19 August 2019

Prompt: Mythology (Trope)

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Character/Pairing: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen (because Zeus has a Penis)

Notes: College-age; pure fluff & silliness. The book referenced is Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes (A No-Bullshit Guide to World Mythology) by Cory O'Brien, and it is an absolute gem.

The room was dark. Quiet. Marinette smiled as she shifted in her bed, cuddling deeper into the blanket cocoon she had made the night before (or earlier that morning, or night, or she wasn't really sure). She still felt the weight of her textbook on her stomach where she had dropped it some hours before. There was the slight hum of a fan near her head, letting her know her laptop was still running. She had been so tired the night before, but she had had that report to finish – still had that report to finish – so she had tried to force herself to stay up just a little bit longer…

"You know you talk in your sleep?"

She froze at the voice. Luka's voice. Gentle and reassuring as always, but tinny as it always was when they had to resort to Skype calls. She blinked her eyes open and turned her head, towards the laptop. That's right. She had called him the night before. He'd had some homework to finish up for those correspondence courses Penny had suggested he take. (He hadn't really wanted to continue his schooling after lycée, but he had agreed with Penny that taking some business courses might be a good idea – not because Jagged was going to try to screw him over, but because the music industry was full of more Bob Roths than Jagged Stones, and knowing your shit was a good idea.) She'd had that report due for her World Mythology class (a stupid gen ed course that wasn't awful, per se, but she definitely would have rather taken another fashion course instead), and they had kept each other company while studying.

She had been fortunate. She had gotten into a good program in her hometown, and while she had moved into a flat with Alya and Nino she was still local. She had been excited about that, until Jagged had announced his next tour and asked Luka to come along as his opening act. Time zones weren't always forgiving, and their relationship had boiled down to short phone calls, text chains, and the occasional Skype date. Which she didn't mind – it was better than nothing, honestly! – but…she missed him. She could admit that.

He was grinning at her. He looked entirely too awake for…five-thirty in the morning, though going from the light on his side it was later wherever he was this week. She must have fallen asleep during their call.

"Mari?" he asked, and she blinked her eyes open again.

"Yeah?" she mumbled, voice thick with sleep, and he chuckled.

"You're adorable this early in the morning," he said. She yawned and snuggled deeper into her pillow.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I fell asleep."

"You needed it," he said. "I didn't mind. I liked watching you sleep."

"Dork," she giggled. He looked up from the book he was marking in and grinned at her.

"You talk in your sleep," he said again. She cracked an eye open and frowned at him.

"Do not," she said, and he chuckled again.

"You threatened to send Chat Noir after Cerberus if he didn't leave you alone," he said, putting his book down. "And something about Viperion being more attractive than Apollo. Sounded like he didn't like that too much."

"Oh my God, shut up," she groaned, hiding her face in her pillow. She didn't really remember her dream, but she did have a slight recollection of telling Apollo off for killing snakes ("My boyfriend is a snake, and it's just rude!"). "I did not!"

"That mythology class is still kicking your butt, I take it," he chuckled.

"Alya said I should just do my final project on the Ladybug mythos, but I can't exactly use Tikki as an academic source," she grumbled. He was laughing again. She would be insulted if she didn't like his laugh so much. It was like honey, warm syrup poured over fluffy pancakes, melting butter on a fresh croissant…man, she was hungry… "Please tell me you at least finished your homework."

"Hours ago," he said. She peeked out from her pillows again to find he was still grinning at her. "It wasn't that hard, and it was almost finished anyway. How far did you get on your report?"

"Ugh," she groaned, "I don't even…blegh. I still have two pages to write. It's not due quite yet, but I really wanted to knock it out last night. I'm so over this class, Luka."

"You've been saying that since the first week. Did you get that book I sent you?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and pulled out the small yellow and white book she'd been carrying with her World Mythology book.

"My instructor was not impressed when I brought it to class," she said. "Too low-brow."

"If it had an opening, Zeus stuck his dick in it," Luka snorted. "All mythology – especially Greek mythology – is low-brow. Academics just don't like to admit it."

"Zeus grants stupid wishes," she quipped, glancing back at the book. "Actually, Alya said to thank you. She read through it in a night. She was also very drunk, but she said it was the funniest thing she's ever read."

"I live to please," he said. She snorted.

"If that was true you wouldn't have woken me up," she grumbled. She turned back towards the screen and sighed, reaching out to trace his profile. He hadn't shaved yet, and his hair was poking out of the beanie she had made him last Christmas at funny, sleep-mussed angles. "Ugh. I miss your stupid face."

"Same," he said, smiling softly at her. He wasn't going to press that the only reason he had started talking to her was because he'd seen her already waking up. "I should let you go. Got a meeting with Penny in an hour."

"I like waking up to you, though," she said without thinking. It seemed to register a moment later, and she squeaked as her eyes shot open. He didn't look upset, though. He was touching the screen on his end, and his face looked so…soft. She wanted to kiss that face.

"We should leave Skype open when you sleep more often," he laughed as he bent forward, burying his face in his hands. The tips of his ears were red. "God, Mari, I miss you. I want to kiss your face, too."

"Oh my God, I'm not awake enough for this," she groaned. "I said that out loud?"

"I'm learning so much from half-awake Mari," he chuckled. "I love it. Look, we're stopping back in Paris next week. I can kiss your face then?"

"Shut up and go shave," she huffed, hugging her pillow tight. "You have to meet Penny."

"Fine, fine. Have fun on your paper," he laughed.

"It's a stupid paper for a stupid gen ed course I didn't even want to take," she grumbled.

"You're brilliant, Mari. You'll do fine on it, even if you do think it's stupid. Just remember –" he started, and she rolled her eyes before cutting him off.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed. "If it had an opening, Zeus stuck his dick in it. Too bad my paper's on Eros and Psyche."

"Well, she had an opening, and he stuck –"

"Oh my God, go meet Penny!" she laughed, burying her face in her pillow again. His chuckle was low, and deep, and felt like a blanket beckoning her back to sleep. She peeked out of her pillow again and smiled at him. "Go. I'll call you later."

"Love you," he said, and she smiled.

"Love you, too, you dork."