Marinette flinched, her eyes trailing off as she recalled the door slamming as Kagami stood awkwardly on the other side.
She wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but she was sincerely thankful that it had kicked into her.
Marinette wasn't always the confrontational type, and it proved as such since she had only ever ran away from Kagami when she started her shit. It also happened the moment she saw Nick in the hotel lobby, she simply hung up the phone and ran for the hills.
Granted, Marinette ended up alone with Adrien, but it wasn't like it didn't happen before. At least then, she'd get some sleep knowing that she told Kagami off.
That was until Kagami catches her alone and beats the living snot out of her.
"I'm surprised you aren't mad," Marinette replied, her voice quivering as she sat on the edge of the bed. The blunette glanced up, her heart squeezing in her chest as Adrien lay against the bed beside her.
The blonde tensed, his fingers lacing into the bedsheets underneath him and clutching on to them painfully.
"Do you think she deserved it?" Adrien asked, his stomach tensing as he struggled to keep his mind preoccupied on other things so that he wouldn't be sick.
Marinette pressed her lips together, completely stunned by his response. She almost expected him to think of her as a nuisance. She almost expected him to reprimand her, scream at her, glare at her in a negative light. She almost wanted him to.
She was a bitch.
She got too carried away.
But that was a title she was okay with.
If Kagami saw her as a threat, then so be it. Marinette couldn't have cared less.
She was finally on top, she had kicked Kagami off the throne, even if she was the one who held Adrien's heart.
Marinette exhaled, her cheeks growing warm as what she wanted to admit sounded entirely too callous, even for her.
"I...I feel like she did..." Marinette replied, her words emanating from her lips a lot more softer than she had initially anticipated.
Her heart squeezed in her chest, her voice fading out into the empty space between them and for a short moment, there was nothing but silence that had enveloped them both in rapid succession.
"Did she do something to you earlier, Marinette?" Adrien asked, his voice cutting through the silence between the both of them. "I know you wouldn't say something while she was there, but we're alone now. You know you can tell me if she did something."
Marinette widened her eyes, her bottom lip quivering as she recalled the moment Kagami cornered against the island table.
She felt guilty for hiding it from Adrien, but she knew she would be able to handle this on her own.
For now, she was finally standing up to Kagami, and Marinette wanted to keep that persona. She wanted Kagami to know that it was not okay to fuck with her and she didn't need Adrien to do that.
"Nothing happened..." Marinette deadpanned, her eyes growing empty as she glanced down at her lap. "It was how she said. I tripped over my own feet, she reached over and stopped my fall."
There was another moment of silence and only then Marinette was finally able to close her eyes. The young woman exhaled, curling into the bed with a grimace as she wanted nothing more than just to forget the menacing look in Kagami's eyes when she had cornered her and demanded that she was ejected from their lives.
Marinette couldn't have agreed more. She would have loved to just up and leave, pushing Kagami so far behind her she couldn't even feel her presence.
Kagami was certainly bad news, but Marinette knew that up until she had left them both behind, she wouldn't allow Kagami to push her around anymore.
It didn't matter how scary she was.
The same would be for Nick as well.
"You're so full of shit..." Adrien breathed, his voice immediately cutting the thick silence between the two of them.
Marinette gripped on to the sheets, her pupils growing small as she whipped her head back towards him with a reprimanding glance.
He really was a callous drunk.
"Excuse me?" Marinette asked, her heart squeezing in her chest. The young woman couldn't help but to chuckle, the situation of Adrien being entirely too bold was almost entertaining to her.
"Look..." Adrien rasped, his body shifting against the bed so that his green eyes can look into hers. "You can say all you want about our relationship. You might even use a defense that I don't know you well. I know we've only known each other for a couple of months, but I've known Kagami for four years."
Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart sinking in her chest as she always had a hunch that Adrien suspected something was going on.
Adrien exhaled, reaching up to tug at his thick locks.
"I know how she can be," He replied, his eyes pulling away from hers before they eventually trailed off into the corner. "If there's something going on, I'd just like to know about it."
Marinette sighed, her heart racing as she tried to keep herself with a straight mind.
It certainly was without a doubt that Adrien suspected that Kagami did something, but Marinette knew it would have made more sense to come clean.
The only con of that would be that Kagami would make her life an even worse hell, and Marinette knew from the small experiences she's had with her, that she was incredibly manipulative.
