Marinette was drowning out Mme. Bustier and her lecture on Poe (she hated their American poetry unit, Poe was so grim) as she kept her head down and kept sketching idea after idea for Chat's coat.
As she kept drawing, her mind started to wander, and her thoughts drifted to the blind boy sitting in front of her who was still lying his head down and a little pink (pink?) in the ears. Marinette wasn't sure what to think anymore.
Last night, she had thought all throughout the pitter pattering of the rain outside of her window, and she realized exactly how untasteful her actions had been. It was like when Chat fell into her room, he had brought in a fresh breeze and opened her eyes to her actions.
Did she actually become a borderline stalker, just because of a crush? A crush that she was suddenly faltering in, no less! That night, after Chat had left, she didn't bother trying to tack up the posters and pictures once more. She made a note to herself to get the planner of Adrien's schedule shredded, and chuck all the posters in the bin while she was at it.
It was hard at first - one couldn't just suddenly drop their emotions like that, but sitting here, looking at his blond hair, it was getting easier. She was walking down the road of just letting go, and at the end of it, she saw a certain cat grinning at her with a cheeky wink.
Her eyes darted to the taller male sitting beside Adrien, and her breath hitched a little. Okay, maybe she didn't see just Chat there - something told her that she'd also see flaming blue tips and calm, electric eyes.
Marinette sighed, because of course she would suddenly hold a flame for two people right as she slowly started to write the end of the chapter in her life titled 'Adrien'. Ladybug's luck was really not helping her, it seemed.
When she glanced back down at her sketchbook, she almost gasped out loud. Her hand had doodled off from the many coat designs, and instead drew a little cat with a bell on its neck and a guitar pick that had Jagged Stone on it. Marinette darted her eyes up to suddenly see Luka looking at her from over his shoulders, and when she went red, he giggled before turning back to face Mme. Bustier.
Suddenly, she wanted to take a leaf out of Adrien's book and just sink down onto her arms. God, it'd be the worst if she suddenly started stuttering and messing up her words in front of Luka - or worse, Chat. Not only would that silly kitty never let her live it down, but he'd probably gloat that he managed to make Ladybug stutter -
Her pencil froze.
Oh, god.
How would this affect their relationship on the battlefield?
Suddenly, their countless times fighting together flashed through her mind, each one depicting her somehow injuring Chat - i.e. throwing him across Paris, picking him up and chucking him at an Akuma, and she thinks she may have even just dropped him on his head once. (She refuses to think about Timebreaker and what happened - she'll never forget that day and it still haunts her sometimes.)
With each battle racing through her mind, her face flushed with shame, and she sank like a pile of useless jelly in her seat. Marinette needed to be more careful from now on - thinking back on it, it feels like she's been mistreating all the important boys in her life.
That gets fixed, starting today, she thinks in determination.
No more hero-worshipping - her eyes darted to Adrien once more.
And no more flinging her partner around like a tool. She glanced down to her paper full of cat themed hoodies. Her eyes flicked to the little doodles of the guitar pick and cat, and she couldn't help it - a small, dreamy sigh left her lips as she etched little hearts around them.
Marinette spent the rest of the class like that - shooting an unsuspecting Luka wistful eyes before turning back to her book and furiously drawing ideas for Chat's coat.
When the bell rang, she tucked away her sketchbook into her backpack, before looking outside to see how the weather was faring. She frowned at the steady downpour of rain; she had been hoping to pop into the bakery to work on Chat's coat more, but it seems like that'd have to wait.
Honestly, she really needed to get an umbrella, this morning she had barely managed to get to school without getting completely drenched. But she just forgot all the time, and it's been a few days since she went during lunch hour back home.
"You know, I saw you during class."
Marinette 'eep'ed, and she spun to see Alya smirking at her as she leaned against an empty table. Marinette frowned and stuck her tongue out. "Thanks for the scare, Alya. And what do you mean by you saw me?"
"Hon, you were drooling hard over Luka," Alya raised a hand to stop Marinette from interrupting, "and you barely looked at Adrien. Is there something you need to tell me?"
Marinette couldn't help the embarrassed flush that raced across her cheeks. She should have known that nothing would slip past Alya's sharp eyes - it was a skill she had acquired from journaling and watching Ladybug (which, by the way, needed to stop before she hurt herself somehow).
