Chapter Text
Okay, the finale is up!
The gang is getting ready for the school dance, which includes Marinette making Luka's suit and her dress. Meanwhile, they're also compiling evidence to implicate Félix for harassment, and when they learn about Félix's next plans, they decide to set a trap for him.
Song(s) Included, with and without modifications:
Footloose: Kenny Loggins
Take A Hint: Victorious Soundtrack
The weekend came and went, and Marinette, Luka, and company were already getting the ball rolling on their plans for the dance and stop Félix.
The first part of their plan involved school. Since that was the primary place where the incidents were occurring, that's where the most strategies were in place. Since Luka wasn't in the same class as Marinette, the group made it a rule that Marinette had to have someone with her at all times, whether it was the bathroom or the locker areas (when they reported the issue to Mme. Bustier, she put her foot down on Félix's behavior and allowed this). They kept the "graham crackers" code word, and Luka would walk her to and from school every day.
Also, if Marinette wasn't so lucky and she did run into Félix, the plan was that she would also covertly record everything.
The second part of the plan included getting Marinette's parents involved. Tom and Sabine would audio/video recording any encounters with Amélie or Félix, both in and out of the bakery.
Speaking of which, when Marinette and Luka reported everything to her parents, they decided that until the Félix situation was resolved, Marinette wasn't allowed to work in the bakery, even for deliveries. Otherwise, Marinette either had to be locked in her room or out with her friends (or preferably, Luka).
The third part of the plan involved daily before and after school meetings to report on any encounters for the day. They were all in agreement that they considered it a good day if no one had anything to report.
That Monday, Luka, Marinette, and company were outside the school prior to the bell, talking about their weekend report.
"So, any encounters with Félix?" Alya asked Marinette.
"He did come by the bakery yesterday, but mom and dad recorded the encounter and Luka and I were out on a date at the time." Marinette reported.
"Anything else?" Alix questioned.
"That's it. I blocked his phone number on my phone just in case." Marinette said.
"Great," Myléne said. "We'll head inside and meet you in the classroom."
Mylene, Alix, Rose, and Juleka went inside ahead of the others, leaving Alya with Marinette and Luka.
"I can't wait to get started on your suit, Luka!" Marinette giggled.
"I can't wait, either," Luka agreed. "You're one hell of a designer, so you're sure to make one killer suit."
"Aw, thank you." Marinette said with a blush.
"I'll see you later to walk you home, okay?" Luka said as he kissed Marinette on her cheek. He walked up the stairs and into the school, all while blowing a two-finger kiss towards her.
Marinette, blushing red, tried her best not to swoon, and Alya was ready to catch her in case she did.
"Come on girl, go gaga over your boyfriend later," Alya laughed. "Let's get to class, okay?"
"Okay." Marinette said as she and Alya went inside the building.
Immediately, they saw that the halls were decorated with flyers for the dance.
"Wow, everyone's so excited for the dance." Marinette pointed out as she and Alya started walking the hallways and saw all the decorations, flyers, and such.
"It's a big deal. It's only held twice a year and everyone gets to cut loose and have fun!" Alya said. She also noticed something out of her peripheral vision. "Speaking of fun, take a look."
Alya pointed out a sign-up sheet on one of the walls, for candidates for Formal King and Queen.
"Formal King and Queen signups?" Marinette asked aloud. "Sounds like Rose is going a little too nuts with this."
"Not interested in being Formal Queen?" Alya asked.
"Me? Interested in being Formal Queen?" Marinette parroted.
"Yeah, think about it," Alya began. "You and Luka, wearing the Formal Crowns as King and Queen, and the two of you share a romantic slow dance as everyone watched, enamored with the two of you."
"No way. I'm not graceful enough to be Formal Queen. And not only that, look," Marinette said, shaking her head as she directed Alya to look at the sheet. "Guess who's running for King?"
"Oh no..." Alya murmured as she closed her eyes in distaste. "Félix. Which means he is attending the dance..."
"All the more for me not to sign up. What if I win Queen and Félix is crowned Formal King? It'd be a nightmare." Marinette moaned.
"Yeah, it would, wouldn't it?" Alya agreed, but she was still looking at the sheet.
