#aged up!lukanette

[edendaphne]

TFW your fiancée flirts with you while she's doing the superhero thing 😳

Sketched this a few months ago but I'm only just now getting around to posting it XD 

(From this nameless Lukanette AU)

#Miraculous Ladybug #Lukanette #Pro Lukamari #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Luka Couffaine #my art: miraculous ladybug #eden art #fan art #aged up

[annohere]

Falling for you

#lukanette #lukamari #miraculous ladybug #fanart #!! #I don’t know why but I just love them so much 😭 #aged up au

[verfound]

FIC: On Amicable Breakups (MLB/Lukanette)

Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: General Audiences

Summary: Clara Nightingale wants Luka to record her new breakup song with her, but Luka’s having trouble connecting to it.  It’s not that it’s a bad song.  He just…only really had the one breakup, and he never really wanted it in the first place.

Author’s Notes/Warnings: I am failing WIPril, y’all.  🙃  I like Mitchell Tenpenny, and YT threw this song he did with Alana Springsteen at me, and fic happened.  Listening to the song isn’t entirely necessary, but that’s where the lyrics in the fic are from and might help set the fic? Just something short to shake the cobwebs off.  🖤

“On Amicable Breakups”

“Clara Nightingale?”

His lips quirked in an almost-smirk at the surprise in her tone.  He settled back in the (only slightly) uncomfortable bus seat, tapping his pen against the printout of the lyrics Clara had sent him.  You would think, for as rich and famous as Jagged Stone was, they could afford a better bus.  At least one with cushier seats.

“Don’t sound too surprised,” he said, teasing.  “I’ve worked with her before.”

“Yeah, when we were kids,” she laughed, and something in him twinged at the sound.  God, he missed her laugh…  “And you were a background dancer.  This is hardly the same thing.” “It’ll be good publicity,” he said, shifting in his seat.  He scanned over the opening line of the song again, that something twinging a little stronger.  I know the rules of a breakup: delete your number and ruin your name…

#miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #ml fic #ver fic #ficlet #snippet #it's just a moment really #trying to shake these cobwebs off #breakups & makeups #aged up #future fic #songfic-ish? #this isn't really what I think of when I think songfic #but lyrics are there #0 to 60 Couffaine Strikes Again #It has been 0 days since Luka proposed

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

These Autumn Days are Drifting by Like Falling Leaves

2. Apple Scent

Based on this prompt list

AO3

_______________________________________________

He watched as she sniffed experimentally before screwing up her face in disgust. 

“No good?” he chuckled. In answer, she held the candle out to him. He leaned down, though he was careful not to get as close to it as she had, and sniffed. “That’s awful,” he muttered, wrinkling his nose as he drew back. But the cloying, sickly sweet smell of artificial vanilla and caramel lingered. 

“It’s called ‘cozy cuddles,’” she said as she put the lid back on the offending candle and placed it back on the shelf. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but no ‘cozy cuddles.’ Not for me.” 

She snorted. “I can’t believe you’re saying that either.” 

“Come on, we haven’t looked back there yet.” He threaded his fingers through hers and tugged her toward the back of the candle store. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her affectionate little eye roll. But she followed him, hefting her basket along.  

Maybe he was going a bit overboard. 

But he had never been allowed candles when he lived on the Liberty. Open flames on a boat—and around his ma—were generally a no-go. Now that he and Marinette had an apartment… they were fair game. And she was being very indulgent of his love for candles right now. 

“You don’t have to carry that,” he said, nodding to the basket in her hand. “I can-“

“It’s fine. Besides, you’re already carrying one.” 

Ok. He was definitely going overboard on the candles. But in his defence, they were half-off. 

“I know, but they are for me…” 

“It’s fine,” she said with another roll of her eyes, her lips twitching into a smile. “How about that one?” She let go of his hand and reached up to pluck a candle off the shelf in front of them. “It says it has notes of apple, cinnamon, and clove. You like apple-scented ones, right?’ she asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow, nodding to their baskets, both of which were close to overflowing with autumnal candles. Many of which, she well knew, had some kind of apple scent in them. 

He didn’t need another apple-scented candle. He didn’t need any more candles than what was already in his basket. He knew. She knew it. She knew he knew it. 

But that didn’t stop her from holding out the candle to him.

And it didn’t stop him from taking it from her hand.  

#endgame lukanette #pro lukamari #luck couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #fluff #aged up characters #writing prompt #monthly writing prompt #These Autumn Days are Drifting by Like Falling Leaves

[mikauzoran]

Lukanette prompt 10?

Thanks for the Ask!

10. The taste of vodka at the back of your throat

Read it on AO3: Lukanette: What is the name of the cocktail that mixes vodka and lightning bolts? – Lightning in a Bottle

Summary: Luka gives Marinette a night off from Ladybug duty so she can have fun at her graduation party, and Marinette gains some clarity about what she really wants.

Pairing: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T

#Lukanette #Miraculous Ladybug #Luka Couffaine #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Endgame Lukanette #Fluff #Supportive Luka Couffaine #Drinking #Dancing #Kissing #Making Out #Friends to Lovers #Love Confession #Communication #Happy Ending #Aged-Up (18 and 20) #Writing Prompts #Mikau's Writings #Curiosity Cabinet

[theshadowrealmitself]

I had a person bring up mlb on my post about how I enjoyed that fic I read where soulmates can read each other’s minds, so here are my thoughts on this (most of which I already shared with @lenacraft ):

• Marinette transforming for the first time and hearing Tikki’s voice in her head and freaking out for a second thinking that this tiny alien is her soulmate

• So many people accidentally mistaking Hawkmoth for their soulmates for a split second (wonder how that impacts getting akumatized, if your guard gets dropped more because you think it’s your soulmate speaking to you)

• Can your soulmate hear you getting akumatized? Can they do anything about it?

• Marinette wondering if it’s Luka or Adrien that’s her soulmate, anxiously waiting for whenever the mind reading kicks in (maybe at a specific age or when you’ve interacted with them enough times), and finally, after all this anticipation, thoughts that aren’t her own (or Tikki’s) filter in, annnnd it’s a bad cat pun. It’s Noir. Fuck.

• ^ prev was a funny thought, but I actually prefer Marinette/Kagami, so: Marinette waiting and finally hearing her soulmate and it’s Kagami, and she panics and introduces herself as Ladybug, and Kagami’s a bit disappointed that it’s not Marinette

• Lila lying and saying she has Ladybug as her soulmate, and that’s what ticks off Alya as being suspicious, since she’s a huge LadyNoir shipper

• Alya being Marinette/Ladybug’s soulmate (greatest realization, she can finally interview her whenever she wants) having Lila tell her that lie to her face

• God imagine if it was Lila. Marinette realizing that and then deciding to forcibly become her conscience. Sending her disapproving vibes every time she can tell Lila lied about something

• I don’t have any specific Lukanette thoughts but I can tell it’d be cute for them

Y’all can add more if you want, I’m not up to date on the show at all 😭

#mlb #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #lila rossi #alya cesaire #kagami tsurugi #kagaminette #ladynoir #lilanette #lukanette #mlb ladybug #mlb chat noir #completely forgot to tag Hawkmoth oops #mlb hawkmoth #gabriel agreste #alyanette #mlb tikki

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

At this point, I feel like Lukanette and Adrigami would have worked better as the endgame ships.

Luka's calm presence balances Marinette's anxiety. They're always working towards a common creative goal.

Adrien encourages Kagami to rebel and have fun like he did while Kagami encourages Adrien to be more assertive.

I think you'd probably hate Lukanette and Adrigami if they got as much focus as the love square. The little we saw of them really didn't paint them as meaningfully healthier.

Lukanette painted Luka as an overly indulgent and overly passive pushover who was written more like a mentor than a boyfriend. I was straight up uncomfortable with how fine he was with being a clear rebound. The scene where the kwamis sent him pictures of the Adrien posters in Marinette's room right before their date made me want to grab him by the shoulders and shout, "She is not ready to date you yet! Don't settle like this!"

He could clearly communicate the issues he eventually had with the obvious lying, so he's not a total pushover, but I think Marinette needs someone a little less chill and indulgent and Luka needs someone a little more self aware who is willing to push him a bit.

That's actually why I like Lukagami if I must pick a canon pairing for him. I could totally see Kagami blowing up at him for being so passive whereas Marinette would likely remain oblivious to the passivity. Something like that scene from Risk where Kagami blew up on Adrien:

Kagami: (angrily) Adrien, I saw you on TV this morning, and I know that you don't want to leave. Once again, you let your father decide for you! (harshly) How long are you going to remain his puppet, Adrien? Adrien: (shocked) But... my cousin is gonna talk to him, and- Kagami: (annoyed) This just keeps getting better. You're letting your COUSIN do things for you now? Who's pulling the strings of your life? Your cousin? Your father? Me, when we were together? It's never YOU! You're only good at doing what people tell you to do! Dare to cut your strings, Adrien! (stops and contemplates for a moment, then genuinely apologizes for her harsh manner) ...Forgive me if I hurt you. (hangs up sadly)

This sort of tough love seems like the kind of thing Luka would take to heart, but not be hurt by because he's so chill. On the other hand, I think it's a terrible match for Adrien as he's a pretty sensitive guy with a lot of self worth issues, which is why I don't like Adrigami. Their brief relationship was mostly Kagami steamrolling him and I don't see that changing any time soon. For all of Marinette's flaws, at the very least she never pushed Adrien to be something he wasn't and she does tend to be very gentle with people when she knows they're hurting, which is the kind of support Adrien probably needs. The tough love approach is a really terrible approach for most people. I mean, do you really think stuff like the above exchange would be positive for Adrien's mental health in the long run? At least Luka would communicate if Kagami's approach was hurting him. Adrien would just take it and say nothing like he always does.

Of course, this is all based on what the show did and I don't think a single relationship in the show comes across all that well. The best by far is Ivan and Mylène and even there we still got an episode where it's revealed that Ivan's planning to do nothing but be a house husband when discussing what to study in lycée which was certainly a choice the writers made for a 14-year-old boy and his 14-year-old girlfriend... I don't mind that they've talked about the idea, it is possible to end up happily married to someone you got together with at a young age, but maybe don't imply that your characters are planning to start popping out babies as soon as they turn 18 or even sooner? Because that's how that line comes across in the context when it's given.

In summary, I wouldn't call Lukanette or Adrigami a NOTP, I think there's probably versions of the ships I'd genuinely like (especially Lukanette*), I just don't see them as superior to the love square and I'm mainly in this fandom for the identity shenanigans. You don't get more identity shenanigans than the love square unless you completely rewrite the show's base concept, so I don't have any interest in looking at alternative pairings for Adrien or Martinette. Every pairing the show gave us needs work and, for all its flaws, I do think the love square works fine if you actually let them have character arcs. Their main issue is communication and that's about it. It's a similar issue to why Marinette tends to come across so poorly. She's the main character, so the bad writing effects her more than any other character. The love square is the main ship, so we get the most bad writing about it.

