Luka came home to a still apartment. His face red, brows furrowed holding Louis Vuitton. The lights were on and he heard shuffling in Marinette's bedroom and assumed that she was home since his sister, Juleka was spending the night at her girlfriend's. "Don't laugh. I didn't know what to do. She pissed me off so I just stole the dog and left." He said to the open air.
Marinette popped her head out of her room. Grey lines of dried mascara adorned her cheeks. Luka sat the dog on the ground wincing at the sound of the dog's nails hitting the hardwood floor. Louis Vuitton needed to go to the groomers which was one of the utterly ridiculous responsibilities that Chloe forced him to be in charge of. "Who hurt you?"
"I'm... fine...really..." she said with a light sniffle. She didn't want to worry him. He was practically her big brother and he would easily pick a fight for her even if it was a guaranteed loss.
In a soothing tone he uttered her name. "Marinette..." He treaded carefully as if she was a terrified kitten ready to run if he made any sudden movements.
'Break up? Fight?' He questioned himself. She told him everything about her dating life so Luka could easily scratch that one off his list. He thought that there was a possibility that she got into a spat with one of her friends. But which one?
"Who hurt you?" He repeated.
All Marinette was supposed to do was reveal her attacker's name."There was a gun..." She revealed her hands tinted pink. "I couldn't get... it won't..."
"I have something for this." He led her to the L-shaped couch that was being scratched up by Juleka's cats, Luna and Artemis. He left her alone momentarily to grab a rag and Hydrogen peroxide. A chemical that Luka had on hand as occasionally he came home with a few scraps and bruises. He stored it underneath the kitchen sink with the rest of the cleaning supplies.
He knelt in front of Marinette and rubbed her delicate hands with the rag as an attempt to return them to their natural color. "If you don't want to tell me you don't have to."
"It was the cat guy... he threatened to... and he made me..."
"What did he make you do?" He asked placing his hands on top of her as an attempt to console her. He had decided that caressing her cheek would be a far too intimate choice to make especially when she was distressed.
"He wanted me to become his... And I agreed but I WANTED TO LIVE! Is that so wrong?"
"Not at all." He replied not knowing the full story as Marinette left out major details of the what and when. Luka easily connected the dots that the man who wore the suit to the café was indeed bad news. "Is this his blood?"
Marinette nodded slowly ashamed of what transpired at Le Coccinella. She knew it wasn't her fault. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Luka studied her when she saw her hands and assumed it was from a cut. He didn't expect the other party to be the one who suffered the injury. Her hands lacked a cut that could cause this amount of bleeding although the side of right hand looked like it suffered a burn. "There's nothing wrong with self-defense."
"I didn't... I couldn't... I tried... I had his gun and...he took it back.. I'm so sorry."
"Never apologize for not taking a life. You're a good person."
Marinette wrapped her hands around him and needed a moment to bawl into something or someone. She usually used a pillow to comfort herself. However having a person comfort her was such a better experience. She missed those moments when her father would comfort her because there was a monster underneath her bed and when her mom when Marinette tripped and hit her head on the corner of a coffee table.
Marinette felt the dog paw at her side. He had jumped onto the couch and wanted Marinette's attention. He started to quietly whine. "Are you jealous, little Louis?" Marinette asked, smiling at the ugly looking dog. As no human could resist a dog with its tongue hanging out its mouth. A medical condition since Louis Vuitton had his teeth pulled out due to a gum infection. "Are you a jealous boy? Yes you are!"
Luka watched Marinette shower Louis Vuitton with pets and cooing him like a child. A small distraction that made her forget her earlier experience even if it was just for a moment. Luka left Marinette briefly to make her some tea as he believed tea was the key to calm the soul.
"If this guy is generally being a creep you should go to the authorities" He said, handing Marinette a black mug that had a white pentagram inscribed into it. Clearly it was one of Juleka's coffee mugs but Juleka wasn't here to scold him for using her mugs.
Marinette blew on the tea. The aroma of vanilla honey chamomile settled her nerves enough to speak coherently and register her environment. "What happened to your shoulder?"
His left shoulder had several spots of discoloration. Grey, purple, a little green, colors that a human body shouldn't be. "You need to see a doctor."
"No biggie." He shrugged. "I got into a fight. Some ass at the bar got frisky with one of the girls." Luka nightlighted as a bartender for the club, Red Dragon. Occasionally he had to step in for the girls that worked there. He felt obligated to protect them as if they were his sisters."I'll be fine. I had Vegas reset it before I left the club."
