Notes: Guys it has been a WEEK. I was stress writing a different fic instead of working on this when I had the energy for writing last week, so I apologize for that. (My job is not essential personnel and we should be home under quarantine right now; our district bosses are trying to say we are and requiring us to come in and do bullshit tasks to run out a clock. I would be fine with this if I wasn't high risk, if I didn't live with my high risk mother, and if certain coworkers weren't treating the pandemic like a joke. I've been a little stress ball all week, and we have seven more weeks of bullshit work to do.)
Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days
Day Sixteen, Loop Fifteen: Drums
Marinette was not having the best day. She was having a pretty crappy day, actually.
For starters, it was still Valentine's Day.
It had also been Valentine's Day the day before (and before that, and before that, and before that), when she had been hit with a reset so hard she had started her morning by falling out of bed. The day hadn't lasted long, and she still hadn't caught the akuma causing all of this – she hadn't even seen her yesterday. On top of everything else, she had been fighting with Luka when the reset had hit her – before she'd had a chance to transform. Or…she was pretty sure she had been fighting with Luka. The moments before the reset were a little hazy.
…they had definitely fought this morning, though.
Her hand paused mid-stroke. She stared at the canvas before her without really seeing it, frowning as she thought back to that morning…
Luka was helping her dad with the candy apples when she came down the steps. Her entire body ached, and her mind was foggy. She hadn't been on the floor when she woke up that morning, but her back had been pressed against the wall like she'd been thrown there, the edges of her bulletin board cutting painfully into her hip. She rubbed at her temples, wishing the ibuprofen she had taken upstairs would just kick in already. She hadn't even bothered putting her hair up, and she wasn't sure what outfit she had pulled on. Glancing down, she saw that – whatever it was – was pink and blue.
"Are you ok, sweetheart?" her dad asked as she sat on the stool next to where Luka was standing. She folded her arms on the table and hid her head behind them, a low groan escaping her. Tom and Luka exchanged a look, and then Luka was putting the apple he'd just dipped on the stand and stepping up behind Marinette. Her next groan was a little deeper when his hands started massaging her shoulders.
"Tired," she said, realizing she still hadn't answered her dad's question. She moaned, arching her back into Luka's touch. She heard him chuckle before she felt him drop a kiss on the back of her head. "That feels so good. Thank you."
"Any time, darning," he said. He tapped her shoulder, and she looked up to see his hand in front of her. "Hair ties?"
"…didn't grab 'em," she grumbled. "Too tired for hair."
She bit down on her smile when he bent to her ear, tugged on a strand of hair, and whispered, "That's not fair, beautiful. I'm trying to stay mad at you."
"…why are you mad at me?" she asked, raising her head to look at him. Sure enough, despite his smile, there was still a tightness about his eyes that hinted at an underlying annoyance – the same look he'd had the day before, when…her face scrunched in confusion, then she groaned and laid her head back on her arms.
"Marinette, are you sure you're ok?" her dad asked, putting his apples down and coming over to her. He pressed his hand against her forehead and frowned. "You don't feel warm…"
"Tripped upstairs," she sighed. "Fell. Hurt. Didn't sleep well. Tired."
"Good thing I came to take you to school, then," Luka said, tugging her hair once more before he went to the back counter to get the macarons. She sat up and frowned, squinting at him. He looked more relaxed, and he was still smiling, but…his eyes were still…tight. Pinched. Like he was putting on a show for the sake of her dad. "Think you'll be able to hold on, or do we need to walk?"
"…yeah, I'll be fine," she sighed, standing and stretching. She held out her hands for the box of macarons, but he shook his head and nodded towards the door.
"I got them," he said. "Come on, darning. Let's go."
"Have a great day, kids," her dad called after them. Marinette was rubbing at her face again as they left the bakery. Luka's hand on her lower back steered her safely to the lamppost his bike was chained to. She lowered her hands and reached for her helmet while he secured the box to the back.
"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I guess I'm a little out of it."
"…same," he sighed, stretching before he turned back to her. He looked happier, a sleepy grin curling his lips. "I don't think I even said good morning. Or wished you a happy Valentine's. Rose would hand me my ass for that one."
