#quicksprints
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Substitute Santa
For @verfound, queen of hilarious prompts, as part of the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Secret Santa.
Her prompt was: Jagged Stone is Santa Claus. However you want to interpret this: Jagged is literally Santa and Luka is his son (a la Hallmark "find a Mrs. Clause for Christmas"). Jagged is dressed up as Santa for an event/Because Jagged. Luka caught Jagged dressed as Santa as a kid and now firmly believes it (Jagged snuck in with gifts for his kids? Last Christmas before Jagged left? Party Anarka drug him to?).
So here we go!
Luka was not pleased at the best of times to be called out of the workshop, up to his father’s “office” (he would have said playground, but it made Penny frown at him). But to be called up today, of all days?
This really can’t be good , he thought, sighing through his nose as he climbed the spiraling stairs.
He didn’t bother to knock, since knocking could almost never be heard over the racket of the workshop below and Jagged’s own…extraness. When he walked in, though, he blinked in mild surprise. The iconic red suit with white fur lining was missing, as was Jagged’s usual ebullient attitude. Normally Jagged was bouncing off the walls on Christmas Eve, ready to rock his way around the world while his cool but stressed assistant tried desperately not to lose her lunch in the passenger seat of the sleigh.
Tonight, though, Jagged was sprawled with his long legs hanging over the overstuffed armchair that they normally only used for photo ops, wearing his favorite purple striped pajamas instead of The Suit.
Luka turned and almost walked right back out again, but Penny and her clipboard had somehow appeared behind him, blocking the exit.
“No,” Luka said to her, but to his annoyance, it was pleading rather than firm.
Jagged let out a concussive sneeze that shook all the knicknacks in the room, and blew his nose like a trumpet before pointing a woeful glance at his son.Luka knew exactly what it would look like, though he refused to turn around to confirm.
“No,” Luka—whined. He was whining. He was man enough to admit it. “No way.” He pointed an accusing finger at his father. “Santa Claus does not get sick on Christmas. There’s gotta be magic or a—a rule or something.”
“There is a rule,” Penny said stiffly behind him, and Luka jumped a little, moving inadvertently further into the room. Penny stepped after him, shutting the door behind her. “The rule is you , Santa Junior.”
Luka rolled his eyes. “Penny…” he whined again, and Penny rolled her eyes. Jagged sneezed again and moaned pathetically.
“Oh, grow up,” Penny snapped irritably, and Luka actually wasn’t sure which one of them she was talking to. She stalked over to the wardrobe and yanked it open. “I don’t have time for your bullshit today.” She pulled the red coat out and turned towards Luka, holding it out.
“Now?” Luka switched tactics. “I haven’t even had dinner yet?”
“Then you should have plenty of room for cookies,” Penny replied, unsympathetic. “Now shut up and get dressed. I’ve assigned you an assistant and she’ll be here any minute.”
Worse and worse. “You’re not coming with me?” Luka asked, accepting the inevitable with the coat.
“I’ve been exposed,” she replied, throwing a dark look at Jagged. “Some of us can handle illness without being reduced to invalids.” She looked back at Luka, and suddenly he could see the tiredness in her expression and the tightness around her slightly watery eyes. “Still, I have a monster headache and I’m going straight to bed once your butt is in the sleigh.”
“Right,” Luka sighed, slipping on the coat. “Sorry, Penny. I know this sucks.”
She acknowledged it with a nod. “I know you don’t want to do this, but it’s got to get done.”
Luka nodded morosely. It was a responsibility he accepted when he came to live with his dad, although he’d been more interested in the workshop than the top job. He’d spent the whole year building instruments for tonight (and being teased about his slow, methodical way of working), and he wasn’t about to let all that work go to waste just because his dad was a dramatic whiny baby.
Not to mention an entire world full of kids who would wake up disappointed on Christmas morning if he didn’t step up.
He swallowed any further whining objections and pulled on the stupid fluffy red pants with nothing more than a long-suffering sigh.
“You’re so his son,” Penny muttered, and Luka gave her a pouty look that did nothing to disprove her statement. It turned even more mulish as she held out the boots.
“Do I have to?”
“You know you do. You’ll trip in those things anyway. They don’t have enough heel to keep the pants off the ground.”
Luka kicked off his shoes without further complaint and put on the stupid boring black boots. He even tied the laces when Penny continued to glare at him. The boots adjusted to fit his feet. At least the vaunted North Pole magic was good for something. The suit shrank a little as well to fit him. Luka took the hat from Penny and stuffed it in his pocket. He’d have to wear it, or the glamor wouldn’t kick on, the one that made him look like viewer expected - chubby and white-bearded, the usual thing.
“I really don’t know what I’m doing,” he warned Penny. “I mean, I can drive the sleigh and stuff but—” She was already waving him off.
“All you have to do is drive and drop the presents. I went over the route and double-checked the lists with Marinette this morning; she’s very organized. Although,” she added, looking up at the clock above the ostentatious mantlepiece, “punctuality has never been her strong point. Make sure you stay on schedule.”
“Yeah, okay—wait, Marinette?” Luka looked up sharply, fixing his eyes on Penny and feeling his stomach flip. “The one that works in the fashion design department?” The one that he seemed to bump into far too often coming into and out of this office, often literally. Jagged gushed about her every time, delighted to have secured such a talented and creative person for his workshop. If there was one thing you could say about Jagged—well, it was that he really enjoyed being revered and loved by all the children of the world, which translated to wanting the best to come out of his workshop so that those children kept adoring him.
He sighed to himself. Even a substitute Santa probably shouldn’t be such a cynic. And Marinette—
If there was another thing you could say about Jagged, it was that he was not at all subtle, and Luka was mortally convinced that his frequent brushes with Marinette in this office were intentional. He should have been doing everything in his power to dodge her, but…
Just then, she barreled in through the door, and his mouth went dry and his breathing quickened. She was flushed from the run up the stairs, eyes bright and eager, and she tripped over her words as she apologized profusely to Penny. She had a tablet tucked under her arm and she was wearing the traditional elf uniform, green with striped stockings and a silly belled hat perched between her pigtails.
She was stupid cute and he felt like his brain was leaking out of his ears even before she turned to smile at him, clearly nervous but also excited. He couldn’t help but smile back.
Before they could say anything, though, Jagged groaned loudly, and Luka just caught Marinette’s arm before she rushed to the poor invalid’s side. “Don’t get too close,” he warned darkly, and winced when she turned wide eyes on him. “I don’t want you getting sick too,” he added quickly, dropping her arm. He felt like an idiot but the look she turned on him was grateful.
“You’re so right, I wouldn’t want to spread anything to the children.” She returned a sympathetic smile to the pitiful look Jagged gave her. “You stay home and rest. Don’t worry about a thing. Luka and I have got this!” She pumped a fist in the air, and Jagged threw her a goat and a grin that actually seemed genuine, and genuinely tired. Luka felt a tiny stab of sympathy, but it disappeared when Jagged blew Marinette a kiss and hoarsely told her she was the best, adding, “Keep the kid out of trouble!”
“Right!” Marinette grinned. Then she turned to Luka and his stomach did that weird flip thing again as her eyes darted over him. “Shall we go?” she said, checking her tablet. “I’ve got our schedule and route all worked out and when I stopped by the stable, they were just finishing up loading. Do you have your hat?”
Luka pulled it from his pocket and waved it, and her smile brightened, making his knees weak. “Lead the way,” he managed to get out, and when she turned he followed right behind her.
Penny whispered, “You can thank me later,” while he passed, and he nearly tripped on his own feet.
Fortunately, his face cooled by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, so he hopefully didn’t look any more like a tomato than the suit already suggested when Marinette turned to him.
“All right,” she grinned at him, linking her arm through his. “Let’s go save Christmas!”
He let her tug him towards the stable, chuckling a little at her enthusiasm. Well, if he had to do this, there was no point in sulking the whole time, right? It was just one night.
Marinette was a whirlwind, checking the packing, checking the harnessing, giving firm but polite directions when she found anything amiss. Luka wasn’t really sure what to do with himself, so he climbed into the sleigh and waited, until Marinette bounced up into the seat beside him.
“I’ve always wanted to ride this,” she confessed, flashing a grin at him. “This is so amazing. Ready when you are, Santa.”
“Luka,” he corrected automatically, but he was smiling as he picked up the reins. He couldn’t help it. “Hold on,” he said without thinking, and suddenly Marinette was pressed tight against his side, both her arms wound around his right arm.
“Can you move okay?” she asked, looking up at him. “There’s not much else to hold on to,” she added, blushing, and he realized he was staring at her.
“Oh—yeah, sure, you’re fine,” he said, and flapped the reins with a little more force than was wise.
He had to admit, as the reindeer started off, gliding across the snow faster and faster before lifting sharply into the air—the sleigh was a rush. He couldn’t help laughing for pure joy at the swooping feeling in his stomach and the sudden surge of adrenaline. Marinette squealed a bit as they came off the ground. She sounded more excited than terrified but he risked a glance at her to make sure she was okay, and saw her grin in a flash of the bouncing lamplight.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” she said again, letting go of his arm and sliding over a little bit as they leveled out.
Luka grinned. “Well, we’ll get to do it a few thousand more times.”
“Right,” Marinette said, pulling up her tablet, suddenly all business. Well, that was understandable, but it did kill Luka’s good mood a little. Right. It’s not like he was taking her out for a joyride—or a date.
He really wished he could, though. He’d run into Marinette half a dozen times, but always with Jagged in near proximity, which didn’t exactly bring out the best in Luka. She’d caught his eye every time, but he’d never managed to be walking out of Jagged’s office at the same time, and once he was back in the workshop with his tools in his hands, he tended to forget anything except the vision he had in mind. Luka wished now he’d been a bit more proactive. He could have come up with some excuse to visit her department if he’d thought about it. If only Jagged weren’t so damn pushy, then maybe…
Before he could get too far down that train of thought, it was time for the work to begin, and Luka didn’t have much time to think of anything except getting in, leaving presents, and getting out. Marinette was a good assistant, and everything he needed was right to hand when he needed it. They made a good team. Luka made sure to bring some of the best cookies back to the sleigh for her, to show his appreciation. He loved Penny but Marinette was a lot more fun—especially since Penny got horribly motion sick in the sleigh. He didn’t know how she managed the trip every year, but he supposed someone had to keep Jagged in line.
“Oh, these are good,” Marinette said, as they sailed between towns. Luka glanced at her and saw that she had a molasses cookie in her hand.
“They were,” he agreed.
“My parents own a bakery,” she said, taking another bite. “These remind me of home.” She giggled. “Who would have thought when I was putting out cookies as a little girl that I’d end up actually working in Santa’s workshop?”
Luka chuckled. “I bet you were adorable. I can just see you in fuzzy pajamas, arranging the cookies and worrying about whether Santa has food allergies.”
Marinette barked a surprised laugh. “It’s like you know me,” she said, putting a hand over her mouth as she tried not to choke on her cookie.
Luka grinned. “Maybe not yet, but I feel like I’m getting there.” He winked at her, and she blushed, and he grinned all the way to Budapest.
Luka had no idea how the Christmas magic worked, only that it messed with time, so that Santa could make it everywhere that welcomed him before daylight. When Marinette announced happily that they were running ahead of schedule, though, he had an idea.
“Do you think we can squeeze out fifteen minutes or so before we get to Paris?” he asked. “There’s someone I’d like to stop and see.”
Marinette frowned. “Isn’t that against the rules?”
“Nah,” Luka chuckled. “She already knows all the secrets. I just want to stop and say hello.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, her tone a little strained. “Well, okay…I think we can probably make that happen, if you don’t mind eating your cookies on the go.”
“I think I can manage.”
Landing reindeer on a boat was a no-go, so Luka left the sleigh nearby, hopefully out of sight. He turned and offered Marinette his hand to help her down.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude—” she began, but Luka snorted.
“You won’t be, trust me. You ought to get out and stretch your legs, anyway.”
She let him take her hand and pull her down from the sleigh, though she still looked a little unsure. He kept her hand as he pulled her gently along behind him towards the boat at the dock. The garish paint job was masked by thick swags of twinkling multicolored lights that seemed to dance when they reflected on the water.
When they were standing on the deck, Luka let out a loud “HO HO HO,” in a credible imitation of Jagged’s voice.
There was a thundering sound from inside the boat, and an older woman popped out of the door, scowling.
“What did I tell ya about showin’ up on my boat you old—” Luka pulled off his hat, and she stopped her tirade, blinking, as Luka grinned. “Luka, m’boy!” She laughed, and threw herself forward. Luka dropped Marinette’s hand to catch and hug her, enjoying his mother’s bone-crushing embrace. “What are ye doing wearing the suit, lad?”
Anarka stepped back, looking at him, and Luka shrugged. “Old man’s sick tonight, so I got stuck with the job. It’s good to see you, Ma.”
Her face softened, and she smiled. “Aye, it is that. I know ye probably cannae stay long, but come downstairs for a moment and have something hot to drink. And you too, lass,” she added, leaning a little to look around Luka at Marinette. “Got stuck with babysitting duty, did ye?”
Marinette giggled, and nodded, while Luka pretended to look wounded. “Ma, this is Marinette,” he said as they followed Anarka down the stairs into the ship’s galley. “Marinette, this is Anarka Couffaine, my mom. Where’s Juleka, Ma?” he added, glancing around.
“Passed out on the couch about an hour ago,” Anarka told him, jerking a thumb towards a lump topped with long black hair curled up at one end of the couch. “Never manages to stay up on Christmas. Pretty sure it’s that magic shit. Kids who try to stay up and see Santa never manage it.”
“There should be a loophole when you’re related to him,” Luka muttered. “And she’s hardly a kid.”
Anarka shrugged. “Don’t ask me, I don’t truck with that Christmas magic bullshit.”
“Maybe because she still believes,” Marinette suggested, and she blushed when Luka turned to look at her. “I mean, she knows Santa exists, so she still believes in him, so the magic still works on her.” She spread her hands, looking a little sheepish. “It’s just a thought.”
“Well, maybe.” Luka went over and kissed his sister’s forehead, tucking a creepy-ass doll he had picked out just for her under her arm. “Tell her I love her, okay?”
“O’course,” Anarka brought him a cup of—
“Coffee!” Marinette squealed, and then immediately put her hand over her mouth, eyes round.
“Aye,” Anarka laughed. “I know ya don’t have it ‘up north.’ Cocoa’s fine but,” she grinned at the blissful look on Marinette’s face at the first sip, “sometimes ye just want a good ol’ cup o’ joe. That much sweet all the time, sometimes ye need a touch o’ bitter.” Anarka winked at Luka, who realized he was staring at Marinette with what was probably a very stupid expression on his face. “Or spicy, eh?”
“It’s lovely,” Marinette sighed, fortunately not noticing the way Luka flushed red.
“Ye have to go, I expect,” Anarka sighed, when they handed the empty cups back.
“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, glancing worriedly at her tablet.
“Don’t apologize,” Luka told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s the job. Ma understands.”
“Aye, that I do,” Anarka said, rolling her eyes. “Get on wi’ ye then. Thanks for stopping to see yer ol’ Ma.”
Luka kissed her cheek, and hugged her. “Bye, Ma. I’ll come by again when I can.”
As they loaded themselves back in the sleigh, Luka said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think to ask if you wanted to stop and see your own family.”
“Oh,” Marinette said, waving a hand. “They’re surely asleep by now. Bakery hours, you know. And if they weren’t, we’d never get out before dawn. You don’t know my dad.”
Luka grinned and clucked to the reindeer. “Tell me about him.”
The night seemed to pass like lightning after that, conversations pausing and picking up between deliveries as if they’d never been interrupted. Marinette told him about her parents and her life before the North Pole. Luka told her about growing up on a houseboat with Anarka and his sister, and then finding out as a teen that his father was THE Fucking Santa Claus. For the first time Luka thought he could actually feel the magic working, and they left their last delivery and turned back north just as the sun was lightening their section of sky.
“So that’s that,” Luka sighed.
“Yes,” Marinette agreed, and leaned back with a sigh. “I won’t say I had no idea how much work it would be, because obviously it’s hard, but it’s different to actually experience it.”
“Would you do it again?” Luka wanted to know, and Marinette laughed.
“In a heartbeat,” she giggled, and then sobered slightly. “Would you?”
It was a bit of a loaded question. Somewhere in the dark of the night he had confessed to her his misgivings about taking on the mantle one day.
“I think I might,” he said slowly. “The right company makes a big difference.” He smiled at Marinette, and to his delight, she smiled back, in a shy way he hadn’t seen from her before. “We make a pretty good team,” he dared to add, and Marinette nodded.
“And we made so many people happy,” she pointed out, looking back towards the horizon where the sun was rising. “It feels good.”
Luka nodded thoughtfully. “So yeah, maybe I’d do it again.” He shrugged. “I don’t think the old man’s gonna retire anytime soon, so. I’ve got time to think about it.” He grinned. “After I’ve slept for like three days.”
“Agreed.” Marinette covered a yawn. “And I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t think I’m going to want to look at another cookie for at least a month.”
“I’m with you,” Luka laughed, and then licked his lips a little nervously. “So, after we’ve slept for three days…do you have plans for the New Year?”
“N-no, not really,” she stammered, reaching up to check her belled hat, which was slightly askew after all this time, but still there. Luka’s heartbeat sped up at her nervousness, which he thought was both adorable and a good sign.
“Maybe we could go somewhere?” Luka suggested. “Find a good cup of coffee and ring in the new year together?”
Marinette visibly swallowed, blushing before she met his eyes. “Maybe kiss at midnight?” she suggested, quietly but boldly.
“I’d like that,” Luka managed to get out, just barely.
“Hmm. That sounds nice. But…I’m not sure I can wait that long.”
Luka’s hands were on her face and his lips on hers in a heartbeat. The reindeer knew the way home, after all—but at the moment, he honestly didn’t care whether they made it or not. Another few laps around the world was sounding pretty good as Marinette’s arms wound around his neck.
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Of Course
I’m your LBSC secret santa @nerdypanda3126 ! Again! 😂
The prompt was “ Everyday small acts that add up to make Marinette realize she loves Luka” https://youtu.be/89ZU6atnx70
It was a great prompt and I really enjoyed it, so I hope you enjoy the results. (I may have misread that slightly to Marinette realizing Luka loved her, but I think I have both, so I hope you still like it!)
Rules are 3 15 minute sprints and 24 hours to edit. I totally broke the 24 hours to edit; I got the bones done in the 3 15 minute sprints but I had to add a lot to make it into a coherent narrative afterwards.
Read on AO3
If this film festival award wasn’t such a big deal for Nino, Marinette would have chucked the box of decorations she was toting into the river and gone home. It was just too damn early , and she was never good with early, and of course everything had gone wrong. She had overslept, and then tripped over the box that she had packed the night before and had to repack it, and she’d run out without breakfast. She couldn’t even duck in a cafe and grab a coffee thanks to the giant box in her hands.
She heard Alya’s dry voice saying, “—start decorating whenever Marinette gets here,” as she huffed up to the houseboat.
“I’m here,” she called breathlessly, quickening her pace. “I’m coming!”
“Kim, go get the box before she trips,” Alya ordered urgently, and Marinette yelped and very nearly did lose her balance as the box was unexpectedly taken from her. She managed to catch herself and stood for a minute, flushed from embarrassment now as well as exertion.
“Okay, that’s everyone for setup, except—” Alya frowned down at her tablet, and then looked around. “Where’s Luka? He was here a second ago.”
“Right here,” Luka said, and they all turned to look up the sidewalk. Luka was walking towards them with a cardboard drink tray in his hand. “Some of us aren’t exactly morning people,” he said with a tired-looking smile. He pulled a cup out of the carrier and handed it to Juleka, who sighed gratefully as she took it. He gave Marinette a sympathetic smile and handed her the second cup.
