[[AN: SO SORRY if I didn't explain this clear enough before (spazzy space-cadet, right here). This is an AU where they've been superheroing for the last few years, but Frightningale JUST happened not too long ago. (3 OH. And, fyi, I rewrote nearly this entire chapter 'cause it was bothering me, so when I got it to where I more-or-less wanted it, I didn't dare go back through, not even to edit (grammar and stuff). So, please forgive anything I overlooked! Enjoy!]]
[[So...Nebs pretty much wrote this awesome (painful) scene you are about to witness. XD
Rose, my dear, you said you wanted jealous Adrien, right? ;D]]
Marinette has a crush on me but is Ladybug who doesn't like the other part of me like that and Luka is planning to make-out with the love of my life to "help her get over me" which he is probably more determined to do now that he knows about my jealousy and –
The shoot went about as well as one would think, with the drama amped up to a "tense love-dodecagon on a B-rate, daytime-TV soap opera" level.
Between Adrien and Luka, who were trying to maim each other through death-stares alone, a competition had started to see who could dance the best behind Marinette. It was pretty evenly matched; both boys were sweating profusely and panting like dogs (much to Adrien's chagrin) in their efforts to be the dancing alpha. That is, until Luka stumbled. It was only a few skidding steps at the end of a turn, but Adrien had pegged it as a win. Before he could mentally add the tally under his name, however, Marinette, yelping with concern, rushed over to make sure Luka was okay…and stayed to help him with through the move, placing a hand on his hip and swinging him with her back and forth to get the sashay JUST. RIGHT. When Marinette went back to her spot, Luka, flushed due to more than exertion-related heat, tossed Adrien the most wicked smile Adrien had ever seen (and really, considering who his father was, that was saying something).
Adrien, though, was a cat at heart. And, like all great cats, knew how to take disappointment and turn it into opportunity (he ignored that lesson in regards to Marinette. Mostly because he didn't see it as a failure…yet). A moment later, Adrien somehow "accidentally" lost his footing, and landed roughly on his backside. Marinette, giggling, rushed to his aid.
It took all of five minutes, and someone, miraculously, both Luka and Adrien seemed to have lost all dancing abilities at once.
The director and crew were, at least, greatly entertained. Even the choreographer said nothing. When Adrien, who was, at the moment, enjoying Marinette fawning over his recently-"sprained" wrist, checked sheepishly to see if they were going to get yelled at by the crew, he swore he saw money change hands between nearly the entire crew, all eyes on them, and knowing grins on their faces.
In the end, Adrien and Luka had called a silent truce when the choreographer, through ghosts of smiles of his own, unexpectedly asked Marinette to perform each separate part by herself while the boys followed along. The subsequent dance solo, rather than drawing in the boys' attention in order to be able to mimic Marinette's moves, only lead to two entranced "gentlemen", an oblivious Marinette, and a giggling film crew.
Adrien and Luka had, at that point…stopped. Stopped glaring at each other, stopped trying to imagine new ways to mess themselves up, and, well, pretty much stopped thinking in general. The only thing about them that hadn't stopped was their rather blatant ogling of the dancer in front of them. Adrien didn't know what Luka was thinking, and frankly, he couldn't find himself to care in that moment. The only thing Adrien could concentrate on was the mental image of Marinette doing that dance…while dressed like Ladybug. Without even glancing at Luka's face, he could tell the boy was in a similar mental state of unrest.
(Not for the first time, Adrien found himself absently hoping that no one in the near vicinity could read minds. Not that he was necessarily embarrassed…but the fantasy was far too beautiful to share with anyone…especially Marinette herself.)
"You guys got that?" asked a slightly-winded Marinette, ending her routine in a pirouette to turn to the two boys behind her.
Luka and Adrien glanced at each other, then back to Marinette, then back to each other, an understanding coming between them.
"I-I-I think we, uh, we need to see that just oNE – er – one more time, M," Luka finally managed. He did nothing to acknowledge nor excuse the significantly conspicuous squeak in the middle of his statement. The look on his face told Adrien it was likely the guy didn't notice it himself.
