Hey guys. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to get this chapter up on time due to an emergency that I had to deal with, but luckily everything turned out okay. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reviews on the previous chapter. I was shocked that people were actually still reading this story. Thank you so much for sticking with me despite my long hiatus.

Chapter 6: Awkward Misery

As soon as Marinette had transformed back into her civilian self behind a tree in the park, the misery instantly hit her again now that she was away from any distractions. Adrien's words continued to ring around in her mind, never ceasing in their endless torture. Everything that she had been holding back during the battle came rushing up to the surface, almost drowning her. Her throat closed up, and tears once again began stinging her eyes.

It seemed no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, or try to take her own advice she had just given herself and that girl about moving on, the pain still felt incredibly fresh and raw.

But Marinette supposed that it would take time. She was kidding herself if she thought she could just get over something like that. She had spent such a long time loving and longing for Adrien, that finally learning to let go would be extremely difficult. Because no matter what he thought of her, or how much he had hurt her by being in love with another, Marinette still couldn't help but love him.

And that just hurt her even more.

"Marinette?" a soft voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Marinette glumly looked down into her pink purse to see her little red kwami, Tikki, staring up at her with worry filling her large, blue eyes. Even though she knew that her kwami didn't like to judge her, Marinette couldn't help but feel a little bit ridiculous. Embarrassment began to consume her the more she thought of how silly she must look to everyone. Pining after Adrien for so long only for it to be revealed that he was in love with someone else. Marinette didn't think she had ever felt more stupid. What must everyone be thinking of her?

"I feel so stupid," Marinette voiced her thoughts, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Don't talk like that Marinette," Tikki tried to comfort her, "a lot of humans experience similar situations to this. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Marinette sniffed. "Do you think that, maybe, it wasn't meant to be?"

"What do you mean?"

"If Adrien is in love with someone else, does that mean that he'll never see me in a romantic way? Does that mean we're just not destined to be together? Has everything that I've done, all the feelings I've experienced, just meaningless and a complete waste of time?" Marinette began to question.

Tikki looked away awkwardly. "Errrr, look, I just wouldn't do anything rash or start thinking badly about yourself. These things always have a funny way of working themselves out. Nothing is a waste of time if you choose to try and learn from it."

Marinette looked down after hearing Tikki's words, wondering why her kwami was acting a little awkward, but at the same time, knowing that what she had said was right. She shouldn't do anything rash. As tempting as it was to yell, cry and scream, and go storming to Adrien and Kagami and to maybe hurt them like they had hurt her, or to try and sabotage their relationship, Marinette knew that wasn't the right thing to do.

Her mind was a confused mess right now, and Marinette didn't want to make things any worse than they already were. She had already embarrassed herself in front of Tikki, Alya and Nino. Not to mention that things probably would have been a lot worse if Marinette had actually got around to confessing her feelings today. Maybe today was some sort of weird blessing in disguise? She found out the truth of Adrien's feelings for her without humiliating herself in front of him, and she had found comfort in Luka, who turned out to be a really good and understanding friend.

The thought of Luka once again made her heart skip a beat. He had been so sweet to her. Maybe having someone like that around her was what she needed right now. He was such a calming presence, and he never pushed her, never looked at her weird and never judged her whenever she would stutter in front of him. But still, she couldn't help but feel awkward around him. The compass in her brain was once again spinning around crazily, like Luka was some sort of powerful magnet.

That was when it dawned on Marinette that she had left everyone behind. Were they okay? Were they looking for her? Was Luka still looking for her? Did he still care after Ladybug gave him some reassurance?

Remembering their embrace sent a shiver up Marinette's spine, but she quickly forced herself to snap out of it.

"We better get back, Tikki," Marinette proclaimed, quickly closing her purse again before emerging from behind the tree.

People were beginning to drift back into the park, cheering for Ladybug and Chat after they once again saved the day. There were also people looking for loved ones that they had lost track of, and there were happy scenes of reconciliation as friends and family embraced and checked on each other. The sight warmed Marinette's heart like it always did, but that layer of sadness and humiliation just refused to disappeared. It had latched onto her, wrapping itself around like a suffocating blanket.

Marinette looked around, looking for any sign of Alya or Luka. Her heart sank when she couldn't catch any sign of Luka's dark blue hair in the crowd, and she felt a lot more disappointed than she expected she would be. He was gone. And she would probably rarely if ever see him again now. Their meeting today had been a complete chance encounter. Marinette just wished that she could at least thank him for everything he had done for her this afternoon.

"Marinette!" a panicked yet excited voice called out to her.

