OH NO! Talk about expecting the unexpected. What in the world is Adrien doing at the fundraiser?! I mean, he's friends with Nino, so obviously we can expect Adrien to help his bro out, but... But what does he want with Marinette?! Well, we're going to find out in this chapter.

Oh, and for some currency trivia for my readers: 1 euro is $1.16 in USD.

And I'm wondering why I haven't seen any reviews for chapter 5. Think you can help me up the numbers a bit with some nice, friendly comments?


"Adrien?!" Nino spluttered, shocked to see his old friend in the flesh after so long.

Adrien was staring at Marinette in affection; Marinette was gawking at her ex in shock and surprise; Luka was looking at the scene, curious.

Alya and the others were watching and were not liking where this was going.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" Alya hissed under her breath.

"I don't know, but he's got some balls to just show up in front of Marinette out of nowhere like this. He'd better not be here to break things between her and Luka." Alix threatened, punching a fist into her hand.

The other girls were looking at the blonde in distaste, too.

Adrien was unaware of the hateful stares that he was getting from Marinette's friends. He was still looking at her with a sweet look on his face.

"What's the matter, Purrincess? Cat got your tongue?" Adrien joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Marinette shook her head. Was she sleeping and having a nightmare? Because there was just no way Adrien was here!

"Adrien," Marinette cooly said. "What brings you here?"

"I heard about this fundraiser, and I remember that Nino and company were having trouble lately. So, thought I'd come out and show my support for my friend." Adrien slickly stated, making sure to look Marinette in the eyes.

Marinette gave him a deadpan expression, before sighing.

Luka was still watching, getting somewhat of an idea of what was going on. He looked at Nino and said, "That's Agreste, isn't it?"

"Yep," Nino said, popping the "p." "Judging by his body language, I can assume he's here not just to help out, but he's here to see Marinette again."

Luka shrugged and said, "I can't say that I blame him. Those two had a great thing going on before his father went and messed around."

Nino nodded, before asking aloud, "But the question is, why is he just showing up now?"

"I have no idea. Anyway, my Angel is over there and I want to give her my thanks for her help." Luka replied, shrugging off any potential trouble that could occur.

He began to saunter over to Marinette and Adrien with intentions to talk to the former.

Marinette herself was having a hard time making conversation with Adrien after so long. He was almost acting like nothing had ever happened between them, but

"Where's Kagami?" Marinette asked Adrien.

"You know her. She's pretty disciplined with her fencing, so she's practicing," Adrien said. "But that's not why I'm here."

"So... Is there anything I can get you?" Marinette asked, wanting Adrien to leave so she could get back to work on her fundraiser.

"Aside from two strawberry cupcakes, I'd like to donate a big amount of money to this," Adrien said, taking out his checkbook. "Anything for my friends."

"That's very generous of you," Marinette said, indifferently. She packed up the cupcakes, and handed them to Adrien. "The cupcakes will be 8 euros..."

However, Adrien handed her a check, and when she looked at the number on the slip of paper, her eyes bugged out.

"10,008 euros?!" Marinette screamed. "Adrien, this is too much!"

Adrien, still smiling, put a hand up and said, "Marinette, Nino is my best friend. When I heard that the band had their instruments ruined, there was no way I was going to stand by idly and not pitch in. Besides, the rest of the money that isn't used to help with the instruments can go to the others who need it."

"...Thank you." Marinette simply said, putting the check in the cash box, breaking eye contact. She had half a mind to tell Adrien to buzz off and leave her alone.

"My lady," Adrien said, getting a bit serious. "Listen, about Kagami... She and I..."

"Hey, Angel!" Luka said aloud, approaching Marinette with a smile on his face.

Marinette smiled and sighed in relief, thinking, 'I never thought I'd be so happy to hear that nickname in my life!'

She turned around to face her beau and said, "Luka!"

Marinette left the counter and ran over to Luka. She gave him a big hug and nuzzled her face into his chest. Adrien was watching with a blank expression on his face, surprised that Marinette was in the arms of another man.

"Angel...?" He muttered, confused at the term of endearment.

"I can't believe that you and the girls did this, all for me and the band!" Luka said, gently stroking Marinette's cheeks with his hands.

