The World You Love
I got a story it's almost finished
all I need is someone to tell it too
maybe, that's you.
Marinette wasn't really sure how she had managed to end up here.
Here of course being hunched over her sewing machine at three in the morning, desperately trying to finish last minute costumes for a band she had never met as a favor for Nathaniel.
Sure, she had shared classes with at least three of the band's members for the better part of her childhood, but she's relatively certain that she hasn't exchanged more than a passing word with any of them other than Juleka over the past couple of years. Not since she had gone off to pursue her dream of building her own fashion empire at least. And how well that little endevor had worked out, she grumbled to herself. She hadn't gone in expecting to make it big immediately in the cut throat industry, especially in a place like New York City, one of the fashion hubs of the world. But she had at least thought that her teachers' glowing reviews and recommendations would have landed her some kind of internship at one of the bigger named fashion houses within the city.
When no such offer came, however, Marinette had been forced to move back to Paris. Back into her parents bakery while she started a part-time job as a seamstress at one of the many local bridal boutiques. Her only consultation was the fact that Paris happened to be the location of her dream job at her dream fashion house. The very one that had inspired her love of the industry and set her to sewing little outfits for her dolls at the tender age of seven: Gabriel.
"Motherfuck - . . " Shaking her right hand out, Marinette stared down at the small pinprick on her finger-that was already welling with blood-as if it had personally offended her. She dropped the article of clothing she had been working on before making her way to the bathroom, mumbling under her breath all the way. Why had she agreed to this? She had never been particularly close to Nathaniel, but both he and Juleka had ambushed her one day after work to plead for her help. Nathaniel was too busy with client requests from his growing art business to whip up some last minute custom outfits. And like the sucker she was, it hadn't even taken more than thirty seconds of their begging for her to cave and reluctantly agree.
So here she was, only halfway through the last piece of clothing she needed to finish, and it was now ticking closer to 4am, a quick glance at her nightstand clock told her. Mechanically, Marinette washed and bandaged her finger while beginning to tick off just what she still had to accomplish in the next twenty four hours in her head. Just tonight she had to finish the last of the band's outfits, why they even needed extravagant outfits for what amounted to a talent show was beyond her understanding. She needed to get some semblance of sleep before waking up bright and early to help her parents in the bakery like she did every morning. Half a shift at the boutique that would surely double in size when she got stuck working on all the more challenging alternations none of her co-workers wanted to handle. She had to be at the recording studio right after to start the alterations on the multitude of clothing she had spent the past few days whipping up. Marinette could only pray that there wouldn't be too many needed. After all that she could finally relax when they all went out to celebrate, Nathaniel had promised her all the drinks she wanted in return for helping him out with the band's last minute outfits.
Flipping off the light in her bathroom, Marinette slid back into place in front of her sewing machine, glaring down at the offending piece of clothing with more heat then a small dollop of blood warranted. She picked it up to examine what she had last been working on, silently praying that in her anger at the situation she hadn't ruined the piece by negligently throwing it away. There were no tears or loose threads in the fabric, but she bit back a groan of frustration regardless. Hidden from plain view on one of the underfolds of the shirt was a tiny pinprick of blood. Nothing to do about it now, the new owner of the shirt would just have to deal with wearing her literal blood, sweat, and tears.
With a quick glance back at the clock again, Marinette huffed to herself in annoyance before hunkering down to finish what she had so naively promised to deliver.
Tap, tap, tap.
Luka rhythmically tapped his foot along to the beat streaming from his earbuds, patiently waiting for the street light to turn green. He was doing his best to stay as calm and collected as possible, but his nerves were wound tight. He was on his way to a local studio where they were auditioning bands to feature as opening acts a yet-to-be-named artist's tour around France. Luka had been sure the band was doomed when Rose dropped out as their singer last year to focus on her matchmaking business. Only Juleka's quiet encouragement that she had heard him singing in the shower for the past twenty years now, and that he had a perfectly acceptable singing voice, had pushed the band to continue on. He was hoping that this would be Kitty Section's big break. That the past few months of adjusting to a new vocalist would make it all worth it.
The light turned green, and with one last quick glance up and down the street, Luka made his way through the crosswalk. Making a beeline for the building that read Record Star Studios, the blue-haired man dug out his weekend pass to flash at the security guard. He wasn't sure what big names recorded here enough to warrant security, but he seriously doubted any of them were here this weekend with the building crawling with potential fans.
