"When were paid holidays instituted in France?" Tikki asked, holding up a history textbook in her hands. Marin's desk was cluttered with various books, empty plates, mugs, and wrappers.
"Tikki, sweetie, please don't talk about holidays right now." Marin groaned as he was struggling to juggle staying awake and not accidentally sew his hands to a shirt.
"But it's for your history test tomorrow, Marin." The red Kwami pointed out.
"Uh, okay. First paid holidays. Summer 1936."
"Good job." Tikki praised, but then her smile quickly faded. "Um... you're drawing on a T-shirt right now."
"What? Ah!" Marin grimaced, standing up as he saw that he was drawing on one of his finished shirts in permanent marker.
"Perhaps you should take a little break, Marin." Tikki suggested gently as Marin tried to salvage the shirt.
"I can't, Tikki. Between my chores, homework, studying, commission work, knitting presents, and defeating Akumas, I don't even have time to-" Marin began to complain, but then Tikki hid away as the hatch to Marin's room opened.
"Marin! Ultimate Mecha Strike tournament time!" His father said as he popped up with both of their customized controllers in hand.
"Dadddd!" Marin complained, "I'm busy! I don't have time to play games!"
["Don't snap at your father Xiang."] His mother called from below as Tom's face fell. However, Marin huffed in annoyance as he turned back to his work.
["I'm busy Mama, I've got too much homework!"] Marin called back. ["Can't you play with him?"]
"Aw, can't you hang out with your old papa?" Tom asked again. "It's been so long since we last played."
Marin took a deep breath, his annoyance quickly fading and his expression turning more apologetic. "Please don't temp me dad, I'll think about taking a break until I finish everything on my plate first."
"But mio figlio piccolo, if you keep the rolls in the oven for too long, they'll burn."
Marinus looked at his father pensively, "Then I'll just break them in half and eat the inside?"
Tom sighed "Fine. That's too bad. But remember, watch your apple pie, little moon. It's bubbling all over your cinnamon flan." His father said sadly as he closed the hatch behind him.
"Apple pie in cinnamon flan?" Marin muttered under his breath, as he thought about how he would be able to make a dessert like that. Bake the flan within the apples perhaps? Custard, apple slices, cinnamon, and caramel all in a baked pastry...
Suddenly Marin slapped his cheeks, scolding himself for getting distracted and thinking about baking when he should be working.
"Okay." He said aloud, turning towards his Kwami who was hovering nearby, no longer hiding. "Tikki, quiz me while I finish up this sewing, doing the poster sketches will be my break." Sacrifices had to be made as he removed a mental block; he could easily find the time to finish all his projects, after all, sleep was more like a suggestion.
"That doesn't sound like a break Marin." Tikki said as she held his textbook.
"I'll listen to music, while doing it?" He offered, but his Kwami didn't look convinced, however, she didn't say anything as she continued to quiz him for the rest of the night.
As Miss Bustier collected the last of the tests, Adrien started to pack up his things, but then Max walked before him.
"Hey guys, anyone wanna help me beta test a new game I'm making? It's a fighting game with Akumatized villains programmed in."
"Woah, that sounds incredible!" Nino said as his eyes lit up, but then flinched slightly as he remembered he was sitting right next to Alya. "But, uh, Alya and I have plans."
"Sorry Max." Alya apologized as she and Nino walked out of the room holding hands.
"Adrien?" Max asked hopefully but he shook his head.
"Your game sounds amazing, but I've got fencing right now. Then my Chinese lesson, then a photoshoot..."
Max sighed, "Thanks anyway." he said in disappointment. Adrien watched him walk to the back of the room where Rose, Juleka, and Ivan crowded around Marin. They were trying to wake him up but with little success as per usual.
"Sorry Max, we'd gladly help you deep up the game if it weren't for our costume fitting at Marin's." Adrien overheard Rose say.
