnating either."

He was sure that Sass had given her an earful of that already, but still felt it important to say it himself.

"Even when we...?" Marinette pressed, still determined to make her point.

The answer came easily to him. "Yeah, unless you didn't want to keep going. Whenever I died, I knew I'd get to see you again next time." He tried to smile despite the heavy topic. "I always got to look forward to seeing how you'd change."

She blushed, her free hand tightly gripping the fabric of her pants. She opened her mouth, stopped, then stood up from her seat without another word. Seeing what she was doing, Luka offered his cup of water and let her take both glasses away to set them on the table, giving them both an excuse to take a breather in the conversation.

Marinette paused at the table, idly moving the glasses back and forth without any real intent to put them in a particular position. There was the small sound of the glass rubbing against the table as she did so, filling the silence.

Finally, she said, "I'm sorry. I figured it'd be worth it to just—scrape by; that knowing you were safe would let me keep going until we met again." She whimpered, her hands resting on the table to support her and curling into fists. "B-but I kept thinking about you. I kept missing you. I kept wishing I didn't do what I did so you'd still be with me, and then I'd feel guilty about it because I was so sure I did the right thing."

Luka pushed himself up, hurriedly crossing the room to be near her. "You're not selfish for wanting me, Marinette, not when I wanted to be with you just as badly." He reached out to grab her shoulder in a gesture all too familiar to them, when—

"I-I was going to confess."

He froze, his hand moving no closer to her as he repeated her words in his head, making sure he'd heard correctly.

She continued, unaware of his struggle, "That day you died - your last reincarnation - I was gonna do it, but everything went wrong." She bent down, shaking at the memory that was so long ago for her yet so recent to him. "I thought... i-it must've been telling me something, like I was bad luck, o-or that it was horrible for you to be around me."

Luka could hear his heart pounding in his head, slotting in her confession with the context of his last reincarnation's final moments. It took all he had to not stand in shock, forcing his body forward so he could touch her. She flinched when he covered the hand closest to him with his own, her teary eyes darting up to his as his other hand found its home on her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, voice pained. His chest ached despite the requited feelings.

"W-why are you sorry?" She blinked rapidly from the tears in her eyes. "I thought y-you were upset."

"I am," he began, gripping her hand tighter, "that you were alone for so long, that I missed so many of your lives—" He breathed up, finally saying what he hadn't for multiple lifetimes. "—and that I never told you how much you meant to me."

She gasped inaudibly. "L-Luka?"

"Your pain's my pain." He caressed her cheek, then leaned in to press their foreheads together. "I love you so much, and that won't change no matter how many lives we go through."

Marinette's tears flowed faster, though he knew they were a different variety this time. She tried to reply with what he was sure was an, "I love you too," but it was more noises than coherent words. When that failed, her brows furrowed in determination and she launched herself at him, pressing her lips against his.

Luka staggered backwards, just barely managing to grasp the edge of the table to keep himself from falling over. Marinette's warmth was overwhelming him and all he could do was kiss her back to make up for all the lost time.

He'd never dared to imagine what kissing her could actually be like. There was so much at stake and he didn't want to push her boundaries, so he'd loved her silently. Now, in addition to being her best friend and eternal partner, he was also her boyfriend.

He didn't have the words to describe it, but maybe one day the world would come up with them.

Even when she broke the kiss to breathe again, Marinette clung to him tighter to keep him against her. She inhaled his scent, muttering into his shoulder, "Y-you're back. You're really here. Luka..."

Feeling his own eyes get misty, he ran his hand through her hair to soothe the both of them from the sheer intensity of emotions. "You've always had me, Marinette."

He meant it. His heart had been hers from their first life, their current life, everything in between, and everything that would come in the future. The only thing he hadn't known until this very moment was that it was mutual.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

64 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka tapped a melody on his leg while he waited for class to end. Having a girlfriend who saved Paris every few days or so, he knew she could handle himself, but there wasn't any support he could provide when he was stuck somewhere and unable to look at his texts.

Not that the risk of getting into trouble would've stopped him, but Marinette would be upset if he got in trouble over her.

She'd sent him the simplest of texts just before his current class, telling him:

One of the students in our class got akumatized... again. Don't worry about sneaking out, I can handle this.

He wanted to be able to look up how it went himself, as well as send her texts of encouragement and congratulations, but now he could only wait.

As he was lamenting his temporary "failures" as a good boyfriend, Luka was brought out of his thoughts, not by the teacher talking but by a small tug on his pant leg.

"...Luka!" a tiny, extremely familiar voice called in a hushed but thrilled whisper.

Being certain that he hadn't gone that crazy (yet) to start hallucinating Marinette's voice only made him more confused. He dropped his gaze to his pant leg to check the source of the voice, and his heart promptly caught in his throat.

Standing there was a miniature version of Marinette, roughly the size of his hand. She was decked out in a gray, black, and pink bodysuit, along with double buns rather than her usual pigtails. The latter, along with the rope "tail" around her waist, made her faintly resemble a mouse. It was an absurd level of adorable even for her.

Luka subtly looked around the room, making sure that no one was looking his way. He couldn't even begin to imagine how she'd gotten there, nor how she avoided being seen, but he did know that he should hide her as soon as possible.

Faking like he'd dropped a utensil of his, he leaned down. Marinette bounced excitedly in response, arms going up the instant his hand was within reach. His skin tingled where her tiny fingers touched, her body smoothly moving along with his movements so he could scoop her up.

He'd chosen to wear a hoodie that day, but dropping her into the hood itself was risky. Someone could easily catch the movement and she'd have to stay perfectly still so as to not puzzle anyone who might sit behind him.

The choice of the pocket at the stomach of his hoodie was the obvious and safest decision, so he slipped his hand into the open slot at one of the pocket's sides to let her go. Unfortunately, he hadn't realized that he was ticklish there until Marinette squirmed about to try and get comfortable.