Slipping inside, Luka paused at the list taped just inside the door, scanning down the list for his band's name. Locating their information, he turned and began following the arrows plastered on the walls to the studio changing rooms hidden deep within the building. Finding the door with Kitty Section's name taped on it, Luka opened the door and slipped in, stopping short at the scene that greeted him.
In the middle of the room, Marc was standing stock still on top of what looked to be a grey tufted ottoman that had been placed in the room for comfort but was now pulling double duty as some sort of step stool. On her knees and slowly rotating her way around the still boy was a dark-haired woman Luka had never met. He couldn't see her face, but judging by the hard ridge of her shoulders he gathered that she was rather focused, or frustrated, by whatever she was doing to the pair of pants Marc was wearing.
Juleka was sitting on a couch that matched the makeshift stool, watching the entire scene with a smile half hidden behind her hand. Alix, predictably, wasn't paying attention to anything besides filling the otherwise quiet room with the gentle rapping of her drumsticks against the side table.
"Where's Nathaniel?" Luka asked as he closed the door behind him and made his way over to his sister and their pink-haired friend. Juleka was the only one of either of them that acknowledged his question, but it wasn't his purple-haired sister that answered. Instead it was the woman hunched at Marc's feet that bit out an irritated "Busy!" before standing and turning to the rest of the party with a disgruntled look on her face.
Luka glanced behind him before doing a double take and turning fully around to face her. She was a pretty woman, her dark hair pinned into two identical side buns that had obviously begun to lose their slick neatness from sometime earlier in the day. She wore a pretty half-pinafore dress in grey, rows of lace winding up the straps, with a white ruffled shirt underneath. Before he could continue his perusal of her admittedly cute outfit, she turned to Marc to wave him off the stool before turning her attention back to Luka and spending a full minute looking him up and down critically.
"Well, I shouldn't need too many alterations thankfully. Strip."
Luka's face went red instantly, glancing between the woman who continued to glare at him as if he was the world's slowest dress-up doll and Marc, who just smiled and shrugged at him sympathetically.
"Uh. . . "
The woman turned and bent to retrieve a plastic bag from the pile that he hadn't even noticed sitting next to the lighted vanity. Luka felt his face go even redder if at all possible, trying and failing to look away as the short dress rode higher, letting him see the small strip of creamy skin between where her skirt ended and the tall stockings she was wearing began. She whipped around and walked close enough to shove the bag into his arms before gesturing to the room's attached bathroom with an exasperated expression.
Finally he seemed to get the message, and with one confused look to the still smiling Juleka, Luka made his way over and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He started at the closed door for a few moments before clicking the lock. That woman was scary, and he wasn't sure he trusted her not to barge in and start sticking him with needles.
Pulling off his clothes, Luka strained to hear exactly what the others were talking about in his absence. Juleka seemed to have finally given in to her urge for laughing, bringing a smile to his face. It was good to hear his sister laughing when she did it so rarely, even if it was at his expense. He could no longer hear the gentle tap tap of Alix's drumsticks, meaning the woman must finally be participating in the conversation somewhat. Marc was apologizing for putting Marinette - that was her name apparently, and it was a very pretty name if he was being honest - in this last minute position. It came with the promise that Nathaniel would make it up to her tonight when they all went out to celebrate.
Marinette's soft laughter filled the room beyond the bathroom door, and Luka paused to stare at it until the sound dissipated and she began speaking too quietly for him to hear. She had a beautiful laugh, like a melody that now played in his head on loop. Shaking his head to dislodge the sound, which didn't go anywhere, he turned his attention back to finishing stripping down, mildly afraid of what would happen should he take too long.
Still vaguely listening to their soft chatter, Luka stripped down to his boxers, pausing a moment before pulling off the various pieces of jewelry he was wearing. Better safe than sorry with that one, he thought to himself. Dumping it all in the bag he had brought with him, he hauled the bag Marinette had shoved at him to inspect the neatly-folded clothes within.
"Dupain-Cheng bakery?" He mumbled to himself after reading the side of the bag. He was pretty sure he had heard of the place before, but had never actually gone himself. He could remember Juleka raving about some type of pastry they made once upon a time.