Adrien was planning to marry her, and if she spilled the beans to Adrien, he'd likely confront her about it and make his life a living hell too.
It baffled Marinette why Adrien chose to stay with her and in fact give her the ring that she once wore, but if that was what he wanted to live with, then Marinette had no right to stop him.
"I guess that means you're gonna have to clean my ass, because nothing happened." Marinette replied, a small chuckle in her throat as she tried to lighten the mood.
Adrien groaned, his brow furrowing as sweat beaded on to his hairline. The male gripped on to the sheets, all of Marinette's intangible shit talk making him much more sicker than he was.
"You're gonna make me sick..." Adrien breathed, a menacing burp emerging from his chest. He gripped on to the bedsheets, his knuckles growing white as it almost felt like his esophagus had grown shorter.
Marinette immediately whipped her had back at him, the lines under her eyes deepening as she heard the disturbing noises.
"Adrien, if you throw up in the bed I swear that I'll never forgive you." the young woman threatened, her eyes narrowing.
Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, carefully climbing off the bed and staggering to the bathroom.
Marinette reached for the pillows, lifting them over her head so that she could drown out the horrible noise of Adrien's horrifying wrenching.
The blunette squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach feeling tight as she knew the sounds of him blowing chunks would make her just as sick as he was.
Adrien hunched over the toilet bowl, his limbs growing weak as his head nearly fell into the toilet. He gripped on to the porcelain, his chest heaving as he was finally able to catch his breath.
He never usually drank to this limit, but as always, Kagami insisted. Adrien cracked under peer pressure and possibly slipped up with four drinks too many.
Marinette wandered into the bathroom, a grimace on her features at Adrien's currently awkward disposition.
Adrien winced, feeling Marinette's gentle hand on his back the moment he was finally done vomiting. She carefully helped him to his feet, guiding him to the sink so that he could wash his face.
"I'm scared to ask how much you drank..." Marinette murmured, watching Adrien who splashed water on his face.
Adrien shrugged, knowing full well that he was afraid to answer it, as it was embarrassing to express how careless he had been during the night.
He glanced down, a grimace on his face as his vomit appeared to have permeated through his shirt.
Adrien reached up, his fingers trembling as he undid the buttons on his shirt and shrugged the fabric off his shoulders before essentially dropping it to the floor.
Marinette widened her eyes, her heart squeezing in her chest as she couldn't help but to gloss over his tan skin. She pressed her lips together, her cheeks growing darker than a rose as she awkwardly moved away from him.
"A-Adrien-" she sputtered, her head about ready to blow into several chunks. "Why are you undressing again?"
Adrien paused, quickly glancing back at her before he grabbed a wash cloth and began to clean his chest.
"I got vomit on my shirt..." he replied, his voice slurring only slightly.
The blonde struggled to remain standing and he barely noticed Marinette placing her hand on the small of his back to keep him in place.
Marinette couldn't help herself.
She was ogling.
It wasn't everyday that she would marry a model who was more than willing to remove his shirts so freely in front of her.
Marinette had already felt as if she was on top of the world due to her stepping on Kagami, and she wanted nothing more than to simply indulge in the view in front of her.
Adrien didn't have to know...
Kagami didn't have to know...
It wasn't hurting anyone.
What harm would it do to just secretly look?
It was quite obvious that he had worked out. The way his muscles shifted each time he moved was incredibly tantalizing.
Marinette cleared her throat, her cheeks feeling hot as she briefly moved her eyes away just when he glanced up.
Marinette exhaled, very awkwardly glancing at the corner of the bathroom. She reached up, to rub the back of her neck nervously.
Adrien rinsed the towel into the sink, a small yawn escaping from his lips as he placed it into the laundry basket.
The male clumsily turned around, his hand gripping on to the edges of the sink, using the porcelain as a guide to him back to the bedroom.
"I'm so tired, I swear I can't even see..." Adrien replied, chortling softly.
Marinette bit her lip, feeling Adrien slide his hands across her shoulders and lightly shoving her through the door and back into the bedroom.
The young woman gasped, holding on to him tightly as she didn't want to trip on her feet and fall into him.
"H-Hey! Take it easy!" Marinette retorted, a grimace on her face as she approached the bed.