“You didn’t bring any for the rest of us?” Alya complained as Luka took the last cup for himself, tossing the tray in a recycling bin.
Luka shrugged. “Figured everyone else who wanted it would have one already.” He tilted his head towards Alix, Nathaniel, and Marc, who were leaning tiredly on each other in a precarious formation that swayed slightly with the motion of the deck. All held to-go cups with different cafe logos on the side. “You were twenty minutes earlier than anyone else,” Luka added with a grin. “Either you already had some or you don’t need it.”
Alya pouted but couldn’t exactly argue with that, and returned to her tablet. “Whatever. Okay, Alix, you’re on—”
Marinette tuned her out, focusing on the scent and warmth of her coffee before she took a sip. It was just sweet enough to take the edge off the bitterness. “You’re wonderful,” she sighed, and Luka chuckled.
“I think we should all get credit just for being here at this time of day,” he grinned.
“You’re always here,” Marinette giggled, and then added, “Thanks for letting us use the boat for Nino’s party.”
“You know we’re always up for a party.”
Marinette raised her eyebrows as she looked at him, and then turned to look at Juleka, before returning her gaze to Luka.
Luka shrugged. “I like parties as long as I have somewhere to retreat when I need a minute. At least having them here means I have that. As anxious as Juleka gets about the planning, she likes the attention, and she likes seeing her friends have fun. I talked to her last night, I’m pretty sure she’s genuinely excited about it.”
“You take such good care of her,” Marinette observed, a bit wistfully.
“Of course I do,” Luka said easily. “She’s my sister. I love her.”
“I’m not your sister,” Marinette teased, nudging his shoulder with hers.
Luka laughed. “No. No, you’re not.” He gave her an amused look.
“But you take care of me.” She wiggled her cup of coffee at him.
His grin widened, though his gaze slid off to the side. “Of course I do.”
Before she could respond, Alya barked out Luka’s name. They both looked up as Alya read out instructions. Chuckling softly, Luka knocked his shoulder gently against Marinette’s as he went to obey.
***
Marinette was too busy to think about his words much after that, though an unsettled feeling lingered in the back of her mind, and she found her gaze following Luka every time he passed by her. Some of it, no doubt, was that he’d shed his jacket as the day got warmer. Seeing him in short sleeves, without all those layers, was always a bit distracting, and the chunky bracelets he wore drew her attention to his forearms, and Alya had him lifting and carrying all sorts of junk around the boat, and—
“Marinette?” Juleka asked, and Marinette jerked her gaze quickly away from the door Luka had just disappeared through.
“Hm?”
Juleka hid a smile behind her hair. “You were saying?” She held up the old vinyl record Marinette had painted and raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, yes, that one goes there,” she pointed to a blank spot in the line of vinyls they were assembling on deck. She fidgeted with the roll of twine they would use to assemble the painted records into a banner that would hang over the boat’s side—hopefully spelling out their congratulations, if she didn’t get confused and hang them up backwards or something.
Juleka leaned and reached to put the record in place, and then picked up the next one in the stack
Both girls jumped when a pair of water bottles thumped onto the deck in front of them.
“Sun’s getting high,” Luka grinned down at them. He crouched and pulled a battered tube of sunscreen out of his pocket, offering it to Marinette although he spoke to both of them. ”It’s brutal with the glare on the water. Better lather up.”
“Right. I should have thought of that,” Marinette gasped, taking the tube. She dabbed some of the cool cream on her cheeks, suddenly aware of how warm they were. Luka and Juleka spoke in low voices as she spread the sunscreen on her arms, and then Marinette offered the sunscreen to Juleka. Juleka mumbled thanks, and Luka smiled as he looked back at Marinette.
“You have a little bit right here,” he said, motioning to his own cheek. He reached towards her. Marinette held her face up for him and let him rub in the smear of sunscreen with the rough pad of his thumb. She was suddenly conscious of how much the coconut and ocean scent reminded her of him, of times when he was close and his eyes were soft on her like they were now.
She cleared her throat. “Thanks for looking out for me,” she said, trying to smile.
“Of course,” he grinned. “Let me know if you need a hand when you’re ready to hang this. I don’t want you falling overboard.”
Marinette gasped while Juleka giggled. “Rude!” Marinette pouted, crossing her arms.
He winked. “Just looking out for you, like you said.”
“Of course you are,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes.
“Of course I am,” he agreed, and for some reason, she blushed.
“Luka!” Alix shouted from the far side of the deck, “Can you move this thing? We don’t have enough room over here!”
Luka sighed. “Back to work,” he grumbled, rising easily to his feet.
“He’s such a pain,” Marinette complained to Juleka, who snorted.
“Tell me about it,” she said.
***
Finally the boat was decorated to Alya’s satisfaction, and everyone left to get ready. Marinette lingered, chatting with Luka and Juleka as they lounged around the unusually clean deck, until Luka reminded her that she had better go home and get ready if she was going to be on time for the party.
Realizing he was right, she ran back home. Flushed and flustered, Marinette had to use some of Luka’s breathing exercises to calm herself and order her mind. She didn’t want to end up knocking all her things over or making a mess due to nerves.
She’d gone for a more bodycon style in her dress tonight, color blocked with pink, black, and white panels, with her flowers embroidered on the vertical black panel that ran down one side. The thin straps kept wanting to slide down her shoulders, but at least it didn’t have any extra fabric to flare out and knock things over. She put on a cropped sweater over it. With as many people as would be on the boat tonight, she might not need the sweater, but it was always best to be prepared for the wind off the river. Marinette slipped on a pair of strappy black heels that she knew she would regret later, but they did make her legs and ass look great.
She took the metro to the boat this time, not wanting to put any more strain on her feet than necessary, nor risk wind and sweat mussing the hair and makeup she’d done so carefully.
She wasn’t exactly early, but she was much more on time than usual when she stepped carefully onto the boat. Luka grinned when he saw her.
“How do I look?” she asked, doing a quick turn for him.
“Perfect,” he told her, eyes skimming over her appreciatively. His gaze lingered on her lips for a moment and Marinette felt a little thrill. It was always nice to be noticed, and Luka’s praise was always honest. “That lipstick is fantastic for you,” he said, and she curled her lips in a deliberately pouty pink smile.
“You don’t think it’s too boring?” she asked.
“Not at all,” he said, still looking at her mouth. “You look like you’d taste like cotton candy.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she teased, and Luka laughed.
“Of course I would,” he said, and then added, “I like your hair. It’s getting long.”
“I’ve been thinking about cutting it,” she admitted, running a careful hand over it. She’d managed to get it curled so that it hung in waves, and she didn’t dare mess with it too much or it would go completely flat. “But it’s kind of fun having it long too. I can’t decide.”
Luka shrugged. “It’s only hair. It grows back. It looks nice this way though.
“Marinette,” Alya called urgently, waving at her from the upper deck. “Come here!”
“Duty calls,” Marinette sighed, and Luka chucked her chin lightly.
“Make sure you have some fun tonight. All work and no play, and all that.”
“I will.” Marinette smiled, and dared to pop up on her toes and kiss his cheek. “I’ll look for you after you play.”
After that, it was a whirlwind of last minute fixes, adjustments, and then the man of the hour was climbing on board, and Marinette screamed along with the rest as they all applauded Nino, who blushed and tried to hide under the cap he was still wearing even though Alya had made him dress up.
Then the party got started. Marinette circled the crowd, greeting and chatting and socializing while keeping one eye on Luka on the stage. Red cups were circulating through the crowd, and Marinette got her own, sipping lightly from it as she fulfilled her social responsibilities.
A commotion at the gangplank signaled that he had arrived. Marinette rolled her eyes behind her cup as he greeted his friends with his new girl on his arm. By the time they got to her, she was able to muster a genuine smile for both of them. She was able to be polite until they were swept away by another group of friends. Then, her face must have given her away, because when the band retired from the stage, Luka wound his way through the crowd to lean on the rail beside her, a red plastic cup in his hand.
“Doing okay?” he asked, and Marinette had to smile.
“I’m fine,” she said, with a little toss of her head. “It’s no big deal.”
“I thought you were over him,” Luka murmured, inspecting the gold liquid in his cup.
“I am,” Marinette huffed. “I’m just being petty.” She paused to consider. “And jealous. Not jealous like, I want him to be paying attention to me, but jealous like…what does she have that I didn’t? Don’t? Whatever.” She made a face. “It’s stupid, but at least if we’d dated and broken up then I’d feel like he noticed me.”
Luka didn’t answer, and Marinette groaned. “I’m ridiculous,” she muttered. “Pretend you don’t know this about me.”
Luka chuckled. “You’re allowed to have feelings, Marinette.”
“You always say that,” she sighed, and then turned to him. “Dance with me?”
“Sure,” he said, shifting his weight off the rail on and looking down at her. “Need a distraction?”
“No, not like that,” Marinette smiled, taking his hand. “I just want to leave Pettynette in the corner and go have some fun. I always have fun dancing, and I always have fun with you, so…” she shrugged. “Will you dance with me?”
“Of course I will,” he grinned. “Let’s go have some fun.” He put his cup down on one of the many crates that had been shoved into this corner, and took her other hand as well, leading her over to where a small knot of people were already dancing in front of the DJ booth.
Neither of them were great dancers, but neither of them particularly cared. Marinette allowed herself to enjoy having Luka’s hands on her, and if he pulled her a little closer whenever he happened to be near, Marinette didn’t mind at all. Arms around Luka’s neck, she was happy to lean into him and forget anyone else even existed.
She was just beginning to get a stitch in her side when someone hollered her name across the deck. By the time she turned in the right direction, she found Alix’s finger in her face.
“I challenge you!” Alix crowed, and then swung her finger around to point at the beer pong table set up at the far end of the deck.
“You’re the only one here about the same size as her,” Max explained helpfully. “Everyone else presents a disadvantage from size alone.”
“Marinette’s too uptight to play,” Kim grinned, folding his arms. “Just forfeit, Alix.”
“Never!”
Marinette’s mouth dropped in outrage. “I am not uptight,” she exclaimed. “I just—” She flushed, unsure how to explain the constant fear that something would go wrong, even though the worst of the danger was past with Hawkmoth’s defeat. What if something did happen? What if she got confused and let something slip? She had too many secrets to be comfortable getting drunk. Knowing her, she would start to lose and then stupidly transform to prove she wasn’t a wuss and then everyone would know and she’d be in the tabloids as drunk Ladybug and—
A touch on her arm made her look up at Luka.
“Go ahead if you want to,” he told her, bending close so that no one else could hear. “I haven’t had that much, I’ll make sure you’re okay. You can stay here if it’s not safe for you to go home after.” He brushed her hair back, lightly touching her ear in the process. “I’ll keep you from spilling secrets, and I’ll take care of anything that comes up,” he promised softly.
Marinette looked up at him, touched. “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course I would,” he said, squeezing her arm. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course,” she whispered, and quickly took her earrings off under the cover of her hair, passing them into his palm as casually as she could. She hadn’t ever intended for him to know, but he’d confessed what he’d seen as Viperion. As terrifying as it had been at the time for her to realize someone knew, in the years since he’d found out her secret, he had kept it as sacred as she ever could have wished. Of course she trusted him..
“Go have fun,” he said, jerking his chin towards Alix, still smirking by the table. “I promise I’ll make sure there’s no disasters, personal or professional.”
Marinette smiled at him, then whirled and marched up to the beer pong table. “All right, you’re on,” she declared, and Alix whooped.
They were about evenly matched in the beginning, but as the cups began to empty, Marinette began to giggle, and things started to get silly.
True to his word, though, Luka was there, wrapping a hand around the sharp corner of the table before she could bump a hip into it, murmuring a caution in her ear, casually fixing a strap on her dress when she insisted on struggling out of her sweater. Later he came up behind her and smoothed her hair back, tying it up when it threatened to dip in the drinks as she leaned over the table. He pressed a cup of water into her hand several times, and pounded on her back when she choked on it because she couldn’t seem to stop laughing.
She lost the game in the end, not nearly as practiced either at drinking or at beer pong than Alix, but by then everything seemed so funny she didn’t care. Her demand for a rematch was somewhat garbled, and she swayed on her feet before leaning heavily on Luka. He pressed another cup of water into her hand, which she eventually drained between helpless giggles. Luka’s hand felt good rubbing her back. Somehow hers had ended up on his chest. That did some funny things to her insides, and she considered moving her hands to his shoulders instead, but got distracted just looking at them. Luka shifted her to his side, and she got even more distracted with the tattoos on his arm, giggling again as she found and traced hidden shapes in the lines that were only visible to drunk people.
Eventually the buzz faded enough that she got her hilarity under control, and began to feel tired and a little sick. She hid her face in Luka’s shoulder, muffling a groan.
“Ready to call it a night?” he asked. “I think things are winding up anyway.” Marinette nodded, and he steered her towards the door to the lower decks.
“‘M sorry,” Marinette mumbled, leaning on Luka as he guided her down the stairs.
“Don’t be sorry,” Luka chuckled. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a party. You’re supposed to have let loose a little.”
“I’m such a pain,” she moaned.
“You’re not,” he told her, readjusting the arm around her waist, and lifting hers over his shoulder. “You deserve to have a little fun. As long as you had a good time, I don’t mind.”
Marinette groaned again. “I made a fool of myself, didn’t I?”
“No, you didn’t,” he chuckled. “Everyone thought it was cute. You're a giggly drunk. I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to loosen up a little. It made me happy to see it. Step up.” He helped her step through the bulkhead and into the room he shared with Juleka.
“Nooooo,” Marinette groaned, as she realized where they were. “Lukaaaaa that’s your bed. I can’t take away your bed!”
“You’re not taking it away,” he said gently, as he lowered her to sit on it. “I’m giving it to you.” He knelt down and pulled her shoes off.
“I hate those shoes,” Marinette grumbled. “Why did I wear them? They always make my feet hurt.”
“Because they make your legs look amazing,” Luka grunted, wrapping his arm around her knees and swinging her legs up on the bed. “Go on, lay down.”
He barely had time to catch her when she flopped back, keeping her head from smacking the wall.. “Woah, take it easy,” he scolded, “Scoot down a little.” Marinette obediently shimmied her butt a little further down towards the foot of the bed, and Luka lowered her down.
“The room is still spinning,” she muttered.
“Do you feel sick?” Luka asked, sitting down at the foot of the bed and taking her feet into his lap.
She took a moment to consider, but let out a moan as his thumbs pressed into the sole of her foot..
“Marinette?” he repeated, still gently massaging. “Do you feel like you’re going to throw up?”
“No,” she mumbled. “Just heavy now. Tired.”
“Can you drink some water if I bring you some?” he asked, switching feet.
Marinette whimpered. “I’m so much trouble,” she muttered. “I should’ve stuck to soda.”
“You’re a joy, Marinette.” He leaned over her, and after a moment Marinette realized he was replacing her earrings.
“I think you’re sober enough to take these back now,” he said, as if he’d read her mind.
“You’re so good to me,” Marinette sighed.
Luka chuckled. “Of course I am.”
Marinette’s eyelids fluttered and she frowned, the words sparking in her mind somehow. It felt like the moment before she figured out a lucky charm—but she dozed off before it connected.
***
Predictably, Marinette woke with a headache. Her mouth tasted terrible. Moaning softly, she rolled over and blinked sleepily. After a moment, her eyes focused on two glasses of water, a bottle of pills, and a tin of mints sitting on the amp next to the bed. She smiled, and pushed herself upright enough to reach over and grab the pills. It took her a minute to get the bottle open, and then she groped for the water to wash the medicine down. That made her mouth feel less cottony but she still dug a mint out of the tin before laying back down with a sigh. The peppermint taste of the mint had the bonus of easing the queasiness in her stomach. She had a moment of longing for some real peppermint tea, but she was warm and comfortable and already dozing back off.
When she woke again, her headache had eased some, and she felt considerably better. She looked over and saw Luka sitting up in his nest of blankets, reaching for the second glass of water and the pills. “Morning,” he rasped, when he saw that she was awake. He managed half a smile before downing the pills and water, and reaching for the tin of mints himself. Marinette rolled on her side to face him and he shifted over to the bed, folding his arms on the mattress.
“How’re you feeling?” he rumbled, blinking sleepy eyes. His hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction, and Marinette smiled.
“Okay,” she whispered. “You take such good care of me.”
“Of course I do,” he said with a smile, resting his cheek on one arm and letting his eyes fall closed.
Marinette stared at him as memories of the day before came back in a rush. That day, and so many before that, of Luka covering for her, reminding her, caring for her. Of course he did , she realized, and that missing piece finally fell into place. Of course he did, because…he loved her.
It had been a slow epiphany, but it dawned on Marinette now with all the certainty of sunrise. Luka had been loving her in small ways for years, and she would be a fool to keep letting fear hold her back from letting him love her completely…as she loved him.
There were crease marks on his face, and she giggled, reaching out to cup his cheek and run her thumb over them. Eyes still closed, Luka leaned into her hand.
“I love you too,” she said, and couldn’t help her grin as his eyes flew open, suddenly wide awake.
Marinette let her fingers slip back and curl around the nape of his neck, drawing him forward. His eyes closed as she kissed him, once, soft and slow, making sure to linger long enough that he couldn’t think he’d imagine it. When she pulled back, he stared at her, mouth slightly open.
Marinette held his gaze but relaxed back on his pillow, waiting for him to respond. He wasn’t any more of a morning person than she was, after all, and he’d probably been up later. Besides, his confused face was kind of cute. She bit her lip to keep from giggling, waiting for him to work through his feelings and process the situation. As the surprise on his face gave way to affection and soft joy, she reached out for him again.
A slight tug on his shirt was all the encouragement he needed to climb up into the bed with her. They arranged themselves on the narrow bed, face to face, and Luka smiled as he touched her face, the rough pad of one finger catching on her lower lip.
“A guy could get used to this,” he whispered, dropping a hand to her hip to tug her a little closer. “I’d really like to get used to this,” he admitted in a rush of breath that turned into a quiet, giddy laugh. He buried his face in Marinette’s neck, inhaling deeply. Marinette tried not to cringe. She hoped she didn’t smell too much like alcohol and sweat. Then Luka kissed her shoulder before pressing his face into her again. “You’re warm,” he murmured, and Marinette wrapped her arms around him. “It’s really real?” he asked softly, and Marinette turned her head to kiss his temple. Then she grinned wickedly into his hair.
“Will you kiss me again and make sure?” Luka laughed and lifted his head to smile affectionately at her. “Of course I will. Every day, if you’ll let me.”
Marinette giggled. “Of course I will,” she echoed back to him, and there were no more words for quite a long time.
Fiction Master Post
#quickspins#quicksprints#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#pro lukamari
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Snow and Hot Drinks
@nerdypanda3126 I’m your @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers sprint secret santa! I hope you enjoy this little bit of fluff! I used the prompts “snow” and “hot drinks” (I really worked hard for that title didn’t I 😆) Merry Christmas friend, I hope this brings you a smile!
Normal sprint rules apply, 3 15 minute sprints and 24 hours to edit, except I cheated and did a fourth sprint, and then hated my ending and rewrote it during editing. I still did it in 24 hours though! 😂
It was surprisingly similar to what he had pictured when Jagged told them about the place. Better, actually, since Luka had expected far more examples of Jagged’s…flamboyant taste.. The place did feel expensive, the big fireplace made of stacked stone, a giant plasma screen on one wall, and as one would expect, a killer sound system, but there were no garish patterns or unnecessary gilding, at least in this part of the house. The big great room was all gleaming, polished wood in a warm amber color that reflected the firelight to give an intimate, cozy feel to the space, despite the high ceiling and giant windows. The couch Luka curled on was plush and comfortable, a perfectly reasonable shade of deep red, and there was just enough chill in the room to make the soft blanket draped over him welcome.
