Work Text:
Marinette looked up at the blank abyss above her. The white snow, lightly descending towards her, contrasted beautifully from the night sky. She turned her attention back towards the brightly light staged, where Kitty Section was setting up to play.
The band recently started to get a slight following so Ms. Couffine agreed to let them throw a concert on The Liberty. Marinette was very excited because Mr. Agreste agreed to let Adrien come tonight but a small part of her was also excited to see Luka as well.
Rose walked up to the microphone and annouced the start of the concert, before they went straight in to there first song. Marinette’s made her way towards the front of the crowd where Alya and Nino where standing.
“Woah, the view from here is really good,” Marinette cheered as she started to sway along to their music.
“You’re such a perv Marinette.” Alya teased as her and Nino laughed at her joke. Marinette blushed, before crossing her arms and ignoring them. “Aw come on girl” Alya said as she hugged Marinette sideways, “I’m just joking.”
The blue girl tried to hold her grudge but she failed, she couldn’t stay mad at Alya. She let a small grin slip before tackling her in a hug. The two girls then started to dance together. About halfway through the first song Marinette noticed the tune didn’t sound quite right. She wasn’t a musical expert but she could tell something was off. She stopped dancing and investigated every memeber individually. Roses voice was perfect and strong, Juleka was naturally keeping perfect rhythm, Ivan was keeping in beat, Adrien was perfect as always...
“Ah, Adrien” The teenager sighed as she swooned a little as she watched him press each key so delicately. She was interrupted from her dream-like state by a loud twang. She whipped her head towards the last band memeber, Luka, how looked rather sheepish. She watch him for the last remaining seconds of the song as he fumble up and down the neck of the guitar as his fingers messily plucked the chords. She cringed, along with the other bands memeber till the song evernturally finished.
“Sorry folk we’re just gonna take a quick 5 minute break” Rose softly annouced, her and the rest of the band leaving there instruments and walking off stage. Marinette quickly started making her way towards the stage exit.
“Going to go see Adrien.” Alya teased, Nino smirking over her shoulder.
“No, Luka.” Marinette shouted over her shoulder as she pushed through the small crowd. Alya just stood there slightly shocked before shaking her head, a small smirk on her face.
“She finally made her choice.” She grinned.
Marinette made it towards the stage exist just as most of the band memeber disbanded to get drinks. Leaving just her and Luka alone to talk. She approached the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey Marinette” He said without turning around, which shocked the blue eyed girl.
“How did you know?” She asked in awe.
“I recognised your footsteps.” He answered nonchalantly while pointing at her feet. Marinette looked down at her shoes as well.
“Really?”
“No, of course not, I saw you coming a soon as we left the stage” he confessed, which really embarrassed Marinette. “So what can I do you for?”
“Oh, um, I just want to know if your okay?” Marinette spoke softly and shyly. Luka just threw his head back and sighed.
“Yeah, I’m alright, everyone in the band just asked me that too.” Luka groaned out. Marinette started to feel awkward because he sounded very annoyed at her. She was only worried and wanted to help.
Luka must have sensed what Marinette was feeling because he quickly started to apologise.
“No, no, no” he blurted out, “That came out so harsh, I’d glad that people care enough about me to be worried I’m just a little embarrassed is all.” He started to explain, whispering towards the end as he trailed off. This relieved and surprised Marinette.
“Why are you embarrassed? What’s wrong?” Marinette looked up at him, her eyes full of worry. Luka look down at her and realised just how short she was, it was cute.
“It’s cold is all” he chuckled awkwardly, while showing Marinette his bright pink, bare hands. Marinette gasped and grabbed ahold of them feeling the icy chill straight away. Luka hissed a little at the contact of Marinette very warm, glove clad hands.
“Where are your gloves?” Marinette ask as she pulled his arms against her chest to warm them up. Luka started to freak out a little. His hands were on her chest pushed up against her breast and she put them there! Oh god. He quickly pulled his hands back and tucked them under his arm pits.
“I can’t wear them when I play. They’re way to thick so I can’t hit the notes right.” He explained reaching into his back pocket and pulling the gloves out to show her.