His poker face saved him from outing his tiny girlfriend's cruelty to the class, though he must've at least gone stiff since he swore he could hear her giggling in realization. What did he do to deserve this?

——

"Not that I'm not happy to see you," Luka began the moment he was able to get away from everyone, "but why are you here?"

He held Marinette in both hands, letting her sit on one and lean against the other. She looked absolutely comfy and proud of herself, crossing one leg over the other as she replied, "I finished the akuma pretty fast, but since the school was already evacuated, we got to go home for the day."

He looked her up and down in a show of but you're not home, you're here, and also the much more obvious, you're pocket-sized.

She chuckled. "Well, after someone told me how unfair it was that I couldn't use my miraculous to make up for all the time I lose being Ladybug, I may have convinced the guardian to let me have the mouse miraculous."

"It lets you shrink?"

She nodded. "Sort of. It divides me." She counted off with her fingers, though not to any particular number. "You can divide yourself into multiple, um, selves? Or versions of yourself? So there are actually a few other Marinette back home taking care of some of my—" She squinted, having confused herself. "—or is it our? Our projects."

Like a fool, he'd truly thought that the whole "adorable tiny mouse girlfriend" thing couldn't get better, but apparently there were multiple of her now.

"Anyway," she said dismissively, brushing off the conundrum, "we figured out how to divide up what we should do, and I was the luckiest." She giggled, clasping her hands together and beaming up at him affectionately. "Sorry if I scared you a little bit, but I really wanted to come. I've always wanted to go to school with you."

"Oh, Marinette..." His voice wavered, touched. "Me too."

He used his thumb to stroke her cheek. Even as tiny as she was, his hearing fixated entirely on the delighted hums she let out at the contact. She leaned her face into his touch, running her hand along the rest of his thumb to return the caresses.

The walk from Marinette's house to his school was excessive for her to walk normally: feasible, but it was never realistic for her to transfer even if they were in the same grade. Ladybug had her yoyo to swing from, but the mouse clearly didn't have anything similar to use, so Luka couldn't imagine a tiny thing like her going all the way from her own house to his school just to see him.

He sighed blissfully, insisting, "I'm the lucky one."

He was sure they'd never be able to agree which of them was luckier, but that wouldn't stop him from voicing his opinion.

——

Unwilling to miss out on an opportunity to have lunch - even if it was just a school lunch - with his girlfriend, he made an excuse to his friends about "his muse acting up." It wasn’t technically a lie, though he still had to bring a notebook to fake like he was working. That was the convenience of having the school he did, meaning that there were a lot of creatively-inclined students who often did the same and thus not a single odd look would be shot his way.

He'd planned it out well enough to get a small table by himself in the corner, allowing him to easily talk to Marinette so long they were careful. There was another notebook opened and propped up behind her, allowing her to hide whilst still having some mobility atop the napkin he'd placed down for her to sit on.

Plus, the one thing he could count on was for teenagers to be teenagers: getting lost in their own conversations and ignoring everything else around them.

"I want to meet your friends properly someday," Marinette admitted while she watched him sort the food he'd put hastily onto his tray. "They sounded nice."

"I'm sure they'd love you," Luka assured, talking softly so to avoid drawing attention. Most people would probably think he was mumbling lyrics to himself. "They already ask about you."

"Wait—" Panic took over her face. "A-and you answered?!" She threw her arms up, gesturing wildly at him. "But you're too biased. What if their expectations are too high?!"

He picked up the apple from his tray, turning it a few times with a critical eye. Unphased by the accusation, he asserted, "I don't exaggerate, Marinette. I just told them exactly how you are."

Once he found what he determined to be the best part of the apple, he broke off a piece to offer to his pouting girlfriend.

"Thank you," she made sure to say, before getting right back to their conversation. "I'm just... nervous. Since I have to deal with hero stuff, I don't have as many chances to prove that I'm a good girlfriend. My DPS has been really bad lately."

"DP—" Luka's face scrunched up in thought. "...That's something from the video games you play, right? Damage... Per Second?"

"I can't believe you remember something like that!" She giggled, delighted. "But yeah, that's what it means, only for this it's Dates Per Strike, as in Hawk Moth striking Paris."

He frowned disapprovingly. "Marinette..."

"I know!" She bit into the apple piece almost aggressively, then swallowed so she could continue, "You don't care about that, but I do. I don't want people to think that I'm not treating you right."

"Let them think whatever they want," he huffed, biting into the apple actually aggressively. He didn't blame Marinette for the mindset that she had to take on as Ladybug - that public opinion was incredibly important - but he hated the idea of her stressing herself out over something so unimportant in her civilian life. She had enough stress as it was and he wouldn't ask her to do anything different even for his own friends.

"Still. I want to do it for me too," she argued. "We can't plan around Hawk Moth. I didn't have much of a life before I became Ladybug, but now..."

He chewed while he considered that, the bad taste in his mouth at how troubled she was overpowering the sweetness of the apple. Even the sticky sensation on his lips was suddenly unpleasant, but as he licked his lips to remove it, an idea struck.

He surveyed the cafeteria, noting that the predictability of the average teenager remained true: they were entirely disinterested in him. It was good, because he'd have no way to explain what he was about to look like.

"Luka?" Marinette called in curiosity, setting her apple piece aside and watching his hand grip the top of the notebook to slide it closer to her. He didn't want to corner her, but he needed the coverage.

His forearm opposite of the hand on the notebook rested on the table for support, allowing him to lean down. Then, bringing his face as close to her as he could, he closed his eyes and placed a kiss against Marinette's shoulder.

"A-ah~!" She squeaked, flailing in surprise. "Luka! W-we're in public!"

It was bold of her to say that after traveling all the way to his school and sneaking into his class just to see him. Doubly bold was her acting as if she was concerned about it when she was audibly buzzing with excitement.