Marinette was frantically looking around, keeping an eye out for the aforementioned blonde.
"Any sign of him?" Alya asked.
"No, nothing yet." Marinette said, relieved that she didn't see him.
"Good..." Alya said, a familiar smile coming up on her lips.
"Come on, let's get to class! The longer we're out here, the higher the likelihood we are to run into him!" Marinette said as she made to drag Alya away.
The rest of the day included the usual routine, with classes, Marinette ducking Félix, and staying with one member of her group whenever she was out in the hallways, even when coming/going to the bathroom.
In the art room, Marinette was sketching the design for Luka's suit.
"So, blues are definitely a must, and I want to incorporate your love of music somehow..." Marinette began as she kept writing ideas down.
"Don't worry too much, Marinette," Luka assured her. "I trust you."
Marinette blushed as she continued adding a few bits and
"Okay, that's done. Your measurements are finished and your requirements for the suit are done..." Marinette began, listing off the measurements and making notes on the checklist.
"Great." Luka said with a smile.
"I'm so excited to make this suit for you!" Marinette said, giggling. "You're going to look great when it's done."
"I can't wait to wear it," Luka laughed in response. "...Hey, Marinette, I wanted to ask, may I see your sketchbook? I want to see what you have in mind for your dress."
"Oh, definitely!" Marinette said as she flipped to the page where her design for her dress was.
Luka looked it over and his smile slowly grew.
"...Wow! It's gorgeous! And it'll look even better in the 3-D when it's done, I'll bet." Luka praised.
"Thanks," Marinette giggled as she let him hug her by the shoulder and kiss her on the cheek. "Oh, you sweetie."
The two of them kept laughing, but they made sure to keep it down in case Félix was nearby.
They made their way to the door to leave, and Luka opened it. But his eyes blew out a bit when he saw Félix making his way down the hall. He was actively looking around, too.
Luka quietly shut the door, shook his head at Marinette while mouthing "graham crackers," and she nodded in understanding.
Later on that afternoon, Marinette was going to the lockers, with Alya in tow.
"Sounds like you're making a lot of progress on both your dress and his suit," Alya said as she heard Marinette's plans. "The two of you will be the center of attention at the dance!"
Alya was ahead, and she peeked inside the locker area. She sucked in her breath through her teeth at the sight.
Félix was there, standing beside Marinette's locker, and he was on his phone.
Alya whirled around to Marinette, crossing her arms in an 'X' motion to warn her while also mouthing "graham crackers." Marinette nodded with a grimace.
"So, our sponsorship of the dance, including refreshments, décor and entertainment, is in the clear?" Félix asked over the phone.
Marinette and Alya hid around the wall to listen in. The former took out a high-powered microphone to attach to her phone, and she began recording Félix's conversation.
"Of course, mom," Félix said. "Obviously I'm bringing Marinette to the dance, whether she wants it or not. I'll swing by her place to pick her up at 6PM that night... Don't worry, he won't be able to ruin anything... By the end of the night, I'll have the woman who's rightfully mine, and then all will be right with the world..."
There was more chatter on the other end of the line. Félix chuckled before saying, "Okay, see you at home, mom."
He hung up before leaning against the wall again.
Marinette shuddered in nauseated fear before turning off the microphone and swiftly messaging Luka, her parents, and her team about the news, with the recording to back it up.
"We'd better go around the back and wait for him to leave before we go in." Alya whispered. Marinette nodded. The two of them tiptoed away from the locker room.
"Honestly, I'm getting sick of sneaking around like this..." Marinette said to Alya.
"Yeah. I wish there was a way to catch him in the act in more than one place." Alya said.
The lightbulb went off in Marinette's head, and she turned to Alya. With a confident smile, she said, "Alya, you just gave me an idea. Let's gather up the team and I'll explain later."
Alya smiled and sent a message to their group chat as she followed Marinette down the hallways.
The evening of the dance, everyone was at their houses, getting in their clothes for the dance. Rose and Juleka were doing each other's makeup and hair, and they each had their own dresses ready. Myléne and Ivan were at the former's home, and they were already posing for pictures.