Pulling the pants on top out, Luka unfolded them to give them a critical once over. They were a dark-washed, almost black, denim material. For the most part, they looked like normal jeans, with the exception of the few faux zippers running across the thighs that broke up the otherwise plain expanse. They were nice, in his opinion. Not something he would necessarily wear normally in his everyday life, but they definitely fit well enough with the overall vibe Kitty Section was trying to portray with the band's clothing. Taking a quick peek inside to learn the manufacturer so he could maybe buy a few more like pieces, Luka was surprised to see nothing other than a fancy little monogrammed M. It didn't look mass produced, and for a moment further he was surprised that the woman had actually personally made all the items they would be wearing on stage.
Nathaniel hadn't been the best with a needle and thread, but he had tried his best to customize the pieces of clothing they either bought or already owned. Marinette, however, seemed to be the real deal, and he wondered for a moment just where Marc and Nathaniel had found her. Luka was startled out of his silent musings by a sudden pounding on the locked bathroom door as the woman in question's irritated voice floated through.
"Hurry up in there! We're on a time crunch!"
"I'll be right out!" Luka quickly pulled on the jeans, and holy hell were they tight. Marinette must have been basing her measurements on Marc, who he was sure had never worked out a day in his life. Luka on the other hand, enjoyed a good run, or a few sweaty hours at the gym. Especially after taking up the role of vocalist in addition to guitarist, cardio and breath control were so important.
Quickly pulling on the shirt, a plain black thing with a hand stitched Kitty Section logo over his heart, Luka grabbed the last item folded at the bottom of the bag. A sleeveless vest made of what he hoped was black faux leather, small black studs lining each edge. Hurriedly shrugging it on, he unlocked the door to find Marinette still standing there, hands on her hips and looking adorably irritated.
Biting his tongue to keep from saying exactly that out loud, Luka patiently stood while she looked him up and down slowly. Pulling him out of the doorway, Marinette walked a slow lap around him, pausing to stare at his back for a few moments longer than normal. Coming back to his front, she nodded to herself before gesturing over to the same ottoman he had seen Marc standing on when he had first come in.
"Hop on up."
Awkwardly, Luka moved to obey, trying his best not to bend his legs too much in fear of ripping the pants. Once on top, he took to shifting back and forth on the uneven surface as he watched Marinette continue to circle around him. Abruptly she reached out to run a hand down the inseam of his pants, causing the blue-haired man to tense up in embarrassed confusion. She didn't even seem to notice, mumbling to herself before pulling away and continuing her circuit around him. What was that woman thinking, he wondered.
"Well, I can't let it out a whole lot. But I can give you a little more breathing room. So go ahead and take them off."
Marinette turned to dig through her supplies. She turned back to face him, a needle in one hand, dark thread in another, and an expectant look on her face. Glancing around, was he allowed to go back to the bathroom?, Luka slowly bent over at the waist. He undid the pants and began the process of slowly inching them down his legs, pausing only briefly to make sure his boxers didn't go with them. That's just what he needed, to moon his sister and band mates. Finally slipping them all the way off, he straightened back up to hand them over to the seamstress.
Marinette, though, was zeroed in on his legs, a pretty blush slowly creeping its way up her face. Alix's barking laughter behind the both of them seemed to startle her out of her staring, and she grabbed the pants from him more roughly then she perhaps meant too. She mumbled something none of them could hear before retreating to the seat at the vanity and hunching over the pants.
With a mildly confused glance in her direction, Luka settled himself down between Juleka and Marc on the couch. Watching the seamstress out of the corner of his eye, the vocalist angled himself towards the only other male in the band to ask the question that had been plaguing him since walking into the dressing room.
"So how do you guys know Marinette?"
He had thought maybe it was just Marc and Nathaniel who had known the woman, as they seemed to be the ones making promises about making this entire situation up to her, but it was Juleka who answered him.
"Marinette went to school with us. She moved back a few months ago after attending fashion school in New York." His sister mumbled at him, most of her focus on her phone, presumably texting her girlfriend.