It was perfect, except that he was alone.
Well, not alone, exactly.
Luka sighed slowly through his nose, trying not to make a noise that would attract attention to his glum state. They were here to have a good time, after all, and it wasn’t fair of him harsh everyone’s mellow just because he was disappointed. He had a habit of withdrawing from crowded situations, so nobody would think twice about him choosing to stay in while they all went into the bath house behind their luxurious cabin (if you could call a place with three floors and six bedrooms a cabin) to laugh at the snow from the comfort of the hot tub. They’d spent the whole day yesterday just getting here, after all, and people had been getting a little snappy by the end, so Luka just had to play it cool for a little longer, and then he’d be left alone to…
Sulk. He was sulking. Luka was big enough to admit it, at least in the privacy of his own mind.
This always happens, he reminded himself. Marinette’s busy, she gets overloaded and confused, and it’s not her fault that the weather tanked. It’s not as if he had any right to be upset about it.
Still, of all the reasons he’d been looking forward to this trip, spending time with Marinette had been high on the list. She hardly ever got any time to relax, and he’d been looking forward to her delight in the spacious, expensive mountain ski resort “cabin” Jagged had loaned them for the week. He was looking forward to playing in the snow with her, watching her competitive streak fire up when someone got out the board games, and the slow, easy closeness that seemed to magically draw them together whenever she was away from the crippling burden of her responsibilities.
A shadow fell over him, and he looked up with an automatic smile for his sister. Juleka looked down at him for a moment, her hair piled haphazardly on her head but still managing to dip into her face, and gave a slight shake of her head. She offered him a steaming mug, which he took almost automatically.
“Here,” Juleka muttered. “Rose made it, says it’s her mother’s recipe. It’s pretty good.” Her hands moved to grip the sleeves of her fluffy robe as she looked down at him. “You sure you don’t want to come? I mean…you know she’s not coming, Luka.”
There were a lot of things he could have said. It’s not like we’re together. It was a long day getting here yesterday and I’m peopled out. If I have to spend any more time in a small space with Dingo I’ll go to jail again.
There really wasn’t any point in lying to Juleka though.
“I know,” he sighed, wrapping his long fingers around the mug. “You guys go have fun. Splash Dingo’s mohawk for me. Just let me have tonight to wallow, and I promise I’ll be fun tomorrow, okay?”
Juleka sighed, but nodded, and padded out of the room, following the screeches and laughter of their friends toward the back. He heard someone screech as they opened the back door; the walkway to the bathhouse was enclosed but not heated. Luka grinned for a moment, and then the sounds quieted as the door closed again.
He waited a moment to let the quiet sink in, and then took a careful sip of his drink. It was good, sweet and rich with a hint of spice, and the rum had a smooth finish with just enough burn to remind you not to chug it. Perfect, just like everything else.
Almost.
Luka’s eyes slid past the fireplace to look at the snow swirling against the window. If it weren’t for that, Marinette could still have made it. He wasn’t really sure why she’d missed the meetup, nor met them at the airport, but Marinette was resourceful, and she could always have called Jagged, or called Luka and Luka could have called Jagged. If Luka had known things would turn out this way, he would have just stayed behind, and the two of them could have made their way up here together, but the others had convinced him that she wouldn’t have any trouble catching up, and in the end he’d gotten on the plane.
No one was expecting the weather to take a sudden turn, and the group had pulled in to the cabin less than an hour before the roads up the mountain had closed. There was no way any flight, or hell even any bus, was going to go out in this weather. There was no way Marinette was going to make it. He sighed.
Luka glanced down at the guitar case sitting beside the sofa, but…he didn’t really feel like it. Instead, Luka sipped the sweet, buttery drink and hummed to himself quietly, aimlessly.
***
Cosmobug dipped and whirled, not entirely voluntarily as the strong mountain winds buffeted her from seemingly every direction at once. This was crazy, she acknowledged to herself ruefully. It was insane to try and fly in this weather, and she should have known better, but it was too late now. Better to go forward than back at this point; according to the map projected on the inside of her visor, she was getting close to her destination. She just had to hold out a little longer.
When Jagged had offered his cabin-mansion to Kitty Section and their closest friends, it had all seemed so clear. Mylène would come with Ivan of course, and Juleka and Rose would be there, Dingo and Brielle had been invited along, which would leave…her and Luka. Probably alone, or nearly so, for a good portion of the week. If it was anyone other than Luka, Marinette would have been mortified at the idea of spending a week either constantly third-wheeling in a crowd of couples, or being pushed into an awkward not-couple situation with another guy. It was Luka, though, and she was comfortable with Luka, and he never made assumptions or made anything weird, and…and it wouldn’t be so bad, being in a couple with Luka. She wanted that, actually. Not just for the week, either.
Suddenly the whole thing seemed like an opportunity gift-wrapped on a silver platter, and Marinette had been determined to air out her feelings and tell Luka she wanted another try at being a couple, now that they were older and more mature and she had a better handle on her life and priorities. It would be cozy and romantic and she could let things just happen, wait for the right moment, which was just certain to come along in a setting like that, so she didn’t need some complicated plan where she could get in her own way.
But of course since Marinette had been looking forward to this trip so much, the universe just had to smack her down. She thought when she missed the flight that she’d be able to get on the next one, but then the storms had rolled in, and everything had been grounded. She’d actually been frantic until she got a text from Luka letting her know that the group had managed to make it to the cabin in their rented van just before the roads got bad.
Marinette, though, was stuck, the planes all grounded and the roads impassable. She’d tried everything, growing more and more distraught at the thought of missing out. Finally, it had been more than she could bear, and she’d done something stupid and impulsive, and now here she was like an idiot flying through a blizzard, and what was she even going to say when she got there? She was too cold and too tired to find somewhere else to stay and pretend to come in after the storm, she was just desperately hoping to make it there at this point, and what she was going to tell her friends about how she’d miraculously (ha) come through the storm, she had no idea.
That was a problem for future Marinette though. Cosmobug had all she could do just to stay on course and keep from being blown into a rock wall or tangled in towering evergreens. What an undignified way for a superhero to go, she thought grimly, and pressed on.
***
Luka nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a crash that rattled the walls around him. What the hell? Did some kind of animal just run into the house? What could even make a noise like that, though, a moose? Did they even have moose in Europe? Luka straightened, pulling the blanket off of his legs, trying to decide what he should do.
The cabin’s insane doorbell suddenly rang out several manic bars of Donut of My Life (because of course Jagged did), and Luka all but ran to the door, socks nearly slipping on the fancy tiled floor in the entryway. He opened the oversized door and stared, openmouthed, at Marinette, crumpled in a heap in the snow on the doorstep, shivering as she tucked her mittened hands between her body and her legs.
“H-hi,” she stammered, and Luka’s hands were reaching to pull her inside even before his brain had fully processed what he was seeing.
“Marinette, what the hell,” he grunted, throwing his weight into the door to get it to close against the wind.
“N-nice to see y-you too,” she joked breathlessly, but his mouth stayed in a firm line as he brusquely began stripping off her winter gear. “I’m f-fine, Luka,” she protested, though she let him continue to pull snow-encrusted layers off of her.
Luka cupped her face in his hands. “Marinette, it’s a blizzard out there, and you’re ice cold.” Once he had her down to the sweater and leggings that had been beneath all her snow gear, he wrapped an arm around her back, maneuvering her further into the house. Marinette clung to him, pressing against his warm body. She didn’t care where he was taking her, only that she was finally here with him. She trusted him to take care of the rest. Wherever he was taking her, she was sure it was exactly where she needed to be.
Luka guided her down onto a soft couch in front of a gigantic fireplace, and wrapped her up in a blanket that had been tossed carelessly over one end. The blanket was already warm, she realized, and it smelled like Luka, and she finally managed to look up at him and manage something like a smile.
“I don’t know how you got here,” Luka said, his face still worried as he sat beside her, cupping her cold cheeks in his warm hands again. “But it couldn’t have been safe, Marinette. You could’ve gotten frostbite out there.” He tilted her head slightly, apparently checking her ears and her cheeks, and Marinette had to laugh, though weakly.
“A-aren’t you g-glad to see me?” she chattered, and Luka scooted closer, wrapping his arms around her, his worried expression softening a little.
“Of course I am, now that you’re here and safe, but I’d have had a heart attack if I knew you were out in that mess. What, did you hike up the damn mountain?” He rested his cheek against her hair and rocked her slightly.
Marinette laughed again, nervously this time. “Not exactly,” she admitted. “But I might have, if it was the only way I could have gotten here.”
Luka made a noise in his throat that was both frustration and agreement. Marinette grinned, snuggling closer, and they were silent for a bit as he held her until the shivering stopped.
“I didn’t want to miss this,” Marinette confessed, when she felt confident that she could speak normally again. “I hated the thought of you stuck alone with all these couples—I know you would have been fine,” she cut him off before he could speak, “but still. And I had so many plans for this weekend.” She wiggled away from him just enough to open the blanket around her and invite him under it.
Luka opened his mouth and then closed it again, pressing his lips together. Then he sighed as he moved closer to her and wrapped the blanket around them both. “I want to yell at you,” he muttered, tucking her under his chin. “But you’re making it awfully hard.” He squeezed her lightly. “I hate that you did whatever you did but I’m glad you’re here.” Marinette, grinning, slipped her cold hands under the hem of his sweater and pressed them against his stomach. Luka yelped and jumped from the shock of it. “Damn, Marinette, what were you planning that was so important it was worth turning into an icicle?” he scolded, pressing his own hands over hers to warm them up faster.
Marinette looked up at him, biting her lip, and Luka suddenly found it hard to breathe. Marinette visibly gathered her courage, and then stretched up and kissed him.
Her cold mouth against his was another shock, and a far more pleasant one, and suddenly her hands on his skin didn’t feel quite so cold. He tried to kiss her back even as he was gasping from the shock, and Marinette’s chilled fingers sent a thrill across his skin as she slid her hands around his back to hold him. He felt her tongue flick against his lip, and then she moaned and kissed him deeper.
“Wow,” she said when she pulled back, leaving him shocked and breathless. “You taste fantastic.”
Luka couldn’t help but laugh, falling back against the couch for a moment before he leaned forward to pick up the mug on the coffee table. “Hot buttered rum,” he said, taking a sip. “Mm, still hot. Do you want a taste?”
Marinette’s smile widened. “Definitely,” she said, taking the cup from him and putting it back on the coffee table before reaching up to cup his face and pull him back down into her.
#quickspins#quicksprints#lukanette#lukanette endgame#endgame lukanette#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#pro lukamari
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I Should Have Been With You
For the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge! The prompt was “Kissing in the rain” and I was further inspired by @ladyfreya123 ‘s beautiful art for this prompt.
The rules are 3 15-minute sprints and 24 hours to edit, but I only did two for this one, because it felt done where I left it. Enjoy!
She hadn’t expected to see him. He must have known he might see her, coming here like this, so it wasn’t a shock for him but Marinette wasn’t prepared and she just...froze. Luka smiled, gave her a slight nod, and then turned away from her. He pulled a black lace bag out of the protection of his jacket as Juleka came trotting up. He handed the bag to his sister, accepting her thanks with a smile and a quiet, “Have a good time.”
Marinette was still frozen, still standing there stupidly. Luka looked back at her, as if he couldn’t quite help himself, and she saw him swallow as he met her eyes. His gaze flicked over her, taking in her unbound hair and pretty dress, and he smiled again. “You look beautiful,” he said softly, and put his hands in the pockets of his jacket. Marinette’s lips parted, and she thought they formed a thank you, but she couldn’t get any sound out past the lump in her throat.
He should have been here with her. He should have cared enough to get out of the rain, because he should have been dressed up to come here and dance with her. He should have been her date, and not just his sister’s errand-runner. It was all just...so unfair.
Luka’s eyes slid away, and he turned, walking back out of the double doors that were propped open, the decorations attached to them drifting back and forth slowly.
Marinette stared after him, and the whole thing felt unreal.
The decorations were perfect, despite all the setbacks. The food was perfect, despite all of the insinuations and the sighs and the whispered aren’t you guys just a little tired of the same old thing . The music had been carefully curated and arranged, and it was perfect too.
Luka would have liked it.
The gym was draped in gauzy cloth swags that she had sewn in every spare moment. The tables were littered with tissue paper flowers that she had organized committees to make. Everything was perfect. Beautiful.
Marinette didn’t turn around to see it. She took a step forward, and then another, and then she ran, through the doors and down the steps, heedless of the pouring rain or the water sloshing over her thin shoes.
Luka was standing there at the bottom of the stairs, his back to the school. He wasn’t waiting, but he wasn’t walking. He was just standing, staring at nothing, heedless of the rain. Just...being.
Just being Luka.
“Luka,” Marinette yelled, finally finding her voice, and he turned, reaching automatically to catch her hands as she ran recklessly down the last few stairs, steadying her even as he blinked in confusion.
He opened his mouth to ask what was the matter, but Marinette didn’t give him the chance. “I’m sorry,” she blurted, and his hands tightened on hers even as his brow furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry. I’m stupid, and confused, and there’s just...so much. It’s all so much Luka. But I—I love you, and I miss you, and I don’t know how I can do what I have to do without you, and I—
“Marinette,” he interrupted gently, “Calm down. You’re getting soaked, let’s—we can talk if you want, but we should—”
Marinette jerked her hands away, and before he could react, she grabbed his face in her hands, pulling him down the short distance it took for her to kiss him. He was so cold and his face was slick under her hands. She moved her grip to his hoodie to keep him close. He made a soft noise and his hands found her waist as he leaned in to the kiss—the kiss they should have had weeks ago, and had never managed. In spite of everything, even though she had lied to him and left him and broken his heart, he kissed her back now like none of it had ever happened. Neither of them wanted to let go, one kiss rolling into two and three until Luka finally pulled away.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured, bringing his hands up to rub her arms, and Marinette realized he was right. She was freezing. Wet as it was, he wrestled his jacket off and wrapped it around her. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said, dismay on his face as he looked at her soaked dress and limp hair.
“You’re right,” Marinette whispered, clinging to him. “I should have been with you.”
He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her arms against the cold again, but when she looked up at his face, his expression was mingled confusion and pain. He was holding her from instinct, to comfort and warm her, but clearly he didn’t know what to do.
“Take me home?” she asked, plucking at the white shirt that was beginning to stick to him as the rain soaked it too. “Please. Take me home and we’ll get dry and...and we can talk. Please?”
It wasn’t playing fair, to look up at him with that pout and beg, when she knew he’d never refuse her anything. She did it anyway, and saw his eyes flicker to her lips before he looked away over her head, back towards the gym doors where the light and the music was still spilling out.
“Okay,” he said, squeezing her to him as he turned them towards the crosswalk. “Okay.”
Fiction Master Post
#quickspins#quicksprints#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#pro lukamari
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Ruin It
Another one for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers sprint challenge! The prompt was:
Person A: Listen I don’t want to ruin our friendship but I really want to kiss y--
Person B: Ruin it
The challenge rules are 3 15-minute writing sprints and 24 hours to edit. I took a little extra editing time because it was late by the time I finished and I didn't want to do anything stupid for lack of sleep. Also, I sprinted everything from the phrase "Ruin It" onwards and then ended up adding a ridiculous number of words to put together the setup at the beginning as part of my "editing" phase and effectively doubled the length of what I originally sprinted. Hopefully it's not too complicated. I'm trying to re-embrace the thought that sprint fics don't have to complicated or polished; I've let myself get hung up on some things in the last few challenges, so this week was about just letting go.
ANYWAY I had sort of a childhood friends to lovers thought in mind as I wrote this, and I hope you enjoy! You can also check out the sprint challenge AO3 collection here to read this and other works.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Marinette said enviously, watching a group of kids run along the top of the short stone wall framing the park.
“Why haven’t you?” Luka asked. “It’s not very high.” He gestured to where the wall ended in graduated steps down to the ground. “Wouldn’t be hard to get up on it, either.”
She gave him a look. “Because I’m a grown-up.”
Luka snorted. “Says who?” A woman some distance from them called out “Lunch!” and kids jumped off the wall, cheering as they ran off. Luka grinned and took her hand, tugging her up off the blanket they’d been sitting on. “Come on.”
“Luka!” she laughed, but didn’t resist as he towed her to the wall. “What if a patrol sees us?”
“What are they going to do, fine us?” Luka rolled his eyes, and flashed her a wicked grin that she somehow felt in her bones. “They can put it on my tab.” He held Marinette’s hand as she stepped up on the low part of the wall, and then he walked alongside it as she stepped up to the next highest piece, and then the next, raising his hand at every level to keep hold of hers. The wall was only about waist-height on Luka, but it felt huge to Marinette, standing on top of it. She giggled as she looked down at him. “Now you know how I feel walking next to you,” she teased.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Luka laughed. When they reached a place where the wall dead-ended into the higher terrace beyond, Marinette carefully turned around, making sure to get a grip on Luka with her other hand before she let go with the one he’d been holding. The wall might not be all that high, but she had a habit of getting distracted at just the wrong moment, and no fall was better than even a short fall. With her luck, even a short fall would be dangerous.
Not that she was worried. Luka never let her fall. She gave him Luka a quick smile to let her know she was ready, and they began the walk back to the end with the graduated steps. “How do they expect kids not to climb on a wall when they make it this easy?” she asked, looking down at Luka with a laugh.
Marinette had just taken the first step down when some yelling boys startled a flock of pigeons, sending them hurtling right towards the wall in their flight to higher ground. Startled, Marinette overbalanced, and with a yelp she began to topple, but Luka was already there, arms around her waist, half catching, half lifting her off the wall. Her flailing arms wrapped around his neck automatically and she clung to him for a heart-stopping moment where she thought they would both go over, but Luka’s grip on her was firm and his stance rock-solid.
“You okay?” he asked, amusement in his voice.
“Yeah,” she said into his hair, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
Luka gave a quiet huff of amusement, head tilted back to look up at her, and Marinette pouted down at him. “Are you going to put me down?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Luka grinned. “Maybe I won’t. Maybe you’re safer like this.”
She was tempted to kick him, but her dangling feet were level with his knees, rather than his shins, and she was afraid of hurting him. His grin widened at her predicament, but his eyes were full of affection, and she forgave him for laughing at her. She couldn’t help it. She wasn’t going to let him get away with it though. She just...needed a credible threat. Her frustration must have showed on her face because his breath fanned over his face as he laughed silently. Her eyes flicked down to his lips.
“Put me down or I’ll kiss you,” she threatened. “Then our friendship will be ruined forever and you’ll regret everything.”
Luka’s eyes widened, and he immediately set her feet on the ground. Her grin of triumph faded at the look on his face. “That’s not funny, Marinette,” he muttered, ducking out of her arms and taking a few steps away.
Marinette blinked, and then bit her lip. “Sorry. Sorry, that was stupid.” She wrapped her arms around herself and backed up, sitting down on one of the lower steps of the wall. “Luka, I didn’t mean it. I wouldn’t be that stupid.”
For a moment, he said nothing. Marinette sat miserably waiting for him to work through whatever he was thinking about, calling herself ten kinds of idiot in her head.
“Is that…” Her head jerked up as he spoke, but his back was still to her, and he seemed to be struggling to get the words out. “Is that something you think about?”
Marinette frowned. “What?”
“Kissing me,” he clarified, without turning. “Ruining our friendship?”