Between the club, volunteering, band practice, his sexual partner, and his café rendezvous. Marinette wondered if Luka ever slept. He did state a few times that "my sleep schedule is shit." She admired Luka being mentally and physically strong despite his struggles. He was the reason why she joined Nancy's gym. She wanted to prove that she didn't need a paladin but the events earlier proved that she needed one more than ever.
Marinette found herself staring at Luka as she sat wrapped into a video game themed blanket resting the mug on her knees as she wedged herself in the corner of the couch. She held the mug with two hands. Luna, a black sphynx cross, decided that Marinette's leg tent was a perfect cat hidey hole.
"You want to watch Bake Off?" Luka asked as he scrolled through Netflix's selections. Limited as they were, he wanted to watch something light. Something that neither would feel bad if they slept threw it. "Or how about a Barbie movie?"
"I'm not a little girl anymore."
"I know that but they've always cheered you up." Luka caught Marinette smiling behind the mug. He thought that whatever she was going through it was best to discuss it in the morning with a clear head. "What?"
"You'd make a great dad someday."
Luka had heard her compliment his parenting skills many times but this time it hurt. Usually she was referencing him taking care of a human child. This was much worse than being friend-zoned because it was a new zone called the dad-zone. Although, he wouldn't object to being in the daddy-zone; the dad-zone or the parent zone was by far the worst zone to be in.
To prevent him from being included in this zone asked a very stupid and selfish question. "You're not crushing on me, are you?"
"What? Of course not." She laughed. "Afterall your Chloe's Bitch."
"Really?" He said as his advice would be that don't let your siblings tattoo you. He learned this the hard way. As he had scorned Juleka a few times. Juleka was his personal tattooist and since he couldn't beat free ink he possessed a few revenge tats. One of them being the words: "η σκύλα της Χλόης" tattooed on his collar bone. Which was Greek for "the Bitch of Chloe." The good knews if he ever successfully broke it off with Chloe that his future hookups wouldn't know what it means unless they could read Greek.
He also prayed to every existential being that a child, a medical professional, or a caretaker at the orphanage couldn't translate Greek. He would lose his credibility as the badass with the heart of gold. Also Juleka and Marinette cracked jokes at any opportunity and children were legendary for being mean. And heaven forbid if Chloe ever found out that he was branded as her's, she'd treat him even more like a piece of property.
"I'd be wary, Virgin Mari." He teased as this was an insult that Chloe enjoyed throwing around. Marinette had started her first ten years in a household with traditional beliefs. She went through quite a shock when she was twelve. Luka was sixteen and was left in charge to watch Marinette and Juleka. The two girls decided to play hide and seek on Anarka's boat. As Marinette was searching for Juleka she stumbled upon Luka naked in bed with one of his classmates. Luka had used the absence of paternal supervision as a chance to lose his virginity.
He told Marinette that he was just playing Doctor and to not say anything to Anarka and he'd give her all the candy she wanted. It worked for a while until she started asking questions. "Why did you make loud noises?" "Why were you sweaty?" "Why did the doctor take their clothes off?"
Luka had to explain sex to her and he didn't want to but this was his mess. He calmly explained to Marinette what sex was and made sure Juleka was in the room. His sister was already in her Wednesday Addams phase that she surprisingly never grew out of. Double braids, Amethyst streaks, black wardrobe, and a monotone voice. Marinette was the opposite, tacky sparkling graphic shirts, light up sneakers, pigtails, and bows, so many bows. He didn't want Marinette to feel uncomfortable by hearing the scientific explanation alone as she seemed more childish than Juleka.
Juleka had already had the sex talk so she didn't learn any new information besides finding out her big brother lost his V-card. She burst into giggles thinking that he was stupid for being so careless and that she was going to rat him out unless he gave her, his allowance for the next year. That way she could do whatever the fuck she wanted. He bestowed her with limitless power or what a twelve year old considered limitless power.
Marinette was a mix of disgust and confused after Luka explained everything. "Do you have any questions?" He asked, thinking that he answered everything that she could think of.
"What's a penis?"
Luka had to do a double take on her question. "Well... uh... it's what boys have." He thought it would be easiest if he just simplified all the answers.
"What does it look like?"
"Nope. Not answering this question. You can wait... maybe you'll never find out and that's great!" He put a band-aid on this conversation hoping that he would never have to rip it off.
Juleka couldn't help but to add her input. "Girls are pretty and boys are stupid. Girls can smush girls so boys are useless."
"Girls are really pretty and you're really pretty." Marinette and Juleka started complimenting each other on how pretty each other was. Luka had no idea how Juleka dissolved the situation but he let out a sigh of relief before releasing that his sister was into girls and might be after Marinette.
'Is she flirting with- nah. She's too young and Marinette is naive as fuck.'