Meanwhile, Marinette was up in her room, now in her dress, and she was working on her hair and makeup. She kept her makeup to a minimum, with only eyeliner, mascara, and nude eyeshadow. She also had some lip gloss on, to. Her hair was down and she'd finished brushing it. She also put a pink peony pin in her hair.
She rose up from her chair and she looked at herself in her full-length mirror. She was wearing a pink A-line dress with a scalloped, off-shoulder neckline. The dress went down to her ankles and had a lace tier underneath the fabric.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"Marinette, Luka's here!" Sabine said from below.
"Coming!" Marinette said as she got her flat shoes on and went downstairs.
She smiled as soon as she saw Luka in the suit she made him. It was a navy blue tuxedo without any tails in the back, navy blue pants, a black undershirt, a navy blue necktie with music notes on it, and the cuff pins were made to look like music notes. He was wearing black shoes, too. He had his hair styled the usual way. He was carrying a pink peony corsage.
"You look handsome." Marinette said as she approached him.
"And you look as adorable as ever," Luka replied. He held her hand and slipped the corsage onto her wrist. "You're so talented, making that dress by yourself."
"Thank you." Marinette said as she snuggled closer to her beau.
"She definitely knows how to dress a person," Tom praised. "And you definitely look dapper in that suit."
"Thanks, Tom," Luka said with a chuckle. "So, how about some pictures before we go?"
"Great idea, but we'd better be quick," Sabine agreed. "It's about 5:30 now, and you said Félix was going to be by to bring you to the dance at 6?"
"Right." Marinette said.
"Then let's take a few pictures and I'll drive you to the dance." Tom instructed.
Tom took out his phone while Sabine had a professional camera on hand, too. Marinette and Luka began doing different poses. Luka had Marinette in both of his arms in one shot, the next shot had the two of them making like they were about to share a dance, the third shot had Marinette dipped over Luka's knee, etc.
All the poses were adorable and the pictures were equally as much. The pair were looking at each other with love in their eyes, and Marinette couldn't help but want to kiss him right there. Luka chuckled in response.
"I think that's enough photos, you two," Sabine laughed as she looked at the time. "Now, let's get you to the dance!"
Tom took up the car keys and led the teenagers to the car. As they got into the car and drove off, Sabine smiled and went to shut the door to the bakery.
At the dance, Marinette and Luka came in without any trouble. They entered and saw most of their peers and a few teachers, all in formal dress and enjoying the lively atmosphere of the dance. The place was decorated in a more palatial manner, thanks to the funding from the Graham de Vanily family. There were fancy balloons and streamers to accompany the luxurious tablecloths.
Nino was up on stage, and he was scratching the records like the DJ he was. He was wearing a dark green suit (more like navy green) and had his headphones on. The music he was creating was more pop-hip-hop than it was classical, but no one cared. Alya was down in front of the stage, wearing an orange cocktail dress and matching kitten heels, along with orange stud earrings and a fox tail necklace.
"Alya!" Marinette called.
Alya looked over to her and she said, "Marinette! Great to see you!"
Alya ran over to her and she said, "OMG, girl, you're looking stellar tonight!"
"Thank you," Marinette laughed. "And you look very foxy tonight, too."
Along with Luka, the girls laughed.
"So, are we all set?" Luka asked, getting a bit serious.
"Yeah, we are," Alya began. "I already told the right people what to do and when. I cannot wait to see the look on Félix's face!"
They once again laughed.
"Forget about that prick for now," Alya said. "Why don't the two of you go and dance? Or get something to eat?"
"Great idea," Luka agreed as the two of them made their way to the snack table. "Those cheese puffs look delicious!"
"Yeah, and so does the rest of this food!" Marinette said as she looked at all the snacks.
There was a huge variety, including a fruit platter, some tapenade variations with toasts, fromage blanc spread with baguette (courtesy of the Dupain-Chengs), and more.
"Hey, let's nibble a little bit before they actually serve dinner," Marinette said as she took a small plate and used the tongs to take several strawberries and a few cheese puffs. "Anything you want?"
"Just for you to enjoy yourself, Marinette." Luka said while giving Marinette a tender look. Marinette blushed at this as he took some baguette and fromage blanc spread onto his plate.
