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#endgame lukanette
spikartxx · 1 month
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LBSC Secret Admirer Exchange 2024
Hello! Long time no see hehehe
Anywhoooooo~ I decided to take a tiny break from school duties and I participated in the LBSC Secret Admirer Exchange of this year! Organized by @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers (quite a lovely event, as always!)
I’ve never forgotten my Lukanette roots hehehe so here I am!
*drum rolls* 🥁✨
@trixxiephantomhive … I’m your secret admirer this year! ♪( ´θ`)ノ✨
I did this piece based on the third prompt you proposed! It was a wonderful time reading the story, so it was a pleasure doing this piece too! I hope you enjoy it~
Also, sorry for the delay, I’ve had quite a busy day, but here it is, yaaaaaay!
Happy Valentine’s Day! 🩷
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yan-san-yan · 10 months
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🫧MERMAY LUKANETTE 🫧
@lovebugs-and-snakecharmers I made it in time for the event ✨
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LBSC Secret Admirer Exchange 2024 Works
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A huge congratulations and thank you to all of our exchange participants this year! We hope you enjoyed the event and we hope everyone enjoys all of these amazing works! Any late entries will be added to this post once they've been published. Thanks for making this another memorable year! You can find our AO3 collection here.
@alwaysawkwardd for @omnoramayday: Just a Dream (nsfw)
@celestiall0tus for @misted-glass: Art
@haphira for @rierse: That’s Just Like... Soulmates? (with bonus art)
@inkmousey for Misty Shadow: Art
@misted-glass for @spikartxx: Harmonia's rise
Misty Shadow for @alwaysawkwardd: Finally Together
@omnoramayday for @quickspinner: By Another Name
@quickspinner for @haphira: This is Crazy
@rierse for @nerdypanda3126: Breathless (with bonus art Selfie)
@rierse for @writer-rider-dirty-thirties: The Art of Seduction Communication
@spikartxx for @trixxiephantomhive: Art
@trixxiephantomhive for @celestiall0tus: Fantasy Lovers (art)
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haphira · 3 months
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Multimouse and Viperion watching the city at night.
LBSC Secret Santa Exchange 2023
For: Inkmousey
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ml-lukanette-bigbang · 2 months
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Artist applications for the MLLBB are officially open! Want to become an artist with us? Unlike the original Miraculous Big Bang, the focus of this event will be entirely on Lukanette!
This means that Lukanette will be the end goal of the event, not any other ship for either of them. So long as the endgame is Luka Couffaine / Marinette Dupain-Cheng, other pairings are allowed in.
For this event, artists will create two art pieces. There's an FAQ available on our pinned post to learn more about the event.
Apply now!
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Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe
Juleka vs. the Forces of the School Dance i
Juleka vs. the Forces of the Universe (AO3)
Hello everyone!!! I wanted to start out by thanking you all for your ongoing support and patience! This has taken me far longer than I had hoped, as I wanted to have this fic done before 2024. Obviously, that didn't happen 😂😅 I ended up needing to take a break to rest after my fall semester because it was super intense. I also had to take some time away from creative writing for personal reasons. your support, patience, and kindness has meant the absolute world to me, and I can't thank you enough for it.
Another reason why this chapter has taken so long is because chapter 17 was becoming massive (as in 20k words and counting). I debated this decision quite a bit, but in the end I've decided to break chapter 17 into smaller parts so that's why the chapter count has gone up 😅😅😅 It's much easier to revise shorter chapters, and I think it's probably easier to read shorter chapters too. This also gives me a bit more time to finish what is now the second last chapter.
I need to give a huge shoutout to the LBSC crew for their ongoing support, and for talking me off the ledge multiple times when it came to this chapter. And also just for being there for me the past few months. And again, another huge thank you to all of you for your support.
I Hope you enjoy the chapter!
ps. if I don't respond to comments on this chapter it's not because I'm ignoring any of you, it's because I don't entirely trust myself not to accidentally spoil something 😂😅
A thousand akumas fluttered in the pit of her stomach as she put the lid back on her lipstick with a satisfying click. She sat back in her chair and sighed. She was used to the feeling of butterflies, except right now it felt like there were silver and black akumas fluttering around insider her, and that mixture was a new feeling. 
On one hand, tonight was the night. The night Luka and Mari were going to the dance. Together. 
But on the other hand… she grimaced as the reminder for the ‘Operation Fairytale Ball Phone Meeting’ pinged on her phone. Usually they all got ready for dances together, but Marinette had needed the extra time to put the finishing touches on her dress and it hadn’t felt right for the rest of them to get together without her. But, Alya had wanted to go over the plans for the dance one more time, so Alya had scheduled a phone meeting… 
She had fifteen minutes until the call. 
She silenced the reminder on her phone, and turned her attention back to her reflection. The purple in her hair was nice and vivid, and the waves she had put in her hair added a touch of glamour. And her makeup looked amazing, if she did say so herself. She had gone for a soft but still vampy look with plum and black kohl softly smoked out across her lids and deep plum lips. She smiled as she tilted her head to the side, watching the way the light caught her highlight. Those makeup masterclasses had definitely paid off. In more ways than one. 
She straightened her head. And then frowned. 
Her bangs had slipped across her eyes again, obscuring her face. 
Usually, she liked wearing her hair that way. It had started as a security thing. Her hair had acted as a shield to hide her away from the rest of the world. And there were times she still needed that. 
But tonight… 
Tonight she didn’t want to hide. 
She reached for a bobby pin, but her hand stopped halfway to the tin of them she kept on her dressing table. Originally, she had planned on wearing her hair down, the way she normally did. But then she wouldn’t really be able to show off the back of her dress… 
And given what Alya had planned for the night—to say nothing of the schemes she was positive Alya had hidden up her sleeve—she could do with a touch of Tigress. 
She grabbed her brush and a black satin scrunchie, and made quick work of pulling her hair up into an elegant, high ponytail. Once the ponytail was secured, she grabbed a couple of bobby pins and pinned her bangs just enough so that they didn’t cover her eyes, but still framed her face to keep an element of drama. 
That was much better. 
“Hey Jules, have you seen the- Jules. You look beautiful.” 
She was unable to control the grin on her face as she turned to the door of their room. Luka was standing in the hallway, he was wearing his good jeans, but his hair was still damp and he was wearing a t-shirt. But even though he wasn’t ready, she couldn’t help but preen under his words. 
“Thank you.” 
A sappy grin was making its way onto his face. “I’m really proud of you.” 
“But I didn’t do anything.”
“Yes you have.”
“No I-“
“Look at you,” he said quietly as he made his way to stand behind her, and direct her attention back to her reflection. 
“It’s just hair…” she mumbled, trying to fight the growing warmth in her cheeks. 
“You and I both know it’s not just hair. And it’s more than that. You’ve been-“
“A pain in your neck?” she asked with a laugh.
“You always are. But you’ve been more sure of yourself lately. More confident. You’ve been coming into your own. It’s nice to see.” 
“You’re such a sap, you’re going to make me ruin my makeup,” she mumbled, waving a hand in front of her eyes to keep them from tearing up. Once she was sure she wasn’t going to cry, she stood and hugged Luka tightly. He returned it just as fiercely. 
Once they broke apart, she smacked his arm. Lightly. Ish. “Why aren’t you ready yet, dummy?” 
He chuckled, shaking his head as he rolled his eyes. “I need to iron my shirt but I can’t find the iron anywhere.” 
“Check the greenhouse, last time I saw it Ma was using it as a door stop up there”
“Figures,” he mumbled under his breath. He was halfway out the room when he turned back. “I really am proud of you, you know.” 
   “I’m proud of you too.” After all, he was finally not stepping back. “Now go,” she said, smiling as she shooed him out. “You need to get ready, you are not making me late tonight.” 
“I thought it was fashionable to be late?” he called from the hall. 
“Shows what you know about fashion!” she quipped back before turning back to her mirror and began adjusting the pins in her hair so that everything was just right.  
Once she was satisfied, she added a final spritz of hairspray and then began packing her supplies for the evening into her clutch. Lipstick, powder, keys, hand sanitizer and cream, and emergency candy. Just in case. The finishing touches were her jewelry—the black lace choker she had made for herself and a pair of amethyst earrings—and a couple of spritzes of her favourite violet perfume. 
As Roarr would say, she had her war paint and armour on, and she was ready for battle. 
And not a moment too soon. 
The screen of her phone lit up with an incoming call, the icon for the Adrienette group chat flashing on the screen. 
“Hey,” she said once she had tapped to accept the call. 
“Hi bijou!” Rose’s voice came from the screen as the group chat icon filled the screen. Rose had insisted it would be a voice only call since they weren’t all getting ready together, that way that could all surprise each other with their finished looks. 
“Hi, Juleka,” Mylène said. 
“Hey,” Alix’s voice crackled to life over the phone.  
“Hi, Alix!” Rose chirped. “Are you excited?” 
“Sure,” came Alix’s nonchalant response. “I mean, it’s a dance. There’s only so much to really be excited about-” 
“Juleka?” Mylène’s voice cut Alix off. “My mascara is really clumpy! How do I fix it?” 
“Wipe the excess off your wand with a tissue and then brush it through. If you have a lash comb, brush it through your lashes too. That should break some of them up.”
“You’re a life saver, thank you.” 
“Are we going to get started, or what?” She had thought at first that maybe Alya hadn’t been on the call—a foolish thought—but it seemed Alya was still officially not talking to her. Which, after last night… she wasn’t entirely sure it was a good or bad thing. 
Either way, it was an awkward thing. 
Rose and Mylène had been in a tizzy all day, trying to get them to talk to each other. Alix had made a few attempts, but after a while had clearly given up and resorted to sighing and rolling her eyes with great exasperation. But Alya… Alya was stubborn. Marinette and the rest of the class had picked up on it too, except Adrien that was. Even Bustier had noticed something weird was going on.  
Honestly, it felt more than safe to assume that the only reason she was even included in this pre-game call, so to speak, was because the rest of the girls hadn’t given Alya a choice. Looking at the screen, Rose had been the one to initiate the call. 
“If we have to…” Alix groaned. 
“We do. Nothing can go wrong tonight,” Alya said firmly. 
Well, they were sort of in agreement there. 
They were just… diametrically opposed… 
“So, I just texted Marinette,” Alya continued, “She just got out of the shower so she’ll only just be starting drying and doing her hair, which means we all have time to get there and get everything into place…” 
Despite the fact that she could have listed the schemes backwards in her sleep, she listened carefully to Alya’s every word. She mentally sifted through every word and intonation, looking for any potential clues for what other schemes might come into play. Because she knew Alya. And after their… talk last night, there was no way Alya was showing up without a fresh set of schemes ready to go. 
Which meant she needed to be ready for anything.  
But she was feeling apprehensive about the evening for more reasons than Alya was giving her. 
An odd clash of elation and dread was brewing in her stomach like a hurricane. She knew all the schemes that had been plotted at the meetings she was present for. She knew Alya undoubtedly had more schemes that she didn’t know about ready to set in motion. She knew she had to be and was ready to deal with those schemes. 
She also knew Luka and Marinette were going. 
Together. 
Of their own choosing. 
But she wasn’t expecting much beyond that in the sense that, well… school dances were… school dances. They were fun. But they weren’t the magical and romantic settings that movies and tv likes to play them off as. So while she was elated that they were going together, she couldn’t see much more than that happening tonight. 
Apart from all the stupid and ridiculous schemes she would have to derail, that is. 
As much as she wanted Luka and Marinette to stop being idiots, they were idiots. Sure, she could give them gentle nudges, but tonight, her priority was to just let them enjoy themselves. They had already taken one step away from idiocy by going to the dance together. Tonight was about letting them just enjoy their one small step towards reason.   
But even knowing that…  she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was going to happen tonight. 
“School dances are just so romantic!” Rose squealed, breaking her from her thoughts.
***
The thing about school dances was that they were just about the furthest thing from romantic. 
The music was always too loud for an enclosed space, and the base too high. And the music choice was always just what was most popular. Which was fine. There was nothing  wrong with music being popular. It was just that Bob Roth had bought XY’s place to the top of the charts, so the playlist by default, was dominated by XY’s  music- or rather, the music he had stolen.
To say nothing of the smell. The school dances were always held in the gym, which perpetually smelled like a phys-ed class. And the boy’s locker room. Even the smell of strong perfume and cheap cologne couldn’t mask the eau de body odour. Somehow, it just made it worse. 
Awkwardness permeated the very air; whether it was people trying to ask their crushes to dance, or people worrying over what they wore or who came with who. And of course there were the chaperones. It was impossible for anything to be romantic when M. Damocles and Mme. Mendeliev were watching the dance floor like a pair of hawks, on the lookout for any inappropriate behaviour. 
How could anyone think school dances were romantic?
“This is going to be so romantic!” Rose’s squeal was high pitched enough to be heard over the music without shouting. 
Well, anyone except Rose. 
“Rose! Juleka!” She turned at the sound of Ivan’s voice, which somehow managed to travel through the pounding base. Ivan and Mylène were weaving through the crowd towards them. Nathaniel was trailing behind them, in the wake Ivan left as people parted to let him and Mylène pass.