"The test!" Marin suddenly snapped to attention, about to stand up but Ivan and Juleka placed their hands on his shoulder to make him sit down.
"The test was earlier Marin, you took it and then fell asleep," Ivan explained as Marin groaned, slamming his face back on the table with Juleka petting his head.
"I don't think he'll be able to help you out either." Rose apologized as Max lowered his head in defeat.
At the end of the day Marin yawned loudly as he sat at the end of the stairs at the entrance of the school with the Kitty Section bang, holding a plastic cup in his hand. He took out his phone and getting more annoyed with each passing second.
"Where's Luka? He should be here 20 minutes ago." Marin asked, turning back towards Juleka and Rose, who were playing cats cradle with some pink yarn.
"He said he was coming after class." Juleka mumbled, but it wasn't an answer that Marin wanted to hear as he began tapping his foot in annoyance. He had a bunch of other things he could be doing in the time it was taking to wait for him. He took a sip of the hot liquid in his cup, grimacing at the flavor.
...Are you drinking coffee?" Ivan asked. "I thought you hated bitter things."
"Don't tell me how to live my life Ivan." Marin warned as he was running on almost zero sleep and at this point would've probably eaten the beans to stay awake. He never actually despised the flavor of coffee as he had enjoyed a good Tiramisu now and again. But he couldn't stand the raw flavor of it, always repulsed by how strong it was. Yet here he sat, cup in hand, without any added milk or sugar.
When ordering from a vending machine you get what you paid for.
Marin thought to himself as he took another sip of the beverage scrunching up his face at the raw taste of it.
"Hey." Luka called as he was walking down the stairs with a carefree smile on his face, waving towards his other bandmates. "Thanks for waiting." He said gratefully but picked up on their mixed reactions towards him, all of them turning their heads towards Marin who had crushed his now empty cup. "Something wrong?" He asked.
Marin tried not to grit his teeth together and respond curtly. After all, it wasn't Luka's fault. It wasn't like he had asked him to be on time for once in his life. It wasn't like Luka, or anyone else knew what it was like to juggle deadlines, plan ahead of time, have aching muscles, or be harassed by a supervillain almost every day. A wave of negativity rushed over Marin, begging to be let out, wanting to yell at someone over the tiniest thing. But, he wasn't a child, he couldn't just throw a tantrum and expect anyone to go along with it.
Marin instead took a deep breath, trying to calm down his restless heart and shook his head, feeling bad as he turned back towards his friends. "No, it's nothing, let's just get this fitting done-" He was saying, but then Ivan disappeared before their eyes, shocking everyone. Then Rose and Juleka followed, along with a few other people.
"What is-" Luka asked in shock.
Meanwhile, Marin's hand started to tremble. "Not today, please not today." He muttered under his breath.
"What do you do when no one wants to play with you? You give them no choice." A voice rang out. Marin looked around him, seeing everyone take out their phone and he followed their example. On his and everyone else's screens was Max, Gamer 2.0, with a cheeky smile on his face. "Ladybug, Chat Noir. All of these people were once akumatized and then saved by you. If you want another chance at freeing them, you're going to have to come and play with me." He laughed as the broadcast was then cut off.
Marin fully crushed the cup in his hand to death, an indication of what he would do to Gamer 2.0 if he ever got his hand on him.
"Jules..." Marin heard Luka murmur in concern his annoyance disappearing for a moment as he saw the concern on Luka's face. Both his sister and mother were akumatized, and probably were again. Marin's expression fell as he remembered that his own father was akumatized as well.
He stepped towards the older boy, placing a hand over his phone so his attention would be on him. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to save your sister and our friends Luka." He said assuredly. "But even so, you should probably go home and check on your mom." He said as Luka nodded.
"Are you going home too?" Luka asked.
"Yeah, I need to check on my dad, but I'll text you later!" Marin called out as Luka ran towards his bike. But as soon as Marin turned the corner towards his family's shop, he immediately ran down an alleyway, hidden from the main crowds.