Undeterred, he placed another kiss at the side of her head. Two tiny hands weakly attempted to push his lips away, so he kissed them too, earning another squeak as Marinette recoiled.

Leaning back just enough to look at her without crossing his eyes, he reminded her, "We don't need to plan for that."

She was blushing up to her ears, her words coming out only as sounds while she attempted to calm herself down. He wasn't sure how memories worked out when all the Marinette joined back together, but he'd happily kiss each one of them in the same way just to make sure it stuck.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away as she admitted, "Y...you're right. I guess we don't need to p-plan for what matters."

Luka smirked, triumphant.

——

The rest of lunch went on uneventfully. Marinette eventually calmed down enough to ask for a bit more of Luka's lunch and he was happy to oblige. It really did feel like they were on a date, and the mental image of her bragging to the other Marinette about it made him chuckle.

When it was time to head out, Luka started cleaning up the table. Marinette stepped off the napkin so he could put it on the tray, and he stashed his inspiration notebook (that actually did end up having some new melodies in it, courtesy of his tiny muse) back in his bag. He only put the other notebook away once Marinette had safely dropped down onto his lap.

"Can I stay in your hood for the rest of the day?" she asked while he was zipping up his bag. "If you put it up, I should be able to hide where it's dark."

He nodded. He wasn't sure why she wanted it, but supposed that it was boring laying in his hoodie pocket and only being able to hear things. At least this way, she could peek out when she was certain no one was looking at him.

He ducked down, feigning that he was picking up his bag from the floor as he brought Marinette up to his shoulder. He waited for her weight to leave his hand, then went and pulled his hood up.

Standing up slowly to allow her time to get into position, he grabbed his bag and put the strap around his shoulder. He was about to pick up his tray as well to take it away, but froze as he felt a tingling sensation against the back of his neck, sending a shiver up his spine.

The giggle that followed led to one conclusion: Marinette must've kissed him there, and it was that moment where he understood her true motives.

"Sorry," he heard her say, not at all apologetically. "I promised the other Marinette that I would give you one for each of us. I'll make sure to spread them out over the rest of our school day though."

He supposed he deserved it this time.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukamouse #((Yes there are no timers in this.))

72 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Luka laughed into the phone. "Marinette, I'm sure you don't need lessons anymore. Your playing already sounds amazing."

"You say that all the time," she huffed, Luka grinning as he imagined the pout on the other end of the line. "Besides, it'll—it'll be different! We'll be in a real place you'd play music instead of your room, so you can judge my playing fairly!"

"Mhm~"

"And I already called Penny so she could get it! There'll be some extra time too if you want to call the others to practice—!"

"You don't have to try to convince me," he cut in, leaning back on his bed casually. "I'm looking forward to it."

"It? How—?!" She paused, then let out a sheepish giggle. "Right, our lesson. Gotcha. See you later!"

She hung up before he could reply. Still, he said a fond, "See you," into his phone even though she couldn't have heard it. As he took it away from his ear, he navigated to his gallery and tapped on the picture that Juleka had taken of Marinette's first guitar lesson with him.

More specifically, it was a screenshot he'd taken of Marinette's post online that contained said picture. He already adored the picture itself - even if he'd been a fool to be staring at Marinette while a camera was being pointed at him, trapping his love-struck face into eternal replay - but Marinette's caption just made it better.

Starting guitar lessons today courtesy of Luka! 🥰🎶

He grinned wider, the heart face in particular warming him. Regardless of how Marinette saw him romantically, she clearly thought highly of him and that was enough.

She was good - really good - at guitar, just like he knew she'd be. She listened to him with every lesson, asked politely for feedback, and was willing to admit when there was something she didn't understand.

The only tragedy that came with seeing her get better was knowing that their lessons would get shorter and eventually come to an end altogether. Luka vividly recalled Marinette asking Juleka to take a picture of her first lesson to post online, then muttering about how glad she was that pictures didn't capture the sound of her awful playing.

He honestly didn't think she sounded that bad for her first time, but he might've been too focused on the song she played without need of a guitar.

——

Eventually, Luka arrived at the TV studio, trying not to smirk too wide at the guards who now had to let him in. The ride up the elevator felt long compared to what he expected, but he knew he was impatient when it came to Marinette.

Even if it was as simple as a guitar lesson, he loved spending time with her.

He entered the room slowly, a mix of positive and negative memories rushing back to him at the mere sight: the designs and music in their video getting stolen, getting mocked by Bob Roth and XY, Marinette being threatened, and finally getting the justice they deserved that let Kitty Section play on live TV.

In the center of all of it was Marinette, who he saw sat down on the stage they'd played while holding a guitar - his guitar - in her lap. It was technically something he let her borrow, but he also had no intention of asking for it back. After all, he had two black-and-white guitars, not one. Both had the same base, but the neck design was different for them. The one he gave to Marinette continued the black-and-white theme with a monochrome neck, whereas the guitar he used for himself had a wooden one.

Because there was so little difference between them, it made it easy to instruct Marinette on where her fingers should go, especially when he could either guide her hands or use himself as an example. She'd always appreciated the ease of it.

Seeing her cradling it like she was, despite already having it for so long, made him unreasonably happy.

"Hey, Marinette," he greeted.

She made eye contact with him, her shoulders relaxing as he approached. Taking one hand off the guitar to wave, she greeted him back with a smile.

He took his guitar case off, then sat down next to her and set it beside him. He turned away from her to undo the latch keeping the case shut, but her hand caught his arm before he could.

"Wait."

Glancing at her, he raised a brow. Her face seemed oddly serious all of a sudden, but he couldn't imagine why she wouldn't want him to take his guitar out.

"I, ah..." She pulled her hand back, fingertips rubbing against her thumb self-consciously. "I wanted you to listen to something before our lesson?"

He perked up. "You wrote something?"

It hadn't been his intention, but his enthusiasm alleviated her anxiety. She took a breath, sheepishly averting her gaze as she replied, "Um, sort of?"