*I actually tried to read Lukanette stuff when I first came to the fandom because I liked his character, but everything I tried was using Lukanette to salt on Adrien and hard pass.

#ml writing critical #ml writing salt

[flightfoot]

ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 40K - 60K Words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

---

The Two Worlds of Marinette by Liquifiedstars:

Marinette discovers a watch in her attic that allows her to travel back in time. Soon she is torn between her life with her rising star fiancé, Luka, and a romance with the enigmatic Adrien Agreste, who knows nothing of the fate that awaits him.

This fic is an AU based on the film The Two Worlds of Jennie Logan, which I’m afraid I’ve never seen. Still, I quite enjoyed this fic, with Marinette spending more and more time in the past, and trying to figure out the truth behind Adrien’s eventual death, and how to prevent it.

Fair warning to Lukanette fans though, Marinette does cheat on Luka during the fic, it comes with the AU. He takes it pretty well though.

---

Stone Streak by kingxuppu

Ladybug and Violet Tigress had been fighting the mysterious Duskwing for eight years now. Through the years, the two have grown stronger together and even gotten married, they are waiting until they finally beat Duskwing to start a family. At least, that was the plan. When Juleka gets confronted with the realization that her friends are starting families of their own, she realizes just how badly she wants to be a mother.

Due to unfortunate circumstances, Juleka and Marinette get the chance to adopt Juleka's young modeling friend Adrien.

Maybe they aren't quite a traditional family, but with magic, rockstars, and fame, normal was never an option.

Via Discovery: There are actually two terms of venery for tigers, depending on the makeup of the group. The first is a streak of tigers and this refers to a female tiger and her cubs.

Now this is a rare pairing, there’s not a lot of Julenette fics! Adrien and Rose actually have some ship tease going on, the whole kid group in canon got broken up into two groups here, one that remained around canon age (so like 13) which notably consists of Chloe, Rose, and Adrien, and then I think everyone else are adults in their mid-twenties. It’s weird seeing Adrien as Marinette’s and Juleka’s son, but hey it works! I love how Juleka really showed Adrien the ropes on modeling and became a Mama tiger for him, the fic’s mostly just very sweet, though with a surprisingly dark final act. 

---

The Parable of the Caller by @nemaliwrites

A week after Hawk Moth’s identity has been revealed, Adrien finds himself with nowhere to go, nothing he can do, and worst of all, strange gaps in his memory he can’t explain. In a stroke of luck, he stumbles upon a burner phone filled with voicemails from one of the Saviors of Paris: Chat Noir himself, who disappeared following Hawk Moth’s arrest.

But with each new voicemail Adrien listens to, he’s forced to confront the fact that there might be some kind of connection between himself and Chat Noir — and discovering it might leave him more broken than before.

I absolutely adore this fic, it’s a fantastic character study for Adrien! Basically in this universe, Ladybug and Chat Noir talked about who should be Guardian, with Chat eventually convincing her that he should be the one to take it on, primarily due to the whole “the Guardian gets amnesia about Miraculous-related matters” situation, and wanting to protect Ladybug from that. Then he finds out Gabriel is Hawk Moth, they take him down, and he relinquishes the Miracle Box and his guardianship to Su Han - all without having a Reveal with Ladybug, since well, he’s not in the greatest shape mentally at the time.

It’s a real treat to see Adrien’s thoughts and feelings about one of the Heroes of Paris leaving him all these voicemails, treating him like this close friend for reasons he doesn’t understand, and just seeing Chat Noir as this outside person. He’s got a very different viewpoint on Chat when looking from the outside than he would from the inside, with being able to see his heroic and good qualities far more easily when he doesn’t know that he is Chat.

Also Marinette’s struggling in the background of the fic with the loss of her partner and guilt over sending Adrien’s father to prison. It gets touched on at various points, and you can tell that she’s having her own story off to the side that we’re just not entirely privy to, what with this tale being told entirely from Adrien’s perspective.

---

Miss Dial by @mysticraven20

Adrien Agreste has always considered Marinette Dupain-Cheng entertaining. Whether it was the endless back and forth of their banter, the clumsiness he found so cute or the fact her anger levels could go from 1-100 in a mere millisecond; he always found there was something about her... if only he could get to know her better.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng has always considered Adrien Agreste a pompous, arrogant asshole. From his constant teasing of her, to the obnoxious laugh at her discomfort and the way he could anger her quicker than any other human being; she knew she hated Adrien Agreste with all she was worth.

But what happens when Adrien accidentally sends the wrong text to the wrong person and a new friendship blossoms - a friendship deeper than either have ever known?

Will Marinette choose to stay faithful to the budding relationship with the boy on the other side of the phone?

Or will a new job with an old foe fill the loneliness in her heart?

Great Adrienette enemies au here! I thought Mystic did a great job explaining how Adrien could be under the impression that he and Marinette were at least sort-of friends, while Marinette hates his guts. Adrien’s not great at understanding social nuances. 

Most of the relationship-building here is actually between Adrien and Marinette in the real world, with Marinette gradually learning that she had the wrong idea about Adrien. Turns out, all their friends really want them to get alng (and maybe smooch XD).

Oh yeah, while the summary doesn’t mention this, this fic IS still set in the canon universe, so they’re juggling identities as Ladybug and Chat Noir on top of everything else. Monarch’s been pretty quiet though.

---

Every Heartbeat by @epcot97

Reeling from a brutally difficult day, Marinette finds her life becomes amazingly complicated after impulsively inviting Chat Noir to spend the evening with her. But when the suave feline begins to weave his way into her heart, she realizes rather quickly just how conflicted her feelings for her partner truly are. (part of MariChat May 2021)

Okay so I’m cheating on this one just a little. This story was originally uploaded in 2021, but was taken down and then reuploaded in 2023. I didn’t read it the first time around, and I really enjoyed it and this is my list, so screw it, I’m including it.

Really lovely Marichat fic here! Gabriel fires Marinette from her designer job for unfair reasons, so Chat goes to comfort her and help her set up her own fashion business, becoming closer and closer as they do so. 

---

Midwinter Serendipity by Cakedecorator

Marinette is a normal woman living in her parents' bakery with her parents, and they have a monthly tradition: they take their bakery leftovers and any handmade clothes that Marinette has made and bring them to the local homeless shelter.

To paraphrase a common idiom, the best laid plans of people often go awry. In this case, they have to stop in the middle of everything when they find a young man lying out cold while IN the cold.

After they bring him to the hospital and he wakes up, they realize that he has a huge problem: he can't remember anything other than his first name! What will the family do?!

This is just a really comfy fic for most of it, though with some angst thrown in too. Adrien adores getting to spend time with the Dupain-Chengs, and honestly doesn’t WANT to remember his past, since the glimpses and memories and emotions he has recovered have indicated to him that they aren’t great, and he’s happy with his current situation. 

Unfortunately, just because he doesn’t want to forget his past, doesn’t mean his past will just forget about him.

---

The second Multimouse gets the Chat by charliepoet13

After a harshly fought battle Ladybug and Chat Noir have claimed the Mouse Miraculous. Obviously Marinette needs to test the strange new ring, and obviously the best way to do that is patrols with Chat. No, she will not be taking comments.

This is as adorable a fic as it sounds like! Marinette refuses to look into WHY, exactly, she really likes running around with Chat as Multimouse, even when she really needs a break. 

---

Ladybugged Series by RillRull

Summary of the first fic in the series, Ladybugged:

In which Ladybug accidentally gets turned into a ladybug, and it’s up to Chat Noir to fix it.

It turns out potion making is really hard when your best friend is a bug and you’re just some guy in a cat suit.

If you like “the heroes turn into animals” stories, this series should be right up your alley! The first one features Ladybug accidentally turning herself into a ladybug and Chat trying to figure out how to turn her back, the second fic follows up on some plot threads from the first fic, and then the final fic in the series, Catified, has Chat intentionally turn himself into a cat for the weekend (after making sure that everyone thinks that he’s at Nino’s place and that Nino will cover for him) because he thinks it’ll be fun, and him staying over with Marinette! I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories so they were a real treat to read XD.

---

I (Wish I) Knew You by @buggachat

University has been hard on Marinette. Making new friends and maintaining her grades is a lot easier said than done when she has to disappear at odd times to fight akumas. She's struggling, and with Alya away with family and Adrien painfully out of reach, she's never felt lonelier.

If only she could talk to someone who really understood her struggles... but it's not like Chat Noir would know anything about loneliness. Right?

Nice aged-up Ladynoir fic here! Marinette’s struggling with losing friends and lovers because of her flakiness due to her superhero activities, until at last she breaks down. Thankfully, Chat Noir’s there at least - and it soon turns out he’s got problems of his own that he’s been hiding.

There’s some fluff and angst, it’s mostly just the two of them navigating life, dealing with their feelings and talking things out.

---

Found by @trishacollins

Chat Noir and Ladybug need to tie up some loose ends. Unfortunately, one of those ends is Felix.

This is a fantastic fic! It’s part of a wider series wherein Adrien and Felix were friends with Nooroo and Duusu from a younger age, but Adrien’s memory was wiped of it by his parents, but this is the first fic you really need to read. Basically, after the events of Emotion, Chat confronts Felix about what he did, and Felix confesses to being a Sentibeing, and Duusu reveals to Chat that he is one as well, leading to Felix cooperating with the heroes. 

Of all the fics I’ve read that tackle the subject, this one does the best job of giving Felix a redemption arc for his actions in the season 4 finale, focusing not only on how he hurt the heroes, but the kwamis. I loved that he truly understood how much he fucked up with the situation he put the kwamis in, how much suffering he put them through, and that the kwamis were allowed to be angry at him for awhile afterwards, to be suspicious and untrusting towards him at first (and that Marinette was allowed to do the same). Felix screwed up and hurt people, and he had to really show that he understood what he did was wrong, why it was wrong, and try to help the people he hurt.

---

In Direct Opposition by @generalluxun

Alya Cesaire is a brand new student to Francis Dupont, to Paris even. The first student she meets is one Chloé Bourgeois, and Alya is determined to make a friend. Things advance Chaotically. Her new 'friend' is definitely a handful, and suddenly Paris has a supervillain and two brand new superheroes! Alya finds herself balancing a lot of things, trying to live up to her ideals and those of her icons.

And then reality seems to contradict itself.

As time progresses it seems to happen more often. Becoming a hero, battling villains, staying alive, working through friendships. Something is lurking, tweaking events at times, changing them, and no one seems aware. Alya will need all her wits to get to the bottom of this. Her investigative mind can only get her so far though, and then she needs to rely on her friends. This is not a foe you can beat head on.

I betaed this entire fic, it’s really good! I adore the focus on Alya’s philosophy here, her determination to be a hero, to help people and defeat evil - and that defeating evil means trying to reform the people doing bad things when possible, to try to save EVERYONE, even the “villain”. I thought it was really clever the ways Alya would redirect Chloe and subtly encourage her to be a better person, while also trying to get the people around her to give her a second chance and keep an open mind. 

Also Alya and Chloe are an adorable sapphic couple XD.