The two of them were looking at each other with loving glances as they went to a table to eat.
Back at the bakery, a fancy car pulled up to the curb. Out stepped Félix, in a nicer suit than his usual clothes, and he had a bouquet of flowers in hand, as well as a blue rose corsage.
Inside, Tom and Sabine were going about their business, closing up for the night.
Félix barged in, and he said, "Good evening, M. and Mme. Dupain-Cheng!"
The parents looked up at Félix, and they gave him neutral looks.
"I'm here to take Marinette to the dance. Send her down, if you wouldn't mind?" Félix asked as he presented the flower and corsage.
Sabine smiled and said, "I'm sorry, but Marinette's already at the dance with Luka."
Félix's eyes bugged out, before his face turned angry. He threw the corsage on the floor, breaking the container and the piece wilted.
He snarled in rage as he looked at his destroyed flower, which was a symbol of unattainable love, and he said, "There's no way I'm going to let the likes of him ruin my plans... Marinette Dupain-Cheng is MINE!"
At the dance, Marinette and Luka were talking and eating some of the snacks, making sure they were saving room for the actual meal.
Nino looked at them from the sidelines, and he glanced at Alya. She nodded at him and Nino used his phone to change the song.
The song changed into something familiar and fun. The drums began playing in the background. People cheered, and Marinette heard several people say, "I love this song" in the background.
"Hey, you wanna dance?" Luka asked as he held his hand out to her while the guitar in the song started to play.
"Sounds great." Marinette said as Luka took her hand and he pulled her out of her seat.
The two of them went to the dance floor.
"Been working so hard! I'm punching my card! Eight hours for what? Oh, tell me what I got!" The voice sang out through the sounds.
Marinette looked up at Luka, and they were giving each other happy, loving smiles.
"I got this feeling, that time's just holding me down!" The song played out. "I'll hit the ceiling, or else I'll tear up this town."
Luka once again held out his hand to her. Marinette put her hand in, and Luka immediately started moving.
"Tonight I gotta cut loose! Footloose! Kick off my Sunday shoes!"
They were freestyle dancing, including swaying their bodies around to the tempo of the music. Luka did an underarm turn with Marinette, lifted her up by the waist and spun around, and they started dancing with all the gusto they had. Marinette was laughing as they kept doing turns with each other, and other dance moves that they probably shouldn't be doing in formal dress.
"Please, Louise, pull me offa my knees!"
They kept dancing, all carefree and happy. Everyone who caught sight of their moves made space for them on the dance floor and started dancing along in such a way that they didn't run into Marinette and Luka by mistake.
Félix stormed into the dance and with a laser-sharp, murderous glint in his eyes, he started scanning the scene for Marinette. Once he caught sight of Marinette and Luka dancing, he growled and began to charge over.
"Jack, get back! C'mon before we crack! Lose your blues, everybody cut footloose!"
Luka felt daggers at his back, he craned his neck around and caught sight of Félix coming right at him.
Luka quickly dragged Marinette off the dance floor. Marinette began, "Hey, Luka, what's...?"
Luka brought Marinette to the snack table before asking, "What's up?"
Luka put a finger to his lips and mouthed out "graham crackers." Marientte nodded before the two of them got some more food to eat.
Marinette smiled and got a few more berries and baguette slices before going to their seats. Luka turned around and leveled a glare at Félix. He got his phone out to record this encounter.
"Look here, mister," Félix said, poking Luka in the chest. "I don't know what you plan on doing, but rest assured that when I'm crowned Formal King, Marinette won't be going anywhere with the likes of you!"
"Listen, I'm not running for King. And Marinette's got no designs on being Queen, either. She told me that," Luka said, trying to be calm. "So, cna't you just leave her alone? She's had enough of you harassing her."
"Oh, please. Soon, they'll be announcing King and Queen of the Formal, and then Marinette and I will be a thing and you'll just be an afterthought." Félix spat.
He turned on his heel before walking away.
Luka shook his head in annoyance as he went over to sit with Marinette.
"So, he gave you an earful." Marinette stated in summary.
"Yep," Luka replied. "Don't worry, though, you'll be okay. We know what to do when he pushes it."