She sighed. It wasn't like she could lie, mostly because despite how excellent she was at it by now (which vaguely upset her, she hated lies by Ladybug was to be kept a secret), Alya would just deny it anyway. She cleared her throat. "I… yeah. Um. I've been thinking…"
Marinette shrugged almost helplessly. "Maybe… it's time to move on."
Alya looked a little alarmed at this, but it was more surprise than anything. "Mari, what? This is so out of the blue. What happened?"
A stupid cat got his claws in me and won't let go, Marinette thought as her mind raced to give an appropriate answer. "Er, you're right. Compass Marinette has a new stone." She paused. "Two. Two new stones."
Alya gasped in delight, and she beamed, her eyes sparkling with mischief and amusement as she shot forward and grasped Marinette's hands in her own. "Oo, girl, you absolute player! I can't believe you have two guys around your finger!"
Her expression gentled, and she squeezed Marinette's hands softly. "I'm glad you thought about this, Mari. I know it can't be easy but it's good you're moving on - Adrien's great and all, but you both don't know each other well enough."
Marinette laughed, and it wasn't a deep or boisterous one, but it was genuine and she squeezed Alya's hands back. "I know. That hero worshipping wasn't real, and I think I wasted at least a year in total using my time obsessing over him. Now," Marinette winked cheekily and swung on her backpack, wrapping an arm around Alya's shoulders. "Aren't you going to ask who've caught my, uh, attention?"
Alya winked back, and the two girls giggled as they walked out of the classroom, intent on eating somewhere else. "Well, hot-Luka is obviously one - "
"Alya!" Marinette hissed, cheeks blooming red. "Don't call him that!"
" - and someone else," Alya continued, not even pausing in her ramble to accommodate Marinette's interruption.
They were so caught up in their conversation (interrogation, more like) that they didn't even notice the two people they were about to collide into.
Marinette and Alya's grips on each other fell apart as Marinette practically slammed into an unsuspecting Chloe, who let out an unholy shriek as they collapsed onto the ground.
Marinette squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the onslaught of nasty insults (to be fair, this was her fault this time), but nothing came.
She opened her eyes to see a slightly dazed Chloe beneath her, a frantic Sabrina and an equally panicked Alya fluttering over them.
"Get off me," Chloe finally said, and weirdly enough, she didn't say anything else - hell, she didn't even raise her voice.
Marinette was thoroughly confused, but she obeyed and scrambled up, waving off Alya's pat down to check for injuries. Sabrina was doing much the same with Chloe, who only brushed her off and started walking down in the same direction before the whole accident.
"Chloe!" Marinette suddenly called. Alya was shooting her a 'what-the-hell-are-you-doing' look, but Marinette ignored her. She waited until Chloe looked over her shoulder before continuing. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
Chloe's face contorted with an almost confused frown, her blue eyes sparking with an emotion that Marinette couldn't quite name. Finally, she spoke, and it was at the same volume as her own voice. "Thanks, Marinette."
She rushed away, Sabrina racing after her - and the two girls left behind were practically stunned into silence.
Marinette's mind was racing, trying to process what just happened. "Chloe said my name," she said faintly.
"And not meanly," Alya wondered.
"She has been quiet lately," Marinette pondered, and her mind went to yesterday's 'clumsy' comment. Well, she had been tripping over her own feet, and Chloe seemed particularly grumpy that day - but she hadn't been causing any trouble for quite some time now.
Her thoughts were spinning a web of things she could think of at the moment; for the past few weeks, it was like Chloe was… subdued, almost. Mellow. Her snide remarks had been lessening more and more, and Marinette couldn't even remember the last time she had berated someone. Marinette frowned. She couldn't believe it, but she was a little… worried. "Do you think she's okay?"
"Oh, who cares about her?" Alya hooked their arms together and started dragging her down the hall. "She's probably under the weather, big deal. Now, tell me all about these two guys…"
Marinette couldn't help but doubt Alya's words as they chatted, roaming the school and eating in an empty classroom. Chloe may have been a bully (and caused more than a few Akumas), but she was still a person. An awful person, but a person nonetheless.
Except she hadn't been awful lately.
Deciding to dwell on Chloe later, Marinette focused on talking to Alya instead. She missed these conversations - lately, the Akuma attacks had been upping lately, and she admits being a little distant with her friend because of her exhaustion and worry.
"Hello, ladies," a voice suddenly said from the doorway, and the two girls turned to see a winking Nino leaning against the frame with Adrien standing behind him, who was weirdly avoiding eye contact.