---

Chemistry With Him by @bbutterflies

It kind of sucked Nino was taking chemistry, but classes had filled up fast and he needed to take something and his advisor had said the credits would, somehow, count towards his major. It really sucked he was taking it first thing on a Monday morning (and Wednesdays, and Fridays, unfortunately). But he could get through it. He knew he could.

So no more boys. No distractions. He could do this all on his own.

“Is anyone sitting here?”

Nino looked up to find the source of the voice. A blond, green-eyed, absolutely beautiful someone.

Okay. Maybe one distraction.

Ah, adorable Adrino. This is a universe where Adrien never went to public school, so while Chat Noir, Ladybug, Carapace, and Rena Rouge all know each other (and Marinette, Alya, and Nino all know each other’s identities) they’re unaware that they are all already friends with Adrien. I loved seeing Chat and Carapace excitedly tell each other about their awesome crush/boyfriend, not knowing they were talking about each other XD.

#ml fanfic rec #miraculous ladybug

[mintaka14]

Welcome to Chapter 9 of Living Arrangements, my Lukanette ML AU fanfic where they were roommates! Thank you for your patience, and now, sit back and hopefully enjoy:

Living Arrangements

A Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction

By Mintaka14

Chapter 9 – Old Friends and Complications

'Cause she don't need umbrellas in a summer rain She could catch the eye of a hurricane in blue jeans and pearls

[I Met a Girl: William Michael Morgan]

The café that Adrien had suggested wasn’t one that Marinette was familiar with. She checked the address, and checked it again before she pushed open the doors. The café was full of hushed, business-like conversations going on over the soft clink of gleaming silverware and tasteful china.

A young woman around Marinette’s age in a starched black and white uniform greeted her with a bright, customer service smile.

 “Welcome,” she said, “and how may I help you today?”

“I’m… uh, meeting someone here,” Marinette said a little uncertainly.

“Of course. Do you have a reservation with us today?”

“Sorry?”

“Your reservation. What name is it under?”

What kind of café needed a reservation?

“… Agreste,” she said, and the waitress’ smile grew more perfunctory. She glanced down at the appointment book in front of her.

“We do seem to have a booking today.” Her gaze swept over Marinette, and lightened as she seemed to reach a conclusion. “You must be here for an interview with Gabriel’s recruitment manager. She’s not here yet, but we’ve reserved the usual table -”

“Actually, I’m meeting Adrien Agreste,” Marinette tried to clarify. The customer service smile grew condescending.

“I’m afraid Adrien Agreste doesn’t usually meet with new hires in person. But you’re welcome to wait until Mlle Garamond arrives.”

“No, I –“

Before Marinette could finish trying to explain, the waitress had turned away to lead her to a reserved table. Marinette gave up the attempt. She shrugged herself out of her jacket, and draped it over the back of the chair, setting her bag beside her as she sat down.

Marinette could hear Tikki rustling around in her bag as she stashed it near her feet, and it was very distracting. Usually, Tikki was content to snuggle down, and maybe play a silent game or two on Marinette’s phone, but the kwami was oddly restless. The bag gave an odd little skip, and tipped over.

Marinette bent to straighten it, and whispered into her bag, “Is everything okay?”

Tikki blinked up at her, almost vibrating. “You’re going to see Adrien again,” she whispered back. “Are you okay?”

“Mademoiselle?” the waitress said from somewhere above her. Marinette’s head slammed into the underside of the table as she jerked upright. When she straightened, rubbing the aching back of her head, the waitress was regarding her with a raised eyebrow and a menu in her hand.

“Would you like to order anything, mademoiselle?”

Marinette fumbled her sketchbook out of her bag and held it up with a nervous little laugh.

"Just… doing a bit of work. I’ll wait for… I’ll wait, thanks.”

The waitress’ eyebrow climbed even higher, but she turned away without a word.

Marinette opened her sketchbook, sparing a grimace in response to Tikki’s wide-eyed look of sympathy from the depths of her bag, and started making notes to distract herself from the whispers and glances around her.

She flipped another page, losing herself in the movement of her pencil, and didn’t notice when the café door chimed and all the subdued conversations in the café seemed to pause for a moment.

A hand drew back the chair opposite her.

“You’re early. That doesn’t seem like the Marinette Dupain-Cheng I remember,” a voice said lightly, and Marinette looked up, startled, into Adrien Agreste’s famous smile.

“Oh my god,” the waitress gasped, sharp over the soft buzz of whispers and recognition that rippled through the café. “It really is Adrien Agreste!”

It was like a spotlight had been switched on, glinting on his golden hair and brilliant, photo-ready smile. Marinette’s practised eye for fashion design couldn’t help sweeping over the lines of the casual suit he was wearing that was anything but casual, and she would have bet that it cost more than her entire wardrobe. It did sit well on him, she had to admit, even if he did look as though a team of stylists had spent hours crafting the perfect look (Summer Catalogue, page five. Cool linens for that casual look, said a sarcastic little voice in her head that sounded like one of the kwamis, and she hastily silenced it).

Marinette blinked, and glanced away, half-expecting the flash of cameras to have followed him in, but all she saw was café patrons watching with varying degrees of avid attention, and the waitress with her wide eyes fixed on Adrien and all traces of supercilious boredom gone. The girl was practically trembling with speechless excitement, and Marinette felt like she was staring at her fourteen-year-old self. Marinette looked away, to find Adrien still smiling down at her, his hand resting on the back of his chair.

He still had that air of open guilelessness that she remembered from the boy she’d known before, but now, on the man he’d grown into, it felt as much of a curated image choice as his suit did.

“Well, we’ve both changed a bit in the last few years,” she said.

“You’ve certainly grown up since I last saw you. You’re looking well,” he said with unmistakable admiration in his voice as he sat down, and Marinette couldn’t help blushing furiously. Back in collège, something like that from Adrien would have reduced her to an incoherent mess. As it was, she dropped her eyes, focusing on the table for a moment. 

“I’m feeling a little underdressed, though,” she admitted. “If I’d known what this place was like, I would have dressed up more. I think I’m the only one wearing jeans here.”

Adrien looked around in mild surprise. “I suppose you are. I know our recruitment manager likes to hold business meetings here because she likes the rhum baba, and I used to come here with Father sometimes when he met with private clients. I remember it as being good.”

The waitress had recovered from her starstruck paralysis, and rustled between the tables towards them with a couple of menus clutched in her hands.

Adrien turned his attention back to Marinette, his gaze raking over her as he said, “You might be the only one wearing jeans here, but no one else could make them look that good.”

“Adrien!” she sputtered, feeling her face burn.

Then he said, “You’re injeanious,” and his professional, perfect smile cracked into a shit-eating grin that was so unlike the Adrien she knew that for one wild second Marinette didn’t know how to respond. She stared at him, and tried to suppress the weird sound between a groan and a snort of laughter that escaped her as his words sank in.

Adrien’s grin grew wider.

“Was that meant to be a pun?” Marinette asked in disbelief. Since when did Adrien Agreste make puns? “That was terrible!”

The waitress flashed her a disparaging look, and then ignored her completely, as she breathed, “Adrien Agreste!” She thrust the menus at him. “I’m your waitress. I’m Josephine. What can I get you? Can I get you anything? Anything you want, just let me know...”

Adrien was still watching Marinette, with a hint of that grin lingering.

“Have you ordered yet?” he asked her. “What would you like? Coffee? Tea? Or they used to have a really good vin chaud here.”

Marinette had a memory of Luka in the kitchen that morning, smiling his slow, sweet smile as he handed her a mug, and his voice a little rough with lack of sleep as he asked, “Coffee, Melody?”

“Tea with lemon would be lovely, please,” she said. She wondered if she was actually going to get the tea. She wasn’t convinced the waitress had actually heard her.

“I’ll have a black coffee, thanks,” Adrien said, hitting the waitress with that dazzling smile.

Adrien settled back into his seat, and he waited until Josephine was gone, his eyes on Marinette. He seemed to be studying Marinette’s face as if he was looking for something, and she shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

“Your recruitment manager must come here a lot. The waitress was convinced that I was here for a job interview with Gabriel,” she said to break the awkward silence.

“Gabriel would be lucky to get you.” 

Marinette couldn’t help the dismissive sound she made. “You don’t have to say that to be polite. You don’t even know if my work is any good.”

Adrien’s smile grew warmer. “Don’t forget, I’ve worn your designs. You got Father’s attention back in collège, and believe me, that’s not easy to do.”

“For a kids’ competition,” Marinette scoffed, feeling her cheeks heat up again. “That’s a long way off scoring a position at Gabriel, or any of the fashion houses for that matter.”

“It’s only a matter of time,” Adrien shrugged, and glanced up to give the waitress a smile and a murmured thank you as she settled his cup of coffee in front of him and fussed with the placement of the teaspoon and petit fours beside it. “Alya showed me some of the photos from your showcase last year. This is your third year at IFM, isn’t it?”

Marinette nodded faintly. 

Josephine slid a dish of tea in her direction.  Marinette thanked her, and decided not to mention the absence of lemon. She lifted the dish to her lips and sipped the scalding tea carefully.

“So what are you planning to do after that?” Adrien asked, and Marinette responded, but she felt very aware of the waitress hovering around their table with carafes of water and cutlery they didn’t need. Marinette answered Adrien’s questions and talked self-consciously about her plans and possibilities, and tried to ignore that Josephine and half the café were likely listening to every word.

Adrien, on the other hand, seemed sublimely unconcerned by the surreptitious interest around them. He flashed Josephine a smile every time she topped up his already full glass of water, and he leaned in a little closer to ask Marinette about her fashion marketing classes when Josephine finally ran out of reasons to linger and retreated to the café counter.

He knew most of Marinette’s professors when she mentioned them, and when she told a story about one of the guest lecturers who had been particularly brutal, he laughed.

“I don’t know about that,” Adrien said, “but I do know that Father refuses to work with him again.”

Marinette leaned forward, and propped her chin in her hands.

“Father brought him in for a ready to wear line,” he went on, “and they fought over the whole thing from start to finish. Things really blew up, though, when the patterns went out to the manufacturer, and somehow no one spotted that some of the dimensions were out by a factor of ten.”

“No!” Marinette pressed her fingertips to her lips to suppress a horrified snort of laughter.

“Oh, yes. Father blamed Fabian, Fabian blamed my father, and I don’t know which one of them threw the bigger fit about it, but in the end Father threatened to have security fling Fabian into the street if he ever darkened our doors again.”

“The glamorous world of fashion,” Marinette giggled, and Adrien gave an exaggerated sigh.

“The things I’ve seen since I started working with my father.”

“Is that what you’ve been doing since you left Paris? Working at Gabriel?” she asked. “I mean, we know you’re still modelling, obviously –“ It would have been hard to miss - there were still billboards of him all over Paris, and every fashion magazine had him splashed all over the covers. Adrien pulled a wry face that didn’t make him look any less perfect.

