#luka couffaine is a fucking idiot
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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.
#miraculous ladybug#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#ml fic#ver fic#luka couffaine is a fucking idiot#domestic fluff#idiots to idiot lovers#first apartment#moving in together#I think i got em all?#Idk man how do you tag really 😂
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Luka: My dad may be a horrible demon, but I still want him to love me…
Adrien: I, too, wish for the fatherly love… Will… You be my father, Luka?
Luka, perking up: Yeah! Will you be mine, Adrien?
Adrien: YES!✨
#miraculous ladybug#Lukadrien#luka couffaine#adrien agreste#this is somehow a combination daddy issues and daddy joke#and somehow it fits those idiots perfectly#ml memes#it’s funny because their dads suck ass#fuck jagged stone and Gabriel Agreste#all me and my homies hate jagged stone and Gabriel Agreste#mlb fandom#incorrect miraculous ladybug quotes#source: teen titans go
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I saw your not feeling the best hope you feel better soon!! Life really do suck sometimes (allthetime) I’ll send you two separate asks for miraculous and dl❤️
Could I please request headcannons for how Marc and Luka would act around their crush if they were convinced they didn’t feel the same way about them
(They totally do though they’re just shy!!)
i love u for requesting abt my faves ur the sweetest ever actually 😭💙
marc & luka around a crush who (they think) doesn’t like them back
𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔,
𝒊’𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈.
marc anciel
- this poor boy is just a giant ball of nerves
- he definitely tries to avoid you like the plague because he thinks that might help his feelings
- however if you’re friends he definitely isn’t the type of person who just stops being friends with someone because they don’t share his feelings
- if you’re friends though you can definitely tell that something is up because he stumbles on his sentences more than usual
- he definitely writes cute little stories with you and him starring in them me thinks
- when you try to get closer to him because you like him, he just pulls back further
- genuinely i don’t think he ever works up the nerve to tell you his feelings & instead he’s pushed to do so
- suddenly you guys are on really awkward ‘friend dates’ because your other friends ‘pulled out of going’ (they were never going to go)
- when that doesn’t work i can imagine someone like nathaniel just dropping a page of one of the stories for you to find
- when you approach him about it he feels like an absolute fucking idiot until you say you feel the same, then he’s the most starry-eyed guy on earth
luka couffaine
- luka i feel definitely has a more direct and simple approach to these things
- he’s a laid back guy, i don’t imagine him having severe anxiety about it like marc
- however, similar to marc, he also writes about you in his own field. aka: makes songs
- he’ll probably hold off on asking you out for a bit if he’s that certain you wouldn’t like him back
- kind of eases into it. asks a known couple to go somewhere with him and then asks you to go too so you’re both like the third wheel. he’s a smart guy
- gets a feel for things from there from your body language & how you react to him
- drops a few hints, and if you have a shy (keyword shy, not nervous) reaction to it he gets his go ahead
- i feel like he’d ask you out by singing you a song he wrote for you and THEN asking
- he’s definitely very laidback about it. while he’s convinced at first, he still wants to get a feel for it and go from there basically.
- afterwards he’s the best boyfriend ever.
#miraculous lb#miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir#miraculous ladybug headcanons#miraculous ladybug#mlb luka#mlb marc#mlb#luka coffaine x reader#luka couffaine x reader#luka couffaine headcanons#luka coffaine#lukacouffaine#miraculous luka#luka x reader#luka couffaine#marc anciel#marc anciel x reader#marc anciel x you
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Isekai'd as Chloe
You were watching Miraculous Ladybug on your phone as your bus got hit by a truck. You died, it sucks. But a godly being gives you the chance to start anew in a brand new world. Sadly it's Miraculous, with all the plotholes, and flat characters, and don't forget worshipped while being a sexual abuser Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir. Could your day get any worse? You shouldn't have asked because you were reborn as Chloe and forgot who Papillion was. Someone wanted to see you suffer, that was sure! But you wouldn't give them the satisfaction. It was time to throw canon out of the window and make Miraculous a better show or in your case world!
Main Pairing: Reader/Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
I update chapter 8 so please, if you haven’t, read it again. ^^
Now have fun with the next chapter.
Chapter 9: Check your WiFi
Saying Paris citizens were going crazy, was an understatement.
They were absolutely going bonkers over the revelation that famous teen model Adrien Agreste had been Chat Noir and was replaced by yourself aka. Calamity.
Wherever you go, you hear a news station or a radio station talking about it.
All the newsletters were filled with only it.
People discussed with each other.
Some were all right with Calamity, some wanted Adrien back. You have heard enough people telling these idiots that his identity was compromised so he couldn’t return been Chat Noir.
Was it that difficult to understand?
Anyway, you had other problems.
Surprising since you were Calamity.
But…you couldn’t reach Adrien and this made you freak out.
He didn’t respond on his phone. You called the mansion, no one picked up. You wrote him an email, he didn’t answer.
Fuck, Adrien was a sexual abuser, but he didn’t deserve to be locked into his home without contact with the outside world. This probably made him this way, it wouldn’t help if he returned to it.
Yet it seemed that Gabriel Agreste didn’t take it well that his son had been moonlighting as a superhero.
Overprotective as he was, he surely had nearly a heart attack.
It was sad that it hadn’t killed him.
It was the worst timing since you were nearly ready to take that asshole to court and get Adrien a loving family who would help him be a good person.
You screwed yourself over by taking the ring so early it seems.
That’s when you heard how worried Sabrina was calling your name.
You were sitting with her in school, staring at your smartphone, demanding with your look that Adrien should finally call you back, while all your classmates talked all about Adrien is/was Chat Noir!
The only one besides you who didn’t participate in the talking was Marinette obviously.
She had been staring at her tablet and drawing on it without any meaning as much you could tell.
You turned to Sabrina asking what she wanted.
“He still didn’t answer you?”, she asked also worried for Adrien.
“No…I’m scared his father locked him up in a tower like Rapunzel and throw the key away.”, you admitted.
“Would you ever have guessed that Adrien was Chat Noir?”, she wanted to know. “I mean, as Chat Noir he acted all different than the Adrien we know.”
It seemed that someone, Kim, had listened in because he, Kim, formally yelled out to you: “Yeah, Chloe you know Adrien longer than us. Did you suspect him been Chat Noir?”
The first time everybody in your class looked not with malice but with curiosity over you.
Wow, you had missed people looking at you like you were a normal human being.
You so wanted to keep these looks, but also you needed to tell them the truth about Adrien. Marinette needed to hear it most, so she could really close this chapter in her life.
“I want to make one thing clear.”, you began and tried to fix anyone with a sharp look. “Right now while you all discuss Adrien being Chat Noir, his father probably closed him in his house and took away all means to contact him. This is alarming and we need to get him out of this situation.”
For that, you earned ashamed looks. All looking guilty.
Again, wow.
They agreed with you.
Today was crazy.
“Anyway, no I didn’t know Adrien was Chat Noir.”
Lies.
“But…in the end, it doesn’t surprise me. Deep down, Adrien is a selfish person and can’t seem to accept borders and no from people. I’m not surprised he is Chat Noir who practically harrassed Ladybug for her love since day one. No absolute not.”
Ah, there were now the evil looks and shocked gasps.
Only Marinette stared at you with surprise in her eyes.
Alya stood up.
Of course, she has to protect her toxic ship.
“What the heck? You say this about your supposed best friend? You are an evil bully who is acting only nice. We all know, you will be back to your true self soon enough.”
You also stood up, even if Sabrina hold into your arm and begged you to let Alya be.
You would not accept this kind of slander.
“I’m a huge heartless bitch who loved to make people suffer because my mother doesn’t love me.”, you told calmly and loudly, which not only made all look surprised but shut Alya up, before she could insult you more. “I don’t deserve forgiveness or a second chance. I’m changing myself for me and only ME because I want to be better. Hate me all you want, but fucking watch your videos on the Ladyblog again and take your shitty shipping glasses off and use common sense. Then you will see what a sexually harassing asshole Adrien is!”
Before it could escalate further Monsieur Bernard enters the classroom and demands from you all attention.
He told you, that Adrien had been taken out of school by his father since Mr. Agreste is worried his son will get harassed since now all knew he was Chat Noir.
Fuck all, you fucking knew it!
After that, Monsieur Bernard started the first lesson of the day.
Okay, after school you would go to Mayor Bourgeois and get Adrien the hell out of his home!
Alya didn’t understand the world anymore.
Adrien had been Chat Noir.
Chat Noir had been Adrien.
Marinette had loved Adrien, who was Chat Noir, who was in love with Ladybug.
Her fav ships Adrienette and LadyNoir were the obstacle for the other and it made her mad.
But as best friend…she needed to make Adrienette canon, even if her heart bleeds thinking about how she has to practically sink the beauty that is LadyNoir.
She was ready this morning to help Marinette get her confidence back since having Ladybug as a competition for Adrien’s love was already rough, without him being absolute in love with Ladybug, only to have her best friend say that she burned all pictures of Adrien and all the gifts she made him since she had been a crazy stalker and didn’t want to be like Adrien.
The brunette girl had been shocked.
Never realizing how red and puffy Marinette’s eyes were.
Never seeing the remorse, shame, and disgust in them.
She only heard, what she wanted.
At it was that Adrienette sunk from alone. All her talking to Marinette to not give up and that she was exaggerating didn’t interest her best friend.
She was just done with Adrien.
What?
They were soulmates!
Okay, she had said the same about LadyNoir, but her best friend’s happiness was more important.
So what could Alya do?
Adrien was a prisoner in his own home it seemed. She couldn’t go to him.
But maybe she could talk to Ladybug!
This Calamity may have helped her against the Akuma Chat Blanc, it was even the fasted Akuma battle ever, but she was sure Ladybug would want Adrien back.
They were partners!
She needed also to find out who Ladybug was and talk with her. Together they would get Adrien out of his home and in Marinette’s arms.
Yes, this was perfect.
While Monsieur Bernard talked about a book they have to read, she cut out from a Ladybug picture the face.
She narrowed down that Ladybug must be a teenager like them, so why not look in her class for the superhero?
Analysing she put the cut-out photo over the faces of her female classmates.
No one seemed right on the body of Ladybug.
Somehow she landed on Chloe and the blond-haired bitch glared at her.
Hah, changing for the better her ass.
Chloe was still evil.
And then all her talk about that Adrien was also a bad apple.
What kind of fucked up scheme was that to have Adrien for herself?
That’s when Monsieur Bernard called for her attention.
She answered him and he told her what was her analysis of the segment of the book they have read.
Oops…Alya hadn’t paid attention.
Monsieur Bernard didn’t like it when you didn’t pay attention.
Meek, she admitted to not have listen in.
For that, she had to write a whole analysis of the first three chapters by tomorrow.
How she missed Madame Bustier.
She was way nicer than Monsieur Bernard.
The clock sounded, the hour was over.
Marinette ignored her and just walked out of the classroom.
Frustrated she walked only to the lockers.
Alya really didn’t get anyone.
What was wrong with the world?
She stared at her smartphone, wishing with all she could to find out the truth.
Never seeing the little black butterfly flying into her phone.
You were just getting your books for your next lesson, when suddenly people started to scream.
What the-?!
“I’m Lady Wifi!”
Oh fuck, over what did Alya get akumatiez?
It was not like in the show where she had seen the fake Ladybug Yoyo in the original Chloe’s locker and assumed she was Ladybug and then the original Chloe was her bitch-self over it like always.
“And I will find out the truth! No heroes can hide from me.”
Okay, she wanted to find out the truth.
Or the truth she wanted to believe in.
Whatever, you needed to transform.
You played the scarred girl and run out of school with other teenagers, then you made a beeline for an empty alley.
Plagg was sleeping in your backback, probably dreaming about Camembert.
You hated that you had to wake him up, he looked so cute right now.
“Plagg, wake up.”, you called, while you petted his head. “We have an Akuma.”
He yawned cutely so that you saw his tiny fangs. You wished you could take a photo of him.
Adorable.
“Who is it?”, he asked sleepily.
“Alya as Lady Wifi. I know her weak point and where she is probably going. We only need to meet up with L.B.”
“Then transform so I can go back to my beauty sleep.”
And you did just that.
As Calamity, you jumped from rooftop to rooftop directed at the Agreste Mansion.
Adrien was the only hero, ex-superhero, Lady Wifi knows right now the identity. She would surely try to get her information from him.
You heard how someone landed behind you and then run alongside you.
“Hey L.B.! The Akuma is the Ladyblogger.”, you told her.
She signed.
“You thinking the same as me that she is going to Agreste?”
“Yup.”
“Damn, I hope to not see him so soon enough, after yesterday.”
“We will manage, don’t worry.”
Finally, you reached the Agreste Mansion and jumped into it from Adrien’s open window.
What you saw…you and Ladybug and to blink twice.
Lady Wifi was looking disturbed at Adrien, while he looked like the crazy Chat Blank from the original timeline.
“My lady!”, he cried. “You have seen reason and are here to get me back.”
You fucking know that locking him up wasn’t good for Adrien’s mental health!
Sneaky you activated the record function on your Baton.
Child Service will love to see this.
“Agreste, stay calm and step away from Lady Wifi.”, advised Ladybug him calmy.
“Please you can take the Akuma!”, shoutes supringly Lady Wifi. “What he told me about your supposed relantenship….I’m sorry Ladybug that I was so blind to the harassment you faced!”
….This did not happen!
Lady Wifi saw alone reason?
So no Akuma battle?
Looks like it.
Even with Papillion screamin’ into her ear, the butterfly light mask over her face said all, Lady Wifi stepped closer to you two and gave Ladybug her smartphone.
“Please! I don’t know how long I can fight him!”
Of course, Ladybug did her thing and Alya was back to herself. Only Adrien looked still crazy.
“Oh Adrien, what did your father do to you?”, Alya asked him.
You know Akuma victims normally didn’t remember what happened to them, yet you had a feeling Alya remember something.
The blond boy talked like a raging river. He was so glad to let it all out.
Your wish to strangle Gabriel Agreste got only bigger.
Asshole.
Fucking bastard.
He really closed in Adrien his room. Like Gothel with Rapunzel. Took away his phone and computer so he couldn’t communicate with anyone.
Him being an ex-hero was for his father like all his worst fears coming true. How the world was a dangerous place and would kill Adrien.
What was Gabriel Agreste’s problem?
No seriously?
No wonder Adrien was so fucked up.
You three looked unsure at each other. You couldn’t let him stay here.
“Agreste.”, you said to him and ignored how he looked with such hatred at you. “Try to hold on tight. We will get you out. I know for sure if we tell your friend Chloe what is going on, you will be out of here soon.”
“Why should I trust you! You took all away from me! Because of you I’m in this sitation.”, he hissed.