"Of course. I wanted to help you," Marinette said, smiling and giggling. "Since you guys need the money to replace the instruments, and you wouldn't take my own money, I thought, why not raise the money not only for you, but everyone else who got robbed?"

"Babe... You're a godsend!" Luka laughed, hugging Marinette and lifting her up. He spun her around in joy before putting her down. He gently held her face in his hands and started to lean in and kiss her when...

"Ahem." Adrien said, clearing his throat, getting the couple's attention.

Luka and Marinette looked at Adrien, breaking away from each other.

"Oh, um..." Marinette began, blushing, embarrassed that she was caught. Luka and Adrien made eye contact. Luka was giving Adrien a cordial smile, meanwhile Adrien seemed to be sizing Luka up for some reason.

"Excuse me, but I don't think we've met." Adrien stated, trying to be polite to Luka. Inside, though, he was pretty shocked that Marinette had a boyfriend.

"Hi there," Luka said, stepping forward and holding out his hand. "My name's Luka."

"Nice to meet you, Luka. Adrien." Adrien replied, shaking hands with the guitarist.

Marinette was visibly relieved to see that Adrien and Luka were playing nice with each other. Luka was definitely not an instigator. If anything, he was pretty laid back and relaxed.

"So... "Angel," huh?" Adrien said, trying not to sound upset. But his eyebrow was twitching ever so slightly. Marinette noticed and swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Um, yes, that's what he likes to call me." Marinette shyly said, not looking Adrien in the eyes.

Luka turned to Marinette and hugged her by one of her shoulders. He smiled at his girl, and Marinette returned the expression.

"Adrien, dude!" Nino said, coming forward.

"Nino! Long time, no see." Adrien chortled, happy to see his BFF again. They shared a fist bump.

"Good to see you too, bud," Nino said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Didn't expect you to come by."

"I heard what was going on and what happened to the group," Adrien said. "Wanted to lend a hand financially. And if you need someone on keyboard, I'm more than happy to help."

"Thanks, dude, but there's no need for a keyboard player for the wedding." Nino stated.

"Wedding?" Adrien asked, looking to Luka and Marinette. He glanced at Marinette's hand, only to see there was no ring there.

"Juleka's wedding," Nino explained. "Luka here is her brother."

"Ah," Adrien said in understanding, with a smile and a nod. "So that's it."

Adrien was still looking at Marinette and Luka with a smile that had a slightly irritated hint to it. Marinette noticed this, but she was looking away from the blonde, clearly uncomfortable with his presence. Luka heard what was going on in Marinette's heart. She was freaking out, all because Adrien was here. He understood why, though.

"I'll be right back, Angel," Luka whispered in Marinette's ear. "I gotta talk to Alya for a bit."

Marinette nodded, not really paying any attention.

Luka jogged over to Alya, who was glowering at Adrien. Luka whispered into Alya's ear, "Think you can take over? I'm planning on getting Marinette out of here."

Alya nodded in response, still upset with Adrien's unexpected arrival.

Luka slipped back over to Marinette. She was still refraining from looking Adrien in the eyes. Meanwhile, the blonde was still looking Marinette over as if she were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.

"Hey, Marinette, let me treat you to some ice cream at André's to say thanks for this fundraiser." Luka said, as he gently started to lead Marinette away from the crowd.

"Oh, okay." Marinette replied, understanding what Luka was planning.

"Hey, Marinette, hang on..." Adrien said, but Marinette turned her back on him and started walking away with Luka.

Nino stood beside Adrien. Adrien was feeling dirty inside, unhappy with the idea of Marinette dating someone other than him. Sure, he knew he had no right to think this way, but it was still hard to watch.

"So... Luka, huh?" Adrien asked Nino. "How long have those two been an item?"

"It's been almost a month or so," Nino began, trying to figure out how long Luka and Marinette have been together. "Why do you care?"

"I care about Marinette, plain and simple," Adrien said. "And I really need to talk to her, too."

Nino gave Adrien a sympathetic look on his face. He was wondering what it was that Adrien had to talk to Marinette about.


When they were a safe distance away, Marinette sighed and said, "Thanks, Luka."

"No problem," Luka said, smiling at Marinette. "I could tell you wanted to get away from him."

