Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You know I love unicorns

And that they make me feel better!

I see their faces everywhere I go

Dreaming about them at the nights!

“I am glad Mr. Agreste allowed Adrien to be a part of the concert,” Marinette said as she moved her attention from her sketches to Kagami who sat beside her.

The Japanese girl nodded in reply. “I know Mr. Agreste’s hard to convince, but after Adrien meticulously pointed out that his participation in the band could help promote Agreste Fashion, it wasn’t a tough job.”

The designer hummed in approval as she bent over her sketchbook, adding colors to the designs.

“But tell me one thing.” The disdain in Kagami’s voice caused Marinette to look up. 

“Who called that brunette here?” The Tsurugi girl pointed at someone, and Marinette followed her direction to catch sight of Lila Rossi reclining on a chair, sipping orange juice as Mylene sat beside her on a stool, enjoying the band’s performance.

“I mean, it’s not my business but… as far as I am aware, she isn’t dating anyone in the band. And it doesn’t seem like she’s here to offer a hand.”

“Oh,” Marinette rolled her eyes slightly before turning back to task in hand, “that’s Lila. I believed you knew her? For a few days ago, she claimed to have been Mrs. Tsurugi’s favorite student before arthritis caused her to take a break from fencing.”

“Mom’s favorite student? Baka.” 

“Baka?”

“It’s a curse.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow as her lips twitched in a smirk. “Didn’t know you cursed.”

“Only when I am frustrated. But seriously, I hadn’t had a shade of idea about her existence before she appeared in that photograph with Adri-kun. He told me she’s a pathological liar, but to this extent… Wow, I must really go knock some sense into her.”

Kagami moved forward, only to be stopped by an iron grip on her wrist.

“Don’t,” Marinette said in a low tone as she pulled the other girl back. “I have tried uncovering her lies, but…”

“But what?”

“She just plays with the words until they turn against you. I have tried unmasking her on many occasions, but no one listens and…”

Marinette’s voice trailed off, before she slightly shook her head and said in a tone of faux cheerfulness, “Her lies aren’t hurting anyone, right?”

Kagami stared in shock as the designer wiped her eyes before smiling at her.

A sudden shrill screech of guitar caused the girls to turn their attention to the deck where the band had been rehearsing.

“Sorry, I kind of missed a beat,” Luka said apologetically, looking down as he frowned at his guitar.

“I guess it’s alright,” Adrien patted the tall boy before adding, “We have been practising for one hour non-stop. How about a break, guys?”

The idea was highly appreciated, for the other band members immediately left their musical instruments to relax themselves after the hard work. Rose and Juleka moved over to the railings to talk while Ivan walked to where Mylene and Lila were sitting, sitting down and looping an arm around his tiny girlfriend.

Adrien turned his attention to the girls and grinned at them, waving eagerly. Marinette smiled in acknowledgement and Kagami waved back, an adorable blush now dusting her cheeks.

He came over to them, hugging Kagami before giving her a peck on the lips. 

“Hey there, Gami-chan,” he whispered, causing Kagami to giggle.

“Hello, Koibito,” she whispered, booping his nose a little.

Watching the two from a close distance, Marinette couldn’t help but smile. Contrary to the earlier times, she didn’t feel jealous of Kagami anymore. ‘Adrigami’, as she had dubbed the couple, was really very cute and sweet, and Marinette was happy to be best friends with them. 

Between the responsibilities of Guardianship, school work, bakery stuff, hangouts with friends, designing commissions and babysitting, Marinette wasn’t sure if she could additionally juggle her love life. So, she opted to let it rest for a while, at least till she got the hang of her recent busy schedule.

That is what she had told herself. The reality… it was different.

Adrien had harbored a special place in her heart, and letting him go hadn’t been easy for her. But with time, Marinette came to realise that her unrequited feelings were doing her more harm than good. In times when her friends were abandoning her, Adrien and Kagami were two of the three people who had at least offered a listening ear to her distraught civilian self. And the girl could not afford losing any of her true friends for any reason.

So, she made herself happy in their happiness. When the two held hands, Marinette’s heart did a little dance of joy for her friends’ happiness. When they got lost in each others’ eyes, she stayed on the sidelines, watching them with a small smile. And when they kissed….