Marinette gave him a determined smile and she giggled.
Seeing them together, Félix gripped his punch glass so hard that it shattered. He was snarling. The rest of the girls were watching the scene in disgust and distaste.
Marinette and Luka decided to forget about Félix and keep moving around to prevent him from getting close. They danced to a few more songs, kept ducking Félix, and ate the meal that was served, which was Chateaubriand, amongst other fancy dishes (courtesy of the catering company the school hired).
On the stage, two crowns were on silk pillows. The tiara made for a queen was on one while the king's crown, which was bigger, was on the other.
"Okay, everyone!" Rose said, up on the stage as the emcee for the dance. "Time for the crowning of the Formal King and Queen! First up, the Queen!"
Everyone went quiet and gathered around the stage as Rose took out the envelope with a big flair. She smiled brightly and she said, "The votes are in! No surprises here, but our Formal Queen is..."
Chloé was standing with her same, entitled smile, standing proud and conceited. Marinette, on the other hand, was just waiting for the name to be called so she and Luka could duck out.
"...Marinette Dupain-Cheng!" Rose screamed into the microphone.
Marinette's eyes blew open and she looked around in surprise as everyone started cheering for her. She gasped and looked around, before asking, "What? Me? I didn't even sign up!"
She caught Alya giggling, her mischievous smile upon her face as always.
"Alya... Did you...?" Marinette began.
"I signed you up!" Alya laughed. "I couldn't help it! With everything you do for your friends and to protect yourself, you deserve it."
"Alya! Not cool!" Marinette protested.
"Marinette! Marinette! Marinette!" Everyone in the room chanted.
Marinette sighed and walked up to the stage. Rose took the queen's tiara and put it on Marinette's head. She looked out to the crowd to see everyone (minus Chloé) applauding for her, chanting her name, and screaming for joy. Marinette looked out to Luka, who was giving her a beaming smile and clapping on her behalf, too.
"Alright, now that we have our Queen, shall we give her a King?" Rose asked.
Everyone cheered a big fat, "YES!"
"That's the spirit!" Rose said as she got out the envelope for the results of the Formal King. "The Formal King for this year..."
Everyone held their breath. Luka was looking on in concern, meanwhile Félix had a smile mirroring Chloé's. Luka snuck a glance at his rival before looking up at Marinette with an expression that was akin to an equal mixture of worry and hope.
Rose smiled and she looked up.
"Again, no surprises, but by a landslide, our Formal King is Marinette's boyfriend, Luka Couffaine!" Rose squealed.
Everyone (minus Félix) cheered as Luka smiled in surprise and delight.
He ran up onto the stage. He knelt down with his hand to his chest, and the crown was placed on his head. Everyone was cheering and applauding as Luka rose up and looked at Marinette. He also caught Alya laughing.
Marinette and Luka laughed in delight as the two of them held each other by the arms.
"I guess Alya had a hand in this as well." Luka laughed.
"Yeah... But I'm glad she did." Marinette agreed as she got closer to Luka.
"Now, for the Formal King and Queen's first dance!" Rose announced as Luka and Marinette went back down to the dance floor.
"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!" Félix hollered as he stormed up towards the stage to confront the emcee. "I was meant to be Formal King with Marinette as Formal Queen!"
"Sorry, Félix, but your name wasn't on the list." Rose stated.
"What?! My name was there!" Félix roared.
"But it was crossed out..." Rose pointed out as she showed him the list. Sure enough, Félix's name was there, but it was crossed out.
Marinette looked out to the crowd and once again saw Alya giggling.
"Alya, did you cross Félix's name off the Formal King list?" Marinette asked, her smile growing.
"Sure did!" Alya said. "No way was I going to let Félix be King! I just let the committee assume he dropped out."
"Nice one, Alya!" Luka praised.
"No, no, not nice!" Félix stated as he glared at Luka and Marinette.
Rolling her eyes, Marinette turned to the stage and said, "Hey Nino, you know that song I compared to my situation with Félix? Do you have it on your playlist?"
"Sure do," Nino said as he worked on the stand before tossing the microphone to Marinette. "You wanna sing?"