“Oh.” Marinette felt heat rush into her cheeks. She was really in it now. How could she have let that slip? “Well...sometimes, yeah. I know it’s stupid, you haven’t seen me that way since we were kids, and I don’t want to ever screw up our friendship. Just—” Just what? How could she admit to him that sometimes the light caught the angles of his face just right, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. That sometimes he would catch her staring and his lips would curve in a questioning smile and she couldn’t think about anything else for days afterwards. How could she admit even a fraction of what she felt for him, without making things weird?
Weird- er . She’d already managed weird. Damn it.
“Just?” he prompted.
Marinette squirmed uncomfortably. “It’s not a big deal. Just, sometimes I think about kissing you. And then I think what a stupid idea it is and I know you haven’t seen me that way since we were kids, and I’d never actually do it because it would ruin every—”
Luka turned around and took a quick step towards her. “Ruin it.”
Marinette blinked. “Wh-what?”
“Ruin it,” Luka repeated, taking another step. “Do it. If tearing down what we have means building something new with you then give me the fucking hammer and let’s go.”
Marinette stared at him, hardly believing what she was hearing. “You’d...you’d give up everything we have,” she said, tone going accusing. “For a kiss?”
“No,” he said, kneeling in front of her to take her hands. “I’d give up everything we have for a chance. What do we have, Marinette, that can’t be made better? If you want to kiss me, and I want to kiss you, if we both want more than what we have, then why shouldn’t we try?”
“Because—” Marinette floundered. “Because what if it all went wrong, and then we couldn’t—couldn’t talk to each other anymore, and, and we’d be—” She frowned. “Wait, you want to kiss me?”
“Every damn day,” he told her earnestly. “Every time you eat a macaroon or steal my coffee or laugh or pout or—pretty much anything, really.”
Oh shit , she thought, taking in the tight lines of his face, the steady, intense gaze of his eyes. He’s serious . “But…” Marinette’s head whirled. “But—Luka, what if—If everything went wrong—I wouldn’t have anyone to—what would I do without you, Luka?” she practically wailed.
“What if you never had to find out?” he asked, reaching up to cradle her face with one hand. “What if it didn’t go wrong, Marinette? What if I could love you without holding back? What if we weren’t spending so much energy trying not to want each other? Is that what’s been holding you back, all this time? As if you could ever lose me, after all we’ve been through.”
Marinette stared at him, speechless. Of course he knew , she thought numbly. It was Luka. But she didn’t know, or didn’t let herself know that she knew, and her reality was reeling.
Luka let his hand fall from her face, and wrapped both of his hands around hers instead, his voice soft and coaxing and full of a hope that made her ache. “Ruin it, Marinette. We’ll make something new out of it. It might not be the same, but I’ve seen the things you create and I’m not afraid. Whatever we become, it’ll be something we made together. How could something like that be bad?” He took a breath, and looked up at her. His hands were shaking, she realized. “So ruin it.” He grinned. “Hell, ruin me , I don’t mind. I love being your friend, but...I want to see what else we can make together.”
She’d never seen his eyes like this, she thought numbly as she stared back at him. She thought she knew him so well, just like he knew her. She’d never been able to read him the way he read her, but she thought...she thought she knew him. She didn’t know this , the intensity, the pleading, the...desperation. She didn’t know this part of him. The part that wanted . Luka didn’t crave things. Luka let things come and go, he didn’t get worked up over things. Luka was willing to take what you gave him and be content. Luka was a passionate person, sure, but not ambitious. He didn’t want things.
He wanted her. This was the first time that she’d ever seen how much...that he’d let her see how much. She should have been frightened, she thought. It should have scared her to see him looking at her with so much earnestness. It was terrifying, when it was anybody else.
But this was Luka, and how could she be scared of Luka? How could she, when he’d finally dared to ask for what he wanted? Not because he couldn’t stand it any longer but because she had finally admitted, to him and to herself, that she wanted it too.
Just like that she knew she had passed the boundary whether she meant to or not. She would break Luka’s heart in this moment if she refused him, and her own in the process. Their friendship wouldn’t be the same after this. They would have to make something new, one way or another. She could turn him down, and hope that the awkward would pass over time. Hope that he could forgive her for being a coward.
But…
She thought she knew him, but now she could see how much he was holding back. She wanted that secret knowledge of him, the part of himself he kept hidden away. She wanted his secret passions and his dreams and the things he treasured up in his heart. Not to take, but to receive, to be given freely, to earn each one with the steadiness of her...love.
Love.
Marinette looked down at their hands in her lap. Slowly she moved her hands so that they were clasping his. He was silent now, waiting. How long had he been waiting for her? When she leaned forward, Luka closed his eyes and tilted his head to meet her, but he didn’t move beyond that until her lips pressed, trembling and tentative, into his. Only then did he move with her, press into her, his hands tightening on hers so hard it almost hurt. She moved his hands to her hips and then carded her own fingers through his hair as they kissed and kissed again.
She loved him, and she was terrified as she finally let herself realize how much, but…this was Luka.
Luka never let her fall.
Fiction Master Post
#quickspins#quicksprints#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#pro lukamari
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I’ve Got You
Hi @ladycat1! Your original secret santa had some life happen, so here’s a gift from me to tide you over until they can post your fic! I chose the soulmate prompt and I uh, got a little carried away. I hope you enjoy it!
This was supposed to be a sprint fic, 3 15 minute sprints and 45 minutes to edit, but it took me 4 sprints to finish even the main idea and then there wasn’t enough Luka so I went back and added more, and now it’s kind of a beast compared to what it was supposed to be. So, I failed the challenge, but hey, more fic, so still a win!
She’d dreamed for so long about what her soulmate would be like. Some of her friends had silly words scribed over their hearts, things that made no sense and probably wouldn’t until they met their person. Some of them had commonplace phrases like “Hey, watch it!” or “Hi, how can I help you today?” Some of them were borderline insulting. Alix’s words were “Hey, out of my way!” Marinette wasn’t sure she would have been able to feel good about something like that, but Alix didn’t seem bothered by it. “At least our meeting won’t be boring,” she pointed out.
Still. Marinette liked her own words better, far better, than any others that had been shared with her. Easy, easy, I’ve got you.
They sounded...comforting. Supportive. Warm. She couldn’t think, even with all her natural paranoia, of any way those words could be bad. Maybe she was making too much of it, maybe it was only a little thing. Still, she liked the thought that the first time she met her soulmate, they would be helping her, even if only in a small way.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be breathless, but not from hitting the pavement at blinding speed. She was supposed to be disoriented, but not because she had been tossed across half the city by an akuma. She wasn’t supposed to be cold and wet and frightened, and most of all, she wasn’t supposed to be Ladybug.
But she was, and he’d grabbed her, and when she struck out at him in fear and confusion, he’d caught her hand, and his lips moved, and her chest burned, and the words hidden beneath her suit suddenly felt etched on her skin in fire.
The arms that cradled her were strong, the hand that wiped the mud off her face was gentle, and the blue eyes staring down at her were as concerned as she could ever have wished for, but—it was all wrong.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, his hand moving to her chin and tilting her face so that he could look into her eyes.
She was supposed to answer him. Whatever she said to him in this moment was supposed to be etched over his heart, and she would say it, and he would feel that same—not fire, because it didn’t hurt, not exactly, but that flaring that would tell him that this was no random chance, that she was his soulmate.
But she couldn’t. She stared dumbly up at him, her throat seizing up in panic even as she clamped her lips tight. It couldn’t happen like this. It couldn’t be like this. She couldn’t say his words, whatever they were, while she was Ladybug. It would ruin everything. It would make things impossible between them. If anyone found out he was Ladybug’s soulmate , then—he’d be in so much danger. They couldn’t see each other, they couldn’t be together, they couldn’t become whatever they were meant to be because...because she was Ladybug, and Ladybug couldn’t afford that kind of weakness.
“Ladybug?” He frowned, and his hand moved again, brushing her hair back.
She shook her head violently and pushed at his shoulders. He let go of her, and she scrambled back, getting to her feet shakily. Her eyes darted around, taking in details—the bike discarded on the ground behind him, the color—colors, of his hair, the studs in his ears, his clothes, she had to remember all of this—
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked worriedly.
Ladybug nodded furiously, and staggered a few more steps away, whipping out her yoyo. The words on her chest burned hotter as she swung away, and then subsided into a tingling kind of numbness. Ladybug blinked back tears and shook her head. She had an akuma to defeat, and then she could worry about what she’d done.
She barely stayed long enough for their usual fistbump once the battle was over. She found the first secluded place she could think of, transformed, and ran.
Marinette knew it was useless even as she pelted down the wet streets, her light flats getting soaked as she sloshed through puddle after puddle. It would take a miracle for him to still be there by the time she could get there, but wasn’t meeting your soulmate a miracle in itself? It could happen! She had luck on her side, right?
Tikki hadn’t said anything about Marinette’s mad flight, just huddled down in Marinette’s purse with her cookie. Marinette mentally apologized for bouncing her around so badly, especially after such a tough fight, but...she had to try.
But when she skidded to a stop on the corner, there was no one there. The sun was going down and the streetlight shone only on wet, empty pavement. Her soulmate was gone, and so was his bike...and she’d have to find him all over again.
If she could. Her throat tightened, making it even harder to catch her breath, as it occurred to her that she had no idea what happened when soulmates met and didn’t complete the bond. Would it be as if she had rejected him? Would the cosmic pull that was destined to someday bring them together just...cease? When she met him again, would the words she said still resonate with him, or would it all be ruined because she had held back? Were the words on his heart the ones that she should have said, but didn’t?
Marinette didn’t know. She’d never heard of anything like this happening before. Sometimes people rejected their soulmates, or chose to live apart from them, but...but the exchange still happened. The bond was still there. They were still complete.
And Marinette...was not. The hole her soulmate was meant to fill was still there, and she felt all the more conscious of it now.
Remember , she told herself as she walked home in the dark and the cold. Remember his face. Remember his eyes, and his hands, so large against her face. Remember his clothes, his hair. Remember.
She had to remember. Because she was going to find him again.
And then...then she’d just have to see what happened from there. She’d have to make a plan. Marinette was good at plans. Marinette was good at doing the impossible. She was going to find her soulmate again, and she was going to fix this, and the universe was just going to have to suck it up.
One hand drifted up to grip her upper arm, over where his hand had rested as he’d lifted her from the street. She smiled to herself, just a little bit. She’d been right, after all. He was helping her. Supporting her. Even though she was a stranger to him. Even though she was Ladybug, and she was supposed to do things on her own, and even though it was dangerous for him to get involved while she was in the middle of an akuma fight. If Chat hadn’t been able to keep the akuma busy...
He was brave, she realized. Brave, and kind, and strong, and gentle.
Marinette had to stop herself before she got too far down that train of thought. It wouldn’t do to build him into something superhuman. That wouldn’t be fair. She wanted to know the real him, and not be blinded by a dream of who she thought he might be. She’d learned that lesson once before, after all.
Once she was dry and warm and Tikki properly ensconced in a cozy nest of blankets, Marinette sat down at her table and began to draw. She couldn’t afford to forget anything. She was going to find him again, whether the universe decided to help her out or not.
***
Luka Couffaine didn’t have a soulmate.
At least, that’s what the rumors said. There was no soulmark over his heart, and that seemed to be the only conclusion people could come to.
Luka had never been bothered by it, in all truth. He himself was well aware that there were many ways to communicate that didn’t involve words, though it never seemed to occur to anyone else. Privately he thought it entirely likely that his soulmate was a fellow musician, and that their first exchange might involve something far more expressive than mere words. Or maybe not; maybe it would be in the touch of their hands, or the meeting of their eyes. Maybe they would just know, and stand looking at each other in wonder. Maybe his soulmate had a physical issue that would prevent them from speaking. From time to time he watched video tutorials to learn signs that might be useful if it were so.
Mostly, though, he just went on with life, and didn’t worry about it too hard. He was young, and there was plenty of living to be done even without a soulmate. The rumors irritated him far more than the idea that he might have been born a whole soul in a single body.
He’d lived for seventeen years that way, and neither expected nor especially wished for a change, until he picked up an extra shift on a delivery route he didn’t usually ride, and the city’s beloved superhero crashed through a planter and faceplanted on the street in front of him.
Luka wasn’t even thinking when he shoved off his helmet and ran to her, dropping his bike on the sidewalk. After a slide like that, she should have been shredded, but when he helped her roll over and sit up, her skin was whole, though smeared with muddy water. She flailed at him blindly and he almost dropped her, startled by her strength when her hand hit his chest.
“Easy, easy,” Luka told her, catching that hand, “I’ve got you.” She stilled—froze, almost, and her expression was still dazed. No wonder, after a hit like that. Luka wiped away a smear of mud under her eye, but she didn’t move, just pressed her lips tight and stared at him. She was so pale.
“Are you hurt?” Luka put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up so that he could see her eyes. They were even and seemed to be dilating normally. Where was Chat, he wondered with a sudden, irrational irritation. Sounds of battle in the distance answered him. At least Chat was keeping the thing busy, then, while Ladybug...recovered?
She was still just staring up at him, and he frowned, brushing her hair back to check for a bump or a bruise. “Ladybug?”
She shook her head and pushed at his shoulders, and he let her go, watching as she stumbled to her feet, his hands still hovering uncertainly in the air as he watched her. He...didn’t want her to go, and that didn’t make any sense because of course she had to go. It’s not right, he realized suddenly. t’s not right that she has to do all of this—why should it be her? She can barely stand and she’s about to run back into the fight.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, fighting the urge to take hold of her again.
She nodded, and before he could say anything else she was swinging back to the battle. He actually ran a few steps after her before his brain caught up with his body. What was he doing?
Luka turned and went slowly back to his bike. His chest felt funny where she’d hit him before he caught her hands. She didn’t say a word, he thought, turning and looking back towards where she’d gone.
His sigh of relief was more fervent than usual when the magical ladybugs swept through the city, and over Luka. She would be okay now, he was sure. Luka was most of the way home, having walked his bike as he found himself lost in a swirl of thoughts that didn’t want to condense into any kind of sense. Luka looked down on himself in amusement, his hand smoothing over the place on his chest that had been smeared with mud from her hand. His shirt was clean, now. He glanced up. “You didn’t have to bother,” he murmured. “But...thanks.”
It wasn’t until he was getting ready for bed that night that he saw it. It was just a chance glance as he was walking out of the bathroom, halfway through pulling on a fresh shirt. He saw something in the mirror and turned to look at it instinctively. His jaw dropped, and he leaned towards the mirror, wiping away the fog with his hand to get a clearer look.
There were words on his chest, right over his heart, in the distinctive silver-grey of a soulmate marking.
***
Determination, Marinette thought tiredly, could really only get you so far. She’d done her best but, she just had so little to go on. She knew what he looked like, but it wasn’t like she could mentally beam his image into the internet and find his address.
Well. Maybe she could have if she asked Max and Markov for help, but...how would she explain that? How could she explain that she’d met her soulmate, she’d known it was him, but somehow she’d managed not to find out who he was. How ridiculous did that sound? No, she couldn’t tell anybody or ask anybody for help. She tried to console herself with reminders of how unlikely it was that any of her friends knew him anyway...but it really didn’t make the problem any less frustrating.
She found herself circling back to that same cross street where she’d met him. It was the only lead Marinette had, but there wasn’t much there. It was a residential street, so maybe he lived here, but she couldn’t exactly go knocking on doors telling people that she was looking for her soulmate. If he did live here, surely she’d see him, right?
Feeling a bit like a stalker, she parked herself on a bench the following Saturday with her sketchbook in her lap, watching the people that passed her on the street and any figures visible in the windows of the houses. All she got was a sunburn and some odd looks from a couple of people who passed her both in the morning and the evening as they went out to walk their dogs. She went home and lay on her bed moaning in frustration and embarrassment as Tikki sympathetically applied aloe to her face with little pats.
“It’ll be okay, Marinette,” the little god told her, but Tikki had already admitted that her powers were entirely separate from the mystery of soulbonds, and she couldn’t really help Marinette beyond lending a little ordinary luck.
Nobody knew better than Marinette that the surest way to sabotage luck was to count on it, though, so she carried on as she otherwise would. Marinette pulled out her sketch, and stared at the face again. Okay, so maybe he didn’t live at that intersection. Maybe he lived further down, or something like that, and this place was on his route home.
It took a little ingenuity and closer to an outright lie than she was really comfortable with, but Marinette managed to get out of school early and go back to the intersection. He couldn’t be that much older than she was; possibly he passed this place on his way home from school or a part time job.
That didn’t work out any better than the last attempt, and Marinette was sure at least one person had recognized her from her last visit. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to be having a very awkward conversation with Officer Roger, she was sure. At least she remembered to wear sunscreen this time.
Still determined, Marinette drew up an elaborate schedule, gridding out the most likely dates and times to catch him coming through. She plotted bike routes along the area from several local schools and the types of businesses that hired student-age part-timers. She changed up her style and her dress so that she wasn’t so recognizable.
Nearly a month later, she still had nothing. Her friends had long ago begun questioning her bizarre behavior, and more than one had been dragged along on Marinette’s expeditions with increasingly weak excuses, and now her parents were starting to ask questions. Marinette wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep this up, and...she wasn’t sure how much good it would do anyway. She’d covered almost every possibility—certainly every likely possibility, and most of the less likely options, too. Marinette didn’t want to admit it, but she was running out of ideas.
***
Luka kept his new mark hidden from everyone, even his family. He wasn’t sure what had happened to put it there, and he had no idea how to explain it. He kept thinking that it had to have something to do with that encounter with Ladybug, but…
Luka knew very little about whatever mystical force was behind the soul bonds, but he knew even less about Ladybug and her powers. And if it was her, did it happen when she touched him? Her hand had been splayed across his chest right there. He remembered it feeling weird, but he thought that had been because she hit him. She was strong, after all and might have—probably had?—magic that enhanced her fighting somehow, so it wasn’t surprising that a hit to the chest from her might sting a little bit. Though it hadn’t hurt, exactly, but then he hadn’t really been paying attention.
Or was it the magic of the ladybugs? Was there something wrong with him after all, that they had repaired when they cleaned his shirt? Or did it have nothing to do with her powers at all, and it really was just coincidence? He hadn’t been looking at himself all day. He was pretty sure it hadn’t been there at gym class—surely one of his nosy classmates would have noticed, since they frequently snuck glances at his unmarked chest the same way they would if he had a third nipple or some other anatomical anomaly, but it could easily have appeared any time after that. Luka couldn’t imagine what could have triggered such a thing, though.
Unless he had maybe...not met his soulmate, surely that would be unmistakable from everything he’d heard, but...gotten near her somehow? Passed her or touched her or looked at her without knowing. Luka was usually an observant guy, but when he got in his head, he didn’t always register exactly what was going on around him. Maybe he had had an encounter like that, that he didn’t notice or remember, and the universe was frustrated with him and decided to give him a hand.
That didn’t really make sense either, though.
Luka knew he couldn’t keep this a secret forever, no matter how much he wanted to, but he was going to do his best. Some discretion and a little tattoo coverup should do it. It just...felt private, those words, and he found he was self-conscious about it in a way that he hadn’t been about his unmarked chest. Luka wondered how people could go around letting something like that show all the time.
More than that, he wondered what he should do about it.
Although, he considered, as he stared into his bathroom mirror again...looking at his words, maybe he wouldn’t need to do anything.
***
Marinette stood there on that same corner, again, fighting back tears of frustration, staring at the spot where his bike had fallen when he met her. Was it even his bike? She’d thought it had been, but maybe it wasn’t. Her memories of that night were worn with frequent handling and she was starting to question everything she thought she’d seen that night. Marinette knew it had happened—the words on her chest that had once been grey and dull were a vibrant blue, so she couldn’t have imagined the whole thing...but she was starting to feel doubtful on the details.