"She'll keep her hands to herself – your ass is mine," she grumped, handing him his own helmet. She looked up to find his eyes had blown wide. She groaned and slapped her hands over her face when she realized what she'd said. "I mean…I'm…"
She paused, her tired mind spinning dizzying circles. She was about to apologize. Why was she about to apologize? He was her boyfriend. Wasn't it ok to get a little possessive over your boyfriend's ass? Or…she shook her head to clear it. No. That's not what she meant either. But that's what couples did, right? Joke with each other like that? So why was she sorry?
"…no," she said firmly, shaking her head. "No, I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry at all. Your ass is mine, Luka."
"…ok," he said, chuckling as he nodded. He looked entirely too amused for how tired she was. "You really are out of it."
He tipped her head forward and kissed her helmet.
"For the record, you can have my ass whenever you want," he said quietly, winking at her before climbing onto his bike. "…just don't tell Dingo I said that. He'd never let me live it down."
"Your ass is none of his concern," she said, then groaned again when he started laughing. She had definitely misplaced her filter somewhere that morning. "Coffee – oh my God, I need coff…coffee!"
"Coffee? Did…did you want to get some before we go?" he asked, looking at her over his shoulder.
"No, no, no, not…Luka, I need you to take me to Rue de Bretagne!" she said. His eyebrows soared, his eyes widening as he gawked at her.
"…what?" he asked after a moment. She was suddenly much more awake, her mind finally catching up with her. He frowned and looked down the street, in the direction of their school. "Marinette, we're already running late, and we have school. Can't you go la–"
"I need to go now," she insisted. "Please, Luka, I have to…it's very important that I go to Rue de Bretagne. Right now."
"It is not, Marinette," he huffed. His grip tightened on the handles. His eyes narrowed. "What's important is we have school, and we're late. You can go to Rue de Bretagne after school."
"No, I can't, because we're going to the café after school," she huffed, rolling her eyes. "And that's only if we make it to after school!"
"What? Ok, that doesn't even make sense, and when did we agree on going to the café?" he asked, shaking his head. "Marinette, what is going on with you today?"
"With me? What's going on with you?" she demanded. "Our date, Luka."
"…we don't have a date planned," he pointed out. She paused, thinking back over the morning, and wanted to kick herself. "Much as I wish we were, we're not even dating, Marinette."
He had been so natural around her. So easy. She had completely forgotten they weren't actually dating. It had been easy to with how he'd been flirting with her all morning. And he'd called her darning! And…but that didn't mean anything if she hadn't actually confessed. Had…had she confessed? She couldn't remember. Her head was still throbbing, and the morning was becoming as hazy as the day before.
"I…I meant to ask," she said weakly. It sounded like an excuse, even to her own ears.
"Yeah, well, you didn't," he said. Her eyebrows rose at the annoyed – almost put out – tone of his voice, and he sighed as he looked back to the street. "Sorry. I wanted to ask you, too, actually. I…never mind. Forget it. Valentine's Day is stupid."
"…ok, you really are trying to get Rose to kill you," she snorted. He rolled his eyes, his hands fisting over the handles.
"Forget Rose, Marinette!" he snapped. He glanced back at her – glared at her – as she squeezed his shoulder. "She's not…where are you going?"
She had climbed off the bike. She was already removing her helmet.
"Marinette, come on, we have to get to school," he said.
"Go on without me," she said tersely. She dropped her helmet in the basket. "I have go see someone. It shouldn't matter, since Valentine's Day is stupid."
"That's not what I meant," he sighed, rubbing at his face. She turned her head when he looked back at her, averting her eyes. He sighed and held out a hand. "Come on, Mari. I'm sorry."
"Forget it," she sighed. She grabbed the straps of her backpack and started off in the opposite direction of Sant-Saëns. Luka called after her, but she stubbornly ignored him and kept walking. When she reached the corner that would lead her to Rue de Bretagne and looked back, Luka was gone.
She lowered her brush from her canvas, dipping it in the water cup on the small stand beside her to clean it.
