AN: I totally did not forget to upload this chapter here... Anyway... Some slow Lukadrinette bonding. 😊
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Chapter 8: An Unexpected Turn
So light…
Luka loved living on a ship, being outside and feeling the sun and the wind whenever he wanted. The freedom it gave them. But even with all that... Lately, he felt even better.
He sat in his favourite spot in the Liberty's prow, enjoying the morning sun with his guitar in his hands, and played the melody he'd composed for Adrien. Music and sunshine… he mused idly. Somehow, this combination felt so right to him. As if he could feel Adrien's embrace for real. And the soft breeze playing with his hair was the perfect addition, somehow. It made him feel so light, so free.
Like the melody in the wind, his mind drifted away, revelling in his memories. Like the sensation of holding Chat Noir in his arms, of his soft warmth and tender touches. Of his taste on his tongue, of the sweetness of his words and noises in his ears. Of the look on his face as he—
"Luka?"
Luka flinched as his mother's voice abruptly pulled him out of his daydreams. He took a second to compose himself, his guitar resting on his knees, before he called back.
"Oui, Maman?"
"Ah, there you are." Luka frowned as he heard her say something in a slightly less boisterous voice that sounded like 'He's in the prow. Just go through,' before she added, "You've got a visitor."
A visitor? Luka's frown deepened. He never got any visitors. Well, except for Chat Noir, but Luka doubted he'd just walk in like that, not even as Adrien. Even though, against his better knowledge, he found himself hoping it would be Adrien; he'd love to be with him without hiding, even if it was just sitting together and talking.
However, when his visitor came into view, he couldn't prevent his eyes from widening in surprise.
"Marinette?"
"Hey, Luka," she said with a shy smile, awkwardly waving at him with one hand.
For a moment, he was too stunned to move, hardly believing his eyes. Why was she visiting him, of all people? She'd never done that before, had only ever been here as part of Juleka's group of friends or to support Kitty Section. Even that one time she'd asked him to come along to the ice hall had only been a cover, and ever since XY had tried to steal their song, she'd kind of avoided direct interaction with him completely. She'd probably learned about his crush on her, which made her being here now even more awkward.
Although… To his surprise he found he didn't feel as down anymore as he used to be when she was around. His eyes dropped to the guitar in his lap, the melody he'd played just now still echoing in his mind, and he couldn't help the little smile tugging at his lips. He still couldn't fully grasp how much Adrien had changed his life and his feelings.
"Um," Marinette made, breaking the moment of awkward silence. "That… that was a beautiful song you just played."
Luka, gesturing for her to sit down on the chair next to him, smirked. "Thanks. It's a… a new melody I recently came up with." It did not surprise him she liked Adrien's melody.
"So… what brought you here?" he asked, as casually as he could muster. He didn't want this to become even more awkward; if he and Marinette could be friends again, he'd be happy with that.
However, his efforts seemed to be in vain. At his question, Marinette blushed and ducked her head, her hand rubbing at her neck.
"Oh, it's nothing," she said, a little too quickly, fidgeting around as she so often did when she was nervous. It was an endearing sight, even as Luka wondered why she felt this way. "I just… just walked by by chance and then I heard you playing and thought… well, I thought I could say hi, and… and… woah!"
Following his gesture, she'd sat down on the stool next to him. Or rather… tried to. Instead of sitting down, Marinette had slipped off the edge of the seat, arms flinging around wildly as she landed on the ground.
In an instant, Luka jumped to his feet to help her, guitar placed to the side, but couldn't fully suppress a slight grin tugging at his lips. Falling off a chair was such a Marinette thing to happen.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" he asked as he knelt down next to her, holding his hand out to help her up.
With a low groan and her cheeks bright red, she reached for his hand and shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said in a high voice. "My poor sense of balance, happens all the time, haha. Stupid me."
It took Luka barely any effort to pull her back up on her feet. He felt a certain reluctance to let go of her hand, though, his lips tugged between his teeth as he enjoyed the tiny moment, of her hand in his and her being so close to him. I was probably wrong to feel this way, and as soon as she pulled away, he would feel guilty. But still...
However, the moments stretched as she didn't pull her hand away. Glancing at her, Luka found Marinette gazing up at him with an even more profuse blush, a strange expression in her eyes.
All of a sudden, Luka's heart was pounding in his throat. The way she looked at him, that hint of nervousness and determination in her beautiful blue eyes, her lips slightly parted as she leaned a little closer. Could it be? Did that mean she…
"Luka… I—"
"Hey! Everything all right up there? We heard something fall. Did anyone get hurt?"