"Y-yeah," Adrien agreed readily with his new – though temporary – co-conspirator. His hands were twitching; Adrien clasped his hands to his hips with a white-knuckle grip to keep from giving away their surreptitious intentions by way of his nervous hand-behind-his-neck tick. "We, uh, we-we don't get that, er, those moves at, uh, at-at-at-at – eh hem – at all."
Now that the shoot was over, Adrien rested slouched against a wall, hidden from knowing stares and suggestive eyebrows. All that was out there was too little of Marinette to himself, way too much embarrassment to stomach at the moment, and…definitely not enough brainpower to formulate the right combination of words to even try to explain his stupid situation to his Marinette. (Plagg hadn't helped matters…Adrien didn't even want to think about what his tiny companion had suggested, egregiously unhelpful as the "advice" was). The simple idea that he was in the process of losing Marinette was awful; the fact that he had let her and, by default, Ladybug, slip through his fingers stirred the bile bubbling up in his throat once more.
But what could he do?
What claim, what right did Adrien have to come out now, when Marinette was starting something with someone who truly "liked her for her" (oh, how those words made sense to him now, and how he cursed his stupid Chat side and his hero-worship tendencies).
Then there was the friend had only held out on asking Marinette on a date because of what might be going on between the her and Adrien. Though, while Adrien felt horrible about how his own delusions and feelings had messed with his friend, he was, in all honesty, far more worried about Marinette than Luka at the moment.
The soft padding of footsteps and accompanying voices sounded from next to Adrien. He flattened himself against the wall he had taken refuge behind; he didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, especially not –
Luka and Marinette's figures appeared in his peripherals.
– those two.
Oy….
Adrien sighed, eyes going heavenward in silent prayer. He really didn't want to be seen now, but had no way out of the alleyway he was in but to go the way he came in…right next to where Marinette and Luka were. His best bet was to just wait it out, wait for them to pass…
…which made it extremely frustrating when the pair decided to stop walking.
Now Adrien found himself in a perfect position for him to see and hear them, yet remain unseen.
Great.
Great.
"Oh," Luka said suddenly, cutting through their collective giggles (probably from some dumb thing he said). "You've got a bit of…"
It was a ploy. Adrien saw it from a mile away. He'd read the magazines, he'd seen the videos, he'd done the photo shoots. Luka was about to go in for the attack, make all of his wildest dreams come true. And Adrien didn't want to see – or hear – the rest of what was about to happen. But, just as he mentally prepared to reveal himself and run away (screaming, fingers in his ears), Marinette gently took a step back from Luka, her hands pulling nervously at the bottom of her shirt.
What…? Didn't she…didn't she want this?
"Um, Luka?" Marinette said lightly, her face still bright smiles and eager blushes despite the reluctance in her posture and voice. "I mean…. Well, I – that is…I like yo – like, I really like you, Luka. You're pretty – " (I'M pretty!) " – you know, great! But I…" she sighed, glancing away momentarily before looking back up to Luka's face. "I just…can't."
"Can't what, M?" Luka asked, seemingly unperturbed.
"I can't…I…I'm not ready to pursue any type of, uh, relationship right now."
Luka sighed, but it almost seemed more of an annoyed thing than anything else. His arms crossed loosely in front of his chest.
"Because of Adrien?" he intoned, looking at Marinette with a smile so fake, it could have been worn by Adrien Marinette's eyebrows went up in surprise. "What!? I…no! That's – !" The girl took a deep breath. "…maybe?"
Luka's demeaner shifted slightly, lips pursed and expression appearing for all the world like he was trying to explain to a toddler why you don't throw rocks at cars, but the kid didn't want to listen.
"Marinette," he hummed, voice low, but clipped, "I didn't want to say anything before, because I hoped that I could help you get through this, but…I talked to Adrien. He came over last week and hung out, and I asked him about you two, just to make sure there really wasn't anything actually going on between you guys before I…"
Luka took a step closer, sobered eyes scanning every inch of Marinette's face.