"I think you're gonna have to take a break for this." Tikki said as she flew out of his bag.
"Then let's make it quick before I pass out from exhaustion," Marin said bitterly, throwing his crushed cup in the trash. "Tikki, spots on!"
Ladybug landed on a rooftop overlooking a familiar black pyramid that had formed around Princess stadium along with Chat Noir who had just arrived on the scene.
"First one who finds a way in wins." Chat Noir said playfully, but Ladybug didn't respond to his quip. The hero took out his yo-yo, setting it on it's telescope setting as he saw movement from the newly created structure. "What do you see?"
"Looks like an invitation." Ladybug said as he saw two small pyramids flying towards them. He took the a radio earpiece out of his yo-yo as Chat Noir followed his example.
When the two pyramids drew closer, they opened up, beckoning the two heroes to step inside. "So, Ladybug and Chat Noir? Ready to play?" Gamer 2.0's voice asked, broadcasted from the two pyramids.
Chat Noir looked at Ladybug suspiciously, "What if it's a trap, M'lady?"
"The trap was me ever thinking I could get through this day in one piece." Ladybug grumbled inconspicuously as he placed a radio in his ear.
"...What?" Chat Noir asked in confusion, picking up on his partner's sour mood.
"Nothing. Gamer 2.0 wants to play a game, so let's play his game." Ladybug responded, stepping into the pod.
"If you say so." Chat Noir shrugged, trusting his partner's judgment as he placed the radio in his ear before stepping into the pod as well.
Within the confines of the pyra-pod Ladybug looked around, only seeing a lit-up station before him."Welcome to Miraculous All-Star Brawl! If you win, I'll set you free. You, and all of them. But if you lose..."
"We give you our Miraculous." Ladybug finished, "Your motivation isn't exactly original, Gamer 2.0."
"Perhaps not, but the way I'll claim your Miraculous will be!" Gamer 2.0 snapped back. "We'll be fighting with every one of the villains you've faced before, a gauntlet where it all ends with the ultimate final boss, me!"
Gamers works got under his skin as Ladybug thought about how much time this would take.
"He's got us there. Usually, Akuma battles aren't this fun." Chat Noir said through his radio.
Ladybug sighed heavily as roster of villains they fought appeared before them. He was trying his best to avoid thinking about playing games for the past few weeks and here he was, forced to play a video game instead of working. Even so, he couldn't help but get even more annoyed at all the people that Gamer 2.0 had kidnapped to be part of his game as his eyes rested on the Reflekta. He recalled how worried Luka was about his little sister earlier and quickly chose The Mime.
"Your hastiness will be your downfall, Ladybug. My chance of winning has just shot out 86%!" Gamer 2.0 said as he chose Riposte.
They both materialized onto the stage as a voice boomed from above. "The Mime! Riposte! Ready? Fight!"
Ladybug was surprised as he realized that within Gamer 2.0's game, they actually became the characters they chose. His head raced for a moment as he realized the power he now had at his fingertips, his frown turning into a smile.
"I'm gonna slice you into sashimi!" Gamer 2.0 said within Riposte's form, charging towards him.
Ladybug mimed the first thing that came to his mind, a shield to protect himself from Ripostes sword strikes, recalling the last time he had faced the villain in battle. However, he forgot to account for the fact that he wasn't fighting Kagami as Gamer 2.0 impaled his weapon in the ground, using the momentum to knock him over, slice through the source of his power, the photo in his hat.
"Winner: Riposte!" The announcer voice boomed as Ladybug was then teleported back into the pyramid pod, his arms still bound in the console.
"You sure you don't want to give up now, Lady-loser!" Gamer 2.0 laughed as Ladybug was stunned at his easy defeat.
"A game with just one round? Where's the fun in that?" Chat Noir shot back. "My turn! My turn!" He said eagerly as he took control of the console. "Frightningale. Stormy Weather. Awesome! But maybe a little too awesome for a first battle. Oh, my copycat! Nah, I'd be too good as myself. That'd be too easy."
