#to be fair i would also risk it all to kiss luka's little head

[motleyistheonlywear]

This picture reads like a shakespearean drama. Look at De Bruyne's face!

#hazard better watch out for a knife in his back #luka modric #eden hazard #kevin de bruyne #croatia nt #belgium nt #wc 2022 #to be fair i would also risk it all to kiss luka's little head

[adrinoir]

Adrienette is....interesting

Ohhh boy. Here is my last analysis for the love square ships!

I hate to say Adrienette is my least favorite in the square - but it is. It’s ironic that I’m ranking them in the first place considering it is two of the same people for all 4 ships.

I feel like there is SO much to unpack with this. So let’s get into it.

How it got started

Marinette stupidly thought Adrien wasn’t a good guy at first. Chloe’s friend = bully. There was that miscommunication of Adrien taking the gum off of Marinette’s seat, but she thought he was putting it ON the seat.

Then the classic umbrella scene happens after Nino pushes Adrien to talk to Marinette.

Master Fu creepily watches them from afar and is like These two are made for each other.

It’s cute and wholesome because Adrien giggles at her and is so happy he finally has a new friend.

“She’s just a friend”

Shut up, Mr. Adrien “she’s just a friend” Agreste.

Thomas ass truck obviously likes to annoy the fandom here and there and one of the most annoying things is HOW MANY times Adrien feels the need to confirm aloud that Marinette is just a friend.

Despite the amount of times Adrien says this, there’s a good chance that he doesn’t realize he has feelings for Marinette since he’s so wrapped up in his infatuation for Ladybug.

Adrien hasn’t had too many friends but I like to think either he’s not clueless enough or not on the aromantic spectrum to not know the line between friends and lovers. Or maybe I’m giving him too much credit and he IS super oblivious.

It’s clearly in Adrien’s personality to be caring of others, very much so of his friends. However, he seems to just randomly really care a lot about Marinette even though they aren’t really super close friends. He also does things that cross the line into being more so romantic, and that’s why he likes her as more than a friend.

He has slow danced with her TWICE now, and not awkwardly as if she’s “just a friend.” Very tightly and romantically.

He cuddled with her on the train when she was sleepy when he easily could’ve just pushed her away.

He smiled a lot when she thanked him and kissed him for calling her “their everyday ladybug”.

He STARES at her very longingly.

He was willing to kiss Marinette for Nino’s short film (but not even Chloe).

He compliments her a lot, he can be overprotective of her, he’s willing to help her when she needs it, he’s asked HER for advice, he’s silly and has playfully teased her on multiple occasions.

In the Oblivio episode, he didn’t even REMEMBER who Marinette was but assumed she was his girlfriend. And he realized a bunch of reasons WHY he loved her when they spent time alone in the tower together. To not even know her and realize he loved her just says it all.

In Chat Blanc, there was the timeline when he actually DATED Marinette. Like I said in my Ladrien analysis, we could speculate a couple different things, but it is certainly possible that he DID realize he has liked her all this time.

And truthfully, we know how he treats her as Cat Noir, which is very telling - the flirting, how he carries her to a safe place when she’s close to an akumatized villain, how he confides in her.

I know I’ve said it in two of my analysis posts already, but it works here too - Adrien cares enough to ask Marinette how she feels about Cat Noir. He wants to know if she likes him for his true self.

There’s definitely even more signs than what I listed but even what I wrote is a long list (and it’s just moments I remembered all off the top of my head!) Adrien is just so sweet to her and I love it.

Thomas has made Marinette too creepy

You don’t even have to watch the show to know Marinette is hardcore crushing on Adrien. Similar to Adrien/Cat Noir’s feelings for Ladybug, she’s infatuated with him and doesn’t know about Adrien’s raw personality (well, knows it but thinks Cat Noir is a completely different person.)

The show centers a lot around Marinette’s crush on Adrien and it is obsessive.

In the first season, I thought Marinette was weird for having his whole schedule, having pics of him in her room, and stealing his phone, but I still liked her character. However, Thomas has made Marinette progressively more and more obsessed with Adrien in the unhealthiest ways possible.

She has reached full-on stalker level behavior at this point in the series. The one I think of is when she went as far to stack up trash cans to get over the fence to Adrien’s house when Lila was there, and then crying to the firefighter nearby when she couldn’t get in. Or, when she revealed that she has an ENTIRE chest filled with presents she made for Adrien for like the next 50 years. Or, when she tried kissing the “statue” of him. It’s gone too far.

I mean, I HOPE Thomas Astruc doesn’t think this is normal behavior. I’d like to believe he’s just writing it to exaggerate Marinette’s feelings for Adrien and make it more ridiculously silly for the kid portion of his audience. But it’s hard to say for sure. No matter what, it still shouldn’t be in the show because it could be normalizing this behavior for the younger kids, and I know for a fact it’s just making the teenage/adult audience feel uncomfortable and cringy.

Will Marinette make good progress?

Well, possibly. The show has had its share of issues with continuity in character development, but to be fair, in some ways we have seen Marinette progress.

Despite still being awkward at times, she’s able to have more conversations with Adrien without stumbling over her words. Where as before, she could barely get a proper sentence out.