Marinette gave a nod. Her eyes were about to leak with salty tears. She turned her face away from her boyfriend, and her shoulders were shaking. Luka saw this, knew that she was about to start crying, and pulled Marinette closer to him. He hugged her by the shoulder, gently rubbing up and down her arm with his hand.

"Let it all out," Luka murmured into her ear. "Cry until you feel better."

At that, Marinette buried her face into Luka's chest and started sobbing her heart out.

"Why was he there?! Aside from helping Nino out, I mean," Marinette cried. "I thought he was out of my life! Permanently!"

Luka just kept his mouth shut and listened to Marinette cry. He kissed Marinette on the forehead before she continued to carry on. Luka hugged her to his chest, enclosing her in his arms.

"I-I mean... I know he didn't want to walk out on me... Nor did he like it. I know it hurt him to do it, too, but... But... Now all of a sudden he shows up like nothing ever happened?!" Marinette ranted, before continuing her crying fit.

Luka could not bring himself to be upset with Adrien. He knew the story, and from what he heard, Marinette and Adrien loved each other very much. If not for his father, Adrien would have made Marinette his wife and they would have lived happily ever after. But he vanished from the picture against his will, by no fault of his own.

Under normal circumstances, he was sure that Marinette would have been thrilled to see Adrien again. Probably would have leaped into his arms. The only problem is that Luka had now taken Adrien's place as Marinette's boyfriend, and she was clearly happy with him.

"Marinette," Luka cooed in her ear. "You and Adrien had been in love for the longest time. What the two of you had was pure magic. And you were utterly devastated when it ended."

Marinette nodded, not looking up from her boyfriend's chest.

"And you've healed and moved on, too," Luka soothed quietly. "I'm sure that you're angry that Adrien's probably expecting you to drop everything and take him back."

"You're right. And I don't want to take him back! I'm happy with you!" Marinette cried.

Luka kept rubbing Marinette's back to comfort her. He could tell Marinette needed something sweet to give her a pick-me-up, and he had an idea.

He murmured, "I know I used it as an excuse to get you away from him, but do want to get ice cream at André's anyway? My treat."

Marinette looked up at Luka's blue eyes and gave him a firm nod. The two of them held hands as they started to go on a scavenger hunt to find the legendary ice cream maker of love.

It took them a few hours, but they found him. André had just finished serving an American couple. They walked away with satisfied smiles, which was always a joy for André.

"André!" Marinette shouted, waving at the ice cream maker.

The vendor turned to Marinette and gave a huge smile. He came out from behind and said, "Ah, Marinette, long time, no see! It's wonderful to have you here today. Where's Adrien? Is he on his way?"

Hearing that name only made Marinette's face fall. She looked down and was about to start crying again.

Luka looked at André and gave him a gesture akin to slitting his throat, a panicked expression on his face. André nodded, understanding that things between Marinette and Adrien had ended. André also took note of the romantic vibe between Luka and Marinette, and saw how the guitar player was holding Marinette close, comforting and being very caring towards her.

"I see that your love story has taken a new turn for you. Would you like some ice cream to help cheer you up? It's the least I could do." André asked.

"We'd like that," Luka said, and Marinette gave a teary smile. "Marinette and her friends put on an amazing fundraiser for me and my friends. Not to mention everyone else who got robbed by those boat-wreckers. This is my treat to give her my thanks."

Hearing that made Marinette feel a lot better, and she smiled at Luka, before leaning in close to him.

André, delighted that Marinette was still happy and in love, gave a big smile and said, "Alright, then! Let me make you a cone!"

He walked behind his cart and started building a cone while speaking in rhyme, "A beautiful, creamy treat most fair! Vanilla bean, chocolate, and blueberry for the love that the two of you share!"

He held out the cone. It was garnished a butterfly-shaped tuile cookie that had dark chocolate batter and blueberry jam swirled into it. There was a small amount nuts topping the sundae, and André put two spoons in the treat. Luka took it and held it, with Marinette's hand on the cone as well.

Marinette spooned a bite into her mouth, and she said, "Delicious as always!"

Luka chuckled as he took the other spoon and ate a bit of the treat. He told André, "Merci. Marinette and I will come by again sometime."

"Thank you, mon amie!" André said, as Luka and Marinette started walking away from the ice cream vendor.

