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“Come on, Luka!”
Bunnyx grabs his hand, dragging him through the glowing white portal she just summoned while Sass follows close behind.
Every time Alix brings Luka inside the Burrow, he’s as excited as a kid in a candy store, always in awe of the countless number of portals that lead to every place and time. For this occasion, he brought the special guitar he made himself. Maybe he’ll ask to visit another famous guitarist or stringed instrument maker.
“So, when’ll it be this time?” Bunnyx smirks. She stops in front of a portal and hovers her hand over it as she waits for an answer.
Luka faces her shyly. “I…” He glances at Sass grinning widely, then back to Bunnyx. “I think we should do something quieter today.”
“Something quieter?”
“Yeah.” He walks up to a nearby portal, swiping his hand across it, and again, and again, going deeper into the past. After a solid moment, he pauses and smiles, turning to Bunnyx. “Here.”
He navigated the portal on his own? That’s… new.
She approaches, and at first glance, the portal leads to a big, grassy hill overlooking the sea. It’s so dark; it can’t be any earlier than midnight.
“Ladies first,” Luka teases, gesturing to the portal.
Bunnyx chuckles, shaking her head and stepping inside.
Somehow she missed it, but it’s a field full of fireflies, all glowing at various intervals. They’re so mesmerizing, especially when paired with the gentle breeze brushing against the grass and the clear starry sky.
Sass floats ahead and quickly stops her. “Bunnyx, if you may, have Fluff sssspend time with me for a while?” Then, he winks at Luka.
Well that’s obviously not suspicious. But those two kwamis love to hang out as much as she and Luka do.
“Oh… why not. Fluff, counterclockwise!”
“Sass!” Fluff beams, jumping to hug him. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since tomorrow! Or maybe it was yesterday? Definitely a year from now! Wait, when are we?”
“Hello, my good friend,” Sass laughs, touching his paw to hers. “Let’ssss go explore!”
“Yay! I love exploring!”
The kwamis eagerly leave toward the shore, while Luka starts to walk up the hill. He ends near the top and places his guitar next to him. He pats the ground on his other side, motioning Alix to join him.
She begins to run, but suddenly, she feels compelled to slow down. It’s almost unfair to outpace the fireflies. And Luka did say he wants this trip to be quieter.
They sit together under the dark purple sky, which actually has streaks of faint, silvery-white clouds. Closer to the ground, there must be hundreds and hundreds of fireflies.
“I’ve never seen so many of these little guys at once,” Alix admits, still completely mesmerized. She holds out her hand, and one firefly lands on it. “You know… fireflies — or lightning bugs, lucioles — they aren’t actually flies or bugs?”
Luka chuckles, and one carefully lands on his own curled finger. “Yeah, they’re actually beetles.”
She smiles. “Glad to hear you’re keeping up with your trivia, Couffaine.”
She nudges him with her shoulder, and playfully, he nudges her back. He gets a little close, but then he gasps and shifts back to his seat.
After a moment of pure silence, he speaks up again. “I figured someplace like this would be nice. Like a break. The sounds and rhythms of the waves remind me of the bridge I find solace in back home.”
He’s not lying. She’s seen him at that bridge many times throughout the years, even if mostly as Bunnyx.
“I like it. Sometimes it’s nice being away from the present, impossible to reach.” She pulls out her pocket watch again, thumbing over the middle of it. “I know my job is to keep this Miraculous safe, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like a job at all. It feels like I’m the more fortunate one here, having fun, while everyone else handles the trouble in the present. You know?”
“Oh,” Luka raises an eyebrow. “So my job as a Miraculous holder is just trouble, and yours is endless field trips?”
“No, you dork,” she scoffs and nudges him again.
“Okay, okay, serious mode.” He raises his hands in defense, then he faces the sea again. “I get it. You do what you have to do, and what all you can do. Protecting the Rabbit Miraculous is enough, just like how I protect the Snake Miraculous.” He pauses again. “A year ago, my only job was delivering pizzas. I don’t think I would have believed it if someone told me I would be here, right here and now, with the fate of the universe in my hands.”
“Me neither, although… ever since I was young, I’d always wanted to become a scientist and invent time travel.”
Luka tilts his head at her with amusement. “Really?”
“Yeah! But silly me, little did I know” — she playfully shakes her Miraculous — “it was already invented.” She returns it to her pocket and looks forward, sighing peacefully as another small breeze covers them and their hair flows lightly to the side. “It’s really nice having someone who I can share all my secrets with, no filter necessary.”
“Yeah. It was hard for me to hide what I knew from Marinette and Adrien. I’m… glad we can talk about this too.”
“Oh, speaking of which. I can’t believe it took them as long as they did to get together.” Alix waves her hands in disbelief. “I mean, the whole class had multiple plans to get them together! Even your sister got involved!”
“Jule told me about that, haha. Honestly, as long as Marinette is happy with Adrien, I’ll be happy for her.”
From what Alix saw in the portals… Luka was devastated when Marinette kept escaping from him and their dates with the worst ever excuses, even though she had the best reason why. At least he got the clarity he needed in the battle against Wishmaker when he learned both of their identities, although that doesn’t make his story any less heartbreaking.
How does he truly feel now? Does he still like her? Or…
No, maybe Alix shouldn’t bring it up.
She looks at the vast, starry and cloudy sky, then back at Luka. Alix curls forward and sets her head on her knees, wrapping her arms around her legs. “Hey, so why’d you bring your guitar?”
“Oh, this?” He puts it on with a smirk. “A surprise.”
“A surprise?”
She lifts her head up in curiosity. Then, as smooth as the wind, he begins to play a melody — a soft melody, a gentle one. She hasn’t heard it before, even with all of the time traveling she’s done, so it’s probably new.
Could it be… an original? For her?
Their gazes meet, and he smiles warmly at her with half-lidded eyes. They remain this way until he finishes the song. And what a beautiful, enchanting song it was. It makes her feel something inside, like her heart is lighter and yet fuller at the same time. An unfamiliar feeling.
Luka takes off his guitar and sets it down. “That was how your inner melody sounds tonight.”
Her inner melody?
“Slow and peaceful, but bright and optimistic, just like all of these fireflies.” He places his hand on her shoulder and leans down to the side, narrowing his eyes. “Although now it seems to have changed. It’s uh—” Then they widen, and he starts to blush.
Why is he blushing? What did it change to—
Oh.
Oh.
She never thought she’d ever experience it herself. This new feeling. It’s undeniable. And Luka knows it. His face confirms it.
Her body starts to move on its own, with her hand moving to his cheek. Her urge, just to try it out, to see what it’s like…
She leans in and softly gives him a kiss. He gasps, feeling his own surprise. At that moment, it’s clear. She has feelings for him. She really has feelings for him. She has feelings for anyone, actually.
Alix pulls back, blushing equally as much. “Whoa,” she breathes.
Luka is just as stunned. Then, he warmly smiles at her again and places his hand on hers. After a few seconds, he dons a little smirk while turning his head to the side.
“You know… not many can say their first kiss was in 1437.”
Alix scoffs, then she uses her tiny frame to climb onto his back, forming a playful chokehold around his neck. However, the total giant unfairly counters her with his newly-acquired Mirakung Fu. Their battle quickly turns into a tickle fight, making them roar with laughter. Their faces get close again and they blush, then they grin and kiss once more.
In the midst of the late-night fireflies and rustic seaside breeze, they are having the time of their lives. And if they really wanted to, thanks to their powers, they could make this moment last for an eternity.