"Yes," Marinette said as she caught it in hand and smirked in confidence. She turned to Luka. "Luka, you wouldn't happen to have a guitar on hand, would you?"
"No..." Luka admitted.
"No problem, dude," Nino said from up on stage. He took out a guitar from the back and took it out. "Had a hunch something like this would go down. Here you go!"
Nino tossed it over to Luka, who caught it with both of his hands.
Nino turned the music on and everyone else, barring Luka and Félix, cleared the dance floor. As part of the song began playing, Luka started playing his guitar along to the music. Marinette confronted the blonde, and she started to sing.
"Why am I always hit on by this guy that I don't like?" Marinette said, thumb-jerking at Félix. "I can always see him coming from the left and from the right!"
Félix opened his mouth to speak, but Marinette cut in to keep singing.
"I don't wanna be a priss, I'm just trying to be polite! But it always seems to bite me in the-" She sang, and then she smacked her tush to get the point across before continuing.
She started pressing towards him, forcing him to step back. She sang, "Ask me for my number, yeah you put me on the spot! You think that we should hook up, but I think that we should NOT!"
Marinette kept using hand gestures and facial expressions to drive her point while continuing her song.
"You had me at hello, then you opened up your mouth, and that is when it started going south, oh!" Marinette sang.
Everyone began clapping in time as Marinette continued her song, including body movements to go along with the lyrics.
"Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I punch you in the lips! Stop your staring at my - HEY! Take a hint, take a hint!" Marinette sang as she kept approaching Félix, including shaking her hips, raising a fist, and getting closer.
Félix was about to protest, but she poked him in his chest before backing away, singing, "No, you can't get me a drink! Let me tell you what I think!"
She waved her hand in front of her nose, as if she smelled something horrible.
"I think you could use a mint! Take a hint, take a hint!" Marinette sang, before doing a spin and facing Félix down with a glare. "T-Take a hint, take a hint!"
Félix once again tried to approach and corner Marinette, but she ducked out of the way and went back to Luka.
"I guess you still don't get it, so let's take it from the top! You asked me what my sign is and I told you it was STOP!" She sang before putting her hand up at the last word in the line.
She rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance before continuing.
"And if I had a dime for every name that you just dropped, you'd be here and we'd be on a yacht, OH!" Marinette sang as she stood next to Luka.
She continued to dance and sing, with everyone else clapping in time.
"Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I punch you in the lips! Stop your staring at my - HEY! Take a hint, take a hint!" Marinette sang. She got in Félix's face, glared him down, and kept going.
"No, you can't get me a drink! Let me tell you what I think!" She sang before holding her nose. "I think you could use a mint! Take a hint, take a hint! T-Take a hint, take a hint!"
Marinette let go, looking at Félix with desperation and disdain, singing aloud, "What about "no" don't you get?! So go and tell your fam - I am SO not interested!"
Félix only got angrier at this as he kept looking at Marinette while glaring Luka down.
"It's about time that you're leaving! I'm gonna count to three and open my eyes and you'll be gone!" Marinette sang as she kept approaching.
Félix kept backing away.
"One - get your hands off my. Two - or I'll punch you in the. Three - STOP YOUR STARING AT MY - HEY!" Marinette sang, mirroring each motion with the lyrics. "Take a hint, take a hint!"
Marinette spat in Félix's face before backing away to stay with Luka.
"I am NOT your missing link! Let me tell you what I think! I think you could use a mint! Take a hint, take a hint! Whoa...!" Marinette crooned.
She started shaking her hips and kept glaring Félix down before singing, "Get your hands off my hips, 'fore I punch you in the lips! Stop your staring at my- HEY! Take a hint! Take a hint! T-Take a hint, take a hint!"
Once the music stopped, Marinette did a mic-drop before giving Félix a smirk.
Everyone started cheering for Marinette's performance.
"Understand now, Félix?" Luka asked. "Marinette doesn't like you, nor does she want anything to do with you!"
Instead of listening, Félix stormed over to Marinette, grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away.
"Hey, hands off, buddy!" Marinette shouted as she yanked it away.
"No! I'm sick of you ducking me like this! Stop telling me "no," because you're the girl that I want!" Félix barked.