It had been so stupid.
…she had been so stupid.
When she had finally gotten to Rue de Bretagne, neither Hannah nor Geoff were anywhere to be found. The akuma was also suspiciously absent. She had waited outside the flower shop, sipping a coffee she had purchased from the café two stores down, while people went about their day. She had only left when Officer Raincomprix, of all people, had walked by, seen her by the street, and had stopped to ask why she wasn't in school. She had tossed out an easy lie about her teacher getting sick and her first class being cancelled, but she still wasn't sure if he had actually bought it. She had bid him a good day, shot one last look at Hannah's building, and trudged her way to school in time for her second class.
She had easily avoided Rose and Juleka's questions, especially when those questions turned to her mood and why Luka had also seemed angry that morning. Despite Rose's gentle (insistent) prodding, Marinette had just screwed her mouth shut, tightened her grip on her stylus, and paid extra attention to the teacher. Rose had eventually given up, but she hadn't looked happy about it.
She hadn't seen Luka in the halls all morning, either. Or Dingo or Brielle. Luka also failed to join them for lunch, and Marinette had remained at their table with her head down and avoiding most of the conversation. She didn't search him out in the library, either, when Brielle mentioned he was with his group. She also didn't think much of it when Brielle also commented that Dingo had joined him. (She had, however, wrapped up Luka's macarons, put them in her bag, and gave the rest of the box to Brielle for Dingo.)
Her eyes glazed over as she stared at her canvas, somehow aware that it wasn't her best work but also not really caring all the same.
"Interesting take," an amused voice commented at her side. She turned to find Marc looking at her canvas with a slight smile. He nodded at the charcoal outline. "I like the snake."
…snake?
Her eyes widened as she realized she had drawn in a hooded snake coiling around the bowl, its eyes watching her from the black and white outline. It almost looked like Sass…
…Sass.
"…liked snakes," Marc said, drawing her attention back to him.
"S-sorry?" she asked, rubbing at her forehead. Whatever thought she had been chasing vanished as quickly as it had come. Marc smiled when he saw the smudge of black left on her skin.
"I said I didn't know you liked snakes," he said. His smile slipped a little. He fiddled with the piece of charcoal in his hand. "Are you ok, Marinette? You've seemed kinda down today."
She sighed and looked back at her canvas. It was supposed to be a simple still life study of a bowl of fruit Théo had set out for the class. (Their teacher had been sick all week, and Théo (who was in his final year and had been assisting their teacher that term) had been assigned to more or less babysit the seconde class while she was out. He'd been more or less giving them busy work while he worked on his latest project in the back.) And while the fruit was there, along with the snake she had added a vase of flowers. She was already adding watercolors over the charcoal, but…the entire composition was off. The colors were wrong. The lighting was…she sighed and put her brush down, rubbing at her face again. Marc bit his lip and tried not to smile as she smudged more charcoal on her face.
"Sorry," she sighed. "I…Luka and I had a fight this morning, and I was already tired, and…"
Marc's eyes widened as his head tipped to the side, looking past her towards the door. Her eyebrows furrowed as a soft drumming started behind her. Marc was smiling.
"I…um…I think he's sorry," he said with a laugh. At Marinette's expression, he tried – and failed – to remove some of the charcoal from her face with his sleeve as the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar joined the drumming. He only managed to smear the black worse, and he gave her an apologetic smile before turning her around. Her eyes widened as she saw Luka leaning against the door, his acoustic guitar strung around his neck and his eyes locked on her. His lips were curled up in a smile that made her knees weak. Dingo was leaning on the other side of the door, crouched down with a set of bongo drums between his knees. He tipped his head down and winked at her behind his shades before tapping out a familiar beat. Marinette was barely aware of the excited whispers of her fellow students as Luka began to sing.
"I've seen you twice in a short time, maybe a week since we started," he sang. Her eyebrows rose, and she smiled as she recognized the old ABBA song. He winked at her, and she slapped her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggle. Beside her, Marc wasn't as lucky. "It seems to me, for every time, I'm getting more open-hearted."
