Hmmm, looks like me trying to update this story at least every two weeks hasn't gotten off to the best start. But I am hoping to try and write a load of chapters of this story in advance soon, so hopefully there will be no more large gaps between updates. If you keep up with my blog, you probably already know how weird and chaotic things have been for me lately. But thank you so much for your patience, and thank you for all of your amazing reviews! I always really appreciate feedback!

Chapter 3: Under The Oak Tree

As Marinette remained curled up beneath the tree, it still felt like her insides were being ripped out of her. But the shade of the tree helped Marinette feel a little bit more sheltered from the world. She kept her face hidden behind her arms and knees as she remained curled up in a foetal position, wishing that the tree she was leaning against would just swallow her up. But of course, Marinette had no such luck.

That thought just seemed to send Marinette over the edge even more. She could feel her sorrow, her heartbreak, building up inside her, completely consuming her like she had become possessed. There was no light, no happiness, left within her. It was like Adrien had just dragged her through the river Styx, draining all the hope out of her before abandoning her in a dreary land of nothing but cold emptiness.

She was trapped on a dirt island in the middle of the vast grey river. Alone. Just like she was obviously destined to be. Because if she couldn't be with Adrien, then what or who else was there? He was the love of her life. She was so sure that they were soulmates. That they would get married one day and live in a nice house with three kids, a dog, and a hamster.

That dream was now shrinking and getting further and further away before Marinette's eyes, until it disappeared completely. She had just been fooling herself. She honestly didn't blame Adrien. Why would a handsome, kind, amazing person like Adrien want someone like Marinette anyway? She was just nobody. Marinette had never been particularly unhappy with herself, but she knew deep down that Adrien was always way out of her league.

Why should she have expected today to go any differently? She had the bad, gut feeling. She should have listened to it. Now she felt utterly humiliated. Nino and Alya would pity her. Everyone at school would laugh at how pathetic Marinette's crush was. Did they all know? Did they all know that Adrien really had feelings for Kagami? How stupid must have Marinette looked all this time?

At the thought of Kagami, Marinette began to sob harder, the tears never seeming to end, gushing down her cheeks like two eternal waterfalls. Marinette did her best to muffle her cries though. The last thing that she wanted was someone coming over to see what was going on. Right now, Marinette wanted nothing more than to be left alone. To wallow in her own misery and never have to face anyone. She was embarrassed. She was humiliated. She had been deluded. She…had lost all hope.

Feeling her heart pulsating painfully in her chest, Marinette could have sworn that she heard the sound of something fluttering next to her ear. She was just about to swat what she guessed was an insect away from her head when she suddenly froze as the air began to vibrate slightly around her. The unmistakable sound of guitar music began to fill her ears, and Marinette's head quickly snapped up in confusion, her feelings of hopelessness and heartbreak momentarily forgotten as the peaceful and calming melody carried them away and banished them.

Marinette gasped and began looking around worriedly as what ever had been flying around her head had suddenly vanished. However, the sound of the soothing music continued, sounding almost like it was coming from behind her. This caused Marinette to freeze in fear. Someone was nearby. Had they heard her? Marinette could already feel heat filling her already flushed cheeks as a result of that thought.

Holding her breath, Marinette began to slowly crawl around to peek around the trunk of the tree. She saw the neck of the guitar before anything else. So someone was sitting behind her. How long had they been there? Had they heard her crying? Marinette let out a low gasp of horror at the thought. However, it wasn't long before the person sitting on the other side of the tree shifted their weight, and Marinette finally managed to catch a glimpse of them. Her pulsating heart froze at the sight of thick black and blue hair.

No…

It…it couldn't be…

The music continued to play, however, Marinette could no longer fully enjoy its beauty. All she could think about was the horror she would experience if Luka noticed she was here right now. He hadn't said anything, so maybe that definitely meant that he didn't know that she was there. She could only hope anyway. Maybe while he was distracted playing his guitar, it would provide Marinette with the perfect opportunity to quietly slip away.

Biting her lip, Marinette very slowly and quietly rose to her feet and began to tip-toe away. So far, so good, she thought to herself, her eyes now dry and stinging from all the crying she had been doing. She just needed to make it home. Then she could collapse onto her bed and continue to cry into the night. She just needed to slip away from Luka, and maybe try and avoid being spotted by Alya if her best friend was still here looking for her.