At first she had hoped that it was Luka, her heart fluttering in her chest at the thought, however, within the split second it had taken her to become excited and relieved, her brain finally recognised that the voice was actually Alya's. Still feeling relieved though, Marinette turned around to see her best friend running towards her with her phone held tightly in her hand as a frustrated look completely replaced her expression of relief at the sight of Marinette.

"Where on earth did you get to? I was so worried about you," Alya gasped out, coming to a stop in front of her and placing her hands on her knees so that she could catch her breath.

"Oh I – umm…" Marinette stuttered. "I…got rescued by Ladybug," she quickly came up with at last, remembering that she had told Luka and Chat Noir as Ladybug that she had rescued Marinette. She needed to try and keep her story straight after all.

"Really?!" Alya's eyes lit up. "That is so amazing! No but seriously, you didn't get hurt did you?"

Marinette shook her head.

"As for me," Alya growled, growing frustrated again, "I pretty much missed the whole thing. I went looking for you, and when I couldn't find you, I wondered if maybe you had left the park and gone home, and I was about to head there when all of the action started, only police quickly formed a block-aid around the park, so I couldn't get back to record everything for the Ladyblog."

"Oh, well – umm – better luck next time," Marinette said as she patted Alya on the shoulder.

"Are you okay? And I'm not talking about the akuma incident this time," Alya asked, flipping from frustrated to concerned.

"Oh…I…"

However, Marinette was interrupted by the sound of someone calling her name once again. Only this time, Marinette knew that it wasn't Alya. The voice was soothingly familiar. A voice she thought she would be unlikely to hear again after today. Could she be dreaming? Her stomach immediately exploded into a million butterflies, and her heart felt like it was about to come to a sudden halt. She turned around nervously before having to resist the huge smile that tugged at the corner of her lips at the sight of Luka running towards her.

"Marinette!" Luka called again, getting closer and closer, looking more relieved now that he had confirmation that it was indeed her.

"Luka!" Marinette called back, waving at him.

"Luka?" Alya questioned, looking confused.

He came to a halt in front of them, only having eyes for Marinette as he smiled down at her in relief. It was a soft smile that melted Marinette's heart. She could feel her cheeks staining pink as she craned her neck to look up at him, his dark blue hair falling slightly in front of his eyes, which were warm and peaceful like a tropical ocean.

They stood almost awkwardly in front of each other, seemingly both wanting to embrace the other, but ultimately deciding to dare not do so. Marinette really couldn't believe it. Despite reassurance from Ladybug, Luka had still come looking for her. He wanted to make absolutely sure that she was alright, and Marinette couldn't be more touched by the situation. She was glad to see that he was okay, her heart having still not fully recovered from seeing him sacrificing himself for her, turning him into stone.

"I'm so glad that you're okay," Luka spoke after what felt like an eternity, "I heard that Ladybug saved you."

"Y-yeah," Marinette replied, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Ladybug saved me too."

"That's great!"

Marinette then froze as Luka placed a hand on her shoulder. His touch sent a warm shiver throughout her entire body, and she could feel her cheeks growing even hotter, no doubt leaving her as red as a tomato. But all she could focus on was Luka's handsome face, and his comforting and concerned smile. He leaned down towards her slightly, lowering his voice.

"And are you okay from before?" he asked in a hushed and discrete whisper.

Marinette bit her lip and nodded, not trusting her own voice. It wasn't exactly the truth, but she had nodded before she could stop herself as she was too hypnotised by Luka's light blue eyes. He seemed relieved to hear her say that though, but at the same time, he didn't look too convinced.

However, Marinette was soon brought out of her trance when Luka removed his hand from her shoulder and adjusted his guitar on his back before pulling some paper and a pen out of a pocket on the inside of his jacket. Marinette watched in confusion as Luka quickly wrote something down, cutely holding the pen lid in his mouth as he did so. Before Marinette knew it, Luka had placed the piece of paper in her hands, and she instinctively grabbed it without even looking down at it.

Luka put his pen away before offering Marinette a soft smile again.

"If you ever want to talk, or vent, or get something off your chest, then please feel free to come and talk to me again," Luka offered. "Especially if you need a little bit of music to soothe you."

And with that, Luka placed his hand on Marinette's shoulder one final time before turning his back and walking away. All Marinette could do was stare at the back of his retreating form with her mouth hanging open slightly.

That was…so sweet of him.

He barely even knew her, yet he was offering to be there for her whenever she needed him. She wasn't sure how long she continued to stand there in shock, but no doubt it wasn't long as there was no way that Alya was going to let something like this slide and go unquestioned for long.

"Girl, what just happened?" Alya shrieked.