Ladybug came to your defense.
“No, your father is at fault here. He just needed whatever reason to lock you back in. Calamity has not done anything with it.”
“My lady!”
“I’m not your lady! But I won’t abandon you. We will get you out of here.”
With that Ladybug took Alya’s bridal style and jumped out the window, you following after her.
You were back home, watching with Plagg TV.
Nadja Chamack reported about how Paris’s number one prosecutor charged the famous designer Gabriel Agreste for child abuse.
Adrien had been taken in by social services and would soon be placed in a foster family.
It was unclear if he would return to your school, but he would be out of Paris till he had to speak in the court case against his own father.
All thanks to Ladybug and Calamity, who had gone to the mayor with an incriminating video and then Chloe Bourgeoise showed her own proofs for Adrien’s abuse.
You did it.
You manage to make a big change in the storyline.
And with that canon said its last goodbye you were sure.
Next
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#miraculous fandom#anti adrien agreste#anti chat noir#anti love square#anti miraculous creators#luka couffaine#lukanette#marinette deserves better#marinette dupain cheng#miraclous ladybug salt#chloe bourgeois#chloe bourgeois redemption#ml salt#reader get's reborn as chloe#marinette x reader#luka x marinette#marinette dupain cheng x reader#luka couffain x reader#ml fanfic: isekai'd as chloe#marinette dupain cheng x luka couffain x reader
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Chat Noir Created a Chat
Chat Noir created a chat
by Elytra404
Miraculous holders Discord (1:30am)
Chaton: Did you get all the permissions ready, m'lady?
Pupa: yep! its all set up! ready to send out the invites?
Chaton: hell yea!
Pupa: no swearing kitten!
Chaton: Bugaboo, that is a stupid rule. If we have to defend Paris we should at least be able to say fuck
Pupa:...
Pupa: fair enough
AKA; i write a chat fic and fix my issues with miraculous, well pushing a ship im mildly hyperfixated on
(teen and up for much swearing)
Words: 2110, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English
Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Categories: F/F, M/M, Multi
Characters: Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Tikki, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Plagg, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois, Max Kanté, Lê Chiến Kim, Luka Couffaine, Rose Lavillant, Juleka Couffaine, Zoé, Alix Kubdel, and more!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Alya Césaire/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste & Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Max Kanté/Lê Chiến Kim
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, endgame relationship, Trans Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Trans Female Character, Pronouns, much pronouns, Gay, Everyone Is Gay, cannon is a suggestion i left in a taco bell, Not Canon Compliant, if you are attached to cannon, un attach yourselves, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, its cute, their cute, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, Bee Chloé Bourgeois | Queen Bee, but shes not exsactly queen bee, yk the normal chat fic thing, kagami>>>>>, D&D references, their all nerds, Idiots in Love, No Smut, this was written by an asexual, or two, Miraculous Ladybug Group Chat, Discord, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44201467
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I hope Luka finds out Marinette is Ladybug and he's like yeah that tracks
Luka upon finding out Marinette is Ladybug
#miraculers#miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir#miraculous marinette#miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir#cat noir#adrien agreste#luka couffaine#ladybug#ml ladybug#i fucking hate the love square#idiots#if i was ladybug I would have figured it out by now#im just built different
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Reflection on mlb S4 finale
I think the saddest thing in the final part of Strike Back was that it wasn’t even Marinette’s fault that hawkmoth got the rest of the miraculouses. Sometimes things will just get in the way of life and Felix pretending to be Adrien was just one of them. An unexpected setback. I do admit that although she trusts Adrien, she shouldn’t have revealed vital information that her yo-yo contained all the other miraculouses since it would be dangerous for people to know where it is, no matter how trustworthy they are. But even so, this isn’t something she should blame herself for. How was she supposed to know that Felix was Adrien? The only way she knew last time in Season 3 was when Felix tried to force a kiss on her cause that was NOT how Adrien would act. But since he put on the best Adrien like facade this time, of course she wouldn’t notice this time due to how hectic the situation was.
Also, hawkmoth showing off the fact that he has all of the other miraculouses is like a kid bragging about their A+ on a test that they cheated on by peeking at the smart kid’s paper. Pretty pathetic, considering how hawkmoth had originally lost. If it wasn’t for Felix, he never would’ve gotten the chance to get them anyway. I genuinely hope the kwamis give him a hard time. And when I say hard time, I mean Plagg from Gabriel’s Lament fic hard time.
(kinda hoping they’ll include a scene of the kwamis pestering hawkmoth for food all the time in S5. It would be hilarious.
He would be like, “And once I do this and that, I will finally capture Ladybug and Chat Noir’s-!”
“WHERE’S MY CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSS”
“YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE GRAPES IN THE FRIDGE! WHERE TF ARE THE GRAPES HAWKBUTT!!!”
*groans* “The things I do for power…”
Though, it obviously will be very dangerous now that he has them and since he seems to be more….erratic. Honestly, as soon as the finale ended, I instantly got this vision that the 1st episode of Season 5 will start off with Marinette going to school like any other normal day and getting this strange feeling like something is off from time to time. Then we would find out that hawkmoth turned back time in order to bring back his wife and keep Adrien home, and that created very different circumstances for Marinette and Adrien’s life. Or maybe Marinette and Adrien got their miraculouses taken away from Suhan and tried to make her renounce the guardianship. Or maybe the writers will get their shit together and take this chance to introduce new heroes that will help Paris or idk maybe all the old guardians from the temple would gather together and use their powers to defeat hawkmoth. This whole situation kinda reminds me of quicksilversquared’s ao3 fic, Luka & the Jewelry Heist, cause hawkmoth also has all the other miraculouses in that fic too. I might read it later just to get some relief from that finale.
#strike back#strike back ep#miraculous ladybug#ml season 4#miraculous season 4#miraculous ladybug season 4#kwamis#plagg#marinette dupain cheng#hawkmoth is an idiot#felix agreste#adrien agreste#suhan#luka couffaine#ml season 5#hawkmoth#frustrated that hawkmoth's acting all triumphant when he couldn't even obtain a single f*cking miraculous on his own#that shit pissed me off#he was all oh you faaaailed ladybug and i totally fucking got these on my own and wooooon#bitch are you serious#ur going to lose again anyway#ml strike back#ml season 4 finale#miraculous ladybug season 4 finale#miraculous season 4 finale
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Putty in Your Hand
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26707336#main
Title: Putty in Your Hand
Author: verfound @verfound
Rating: Explicit
Fandom: Miracuous Ladybug
Completed- 1 Chapter
Published- September 29, 2020
Additional Tags:
Soulmate AU
angry makeup sex
Makeup Sex
sorta - Freeform
it's complicated - Freeform
Wall Sex
Floor Sex
They do eventually make it to a bed
Luka Couffaine is a Fucking Idiot
Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Summary:
Luka hadn’t meant to move quite as fast as they’d been, but when you’d been pining after someone for five years and in love with them your entire life…well, it didn’t really feel all that fast, in the end. It felt like coming home.
#au#Smut#one-shot#fluff#miraculous ladybug#Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng#fanfiction#fanfiction recommendation
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Blue Memories (lbscexchange2021)
Yay! It’s Valentine’s Day!
Soooo....who wants a sad?
He opened the door for Marinette and gently escorted her inside.
She looked around, surveying every detail. The baby blue of the accent wall. The furniture in all of its strange varieties of makes that still somehow fit together. The assortment of decorations from the little black cat figurine that had been a joke housewarming gift from friends to her potted plants lined up at the wide windows—still tenderly cared for, even in her absence. All things that were part of the home. All things that made the home their own.
And yet, not a single hint of warmth came to her eyes.
“This is…my house?”
Ours, he didn’t say.
After all the things they had experienced throughout the years—the monsters they’d fought, the battles they’d won, the people they’d saved…
It seemed so surreal that it was something as simple as a car accident that would take her down.
She stepped through the entryway into the main room—tentative. Unsure. Like she didn’t think she belonged. Her grip on her cane tightened, belying her anxiety.
He rested a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. Allowing her to use him as her other support as she was forced to confront a home she didn’t know and memories she couldn’t recall.
“Just…take a bit of time to familiarize.” He whispered.
I will be with you every step of the way.
She took a breath but nodded before moving forward, and for a second—
Standing tall, wearing her suit like armor, her shoulders broad and head high in steely determination even in the face of overwhelming odds—
Luka could see the courageous young woman he loved in this stranger’s frame.
For her part, Marinette was…handling the circumstances if nothing else.
She stepped away from him, standing with only her cane and her one good leg for support. Rather than immediately head for the couch or any place to rest, she wandered the room, taken in by the all of the remnants of a person she used to be.
There was an array of frames along the wall as she passed, each containing memorabilia from newspaper clippings to artwork to awards. She gave them a cursory glance, none of them really standing out. At most, she barely touched one that contained a pink ribbon—
“Isn’t this a bit much? And a bit silly?”
Alya had gasped in mock outrage. “Girl, this is your own design house! We have to have a ribbon cutting ceremony to make it official! Otherwise, what have our years of labor been for?”
Marinette giggled. “You mean my labor?”
“Hey, don’t forget who did the interviews.” The other woman said with a wink.
More giggling.
“Of course, of course! I never would have gotten this far without you. Any of you.”
“And don’t forget it!” More giggling. “And besides, a happy opening is a sign of a happy beginning. This is your dream, girl! Go all out and enjoy it becoming real!”
“Okay, okay! So how will we do this?”
Luka smiled as he brought over the fancy scissors.
—pink ribbon, a couple inches thick, contained in a frame along with a picture of a group of strangers standing outside a building.
He carefully took their bags back to their his room, allowing her a moment to reflect and himself time to gain some composure.
To think it would be a car accident that did this. Not some epic villain battle, no. A stupid car accident because of her insistence on meeting him at the airport and some idiot who decided to run a red light. He'd consider laughing if he wasn't on the verge of breaking down…
But…she needed him. More than ever now.
When he returned, she was standing at the wall aligning with the window, lightly touching the dollhouse that was stationed there.
“Do we…did we have kids?”
“No.” Not yet.
It was grand—a four storied house with five rooms on each floor, each fully furnished in different ways. Its outside had the design of a cozy cottage, with walls were painted with a soft pink as well as white doors and window shutters. All of which were moveable, to her amazement.
“Where did we even get something like this?”
It had been a labor of love.
She hadn’t wanted to leave the kwamis stuck in the Miracle Box with no idea of the happenings in the world. And as they had begun spending more time outside, Marinette had been insistent that the kwamis deserved their own space outside of the Box. It had taken her weeks to make it—and multiple failed attempts.
She gave them their own home within hers. She’d wanted them to feel welcome.
It may very well have been the first time the little gods had cried.
“It was…a project.”
She frowned, but didn’t speak further. Her gaze turned to the nearby shelf on the adjoining wall. Holding a number of books. A single bin full of yarn for knitting. Two guitars rested along the side.
“Luka, it’s beautiful, but…why?”
“Why not?” He smiled.
“But…I’m not much of a guitar player. You know that. I’m not like you, Mr. Top 20 three-weeks-in-a-row. I still don’t know how to play the guitar.”
She moved to put it back in its case, but he pulled her back and into his lap along with the guitar. Her squawk of surprise only made him grin, and he placed a kiss to her head.
“That just means you’ll have more opportunity to learn.”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
“Do you play?” She had asked, curious as she looked over the two guitars.
He smiled bitterly.
“Wow,” Dingo whistled as he peeked through the curtains. “Quite a crowd out there.”
“I’m not sure I can do this.” Luka muttered.
It had been one thing when he had been playing with Kitty Section. But the band had gone their separate ways and now he was playing center stage.
“No worries. It’s only your first show. If you choke, who will even remember?”
He sighed. “Yeah, see, that? That’s not helping.”
“I’ll tell you something that will, though…” Dingo trailed off with a smirk. Before Luka could react, the other wrapped an arm around his neck and dragged him to view the opening in the curtain.
“Dingo!”
“Take a look!”
Luka glared at his friend—or tried, but Dingo’s grip around his neck really kept him from turning in any direction besides the one the other wanted.
Dingo, for his part, didn’t even have the grace to look back, instead grinning at something through the curtain.
“A certain little lady in the center seat of the middle row.”
Luka froze. And immediately, his eyes glanced over the crowd, searching for…
Dark hair.
Blue eyes.
A bright neon pink sign with his name.
Her smile.
He breathed.
“Mari…”
Dingo clapped him on the back and released him.
“If you can’t play for your fans, play for her. You know she’ll always listen…”
“Yeah.” He answered.
What else could he say?
He’d built up his music career over years. For all that she had been busy with her own design house, she had still be there for him every step of the way. Supporting him. Inspiring him.
And now only one of them still knew that.
“Congratulations on the release of your new single!”
Ah.
He winced as the flashing lights hit him.
For all the time he spent on tour, he would never get used to this.
“Thank you.”
He knew better than to respond. It wouldn’t be enough. It was like an avalanche of questions and microphones barreling down on him.
“Mr. Couffaine! How do you feel about your ranking on the Music’s Top Ten?”
“Is there any truth to the rumors that you are doing a collaboration piece with Jagged Stone?”
“Are you really having an illicit affair with XY?”
“Luka Couffaine, you just completed the last stop of your world tour! What are you going to do now?”
Finally, the one question he wanted to answer.
“I have someone to see.”
It had been both a dismissal and an explanation as he took his leave to wait for his ride.
Tomorrow was their anniversary, after all. He’d managed to schedule the end of his tour to give him just enough space to make it back in time to spend it with her.
Marinette was probably already waiting at the airport at this moment.
Or at least…she should have been?
He checked his watch. Was he early? A bit, but not by much…it had been a little last minute for her, though. Maybe she was caught in traffic?
His phone rang. Was that her?
“Hello?”
“…”
“…”
“…what?”
He winced and turned away, trying to fight back the burning in his eyes.
Maybe she saw his reaction because she went silent as well. The tension of the room heightened, near to the point of stifling. For all that he wanted to reach out to her, there was a distance between them that felt…impassible.
He heard her move further into the room. Closer to the kitchen, it sounded like. He listened as something seemed to slide briefly across the countertop, as if she had picked up something for a closer look. Despite his better judgement, his curiosity got the better of him and he turned to see—
It had been hell. The date. The entire day. Hell. To the point he was convinced that some higher powers were giving a sign that this relationship wasn’t meant to be.
Except it wasn’t a sign, it was a fucking billboard.
He’d had it all planned out. Picking her up in his new car. They would have dinner together, followed by a movie, coffee and dessert at a nice little cafe he’d heard good things about, then a stroll by the Seine.
Except whatever higher power up there hated him, apparently.