She glanced at the bedsheets, slowly lowering herself so that she could climb under the blankets. She tucked the pillows under her head and carefully closed her eyes.
The young woman sighed, parting her lips as she couldn't get the image of Kagami proudly wearing the ring that Adrien gifted to her.
Marinette could still recall the stories Adrien told her. She knew how much the ring meant to him and his mother and she was fond of the theory of the soulmates behind who wore the ring.
Knowing all of this hurt.
Marinette knew that it would only make sense to move on, and despite Marinette ogling Adrien's likeness she knew she had to keep her feelings intact.
It didn't matter if they were romantic or sexual.
Adrien did not feel the same way about her.
She had kept herself level headed all the while the night went on, and Marinette tried to focus more so on the date she had planned with Luka the following night.
That's what needed to matter.
Luka needed to matter.
The blunette furrowed her brow, hearing Adrien shifting on the space beside the bed. She slowly opened her eyes, her heart squeezing as Adrien drunkenly tugged at his pants.
Marinette immediately shot up, grabbing a pillow and throwing at his face in which he we quickly able to dodge.
"Adrien! You are not climbing into bed without any pants!" She hissed, her heart racing up into her throat. "I don't care how drunk you are!"
Adrien pouted, the drunken blush on his cheeks only growing darker and he slouched forward.
"B-But...I hate sleeping in jeans... "
"Are you nervous?"
His voice emanated softly, murmuring in nothing but the most reassuring tone.
Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart hammering inside of her chest the moment she was approached by him.
The way his blue eyes glanced into her, Marinette felt a shiver slide down the length of her spine.
It was in that moment Marinette felt safe, and she knew that Luka would be the better option.
Marinette shook her head, reaching up to tuck a loose hair behind her ear before she shyly shook her head.
"I'm not nervous..." she replied in a shaky breath.
Luka chuckled towards her, gesturing that she followed him into his bedroom at the end of the narrow hall of his small apartment.
"Then are you coming in? Or are you just planning on standing there?" The male teased before turning to walking down the hallway.
Marinette blushed, her cheeks feeling hot as she glanced down the hall with a small smile.
She hadn't realized that she was standing in the doorway like a blank idiot, but she was quite embarrassed that Luka had pointed it out.
The young woman followed suit, her hands fiddling with the hem of her high waisted shorts.
"Your apartment looks lovely..." Marinette commented, closing the door behind her.
Her blue eyes glanced up towards the walls, taking in the photos Luka had decorated of his family. A small smile spread across her lips as she saw the small line of guitar pics that decorated each door frame.
Marinette was even sure she spotted a black faux fur rug on the bathroom floor with a matching toilet seat warmer.
His apartment wasn't as big as the house she shared with Adrien, but Marinette could sure as hell picture herself living in a place like this.
Living with Luka?
That would be something she'd figure out in the near future, but this small environment made Marinrtte miss her old apartment.
"I got your text message." Luka murmured, his voice slicing through Marinette's deep train of thought. "I've printed out note sheets and I have been practicing ever since."
Marinette blushed, a small snort escaping her lips as it echoed Luka's laugh.
"Oh yeah?" She asked, her heart squeezing in her chest as she rounded the door frame and stepped into Luka's room.
His room was appealing as it was neat and tidy. The walls were a nice pine green, and his dark grey bedsheets were smoothed out and tucked underneath the mattress. His pillows sat atop the bed, fluffed up and propped against the bed frame so enticingly, that Marinette was tempted to crawl between the sheets and take a nap.
Marinette paused, her flats settling on to the hard wood polished floor at the bottom of her feet.
In the corner of the room, Marinette could spot all of Luka's musical equipment. She could see his keyboard, his guitar, his amplifiers, and his collection of Jagged Stone guitar pics and capos.
In front of his equipment were two black beanbag chairs that had been propped up against the wall.
"Wow, you've got a huge tidy bed and you seem to be a huge fan of Jagged Stone..." Marinette observed, pursing her lips together. "It's riveting to learn new things about you everytime I see you~"
Luka chuckled, plopping himself into the beanbag chair casually. He reached for his guitar, settling it on his lap so that he could mindlessly pluck a few strings.
"I'm just glad you decided to come..." the male conceded, his blue eyes shifting over to Marinette gently.
Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart hammering in her chest as she felt more nervous to sing in front of Luka rather than being alone with him.
Luka seemed like a genuine and kind soul, and Marinette knew from the moment she agreed to be alone with him, that he wouldn't hurt her or force her to do anything she was uncomfortable with.
"I was worried that you'd change your mind at last minute," Luka elucidated before he could allow his statement to be misconstrued by the silence. "Since you texted me the song you wanted to sing for our session, I couldn't stop thinking about you..."
Marinette chuckled, placing her bag on to the edge of his bed with a bashful smile. The heated blush traveled to her chest like a heard of angry fire ants.
The young woman pushed Adrien to the back of her mind at that moment.
Heaven knew that she would be thinking about him later.
"I'm glad I came too..." Marinette replied, helping herself to the beanbag chair that was propped up next to Luka.
She leaned into the beanbag, allowing herself to get more comfortable to relax her nerves.
It was the first time that Luka would ever hear her sing, and Marinette was worried that she would somehow end up botching her voice.
The last thing she wanted was to sound like she was a neighing wet baby horse.
She glanced over at Luka, a small smile on her lips as she soon closed her eyes and listened to the strings that Luka had played for her. She bit her lip, her heart threatening to leap from her chest just from the mere aura of him.
"Do serious songs go with your style of sound?" Marinette inquired. "Or do you prefer to play upbeat sounds for your gigs..."
Luka hummed in acknowledgement, his fingers now remaining still on the cords.
"Our songs can be upbeat," he replied, his voice remaining soft and pliable. "But sometimes they won't have a serious tone to them. We do a lot of covers like that too."
Marinette perked her brow curiously. She rested her hands into her lap as she scrunched her freckled nose and cocked her head to the side.
"What do you mean?" She asked timidly, worried that her question may have been a little inane.
Luka chortled, his fingers pressing against the frets in the neck of his guitar before he strummed a short tune.
"Die. Die. You zombie bastards!" He sang obnoxiously, earning a small giggle from the young timid woman right beside him.
Marinette cupped her cheeks, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering as she worried that the song she chose wouldn't fit well with his taste, despite his efforts to practice it so that he was prepared for it when she arrived.
"Oh, so your songs aren't really in the genre that I chose then..." Marinette breathed lightly, a nervous glance shimmering through her eyes as she was quickly caught into Luka's gaze.
Luka tutted his tongue to the roof of his mouth just as his digits began to fret to a different tune, one that seemed to soothe her heart instantaneously.
"Falling in love.
Falling in love...
Deeper than I've...
Felt before with you baby...
I feel like...
I'm falling in love with all my heart."
Marinette blushed deeply, listening to his voice and wondering if such a song was meant for her.
She waited for the sound of the note to die down and she placed her hand to her chest. Her heart felt sentimental, but Marinette couldn't shake off the worry that she was about to break it again.
Her mind wandered back to the image of Kagami wearing his ring. She couldn't eradicate that visage of Kagami in a wedding dress, taking Adrien by the hand.
It was bad enough that she had seen them embrace and share kisses many times before.
But even though she knew this was her fate, she couldn't help but to be completely destroyed that Adrien had chose Kagami over her.
What else was she supposed to expect to come out of an arranged marriage with someone who had been in a committed and serious relationship for about four years?
Marinette had been a fool, and she knew this from the start she had began to develop feelings for her husband.
Marinette opened her eyes, her chest feeling heavy as she was finally ready to sing and alleviate the pain she was feeling deep inside.
"I'm-" Marinette exhaled. "I'm ready to sing..."
Luka paused, his eyes shifting over towards her briefly. A small smile settled onto his lips, and the male nodded, repositioning his fingers on the notes of his guitar.
There was a brief silence and Marinette felt her heart sink the moment the tune began.
Luka certainly wasnt kidding when he proclaimed he was practicing.
It almost felt like Marinette had been listening to the tune in the studio. He hit every note in perfect tune and tempo, it almost tempted her to cry.
Marinette closed her eyes, solely focusing on the task at hand, and to think of the person who she was inspired by.
Her blue eyes danced behind her eyelids, her heart squeezing in her chest as she could see his blonde hair.
Marinette could see the curve of his eyes, the shade of green in them. She could still feel his tan skin under her fingertips and Marinette already felt like she was going to break apart.
"I wanna walk to the edge of the earth...