...It had been hard at first. No, scratch hard. For the first few times, Marinette had felt as if someone had detached her heart from her chest and stomped on it ruthlessly, right in front of her eyes. Her pillow and Tikki had been the witness of those silent tears she shed as she came face-to-face with the feelings of the first heartbreak. Many times, she just wanted to pull the two apart, to scream her feelings out to Adrien and at least let him know.

Had it not been for Tikki, she would have been nearly akumatized, too.

But her determination and will power made her witness the couple’s sweet moments, again and again. Until she didn’t feel the bitter twinge on seeing them kiss. Until she managed to remain aloof even when they gave each other the gooey eyes. Until she felt no butterflies on seeing Adrien’s radiant smile.

Until her heart finally let go of Adrien. 

“Musing about something, Ma-ma-marinette?”

The designer let out a squawk as she jumped nearly a foot in the air, turning around and coming face to face with Luka Couffaine.

“Oh,” she chuckled nervously, straightening her dress, “it’s you.”

Luka laughed good-naturedly, causing Marinette to blush.

Luka Couffaine had been her third true friend, and her closest confidant ever since the Battle of the Miraculous had taken place. He had been there for her, letting her cry her heart out. He didn’t prod her about what the reason for her breakdown was, just provided her the much needed shoulder. He had shielded her from the akuma cloud, sacrificing himself to save her.

His music had helped calm her inner storm. But the most important thing? She still couldn’t forget his confession when he had been akumatized as Silencer.

You’re the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. 

Clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. 

You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the day we first met. 

I won’t let anything happen to you.

It still shook her to the core in a very pleasant way on thinking about that confession.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Marinette smiled at the boy.

“So, did you make anything new this time?” he asked inquisitively.

“Oh yes! Wanna see?”

“Always eager to.”

They moved over to her designing stand where her sketchbook lay open. Thumbing through a few pages, Marinette reached her newest creation.

“So, I made this new addition to your mask! It’s just like the previous one, except the main color scheme has more of a bluish-white hue ‘cause I figured that blue’s kinda your colour. But this isn’t all! In the T-shirts, I added a calligraphed ‘Kitty Section’ design too, so as to promote the band! And maybe we can add some stitching designs here in the side for additional decor, though I haven’t given it much thought yet.” Marinette gushed, pointing out the various elements in her designs as Luka listened with rapt attention.

“I love the change in colour scheme, Marinette,” he finally said, “And the design of the shirt looks awesome too. But…”

Luka’s voice trailed off, causing the designer to look at him inquisitively.

“But what?”

He stayed silent for a moment, before asking in a low, gentle tone, “Are you alright?” 

Her mouth went dry at the sudden question. Marinette had tried her best to keep her despair hidden from Kagami, when she had quoted his lines to her, but somehow, Luka still managed to know that she wasn’t alright. 

And that must have been the reason for his slip-up earlier during practise, she further deduced.

“I—it’s no big deal, really!” she said, plastering a big smile on her face. “How about I tell you the colour scheme for the text on the shirt?” She said, attempting to change the subject.

The look on Luka’s face screamed that he didn’t believe her, but he smiled ruefully and gestured for her to continue. 

Shooting him a grateful smile, Marinette placed the sketchbook back on the desk and picked up a coloured pencil from her assortment of paints and colours. But before she could colour the piece, a hand shot out of nowhere, knocking the red paint over her sketchbook.

Pulling her sketchbook back in reflex, Marinette jerked back and let out a moan of despair on noticing that she had been a second too late, for the red paint had managed to fall over the T-shirt design and ruin it completely. 

“Oops, I am sorry! I didn’t notice the paint.” The voice did no good to Marinette, rather it turned her despair to anger.

Eyes sparking, she looked up at Lila, who had craftily masked her smug smirk under an expression that appeared apologetic. Balling her fists, she was about to lunge at the Italian lying doll before a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up at Luka, who shook his head in the slightest way, assuring her with a look that he would take care of this situation.

“You should have looked where you were going, Lila. You ruined the design now,” Luka pointed out, his brows slightly furrowed.

“Oh, I am sorry again,” Lila sniffled, before adding, “But shouldn’t Marinette have closed the paint after use? I mean, after that, even though I or someone else would have knocked it over by mistake, no harm would have been done, right?”

Marinette was appalled at the disguised accusation, but didn’t say anything. She was used to Lila’s faux innocence and disguised blaming.

