Title: "Lil Drummer Bois"

Author: Veritas Found

Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen

Characters/Pairings: Dingo King (OC), Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Summary: It's time for the annual Winter Showcase at Sant-Saëns, but Dingo's not exactly happy with the arrangement he and Luka have been assigned. Luka just wants to pass the term without getting expelled.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes/Warnings: I think I stress!wrote this in like an hour, then edited it sprint-style just to get it done/out. I needed some stupid, silly fluff. xD I'm in charge of the Christmas music at work, because otherwise we're stuck listening to a twenty-minute CD of "Frosty The Snowman" being sung for five and unders for eight hours straight. :D (…my taste is a little…eclectic? You go from John Denver's "Jingle Bells" (nice, mellow, children's choir in the background) to Red Handed Denial's "Last Christmas" (Lauren Babic screamo) & get stylistic whiplash. xD) Audio A does the best version of "Little Drummer Boy" you will ever hear and I will not accept criticisms. xP

"Lil Drummer Bois"

"Have you seen this shit?"

Luka looked up as the practice room door was kicked open. Dingo stood there, waving a fistful of sheet music at him. Luka, who assumed Dingo had finally gotten their assignment for the annual Winter Showcase from Huré, looked back at his own music and tried not to roll his eyes. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. It was a perfectly normal Christmas song for a perfectly normal Christmas program – sorry, Winter Showcase. That would comprise a big part of their grade for this term. That he really needed to do well in, thanks to his recent…distractions.

(Technically, his teachers couldn't fault him. Creatively…they understood the artistic spirit, but when you'd been stuck on a single song for almost a year and couldn't produce anything new for their classes, they tended to frown. And give poor marks. And jeopardize his standing as a top student at the school.)

"It's fine," he said, scribbling a note in the corner. Dingo scoffed, slapping his own music down on the table.

"It's shit, is what it is," he said.

"It's traditional," Luka countered.

"It's boring," Dingo bit back. Luka groaned and leaned forward, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"Ding, can we just…do the song they assigned us? It's really not a big deal," he said. Dingo scoffed and dropped onto the stool next to him.

"Lu, you can't honestly expect me to believe you're happy playing this," he said.

"It's a grade, Ding," Luka sighed. "Sometimes you're part of a band or have an assignment and you hate the song but you suck it up and do it anyway because you have to."

"Bullshit. Where's your Couffaine spirit, Lulu? I'm disgusted," Dingo sniffed. He held up the sheet music and jabbed an accusing finger at the title. "It's called Little Drummer Boy, and there's hardly any drums! One simple beat through the whole damn thing – how's that a drummer boy, huh? I don't even get a sick solo when I play for Him on my drum! It's an insult to my talents! To your talents!"

"It's a traditional carol that was written in 1941," Luka said. "Our talents weren't even being considered in the forties."

…their parents weren't even alive in the forties, so they definitely weren't being thought of back then.

"Well, they should be now," Dingo huffed. He tipped his head forward, his shades sliding down his nose as he wiggled his eyebrows at Luka. "C'mon, Lu. Let's mix it up. Please."

"Mlle. Damocles loves Christmas, Ding," Luka said, his expression and voice flat. "She will expel us this time if we do. No."

"She threatens that every year," Dingo scoffed. "Hasn't done it yet – not even with the pyrotechnics last year. Don't see it happening now. C'mon. Pleeeease?"

Luka would like to say he had held fast to his convictions. That he had been strong and stuck to the original assignment. That he hadn't caved and given in to the chaos Dingo King was so gladly offering.

…if nothing else, Luka would like to say he had lasted longer than five minutes and one quick YouTube search.

Luka would be a liar if he did, though, and Luka didn't like liars. As soon as Dingo pulled up the rocked-out cover from the early two thousands, he was in.

He was going to be expelled for Christmas, but at least they'd have fun getting there.

– V –

The plan was simple enough. The arrangement was simple enough. And it toed the line of traditional and edgy just enough that he was ninety percent sure Mlle. Damocles would let them slide. Probably. If she was feeling a little extra Christmas spirit. Christmas mercy and cheer and all that.

Luka wasn't nervous.

They'd rehearsed this.

They were going to be fine.

…except Marinette was in the audience, sitting between his sister and a somewhat familiar man in a dark hat, heavy coat, and shades.

"I don't think I can do this," he declared, his hand fisting in the navy curtain that hid the backstage area. Dingo twirled his drumsticks and frowned at him.