"You're as smooth as crunchy peanut butter, stop it," Alya immediately deadpans, and she and Marinette laughed when Nino's face fell dramatically.
"Well, there goes my self-esteem," Nino says in an obviously exaggerated way. He spun around and fell onto Adrien, draping himself over the blond who frantically scrambled to try and accommodate the new weight. "Oh, woe is me! Adrien, my buddy, my main man - why aren't you defending your best friend from these two vultures?"
Adrien laughed awkwardly, and his eyes darted over to Marinette, who only smiled kindly. Her heart still jumped, but mostly it was due to shock, even if that small tingle of infatuation ran up her spine. Her reaction was definitely getting better, at least.
"Marinette isn't a vulture, Nino," Adrien shushed.
"Oh, so I am? I see how it is, Agreste," Alya challenged, rising to her feet and putting fists on her hips.
Adrien flushed, and he started stuttering rapidly. "I-I mean! I'm just s-saying, Marinette's too nice to be a vulture, because she's very sweet and - and not that! Not that you're not nice, either! But - !"
"Thank you, Adrien," Marinette cut in, feeling pity for her (her what? Friend? Were they friends? She'd like to think so) friend, as she knew from a multitude of experiences how stuttering could embarrass the heck out of someone.
"Right," Adrien muttered, his red cheeks not calming down as Nino pushed him into the classroom and they clamored into seats beside the girls.
"So," Nino said, and he rested his chin on his bridge of fingers before wiggling his eyebrows. "What are you lovely ladies up to?"
"Did you have some champagne with that nasty sandwich of yours, monsieur Lahiffe?" Alya immediately sassed, her expression delighted and her grin mirthful. "You have a looser tongue than usual."
"Peanut butter and pickles is a classic!" Nino cried out. "And I'd like you to know that I did not have champagne - it was vodka."
As the two friends argued very loudly and with obvious flirting, Marinette turned to face the other boy instead, who was currently looking more than awkward in his seat as he kept twisting the ring on his finger and bouncing his knee.
Operation Become Adrien's Friend, here we go. "So, you don't like rain?"
"What?!"
Marinette blinked as Adrien reacted quite… jumpily to her question. "You weren't looking that good this morning. Are you okay?"
At that, Adrien groaned weakly, and he sent her a crooked grin that was half-painful. He buried his face into his hands before taking a deep breath and peeking up at her once more. "You saw that, huh?"
Marinette couldn't help but laugh at his wide eyes. "I did. You were really red, I was worried that you had a fever."
His breath hitched, and his pupils blew wide, before he managed to say, "you care about me?"
That was certainly an odd question. Even if Marinette was over him - well, it was a work in progress, anyway - of course she still cared for him. She thought of him as a friend; maybe not her closest friend, or a friend she knew very well, but she wanted to try. "Of course I do."
At that, Adrien seemed to melt, and he slumped down until his chin met the table and he gazed at her in something she really couldn't name. His eyes were half-closed and he was smiling, and Marinette could only stare in confusion.
A few days ago, Adrien was a calm, polite classmate who had flustered her with barely a glance in her direction. Now, it was almost like someone had flipped a coin and what was once heads was now tails - it seems like no matter what, she can't get close to Adrien without something trying to wedge itself in the middle.
Time to try harder.
Before Marinette could open her mouth and ask to maybe hang out sometime, the door opened, and a new person poked his head in.
"Hey, guys," Luka smiled, and suddenly, Adrien wasn't the only one blushing.
Marinette went a deep red as the older student strolled in, closing the door quietly behind him. Alya startsd jabbing Marinette's side in excitement, and she jabbed back, biting her lip to keep herself from saying something stupid.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I don't have many friends here," Luka smiled sheepishly, and he rubbed the back of his neck as he walked over and took a seat between Adrien and Nino. Marinette squeaked.
"No problem, man," Nino swung an arm around Luka's shoulders and waved to all of them. "I know you know my bro Adrien and me, but this is Alya and - "
"Marinette, yes," Luka's eyes turned to her, and the candle she had slowly been cradling for him bloomed into a small fire as his eyes sparkled kindly and also amusement. "How are you, ma-ma-ma-Marinette?"
Inwardly, she wailed a little. On one hand, she was more than a little excited that he (her crush? What do you call a boy who you're interested in when you're also interested in another) apparently had a special name for her. On the other hand, it was beyond embarrassing that her first impression on him was to stutter like that to the point he teased her. "F-Fine."