Everyone was murmuring in disgust.
Marinette looked at Luka, ran over to him, and gave him the crown, asking him to hold it, before taking off.
"Hey, get back here!" Félix ordered as he ran after Marinette.
Juleka came towards her brother and the two of them looked at each other with neutral expressions before turning back to watch the scene.
Marinette dashed out of the dance, and made a hard right. She chanced a glance behind her, and sure enough, Félix was on her tail, but he was still far enough away that she could easily duck out of sight and lose him. Marinette picked up speed, and dove into an empty room. She shut it, making sure she all but slammed the door.
She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief.
*BANG!*
"Hah, trapped like a rat, Marinette." Félix barked as he came in, shut the door, and he smirked down at her like he was examining a peace of meat.
Marinette squeaked and started breathing heavily.
"Time for us to have a little... Fun, honey." He chuckled as he started stepping closer and his hands were in the air, like he was about to grab her.
Marinette tried to duck, but he grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to steal a kiss. He pulled her closer, she tried pushing away, and he kept puckering up.
"Let go of me right now!" Marinette shouted as she shoved Félix away.
He stumbled away, meanwhile he glared at her.
"I don't understand! I've got everything a girl could want, and yet you keep teasing me by saying that you and Luka are a thing!" Félix began. "That crown should be mine! The two of us would be the power couple of the school!"
"Luka deserves to be Formal King! He earned it! He's Prince Charming compared to you, you ogre!" Marinette stated to Félix.
"How so?! I don't get what you see in that blue-haired wannabe rocker!" Félix demanded.
"Oh, plenty!" Marinette began, angry. "He's everything that you're not! He respects me and my wishes, he doesn't touch me without my consent, my parents adore him, as do I! When I'm with him, I feel like everything's fine, like nothing's wrong with me or the world! I love being with him! I have fun with him, he makes me laugh, his music is so soothing and uplifting when I'm down!"
Félix couldn't help but growl at that. He was about to speak up, but Marinette put her hands on her head and she looked up at him in rage.
"And most importantly, he makes me feel safe! With you, I don't feel safe! Are you listening to me?! I! FEEL! SAFE! WITH! LUKA!" Marinette all but screamed.
Félix balked at her. He glowered at her, before saying, "It doesn't matter to me! You're going to be mine, and I won't stop until you give in and leave him! Hurry up and come to me."
Marinette smirked at Félix and giggled, saying, "Not happening. In fact, I don't think you'll be back at this school ever again after tonight."
"Why?" Félix asked.
"Cause you're on candid camera and intercom, asshole!" Alix shouted.
The screens in the room lit up to reveal everyone's faces, and Marinette said, "Nice work, girls."
"What?! What's going on here?!" Félix demanded.
"Once we found out you'd be coming, AND Marinette reported to us that she overheard that you were going to kidnap her to the dance, we set up this trap." Alya explained.
"When you got pissed off at me singing to you to take a hint after the Formal King and Queen were announced, we made sure there were enough people recording your behavior on their phones, and had them send the videos to the principal." Marinette continued.
"Excuse me?!" Félix asked.
"Not only that, but everything here was broadcasted over the entire school!" Myléne added with a laugh.
"And Max got Markov to activate the cameras in here so you'd be caught in the act, and he's recorded everything." Marinette added in a singsong tone.
"I actually hear there's a petition going around right now demanding your expulsion, Félix." Alya giggled.
"Finally, my parents have recorded every encounter with you or your mother at the bakery, and we have video recordings from the movie premier as added evidence. Jagged Stone's willing to testify on my behalf both in the principal's office and in court." Marinette spoke with a cheeky smile.
"What?!" Félix roared.
"Félix Graham de Vanily!" A voice shouted. The door slammed open and Mr. Damocles came in.
"Mr. Damocles!" Marinette said in delight.
"My office, Félix. NOW!" Damocles ordered.
Félix glared at Marinette, who was smiling at him in triumph. He muttered, "You and that prick of a boyfriend will pay for this!"
"I don't think so, young man!" Damocles began as he grabbed Félix by the arm and started dragging him out the door. "Marinette, why not go back to the dance and have fun? I'll take care of Félix. You and your friends can come and give me your side of the story on Monday... Though I think all that evidence proves your point."