"He was an impossible case – no one ever could reach him," Dingo cut in, and Luka kicked at him to shut him up. She wasn't quite able to hide her laugh that time.
"But I think I can see in your face…there's a lot you can teach me. So I wanna know…" Luka continued. He looked back at her and dipped his head, quirking an eyebrow as he smiled. "What's the name of the game? Do I mean anything to you?"
She bit down on her lip, nodding fervently and making his smile grow.
"What's the name of the game? Can you feel it the way I do?" he sang, and she nodded again. Dingo snickered, and Luka shot him a look before he pushed away from the door. "Tell me, please…'cause I have to know. I'm a curious child, beginning to grow…and you make me talk, and you make me feel…"
Her breath caught as he began walking towards her, still strumming slowly as he moved. He wove through the easels, his eyes still locked on hers.
"And you make me show what I'm trying to conceal. If I trust in you, would you let me down?" he continued. He was standing before her then, and he stopped playing as he reached out for her hand. He brought it up to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, that soft smile still on his face. "Would you laugh at me if I said I care for you?"
"Never," she said quickly, and he chuckled as he squeezed her hand.
"Could you feel the same way, too?" he sang. She threw herself at him, cutting him off with a hard kiss. His acoustic, one he had named George, was bigger than Claire and more difficult to kiss around, and it was maybe pressing uncomfortably into her ribs, but she didn't care.
"Always," she whispered, kissing him again. Dingo had stopped playing, as well, and was laughing by the door as her classmates cheered them on. Théo was grinning by his sculpture, not even trying to reign them in. "I'm sorry about this morning."
"No, I am," he sighed, leaning in to kiss her cheek. He glanced around at her classmates, and a blush started to rise on his cheeks. "Uh…can we talk? After class?"
"Oh, no, Couffaine – you interrupt my class, you talk now," Théo called. "It's Valentine's Day, isn't it? Take five, Marinette."
Her classmates were laughing and hooting, as teenagers their age were wont to do, as Luka squeezed her hand, nodded at Théo, and led her out into the hall. Dingo followed them, tapping on his bongos again.
"Happy Valentine's, Marinette," he said with a grin. "I hope you saved us some macarons, since we spent all of lunch putting together this little arrangement for you."
"Dingo, thanks for the help, but you can go now," Luka said, rolling his eyes.
"Oi! I want payment – and by payment, I mean food!" Dingo quipped. Luka lifted George from his shoulders and handed it to Dingo.
"Can I have a minute here?" he asked. Dingo was grinning as he slung the guitar on his back. "Besides, I already bought you lunch. You've been paid."
"You bought me lunch – I want macarons," he pouted. Luka's hand squeezed Marinette's, and she stepped closer to him.
"Brielle has yours," she said. "I saved Luka's, and Brielle took yours. Ask her next class."
"She's nicer to you than you deserve," Luka muttered. Dingo just grinned, tapped out a jaunty beat on his bongos, and headed back towards the locker room, his middle finger raised high. Luka rolled his eyes and looked back at Marinette. "If I haven't said it yet today, I am so sorry about him."
"It's Dingo," she laughed with a shrug. "He's…you know. Dingo."
Luka chuckled and pulled her into a hug, pressing his face against her shoulder. She sighed and relaxed against him, her arms coming up to wrap around his back. She smiled when he dropped a kiss against her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have left you like that. I was stupid, and it was mean, and –"
"Luka, stop," she said, shaking her head. He held her closer. "You…you were right. It wasn't anything that could have waited until after school. I was tired, and I wasn't thinking straight, and I made a bigger deal of it than it was. I'm sorry."
He pulled away and cupped her face in his palms, brushing a thumb against her cheek. There was a look in his eye, like he wanted to say more – like there was more to it than being stupid or tired, but instead of saying anything he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She grunted when he leaned into her and her back pressed against the wall, gasping when his tongue darted out to lick at her lip. He didn't deepen the kiss, though, and leaned away enough to press his forehead against her own. At some point her hands had slid down to his hips, and her thumbs had hooked into his belt loops.