This isn’t fair, she thought furiously at the universe. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Maybe I messed up, but I had good reasons! You’d think I’d earned a second chance, with all I’ve been through! Marinette blinked back frustrated tears and turned abruptly away, knuckles white on the straps of her pink backpack, eyes squeezed shut against the tears, so that she didn’t see the bike parked on the street in front of the steps of the townhome she was about to pass.
***
Luka hated this route and avoided it whenever he could, but today he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to work. It was hilly and the cobblestones were uneven, taking most of the pleasure out of the ride itself, and to top it off, the people who usually ordered from here were rude. The irritation on top of his confusion about his soulmate...situation, which had lasted for a month now with no signs of resolution, made him impatient to be done and shorter than usual with the customers, though he managed not to be completely rude.
He was clattering his way down the steps when he collided with something—shit, with someone. Luka grabbed at her as she pitched sideways from the force of the impact, trying to at least keep the petite woman from hitting the pavement due to his stupidity.
Marinette was caught completely off guard. A wordless screech escaped her and she pushed away on reflex as hands grabbed at her, but she was off balance and her feet were tangled and she was going to fall—
“Easy, easy, I’ve got you,” said a voice that sounded like an echo out of her memory, except it was real and loud in her ear and so startling that she stopped struggling. The stranger who had, apparently, both collided with her and stopped her fall had an arm looped around her waist, and he gently pulled her upright. She found her feet as she looked up at him and his hands moved to her upper arms in a familiar grip. Marinette’s heart was pounding in her ears.
He was wearing a bright yellow bike helmet, but she could see the dark, blue-tipped hair sticking out from under it, and the expression of concern, the gentleness in the blue eyes, were all exactly the same. “I’m so sorry, I was thinking about something else and I didn’t see you. Are you all right?”
Marinette looked up at him, still speechless. He frowned. “You’re crying,” he said, his voice full of compassion. “Is everything all right? Do you need help?”
Marinette shook her head slightly, her mouth moving silently. Say something! she screamed inside her mind, but she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know the right answer, and this wasn’t a test she could afford to fail. Some distant part of her mind noted that she hadn’t gotten the details wrong at all. His sharp chin, the line of his jaw, the—
Say something!
“I’ve been looking for you,” she blurted, and then covered her mouth with her hand. Whatever she was supposed to say, surely it wasn’t—
But his eyes had gone wide, and his hand left her arm to clutch his shirt over his heart, and he was breathing faster. Marinette couldn’t help the smile that burst across her face. “I found you,” she said softly.
It was...such a strange feeling, some detached part of Luka’s brain observed. Like he’d lived his whole life in that brief moment of expectant silence right before the curtain rose and the music burst forth, only he’d never known it until now. He felt dizzy with the sudden rush, the burning on his chest barely registering.
He kind of wanted to smack himself for ever thinking he’d been whole before.
Without thinking, he pulled her close and held her tight against him. “I wasn’t even sure you existed,” Luka mumbled wonderingly into her hair. Slowly, Marinette put her shaking arms around him. Once she had, she couldn’t make herself let go; her hands fisted tight on the back of his shirt and she pressed her face close. “I didn’t have any words,” he whispered, so low he would have been inaudible. “Until...something happened, a few weeks ago. I didn’t have any words, and then one day I did, and...you know what I mean, don’t you? What happened to me? You have to know. It was you, wasn’t it?”
Marinette froze. “I—” She couldn’t go on, mind whirling with all the reasons she shouldn’t tell him, shouldn’t admit it, and with all the reasons she should, until she was paralyzed.
Luka realized he was being an idiot. He had no right to that knowledge. Soulmate or not, they had just met, she didn’t know anything about him, and he’d just put her on the spot for what must have been a closely held secret. How many times had he seen her on the news, pleading with the public not to put her family and friends in danger by trying to discover her identity.
“Never mind,” he said quickly. “It’s not important. I have words now, and you said them, and…what’s your name? I don’t even know your name.” He laughed a little shakily. “This whole thing is so crazy.”
“Marinette,” she gasped, pulling away enough to look at him. “My name is Marinette.”
“Marinette,” he said, and smiled. It sounded like music when he said it, somehow. “Nice to meet you, Marinette. I’m Luka. I’m…” What was the right thing to say in this situation? “I’m really looking forward to knowing you.”
Marinette was blinking back tears again. “Me too. But can we just...can we stay like this a little bit longer?”
“Yeah,” Luka said, pulling her back in. “Yeah. But…” He grinned, nuzzling his face into her hair. “Only a minute,” he chuckled, “and then I really need to get your number, because I’m working right now and I’ll be late to my next delivery.”
“Delivery,” Marinette repeated giddily. “You make deliveries.” There was a hysterical edge to her laughter.
“I was doing my last delivery of the night when—the night the words showed up,” Luka told her. “This is the first time I’ve been back on this route since...I can’t believe I met you here.”
Marinette dissolved into definitely hysterical laughter, that had Luka holding her tightly, murmuring words of concern she didn’t quite catch. When she had herself under control again, she pushed him back lightly, and rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. That simple little touch brought heat to his cheeks. “Give me your phone,” she told him as she came back down, her own smile growing at the grin he was clearly fighting to contain. “I’m not losing you again.”
They traded phones quickly, and entered their information, both grinning like idiots. She was really cute, Luka thought, stealing glances at her as he typed. He caught her sneaking a look at him too and they both grinned sheepishly at each other, giggling as they went back to what they were supposed to be doing. Their eyes met again as they passed their phones back and impulsively, Luka caught Marinette’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “I have to go,” he said with a sigh, though he was still smiling—couldn’t seem to stop, in fact. “I’ll text you tonight?”
Marinette nodded. “Be careful,” she told him, and immediately felt stupid, because of course he’d been doing this for far longer than she’d known him and he presumably knew what he was doing. “I mean...well, I know you know what you’re doing, but still. Be safe. I just found you.”
Luka smiled as he stepped past her, letting her hand slide reluctantly out of his. “Don’t worry, I’ll get home in one piece,” he promised. He kicked up the stand of the bike before slinging his leg over it. “I’ve got you now, and I’m not letting you go.” He gave her a wink, and then pushed off, though he nearly made his promise a lie as he looked back at her and almost collided with a streetlight. It was almost worth the embarrassment to hear Marinette’s giggle floating after him, though. He grinned to himself, putting one hand over his heart.
I’ve been looking for you.
He was so glad she hadn’t given up on him.
Marinette covered another giggle with her hand, and started on her own way home, giddy with relief and tense with anticipation. She put her hand over her heart, over the words there that felt like they were faintly pulsing, though she wasn’t sure if that was true or if it was just the way her heart was pounding. She looked down at her purse to see Tikki peeking up at her, clapping her little flipper paws excitedly.
Maybe Marinette couldn’t tell him just yet, but...maybe the universe knew what it was doing after all. Maybe it was good that they ml this way. She didn’t have to tell him, and they could pretend he didn’t know, but…
I’ve got you.
It felt good to know that someone did.
#quickspins#lbsc sprint fic challenge#lbsc secret santa#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculous ladybug#miraculousladybug#ml fics#promptfic#quicksprints
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Damsel in Distress for Hire
I wrote this for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers sprint challenge ages ago, but life happened and I never got it edited and cleaned up. Now I have, so here it is! I used the @mlweeklyprompts prompt Bard.
Luka reined in Sass before the gelding could clear the shadows of the trees, and eyed the keep tower with some satisfaction. It stood alone on a hill, with ground cleared around it and a wall around the courtyard, and only a single tower rising out of the fortifications. It looked like their information had been good, then. Their opponent didn’t have a large force, hence their underhanded approach. They were depending on the seclusion of this place to keep them safe, and not strength of arms. That made him breathe a sigh of relief. He of all people knew how much harm misinformation could do, and though he had done everything in his power to be sure of his information, there always was that worry in the back of his mind.
Luka urged Sass forward at a walk.
“Hail and well met!” he called cheerfully, waving. “I am but a single traveler, of no threat to you!” He dismounted from Sass and spread his arms wide, hands far from the rapier hanging at his side. The guards exchanged a look, but didn’t move.
“I am a minstrel on my way from the capital to cities in the south,” Luka said, with a little bow that still kept his hands well clear of his weapon. “I’ve been travelling all night to get through these woods, and as I’ve stumbled on you here, I was hoping I could perhaps share your fire and the protection your company would afford me from the local dregs so that I may take a short rest in peace? I have some goods of my own that are better shared, if you would be so kind to allow me to sup with you.” He leaned over and reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a large bottle that glinted appealingly in the sunlight.
The guardsmen exchanged grins with each other, and invited him at once to come and share their watch, on the condition that he give them all the news he had and play a little for their entertainment.
“Shall I not be detaining you from your duties?” Luka asked, glancing up at the Keep as he tethered Sass. “I’ve no wish to get you in trouble, nor be chased away for causing undue distraction.” He winked at the guards, who chuckled.
“It’s light duty today,” one of them said easily, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Any force large enough to breach it will be seen from the tower long before we spy it from here, and nothing here to tempt anyone except a fine lady who barely even had any baggage. Come and give us the news!”
It was amazing, Luka reflected to himself as he sat down, opening the bottle and pouring generous measures into the cups they they held out for him, what you could get away with when you carried a lute and some good wine.
“Aye, she was a nice one to look at though,” the second guard observed with a sigh. “I was on duty when they escorted her in this morning. A highborn lady, that, worth her weight I’m sure. Not that the higher ups tell us much.” His companion elbowed him and gave him a dark look, before turning back to waggle bushy eyebrows at Luka.
“Ye seen many pretty ladies?” he asked, and a smile twitched at Luka’s mouth at the obvious attempt to deflect the conversation. “Bet ye have, a court songbird like you.”
“Oh, many,” Luka agreed, hiding his distaste at the epithet. Court songbird, indeed. “Duchesses and princesses and high court ladies of every kind, but there is only one lady that holds my heart, no matter how much my eyes may wander.” He winked and the two men guffawed. Luka disguised a roll of his eyes with another deep drink from his cup. He’d been around this type enough to know what kind of humor they enjoyed. Luka turned his eyes up in the direction of the keep, hiding his scrutiny behind a dreamy expression.
“My lady is as lovely as any princess I’ve ever seen,” Luka continued. “Clumsy, sometimes, but all the more joy in catching her, ey?” Another round of laughter. “She has beautiful dark hair, and the sweetest, most beguiling eyes you’ve ever seen, and her mouth was carved by the gods.” He sighed longingly. “And I’ve been apart from her much too long. I’m on my way back to her now, and I appreciate you sharing your fire with a lonely minstrel.”
“There, there,” the taller man said, not without genuine sympathy, and patted Luka’s shoulder roughly. “Ye’ll be with her again soon, no doubt.”
Luka looked toward the Keep gates and smiled as shouts began to rise in the courtyard. “I do believe you’re right,” he said, finishing the last of his cup. “It’s been a pleasure, gentlemen, but my lady awaits. I leave you this medicinal powder and my sincerest apologies for the headache you’re going to have in the mornings.”
He set a small pouch on the ground, where it would be in plain sight of the men who had just slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Luka tsked as he picked up their empty cups and examined the residue at the bottom. “More than enough to keep them out most of the day,” he murmured with satisfaction. He leaned back against his pack and waited.
Eventually, the heavy keep doors swung open, and a petite figure in a lovely velvet red dress came striding out. Luka couldn’t help his smile, or the sigh of relief and longing that passed his lips.
She caught sight of him and scowled, completely ignoring the passed out guards that lay on the ground.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Well met, to you as well, Marinette,” Luka laughed. His roguish smile made a mockery of his courtly bow.
“Why are you here?” she asked again, crossing her arms. “You were supposed to wait in the capital.”
“I am no court bard, to find inspiration in perfume and flattery and empty love affairs,” Luka sniffed affectedly. “I am a seeker of adventure, and I follow my heart.”
“You dog my heels,” Marinette accused, reaching down to pull out the hidden ribbon she had worked into her gown. The dress split on the sides, and Marinette straightened, rolling the ribbon carefully around her fingers even as she glared at him. “Admit it.”
“Admit that you have my heart? Gladly.” Luka swept a bow, and Marinette rolled her eyes.
“Don’t flatter me,” she snorted. “You’re not any good at it.”
“Shall I compliment you instead?” Luka asked pointedly, and Marinette blushed, looking away. His compliments were always far worse than his flattery, because he meant them.
“Don’t change the subject. You were worried about me,” she accused, waving a dagger like an admonitionary finger. “I can handle myself.”
“You can handle yourself, and me as well,” Luka grinned, and then softened his tone, dropping his courtly pretense. “But I’m always worried about you. That proves nothing except that I care about you.” He held up a furled parchment between them. “However, this is actually why I’m here. I also bring Lady Kagami’s thanks and her appreciation for your very convincing performance of a helpless highborn princess being carried off, although she feels it wasn’t a very accurate imitation of her.”
Marinette snorted. “Kagami could have easily handled these idiots herself if her mother wasn’t such a stick in the mud. It probably would have been more entertaining for everyone if they had managed to kidnap her.” She sheathed her dagger and took the parchment, unrolling it as she added, “I hope she sent her payment as well as her thanks.” Her lips pursed as she read, and then pushed out in a pout as she looked up at him. “Okay. That’s a good reason.”
“No point in riding all the way back just to traverse the exact same route again,” Luka agreed. “And since I was coming all this way, why not meet you at the door? I’ve stashed our supplies in a nice little campsite far enough away from this mess,” he gestured at the tower. “We can spend the night and set out in the morning.”
“We?” Marinette asked, eyebrows raising. Luka shrugged.
“I’ve no mind to let you get that far away from me for that long,” he told her, only half joking. “I’m sure there’s a noble house somewhere in the city looking for entertainment, and if not—” Luka shrugged. “Then there’s certain to be a tavern."
Marinette grimaced. “I don’t like it when you play taverns,” she muttered. “You’re far too good for that.”
“We take the pay where it comes,” Luka reminded her, plucking the parchment from her hand and tucking it back in his saddlebag.
“It doesn’t have to come with tavern wenches hanging all over you,” Marinette complained.
Luka barked a laugh. “The noble ladies are just as bad, only more subtle,” he chuckled, mounting his horse. He extended a hand down to Marinette. “Shall we? I’m sure Tikki’s getting hungry.”
Marinette looked up at his tall gelding and sighed. “I can get up myself,” she muttered, but she let Luka grip her wrist to give her a little extra boost. She landed across Sass on her belly with a small grunt, and then scrambled into place behind Luka. She could see the curve of his smile just before he faced forward.
“I’m glad you’re coming with me,” she murmured into his shoulder blades. “And I’ll gut anyone who touches you.”
“My thanks, my gallant lady protector,” Luka said, patting the hands clasped around his waist. “I need fear nothing as long as you are with me, except the hour of parting.”
Marinette huffed, her breath tickling his neck. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Luka looked over his shoulder and winked. “If my heart grew much fonder of you, you would never be rid of me.”
Marinette was silent for a moment, and then said, “Maybe I don’t want to be.” She said it very quietly, and held her breath after. Luka’s big hand covered hers again, his thumb caressing the back.
“Then maybe you should say yes the next time I propose,” came the teasing answer, and Marinette’s mouth dropped in outrage.
“You propose every time we pass a church!” she scoffed.
“Yes,” Luka agreed shamelessly. “How many churches do you think there are between here and the Jewel of the Southern Wastes ?”
“Not enough to convince me to marry you,” Marinette shot back. “I like the way things are.”
"As do I," Luka chuckled.
Marinette sniffed. "I knew you weren't serious."
"Of course I am. I will wed you the moment you say the word. But if you are content, then so am I."
"You're infuriating, you know that?" Marinette huffed.
“There, there,” Luka laughed, patting her hand before putting his own back on the reins. “We’ve a long way to go to get there, and through some pretty sketchy territory. Maybe if you’re really lucky, we’ll get robbed.”
“You think?” Marinette perked up. “Bandits?”
“Possibly even ruffians ,” Luka teased, and laughed when she smacked his shoulder.
“Ruffians are always broke,” Marinette complained. “I want bandits. I’m going to have to buy new dresses when we get there, I can’t wear dresses from the Northern court in the South. I’d look ridiculous.” Her eyes widened slightly. “Luka, what did you do with my dresses? You didn’t pack them yourself, did you? They’re much too delicate—”
“I had them professionally packed and sealed and sent to Lady Alya for safekeeping,” Luka reassured her. “I would never dare let harm come to your wardrobe.”
Marinette slumped in relief. “Oh, good.” After a moment she added, “Thank you.”
Luka lifted one of her hands from his waist and kissed the palm softly.
#quickspins#lbsc sprint fic challenge#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#quicksprints
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Little Treasures
Written for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Fic Challenge Secret Santa event! The deadline was Wednesday and I was totally on track to be done by then when everything went crazy. So, a little late, but I hope you still enjoy it @piscesangelina! The prompts I used were first Christmas with baby and decorating the Christmas tree.
The total silence in the apartment as he entered told him that the sacred hour of naptime had begun.
The mess in the front room and his slightly wild-eyed wife sitting in the middle of it told him that Marinette had a Project. He paused a moment, a fond smile curling his lips at the focused frown on hers, watching the way her eyes darted back and forth as her amazing, lightning-quick mind worked.
Even as he watched, her lips pressed together and she made a tiny nod. Smile widening into an amused grin, Luka closed the door quietly behind him and set his guitar down. “Hey.”
Marinette jumped and looked up. “Oh, hi,” she smiled, but her eyes were quickly drawn back to the pile of stuff surrounding her, and she began sorting it into piles.
Luka allowed himself to pout just a little, ignoring Sass’ hissing laugh as the kwami emerged from the coat Luka was removing. “Do I get to know what’s in the works?” he asked, tossing his coat over the back of the couch before carefully skirting the stuff scattered on the floor to a chair.
“I just wanted to do this thing,” Marinette said distractedly, sitting back slightly and tangling one hand in her bangs as she tried to think and speak at the same time. “And I’m trying to make a plan.”
“Okay,” Luka said slowly, raising his eyebrows. “Is this a work thing or a passion project or a shut up Luka it’s a Christmas secret thing?”
Marinette dropped her hand and made a face at him, but then she smiled, finally focusing on him, and he softened at once, willing as always to forgive her momentary neglect in the face of something she was excited about. And she was definitely excited, he noted as her eyes took on that familiar sparkle. “Neither,” she said, her fingers clenched on the scrap of fabric she was holding. “It’s just that it’s Erika’s first Christmas—well, her first real Christmas since she was too small last year, and I still want to have a tree, but we need to have things on it that she can’t break or hurt herself with. And one of the bloggers I follow had this really cute idea for an advent calendar full of handmade ornaments, and it seemed like so much fun! So I was looking at patterns on my phone and things while Erika was playing this morning, and I printed out all these ideas, and now I’m trying to figure out which ones I have supplies for and make a shopping list.” She paused, looking up at him. “Is it crazy? Is it too much?”
“Maybe,” Luka chuckled, leaning his chin on his hand as he winked at her. “But I love it. I bet we can make it work. She’s going to bed pretty consistently these days, we should have some time in the evenings. If we don’t take on too much on top of it,” he gave her a knowing grin, and it was Marinette’s turn to pout. “I think we can get it done.”
Marinette raised her eyebrows slightly. “We?”
“Of course,” Luka grinned, grabbing a ball of yarn from a pile at his feet and tossing it at her playfully. “You don’t think you’re doing all this yourself do you? I know I’m not as handy as you but I can sew a straight line and do some beading.”
Marinette’s face lit up. “That’s true, you used to make those bracelets and things. I bet we can find something like that!”
