Desideratum

Chapter 36

Later that night, Marinette climbed in bed, dressed in one of Luka's long-sleeved shirts. She pressed a kiss to his lips, then snuggled beside him as he draped the blanket over both of them while cradling her to his chest with one arm.

What had begun as a light snowfall had quickly turned into a raging storm, and the large house took longer than usual in warming up. "I love you," Luka murmured against her temple, his chest rumbling beneath her hand.

Marinette smiled. "I love you, too."

"I never want you to leave again." He had never been happier than he was now, but there were days like these that always made him aware of how much he had actually missed her. He had spent nearly a year with her, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile, but knowing that she was so far away.

And now that he had her in his arms again…

"I didn't get back with you to leave you," Marinette answered in a calm voice. His embrace tightened. "I've changed."

Heaving a sigh, she shook her head and slipped out of his arms, sitting up. "Luka, I don't want you to blame yourself for our separation just because you were the one who was gone all the time and I was the one to leave," she told him, gazing seriously into his eyes. "It was my duty to keep our marriage together just as much as it was yours."

"I know, but…" He swallowed. Sometimes, the need to explain himself was unbearable. "I was young, I was… inexperienced, I guess you could say. Things were bad enough to make me lose control—and I mean, me."

She laughed lightly at that.

"I wanted to solve everything… that's why I was there, right?" His voice lowered to a pained whisper. "I didn't realize I was destroying the only thing that truly mattered to me in the process."

"Don't say that," she chided softly, brushing her fingers against his cheek. "You've always cared about—about everyone around you."

Luka nodded. "I know. I want to do good. But my heart is all yours. My family's."

Bending down, she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He sighed. "I will never shun you out again."

"I know," she told him, and rested her head on his shoulder in a way that she could still see him. "You've proved me that. But that was not our problem, Luka. Not mine, at least. I didn't need to know everything that happened in the world. What I needed was for you to trust me. To know that you could tell me anything when and if you wanted."

Eyes soft, Luka reached out to tenderly brush a lock of hair away from her face.

Marinette smiled. "And you do now," she continued. "You see me as what I am and what I always was: your equal, your partner."

Luka shifted so that he was lying on his side, before pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"I missed you," he repeated for the second time that day, a pained furrow between his brows.

"Me too," she whispered against his skin. "I was obviously better off without you… without the fights, the screams… but… remember those nights, when you wrapped your arms around me and held me tight, like now? I swear I forgot all of our problems then. Every single time, I was ready to start over."

"I know," he murmured. "Every time I felt you were so close to me… I swear I wanted to make things right… I just didn't know how."

Releasing a soft sigh, Marinette cuddled closer to his warmth and nuzzled his neck. "You're here now," she said. "Just… never leave again."

Luka kissed her dark hair and tightened his arms around her. "How could I? I have all I need right here."

Strangely enough, the morning found them equally as cold. They took a hot shower, and Luka assured her that it should get warmer by the time lunch rolled around.

While he got dressed, Marinette made her way to Cadence's room to check on him. She made sure to be silent as she pushed the door open, and her eyes softened at the sight that met her.

He was curled up in a little ball, the covers up to his shoulders, hair scattered all over the pillow. The large dog was lying at his feet, also curled up, and lifted his head to look at her when his keen ears managed to pick up the little noise she had made.

Turning around, the dark fetched another blanket from a storage closet in the hallway, before returning to her son's room to drape it over his small form. Carefully tucking him in, she bent down and pressed a loving kiss to his forehead, gently smoothing her hand over his rebellious hair. Luka smiled at the sight from the doorway.

"You know, he looked pretty warm to me," he teased as Marinette straightened and began to make her way towards him. Spaceball huffed and jumped off the bed, following her.

She rolled her eyes. "He never stays covered during the night. And he never curls up like that." Luka grinned as he grasped her hands and guided her into his arms.

She cocked an eyebrow at his action and he chuckled, lightly stroking her lower back. "It's ridiculous that you worry you're not a good mother," he told her.

"That's what we do—us, normal people. We worry," she replied, with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Alright?"

Luka laughed and attempted to kiss her, but she fought her way out of his arms and pushed him away before he could even touch her lips. Another laugh escaped him as she swiftly turned around and walked downstairs, Spaceball following close behind her.

"Hey, come on," he said, the grin obvious in his voice, as he made his way into the kitchen, after her. "I'll make you breakfast."

With a snort, Marinette turned around to face him. "You'll do what?"

"I'll make you breakfast," he repeated. "I can cook. I can make an omelet."

He grinned sheepishly. "It's the only thing I can get right."

Marinette took a moment to process the information, before she crossed her arms over her chest. "So, that night… you two didn't even try to cook me dinner. You just promised him you'll take him to McDonald's, and that was that."

"Kind of," he laughed.

She sighed and pulled out a seat for herself at the table. "I'd hoped you'd had fun picking up after yourself," she drawled. Luka shook his head. "You know, you seem to have forgotten that day, when you were sick and I cooked you breakfast."

A moment of silence passed before she was able to tell exactly what he was talking about. "I did," she admitted with a small laugh. "My bad. But you could have simply ordered something from a restaurant."

"I'm glad you think my omelet is worthy of a restaurant," Luka shot back, which earned him another laugh and a roll of her eyes.

"By the way," he added as he began to move around the kitchen, pulling out the ingredients he would need to make his signature dish. "I have to be in London tonight… and I was hoping you two would want to come with me."

Marinette frowned as stood from her seat, slowly closing the distance between them. "Come with you?" she asked, as though wanting to make sure she had heard right.

"Sure," he confirmed. "I mean, it probably won't be the coolest weekend, because I'll have things to do, but it's London, and at least that way you won't be alone." Pausing, he turned and grasped her hips, tugging her into his arms. He smiled and kissed her nose. "What do you say? Do you want to come?"

Her answer came quickly—in the shape of a whispered thank you and a passionate kiss.