First the car—the brand new (okay, only slightly used) car he’d recently purchased wouldn’t start, so he’d had to ride his bike to reach her. This meant the restaurant was a no go, meaning his reservation that he’d put in a good month in advance went to waste. Marinette had suggested they just walk to the movie which he was fine with, except that it started raining and the theater in question suffered a power outage. Desperately trying to salvage the night, he’d led her to the cafe anyway only to find they had apparently gone out of business the day before.
Luka was…done. He was just done. He’d apologized profusely and tried to call a cab for her before he’d walk home in the rain so he could scream into his pillow.
Suffice to say, he was pretty sure the date was a bust. And would likely be the first and last he’d ever get with her.
But while he’d been on the phone discovering that traffic was backed up and even THAT much of the night wasn’t going to go right either, Marinette had noticed a little souvenir kiosk under an awning nearby. He hadn’t known what specifically had caught her eye, but when she returned, it was with a thermos of tea she had brought from home and two little mugs she’d just purchased—both with their own different engravings.
She passed the "I AM WEIRD" cup to him. Was…was this a joke? Was she saying something?
He wasn't sure what it was until he saw her blushing as she sipped from her own cup, clearly displaying the engraving of "I LOVE WIERD".
The night went wrong in so many ways. But there…huddling from the rain under the storefront tarp, sitting next to her...he felt warmer than the hot tea could have been responsible for.
She held the “I LOVE WEIRD” cup gingerly, staring at the porcelain as if it could tell her its secrets. But when nothing could be found, she set it back at its previous place and continued on.
Marinette’s gaze had moved on to the next item of interest. She peered into the various photographs lining the top of the nearby shelf. Each contained images of a young couple. A man with teal hair and a lip ring along with a woman with dark blue hair and earrings. The pictures varied—them hugging while bundled up in the winter season, him picking her up and her holding him tightly for balance, them dancing at an outdoor festival, them making silly faces in a photobooth. Each one of them smiling.
One that kept her attention, however, had the man in a tuxedo and the woman in a stunning floor length dress. It was white with an illusion neckline, and bore the images of petals. But the truly striking feature was the airbrushed effect at the bottom of the dress as it changed from white to vibrant teal and finally to black—a clear match to the hair of the man standing beside her.
It was a wedding.
She had said he inspired her dress. That she had made it with him in mind. He had believed her, of course. He never needed her to prove she loved him.
But oh, how his heart had sung seeing her like that. In his colors. Showing the world whom she belonged with.
He had barely heard anything the priest had said. He had to have stumbled in his vows at least twice. He was torn between burning to touch her and yet not wanting to dare to—that something so beautiful shouldn’t be touched.
He would never forget the way she had reached out for him instead and held his hands with hers as she said she wanted to start a life with him.
She picked up the picture.
“It’s beautiful.”
It’s her.
“It’s beautiful. And I can’t…I don’t…”
Like gravity had failed her, she collapsed rather than sat onto the sofa—
That ugly, ugly leather sofa that Jagged had insisted they take with them from Marinette’s brief stint as his personal designer.
“No, you keep it, Mari. You’re gonna need something to spruce up your new place.”
“Jagged, seriously. That thing is hideous and I don’t need it.”
“What are you talking about? It’s perfect! It’s leather! And sturdy! And you can even pull it out into more of a bed. Besides, who knows when you’ll be bringing a studly young man to your place and need something to ‘rock it’ in, eh?”
“Oh my god, Jagged, please don’t!”
“Ey, Luka! Come on, mi boy, back me up!”
“Luka, don’t you dare—!”
Luka, for his part, kept his focus on cleaning his equipment and wisely said nothing.
He moved to her side without thinking.
“Mari…”
“What…” She looked up at him, hopelessly lost. “What now? What do…we do?”
She held the picture frame to her, as if trying to fill the hole in her heart that once contained years worth of love.
“I don’t know what…I don’t know how to…”
She sobbed.
If the phone call had shattered his world, this had crushed the remaining pieces.
“What…what are you saying?”
The doctor sighed.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Couffaine. But the damage of the crash and the shock of the incident has led to some trauma. We are running tests, but there is no way to tell just how great the extent is or how long it will last.”
He barely heard the words for what they were. Percentages. Chances. Outcomes. Luck.
She’d always beaten the odds before, hadn’t she?
She could…
Surely, she could…
He barely noticed when the doctor had led him to the white—white, white horrible white room.
And the all too pale and shaken woman resting inside.
“Who are you?”
It was her eyes.
Her beautiful blue eyes.
But not a trace of familiarity.
“Hello, Marinette.”
He smiled, trying to not let tears fall.
“My name is Luka…”
He slowly moved to sit beside her, taking his wife into his arms like he always did.
It…wasn’t the same.
"It'll be okay..."
Throughout his life, Luka had always been a river. Slow. Steady. Constantly cutting a path through life and through the world.
Luka was a river.
But for Marinette, he had been her rock.
“We’ll make new ones.” He promised her.
Day by day. Moment by moment. He would stay with her and make new memories.
It wouldn’t replace what was lost.
But they would make it together.
#ml fic#lbscexchange2021#marinette dupain cheng#luka couffaine#lukanette#ml angst#ml sad#car accident#memory loss
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I imagine the chaos trio in saltfics just call everyone out.... Honestly with those 3 existing that would probably never happen wolfe is a component police officer who would probably investigate cases of extreme bullying out of kindness, ariel wouldn't let ladybug go down the salty rabbit hole and flamethrower guy would probably accidentally get rose and juleka to expose lila by asking about Prince Ali or something?
Ironically" Wolfe and Ariel did spawn from probably my saltiest actual fic, 'The Murder of Lila Rossi' haha.
Honestly they probably wouldn't be involved that much.
Wolfe is a homicide detective. She wouldn't hear about any of this unless she has to investigate them as suspects. I could do that in a non-TMOLR fic where Wolfe is investigating another murder?
Ariel would only become concerned if she notices the lack of cohesion to Team Miraculous. While she's supposed to be somewhat neutral in the Team Miraculous vs. Hawkmoth thing, she does have her Opinions and would be concerned if Ladybug suddenly stopped calling in Heroes or replaced them entirely. Though Ariel would point out the obvious on all sides of the conflict because depending on tbe salt, there would be idiots on all sides. (Like. Could Ladybug at least try talking to Alya directly???)
Guy is probably the least likely to get involved. At most, maybe in a 'juleka believes Lila, Luka believes Marinette' situation, both Couffaines vent about shit and hes like "fucking hell you kids need more communication!" But he's unlikely to actually do anything past that.
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The Gotham Princess [Daminette] Chapter 1:
[Third Person's POV]
Another day at Hell! I mean school... yeah... school. A place where all you could hear is lies and more lies. Well, this isn't new for Marinette.
[Marinette's POV]
*Sigh* Another day at Hell, I need a break!!! Damn! I hope I got chosen to go to Gotham.
I entered the school. Of course using my own Car. After my 'parents' disown me, I got adopted by Jagged Stone, I also made my own Company called, MS(Marinette Stone) Design. Anyways, as soon as I enter, glares was sent on my way. What can I say, idiots will always stay idiots.
"Mari-bug/Mari-Hime/Marinette/Dudette!!" I heard them call me. Who are they???, they are my true friend.... You're probably thinking, I still have friends?. Yes, I have but this time... It's true friends.
Chloe Bourgeois(Stone), who didn't believe even 1 lies of Lila. She lost her friend Sabrina because of Lila. Also because of Lila's lie, her parents hated and kick her out. She got adopted by Jagged after he adopted me. She apologized to me and promised to change for the better. She did, she really did change. She become nicer and more protective of me.
Nino Lahiffe, used to be Alya's boyfriend but he break up with her realizing her true colors. He approach me when Lila first lie, telling me that he believe that I won't do that. I, of course was glad that he believe in me. I was surprise because Alya was her girlfriend.
Luka Couffaine and Kagami Tsurugi, they believe me like Chloe and Nino. Kagami and Adrien used to date but seeing how he treated me, she broke up with him which I'm grateful of. Kagami switched school to our school with the help of Auntie. Auntie hates Adrien from the very start so seeing them date make her want to puke, after finding out Kagami break up with him, she asked why?. Kagami told her about it, on how he sided with a bully and a liar and on how he treated me. To say at least, Auntie was happy knowing her daughter is not dating that Agreste. Luka and Kagami are dating, Auntie is fine with it or more like happy for the both of them.(Tomoe Tsurugi is a kind and not a strict mother in this story)
"Oh guys!" I said as I went towards them. "So did you participate?" Chloe asked. "Yeah I did, I just hope I got pick. We need a fucking break!" I slightly shout to them. We all laughed as we went to our class. This friends of mine helped me change from kind and clumsy to what I am today. They accept me as what I am now. Yeah, I know I swear a lot now but what can I say. I'm still kind though, only bad when it comes to people who hates us.
As we entered the room, Lila's loyal minion come to us. "Well, Isn't it MariTrash??" Lila's goon laughed at us. "Oh why hello there Cesaire, I see that you still have your puny 'little brain' do you???" I sarcastically said to her which cause to break a laughter coming from my team. Her face got deeply red from anger. "Now if you may excuse us, we need to go to our seat to learn" I said as I pushed her aside. "YOU B-" I cut her off. "Oh wait! maybe you could sit with us. You know, to learn respect. Ahhhh! Another thing..... R-E-S-P-E-C-T, that's the spell of it. Just saying since you have a brain of a dead goldfish!!! Bye~" I said as I went to our seat where my friends are sitting already listening to what I'm saying.
Once I arrive there and took a sit. We looked at each other in silence before breaking into laughter. We laughed until we can't breath properly anymore. "Y-You got her good D-Dudette!!" Nino said still laughing. "T-Tell me someone r-recorded it!! HAHAHA" Luka said lightly banging the desk. Finally after sometime, we stopped laughing. "Mari-Hime?" Kagami called out to me. "Yeah? what is it 'Gami?" I asked. "If you really got pick and I know you will, Lie-la will for sure take the opportunity to lie again like gurl!" We all nodded at that. Moments later the bells ring as Ms. Buttier enters. Lila is still not here, well I don't care. What is she to me to care about her... Duh!!!
"Ahem, Lis-" She got cut off as the door burst open... We all looked at door to see....
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FIC: "We Should Honeymoon in Paris" - 1/2 (MLB; Lukanette)
Rating: Teen and Up
Characters/Pairings: Juleka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Summary: After ending a bar crawl at Juleka and Marinette’s flat, Luka has a proposition for Marinette. A pretty big one. There’s just one problem: don’t you have to be, y’know, together to go on a honeymoon?
Author’s Notes/Warnings: Dan and Shay have this new song called “We Should Get Married”, and apart from completely pandering to Zero to Married Couffaine there’s also a line about how they should “honeymoon in Paris, talking ‘bout Tennessee”, which got me curious. Did y’all know there are 48 cities in the world named “Paris”? 😂
“We Should Honeymoon in Paris”
Marinette knew Luka was drunk. There was no way he couldn’t be drunk. For starters, she had seen him drinking – he’d had at least two shots and three beers to her half a wine cooler. And that was after he’d shown up at their door after bar crawling with Dingo.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Juleka had asked, unimpressed, when she’d opened the door to find him on the other side. “You have your own flat.”
“It’s occupied,” he’d said, rolling his eyes. “Dingo met someone at the last bar. It’s gonna get real ugly real fast, and I’d rather not be around to clean up after his drunk ass, thank you very much.”
“And we want to be here to clean up after yours?” she had scoffed, but she’d still stepped aside like the good sister she was to let him in. He’d smacked a kiss against her cheek as he’d passed her – one she’d been quick to rub off with a scowl as she slammed the door behind him. “You reek. God, how much have you had?”
#miraculous ladybug#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#juleka couffaine#ml fic#ver fic#honeymoon in paris#drunken confessions#luka couffaine is a fucking idiot#drunk luka couffaine#zero to married couffaine#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#now with bonus manic pixie sister in law
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Beautiful Dreams - Ch 5 Reality Check
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | AO3
I’m sorry this chapter took so long but I assure you it was necessary. For updates on my in-progress stories, check my WIP Report tag. It will probably be a while before the next update to this story because I’m going to try to get the last few chapters closer to completion before I start posting again, so that we will only hopefully have one more significant delay and then the remaining chapters will come quickly.
I hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime!
He couldn’t have asked for a better beginning. Even the fifty-three texts from Rose he had to answer when he got home couldn’t dim the smile on his face.
Luka spent the next few days in a glow of quiet contentment, polishing his new song and texting occasionally with Marinette. She was incredibly busy during work hours, but they spoke a little bit each evening.
Happy as he was, though, he still felt...heavy. It made him think about what Juleka had said and he began to wonder if there was more to what he was feeling than grief over his mother.
Luka could have texted but he called just for the comfort of hearing her voice and the everyday sounds of her life in the background. “Hey, Jules,” Luka said, smiling at the sound of Angie’s distant coos and Rose’s baby talk. “Can you text me Dr. Thorpe’s number? I think the one I have is out of date.”
“Yeah, sure,” Juleka replied, surprised. “Is...is everything okay? I thought...your date went okay, right? You told Rose it was good.”
She would have mocked him mercilessly if she could see the grin that broke over his face. “It went amazing,” he told her. “It’s just...I was thinking about what you said, about how I’ve been lately, and maybe there’s...maybe there’s more to how I’ve been feeling than just losing Mom, you know? You know the medication never worked for me like it did for you, but it’s been a few years. I thought maybe I could just check in with the doc and see if there’s anything new I could try. Obviously just the meditation and exercise isn’t cutting it anymore, so…can’t hurt to ask, right?”
“Yeah...yeah, I get it. I think that’s a good call.” He heard her sigh of relief and winced slightly. “You’re still going to the support group?”
“Not as regularly, lately, but yeah, I go when I need to,” Luka told her, tapping one finger on his leg restlessly. “Hey...thanks for everything. I know I’ve made things really hard for you when they were already difficult, so...thanks for being there.”
“Just returning the favor,” Juleka mumbled.
“That’s not one I ever wanted paid back,” he sighed.
“Well…” Juleka fell silent for a moment, and Luka waited for her to put her thoughts together. “Well. It’s not over yet, but you’re working on it so...it’s okay. I’m okay. I can handle it.”
“It’d be okay if you couldn’t,” Luka reminded her. “I don’t ever want to be—”
“Shut up,” Juleka bit out harshly. “Just shut up, Luka. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She sighed heavily.
"Okay,” Luka said gently. “Okay, Jules. That’s all I needed anyway. I love you, okay?”
“Sap,” she muttered, and then, “So the date went well?”
Luka let his head fall back and grinned at the ceiling. “The date went great. Amazing. We’re supposed to go out again soon.” He hesitated. “I was thinking,” he said slowly, “About maybe taking her to The Highlander.”