He leaned towards her with intrigue, watching quietly as she checked, double-checked, and triple-checked the guitar to ensure it was properly tuned. He wouldn't have doubted if she'd also checked it before he arrived.

He was absolutely fascinated. Marinette had already had so many talents and hobbies that he thought she was just picking up guitar for the sake of it or as a tool to get her emotions out, but for her to go and actually write something?

He couldn't wait.

Once Marinette was ready, she closed her eyes and strummed a simply melody. It was a warm-up that Luka had taught her - only drawing him in further - but the moment she was done, the real song began.

It started out slow and even a bit bitter. While she didn't add any lyrics, Luka could feel the emotions in the song: loneliness and a lack of hope. It sounded strangely familiar to him, yet he couldn't place it.

Then, the song picked up, and the familiarity came with it. It didn't take Luka any time to catch it because he'd not just heard it, but played it himself. It wasn't a perfect recreation, but it was the song he'd played for Marinette when they first met.

She'd remembered it all this time.

It took one more change of tune, but that was when it clicked for him: she was playing them. She was playing all of their moments together and how they made her feel, from their slightly shaky beginning to his song for her and everything after that. He swallowed, already overwhelmed.

It all culminated when she got to the day they'd learned their music video had been stolen. He could hear the anger of the realization, the low subtlety as they snuck into the studio together, the fear when Bob Roth threatened her, the shock when he'd gotten akumatized to save her, and finally the tenderness when he'd confessed to her.

It took a lot to put one's feelings into music. It required a sense of vulnerability that Luka genuinely admired in a person: the ability to lay one's feelings bare to someone they trust. He almost wanted to ask Marinette to stop - seeing the visible strain on her face at everything she was trying to play right - but he couldn't bring himself to tarnish her efforts in any form.

Thus, he kept listening, almost forgetting to breathe in his awe of her.

There had always been something he could hear in the background of her song whenever he was with her, but he hadn't been sure of it. He thought he may've been fooling himself or was simply mishearing, yet now Marinette was playing it right in front of him as if to make sure he heard.

Love. She was playing not just their experiences together, but her feelings for him. She hadn't fallen as hard as he had when they met, meaning that those feelings started small and only grew over time. He hadn't noticed or at least tried not to, unwilling to be wrong despite his intuition so often being correct.

This was her way of confessing, her way of saying that she cherished their time together, that he was important to her, and that she was even sorry for taking as long as she did for it all to come together. Luka couldn't imagine a single thing that she needed to be sorry for, and certainly not when she was making him feel such a way. His heart was pounding like it wanted to escape his chest and he could barely sit still.

Eventually, the song came to an end, Marinette's face flushed red as she rested her arms on the guitar. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she explained shyly, "Y-you did it in words, so I thought... I thought I should do it in your language." Turning to him, eyes glistening with emotion, she added, "I know I'm still learning, but I couldn't wait! I wanted you to know, and if I waited too long, I was afraid you'd—mmphf—"

He kissed her. He'd never been the one to just act, but his guitar was still in his case and he needed her to know that he still reciprocated regardless of how much time had passed. He'd even scooted closer to be within distance to kiss her, and the guitar that she'd used to play such beautiful music was suddenly a nuisance, keeping him from showing his full affection.

Marinette, either reading his mind or being naturally in sync with him, used a hand to move it off her lap and to the side opposite of him. Legs free to move, she turned fully towards him and grabbed his jacket to pull him closer, Luka moving in response to cup her face with both hands.

He'd already been breathless from her performance, but he held the contact as long as he could, no other thought in his head beyond showing her that she was loved.

When they both pulled back, it was only a few inches away from each other. Luka simply had no intent to get any further away than necessary and Marinette still had a firm grip on him.

They made some attempts to speak, opening their mouths a few times to form words, but nothing came out. He thought that perhaps she'd seen him opening his mouth and stopped herself, but the timing was all off. They were both lost for words that they didn't need anyway.

A gentle yet insistent tug was all he needed to kiss her again, thoughts of inviting the rest of Kitty Section there having been abandoned long ago.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

67 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Marinette sat on the couch in her house while Luka was busy in the kitchen preparing popcorn. They hadn't felt like their usual creative sessions that day, so a simple movie would have to do.

Though they did go back and forth for a while on who should be in charge of preparing popcorn, Marinette chuckling recalling their "argument." "But you're the guest!" "And you're letting me in your space." "Guests aren't supposed to be doing anything." "Not in my house. We let guests do what they want, and I want to make the popcorn for you."

She finally relented to him and let him do as he pleased, satisfying popping noises going off behind her like they were the fireworks of his victory.

Granted, it wasn't like there wasn't anything in it for her. There was an akuma that day and she hadn't eaten much as a result, so she spent the time he was preparing eating a handful of nuts.

Not that she really even liked nuts. They were okay - not good, not bad - but her options had gone down ever since she got her miraculous. Chips had gone off the table a long time ago even though she enjoyed them as most did.

"Ugh," she voiced the frustration aloud, "being Ladybug is the worst."

Beyond the popping sound of the popcorn, every other noise stopped; Luka must've heard her.

He raised his voice to be heard over the popping, asking, "Does it have anything to do with what you've been eating?"

She snorted in amusement. Of course he'd notice that my diet changed.

While she'd only known Luka after having become Ladybug, she tried to hide her dieting habits from other people. Luka knowing her secret identity meant that she didn't feel the need to hide it from him anymore, even subconsciously and she just hadn't remembered that she hadn't told him about the dieting aspects until now.

Turning her head to direct her voice towards him more, she confirmed, "Yeah. I used to be able to skip a meal or two if I was in a hurry, but Ladybug can't. There are more akuma now that Hawk Moth is Shadow Moth too."

Luka tapped the counter as he mulled that over, deducing, "So being a hero burns through your energy."

"Exactly, but I can't just eat more food either."