“So,” Luka said, sliding off the chair and crawling carefully towards her. “Tell me what we’re working with, and let’s see if we can work out a plan that won’t have you tearing your hair out on Christmas Eve.” He kissed her nose when he was in front of her, and she moved some stuff to make room for him to fold his long legs and sit beside her. Luka slipped his arm around her waist, and though Marinette’s eyes were going distant again, she snuggled into his side, so he was satisfied.
“Well,” she began, “the idea is you have this big square with all these little pockets, and the ornaments have to fit inside.” She pulled out a sheet of paper that had been pinned under her leg and showed him the diagram on it. “That part’s easy, I can whip that up today even.” She paused, and checked her watch, then nodded. “As long as she sleeps her usual time. Or if not, I can get it done at the end of one of my work times, if you don’t mind keeping her entertained a little longer than usual.”
“I can manage,” Luka nodded. “No problem. So what do you have in mind for ornaments?”
Marinette flashed him a grin, and Tikki popped out of a pile of fabric near his knee, giggling. “That’s the fun part!” Tikki cried, taking flight and making a loop in the air as Marinette pulled out another stack of papers and spread them out in front of him.
Luka surveyed the drawings and notes and patterns, met Marinette’s eyes, and began to laugh. “Oh, I love it.”
The next few weeks were busy, but a ton of fun. They had divvied up the projects, and both Luka and Marinette were snatching any spare time they could get away from the eyes of their curious almost-toddler, to finish their respective pieces. Marinette gave Luka a Look when she ran the vacuum over the carpet and dozens of tiny beads rattled up into it. Luka raised his eyebrows and picked several snippets of yarn off the arm of one of the chairs. Marinette pursed her lips and said nothing.
Luka went to work with a project bag tucked in his guitar case. Marinette knitted and crocheted her way through meetings. Both of them shoved projects under cushions or behind their backs whenever Erika left her playing and toddled near to be picked up and cuddled.
On the last night of November, after Erika had gone to bed, they hung the large fabric square Marinette had made on the wall, and carefully tucked each of their projects into the twenty-five little pockets she had sewed onto it. Though they’d stayed up late the last few nights trying to finish, a few pockets were still empty, but Luka and Marinette were both confident and determined that they could finish the ornaments before their number was up. Luka bit his lip to keep in a chuckle when he saw the numbers Marinette had appliqued to the pockets were embellished with little embroidered motifs.
“Overachiever,” Luka muttered, and grinned when Marinette elbowed him.
“I’m so excited,” Marinette whispered, bouncing on her toes. “I can’t wait. How are we going to wait, Luka?”
Luka laughed. “Well, we could try going to sleep. That would probably help.”
Marinette turned toward him and put her arms around his neck. “Have I mentioned how much I love it when we collaborate.”
“Say it again,” Luka laughed, already bending to kiss her. “I love to hear it.” Marinette leaned up to meet his lips with hers and he happily lost himself in kissing her, in the familiar yet thrilling feel of her body against his.
“Thisss is not ssssleeping,” came a comment from somewhere behind him and over his head.
“Shut up, Sass,” Luka muttered, “Get lost and let me kiss my wife.”
He barely even noticed Tikki’s giggles blending with Sass’s sibilant laugh as Marinette pulled him back in and they melted together.
The next morning they could hardly manage to finish breakfast before they were holding Erika’s little hands and helping her toddle over to stare with round eyes.
“Look, see the pockets?” Marinette pointed, tucking her finger in one to and wiggling it a bit to show Erika.
“Pocket!” Erika repeated, eagerly. She hadn’t quite figured out what pockets were used for but she knew that she liked pockets. Every time Luka tried to show her how to put something in her pockets, she took it out immediately with a frown and a scolding, but she loved pointing out how many pockets her outfit had. She stared appreciatively at the twenty-five pockets before her.
“Every day, we look in one pocket,” Marinette told her. “One pocket. Then we put what we find there on the tree for Erika to look at.”
Erika looked puzzled.
“Shall we do our first pocket?” Marinette prompted, but her shoulders slumped slightly when Erika frowned and drew back a little.
“Go ahead,” Luka said, leaning forward and wiggling the small object in the pocket. “Pull it out and see what it is?”
Still frowning, Erika clung to him. Marinette suppressed a sigh. “Mommy do it?” she suggested, and Erika’s frown pulled into a pout.
“No,” she said firmly. “Wicka do it.”
“Okay, then go ahead,” Marinette said encouragingly, mostly hiding her frustration. Luka was trying not to laugh and Marinette gave him a look that said she was going to strangle him later.
“Kids,” Luka sighed, and squeezed Marinette’s shoulder gently. “She’ll get it.” Marinette relaxed a little under his hand, and tried again.
It took some more coaxing and Luka’s guiding hand on hers, but finally Erika reached in, her little fingers caught the loop, and she pulled it out as her parents cheered and applauded.
The first ornament was a little knitted ladybug with five spots and blue bug eyes. Erika squealed, lighting up, and danced around with it, showing it proudly to first one of them and then the other. She was so excited that she almost wouldn’t let them hang it on the tree. Finally, she let Luka show her how to loop it over one of the low branches. Delighted, Erika flopped down on her back and wiggled under the tree, looking up at the lights and batting playfully at the little ladybug. Luka grinned at Marinette, who did an adorably wiggly little victory dance that ended with her hopping up and down with a silent scream.
Marinette smiled radiantly the next night when Erika, bouncing with excitement, reached into the pocket almost before Marinette could get the camera ready, and pulled out the snake made of sparkling beads that Luka had worked so hard on. It coiled around on itself and had a familiar diamond pattern along the back, its glittering red tongue extended. It was worth the eye strain, Luka felt, nearly bursting with pride, as Erika poked around the tree trying to find a place where the light would shine on it just right to show it off in all its glory. Behind her back Luka and Sass did a pinky-to-flipper high five. When Erika went to bed that night, Marinette kissed Luka hard, squishing his face between her hands. “You’re such a good dad,” she giggled.
Of course, no one could be left out. There was a cloth butterfly ornament with gossamer wings, and a little crocheted black cat that bore a frankly impressive resemblance to Plagg (Adrien had seen it and begged for one for his own tree). The rooster was a cooperative effort, with a knitted body and beaded tail. The peacock was cross stitch done on plastic canvas in metallic thread. The little patchwork dog was an especially big hit.
Of course, there were only eighteen kwamis and twenty-five days until Christmas, so they had to think outside the (Miracle) box for the rest. There was a little baker’s hat to represent Papa Tom, and a tasseled Chinese mystic knot done in red cord accented with gold for Sabine. A pair of pink and purple kittycorn masks made out of glittery paper and sequins dangled from a single cord for Juleka and Rose, and a little wooden boat garishly painted and embellished with turquoise beads represented Anarka. They had debated long and hard for Gina (because Marinette shot down Luka’s suggestion of doing a shrinky-dink motorcycle, which he pouted about for days) and finally Marinette had found a small prism in a thrift shop and repurposed it for an ornament. Erika loved to poke it and watch the way it made light dance on the walls. Luka suggested a stick in the mud for Roland and was scolded harshly (once Marinette stopped laughing).
It was worth all the pricked fingers and late nights of problem solving every day when they saw Erika, bouncing with excitement, pull each new ornament out of its pocket and exclaim over it in her little baby voice, before gravely examining the tree to decide exactly where the new ornament would go.
The upper boughs, Luka and Marinette filled themselves with ornaments they had collected over the years. Each one was a memory and most went on the tree with a fond smile and a quick kiss, with occasional exclamations of “Oh, remember this one?”
There was a hand-painted glass ornament from Milan that they’d found in a shop as they wandered the streets after Marinette’s first fashion week there. There was a silly, cheap tourist souvenir of the Eiffel Tower that Luka secretly hated but for some reason Marinette wouldn’t throw away. There was a blown glass jaguar Luka had gotten in Brazil when he was there for a show.
It was a retrospective of the life they had built together, and Erika’s array of handmade ornaments around the bottom just gave it that extra touch of sentiment.
“I gotta hand it to you,” Luka murmured as he put his arms around Marinette from behind. “You always have the best plans.” He pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek as she leaned back into him.
Marinette hummed agreement and satisfaction, glancing over at the one pocket remaining. Inside was an ornament made from a small oval frame that now held a photo of the three of them. Sass and Tikki were in it too, even though they were invisible. “We’ll know,” Marinette had insisted, and the kwamis had humored her.
“Thanks for going along with my crazy ideas,” she said, turning in Luka’s arms to hug him tight. He bent towards her but she put a finger against his lips to stop him. “No time for that,” she told him with a smile. “Santa Claus has a train set to put together before morning.”
Luka sighed, but kissed her finger. “I guess Santa better get to work then.” He grinned, and without warning, dipped low to catch Marinette around the waist and tip her over his shoulder. “Come on Mrs. Claus,” he said as she muffled a squeal to keep from waking the baby. “Thanks to someone’s over-enthusiastic father we have a freakishly detailed and intricate train set to assemble, and there’s no way you’re getting out of helping.”
“Helping,” Marinette huffed, kicking her feet lightly. “You’d be lost without me.”
“I would,” Luka chuckled, patting her thigh. “I really would.”
#quickspins#lbsc sprint fic challenge#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#lbsc secret santa#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#sprint fic#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#ml fics#quicksprints
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Plausible Deniability
Written for the LBSC sprint fic challenge. If you’d like to join in follow @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers for more information!
Challenge rules:
Pick a prompt and write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got! More information on the challenge here!
Prompt:
“I love you.” “Tell me that when you’re sober.”
Soooooo technically this is a fail as far as the challenge is concerned, because I only got the bare bones of it down during the allotted sprints and then I nearly doubled the length in “editing.” But, a failed challenge still means a completed fic, so yay for that.
“She’s trouble in a tank top pretty little time bomb, blowing up, take you down,” Luka sang loudly, causing heads to turn towards them on the street. Marinette hushed him, and he obligingly dropped to a hum.
Marinette gritted her teeth, adjusted Luka’s arm over her shoulders, and reminded herself that she had signed up for this. Had, in fact, assured Luka over and over that she didn’t mind and that he deserved to relax and celebrate, and just drink your shots, already, Luka I’ll make sure you get home safe. All of Luka’s friends were ecstatic for him and everyone wanted to buy him a drink, so Marinette had stood her self-appointed duty, making sure he had enough water and pacing things out so that when he staggered out of the bar at the end of the night, leaning heavily on her, he was still moving mostly under his own power, though he was certainly feeling no pain.
Drunk Luka was chatty, though, and all the thoughts that normally stayed in his head seemed to just pour out of his mouth at random (along with, apparently, every song he’d ever heard or written).
“Snakebite heart, and a bubblegum smile,” he sang, fortunately at a more reasonable volume this time.
“You’re so ridiculous,” Marinette grumbled, but there was fondness in it.
“You’re the best,” he giggled. “I love you.”
Marinette rolled her eyes. “Tell me that when you’re sober.”
“I did,” Luka snorted, and then laughed his drunk laugh again. “You avoided me for weeks.”
Marinette winced and bit her lip. She hadn’t been thinking about it when she said it. It was a reflexive response at this point, something she said to all her babbling drunk friends when she saw them home at the end of the night (Nino in particular was an ‘I love you, man!’ kind of drunk). She was used to this role, though it was the first time she’d done it for Luka. It hadn’t occurred to her until just then that her usual quip might hit a little differently with him.
“Ma’nette.” Luka leaned on her more heavily and nuzzled at her temple—sort of. Really he more just bonked their heads together. “S’okay. Don’t get all moody. S’funny.”
“It’s not funny,” Marinette sighed.
“Everything’s funny,” Luka grinned, and then started laughing again. Marinette just shook her head, and settled his arm a little more comfortably over her shoulders. “Sides. I’m drunk. I can say whatever I want and we can just laugh it off in the morning. You don't even have to run away this time.” He leaned his head on hers, which tilted the rest of his body towards her, and she staggered slightly under his weight. “You’re so beautiful. Just...all the time. Fuckin’ gorgeous, you know that?”
Marinette blushed hotly. “You’re drunk,” she muttered.
“Yep,” he grinned, and then added, “Drunk but not a liar.” He kissed the top of her head before straightening. Sort of. He took some of his weight off her, at least.
Luka sighed dreamily. “S’been years since then, right? An’ the first time was years before that.” He laughed. “God, I was such a dramatic little shit. Clear as a music note, sincere as a melody. You must have thought I was so stupid.”
“I thought it was beautiful,” Marinette replied quietly.
Luka’s arm tightened around her shoulder, pulling her against his side in a hug. “Aw, you’re so sweet. You’ve always been great that way. You get me, even when I’m dumb.”
“Yeah,” Marinette smiled, bumping him with her hip. “But come on, Luka, you got over all that a long time ago.”
Luka started to laugh so hard he nearly toppled over, and Marinette had to plant her feet and put all her weight into keeping him upright. When she did get him back onto his feet he was wiping away tears.
“I am drunk as hell,” he chuckled, pulling his arm away.
“You really are,” Marinette agreed with a sigh.
He faced her, one hand curling behind her head. Marinette started slightly, out of surprise rather than fear, as he leaned toward her, his eyes unnaturally bright and liquor heavy on his breath. “I’m so drunk can tell you that I never got over you. That I’m still stupid in love with you and nobody ever makes me feel the way you do. You’re one in a million, Marinette. There’ll never be another girl as fascinating and brilliant and creative as you. I knew you were special from the second we met.” He grinned, one thumb gliding over her lower lip a little more roughly than he probably meant to. “And your lips make me think like a pervert. Also your ass is really cute.” He doubled over, giggling, his hands falling away from her as he started walking again. “You ever think about my ass?” he asked, rhetorically it seemed as without waiting for a reply, he tipped his head back and looked up at the sky. “Ugh, fuckin’ city lights. I miss the stars on the boat.” He started singing again, but casually, as if to himself, instead of belting it to the sky. “She’s outta control, so beautiful. I’ve been waiting so long, but she’ll never know…”
Marinette suddenly felt like she was reeling as much as Luka. She felt hot and cold all at once. She’d had no—
Well. That wasn’t true. She had had an idea that he still felt that way, but she didn’t trust her own judgement, not after years and years of reading into things and making mountains out of molehills, and their friendship was so perfect, so precious, she hadn’t wanted to make things weird. But all this time...oh, Luka...
Luka’s lopsided path was taking him a little close to the street, so Marinette jogged a bit to catch up with his long legs, and slipped back under his arm.
“There you are,” he sighed happily, leaning on her again. “I’m so glad you came back.”
“Don’t I always?” she said, a little breathless from the revelation.
“Eventually,” he agreed. “Thank fuck for that. Don’t know what I’d do if I scared you off for good.”
Marinette sighed, and put her arm around his waist. “Come on. Let’s just get you home.”
If she was quiet on the metro, he didn’t seem to notice, filling the silence with idle chatter and random drunken observations that earned them some amused glances from their fellow subway patrons. Marinette didn’t really pay attention, except to push him away when he buried his nose in the crook of her neck and murmured about how good she smelled. Not that she minded, exactly, but she was still processing his drunken declarations and it was hard to think properly with her really attractive friend-and-maybe-more snuggling up on her. Luka had always craved touch (although not usually like that) and it didn’t really rattle her anymore, she just...really needed to think, and it was hard to do that when she was really kind of feeling like—
“Our stop,” Luka muttered, and it embarrassed her that he was the one to notice. The fact that she was more distracted than he was drunk should have been disturbing. Luka sighed as she helped him get up, and leaned on her a little more heavily. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Tired.”
“I bet,” Marinette said, squeezing his waist lightly. “We’re almost there.” His chatter subsided into slightly off-key humming on the way up to his apartment, and she could see that now that the hilarity was fading, Luka was struggling to stay awake. He couldn’t even manage to stick on one song, humming in increasingly broken snippets.
“All right,” she said, when they finally made it into his apartment. “Bed for you.”
“Bed sounds nice,” Luka agreed, as Marinette opened the door to his bedroom.
“I think you can make it from here,” Marinette said, slipping out from under his arm.
“Thanks, Nette,” he said, smiling down at her, and as she looked up at him her heartbeat quickened. She felt the flush in her cheeks, and looked away quickly, unconsciously licking her lips, before her eyes darted back to his again.
Unfortunately for her, even drunk off his ass, he could read her like a book.
“Are you gonna kiss me, Marinette?” Luka asked, leaning over her with one elbow on the doorway. “Cause I’m not opposed but like, I had plans for your birthday and they’ll be ruined if you’re avoiding me, so if you do you gotta cap your running away at three...no...wait, how many weeks?” He blinked, looking confused. “What day is it?”
Marinette swallowed hard, flooded with shame, her eyes stinging. Luka’s gaze snapped back to her, losing some of that vague expression.
“Aw, Mari, don’t cry,” he sighed, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. ‘M so sorry. I’m such an idiot, you were never supposed to cry because of me.” He sighed, letting his forehead fall to rest against hers. “Sober me is gonna kick my own ass tomorrow for making you cry.”
Marinette closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. She’d never wanted to kiss him so badly, but it would be wrong while he was like this, and he’d trusted her to get him home safely. Luka would never take advantage of her this way and she wouldn’t do it to him, either.
Instead she leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Luka relaxed into the hug, folding his arms around her and squeezing so tight it made her gasp. He moved to bury his face in her shoulder. “Love you,” he sighed.
“Luka,” she whispered, and he grunted. “Tell me all that when you’re sober, okay? All the stuff you said to me tonight. Tell me again when you’re sober. Tomorrow, okay?” He grunted again, though she really wasn’t sure if he was hearing her.
She gently pushed him back, and then took his face in her hands, and kissed his forehead tenderly. “Now go to bed. I’ll be on the couch if you need anything.”
She knew he was already half asleep, because he didn’t protest her sleeping on the couch. He let her nudge him around, and took the three steps to his bed, and collapsed onto it.
Marinette sighed, and followed him for just a moment to pull his shoes off and cover him with a blanket. He was snoring before she even closed his door.
***
You know just what to say
Shit that scares me
He noticed the music first, before he was even fully awake.
I should just walk away but I can’t move my feet
The more that I know you the more that I want to
He knew that song.
He knew a lot of songs, really, but more importantly, he knew that voice.
Something inside me’s changed
I was so much younger yesterday
The piping voice fell into place right about when he woke up enough to remember the night before. Luka groaned and pulled his covers over his head, wishing he could just curl up and die. He really did want to go back in time and kick drunk Luka’s ass. What had he been thinking, getting that drunk and letting Marinette bring him home alone?
He was thinking that she’d put him in a taxi and send him off, naturally. Because he’d already been a couple drinks in, which was why he’d been hesitating over having more to begin with, and when Marinette had told him to enjoy himself and she’d make sure he got home safe, his logic brain had ceded control to his wishful thinking brain, or something. Because he’d just sold three songs to one of the biggest artists in the country and his name was going to be on the album sleeve and the check had been more money than he’d ever seen in his life and when everyone told him he deserved to celebrate, he kinda wanted to believe them. In his right mind he would have known that Marinette would never just shove him into a cab. Dumbass, he chided himself.
Even beneath the blanket, he could smell food, his stomach equal parts queasy and interested, and Luka knew he couldn’t hide here forever. He had to man up and face the music. Literally, apparently.
Luka sat up slowly, pushing his blanket off, and then opted for honorable procrastination in the form of dragging himself into his bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. If he was going to have to grovel and find a way to pretend he hadn’t meant all those things his dumb drunk ass said last night, he at least wanted the small dignity of smelling decent. He owed Marinette big time after this. It was probably thanks to her pushing water and food on him all night that he didn’t feel worse than he did. He paused on the way to swallow the pills and down the glass of water Marinette had left on his nightstand. It didn’t help his stomach but his head didn’t hurt as much by the time he was out of the shower.