"Thanks again, Luka," Marinette said, blushing in gratitude. "You're the best."

"It's my pleasure, Angel." Luka said, chuckling and resting his cheek atop her head.

Marinette leaned in closer to her boyfriend's chest. Inside her purse was her phone. It was on silent so she could enjoy the moment with Luka, so she did not notice the number of messages she was getting from a certain someone...


When they got back to Marinette's apartment, Luka left her on the doorstep to the building.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette?" Luka asked.

"...Yes." Marinette said, a little nervous.

Truth be told, she wanted to spend more time with him. And she had not let any other man inside her apartment since she and Adrien broke up (aside from Nino whenever he was there with Alya). This was an opportunity for her to take another step forward. If she invited him into her home, then that would imply that she wanted to be more intimate with Luka. She was hoping this would not blow up in her face.

As Luka gave a nod and turned to leave, Marinette found her courage and said, "Wait!"

Luka turned back to Marinette with a smile and asked, "Yes?"

"W-Would you..." Marinette began, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Would I...?" Luka asked, prompting her to keep going.

'Here goes nothing.' Marinette thought, taking a deep breath. She outright asked Luka, "Would you like to come inside for a little while?"

Luka brightened at this offer and he replied, "I'd love to."

"Then come on in," Marinette said, opening the door and allowing her boyfriend some entrance. "I still have some leftover pastries from the practice runs."

Luka chuckled with a smile and he came into the building. With her arm wrapped around his, the pair walked through the halls and up the stairs until they got to Marinette's unit. Marinette took her key out and unlocked the door.

Leading Luka inside, Marinette shut the door and then the two of them sat on the couch together.

"You've got a nice place here, Marinette," Luka said, looking around the apartment. "Did you design and decorate this whole place?"

"Yes, aside from what was already here." Marinette said with a shrug.

"You're a pro, Marinette. Hey, maybe when we fix up the boat, you could come in and put your own touches on it." Luka chuckled.

"I'd love to!" Marinette replied, giggling.

Luka hugged Marinette by one arm and the two of them sat in comfortable silence.

"...Marinette, I know I've said this before, but thank you for the fundraiser," Luka muttered, kissing Marinette on the cheek. "You're the best."

"Thank you, Luka," Marinette murmured back. "I've been so happy since we started dating."

"I'm glad," Luka said, refraining from mentioning Adrien. "Your heart's tune is definitely a lot more chipper than when we first met."

"And it's all thanks to you." Marinette said to Luka. She turned her face to him.

Once they made eye contact, the two of them froze, each pair of sapphire orbs refraining from leaving the other. Luka's lips were parted slightly, as were Marinette's. Their hearts were pounding almost in perfect sync. The mood was right. They were alone.

The two of them were in their own world. Luka started leaning in towards Marinette. She mirrored his movements and tilted her head, closing her eyes. Their lips began to pucker up. Just when they were about a centimeter away from a smooch, though...

*Knock knock knock!*

Marinette groaned in annoyance. She stood up from her couch before walking to the door. Luka himself snapped his fingers in frustration. How many times had he missed a kiss now? Whoever was interrupting now better have a damned good reason for it!

Marinette opened the door and to her complete and utter shock, Adrien was there. He had changed out of his trench coat and was now wearing more casual attire. He was looking at Marinette with a serious expression.

"Adrien, what are you doing here?!" Marinette asked, appalled.

"Didn't you get my texts? I told you I was going to come by so we could talk." Adrien explained.

"What?" Marinette asked, taking out her phone. She saw the missed messages from Adrien. "Oops..."

"Was your phone silent again?" Adrien asked.

Marinette nodded, inciting a chuckle from Adrien. He rolled his eyes and said, "Same old Marinette."

"Anyway, your timing couldn't have been worse," Marinette said. "We were in the middle of something."

"Who's "we?"" Adrien asked.

"Me." Luka said, standing up and walking over to the door.

"Oh, you," Adrien said, deflating. "Did I interrupt a kiss or something?"

Marinette and Luka blushed before looking away. The latter of the two cleared his throat.

"That answers that," Adrien sighed, before looking to Marinette. "But I mean it, my lady, I-"

"Don't call me "my lady." You lost your right to do that months ago." Marinette coldly told him.