"Hurry up!" Ladybug snapped at his partner through the microphone.
"Alright, alright, Fine. If we need to hurry this up..." Chat Noir murmured to himself as he chose Mr. Pigeon of all villains, surprising his partner.
"Mr. Pigeon?" Ladybug asked as Chat Noir materialized on the arena as said villain. "Isn't that a little risky?"
"What? I've always wanted to train pigeons." Chat Noir said as he looked over his new form just as Dark Cupid materialized before him.
"Except that you need to have pigeons to train them." Ladybug pointed out, seeing that the character didn't come with the source of his power. "And aren't you allergic to feathers?"
"Details." Chat Noir brushed him off, blowing his whistle. After a moment, alone pigeon flew towards him. "See? Here's one." Chat Noir said proudly.
"Aw, poor little guy." Ladybug could help but pity the little bird that got trapped in the stadium after Gamer 2.0 had taken it over. "He probably got separated from his friends."
Chat Noir sighed as he petted his new friend, "Classic Ladybug, being cute as always." He muttered under his breath as he looked fondly at his new friend. "I'm gonna call him Fiery Phoenix."
"More like Mega Flop Phoenix." Gamer 2.0 laughed obnoxiously. "This is gonna be the fastest victory ever." Gamer 2.0 claimed as Chat Noir gasped, offended by his words.
"How dare you! He comes from a long line of proud fighting birds, he may have been the smalled of his brood but he persevered and survived just to fight by me on this day!"
"Psh- no bird is going to save you!" Gamer 2.0 scoffed aiming his bow towards the Pigeon man in what he thought was going to be an easy victory. But then Ladybug watched as Chat Noir and Fiery Phoenix defeated Gamer 2.0 swiftly with precision and teamwork, easily securing their second win.
"Winner: Mr. Pigeon!" The Announcer said as Chat Noir's face lit up with glee.
"Pound it, Fiery Phoenix!" He said, pumping his fist with the small birds wing, who then looked confused as his new friend then disappeared.
"Impossible!" Gamer 2.0 said angrily.
"Your sure you don't want to rethink this and just skip to the final battle?" Chat Noir offered as both heroes overheard Gamer 2.0 grit his teeth and then take a deep breath.
"Rules are rules, even I'm not going to sink so low as to cheat my way through this."
Knowing Max, or Gamer 2.0, this was probably true.
"So how do you want to do this bugaboo?" Chat Noir asked as it was Ladybug's turn. He stared at the screen, feeling dragged down by his lack of sleep and earlier loss. His hand moved for him as he then materialized on the arena as Befana while Gamer 2.0 took the form of Dark Owl.
Ladybug looked around on the field, not seeing the source of Dark Owl's power as he revved up Befana's bike. He gained altitude, pointed his revolver towards the villain below and fired blindly, only thinking about getting rid of him. However, he wondered why he even chose this villain, it was stupid on his part, he didn't have good aim as evidenced by missing Dark Owl as he evaded the shots.
"Owl mist!"
Ladybug narrowed his eyes as he tried to see if there was any movement through the mist. If he couldn't spot Gamer 2.0, changes were he wouldn't be able to-"
"Owl Boomerangs!" Dozens of weaponized boomerangs were aimed towards him, effectively knocking him off the bike and giving Dark Owl a chance to kick him off the arena.
"Winner: Dark Owl!"
"Hoo hoo! No one is as laser-precise as the Dark Owl!" Gamer 2.0 cheered as he disappeared as well.
Ladybug clenched his teeth together angrily as he lost again. Of course, Dark Owl would have the gear to aim past his own smoke bombs. He should have taken advantage of his flying advantage, not aim blindly like an idiot. His mistakes were adding up, if Chat Noir weren't here...
"My Lady?" His partner asked through the radio, "Is there something wrong? You're noting acting like yourself today."