“Are Alya and Alix here yet?” Mylène asked as she joined their group, almost shouting to make herself heard over the music. “Rose, you look lovely! And-” Mylène’s eyes widened a bit as she looked at her. “Juleka! Your hair” 
“It looks really nice like that,” Ivan said with a shy smile. 
“You look gorgeous!”
“Doesn’t she?” Rose asked brightly, taking a firmer grip on her arm as she leaned against her. 
Her cheeks were suddenly hot and she had to remind herself not to hide her face in her hands given she couldn’t rely on her hair to hide her blush. “Thanks. You all look great too!” she added, gesturing to Ivan, who had a small, faux sunflower clipped to his shirt to match the floral print of Mylène’s dress. Mylène had twisted her hair up into a bun, which was also adorned with a sunflower clipped into it to frame a loose tendril by the side of her face. “You too, Nathaniel,” she added as she glanced at him. He cleaned up pretty good.
“Thanks,” he said, his voice almost lost to the crowd. “Oh, I see Marc! If you guys don’t mind, I’m going to go…” 
“Of course!” Rose squealed, grinning. “We’ll see you on the dance floor?” 
Nathaniel nodded with a smile before slipping away. 
“So…” Ivan said slowly, “I know you all had some sort of plan but if Alya and Alix aren’t here yet, maybe you and I could dance?” he asked, turning to Mylène. 
Mylène was just nodding when a familiar voice carried through the music. 
“I bet you I could dance for an hour straight!” 
“I bet you would trip over your feet in the first ten minutes,” she heard Alix say as she caught a flash of pink hair moving towards them. 
“Yeah? Well how about we-”
“Absolutely not!” Rose said indignantly as Kim and Alix joined their quickly growing group. “This is a dance. It’s supposed to be romantic. And bets aren’t romantic!” 
“Thank you, Rose” Max sighed as he stopped to stand on her other side before adding under his breath, “I think.” 
“Aww, c’mon! What’s wrong with a little fun- Whoa! Juleka! I don’t think I’ve ever seen both your eyes before!” 
She couldn’t help but chuckle at how utterly Kim he was. Before she could reply to what she assumed was his attempt at a complement, Rose opened her mouth. 
“And?” Rose asked, her high voice holding an edge of danger. 
Kim’s eyes widened as they darted to Rose, in all her swirly, pink, white kitten-print glory and swallowed. “You look really pretty! I just- I wasn’t expecting you to- I mean, you never wear your hair up…” he said, tripping over himself as he tried to both clarify his compliment and appease Rose. 
She nudged Rose gently with her elbow and gave her a look before she smiled at Kim. “Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. You all do,” she added, glancing to Max and Alix as Kim puffed his chest out in pride. 
“Oh, hey Luka!”  
“Hey, Kim. Everyone” Luka said just loud enough to be heard over the music as he slipped between her and Max, shooting Max a grateful smile as the shorter boy made room for him. 
“Did you escape in one piece?” she asked.
“Escape?” Ivan asked, his brows furrowing. “From who?” 
“Damocles cornered him when we got here,” she snorted. “He wanted to know how lycée is going for him,” she added with a smirk as Luka groaned. 
“I feel like he and his sister have a bet going about me and Dingo or something. He kept asking about our science classes and showcase performances…” he said, his voice trailing off as he oh so subtly scanned the crowd around them. “So has anyone seen Marinette yet?” 
“No sign of her yet,” she murmured before gently elbowing his side and shooting him a smirk. She hadn’t called him a ‘sap’ out loud. She wasn’t that mean. Besides, she didn’t need to say it for him to get the message… 
He rolled his eyes before turning back to the conversation. He was lucky the lighting in the gym hid the pink tinge to his ears. For the most part… 
She turned back to the conversation as well, which had somehow worked its way back to Kim and Alix trying to have a competition that Rose wouldn’t outright destroy them for for having at the dance. But she only listened with half an ear, if that. Luka was there to help keep Rose in check should she decide Kim and Alix were ruining the ‘romance’ of the dance too much. 
And she had other things to worry about… 
Surreptitiously, she scanned the crowd, looking for any signs of Marinette. And crossing all her fingers that Marinette would arrive before Alya… though she wasn’t holding her breath… 
The crowd ebbed and flowed around them in a blur of coloured lights and party clothes. Their group was far enough off to the side that they weren’t being overrun by the people dancing, but they were still close enough to the action. She caught sight of Nathaniel and Marc dancing on the fringes of the dance floor. A girl in a yellow dress—similar to the one Chloe had worn— crossed her line of vision, holding a cup of punch, which only served as a reminder of one of the more harebrained schemes Alya had come up with for ‘Operation Fairytale Ball.’  The thought of the schemes left a bitter taste in her mouth, and a lead weight in the pit of her stomach. 
Things had been bad enough when she was only contending with one set of schemes… but after last night… there was no way Alya didn’t have contingency plans… 
Another song passed with anxious anticipation. And then she saw it. The unmistakeable flash or orange by the doors to the gym. 
“Alya” Rose shouted, standing up on her tip toes to be seen past Kim, “over here!” 
Whether she had actually heard Rose, or more likely, seen Rose’s glitter clutch as she waved it and Ivan and Kim’s large forms in the crowd, Alya turned in the direction of their group. And then started weaving through the crowd towards them with a determination that didn’t bode well for her plans for the night… 
“You look great, Alya!” Rose chirped once she had joined their quickly growing group. 
“Thanks,” Alya said, flashing a grin. “You all do too,” she said, smiling to all of them. But then Alya’s gaze landed on her. Alya’s hazel eyes widened in surprise for a moment, the way everyone’s had when they had first seen her with her hair up and away from her face. But then they had narrowed. And while she had still smiled at her, it was rather frigid.
And she hadn’t said anything to her, so it seemed like Alya was still dead set on the whole no talking thing.  
“I like how you did your hair,” she said to Alya. And it was true. Alya’s hair looked great. 
Alya, for her part, didn’t seem sure how to respond. On one hand, Alya still seemed determined not to talk to her, but on the other… 
“Thanks,” Alya said slowly, her face guarded. “Yours looks nice too,” she added, with just the slightest hint of suspicion detectable in her voice. But it was clear as day in her eyes. And then Alya turned to look at Luka, and her eyes widened all over again as soon as she saw what Luka was wearing. 
Alya made a strangled, chocking sound that she quickly tried to cover in a cough. 
“You ok?” Mylène asked worriedly, taking a step towards Alya to place a hand on her back. 
Alya nodded, “Fine,” she said hoarsely before blinking to do a double take at Luka. Luka blinked at her, his face shifting into something guarded, and Alya’s eyes narrowed again, her mouth setting into a grim line as her gazed flickered back to land on her. 
She should have known Alya would take his outfit choice as a sign of her ‘betrayal…’ 
Luka nudged her shoulder. “I’m going to go get something to drink. Want anything?”  His voice sounded almost tinny through the base.  
“No, but you should-“  He was gone before she could finish telling him he should wait until Marinette go there. Now that Alya was here… Marinette could show up at any time, and she didn’t like the idea of Luka going off on his own and leaving Alya with an opening. 
 “So, where’s Nino?” Kim asked, seemingly wonderfully oblivious—as usual—to everything. “We need some good song recommendations for a dance off and he’s the go to guy for that kind of stuff.” 
“He isn’t playing-”
“Well, yeah,” Kim laughed, “that’s why that other guy is up there,” Kim said as he nodded to the hired DJ. “But I’m sure we can make requests.” 
“That’s true…” Alya said, turning to Alix as she pulled her phone out of her purse “But remember-”
“I know, I know,” Alix groaned, holding up her hands. “But they’re not even here yet.” 
“Who isn’t here-” Kim started to ask. 
“Nino just texted, he and Adrien are almost here,” Alya said as she read something off her phone. 
“I know!” Alya shouted over the music.“And Marinette should be here any minute! And-“ Alya began frantically waving. “Nino and Adrien are here!”
“Do you want to dance?” Rose grabbed her hand, beaming up at her as she tugged her towards the dance floor. 
She wanted to. She really wanted to. But she also didn’t want whatever Alya had planned to go ahead. Which meant she needed to be ready for-
“Hey dudes.” Nino was grinning as he and Adrien joined their group. But then he caught her eye. His eyes widened, dnd then his gaze dropped, like he couldn’t look her in the eye. Nino had always been a bit of an open book. Subtlety wasn’t exactly his forte. 
And this all but confirmed her worst suspicions. 
He was definitely in on whatever Alya had cooked up. 
“You look great, Adrien!” Alya said. 
Adrien, who had looked morose and like he had every intention of at least half-sulking the entire evening, looked up. “Oh, thanks.” 
“Yeah, you clean up good, man! Do you think you can dance in that getup? Because Alix and I were going to- oof” 
Kim’s obvious attempts to get Adrien to join in on the impromptu dance off were quickly cut off by Rose’s elbow. 
“I probably could, but they’re not really made for that kind of dancing.” 
“Yeah, Kim. Those kinds of clothes are for dances like the waltz. You know, the romantic kinds? There’s nothing more romantic than a waltz! Just imagine, a candlelight waltz, or a waltz under the city lights,” Rose sighed dreamily. “There’s nothing that could be more romantic than that.” 
“Yeah? You really think?” Adrien asked, immediately perking up. Even after their fight, he was still concerned about that? 
“There’s Marinette!” Mylène’s voice was almost lost to the music. 
Bewilderment crossed Alya’s face. “Her dress…” 
She whirled around, tugging Rose along with her. 
Marinette wasn’t wearing green to match Adrien’s eyes, as per her prediction. And despite Alya’s suggestion—demand more like. 
“She looks gorgeous!” Beside her Rose practically swooned. “She looks like a princess!”
Marinette’s dress was simple; a sweet heart neckline and spaghetti straps, with a full and voluminous skirt made up of what looked like layer upon layer of gauzy fabric. It was a soft shade of blue, caught somewhere between summer skies and calm seas. It was the blue of where the horizon met the sea. It was the blue that lived somewhere between the shade of Luka’s eyes and Marinette’s. A simple silver pendant that looked remarkably light a floral treble cleft matched her shoes. 
And her hair was  down. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Marinette with her hair down; she always had it pulled back, even at sleepovers. But now it cascaded over her shoulders in loose waves. 
It made her look… freer. 
Rose was right. She did look like a princess. She was about to elbow Luka in the ribs when she remembered he had gone to get a drink. 
Shoot. 
“Wow, Marinette looks great!” 
Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot. 
Now was not the time for Adrien to start noticing what he was missing out on. 
Despite her initial reaction to Marinette’s dress, or more specifically she assumed, its colour, Alya smiled smugly. “She sure does,” she said. 
“I’ve never seen her with her hair down…” 
“Maybe you should tell her to wear it down more often…” Alya suggested.  
Adrien shrugged blithely. “Maybe, but I like the pigtails. They remind me of Ladybug.” 
There is was. 
Because even with his so-called Lady standing right in front of him, he couldn’t see her, he was so blinded by the scarlet and spots. 
“Hi guys!” Marinette said a little breathlessly as she pushed through the last bit of the crowd standing between her and the rest of the group. 
“Hey,” she said, louder than she usually would so as to be heard over the pounding music. 
Marinette turned to her and the smile that had been gracing her face grew even wider. “Juleka!” she gasped before pulling her into a hug, “you look incredible! I knew that dress would be perfect for you, and the shoes and your hair!” 
“I know, right?” Rose chirped. “I think you should wear heels more often,” Rose added added as Marinette pulled away. 
“And Rose! You look fabulous! You all do!” Marinette squealed as she looked around their group, grinning at everyone. But she was also oh so very obviously looking for someone who wasn’t there. She had to fight back a grin at how transparent Marinette was. “Has anyone seen-” 
“Girl, that dress looks great on you! It really brings out your eyes!” Alya said as she pulled Marinette into a hug. Though she knew Alya had misgivings about the colour Marinette had chosen, the compliment was obviously genuine. Marinette did look incredible, and the colour of her dress made her eyes all the bluer. 
Marinette smiled at Alya as she released the hug. But there was something guarded about her smile still. The way it had been every time she had smiled around Alya the past few days. “Thanks. You look great too.” 
“I can see why this took you so long,” Mylène said as she looked at Marinette’s dress before pulling her into a hug as well, “just how many layers are there in the skirt?” 
“I lost track around seven,” Marinette laughed. “But where’s Luka?” she asked. 
“He went to go get a drink, he should be back any minute,” she replied as Rose pounced on Marinette, enveloping her in a hug. From across their little group, she caught Alya eyeing her suspiciously. 
And really? 
That was what was eliciting that look? 
What did Alya expect her to do? Ignore Marinette’s question? Did she expect all of them to ignore Marinette’s question. 
“Oh, ok-” 
“While you’re waiting for him,” Alya interrupted before turning to Adrien, “You like this song, right Adrien?” 
“Yeah, it’s fine-” 
“Why don’t you two dance? The crowd is so thick it could Luka a while to come back, plus if M. Damocles wants to talk to him again-” 
“But-” 
Another flash of yellow in the crowd caught her eye. This time, it was Chloe. 
