*Author's Note*

Disclaimer: I wanted to anchor Marinette's magic in Wiccan as opposed to "Hollywood witchcraft", but I'm Christian. I tried to do my research, but I also know I'm taking a lot of creative liberties. If you notice any glaring misrepresentation of Wiccan, please let me know.

Chapter 7

The two jogged back to The Liberty. Their laughter scared away the gloominess of the day, instead igniting the encroaching storm. Energy sparked between them like lightning, and balled up inside Luka's legs, pushing him forward.

"Luka?" Juleka was still above deck when her brother returned with Marinette in tow. "Marinette? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Juleka." Marinette huffed with a smile, trying to catch her breath. "I'm not entirely sure. Luka just wanted me to follow him here."

The two girls talked a bit more, inquiring what Luka's surprise was, but he ignored them, sprinting to the sound booth his mother built below deck. He stopped just long enough to grab the neck of his guitar before sprinting back up the stairs.

"Luka, your guitar?" Juleka bolted up from the crate her and Marinette were sitting on. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Jules, watch this!" Luka again frantically strummed the guitar strings. He shifted from a manic and plucky song to a depressing one in a minor chord. Then he shifted again to a few aggressive chords as he headbanged along with the beat. He shifted again to an ethereal-sounding melody.

Juleka tried to peel the guitar from him, but he danced away from her, spinning out of her reach as he continued to play. She chased him up and down the bow of The Liberty, begging him to stop, and asking if he had lost his mind.

"Juleka!" Marinette's hand caught her arm; freezing her. "Juleka, it's okay! Look! His music isn't affecting me. It's lovely - even with the abrupt and sometimes abrasive style changes - but it's just music to me."

"It's just-" Juleka brushed her bangs off her face to properly study Marinette. It was true. Luka had switched over to a slow lullaby, and yet Marinette was on her feet, fully awake. "How?"

Luka stopped and tapped his new choker. "Marinette figured it out. We're descended from Sirens. She gave me this charm to absorb the magic so I can just play or hum or whistle or sing! You can too, Jules, if you want."

Juleka whipped back towards Marinette, who simply nodded.

"Oh, that reminds me." Marinette shifted to look at Luka instead. "You are going to have to cleanse the choker every month. It's null magic, so you need to hang it in an east/west facing window, or exposed to open air normally touched by moonlight whenever there's a new moon. If you forget then the magic may not work as well, or even at all, until the next new moon you remember to cleanse and recharge it."

"New moon. Got it."

"I can't believe this. You did it? You actually figured it out?" Juleka ping-ponged between Luka and Marinette.

"Do you want me to make you one too?" Marinette asked.

"Uh." Juleka blinked a few times, trying to register the significance of the question. She walked over to Luka, and slowly brushed her fingers against his new charm. When she looked quizzically at Luka, he nodded reassurance. "Can mine be a kitty-unicorn?"

The other two laughed, and Marinette wrapped her arms around Juleka's shoulders. "I don't recall ever hearing of a kittycorn Animal Guide, but I could look into it. I mean, I know that both cats and unicorns separately could be Guides, so I don't see why there can't be some combo of the two." Marinette uncurled from Juleka and quickly calculated. "Let's see, for you, there's the cat traits of protective, aloof, independent, and strong. Also, cats tend to tie into the supernatural, which you seem to enjoy. As for unicorns, let me think. Of course they symbolize innocence, but also good will, gentleness, those pure of mind, and freedom. And well-" She gestured to The Liberty. "So, yeah. I'll have to research and meditate on it, but I might be able to make a kittycorn work."

"Really?" Juleka again stole a glance at her brother, who gave her a supportive smile. "Thank you. Thank you, Marinette. I need to let Rose know." Juleka gave a soft hint of a smile as her eyes lit up. She leaned in to quickly brush a kiss on Marinette's cheek, and then jogged below deck to fetch her phone.

"That's really sweet of you, Marinette." Luka sidled next to her as they both watched Juleka disappear down the stairs. "And clever too, figuring out how to combine components like that."

Marinette's shoulders rose to try to hide her faint blush. "It's nothing. It's what I do, and she's a friend."

"What did I say, Marinette? Amazing."

Her blush deepened, and she played with her earring. "It really- I'm not- Amazing? Really?"

"Completely. Come here." He held out his hand, which she readily accepted. He then walked her to the front-most part of the bow. Clearing off the large case his mother's keyboard was packed in, Luka motioned for Marinette to take a seat. "There was something else I wanted you to hear, now that you properly can. Is that alright?"

"Mmhmm. What is it?"

"Remember when I told you I heard a song when I think of certain people, such as you?"

Marinette fidgeted, and fought against her smile. "Yeah."

"Well, I'd like to play it for you, if you'd like."

"R-real-really?"

"Mmhmm."

"Yes. Yes, please. I'd love to hear it."

Luka sat down beside her, and picked at a few soft notes. Then a few louder, braver ones. Single notes turned into complex chords as the music danced off the strings. There was a subtle grace, and while the song itself seemed simple at first, when Marinette watched Luka's fingers, the true complexity showcased. The melody was joyful, but also a little lonely and sad. For Luka, it still wasn't quite right. It wasn't precisely Marinette, but it was as close to the music in his head as he could create at that moment.

The more he played, the more entranced Marinette got, but that had nothing to do with his power. She was hypnotized by the movement of his fingers, and the serene sound of the melody. She leaned back, her eyes closed, as she absorbed every note. Each one sounding so familiar to her. So accurate.

Soothed by the sound of her own aura, Marinette tilted to her left, and rested her head on Luka's shoulder. He glanced down at her, leaned his head against hers, and continued playing. He played Marinette's song to her, then he played the one that reminded him of his mom, and one of Juleka. He played the song he heard whenever he thought of a father he didn't have anymore. He played her his hopes and dreams. He played her music until the storm finally rolled in.

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

*Closing Notes*

What a ride! This story kept me about 2 weeks or so to write and edit, and it's also kind of why my attempt at the Love Square Fluff Week has been a bit... lacking. I just loved this concept so much that I poured my heart into it. I also think I might have used up all of my Fluffiness in this story. LOL

For those who are curious, this is the prompt I was working off of:
Supernatural AU! And not the show SPN. Luka is descended from sirens. His music tends to put people under a spell (not the throw yourself to death kind though), so he goes to his favorite charm shop from the cute witch that makes charms to dampen the affect when he plays. Pre-relationship so while Luka is still calm and cool, you can tell he's still stupidly love sick.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. You're all amazing!