“That wasn’t exactly my idea, but it’s good for Gabriel’s profile, according to Father’s PR gurus. And I’ve been shadowing Father in the company, learning more about the business side of things, since I passed the international bac.” He picked up the teaspoon beside his half-drunk coffee, turning it in his fingers.

“And now you’re back in Paris.”

“I’m back to stay,” he agreed.

“It’s good to have you home again,” Marinette said, and Adrien’s green eyes lit up at the polite sentiment. “It’s been too long since we’ve heard from you.”

“Yeah, I know I haven’t been that good at keeping in touch,” he said a little guiltily. “Things have been rather busy the past few years.”

“We were all a bit worried when you just left without a word, and even Nino didn’t know what the story was.”

“It was nothing that exciting,” he said, absently stirring a pattern in his coffee. “Father had been considering going to New York for a while, to oversee a few changes the company was planning to make there, and then… well, a few things happened, and we had to leave for New York pretty quickly. I wanted to say goodbye before we left, but Father didn’t really see any point…” Adrien trailed off, looking uncomfortable for the first time since he’d walked into the café, and Marinette was suddenly very conscious of all the surreptitious eyes watching them, and the ears listening. Over by the counter, Josephine had given up all pretence of doing anything but eavesdropping on their conversation.

Like they always did when Marinette was nervous, a jumble of words crowded into her mouth, and before she could stop herself, she found herself blurting out the first thing that came to her, “At least we knew you hadn’t been abducted by aliens or anything.”

Marinette cringed, but the discomfort in Adrien’s face disappeared. His eyes flicked up to hers with a startled look.

“Aliens?”

“When you left Paris, we knew you probably hadn’t been abducted by aliens, because you were all over the magazine covers, and we saw all the interviews you did,” she ploughed on, and then giggled. “Although Kim did come up with a whole deep fake theory for a while, until Max talked him out of it.”

Adrien stared at her. “I’m almost afraid to ask –“

“The board of directors put it out that you and your father had moved to New York so that no one would find out that they’d locked you both in the basement and replaced you with AI simulants,” she recited glibly.

Adrien’s startled laugh was loud enough to draw attention from everyone in the café. He glanced around apologetically, with that bright golden smile of his that melted all the disapproving looks into indulgent smiles, and he turned back to Marinette.

 “Seriously?” he asked. “Why?”

Marinette was trying to keep a straight face herself as she told him, “Well, Kim couldn’t decide if it was because your father was about to announce a line of clothing so horrendous that it would destroy the company if they didn’t get rid of him, or if it was because he’d come up with a revolutionary new flipper shoe and had to be stopped before foreign agents could steal the designs and weaponise them.”

Adrien started laughing helplessly. “You’re so funny, Marinette.” His laugh faded. “I wish we’d been able to talk like this, the last few years. I’ve missed this,” he said, his green eyes meeting hers, and she felt a pang of sympathy for the boy who’d been so desperate for friends, for school, for something resembling a normal life. And he’d just disappeared one day without so much as a goodbye to any of them except Nino.

 “We missed you, too,” Marinette told him gently. “I know Nino’s organising some sort of a collège reunion party while you’re in Paris.”

“No, I mean –“

“Can I refill your coffee for you?” Josephine asked, materialising beside them.

Adrien’s practised, brilliant smile switched on as he turned to glance up at the waitress hovering at his elbow with a coffee pot in her hand.

“No. No, thank you. I’ll be up all night if I have another coffee now, and I have a photoshoot at the crack of dawn tomorrow,” he said with a charming, self-deprecating roll of his eyes that had Josephine practically swooning. “Although your coffee is nearly worth risking Vincent yelling at me when I turn up with bags under my eyes.”

Josephine was still giggling as she backed away again.

Adrien glanced at Marinette’s empty tea cup once she’d gone. “She forgot your tea.”

“I think you have a fan there,” Marinette said quietly, and Adrien glanced behind him.

Josephine was on her way back to them before he’d even finished turning his head.

“Is everything alright?” she asked eagerly, the words tripping over themselves in a way that felt all too familiar to Marinette. “Can I get you anything?”

“My friend would like another cup of tea, if it’s not too much trouble,” he said.

“No, it’s okay,” Marinette protested, but neither of them seemed to hear her as Josephine spilled out apologies, and Adrien cut the waitress off with another smile.

“We really appreciate the way you’ve looked after us today,” he told her.

“I’m such a huge fan,” she blurted out, and Adrien’s smile grew brighter.

 “And I’m so glad to have the support of fans like you, Josephine. I’d be happy to take a photo with you, if you have a camera handy,” he offered, and Josephine stammered out something before bolting hastily. She came back with a phone in her hand.

Adrien turned that smile on Marinette, one eyebrow lifting.

“Would you mind?” he asked her, and she took the phone while Adrien smiled at the camera and Josephine gazed up at him as if she couldn’t quite believe he was real. Marinette handed back the phone.

“No one would have believed me, if I just told them I met Adrien Agreste,” Josephine sighed happily. “Thank you. I… thank you!” And she disappeared into the back of the café, clutching her phone as if it held something unspeakably precious.

“You still get a lot of that,” Marinette said, quietly enough that no one nearby could hear, as Adrien sat down again. His brilliant smile grew a little wry.

“I’m used to it. Remember the day we hid from that mob that chased us?”

“I remember.”

“It’s not uncommon, although that’s the only time I’ve hidden in a fountain to get away from them,” he teased.

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “I still can’t believe I did that.”

“Hey, it worked. They can be pretty persistent sometimes.”

“That’s why Luka dyed his hair and wears long sleeves when he goes out,” Marinette said, and reached for the empty teacup to hide the fond smile she could feel spreading across her face. She instantly felt silly for pretending to drink tea that clearly wasn’t there.

“Luka?” and Adrien’s brow creased at the unfamiliar name. “Who’s Luka?”

“He’s Juleka’s brother,” she explained, trying not to sound self-conscious. “I moved in with him and Juleka a few months ago.”

Adrien’s frown deepened. “Is he your –“

“Your tea!” Josephine interrupted brightly as she returned with a fresh, steaming cup, but her eyes were on Adrien.

A look of cold annoyance flashed across his face at the interruption, and for a moment the resemblance to his father was uncanny, then it vanished, wiped away by his habitual, charming smile, but Josephine’s hand jerked nervously and the teacup skittered in its saucer with a clatter of china as she put it down.

Marinette barely had time to feel second-hand cringe before the cup tipped, sending the tea spilling down the front of her blouse in a scalding splash. She couldn’t help the faint cry as hot liquid hit her blouse and soaked through the thin fabric, dripping in burning trails down her chest. She hunched over, trying to pull the blouse away from her skin.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Josephine gasped.

Marinette glanced up, her mouth open to respond, but the girl was staring at Adrien, her eyes wide in horror.

Adrien gave Josephine a reassuring smile.

“I’m such a klutz,” she was babbling. “I can’t believe I was such an idiot in front of Adrien Agreste.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “No harm done.”

Marinette glanced down at the spreading stain on her shirt. She had a sudden, unpleasant flash of memory – Adrien, in collège, telling her not to call out Lila’s lies because they weren’t hurting anyone – and she shifted uncomfortably, pushing the moment aside. The waitress wasn’t Lila, and hadn’t deliberately spilt the tea on Marinette.

“It’s fine,” Marinette said wearily. “Accidents happen, I know.”

And Marinette was rewarded with Adrien’s full-wattage smile, but she was too distracted to appreciate it. She took the napkin that Josephine was holding out vaguely in her direction, and patted at the damp brown spot without much success.

“I should go,” she sighed, dabbing at her shirt again. “Maybe if I get this in to soak quickly, I can get the stain out.”

She put down the napkin and reached for her bag, but Adrien stretched out a hand as if to hold her back.

“Oh, no, do you have to? It’s barely noticeable, and it’ll dry soon.”

He was right, it would dry quickly, but that was the problem. Once the stain was dry, it would set beyond much hope of repair. Maybe if she got some bicarb soda and detergent on it, she could still save it… Adrien was saying something.

 “… I’m sure Josephine can bring you another cup of tea, and we can finish catching up.” That famous smile was still turned on her. “I’ll get you a new blouse, it’s the least I can do.”

Marinette didn’t mention that finding a replacement for this particular blouse would be impossible. Josephine was spilling out reassurances to Adrien that she’d replace the tea, bring petit fours on the house, anything he wanted, anything at all …

“It’s okay. I really do have to go,” Marinette apologised, and started to gather up her bag and her jacket, shrugging it on over her soaked blouse. She stuffed her phone into her bag, and rummaged around in the depths under the tangle of keys, tissues and pencils trying to find her wallet, until Tikki silently pushed it into her hand. “It was nice to catch up, though.”

She tugged her credit card out of her wallet, and held it out to the waitress to pay, but before Josephine could take it, Adrien had produced a sleek black visa card.

 “Don’t worry about the bill,” he insisted. “There have to be some advantages to having a company credit card.”

 “Adrien –“ she protested as Josephine froze, with her hand hovering between the two proffered cards. Her anxious gaze shifted from Adrien to Marinette and back again.

Rather than leave the poor girl stuck while she argued the point with Adrien, Marinette put her card back into her wallet, and stuffed it into her bag.          

“Okay,” she gave in, “but next time is on me.”

His smile grew, as if he’d just scored a point. “It’s a deal. I’ll look forward to next time.”

When she brushed a quick bise against his cheek in farewell, Adrien seemed to lean in to it. His hand tightened briefly on her forearm.