“The Highlander? You haven’t been there in months,” Juleka said, and Luka could hear she was frowning. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Especially for a second date.”
“No,” Luka admitted, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. “You think it’s too soon?”
“I think maybe you should go by yourself—wait, not by yourself. I think you and I should go first. See how you handle it. It didn’t go so well last time, Luka. And you haven’t been there in ages, you know people are going to stop to talk and they’re going to want to know how you are and...it just might be hard.”
Luka pressed his lips together and sighed through his nose. “Yeah. You’re right. Maybe a little bit later.”
“I just don’t want you to take on more than you can handle,” Juleka said, and he could hear Rose’s worried voice asking indistinct questions in the background. “Or rushing things too much and getting hurt. It might be just a quirky little Scottish pub to her but that doesn’t change what it is to us. It’s not fair to take her there like it’s just another theme bar.”
“Right,” Luka sighed. “Okay, I’m convinced. I’ll think of something else. You know I kind of hate movie dates.”
“That’s because you’re intense and nosy,” Juleka told him bluntly. “Movie dates are good, they give you something to talk about besides prying out her darkest secrets or spilling all of yours.”
Luka rolled his eyes. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“I always do,” Juleka snorted. “Someone has to keep you from getting all up in your head and being an idiot.”
“Yeah, thanks so much for that,” he grumbled, but he was smiling.
“Luka…”
“Yeah?”
There came another gusty sigh. “I love you too.”
Then she hung up on him. Luka rolled his eyes, but smiled a moment later when his phone dinged as her text with the number came through.
***
Luka’s good mood lasted through the week, right until the moment he opened his door to a slightly pale Louis and a stone-faced Adrien. Luka pursed his lips for a moment. Adrien didn’t say anything until Luka sent Louis into the studio with instructions to start his warmups. The room was mostly soundproof with the door closed. Luka made sure it was shut and then went back to the hall where Adrien was still standing, his expression still stiff but murder in his eyes.
“Enjoy your date?” Adrien growled.
Luka folded his arms and leaned one shoulder against the wall. “I did. I’m hoping to take her out again sometime soon.”
Adrien’s face twisted. “Did you fuck my wife, Couffaine?”
Luka sighed through his nose, lips tight. “I did not sleep with your ex-wife, no,” he said slowly, looking Adrien in the eye. “I took her out, I did my best to charm the hell out of her, and I kissed her.” He straightened up off the wall and faced Adrien. “Not that it’s actually any of your business what we do together.”
“If it gets out—”
“I don’t give a shit, Adrien,” Luka said sharply, leveling a glare at his old friend. “I don’t care about your reputation, I never have. Isn’t that why your father told you to stay away from me in the first place?”
Adrien reared back a little. “That—”
“Forget it,” Luka cut him off, holding up a hand. “Listen, I don’t hold your father against you. Not the things he said and did, and not the things he made you do. I know that none of that was your fault. But what you do and say here and now, Adrien, that’s on you, so don’t talk to me about making Marinette dance to your tune to save your reputation, or this conversation is gonna go downhill real fast. She’s single. She’s her own woman. She can date who she wants. If that’s me—” Luka shrugged. “I couldn’t care less what your investors think about it.”
“You absolute bastard.” Adrien scowled when Luka didn’t react. “How the hell can you stand there and act so calm?”
“Because I know your feelings don’t actually have anything to do with me,” Luka said softly. “You feel angry and hurt and betrayed, just like you have for the last, what, year and a half? Almost two, now, right? But deep down I don’t think you’re petty enough to want Marinette to be miserable, or to resent me for making her happy. If that’s even something she wants, by the way, which is by no means certain. It was only one date.”
“I can’t believe you,” Adrien burst out, his hands making an abortive gesture at his sides. “You knew her for what, five minutes?”
“Don’t give me that,” Luka snapped, his arms unfolding as he gave Adrien a hard look. “I know exactly how long it took for you to find somebody else after the divorce was final, the whole world does.”
Adrien winced. “That was a mistake,” he muttered. “I was hurt, I was angry, she was the one person I thought would never leave and I just wanted—” he broke off and took a shuddering breath.
Luka softened a little, reminding himself that this was his friend. “Look,” he sighed. “I know you’ve gone through a lot and we do stupid things when it comes to the people we love. I get it. I know that the divorce wasn’t what you wanted, I get that too. But you don’t get to decide when she’s allowed to move on. Or to whom.” He waited for a moment but Adrien said nothing, and he went on. “Look. For what it’s worth, I give you my word, I will treat her right. I’ll be careful with her and I’ll be careful with Louis. I’m trying to be as careful as I can with you, I really am.”
“I know,” Adrien ground out. “I think it just makes it worse. I really want to hate you.”
“I know. If you don’t want to talk to me for a few weeks—or longer—I totally get it. I can start doing written reports over email for Louis. You can just drop him off and pick him up and leave without saying a word to me if you want. I mean, you can pull him out if you want to, but I don’t think either of us really wants that. He’s doing really well so far.” Luka hesitated. “I don’t want to cause him problems though so if he’s no longer comfortable with me, I’d understand.”
Adrien took a deep breath. “We’ll see,” he said grudgingly. “I just don’t know right now. I’m not sure he’d tell us if he was uncomfortable, to be honest, and I don’t...well. Like I said, we’ll see. You’ll probably see it before either of us if he’s got a problem with you. For now, just go on, he’s waiting for you, and I really need to get out of here. I’m still mad as hell.”
Luka nodded. “Later, Adrien.”
“Asshole,” Adrien muttered as he left.
When he entered the studio, Luka wasn’t surprised to see Louis sitting tense on the piano bench, not playing. He went over and leaned against the piano instead of sitting next to him as he normally would. “Hey,” Luka smiled. “Your mom talk to you?”
“Yeah,” Louis said, staring at the keys.
“You want to talk about it, or are you not ready yet?”
Louis glanced up at him in surprise, then seemed to think about it. “I don’t think I want to,” he said after a moment.
“Okay. Can I sit?” Louis hesitated, and Luka added, “Or do you just want to play your feelings for a minute?” It had become part of their routine, whenever Louis seemed to need it. He still fumbled a lot, not quite comfortable with improvising, but the emotions were there and came across and that was what mattered.
Louis nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, I think I need that.”
“Can I stay, or would you rather I let you get it out on your own?”
Louis seemed to think again, and Luka was glad. At least the boy wasn’t just rejecting him outright. “You can...you can stay, I think. Maybe it’ll be easier than talking.”
“Okay. Thanks for that. If you change your mind, let me know and I’ll go. I know this is all—” Luka sighed. “Confusing, and frustrating and maybe even hurtful. It’s okay. You just...feel what you need to feel, and play what you need to play, okay? We don’t have to talk until you’re ready, and if that’s not today, that’s okay too. There’s no rush. We can set our own pace with this.”
Louis nodded, and raised his hands over the keys. “Okay,” he said, more to himself than Luka. “Okay.”
Luka leaned back against the piano, folded his arms, and closed his eyes, tuning into the music and the boy who made it. It was all the things he’d expected. Confused, angry, hurt, sad. Luka kept his expression neutral and resisted the urge to sigh. He reminded himself that he’d known it wouldn’t be easy. There wasn’t anything he could say to make this better.
He just had to be patient. This might have been easier if they hadn’t known each other already; he could have dated Marinette for a while until they were sure they had something serious and then met Louis. At least Luka hadn’t had to deal with every person his mother dated; she only asked him to meet the ones that mattered (though in the end, it turned out none of them had mattered that much).
But Louis was a smart kid, he already knew something was up, and when in doubt Luka tended to err on the side of openness. In Luka’s experience, secrets almost always hurt worse.
As he listened to Louis’ song, he was reminded of his conversation with Nicoline and the recorded performance he’d listened to when he got home. Luka had talked to Louis about performing in the recital and hadn’t gotten much more than weary acceptance. Apparently Louis was accustomed to being expected to perform whether he wanted to or not, which told Luka that, much like the younger Adrien, Louis had never performed a piece he was emotionally invested in. Luka hated that, and he didn’t want to ask Louis to perform another soulless piece, even if Louis technically picked it himself.
An idea was forming in his mind, but Luka was going to have to think carefully about it, about whether it was in Louis’ best interests or whether he was letting his own feelings, both old and new, color his judgement. He took a slow, thoughtful breath, tapping his fingers against his arm as he considered.
“Luka?”
Luka jumped slightly, and realized Louis had stopped playing and was looking at him. “Hey, sorry, man, I had a thought and I zoned out there for a second. I got the gist, though.” He motioned towards the piano bench. “Can I sit now?”
Louis slid over immediately, but Luka didn’t move until he said, quietly. “Yes. Go ahead.”
“Listen,” he said, “I said we don’t have to talk about anything until you’re ready and I mean that. I just want you to know that nothing that happens in this room changes. Here, it’s about the music and about helping you get to a good place with it. I know maybe it looked like I was off in my own world a bit for a second there, but it’s not because I wasn’t paying attention to you. What I was thinking about just now, that was about the music too. I just need to think about it a little more before we can talk about it, but I promise we will, okay?”
Louis nodded slowly.
“Do you want to talk about this thing with me and your mom?” Luka asked, stroking his own fingers along the keys for a moment, and then beginning to play absently as he spoke. “Or do you want to wait a little longer? Or maybe do it somewhere that’s not here?”
“I don’t know what to say,” Louis mumbled. “It’s not like it matters what I think.”
“Of course it does,” Luka said, pausing for a moment to look at him. “What you think always matters, Louis, and you deserve to be heard. So if you have something to say, you tell me so. I can’t say how much it’ll change anything, but I will always hear you and consider what you have to say, okay?”
“Yes,” Louis said after a moment. “That’s what Maman said, too.”
Luka put his hands back on the keys and began to play the turbulent waves of his own emotions, though it didn’t come as naturally to him on the piano as the guitar. “I can’t say I know exactly how you feel, because we’re two different people in different circumstances. But my parents split up when I was little, a few years younger than you, and I know how it felt when other guys started coming around my mom. So I’m not totally clueless here.” He glanced at Louis, and then went on. “I like your mom a lot, and she seems to like me pretty well so far, and it’s going to take a while to find out exactly what that means for all of us. Your mom and I, we have a lot to figure out and we’re going to take our time doing that. That’s what dating is for, you know? Getting to know each other and figuring out whether you can be good together and you want the same things out of life and relationships and whatever, and that takes time. So not a lot’s going to change overnight, okay?”
Louis nodded slowly. “That’s what she told me.”
“Good,” Luka smiled slightly. “So that part’s between me and her and that’s stuff nobody can figure out but us. You and your mom are a package deal, though, so that means, you and I have stuff that nobody else can figure out either. That’s the good news, though, that you and I get to decide what that means, no one else. I mean, your mom and dad, they’re still your mom and dad and they’re going to make the rules for a while, and you and I, we get to just hang out and get to know each other. And if it turns out we can’t stand each other, well, obviously that’s a problem that we’re all going to have to deal with. But, so far, I think you’re a pretty cool kid, Louis.”
Louis looked up at him sharply, eyebrows soaring, breaking that polite mask into a look of incredulous doubt. “You think I’m cool,” he said in a deadpan voice.
Luka laughed, actually pleased to see a normal kid expression on Louis’ face. “Why is that a surprise?”
“Nobody thinks I’m cool,” Louis drawled, like Luka was completely dense. “Not sure how you didn’t notice, but I’m a nerd, Luka.”
Luka was struggling not to completely lose it. “Nerds can be cool,” he managed to say through the suppressed laughter threatening to strangle him. “So what if you’re a nerd? What’s wrong with being passionate about knowledge?”
“But I’m—” Louis looked down at himself, at his clothes, Luka realized, and made a face.
“Sophisticated?” Luka grinned.
Louis gave him an exasperated look. “I look like I tripped and fell off a catalogue page.”
Luka tried not to laugh. “So what?”
“So I am not cool,” Louis pouted, folding his arms. “I’ll never be cool.”
“Louis,” Luka chuckled, taking his hands off the keys and turning slightly to face the boy. “The kind of cool I’m talking about isn’t about how you dress or what your hobbies are or what instrument you play.” He nodded at the piano. “It’s about being interesting and fun to be around and putting out good energy to the people around you, and you’ve got all of that. You want me to pick another word, I will, but what you call it isn’t going to change anything.” Luka cocked his head. “Do you want to be different from the way you are?”
“Well…” Louis looked thoughtful, his hand going up to rub the back of his neck in a gesture that Luka immediately recognized. “No? Or maybe...maybe sometimes. Maybe some things. I like most of it, fencing and music and...and school—” He darted a quick look at Luka.
“Nothing wrong with being good at and enjoying all those things,” Luka nodded. “But there’s other things you’d like to try?” Luka suggested. “Including maybe changing up your look?”
Louis nodded.
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Luka said, again having trouble keeping a straight face. “Trying out things is part of growing up. And if you don’t like these supposedly cool things, that doesn’t make you uncool. Uncool is going with things you don’t really like just because you’re trying to fit some image people made up.” He paused for a second, suddenly feeling both an intense sense of deja vu and like he was on dangerous ground, because this time he wasn’t a kid talking to his friend, he was an adult, an authority, talking to a child who wasn’t his own. The last thing he wanted was to upset either of Louis’ parents by encouraging him in the little kid version of a Couffaine-style rebellion, even if he felt like the kid deserved to be a kid a bit more. “If there’s something like that you want to do or try, just tell your parents so,” he said. “Or your therapist, if you don’t feel comfortable going to them right away, and she’ll help you figure out how to ask. It’s her job to help you work through hard stuff like that, right?”
Louis wrinkled his nose slightly. “I can’t tell my mom I want to change the way I dress, she’d be so upset. All the clothes I wear are her clothes.���
“You think so?” Luka asked, slightly surprised, his eyebrows raising. “You think your mom would rather you wear clothes you don’t like and don’t feel good in just to make her comfortable, instead of being honest with her and letting her help you find something you like better?”
Louis opened his mouth and then shut it again.
“It’s okay to want things and it’s okay to ask for the things you want,” Luka told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You might not always get them but your parents love you and I know they’ll at least talk about them with you. I might not know your mom as well as you do, but I feel pretty confident she wouldn’t want you to stay silent about something that’s bothering you just to keep from upsetting her. I might be way off base but I bet helping you figure out a look you actually like would be a fun challenge for her.” He shrugged. “Ask her and see. The worst she can say is no, right?”
“Yeah...maybe…” Louis looked away, reaching for the keys again. He played a simple exercise, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
“Hey,” Luka said, squeezing his shoulder gently. “Are we cool? For now, at least?”
Louis took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yeah. For now.”