Focusing all of her attention straight ahead, it wasn't long before her foot collided with something hard that was sticking out of the ground. Marinette yelped as she tripped over one of the roots of the tree, falling flat on her face into the grass. The sound of guitar music abruptly stopped, and Marinette just remained laying on the ground, defeated.

"Are you okay?" asked the soft, low voice of Luka.

Marinette could now sense that he was next to her, but still, she remained frozen on the ground. This could not be happening to her right now. The day just seemed to keep getting worse and worse. Not only had she embarrassed herself in front of all of her friends and gotten her heart broken, but now she had embarrassed herself in front of Luka too. Marinette dreaded to think what Luka must think of her right now.

"I-I'm fine," Marinette mumbled into the dirt, still not moving. She longed for nothing more than to press her face further down into the ground in the hopes that she could just bury her head there and never have to come up.

"Let me help you," Luka offered, and Marinette instantly felt large, warm hands wrap around her arms and attempt to hoist her up.

The electric shock that his touch sent through her startled her back into reality, and Marinette quickly jumped back up, pulling her arms out of his grasp. Their blue eyes met, both of them looking slightly startled. Marinette took a step back, words becoming stuck in her throat as she once again found herself struggling to speak to him. There was probably nothing that she could do to save the situation anyway. He probably already thought that she was crazy.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Luka tried to reassure her as he picked up his guitar and pulled the strap over his shoulder again. "You just seemed so upset that I thought maybe some music would help."

"You heard that?" Marinette's face turned bright red and she quickly looked away, biting down on her lip in horror and frustration.

"Sorry," Luka apologised awkwardly. "I was already sat there when I heard you sit at the other side of the tree and begin to cry. I didn't want to say anything as I knew words wouldn't help someone who sounded as sad as you did, but I know that music is a language that can soothe a tortured soul."

Marinette couldn't help but feel touched. He had played that song for her. He knew that she wouldn't want to be bombarded by words of comfort, for no words ever could suffice. His plan certainly had worked, for Marinette instantly remembered the calming effect his music had suddenly had on her. As always, Luka seemed to have known just the right music to play that spoke to her. Once again, Luka had chased away some of her negative feelings, just like the first time she had met him.

Luka seemed to misinterpret her silence as he clutched onto his guitar tighter and looked down as he began to angle himself to leave.

"I'm sorry, I guess you probably want to be left alone," Luka mumbled as he began to make the first step to walk away.

"No!" Marinette cried out a little too loudly before grabbing hold of his arm, her cheeks turning pink upon seeing Luka smiling down at her, and she quickly pulled her hand away out of embarrassment. "I…ummm…" Marinette froze, all of her words and thoughts becoming jumbled up inside her head.

Luka watched her, waiting patiently.

"I-I'll go, y-you were here first," Marinette stuttered, feeling her hands getting clammy as she continued to make a fool out of herself.

Luka chuckled as he sat back down under the tree, closing his eyes as he began to strum his guitar again, playing random, quiet tunes. Marinette couldn't help but remain frozen on the spot, completely transfixed by him like she had been those few weeks ago when she had first met him. There was such a comforting air around Luka, and it had Marinette instantly feeling a little less panicky about how she was acting right now. He didn't seem to mind. He never seemed startled or phased by her behaviour. He always calmly accepted her, never looking confused or worried or panicked.

It didn't matter to him that he had just heard her bawling her eyes out. It didn't matter to him that she probably looked like a complete crazy mess right now. Despite not knowing her that well, he had still tried to help her. He seemed to immediately know and respect just how hurt she was. He didn't tell her to calm down and that things would quickly get better. Instead, he played for her, hoping to soothe her pain and make it easier to ride out.

He truly was one of the sweetest people Marinette had ever met.

However, Marinette was soon snapped out of her thoughts by Luka gently tapping the spot on the grass next to him, a silent invitation. He never once opened his eyes and immediately went back to playing random tunes. But Marinette wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to be alone right now. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. Yet…Luka already had...and he was still more than happy to have her sit by him.

Biting her lip and wiping her cheeks of any tear stains, Marinette silently accepted his invitation and sat down next to him, crossing her legs and staring down at the grass sadly. She had no idea why she had accepted his invitation. Maybe it was just nice to sit with someone who was so understanding and didn't push her. Maybe Marinette had wanted the comfort more than she realised.