And it was almost comical, really, because that previous confidence she had with him earlier was practically gone. She had been so eager to share her preference (?) for Chat (discreetly, of course) that she had no problem conversing with him.
Now, it was back to clumsy Marinette with the world's worst speaking problems when it involves people she's interested in.
"Good to hear," Luka smiled before he leaned his chin on one hand. "What about you, pretty boy?"
"Pretty?" Adrien said weakly, and suddenly, Marinette realized how red he was - he had been blushing before, but it had turned from a rosy pink to a furious red that burned across his face and down his neck. To be fair, Marinette wasn't faring much better; the back of her neck felt suspiciously warm.
"All models are known for their looks, I think," and then here, Luka did something strange. He reached out, and he tapped the very tip of Adrien's nose - it was barely a touch of the skin, but more red bloomed underneath Luka's finger as Adrien flushed.
Marinette nearly cooed; not only because Luka looked like he was immensely enjoying himself and looked so adorable while doing it, but the action itself reminded her of her times with Chat Noir. Of course, usually it was to push him away, but she was kind of hoping to slowly do the opposite from now on.
"Now that's what I call smooth," Alya's voice suddenly butted in, and the bubble around the three popped as she grinned at them. "Take some notes, Nino."
"Man, you're right," Nino sighed, but in a good-natured way. "I don't stand a chance."
"Nino!"
"Alya!"
Two hisses from two very embarrassed best friends were heard, and an incredibly delighted Luka laughed.
"You know, Luka," Alya practically purred. Marinette shot her a warning glare, because she knew that tone - she was planning something. Alya ignored her and continued. "Marinette doesn't have an umbrella and it doesn't seem like the rain is gonna let up anytime soon. Interested in walking her home?"
He turned to face Marinette, and she mentally cursed Alya as she smiled awkwardly. Okay, yeah, she didn't have an umbrella and would rather avoid getting drenched again, but she thinks she'd rather have that than share close space with Luka. Who knows what kind of embarrassing things could fall out of her mouth (or worse, she could trip and fall into mud). After all, she's known to ramble.
"You don't have an umbrella?" Luka asked softly.
She shook her head no, refusing to speak.
"Well, how about you come and walk with me and Adrien?" He suddenly grinned, and she was more than a little distracted by it as he continued to say, "I don't have one either, Juleka's borrowing mine for now. Marinette can come, right, Adrien?"
Adrien, who now looked on the verge of faint (Marinette was concerned - was he more affected by the rain than she thought he was?), nodded.
"Great!" Luka stood right as the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period. "Up we go," he said, offering two hands to them.
He smiled, and Marinette was struck by how lovable Luka was - it was easy to see exactly why he had caught her attention. He was… he was like the sea. Calm and gentle, and at times a little teasing mimicked by waves brushing up against the shore. If Adrien had been the sun, then Luka was the sea, and Marinette suddenly wanted to dive in and let the warmth from the sunshine be cooled by the calming waves.
Each of his hands held someone else's, and with a firm but not harsh tug, Marinette and Adrien were standing.
"See you two later," Luka said softly, and he squeezed them both gently before smiling. He quickly left, and he left behind two blushing teenagers who were more than a little charmed by him.
"That guy's more smooth than Chat Noir." Nino suddenly bumped in.
"You're telling me," Alya eyed their two friends.
Marinette resisted the urge to run home and squeal into her pillow like a little girl - after all, she was trying to tone down her enthusiastic reactions, not push them onto her new object(s) of affection. It'd be unfair to Luka and Chat Noir if she treated them like she did Adrien, and she was still determined to avoid that same mistake.
Still, her heart was stuttering and even more water doused onto the flame for Adrien, which grew smaller and smaller.
"Oh, damn," Alya said, and she was suddenly on her phone, eyes zipping across the screen and her fingers moving even faster as she typed furiously. "Akuma attack near the Louvre."
"Hawk daddy's working fast," Nino said with a straight face, earning a punch on the arm from Alya who declared his sense of humor to be the worst.
Marinette resisted the urge to beam a little - damn Hawkmoth for ruining that small moment of being starstruck, but it also meant getting to see Chat again. (And not throw him across Paris this time.) (Maybe she could bake cookies for him as an apology for all those times of physical abuse?) (Or was that too transparent?)
Interacting them both on the same day would surely cause her to combust, but hey, what a way to go.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The character tag for Luka has now been created, but before it didn't exist; that's why he wasn't added to the story summary until now.
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