Chloe had proven to be very effective in coming between Adrien and Marinette before… she just needed to get Chloe to notice him… 
Behind Chloe, she saw Aurore and Mireille drifting through the crowd. 
She shifted a step to the side so that she was closer to Adrien, and reached up and began to wave. “Mereille, Aurore! Over here!” she called as she continued to wave, keeping her gaze on Chloe’s ponytail. 
She hadn’t expected either of them to hear her, and evidently they hadn’t heard or seen her as they disappeared back into the crowd. But that didn’t matter. Because Chloe had noticed her. And more importantly, Chloe had noticed who was standing with her…
“Oop. Chloe incoming,” Alix said, but it was too late. 
“Adrikins! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” 
“Hey Chloe,” Adrien said, rather unenthusiastically. 
“Aren’t you going to compliment my dress?” Chloe asked as she looped her arm through his and began tugging him towards the dance floor. 
“Where are you going?” 
“To dance. Obviously, Césaire,” Chloe snapped before dragging Adrien off. 
She turned back to the rest of her friends as Adrien and Chloe started dancing, to find Alya glaring at her suspiciously. But she just shrugged innocently. It wasn’t like she had called Chloe over. Alya couldn’t reasonably accuse her of doing anything.
Just Alya couldn’t get mad at her for helping keep Mendeliev from finding some of the scheme…
“Hey, angel,” she said quietly, leaning down to whisper into Rose’s ear, “you and Mylène hid the flowers are under the tables right?” Rose nodded. “Mendeliev is poking around over there.” She straighten up and glanced knowingly towards the tables that had been set up for people to sit at when they needed a break from dancing. Mendeliev wasn’t exactly poking around them, but she was circulating amongst them. And Mendeliev was eagle eyed… 
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rose’s eyes widen as she followed her gaze. 
“Alya! Mylène! I need a girl talk real quick!” Rose sad, grabbing them both by the arm and not waiting for a response from either of them. “I’ll be right back, bijou!” Rose called over her shoulder before saying something into Alya’s ear. 
It was hard to tell from behind, but based on the way Alya picked up the pace towards the tables, she felt safe to assume Rose had told her Mendeliev was alarmingly close to the flowers Alya, Mylène, and Rose were supposed to use for one of the schemes. Alya shot a conflicted, yet suspicious glance over her shoulder at her as she hurried towards the tables. 
“Welp,” Alix said, “I guess that means it’s time to check out the snacks.” 
“Wait!” Kim called as Alix began to saunter away, “I thought we were going to have a dance off now! Or! I bet you I can-” whatever it was that Kim had been saying was lost in the noise of the crowd and music as he disappeared after Alix, pulling Nino along with him. 
Max sighed. “I suppose I had better go make sure neither of them choke if they end up having an eating contest or something.” She shot Max a sympathetic smile before he turned and trudged after Alix and Kim. 
“C’mon,” she said to Marinette, nodding towards the end of the gymnasium the refreshment tables were set up in, “let’s go find my brother before Damocles corners him again.” Marinette nodded as she looped her arm through hers. 
Marinette’s brows twisted in confusion as she began to follow her through the crowd. “Before Damocles corners him again? What-” 
“Did you know Damocles has a twin? And that she’s the principal of Saint-Saëns?” 
“There’s two Damocles?” Marinette asked in disbelief as they began to weave through the crowd. 
“I’m afraid so.” 
“You don’t think she also dresses up Knightowl, do you?” 
“I hope not,” she laughed. “Luka hasn’t said anything about it but you never know-” 
“Jules!” She pulled Marinette to a stop as she turned in the direction of the voice. Luka was smiling apologetically at someone she recognized from the year below her as he awkwardly side stepped towards her. “I thought I had lost you Jules- Marinette.” 
She didn’t bother to hide her smile at the look on her brother’s face. She had never seen his eyes so wide. And she swore she could almost hear the sounds of his brain short-circuiting. His plastic cup clattered to the ground, thankfully spilling only a few drops as it had been almost completely empty. “You- you’re beautiful,” he said, almost reverently. 
She glanced at Marinette at the corner of her eye, even as Marinette unhooked her arm from hers to take a step towards Luka. Her smile only grew. Marinette was equally wide-eyed, and she was practically glowing. 
“Your dress, it’s incredible. I knew it would be, but… wow,” Luka laughed breathlessly. 
“Thank you,” Marinette said, almost shyly. “But Luka, your tie.” Marinette reached out as if to touch it, but stopped just short, her hand awkward  hovering a few inches from Luka’s chest.
The sap looked down to grin at the floral tie, which was the same shade of pink as his cheeks and ears, before smiling back up at Marinette. “Yeah, I-“ she watched as her brother reached up to rub the back of his neck as a bashful smile and flush crept across his face. “It made me think of you.”  
***
Phase ’And Their Eyes Will Meet’ had gone off without a hitch. 
At least, from her perspective. 
The best part was, she hadn’t had to do much. And that meant that there was no way Alya could turn around to try and pin the phase’s failure on her. Especially given she had alerted Rose to Mendeliev getting a little too close to the faux flowers for comfort. She had almost felt sorry for Adrien as Chloe dragged him off to dance with her. 
Almost. 
But knowing what she knew… yeah. She didn’t. 
Plus, it got him away from Marinette. And more importantly, Alya. 
And that had given Luka an opening. Of course, the DJ had just had to put on an XY song, which meant Luka and Marinette weren’t dancing… They were hovering by one of the walls of the gym, glasses of the saccharinely sweet punch completely forgotten in their hands as they laughed over something. Sure, they were maybe leaning a bit into wallflower territory, but they were together. 
The other good thing about them standing there by the wall was that it was relatively easy for her to keep an eye on them and the things going on around them as Rose spun her around the dance floor. She would have been more than happy to sit this song out too, to be honest. It wasn’t like any of them had a soft spot for XY. The complete opposite in fact. But even the sourness of the memory of their music being stolen wasn’t enough to dampen Rose’s spirits. She had practically begged to dance, and when had she ever been able to say no to Rose? Especially when she used her puppy eyes… 
“I can’t wait until they play a slow song!” Rose somehow both sighed and squealed as she pulled her into an enthusiastic spin. 
“Neither can I,” she chuckled, blinking as she teetered on her shoes and tried to steady herself. While she was able to keep an eye on everything from the dance floor, keeping everything she saw straight was another thing entirely with Rose leading… 
“Sorry,” Rose said, cringing as she smiled apologetically. 
She couldn’t help but smile at how unabashedly Rose was leaning into the rose-tinted romance she perceived the dance to be. “It’s ok, maybe just a little less… gusto?” 
Rose nodded brightly before tugging her a little closer, her smile dimming a little. “You’re still doing ok?” 
She blinked down at Rose. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 
Rose shrugged as they continued to dance. “Yesterday… it was a lot. It was a lot for me and Mylène. Heck, it was even a lot for Alix. We’ve… none of us… well, I don’t remember the last fight any of us had like that. I don’t know if we’ve ever had a fight like that before…”
“It was a lot,” she agreed, nodding slightly. 
“I know we talked it out last night, but  this morning, and during the phone call… Alya wasn’t exactly…”
“Talking to me?” she snorted. Rose nodded, and she sighed. “You and me? We’re alright. I promise,” she added, squeezing Rose’s hand. “Me and Alix and Mylène? We’re fine too. I talked with them both last night.” 
“And you and Alya?” 
She bit back a groan, but some of it still slipped into her sigh. “I don’t know where we are right now. But I know that she needs time to let it go and- what is she doing?” She craned her neck to get a better view of what she had seen over Rose’s shoulder. 
Alya was dancing with Adrien. It was very obvious that Adrien was trying to lead the two in the dance, and it was even more obvious that Alya had taken the lead. And that she was steering him right towards… 
Rose turned to look over her shoulder in the direction she was looking and sighed. “I forgot about that plan…” 
“What plan was that?” 
Rose turned back to her, and to her surprise, rolled her eyes. “It was one of the ones Alya came up with. One that we weren’t supposed to tell you about,” she added apologetically. “We tried to tell her it wouldn’t work but…” Rose’s words trailed off in a shrug. “I suppose she didn’t listen.”
That was an understatement. 
“Hey,” do you think we could maybe take a bit of a rest?” she asked as casually as she could. “I’m getting a little tired, I’m not used to wearing heels and we’ve been dancing for a while…” 
Both were true. They had been dancing for three songs now. And she wasn’t used to wearing heels. 
But that pang of guilt still lodged itself in her chest. She still wasn’t sure what the best course of action would be, with the girls. Telling them everything—well, not everything—or keeping quiet. She knew she would have to decide one way or another eventually. But today- tonight didn’t feel like the right time. 
All she was sure of, was that she needed to keep Alya away from Luka and Marinette. 
“Of course, bijou!” Rose said brightly. “I was getting hungry anyways. Want me to go grab some snacks?” 
“Sure. I’ll wait over with Mari and Luka?” she asked, nodding towards them. 
“That sounds good! I’ll bring snacks for them too, we can all rest for a bit.” 
She pecked Rose on the forehead before they parted ways. Rose heading towards the refreshment table, while she headed into what felt like what was going to turn into a storm… 
***
The music was still pounding. 
The gym was still dimly lit by the lights and the disco ball that had been pulled out from the school storage for the occasion. 
The gym still unfortunately smelled like Kim’s locker. Maybe even worse now that people had been dancing for a while, not to mention topping up their perfume and cologne in the bathroom. She had nearly choked on the clouds of clashing scents when she had ducked into the ladies room. 
And while somewhat expected, it seemed Luka and Marinette were still no closer to stopping their mutual idiocy than they had been when they had arrived at the dance. Or last week. Or last month… 
The only thing that had changed in the past hour of the dance had been… 
She narrowed her eyes as she watched Nino sling an arm around Adrien’s shoulder with a laugh. Normally, that wouldn’t be something she would even bat an eye at. Nino was just like that, always slinging an arm around his friends’ shoulders or ribbing them when joking around, or slinging an arm around Alya’s waist. For all the ways he presented himself as a chill, nonchalant kind of guy, he was actually very touchy-feely and outwardly affectionate to the people close to him. In some ways, he was quite a bit like Luka, being more than content to let things be and happen as they did. 
And he was a terrible liar. And a terrible actor. 
She wouldn’t have batted an eye at the way he had slung his arm around Adrien’s shoulder, if not for the almost mechanical way he had done it. Like it was timed, or he was overthinking it in trying to make it look casual. 
And of course, there was the fact that he had shot a not-so subtle glance at Alya where she was standing over by the refreshment table, sipping a glass of the overly sweet punch. 
She almost frowned before she remembered herself. It wouldn’t do to look suspicious; she was at a dance after all, she should look like she wasn’t trying to unravel Kwami’s only knew how many unknown convoluted schemes Alya had cooked up. She turned her attention away from Alya and back to Mylène. Or rather… at the spot just over Mylène’s head where she could see Nino and Adrien talking. 
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a whirl of bubblegum and serene blue. Rose and Marinette flew through her field of vision, laughing and giggling as Rose swung them in a twirling dance that wasn’t so much a dance per se as a whirling tornado of pink and blue, puffy chaos. A smile curled across her face at the sight; she had needed to take a break from dancing. She still wasn’t used to wearing heels, so there was only so much dancing she could do at a time. And Marinette had seemed disappointed to not be dancing to this song while Luka was in the bathroom trying to dry off, so of course she had no objections to Rose dancing with Marinette for a while. 
Her smile faltered. 
It had seemed like an accident… 
But she of all people should know things aren’t always what they seem. 
And it was just a little too convenient that Kim’s water had ended up all over Luka. Sure, it was easy to brush off; Kim wasn’t exactly what anyone would call observant. And he had been goofing around—as usual—when he had bumped into Nino and sent the water all over Luka’s side. But the fact that it had been water as opposed to the syrupy punch that had ended up all over Luka’s sleeve made it feel too deliberate. For all her flaws, Alya wasn’t mean. She wouldn’t stoop to completely ruining Luka’s shirt. 
And of course, there was the fact she had been Nino. That, and she had seen Alya give Nino what she assumed was meant to be a covert look a couple of minutes before it happened. 
It was just water. But it was enough Luka had ducked out to the washroom to try and dry off some of the water with paper towels and the hand dryers. 
And now…
Her gaze narrowed in on Nino and Adrien again. Nino was nodding his head towards Rose and Marinette, his movements painfully stiff and awkward looking. She couldn’t tell what he was saying from here—there was no way on earth she could hear him from that far away over the music and frustratingly, lip reading was harder than she had initially thought. But she had a hunch. 
She watched Adrien and Nino as Nino continued to talk with exaggerated motions. For her part, she nodded along as she listened to Mylène talking about her plans for the first couple of weeks of the summer break. Adrien nodded again, and Nino’s face broke out into a look of relief. 
That couldn’t be good… 
The song—one of Clara Nightingale’s recent releases—was still going, but she recognized the lines enough to know it was nearing its end. And- 
Nope. 
Adrien was walking away from Nino now, making his way through the crowd of people dancing with his usual supermodel grace.