The booming voice of his mother felt like a bucket of icy water down his back. It made them both flinch, Marinette taking a step away from him after all, and for a split second, Luka contemplated whether strangling his mother would be justified in a moment like this.
"Yeah, everything's all right," he called back, biting back any note of impatience in his voice. "Marinette just stumbled."
There was cackling laughter and a comment about how that sounded like a valid explanation from his mother.
"I apologise for her," Luka murmured, his nose wrinkled.
But Marinette just sighed and shrugged. "Well, she's not wrong. I'm so clumsy. It's embarrassing."
"I'd say it just means your mind is somewhere else," Luka said gently, not wanting her to feel down. "It's like Maman is so fond of saying, chaos leads to creativity. And you're practically brimming with creativity, so it's no wonder you get distracted so easily."
Marinette chuckled, a radiant smile on her face. "Thank you, Luka."
Luka's breath caught in his throat, even as he tried to play it cool. Oh, she was so beautiful, on the outside but also within, how true and pure her joy was. Mesmerising.
Trying to pull himself together, he cleared his throat, gesturing for them to sit again. "So… what was it you wanted to say?" he asked once she was safely seated as well.
Blushing once again, Marinette averted her eyes, her hands fiddling with her purse in her lap. "Right… I… I wanted to ask whether… whether you're free tonight," she said, laughing nervously. "You know, to-to go out. With me. If you want, that is. I-I mean… Uh… I… you…" she trailed off, stammering.
But Luke had heard enough. "You want to go out?" he asked carefully, his heart glowing with hope. But he had to make sure, didn't want to make too quick assumptions. "With some friends?"
Marinette let out a strange noise, something between hysterical squeaking and a low whine. "No, I mean… just…" she mumbled, almost incoherently. "Just you and me."
Luka sucked in a breath, staring at Marinette as she sat there, eyes pressed shut and biting hard on her lower lip. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and to tug that lip free with his own. Oh, for how long had he hoped for her to say this? But he couldn't do that, he reminded himself. Not yet…
Trying to keep his voice calm even as his heart was dancing with joy, he swallowed and asked, "You mean… like a date?"
Squeaking again, she nodded.
A sensation like a warm wave washed through him, lifting him high. Was this really happening? Just like with Adrien in that locker back then, he wondered whether this could be an Akuma-induced dream, some wishful thinking instead of reality. But no, he wouldn't let such thoughts dampen this moment. Not what all he wanted to feel was happiness.
Luka reached for her hand with both of his, holding it carefully to reassure her but also to draw her attention. It took a moment, but eventually, she relaxed and looked up at him again. "I'd like that very much."
"Really?" she squealed, then cleared her throat. "I mean. That's great! Thank you!"
"You're more than welcome," Luka chuckled. "So, when should we meet? Do you already have an idea what you'd like to do?"
"I.. uh.. no, I don't. I-I didn't… I mean…"
Oh, she was too adorable when she was flustered like this.
"How about," Luka mused. "I come and pick you up around seven? And then we can see what we want to do?"
"Yes! That sounds great!" Beaming, Marinette nodded. It was a sight he gladly would have enjoyed for hours on end.
Sadly, Marinette left soon after, though, nearly stumbling and falling over a box as she cheerfully waved him goodbye. Luka couldn't help but grin from ear to ear as he gazed after her.
Once she was out of sight, however, he sobered up a little. Not because he felt any less joy over her actually asking him out, but because this could become way more complicated than he'd anticipated in those blissful first minutes.
If he was to date Marinette for real… then he had to talk to Adrien. Not because he expected any complications there; they'd already talked about this option frequently, and he was sure Adrien wouldn't mind. But aside from the fact that Luka still had to tell him… there was also the question about what he was supposed to tell Marinette.
If he wanted to be with her, too, then she deserved the same open honesty that already worked so well between him and Adrien. But was that even possible? He could hardly tell her Chat Noir's identity, after all. But he also couldn't date her with a good conscience without being honest with her. Or as honest as possible, at least…
Chewing on his lip, Luka pulled out his phone, typing in a quick message as he went back to his cabin.
Hey, Adrien. Is there a chance we can meet this afternoon? There's something I need to ask you.
XXX
L
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AN: This chapter turned out a little shorter... I thought about adding the next scene here as well, but I think they work better as individual chapters.
So, next, Luka and Chat Noir again. But don't worry. There will be more and deeper Lukadrinette content soon 😊
Part of why this chapter took a little longer is because I learned some new tricks in my graphics program and was busy polishing up a Lukadrien sketch I made a while ago. The result as well as a second Luka/Chat picture I made for the next capter can be found on my Tumblr. (shipmistress9)