The group fell silent, absorbed back into their own things: Marc and Juleka texting significant others, and Alix tapping out a steady beat between her legs on the couch cushion. Luka continued to watch Marinette as she worked, enjoying watching all the little quirks as she sewed. Like how she tended to bite her tongue, the tip sticking out just between her lips when she focused on what he assumed was a particularly challenging stitch. Or how she apparently talked to the article of clothing in her hands. He couldn't hear her, but he wished he could know what she was mumbling about. Was she trying to coax out the perfection of the piece with pretty words? Or was she busy cursing the unwilling fabric for ruining her vision
Time passed by in the room mostly silently with everyone absorbed in what they were doing. Checking his phone again, Luka began to worry that he would have to go on stage without matching pants if Marinette didn't finish her alterations soon. But he wasn't really willing to disturb the woman and bring her aggravation back in full force. Luckily he didn't have to when five minutes later the seamstress finally stood up. She made her way towards the ottoman, still looking over what she had just finished stitching with a critical eye.
"Alright, you can come over and - " Whatever she had been about to say was cut off when she looked up and seemingly remembered what he had been lounging around in his boxers this entire time.
Deciding to take pity on the poor woman, Luka hopped up and made his way over to her. He would later deny quite vehemently, no matter what Juleka said, that he had not sauntered over to her. Taking the pants from Marinette with a grin at her still slightly dumbfounded expression, Luka leaned over to slip the pants back on. This time around they slid on much easier. Still tight, but not so tight that he feared he'd be splitting them in half if he so much as twisted the wrong way.
"This is much better, thank you Marinette."
Hearing her name seemed to shake her out of her stupor. She smiled at him, the first genuinely happy one he had seen all night, not a hint of annoyance or frustration to be seen. Marinette ran another appreciative glance up and down the guitarist, seeming to admire her work, and hopefully the model wearing it.
"You're very welcome. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name though."
Another grin flitted over his face. "Luka."
A light-bulb seemed to go off in her head as her eyes flew from him to Juleka and then back to him, undoubtedly taking in the similarities in their features. She didn't say anything however, instead focusing her efforts back on his look.
"One last thing, I think."
Turning on her heel, Marinette made her way into the bathroom, and a startled moment later he realized she was rummaging through his bag. There was nothing else in there besides the clothing and jewelry he had been wearing when he arrived, so he wasn't quite sure what she was looking for in there. She came back out holding a small selection of his jewelry. A few necklaces, two bracelets, and a single ring. All ones that matched his current outfit the most. Wordlessly she held them out to him. He accepted them one at a time, slipping them on.
A dazzling smile lit up Marinette's face as she gave him one last glance over, and he felt his breath catch at the sight. "Perfect."
They had finished just in time it seemed, as a knock on the dressing room door echoed through their space. The harried face of some studio assistant poked in to inform them that they were wanted on stage for their audition in five minutes.
Luka turned back to Marinette in curiosity as she began packing away some of her sewing supplies. "Are you going to watch?" He hoped so, she deserved to see her clothing in action, if nothing else. But he also sort of hoped she stuck around in general.
Hefting the bag over her slim shoulders, Marinette turned back to him with another smile as the rest of his bandmates started getting whatever they were bringing with them situated. "Wouldn't miss it for the world!"
Amid all the hustle and bustle of setting the stage up, Marinette found herself more or less shoved into a small corner of the room they were holding all the auditions in. She still wasn't exactly sure what they were auditioning for, only that it obviously involved something in the music industry. Clutching her bags to her chest, she glanced up at the stage before averting her eyes and feeling her cheeks heat at the sight of the vocalist, Luka, tuning his guitar.
She had never met Juleka's brother before today, and she was semi-grateful for it. She had no idea how she would have managed to function during her more hormone-driven teenage years had she been around him with any frequency. It was bad enough already that she had been checking him out basically all afternoon. Marinette's just glad he didn't seem to notice when she had stopped to stare at his ass for a good minute when he had first come out of the bathroom wearing her creations.
It had only gotten worse from there, and it was obvious that the blue-haired man had been well aware of her staring. She really didn't know what he was like as a person, Juleka had never really talked about him, but she sort of hoped the flirting back he had done was genuine and not just something he did with everyone. Reaching up to grasp at her burning cheeks Marinette shook her head, trying to knock the thoughts right out. She'd probably never even see the man again after today. She didn't hang out with Juleka all that often, and she was always busy sewing or working as it was.