"Sorry, Marinette," Adrien said, correcting course. "But this is important. I need to talk to you."

"Not here, not now," Marinette said, sighing. "I'm spending time with Luka."

Adrien's gaze darkened a bit at hearing that name, and then he saw Luka was sitting on the couch, looking a little grouchy.

"Okay," Adrien said, backing off. "...See you later."

Adrien walked away, but not without looking Luka in the eyes again.

Once he was gone, Marinette slammed the door and groaned before turning to Luka. She looked at him with a sad expression on her face.

Luka brought her back to the couch. He plopped himself on the sofa, and gently brought Marinette onto his lap. She hugged him close, not sure what else she could do. Luka discreetly tucked his hand under her shirt and started to gently rub her back.

The sensation was intoxicating and relaxing. Marinette's face got flushed and moaned. She rested her head against his shoulder. Meanwhile, he took his other hand and tangled it in her hair.

"Don't bottle it up." Luka stated.

Marinette sighed, taking this as an opportunity to rant, and stated, "I don't care what he has to say to me. Can't he see that I'm happy?"

Luka sighed, and then he told Marinette, "You really should talk to him, though."

"What?!" Marinette asked, surprised at what her boyfriend had just said.

"For closure," Luka continued. "If he wants to profess his love for you one more time, then let him get it out of his system."

"You're being awfully calm about this." Marinette told him.

"I've always been able to read people pretty well." Luka said with a shrug.

Marinette thought about what Luka was saying. If Adrien had something that important to say, then she could at least give him the benefit of the doubt and listen to him.

Luka took his hands away from Marinette and gently placed them on her shoulders. He looked her in the eyes and said, "I understand if he wants to make things right and get back together with you. On the other hand, that's easier said than done for a lot of reasons."

Marinette gave a nod, wondering what it was that Adrien wanted to talk to her about. But Luka was right: best to rip the band-aid off and get it over with instead of letting it drag out.


The following day, Nino and Adrien were at the boat, wearing lifejackets and with a first-aid kit on hand. The twosome were in a dingy on the water and had buckets of soap and water. There were a few buckets with clean water, and a few empty buckets to hold the dirtier water that they would discard later. The pair of best friends had decided to at least try and clean off some of the paint that was on the hull of the vessel. The paint was definitely not easy to wash off. Took a lot of elbow grease and soap.

Nino was scrubbing the hull with a sponge, trying to get the green lettering paint that was there.

"Geez, whoever did this has a bad sense of humor," Adrien complained, scrubbing the boat. "Some of the stuff written on here is so rude."

"Yeah, I don't understand why someone would do something like this," Nino said, also scrubbing the boat. "For their own sick, twisted sense of entertainment?"

"Who knows?" Adrien griped, but then his mind wandered to another issue.

Marinette and Luka. They were clearly in love with each other. Adrien himself had his reasons for coming back and trying to talk to Marinette, but the idea of her with another man made him a little sick to his stomach. On the other hand, it had been several months since he and Marinette had to split. And he would be lying if he said that he did not entertain the possibility of her getting into a romance with someone else.

"So... The fundraiser was Mari's idea?" Adrien asked, broaching the subject.

"Yeah. When she heard about the whole thing, she wanted to help." Nino began.

"Same old Marinette," Adrien chuckled. "Always wanting to help people who need it."

"Yeah. She initially wanted to give Luka some of her savings." Nino said, wringing out the sponge in one of the empty buckets.

Adrien paused, and then he asked Nino, "Did he accept?"

"Hell no," Nino scoffed with a laugh. "He immediately shot that idea down."

"Then how did she...?" Adrien began, wondering what inspired the fundraiser.

"Basically, Alix said something, and that gave Marinette the inspiration for a bake sale. Having bakers for parents certainly didn't hurt," Nino explained. "Anyway, we made a lot. Your donation was really helpful, too."

"No problem," Adrien stated, dunking the sponge in the bucket and then wiping the paint off of his spot. "Anything to help."

"Still, though, showing up without warning the way you did... What's going on?" Nino asked, broaching a topic that was bothering him. "Alya was pretty angry about it."

Adrien looked at Nino and said, "Really? I thought the girls would be happy to see me."