"…I'm glad we're kissing now," he said, a dopey smile on his face. "I'm a big fan of us kissing now."
"…dork," she snorted, squeezing his hips. He leaned back and grinned, and she snorted when she saw a black smudge above his eye (probably transferred from her own forehead). She licked her thumb and reached up to wipe the charcoal away, but as it was still on her hands she only smeared it worse. Her hand paused when her thumb brushed over the cut his bangs were covering. "Did…did you hit your head this morning?"
"No," he said with a low snort. "I wish I could blame my actions on that. I –"
"No, no, Luka," she said, brushing his bangs back and staring at the cut. It…it didn't look fresh. How long had it been there? Was it actually from before Valentine's Day and she just hadn't noticed because of his hair? But…no, it was the same cut. It… "When did this happen?"
"A few days ago, maybe?" he asked. "I ran into something. Y'know. Me being stupid. No big deal."
It was. It was a very big deal.
"What did you run into?" she asked. He shrugged.
"A pole? A wall? I don't remember," he said with a shrug. "It's fine, Marinette. It's almost healed – see?"
He took her hand and placed her fingers against the cut, but she continued frowning. She wasn't convinced. And he…
He was glancing at the door as the sound of students packing up filtered out. They wouldn't be alone for much longer.
"I actually do have a class after this," he sighed. He looked back at her. "But…I did want to ask you out this morning, before…before everything got weird."
"I wanted to go out with you, too," she said. He grinned and kissed her quickly.
"I figured, when you mentioned that date I never asked you on," he teased. "So…meet me out front after school? We can go get coffee and forget about how stupid we were this morning?"
"Ok," she said. He kissed her again, not pulling away until the door to the art room opened. Luka quickly stepped back and reached for her hand as students began filtering out into the hall. They both laughed, their faces red, when Marc walked out with her bag.
"That was more than five minutes, guys," he teased, holding out her bag. Marinette bit her lip and looked up at Luka. He took her bag from Marc and swung it over his shoulder.
"Can I walk you to your next class?" he asked. She nodded, squeezing his hand.
"Thanks, Marc," she said, and he smiled and waved before heading off down the hall. She looked back at Luka and gestured to the crowd of students bustling around them. "After you?"
– V –
Marinette got out of class first, which meant Tikki had plenty of time to guilt trip her while she waited by his bike.
"You can't go to the café with Luka, Marinette," the tiny god said wearily. "Ladybug has to go and find the akuma."
"I'm not going to stand him up after this morning," Marinette sighed, leaning against the bike rack. Tikki frowned up at her from her purse.
"If you can catch the akuma, it's one fight – if he likes you as much as we know he does, he'll get over it," Tikki said. Marinette raised an eyebrow at her, and Tikki sighed. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean…he'll understand."
"How, Tikki? It's not like I can say, 'oh, sorry, I stood you up because I'm Ladybug,' can I?" she asked. Tikki frowned, huddling down into her purse. Marinette bit her lip. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. I'll just…make some excuse once we get there. Slip away. Hannah might not even be there today, if the akuma has her changing her plans."
"We're changing plans?"
She jumped, twirling around at Luka's voice. He was grinning at her, his acoustic slung against his back.
"Hey," he said, reaching for her hand. He leaned towards her for a kiss. "We're not changing plans, right?"
"No," she said. She frowned. "Unless you want to?"
"I want to be with you, Marinette," he said. "However you'll let me."
Her cheeks warmed at his open honesty. She looked at their feet to hide her smile.
"I need coffee," she said, "so…the café's fine. If you still don't mind going."
"I'm going with you, so I don't mind," he said. He handed her his spare helmet before climbing onto his bike. His guitar was placed in the front basket before he nodded behind him. "Come on."
They were maybe a block from the café when Marinette spotted Hannah and Geoff at a different café. She sat up and tapped Luka's shoulder. He stopped at an intersection and looked back at her.
"Hey, I was just thinking…the café's probably going to be really busy," she said. He chuckled, nodding.
"It's Valentine's Day," he said. "Probably."