Mine, Adrien inwardly snarled. His lip curled, revealing fangs that weren't actually there; he could feel the aggressive physical response, but he didn't stop it – didn't care to find out if he even could.
Marinette looked frozen from her position, poised under Luka's gaze as she was. Her cheeks weren't burning a fiery red, though, as Adrien would have expected. It was an odd thing for a girl who was, habitually, easily flustered. Instead, she appeared to be rather ashen-faced.
Scared.
She was scared.
"What did he say?" Her voice was almost too low for Adrien to hear.
"I don't think you'd like to hear it, M."
Marinette looked like she didn't even notice Luka's presence. At least, not anything more than him being a person from whom she needed information. "Please, Luka…what did he say?" A rattling breath escaped from her. "What did he say about me?"
No… Adrien's internal workings seized up. He remembered that conversation; Luka wouldn't even have to fluff anything to make it sound like Adrien didn't care anything about her! He cursed himself again for not having the presence of mind enough to see that girl for who she was – absolutely beautiful inside and out – and claimed her for his own.
Oh. And he really wished he had taken that moment to tell Luka to take his feelings and stuff it.
"I…" Luka began, then sighed again, the sound almost coming out like a growl. "He said he only sees you as a friend, Marinette. That he doesn't think you'll ever be more than that. Honestly, I think he has his heart set on some other girl."
A fat tear cut a path halfway down her cheek before Marinette reached up to swipe it away. Her eyes were terribly wide, her pallor only growing whiter by the second.
Adrien swayed in his spot as if he had just been punched. And…he wished he had. Maybe then he wouldn't have seen the look on her face. It was raw, etched in a mix of something like betrayal and resigned sadness.
It killed him.
You did this, his brain reminded him. YOU hurt this wonderful girl. She deserves more than what you can offer her, more than what you have or could EVER offer her.
Adrien felt the wetness in his own eyes.
"Luka!" Marinette's voice rang out, and Adrien, almost alarmed by the sudden strength imbibed in its tones, whipped his previously-averted eyes to the scene playing out in front of him. Marinette had splayed fingers pushing against Luka's chest. Luka was leaning over Marinette as if he had been closing in on her face with his own. Marinette wasn't done talking, though, and continued on in the carrying voice that gave Ladybug her commanding presence.
"I just said I can't be in a relationship right now."
"Marinette, please," Luka said, a sarcastic lilt to his low drawl. "Adrien is a lost cause, M. You've wasted years of your life obsessing over this glorified crapwad." Marinette turned and tried to walk away, but Luka grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to him. "He is never going to lo-"
Marinette yelped when a fist came out of nowhere, decking Luka in the jaw.
Adrien had handled the flirting. He'd endured the giggling. And, if Marinette had seemed willing, he would have left this alone – them alone – and gone on his way.
But he touched her.
And Adrien had lost his crap.
Seemingly small victory as it was, Adrien didn't even get to fully enjoy the reality of what had just happened. In the half of a second from where he had lunged at Luka to when he whirled around to check on Marinette, pain exploded on his own face.
The sound of splintering cartilage filled his ears.
Adrien stumbled back a couple steps and landed roughly on his butt. His hand absentmindedly padded the throbbing spot that – he cringed – used to be his nose. Through his fuzzy vision, he saw Luka sprawled out on the ground still, running a hand over his face, and then…Marinette. Marinette? Adrien blinked rapidly, trying to fight the tunnel vision encroaching from all sides. Yeah, that was definitely Marinette standing there…with red knuckles…and her hands covering her mouth in apparent shock. Adrien pinched his nose and looked up at the sky to try to stop the bleeding he could feel on his face, regretting the decision immediately when the world went fuzzy.
…wait.
Did she just…punch me!?
[[AN: Guys - GUYS. You are blowing me away, and I couldn't thank you enough for all the reviews/follows/favorites you've thrown at me. It's such an uplifting thing, something like that. Basically, what I'm saying is that YOU GUYS ROCK!
And THANKS SO MUCH for reading!]]
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