However, feeling Luka’s grip tighten on her shoulder, she could tell that he definitely wasn’t happy. And it made her feel glad.

“Really though Lila, that excuse is utt—”

“Leave her out of it, Luka,” Rose spoke up from behind. “She obviously wouldn’t have meant it, right Lila?”

The brunette nodded fervently. “Thank you so much for understanding me, Rose. You are the best!”

“No problem. Plus, Marinette’s so talented she can remake the design again! Right Marinette?” the blonde gushed happily.

Sighing, Marinette pulled up a weak smile as she gave Rose a thumbs-up. She didn’t speak anything, though. Words simply failed her at the moment.

Everyone went back to their chit-chat, except for Adrien and Kagami who now came up to her.

“I am sorry for what happened, Marinette,” Kagami said, her voice containing barely restrained anger as she glanced at Lila, “If only you had let me…”

“It’s o-okay as I told you, ‘Gami,” the designer waved off the topic again as she ignored the slight choke in her throat and mild sting in her eyes. She turned to look at Adrien, shooting him a rueful look, “She really didn’t harm anyone, right?”

Adrien’s breath hitched and he suddenly became a lot interested in his shoes. As for Kagami, she finally understood why Marinette had chosen to repeat her previous statement again.

“Anyways, I guess I should go back to make a new design, right? I can definitely do it!”

“But Marin—” Luka spoke up, but Marinette had turned back to her workstation, ignoring everyone.

Kagami shot Adrien a look that spelled trouble, causing the blond to gulp. She pulled him away from the scene, leaving Luka there alone.

He looked at the girl working on the design, the concern evident in his eyes. But if she didn’t want him to intervene, well, he was going to respect that.

Sighing, the musician slung his guitar over his shoulder and moved to give Marinette some space. However, he had forgotten to notice one thing.

RIIPPP!

The sound caught everyone’s attention, including Luka’s. Eyes bulging in shock, he looked down to find that his Jagged-Stone shirt had gotten stuck in some stray nail on the table and his movement had caused the fabric to tear a bit at the hem.

Before he even got the idea to unhook his now damaged shirt from the nail, Lila jumped forward, announcing with a cheery tone, “I have been Gabriel Agreste’s muse for some weeks and things like this happen in the fashion industry! Don’t worry, I got this!”

The brunette leaned down to unhook the shirt, but Luka caught the malicious glint in her eye before she applied a bit too much force, causing the tear to widen even more.

“Oh goodness!” the girl wailed out in what Luka knew was a faux apologetic tone, “The fabric’s so old that it just got ripped even more! I am sorry Luka.”

Of course she didn’t mean the apology.

Before Luka could say anything, Marinette spoke up, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, Lila. Maybe you should not have intervened in the first place.”

Lila turned around to glower at her, before masking the foul look with an innocent pout, “You mean to say it’s my fault?”

It was Mylene who spoke up now. “Marinette’s kind of right, Lila. Plus, she’s the most experienced with fabrics out of all of us. So, it’s better we let her deal with the situation, right?”

Lila pouted, but then nodded slightly in agreement as she got up. Luka was relieved to get distanced from the brunette. Plus, he always welcomed Marinette’s presence.

Marinette smiled at him as she walked towards him. Her smile caused a soft melody to resonate in his heart. However, the subtle notes of a cacophony attracted his attention, too.

Just in time, Luka saw Lila subtly edging her foot out. As Marinette tripped, the brunette smirked a bit before continuing down her path.

As she fell, Luka lurched forward, his arms spread out. She collided with his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist, securing her fall. Her arms came to rest upon his shoulders for support.

“You okay?” 

“Ye-yeah!” Marinette stuttered, her cheeks blooming pink. “Fine being here! I MEAN, I am fine, how are you?”

Luka chuckled, “I am fine too, thanks for asking.”

The girl blushed again, before looking down, “So.. your shirt—”

“Oh yes,” he helped her stand up straight, then proceeded to unhook the shirt from the table. Marinette bent down to inspect the tear.

“Wait,” Luka said softly, causing her to look up. “Let me remove my jacket, it would be easier.”

The designer opened her mouth to assure him that it was fine like that, but he had removed the jacket by then. As he handed the jacket over to Juleka, Marinette couldn’t help but gawk at Luka’s physique. She had known he was well built from his time as Viperion, but this lean…

Coughing from lack of air, Marinette came back to reality, blushing hard. Luka looked at her inquisitively, causing her to duck her head and inspect the tear.