That was not good. 
Nino was watching Adrien go as he made his way towards Rose and Marinette. 
It was definitely not good. 
And across the dance floor, Alya was also watching Adrien heading towards Marinette and Rose, grinning like the cat that had just caught the canary. 
“I’m going to go find Luka,” she said, rather abruptly if the look Mylène and Ivan gave her was anything to go by. 
“He’s probably still in the washroom though, right?” Ivan asked. 
Max pushed his glasses up his nose before nodding. “That would be the most probable answer. That cup was quite full-” 
“I said I was sorry!” Kim interjected, earning a look of good-natured ire from Max. 
“But it also doesn’t take that long to dry off a shirt. He can live with a damp sleeve and he’s missing everything.” 
“That is also a good point-” 
She shot Max a smile, and then before anyone else could protest, she slipped away from their group and began fighting her way through the fringes of the dance floor. She was sure to make a show of looking around like she was looking for someone and wasn’t really watching where she was going—lest Alya spot her and decide to make more accusations—as she made a beeline for the spot it looked like she would cross paths with Adrien. 
“Oh, excuse me- oh, hey Juleka.” 
She turned to look down at Adrien—who she was towering over even more than usual in her shoes—with feigned surprise. “Oh, Adrien. Sorry about that, I didn’t see you there.” 
Adrien shot her one of his easy, effortless, supermodel grins. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “So, are you enjoying the dance?” 
She nodded. “I am. Yeah.” Ok. This was awkward. She had been so laser-focused on intercepting Adrien before he could reach Marinette and, she assumed, ask her to dance, that she hadn’t even thought about how she was going to keep him occupied. 
And for all his obliviousness, even Adrien seemed to be picking up on the pure, tangible awkwardness that was filling the air. 
“So…” he said, letting the single word trail off. 
What was she supposed to say? What could she possibly talk to Adrien about now?
Come to think of it, what could she ever possibly talk to just Adrien about? They had nothing in common other than their teachers and classmates! 
“Are you having fun?” The words blurted out, but that was fine. That was a nice, safe, impersonal topic. 
Adrien grinned again. “Yeah, it’s great! I’m glad father let me come, it’s a lot of fun dancing with everyone. I was just on my way to ask Marinette to dance- oh, looks like Luka is back.” 
She held back a sigh of relief as she turned to look behind her where Adrien was craning his neck to see. Luka was back, and even though the song hadn’t quite ended yet it looked like Rose had released Marinette from their tornado like dance to reunite with Luka. Marinette was busy inspecting Luka’s sleeve—probably to make sure he had properly dried it or something—while the dork stood there blushing and staring at the top of Marinette’s head like a lovesick idiot. 
But a ways behind them… 
She could see Alya staring at the two. Her brows furrowed and there was the familiar gleam in her eyes, the one she always had when she was plotting and scheming… 
“…but Nino said I should try to dance with Marinette, I’m sure they won’t mind if I interrupt-”
“Why don’t we dance?” 
Did she really just say that?
Did she really just say that?
Did she really just say that? 
Why? Why? Of all the things she could ever possibly say to him, why did she have to go and say that? 
She wasn’t sure who was more surprised. Her. Or Adrien. He was staring at her, his mouth gaping open not unlike that of a fish.  And honestly? She couldn’t really blame him… 
“Uh, yeah, sure. Sounds fun.” They stood there awkwardly, looking at each other. “I guess we should…?” Adrien asked, his question trailing off. 
“Oh. Yeah. Uh…” she glanced around, trying to spot Luka and Marinette so that she could get Adrien as faraway from them as possible. The two were dancing to the upbeat song that had started playing. Marinette was glowing, she was smiling so brightly at Luka. And Luka was looking at Marinette like she was the sun, the moon, and all the stars rolled into one as he laughed at something Marinette had said. 
 Her thoughts soured as she glanced around for Alya. There was no way she wanted Adrien anywhere near them lest Alya—or Nino—find a way to interrupt.
Alya was staring at her, her eyes hard and her mouth downturned in a frown. Nino was standing beside her, looking like he was trying to placate her. But Alya looked like she was ready to do business. 
She definitely wanted Adrien away from those two, and any plots Alya cooked up on the fly, as well. 
“Let’s go over there,” she said, nodding her head to the other side of the dance floor where the crowd was thinner. Far away from Luka and Marinette. And far far away from Alya’s interference… 
Adrien nodded, and began heading in the direction she had nodded. The wove through the crowd until they were on the fringes of the far side of the dance floor, far away from any of Alya’s plots and schemes. 
Hopefully. 
Adrien turned to her with another practiced smile and placed a hand on her waist. 
She couldn’t stop herself from stepping back in surprise. 
“What are you doing?” 
Adrien’s brows furrowed. “Dancing?” 
“It isn’t really the right kind of song for that kind of dancing,” she said, nodding to the people around them who were bobbing and swaying to the fast beat of one of the other songs from Clara’s new album.  
“Oh,” Adrien said, his brows still furrowed. But then he smiled and chuckled as he ran a hand though his perfectly coiffed hair. It was such a Chat like movement she almost grimaced. “Sorry about that, guess I’m not used to school dances since father never really lets me go to them,” he said, his voice full of its usual model charm.  
“No problem.” Nodding, she began dancing, trying to ignore the awkwardness that was making it feel like she was moving her stiff limbs through jello. She was never a big dancer, but it was also never hard for her to dance. But this? This was painful. 
But at least if they were dancing they wouldn’t have to make small talk… 
Clumsily, Adrien mimicked her movements. “So…” he said again, breaking the silence between them.    
There went that small comfort… 
“You like Clara’s new album?” she asked, desperately looking for something- anything to talk about that would maybe hopefully dissipate at least some of the awkward tension. Or at least distract her long enough to get her through this song. 
Except that was a mistake. Bringing up Clara’s new album. Because it had another Ladybug song on it. Quite a few actually. And a song a lot of people were speculating was intended to be about Tigress… 
With no mention of Chat in any of the lyrics… 
Adrien’s face darkened into almost a scowl before he seemed to remember himself. “It’s fine,” he muttered before brightening marginally. “The lyrics about Ladybug’s eyes are spot on,”  he half laughed, half sighed. “She really is brilliant- Ladybug that is. Clara’s first song, the one about Ladybug and Chat Noir is still my favourite though.” 
Of course it was.
And was he- was he humming that song about Ladybug and Chat Noir? 
This was more than painful. 
“Hey, you seen Chloe recently?” 
“What?” Why would he be asking her that?
“I haven’t seen her for a while now, and I saw another girl wearing a similar dress-” 
“Last I saw her, it looked like Sabrina was trying to keep her from noticing. I think I saw Sabrina talking to the girl earlier, probably trying to convince her to change.” 
“Oh.” 
Was he seriously disappointed by that? Was he actually hoping Chloe would see the girl wearing a similar dress? Something that would almost surely end in akumatization, if not for the poor girl then for Chloe. Except, it wasn’t really surprising because of course he would. Because where there were akumas, there was Ladybug. A wave of disgust washed through her. “Why are you asking?”
Alarm passed so quickly through Adrien’s eyes she would have missed it if she hadn’t been watching for it. “Oh, you know. It seemed like there’s always an akuma at school dances.” 
“Hopefully the evening won’t come to that.” 
“Of course,” Adrien said, casting her a charming, supermodel smile that was completely repulsive. 
She nodded, trying to return his smile. It wouldn’t do her any good to try and disagree with him. But trying to smile at him made her stomach feel like it was flipping inside out. 
Thankfully, he was Adrien. He took her smile—well, her rather poor attempt at a smile—at face value. “I wonder if Ladybug likes dancing…” She ignored him as he continued to muse about whether Ladybug liked to dance and what kind of music she liked and wax poetic about her in general. 
The song was still no where close enough to being over when she caught sight of Alya and Nino. She had to bite back a groan at the sight of them. They were standing, chatting with Luka and Marinette. She had been able to keep Adrien away from those two, but she had overlooked the crucial fact that it wasn’t just Adrien she had to be worried about. If anything, he really should have been what she was least worried about. 
Alya was the mastermind of all the plots. 
Alya was the one doing her utmost best to be a wedge between Luke and Marinette. 
And she had been so stupid to get so caught up on the Adrien plots that she had overlooked the reality she was contending with. 
Still… the night wasn’t over. Maybe Alya was keeping Marinette and Luka from enjoying their time together right now, but the night was still young. And the song would be over—though not soon enough—and she could make her way back to the two idiots. She just had to grin and bear it a little longer. And at least with Adrien waxing poetic about Ladybug, she could focus on figuring out how to keep Alya away from Luka and Marinette.
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airi-p4 · 28 days
Text
Sweep Sweep
Hi! New short lukanette fic!
Summary: Marinette is surprised to see that Luka doesn't know how to clean so she offers him her help (and something more).
AO3
(Thank you @celestiall0tus for checking it for me!)
Enjoy?
_________________________
The first time Marinette saw Luka cleaning, she hadn't been paying much attention: she had been distracted and embarrassed by the turnout of Adrien's boys party and her stupid crush on the blond boy to notice anything else. 
The second time she saw it, it was at the Liberty. Her past crush on Adrien forgotten, Marinette greatly enjoyed hanging out with her favorite band’s friends. And sure, she couldn't deny the growing affection and the fastening heartbeats she had started to notice around Kitty Section’s guitarist -the butterflies on the stomach made her feelings quite obvious to her, too. 
New. Refreshing. Happy.
That time, their first official concert had ended, and fireworks were displayed afterwards for the celebration party. By the evening, confetti was all scattered on the deck, along with used paper cups, pizza boxes, empty snacks bags and candy wrappers- which meant cleaning time. It was very convenient that the captain was distracted (being scolded and fined) by agent Roger- because yes, you can't fire ship cannons (or cannons in general) in Paris, even if it's only fireworks.
So meanwhile, everyone diligently got to work, their cleaning tools and trash bags ready as they paired up and took their positions. There was a broom on Luka's hands and- Oh, clumsy her!- Marinette accidentally stepped on it, her body spinning and falling on the blue-haired boy, who hit the floor on his back. Her heartbeats were loud, the proximity of his face to hers made her fluster with red, and she had no doubts that reaction was most likely noticed by the observant boy lying down under her. Despite the warmth on her cheeks, she couldn't help it but to glance at his lips and stare in his eyes and, lost in them, she leaned closer towards him. Seeing him move too just before closing her eyes, she had expected to meet him halfway, but before that could happen… 
*beep beep* 
She had to run because of an akuma. Just her luck. She cursed, and with one of her unbelievable excuses, she left in a rush. She hated the thought of her friends thinking that she just left because she didn't want to help with the cleaning- but on the next day, she found out Luka covered for her lie and had protected her from getting a negative impression. In result, she was charged with more tasks than usual (such as baking cookies for the band) as a “penalty”. She didn't think it was possible, but she fell a little more for Luka that day.
And then, the time she actually saw it for real arrived.
It was the third time Marinette saw Luka cleaning, the first time she actually looked -no accidents, no unwanted boys or akumas- and she couldn't believe her eyes. 
They had been at the bakery, baking cookies together, and playfully painting each other’s faces with flour and chocolate. Marinette had to admit the chocolate at the tip of Luka's nose looked adorable, almost as the heart shaped chocolate mark on her right cheek. Fun. Cookies were a success but the kitchen a messy flour disaster… 
Which meant time to clean up.
She had been wondering: why did Luka have a  “penalty” too if he was there to clean? Was it solidarity? Pity? Or maybe he wanted to spend time with her…? She had blushed at the thought. But then, looking at him in her house’s kitchen she understood it: Luka couldn't sweep. Well- sure, he did sweep, but the way he held the broom, the way he grabbed and moved it… everything was JUST WRONG. Wrong and inefficient. Embarrassing, even. No wonder she had tripped on it that past day! And no wonder he had a penalty too! What a disaster! After a minute, she couldn't bare to watch anymore.
“Luka! That's not how you do it!” Marinette finally squeaked, almost scandalized. “You have to-'' she took the broom from Luka's hands, pretending their fingers didn't brush while doing so so she could focus on her task and show him how to do it properly. His attentive eyes on her as she moved were making her a bit nervous.
“Okay” Luka nodded. He took back the broom and tried to imitate what Marinette had done as she observed. He needed practice. Okay-a lot of practice. How can anybody be so bad at sweeping the floor!? She wondered.
“Luka. You don't know how to sweep at all…?” Marinette finally asked. And the boy blushed bright red (an extremely rare sight!) and nodded as he sank between his shoulders. “What!? How!? Why!?”
“Sorry. I- You know my mom, Marinette. She has never taught me or Juleka how to properly do it. She even scolded us when she saw us clean. And with no one else to ask… Of course Jules and I do some cleaning, don't get us wrong! We both take turns to clean whenever mom isn't home. Juleka has learned a bit from Rose but I've always been embarrassed to ask for help so I just know the basics…”
‘You can't call that “the basics”!’ Marinette thought. But well, that made sense. She knew how Anarka did clean the kitchen, do the dishes, the laundry and the bathroom. But she loved chaos and freedom, so she was against cleaning when it came to dust and reorganizing, sweeping the floor included.