"Huh…what?" Marinette shook her head to clear it before her eyes finally refocused back on Alya. "I don't know."

Alya then smirked at her. "What exactly did you get up to this afternoon?"

"Oh I…I bumped into Luka," Marinette stuttered her explanation.

"So I see," Alya purred coyly.

"Hey, what are you using that tone for?" Marinette questioned in paranoia.

Alya said nothing as she continued to smirk before grabbing hold of the piece of paper that was in Marinette's hands so that she could get a better look at it. Marinette hadn't even looked at it yet. It could be something private that was on there. But still, Marinette huffed and relented, knowing that there was no point in fighting her best friend on this. Alya would always win.

Instead, she simply stood and watched as Alya examined whatever Luka had written down. She slid her glasses dramatically down her nose before pushing them back up with a shocked expression on her face. Alya stared back at Marinette in disbelief, looking like she was lost for words. This startled Marinette, as Alya was never left speechless.

"Wha –" Marinette was about to ask before Alya cut her off.

"Girl, he's given you his number!"

"What?!" Marinette shrieked in shock, grabbing the piece of paper back from Alya.

There was no mistaking the number that was written down. Luka…Luka Couffaine…had given her his number? Marinette's brain refused to process those words. H-how was it possible? Why had he done this? Was he feeling okay? What was going on? The questions continued to dizzily spin around Marinette's brain, making her almost feel like she was going to faint.

Of course there was no way that Luka had done this with romantic intentions. He was just being a good friend and trying to help her out. Marinette's heart deflated with both relief yet also sadness at that revelation. Did…did Marinette want Luka to have romantic intentions towards her?

No! That was ridiculous.

She still had feelings for Adrien. She wasn't ready for more heartbreak and for chasing after a boy again. She was still getting over what had just happened with Adrien. Luka was older than her. He was one of her closest friend's brother. She couldn't have feelings for her friend's brother, that would be weird, not to mention awkward.

But the more Marinette tried to convince herself otherwise, the more miserable she began to become. There was no way that Luka could have feelings for her anyway. She was after all younger than him, and friends with his sister. Why would Luka even be interested in her anyway? She was nothing special, especially after the amount of times she had embarrassed herself in front of him.

"Marinette, now you have to tell me what you've been up!" Alya demanded.

"What? Nothing!" Marinette defended herself quickly. "We just bumped into each other and got talking, that's all."

"Awww, I bet that there was a lot of comforting involved given how upset you were." Alya clasped her hands together and put on an exaggerated dreamy expression.

Marinette glared at her. "Well, so what if he did comfort me? That doesn't mean anything. You're looking way too much into things. He was just trying to help me."

"Says the girl who disappeared and then came back with a handsome, older boy who then gave her his number," Alya laughed out, sounding positively giddy with excitement.

"He was just being nice!"

"Luka liiiiikkkkees you," Alya teased.

"No he doesn't!" Marinette hissed.

"You didn't let the grass grow did you?"

"Alya, please! Enough!" Marinette begged. "Luka was just being nice, that's all. There's nothing going on between us. I don't have it in me to think about boys right now. I've only just found out that the love of my life is in love with someone else. I don't need this right now."

Alya looked awkward guilty, biting her lip as she rubbed her arm. "Sorry."

Marinette sighed. "It's okay. I just want to go ho –"

"Alya, there you are!" Nino's voice interrupted Marinette as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere before scooping Alya up into his arms and hugging her tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright! Adrien and I got trapped in a café and the police wouldn't let us out because of the akuma attack!"

"Hey, put me down you big softy," Alya joked, but still squeezing Nino back just as tightly.

Nino eventually put her down, but they kept their arms wrapped around each other, leaving Marinette feeling like an awkward third wheel. Seeing them together caused a horrific thought to occur. Since their best friends were dating, that would mean that Marinette wouldn't be able to avoid Adrien. She would likely have to deal with watching as the love of her life dated Kagami. The thought sliced her directly through the heart, leaving her chest feeling cold and tight.

Misery overwhelmed her again, and she quickly looked away in embarrassment when both Nino and Alya noticed this. She could feel Alya's sympathetic eyes on her as the two of them struggled to think of something helpful to say.

"Where is Adrien?" Alya asked, looking around cautiously.

"He was with me in the café," Nino explained, "only he went to the bathroom and vanished, and I haven't been able to find him. I thought that he might be here."

"I am here," a voice that led to another slash of Marinette's heart spoke up.

