Chapter Text
There was no one more beautiful than the Agreste boy. With his golden locs, and emerald eyes, Luka had found himself lost in his feelings for that boy many, many times.
Luka cleaned the dark wood floor, rubbing deep into the corners to get all the spots. In front of him was the door which Adrien sat behind.
Luka was not allowed to step through, nor look in. Instead he could only be right outside the door.
Knowing that Adrien was somewhere behind, with his soft smiles and kind eyes. The very thought would cause Luka’s heart to flutter.
“You better not be taking a break.” Camélia stepped on the rug Luka used to clean the floor, not too far from his fingers. Luka instinctively pulled his fingers into his palm. He looked up at Camélia, forcing a smile.
“Of course not.”
She let out a humph before stepping away. Luka sighed internally and cleaned the last spot before moving to clean the hallways. The wall was in need of some dusting. Luka had his favourite spots to clean.
For a few reasons.
One, being that they were easy.
Second, being that Camélia rarely checked those spots, leaving Luka with a chance to escape her wrath, if only for a moment.
And lastly, probably his only reason, really, being that they were the perfect spots that gave him a direct view of Adrien’s window.
Thin, purple curtains hung over the circle window. With Adrien’s shadow cast on it. It’d be a sharp form of his profile, looking as if it’d been meticulously drawn by an artist, with care and precision.
Outside that window were flowers that grew in the Agreste garden. Green lilies. They framed the view, truly making the entire sight look like a painting.
Luka cleaned the wall in a haze. He straightened up when he noticed Camélia come back. But she did not come back for him, rather she walked up the door Luka had been ruminating behind a moment ago and knocked.
She looked down on the floor Luka had just cleaned, scratching it with the front of her shoe. Luka was sure he’d left that spot spotless.
Luka’s disgruntled feelings quickly switched to flustered captivation once he saw the door peered open. It was too bright for him to see; Adrien remained in his room, only leaving his arm exposed as he opened the door.
Luka took the sight in. This was the most of Adrien he’d see for the day.
Adrien never left his room. Leaving Luka to only dream and wonder about him. That soft smile of his he’d only seen once before. Those captivating eyes, the warmth of his skin and the lull of his voice—Luka could only ever dream about it all.
The sun had long set.
Luka’s entire body ached, from having been hunched over the entire day.
Luka got home quickly. He didn’t like spending too much time outside after work, not with Juleka home alone. Luka cleared his throat, readying his voice for a little song for Juleka.
When he got home the food he’d left out, potatoes and broccoli, had been eaten. Luka smiled, wandering over to Juleka’s room. She was laying in her usual spot, her bed, with her body already turned to Luka.
“Did you go out today?” Luka asked.
Juleka buried herself deeper into her sheets.
Luka kept his smile, stepping closer. “That’s fine. We can go out together this weekend, if you’d like?”
“Won’t you be busy in the Palace?”
“I can spare my dear sister some time.” Luka ruffled her hair. Half her face was covered by the sheets, but he could tell that she was smiling.
“If we don’t go out too far then maybe.”
“We don’t have to go far. The Tower would be a nice place, hm?”
She snuggled deeper into the sheets. “…Maybe.”
Luka smiled.
“Now,” he put on a playfully demanding voice, “it’s very late. A young lady such as you should get your rest.” She looked up at him, her brown eyes shining. “And of course, I won’t let you wander into sleep without a song.”
Luka decided to sing something low and simple. It was closer to a hum rather than a song. He went with something peaceful and calming, something that would leave Juleka with good dreams.
Juleka soon fell asleep. Luka placed a soft kiss on her forehead before going to his room.
Adrien’s arm was still vivid in his mind. The sun had shone directly on it, making his skin near luminescent.
Luka had never really seen Adrien for himself, despite having worked in the Palace since he was a child. Truthfully, everything he knew about Adrien’s appearance was from other’s descriptions.
Luka tucked himself into bed. It was painful being so close to Adrien yet not being able to touch, feel, or even know what he looked like.
With just a door between them, it managed to separate Luka’s heart from his. But maybe that door was for the best. Thanks to it Luka was able to be left to muse, flutter and dream of something that could never be.
He could take comfort in knowing that what they had would not change.
He looked out the window. The stars were out, shining down on the Palace. Luka imagined Adrien looking up at those stars, his round eyes reflecting the stars, sprinkles of stardust on his skin, blonde hair glowing a near white from the light.
Luka wondered if Adrien enjoyed wishing upon the stars as much as he did. If he too ever felt himself become defenseless; succumbing to his will to wish on something that could not become true.
The sun was too hot. Causing sweat to pool, and drip down Luka’s neck. He looked up at the sun and squinted his eyes. The air was dry; each breath he took felt heavy.
Luka had been left to clean up some of the fallen leaves. Which Luka thought was a bit weird, it was far from autumn. But in this overbearing, heavy heat, Luka did not have the energy to fully question it.
He hadn’t seen Adrien by the window for a while. Luka felt a bit dejected.
It wasn’t much, but something he could hold onto.