 “Until next time,” he told her, and Marinette hurried out the door of the café in a jangle of bells.

~~~~~  

Luka was there when she got back to the apartment, stretched out on the couch and focused on his laptop.

 “You’re home early,” he said, looking up as she came in, and gave her a smile that faded into a look of concern as he caught sight of her blouse. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s just a tea spill,” she tried to say lightly. “It’s not a big deal.”

He was still frowning, as if he wasn’t buying it, but all he said was, “Is there anything I can do? I’ve got to take a load of washing over to the Liberty later anyway –“

Marinette shook her head, and her own smile felt a little crooked. “It’s fine. I’m just going to try soaking it in the bathroom.”

She’d changed into an old t-shirt and was standing over the bathroom basin, anxiously eyeing the blouse soaking in cold water and working a bicarb and detergent paste into the tea stain, when her phone rang. Alya had obviously given up on waiting for a response to the increasingly peremptory string of texts that had been pinging on Marinette’s phone and had decided on the direct approach.

“Well?” Alya’s voice demanded. “Don’t keep me hanging here! How did it go?”

Marinette sighed, and stirred the blouse in the cloudy water. “Do you ever have the feeling you’re cursed?”

“What?”

“Nothing. Look, Alya, I’ve got to go finish washing this tea stain out.”

 “What tea stain?” But Alya had obviously come to her own conclusions, and a sympathetic, if slightly impatient, laugh came through on the other end of the phone. “Girl, you’re hopeless. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Marinette found herself protesting to the sound of the dial tone. Alya must have been already on her way, because it wasn’t long before Marinette heard the doorbell ring. Nothing motivated Alya like the scent of gossip in the water.

The doorbell rang again impatiently, and she heard Luka getting to his feet. She wrung out the blouse to drape it over the towel rail. It would have to do.

She came into the living room just as Luka opened the door, and heard Alya asking him with studied casualness, “Hey, Luka. How’s it going?”

Alya followed Luka up the steps into the living room, and her uncomfortable defensiveness was obvious to Marinette as she came into view. Judging by the way the way Luka’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, it was obvious to him too.

 “Not bad,” was all he said, amusement lurking in his voice. “And you?”

“Oh, good, I’m good.” There was an awkward pause. “If you’re not doing anything, you should come to Nino’s next gig on Friday,” she added abruptly, and Marinette suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the unspoken no hard feelings in Alya’s voice and posture. “You’d probably enjoy it, he’s really good.”

Luka’s easy expression didn’t change, but there was a gleam of humour in the depths of his blue eyes. “I’ll see if I’m free,” he said easily.

Alya abandoned the attempt at pleasantries as she caught sight of Marinette.

“Alright,” she demanded. “Spill. How did the date go?”

“Alya –“ Marinette sighed.

“I know, I know. Not a date. You were having coffee.”

“I didn’t get coffee - it was just a cup of tea,” Marinette protested, flicking a quick glance at Luka as she moved past the couch towards the kitchen, but he’d gone back to frowning at his laptop screen as if he hadn’t heard anything. “I didn’t even have anything to eat with it.”

 “Oh-kay…” Alya said, giving her a bemused look and following on her heels. “Well, whatever it was, stop holding out on me and spill the details. What did he say? What did you say? I assume you can actually talk to him these days. And what was all that cryptic stuff about being cursed?”

At that, Luka shifted and got to his feet with a sigh. His eyes met Marinette’s, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a brief half-smile that didn’t give much away.

 “This paper is giving me hell, so I’m going to go out for a walk, try to clear my head.” He reached for his coat draped over the back of the couch beside him. He shrugged himself into it, and glanced over his shoulder to tell Marinette, “The place is all yours for a few hours.”

“You don’t have to leave for us,” she protested, but he just gave her a quick smile, and headed down the steps, his shoulders hunched and his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat.

Alya watched him leave, and before the door had even closed properly behind him, she turned back to Marinette with a knowing smirk.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy there?”

“Who, Luka? Why on earth would he be jealous?”

“Well, he didn’t exactly want to hang around and hear all about your coffee date, did he?”

Marinette levelled a look at Alya. “Or he didn’t want to stay so you could be hostile at him again.”

“Hey, I was perfectly friendly! I invited him to Nino’s gig, didn’t I?” Alya protested. She followed Marinette back into the living room as Marinette scooped up her jacket from where she’d left by the door when she’d come home. “And of course he’s jealous. The guy looks at you like you’re his favourite snack - of course he’s jealous that you just spent the afternoon with Paris’ most famous supermodel and heir to the Agreste empire.”

Marinette stopped in the middle of folding her jacket, and turned to knit her brow at her best friend. Alya had said something at the bar the other night about the way Luka looked at Marinette, but she’d just dismissed that as too many cocktails and Alya reading too much into things.

“Paris’ very single supermodel,” Alya added slyly.

“Oh, but Adrien’s not single,” Marinette cut her off brightly, “not according to the Daily Mail – he’s in a very serious threesome with one of the British royals and that guy from last season’s I’m a Celebrity. And I know how you feel about the Daily Mail’s sources on these things.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Alya grumbled. “But I’m right about this. I know what I’ve seen with my own eyes. You can’t say that’s not reliable –“ Marinette chose not to respond to that  “- and, since we’re talking reliable sources, I’d just like to point out that I know for a fact that the first thing that Adrien did when he got back to Paris was ask me and Nino for your number,” Alya pointed out triumphantly.

“Seriously, it was just catching up with an old friend from collège. I’m not even sure we have all that much in common anymore.”

“You’re both in fashion. You have that in common. You didn’t talk about that?”

“Well, yes, until I ended up with tea all down my blouse and I had to leave,” she said without meaning to, and Alya pounced on the hint of gossip.

“Is that why you were washing out tea stains when I called?” she demanded.

By the time Marinette gave in and told her the details, culminating in getting the cup of tea knocked all over her, Alya was chuckling.

“Oh, girl, only you!” Her laugh became a knowing smirk. “Still klutzing out around Adrien, huh? Nice to know some things never change.”

Marinette sighed. “It really wasn’t my fault this time.”

Alya waved away the protest. “Yeah, yeah, it was the waitress.”

Marinette scooped up her bag, which she’d left by the stairs when she’d come home, and stole a quick look to check that Tikki had managed to sneak away to the bedroom. An odd smell of cheese wafted up from her bag, and she wrinkled her nose. What on earth had Tikki been eating in there? She’d have to clean it later… and all thoughts of weird smells got left aside as she realised what definitely wasn’t in her bag. Marinette scuffled through the mess with increasing agitation while Alya kept talking.

 “- and Nino’s planning to throw that reunion party for Adrien, so -” Alya broke off when Marinette upended everything onto the couch. “Jeez, Marinette, what’s up? Lost your phone or something?”

 “Worse,” Marinette muttered, focused on the assorted junk on the couch. Her lipstick, her spare pens, her wallet, the sheaf of course notes from three days ago were all there, but there was no sign of the one thing she really needed. “My sketchbook. I must have left it at the café –“

That was the last time she knew she’d seen it. She’d been sketching out ideas while she’d waited, and then Adrien had turned up and she’d –

Alya laughed, and said, “Well, isn’t that just the perfect excuse to see Adrien again. Maybe he picked it up for you.”

Marinette glared at her. “Alya, this is serious! That book has all my notes, my sketches for the finals, everything.”

Alya scooped Marinette’s phone up from the litter on the couch, and held it out to her.

“So just call him,” she insisted with a roll of her eyes. “It’s not a big deal, and at least you’ll know if he’s got your sketchbook or not. If he hasn’t got it, then you can panic.”

And, sure enough, there was a message from Adrien that she’d missed while she was washing her blouse, in the middle of Alya’s texts. Marinette ignored Alya’s questioning eyebrow, and tapped out a quick response that had an answer within seconds of hitting send.

“He has it,” she said as she put aside her phone. “I can pick it up tomorrow.”

“And you have another date with Adrien,” Alya said on a note of satisfaction.

“It’s –“

“Not a date,” Alya chimed in, rolling her eyes again.

She didn’t stay long after that, and Marinette was left pacing the apartment, feeling twitchy and unsettled. Between Alya getting into her head about Luka, and a growing feeling of anxiety when her thoughts swung round to her sketchbook and having to go the Gabriel offices the next day to get it back from Adrien, it took her longer than it should have to realise that the noise when she pushed open her bedroom door wasn’t just a manifestation of the agitation in her head.

Tikki was flitting around with unusual energy, and there seemed to be an escalating argument going on. None of the kwamis noticed Marinette.

“There’s sssomething he’ss keeping to himssself. I don’t like thisss at all,” Sass hissed, swaying over the coil of his tail, as Tikki zipped past his head.

“I’m staying out of it,” Roarr yawned, “but I agree with Sass. Something doesn’t smell right.”

“That would be the cheese,” one of the kwamis snickered.

A tiny rubber banana ricocheted off Roarr’s head, and she bared her fangs, snarling at Xuppu as he drew back his arm to launch another one. The second banana caught Roarr between the eyes, and the monkey kwami bounced out of reach as Roarr’s snarl became a low, warning growl.

“I’m sure he’ll be looking for an opportunity to see me again, and fill me in,” Tikki said defensively, just as Fluff tumbled out of the air to land on Marinette’s bed, startling the kwamis clustered there.

“Trussst you to make excussses for him.”

“A tale as old as time,” Fluff announced out of nowhere, “and I should know.”

The little rabbit somersaulted over the edge of the bed, and vanished again. Sass’s forked tongue flickered.

“Sssome people don’t deserve the sssecond chancesss they’ve been given,” he hissed. “And I should know.”

“That was not his fault, and you know that, too. He didn’t have any choice about leaving us-“

“Much asss that cheesemonger itchesss my fangss, I wasssn’t talking about -”

“What on earth is going on?” Marinette finally managed to make herself heard over the rising noise, and everything went quiet. Tikki whipped around guiltily. Marinette eyed the hovering kwami for a long moment, and glanced at Sass on the window sill. His tail was still flicking against the painted wood with an agitation that she’d never seen in him before.

“Does anyone want to explain what’s going on here?”

Before anyone else could answer, Tikki swooped through the air to hover in front of her face.

“It was nothing,” Tikki insisted, her big eyes going wide with an unconvincing innocence. “Just a small disagreement.”

“Who were you talking about?” Marinette asked, directing the question past Tikki at the snake kwami, but Tikki whirled around to intercept Marinette’s attention before Sass could answer.

“We should go out. How long has it been since you transformed? It would be good for you – you’ve been so wound up since we got home,” Tikki suggested, as if she hadn’t just been doing manic little spirals in the air. “You could use a bit of fresh air. You really shouldn’t let yourself get out of practice.”

“Becaussse that’sss what we ssshould be focusssed on right now,” Sass said caustically, and Tikki whirled around to face him, glaring.

Their voices rose, and the other kwamis threw in opinions and unhelpful, inflammatory comments that escalated until the room was full of shouting and Marinette had to clap her hands over her ears. She felt a sudden spike of panic at the thought of what would happen if Luka got back before she could get the kwamis calmed down. There was no way Marinette would be able to explain away the noise that they were all making.

“Enough!” she finally shouted over the top of them, glaring around the room as she flipped her hair back to touch her miraculous earrings. “Do you want Luka or Juleka to walk in on all this? You and me, Tikki, we’re going out, and when we get back we’re all going to have a nice, calm discussion about this that doesn’t involve the neighbours calling the police on me, or having to lie to my roommates, or bananas,” she added sternly as she caught sight of Xuppu out of the corner of her eye, just as he drew his arm back to throw something.

The little monkey hid whatever it was behind his back, and gave Marinette a sheepish grin as she transformed.

At least the streets of Paris felt quieter than her room had, once she swung out over the rooftops. It was good to feel the wind in her face, and focus on the adrenaline rush of every leap, on the way her heart rate sped up in a steady rhythm and her mind moved sharp and fast across the rooftops ahead. Tikki was right about one thing, even if she’d only suggested it to avoid answering Marinette – it had been far too long since she’d gone for a run as Ladybug.

It was an uneventful night down below her in Paris, and things had calmed down in her bedroom by the time Marinette finally landed back through the window. Most of the kwamis had vanished into their various corners and nests, but Sass reared up his head as she came in. The tip of his tail was twitching.

“Did you sssee anyone interesssting?” he asked Tikki, a trace of acid in his tone. She huffed, and flitted away to sulk without answering the question or staying to continue the argument that had started it all.

Marinette eyed Sass.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” she asked.

The little snake turned a thoughtful look in the direction of Tikki’s nest, and said, “Jussst an old argument among usss kwamisss.”

Marinette stared at him, and Sass stared back at her, unblinking. He added slyly, “I hear Luka’ss back.”

As distractions went, it was a pretty effective one, and Marinette also took his subtle reminder that they weren’t alone in the apartment. Even so, she thought for a moment about pushing harder, but when Sass flicked a meaningful glance in the direction of the shelves, she gave up on getting a straight answer from him with all the kwamis listening in from their various hidey-holes and perches, not when it might start off another noisy disruption.

Instead, she listened for the soft sounds that meant that Luka was home again, and working in the living room. She reached for her bedroom door without conscious thought, her suspicions and concerns about the kwamis’ moods temporarily put aside.

Luka had his guitar on his lap, and pages of music scattered like snow-drifts all over the floor. There was an unfamiliar stringed instrument lying on the couch beside him. He was scribbling something on the stack of manuscript, and then let it flutter to the floor to join the other marked pages piling up around him.

The lamp shone on his blue-dyed hair, filtering through the rumpled strands like sunlight falling through deep water, and Marinette was tempted to reach out and tangle her fingers in the soft strands. She wished she could work out how to recreate that effect in fabric. Maybe a watered silk, hand-dyed, if she could get the right blend of shades…

She only realised she’d been lost in staring at him when Luka sighed and straightened, and caught sight of her. Bedroom eyes, Alya’s voice whispered slyly in the back of her mind, and Marinette could feel a blush burning her cheeks. He gave her a soft smile, which didn’t help at all.

“Sorry, was I disturbing you?” he asked quietly, and she shook her head. “What time is it, anyway?”

“Just after midnight,” she said just as quietly.

“That explains why my hand’s so sore, then.” He sighed, and massaged his wrist. When Marinette came further into the room, he shifted a few loose pages out of the way so she could curl up in her usual place beside him on the couch, but she hesitated, suddenly very aware of just how close it would put them. She silently cursed her best friend for getting into her head, leaving her searching for signs of something more in the slow, sweet smile he always gave her.

When she hesitated a little too long, his smile became a question, and she made herself relax into the space beside him.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask before - how did things go catching up with your friend this afternoon?” he asked, and Marinette filled him in on the whole afternoon. She couldn’t help a soft huff of a laugh when she got to the spilled tea.

“The waitress was so busy trying to impress Adrien that by the end of it she’d forgotten I was even there, she was so busy apologising to him –“

“Wait, she was apologising to him, not you?” Luka interjected.

 “Well, I get it. I did far stupider things when I was trying to get his attention back in collège.”

Luka’s brow creased, but all he said was, “Did you manage to get the stain out?”

“Mostly. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wear it again, though…” she trailed off in thought. “Unless, maybe, I can embroider it, or add something…”

She pulled herself back before she could get too side-tracked by creative solutions, but Luka’s frown had melted into a fond smile as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and didn’t mind at all that her attention had wandered.

She found herself feeling self-conscious again as their eyes met, but there was nothing in the way he was looking at her that she hadn’t seen in the smiles he gave his sister, his mother, or any of the small handful of people he really cared about, and she ignored the tiny pang of disappointment at the thought.

She tilted her head towards the drifts of paper around him. “So what’s keeping you up tonight?” she asked. “Have you got an assignment giving you a hard time?”

He gave the abandoned instrument on his other side a rueful look. “I’m supposed to be practising for my world music performance assessment in November, but I keep getting distracted. I’ve missed writing music for so long, it’s hard to ignore the inspiration when it happens.”

“That’s some pretty powerful inspiration,” she teased him.

“Yeah,” he said, setting his hands on the strings of his guitar again, and picking out a soft, slow run of notes. “It’s pretty irresistible.”

He dipped his head over his guitar. The fall of his hair hid his eyes for a moment, but the light of the lamp cast a warm heat across his cheekbones that almost looked like a blush.

“This is a side of you that I haven’t seen before,” Marinette said without thinking, and he raised his head to give her a look of mild curiosity. She ploughed on, “I mean, I knew you were talented, I love listening to you when you play or sing, but I’ve never seen you so…”

“So?” he prompted gently when she trailed off.

“In your element. It’s really –“ hot, a suggestive little voice in her mind provided, and she tried to ignore it “- good to see.”

His mouth quirked up. “Now you know how I feel, watching you in action.” His fingers plucked out a fragment of a tune that Marinette had never heard before.

“All of the warp and the weft the world sends her, she gathers them into her hands,” he sang softly, “and sees something beautiful, sews something beautiful, out of whatever the world sends her way…”

Luka glanced up from his guitar, and there was something intense in those deep blue eyes, dark as the ocean, focused on her.

This was…

…oh.

Surely there was no mistaking that look in his eyes.

A profound thrill shivered through her. Marinette could feel the heat rising through her, leaving every inch of her burning and tingling, and there was an electric moment when it felt like he might finally lean in, close that distance, and kiss her.

Marinette’s breath caught at the thought.

The moment broke with the soft sound. Luka shifted, putting aside his guitar. He got to his feet, and stretched.

“Is it too late for a coffee?” he asked, and Marinette blinked. “I think I need some more caffeine.”