Oh goodness, what a wrong choice she had made.

Looking at his physique from far was something else, but seeing the bare skin beneath the tear caused her jaw to nearly drop to the ground. Being a designer, she knew she should be used to such situations, but somehow, in this particular situation, her mind just short circuited.

Why was she looking at the shirt again? What was she supposed to do here?

“So Marinette, do you think the tear can be mended?” Luka asked, causing her to nearly fall on her butt in shock.

Oh. Mending. Right. Task at hand first, bare skin gawking later.

What the hell am I even thinking right now?

Her hands deftly lifted the fabric, as she focused her mind on the rip and not the slight tangy, citrus smell mixed with sweat. It was hard, but she finally managed to get the job done.

“It’s a manageable tear,” Marinette said as she got up and straightened her dress a little. “Not much, so a stitch in time can still save nine!”

“Awesome,” Luka said, delighted. “This is my favorite shirt, and I don’t want it to get damaged.”

The girl reached into her purse and pulled out a needle and a white thread, “Well, let’s sew it together then!”

Luka smiled in return, before noticing that everyone around them were silently giving him and Marinette the lovey-dovey eyes. That didn’t trouble him much, but the icy glare that Lila was pointing at Marinette…

“How about we go to my cabin?” Luka offered, causing Marinette to look at him in confusion. “You know, because the wind can make the shirt flutter, and then again…”

He subtly gestured at something, and out of the corner of her eye, Marinette noticed Lila glaring daggers at her. Gulping a little and then laughing nervously, she said, “Oh sure! Downstairs it is then!”

The guitarist smiled slightly, holding his hand out to her. Marinette put her hand in his and let him guide her.

All the way, she kept marvelling at how despite the difference in sizes, their hands had perfectly fit with each other.

Chapter Text

Once they were in the cabin, Luka let out a sigh of relief. Ironically, despite the open sky, it had been much more stuffy up on the deck compared to the cabin.

Finally the much-needed privacy , he thought.

“Huh?” Marinette asked, catching his attention. He was confused at first before he finally realised.

“Whoops, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Kind of.” The girl giggled before setting her purse down and picking up her sewing kit. She sat down on the bed to thread the needle, and Luka gingerly took a seat on the other corner.

“That Lila girl was really something,” he mused out loud after a while, causing Marinette to jerk up in surprise as the needle slipped from her grasp.

Luka dove down to retrieve the needle at the same time as her, causing their heads to bump together. Muttering a quick “sorry”, she got up, allowing him to continue the search.

After a moment or two of searching, he finally found the needle. As he reached to pick it up, his hand brushed her leg, causing her to squeak.

“Sorry!” Luka immediately pulled his hand back, blushing a bit. “I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s okay,” Marinette giggled lightly, pulling her feet up to give him space.

Cheeks still burning slightly with embarrassment, he picked up the needle and handed it to her before getting back into his seat. She proceeded to fiddle a bit with it, trying to get the thread in the eye of the needle.

However, Luka needed to know why her heart song had been that—that different earlier today. He knew Marinette’s emotions could change easily, but he had memorised all melodies her song had played. 

It was calm, sweet and serene when she was chill. It was like the beautiful notes of a flute whenever she was happy and excited. It was the sad undertones of a mourning song when she was sad or troubled, like the times when she had been getting over Adrien. 

Whenever she went crazy and nervous with the hullabaloo of her life, her song was like a mix of all tunes known to man thrown together in an insane mashup. When she stood for the right, the tune carried the tone of pride in them. Whenever she was angered, her heart song raged on like the thrashing waves of an ocean in a storm.

But today, it had been disturbingly different.

Her heart song today had been like the screech of the car tires. Like nails on a blackboard. Like glass slicing through skin.

It was raw with pain, hurt and agony. It was totally wrecked, totally jagged.

“Marinette?”

“Hm?”

“Are you alright?” Luka asked again.

Marinette jolted in surprise, nearly dropping the needle before catching it. 

“You won’t give up on that question? I thought you respected my secrets.”

“Secrets of the heart that you wanna keep close to yourself? Yes, I respect them and always will. But this…” 

His voice trailed off, before he shook his head and tried to speak again, “Your heart song today troubled me a lot, ‘Nette. I know you prefer to keep your sadness to yourself, being brave and always trying to be happy, but—”

“But what, Luka?”