As much as she loved her other friends, she already knew what they were going to say. She didn't want to hear the cliché words of comfort right now. She just wanted to be free to sit in silence and just think and process what had just happened. She wanted to give in to the feelings of heartbreak, because no amount of words, no matter how strong they were, could ever help hold the pieces of her shattered heart together. Luka seemed to just automatically understand that.

Maybe that was why her body had seemed to make the decision for her to stay with him. It knew that she needed a comforting presence without them smothering her. Luka was simply letting her sit with him, sharing his tree that was currently hiding them both from the world. He was offering a refuge that Marinette so desperately needed right now. If she went home, there would be pictures of Adrien all over her wall reminding her, and Marinette wasn't sure if she could face that right now. Sitting under the oak tree provided her a safe little nest, away from the world. A world that seemed to be conspiring against her, to hurt her as much as it possibly could.

Feeling safe enough to nurse her heart, and feeling a bit calmer than she had done a few minutes ago, Marinette couldn't help but peer up at Luka slightly from under her eyelashes. His eyes were still closed, completely lost in his own music. He sat there in silence, just allowing Marinette to be alone with her own thoughts.

"T-thank you," Marinette finally broke the silence between them.

Luka's eyes slowly opened before he smiled and closed them again. "What for?"

"For…for letting me stay," Marinette replied, unable to bring herself to say anymore as she could feel a lump once again forming in her throat as well as tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

He was being so nice to her. At that moment, it didn't feel like Marinette deserved such a thing.

"I figured the tree was big enough for us to share." Luka chuckled without breaking his concentration. "Besides, you seem to need it more than I do."

"I'm sorry!" Marinette yelled all of a sudden, causing Luka to stop playing his guitar and turn to look at her with a slightly curious expression. However, Marinette did her best to ignore it, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she began pulled on her hair, curling into the tightest ball possible.

"I've probably ruined your afternoon. Here you were just trying to find some peace and quiet to play your guitar and I come storming in blubbering and crying, interrupting what you were doing, and now I'm probably annoying you, aren't I?" Marinette babbled.

"No, not at all." Luka's voice remained soft and patient as he went back to playing again. "I wasn't doing anything of particular importance, and even if I was, I still wouldn't mind. Especially since you seem so upset. If everyone stopped viewing those that are hurting and suffering as an inconvenience, then the world would be a much better place."

Marinette blinked before wiping away a stray tear that had leaked free.

"That's really nice, Luka," Marinette whispered, glancing down at the wild daisies that grew in patches among the grass.

She absentmindedly began picking at a few of them, anything she could do to distract herself and keep herself from bursting into tears again. It didn't work though as she could feel her chest heaving again as her sobs tried to desperately claw their way out. Before Marinette could even properly register what was happening, the tears burst free again, and her heart went back to tearing itself to shreds. She was hurting. She was hurting more than it ever felt possible.

Images of Adrien's face continued to assault her mind. Images of Adrien and Kagami together. Holding hands, talking together, laughing together. She was perfect for him. In her visions, they made such a lovely, cute couple. Their noble families would approve. They were a match made in heaven. Marinette wanted to be happy for them, but at the same time, it didn't stop the raging jealousy and pain from screaming and wailing within her.

She should have known. Why did she have to delude herself? It was her own fault she was in this mess.

Once again, Marinette thought she could hear the sound of fluttering right before soothing music began to play next to her again. It sounded almost like the music Luka had created for her when they had first met, only it now had a lot more detail to it and lasted much longer, before he looped back around and started again. He kept playing, and Marinette's sobs began to die down until she slowly peeked back up at Luka again.

He was concentrating on the strings of his guitar before he looked down at Marinette and smiled softly at her. Marinette's cheeks grew warm, and she quickly looked away again, instead concentrating on the music. How was it possible that every note sounded so relatable? How was Luka so easily able to capture her longing and pain when he wasn't experiencing it for himself?

But it wasn't long before the music began to change, morphing into something much more calming that had Marinette almost relaxing against the trunk of the tree. She slowly uncurled from her ball and stretched out, though she still felt tiny compared to Luka. Her head lolled back and she closed her eyes, beginning to smile slightly as she allowed herself to get lost in the music.

She imagined that she was in the middle of a vast field, far away from the city. Wildflowers grew all around her, and the sky was an infinite blue, stretching out ahead of her for miles and miles. There was not a cloud in sight, and a slight breeze took away some of the intensity of the warmth of the sun. It was so peaceful, so tranquil, to a point where Marinette almost began to forget about the pain. She could just be alone. Just enjoy being at peace. She had nothing to prove to anyone, nothing to worry about, and didn't have to worry about how she might look. She could dance through the field, and run, and laugh, brushing her fingers over the tall flowers and grass as she did so.