~~~~~

The soft, startled intake of her breath brought Luka back to the moment, and Marinette staring up at him through the dark fringe of her lashes, her beautiful blue eyes wide and overwhelmed.

Luka set aside his guitar and stood up, saying something as casually as he could manage about getting coffee, to give her some space.

There was a moment’s hesitation, then Marinette got up and followed him into the kitchen, and he knew a strong flash of relief that at least he hadn’t freaked her out too badly with the intensity of what he was feeling, and what had poured into that brief snatch of the song she’d inspired. Jules had always said he could be a little much when the muse took hold of him.

She watched while he started the kettle and got a couple of mugs out. “You’re going to be up all night,” she told him.

“Yeah, I don’t think sleep is on the cards tonight,” he said ruefully, and he glanced down at Marinette, hoping his face didn’t give away the heat and want flooding through him. “Did you want anything? Assuming you’re not over hot drinks by now,” he joked gently.

“I’d better stick to a decaf, if you’re offering. And it was tea, not coffee,” she pointed out. “Coffee stains would have been easier to get out.”

“Really? Interesting – I would have thought that tea stained less.”

She was shaking her head authoritatively, the intense moment between them dissipating under the kitchen light. “More mess to start with, but the tannin marks are worse. I’ve had a lot of experience with spilling stuff on myself.” The air of exasperation that went with that statement was adorable, and Luka hid a smile.

He dropped a scoop of ground beans into the filter pot and poured the boiling water over it, and then turned to get the rarely used jar of decaf instant coffee out of the cupboard. Marinette giggled at the face he pulled as he put a spoonful of granules in her mug and topped it up from the kettle before handing it to her. The smell of brewing coffee filled the kitchen, and he leaned his forearms on the counter across from Marinette while he waited for his to be ready.

“Sounds like you should stick to drinking water, next time you’re on a date.”

“It wasn’t a date,” she repeated, her expression becoming a little disgruntled. “It was just coffee with an old school friend.”

“Where you didn’t drink any coffee,” he couldn’t help teasing her, happy to see the disgruntlement vanish as she pulled a face at him. Her eyes dropped to focus on the mug in her hands, and an odd little quirk caught the corner of her mouth.

“You’ve spoiled me for anyone else’s coffee,” she said without looking up. 

He didn’t dare hope that she meant it as anything more than a joke, but he couldn’t help the stupid grin that he hid behind his own mug. He raised it to take another swallow, and stopped, caught by a stray wisp of music.

There was something in that… He found his fingers tapping the cadence against the side of his mug, the riff that would go with them playing as clear as a bell in his mind, and he groped blindly for something to write them down.

Marinette must have understood the sudden mood that gripped him, because she silently pushed the shopping list towards him and handed him a pen. Luka scribbled down the random line of music in his head, the potential lyrics scrawled under the reminder to get eggs and milk that was already there, and Marinette giggled.

~~~~~

Marinette rinsed out her mug, and left Luka to his music. She knew, from her own experience, that he would be consumed by the creative fit that had overtaken him for the rest of the night, and she took her pyjamas into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. He was still bent over the lyrics that he’d begun on their shopping list when she passed him on her way to bed, and she smiled to herself as she closed her bedroom door behind her.

In the darkness, she could hear the kwamis, the soft little snorts and noises that meant they were asleep, and she climbed into bed without turning the light on so she wouldn’t disturb them. Only Sass’ golden, slitted eyes gleamed in the shadows, watchful and awake.

“Sass?” she whispered, and those eyes turned her way.

“Yesss, Marinette?”

“Are you going to tell me who you were talking about this afternoon? I need to know if there’s a problem.” She couldn’t help feeling a little hurt, couldn’t help the small mutter that slipped out, “I thought you could trust me.”

There was a long silence, as if Sass was weighing his words, then he said quietly, “You are our Guardian, our Ladybug, and our friend… but you know, better than mossst, that sssome sssecrets are not oursss to tell.”

There was an even longer silence, and Marinette stared up into the dark shadows of her ceiling.

“What I will sssay,” came the soft hiss in the gloom, “isss that you are a truly inssspiring Ladybug, but never forget that Ladybug iss jusst a pale reflection of who Marinette isss.”

Sass’ observation seemed completely off the subject, but Marinette knew the snake kwami well enough to know that in his own way, he was answering the question she’d asked. She frowned as she tried to puzzle out his meaning through a growing fog of exhaustion.

“Trussst your insstinctsss… and trussst in thossse friendsss who make you more Marinette, not lessss.”

Marinette found herself turning her head to glance at the dark form of the mannequin with Luka’s half-finished coat pinned to it. The beading on it caught a stray hint of street light through a gap in the curtains, and gleamed like a smile in deep blue eyes.

“Funny,” she murmured drowsily. “Luka said something like that the other day - asked me if I’d really want to love someone who would want me to be less.”

There was a quiet, sibilant chuckle in the darkness. “I alwaysss sssaid your musssician wass a wissse sssoul.”

Her musician. Oh, she wanted him to be.

And maybe, just maybe… if she hadn’t read too much into that moment on the couch… maybe he wanted that too.

“Sssleep, missstressss,” the soft voice whispered. “We will not let you ssstand alone again, I ssswear it. Sssleep now, and dream sssweet dreamsss.”

~~~~~

“So, it turns out Marinette’s still a complete space case around Adrien,” Alya said in fond exasperation, and she finally had Lila’s full attention. She’d been starting to think that Lila wasn’t listening to a word she was saying, and the way Lila was tapping her fingernails on the tabletop was getting a bit annoying.

“What happened?” Lila asked, pausing her persistent tapping for a moment, and Alya filled her in on Marinette’s coffee date with Adrien.

“Although she swears it wasn’t a date,” Alya added, with an amused roll of her eyes. “And then, of course, she ended up with tea all over her, and had to leave early, but at least that worked in her favour for once – she was so distracted, she ended up leaving her sketchbook behind, and Adrien picked it up for her. So she’s meeting up with him again today to get it back.”

“Clever,” Lila murmured, in an odd, flat tone.

Alya snorted at that. “Oh, come on, romantic scheming has never been one of Marinette’s strong points, you know that.”