“Do you want me to teach you, Luka?” Marinette offered.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Of course!”
“Oh but- there's more than sweeping, Marinette… Certain cooking tools or persistent dirt- or worse, the clothes’ colors or sizes changed after doing the laundry!”
Marinette started laughing loudly. “As far as I know how, I can teach you anything you want. And if I don't know, then we can learn together” her excited smile made him smile too.
“That sounds great, Marinette. I'll repay with guitar classes. Or pizza. Or anything you want”. 
“You don't need to repay me for this, Luka! But I'd really like that” she beamed. More time together? She didn't mind it. At all.
“It's settled then” he smiled back at her.
Then, she took another broom and started to sweep too. Each one started from one corner of the kitchen, slowly getting closer as she silently taught him while exchanging shy gazes. A moment later, they finally met and the top of their brooms bumped together. Face to face, blushing, with the sole sound of their fastening heartbeats, she looked down at the floor, feeling his eyes on her. Their bodies were close as their brooms tangled together- not working anymore at that point. 
“Marinette… there's chocolate on your face. Can I clean it?” Her heart skipped at the feel of his warm breath on her forehead. All she could do was shyly nod and suddenly, his hand was on her cheek, warm, caressing there tenderly- the rub of his thumb too soft to clean anything at all, she knew. Was he actually trying to clean it or maybe he- Could it be that their feelings were really mutual? She wanted to see- to know- his facial expression. 
Curiosity became courage, and Marinette raised her face up until their eyes finally met with the most adoring, bittersweet and loving gaze she had ever seen on Luka. And that was all she needed to know. Her blush and bewilderment didn't stop her getting on her tiptoes and raising to give him a peck on his cheek- a peck too that lasted too long to be expected to have a friendly meaning, she knew and he suspected. How she blushed even more and avoided his eyes seconded his suspicions for him. 
“Marinette…” he said in a whisper. And without words, only with his fingers, he encouraged her chin to raise up again. His face was even closer now, a questioning expression on him which she had no trouble to understand. In response, she lifted her chin even more and closed her eyes, finally offering him his answer and what both of them had been waiting for a long while- too long. 
Slowly but surely, he moved. His free hand impatiently moved to her back, raising to secure her in his arms and making both brooms fall to the floor with the movement, at the same time she raised on her tiptoes and their lips finally met at last. Their kiss was everything they wished for, and surprisingly better than they could have ever imagined. Only their smiles and happy faces topped such brightness as they hugged tenderly before kissing once again.
From then on, the cleaning teachings continued. And if Luka was doing it bad on purpose to spend more time with his girlfriend, he didn't say. And Marinette definitely didn't complain either when she realized what he was doing, especially when those lessons always ended with lots of kisses. 
Sweeping their love inwards home- both benefited from it.
Fin
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verfound · 18 days
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FIC: I Guess I Live Here Now (MLB; Lukanette)
Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Luka wasn’t sure exactly when he started living with Marinette, but it was definitely some point between her favorite knitting mug showing up in his cabinet and the time he returned from the studio at three AM to find her asleep in his bed.
Author’s Notes/Warnings: Y’all.  This one has been sitting in the Hoard for ages.  It started with the shower tiles (and I’m still not sure where that inspo came from; I would have sworn Quick, but none of us can find it), grew from that, then sat in the Hoard for probably over a year just biding its time.  I opened it up last week to find the first two scenes and notes, and after a really rough couple of weeks the next thing I knew I was just floating in the moat around Fort Fluff with these idiots.
TL;DR: Never give up on your WIPs.  They all get finished.  Eventually.  😂
“I Guess I Live Here Now”
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Luka chuckled, nudging Marinette’s shoulder with his arm.  She looked up at him with a grin and bumped him back, except she didn’t pull away and ended up leaning into his shoulder.  If his heart picked up a few extra beats at the familiarity of her closeness, they both pretended not to notice.  Her head rested on his shoulder, and she looked up at him with impossibly blue eyes.
“Of course I do,” she said, reaching over to poke at his stomach.  An eyebrow lifted, and her smile grew.  “Juleka and Rose are busy.  Dingo’s working.  Bri’s still stuck in Berlin.  The Captain’s God knows where.  Someone has to make sure you don’t end up living in a crap hole.”
“…I don’t know if I’m insulted or not at the implication that I wouldn’t be able to tell a good place from a…crap hole,” he said sardonically, laughing a little.  Marinette nudged him with her shoulder, or maybe she just snuggled closer.  It had been getting harder to tell lately.
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omnoramayday · 1 month
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By Another Name
Notes: This year I was @quickspinner's secret admirer for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Valentine's exchange! I went with the prompt for a Flower Shop/Tattoo Shop AU. I hope you enjoy the set up and stick around for the journey.
Details: Rated teen, mostly for any language or themes that might pop up as this fic continues. This is a mostly planned multi chapter fic that I have roughly 5-7ish chapters outlined for, depending on how long some scenes end up.
Summary: Marinette has opened a flower shop as a front while she does fashion design in secret. The owner of the tattoo shop next door, Luka, introduces himself like any good neighbor. Will their fast friendship lead to more?
Chapter 1 | AO3
Marinette stood at the register, tapping her fingers impatiently on the countertop. She sighed and readjusted the flower display at the end of her counter for the fifth time in the last forty minutes. What was taking Alix so long?
She took a deep breath, trying to ground her racing mind before the doom spiral could take over. Normally, her little flower shop gave her peace. With the sun filtering in through the storefront windows, the earthy floral smell, and the vivid colors from the flowers, it was a happy place. Her little oasis of calm in the midst of busy, chaotic Paris.
But right now, Marinette was about the furthest thing she could be from calm. She was an anxious, paranoid mess and it felt like she was going to pass out. Alix was setting up a security system so Marinette could work on fashion design in her office in secret. All because she had upset one of the fashion industry giants and gotten herself blacklisted before she had even finished her degree. She wondered, not for the first time, if this was a bad idea and fought the urge to berate herself again.
Breathe Marinette. She needed a distraction and decided to busy herself with sweeping the floors while she waited for Alix. It was a quiet day for the flower shop, but Marinette couldn't help feeling frazzled. She hated waiting. She felt compelled to do something when things were stressful or falling apart. Sometimes without thinking those actions through, she mused.
She had just finished putting away the broom when a familiar head of bright red hair finally poked around the curtain to the back. Alix took a quick look around to make sure nobody was in the shop, before coming out to join Marinette. “Alright, I think you're set.”
“That took a while. Are you sure everything went okay?” Marinette bit her lip nervously.
Alix rolled her eyes. “Yes, Marinette, I'm sure. I followed Max's instructions to the letter. And let me tell you, he was precise.”
Marinette sighed in relief and walked back to the register. “Sorry. I know you were careful. It's just…still scary. I still can't believe I'm doing this.”
“I can.” Alix scoffed and leaned against the countertop. “Marinette, you're kind, and maybe a little too forgiving, but you aren't meek. You have rebel bones under that sugar cookie exterior.” Marinette snorted and Alix gave her a pointed look. “I know it isn't quite the way you used to picture it, but you're still chasing your dreams. Ladybug is going to be one of the greatest fashion designers Paris has ever seen, Gabriel Agreste be damned.”
“Thanks Alix.” Marinette attempted a smile but it felt strained. “I hope you're right. I’m not sure I deserve the confidence you and Jagged have in my hair brained scheme.”
“I'm always right.” Alix winked. “But if I'm wrong, then you'll still have this place.” She gestured out to the shop with a smile. “I know you're tired of hearing it, but I really do think running a flower shop as a front while you defy industry gatekeeping is one of the coolest things anyone we know has ever done.”
Marinette laughed and her smile shifted into something more genuine. “So you keep saying.”
Alix shrugged and opened her mouth to continue arguing when she was cut off by the notification sound of her phone. She pulled it out to see who had texted her and smiled mischievously. She sent a quick reply before turning her attention back to Marinette.
“Well, not everyone can be this cool.” Alix playfully popped the front of her jacket for emphasis, earning a small laugh from Marinette.
A few moments later, the girls were interrupted by the rattling of the welcome bell as the shop door opened. Marinette turned on instinct to greet the customer and could practically feel her tongue tie in a knot.
The man standing in the entryway was…gorgeous. He had what she would describe as a modern grunge rock style that really suited him. A band t-shirt, ripped jeans, and accessories that showed off a simple style preference and colorful sneakers that hinted at a playful or artistic side. He had dark shaggy hair with blue dyed tips that was cut to frame his face, softening some of his features and striking aqua blue eyes that seemed to complement the color in his hair. Marinette felt the sudden urge to sketch the imagery swirling in her head: Gradient blue, open water, clear sky, dark edges.
Realizing she was just staring, Marinette scrambled to greet him. “Welcome to M-Meihua Floral! My name is Mama…uh, Ma-ma-Marinette! What can I do you for?” Marinette could feel the blush erupting across her face and Alix was shaking with silent laughter beside her. She silently hoped the floor would swallow her before she could say anything worse.
The man fought to contain an amused grin, causing light to bounce off the silver piercings in his lip. “Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt. I own the tattoo shop next door and wanted to introduce myself. Alix said now was okay?”
“Oh, no, you're fine. Now is fine.” Marinette turned to glare at Alix, who had already started walking toward the man. She greeted the newcomer with a fist bump before she turned back to meet Marinette's gaze, sporting a cheshire grin.
“Marinette, meet Luka, my boss. Luka, this is my friend Marinette.” Alix gestured between the two, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
Marinette made a mental note to strangle Alix later when she finally registered the introduction. “I'm so sorry. I'm a bit frazzled today. I'm Marinette, nice to meet you.” She stuck her hand out and hoped she hadn't made him uncomfortable.
Luka shook her hand and Marinette tried not to openly ogle the tattoos on his forearms. He gave her a friendly grin. “Luka. It's fine, I get it. It's nice to meet you too. If you're friends with Alix, you must be pretty cool.”
How he could possibly think she was any kind of cool after THAT introduction, she wasn't sure. “Well, I don't know how cool I am. We've been friends since we were kids so I'm pretty sure I'm just grandfathered in.” Marinette joked.
“What was I just saying?” Alix raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Marinette raised her hands in surrender and laughed. “Fine. I apparently pass the Alix Kubdel coolness test.”
Luka smiled at the girls and turned to look around the shop. “I've seen some of the displays you put outside last week when the weather was nice. You create some really stunning arrangements, Marinette.”
She blushed at the compliment. “Thanks. I like flower language and color theory so I try to make unique things. I can do traditional bouquets but it's more fun to be creative.”
He nodded. “Totally. An artist can tell a story or make a cool end product no matter what the medium.”
“You do good work too.” Marinette smiled and shrugged. “Alix has shown me the tattoos you did for her and I have seen people coming out of your shop with absolutely beautiful pieces.”
“Speaking of,” Alix interrupted, “Do you have clients this afternoon?”
“Yeah, I've got an appointment soon so I can't stay long but I thought I would at least introduce myself since we're neighbors.” He smiled at Marinette and then looked back at Alix. “Do you have room for a walk in today?”
Alix thought for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I can make time. Piercing or tattoo?”
“Piercing.” Luka answered.
“Cool.” Alix nodded. “Let me finish up here and I'll pop over for details.”
“No problem.” Luka turned and waved at Marinette with a bright smile as he left. “See you around, neighbor.”
Marinette waved long after he disappeared from view before whirling on Alix. “That was Luka?!” She hissed.
Alix just smirked. “I told you he's hot.”
Marinette groaned and slid a hand down her face. “You could have warned me he was coming over.”
“What would be the fun in that?” Alix laughed at the glare Marinette shot her. “Aw, come on ‘Nette. He's a sweetheart. He probably thought your little meltdown was cute.”
Marinette let out a defeated little sigh. “Here's hoping. You're evil, you know that?”
Alix made a noncommittal noise. “I keep things interesting. So, what did you think?”
“He seems nice enough.” Marinette shrugged. “And yes, he is attractive.”
Alix smiled triumphantly and Marinette rolled her eyes. They were interrupted by another customer and Marinette shooed Alix so she could work.
When Marinette closed that evening, she realized Alix had effectively distracted her so much that she hadn't thought about her anxious thoughts for several hours. With a fond smile, she began her walk home and planned what kind of treat she could bake her friend as thanks. If her thoughts kept wandering to what flavors Luka would like too, well, then she was just being a friendly neighbor.
[Scene Break]
Luka sat at the counter, idly working on a tattoo sketch and humming a tune that had been stuck in his head all morning. He kept glancing at the window, wondering if Marinette would be bringing pastries today.
She had been stopping in pretty regularly since their first meeting and he had to admit that he looked forward to her visits. She would bring in flowers or pastries and her enthusiasm was infectious. He found she fed his creative spark and both his designs and his music benefitted from her presence.
Luka felt something make contact with his head and turned in time to watch the ball of paper roll back towards the salon area. Alix picked up her makeshift projectile and Luka raised an eyebrow at her. “What was that for?”
“For looking like a lost puppy.” Alix tossed the paper ball back towards him and Luka caught it. “She isn't going to be by today. She's at her mom's painting class.”