Luka debated putting on real clothes but opted for sweatpants and an ancient t-shirt. It wasn’t like Marinette hadn’t seen him looking worse.
Finally he took a deep breath and made his way out to the living room. He could see Marinette in his little kitchen, the counter piled with food and ingredients. Luka winced; she must have gotten up earlier and gone shopping. There was no way he had this much, or this kind, of food on hand.
Her phone was on the counter, the music—his music—blaring through the bluetooth speakers he’d long ago given her access to.
“I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you,” she sang, bobbing slightly as she transferred food to the plates she had ready. “Don’t need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo…”
Luka couldn’t help a smile. He’d covered and recorded the song for her birthday, teasingly telling her he that couldn’t stand to listen to the original anymore, but that was a lie. Luka had wide-ranging music taste and could appreciate even things he wouldn’t necessarily seek out on his own. Mostly, he just wanted to sing it for her. He’d recognized her singing it when he woke up; either she had it on repeat or her playlist had cycled in the time it took him to get cleaned up.
“By the way, by the way, you do things to my boooodEEEEK!” Marinette gasped and dropped the plate she was holding. Luka watched calmly as the shatter-resistant dish (that he’d bought on purpose because a surprising number of people he loved had a tendency to break things) cracked into several large shards. “Damn it, Luka,” she sighed, looking at the mess. “You startled me.”
“Sorry. I’ll get it,” he said quickly, moving to pick up the pieces. His head reeled when he bent over though, sending him to his knees, and Marinette shoved him back as she crouched down instead.
“No, I got it,” she murmured, not looking him in the eye, and Luka bit the inside of his cheek, feeling a flush of shame. He pulled his hands back and leaned back, intending to sit on his heels but falling back on his ass instead. Folding his legs under him like he meant to do that, he raked both hands through his hair and sighed.
“I’m so sorry,” he muttered, as Marinette cleaned up the mess. “About last night. So, so sorry, Marinette, I was petty, and mean, and I said a bunch of really unnecessary things, and I swear I don’t—”
“Stop,” Marinette ordered, dumping the broken plate in the trash, along with the remains of the omelet that had been on it. Luka winced and shut his mouth and his eyes, rubbing his forehead with one hand.
Small, warm hands pushed his away and slender but strong fingers began massaging his temples and forehead. He leaned into her touch with a little moan.
“How do you feel?” Marinette asked gently.
Luka gave a lopsided smile, eyes still closed. “Like I don’t deserve this. It sure feels good though.”
Marinette sighed, her breath wafting over his face. “Can you eat?”
“A Marinette hangover special?” Luka’s grin widened. “Definitely. If there’s any left.”
“There is,” Marinette told him, amusement in her voice. “I always make plenty. Sorry about the dish though.” Her fingers slid down to gently cup his face. Luka opened his eyes, to find he was looking into hers. Her beautiful, stunning eyes that still took his breath even after all these years. They looked red-rimmed and tired, though, and a stab of guilt went through him.
Needle and the thread, gotta get you outta my head, get you outta my head
Luka cringed at his own voice coming from the speakers. “Did you have to keep that one?” he asked plaintively. “I made you a better one.”
“I know,” Marinette giggled. “But I like this one. It’s the first one you made for me.”
“The quality is shit,” Luka grunted. He’d recorded it on his phone on the boat, on his acoustic back when they were teenagers. The boat hull gave it a weird hollow sound, and in a couple of places he’d gotten too loud and blown out the mic so that it sounded all staticy, and the p’s popped awfully, and he didn’t even know how she could stand to listen to that song because the whole reason he’d made her the cover was because she was playing the song nonstop as she mourned her breakup with—and he’d wanted to do something, anything to help—
Marinette’s lips pressed to the wrinkle in his forehead, snapping him out of his thoughts. “It has sentimental value. Go sit at the table, I’ll bring out the food.”
Luka got up off the floor, swaying only slightly, and dragged himself to his small table. Marinette brought him a loaded plate, bacon piled beside the spinach omelet, sliced banana arranged on the other side. Luka avoided the bacon for the moment, going after the banana first, and then nibbling cautiously at the omelet. Marinette slid a plate of avocado toast and sliced french bread drizzled with honey over to him, and he ate a slice of each obediently.
“Why is this so good when I feel so crappy?” he muttered.
"Science,” Marinette informed him, and he cracked a smile.
“You didn’t have to stay,” Luka said after a moment. “Not that I don’t appreciate this, but…well. You didn’t have to.”
Marinette glanced up at him and then seemed to consider her words for a moment. “I guess I was hoping...maybe you had some things to tell me this morning.”
His fork froze halfway to his mouth as he stared at her, remembering the way she’d held him last night. What’s she’d said in his ear as he nearly dozed off on her.
Tell me that again when you’re sober .
She held his gaze, taking a deliberately dainty bite of honey-drizzled bread, her tongue darting out to lick a stray drop off her lip. Luka swallowed, wondering wildly if she would taste like honey if he kissed her.
“M-maybe I do,” he mumbled, and then took a too large bite of omelet. He stared at his plate as he chewed, not even tasting it as his body went cold and then hot and a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him that he didn’t think had anything to do with the hangover. He was suddenly finding it hard to breathe.
He glanced up to see Marinette still watching him.
“Well,” she said, blushing and looking down at her own plate with a self-deprecating smile that he found much too adorable. “I promise if you do, I won’t run away this time.”
There was a beat of silence as he stared at her and she stared at her plate, and then he mumbled, “Good to know,” and took another bite, trying not to smile too broadly while inside he was screaming like a teenage girl.
Fiction Master Post
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#quickspins#lbsc sprint fic challenge#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#drunka#drunken confessions#promptfic#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#quicksprints
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Puppy Love
I didn’t actually spend much time editing this one because I barely squeezed my sprints in, but I’m pretty happy with it for what it is! And what it is, is pure domestic fluff, featuring the return of Bach the deaf dog from my very first sprint fic, Puppy Eyes.
Written for the LBSC sprint fic challenge. If you’d like to join in follow @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers for more information!
Challenge rules:
Pick a prompt and write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got! More information on the challenge here!
Prompt:
“Stop being cute, I’m annoyed at you for making me work.”
Marinette glared at the clear blue eyes that blinked innocently at her. “Stop being cute, I’m mad at you for making me work.”
Bach tilted his head slightly, but made no other reaction.
“I guess the one nice thing about having a deaf dog,” Marinette sighed, “is that I don’t have to feel guilty for complaining, because you can’t tell.” She tossed another empty bag of stuffing over her little couch to join the rest behind it, where Bach wouldn’t get tangled up in the trash. She’d get Luka to retrieve the empty bags later. Then she looked back to the fleece in her hands, picked up the needle, and began stitching the last opening closed with the same careful stitches she would have used if she were working on a couture dress and not a dog bed.
She paused, and then sighed, and then reached a hand out to rub between Bach’s ears. His eyes went all squinty and his tongue lolled out as his tail wagged and he did a little full-body wiggle without actually breaking his sit. “Good manners,” Marinette smiled, though she knew Bach couldn’t hear the compliment either. It had been some work, training him not to jump on her while she worked. They’d had one or two close calls with scissors and needles and other sharp things, and he couldn’t hear her shrieking, “No, Bach, sharp! Sharp!” Fortunately, they’d managed to teach him some manners before he got big enough to make injury unavoidable.
Marinette bit down on her smile as Bach shuffled closer, technically not breaking the rules, as his behind never left the floor, but soon his chest was pressed against her legs and his head was resting on her knee.
“Oh, not the chin,” Marinette whined, carefully placing the last few stitches. “You know I can’t resist the chin.” She tied off her thread, cut it, and carefully set needle and scissors both out of the way. “Okay, okay,” she grumbled, bundling the large, poofy bed off to the side on the couch so she could bend over and press her lips to the top of Bach’s head, ruffling his ears with both hands. Bach began to wiggle all over, tail wagging wildly, and pant, pressing harder into her now that she was giving him attention.
“You’re so spoiled!” Marinette scolded him in a high-pitched voice. “Yes you are! Spoiled spoiled spoiled! I spent all this time making this for you and we both know you’re just going to lay on the floor, aren’t you? You big goof! You’re going to be glad you have this nice comfy bed when it gets cold outside and that floor is freezing!”
She pulled back as Bach began to get a little overenthusiastic, making his funny little vocalizations and starting to make little hops to lick at her face. “Ew,” Marinette groaned, but she was laughing. Still, she pushed him away, made sure she had his attention, and signed for him to sit. He did, but Marinette could have sworn he was pouting about it. “Good boy,” she said and signed, and then scratched his ears. His eyes followed her as she picked up the bed, fluffed it out, and then laid it on the floor. “All right, let’s give it a try.” Marinette said and signed, “Come,” and Bach nearly lunged to her, dancing all over his new bed until Marinette gave him the sign for “down.” He laid down, looking up at her expectantly, paying no attention to his extremely comfy new bed, color-coordinated to match the studio.
Marinette couldn’t help smiling. “Well, at least you fit in it. For now. You better not get much bigger, furball.”
“You could have just bought him one, you know.”
Marinette looked up at the familiar, warm voice, to see Luka leaning on the doorframe and smirking at her.
“I could not,” she muttered. “And you know it. Besides, I couldn’t have found anything to match the room half as well.”
Luka chucked, and reached over the flick the lights off and on. Bach looked around, spotted his daddy, and flew from Marinette’s arms with an exuberant, if slightly odd-sounding, woof. He stopped himself just before he jumped up, but sat at Luka’s feet instead as he had at Marinette’s, his whole body once again wiggling. “Good boy,” Luka said and signed, and got down on his knees to take his turn ruffling Bach’s ears as Bach licked his face enthusiastically. “Ew,” Luka grunted, keeping his lips closed as he tried to turn his face away. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
“How was work?” Marinette asked, pointlessly smoothing out the newly-finished dog bed.
“Work was work,” Luka sighed, with a little shrug. “It was okay. Nothing monumentally stupid today.” He grinned. “The only diva in the studio was me, for once.”
“Ooh, that sounds like a story.” Marinette lifted her eyebrows, and Luka winked at her.
Bach, deciding Luka had been sufficiently greeted, bounced between Luka and Marinette. They both laughed at the wiggly white furball, who despite being rather large for the room, managed to avoid knocking over anything important.
“Well, wife,” Luka began, and Marinette still felt a little frisson of pleasure at the title, “what do you say we take this goober for a walk? Looks like he could stand to burn off the energy, and I could definitely stand to stretch my legs after spending all day in the studio.”
“Sounds good to me, husband,” Marinette giggled back, feeling a bit of satisfaction at Luka’s grin when she said it. “But go change before you say anything to him about it.”
“Right,” Luka got up, and wiped a sleeve across his face with a slight grimace. “I’ll change and wash my face and then we can go.”
Marinette nodded, and tried not to be too put out when Bach pranced out of the room after Luka, shoving his head under Luka’s hand shamelessly and nearly knocking Luka into the hallway wall.
Half an hour later they were strolling along, Marinette’s arm linked through Luka’s, and Bach’s leash in his other hand, while the big white dog zigzagged down the sidewalk, sniffing everything in reach.
“I think maybe we better make a stop at the park,” Luka chuckled, watching him. “He’s pretty fired up.”
“I didn’t take him out as much today as I should have,” Marinette admitted. “I had so much to do. I really only took short breaks to work on his bed for a few minutes here and there when I couldn’t take it.”
“He’ll be fine after a few laps around the park,” Luka reassured her, squeezing her arm against his body lightly. “Some days are just like that. We knew it would be a challenge when he got bigger.”
“We did,” Marinette agreed, pressing closer to Luka, so that he slipped his arm free of hers and put it around her waist instead. “But you just couldn’t resist.”
“Neither could you,” Luka grinned. “It’s not so bad, though? Even if it was kind of...spontaneous.”
“Stupid?” Marinette said wryly. “Impulsive? Completely impractical?”
“Unexpected,” Luka countered. “Even though it wasn’t the plan. It still worked out, didn’t it?” He looked down at her, and Marinette had to take a moment before she could look up and smile at him.
“It really did,” she admitted, her voice thick with emotion. “I should know by now that some plans just aren’t meant to be.”
Luka leaned down and kissed her—quickly, because Bach hadn’t noticed their stop and jerked them forward again.
Luka chuckled as they started walking again. “What’s life without an unexpected turn or two?”
Marinette snorted. “I certainly wouldn’t know, thanks to you.”
“It’s not all my fault,” Luka reminded her, letting go of her long enough to tweak one of her earlobes. “You came with your share of surprises yourself, you know.”
“You love it.” Marinette elbowed him.
“I love you,” he replied easily, settling his arm around her shoulders. “That’s more than enough to make up for the extra helping of chaos.”
“I thought a streak of chaos was a requirement for becoming a Couffaine.”
“It kind of is,” Luka laughed, thinking of his unconventional family. “But it didn’t have to be that wide.” He grinned at her. “Overachiever, as always.”
Marinette sniffed, putting her nose in the air. “I hate to do things halfway.”
“Oh, I do know that,” Luka drawled, giving her a sidelong wink. “A little bit of planning, a little bit of chaos, and more enthusiasm than this little body ought to be able to hold.” He squeezed her shoulders. “That’s my wife.”
Marinette tried to hold back the ear-splitting grin that wanted to break out, the one that was too large for her face and showed too many teeth, but she couldn’t do it. She leaned into Luka and pressed her face into his shoulder, trusting his arm to guide her.
#quickspins#lbsc sprint fic challenge#lukanette#lukanette endgame#endgame lukanette#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#promptfic#ml#quicksprints#bach the deaf dog
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New Year, New Life
A little sequel to All I Want for Christmas is a New Beginning
It's been a year since a certain cute elf met a certain hot single uncle waiting in line to bring his niece to see Santa. A year since she ran away from him and fate--or rather Juleka--brought them back together again. A year since they kissed at midnight after Alya's annual New Year's party.
It's once again time for Alya's New Year's party, and with all the possibilities of a brand new year before them, Marinette and Luka can't help but be excited about it.
Technically I feel like I should be posting this tomorrow, but I wrote it for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge which closes today, so Happy New Year just a little bit early! The prompt was "New Year’s party with a New Year’s kiss" and it seemed like the perfect chance to revisit these two. You don't really HAVE to have read the previous fic to get this one, but it will have a little more context and impact if you do. 3 15-minute sprints with 24 hours to edit. I did it all in less than 12 hours, but I also added a good five or six hundred words in the ‘editing’ phase, so...make of that what you will.
😆
It was amazing how many things could change in a year, Marinette thought, grinning up at Luka and leaning back into him as they moved together with practice ease. Just like last year, he had joined her at Alya’s annual party after playing his own New Year’s gig, in the same ballroom of the Grand Paris that Alya had rented last year. As soon as he’d arrived and done the obligatory greeting and handshakes and bises where necessary, he’d coaxed her to the dance with him, just like that first time. It was easy to agree; after a year of dating him, she was no longer awkward on the dance floor. They swayed and rolled and dipped together, both grinning and neither with eyes for anyone but each other. His hands on her body were not so light or hesitant as they’d once been, and frequently they were not so carefully respectful anymore either. She bumped her hip into him and gave him a pout for teasing her, which just made him lean down and catch her mouth in a brief kiss.
Marinette giggled and faced him, sliding her arms up around his neck as his hands found her waist and pulled her close.
“Hey!” Alya yelled as she danced past them, one hand holding a drink as the other waved in the air. “No making out on the dance floor!”
“Since when?” Marinette hollered after her, and then pulled Luka down for a prolonged kiss, just to make her point. He tasted like champagne, and Marinette had to stop kissing him because she couldn’t stop smiling.
“I”m almost sorry this year is ending,” she told him, rubbing a hand along his arm tenderly. Luka gathered her up in a hug, and then dropped his arm to slide around her waist, guiding her off the dance floor. They wandered together towards the windows, cuddling together as they looked out over the city lights.
“I love you,” Luka murmured, and the words still gave her a little shiver. She pressed closer to him.
“I love you too,” she sighed happily.
“It has been a spectacular year,” Luka continued, squeezing her hip. “But I gotta say that I’m looking forward to this year even more.”
Marinette hummed and looked up at him. “Why’s that?”
Luka took a deep breath, glancing back behind him as he slipped a hand in his pocket. Curving his body towards her slightly so no one else could see, he held up the small velvet box between them.
Marinette stared at the box for a stupefied moment, and then her eyes snapped up to his. A smile quirked the edge of his mouth, and he nodded at her with a soft look. Slowly she took the box, turning slightly towards him as well as she opened it to further shield them from the party. The ring nestled inside removed any doubt as to what was going on. She stared at it, overcome.
“I’d get down on one knee but I’m pretty sure that would give us away,” Luka murmured. “Marinette, this has been the best year of my life, and I want every year from now on to be just like it. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Marinette managed to gasp, and Luka plucked the ring out of the box, taking it with his other hand and snapping it shut, popping it back in his pocket before anyone else could see. As calm and smooth as he appeared, his hands were shaking when he took Marinette’s hand and carefully, deliberately slid the ring on her finger. As soon as it was there, Marinette pressed against him, burying her face in his chest. She could feel him taking slow, deep breaths with extended exhales, and smiled to herself. He was a cool customer, her Luka, but she knew his cues now. He’d been nervous as hell. She stayed there until her own jumbled nerves were settled and his breathing was more normal. Then she looked up at him, and as soon as her face was tilted high enough, he bent down and kissed her, slow and deep, and his heart fluttered wildly under the hands she placed on his chest.
“It’s not midnight yet!” Alya called, and they both turned to see her approach.
“Traditions are for the weak, Césaire,” Luka called back, grinning fit to split his face. Marinette opened her mouth to get rid of her dearest friend, but before she had a chance, Alya let out a shriek.
“MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?”
Before Marinette could blink, Alya was at her side, grabbing at her left hand. Marinette flushed deeply and behind her Luka chuckled. She looked up at him, and he shrugged, though a blush was painting his cheeks as well.
“How could you not tell me?” Alya said, examining the ring.
“I haven’t had time ,” Marinette snorted, snatching her hand back. “Way to ruin the moment, Alya.”
“Now?” Alya gaped, looking up between them. Then she recovered and put a hand on her cocked hip. “Really, Couffaine? You couldn’t wait until midnight?”
“Nope,” Luka said easily, without shame. “Gotta seize the moment when it comes.” He winked at Marinette. “Besides, now I get to kiss my fiancée at midnight.”
Marinette turned bright red and felt as if there were no air in the room. She hadn’t even had time to process and then he had to go and say that . Alya burst out laughing and shoved Marinette back into Luka’s arms. They folded around her and squeezed, and she snuggled close.
“All right, all right,” Alya laughed, “I'll keep the secret a little longer so you two can have your moment, but I’m making an announcement at midnight and you two are going to smooch in front of everybody . If you’re going to upstage my party you’d better do it right!”
When she was gone, Marinette sighed, resting her chin on Luka’s chest and peeking up at him. “Sorry,” he smiled. “Maybe I should have waited until we were alone, but it just...seemed like the right time.”
Marinette smiled, and then lifted her head to kiss his chin. “It was. It was perfect.”
“If it’s too soon, you can tell me,” Luka said, squeezing her lightly. “It’s not a one-time offer. You don’t have to wear it if you’re not ready. Or you can wear it for as long as you want to, and we don’t have to set a date until—”
Marinette rolled her eyes, straightened, and took his face between her hands. “Luka. I’m ready. I want to marry you.”
He flushed at that, and the grin on his face was so wide and boyish and so unlike his usual smooth smirk, that she had to laugh. “Silly,” she muttered as he pulled her close again.
Luka shrugged. “It’s not like the first time I jumped the gun. I don’t want you suddenly freaking out and making a run for it on me again,” he teased.