"So…that café over there looks pretty empty," she said, pointing to the one a few shops away. There were maybe five tables in front of it, and only two of them were occupied. Hannah and Geoff were at the table closest to the door. "We could maybe go there?"
"Sure," he said, shrugging. "Hold on."
She wrapped her arms around him again, resting her head against his back, and when the road was clear he crossed the street. A few minutes later he was chaining his bike up to a planter by the door. She kept glancing back at Hannah and Geoff, who were smiling and seemed to be having a perfectly good time. Luka called her name, and she turned to see he was holding the door open for her.
"I…do you mind if we sit out here?" she asked. He blinked, glancing at the empty tables.
"It's freezing out," he said.
"I'm still kind of sleepy – the cold will help wake me up," she said. He lifted an eyebrow and shrugged. "Hot coffee? Cream and mocha?"
"Tastes more like a hot chocolate than a coffee?" he quipped, rolling his eyes. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"You know me so well," she said. He hooked an arm around her waist and held her close, bending down to kiss her lips. She laughed when she pulled back, lightly pushing him inside. He was smiling that stupid grin again. She went to grab the table behind Hannah and Geoff's, unable to keep from smiling herself. At least it was far enough away that they shouldn't bump into each other here.
She busied herself with pulling out Luka's valentine and the leftover macarons while she waited, trying not to make it too obvious that she was eavesdropping on the other couple. Geoff was telling Hannah some story about a coworker and something embarrassing that had happened at the office, and she was laughing as she listened. They continued to talk, and…everything seemed fine. Both were relaxed. Both seemed happy. No one had run away crying yet.
Maybe…maybe this was the day it would all work out. Maybe she wouldn't need to be Ladybug after all. Maybe she could just be Marinette and enjoy the rest of the day with her boyfriend.
"Ready?"
She looked up at Luka's voice, blinking in surprise as he held out a cup for her. He nodded towards the sidewalk and smiled.
"Huh?" she asked, blinking at him.
"Let's walk," he said. "You said you were still kinda tired, right? Between the coffee and walking, it should wake you up. So let's take a walk. I can come back for my bike later."
She noticed he'd already retrieved his guitar. He was still holding her coffee out for her.
"I…don't really feel like walking?" she hazarded, glancing at the table beside them. When she looked back at Luka, his eyes were…tight. Like he was trying – and failing – to keep that easy smile on his face. "Can we just sit here for a bit? There was something I wanted to tell you, anyway, and –"
"So tell me while we walk," he said, wiggling the coffee at her. "C'mon, Mari. It's a nice day out. Let's enjoy it."
"We're outside," she huffed. "We can enjoy it right here."
"Marinette," he said, his voice tense. Marinette noticed Hannah looking over at them. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Marinette, a confused expression on her face. "Please."
She glanced back at Hannah, frowning. Luka wasn't budging. She sighed and stood, putting his valentine and macarons back in her purse. She ignored the worried look Tikki was giving her and took the coffee. He sighed and bent down, pressing his lips to her forehead.
"Thank you," he whispered. He sounded relieved. "Come on."
He reached for her hand, but she jerked her hand away to wrap around her cup. She glanced at Hannah and Geoff, who were both watching them uneasily by now, and started to walk down the street. She stopped when a hand touched her arm. Luka was still a few paces behind her, looking just as anxious…no, annoyed as he had this morning. She looked down at her arm to find Geoff frowning at her, his hand on her sleeve.
"Miss?" he asked, glancing uncertainly at Luka. "Are you all right?"
"Huh?" Marinette asked. She followed his gaze to find Luka glaring at him. Geoff tugged on her sleeve, and she bent down so he could whisper to her.
"Is he threatening you?" Geoff asked quietly. Marinette's eyes widened, a disbelieving bark of laughter escaping her.
"Wh-what?" she asked, looking back at Luka. He was still frowning, but he looked more confused than anything now. She looked back at Geoff and shook her head. "Thank you for your concern, but no. I'm fine. We're fine. Really."
"If you're sure…you can join us, if you need an excuse," Geoff said nodding towards the empty chair between Hannah and him. "Say we're family friends."
