I'm sorry for the delay. The holidays were rather stressful, and then I got a new video game that occupied a good deal of my time. But here we go again!
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Chapter 24: How To Be Helpful
Something was still off…
Luka sat on his bed, comfortably leaning against the wall and with one leg tucked beneath the other, and gazed unseeingly at the opposite wall. Absent-mindedly, his right hand ran up and down the line Marinette had caressed down his neck, his thoughts running in circles.
She'd left shortly after their conversation earlier, having lots of work to do with the remaining costume alterations, and since then, he couldn't stop pondering over what she'd said. He'd meant what he'd said, that he was okay with her dealing with her problems on her own and only telling him once she was ready. But still, there was just… just something. And no matter how long he pondered, he couldn't put a finger on it. All he knew was that it was something else now. Not the discomfort of knowing she was struggling, but… something in what she'd said, maybe?
It was like an itch, something he was desperate to scratch, but he couldn't locate it. Over and over he went through their conversation in his mind, but couldn't pin down what it was.
"Is everything okay with you, Luka?"
Sass came flying over from where he'd browsed through one of Luka's books. "You seem troubled."
Luka's lips twitched into a small smile. He was still getting used to always having company now, but having the Kwami around all the time was pleasant nonetheless.
"Yes, I'm okay. No need to worry, my friend. I'm just… thinking about what Marinette said—the girl who was here earlier, remember?"
Sass nodded, a little hesitant. "Yeah, I remember her. What about her?"
"She's my girlfriend," Luka said, smiling softly. "But she's unhappy about something, and I wish I could help her somehow."
Sass blinked, slowly, his snake-like face all but expressionless. "I… don't think I can help you there. I'm sorry."
Luka laughed quietly. "I didn't think you could. I guess Kwamis rarely have trouble with their love life."
He let out a deep sigh. Actually, he hoped that he wasn't having trouble, either. If only he could figure out what kept him on edge now.
A knock tore him from his thoughts, and with a relieved sigh, he went to open the porthole for Chat. Luka was always glad to see him, but today, the additional distraction from his mind was highly welcome as well.
Chat jumped in, graceful as ever, then whirled around and planted a firm kiss on Luka's lips. He grunted in surprise but happily obliged his boyfriend, letting him push him back until he bumped against his desk and sat down on top of it, Chat eagerly straddling him.
"Hi, there," Luka greeted him once their kiss ended, a little breathless. "You seem to be in a good mood."
Chat shrugged, grinning. "I am. Or well, at least I'm not in a bad mood. HawkMoth hasn't reared his ugly head in days, meaning life is just that much less stressful, and I'm in my favourite spot. Why shouldn't I be in a good mood?"
Chuckling, Luka held on to him and kissed him again, but then swatted against his hips to make him slide off his lab. The desk's edge was a tiny bit too uncomfortable to support both their weight.
"But what about you?" Chat asked after they'd settled on Luka's bed, sitting side by side. "You seem a little off. Is it… still the attack?"
Luka grimaced, but then shook his head. "No, it's not that. I'm… still a little on edge, I guess, but it's getting better." Slowly, and Luka wasn't sure whether it would be enough in the long run, but he was getting better.
"Then what is it? Come on, you know you can't hide if from me anyway."
"I wouldn't want to, anyway." Luka felt a little light. "And I'm not entirely sure what it is. It's something about Marinette. She was here earlier, and while I didn't think much of not seeing her lately, I now think that something's bothering her. She was… so anxious, so tense."
"Huh, that's strange." Chat cocked his head in thoughts, brows furrowed. "But now that you mention it… She was acting differently in school, too. She was… less cheerful, I guess, often lost in thoughts with a frown on her face. Always busy and never staying still, always about to leave whenever I saw her. I thought she might just be busy with some new project, but… you think it's something else?"
Luka shrugged. "She even admitted that's the case. She wouldn't tell me what it is, though, and only said she'd have to figure it out for herself and that she'd tell me then."
"That sounds indeed ominous. But not really alarming? I mean, sharing your burden always makes it lighter, but if she needs more time to reach this understanding, that's not a bad thing."
"Yeah, I know," Luka said, but directly shook his head. "That's not it, though. There was something else, but I just don't know what. Just something beyond my grasp. I don't even know whether it was something she did or said or…" He trailed off, biting his lip. He so dearly wanted to help her.
"Then I guess you'll have to wait until she's ready," Chat said gently. "As much as I'd like to support her, if we don't know what's up, there's little we can do."
Sighing, Luka nodded. Chat was right. Besides, she'd asked for more time, so interfering without even having an idea wouldn't do anyway.
"Something else," Chat said, drawing his attention again. He nodded at Luka's neck. "Is something up with them? Do they hurt?"