“Fair enough,” Luka smiled, letting his hand fall away. “So, we still have a little time left before your dad comes back, let’s get back to the music, shall we? And from now on, anytime you want to talk to me about any of that other stuff, you can call or text. We won’t talk about it again during lessons. I meant what I said. This time is for you and the music and everything else stays outside the door, okay?”
“Okay,” Louis gave a little smile.
Luka felt a little encouraged by the talk, and a little relieved that once it was out of the way, they’d been able to fall back into their usual routine for lessons. Guilt descended on him though when Adrien returned to pick Louis up. Both men were nothing less than cordial in front of Louis, but the easy familiarity they’d always had was gone, and Luka was sure Louis sensed the tension between them no matter how the two adults tried to hide it.
Luka sank back on his couch when they were gone, letting his head fall back against the back. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there just staring at the ceiling, but the sun was down when he finally got up.
***
If he’d had any second thoughts over the next few days, his second date with Marinette renewed his resolve. He took Juleka’s advice and they went to a movie, something not too intense that they could laugh and poke fun at afterwards. Marinette seemed a little more relaxed, and he teased her about her choice of snack foods and she teased him for the way he kept humming the soundtrack over and over.
If the kisses they shared were softer and maybe a little shyer than before, they were just as sweet, and Luka couldn’t find it in him to be disappointed. They had maybe gone a bit fast for a first date, anyway. If she wanted to slow down a bit, that was fair. He came home smiling again, a little lightness in his heart that couldn’t be crowded out by all his other worries.
Luka was humming to himself the next day as he let himself into the small cafe and waved to the owner before throwing himself down at a table by the windows and waiting for the company he expected, but who was, as usual, late.
Nicoline Sardou was a tall, angular woman with a commanding presence almost as powerful as her voice. It served her well on stage and in crowds, but she didn’t seem to know how to turn it off (or she chose not to), and being in a small space with her tended to feel overwhelming. She walked into the small cafe like the diva she was, complete with oversized sunglasses and giant, flashing chandelier earrings, and scanned the tables for him.
Luka waved to get her attention. He saw her chin jerk when she spotted him and chuckled as he watched people practically leap out of her way as she approached. Luka had grown up with Anarka Couffaine, who’d had a different energy but just as much force behind it, and Juleka, who’d had a runway walk so fierce it made everyone in the front rows lean back every time she was on the catwalk, so he wasn’t phased by the aura of mystique she projected, and he always found it mildly entertaining to see other people react to her.
Besides, he’d known Nicoline since university and it was hard to be intimidated by a woman he’d taken to the emergency room for a fractured coxis when she’d landed on her ass after a botched kegstand.
“Good to see you, Nic,” he said, standing to greet her. They exchanged a bise and Nicoline squeezed his arm briefly before they sat back down.
“It’s been ages since I saw you last,” she said as they waited for the food they’d ordered. “You’ve barely even been answering my texts.”
Luka sighed and tried to smile. “I’m really sorry about that. I’m trying to be better.”
“You look better,” Nicoline said, tilting her head slightly. “Not so...sleepy. Are you resting better?”
“Sometimes,” Luka shrugged, but he didn’t really want to talk about it just then, even with someone he’d known as long as Nic. “So, Spring Recital,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “I know I haven’t been as engaged as I should and I’m sorry. Can you bring me up to speed on where we’re at?”
“Right,” Nicoline said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a folder, setting things out on the table between them. “I’ve reserved our usual venue and my students have chosen their pieces. Here’s the ones I need backup for.” She slid a list across the table, and then tapped one painted nail on a name. “This is the one I wanted to talk to you about. She’s really good, Luka, probably one of my favorite students I’ve ever taught. I want her to do the showcase piece, but if you don’t have any students who can match up to her, I’d rather use canned music.”
Luka gave a thoughtful hum, looking at the name and the piece listed next to it. “Do you have—” Nicoline was pushing a CD across the table to him before he even finished speaking. Luka quirked an eyebrow at the choice of medium but picked it up and set it next to him on the table.
“She’s track six,” Nicoline told him. “You’ll know her when you hear her. I was thinking maybe piano and guitar? Maybe drums if you can keep them from being too heavy.
Luka nodded. “I’ll listen to her and see who I’ve got that matches her style. I’m not going to pressure anyone into it though, Nicoline, you know I don’t believe in that.”
Nicoline waved that away; it was an old argument. Their teaching styles were as different as their personalities, and when they’d first gotten the idea to have Nicoline’s vocal students pair with Luka’s instrumentalists and collaborate on a few recital pieces, it had seemed almost crazy. Luka had always managed to match up groups that worked, though, and he was of the opinion that the students worked a little harder when someone else was counting on them.
“Just let me know once you’ve got an arrangement put together,” Nic said, “And we can work out a rehearsal schedule.”
“Who else is on board for the recital?” Luka asked, and they spent the rest of the lunch gossiping about their colleagues. Luka was sadly out of date on the news and he cringed a little as Nicoline related the latest drama to him. He should definitely touch base with some people.
“You want to come home with me?” Nicoline asked as she stirred her drink. “You look better but still like you could stand to lose a little tension.” She offered him a little smile. “And I missed you.”
Luka shook his head and he could feel his mouth twitching as he tried not to smile too broadly. “I’m actually seeing somebody at the moment.”
“Oooh,” Nicoline raised her eyebrows, a sly grin of her own spreading over her face. “Is it serious?”
“It’s new,” Luka said, avoiding her gaze as he poked at his food, still smiling. “But yeah, it’s pretty serious. For me, anyway. It’s...things are...well—” He bit his lip to stop the fumbling, and shrugged just slightly. “She’s got baggage. And it’s not like I’m exactly rock steady myself right now. So...I think it’s gonna go slow....” He caught Nicoline’s look and grinned sheepishly. “Slow-ish,” he amended. “But…” That smile was trying to break through again. “But I think it’ll be worth it.”
“Worth it, like, the one worth it?”
Luka made a noncommittal noise but he still couldn’t look her in the face.
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Nicoline said, eyes narrowed, and he felt all the force of her personality on him in that moment. “Spill.”
“Her son is one of my students,” Luka admitted, leaning his chin on his fist.
It was almost comical, how fast Nic’s eyes flew open. She leaned forward slightly. “You’re dating a client?”
“Technically, no,” Luka mumbled. “Technically, her ex-husband is my client.”
Nicoline didn’t answer for a moment and he flicked his eyes up at her.
“Luka,” Nicoline sighed, shaking her head. “You never do things the simple way.”
“Never,” he agreed, sitting up straight. “It’s a Couffaine thing.”
Nicoline checked the time on her phone. “I’ve got five minutes. Spill.”
Luka snorted, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. “No.” He grinned to himself as he counted out the money, watching Nicoline’s mouth drop open in surprise and outrage, and then he stood up and dropped his cash on the table. “See you later, Nic. I’ll be in touch about the group.” He waved the CD at her and turned away, chuckling to himself as he left the cafe.
***
A week later, Luka was looking forward to his third date with Marinette with the same excitement and anticipation fizzing in his veins, but he knew something was wrong as soon as they met up. Marinette was tense, and she couldn’t seem to look at him for very long—but she couldn’t seem to stop looking at him, either. She kept shooting him quick, darting glances that skittered away before he could meet them. He reached for her hand and she let him take it, but her grip in return was weak and he thought maybe she was shaking.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, when there was a lull in the sidewalk traffic that gave them a quiet moment.
“Yeah,” Marinette smiled up at him, and her hold on his hand got a little tighter. “It’s good.”
Luka raised his eyebrows slightly as her gaze shifted away again. “Marinette,” he said, letting go of her hand to put his on her shoulder. “Please.”
“It’s nothing, really, just something I wanted to talk about, but it can wait until we’re settled somewhere. It’s not, um...nothing earth shattering, I promise. I think.”
That was less reassuring than she had probably intended, but Luka did his best to cover his concern until they got to the restaurant they had agreed on.
They ordered food and tried to chat, but Marinette was distracted and Luka was worried, and they couldn’t seem to keep a topic going.
“Marinette,” Luka sighed finally, pushing his plate aside to take her hand. “Please just tell me what’s on your mind? Let’s just...deal with whatever it is, okay?”
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said quickly, her fingers curling tight around his. “I didn’t want to ruin everything, and now I am and—”
“Marinette,” Luka interrupted, “Please. Just tell me.”
She winced a little at his tone, and he regretted it, but the flightier she acted the more he began to fear the worst. “I just,” she hesitated, and Luka’s worry increased. “I guess I just wanted to know if we’re, um, exclusive? Or are we...not allowed but...I mean are we…”
Okay, he told himself, that...wasn’t as bad as it could have been. “Do you want to be?” Luka asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.
“Well I—” Marinette began, and then she looked down, fiddling with her napkin. “It’s just, someone else asked me out, and I realized I didn’t know, um, where you stood on us dating other people besides each other.” She glanced up at him and away, and Luka picked up his drink to give himself something to do while he tried to gather the wits her simple question had just scattered to the wind.
“Well,” he said slowly as he set his glass down. “We’ve only seen each other a few times. I think things are going really well and I hope that will continue, but if you want to see other people too, I wouldn’t feel right telling you not to.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Honestly, it pains me to say this, you probably should, Marinette, if you want to even a little bit. It might be good for you. I don’t want you to have any doubts or regrets.”
“I just can’t help but think...I never really dated anyone but Adrien before, and…”
“Of course,” Luka nodded, and took her hand. “That makes total sense. So if you want to try going out with some other people, then I’m not going to stand in the way of that. I won’t say I really like it, but I understand.” He gave her a lopsided smile that he hoped didn’t betray him too badly and gave her a quick wink. “I’ll just have to step up my game, that’s all.”
She squeaked and reached quickly for her water glass, and Luka chuckled in spite of himself.
He tried to act as normal as he could for the rest of the date, but he knew he was quieter than he had been. He clung to her hand a little tighter, but kept his distance more than he had before, suddenly unsure of himself in a way he wasn’t really accustomed to. Luka couldn’t help feeling like he’d been misreading something, getting more invested than was justified, and all he could do was hold it together as best he could until he could get home and think.
Their kiss goodnight was soft and sweet and he lingered over it longer than he probably should have, but it was reserved, too, in a way it hadn’t been before now, at least on his part.
“Luka, is...are you really, okay with what we talked about?” Marinette asked him, her eyes tight.
Luka sighed. Clearly he hadn’t fooled her at all. “In my head, yeah,” he said, looking down at their fingers tangled together. “I know this is the right thing to do and I genuinely want you to be with me because you want to, and not because you just felt like you couldn’t explore other options. At the same time, I’m really into you and my heart and my gut might be having a harder time with it, that’s all. I’ll deal with it.”
Marinette’s brow creased slightly and she frowned. “If you’re not really okay with this...I really like you too, Luka, and I don’t want to—”
Luka smiled faintly. “I want you to be happy, Marinette. When you are ready for something more serious, I don’t want you to have any doubts. Figure out what you need, and do it, okay? Thank you for being honest with me about it.” He lifted her hand and stroked his thumb along the ladybug tattoo. “Just...keep me posted? On where we stand.” He hesitated. “Do you still want to go out again next week?”
“Yes,” Marinette said firmly, squeezing his hand. “Definitely.” She tugged him forward a little, and he stepped closer. “Luka, this doesn’t change anything about how I feel about you. I like this, I like what we have. I like you. A lot. And this is definitely not me liking you less as time goes on.” She blushed, dropping her eyes for just a moment before she looked back up at him. “It’s just, it’s like you said. I don’t want to have any doubts. I had such tunnel vision, with...before, and look how it turned out.” Marinette sighed, her brow creasing slightly. “I feel like that could happen again really easily...with you, so…” She bit her lip, eyes searching his face. “But now I’m scared of ruining what we have. Maybe I shouldn’t—what are you doing?”
Luka drew her close, hands sliding from her waist to the small of her back as he dipped his head towards her.
“If I’m going to have some competition, I want to make sure I leave an impression,” he breathed, lips brushing hers. “Is that okay?”
He felt her lips move but no sound came out. “Marinette?”
She managed to make a noise of assent and nod slightly, and Luka kissed her softly, once, twice, and then more firmly, tasting her with light brushes of his tongue as he coaxed her lips open. Luka kissed her as thoroughly as he knew how, focused on her reactions, intending to do exactly as he said, but also to fill himself with the taste, the feel of her, the sound of her soft noises in his ears, to burn it into his mind against the day when he might have to give it up. Marinette’s fingers curled into his coat and she whimpered softly. He let her turn her head away to gasp for air but pressed his lips into her jaw, and then her neck, and when she gasped his name it was shaky and breathless in a way that made him shiver, but it also held a note of warning that he couldn’t ignore. Luka nuzzled her neck one more time, breathing her in, and pulled back, placing one more soft kiss on her lips before he straightened.
“Too much?” he asked quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Marinette shook her head, her cheeks bright pink. “It was a lot, but...not too much. Not from you.”
That brought the most genuine smile he’d had all evening to his face. “I should go. I’ll text you about next week?”
Marinette nodded, and rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Goodnight, Luka.”
“Goodnight, Marinette.”
Luka rode the subway home in a haze of confused, upset feelings. When he got home he kicked off his shoes and tossed away his jacket, pulling off his shirt on the way to his bedroom. He fell face down onto the bed, his phone gripped tightly in one hand, the edges of it digging into his palm.
He raised it up and turned his head enough to peek at the time, and then he buried his face in the mattress again. It was late. Juleka would answer, even if she was sleeping, but he couldn’t do that to her. He took a deep breath and rolled over. He unlocked his phone, thumb hovering over Juleka’s number, and then Nicoline’s. She would be awake, but...he didn’t think Nicoline’s brand of support was what he needed right then. He switched to his music app and turned it on, dialing the volume up as high as it would go before setting the phone in the charging dock on his nightstand. He shimmied out of his pants and under the covers, and then curled up, counting the beats of the music and praying for sleep.
***
It took Luka a few days to get his head together again after the bomb Marinette had dropped on him. He felt stupid, and frustrated, and disappointed (and irrationally angry at Juleka for being right), but he was determined not to let it bring him back down. He wasn’t sure if Marinette had talked to Louis about her intention to date other people. Louis didn’t bring it up at his lesson, so Luka let it lie, figuring it wasn’t his business to mention it if Louis didn’t.
He felt a little bit better when Marinette called and asked him to go to a concert with her. The musician was a client and had given Marinette tickets, and she thought of him, so if he wasn’t busy, although it wasn’t really his style of music and maybe he wouldn’t be interested, but if he was, she really would rather go with him than anyone else, and—
Luka was laughing by the time she paused long enough for him to accept her offer, and teased her about implying he was a music snob, and eventually she recovered from her spluttering to tease him back, and by the time Luka hung up the phone he was smiling. She thought of him, she invited him, and that was enough to help him find his resolve, and determine to put truth to what he’d said to her about stepping up his game.
