Chapter Text
“You could have died,” Luka scolds, Marinette’s arm still clasped in his hand. Had he reached out and grabbed her any sooner, she would’ve been toast, attacked by the akuma and who knows what happening to her.
“I wouldn’t have died,” Marinette says, frowning. “Would’ve been hurt at the very least, but not dead. At least, I don’t think so.”
“You have no idea what that akuma is capable of.”
“Well, neither do you, Luka. And who knows, maybe they weren’t even aiming for me,” she suggests, blinking up at him. Luka doesn’t hold back his scoff, shaking his head at Marinette.
“C’mon Mari, you really think an akuma would hesitate to attack any one of us?” he asks, looking down at her.
Marinette blushes, the use of the nickname making her cheeks burn and pulse quicken. She shakes her hand free and peeks her head out from the alley, looking down the street in case the akuma was still around.
“Well,” she says, glad she has her eyes far away from him, “I don’t see them out here waiting for me, which gives me hope that they have bigger plans at hand.”
“And is that a good thing?”
“Well, not really. But it might buy us some time.”
She trains her eyes on the damage in front of her, wondering if she’d be able to dart out and find a new hiding place, far away enough that she could transform in peace and help save the day.
Luka watches as she continues to peek around, her head the only thing exposed as she continues to look. He hadn’t expected an akuma attack to ruin his day out with Marinette and her friends (including his own sister, now no where to be found) but then again, who really expected an akuma attack to start up? And now, stuck with Marinette, he wondered just what else would he have to face today, if not the akuma then the very simple fact he was with someone who was very pretty, very confident, and very brave.
In fact, she was so brave Marinette stepped forward, out of the alleyway and into plain view. Hand reaching out, Luka tries to grab her shoulder and gently pull her back in, but she moves too fast before he can do so, his fingers barely touching her. She walks out and quickly runs to a park bench, ducking behind it.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he whisper shouts, still wary of the reemergence of the akuma. A part of him wants to run out and follow her, but better instinct says to stay put, the akuma loud enough that he hears it’s return.
“Looking for our friends!” she exclaims, lie slipping easily out. “Just stay there while I try to find them!”
Marinette’s crouched down, eyes peeking over the bench and darting around looking for a nice space to hide behind. In another second, she gets up and runs forward, this time ducking behind a tree, wide enough to hide her frame. While she does take the time to look around for friends, she hears the loud crash of lampposts falling down and car alarms going off, a hint to the akuma’s return.
A plan darts into her mind, and she sets it into motion once the akuma returns, hoping it’ll work.
It’s a well-timed scream, and cutting it off mid-scream, along with the akuma’s own added sound effects with their destruction of the sidewalk near them, Marinette’s sure Luka buys it. Not that she wants him to believe she’s been hurt or taken or done whatever by the akuma, but it’s not like she can stay by his side while an akuma runs about wreaking havoc.
The city needs Ladybug, and that’s a given even when Marinette’s alone with her crush.
She’ll make it up, Marinette thinks to herself, suit on and finally bouncing on some rooftop, running to scope out the chaos the akuma already caused. Maybe she’ll bake him something and give it to Juleka, too nervous to actually gift him something face to face. Or maybe she’ll sew up something cute, and leave it wrapped up at his house, not really seeing him so she doesn’t turn into a sputtering mess.
Although, she thinks again, that didn’t exactly work out well the last time she tried that. Still, it’s a nice thing to ponder over, especially while her heart is pounding at the remembrance of his hand on her arm, pulling her close.