Marinette was startled out of her thoughts when the soft sound of a strumming guitar filled the suddenly silent room. She hadn't even noticed the studio executives call for the band to begin. Turning her full attention onto the band, her eyes darted over each one as she surveyed her work with a critical eye, seeing how it stood up to the test of on stage wear. She purposefully kept skipping over Luka, those tight jeans on him just looked too good, it really should have been criminal.
Finally she had to let her eyes slide on to the front man, her head beginning to bounce in time with the beat of whatever song they were playing. She didn't recognize the tune, but she was enjoying both the sound and the ability to privately let her eyes trail up and down his figure without anyone the wiser. That was until he started singing, and her eyes snapped up to stare at his face.
Luka's eyes were closed, his mouth so close to the microphone he may as well have been kissing it. She had never heard the song he was singing, but whatever it was, she would definitely call herself a fan from here on out. After a moment she closed her eyes as well, allowing Luka's softly crooning voice to weave its way through her psyche, letting whatever he was singing paint pictures in her mind.
All too soon the song was over and the executives were calling an end to the performance. Luka and the band spent a few minutes talking to someone who seemed to be the main person running the show, a short, plump man in an ill-fitting suit with a balding head. Eventually he handed them a business card and retreated back to the table to continue talking with his coworkers. The band looked pleased with themselves as they packed up their things before heading out past her, Luka though stopped, almost leaning over her in her tiny corner.
"Are you coming out with us to celebrate?"
Marinette could only nod in response, tongue tied at having him so much in her space. She could almost imagine she could smell him this close. He smelt like old leather, the kind that's soft and supple with age, and some kind of citrus she can't quite put her finger on. It kind of reminded her of the bakery, and that caused a small smile to stretch across her face. Luka smiled back before turning to follow the rest of their group outside.
Marinette follows more slowly, quietly listening to them chat about how well they believed the audition had gone. Once outside, they stopped to form a small circle in front of the building, discussing what they would be doing next. The general consensus seemed to be meeting up at the bar where all the bands who had auditioned were going to hang out together as a mini celebration. Apparently a few more of their friends, some she even knew, would also be there in support. Marinette was definitely going; Nathaniel had promised her copious drinks in return for taking on his last-minute favor.
Alix and Marc both departed with a wave and an affirmation that they would meet them all at the bar in a bit before walking in opposite directions to drop off their belongings at home first. Luka and Juleka exchanged a few words before the purple-haired woman too waved before turning to head down the same direction as Marc. Marinette glanced down at her watch while doing some quick time calculations in her head.
"Well, it takes me nearly a half hour to walk home, so I guess I'll meet you guys at the bar in about an hour. Does that sound good?" She turned to smile up at Luka, only now just realizing how much taller the vocalist was compared to her. It had been a little hard to tell when he had been towering over her on the ottoman before.
Luka turned and gestured behind him, the opposite way she had to go, all the while returning her smile. "I live just a few minutes walk that way. I can give you a ride home and then to the bar if you want?"
Marinette pursed her lips in thought for a few moments, thinking it through. True, she hadn't met Luka before today, but he seemed nice enough. He was also Juleka's brother, so surely he didn't actually pose any danger to her, right?
"I would appreciate that, thank you."
They both turned to begin down the direction he had indicated earlier, walking in a companionable silence while she sent a quick text to her best friend, Alya, about what she was currently doing. Brother or no, one could never be too careful after all. Stowing her phone back away, Marinette risked a quick glance at her traveling companion, who seemed content to hum softly to himself, something that sounded a lot like what they had just been playing.
"So what song were you playing back there?" She wondered.
Luka let out a small, almost self conscious, laugh. He reached up to run a hand through his blue-tipped hair, giving it a good ruffle before actually answering her question. "I wrote it a few years back actually. I don't think it's my best, personally, but everyone else really seems to like it, so I figured what the heck."
Marinette's grin grew wider as they finally stopped outside of a tall apartment building made of old faded bricks. "Well, count me as a fan, I really enjoyed it. Just make sure you send me a free CD when you make it big, okay?"
It had been made as a joke, but Luka's look was both sincere and serious when he replied. "Marinette, you can have as many free CDs as you want."
Not exactly sure how she was supposed to respond to that, Marinette followed him up a few flights of stairs silently, stopping in front of what she assumed to be his apartment. She followed him in after he unlocked it and stayed in the front living room while he disappeared into the bedroom, "Just let me change real quick and we can be on our way." Unable to stop her curiosity, she gave the room a cursory once over, noting the real lack of decoration in the area, as if it was a place he stayed in but didn't really live.
