Chapter 2

Luka regretted leaving his bike behind about four blocks into his run. He only managed to spur himself forward with the promise of two things: finding a way to dampen his power, and the prospect of seeing Marinette. She was one of Juleka's friends and classmates. A sweet girl that always treated his sister with kindness and appreciation. It kept Luka quite some time to officially meet her, due to the awkwardness even two years age difference caused when one was young. Once he did though?

His fingers twitched as if he were playing strings on his guitar. He concentrated on his breathing, pushing himself to run faster; fast enough that he had no spare breath to hum, no matter how many notes sang in his head whenever he thought of Marinette.

Focus on a solution instead, he reminded himself. Any way to suppress this curse has to be priority.

It kept him nearly ten minutes, but soon the Place des Vosges came into view. Shortly after, the little charm shop at the end of the encasing terrace houses peeked out from behind the park fence. Tom & Sabine's Charms and Potions was probably the greatest magical establishment in all of Paris. The greatest one Luka knew of, anyway. It was pure luck that it happened to also be owned and run by Marinette's parents.

Either that, or perhaps Fate?

He skidded to a stop in front of the store's door, bracing himself against his knees as he took in a few panting breathes. Slowly raising his head, he looked through the glass storefront, and his lungs stilled. Leaning on the check-out counter as she doodled was Marinette, oblivious of Luka watching her from just outside her family's store.

She leaned heavily on her left arm, propping her head up as her right hand scribbled in a fury across the paper before her. The rest of the store was still. Even Marinette herself was like a statue, her eyes already so heavy lidded Luka barely noticed her blinking. Her hand, though, never paused as it danced across its canvas.

Luka no longer knew if his heart was pounding from his run, or from watching Marinette. His throat still burned, but his breathing evened out; mostly because it was hard to re-catch it. Notes buzzed loudly in his mind, frantically scrambling into the perfect formation to play out the aura that shone from Marinette. His fingers again twitched on their own as they bent to the guitar chords best fitting the melody singing inside him.

He needed to hear it; to make sure it truly was Marinette's music serenading him. Despite the fire smoldering behind his Adam's Apple, Luka softly hummed his Ballad of Marinette. It wasn't quite right, but the proper base was there. It was plucky, a little clumsy, but somehow moved gracefully, as if the clumsy bits were on purpose. It was strong, with powerful notes hummed loudly, but also held meek movements that were soft and sweet. It was simple enough to hum, but would be so much better once the true complexity could be played on his guitar.

Luka desperately wanted Marinette to hear it; to know how he saw her, and what he thought of her.

Behind him, a couple of kids squealed with delight as they sprinted down the sidewalk towards the park. There was the quickened pounding of their little feet, the high-pitched chime of their tiny laughs, and then the loud screech of tires skidding to a stop.

Luka whipped to his left. A car was partially in the intersection separating the little charms store and the park, barely stopped a meter from the four children who were carelessly still laughing as they played tag in the street. They didn't seem to even notice the car, despite the driver's window now down so she could shout at their obliviousness. The children ignored her, too drunk on the joy Luka poured into the world with his song.

Burning from guilt, Luka stumbled his way into the store, ringing the single bell that hung above the entrance.

"Luka?" Marinette was already on her feet, racing towards one of the store's side windows. "Is everything okay out there? I heard the car-"

"The kids are fine." He wasn't sure if he was informing Marinette or reminding himself.

She pressed a hand to her heart, heaving out a sigh with closed eyes. "That's good to- Luka? Are you okay?" She jogged to his side, and rested a hand on his chest. Her eyebrows knitted together as her eyes scanned him. "You're shaking, and you look pale. The car didn't almost hit you, did it?"

"No, I-" His fingers twitched once more, so he calmed them by wrapping them around Marinette's hand. A soft blush stained her cheeks, and the world became alright again. "I'm better now that I've had a chance to talk to you," he cooed.

Marinette whipped her hand away and took a step back, her blush deepening as she broke eye contact. A hint of a smile teased at her lips, and her arm jerked towards her ear so she could play with her crimson studded earring.

Luka didn't bother fighting against the smile stretching across his own face. He kept his distance though, not wanting to rattle her any further.

Marinette cleared her throat, and shook her head to help clear that too. "Good. I'm glad you're okay. Is- Was that why you came here? To, uh, to talk to me?"

Luka's smile vanished. "Actually, no. Well, maybe yes? I was looking for something that would negate hereditary magic, and I hoped you might be able to help."

"Hereditary magic?" Marinette's eyes grew wider each time she frantically blinked at him. "You have hereditary magic?"

Luka nodded.

"Juleka too?"

Nod.

"Your mom? Or was it inherited from your dad's side? Oh!" Marinette slammed both hands into her mouth to shut herself up. Slowly lowering her hands back down so her lips were just barely visible, she softly spoke. "S-sorry. I know you two don't really talk about him. I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject, I just-"

Luka held up a hand to stop her apologizing. "It's alright. I know you need to know so you can better find a solution for me. It's alright. I'm not offended. Truth is, we're not entirely sure who we inherited it from. My mom seems to know a lot about it, but doesn't have our power. So we're not sure if it came from our dad, or if it just skipped a generation. Maybe both parents had really thin bloodlines, but combined it was enough for a power resurgence?"

"Like a non-dominant gene activating? Yeah, I can see that being possible. Come in, let's figure this out." Marinette started walking towards the back of the little shop and wove for him to follow. She laced around the check-out counter and snaked towards the back room. Luka stopped at the register, assuming she had to fetch something and then return.

While he waited, he took in the doodle Marinette was so fixated on a few minutes before. It was a cocktail dress design: thin straps, squared neckline, and close-fitted bodice that then flared at the hips. The design also had sleeve fingerless-gloves that attached at the middle fingers, and matching thigh-high stockings. Also included were designs for round-toe heels and a headband with flowers and a ribbon bow down the one side. Luka admired the skill Marinette had in design, and pictured her wearing the outfit. Maybe on a date.

Realizing Luka wasn't behind her, Marinette jogged back, and grabbed his hand to tug him behind the counter. Her hand never left his as she led him through the dark curtain separating the back room from the rest of the store.

And the whole time, Luka's heart belted out Marinette's song.

~ Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome. ~

*Closing Notes*

Hey, look! Marinette made it into the story!

Happy Valentine's Day!