Adrien finished walking towards them, looking relieved to see them all safe. Marinette, however, just couldn't bear to bring herself to look at him. It was just too much. Seeing him ripped open the wounds that were now covering her body, leaving her bleeding everywhere and in an immense amount of pain. All she wanted to do was burst into tears. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and cry out her feelings for him. She wanted him to take her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay. To tell her that he didn't really love Kagami, and that he had just said that because he was too scared to admit his feelings for her. Then they would embrace and everything would be alright.

But real life didn't play out like a fantasy.

Instead, all Adrien did was stand there, completely oblivious to everything that was going on inside her head right now. It was best that it stayed that way. Marinette wasn't sure if she could deal with the added embarrassment, or guilt over possibly making Adrien feel guilty. She didn't want things to be more awkward between them than they already were.

"Do you guys want to head back to the café and get something to drink?" Adrien offered.

Alya and Nino looked at Marinette awkwardly, their loyalties obviously very torn by the situation. Marinette decided it was best to save them and take herself out of the equation.

"Umm, thanks for the offer, but I think I'm going to head home," Marinette tried to say as politely as she could, cringing as her voice began shaking in certain parts.

She still couldn't look at Adrien, instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked away, using her dark hair to shield as much of her face as possible.

"Oh." Adrien sounded a little bit upset at that. "Are you okay, Marinette?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Marinette managed to stammer out. "I think I'm just feeling a little bit unwell."

"Do you need any help?" Adrien offered. "We could stay with you and hang out at your house if that's what you'd prefer? I don't mind helping you out."

No, really, I'm fine," Marinette insisted, "I just need some space and alone time. I wouldn't want you guys catching it after all. I'll be fine, you guys just go on without me and have fun."

Adrien looked stunned and confused, obviously sensing that something was wrong.

"Are you sure?" Alya asked, sounding concerned.

"Of course I am," Marinette said as she shooed them away, "don't let me ruin your fun. Like I said, I'll be fine."

"Alright then…" Alya didn't sound too sure as the three of them began to walk off unwillingly, Adrien still staring at her in confusion, though Marinette quickly looked away.

"I'll see you later," Marinette mumbled as she began walking off in the opposite direction.

She could feel their eyes boring holes into the back of her head as she continued to walk away. She placed her hands in her pockets, biting her lip as it took every last ounce of her willpower not to turn around. Her eyes began to sting once again, but Marinette fought the tears back. She felt so ridiculous and babyish for crying like this over Adrien. But soon, she would be back in her room, with no one but Tikki for company just like she wanted it. Then she could finally start to process what had just happened.

When she made it back to her family's bakery, Marinette snuck in through the back door, not wanting to have to face her parents and continue to put on a normal or cheery façade so that they wouldn't worry about her. Right now, Marinette just wanted to be left alone. She needed to clear her head and needed some space to breathe. No doubt if her parents knew that she was upset they would swarm all over her, hovering over her and asking all sorts of questions that Marinette just couldn't face right now.

Luckily, she managed to sneak upstairs and into the empty apartment. She quickly shut the world out before making her way up into her bedroom. She slowly shut the door behind her before collapsing down on top of it, unable to hold the tears back any longer. She vaguely felt Tikki flying out of her purse before snuggling up to her in an effort to provide some sort of comfort.

"I feel so confused and lost, Tikki," Marinette sobbed out.

"Everything will be fine, Marinette, you'll see," Tikki reassured her softly.

As much as Marinette wanted to believe her beloved kwami, her mind had now been filled with doubt and mistrust after today's events. Her heart ached, and her shoulders began to slump in defeat. Today had certainly not gone as planned. Marinette was now left feeling more miserable, awkward, lonely and insecure than ever.

Adrien didn't have feelings for her. Her hopes and dreams had been squashed.

He loved another.

As Marinette prepared to push herself up off the floor to bury herself under her covers in bed, the piece of paper with Luka's number on it fell out of her pocket.

Marinette froze and picked it up before examining it again. Spending some time with Luka was probably the only silver lining she could find in an otherwise awful day. He had listened to her and been there for her. He had played her a song to help calm her down. He didn't judge her. He had told her that he would be there for her, despite the fact that they barely knew each other.

Yet…it already felt like they had some sort of deep connection.

All of these confusing thoughts continued to swirl around in Marinette's mind as she continued to stare down at Luka's number, her own advice from earlier echoing around and around, as the thought of Luka and his kindness provided her with a source of life and warmth in the otherwise cold and dark void.

Poor Marinette, but it looks like things are developing in other areas of her life. What do you guys think? Will she give Luka a call at some point? Also, I apologise if this chapter wasn't written that well as I've had a bit of a hectic day, so finishing this chapter off was an exhausting nightmare. But I hope that you can't tell. You guys be the judge by letting me know your thoughts in a review. It always really helps me out. See you next Monday.