The final note hung in the air, the field before Marinette slowly evaporated, and she was once again staring up at the deep green leaves of the oak tree she was sitting under. Tears still stained her cheeks, however, they were no longer cascading out of her eyes. Her sobs had quietened, and her body felt much more relaxed. The pain was still there, throbbing and pulsating just as much as it had been before, but now Marinette was beginning to feel like she had the confidence to face it. That maybe there was hope that it could one day subside. That there was peace, beauty and kindness out there. The world wasn't just one big horrible place.

"I still don't know how you do that." Marinette found herself sighing.

"Music can often express thoughts and emotions that words can't," Luka explained.

"It was like," Marinette tried to explain, "you could understand what I was feeling, even though you have no idea what's wrong with me or what happened. It was like you knew exactly what image to paint in front of me, the world and things I needed to feel better." She turned to Luka and smiled. "You have such an amazing talent."

Luka stared at her, smiling.

However, his stare soon made Marinette feel incredibly self-conscious. "I-I'm sorry. I probably sound crazy, don't I?"

Luka frowned slightly. "You need to stop putting yourself down, Marinette"

"I…I…" Marinette stuttered, struggling to think of something to say.

Luka smiled and shook his head. "You're not crazy. You're…quirky."

"Quirky?" Marinette was about to be slightly offended until Luka chuckled.

"Quirky is good though. Quirky is different. Unique. It's good to be unique and different," Luka explained, beaming at her.

Marinette found herself chuckling with him before she reached forward and gently grabbed his hair without thinking. "Is that why you dye your hair all kinds of crazy colours?" She stroked the blue portions of his hair before her eyes widened and she quickly let go, yanking her hand away as if she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "S-sorry!"

Luka laughed, straightening his hair out slightly. "It's okay. I just dyed my hair blue because I like the colour. I'm not trying to prove anything or make a statement."

"I like blue too," Marinette said without thinking as she stared at his bright blue eyes. "I-I mean –" She slapped the top of her head in an effort to force herself to focus. "I-it's a nice colour. I like to use it in my designs a lot because it can have a calming effect," she said a little too quickly.

Marinette, what on earth are you talking about? She growled internally at herself. She needed to get a grip.

Feeling her face growing warm again, she once more turned her attention towards the daisies she had been messing with earlier. She plucked a few more from the ground and forced herself to focus on them in the hopes she wouldn't say anything else stupid. She began tying a few of them together, creating a daisy chain just like she used to do when her parents would take her to the park when she was a child. And Marinette did indeed feel really childish right now.

"Is Juleka's favourite colour purple then?" Marinette asked, trying to make casual conversation to help distract herself even more from the way she was feeling.

"Hmmm?" Luka sounded like Marinette had just brought him out of a deep thought. "Oh right, yeah it is. But sometimes I do think Juleka just wants to be noticed. She's very shy and often feels like nobody notices her. I'm happy that she has a friend like you though." He turned to beam down at her. "I really appreciate everything you've done for her, especially helping her get over her issue with cameras. She talks very highly of you."

"She does?" Marinette was slightly shocked by this news. She had always liked Juleka and considered her to be a good friend, but she had no idea that she talked about her at home.

"I-I just did what anyone would do," Marinette said awkwardly.

"No, you didn't." Luka shifted his weight so that he sitting much closer towards her. "You did what an amazing and wonderful friend would do and went above and beyond, so thank you."

"I…umm…" Marinette was speechless.

"So if you ever need anything, you know where we both are. We'll always be more than happy to help," Luka offered.

"Thanks, Luka." Marinette rested her head against his shoulder slightly. "That means a lot to me."

She could feel Luka's warmth, even through his jacket. She could feel his shoulders rising and falling slightly as he breathed, and the two of them just sat there for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company. Luka was truly an amazing friend, and Marinette had no idea why she didn't make more effort to spend time with him. He was incredibly easy to be with. He always just seemed to accept her, no matter how weirdly she behaved. He never judged her, and he never complained or got frustrated with her. This felt like just what she needed.