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows lifting. He assumed they were lifting, at least. Luka couldn't really see them over the gaudy, Christmas-tree shaped sunglasses he'd commissioned Marinette for. Complete with light-up stars and everything, which he would flick on right as he broke into his sick drummer boi solo.

"…wait. Wait. Hold on. Did you tell her?" he asked, snapping his head back to glare at his friend. For once, Dingo wasn't just trying to look innocent. He honestly looked surprised.

"What? No! I mean, yes, but no!" he said, shaking his head. "I told her I had to perform, and if she inferred that meant you had to perform, that was entirely her! I said nothing, mate – it was probably Jules!"

…that made sense, too. Juleka wouldn't…no, Juleka would totally throw him under the sleigh like that. She lived for that kind of sibling torture. It might have even been innocent, though he doubted it: Rose was sitting on Juleka's other side, the Captain next to her, and it was entirely likely that Marinette had just…overheard Juleka and Rose coordinating their meetup time. And, because Marinette was a good, supportive friend who always showed up with banners and cookies and the loudest voice to cheer you on, she would totally want to attend Sant-Saëns's Winter Showcase. Especially because she'd be attending the school herself next year, and it was just experiencing the school, right? There was no malicious intent behind her being here. None at –

"Mate, you good?" Dingo asked, clasping his shoulder and squeezing. "You look a little green. What's the big deal? It's just Marinette."

It was never just Marinette, and Dingo knew it.

"…she's never heard me sing, Ding," Luka said. His throat suddenly felt dry and scratchy and swollen, and they were going on as soon as Kris, Vincent, and Benny were done. Dingo snorted and clapped his back.

"Well, shit," he cackled. "Best not fuck it up then, right?"

Benny was calling out his thank yous, waving wildly to the cheering audience. Luka shot Dingo a slightly-manic grin.

"If I do, you're going to be in the river before the night's done," he said. M. Huré was already introducing them as one of the other teachers ushered Kris, Vincent, and Benny off the stage. Luka grabbed his guitar and took a deep breath. "All right. Let's rock this."

The audience started clapping as they walked onto the stage – except for that row near the middle front, which started screaming and hollering with Marinette's voice shouting louder than the others: "Wooooo, go Luka!" From the way his face moved, Luka was pretty sure Dingo winked at him, but it was hard to see his eyes through the green plastic screen of his tree shades. He took a breath as Dingo sat and rattled out a quick trill on the snare. He turned to the mic and started playing the slower, traditional arrangement Huré had given them.

"Happy Christmas, everybody," he said, grinning at the audience. He took a breath and started singing. "Come, they told me."

"Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum," Dingo joined in, still tapping out a slow, steady beat.

"A newborn King to see, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum," he continued. "Our finest gifts we…"

He paused, cutting off the song with a harsh slip of his fingers. He heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"…actually, I'm sorry," he said. He looked up with a helpless little grin and shrugged. "This doesn't really feel like our finest gifts, does it, Ding?"

"Hell no!" Dingo crowed, ignoring the scandalized "M. King!" coming from the front row. "Shred it, Lulu!"

Luka kicked at the amp by his foot, switching it on, and did just that. When he looked back up at the audience as he played the opening chords, his eyes found Marinette's in the crowd. The smile she was giving him made him a little woozy, but in all the best ways.

"Come, they told me – pa-rum-pa-pum-pum!" he screamed into the mic. The audience started screaming back, and he grinned. Dingo's head bobbed as he beat on the drums behind him. "A newborn King to see, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum! Our finest gifts we bring, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum! To lay before the King, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum! Rum-pa-pum-pum! Rum-pa-pum-pum, yeah! So to honor Him, oh yeah, when we come! On my drum!"

Dingo started wailing at that, even as Luka picked out a riff. As Luka started the next verse, Dingo dropped his sticks, raised his hands above his head, and started clapping. It wasn't long before the audience was clapping along, and Dingo let out a whoop as he picked his sticks back up.

"Little baby, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum! I am a poor boy, too - pa-rum-pa-pum-pum! Oh yeah! I have no gift to bring, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, that's fit to give our King, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum!"

"Shall I play for You, oh yeah?" Dingo called, winking as he tapped out a faster beat. "Shall I play for You, oh yeah?! Uh-uh-oh, on my drum! On my drum – COME ON!"

Luka really started playing then, and the crowd went wild. He grinned at Dingo as they both slowed after a moment, the music from his guitar echoing out as Dingo switched to a steady, tapping beat. Luka spun back around to the mic and leaned in, scanning the crowd again. He barely noticed the smile on Mlle. Damocles's face before he found Marinette again. She was laughing as the man next to her…holy shit. As he danced and cheered, his hat flew off and his shades slipped down.