He never thought he would have to give the talk that early in his life. He thought the talk should be reserved for parents and not some adoptive brother that accidentally stumbled into this responsibility like Marinette stumbled through doorways. Now he found himself worrying about Marinette losing her V-card as she had lived twenty-one years sex free, why couldn't she go the rest of her life? Maybe, become a nun?
'What the fuck, Luka? You are not her dad. Don't be gross. Let her live her life.'
Marinette shoved Luka playfully with her foot. "Don't call me that!" She wanted to wait until marriage but it was hard to imagine being with anybody since she wouldn't have that perfect wedding. Her mother wouldn't be there to help her get ready and her father wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle.
A childish dream that she held onto but she could never let go off. "I almost got raped."
Luka looked at her wide eyed realizing why she was upset some neanderthal decided she was prime real estate.
"Key word is almost." Marinette added knowing that she probably triggered Luka's big brother's instincts. "He was trying to take my hoodie off... I stopped him."
"Please, tell me you decked him."
"THERE WAS A FUCKING GUN! I wasn't going to throw caution to the wind... well I did kiss him but that was only to steal the gun. But obviously I couldn't shoot because a life is a life. Then he got the gun back and threatened me some more. Got blood on my hands because I stitched up his knife wounds. He killed a fucking person and said he couldn't have any witnesses. This was before I stole the gun. I don't know how to shoot! That seems like such an important skill now. Do you know where the closest gun range is?"
"Well damn, Marinette."
"And my dumbass agreed to go to dinner with the psychopath! I don't know if he is actually going to follow through." Marinette took a deep breath before exhaling her complaints. "I take fucking self defense classes and when push and came to shove they were fucking useless. FUCKING USELESS!"
Luka patted her knee in reassurance. "Look, it's okay. He had a gun. You're a clever woman that wanted to get out alive. You did what you thought was right even if it meant agreeing to a trade off with a scumbag. And maybe he was just toying with you and never planned on killing you or going out to dinner. Maybe he's just a horrible person who does horrible things. The important thing is that you are alive. Focus on that."
"But what if..." Marinette watched as Luka's eyes narrowed. "I know. I know. If I keep focusing on the what ifs then I won't move forward. But like Luka you weren't there! He was super scary."
Luka rubbed her knee gently with his thumb trying to sooth her frustrations. "I will always regret not being there."
"What's the use of going to the gym if you can't protect your big ole muscles?" She teased as she strived to lighten the conversation. She also would have not minded watching Luka defend her honor. Someone needed to teach that fedora wearing fat cat a thing or two.
"So you're crushing on my muscles?" He laughed adding a raised eyebrow and a smolder that was up to par to Flynn Rider's.
"Chloe was right, you are full of yourself." She had received many calls and texts from Chloe Bourgeois as Luka had put his phone on silent when visited the orphanage.
"I think you should take her words with a grain of salt. She doesn't know what she wants and it's kinda frustrating."
"Come on Luka, there has to be a silver lining even if it's Chloe. Try to give her another chance," Marinette knew that Chloe was a hard person to be friends with and couldn't imagine what it was like to be romantically involved with her. But, Marinette knew that Chloe was fragile as a Jenga tower. She was missing pieces and her parents just added more and more. The more responsibilities and secrets they stack upon her the higher she becomes. And like the saying goes "the bigger they are the harder they fall" and no one deserves that amount of pressure.
"Easier said than done. She's hella rude to me. Throwing shit then expecting me to tolerate the abuse. But when she's not throwing a tantrum and we're cuddling or she does that little snort she does, I think this is the girl I want to be with."
Marinette twirled a piece of her dark hair wishing that someone would look at her with the same fondness that Luka did when he spoke about Chloe. . "I don't feel that way- I mean- uhhh… ideal type but you know… uh I don't feel that way… you're my brother.. and that be weird."
"You sure think highly of yourself." Luka laughed knowing the Marinette had a tendency to misinterpreted things. "I was referencing Chloe but thanks for rejection."
He was lying to himself if he didn't admit he had crushed on Marinette. The whole reason he started hooking up with Chloe was to get over his harmless crush before he ruined his relationship with Marinette. If that meant being with hurricane Chloe then so be it.
"I don't want you to feel like you did anything wrong! It's just I'm stupid and tired."
"It's fine, little sis. Just so you know you can be with whoever you want but I'm still going to point out when I see red flags. It's what big brother's do worry about their little siblings."
She sat her tea on the coffee table and snuggled up next to him. Fine if the television remained on or off. She just wanted to feel safe. "I know," she then proceeded to lay her head on his shoulder feeling safe with her protector. He was her knight, he had been like that ever since her parents passed and she was glad to have him on her side.