Frowning in confusion, Luka blinked. "What do you mean?"
Chat leaned over and lightly ran his clawed finger along the same line Marinette had drawn earlier. "Your pretty necklace here," he said with a smirk. "Our lovebites. Do they hurt? You're touching them the entire time."
Luka blinked at him, then stood up to look at the mirror. He hadn't noticed he was still touching that line, but even before, it hadn't even occurred to him that her touch might have been anything but random. But Chat was right. Marinette's finger had followed the line of their kisses perfectly, and looking back, that had to be significant. Somehow.
Luka's mind was reeling, his thoughts tumbling over one another—until something clicked into place.
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Chat Noir could all but see the light going on in Luka's eyes. Curiously, he cocked his head and touched Luka's arm to draw his attention. "What is it?"
Instead of answering or giving him an explanation, Luka turned toward him with a somewhat guarded look. "Do you still intend to tell her how you feel?" he asked, his expression unreadable.
A little confused, Chat nodded. "Sure. I just… I guess I wanted to wait until things turned back to normal."
Whatever normal even meant…
"Maybe… maybe you should do it sooner rather than later," Luka said slowly, chewing his lower lip.
"Uh, okay? Why do you think that?" It wasn't as if he'd changed his mind there. He just wanted to get some distance to the whole Copycat incident before he did something rash.
Again, Luka touched the line of live bites on his neck. "When Marinette was here, she caressed these. It was the only time she did something deliberate, but I didn't think much of it because I didn't know she was touching these. But now, I think they might be connected to what's making her so anxious.
Chat nodded, frowning. "Sounds logical. But what is it, then? What do you think it means?"
"On its own? I'm not sure. But now I know what else was off about our conversation. It wasn't something she said, but what she didn't say."
Mutely, Chat gestured for him to go on.
"It's… so many things have happened since then, so I almost forgot about it. But do you remember what you told me right before the attack?"
Furrowing his brow, Chat tried to remember what Luka was talking about. Before the attack? They'd walked along the Seine together, back to the Liberty. "Uhm.. something about helping you carry your shopping bags? And that us just walking together like that wouldn't be enough to cause a scandal?"
Luka shook his head. "Yeah, but that's not what I mean. You told me you'd visited her. And that you two almost kissed."
Chat's cheeks grew warm. "Right…" He'd almost forgotten about that. But now, the memories came back with force. The depth of her eyes, how soft she'd felt in his hold. Her scent dazing his mind. "But… what about it? I thought you didn't mind."
"I don't." He sighed. "I'm not sure how to say this. I don't mind that it happened, would be thrilled if even more had happened. But… doesn't it seem odd to you that she didn't say anything about it? I would have thought she'd at least mention it."
Chat shrugged. "Maybe she—rightfully—suspects you already heard it from me so there's no need for her to tell you as well?"
"Maybe…" Luka slowly shook his head. "But I don't think that's it. What fs…" He looked up, directly into Chat's eyes. "What if this 'problem' she's dealing with is that she's developing a crush on you, too? And now, she doesn't know what to make of it?"
"I don't see how that would be a problem," Chat said, grinning.
Luka's expression turned softer. "True. But she doesn't know that."
Chat fell silent, thinking. The way he knew Marinette, she was always able to find a solution to every problem. She seemed shy sometimes, but also could be strong when something mattered to her. But only when she was doing things for others. When it was about herself—like with the derby hat she'd designed—she was more hesitant, self-conscious even.
"So, you think I should tell her now?"
"Well, you obviously don't have to do it immediately. But yeah, if this really is what's bothering her—and I have a feeling that it is about her feelings for you and me—then I think she should know. Or she should at least know which options she has when she makes a decision for herself."
"And if it's something else, not much changes. Probably…" Chat took another moment to think. He'd never been nervous about telling Ladybug how he felt, but with Marinette, it was a bit different. Because of Luka. Even though whatever might develop between him and Marinette didn't affect him directly, Luka was in this, too. If whatever bothered Marinette couldn't be solved or if declaring his feelings for her somehow made it even worse, then it could lead to her breaking up with Luka. But… Well, if that happened, there was little he could do to prevent it, anyway. And Luka was right, letting her know all her options would surely be the best way to go.
"All right," he said, and, standing up from Luka's bed, stretched his arms above his head. "It's not too late yet, so she should still be awake." He winked at Luka's encouraging nod. "I'll let you know how it went."
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Once again, I didn't manage to write all I'd originally planned in time for the update. So I'm sorry should it feel stretched and slow. 😬
Also, a warning. Or an announcement, maybe? This story is getting close to the end. I can't make predictions about how many chapters are left, for obvious reasons, but it's only a few more now.