"Because people will notice if you're playing off notes," he finished.

"Yeah. I just need to eat more... nutritiously, I guess." She raised one of the nuts to show him. "Like these; protein and healthy fat."

"Mm," Luka hummed in thought. She could imagine him nodding even if she couldn't see it.

Things went silent from there beyond the occasional sounds from the kitchen and the crunch of Marinette biting into a walnut. She'd already picked out a movie she thought they'd both enjoy, so she could just kick back and wait for Luka.

Eventually, he arrived with two separate bowls of popcorn and set them on the table, though he paused rather than pulling back to join her on the couch. She blinked, curious at the contemplative expression on his face.

"...I can cook," he said suddenly.

"Huh?" She tilted her head, puzzled by the statement. "Oh, I—I know? That's... I always thought it was great that you—"

He hunched over as he choked out a laugh, muffling it with a hand and waving his other hand to reassure her. "Sorry. I..." He straightened, running a hand through his hair before clarifying, "I was asking if I could help."

"...H-huh?" she repeated, somehow more confused than when he told her something she already knew.

He sat down next to her, looking wholly serious. "I'd have to practice and find some recipes, but I could make the kind of food you need." Her averted his gaze, looking up and to his right like he was still thinking it over. "I'll eat too, so you don't have to feel bad about it. It'll give me an excuse to eat well"

Marinette didn't even know what to say; she could only gape at him. Luka had - of course - always been wholly understanding of her role as Ladybug. If anything, he was too understanding, willing to make excuses for her absences without hesitation and always ready to pick up right back where they left off if their one-on-one time was interrupted. She liked to think she knew how to read him by now and he genuinely seemed unbothered by it. She still didn't fully comprehend how he did it all like it was nothing simply because he liked her and they were friends.

Well, she was pretty sure they were friends, anyway: friends who spent a lot of one-on-one time together, friends who shared their deepest secrets with each other, and now potentially friends who ate food together that one of them prepared.

...I have to ask, she thought reluctantly.

"Do you—" She took a breath, then tipped her head back and tossed the remaining nuts in her mouth, chewing and swallowing as if they'd give her courage. Making sure to look him in the eyes, she tried again, "Do you mean... like a date?"

The slight blush that appeared on his face gave her a rough answer. He must've only been thinking about her and making sure she knew that he was getting something out of it by eating the food he'd make for both of them. The romantic implications hadn't even entered his mind.

Still, she waited for him to respond properly, wanting to see what he said.

He shifted in place, looking from her, to the popcorn, to the movie, and finally back at her. When he opened his mouth again, it felt like an eternity until the words actually came out.

"No, but—" He offered a gentle smile her way. "If that's what you want, then..."

He'd trailed off, but she got the message. She just hoped the spontaneous giggle that came out of her didn't sound too giddy.

"W-we could give it a try?" she offered, twirling a strand of her hair and hoping that the coyness might come across. It would've been easy to confess outright, but after all of the relationship failures she'd gone through, it was appealing to try something a little slower even if her endgame goal remained the same.

Luka agreed, his smile widening as he nodded. With that, it was officially agreed upon that it would be a date. Many dates, in fact, if his promise was accurate and he'd start cooking for her regularly.

The only shame, Marinette thought, was that it'd be hard to focus on the movie when she was already imagining her future dinner plans with him.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette #((I will not rest until Luka has been fully converted into a househusband.))

62 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Marinette was just tired, staring down at the ice cream on the ground as Andre scrambled to get her another. A fun time with her friends to run around Paris and maybe get a chance with Adrien had turned into a spotlight of embarrassment for her. The "couple time" her friends had been planning on having was now ruined to focus entirely on her, when all she wanted now was curl up into a corner and cry.

She felt bitter, watching as the mess on the bridge started to melt. It was like some sort of metaphor for how her attempts and opportunities all failed or slipped through her grasp, slowly but surely.

Andre grabbed her wrist and practically forced a replacement ice cream cone into her hand, saying stuff about how the magic doesn't lie and he must've just gotten the colors wrong, but she honestly wasn't listening anymore. She was in her own head, wondering, What would've been the point anyway? It's not like Adrien was coming to see me.

She couldn't see any reality in which that was false. He would've come for his friends, or for the thrill of the search, or maybe even just to have some ice cream. Even if she'd managed to make it all work out and share with him, what were the odds of everything afterward working out? She'd try to say something romantic and would mess it up, or he'd misunderstand and brush it off as nothing, or she'd be bumped into again and send the ice cream right onto his expensive clothes.

She winced at the thought. Maybe him not showing up was just a blessing in disguise, saving her from the humiliation of doing anything and having it all go wrong.

Marinette didn't want to make a big deal out of it, refusing to risk ruining her friends' time further. She diverted her attention to the ice cream cone in her hand, noting the blue and pink colors that she suspected were her own. Maybe Andre had just truly given up on her and this was the sign that it was a lost cause?

Or maybe he just realized that there was no way Adrien was coming and tried to save himself.

She stepped aside from everyone and sat down at a bench, keeping her distance from the happy couples while she poked at the ice cream with her tiny spoon. Andre wasn't exactly wrong if her thoughts on his mindset were true. Adrien always seemed to be unavailable when it mattered, and if she wanted to let herself spiral a little more, it almost seemed intentional.

After all, wasn't it a little too convenient that Adrien had missed out on the preparation for the music festival - when it would've been easiest for her to talk to him - just to show up afterward? Or for Adrien to have gotten the okay to go for ice cream only to be suddenly unavailable? Perhaps it would've been easy to pass those off if it weren't for the fact that Nino so rarely complained about their time together, and Adrien's schedule had been magically free when it came to him setting Nino up with her.

If her suspicions were accurate, then either Adrien knew how she felt and was doing everything possible to avoid her, or he just generally found her uncomfortable to be around; maybe even thought she was weird. Part of her wanted to defend that, suggesting that saying nothing was the "nice" thing to do, but her history of crushing on him when she apparently had no chance would disagree with that. She would've saved herself a lot of time then.