"Okay!" Marinette said as she smiled.
"Also... I know I'm not the best with Chloé, but you should've come to me about Félix so much sooner. It would've saved you so much trouble." Mr. Damocles told her.
"...Thank you." Marinette said with a nod.
Marinette returned to the dance, and everyone was cheering and clapping for how she handled the situation. Luka was there waiting for her. He was beaming in pride as he put the crown back on her head. She giggled.
"How chivalrous of you, my king." Marinette teased.
"You're worth waiting for, my queen." Luka teased back with a wink.
"Okay, now that our Formal Queen is back, let's FINALLY let our King and Queen have their first dance!" Rose said from up on the stage.
The formal music started going, and Marinette and Luka began their waltz/slow dance. The two of them swirled around the dance floor like they'd been dancing forever.
"You're so unbelievably brave, Marinette," Luka said, hugging her close. "I'm proud of you for doing this. But that plan was kind of convoluted."
"It worked, though, so now that the blonde prick is gone for good... Let's dance!" Marinette said as she and Luka got into a waltz position.
Luka did an underarm turn with her, the two of them continued their waltz, all while smiling and looking at each other with joy.
"So... I know we're at school and all, so I know it's probably not appropriate, but... Marinette..." Luka began as he put his hand to her cheek, and looked at her lips.
Marinette blushed. Everyone was clapping and chanting, "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!"
Marinette looked around, nervous that everyone was turning her moment with Luka into a "Kiss Cam" scenario at a sports game.
She looked up at Luka, who was giving her a smile, and said, "Only if you're okay with it."
"Of course I am!" Marinette said as she took Luka's face into her hands and pulled him in for a kiss. Luka moaned as he maneuvered his face to get better access to her kiss. He dipped her down.
Everyone started cheering and whooping in delight at the scene, with applause and wolf-whistles.
"Everyone, our Formal King and Queen!" Rose cheered.
Marinette and Luka kept kissing and hugging throughout the rest of the evening.
Epilogue
After the dance wrapped up, Félix faced proper disciplinary action. Félix tried to play guilty and remorseful, but the principal didn't buy it... No one did, actually. He was expelled from François-Dupont High, the school board banned him from any public schools within Paris, and his family was sued for sexual harassment, stalking, theft and threatening.
Between the consistent and repeated written, audio, and video evidence of him harassing Marinette, the testimony from Marinette, her parents, her friends, Luka, and Jagged Stone, it was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that Félix was guilty of the alleged crimes.
Not only was his family forced to pay an insurmountable amount of punitive damages, but Amélie and Félix were forced to give a public apology to the Dupain-Chengs. To but the icing on the cake, Félix was jailed for his behavior, too. It was going to be twenty-five years before he would see the outside again. There was also a strict restraining order placed on him for when he got out, including that he wasn't allowed to contact Marinette online or over the phone, either.
The Dupain-Chengs and Luka were satisfied with the outcome. Félix was gone, Marinette was safe, justice was served, all was well. Not only that, but the lawsuit brought attention to the bakery, and more people started frequenting their bakery out of support for Marinette's story.
The incident made the Graham de Vanily family fall out of favor in the film industry, and Amélie wasn't going to recover from it very easily.
Everyone who read the story expressed sympathy for Marinette, outrage at Félix, and they were all glad it was over (granted, multiple people told Marinette that she should've done something a lot sooner - she agreed).
Once all was said and done, peace returned to Marinette's life. She and Luka grew closer as time went on. Luka and the rest of Kitty Section became Jagged Stone's protégé, including getting record deal. Marinette was the band's go-to costume designer and she continued to get commissions from Jagged.
Life went on, but the one constant was Marinette and Luka were the strongest pair anyone had ever seen. There was even a betting pool on when Luka would drop to a knee and ask Marinette to change her last time to Couffaine.
Yeah, Marinette never thought the words "graham crackers" would save her skin. But they did, and Marinette was grateful for it.
Alright, that's the end of this story! I hope you enjoyed it.
If you want more stories for me to add to my "Luka VS. Félix" series, leave a comment below!