Disclaimer: I don't own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir

Author's Note: I will be posting a few chapters again today.

Desideratum

Chapter 11

There were no words to describe his surprise when Marinette climbed out of the car that morning and approached him. Steering Cadence towards the nearly deserted beach with a hand over his back and a quiet command, she continued on her way towards him.

Although almost numb with confusion, he took her lead and began to follow her once she had reached his side. For a long moment, she was silent. Looking straight ahead, she seemed to be debating something.

"I'm sorry," she eventually said, halting her movements as she came to stand in front of him. The wind whipped over her face and played with her hair, forcing her to tuck dark locks behind her ears in an effort to tame the dancing silky strands.

Luka raised his eyebrows. "Are you?"

"Yes," she answered firmly, confidently. "For not granting you the right to see Cadence grow. Am I sorry for what I've done? For keeping away when I should have come back? Not entirely. Because—my actions were logical back then. And, quite honestly, they still are. Maybe I was selfish—or maybe I sure was—but… but I didn't want to come back. I didn't want to suddenly find myself back in that house, back with you, after I'd forced myself—after I'd gathered every bit of courage I had—to leave you. I couldn't stand to be one more moment by your side."

He nodded slowly, and looked down at his feet, allowing the information to sink in before he reached a conclusion. "Do you hate me?" he asked, resigned, yet at the same time, hopeful.

"No," she answered, shaking her head.

The relieved breath he exhaled went unnoticed.

"I could never hate you. But I didn't want anything to do with you anymore."

"I see."

"We weren't ready to have a child, Luka. No matter how many movies we've seen where it says a baby solves everything. For Cadence to grow in the environment that existed in that house…"

"You weren't ready to have a child, either, Marinette," he interrupted her, gazing down at her with a piercing look.

There was a silent confidence in her eyes when she answered, "That changed when I held him in my arms for the first time. True, my dreams came to a halt when I learned I was pregnant with him, but it-he's still the best thing that ever happened to me."

Luka heaved a sigh, running a hand through his messy hair and shaking his head as he admitted, "I don't know what you expect from me now, Marinette."

"Nothing. But Cadence… he might have some expectations, and if you could meet them, I would be very grateful."

"Cadence is my son. And he bears no fault in this whole… situation. You don't, either—at least not entirely." He paused, taking a deep breath. "You made your decision based on what had happened between us, and I… as much as I want to, I can't blame you for making the choice you've made."

"Tossing the blame around won't help. Neither will dividing it, nor will trying to find explanations for things that happened so much time ago. What I said… a few days ago, about how I wanted nothing to do with you… That was stupid. You are the father of my child, and I… There is something binding us, as much as I'd like it not to."

"And we have to get along," he agreed with a nod.

"We do. Regardless, I'm leaving," she announced, already taking a step away. "Don't retain Cadence too much. We—"

"You're leaving?" a new voice inquired, surprised.

Marinette froze at the sight of her son, with sand on his feet and pants wet up to his knees. She raised an eyebrow. "You sincerely thought it would be a good idea to just—take off running into the water," she stated.

Cadence laughed. "Yeah," he admitted.

"Okay." She breathed in deeply. "Yes, I'm leaving. Try not to be late, because I want you to do your homework today —"

"What?" he demanded, eyes wide. "Why?"

His mother placed her hands on her hips, gazing down at him with an annoyed look in her eyes. "You know I have to be in London tonight."

"Oh, yes. I forgot."

"I am not surprised.

"But I can do my homework on my own!" he offered. "I did it before!"

"Don't remind me," she advised.

Luka laughed as he joined the conversation, "I can help."

She spared him a sideward glance. "You?" she jeered.

"Yes," he answered. "Why not?"

"Why do you think?"

"Come on," he said, "I grew up."

She raised her eyebrows. "Did you, now?"

He rolled his eyes playfully. "That was just mean."

Marinette heaved a sigh. "Yes, the truth hurts. Regardless," she said, turning her attention back to Cadence. "You—"

"Let me take him to my place tonight, after all you will be gone th whole weekend for this business trip and why hire a babysitter when he's father is here?" Luka suggested, interrupting her impending sentence.

"Why would I do that?" she countered, raising an eyebrow. "I will be home right after this trip and I trust Marie, his babysitter, to keep occupied until I return. And he already knows—"

"I know. I don't doubt that he can take care of himself. But… Come on, let him."

"I can't," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "You don't know what he eats, what he—" Luka almost rolled his eyes. "He has a mouth."

She was about to retort, but then she changed her mind. Closing her mouth, she turned to Cadence. "Do you want that?" she asked him, her voice gentle.

The boy shrugged. "I don't mind."

"You're still doing your homework tonight," she warned, but her words lacked conviction. Luka wondered if his son could feel that as well as he could.

He rolled his eyes. "I already knew that."

"Fine," she said, before swiftly side-stepping them.

She was already halfway the distance to her car when Luka made up his mind, running after her. He called out her name before he came to a stop beside her. The blonde frowned as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, looking up at him suspiciously. Opening her mouth, she was about to demand explanations, when his next words knocked the breath out of her.

"Let him spend the whole weekend with me."

"What?" she spluttered.

"Let me spend Sunday with him, too."

"Luka, I…"

"Come on," he pleaded. "Use the time to rest, to relax… anything." He shrugged. "I'll bring him home on Sunday evening, I swear."

She hesitated for a long while. As a silent battle seemed to take place in her eyes, realization slowly dawned on him: this wasn't easy for her. For him, the situation was as simple as it could get at this moment; all he had to do was ask. But she? She had to give. Give and give until almost nothing remained for her.

Eventually, after a long, tension-filled pause, she nodded. "Okay."

As she turned without another word and walked the remaining distance to her car, Luka almost felt sorry for the proposition he had made her. He should have been more considerate. Cadence was the only family she had, and she had never had to share him with anybody until now.

But there was a selfish part of him, a much larger, dominant part, that told him that perhaps he had the right to spend time with his child much more than she did—or ever would, now.

A/N: Exams are almost over, yay! Please leave a review. Thanks!