The boy sighed. “Even when you tried to change the subject when we were on deck? I could hear the undertones of your song of distress. And when you looked at Adrien with that sad look, it crescended again and— I know I am talking a lot in music but, but…”

It had hurt him the way her song had resonated in his chest. As if someone had pulled his heart out and stomped over it, right in front of his eyes. He loved this girl dearly — seeing her even in the slightest bit of distress made him want to chase her troubles away. 

“Luka?”

Her voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he shook his head to regather himself. “I...your heart song sliced through my heart, Mari. Just this one time, I plead to you, share the reason for your distress with me.”

He placed his hand atop hers, hearing her breath hitch slightly.

“Please.” He said in a low, desperate tone, his eyes pleading.

Marinette sighed, holding his hand in hers as her sapphire gaze turned misty.

“It’s just… Adrien was the first person to know about Lila’s lies. But—but he told me to take the high road and not expose her. ‘Cause app-apparently, her lies weren’t harming anyone and…”

There it was. Her heart song slicing through his heart, again . And this time, he couldn’t bear it.

So he did what he deemed the best to heal that beautiful tune of hers.

Luka hugged Marinette, tight.

The girl froze in surprise. She stayed stiff as a statue, not returning the hug. Feeling he had crossed a line, Luka started to back off.

“I am sorry if I made you uncom— OOF! ”

Only to be engulfed by Marinette in a much tighter hug.

She sobbed into his chest, letting her emotions out. And Luka held her tight, patting her back gently as he kept a lookout for the evilised butterflies.

Her melody transitioned from the heart-wrenching tone to a soft, dull hum. An indication of her being sad, but calm.

They stayed like that for a while, before Marinette slightly shifted, causing Luka to immediately pull back. Her cheeks were tinged a bit pink as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, looking anywhere but at him.

Maybe she is embarrassed , he thought to himself. Though he couldn’t quite understand why her song didn’t say the same. It was different again, this time something lighter and more harmonious. 

Luka cleared his throat, causing her to shift her attention to him. Her eyes were still a bit swollen from crying, but the sadness had now evaporated from her expression, which was a plus.

Setting up his guitar, Luka set it on his lap, noting how Marinette’s eyes sparkled in curiosity.

He closed his eyes and began to strum the notes of the song that resonated in his heart.

As he played, he heard her gasp in surprise. Luka momentarily opened his eyes to find Marinette gazing at him, her hands clasped at her mouth as her eyes once again shimmered with tears.

The song reached a beautiful crescendo with her emotions, and Luka found himself drifting away with the magnificent tune. Finally ending the melody on a soft note, he turned over to the person who had, unknowingly, inspired this song out of him.

“That—” Marinette’s voice wavered slightly, before she gulped and tried again, “That was melodious, Luka. It was...it was like the chirping of birds, the sound of flowing crystal clear waters, the swishing of fresh mountain breeze — but a hundred times better.”

Luka smiled in return, putting his guitar to the side. Her song was back to the usual happy one, and he felt like he had accomplished something great, something worthy.

As he reached over to replace the guitar pick in its place, Marinette asked, “How did you come up with that? In fact, with all these tunes you play? I mean, what are the inspirations?”

He froze at the question.

How wrong she was to think that there were inspirations, when he only had one muse for all his melodies. The muse who had herself asked him that question.

Music is often simpler than words, but this time, even music failed to help him convey his thoughts. After all, how was he supposed to tell it to her face that he loved her? That his heart had fallen for her the day she had first entered his cabin, cutely stuttering a conversation with him. That despite it hurt him, he had still urged her to pursue Adrien. That despite her considering him as just a friend, he had still kept his heart on his sleeve for her.

Love is strange, but one-sided love...it is stranger.

Taking in a deep breath, he smiled at her, opting for a cryptic answer. “There’s only a single inspiration — a tune very close to my heart.”

If she knew which tune exactly was close to his heart, well, damn him.

Marinette hummed in reply, before going back to threading the needle. 

Placing the guitar pick, Luka turned to her. She smiled, getting up from his bed.

“So, are you comfortable standing up while I sew the tear up? I mean, it would be easier for me to handle, but you’re probably tired and—”

“Oh, it’s fine by me.”