He focused his mind back on his work, and work found him sitting in a boring little bar in a neighborhood full of high rise office complexes.
Luka had taken his time with this decision—almost too much time, if he wanted the kids to be ready in time, but he still tapped his fingers nervously on the table while he waited. It wasn’t a particularly ritzy bar, but Luka felt very out of place in this crowd. It wasn’t his normal hour to be out and the place was full of businessmen getting off work for the day.
Luka didn’t actually have to be here. Technically, he could have had this conversation over the phone, or even over email, but he wanted to do it in person. Luka wasn’t sure if he was in for an argument or not but he’d get a better read of the situation face to face.
He was expecting it to be...awkward, though, after their last conversation.
“So much for you don’t have to talk to me for a while,” Adrien grumbled, dropping into the chair across from Luka.
It had been several weeks, but Luka could understand that it probably didn’t seem like long enough to Adrien. “I’ll be quick,” Luka said, leaning his elbows on the table. “Drink? On me.”
“God yes.” Adrien flagged down a server and ordered a drink that made Luka raise his eyebrows slightly. “It’s the end of the work day and I’m not driving,” Adrien defended himself, and Luka shrugged.
“Just not the kind of thing you usually drink,” he commented, voice carefully neutral.
“Yeah, well, it’s been a while since we got a drink together,” Adrien snorted as the server returned and tapped the glass down in front of him. Luka was mildly amused at the prompt service; Adrien’s rich guy vibe was palpable, apparently. Or maybe he was a regular here, since it was near the office. “Now what do you want?” Adrien demanded, picking up his drink.
“I wanted to ask,” Luka said, curling his fingers in as he realized they were still drumming on the table, “If you’re still on that whole ‘Agrestes are soloists,’ thing your dad was so dead set on.”
Adrien’s expression didn’t change other than the slight raise of his eyebrows. “Why?”
“Because an opportunity has come up for Louis—”
“No,” Adrien interrupted, putting his glass down. “No way. Marinette and I agreed before he was born, no opportunities until—”
“Let me finish,” Luka broke in, raising his hands slightly, and Adrien pressed his lips together. “Sorry,” Luka continued. “I forgot that might be a loaded word for you. Not that kind of opportunity, not a money-making type thing. Just, a chance to play as part of a group in the Spring Concert. I have a colleague looking for a group to back one of her singers. I’ve got a few students in mind and I think Louis would be a good fit for them. But before I even brought it up to him, I wanted to run it by you. I don’t want to get him excited about something you might not approve of.”
“As if you ever cared about anyone’s approval,” Adrien snorted, and Luka shrugged.
“It’s different when you’re working with kids,” Luka pointed out. “I don’t make decisions about what’s right for other people’s children. I’m just his teacher. You're his father.” At Adrien’s sharp look, he added, “That won’t change no matter what happens between me and Marinette. You’ll always be his father.”
“I know that,” Adrien growled, picking up his drink and hiding behind it. Luka fought the urge to roll his eyes. After a minute, Adrien put the glass down with a little more force than necessary. “I’m not my father,” he said bitterly.
Luka raised his eyebrows. “I know that,” he echoed.
“Do you?” Adrien sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Does anybody?”
“Do you?” Luka asked, before he could think better of it, and stiffened slightly when Adrien’s eyes narrowed at him. “Sorry. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Look, Adrien, I—”
“Don’t,” Adrien snapped. “Just don’t, Luka. I know you lost your mom unexpectedly too and all, but don’t try to tell me you understand.” He turned his face away, blinking rapidly as he took a large swallow of his drink.
“Okay,” Luka said softly, looking at the table and turning his glass absently. “I won’t. I don’t.” He closed his lips on whatever else he wanted to say. At least you got to bury a body, he thought bitterly, but he knew that was unfair. Luka had always had very black and white feelings about Adrien’s relationship with his father, and he was beginning to suspect Marinette did also, but Adrien had never been able to see it that way and had ignored or resented any suggestion that he really didn’t owe his father the kind of loyalty he’d been trained to show. Adrien had spent his whole life waiting for...something. Some kind of catharsis. Some acknowledgement from his father. Some kind of confrontation that would end with a hug and an apology and the snooty rich person equivalent of “you did good son.”
It was never going to happen, even while Gabriel was alive, but there wasn’t even the remotest hope of it now that he was gone. And now it was all tangled into some vague wish of following the path his father would have wanted like the good son that he was. The good son Gabriel had never acknowledged him to be.
It was sad. It was also, Luka couldn’t help feeling, raised to independence and free will as he had been, a little pathetic.
It was maybe a little easy for Luka to say, though, just like it was easy for Adrien to feel like Luka’s pain was less because Luka had been close to his mother and always knew where he stood with her.
Luka shoved aside uncharitable thoughts about how little difference there was in Gabriel’s presence in Adrien’s life whether he was dead or alive, and how much one could possibly miss someone who had never bothered to be there in the first place, and wrenched his mind back to the issue at hand.
“Look,” he sighed, “If you’re not completely opposed to the idea, just think about it and call me before Louis’ next lesson. I think it would be good for him to play with other kids, to have a chance to interpret a piece of music into something he’s excited about playing and performing, start seeing music as a way to connect with people, but like I said, I’m not even going to bring it up if it’s not something you’re going to be on board with.”
Adrien looked at him with an expression Luka couldn’t quite parse. “Did you ask Marinette?”
Luka shook his head. Adrien might not believe it but Luka had no desire to cause problems between the two of them. He wasn’t sure how Adrien would react to the proposition, but he had a pretty good idea how Marinette would react if she found out Adrien had kept Louis from doing something because Gabriel Agreste wouldn’t have liked it. Luka had no interest in provoking that fight—at least not right now.
Adrien looked away and said nothing for a long moment. “I heard,” he said finally, still not looking at Luka, “I heard Marinette’s going out with one of the accounting consultants this weekend.” He glanced at Luka. “Office gossip, you know. And Nino let slip that she was seeing someone else last week.”
Luka just looked back at him, careful to show no reaction. Whoever else she was seeing, Marinette was still making time to go out with him pretty consistently, but that wasn’t really Adrien’s business. Just like it was none of Luka’s business, for the moment, who she was seeing besides him. He half expected Adrien to make some kind of crack at his expense, but Adrien just shook his head, getting up from the table.
“If Louis wants to do it that’s fine with me,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. “I’m not my father, and Louis isn’t me. And…” He hesitated, pulling some money out of his wallet and dropping it on the table. “I brought him to you for a reason,” he said finally. “If you think it would be good for him then I trust your judgement. He’ll have plenty of chances for solos in the future, I’m sure,” he added, almost to himself.
Luka rolled his eyes, though he had no doubt Adrien was right. He kept his mouth shut, though, as Adrien made his way out of the bar. Luka paid the tab and left, leaving Adrien’s money on the table.
When he got home, he sat down at his table and took out his phone. He stared at it for a moment, and then dialed Marinette’s number. He half expected voicemail, but just before it would have clicked over, the call went active, and there was a sudden thud and crash and “Oh shit!”
Luka was laughing when Marinette finally came on the line with a breathless, “Hi Luka!” that made his heart flutter.
“Hi Marinette,” he chuckled. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, still panting. “Just, um, I almost didn’t hear it, and then I tripped, and when I went to grab it I knocked it off my work table, and—um, anyway you called so…”
“I did,” Luka smiled, “And I would have called back. You didn’t have to half kill yourself to get to the phone.”
“Well, I...it might have been important!” He could almost imagine the way she blushed and pouted as she said it.
“Is this an okay time?” he asked, running his fingers through his hair and trying to collect his thoughts. “I just wanted to run something by you about Louis.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, and Luka might have imagined it but he thought she sounded disappointed. “Okay. Y-yeah, now’s fine. What’s going on?”
Luka explained, unsurprised when Marinette asked quite a few more questions than Adrien.
“Well, it sounds fine to me,” Marinette said at last. “I’m not a musician and you’re his teacher, so if you think he’s up to it and that it will help him, I’m happy for him to play with the group.” She hesitated. “I’m not sure how Adrien will feel about it though.”
“I already talked to Adrien,” Luka admitted. “I know that was kind of a thing with his dad—it’s why he pulled him out of the band, or so he said at the time, so I wanted to get a read on where Adrien stood. He said he was okay with it as long as Louis wanted to do it.”
“Oh,” Marinette sighed. “That’s a relief. I mean, he loves Louis and he always has Louis’ best wishes at heart, but—” She cut off and sighed.
“But he was brainwashed for twenty-five years by his asshole father and sometimes his sense of reality is warped by his incomprehensible loyalty to the man’s memory?” Luka suggested sardonically.
“At least someone can say it,” Marinette laughed, sounding a little guilty as she did. “But...yeah, basically. I’m glad to hear he didn’t put up a fuss. Thanks for, um...thanks for talking to him about it. I could have, but—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Luka shrugged. “It’s my job. Okay, if both of you are on board then I’ll talk to Louis about it at our next lesson.”
“Okay, sounds good,” Marinette agreed, and a slightly awkward pause ensued. Luka was opening his mouth to tell her goodbye when she suddenly said in a rush, “So, um...how was your day?”
Luka blinked, and then smiled, tracing the pattern of the wood grain on his table with his finger. “It wasn’t bad. I have a kid that’s been struggling with a piece and she really made a breakthrough today, and that’s always nice. How was yours? Or should I say, how is yours, are you still at work?”
“Yes and no,” Marinette replied, and there was some noise on the other end of the line, like she was moving things around. “I’m not at work, but I’m working in my home office. Louis is with Adrien tonight, you know, so I thought I’d get some work done, because I’m a little behind after all the chaos earlier.”
“Rough day up until now, huh?”
“Crazy,” Marinette groaned. “You wouldn’t believe what I had to deal with this morning…”
Luka smiled, settling back in his chair as Marinette began to rant in extremely entertaining terms about some mix up that had happened on the production floor that day. It reminded him of something that had happened on the boat years ago, and they chatted back and forth until Marinette yawned and Luka suddenly realized he was starving.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” Marinette gasped. “I didn’t mean to keep you so long—I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Me neither,” Luka chuckled. “But I don’t mind.”
“You’re so easy to talk to,” Marinette sighed. “I wish…”
“You wish what?” Luka asked, when she didn’t continue, his pulse picking up a little.
“Nothing,” she said quickly, and Luka suspected from the tone of her voice that she was blushing. “Never mind.”
“Hey, do you maybe want to grab coffee tomorrow?” Luka asked on impulse. “I’ve got students in the afternoon, but in the morning—”
“I can’t,” Marinette nearly whined, and Luka bit down on a smile that wanted to become a laugh. “I’d really love to, but I can’t. I have um—plans already. For brunch.” She sighed like she was genuinely disappointed.
“Okay,” he said, smile fading slightly. “Some other time then.”
“Yeah,” Marinette said unhappily. “Some other time. Soon.”
“Soon, for sure,” Luka said quickly, the smile coming back a bit. “Goodnight, Marinette.”
“Goodnight, Luka,” Marinette sighed, and though he preferred hearing her happy, it gave him a little flutter that she seemed so reluctant to say it.
***
“Hey, man,” Luka grinned, crouching down to get a better look at Louis. “Spiderman, I like it.” He indicated the shirt under Louis’ button-down. Instead of his usual green Gabriel brand t-shirt, he sported black t-shirt with a red spiderman emblem on his chest. Louis grinned broadly and shrugged, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
“Really?” he asked shyly.
“Yeah,” Luka nodded. “That’s from the new movie, right? The animated one?”
“Yeah,” Louis lit up. “It’s sooooo good!” He paused. “It’s not exactly new, though. It’s been out on Blu-Ray for a while already.”
“Man, I’m so out of touch,” Luka sighed with a lopsided smile. “The soundtrack is killer, I just never made the time to actually watch the movie. I didn’t realize it had been so long.” He leaned forward a little. “Your mom didn’t give you too much grief right? Do I need to talk to her?” He glanced up over Louis’ shoulder and winked at Marinette.
“Nah, my mom’s the best,” Louis beamed, looking back at her. Marinette blushed, and Luka coughed to cover a laugh.
“All right, go on back,” Luka told Louis, squeezing his shoulder as he stood up. “Warm up while we wait, the others should be here soon.”
“Okay!” Louis went around him, heading for the music room.
Luka looked back at Marinette, who was shaking her head at him.
“Charmer,” she accused, and Luka grinned, spreading his hands.
“I’m only charming because I’m honest.”
“And cute,” Marinette wrinkled her nose at him.
“Guilty,” Luka winked. “But don’t tempt me while I’m on the clock. I’m still a professional here.”
“Right,” Marinette said, reaching up to smooth her hair as she blushed. “Sorry.” She shuffled back a step, but didn’t turn to go. For a moment they just looked at each other, neither sure what to say. Piano music floated down the hallway; Louis hadn’t shut the studio door, and Luka laughed to himself as he recognized the tune of What’s Up Danger. “Wonder where he found piano music for that,” he murmured to himself, and Marinette giggled.
“The internet, probably. He’s pretty resourceful when he wants to be. Or maybe Adrien helped him find it.” She shook her head. “I should be mad at you,” she said, poking him lightly. “You could have warned me. About the whole ‘new look’ thing.”
“Ah, I probably should have,” Luka sighed, dropping his head back. “Sorry. I forgot. I don’t know, though, maybe it’s better this way. That he talked to you about it himself. Sorry if he blindsided you, though.”
Marinette shrugged. “It was a surprise, but it shouldn’t have been. He’s getting old enough to have opinions of his own on that kind of thing. I’m just happy he’s still willing to work with me on it. I don’t mind designing something more to his taste but I’d be pretty depressed if he refused to wear anything I made.”
“Why would he do that?” Luka grinned. “His mom’s the best.”
Marinette blushed again and put a hand over her face. “Stoooop,” she whined, and Luka chuckled.
“Yeah, I better.”
A familiar pattern knocked on the door before Marinette could answer, and Marinette stepped aside so Luka could open it.
“JP,” Luka grinned, greeting the boy standing there with a complicated high-five hand-shake fist bump. He raised a hand and waved to JP’s aunt, who waved back out of the car window before driving off, swerving around the town car still waiting for Marinette at the curb.
“I should—I should go,” Marinette said, squeezing past him and backing down the walk. “I’ll be back to pick up Louis later. Obviously.” Luka caught her arm and she blinked up at him.
“Step,” he reminded her with a lopsided smile, and she flushed as she took the small step down before pulling her arm away. “See you later,” he said, and she turned and waved awkwardly. Luka lingered on the doorstep, watching her get back in the car.