"After what happened between you and Marinette? I'm sure they don't want you stirring the pot between her and Luka." Nino said.

Adrien fell silent and pondered this new information from Nino. Were the girls really that worried about Marinette's happiness that they were all but shunning him? Marinette must have been really hurt.

"They know that it wasn't your fault. Your father went and separated you two," Nino said. "But they're worried about you getting in the way, trying to take Marinette back."

"Speaking of my father..." Adrien began, his face falling.

"Nino!" A voice shouted, and then the men turned around to see Luka, who was waving at them from the Seine's riverbank.

"Luka! Hey, man!" Nino shouted back.

He rowed the dingy to Luka and said, "Perfect timing."

"Thanks for pitching in to help fix up the boat. The claim's already settled, but this graffiti is a real eyesore." Luka began.

"No problem, man." Nino said, and he and Luka shared a fist-bump.

Luka turned to Adrien and gave him a smile before saying, "Adrien, thank you for helping out, too."

"Of course," Adrien said, a neutral tone to his voice. "Nino's my best friend."

"So... Adrien, can I talk to you? Man-to-man?" Luka asked.

"Sure." Adrien said, nodding in agreement. He stepped out of the boat.

The men started walking along the banks of the Seine so they could get some quiet. It was a little awkward, but it one of them was going to have to break the ice sooner or later.

"So..." Adrien asked, trying to get Luka to talk.

"You know, you really shouldn't be too worried about getting me upset," Luka said, turning to Adrien. "I get it."

Adrien gave him a questioning look. What was Luka talking about? Was he just jumping to conclusions now or something?

"I can tell what's going on in your heart. You still love Marinette, don't you?" Luka asked, cutting to the chase.

Adrien nodded with a murmur and said, "Yes. I... I didn't want to break up with her, but..."

"Don't worry," Luka said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nino told me everything."

Adrien sighed before saying, "I can always count on Nino to help me out."

"Anyway, what is it that you need to talk to Marinette about?" Luka asked, hoping to pick Adrien's brain.

Adrien looked at Luka, wondering what his motives were. Why was he being like this? He was Marinette's boyfriend, so why wasn't he being overprotective of his girl?

"And why should I tell you?" Adrien asked, a bit guarded.

"Because you and I both care about Marinette. A lot," Luka said, being up front with Adrien. "I don't want to lose her, don't get me wrong. But when she and I first met, she was so timid, scared, and was trying her best not to fall in love again."

"Never fall in love again...?" Adrien gasped. "But I made her promise me not to be scared of finding love with someone else!"

"Well, she certainly kept it, didn't she?" Luka chuckled.

Adrien laughed back in response, before saying to Luka, "Yeah, she did."

The men sighed, content, before Adrien turned to Luka and said, "You know, I think we're going to get along just fine."

Luka and Adrien then shook hands, happy that they were able to come to an understanding.


Marinette was working on a pair of dresses in the shop. They were for the same lesbian couple that she was working with the day she and Luka had their first real fight with each other. Since their tastes in fashion were similar, it was easy for Marinette to come up with a few designs that they both liked.

Marinette turned to the water bottle that she had on her desk. She drank out of it, and then noticed that she was running low.

"Low on water again? That's the fifth time today..." Marinette weakly complained, rubbing her throat.

There was a knock on the door. Marinette hoarsely said, "Come in."

"Marinette," Sabrina timidly said, coming into the office. "You have a phone call."

"Who is it?" Marinette asked, but then she saw the look on Sabrina's face.

The redheaded girl looked panicked and her face was pale and clammy. She was holding the phone with shaky hands. There were only two people that could get this reaction out of Sabrina. Chloé Bourgeois was one of them.

"Let me guess: Adrien?" Marinette asked. Sabrina merely nodded.

'Time to face the music.' Marinette thought. She was worried about hurting Adrien's feelings, but he had to talk to her about something and he was not going to just let it go.

Marinette held her hand out, asking Sabrina for the phone, and the redhead reluctantly handed the phone over.

Marinette spoke into the phone, "Hello? Adrien?"

"Hey, Marinette," Adrien replied. "Are you available after work? I wanted to talk to you tonight."

"...Yes, I am," Marinette said, bracing herself. "Where?"

"Maybe that meadow we used to go to?" Adrien suggested.