Noticing a lighted glass tank against the far wall in the otherwise dark room, Marinette glanced over at the room Luka disappeared through. Seeing that he wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, she headed over to the case and peered inside to see if she sould spy just what lived in it. She didn't see anything at first, just a small puddle that functioned as a pond, a large log like structure, and the bottom of the case covered in sand and rocks. Bending down she peered under the wood and spied a sleeping snake, its scales a pretty mix of blues.
"That's Sass."
Marinette yelped, jumping up and spinning around in surprise, her heavy bag and the sudden movement causing her to wobble. She would have fallen if not for the strong hands that grabbed at her elbows, steadying her. Taking a moment to get her bearings, Marinette took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Eventually she opened her eyes to find Luka smirking down at her in amusement.
"You alright there?"
"Yes, thank you. Uh, sorry about that."
Luka laughed at her apology, finally releasing her arms and gesturing inside the glass cage she had been snooping inside of. He stooped over to stare where she had seen the snake snoozing, motioning for her to join him back down on that level. Marinette bent at the waist this go, peering in at the snake, who now seemed to be awake. It stuck its head out and she was delighted to see it was an even prettier color in the light, an alternating pattern of dark and light blues, whites, and blacks.
"Anyway, that's Sass. Little guy's been with me for a while now. I uh. . . I got kinda lonely living alone at first." Luka admitted sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his head again.
Marinette smiled kindly in his direction, understanding all too well the feeling of loneliness one got from being away from friends and family. The years she had spent in New York had been tough, and she had wanted to pack up and quit multiple times. But in the end it had all been worth it, even if she hadn't managed to land an internship in the city.
"I understand perfectly," she murmured, enjoying spending a few quiet moments huddled up with Luka near the glass, watching as Sass tasted the air in their direction, trying to understand this new person in his home.
Luka stood back up, helping her back up along with him. He was still wearing the Kitty Section shirt she had made and literally bled for, but he had ditched the vest. She was momentarily disappointed that he had apparently also ditched the pants she had made, but was pleased to see that he was still wearing a pair of tight, dark jeans.
"Alright, let's get out of here before Juleka starts blowing up my phone, thinking I kidnapped you." They both shared a laugh at that, especially knowing such feelings were more than likely fueled by Juleka's girlfriend, Rose.
After locking his apartment, Luka led her down a small back set of stairs to a car garage that she hadn't noticed attached to the back of the building. He led her through rows upon rows of cars before coming to a stop in front of a sleek-looking motorcycle.
"Er. . . " Marinette glanced down at her dress in concern.
Luka turned back to her, a plain white helmet held in his hands, before seeing the look on her face and understanding her dilemma.
"Ah shit, I didn't even think. . . Sorry."
Marinette waved him off, taking the helmet and pushing her buns down flat when she strapped it down on her head. She'd be fine, he didn't have eyes in the back of his head, and she wasn't worried about some random passerby managing to catch a half second glimpse under her skirts. "It'll be fine, it's a short drive anyway."
Luka climbed on the bike, kicking the kickstand up and revving the engine to life before beckoning her to climb on behind him. Marinette climbed on, squishing her bag down in between them. She wrapped her arms loosely around his middle, until he laughed, "You have to hold on tighter or you're going to go flying off!" Tightening her arms, she grabbed up fistfuls of his shirt, suddenly afraid of falling off, but she tried to trust that Luka wouldn't let anything happen to her.
After one last rev of the engine, Luka began walking them out of the parking space. When they were clear of the rows of cars, they meandered through the garage towards the light leading to outside. They paused long enough at the entrance to make sure there were no other cars coming before they darted out onto the street in the direction she indicated.
At the first stoplight, Marinette pointed to the left. "That way," she said, leaning right up on his shoulder so he could hear her over the noise of the street.
Luka nodded his head toward her bag as best he could. "Do you live at that bakery?"
"Uh yeah, why?"
"I kinda know where it is!" He said, finally making the turn. "Never been inside, personally, but it looks cute. Been by it plenty of times."
"It's on Rue Gotlib, by Place des Vosges," Marinette added for clarification.