“What are you talking about?” Luka feigned ignorance but he could feel his face go warm from being caught.
Alix looked unimpressed. “Oh sure. You don't keep checking out the window for my friend. Just like you haven't been doodling plum blossoms and you haven't been humming the same tune for days.”
Luka looked down, feeling a little guilty. “I…she just has creative energy. And I like her pastries.” He shrugged.
“Uh huh.” Alix walked over and took the paper ball from him. She unwrinkled the paper and set it on the counter in front of him. “You tossed this on Monday. You look me in the face and tell me that isn't her flower.” She challenged him.
He ducked his head. “It's just her shop logo.”
“And the signature design she uses when she makes all of her clothes, and the pin she puts her hair up with. You know you're allowed to like her, right?” Alix laughed when that made him blush.
“I don't like her, she's just…inspiring.” He argued.
“Yeah, well, those things seem to go hand in hand with you. I haven't heard you stuck on a song like that in a long time. Is it her?” All traces of teasing seemed to be gone from Alix’s tone now.
Luka hummed without really answering and decided to change the subject. “We have Sepultombed coming in soon. Are the tables wiped down?”
Alix nodded. “I set up multiple chairs, I wasn't sure if we had the whole band coming.”
“That was a good call, I imagine it will be all of them. It sounded like they were looking for help working through a block.” Luka tapped his pencil against the counter.
“Is anyone actually getting ink this time?” Alix smirked. “They do know your day job is as a tattoo artist, right?”
Luka waved his hand at her. “Shush. Of course they do. Leon is getting line work done for a new piece. I like talking shop with the musicians, you know that. It's why we have the clientele we do.”
“Yes, but you should at least be paid for all your expertise.” Alix frowned. “Even if it's a one time thing to buy your lyrics.”
“I'm just some guy.” Luka shrugged. “Besides, it isn't about the money to me. It's about sharing the music in my heart with as many people as I can.”
Alix snorted. “Okay, that was cheesy.”
“Shut up. You know what I mean.” Luka rolled his eyes. “I like sharing music for the sake of sharing it, not for profiting.”
Alix held her hands up in surrender. “Alright, I yield. You just deserve credit for your ideas, is all I'm saying.”
Luka looked around his shop and smiled. “Yeah, but a lot of my ideas are here too.” He looked at the mural Alix had helped him paint on the wall, the album art on the walls, and the displays of his own artwork for clients to look at. It may not be music, but this place was very much a part of his soul. Even his guitars had a space in one corner. This was his hard work and heart on full display.
“Don't get too lost on me.” Alix waved a hand in front of him. “We need to make sure everything is ready for my week off so you don't drown without me.”
Luka was about to snark back when a question crossed his mind. “Hey, do you think Marinette will still stop by while you're out? I know she's really your friend but…”
“You'll miss her pastries?” Alix asked sarcastically. “No, I think she likes you well enough to still feed the starving artist next door.”
Luka laughed and shook his head. “Let's get the shop prepped. Maybe we can order in to feed ourselves before we waste away to nothing.”
As Alix looked up delivery menus, Luka couldn't help one last look out the shop front. He really hoped Marinette would stop by.
[Scene Break]
As it turned out, Luka didn't have anything to worry about. Marinette had stopped by most days during the week Alix was absent and the conversation felt as natural as it had before.
Marinette had laughed at him when he told her he was worried he wouldn't get pastries during Alix's week off. She said she considered him a friend, and friends got pastries. He tried not to read too much into the fact that she kept using his favorite flavors in her baking.
Luka, Marinette found, was surprisingly easy to talk to. He let her dominate the conversation but never seemed bored or irritated. He genuinely seemed interested in everything she had to say and she tried not to read into the way he devoted his full attention to her. She had to admit that it was really nice to feel heard.
They found common ground in their creative passions and swapped sketches, both gushing over the other’s work. Luka was surprised to find out her first passion was fashion design and Marinette was intrigued by Luka's love of music. It didn't take long to find they both love Jagged Stone’s music and a mutual distaste for XY.
By the time Alix came back from her vacation, Luka and Marinette got along like old friends. If they sat a little closer together on the couches than friends usually did, Alix wasn't going to point it out. It wasn't every day you got a front row seat to watch your friends fall in love.
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quickspinner · 3 months
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Substitute Santa
For @verfound, queen of hilarious prompts, as part of the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Secret Santa.
Her prompt was: Jagged Stone is Santa Claus. However you want to interpret this: Jagged is literally Santa and Luka is his son (a la Hallmark "find a Mrs. Clause for Christmas"). Jagged is dressed up as Santa for an event/Because Jagged. Luka caught Jagged dressed as Santa as a kid and now firmly believes it (Jagged snuck in with gifts for his kids? Last Christmas before Jagged left? Party Anarka drug him to?).
So here we go!
Luka was not pleased at the best of times to be called out of the workshop, up to his father’s “office” (he would have said playground, but it made Penny frown at him). But to be called up today, of all days? 
This really can’t be good , he thought, sighing through his nose as he climbed the spiraling stairs. 
He didn’t bother to knock, since knocking could almost never be heard over the racket of the workshop below and Jagged’s own…extraness. When he walked in, though, he blinked in mild surprise. The iconic red suit with white fur lining was missing, as was Jagged’s usual ebullient attitude. Normally Jagged was bouncing off the walls on Christmas Eve, ready to rock his way around the world while his cool but stressed assistant tried desperately not to lose her lunch in the passenger seat of the sleigh.
Tonight, though, Jagged was sprawled with his long legs hanging over the overstuffed armchair that they normally only used for photo ops, wearing his favorite purple striped pajamas instead of The Suit.
Luka turned and almost walked right back out again, but Penny and her clipboard had somehow appeared behind him, blocking the exit. 
“No,” Luka said to her, but to his annoyance, it was pleading rather than firm. 
Jagged let out a concussive sneeze that shook all the knicknacks in the room, and blew his nose like a trumpet before pointing a woeful glance at his son.Luka knew exactly what it would look like, though he refused to turn around to confirm.
“No,” Luka—whined. He was whining. He was man enough to admit it. “No way.” He pointed an accusing finger at his father. “Santa Claus does not get sick on Christmas. There’s gotta be magic or a—a rule or something.”
“There is a rule,” Penny said stiffly behind him, and Luka jumped a little, moving inadvertently further into the room. Penny stepped after him, shutting the door behind her. “The rule is you , Santa Junior.” 
Luka rolled his eyes. “Penny…” he whined again, and Penny rolled her eyes. Jagged sneezed again and moaned pathetically. 
“Oh, grow up,” Penny snapped irritably, and Luka actually wasn’t sure which one of them she was talking to. She stalked over to the wardrobe and yanked it open. “I don’t have time for your bullshit today.” She pulled the red coat out and turned towards Luka, holding it out.
“Now?” Luka switched tactics. “I haven’t even had dinner yet?” 
“Then you should have plenty of room for cookies,” Penny replied, unsympathetic. “Now shut up and get dressed. I’ve assigned you an assistant and she’ll be here any minute.”
Worse and worse. “You’re not coming with me?” Luka asked, accepting the inevitable with the coat.
“I’ve been exposed,” she replied, throwing a dark look at Jagged. “Some of us can handle illness without being reduced to invalids.” She looked back at Luka, and suddenly he could see the tiredness in her expression and the tightness around her slightly watery eyes. “Still, I have a monster headache and I’m going straight to bed once your butt is in the sleigh.” 
“Right,” Luka sighed, slipping on the coat. “Sorry, Penny. I know this sucks.” 
She acknowledged it with a nod. “I know you don’t want to do this, but it’s got to get done.”
Luka nodded morosely. It was a responsibility he accepted when he came to live with his dad, although he’d been more interested in the workshop than the top job. He’d spent the whole year building instruments for tonight (and being teased about his slow, methodical way of working), and he wasn’t about to let all that work go to waste just because his dad was a dramatic whiny baby. 
Not to mention an entire world full of kids who would wake up disappointed on Christmas morning if he didn’t step up. 
He swallowed any further whining objections and pulled on the stupid fluffy red pants with nothing more than a long-suffering sigh. 
“You’re so his son,” Penny muttered, and Luka gave her a pouty look that did nothing to disprove her statement. It turned even more mulish as she held out the boots.
“Do I have to?” 
“You know you do. You’ll trip in those things anyway. They don’t have enough heel to keep the pants off the ground.”
Luka kicked off his shoes without further complaint and put on the stupid boring black boots. He even tied the laces when Penny continued to glare at him. The boots adjusted to fit his feet. At least the vaunted North Pole magic was good for something. The suit shrank a little as well to fit him. Luka took the hat from Penny and stuffed it in his pocket. He’d have to wear it, or the glamor wouldn’t kick on, the one that made him look like viewer expected - chubby and white-bearded, the usual thing. 
“I really don’t know what I’m doing,” he warned Penny. “I mean, I can drive the sleigh and stuff but—” She was already waving him off.
“All you have to do is drive and drop the presents. I went over the route and double-checked the lists with Marinette this morning; she’s very organized. Although,” she added, looking up at the clock above the ostentatious mantlepiece, “punctuality has never been her strong point. Make sure you stay on schedule.” 
“Yeah, okay—wait, Marinette?” Luka looked up sharply, fixing his eyes on Penny and feeling his stomach flip. “The one that works in the fashion design department?” The one that he seemed to bump into far too often coming into and out of this office, often literally. Jagged gushed about her every time, delighted to have secured such a talented and creative person for his workshop. If there was one thing you could say about Jagged—well, it was that he really enjoyed being revered and loved by all the children of the world, which translated to wanting the best to come out of his workshop so that those children kept adoring him. 
He sighed to himself. Even a substitute Santa probably shouldn’t be such a cynic. And Marinette—
If there was another thing you could say about Jagged, it was that he was not at all subtle, and Luka was mortally convinced that his frequent brushes with Marinette in this office were intentional. He should have been doing everything in his power to dodge her, but…
Just then, she barreled in through the door, and his mouth went dry and his breathing quickened. She was flushed from the run up the stairs, eyes bright and eager, and she tripped over her words as she apologized profusely to Penny. She had a tablet tucked under her arm and she was wearing the traditional elf uniform, green with striped stockings and a silly belled hat perched between her pigtails. 
She was stupid cute and he felt like his brain was leaking out of his ears even before she turned to smile at him, clearly nervous but also excited. He couldn’t help but smile back.
Before they could say anything, though, Jagged groaned loudly, and Luka just caught Marinette’s arm before she rushed to the poor invalid’s side. “Don’t get too close,” he warned darkly, and winced when she turned wide eyes on him. “I don’t want you getting sick too,” he added quickly, dropping her arm. He felt like an idiot but the look she turned on him was grateful.
“You’re so right, I wouldn’t want to spread anything to the children.” She returned a sympathetic smile to the pitiful look Jagged gave her. “You stay home and rest. Don’t worry about a thing. Luka and I have got this!” She pumped a fist in the air, and Jagged threw her a goat and a grin that actually seemed genuine, and genuinely tired. Luka felt a tiny stab of sympathy, but it disappeared when Jagged blew Marinette a kiss and hoarsely told her she was the best, adding, “Keep the kid out of trouble!”
“Right!” Marinette grinned. Then she turned to Luka and his stomach did that weird flip thing again as her eyes darted over him. “Shall we go?” she said, checking her tablet. “I’ve got our schedule and route all worked out and when I stopped by the stable, they were just finishing up loading. Do you have your hat?” 
Luka pulled it from his pocket and waved it, and her smile brightened, making his knees weak. “Lead the way,” he managed to get out, and when she turned he followed right behind her. 
Penny whispered, “You can thank me later,” while he passed, and he nearly tripped on his own feet. 
Fortunately, his face cooled by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, so he hopefully didn’t look any more like a tomato than the suit already suggested when Marinette turned to him. 
“All right,” she grinned at him, linking her arm through his. “Let’s go save Christmas!”
He let her tug him towards the stable, chuckling a little at her enthusiasm. Well, if he had to do this, there was no point in sulking the whole time, right? It was just one night.
Marinette was a whirlwind, checking the packing, checking the harnessing, giving firm but polite directions when she found anything amiss. Luka wasn’t really sure what to do with himself, so he climbed into the sleigh and waited, until Marinette bounced up into the seat beside him.
“I’ve always wanted to ride this,” she confessed, flashing a grin at him. “This is so amazing. Ready when you are, Santa.”
“Luka,” he corrected automatically, but he was smiling as he picked up the reins. He couldn’t help it. “Hold on,” he said without thinking, and suddenly Marinette was pressed tight against his side, both her arms wound around his right arm. 
“Can you move okay?” she asked, looking up at him. “There’s not much else to hold on to,” she added, blushing, and he realized he was staring at her.
“Oh—yeah, sure, you’re fine,” he said, and flapped the reins with a little more force than was wise.