A cough by his elbow wiped the goofy smile off his face. Luka looked down and saw JP looking back at him with raised eyebrows. “Inside, punk, come on,” Luka muttered, shoving at the kids shoulder, and JP snickered as he went past him.
“Louis,” Luka called as they neared the studio, and the piano music stopped. “This is Jean-Paul Locke.”
“Louis Agreste,” Louis said formally, getting up from the piano bench and holding his hand out. JP gave Luka a look that asked, ‘Is this guy for real?’ but at Luka’s nod, he reached forward and shook Louis’ hand.
“Call me JP,” he said—mumbled, really, keeping his head down. Then he glanced up and smiled a little. “I like your shirt.”
“Thanks,” Louis grinned. “I like your shoes.”
JP grinned back, shuffling his graffitied kicks. “Thanks.”
“Get plugged in and tune up, JP,” Luka said, and JP let the guitar case he was carrying slide off his back. “I want you guys to listen to something.”
He got out the CD Nicoline had given him and put it in the player, watching the boys out of the corner of his eye. JP was a couple of years older than Louis, and while Luka had a complicated relationship with the word ‘prodigy,’ it fit more than it didn’t. Luka tried not to have favorite students, but JP was...a kindred spirit. He might struggle more than Louis with the technical part of making music, but Luka had never heard him play anything that didn’t come from his heart. He made everything he played his own, and Luka felt Louis had the same potential. He was hoping JP’s example would help Louis connect with his own music.
When JP looked up from his guitar, Luka started the music.
Nicoline hadn’t been lying about how good her student was. Her voice was clear and powerful, though still not quite mature, but she had that something that just hit you in the gut. Luka agreed with Nic, she was the real deal, and when he looked at the boys, he had to smile. Louis’ eyes were round, and JP looked impressed.
“Shit,” commented JP, when the music ended. Louis’ mouth dropped open and he turned to stare at the older boy. Luka sighed and smacked the back of JP’s head on his way to shut off the player.
“Come on, man, don’t make me be the swear police,” Luka admonished, and JP hunched slightly.
“Sorry. Just. Pretty nice pipes, that’s all.”
Luka hummed agreement, hooking a rolling stool with his foot and pulling it underneath him so he could sit and face the boys. “So, that’s the assignment. I want you guys to back Dez in the Spring Concert, if you’re up for it.”
“Dez?” JP snickered, and Luka rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Jean-Paul,” Luka said, with a pointed look and JP made a face. “So,” he continued. “Let’s see what you guys can do together.”
Louis and JP looked at each other, and back at Luka, and he just grinned. “What are you waiting for?” he asked, leaning back on his stool and waving towards the piano. “Play.” He made a shooing motion with his hands. “Whatever you want. Just jam together for a bit.”
“But…” Louis began, looking between Luka and JP.
“Talk about it,” Luka encouraged. “Work it out. Or, you know, one of you can just start playing and the other one can join in. Go for it.”
The boys just stood there, and finally JP rubbed a hand through his spiked hair. “You, um. You know Fallout Boy?”
Louis perked up. “Like, Big Hero 6?” He went to the piano and played a section of Immortals. Luka brought up a hand to rub his chin, covering his smile.
“Wow, you’re kind of a nerd, huh?” JP chuckled, but he went and perched on the piano bench, kicking his amp cord out of the way. “Sweet. Keep going, but pick up the tempo a bit.” He began tapping a rhythm out on the floor with his foot, and Louis increased his pace to match it. “Yeah, yeah,” JP muttered, bobbing his head, and his fingers began to move on the guitar. Louis looked at him, mouth dropping open slightly, and missed a note. Flushing at the mistake, he turned quickly back to his own playing.
Luka let the boys have fun for a little while, and then gave them the music they would actually be using for the spring concert, explaining that he wanted the boys to learn it as written first, and then they could talk about any changes or creative flairs they wanted to try.
JP’s aunt was there on the dot to pick him up, and he said goodbye to Louis with an easy grin, swatting Louis’ offered handshake away in favor of a fist bump. Louis was still at the piano when Marinette arrived a few minutes later. He jumped up from the bench, ran two steps, then remembered himself and did sort of an awkward power-walk to the door. “Come on, Maman, I gotta go home and practice some more!” he said, the written music held tightly in his hand. He remembered Luka and paused just long enough to say goodbye before opening the door himself and speeding towards the car.
“He looks really excited,” Marinette giggled, following him out of the door a few steps.
“Yeah, it’s pretty exciting, the first time you play with somebody you really vibe with,” Luka chuckled, leaning on the door frame. “Good, that’s what we want to see. Now I just gotta find them a drummer.” His thoughts wandered for a moment as he considered the possibilities, and when he focused on Marinette again she was smiling at him with a soft look in her eyes that made him swallow. “Can I call you later?” he asked impulsively, and she blinked back to reality, cheeks tinting pink when she realized what he’d said.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” she replied, and looked like she might have said more, but Louis was suddenly hanging out of the car window, yelling for her to hurry up. Marinette’s lips pursed in a frustrated (but cute) pout. “Rude,” she called back to Louis, who rolled his eyes and popped back in the window. It was more like a kid than Luka had ever seen him act and he couldn’t help laughing, which caused Marinette to turn that pout on him.
Luka entertained a brief fantasy of completely grossing Louis out by kissing her stupid right there on the step, but instead he said quickly. “You better go. I’ll call you later. Bye, Marinette.”
He stepped back inside, barely managing to wait for her soft, “Bye, Luka,” and for her to walk back to the car before he shut the door and scrubbed his hands over his face with a sigh. They were supposed to go out again the following week, and he really wasn’t sure he could wait that long.
***
A few nights later, he was about to go to bed when someone knocked, loudly, on his front door. Frowning, Luka went to open it, thinking perhaps a neighbor had gotten locked out or something.
He had the barest instant to take in Marinette standing on his doorstep, styled and made up and wearing a distractingly well-fitting black dress and a distressed expression, before she burst out, “I don’t want to see anybody else.” She stood there, shifting from foot to foot and breathing fast, and for a moment Luka could only stare, blinking stupidly, and Marinette opened her mouth to speak again, but he held up a hand and stopped her, stepping back and motioning her inside.
Marinette swallowed whatever she’d been about to say and stepped inside. Luka closed the door behind her and took her hands, drawing her further inside so they weren’t standing in the echoing hallway. “Okay,” he said, squeezing her hands. “What’s going on?”
“I just, um...I had a date tonight and…”
“Did he hurt you?” Luka demanded, face darkening.
Marinette’s eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. “No! No, no, of course that’d be the first thing you asked with me showing up like this and—No, I promise it was nothing like that, it was fine, actually, it was all fine—good, even, but...I just…” Marinette shrugged helplessly.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Luka said, putting his hands on her shoulders and rubbing lightly.
To his surprise she took a step forward and slipped her arms around him and squeezed tight, pressing her face into his shoulder. “Yeah,” she whispered. “It is now.”
Luka was still extremely confused, but he put his arms around her and held her until she squirmed to get free, pulling away from him. He let her go and she took a step back and a deep, shuddering breath, and then put her hands out to him. Luka wrapped his own around them, rubbing the backs lightly with his thumbs, and waited.
“This was maybe the...fourth guy I’ve gone out with?” Marinette frowned in thought. “Something like that. And...they’ve all been fine. It’s like you said, you know, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I had fun, mostly, but…” She flushed suddenly and bit her lip, looking away. Luka squeezed her hands gently.
“I kept thinking how much more fun I’d be having if I was with you,” she said finally, quietly. “Even tonight, this guy, it was our third date, and he was nice enough, just...he wasn’t you, and when he tried to kiss me, I just...I didn’t want to. And then I got in the cab to go home and instead I came here.” She took a deep breath and looked up into his face. “I know you said I should date other people—”
“Only if that was what you wanted,” Luka broke in, squeezing her hands a little tighter, trying not to show how his own heart had begun racing, the fluttery feeling in his belly.
“It’s not. I don’t want to, Luka. I just...I just want to b-be with you,” she stammered a bit, turning red again. “I, um, oh, shit, ” she hissed, stamping her foot and looking away from him, and Luka had to bite his lip to contain the laughter that wanted to burst from him.
“Take your time,” he said, not entirely without chuckling.
“I don’t want to date anybody else,” Marinette said, looking up to his face and suddenly looking very calm. “I just want to see where this takes us. I don’t want to have plans when you ask me to get coffee. Well, what I mean is, I don’t want to waste time I could be spending with you with someone else.” She paused, and then added in a rush, “And I really want you to be the one kissing me.”
Luka nodded slowly, a smile growing on his face. “I’m cool with all of that,” he said, and then added, “More than cool. I’m really happy, Marinette.”
“So, we can, um, be a couple?” she dropped her gaze, but he could see her smile. “Um, exclusively?”
“We can be whatever you want,” he said, letting go of her hand to brush his thumb along her cheek. She looked up again and his thumb brushed her lower lip, sending a jolt through him. “I’m good with whatever label you want to put on us,” he continued, a little roughly, and he had to clear his throat. “I didn’t want to say it at the time because—well, I’ve been told I can get a little intense and I didn’t want to freak you out, but I was never planning on dating anybody else. I’m in this to the end, whatever that turns out to be. I want to be the one kissing you, for as long as you’ll let me.” He took a breath. “Was that too much?”
“No,” Marinette murmured, her free hand coming up to curl around his wrist. “You are intense, that’s true, but...I like it. I like it a lot, Luka. I always appreciate how patient and careful you are with me but I think there’s something you need to understand about me.” She took a step forward and leaned gently into him. “I overthink things a lot, and sometimes I get nervous and run off at the mouth, and I definitely have some issues around relationships and intimacy, but...I’m not fragile. I can handle you. If it gets too much, I’ll tell you, but...I’m not really worried. Not about that, at least.” She sighed and slid her arms around his neck, toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Now I left the taxi waiting, so can you walk me to the door and then I can get my goodnight kiss from the man I really wanted it from? From...my boyfriend?” She wrinkled her nose slightly. “That sounds so...high school.”
“I like it,” Luka said roughly, pressing his forehead to hers. “I like it a lot.”
“Then it’ll do,” she whispered, and then slid her hands to his shoulders. “Now walk me to the door because if I kiss you here I’ll never make it home.”
“That’s a problem?” Luka only half joked as she took his hands again and tugged him along. “Hey, who’s walking who here?”
“You weren’t moving,” she giggled.
“Why would I want you to leave?” he teased.
“Mm, so I can go brag to everybody about my hot new boyfriend?” Marinette leaned back against the door, pulling him closer with a double handful of his t-shirt.
“Now that really does sound like high school,” Luka laughed, bracing one hand against the door as he leaned over her. Marinette tipped her head up, and he kissed those red lips, reveling in the way she sighed and pressed into him, in her lush, full lips, the smooth softness of her cheek and neck under his rough fingers as his thumb traced the elegant line of her jaw. Then her lips parted under his and she reached up and laced her fingers behind his neck, pulling him down into her, and she shifted her weight off the door until she was pressed against him. Luka slipped his hand from her face to wrap around her waist and pull her even closer, his hand still on the door steadying them both and grounding him, giving him the strength to finally pull back when he really would just as soon have suffocated if it meant kissing her a little longer. It took more than a moment for them to both catch their breath, both taking in each other’s disheveled appearances. Luka in his significantly more rumpled pajamas, the faintest trace of her expensive lipstick staining his mouth, his eyes hooded and his hair a wreck, and Marinette’s gorgeous blue eyes gone glassy and dark, her delectable mouth kiss-bruised, and—okay she really, really needed to go right now. Apparently she reached the same conclusion at that moment, because she reached back and fumbled for the door handle. Luka got there first and opened it for her.
“Text me, let me know you got home safe?” he managed to get out, aware that he was grinning like a fool.
“I will,” she flashed a bright smile at him that made his racing heart skip several beats, and he watched her until she was in the taxi before closing the door with a sigh.
No way he was sleeping now. Luka went straight for his guitar.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | AO3
#quickspins#beautiful dreams#lukanette#i am lukanette trash i admit it#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculous ladybug#miraculousladybug#ml fics
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#AO3 Link#FanFiction#AO3 Adrienette#🐱#❤️#🐞#Adrienette#DJWifi#♥#R:G#A:Djkittencat#Reveal Fic#Crossover
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United By Love, Rain And Forgotten Umbrellas
Her eyes as blue as the merciful drops from the heaven. His eyes as green as the happy grass enjoying the heavenly showers.
A tale of how forgotten umbrellas in the rain bring together the four lovable sides of the Love Square.
Chapter 4: When Our Paper Boat Floats in the Water of Love
Summary: Love is like a river, a never ending stream. Love is shared by each other, To answer someone's dream. (~~Mon Kolom)
And in the water of this stream my love, our little paper boat floats, capable of braving any heavy rains that may come our way, because it was rain itself that tied together our red strings of fate.
Read on Ao3 here
Read on FFn here
(Kudos to @nyanms for the beautiful art that extremely suits the chapter!)
(Mild swearing has been used here)
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“Will you go to the ice sculpture gallery with me?”
Silence reigned in Miss Bustier’s classroom. A silence so heavy, so dense, you could cut it with a saw.
Such was the silence, that the fifteen children in the room could hear the cars outside on the road honking, the hum of the desktop computer and the soft squeal of someone shifting on the cushion they sat on.
Fourteen pairs of eyes turned to the petite blonde girl in the back. “Sorry,” Rose whispered, shrinking a bit in her seat as Juleka patted her back comfortingly.
The attention shifted back to the front. Specifically, to the two dorks over whose just a friend relationship most of the class had bet nearly three whole months of pocket money.
“Mat do you wean?” Marinette blubbered, her eyes bulging out at how stupid her words really sounded that moment.
The boy smiled. “What do I mean?” he replied, chuckling as the girl felt her cheeks heat up. “Will you go out with me? Like a….uhm, a date? If you want?” His hand reached up behind his neck, a sheepish smile crawling on his face.
Silence again. Well, near silence, considering a brown-haired Italian girl in the back was gritting her teeth too noisily.
Marinette blinked, then blinked again. This must be a dream. It had to be a dream!
Was Adrien Freaking Agreste really asking her out?
Her brain started its quick mathematics (with a speed that she wished she possessed in Ms. Mendeleiev’s pop quizzes). Adrien asking her out = Adrien having feelings for her = 99.54% chance of Adrien eventually falling for her (given her clumsiness might account for the 0.46% uncertainty) = Adrien and her getting married in future = Emma, Hugo, Louis along with her dream house, a cat, NOPE, a hamster being a reality and the cute little hamster would finally get the name she had decided 3 years ago, that was-
“Marinette? Will you?” Coming back to reality, the girl saw the question swimming in Adrien’s eyes.