Scream your name, 'til the fire's gone
From my lungs..."
Marinette clutched her fists against her lap, her heart racing and her brow furrowing. She exhaled, her chest feeling heavy as she could envision Adrien sitting beside her on their bed, his lips spreading into a genuine and warm smile.
Luka's note barely drowned out in the back of her mind, but it certainly did mix her into the feeling she wanted to convey when she performed this song as a means of venting without anyone noticing.
"I wanna drink 'til I don't feel the urge...
To run back to you and lay down...
Make me yours..."
Marinette pressed her lips together, keeping up with the tempo of Luka's note and for a brief moment, she allowed herself to feel it. The blunette reached up, her fingertips rubbing against her chest in a failed attempt to heal the ache in her heart.
Marinette furrowed her brow, her hand trembling as she recalled the way Adrien placed his hand into hers, and it completely shattered her.
"I can still feel your breath all over me, filling me...
I could fuck with you for eternity, infinity...
Takeoff and lights on, I could be your lover...
I could be the one for you and no one else at all..."
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, keeping the tears at bay as she didn't want to break down in front of Luka.
No, she simply couldn't.
She felt humiliated doing it in front of Adrien, she certainly couldn't scare Luka away by revealing that emotional side of herself.
Marinette exhaled, preparing herself for the next verse as she could slowly feel the sensation of Adrien wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a hug.
"So how long will it be till you see how bad I need this...
I'll give you all if you please never leave I need to keep it...
I could fuck with you for infinity..."
Marinette felt her chest brow more and more tight the more she thought about him and the more she resonated with the song she had been singing.
She furrowed her brow, the image of Kagami slipping into her mind.
She saw her arms wrapped tautly around Adrien, and she could see her nestled on to Adrien's lap as the two shared a passionate kiss.
Marinette moved her eyes beneath her lids rapidly as Felix's appearance etched into her mind.
The way he had cheated on her.
The way he had led her on.
The way he had knocked up someone else and completely abandoned her.
If only she had met Adrien first.
Would it be different?
Would she be happy?
Would she be a completely different and stable person?
It simply couldn't be.
There was always a past toeverything, and that was something Marinette wasnt read to open especially because she had been suppressing it this whole time.
"I wish I never touched no one before..."
Marinette began, attempting to keep up with the tempo, but she knew she was failing. She couldn't suppress the emotions and hurt that built up inside of her.
It was as if she had built a damn to keep everything at bay, but with enough force from the water, it had slowly started to break and leak through the cracks.
"I-I envy the hearts..."
Marinette trembled, her voice quivering as she struggled to keep herself composed.
Her heart squeezed in her chest as she could see Kagami glance back at her beneath her eyelids, her left hand that held Adrien's ring laced into Adrien's and Marinette accepted that she was the one that Adrien loved.
It wasn't her.
"That you've adored...
That you've loved-"
Marinette clamped her hand around her mouth as her voice cracked at the last word.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her hand trembling as she felt her tears pool at the edge of her eyes.
Luka paused, the melody dying out into thin air in an instant.
He frowned, his hand clutching on to his guitar as he knew there was a reason as to why this song struck her the way it did.
Of course, he had no idea what it was exactly but there was hurt underlying it.
"Marinette?" He asked, his voice remaining soft and calm. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, lowering his gaze so that he could look at her appropriately. "Are you okay?"
Marinette opened her eyes, her lips parting the moment she heard his voice and felt his gentle touch.
Her bottom lip quivered, and Marinette glanced up at him.
His eyes were so sweet, and his expression was so genuine.
Marinette wondered if this was what's meant to be.
Luka was here for her.
He was opening up to her and giving her a place in his arms.
He had shown interest in her since the day the two met, and he had the utmost genuine intention.
Marinette couldn't help but to feel that perhaps, she was meant to be with Luka.
Luka would be the one to finally push her towards the ledge of leaving Adrien behind.
Marinette was rash, but with all the emotions that overtook her, she couldn't think. There was no time to think.
Luka widened his eyes, his blue irises watching as Marinette placed her hand on the neck of the guitar and guided it away from their bodies.
Marinette moved in an instant, not allowing Luka to process what her intention was before her mouth was flush pressed on to his.
Luka didn't have an issue with it whatsoever.
His mouth immediately latched back.