Marinette thought about this. If she went to that same meadow with Adrien, then it could start up old memories, and then she would wind up torn between Luka and Adrien. That was the last thing she wanted. On the other hand, if she wanted to get this talk over with, she had to do what made Adrien feel most comfortable.

"Okay," Marinette said. "See you tonight."

"Thanks, Marinette," Adrien said. "I'll see you tonight."

Adrien hung up and then Marinette handed the phone back to Sabrina, who was giving Marinette a surprised look.

"What's going on?" Sabrina asked.

"Adrien just wants to talk to me," Marinette said. "I don't know what he wants, but it's best if I just get it over with."

"What about Luka? Won't he be mad about you talking to your ex?" Sabrina suggested.

"Don't worry," Marinette said, smiling. "Luka actually encouraged me to talk to Adrien and get closure."

"Luka wanted you to do that?" Sabrina inquired, surprised. "He sounds like a pretty chill guy."

"He is," Marinette said, blushing. "Knowing him, he's probably read what's in Adrien's heart."

Sabrina gave Marinette a questioning look, as if asking what Marinette was talking about.

"He can read people pretty well," Marinette admitted, before continuing. "So, he could tell I was still hurting when we first met, and he also saw that Adrien still has feelings for me. But Luka's a pretty understanding and empathetic kind of guy. It wouldn't surprise me if he and Adrien became buddies."

Sabrina just listened to Marinette talk about Luka and what Marinette's plans were. Her boss seemed calm about everything and was wondering how the situation would turn out.

Marinette's blush did not seem to die down. She rubbed her throat, too.

"Marinette? Are you feeling okay?" Sabrina asked, noticing this. "You look an unhealthy shade of red."

"I'm fine," Marinette said. "My throat's just a little dry."

A few hours later, it got dark out, and Marinette was ready to hit the road and see Adrien. She had an awkward pit in her stomach building up from the nerves. Marinette knew that Luka would not get upset over this since he encouraged it, but she was still nervous.

The question she had on her mind: what did Adrien want to talk to her about? Whatever it was, it must be something really important if he had to show up unannounced.

As she stepped out of her shop, a fancy car pulled up in front of the store. Marinette watched indifferently as the chauffeur came out of the car and opened the passenger seat. Lo and behold, Adrien was sitting back there, and he patted the seat next to him. Marinette sighed, and then she got in the car.

Once the door closed, Marinette started coughing a little bit. Noticing this, Adrien asked, "Are you alright?"

"I... *Cough cough* I think so..." Marinette hoarsely said.

Adrien was suspicious of this. He had dated her for years, so he could tell whenever she was sick. Deciding not to push the issue, the pair sat in silence as the chauffeur kept driving.

After half an hour of driving, the chauffeur stopped at the meadow that Adrien used to bring Marinette to.

The pair got out of the car, and Adrien led Marinette out to the center of the flower patch. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Marinette decided to say something and get the ball rolling.

"So, what's up?" Marinette asked.

"Well... You know how it was my father who split us up?" Adrien asked.

"How could I forget?" Marinette spat, clearly upset with the memory.

"Well, I have some news about father," Adrien said, a very devastated frown on his face. It seemed like it was really hard for Adrien to say. "He... He passed away recently."

Marinette's eyes widened and then her jaw dropped, before asking, "What?!"

Adrien nodded to confirm it, not looking Marinette in the eye.

"Why wasn't it in the news?!" Marinette asked, surprised that a high-profile fashion designer's passing would not have gotten out to the mass media by now.

"You know how private my father was unless it was related to his fashion work," Adrien shrugged. "Chances are, it's not going to get out for at least another week."

"Your father wasn't that old! And he seemed pretty healthy to me when I last saw him." Marinette asked.

"Well... It was kind of complicated. Father went to his routine checkup. They found something wrong with his lungs, and it turned out to be cancer." Adrien explained.

"Lung cancer?! But he never smoked." Marinette said, surprised at this news.

"I know, but that wasn't what killed him," Adrien continued. "The prognosis was so shocking that he..."

He was getting choked up and it was getting hard for him to talk. Adrien wanted to cry. Sure, things between him and his father were not always the best, but they cared about each other at the least. Marinette kept quiet and let him collect himself.