Part of him wanted to snap at Chat Noir. How could he ever understand what he went through on a daily basis, how much stress he was under on top of being forced to play a game that was preventing him from working? But complaining about such things would be futile, after all, he only knew Chat Noir as he was, not knowing how he really felt about having the responsibility of being a Miraculous holder.
Chat Noir always asked him to rely on him, now was the time to cash in on those words.
"Looks like you're going to have to take the lead on this kitty." Ladybug said with some restraint, uncomfortable about placing all responsibility on his partner rather than take some of the burden on himself.
But, Chat Noir didn't complain, sounding almost eager as he was presented with a new opportunity. "No problem, just make sure to cheer for me, bugaboo." Chat Noir said as Ladybug was grateful no one else could see his face turning red.
One by one Chat Noir took on all of Gamer 2.0's lined up villains, defeating them with a smile on his face as Ladybug closed his eyes, taking the time his partner had gifted him an resting his mind for a little while.
After Chat Noir defeated the last villain Ladybug had an apologetic look on his face.
"I think we're ready for the final boss. Stop hiding behind your toys and get in the ring, Gamer 2.0 2.0." Chat Noir threatened as he
Gamer 2.0: I am the final boss, but how are we going to figure out who should battle me?"
"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked.
"Well, I'm sure you'd agree that two against one would be very unfair, so the only way to know which one of you will take me on is if you two fight each other!" Gamer 2.0 cackled with glee as both Ladybug and Chat Noir were summoned to the field.
"Ladybug. Chat Noir. Ready? Fight!" The announced said. However, neither of them moved a muscle, never even considering the thought that they would have to fight each other.
"What are you waiting for? Start fighting! If you don't, everyone will be imprisoned forever!" Gamer 2.0 snapped.
Ladybug gripped his fist defiantly, trying to think of another way to win without fighting Chat Noir. "We can't let that happen..."He said, but couldn't bring himself to face his partner, feeling ashamed that he was too weak to even handle Gamer 2.0's challenge.
Chat Noir smiled softly as he looked at the turmoil that was written all over his partner's face. Always looking for another way when there was a clear solution right before them."I love battling by your side, my lady, but I could never bring myself to fight you." He said as he caught his partner's attention.
Ladybug froze, not processing what his partner was implying as he was backing up towards the edge. "Chat Noir? What are you doing?"
"I'm trusting you with my life here, Bugaboo." Chat Noir said, winking playfully as he fell off the edge.
"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out in a panic as he reached out towards his partner, but he was too far to stop him.
"Winner: Ladybug!"
Ladybug's head spun as the Gamer 2.0's laughter rang in his ears, just as a new screen appeared before him; one with all the villain's weapons that Chat Noir had used in battle. "You're the one who wanted to get this over with. Now, since this is the final battle, in addition to your own superpower, you get to pick four items from your inventory. Although, I wouldn't even bother if I were you because I'm going to beat you no matter what."
Ladybug narrowed his eyes, wanting to beat up Gamer 2.0 with his own 2 hands. But this wasn't the time to be emotional, a lesson that he was reminded of over and over again. Chat Noir had trusted him to win this game, and that was what he intended to do.
"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug said, throwing up his yo-yo, and from it, he caught a Ladybug printed sack, one whose smell he knew all too well.
"A sack? You think you can beat me with a sack!?"
Ladybug scanned over the weapons and chose out the three that he would help him out the most, no matter what villain Gamer 2.0 would choose: Volpina's flute, Sandboy's pillow, and Chat Noir's ring.
"Only three?!" Gamer 2.0 taunted, "You're just asking me to take your Miraculous."
The black-spotted hero didn't respond to his threats, as he placed the ring and flute on as he stepped onto the pillow. Gamer 2.0 materialized before him with a grin on his face.
" Ladybug. Gamer 2.0. Final fight!"