“She always did have a thing for celebrities,” Lila said a little sourly, almost as if she’d forgotten that Alya was there, and started to drum her nails on the table again.

“She always had a thing for Adrien,” Alya snapped back, her hands going to her hips. It was one thing when she teased Marinette about falling for famous hot guys, but Lila didn’t quite sound like she was joking. “What’s with you, Lila? You’re not upset about Marinette and Adrien, are you? I mean, you were the one who broke it off when you were dating Adrien, and that was years ago.”

There was a long pause, broken only by the irritating sound of Lila’s nails.

“No, Marinette and Adrien deserve each other,” Lila said, still with that sour note in her voice, but then she met Alya’s frown and gave her a wide smile. Alya beamed back in relief.

She should have known that Lila wouldn’t be so petty as to begrudge Marinette a chance at happiness with Adrien. And, after all, it had to be a little weird for her, after the way she’d said Gabriel Agreste had fired her as his model and blacklisted her when she’d broken up with Adrien.

Lila stopped drumming her nails. Her smile grew wider. “Of course, they’re perfect for each other, much more than someone like Luke Stone.”

And of course, they were. An up and coming talented young fashion designer, and a supermodel whose father was the founder of one of Paris’ most prestigious fashion houses? They were made for each other.

“We should go get her for a girls’ night out tonight,” Lila was saying. “Find out how things went with Adrien. She lives near here, doesn’t she?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alya vetoed firmly. “She’s not exactly your biggest fan, and things didn’t go well at the bar the other night – you know how stubborn Mari can be sometimes.” She made a sympathetic face, but Lila was frowning into space and didn’t seem to notice. “And anyway, I promised her I wouldn’t interfere in her love life.”

“So you’re just going to let her throw away her second chance with Adrien and get sucked in by someone like Luke Stone?”

Alya could understand Lila’s frustration, but she knew Marinette best.

“I think we just need to let Marinette see it for herself at this point. And maybe Luka’s not as bad as all that.”

Luka’s air of mild amusement might irritate Alya, and all the more so because she had the deep-seated feeling that he was amused by her, but she was big enough to admit that he’d been a perfect gentleman to Marinette since they’d moved in together.  

“Those tabloid reports can’t all be true,” Alya told Lila, “and maybe he’s settled down since you knew him.” Maybe Marinette had settled him down. He certainly looked at her as if he was completely besotted.

Judging by the way Lila pursed her lips, she didn’t agree, but Alya knew this was for the best.

“Besides,” Alya went on, thinking of how keen Adrien had sounded when he’d asked her for Marinette’s phone number, and a touch of smugness crept into her voice, “I don’t think we’re going to have to do anything.”

#lukanette #pro lukamari #living arrangements #ml au #miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #and they were roommates #they're idiots your honor #bring on the drama!

[lovebugs-and-snakecharmers]

LBSC Secret Admirer Valentine's Exchange 2024

It’s that time of year again! Time for the 5th annual LBSC Secret Admirer event!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

The usual reminders:

This is a Lukanette event! We encourage everyone from all sides of the fandom to join us, but the pairing of Luka and Marinette MUST be the focus! Background pairings are allowed, as well as mentions of past LS.

Fics must be at least 1500 words. Anything over 1500, go wild!

Art must be at least flat colors.

NSFW MUST be tagged properly and characters must be of age!

Sign ups close 1/10/24

Emails with your secret admirer’s wishlist will go out on 1/13/24.

If you need to drop out, please let us know by 2/05/24 so that we have enough time for a pinch hitter to take your place!

Submissions will need to be uploaded to the AO3 collection no later than 2/13/24 (link will be provided soon for the early bird finishers)

All submissions will be made visible on 2/14/24

Here's some FAQ.

If you have any additional concerns, please don’t hesitate to drop us a message or ask here! Reblogs are very welcome!

Please tag @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers so we can reblog your work!

Thank you!

#event: lbsc secret admirer 2024 #lbscsecretadmirer2024 #lukanette #lukanette event #lukanette endgame #endgame lukanette #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng

[mlwritersguild]

MWG 2022 WRAPPED LIST - PART ONE

Our January event, as usual, was to recommend and review our favorite fics that we read in 2022! To make things a little bit more interesting and fun, we treated it a bit like an awards ceremony or spotify wrapped. If you know the tumblr accounts of any authors on AO3 that were mentioned but not tagged, please tag them! There's a LOT more recommendations to come, but here's the first part of many!

Without further ado, here are the MWG nominations for best one-shots!

cami by @writerriderdirtythirties

lovesquare // fluff and Angst // hurt/comfort // aged up // slice of life // pet death

dog days (trains on their tracks) by noirshitsuji

sabrina/zoe // minor angst // fluff

everlasting warmth by @cakemousse

lovesquare // post-reveal // established relationship // fluff

gabriel in london by @2manyfandoms2count

gabriel/emilie // humor // alternate universe // pre-canon

hearts that go "bump" in the night by @dfcfanfics

lovesquare // season five // hurt/comfort

If it ain't love by @clairelutra

lovesquare // romance // identity reveal

is it chill that you're in my head? by @bring-the-storm

alyanette // alternate universe // drama

ladrien fan club by @xiueryn

lovesquare // alternate universe // chat fic // identity reveal // fluff

purr-suasion by @empressofall

lovesquare // alternate universe // regency era // romance

take this sinking boat and point it home by laxswagg77

lovesquare // post-reveal // hurt/comfort // angst

target practice by headrush

lovesquare // fluff // romance

there are many benefits to being a marine biologist by @emmalylis

lukanette // alternate universe // romance

what’s left of humanity are only our fiftieth floors by @zanzquest

alternate universe // post chat-blanc // omniscient pov

where the north wind meets the sea by @guardiankarenterrier

alternate universe // soulmarks // allosexual aromantic alix // background relationships

wherever she is (you are) by spacecadet72

djwifi // 5+1 fic // alternate universe // soul mates

Stay tuned for our next category coming soon!

#miraculous writers guild #mwg #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfiction #mlb fic #mlb fanfic #ml fanfic #miraculous #ml fandom #miraculous ladybug fic #miraculous ladybug fandom #ml writer #miraculous writer #miraculous ladybug writer #ml writing #mwg events #mwg january event 2023 #mwg fic wrapped #mwg rec list #ml fic rec #ml fics

[mc-lukanette]

MC-Lukanette’s “No Context November” 2022 Masterpost

` = ficlet

* = one-shot (or close to being a one-shot if a few paragraphs/a little more context were added)

^ = part of a larger AU/hypothetical story

{AO3 link for No Context November}

(Halloween bonus) * (3003 words) - Fit Like a Lover {Lukanette} [Halloween] [Costumes] [Confession] [Kiss]

Luka already feels lucky to be the first to see Marinette's costume for Halloween. Unbeknownst to him, however, there's just one thing she's missing...

Day 1 ` (624 words) - {Lukanette} [Sleepiness] [Cuddles]

Marinette tries to get home whilst the urge to sleep starts setting in. Luckily for her, she has someone looking out for her.

Day 2 ^ (1661 words) - {Lukanette} ["Silencer" divergence] [Drawing] [Confession]

Luka is having a creative session with Marinette when he notices something.

Day 3 ^ (1404 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Naga Luka Couffaine] [Courting] [Cuddling]

Marinette admires her naga friend Luka and reflects on the nature of their potential relationship.

Day 4 * (2604 words) - {Lukanette} [Light Fantasy Elements] [No Dialog] [Confession] [Kiss]

It takes a lot to put one's heart into a gift they make for another. How far would you go though, knowing that if it doesn't work out, that part of you is lost forever?

Day 5 ^ (1851 words) - {Lukanette} [Post-Dating] [Babysitting] ["Sandboy" kid]

Marinette and Luka babysit, and the child unintentionally brings another discussion to the forefront.

Day 6 ^ (2140 words) - {Coccaenette} [Ladybug Luka Couffaine (Coccaerus)] [Fluff] [First Meeting]

Coccaerus goes out at night to patrol and is reminded of why he does what he does.

Day 7 ^ (1507 words) - {Lukanette} ["Miraculous New York" divergence] [Confession] [Love Square Salt]

Luka meets up with Marinette after her brief trip to New York and notices immediately that something's different.

Day 8 * (4120 words) - {Lukanette} [Delivery AU] [Moments in Time] [Whirlwind Romance] [Roundabout Confession]

A bakery's delivery girl meets a pizza delivery boy.

Day 9 ^ (1168 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Rock Star Luka Couffaine] [Introvert Luka Couffaine] [Overstimulation]

Luka struggles after a concert and Marinette takes notice.

Day 10 ^ (1605 words) - {Lukanette} [Fantasy Elements] [Nonverbal Confession]

Marinette talks to Luka about a problem concerning her relationships as they stand, at least as her kwami has dictated them to be.

Day 11 ^ (1101 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Tension]

Marinette gets into a desperate situation and receives the best help she could've asked for.

Day 12 * (1885 words) - {Lukanette} [Long Distance Communication] [Realization of Feelings]

Luka departs from Paris. Marinette reflects on the physical distance between them compared to the emotional one, as well as how different both things really are.

Day 13 ^ (1219 words) - {LukaFairy} [Late Teens] [Fantasy] [First Meeting] [Fairy Marinette Dupain-Cheng]

Luka goes looking for flowers and finds something better.

Day 14 ^ (2271 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Performer Luka] [Remeeting] [Gifts]

Marinette tries to give Luka a surprise and Luka surprises her back.

Day 15 ^ (1845 words) - {Lukanette} [Childhood] [First Meeting] [Drawing]

Marinette is idling in the park when she spots a boy around her age.

Day 16 * (1520 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Talks of Marriage] [Love Square Salt]

Marinette pops a question to Luka before he can ask his own. He's just not expecting this particular question.

Day 17 ^ (1508 words) - {Lukanette} [Season 4 Divergence] [Bittersweet]

Luka tries to piece together the events that occur after his break-up with Marinette.

Day 18 ^ (1181 words) - {Vipernette/Viperbug Vibes} [Adulthood] [Vigilantes] [Identity Reveal]

Viperion awakens in a new location and at a new point in his relationship with Ladybug.

Day 19 * (1333 words) - {Lukanette} [Sickfic] [Silly] [Confession]

When Luka falls ill, Marinette does her best to ensure that he's at least in high spirits while recovering.

She succeeds, but not in the way she'd planned.

Day 20 ^ (870 words) - {Vipernette} [Fluff]

Viperion, who has visited Marinette multiple times over ever since she'd given him a gift, visits her with an emergency.

Day 21 ^ (2463 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Fantasy]

Luka and Marinette are hanging out when Marinette notices something concerning about his legs.

Day 22 * (2525 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Interviews] [Brief Love Square Salt] [Confession] [Kiss]

Luka had been determined to and had successfully kept his knowledge of Ladybug's identity a secret for years.

However, he catches sight of Ladybug on television one day and second-guesses whether he's been doing things right.