Oh goodness, it really was happening! Why was it happening? She couldn’t be so lucky. Yeah, there was-
“NO WAY THIS IS HAPPENING!”
Shocked silence. A resounding facepalm. Green eyes clouded with the pain of rejection.
Bluebell eyes bugged out with the realisation that she had just spoken her thoughts out loud at the worst time possible!
Mon Dieu! It is too early to put that 0.46% uncertainty in action!!
Clasping her hands over her mouth, Marinette did her best to undo the blunder, “MEEP! I-I-I did-didn’t me-mean th-that! It wa-”
Her messed up words were drowned out by the class’ sudden uproar.
“Of course you didn’t mean that!”
“No way she just rejected him after all these years!”
“Girl, girl, girl…”
“Marinette, you couldn’t have meant that! Fairy tales aren’t supposed to go like that!”
“Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! Accept that proposal, Dupain-Cheng, I’m not losing like that!”
“Alya, I won! Now give me my….”
The triumphant voice trailed off as Lila noticed the scathing glares her peers gave her.
Silence reigned in the room again, this time tensed, as the attention shifted back to the front.
Marinette was still freaking out at the stupidest mistake of her entire life when a sigh nudged her back to reality.
Adrien was speaking.
“It is okay, Marinette.” He shrugged.
Okay? Nothing is okay! I messed up big time!
“Adr-Adrien..”
“I get that you do not like me…”
Of course I like you! I have not been romancing all your photos, ads and cutouts for practising Romeo and Juliet!
“...You have told me the same on many occasions…”
Just to prevent you from knowing that I have a universe-sized crush on you! Seriously, I thought about things and I feel. Freaking. James Bond style. Stalkerish. Is that even a thing? And no Alya, you DO NOT GET TO FACEPALM knowing how idiotic things happened between me and Adrien in the wax mueseum!
“It is-isn’t like tha-”
The boy smiled ruefully, “I know you are saying this just to make me feel better. But I am all good! I know you have feelings for Luka…”
Luka? Luka Couffaine? How the hell did he strum his way into this mess?
“...and that he feels the same for you..”
Her eyes bugged out. “WHAT?”
LUKA FEELS THE SAME FOR ME? BU-BUT, IS-ISN’T HE…
“My brother has a boyfriend,” a quiet voice spoke from behind.
EXACTLY! Thanks Jules!
“Oh!” Adrien seemed...surprised. But catching himself, he continued, “Still, I know you see me as just a friend and…”
Just a friend.
Just A friend.
JUST A F...R...I...E...N...D…
Something raged inside Marinette, hearing those Three. Damned. Words. “Oh goodness, I SWEAR on the name of EVERYTHING holy and lovable!” she screamed, shocking everyone in the room. “Fuck this Just a Friend drama and..,” Grabbing a petrified Adrien Agreste by his collar, Marinette kissed him on the lips, pouring out the frustration of all the years into that one sweet gesture.
As she pulled back from the dazed-but-certainly-ecstatic blond, the class erupted into wolf-whistles, cheers of “HELL YEAH! IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG!” and thunderous applause, perfectly masking out the angered string of Italian words being spewed out from an unknown corner.
“So...so I take that, as a yes?” the smirking Agreste asked the now-flustered girl.
“OMG! You guys just made me a fortune! I am going to celebrate! The Adrinette ship is finally sailing!!!” Alya squealed, counting the thick wad of Euros Lila tossed at her, grumbling.
Adrien couldn’t help but laugh as the love of his life hid her flushed face in his jacket.
Three years back, Marinette had caught his attention right from their first interaction. On later thought, he had found the feeling refreshing. The feeling of not being treated as the Adrien Agreste, but just like some random new kid.
Somehow, the clumsy girl who got herself caught in the umbrella had found a special place in his heart. Her opinions, her advice, her happiness, everything, big or small, had mattered to him. He simply had been in denial of his feelings for way too long.
And it was his sheer luck that Marinette waited for him. That even though she had multitudes of people who cared for her and showed their affection for her, she ultimately chose him.
Alya was partially right. Adrinette was finally sailing. But it was not a ship.
No.
Adrinette was a paper boat. Tiny and meagre, yet a true beauty in its own. A paper boat that sailed in the rains. The rains that had brought them together.
Yes. Adrinette was a paper boat that now sailed in the waters of love.
Everything was just purr-fect.
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This is followed by the development of the Ladynoir side of the square in the next chapter, so do make sure to read that if you are following the fic!
With that, Mini Scat!
#adrinette#miraculous fanfic#miraculous love square#mild swearing#marinette being marinette#it finally happened#adrien being oblivious as ever#adrinette kiss happened#alya and the rest of the class being as they are#lila is here for guest appearance
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Text
Small Talk
Summary: Marinette and co. get coffee.
AO3
“So how long are we going to ignore that I’m insanely in love with you?”
Marinette choked, her coffee catching in her throat.
She glared through her tears, horrified and coughing, as she looked first at Adrien, then Nino and Alya ordering with the barista, and back.
“Now?” She hissed, reaching for his water without asking because, well, apparently it was time for sharing things.
“So you do remember,” He said, somewhat smugly as he passed a napkin over to her. “I was starting to wonder.”
Marinette wondered at his cool as she wiped at her mouth. Arms crossed and staring at her like she stared at her lucky charms. A puzzle to be solved.
And she thought this would be a simple coffee run.
Not that anything about the last three weeks could have been called simple. Not by Marinette’s standards anyways.
Then again, what did you say to your superhero partner after spending an afternoon playing house?
Nothing, if you were Marinette. Nothing at all.
Because despite what her memories and the Ladyblog and Chat’s quiet but searching glances were telling her, as far as she concerned, the events of that day were to be locked in a lead box and dropped in the bottom of the Seine.
A topic too heavy to be touched.
It figured Chat would have different plans. It figured Adrien would be the one to launch the first attack.
It was always the quiet ones you had to watch out for.
“Well?” Adrien said, a little sharply as she continued to stare at her crush-turned-idiot partner in disbelief.
“Well what?” She asked, because, um, valid.
He couldn’t honestly think they would have this out here. Not with a soon-to-be caffeine-fueled Ladyblogger metres away.
“Well what?” He mimicked in a high falsetto. Oooh she could just smack him. “What do you think well?”
“I think,” Marinette said, face red, teeth gritted. “That you picked a horrible time for this conversation.”
“Because you’ve given me so many opportunities to bring it up before,” He scowled, falling back against the booth with a sigh.
Marinette stamped down her irritation. He wasn’t wrong. But that didn’t mean she wanted her cowardice thrown in her face.
“Chat.” She glanced over to their friends who were making their way back to the table. “Please.”
“Fine, fine.” He rolled his eyes before plastering a smile to his face. He almost looked sincere.
Really, the transformation was remarkable.
“Any Ladynoir updates for us, Alya?”
Remarkably infuriating.
She could scarcely afford a swift kick to his shin before Nino slid in beside him.
Alya pouted. “No. I still can’t believe they kissed.”
“It was pretty unbelievable,” Adrien said, nodding.
Marinette snorted.
Alya sent her a look. “And all it took was Nino and I tag-teaming it.”
“In evil and in health, babe.” Nino said, reaching forward to bump his girlfriend’s fist. “Too bad Miraculous Ladybug canceled it all out.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” She wailed, her cry muffled by her arms as she started to beat her head against the table.
Marinette refused to look at Adrien. “Careful, Al. You’re starting to sound like Hawkmoth.”
Alya lifted her head and fell back to the booth with a dramatic sigh.
“I’d take their miraculous myself if I thought it would get those two to admit they’re perfect for each other.”
Adrien shrugged. “I don’t know if Chat Noir would put up much of a fight.”
“Pfft, yeah.” She shook her head and reached for her danish. “Enough fantasies. Tell me something happy.”
“Adrien’s dad almost acknowledged me last week.”
“I thought she said happy, Nino.” Adrien rolled his eyes.
“Fine. How’s Kitty Section?”
“Neutered.” He grimaced. “Officer Raincomprix shut us down after the neighbors complained."
“Don’t the Couffaines live on a boat?” Nino asked. “Can’t they just… float away to new neighbors?”
“Because that worked out so well the last time,” Marinette said. “From what I heard, they’re trying to find rehearsal space at the university but Luka says it’s a long shot.”
She regretted the words almost as soon as they left her mouth.
“Luka says that, huh?” Alya grinned, nudging her shoulder. “What else does Luka say?”
Honestly, she could just kill Alya.
She watched Adrien freeze from the corner of her eye, but coward that she was, she refused to look at him.
“Mr. Guitar Hero himself, huh?” Nino leaned across the table with a mischievous grin. “And an older man too. Marinette.”
She could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks as she stuttered for some kind of response. Really, what explanation could she give for Luka? He was just a friend. In the same way Adrien was just a friend.
Well. Maybe not the same way.
So how long are we going to ignore that I’m insanely in love with you?
It was quickly becoming difficult to breathe in this little booth.
Marinette decided dignified silence was the best response and reached for her coffee–
“Luka could encompass everything Marinette is looking for.”
– and promptly choked.
Alya’s smile was was downright evil as she patted Marinette’s back in faux concern.
Death, slow and painful, was too good for her. She opened her mouth, a respectful fuck you on her lips, only to be cut off by Adrien’s languid drawl.
“I don’t know,” He said, leaning forward to rest one arm on the table. She dared to meet his eyes only for him to smirk at her over his tea. “Something tells me she can do better.”
“Really?” The redhead said, looking at him appraisingly. “What makes you say that?”
Adrien laughed off Alya’s suspicious tone. “Call it a gut feeling.”
The intonation was slight, but she heard it nonetheless. It made her want to scream.
Unfortunately for him, she could gut this feline no problem.
Because Marinette had more than luck on her side.
She had Alya.
Even as the thought formed she felt her best friend’s hand on her knee, squeezing lightly.
“Speaking of feelings. How are things going with Kagami?”
Marinette fought her twitching lips, ultimately giving up on hiding her smirk as Adrien processed the question.
“What about Kaga – Oh. ” His face transformed from cocky to confused to mortified in an instant. His eyes flashed to hers and she batted her lashes right back.
Take that.
Ladybug: 1
Chat Noir: 0
Nino laughed at his stunned friend.
“That good huh? I always knew you were a lady killer.”
Marinette ignored the twinge she felt in her chest as she took another sip of coffee. Okay maybe that hurt her a little too. But she’d be damned if she let him know that.
Not when he started it.
“You should see this guy when he’s on it,” Nino continued, grinning even as Adrien seemed to sink further into the collar of his shirt. “Back before you and I got together babe, when I liked Marinette, he had all the lines.”
“Sunshine’s a smooth operator huh?” Alya said, smiling. She squeezed Marinette’s knee again in a silent question. Marinette nodded to let her know she was fine.
She wasn’t fine.
Not when Nino said,
“You should have heard him. Whispering sweet nothings in my ear like Cyrano or some shit. Urging me to say I love you, Marinette like it was the easiest thing in the world.”
She nearly spit the last of her coffee.
“Okay,” Adrien snapped, practically shoving Nino out of the booth, his face fire engine red. “Enough.”
Nino and Alya laughed.
“Don’t sweat it. Like I said, you’re butter. No wonder Kagami likes you so much.”
Awkward. This was so, so awkward.
The only silver lining to the pit of nausea settling in her stomach was that Adrien looked like he could just die. Served him right for trying to embarass her.
She only wished this conversation weren’t just as mortifying for her.
“Coffee.” She squeaked. “I’m going to– coffee. Yes.”
She could hear Adrien’s halting explanations that things weren’t like that with Kagami as she escaped the table.
Tikki peeked up at her from her purse.
“Do I need to say I told you so?”
“No,” Marinette sighed. “But I know you want to.”
“You probably should have talked to him sooner.”
“Yeah, well,” Marinette muttered under her breath, pausing to smile at the barista and placing her order. Impulsively, she added one of the biscottis near the register. “He doesn’t have the greatest timing either.”
“No,” Tikki conceded, chirping gratefully when Marinette passed her the cookie. “But he doesn’t have to be such a butthead about it.”
“Well it is Chat Noir,” She said, before they both broke into quiet giggles.
Giggles that were quickly cut short by hot breath on her neck and Adrien’s wry voice murmuring, “Talking about me, my lady?”
Marinette yelped, whirling around to glare up at the blonde smirking down at her.
“No,” She lied. “Not everything is about you.”
Adrien glanced down at Tikki who nodded loyally.
The barista called her name and Marinette broke his too-knowing gaze to grab her drink. The drink she nearly spilled when she turned back right into Adrien’s chest.
“Stop doing that!” She hissed, sucking a few hot droplets off her hand.
Adrien didn’t acknowledge her scolding.
“Okay then,” He said instead, taking her by the elbow and turning her away from Nino and Alya’s prying eyes. “You weren’t talking about me just like I wasn’t talking about you. Can we now?”
Marinette frowned. “Can we what?”
“Can we talk about me? And you. Me and you.” Despite his cool demeanor, his words ran together, giving him away.
That and his ears were turning red.
She was loathe to admit it was kind of adorable.
Stupid cat.
“Now?” She asked, again. Again. Her eyes strayed behind him to their waiting friends.
Adrien really did have terrible timing.
But when she looked back to tell him as much, her heart stuttered.
His eyes were wide, a little hopeful, his smile was small, a little pathetic.
And his ears, his stupid ears, were still red–
a lot more than adorable.
God dammit.
“Fine,” She sighed, more to make a point than any real reluctance on her part. “Let’s go talk about how you’re insanely in love with me.”
Just saying the words, even as a tease, made her stomach swarm with ladybugs. But Adrien’s blindingly joyful whoop! bowled over most of her reservations. The enthusiastic thumbs up Nino and Alya were sending from across the room removed the rest.
Absently, Marinette wondered just what exactly she’d missed when she left the table.
She didn’t have much of a chance to ask before Adrien practically swept her up in his arms. Only her indignant swatting and quick-thinking feet kept her on the ground.
“My coffee,” She said, scandalized, as half the contents of her drink sloshed to the ground.
Behind her she heard one of the put-upon staff members call for a mop. Adrien hardly looked repentant as he took the mug from her hands to set it down on the counter.
“I’ll buy you another one,” He said and this time he did sweep her into his arms. Marinette squawked, not at all dainty or ladylike.
Adrien grinned down at her anyways.
“After we talk.”
#post oblivio#miraculous ladybug#plot twist! they remember#everyone else was doing it let me have my fun#ladynoir#adrienette#post reveal pre relationship#flag ship dj wifi sailing strong#lnc2 writes#more humor and fluff than substance but what can you do
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