Marinette bent down to peer at the tear, fiddling with the fabric’s edges a bit. Feeling her breath on his skin, Luka’s brain finally caught up with the proximity he was sharing with his crush.

And as if Marinette wanted to highlight the closeness, her hand brushed against his stomach. 

Luka stiffened, trying his best to not let her hear the hitch in his breath. He shifted his gaze down at her, and caught her looking up at him, her cheeks tinged pink. 

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s—it’s fine.”

As she resumed her work, Luka couldn’t lift his gaze off her. The way she stuck her tongue out as she focused on sewing the tear, her eyes trained on getting each stitch right — the musician tried desperately to stop his stomach from flip-flopping around, failing miserably. 

Her hands fluttered over his shirt, the warmth of her body teasing him in unknown ways. Gulping, Luka tried to wander his mind to somewhere, anywhere that didn’t scream Marinette. Juleka claimed him to be the most patient of all people, but given his current situation….

In his defense, it wasn’t everyday one was this close to their crush.

Suddenly a sharp prick on his stomach caused him to jump slightly.

“Sorry! My hand slipped!” Marinette apologised fervently, causing him to chuckle a bit.

“No harm done, ‘Nette.” He was glad for this miniscule tension relief, but of course he didn’t say that.

Flashing him a radiant smile, Marinette ducked back to complete the task in hand, leaving him feeling jittery once again.

After what seemed like an eternity of unintentional teasing, Marinette finally leaned back.

“There, done! As good as new!” 

The musician fiddled with his shirt. The tear was masked perfectly by the dexterous white sews, making the shirt as good as new.

Elated, Luka engulfed her in a tight hug, which she gladly returned.

“Thanks again, Marinette. You’ve made my day, really.”

“It’s no biggie Luka,” she giggled, waving him off bashfully.

“No, you need to know,” he held one of her shoulders, using his free hand to tilt her chin up. A shiver of delight ran through him on hearing her breath hitch and her cheeks tinge pink. “I know I’ve said this before, but I will say it again. You’re the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. Clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. And —”

"And?” she prompted, her voice a mere whisper.

Luka gulped a bit, the words seemingly dying on his tongue. It had been so easy earlier, but then, he hadn’t fallen that hard. But now? Getting closer to her had made him fall harder. And now, he was in so deep, that the mere thought of rejection terrified him.

He knew she didn’t want to date anyone right now. And that’s why he had kept his feelings to himself. But right now, something in him prodded him to stop being a coward and just, just spill out everything, every single thing he felt about her, cherished about her.

Gathering himself again, he silently whispered, “You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the day we first met.”

Marinette gasped a little, her eyes going slightly wide. 

Meaningful silence shrouded the two, neither saying anything. But the reality that neither Marinette rejected him nor she pulled away made Luka’s heart beat faster. Maybe, just maybe, there was a slight sliver of hope that she was willing to give him a chance.

They stayed like that, gazing into each other’s eyes. The desire to know her answer was overwhelming him with every passing second. Finally, putting all his stupid anxieties away, he braved himself to ask the question again.

Only to be interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

The couple jerked back in surprise, scooting away from each other to maintain some distance between themselves. Luka turned his gaze to the entrance of the cabin to find a smirking Juleka standing there, holding his jacket in her hand.

He gave her a look that screamed “Oh, how nice your timing was, sis”. She replied by rolling her eyes in return.

Tossing the jacket to Luka and then gesturing towards the deck, Juleka moved upstairs, leaving the two lovebirds alone once more.

“I—uhm,” Marinette started to speak, before her voice trailed off into indistinguishable murmurs.

Tying the sleeves of his jacket around his waist, Luka put his hand in the pants pockets and shook his head lightly. “Guess we should go, they are expecting us upstairs.”

“Yeah, okay.”

He gestured for her to move first. Ducking her head, the designer moved out of the room. As she walked past him, Luka could see her cheeks still dusted in a beautiful pink.

Smiling ruefully, he followed her out, gently shutting the door behind himself.

Awkward silence stretched between them, neither talking to the other. Letting out a sigh at how he nearly managed to get the most wanted answer yet failed, Luka shook his head to drift the thoughts away. He looked up to catch Marinette glancing at him from the corner of her eye. However, as soon as their gaze met, she turned to look forward, not saying anything.

The excited chatter from the deck grew louder and louder as they continued to move up the stairs. However, it was one distinct voice that caught his attention.