Startled slightly at what she was doing, Marinette quickly raised her head away from Luka's shoulder. That was probably a little bit too far and inappropriate. After all, they barely knew each other, and yet here she was, just resting her head against him as if they had known each other forever. Luka didn't seem to mind though, nor did he seem to take any obvious notice of her suddenly yanking herself off him. Marinette could feel her heart beating a million miles per minute as she watched him out of the corner of her eye, however, she quickly looked away when he looked back towards her.

"So," Luka began, "do you want to talk about what has you so upset?"

Marinette stared glumly at the ground. "Not really," she admitted before she could stop herself.

"That's okay," Luka pulled himself up off the ground, and Marinette stared up at him in shock and confusion.

He just…accepted that? If he had been Alya, or pretty much any of her other friends for that matter, he would not have rested until he had gotten an answer out of her. Marinette knew that it was because her friends cared, but she also couldn't help but be extremely grateful that Luka didn't want to push her or pry into her personal life. He just accepted that Marinette didn't want to talk about it. It was strange not having to be forced into admitting what was wrong with her. It felt…nice. To try and come to terms with things at her own pace and get over things at her own pace without people bombarding her with advice. Once again, Marinette felt so touched by Luka's actions.

Marinette watched as he stared at the tree, stroking the bark with his fingers before he looked down and smiled at her. "This is a place I like to come to when I need to think or if I need some space. But now, it can be your place too. Whenever you need some space, or whenever you're feeling down again, you can just come here and have some time to yourself. It's far enough away from the main path that almost no one ever comes this way."

"Luka…" Marinette gasped, her mouth hanging agape.

Luka simply smiled at her as he packed his guitar away, preparing to leave before Marinette managed to snap herself out of her daze.

"Wait, hang on!" she quickly begged, picking up the daisy chain she had placed next to her before standing up.

She reached over and gently grabbed Luka's hand, and he allowed her to guide it upwards so that his palm was facing the sky. He watched her curiously as Marinette wrapped the daisy chain around his wrist before tying both ends together, forming a bracelet. It completely clashed with his look, but at the same time, it also weirdly complimented it.

"Thank you, Luka," Marinette said as she looked up to meet his eyes again, their hands still clutching each other's. "For everything you've done for me today."

Staring into his eyes soon proved to be a fatal mistake as Marinette suddenly found herself lost in them. They were such a bright, unique shade of blue, like the sun shining on a shimmering ocean. His eyes held nothing but kindness, making Marinette feel incredibly safe and comfortable in his presence. She could almost feel herself instinctively leaning in towards his warmth, longing to be closer to him, to someone who seemed to care for her and accept her for who she was.

"Louise, wait!"

The sound of a man shouting broke Marinette out of her trance, and she turned her head to try and get a better look at where the shouting had come from. The path was a good few metres away from them, and it wasn't long before a crying woman ran into view. She was dressed up really nice, but Marinette could just about tell that some of her make-up was now running down her face.

"Just get away from me!" The woman continued to sob as a man came into view, running after her.

"I hoped that we could still be friends?" Marinette heard the man ask.

The woman, Louise, stared at the man in horror. "Friends?! You just admitted you're in love with my best friend and that you've cheated on me with her and want to be with her, and you want us to all be friends?!"

The man gulped, not knowing what to say.

Marinette heard that strange fluttering sound again, and she turned around and gasped as she saw a familiar dark butterfly fly over her head. It quickly flew towards the woman who looked like she was about to rip her necklace from around her neck until she finally caught sight of the akuma. She screamed at the sight of it and tried to swat it away with her hand, but it was too late.

"NO!" Marinette yelled.

The akuma settled onto her necklace, and the woman instantly went rigid before being engulfed in a dark purple light, transforming her into Hawkmoth's next minion.

Does anyone else think of that Victorious song, 'Best Friend's Brother', when thinking about the Lukanette ship? Because I sure do. I was constantly singing it to myself while I was writing this chapter. I wasn't feeling to well when I was finishing this chapter off, so I hope that everything has turned out okay. As always, please feel free to let me know your thoughts and opinions in a review as it always helps me out a great deal. Hopefully, next time the next chapter won't take quite as long barring nothing else happens. But anyway, I hope that you guys have a good week.

Also, I have now created a Twitter account you guys can follow where I post story update news, blog update news, Miraculous Ladybug content, and sometimes just my every day thoughts. You can also ask me questions and message me, and I'll be able to respond much quicker. Feel free to follow my account Taurus_Pixie if that sounds like something that will be of interest to you.