"He... Died of a broken heart." Adrien quietly murmured.

Marinette gasped, covering a hand to her mouth, and she muttered, "Broken heart syndrome?!"

Adrien gave a nod before saying, "Yep."

"But what does that have to do with me?" Marinette asked.

"He never left a will," Adrien said, turning around and looking at the meadow. "So, there was no legal mandate for me and Kagami to get married. All he did was make me promise to take over the brand. Other than that, with father gone, I felt like I could finally... well, breathe. Like a weight was lifted off my chest."

"So...?" Marinette asked, hoping Adrien would keep going.

"Since there was no contract or anything to bind me to my engagement to Kagami, the two of us peacefully ended it," Adrien said, turning to Marinette and gave her a smile with misty eyes. "She wasn't happy about the way my father forced me to break your heart, either. Trust me, it killed me inside to do it too."

"You... You felt like this was your chance to take me back, didn't you?" Marinette whispered.

Adrien gave a nod and he said, "Yes. I wanted to see you again to tell you the news. And hopefully, if you weren't attached to anyone, you and I could start over, and eventually get married."

Adrien approached Marinette and gave her a somewhat sad smile. He said, "But imagine my surprise and disappointment when I saw you were dating someone else."

Marinette blushed and looked away, not sure what else to say. It was hard for her to think. She was getting lightheaded, but not from the situation...

"Making you happy, loving you unconditionally, and being there for you through thick and thin... Hah, guess it's not my honor anymore. It's Luka's." Adrien said with a shrug.

Marinette said, "You're right, it's up to Luka now... But I'm surprised you weren't jealous about it."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," Adrien said. "I... Hey, you okay?"

Marinette was having a hard time staying upright, her face was red, and she seemed fatigued.

"I... I'm fine," Marinette said, trying to maintain herself. "I... I had no idea that happened."

"Anyway," Adrien continued. "I talked to Luka, and the two of us came to an understanding. He's a stand-up guy. I don't have any problem with the two of you being together. I still hope that the two of us can hang out and talk like we used to."

"Thanks... Adrien..." Marinette said, but then she pitched backward, her eyes closed, and she moaned.

"HEY!" Adrien shouted, catching Marinette with his arms. He then placed the back of his hand against her forehead. "Mon dieu... Marinette, you're on fire!"

Marinette's breathing was labored and her face was redder than the ladybug-themed clothes she would often wear. And she was beginning to sweat, too.

Adrien helped her to stand and walk, and once he made it to his car, he shouted to the chauffeur, "Drive! Back to Marinette's apartment ASAP!"

"Understood, young master!" The driver replied, detecting the panic in his charge's voice.

He floored the gas and started driving back to Marinette's apartment complex. Adrien was holding Marinette in his lap and trying to get her to stay awake.

"Come on, Marinette, stay with me!" Adrien panicked, not sure what to do. He took his phone out and then called up Nino.

Back with Luka and Nino, they were still working on fixing the damage on the boat. Nino heard his phone going off and it turned out to be Adrien.

"It's Adrien," Nino said. "I wonder what's going on?"

"Maybe he wants to report on how it went with Marinette?" Luka suggested.

He immediately picked up and said, "Hey, bud. How'd it go with Marinette?"

"It went fine, but that's not important right now! Where's Luka?!" Adrien said, urgency lacing his voice.

"Um, he's right here. Let me put you on speaker." Nino said, concerned.

He pressed the speaker button and Luka came closer to listen.

"Adrien, what's going on?" Luka asked.

"Marinette's collapsed!" Adrien shouted. "A bad fever! You gotta get over to her place! Now!"

Luka's eyes widened. He looked to Nino, who nodded, telling him to go and be by his girlfriend's side. Luka hit the ground running and started making a mad dash for Marinette's apartment, hoping to help her get better.


I'm glad that got resolved without any extreme fights or arguments, but now we have another problem: Marinette's sick!

And before we sign off, I'm excited! Luka and Kagami are going to be making an appearance in upcoming episode "Frozer," along with the new ice powers! I'm sure my fellow Lukanette/Adrienette shippers and I will get more moments for those pairs! I can't wait! Hopefully we'll see more sides to Luka and that will make continuing this story a lot easier.