“What if she is just playing with his feelings?”

He nearly ran into Marinette, for she had stopped at hearing that voice too. 

Why wouldn’t she have? The voice was Lila’s, and the girl was well known for spinning tales regarding Marinette. Though only select people knew that they were actually tales, not reality.

Marinette and Luka stayed where they were, silently listening to the conversation.

“But why would Marinette play with someone’s feelings? She is the one who supports relationships,” Ivan’s gruff voice countered.

“Well,” Lila drawled out, “we know how she was devoted to Ad—”

“Her last crush?” Rose interrupted her all of a sudden. Luka could imagine the look the petite blonde would be giving Lila. Girl code was something sacred after all, he smiled at the thought.

“I— yeah, her last crush. But now he is with someone else and… I really find it hard to believe she moved on this quick. I mean, if she didn’t move on, then she is clearly choosing Luka as a second option, which is not a justice to his feelings. And if she did move on… well, will not she fall out of love for Luka that fast? Is this fair to him?”

Hearing her words, Luka felt just one emotion. Anger. Raw anger at how this lying doll was muddying Marinette’s name and trying to break her apart from him even before they were together. Marinette who was so sweet, so caring— that Marinette playing with someone’s feelings? 

It was like claiming the sun to have risen from the west.

But what broke his heart was the silent sob that escaped Marinette. He felt an immediate urge to right her. And if he had to fight fire with fire, then so be it.

Immediately, Luka threw his jacket on Marinette’s shoulders, causing her to turn to him in surprise. Cradling her face in his hands, he swiped a gentle thumb beneath her eyes, wiping her tears away, before whispering, “Trust me on this.”

Saying so, Luka grabbed the girl’s hand. Ignoring her gasp, he marched forward to the deck, squinting a little as the sunlight hit his eyes. He heard a few murmurs go around about how Marinette was wearing his jacket, but the musician paid them no mind. For his entire focus was on defeating the lying doll’s malicious intentions.

“Lila,” he spoke in a calm voice, a very calm voice that caused the mentioned brunette to widen her eyes a bit as she turned to face him, “I am extremely glad that you care about my feelings, but I can assure you that Marinette feels the same about me.”

Everyone sans Lila gasped at the faux revelation. The girl beside him let out a squeak, her grip on his hand tightening all of a sudden.

The Italian squinted her eyes slightly in aggravation, before putting on an innocent expression, “Oh Luka, you don’t need to lie for her sake. You don’t always need to be the ‘Welcome’ doorma—”

“What makes you think I am lying?” He interjected. After all, he wasn’t saying complete white lies, for his next words were going to hold some truth in them.

“You weren’t there, down in the cabin when I confessed to Marinette—” Another series of gasps, along with a slight one from Marinette. That little gasp twinged at his heart in a bitter way, as he realised that she had not realised the truth behind his confession. 

But ignoring the agony, Luka continued, “And she returned my feelings. She said so right after Jules left.” Turning to his sister, he asked, “Weren’t you there, Jules?”

“I—yeah. I kind of walked in on them. I told you guys,” the goth girl mumbled.

“There.” Luka shrugged, putting on a smile as he proved his point.

Lila gritted her teeth in anger, giving the musician a sense of satisfaction. But as her expression once again turned pleasant, he knew trouble was bound to come.

“Oh, I don’t know why, I still can’t place a finger on this. How about you to prove it to us here, right now? That you two are actually official?”

Luka couldn’t believe this girl.

Marinette clearly wasn’t comfortable, for her grip shifted in his, her fingers digging into his palm. Her song got those sad undertones too, along with some uncertain notes that highlighted her nervousness even more.

He wouldn’t do anything she wasn’t comfortable with, not at any cost.

As he prepared to give Lila another subtle verbal bashing, someone else spoke up.

“That’s incredibly rude of you to ask, Lila! Love doesn’t always need proof.”

It was Adrien.

Luka looked at the blond with surprise, before a little smile crept on his face. Marinette’s broken state and Kagami’s reprimands must have helped the Agreste boy gain a back bone.

“What do you mean, Adrien?” Lila asked, feigning confusion.

“Love is something that sprouts from within, Lila. An emotion that is always there with you in any form, be it romantic or platonic. One just needs to look for it. And it doesn’t need proof for its existence, for love has been there since creation has been there. Love is what builds this world, after all.”