"Given what you chose, in precisely thirty-six seconds, you will lose." The villain predicted as he transformed into various villains one at a time.
But instead, Ladybug responded by breaking open the sack of flour, hiding in its explosion of white powder.
"What in the-?" Gamer 2.0 asked as Ladybug then called out.
"Cataclysm!" The arena then began to break as Gamer 2.0 fell towards the ground, however, he was undeterred by the hero's attack.
"I am the game master! I can play any character. You thought you'd break me with that ridiculous little magic trick?" Gamer 2.0 asked as he transformed into Befana, aiming his pistol towards the white puff of smoke. "Be a nice fairy and give me that Miraculous!" He demanded but was only met with the sound of the flute. Various illusions of Ladybug appeared, almost all of them evading Befana's shots. "Ha, you think you little trick can stop me?!" Gamer 2.0 asked as he transformed into Dark Owl, using his owl boomerangs to attack the illusions.
Almost all of them were taken out, leaving one left.
"There!" Gamer 2.0 grinned, transforming into Stormy Weather as conjuring up a cyclone aimed towards the hero. Ladybug was knocked off the pillow, and unable to grab onto anything fell to the ground.
"I won! You're out, Ladybug!" Gamer 2.0 said in glee, but then his smile faded as the hero didn't disappear. Instead, he looked just as confused as the villain as he touched the ground, then erupted into laughter.
"Ha, looks like there's a glitch in your game, Gamer 2.0." Ladybug mocked as Gamer 2.0's eyes widened in shock.
"No! That's impossible!" Gamer 2.0 gasped as he hovered a few inches above the ground, hesitantly, he poked the ground, and almost immediately he fell. The next thing he knew, he lost his power, transforming back into his original form.
"Winner: Ladybug!"
Gamer 2.0 looked Ladybug who had a playful smile on his face, he reached out towards him as the image of the hero disappeared before him.
"You almost had me." The real hero said as he appeared from behind some of the fallen debris of the platform.
Gamer 2.0 sighed, but a smile drew on his face after a fun match. "You got me. Good game." He said before disappeared, leaving behind his glasses which Ladybug caught. He broke the glasses in two, releasing the Akuma.
"No more mischief from you little Akuma. Time to purify!" Ladybug said as he swung his yo-yo towards the possessed Akuma, capturing it in one motion. Then opening it once more, watching the newly purified Akuma fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Ladybug called out, throwing up the lucky charm as everything turned back to normal.
Chat Noir reappeared before him dawning a knowing smile as his arms were crossed. "You see? Wasn't I right?" He asked as Ladybug knelt down next to Max who looked around in confusion. He looked up at the two heroes with realization, lowering his head shamefully.
"I'm sorry, it happened again." He apologized as Ladybug helped him to his feet, handing back his glasses.
"Don't be, fighting you was a little fun this time around." Ladybug said as Max looked up at him in surprise. "You're very creative Max, don't ever doubt that." Ladybug said as then his Miraculous started to beep.
Both heroes jumped onto the edge of the stadium as Ladybug turned towards his partner.
"You're running out of time you know." Chat Noir pointed out.
"I know, I just had to say...I'm sorry for pushing the responsibility on you this time around." Ladybug apologized.
"Are you kidding?" Chat Noir asked, surprised at him. "You've done a lot more heavy lifting than I have, probably more than I realize. I was just grateful you relied on me when you realized that you needed to. It's nice to feel needed." Chat Noir said, smiling brightly as Ladybug averted his gaze.
"How do you do that?" Ladybug asked hesitantly, "Manage to remain so relaxed when you're a hero? Aren't you scared you'll eventually be overwhelmed by all of this? Of being a hero and living a double life?"
Chat Noir stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "Of course not, because I know there are people I can rely on when I'm myself and when I'm Chat Noir. Besides, the times when I have the most fun, my favorite moments, are when I'm with you, my lady." He said with an honest look in his eye.