He had to admit, as the reindeer started off, gliding across the snow faster and faster before lifting sharply into the air—the sleigh was a rush. He couldn’t help laughing for pure joy at the swooping feeling in his stomach and the sudden surge of adrenaline. Marinette squealed a bit as they came off the ground. She sounded more excited than terrified but he risked a glance at her to make sure she was okay, and saw her grin in a flash of the bouncing lamplight.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” she said again, letting go of his arm and sliding over a little bit as they leveled out. 
Luka grinned. “Well, we’ll get to do it a few thousand more times.” 
“Right,” Marinette said, pulling up her tablet, suddenly all business. Well, that was understandable, but it did kill Luka’s good mood a little. Right. It’s not like he was taking her out for a joyride—or a date.
He really wished he could, though. He’d run into Marinette half a dozen times, but always with Jagged in near proximity, which didn’t exactly bring out the best in Luka. She’d caught his eye every time, but he’d never managed to be walking out of Jagged’s office at the same time, and once he was back in the workshop with his tools in his hands, he tended to forget anything except the vision he had in mind. Luka wished now he’d been a bit more proactive. He could have come up with some excuse to visit her department if he’d thought about it. If only Jagged weren’t so damn pushy, then maybe…
Before he could get too far down that train of thought, it was time for the work to begin, and Luka didn’t have much time to think of anything except getting in, leaving presents, and getting out. Marinette was a good assistant, and everything he needed was right to hand when he needed it. They made a good team. Luka made sure to bring some of the best cookies back to the sleigh for her, to show his appreciation. He loved Penny but Marinette was a lot more fun—especially since Penny got horribly motion sick in the sleigh. He didn’t know how she managed the trip every year, but he supposed someone had to keep Jagged in line.
“Oh, these are good,” Marinette said, as they sailed between towns. Luka glanced at her and saw that she had a molasses cookie in her hand. 
“They were,” he agreed. 
“My parents own a bakery,” she said, taking another bite. “These remind me of home.” She giggled. “Who would have thought when I was putting out cookies as a little girl that I’d end up actually working in Santa’s workshop?” 
Luka chuckled. “I bet you were adorable. I can just see you in fuzzy pajamas, arranging the cookies and worrying about whether Santa has food allergies.” 
Marinette barked a surprised laugh. “It’s like you know me,” she said, putting a hand over her mouth as she tried not to choke on her cookie.
Luka grinned. “Maybe not yet, but I feel like I’m getting there.” He winked at her, and she blushed, and he grinned all the way to Budapest. 
Luka had no idea how the Christmas magic worked, only that it messed with time, so that Santa could make it everywhere that welcomed him before daylight. When Marinette announced happily that they were running ahead of schedule, though, he had an idea. 
“Do you think we can squeeze out fifteen minutes or so before we get to Paris?” he asked. “There’s someone I’d like to stop and see.” 
Marinette frowned. “Isn’t that against the rules?”
“Nah,” Luka chuckled. “She already knows all the secrets. I just want to stop and say hello.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, her tone a little strained. “Well, okay…I think we can probably make that happen, if you don’t mind eating your cookies on the go.” 
“I think I can manage.”
Landing reindeer on a boat was a no-go, so Luka left the sleigh nearby, hopefully out of sight. He turned and offered Marinette his hand to help her down.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude—” she began, but Luka snorted. 
“You won’t be, trust me. You ought to get out and stretch your legs, anyway.” 
She let him take her hand and pull her down from the sleigh, though she still looked a little unsure. He kept her hand as he pulled her gently along behind him towards the boat at the dock. The garish paint job was masked by thick swags of twinkling multicolored lights that seemed to dance when they reflected on the water. 
When they were standing on the deck, Luka let out a loud “HO HO HO,” in a credible imitation of Jagged’s voice.
There was a thundering sound from inside the boat, and an older woman popped out of the door, scowling. 
“What did I tell ya about showin’ up on my boat you old—” Luka pulled off his hat, and she stopped her tirade, blinking, as Luka grinned. “Luka, m’boy!” She laughed, and threw herself forward. Luka dropped Marinette’s hand to catch and hug her, enjoying his mother’s bone-crushing embrace. “What are ye doing wearing the suit, lad?” 
Anarka stepped back, looking at him, and Luka shrugged. “Old man’s sick tonight, so I got stuck with the job. It’s good to see you, Ma.”
Her face softened, and she smiled. “Aye, it is that. I know ye probably cannae stay long, but come downstairs for a moment and have something hot to drink. And you too, lass,” she added, leaning a little to look around Luka at Marinette. “Got stuck with babysitting duty, did ye?” 
Marinette giggled, and nodded, while Luka pretended to look wounded. “Ma, this is Marinette,” he said as they followed Anarka down the stairs into the ship’s galley. “Marinette, this is Anarka Couffaine, my mom. Where’s Juleka, Ma?” he added, glancing around. 
“Passed out on the couch about an hour ago,” Anarka told him, jerking a thumb towards a lump topped with long black hair curled up at one end of the couch. “Never manages to stay up on Christmas. Pretty sure it’s that magic shit. Kids who try to stay up and see Santa never manage it.”
“There should be a loophole when you’re related to him,” Luka muttered. “And she’s hardly a kid.” 
Anarka shrugged. “Don’t ask me, I don’t truck with that Christmas magic bullshit.” 
“Maybe because she still believes,” Marinette suggested, and she blushed when Luka turned to look at her. “I mean, she knows Santa exists, so she still believes in him, so the magic still works on her.” She spread her hands, looking a little sheepish. “It’s just a thought.”
“Well, maybe.” Luka went over and kissed his sister’s forehead, tucking a creepy-ass doll he had picked out just for her under her arm. “Tell her I love her, okay?”
“O’course,” Anarka brought him a cup of—
“Coffee!” Marinette squealed, and then immediately put her hand over her mouth, eyes round.
“Aye,” Anarka laughed. “I know ya don’t have it ‘up north.’ Cocoa’s fine but,” she grinned at the blissful look on Marinette’s face at the first sip, “sometimes ye just want a good ol’ cup o’ joe. That much sweet all the time, sometimes ye need a touch o’ bitter.” Anarka winked at Luka, who realized he was staring at Marinette with what was probably a very stupid expression on his face. “Or spicy, eh?”
“It’s lovely,” Marinette sighed, fortunately not noticing the way Luka flushed red.
“Ye have to go, I expect,” Anarka sighed, when they handed the empty cups back. 
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, glancing worriedly at her tablet. 
“Don’t apologize,” Luka told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s the job. Ma understands.”
“Aye, that I do,” Anarka said, rolling her eyes. “Get on wi’ ye then. Thanks for stopping to see yer ol’ Ma.”
Luka kissed her cheek, and hugged her. “Bye, Ma. I’ll come by again when I can.”
As they loaded themselves back in the sleigh, Luka said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to ask if you wanted to stop and see your own family.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, waving a hand. “They’re surely asleep by now. Bakery hours, you know. And if they weren’t, we’d never get out before dawn. You don’t know my dad.” 
Luka grinned and clucked to the reindeer. “Tell me about him.”
The night seemed to pass like lightning after that, conversations pausing and picking up between deliveries as if they’d never been interrupted. Marinette told him about her parents and her life before the North Pole. Luka told her about growing up on a houseboat with Anarka and his sister, and then finding out as a teen that his father was THE Fucking Santa Claus. For the first time Luka thought he could actually feel the magic working, and they left their last delivery and turned back north just as the sun was lightening their section of sky. 
“So that’s that,” Luka sighed. 
“Yes,” Marinette agreed, and leaned back with a sigh. “I won’t say I had no idea how much work it would be, because obviously it’s hard, but it’s different to actually experience it.” 
“Would you do it again?” Luka wanted to know, and Marinette laughed.
“In a heartbeat,” she giggled, and then sobered slightly. “Would you?”
It was a bit of a loaded question. Somewhere in the dark of the night he had confessed to her his misgivings about taking on the mantle one day. 
“I think I might,” he said slowly. “The right company makes a big difference.” He smiled at Marinette, and to his delight, she smiled back, in a shy way he hadn’t seen from her before. “We make a pretty good team,” he dared to add, and Marinette nodded.
“And we made so many people happy,” she pointed out, looking back towards the horizon where the sun was rising. “It feels good.”
Luka nodded thoughtfully. “So yeah, maybe I’d do it again.” He shrugged. “I don’t think the old man’s gonna retire anytime soon, so. I’ve got time to think about it.” He grinned. “After I’ve slept for like three days.”
“Agreed.” Marinette covered a yawn. “And I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t think I’m going to want to look at another cookie for at least a month.” 
“I’m with you,” Luka laughed, and then licked his lips a little nervously. “So, after we’ve slept for three days…do you have plans for the New Year?” 
“N-no, not really,” she stammered, reaching up to check her belled hat, which was slightly askew after all this time, but still there. Luka’s heartbeat sped up at her nervousness, which he thought was both adorable and a good sign. 
“Maybe we could go somewhere?” Luka suggested. “Find a good cup of coffee and ring in the new year together?” 
Marinette visibly swallowed, blushing before she met his eyes. “Maybe kiss at midnight?” she suggested, quietly but boldly.
“I’d like that,” Luka managed to get out, just barely. 
“Hmm. That sounds nice. But…I’m not sure I can wait that long.”
Luka’s hands were on her face and his lips on hers in a heartbeat. The reindeer knew the way home, after all—but at the moment, he honestly didn’t care whether they made it or not. Another few laps around the world was sounding pretty good as Marinette’s arms wound around his neck. 
Fiction Master Post
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nerdypanda3126 · 3 months
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I'll Keep You Warm
Merry Christmas @omnoramayday! I'm your @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Secret Santa 😁🎅
I used the prompt you provided of: "Playing in the snow when Luka tackles Marinette/Marinette trips into Luka and they fall to the ground. They have pink cheeks and snow in their hair and they're staring at each other." which was so incredibly cute and I knew I had to use that one. Hope you like it!
Read on Ao3
Marinette shivered and clutched her backpack tighter as she exited Collège Françoise Dupont. It had seemed beautiful and sunny out all day, but during her last class a chill had crept in and a biting wind had picked up. She was thankful she’d at least worn a sweater that day, but she was still planning on speed walking most of the way home. 
That is, until she saw a familiar mop of blue-tinted hair leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Juleka, and she couldn’t help her smile as she bounded down to greet him. Luka always made her feel warmer, for some reason. He’d been showing up more and more to meet Juleka after school and walk home with her, but Marinette was still excited to see him every time.
“Luka!” she exclaimed breathlessly when she’d made it to the bottom. He turned and smiled when he saw her, which made her cheeks flush with welcome heat. His smile twitched downwards, though, when he scanned over her outfit. 
“Why don’t you have a jacket?” he asked, with concern coloring his tone. “It’s freezing out here and it smells like snow.”
She stopped to look at him curiously. “It smells like snow?” 
He only nodded, and before she could protest, he’d pulled off his own jacket and draped it around her shoulders. For good measure, he fluffed the hood out and tucked it around her neck. She didn’t know what snow smelled like, but at the moment she didn’t really care because Luka’s jacket smelled just like him and her face felt like it was about to spontaneously combust. His hand drew across her cheek as he pulled away, and he had a soft little smile on his face as he admired his handiwork. 
“You can’t possibly smell snow,” she tried to recover, lamely, as she shoved her hands through the sleeves, accepting his gift. 
He hummed in thought and looked up at the clear sky, with just a few wisps of gray clouds starting to gather. “It’s like rain,” he mused aloud, “like that same smell, but crisper and colder.” 
“Don’t argue with him,” Juleka muttered as she appeared beside Marinette. It made Marinette jump a little, but she was starting to get used to Juleka’s quiet way of walking up. “Just bring gloves to practice today.” 
“And a hat, at least,” Luka added. As the two of them started to walk away, Marinette went to take his jacket off to return it to him, but he waved her off. “See you later,” he reminded her. 
It was only after they left that Marinette felt the cold creeping in again, but as she pulled Luka’s jacket tighter around herself, she remembered the feeling of the back of his fingers lightly trailing along her cheek, and her whole walk home was very, very warm. 
***
By the time Kitty Section practice came around, they were forced to meet down in the hold because the temperature had definitely dipped below freezing. Marinette rubbed her hands together for what felt like the thousandth time and thanked Juleka silently for her recommendation to wear gloves. The boat was cold in most circumstances, let alone with the temperature dropping so rapidly. She was missing Luka’s jacket, though, which she’d given back as soon as she stepped on deck. Luka tried to tell her to keep it for practice, but she insisted she’d forget to give it back if she didn’t get it back to him right away. 
Although since she’d worn his jacket there, she was now shivering in just her sweater again and the only “gloves” she’d had on hand at the time were a pair of mittens, which made it extraordinarily difficult to sketch. Every so often she’d get too frustrated and rip them off, only to deal with the consequences of freezing, trembling fingers until she was forced to put them back on. 
It was slow going. 
On one of those instances, Luka unslung his guitar, unofficially announcing a break, and he came over to sit by her. Without saying anything, he took her frozen hands between his and gently blew warm air on her fingertips. 
“How’s the sketch going?” he asked. 
She glared at the patchy, faint, unrealized lines on the pages of her sketchbook. It wasn’t exactly the book’s fault that she was feeling so inspired and couldn’t get anything to work, but she still felt like blaming the paper would somehow help. 