She huffed to herself, scooping up a bit of her ice cream and resolving to eat her sorrows away instead. Faintly recalling Andre's comment about how the magic only works if you eat it, she shook her head in disbelief and thought with a bittersweet expression, If I need magic to make him come see me, then what's the point?

She had opened her mouth, ready to finally taste the sweet treat, when a voice called out, "Marinette?"

Marinette paused, looking towards the source. Luka was standing just at the end of the bridge, presumably having been walking by as he spotted her. She smiled, wordlessly inviting him over, and he returned it as he made his way towards her.

"What are you up to?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I was just taking a walk to the Trocadéro," he replied, his casual tone assuring her that she wasn't delaying anything serious, "but then I heard your song and wanted to check."

She ducked her head shyly, using her ice cream as an excuse to look away from him. She finally ate a bit, letting the taste of blueberry melt into her mouth. Already, she was feeling a little better.

When she looked back up, Luka hadn't looked away from her. Their friends (if they were Luka's friends anyway; they might've only been Juleka's) were only a small distance away, as well as the ice cream stand, but he didn't seem inclined to leave even to go say "hi."

Smiling, Marinette used her spare hand to pat the spot on the bench next to her, not unlike when he invited her to sit on his bed. Luka didn't waste any time, happily taking a seat beside her.

Whether or not he knew the legend, she was certain that he must've seen both the couples as well as the ice cream they were sharing that was made exactly like hers. She felt grateful at the idea that he was intentionally not prodding, even if he might've been curious.

"Someone didn't show," she explained anyway, fidgeting with her cone, "but I also might've gotten ditched."

He frowned, a hand going to her shoulder in sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, appreciating but not needing the comment. "It's okay. It was never going to work out anyway."

She wondered for a second if she was just fooling herself, but Luka's smile assured her otherwise. If he believed her, she must've meant it.

"Still," Luka began as he leaned back, crossing his ankles before continuing, "in our band, Rose writes the lyrics and I'm in charge of the music. Jule and Ivan feel bad about it sometimes, but we're all putting in effort to make it come together, so we don't mind."

Marinette hummed, nodding as she took that in. She could understand that, of course, given that she'd put effort into just about everything she did, from gaming to fashion to romance.

She never got any effort returned for the latter, either because it all went bad before reaching its intended recipient or it didn't change anything. She still had to ask for Adrien's whereabouts and information when she wanted to know, she'd thought they'd bonded over a shared love of games yet he never mentioned it to her again, and in retrospect, despite her image of him as the kind prince locked away in a tower, he hadn't given her a hand or showed any concern when Chloe shoved her.

The one thing she could think of was the charm he'd given her on her birthday based on the charm that she'd given him - which was so often a defense she came up with in her head - only now she’d finally remembered that she had loaned it to him and he'd just held onto it, thus making the situation seem substantially less romantic. It also didn't escape her that her luck had somehow gotten worse since then, even it was just the universe personally spiting her. "Hey, I'm glad you like having my luck and everything, but can I have it back?" she asked the imaginary Adrien in her head.

Luka had the luxury for her of being an "outsider" to all of it. They'd only met recently, so his knowledge of her relationships was extremely limited. Had it been one of the girls instead, they probably would've asked before she'd even gotten the chance to bring it up.

This was nice. Luka was nice. She still felt bubbly thinking about his apology at the first sign she was upset by him, how his first instinct was to protect her from the akuma, and the way he asked about her first to Ladybug even after having safely hidden her away. It was entirely possible that it had nothing to do with her and that it was just how Luka cared for people, but she actually liked that thought more.

"...Oh," she uttered in realization, noting that she was sitting there with ice cream while Luka wasn't. She turned to him, ensuring that he could see the second spoon still stuck in the ice cream. "Do you want any?"

His gaze flickered from the ice cream to her, confirming that she meant her ice cream. She nodded and he happily took the second spoon, adding a soft, "Thanks. I don't know what you got, but I love the colors."

She beamed, admiring the way his black nails stuck out against the color of the spoon as he scooped some of the ice cream she'd yet to try. Even in his mannerisms, he was such a sweetheart—

Wait.

"Ah—Luka, stop!" Marinette hurried to say, reaching out but not quite touching his wrist. "That's Sweetheart's Ice Cream! Maybe we should get you a different one."

He stopped, blinking at her confusedly. She'd honestly thought he'd know what she was talking about without her having to explain, but he seemed truly clueless.

"Um..." She gestured at it with her free hand. "People go all over Paris looking for Andre so they can taste his Sweetheart's Ice Cream." She raised a finger as she made her point. "They say that if two people eat it together, they'll be together forever!"

Huh. It actually sounded a little ridiculous when she said it to someone who didn't know.

She forged on anyway, figuring that she might as well finish what she started, "I-I don't want to magically attach us together? Especially because you didn't know that and..." She pouted, unsure if it was okay to touch on the topic but adding, "I thought you might have a girlfriend already? Or a boyfriend?"

Luka's eyes left hers to look at the tiny bit of ice cream on his spoon. He turned it left and right like he was trying to spot what exactly made it so magic, but it looked blatantly like normal, plain ice cream.

Eventually, he shrugged, catching her free hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks for looking out for me, Marinette, but I've never had anyone like that."

"Wh—really?" The shock of him knowing nothing of Sweetheart's Ice Cream paled in comparison to him never having had a partner. "So you're single?"

She'd asked out of sheer curiosity, but blushed when it became apparent how they sounded.

Luka, her savior from embarrassment, didn't even flinch and took it in stride. "Yeah." He looked back down at the ice cream, wondering aloud, "Do you believe in it?"