Marinette frowned as she grab the gloves and examined then, before opening her mouth to point out the fact that he is missing the notes without them anyway and she’s rather him be warm, but Rose and the rest of the band were ready to go and calling him over.
“Sorry Mari, gotta run” he said as he jogged back over to the stage. Marinette took one more glance at the gloves then Luka before an idea struck into her head. She quickly scanned the deck until she saw the familiar light grey side braid that belonged to Anarka. Smiling to herself she gripped the gloves tighter as she walked toward the women with determination.
Luka stood under the brightly lit stage ready to play. Even under the large, normally warm, spotlights his hands were still freezing cold. He stretched his fingers trying to warm them up a little before the next song but it was too late, he heard the familiar count down of Ivan’s drumsticks, followed by the beat of his drums. He started to play along as well as he could but the sting of his fingers was quite painful.
Luka looked up at the crowd for a distraction, scanning it for familiar faces. He saw Marinette’s friends, Alya and Nino, up the front but no Marinette. Worried he checked the side of the stage were he last saw her but she still wasn’t there. He started to frown as a sinking feeling started to develop in his stomach. He was all too familiar with this feeling of disappointment of looking into a crowd for a familiar face only for them to never show.
He shook his head a little trying to concentrate on this guitar and the song, he knew Marinette wasn’t like that she never let people down, she was different from his dead beat Dad.
He sighed as he missed another note, he looked towards his band mates to send them an apologetics smile only to find most of them looking at him in worry. This made him feel embarrassed and awkward so he averted his gaze towards the crowd.
Suddenly he spotted a familiar pair of blue pigtails walking down towards the cabins with his Mother. Where are those two going? He thought to himself. As much as he tried not to think too hard about it, his mind started to wonder to bad thoughts.
Marinette, His Mother and Juleka were the three most important people in his life, he really hated the feeling of thinking he was losing two of them. He knew rationally that they probably were just going to do something quickly but a voice in the back of his head keep whispering doubts to him. The voice said that they were going to leave him like his Dad because he never cared about his music either.
He suddenly stopped playing with a loud clunk, the band stopped playing as well. He felt so many pairs of eyes on him, he had to leave before he threw up. He quickly took of his guitar a drop it to the ground before running off stage. He heard Rose annouced something about an acoustic song before he heard Juleka and Rose sing and play together.
Luka was about to run down to his cabin to collect his thoughts when he was stop by someone coming up, It was Marinette and his Mother. He went to try and step around them and go to his room without any contact but Marinette grabbed his hand to stop him. He turned around to see her shyly looking at her feet as she toed at the ground. Luka was thankful that she was too distracted to sense his off mood.
“Sorry, that I missed you’re song” she apologised sounding guilty, “but I fixed these for you.” She said as she thrusted his navy blue gloves back into his hands. Confused Luka looked down at the gloves he was just passed. They look exactly the same at first till he realised the fingers sleeves were slightly shorter.
“Try them on, son.” Anarka smiled, placing her hands on Marinette’s thin shoulders, “this one here’s talented” She then sent a cheeky wink at her son making him blush at his mother’s embarrassing antics.
He slid a glove over his fingers and hand, pulling the warm material down to his wrist, his painted finger tips sticking out the ends.
“Woah, you made them fingerless!” He exclaimed excitedly before realising his mistake “we’ll fingertipless” he laughed, making, Marinette giggle.
He closely examined the gloves to reveal that they hadn’t just been cut, she had also hemmed each of the individual ends of the finger sleeves so they threads won’t come loose. He was so relieved and thankful that his bad thoughts weren’t true, his Mother and Marinette weren’t leaving they were caring for him.
“Luka, are you okay?” Adrien said as he came jogging over to the group.
“Yeah, sorry just needed to clear my head but I’m ready now” he smiled while sliding the other glove on. He turned back to Marinette and stepped towards her. “Thank you, Marinette.” He whispered to her as he leaned in and kissed her forehead leaving her blushing and stunned.
He straighten up before smirking slightly at her reaction and jogging back over to the stage with Adrien.
Anarka just stood behind Marinette smirking with her arms crossed.