Day 23 ^ (2109 words) - {Lukanette} [Season 4 Divergence] [Lore Divergence] [Confession(s)]

Luka notices a recurring pattern when he's dreaming.

Day 24 ^ (2101 words) - {Lukanette} [Fantasy] [Voyager Couffaines] [Siren Marinette Dupain Cheng] [First Meeting]

After the Couffaines get into a bad situation, Luka wonders how they could've made it out without issue.

Day 25 * (4180 words) - {Lukanette} [Silly] [Confession] [Kiss]

Luka receives a call from Marinette about something that she needs helps with.

Being Luka, he goes without question and has no idea what shenanigans are in store for him.

Day 26 ^ (1445 words) - {Lukanette} [Adulthood] [Introspection] [Love Square Salt]

Luka and Marinette talk about the finer details of love and being in love, along with where it's brought them.

Day 27 ^ (1024 words) - {Lukanette} [Fluff] [Cooking]

Marinette has an enlightening conversation with Luka about cooking.

Day 28 * (1708 words) - {Lukanette} [Processing Emotions] [Confession] [Kisses]

Most people would focus on specific things after hearing that Paris was no longer in danger of akumatizations. They'd be glad that the unwelcome interruptions to their daily lives would cease, or that they'd no longer be at risk of having their emotions be taken advantage of (by a supervillain, at least), or that they wouldn't have to walk on eggshells due to the risk of being chased down by an evil, superpowered version of the person they offended.

Luka, however, just wants to know how Marinette is doing.

Day 29 ^ (1827 words) - {Lukanette} [Fate Seer Luka Couffaine] [Red String(s) of Fate] [First Meeting] [No Miraculouses AU]

Luka meets a cute girl who seeks his ability, and she might need all the help she can get.

Day 30 ^ (1868 words) - {Lukanette} [Rock Star Luka Couffaine] [Love Square Salt]

Luka receives a impromptu call from Marinette and they try to make up for lost time.

#queuekanette #lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari

[verfound]

FIC: I Guess I Live Here Now (MLB; Lukanette)

Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: Teen and Up

Summary: Luka wasn’t sure exactly when he started living with Marinette, but it was definitely some point between her favorite knitting mug showing up in his cabinet and the time he returned from the studio at three AM to find her asleep in his bed.

Author’s Notes/Warnings: Y’all.  This one has been sitting in the Hoard for ages.  It started with the shower tiles (and I’m still not sure where that inspo came from; I would have sworn Quick, but none of us can find it), grew from that, then sat in the Hoard for probably over a year just biding its time.  I opened it up last week to find the first two scenes and notes, and after a really rough couple of weeks the next thing I knew I was just floating in the moat around Fort Fluff with these idiots.

TL;DR: Never give up on your WIPs.  They all get finished.  Eventually.  😂

“I Guess I Live Here Now”

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Luka chuckled, nudging Marinette’s shoulder with his arm.  She looked up at him with a grin and bumped him back, except she didn’t pull away and ended up leaning into his shoulder.  If his heart picked up a few extra beats at the familiarity of her closeness, they both pretended not to notice.  Her head rested on his shoulder, and she looked up at him with impossibly blue eyes.

“Of course I do,” she said, reaching over to poke at his stomach.  An eyebrow lifted, and her smile grew.  “Juleka and Rose are busy.  Dingo’s working.  Bri’s still stuck in Berlin.  The Captain’s God knows where.  Someone has to make sure you don’t end up living in a crap hole.”

“…I don’t know if I’m insulted or not at the implication that I wouldn’t be able to tell a good place from a…crap hole,” he said sardonically, laughing a little.  Marinette nudged him with her shoulder, or maybe she just snuggled closer.  It had been getting harder to tell lately.

#miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #ml fic #ver fic #luka couffaine is a fucking idiot #domestic fluff #idiots to idiot lovers #first apartment #moving in together #I think i got em all? #Idk man how do you tag really 😂

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

Back to September

30. Nightgown

Based on this prompt list

AO3

___________________________________________________

“Marinette?” She turned at the sound of her name. Luka was standing in the doorway to his room, blinking blearily at her. His hair was dishevelled and there was a faint line running across his cheek from what had to be a crease in his pillowcase. His t-shirt was equally rumpled, and it was riding up just enough to show a sliver of his abs... she snapped her gaze back up to his face, her cheeks flaming. “What are you doing up?” he asked as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. His voice was husky with the remnants of sleep. “Couldn’t sleep?” 

Wordlessly, she nodded as he padded into the kitchen. “I- I didn’t wake you up, did I?” 

“Nah,” he said as he slid behind her to make his way to the fridge. “I was hungry.” She blinked as the dim kitchen was suddenly flooded with bright light from the fridge as he rifled through it. “You want anything?” 

“No. No, I’m fine. 

“Suit yourself,” he said as he emerged from the fridge with a piece of pizza in his hands. She blinked again. In the dark she hadn’t noticed the pattern on his pyjama pants. But now… 

“Guitars?” 

“What?” 

“Your pants,” she said, nodding to the cartoony little guitars scattered across the worn flannel. 

“Oh, yeah,” he chuckled. “Jules got them for me. She said since I’m glued to mine during the day, I may as well have a guitar with me while I sleep too…” 

She laughed. Quietly. Her friends were still asleep in the other room. “They suit you.” 

“Thanks. I like yours too. Heat crawled across her face, creeping down her neck to sprawl across her chest as she glanced down at her nightgown. It wasn’t anything scandalous. But it was maybe a little shorter than the dresses she wore during the day- “It suits you! The colour, I mean! Pink! It’s a… it’s a very nice colour...”  

“You’ll have to excuse my idiot brother.” She jumped at the sound of the voice. Juleka was so quiet. Usually. Right now, her mumble sounded like thunder. She whirled to find her friend leaning in the doorway. There was a sly and exasperated smirk on her face. “He doesn’t know how to flirt at two in the morning.” She turned back to face Luka so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. He was staring at her, eyes wide and cheeks red. His mouth was opening and closing, but no words were coming out. Her heart was hammering in her chest. “Actually, scratch that. He doesn’t know how to flirt, period.” 

#endgame lukanette #pro lukamari #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine #juleka couffaine #aged up characters #luka is bad at flriitng #it's ok though because marinette is too #i know this doesn't really work with the layout of the liberty as shown in canon #but why let canon ruin a fic idea? 😂 #writing prompt #monthly wiring prompt #back to september

[mikauzoran]

Lukanette: Choose You Every Day (One-Shot)

Read it on AO3: Lukanette: Choose You Every Day

Summary: Luka comes over to check on Marinette and ask her to teach him to make bread. Marinette makes a decision.

Pairing: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Rating: T

#Lukanette #Miraculous Ladybug #Luka Couffaine #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Fluff #Hurt/Comfort #Baking #Supportive Luka Couffaine #Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Communication #Friends to Lovers #First Kiss #Happy Ending #Cuddling & Snuggling #Compromise #Aged-Up (28 and 30) #Writing Prompts #Mikau's Writings #Curiosity Cabinet

[writer-rider-flirty-thirties]

88. “Don’t panic but I think we might have accidentally gotten married…”

Funnily enough, I've done this one! It's called Last Night (Lukanette, lol) but here's another (I'll do... Ladynoir):

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Marinette squinted at the squiggly lines in the grimoire as she tried to decipher the text. None of it made sense. She looked back at Tikki. “And you say that this is necessary for the holders of the ladybug and black cat to do once they are both twenty one?”

Tikki nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Why haven’t we heard about this before? Like from Su-Han or Fu?”

Tikki’s eyes drifted across her ceiling. “Because there haven’t been many ladybug and black cat holders at the same time in the last few centuries so it wouldn’t be something either of them knew about!”

“But-” 

“Trust me, Marinette! This is very important and needs to happen very soon!”

Marinette was still a bit uncertain. From what Tikki had described, this was some kind of rite of passage where the kwami would chant some kind of blessing? She wasn’t sure, but they’d chant something as she and Chat Noir held hands and it would not only serve whatever important purpose it needed to but would also bring the two closer as partners- which would hopefully help them defeat Shadow Moth. 

Even with her doubts, Marinette trusted Tikki. They’d been together for nearly eight years and if she said it needed to be done…

“Okay, Tikki. I’ll talk to Chat and get everything set up.”

Tikki smiled brightly and zoomed around the room. “Amazing! I’ll tell the other kwami to get ready!” 

As she disappeared into the miracle box, Marinette could only smile. 

What’s the worst that could happen?

----------

“Now kiss!” 

Ladybug’s head snapped towards Sass, the kwami that floated before the grimoire reciting the ancient words, and frowned. “Kiss?”

Sass nodded. “Yes. A kiss is required to seal the pact. It’s normal for these kinds of ceremonies.”

Still unsure but trusting the kwami, Ladybug nodded and turned to Chat. “Is that okay?”

Her partner was beaming ear to ear. “Of course. I’ve always wanted to lock lips with you and remember it, Bugaboo.”

The two pressed their lips together - Ladybug could acknowledge that it wasn’t too bad and that there was a spark that had her wanting to stay in the embrace a little longer - before pulling away. 

As soon as they parted, the kwami burst into cheers and celebration. 

“Congrats!”

“Congratulations!’ 

“This is amazing!”

“Can’t believe it took eight years!”

“I wonder when they’ll be little hatchlings?”

“They’ll probably come once they’re used to cohabitating!” 

Ladybug’s head spun as the kwami continued to cheer and shout things that made no sense to her. It wasn’t until she turned and saw the look on Chat’s face that she realized something was going on. 

“Chat? What’s wrong?”

The black cat hero cleared his throat a few times before meeting her eyes. “I think… Um, well, based on what they’re saying-”

“Just tell me. I have no idea what’s going on?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Chat took a deep breath. “Don’t panic, but I think we might have accidentally just gotten married.”

Everything spun around Ladybug for a moment as the words registered in her head. 

Married.

They were married?

How?

Why?

Who? 

Then it clicked.

That sneaky little bug! 

“Spots off!” 

The transformation dropped and her kwami emerged from the earrings looking mighty guilty.

“Tikki…” Marinette began.

The kwami threw up her hands. “It was for your own good! You’ve been denying your feelings for Chat for ages and me and Plagg decided to do something about it!”

Marinette’s eyes bulged. “But marriage? Tricking us into some kind of kwami-ordained wedding? How- Come back here!” She shouted as Tikki zoomed away.

Unaware of her gobsmacked partner, Marinette took off after the kwami. “Tikki! You tricked me!” 

A few minutes later, Chat Noir’s mind began working again. “Claws in.” When Plagg appeared looking smug, Adrien’s eyes widened further. “Marinette? Marinette’s Ladybug? And we’re married?”

Plagg grinned. “Congrats, Kid. I hear the honeymoon phase is the best part.” Adrien didn’t move an inch as the kwami winked at him before looking around the room. “Now where’s the cheese?”

#ladynoir #adrinette #trickery #miraculous #marinette and tikki #drabble #ask me #wedding #accidentally married #tikki's a little shit #but we love her #Bre's Drabbles #love square #adrienette