“Oh,” Marinette gasped, too outraged to even scold him properly. “Oh, you—argh!” She drew back and whacked his arm, but she did it with her left hand, which just drew her eyes back to the glittering stone on her finger—wow, it was sparkly, no wonder Alya had noticed it right away—and then she was all smiles again.
“Dance with me some more,” Luka urged, catching both her hands in his and tugging her after him.
Marinette joined him gladly, and maybe her eyes kept straying to that sparkle where her hand rested on his shoulder, and maybe his hand kept sliding up her arm to caress her fingers or hold her hand to his chest, and maybe for once midnight came a little too soon for either of them.
A few minutes before midnight, their attention was drawn from each other to Alya, who had gotten a microphone from Nino and climbed up on a table.
“Everybody ready for the countdown?” she hollered, and there was a chorus of cheers. “Marinette and Luka, get up here.”
Marinette groaned, but took Luka’s hand and led him toward Alya’s table, accepting the inevitable.
“Hold up that hand, Marinette, and flash us all that rock!” Alya demanded, leaning down to grab Marinette’s wrist and wave her ringed hand in the air. “Check it out, folks, and remember you heard it here first! These two lovebirds are tying the knot. Max, who wins the pool?”
Marinette snatched her hand back, her mouth dropping open in outrage. “ Pool? ”
“Yep,” Alya grinned. “Been running since June. So who picked New Year’s Eve?”
Markov flew up to Alya’s side and she held out the microphone for the little robot.
“The winner of the Couffaine-Dupain-Cheng engagement pool is Jonathon C.”
Alya frowned, pulling the microphone back. “Okay, who’s—”
Luka coughed, behind Marinette. “That would be me.” Marinette turned to stare at him, and he winked at her. “Luka Jonathan Couffaine.”
“Oh you filthy cheater,” Alya screeched, kicking him and nearly falling off the table. “How did you even— Max ?”
Max held up his hands, but no one could hear him over the uproar.
“He filled out the web form with all the pertinent information,” Markov observed. “There is no rule excluding Luka from participating, nor any rule against using a middle name for registration. Luka’s entry is valid. I shall transfer the appropriate amount to the account you designated.”
“Thanks, Markov,” Luka said, and the pure Couffaine shit-eating grin on his face robbed Marinette of any ability to be mad at him. “I appreciate you all funding the ring.”
Alya groaned. “Oh my G—okay, you know what, the countdown’s about to start, so you two get up here. I expect one world class smooch for that, Couffaine.”
“Sorry, Alya, I’m in a very committed relationship,” Luka laughed, but while Alya scowled at him and insisted he knew what she meant, he pulled over a chair and graciously offered his hand to help her down from the table. Then he helped Marinette up, and carefully joined her.
“I hope these tables are sturdy,” Marinette muttered under her breath as the countdown began.
“So what kind of a show are we making here?” Luka asked her, raising his eyebrows.
Marinette smirked at him. “I’ll handle it. Just put your arms around my neck and don’t struggle or we’re both going to fall off this thing.”
Luka’s eyebrows lifted higher but there was no time for more questions.
“Five,” the crowd screamed, waving their champagne glasses. "Four!"
“Three,” Marinette murmured, her eyes fixed on Luka. “Two.” She hooked one leg behind his knee and put her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her neck as she’d instructed. “One.”
She dipped him back over her thigh. “Whoa!” Luka gasped, and then grinned, and leaned up so she could reach him, and the crowd roared “Happy New Year,” as they kissed, oblivious to both the cheering and the camera flashes going off all around them.
Later, they would watch the year’s first sunrise together through the windows, pressed tight under a blanket on the couch, and sit quietly with the gravity of all that had passed, in the contentment of each other’s company.
But just as that moment, the fireworks and cheers and celebration seemed a perfect background to a kiss that went on until Marinette’s trembling arms forced her to break it. Luka laughed breathlessly as she hauled him up, and he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“You’re amazing,” he told her, as the music resumed. He got down from the table, and then reached up to catch her waist and lift her down beside him.
“Think Alya will be satisfied?” Marinette giggled.
“If she’s not, I’m more than happy to try a do-over,” Luka grinned, and then lowered his forehead to hers. “I love you.”
Marinette smiled, cupping his cheek. “Happy New Year, Luka.”
“Happy new life, Marinette.”
#quickspins#lbsc sprint fic challenge#lbsc sprint fic#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#ml fics#promptfic#quicksprints
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Sprint Fic Challenge 1 - Puppy Eyes
So this whole challenge idea was kind of a whim that we all decided to go for, and I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I am! I’m always fascinated to see how different people interpret prompts and what different ficlets result!
Challenge Rules:
The group picks a prompt. Members choosing to participate will write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got, either just to the disco or publicly if you like.
Prompt:
"Has anyone ever told you just how adorable you are? Because you really are."
Dedicated to @verfound
This couldn’t be happening, Marinette thought. It just...could not be happening.
Except of course it was happening, because Luka was many things, but at his heart he was a Couffaine, and chaos ran in his blood.
Today chaos was a fluffy white puppy licking Luka’s face with a big pink tongue.
Luka turned soft, awestruck eyes at Marinette.
“No,” she said immediately.
“Marinette,” he—whined. Did he really just whine? Luka? “Please? Look at this!” He held the little puppy up against his cheek. “How can you say no to those eyes?”
“Luka, we can’t just take the first puppy we see!” Marinette sighed, though a smile was tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Let’s at least meet some of the others, okay?”
Luka pouted. “Fine, but my mind is made up. I just know it.”
But his paws, Marinette wanted to protest. He’ll be huge with paws like that! And he was so fluffy...that was a lot of fur to take care of. And his little ears flopped over, which meant a higher risk of ear infections. Not to mention the challenges of keeping white fur clean…and despite Marinette’s best efforts, seventy-five percent of Luka’s wardrobe was still black!
Luka obviously cared about none of these concerns as he turned the pup so he was nose to nose with it again. “Has anyone ever told you just how adorable you are? Because you really are. You are so adorable. And your new mommy knows it too. I have excellent taste.” He kissed the little puppy on the nose, and Marinette knew it was a done deal. This was a battle she was definitely going to lose. Why had she let him single this one out for a one-on-one when it wasn’t even remotely what they were looking for? Damn her stupid husband and his sticky heart, that got instantly attached to the most random things...and people…
And puppies, apparently.
They were supposed to get an older dog, something around four years old, out of the puppy stage. Something smallish, calm and laid back like Luka, that would sleep on Marinette’s feet while she sketched and hop up to lick Luka’s face when he got lost in his guitar, and remind them both to stop and eat and get out a little bit. Something active enough that they’d enjoy walking him around town, but that wouldn’t mind just relaxing on days when they didn’t feel like running around.
And instead, Luka fell in love with a little white fluffball only a few months old, that Marinette was certain had to be at least part Great Pyrenees, and all her careful planning was moot.
“How much is that doggy in the window,” Luka sang, wiggling the little pup back and forth. “The one with the giant blue eyes. How much is that doggy in the window? We need this sweet pup in our lives.” The puppy panted happily, neither pleased nor displeased by the serenade. He licked Luka’s nose again and Marinette couldn’t help melting a little when Luka giggled. “Aw, you’re just the cutest thing. Well.” He leaned a little closer. “Second cutest, let’s be honest.” He glanced at Marinette over the pup’s head and winked.
Marinette put her hands over her face. “This is a disaster,” she moaned.
“It’s not a disaster,” Luka protested, laughing as he set the puppy in his lap. “It’s destiny.”
“It’s you,” Marinette said accusingly, pointing at him. “You and your...your...Couffaineness.”
“Guilty,” Luka shrugged, and then grinned. “And you’re a Couffaine too now, you realize.”
Marinette sighed and threw herself down on the floor next to him. She pouted, but put her hand out for the white puppy to sniff and politely lick. He was awfully cute. She sighed.
“I suppose we can tell them we want to do a home visit. We should make sure he gets along with the...others. And that he can handle your music.”
Luka’s grin faded slightly. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
Marinette looked up at him and Luka shrugged. “I think he might be deaf,” he admitted.
Marinette drew back slightly in surprise. “The paperwork didn’t say anything about it.”
Luka shrugged again. “They have a lot of animals to look after. They might not have noticed yet. I’m not even really sure, it’s just…” He looked down, stroking the puppy’s head. “I just have a feeling.”
Marinette pressed her lips together. Luka was so intuitive, he couldn’t always explain why he reached the conclusions he did, but he was usually right. Careful to move where the puppy couldn’t see her, she snapped her fingers behind its head. The puppy didn’t move or react,only laid his chin on Luka’s knee.
Hardly conclusive evidence, but…
“Well, even if he can’t hear it, he needs a name. We have to call him something,” she muttered, and Luka’s grin returned full force. She gave him a warning look.
“I’m open to suggestions,” was all he said, but his delight was obvious as he picked the pup up and cuddled the little furball against his chest.
“Bach,” Marinette said after a moment of thought, and then groaned, putting a hand over her eyes.
“I like it, but why?” Luka laughed, reaching over to pull her hand away and twine his fingers through hers.
“I was trying to think of something musical,” she sighed, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. “And I thought of that movie Beethoven with all the big dogs and then Bach popped in my head and—well…” Luka waited, and she shrugged. “Dogs bark. Bark, Bach. Ugh, just kill me,” she moaned, pulling her hand back so she could cover her face again.
Luka laughed uproariously—and Bach didn’t seem to mind at all. “Oh, darning,” he chuckled when he could finally stop laughing enough to get his breath. “Chat’s rubbing off on you.”
“I know,” Marinette whined. “I’ll never hear the end of it when he finds out. It’s not like we can keep the giant fuzzball a secret.”
“Aw, Marinette,” Luka smiled, and then he leaned over and plopped Bach in Marinette’s arms. “Come on. It’s not that bad.”
“I had a plan,” Marinette insisted, but she couldn’t help nuzzling her face against the soft white puppy fur. “How are we going to take a giant like this on tour?” she grumbled.
“He’s not giant yet,” Luka pointed out. “And if Jagged can manage with Fang, I think we can handle Bach, even if he does turn out a little bigger than we planned.”
“A little bigger,” Marinette snorted...but she really couldn’t argue with that. And he really was cute. And pretty laid back, for a puppy. He’d had a burst of energy when they first let him into the room and then had settled right into Luka’s lap to be petted.
Marinette glanced behind herself at the closed door. “Tikki? Sass? You want to come meet him?” The pup perked up at the emergence of the brightly colored little beings, and turned his head to follow as they zipped around him. He wiggled out of Marinette’s arms and pranced, wagging, and running alongside Sass as the snake kwami zipped across the room and back. But he didn’t react as if they were some kind of fascinating flying chew toy, which was a good sign.
She couldn’t help one more whine, one more tug at her hair, at the destruction of all her plans, but Luka reached out and gently caught her wrist, tugging her over into his lap. He put his arms around her and nuzzled her jaw. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I promise, we’ll make it work. Even if it wasn’t the plan.”
Marinette sighed, but also smiled. “I know. We always do.” She giggled as the kwamis zipped back into her purse, and then laughed when Bach barreled into her, snuffling around for his new friends. “All right, all right, furball,” she muttered, cupping his muzzle and lifting his nose away from her purse. “I guess we’re gonna have to learn doggy sign language, huh?” she said, leaning down nose to nose with Bach. He stuck his big pink tongue out and licked her enthusiastically. Marinette yelped and pulled away, wiping at her face.
“Watch it, buddy,” Luka laughed, reaching around her to ruffle Bach’s ears. “Those are my kisses. That is non-negotiable.” As if to prove it, he tipped Marinette’s chin up and kissed her softly. “Come on,” he said, nudging her to prompt her off his lap so he could stand. “Let’s go tell the nice lady that, provided the home visit works out, we’re taking this one off her hands.”
Marinette pouted. “The collar I made is never going to fit him,” she grumbled as she got to her feet.
#quickspins#sprint fic challenge#lukanette#established relationship#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#quickfic#promptfic#lbsc shenanigans#quicksprints#bach the deaf dog
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On the Edge of Dreams - LBSC SFC
Written for the LBSC sprint fic challenge. If you’d like to join in follow @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers for more information!
Challenge rules:
Pick a prompt and write for that prompt in up to three 15 minute sprints. No writing outside the sprints until you have completed all three! After the 3 sprints are complete, you have 24 hours to edit (which can include some new writing to smooth transitions, etc). After those 24 hours, post what you’ve got!
Prompt:
"Oh no, s/he’s hot!”
More information on the challenge here!
It was a simple order. Nothing complicated about it. A large dark roast with room. He’d ordered it a thousand times, could do it without thought. Or at least, so he would have said until today.
But the truly stunning pair of blue eyes across the counter from him was blinking in confusion, thanks to the incomprehensible mixture of French, English, and Scots he’d just spouted.
His eyes zeroed in on the lovely set of lips as they parted, hesitated, and then spoke. “I’m sorry, I...didn’t quite catch that?”
Luka blinked and cleared his throat, feeling the blush heating up his face as he dragged his gaze back up to meet hers. “I’m sorry, it’s—I’m not a morning person. I think I left my brain in bed.”
She smiled, and damn if she wasn’t the prettiest girl he’d ever laid eyes on, perfect skin and gorgeous eyes and those lips were—
Speaking to him. Shit. “—all the time. Do you want to try again?”
Luka somehow managed to give his order correctly this time, and nearly fainted at the giggle she let out as she picked up the cup to write his order.
His eyes flicked to her nametag. Marinette.
“That’s my name,” she said, and Luka’s eyes shot up to her face again. “I asked for yours?”
“Sorry,” Luka repeated hurriedly. “Luka. My name’s Luka.”
“Can you spell it for me or is that too much to ask before you’ve had a chance to drink it?” she asked with a playful wink, and it was really a wonder his knees didn’t give out on him.
“Sure,” he said weakly, and spelled it for her (correctly, mercifully). She smiled at him and turned aside to start making his drink. Luka also turned away slightly in the other direction, pretending to look in the pastry case as he tried to catch his breath and get his bearings again. Damn, wasn’t this just his luck, face to face with a beautiful girl and him in wrinkled clothes and mussed hair looking like—well, he hoped he looked like he’d just pulled an all-nighter, and not like he’d been doing something far seedier.
He checked the time, and had to blink a couple of times before the numbers came into full focus. He really needed that coffee.
“You’re an angel,” he groaned as she set it on the display case in front of him.
“Careful, it’s—” she winced as he put the cup to his lips, but Luka was long past caring how hot the coffee was. He took a burning gulp and made a face before offering the girl— Marinette , he remembered—a lopsided smile.
“If I don’t get it down now I’m going to pass out on your steps,” he joked, and his smile grew a little wider when she laughed.
“You look it,” she said, propping her elbows up on the case and peering at him over it. “I hope the coffee helps. Can I offer you anything else?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a place to crash on your floor,” Luka joked, moving over to add cream and sugar to his coffee. “But it’d be kind of a waste to work on that damn paper all night and then pass out before I have a chance to turn it in, so coffee it is.” He snorted softly. “Who wants paper copies in this day and age anyway, really?” he muttered, and then blushed when he turned around to find the girl giggling at him over the top of the pastry case.
“Well, good luck,” she said, leaning her chin on one hand. “Make sure you double-check the mailbox number before you put it in. Ask me how I know.” She made a face.
Luka laughed as he went to the door. “Good tip. Thanks for the coffee, Marinette. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
He fumbled the door handle when she smiled—and blushed.
He made her blush.
Luka wasn’t sure if he was more embarrassed by the goofy grin on his face or the way he tripped on the ledge of the door on the way out because he hadn’t looked away from that adorable blushy smile.
At least he managed to keep his coffee from spilling.
***
Three more times he visited the bakery that week, but each time he ordered his coffee from an older lady with a kind smile. She was nice enough, but Luka had been hoping to see Marinette again.
He came in the next week without much hope, but perked up as he saw Marinette behind the counter. His smile faded slightly though as she stood swaying on her feet. Her hair wasn’t messy but definitely not as tidy as before, and he could see the slight creases of makeup caked around her eyes as he approached, covering dark shadows, he was sure. Luka was at the counter and had to call her name twice before her gaze snapped up to his and she blinked rapidly.
“Oh,” she gasped, “I’m so sorry. Um, what can I get you?”
Luka ordered (correctly, and entirely in French this time) and added, as Marinette moved sluggishly to pick up the cup, “Should I make that two? You look like you need it more than I do this morning.”
Marinette shot him a tired smile that was still unbearably cute. “I probably do. I was working on a project all last night and I really couldn’t ask Mom to cover another shift for me, she’s been taking my shifts all week. It’s done now, so I can struggle through and—” She paused, staring at the cup in her hand. “Sorry, what am I making again?”
Luka chuckled and leaned on the counter as he repeated the order. She finished writing it on the cup that time, and Luka thought she breathed a sigh of relief at the simplicity of it.
“I’m serious,” Luka told her, and she looked at him in slight confusion. “I really will buy you a coffee if you need it.”
“Oh, that’s very kind, but I’ve already had some. Just waiting for it to kick in. I actually don’t care much for coffee most of the time but it was definitely necessary this morning.”
She set the cup on the counter in front of him and smiled. “Thanks for being patient with me, Luka.”
“It’s not like it’s hard,” he said stupidly, a little dazzled. She was adorable, even half-dead. “I hope you get some rest,” he added, as he took his coffee to add the cream and sugar.
“I will,” she shrugged with a tired smile. “Eventually.”
Luka took his coffee and left.
***
The next time he went to the bakery, he nearly ran into Marinette coming out of the door.
“Woah,” he said, catching her shoulders to keep her from falling. She put her hands out automatically to keep herself from impacting his chest.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” she said quickly, snatching her hands back and blushing to the roots of her hair. “Wow, you’re um. Strong. Sorry, I’m so sorry, I was going way too fast and I should have been looking and I didn’t hurt you, right?”
Luka nearly laughed at the thought. “No, I’m good,” he smiled, letting go of her shoulders. “Are you?”
“Fine,” she squeaked, turning redder by the minute.
“You sure?” Luka couldn’t help asking, tilting his head slightly. That shade really couldn’t be healthy.
“I’m fine, everything’s fine, I slam right into hot guys all the time, not a big deal at all and definitely nothing to get embarrassed and start babbling like an idiot over, nope, I’m all—all good.” She whined and put her hands over her face.
Luka had to take a second to get his bearings after that flood, but then a slow grin spread across his face. “Well, I can’t say I’m lucky enough to have to catch a hot girl all that often, but so far I’m not minding the experience.”
Marinette sputtered something completely unintelligible, and Luka chuckled, reaching in his pocket and fishing out a card. It was nothing fancy, just a slim black and white card with a website and instagram information on it that Rose had printed up at home, but today he was glad he was carrying them.
“This is the band I play with,” Luka said, giving her the card. “I’d love to run into you at a show sometime.” He grinned. “Literally or figuratively, either works for me.”
He stepped aside to clear her path as Marinette stared at him. “Maybe we can get not-coffee afterward.” Luka winked at her and went into the bakery, and then, glancing behind him to make sure he was clear, he covered his own face and fought down his internal panic at his boldness.
“Can I help you?” said an amused voice, and Luka jerked slightly before dropping his hands and staring at the older lady behind the counter—Marinette’s mother, he suddenly remembered with embarrassment.
“Um, yeah. I mean, yes, please.”
At least...that was what he meant to say. The confused look on the lady’s face mirrored Marinette’s from a couple weeks ago.
Luka sighed.
#lbsc sprint fic challenge#quickspins#lukanette#endgame lukanette#lukanette endgame#luka couffaine#marinette dupain-cheng#miraculousladybug#miraculous ladybug#promptfic#quickfic#quicksprints
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