"Awesome."
Content to let him drive now that she no longer needed to relay directions, Marinette settled down. She rested her cheek against Luka's back and tried to enjoy the new experience of riding on a motorcycle.
It wasn't until about halfway back to her parents that she realized that sometime during the ride her hands had unfisted themselves from his shirt. One hand was drawing almost lazy patterns on his chest, while the other one was splayed flat against his toned stomach. Blushing scarlet, Marinette locked both her hands in an effort to prevent herself from feeling up her ride again, but confused when the seemingly relaxed Luka tensed up in response.
Marinette was about ready to die from shame when they pulled to a stop outside the bakery. She jumped off the motorcycle quickly and with far less grace then she would have wanted. Thankfully, Luka didn't say anything about her blatantly molesting just took the helmet back with a smile, "I'll wait right here for you to come back."
Still red, Marinette squeaked out a mumbled response, "I'll um. . . Ah I'll be right back!" Her mother watched her enter and head towards the back, blessedly not commenting on the color of her daughter's face. When Marinette disappeared up the stairs, pausing only long enough to watch her mother turn to look out the window with a curious stare.
A few minutes later, Marinette appeared back downstairs, now wearing a light jacket with her hair buns once more pristine. She stopped just long enough to endure the teasing when she said she'd be home late, and to pursue the bakery's selection of macarons. After a moment she scoops up the lemon meringue, pin pointing it as the scent she had smelled earlier coming off of him. Making her way back to Luka's side, she offered up the treat with a strained smile.
"It's a little thank you for driving me here and then to the bar. I really appreciate it." Luka stared at the macaron for a moment before taking it and popping it into his mouth. He smiled at her, slowly chewing his treat before handing her back her helmet and leaning forward on the bike so she could climb back on behind him.
"It's my pleasure, Marinette. Especially for treats like this."
Marinette glanced up from carefully securing the helmet back on in an attempt to spare her hair, to find Luka staring at her with a quiet intensity. She didn't think the treat he was talking about had been the macaron. Not knowing what to say in return, Marinette climbed back on the bike, wrapping her arms tightly around him and locking her hands together, determined this time not to feel him up.
Marinette gave one last wave to her mom watching them through the window before Luka revved the motorcycle back to life and took off down the mostly empty street. Marinette buried her face into his back, enjoying the breeze that rushed past, the brunt of the chill blocked by Luka's warm body. She found herself humming what she could remember of the song from earlier in the day, and realized when they stopped at another red light that Luka had started humming along with her.
They passed by the recording studio, as well as Luka's apartment building, before turning into a small parking garage a few blocks further on. After they parked, Luka held out a hand to steady her as she climbed down from the bike. She stowed the helmet she had used in the pack she had first seen him dig it out of. Patting her hair down and back into place, Marinette waited patiently while Luka turned the bike off and secured his own helmet down on the seat.
"Come on, let's see if we can find anyone."
Marinette followed the much taller Luka through the small crowd milling around the entrance of the parking lot and around the door into the bar. She glanced up at the sign just before walking over the threshold, The Suckle. Not a place she had visited before - not that she had found many chances to go out since moving back to Paris.
They quickly found their friends gathered around a high top table, already seemingly well into their drinks if the empty glasses littering the surface were any indication. She slid up next to Juleka and Rose, exchanging a hug with the short girl decked out all in pink. Luka knelt down over her, moving close enough to be heard over the din of the establishment and sending a shiver down her spine when his warm breath puffed over her skin, asking her, "So what would you like to drink?"
"Mmm, a vodka and coke for now, thanks."
Luka's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise, probably expecting her to drink something pink and sweet. Not that she didn't like those kinds of drinks, but sometimes she just preferred something simple. He turned to leave but paused when Marinette hooked her hand in his, pulling him back into her space for just a moment.
"Don't you dare pay for it, when that one -" She pointed over at Nathaniel, who was hanging all over Marc, clearly already on his way to being tipsy. "- promised me copious amounts of alcohol for bailing him out."
Luka rolled his eyes at the scene the couple were making before slipping away towards the bar with nothing but a shrug at her proclamation. Marinette shook her head in exasperation, turning back to her friend group, all smiles and happy to catch up with the few people she hadn't seen in a good while.