"Believe in...?" It took Marinette a second to remember what they'd been talking about. She followed his gaze to the ice cream, thinking the question over seriously. Could there actually be a magical solution to tie her to someone, or even just to help? Her parents had gotten together and thought fondly of their time with Sweetheart's Ice Cream, but did they actually believe in it? As Luka had asked, did she believe in it?

"...No. I don't think so," she sighed.

Funnily (or maybe tragically) enough, being Ladybug and getting exposed to the world's "magic" had made her more critical of the idea. "Magic" never actually solved any of her problems and often made them worse instead.

"I like what you said," she added with a self-conscious chuckle, "about effort. Sharing ice cream is nice, but there's no magic to it."

He nodded in agreement. "We don't have to worry then."

"Are you sure?" she continued to prod, though at this point it might not have been about the "magic" element anymore.

Instead of answering, he finally ate the ice cream that had been on his spoon, a pleased hum following at the taste. "Even if it was true, I wouldn't mind."

"You... wouldn't mind being tied to me?" she asked, her blush deepening. His directness was good - really, really good - because it left no room for her to misinterpret it, but she certainly wasn't used to it.

"Mhm." He confirmed it like it wasn't a big deal, but there was a warmth to his face that could've melted the ice cream on contact. "You're talented, amazing, and brave. Why wouldn't I?"

Marinette had experienced flirting before, but only under a mask. Even beyond Chat, there were a few people she'd saved who couldn't help but get a word in about how pretty she was or how awesome it was that she'd thrown the akuma into a web she'd fashioned out of her yoyo.

This was different though. He wasn't saying it to charm her, or gush about strength and dexterity she could only achieve after being powered up. He was just saying how he honestly felt without an ounce of exaggeration.

Shy, she attempted to take a bit more ice cream to give herself time to respond, but a bit turned to a lot when she mistakenly scooped too much. Trying not to laugh, she bit her bottom lip, almost in awe by how things had turned around after just a bit of introspection. She hadn't even realized how much was weighing her down until she let it all go.

"...Luka," she dared to call, throwing caution to the wind. When their gazes met, she held the spoon out to him encouragingly.

His lips parted for a moment - the first sign of throwing him off she'd gotten today - but like a puppy being offered a treat, he obediently leaned over and opened his mouth further to clamp down on the ice cream.

It did actually feel a little magic, but she was certain that it wasn't the legend's doing.

——

Marinette walked into her kitchen, letting her long hair down as she prepared to relax for the day. It was still strange getting used to having her own house, but not unwelcome, and one of the biggest pluses was that she didn't have to dig through her parents' weird dessert tastes in the freezer to get to what she wanted.

Pulling out two containers of ice cream at random - welcoming a little chaos in mixing the flavors - she set them on the counter and took out two bowls as well. Scooping an appropriate amount of the two flavors into them ("appropriate" for a lazy day anyway), she added one spoon in each before putting the containers back and taking the bowls out to the living room.

Luka, her boyfriend of almost five years, was skimming through a selection of movies on the couch to decide what they should watch. At the first sight of her though, he stopped, setting them down and welcoming her close.

She set her bowl down on the table, holding the other out to him and taking the time to give him a kiss on the forehead. He responded by pulling her down to kiss her chin, never one to leave a smooch unreturned.

Pulling back, she took in the sight of him holding ice cream and giggled. Unapologetically, she stated, "I guess that ice cream legend was right after all. You've already been stuck with me for years."

Luka raised a brow at her and smirked, catching the joke instantly. He held his arm out, allowing her to plop down next to him and snuggle against his side. "Mm, maybe I should've listened to you back then." Their lips met in a kiss as he blindly reached for the spoon in his bowl, scooping up some ice cream with it. "But you know what I said."

Marinette nodded, tucking her hair behind her earring-less ears before accepting the bite he fed her. "Mhm~" She took her time to savor the taste before swallowing, smiling contentedly as she responded, "I didn't mind being tied to you either."

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette #type: salt #episode: Glaciator #((Every episode where stuff like this happens to her my brain just jumps to))#((okay but what if this was the one where she realized ''hey maybe the hand I was dealt kinda sucks?''))#((I was going to say that this is nothing but self-indulgence but that's technically every Lukanette piece I write))

119 notes · View notes

mc-lukanette · 5 months

Text

Marinette was an extremely simple person, or at least that was how Juleka saw it. It wasn't a bad thing, but she was an open book in every aspect of life. If she was feeling an emotion, you knew, and if she was crushing on someone, you knew. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life and every thought burst forth from her chest like it was a—

...well, like something Juleka saw in a horror movie once but wouldn't repeat to Marinette, lest the girl get nauseous at the imagery. The point was that Marinette was simply Marinette and anyone who knew her for more than a few days knew exactly who she was.

That was why Juleka didn't think anything when she caught Luka and Marinette together. It'd been another day at the Liberty and she was heading below deck when she caught sight of them.

Luka was lounging at the edge of the couch, one hand behind his head and the other tapping a melody on the couch. That was normal when he wanted to relax rather than play, but Marinette had her sketchbook on his chest and was lounging on his stomach. Her elbows were on the couch at his sides, keeping herself propped up while she sketched.

Maybe they didn't feel like sitting but still wanted to talk face-to-face, or Luka was just a better table than the one they did have? Juleka couldn't imagine it was comfortable, and Marinette even occasionally rolled over to put her back to Luka's stomach, raising the sketchbook up to talk to him about whatever she'd drawn. He looked on, nodding along and saying things Juleka couldn't hear.

She got what she came down for, somehow without being noticed, and decided that there wasn't any need to think about the relationship the two had. If there was anything between Marinette and Luka, Marinette wouldn't have been able to stop talking about it to her and the girls later. She had one, singular reaction to dealing with a crush - or dealing with anything, really - which was flustered panic.

The thought didn't stop her from regretting that she'd yet to try the position with Rose.