Jagged Stone was at his school winter concert.

"Mary nodded, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum. The ox and lamb kept time, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum," he sang softly, trying to ignore how rattled he suddenly felt. He took a breath, grinned, and picked up the beat again.

"I played my drum for Him, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum!" Dingo shouted, because Dingo King didn't really sing as much as he made himself heard. He flicked the lights on on his shades and started wailing on the drums. "Yeah! I played my BEST for Him, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum, rum-pa-pum-pum! Yeah – come on!"

"And then He smiled at me!" Luka sang, leaning into the mic. "Oh yeah! Then Jesus smiled at me! All right!"

"Me and my drum! Me and my drum!" Dingo cried. "On my druuuuuum! ON! MY! DRUM!"

He gave one final flourish, and Luka strummed another chord, and they both shouted out: "HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" right as the stage lights went dark.

The only light was coming from the stars topping Dingo's shades, which flickered merrily as the audience erupted with thunderous applause. From that row near the middle front, he could hear, louder than everyone else: "THAT'S MY SON!" He shot Dingo a manic grin as Huré came back on stage, the lights flipped back on, and they took their final bows.

…but Mlle. Damocles was still smiling and clapping just as hard as everyone else, so. At least it didn't look like they'd be getting expelled for Christmas?

– V –

Though Dingo had only been assigned the one song for the showcase, Luka had also been asked to join the guitar ensemble near the end of the concert for a carol medley, so he was still backstage a few minutes later when Marinette crashed into his back, nearly toppling him off the speaker he'd been using as a seat.

"You did so good!" she cried, her arms wrapping tight around his middle and her cheek pressing into his shoulder. His hand came up to rest on hers, his thumb absently brushing her skin, as he looked over his shoulder and smiled down at her. She was beaming at him. "I didn't know you could sing like that! Luka, why don't you sing more?"

"Rose is lead vocals, not me," he said. "I didn't know you were coming."

There was a pretty blush on her cheeks, or maybe it was just the stage lights reflecting off her face.

"Juleka mentioned it at lunch yesterday…she said you'd be performing with Dingo, and I wanted to hear you," she said. She tucked her face against his shoulder, until all he could see were endlessly blue eyes peeking up at him. "Are you mad? I wasn't even thinking you wouldn't want me here…"

"I always want you, Marinette," he said automatically. Her eyes widened about the same time he realized what he had said, but it was too late to take it back now. He coughed and squeezed her hands. "If…if you want, I mean. To be here. I didn't know you'd want to come, is all. You're so busy this time of year."

"I'll always make time for you, Luka," she said softly, pressing her face into his shirt. She winced and peeked up at him again. "…Jagged tagging along was honestly an accident, though. I'm so sorry about that. Once he found out it was you, he was…Jagged."

"It's cool, Marinette," he said. His thumb had started rubbing her hand again. "I'm really glad you're here."

"We were going to grab some cocoa after the show," she said. Her face scrunched adorably. "Well, we were supposed to, but Juleka and Rose said something about a toy drive they're helping wrap presents for. I still want cocoa, though, and I was hoping…maybe you'd want some cocoa, too?"

"Cocoa sounds amazing," he said. Her smile relaxed, and his warmed as he watched her. "Just us?"

"If we can ditch Jagged," she giggled. She squeezed him and rested her cheek back on his shoulder. "Just us sounds nice, though."

It really did.

"I should get back to the others," she sighed after a moment. "Let you prepare or whatever for your next song. Juleka said there's a guitar quartet?"

"Last song," he said, nodding. "Carol medley. And Pachelbel."

He pulled a face, and she giggled again.

"It's always Pachelbel," she snickered. She gave him one last squeeze before stepping back. His breath caught when he saw the knee-length, long-sleeved dress she was wearing. It was the color of midnight dotted with stars. Her fingers lingered on his side before she stepped away. "I'll see you in a bit. Rose mentioned this café around the corner? She said they have the best peppermint cocoa. Perfect for a proper Christmas cocoa date."

…date?

"Can't wait," he said a little breathlessly, smiling as she turned and slipped out the side door. He heard Huré calling him over to the others, but it was another moment before he felt steady enough to join them. His hand was still tingling from where it had held hers. His head was still spinning from hearing her say date.

He wasn't getting expelled and he had a cocoa date with Marinette.

It was looking like it was going to be a really great Christmas.