Ladybug's eyes widened for a moment, as he clenched the yo-yo in his hand, turning towards Chat Noir with an annoyed expression. There were a number of things he wanted to tell his partner but held back, not wanting to mess up another thing today. Instead, he turned towards the city and jumped onto another building, running as fast as he could to avoid his partner's gaze, silently hoping that Chat Noir wouldn't be able to pick up on his unsettled he was making him.
Not noticing the smile the cat-themed hero had as he looked at his partner fondly. "And I would give up everything up for someone like you." He said to himself, smiling inwardly as he jumped back into the stadium to take Max home.
Later that evening, Marin text Max to meet him in front of his family's bakery. Greeting the shorter boy with a smile as he ran up towards him.
"Hi Max." He waved in greeting as Max caught his breath.
"Hey- so you wanna test out my game?!" Max asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Oh, not me, I'm too busy." Marin clarified as Max's expression fell, "But I know two other people who would jump at the chance to play a game like yours!" He said as he pulled Max into his parents' shop as they were cleaning up at the end of the day.
"No- wait Marin-" Max harshly whispered as Marin ignored him, placing his hands on his shoulders.
"Mom. Dad. I know I don't have time to play with you guys these days, but Max does. And he has a super fun fighting video game he designed which he needs beta testers for."
"A video game? He made himself?" Tom asked.
"With bugs to find?" Sabine finished asking before the two erupted with excitement.
"To the living room!" Tom immediately announced, dragging Max upstairs who had a sheepish grin on his face.
["Are you coming?"] Sabine asked as Marin held his hands behind his back.
["Nah, I'll finish up inventory Mama, you go have fun with papa."] Marin said as his mother kissed his cheek.
["Don't worry about that, we'll take care of it later. Why don't you go spend some time with your friends? Just don't forget to lock up the shop!"] She said before going upstairs. Unintentionally making Marin remember.
"Oh no, Luka!" Marin recalled, immediately taking out his phone and calling. He completely forgot about the shirt fitting and checking back up with him. Marin paced in the shop as Tikki flew out to munch on some day-old chocolate croissants. His phone rang a few times, and then he sighed for a moment as he heard his friend's voice on the other side.
"Hi Mar." Luka said simply as Marin grew more anxious.
"Hey, sorry I didn't text you earlier, I was so busy I wasn't thinking and I completely forgot the shirts, and then-"
"About that," Luka cut in, for a moment making Marin's heart sink to the ground with worry. "I was talking about it with everyone else, and it's alright if there's no deadline on the shirts."
Marin was stunned for a moment. "But, I mean, I was the one who offered, it's fine, I can-
"I know, but they can wait a little while." Luka insisted. "You looked a little stressed out, and this is the least we can do for you."
"But-"
"We're your friends Mar, not just clients," Luka said gently, yet was firm with his words.
Marin was uncertain of what to do, rubbing the back on his neck as he glanced at Tikki who nodded encouragingly. "If you guys are sure..." He almost whimpered out.
"Of course. There's no hurry on this, just relax, you can come over and hang out if you want to." Luka offered.
Marin checked the time, it was going to get late soon, but if he didn't have to worry about the shirts, he could reasonably get Jagged Stone's new poster out ahead a schedule, or, he could...
"Yeah, I'll be over right away." Marin said a moment later, his head racing as Luka spoke up again.
"Awesome, see you. later then." He said before Marin then hung up the phone. He wasn't used to being so spontaneous like this, usually, he was always planning ahead. He stood in the store holding his phone, uncertain of what exactly to do next so he just sat on the chair behind the counter, next to Tikki who was still eating.
"Those still good?" He asked as Tikki nodded eagerly. The two took a moment for themselves, sitting and eating stale croissants together.
Notes:
-And then he hung out on a boat and had a sleepover because he and Luka are good friends.
-I am slowly converting Marin into a middle-aged adult, next thing you know he'll be complaining about back pain and white hair