“It’s not, really,” she admitted. She couldn’t help her frustrated little huff. “If it just snowed, I wouldn’t mind it being so cold.” 
He chuckled. “It will,” he said calmly, and blew on her fingers again. She wiggled them to see if any feeling was coming back. No such luck. They were still stiff and a little numb.
She couldn’t help her skepticism. “Because you can smell it?” 
He only hummed to confirm, but since her fingertips were so close to his lips, she could feel the vibration and it made her shiver. 
“Not helping?” he asked. 
Before she could protest, he pulled away, but in the next second his jacket was back around her shoulders and any kind of protest died on her lips. What came out of her instead was, “Won’t you be cold?” 
He shook his head, then smiled at her, the same way he had earlier, like he liked seeing his jacket tucked around her, and she felt what was becoming a familiar flush of heat creep its way up to her cheeks.
“I’m always warm around you, Marinette,” he admitted quietly. 
She opened and closed her mouth several times, but nothing came out in response. Luka looked over his shoulder and said something to Juleka, gave Marinette one more soft smile, then went back to playing like he hadn’t just made her heart start pounding in her ears and left butterflies fluttering in her stomach. 
She gave up on sketching anything useful for the rest of the time and instead let her hands wander over the page aimlessly as she tried to get her mind to focus on words. She wished she could disappear somewhere and talk through what just happened with Tikki, but the only place to go was above deck, which would take her further away from Luka and out into the bitter cold, and those were the last places she wanted to be. 
“You make me feel warm, too,” wasn’t right, but neither was an outright, “I love you.” She bit her lip as she thought. He made this seem so easy, every time he did it, and she couldn’t even tell him how much she loved that he’d given her his jacket, not once, but twice today just to make sure she stayed warm. Or that his words made her feel warmer than his jacket ever could. Or that she wished she could just always be around him because then she felt like she’d never be cold again. 
Practice was over all too soon, and she still didn’t know what to say to him. As a group, they trudged back up the stairs, arguing about chords and lyrics, complaining that they had to walk home in the cold, and already shivering as the wind started nipping at their noses.
But when they got on deck, they all stopped to gasp.
Little bits of white fluff were gently cascading down from the sky, coating the deck in what looked like white, sparkling icing. 
Marinette turned to Luka, shocked, and he was just smiling back at her, knowing he’d been proven right but not feeling the need to rub it in. She turned back to watch the snow fall, wrapped his jacket tighter around herself, and tugged the sleeves down over her mittens, flipping the hood up for good measure over the hat he’d warned her to bring. 
Rose was the first one to break the silence they’d fallen into when she squealed with delight and grabbed Juleka’s hands to spin her around the deck. Ivan stood stoically nearby, but Marinette had a feeling he was wishing Mylène was there so he could wrap an arm around her. 
To her surprise, a familiar warm hand closed around hers. She blushed up at Luka and he was still smiling at her in that same, soft way. He gestured with his head to the deck as if asking her to join in. With another glance upwards at the glittery falling snow, and then at Rose and Juleka laughing as they danced in it, she smiled back at Luka and nodded.
Although she’d unfortunately forgotten to factor in how incredibly clumsy she was. 
As soon as she took an enthusiastic step forwards to follow Luka, her foot slipped out from under her and she gripped Luka’s hand even harder as she flailed to try to keep her balance, which only ended up yanking him down with her in a completely ungraceful tangle of arms and legs and a little puff of white snow as they hit the deck together. 
Luka had somehow managed to twist underneath her, softening the blow for her, but that meant…
She was nose to nose with him, with his arm around her and her hand on his chest and there were snowflakes melting in his hair and dusting his eyelashes and his cheeks were pink from the cold and in that moment, she swore he looked like some kind of angel. 
She let the feeling carry her forwards to close the last little bit of distance between them, pressing her lips to his shyly in what could’ve been mistaken for a stray snowflake, it was so light and tentative. 
Luka didn’t miss it, though. His eyes widened and his arm around her tightened as he returned the gesture, the lightest of touches of his warm lips against hers. It made her feel braver than her Ladybug suit ever did, and she dared to try it again, more firm, more sure, trying to tell him everything she hadn’t been able to figure out how to say. 
His other arm wrapped around her waist as he held her there, kissing her back on the snow-encrusted deck of the Liberty as more snow kept falling on them. 
She’d hardly noticed she was shivering, but then, Luka was, too. It forced them apart and as they got to their feet, they both seemed to remember at the same time that they hadn’t been alone on the ship. Although, it didn't seem like time had stopped for anyone else like it had for them just now. Thankfully, Rose and Juleka were still dancing, oblivious, it seemed, to what had just happened, although Marinette thought there was an extra twinkle of romance in Rose’s eyes when she glanced their way. Ivan glanced their way, too, but only nodded once, smiling, and lumbered off. 
Luka had helped her up, and his hand was still somehow around hers. They were both still shivering, his cheeks were as pink as hers were flushed, his jacket was still around her shoulders, and the snow was still gently falling all around them, but as they stared at each other, smiling and breathless and warm, Marinette knew that she’d never be cold again.
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blueberry-macaron · 3 months
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Merry Christmas!!
I was your secret santa, @writer-rider-dirty-thirties DirtyThirties !!
The prompt I chose was Luka and Marinette finding out they were parents, although it turned into Luka finding out. I hope you‘ll still enjoy!
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rierse · 8 months
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Heat Wave
on AO3
"Melody, what are you doing?!"
"Baking bread, obviously." Marinette's tone was so far past sarcastic, it was downright biting.
Luka took a half step back from his wife. It was way too hot to be baking, and she was clearly feeling the effects of the heatwave. 
"I can see that, but darning, why?" he asked as gently as he could manage.
"For the movie night! I said I would bring something that fits the theme!" she wailed, tears in her voice.
"C'mon, step away from the dough a second." 
Luka tentatively pulled her out of the hot kitchen and brought her to rest in front of the fan that was billowing the curtains in the sunlit living room. She tugged away from his loose hold and leaned into the air with a sigh of relief.
"Can you tell me why you decided to bake in this heat?"
"It's 'keep-cool' movie night! Juleka and Rose are going to crank the aircon, and we're going to watch crazy Alaskan docu-movies about snow, and sled dogs, and surviving in the frozen north!"
Luka hesitated, he knew he was about to ask a stupid question, but he could not for the life of him figure out what had possessed his wife to bake. "What does bread have to do with it?"
Marinette huffed and groaned out his name, but not in a good way. Usually when she said his name it was music to his ears. 
"Luuuukaaaa… it's sourdough! The quintessential staple of the gold rush!"
Of course. What else? He'd planned to pick up ice cream on their way over, maybe some cold drinks. Clearly, Marinette had fixated on the theme a little differently than he'd done.
"Sweetheart…" he didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to make her stop. From the look of the dough, and the fact that the oven was already hot, she must be nearly done. 
"Can you at least sit and relax while it's in the oven?" he asked desperately. He reached for her shoulder to comfort her, but she twitched back and he dropped his hand, she hadn't been able to handle touch with the heat. 
"Yes, mostly." 
"Why don't you get started on relaxing and I'll put it in the oven for you. How long should I set the timer for?"
"Forty minutes." There was a grateful look in her eyes as she finally sat down in front of the fan.
Luka moved to the kitchen and slid the prepared dough into the oven, set the timer, and glared at the broken air conditioning unit. The repair man was supposed to be available tomorrow, but the week had been awful. In the meantime, his absolutely gorgeous wife had been wearing her shortest shorts and tiniest tanks and driving him mad. "It's too hot," she complained whenever he reached for a hug or kiss. 
He filled a glass with ice and water and brought it out to her while the bread was baking. It earned him another adoringly grateful smile and he sat, pulling his guitar into his lap to play something… cool. He made up a melody as he went, mimicking the sound of rainfall with soft staccato notes. Marinette let her head rest against the back of the chair and she seemed to relax.
It was short-lived, however. Barely halfway into the baking time, she scurried into the kitchen for a moment and then returned to her seat. Five minutes later, it happened again, so he followed her to find out what was going on.
He watched as his wife grabbed a spray bottle, opened the oven, and misted the loaf. What? 
She read the question in his eyes and the quirk of his eyebrow. "It makes the outer crust, well crustier, and it's just so much better that way."
"What's in it?"
"Just water," she shrugged.
"Really?" She missed the gleam in his eye as he snagged the spray bottle from her fingers. 
He looked carefully between the squirt bottle and his wife, weighing what he was about to do for just a second before acting. Then he turned it on her with a wild grin and started squirting her with little puffs of misty spray, coating her bare arms, neck, and face in droplets of cool water. 
She shrieked and turned- running from the kitchen, giggling as she went. He misted her retreating form, cooling the back of her neck, arms, and the sliver of visible skin at her waist. Water clung to the loose tendrils of hair escaping her ponytail and glistened as he herded her toward the fan. Marinette turned abruptly as she ran out of space to run and the air from the fan hit her, causing a shiver to run through her as it cooled the water drops clinging to her skin. Luka sprayed her once more in the chest and couldn't help watching the water as it traced its way along her breastbone and down her shirt. 
"Better?" he asked, swallowing hard and looking back up to meet her mirth-filled eyes.
"Yes…" she shivered again as the oscillating fan swung back around for another pass of her glistening skin, "...In fact, I think you deserve a kiss." 
Luka beamed as she stepped close, claiming his lips with her own. 
Bliss. 
For one second. 
Then the spray bottle was in her hands and her sweet lips had been replaced by a face full of misty water. He reeled back in surprise and she dowsed him all over, and like her, he didn't resist. It felt too good. He sputtered, wiping water from his eyes as he laughed with her… seeing her laugh was nearly as good as the kiss anyway. 
They took turns spraying the bread and each other, till the golden loaf was done and Luka switched the oven off even before Marinette had it cooling on a rack. 
Later on, with snowy scenes on the screen and Jules' air conditioning blasting, Luka reveled in the feeling of Marinette tucked close to him, snuggled in his arms to ward off the artificial chill. Juleka pointedly ignored them and Rose couldn't stop giggling at their behavior. 
And of course, Marinette was right; the bread was amazing, a perfect addition to the evening, and it went just as fast as the ice cream. 
Bonus:
Greg stared in shock at the envelope, bag of pastries, and bottle of water that had been pressed into his hands as the door closed behind him. It had been a crummy week. Installing or repairing air conditioners in one hot house, apartment, or store after another- then leaving as soon as it appeared to be working correctly. But this last stop had stood out. Firstly, rockstar Luka Couffaine had invited him in and his wife had offered him a platter of pastries and a bottle of cold water while he got to work. He cleaned the whole unit- found the problem and installed a replacement part. Monsieur Couffaine had thanked him profusely and pressed a bag of pastries, another bottle of water, and the envelope into his hands all while walking him out. Greg peeked into the envelope and nearly swallowed his tongue. It was a sizeable tip- and two tickets to the sold-out Paris performance of Kitty Section. He blinked, astounded, and glanced at the closed door. He heard a giggle, and a breathless “Luka!” and decided it was time to go. He made a note to forward any requests from this address directly to him and to move them to the top of the queue. Priority clients weren’t really a thing, but he was always willing to reward good customers.
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Sprint Secret Santa 2023 Works
From @asadweeghostie for @rierse: we see things they'll never see
From @blueberry-macaron for @writer-rider-dirty-thirties: Feliz navi dad
From @chocolatedragonempathfire for @sfigatino: Drink for Marinette!
From @haphira for @inkmousey: Multimouse and Viperion watching the city at night (art)
From @inkmousey for Misty Shadow: Santa's Daughter and Jack Frost's Son (art)
From @karin848 for @haphira: Marinette goes to the Halloween Party as Viperion (art)
From @nerdypanda3126 for @omnoramayday: I'll Keep You Warm
From @omnoramayday for @chocolatedragonempathfire: Mistletoe Matchmaker
From @poetic-mordem for @asadweeghostie: I'll Give You An Arm of Cosmos Flowers (Flowerbeds Everywhere My Heart)
From @quickspinner for @verfound: Substitute Santa
From @rierse for @blueberry-macaron: Silver and Gold (art and fic)
From @sfigatino for @quickspinner: Roller Derby Marinette (art)
From @verfound for @nerdypanda3126: Of Goodnight Kisses, Late Night I Love Yous, and Karaoke Meet Cutes
From @writer-rider-dirty-thirties for @karin848: A Burden for Love
From Misty Shadow for @poetic-mordem: Lukanette art
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haphira · 1 month
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Doodles for @rierse for my Valentine exchange story "That's Just like... Soulmates?"
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ml-lukanette-bigbang · 2 months
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Writer applications for the MLLBB are officially open! Want to become a writer with us? Unlike the original Miraculous Big Bang, the focus of this event will be entirely on Lukanette!
This means that Lukanette will be the end goal of the event, not any other ship for either of them. So long as the endgame is Luka Couffaine / Marinette Dupain-Cheng, other pairings are allowed in.
For this event, writers will write a minimum of 10,000 words. There's an FAQ available on our pinned post to learn more about the event.
Apply now!
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