"Marinette?" Luka asked, walking over to them. Marinette smiled at Geoff and shook her head.
"We're both just a little cranky today," she said with a shrug. Geoff didn't look entirely convinced. Hannah's eyes kept darting between her and Luka. Marinette smiled a bit brighter and grabbed Luka's hand, squeezing maybe a bit tighter than was necessary. "Thank you for your concern. Really."
She leaned up and kissed Luka's cheek. He blinked at her in confusion, and she tugged on his hand.
"Come on, dummy," she said. "I think that walk will be good for us after all."
They were a block away before either said anything.
"What the hell –" they both started, then paused and laughed. Luka let go of her hand to rub at his face.
"Sorry," he sighed. "Did he…did he think I was going to hurt you? Seriously?"
"I think so," Marinette said with a laugh. "I mean, I know we were fighting earlier, but crazy, right? You would never hurt me."
She looked up when he laid a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he said. He shook his head, looking back towards the café. "I can't believe…God, I'm so stupid. I can't believe I made someone think that."
"You're not stupid," she said. She stepped closer and wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him. He tasted like cinnamon and coffee. She grinned when she pulled away. "Well, you're a little stupid, but I like your stupid."
"I am so sorry, Marinette," he sighed, pulling her into a hug.
"It's ok," she said. "What was up back there, anyway? Why was the walk so important?"
He looked uncomfortable for a moment. She nudged her nose against his shoulder, and he sighed.
"It seems stupid now, but…I thought I recognized him from somewhere," he said with a shrug. "I couldn't place the face, but…he just made me nervous, I guess? I didn't want to hang around the café with him there."
"Bad dreams. About…something happening to you. And I don't want anything to happen to you."
Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. Her mind started spinning. Luka had no reason to recognize Geoff. Luka didn't know Geoff. But if he had thought Geoff was dangerous…and then there was this morning. Luka hadn't wanted to take her to Rue de Bretagne, where she had confronted Geoff yesterday. Where they had…they had started fighting yesterday, hadn't they? About Geoff. About…her head hurt. She was missing something – something important – and it was right there…
"Marinette?" Luka asked, laying a hand over her own. "Are you ok?"
"No, I…" she started, wincing as a pain lanced through her head.
Pain.
The cut.
The cut that shouldn't be healing but was.
She reached up and brushed his bangs back, and he blinked at her as she glared at the cut.
The cut he had gotten when he'd walked into a lamp the day he got her a stuffed snake.
…a snake.
Like the snake she had drawn on her canvas in class. Like…
"…someone who draws their power from time, but not me."
She hadn't even considered it. He hadn't wielded a Miraculous in months – none of the temporary holders had, not since the mess with Chloé and Miracle Queen. Not since her entire team had been unmasked and she hadn't felt safe jeopardizing them around Hawkmoth anymore. While Luka had remained by her side over the time since, he had no idea why some days she was a bit more stressed than others. He was always just there, whether she could talk about her problems or not, and she had always been so grateful for that. She had never thought…because Sass had not been out of the Miracle Box in months. Viperion hadn't fought alongside Ladybug and Chat Noir in months.
"Luka…" she gasped. Her cup fell from her hand, splattering against the pavement by their feet. He frowned as she reached up with her now empty hand, laying it against his cheek. His free hand had found its way to her waist, but she barely noticed when he tightened his grip on her. Her eyes searched his, fear creeping in at the edges of her mind. If he knew…she had transformed right next to him the other day. Had he actually been sleeping? Had he seen?
If he knew…
"Marinette, what's wrong?" he asked, squeezing her hip again. "Talk to me. What's wrong?"
"Luka…" she gasped again. She swallowed, her eyes and throat burning with tears she refused to shed. If he knew…if he knew… "Vi-"
But there was a scream down the street, and he cursed as he threw his coffee and curled around her, throwing them both against the wall of the shop beside them as a wall of light came racing down the street.
Notes: I could not find any acoustic covers with bongos, but this one was pretty neat: Luke Friend's acoustic cover on YouTube. (I mean I'm totally biased but if you didn't recognize the song we need to Sit Down and Have A Talk. xD )