Luka let out low hums. It was all he could do to make the work pass by a little quicker. That was something he’d do, every so often, create a melody in his mind and during boring times, hum it out loud-and imagine singing it to Juleka when he’d get home.
The leaves rustled from the small gust of wind that passed. Luka took in the cooling feeling. He moved calmly to his own melody.
When things became hard, when he felt like he was alone, music would always be a soothing company for him.
Luka picked up the twigs on the floor, looking up for a moment to catch a glimpse of Adrien’s window. The once empty window now had a shadow silhouette on it.
Luka gasped, accidentally cutting himself on one of the twigs. He looked down at his palm in shock. There was a thin red line along his palm, that slowly started to bleed.
“Was it you making all that noise?” Camélia appeared from the hallway. Luka looked at her with his mouth shut.
“S-sorry.”
“Just stay quiet and do your work.”
“Right, of course.”
His eyes flickered to the window. The shadow was gone. Empty.
Luka gripped his hand to minimize the bleeding.
Camélia let out a rough sigh. “Go clean the hallways, you’ve barely made any progress with the garden.”
Luka nodded and stepped away. He stopped in front of her; head held low. “Can I take a short break? I’ll be right back to clean the hallway as you said.”
Camélia frowned, not seeming too pleased with this. “You barely do any work anyway, fine, go take your little break.”
Luka looked at her with small appreciation, “Thank you,” before walking away.
Luka walked over to a quiet spot where he knew he would not be disturbed. He calmed himself with soothing breathing, closing his eyes to feel the embracing warmth of the sun.
For a moment, he could not help but wonder, had Adrien moved to the window to hear him sing? Surely not. Luka sighed, his cut itching as he frowned his brows in embarrassment.
Whatever reason Adrien had gone to the window, he’d most likely heard Camélia insult Luka. He didn’t want to go back to work but knew he had to. So he did.
He cleaned the floors, silently.
Many leaves had fallen though autumn had yet to arrive. Camélia carried with her a bucket of water that she brought into Adrien’s room. The weather was acting strange and so was he.
Camélia had been working for Mr. Agreste since she was a little child. When she became the head maid of the Palace she’d been told of Adrien’s condition.
Her and a select few maids had learned how to handle him.
“He loses himself, becomes unaware of who he is and becomes a beast.” That was how Mr. Agreste had described it.
Camélia had been confused when she’d heard it, but soon understood it when she’d seen it for herself for the first time.
His room was ravaged, his paintings barely hung on the wall with claw marks all over them. And when she’d entered the room with a bowl of water he’d laughed and told her that he’d bite off her head if she didn’t get out at that very second.
Yet now it’d been different. With her head hung low, she awkwardly glanced up at him, wondering why he hadn’t threatened her life yet.
“Whose smell is that?”
She gulped. “Pardon?”
“That smell,” he repeated, voice cold, “that sweet smell of blood coming from outside. Who does it belong to? Bring them to me.”
Luka had never expected to see Camélia outside his door.
Her expression was fiercer than usual. She only grimaced while looking down at him, not saying a word.
So Luka spoke, “Sorry, but I’ve finished my shift. I won’t be going into work.”
“It’s not work.” Her voice was heavy.
Luka eyed her. Sweat dripped from her forehead and her breathing was uneven, had she run here?
“We need you in the Palace, it’s Adrien, he needs you.”
Luka did not take a moment to question it. Simply hearing those words made him go with Camélia, because there was nowhere else he needed to be, not when Adrien needed him.
Luka had been sure of his decision until he was right outside Adrien’s door, then it really sunk in for him. What was he about to do? Where was he about to go?
“What does Adrien need me for?” He asked, a meek attempt at stalling.
Camélia did not reply nor even look at him, instead she opened the door, pushed Luka in and then shut the door right after. For a second Luka wondered if he’d heard her mumble a “Sorry, kid.”
The room was dark, with furniture thrown around, scrapes all over the wall and the curtains that always hid Adrien during the day were open, letting the moonlight shine through from outside while cloaking Adrien in a shadow.
Luka could not breathe, heart thudding tightly in his chest. He could not do more than watch, soak in the shadowed figure of Adrien in front of him.
The room had a fragrant scent that was intoxicating, heavy.
The figure turned, emerald eyes falling on Luka.
Luka shuddered, unable to move. Unaware of what he should do or say. Adrien took a step towards him, the loose fabrics he wore draped body over his body and dragged across the floor.
Adrien’s eyes were sharp, cat-like and trained. Luka felt like he’d walked into the predator’s chamber.
“So you’re the boy,” Adrien’s voice was low, “who has filled my chambers with such an intoxicating scent.”
Adrien was only a step away from Luka. His eyes fell down to Luka’s arm, then his hand. He grabbed his wrist and pulled it up. Luka’s hand had become stiff.
Adrien eyed the pathetic bandages that covered his palm.
Casually, Adrien pulled the bandages off. Eyes gleaming as he saw the thin cut that’d become wet with blood.
With a smile, Adrien took Luka’s palm to his mouth. Licked it, kissed it, and purred. Quietly and softly.
In the dark of the night he murmured, “You belong to me now.”