Rose's business seemed to be thriving, which wasn't all that surprising. She had always been quite the matchmaker in school. Nathaniel was obviously doing well, now starting to gain commissions from companies themselves. She wasn't sure exactly what Marc did, just something in editing was all she knew. Juleka was finishing up her studies in social services, and Alix was still working at a garage in downtown Paris.
A hand with chipping black paint on the nails and still wearing the fat silver ring she had picked out for him appeared in her line of vision, along with her drink which he set on a napkin in front of her. Marinette turned to smile at Luka as he climbed onto the stool next to her. The musician took a swig of his beer before leaning forward to participate in the spirited debate that was picking up between Marc and Alix over the current relationship status of the main characters on Paris' hit show.
Marinette felt her mouth go so dry she quickly gulped down a good quarter of her drink. Twisting down his inner arm and wrapping around his outer bicep before disappearing into his shirt sleeve was a perfect rendition of Sass in ink. How had she missed that? She had clearly been too focused on the clothes when she had been playing dress up with him to pay attention to much else. The clothes and his ass, if she wanted to be honest with herself.
Marinette took a few moments to actually take him in, her eyes following his movements as he lifted the beer bottle to his lip. She traced the snake tattoo with her eyes, admiring the same colors she had seen on the actual snake earlier in the night, and trying her best to peek over at his other arm. She was almost disappointed to not see anything else poking out from his shirtsleeve. Luka's sudden uproarious laughter, along with the rest of the table bursting out into laughter, snapped her out of her perusal and she turned back to the group and her drink, her cheeks dusted a pretty pink as she tried to join in on whatever had the group in stitches.
She needed to pull herself together. She probably wasn't even going to see Luka again after tonight. Besides, she was just a boring, old seamstress, she groused to herself. Not someone who would be on the radar of a rock-star in the making. The door to the bar opened with a bang, quieting the area and bringing everyone's attention over to the opening. The executives from the audition were standing at the threshold.
"We just wanted to thank everyone that showed up today! The results will be emailed out tomorrow, so for now enjoy a drink on us!"
That proclamation brought more cheers as the auditioners turned to shuffle back out of the establishment. Marinette quickly finished off the rest of her drink before hopping off her stool. Luka stopped her before she could take another step.
"Stay, I'll get us both new drinks," he told her with an easy smile.
Marinette returned his smile but gestured to the hallway on the other side of the building. "Thanks, I just have to run to the bathroom real quick."
They went their separate ways, he to the bar, and she to weave her way through the crowd, which included a small group of women at the entrance to the hallway who were all giggling over something or someone. The bathroom was thankfully empty, and she did her business before taking a moment in the mirror to fluff her hair back up. When had she gotten so vain, exactly? Shaking her head in exasperation, Rose was really starting to get to her, Marinette turned to leave.
By the time she got out, the small gaggle of women who had been near blocking the way in seemed to have dispersed, leaving behind a lone man with sharp, handsome features and artificial, perfectly-combed blond hair who seemed to zero in on her presence with a smile she could only call creepy.
Luka waited patiently about halfway back to their table, foot tapping along to some beat that definitely wasn't playing out of the overhead bar speakers. He was waiting for Marinette, wanting to make sure that she could get back easily through the continually growing crowd. He felt a small smile break out over his face when she finally emerged from the bathroom. He wasn't exactly sure what it was about this cute woman that he'd only met today that brought out the flirty side of the usually stoic guitarist, but he definitely wanted to know more. The smile quickly morphed into a frown however when the strangely-familiar blond man, who had been sitting at the table closest to the hallway, got up and approached her.
They exchanged a few words, the blond slowly inching his way into her personal space, and Marinette's face slowly getting redder and redder. Luka wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. The blond leaned in even closer, one arm on the wall to support himself while he hovered over the much shorter woman, almost close enough for their noses to touch. He decided finally that she looked uncomfortable, not the cute embarrassed she got around him, and was about to head over to help her out when the small girl he had just met today - the girl he had falsely believed might be more bark than bite when it came to her anger - reared as far back as she could manage and punched the blond right in his perfect nose.
"Holy shit," Luka whispered to himself, eyes alight with wonder. "I think I love her."
For my one and only Discord love, Rikka.
Much love to Cass for her beta'ing.
Join us on the Miraculous Fanworks Discord to engage with the fandom community and participate in month events.