——

From what Juleka had understood, Marinette's guitar lessons with Luka had gone well. She came over every now and then for a lesson, then left an hour or so later. Juleka herself had never seen any of their lessons before, but Luka was on deck with her one day when Marinette arrived. It was a gorgeous, sunny day that made Juleka want to flee below deck, but she was still waiting for Rose to arrive.

She also wasn't paying much attention to what Luka and Marinette were saying until partway through.

"What if we did it without the guitar this time?" Marinette asked, gesturing to the instrument in question.

Luka glanced down at his guitar, then at her. Smiling, he set it off to the side, welcoming her right into his lap like she belonged there.

She stretched an arm out, seeming to imitate the guitar's neck. "Is this how it feels to be your guitar?"

"I don't know." He hummed, amusement in his voice. His left hand settled somewhere between her chest and stomach while his other went up to grip her outstretched hand. "How would I play you?"

She leaned her back against him, genuinely thinking that over. Squinting in displeasure, she wondered, "Do I have to sing? I didn't practice."

Their idle banter(?) continued from there while Juleka stared unblinkingly at them. Of course, she'd seen Marinette sandwiched between Luka and his guitar before, but never on his lap and having forgone the guitar entirely. It was also just occurring to Juleka that Luka had never interacted with a girl like this, nor had Marinette with a boy. Marinette had girl friends and then a handful of guys who were technically friends despite her not really hanging out with them.

But maybe that was it. Juleka simply wasn't used to seeing Luka have one-on-one time with a girl who was a friend, same as seeing Marinette have one-on-one time with a boy who was a friend. It was a simple answer to a simple question, and besides that, Luka would've told her had something been going on.

Then, Rose finally strolled onto the Liberty, ignoring Luka and Marinette entirely to plop down onto Juleka's lap. She opened her scrapbook excitedly, drawing Juleka's attention with a point of her finger as she started showing off her recent additions to it. "Look! I found this one when we were little and it was so cute that I just had to put it here!"

Hm.

——

It wasn't long before Juleka caught them again, though "caught" was perhaps a strong word when they didn't seem to be trying to hide anything. She'd just been going below deck to retrieve some of her make-up from her side of the room, but she already heard their voices before she entered.

"No way!" Marinette burst out, sounding a mixture of surprised and entertained. "They just—broke it? In front of everyone?"

"Mhm~" Luka chuckled, an exaggeratedly sad melody following. "It wasn't the kind they wanted."

"Ugh." She scoffed. "Creative people are so dramatic."

They laughed just as Juleka peeked into the room to look at them. Marinette was sitting up on Luka's bed, back facing the flower-patterned curtain, whereas Luka was laying down the length of the bed, head resting on Marinette's lap and his guitar on his stomach. A bowl of chips was nearby, Marinette picking one up to offer to Luka.

"You don't need to feed me," he told her, even though he opened his mouth anyway to accept.

Her fingers brushed his lips as she dropped the chip inside. "Then you wouldn't be able to touch your guitar."

He played a happy note in response, too busy chewing to thank her verbally.

"Well?" she prompted eagerly, her bouncing in place limited only by him on her lap. "Tell me the rest! What happened next?"

Juleka turned away, having already forgotten what she'd gone there for. Had she wanted to join in, she could've chimed in to finish the story herself or walked by and casually added the next part.

Though, that would've required her to know the rest of the story. Luka hadn't told her anything about it and, in retrospect, he never really talked about what went on with him at all. It wasn't that Juleka was never curious, she'd just never asked.

Luka was her brother and the older twin between the two of them. They were two sides of the same quiet coin, Juleka rarely speaking out because she was afraid to and Luka because he only talked when he felt he needed to. He never asked for anything, always helped the moment it was requested of him, and was more of a listener than a talker.

There was only one exception for Juleka where she really felt like she could open up without fear.

"Hey, you're back!" Rose sat up with a start on the two-seater, gaze diverted away from her phone as Juleka came back into her view. She waved rapidly, phone pressed against her chest and beckoning Juleka closer with her mere presence.

"Mm, I'm back," Juleka confirmed, sitting down next to her. "What were you looking at?"

"You're gonna love it!" Rose squealed, squishing herself against Juleka's side as she presented the phone to her. She tapped on the screen, showing that she was on a local jewelry store's website. The site had been opened to a particular page, showing off a bracelet, and Rose was ecstatic to explain, "We could get matching bracelets! See? It's got little roses and jewels!" Facing Juleka, Rose pointed to herself to say, "rose," then pointed at Juleka and enunciated, "and jewel-eka! Isn't it perfect?!"

"Rad." Juleka beamed at her, thoroughly charmed. It was still hard to show affection in public, but whenever it was just her and Rose, she felt all of her walls drop like they were in their own little world. Chloe always referred to her as the "creepy, quiet girl" as an insult, and while part of her kind of liked the title, it still hurt, and couldn't blame other people for seeing her as such. Her brother would probably describe it as something like, "It's hard to get your audience to hear the song in your heart over everyone else's, but if you're playing to someone who wants to listen, they'll hear every beat of it."

Juleka froze, a lightbulb going off in her head. ...Oh.

"Juuuuleka?" Rose frowned, waving her hand in front of Juleka's face. Once she had her attention back, she added apologetically, "I know the jewels aren't black. M-maybe we can paint them!" Then, she deflated, realizing, "I guess they wouldn't be sparkly anymore, but... glitter!" She perked back up. "We can use glitter!"

Juleka hummed, wrapping her arms around Rose and pulling her into a cuddle without prompting. "Sounds cool."

Rose gasped, kicking her legs out in excitement. "I told you you'd like it!"

She turned to squeeze Juleka back, blatantly unaware of the thoughts in her head. Juleka was content with that, knowing that Rose would be there whether she wanted to talk about it or not.

Maybe Marinette wasn't as simple as she thought after all.

Maybe Luka had more to say, but hadn't found the right person to listen to him until now.

And maybe their relationship wasn't anyone's business except their own.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette #bonus Julerose

110 notes · View notes