There was a bout of silence, before the deck broke into an applause. For Adrien’s words had sure impacted everyone. As the now-flabbergasted brunette gazed at the Agreste boy in shock, Luka was thankful that he had finally got some time to think about how he would counter the Rossi girl’s need for proof.

That’s when amidst the applause, a tug at his hand caught his attention.

Looking down, he saw Marinette looking up at him with a pleading face as her nails scratched his palm. She opened her mouth to speak something, before closing it immediately and ducking it low, her cheeks slightly pink.

Luka’s breath caught in his throat, his mind totally puzzled. Did she really want him to —

Lifting her chin, he looked into her shimmering gaze questioningly. She caught his question and she bit at her lower lip tentatively. Her gaze darted around a bit, before it finally focused on him. Something steeled in her eyes and they fluttered close as she leant in.

Taking in her answer, Luka gulped slightly as he leaned in and closed the distance between them.

Brushing his lips with hers, Luka leant back a bit. The kiss would be enough of the proof Lila desired and would also not make Marinette that uncomfortable.

But what surprised him was the pair of lithe arms that wrapped around his neck, before pulling him back into the kiss.

Luka's eyes widened a bit in shock before he melted into the embrace. Their lips glided over each other as his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close to himself. She reached up on her tiptoes, twisting her fingers in his hair and lightly scratching at his scalp.

He was sure he would have turned into a puddle right there, had he not been in the presence of an audience.

After what seemed like only a few moments, the need of air made the two pull back. Breathing heavily, Luka leaned his forehead with Marinette’s. Her breath fanned his face as she looked into his eyes, her own gaze half-lidded.

Blood rushed in his ears. He was sure everyone on the deck could hear his frantic heartbeat. How merely a few fluttering touches and a kiss had turned the sweet, innocent angel into a devious seductress — this was something Luka was completely unaware about.

It felt like time had stopped. They were oblivious to everyone, everything,  lost in their own world. But that was when another exploding sound of applause and a wolf-whistle brought the couple back to reality.

Jerking back a little but still not breaking the embrace, Luka and Marinette looked over to see everyone clapping for them. Rose and Mylene were squealing in joy, Juleka and Ivan had a subtle smile on their face, Kagami was beaming and shaking her head slightly as Adrien let out another wolf-whistle.

And Lila? Lila was clapping too, her expression happy, though the shadow on her face narrated an entirely different tale.

As he straightened up, Luka felt Marinette snuggle into his side, his jacket still on her. His heart swelled as he kept his hand on her waist lightly. The musician was glad he had won this battle. That he had shown Lila her place and finally did Marinette some right.

“Marinette, Luka!” Rose squealed, catching the duo’s attention. “I am so happy to see Lukanette is finally sailing now!”

Lukan—what?

Apparently, Marinette shared similar sentiments, for he immediately felt her stiffen up.

Oh goodness. He certainly hadn’t thought this through properly.

“Uhm, thanks?” Marinette squeaked beside him, and he wasn’t sure how he felt — hearing her squeak made his heart soar in the skies as well as plummet into the deep unknown.

An alarm went off, causing Marinette to jerk off him as she opened her side-purse. Fishing her phone out, she looked at it with exasperation before directing a glare at the purse. Turning back to others, Marinette let out a nervous laugh.

“I forgot — bakery — counter manning — got to go! Uhm, see you guys later?”

“Sure,” Luka replied. Maybe being away from him would help her sort out things a bit.

The girl waved awkwardly at the group as she backed away from them. She turned around to dash, but then immediately froze.

Turning back to him, Marinette marched up to him. Before he could even comprehend using his already scrambled brain as to why she had that determined glint in her eyes, the girl held his jaw and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek.

“See you later,” she whispered, her cheeks a pretty scarlet.

“Uhh, yeah, see you.”

As she sprinted away, Luka dashed off to his own cabin before anyone could speak anything to him.

Not even meditation was going to help him with this freak-out.

Chapter Text

“Here’s your order. Thank you for choosing us, have a nice day! ”

Finishing the last delivery of the day, the boy walked towards his bike and slung his guitar on his shoulder. The day had been extremely emotionally draining for him with all the mixed mashup of crushes and confessions, and he was still at a loss as to whether Marinette loved him or not.

Her uneasiness said one thing; her kisses narrated a different tale.