She’s also kissed Adrien on the cheek and given him notes and gifts (even though they aren’t signed except the one that was Master Fu’s stool prescription).

And - even though Marinette was acting a bit over the top about it - she at least made a little bit of effort to see if she could drop her feelings for Adrien. Naturally, she couldn’t. It can be difficult to get over romantic feelings for someone, especially if they’re a friend you interact with a lot.

Additionally, Alya deserves a lot of credit for creating situations for Marinette to talk to Adrien and literally pushing the two of them together. I could name the things she did but she does this in just about every other episode. Even though the success rate hasn’t been fantastic, Alya is still the real MVP for helping Marinette (and just putting up with her in general.) There’s a lot of things that wouldn’t have happened without that extra push from Alya.

But, for Marinette to make better progress with Adrien, she needs to learn to stop being so weirdly obsessive and jealous, and to just go for it. Take the risk and confess to Adrien. Tikki has told her “there will never be a right time!”

It has been 3 full seasons and Marinette still has yet to confess to Adrien. Ugh.

And, just my own feelings, but Marinette should start to grow an attraction for Cat Noir’s personality as well, seeing as how it’s Adrien’s true self. Because, as of right now, she’s liking him based off of his timid, more model-like facade and not his silly, charming self.

Or, she also has the option to date Luka, same with Adrien and Kagami. However, both of them can’t decide on the right thing to do and just kinda lead Luka and Kagami a bit. So decisions need to be made to progress, too.

Will Adrien make good progress?

When he sorts out his feelings and understands how he feels about Marinette, yes.

Adrien’s not really creepy or jealous, he just seems like the type of person who acts on how he feels but doesn’t pick up on it.

He hasn’t done anything to hurt Marinette and would never intend to. It hurts Marinette that he MIGHT like Kagami, but he’s obviously not intentionally doing it to make her jealous (even HE is unsure of his relationship with Kagami.)

Like I said, the boy just needs to figure it out. Then things could start to move forward.

Final Thoughts:

1. Adrien has feelings for Marinette (but can’t recognize it), Marinette likes him but is too scared to say anything - they both just need to sort their feelings out in a healthy manner in order for it to work.

2. Some progress between these two is there, but it should move quicker - it’s been too many seasons of Marinette having failed attempts to confess.

3. The ship will be more wholesome when they DO sort their feelings out, and Marinette becomes less obsessive and jealous, and likes Adrien’s true personality.

If you read this analysis, if you’ve read my others, thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed them! I had a really great time writing them all.

#miraculous ladybug #tales of ladybug and cat noir #miraculers #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrienette #adrien x marinette #i ship them #miraculous #the umbrella scene

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Crushing on the rival-Lukadrien June Day 3

Ok, yes I’m technically late, but I don’t care! I wanted to do a Glee AU so bad and this was so hard to do. Usually when reading Glee Klaine fics as lukadrien, Nino is at Dalton since either Nick or Jeff becomes Kurt’s best friend and you can’t split up Nino and Adrien. So Nino attended for a while before budget cuts messed up his scholarship. Kieran is from @depressed-teacup-inc and @sarcasticsparkles Divergence. I meant for him to featured just a little more but it just didn’t work out like that. Adrien’s mom is alive but is spliting up with his dad and I put Chloe in Rachel’s position when it came to dating the enemy first since it always comes up in Anderberry fics when Rachel doesn’t say who Blaine is because she doesn’t want to be accused of selling secrets to her brother. Anyway, please enjoy and we’ll see if day 4 actually comes out. Rival Musicians 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Nino said, adjusting his white tie. He’d forgotten how much he hadn’t been a fan of the Quantic Academy uniform. The pale blue shirts with the black blazers and white ties weren’t his aesthetic and even though it sucked to lose his scholarship, he’d been beyond happy to never put the uniform on again. He looked over to Marc and Nath, who seemed to pull it off with ease.

Totally unfair.

“I can’t believe you let Alya and Marinette bully you into coming to spy.” Nath said.

“No you’re not.” Marc clarified. “Remember how we got together?”

“Yeah, no. this fits perfectly. We should just be glad Chloe wasn’t the one to find out you used to go to school with our competitor. That would have been worse.”

“Yeah, especially since we all experienced her dating the ‘enemy’ last year. Last thing I need is her accusing me of giving secrets away. I really don’t want to bring up her asshole ex in her face. She’s finally starting to open up again.” Nino said.

“Where’s Adrien?” Marc asked, changing the subject. “You made it sound like we have a small window.”

“We do. Assuming things haven’t changed in a year, teachers take the afternoon to have a meeting while letting the students study and such. Or in the Warbler’s case, have impromptu performances to test songs out. If we don’t want to get caught, we need to be there when the mass text goes out and everyone is heading to the Senior Commons.”

Just then, a very familiar silver car pulled up in front of the boys. Adrien climbed out, in a black leather jacket and a white rocker tie but still in the same colours.

“Sorry I’m late. Mom promised the appointment would be over before I had to leave, but divorce proceedings involving my dad aren’t exactly easy. They were arguing over my ‘modelling’ career for a full hour before my mom’s lawyer managed to shut my dad up. I think, that woman speaks like a pirate and is just as ruthless and doesn’t like my dad, so she could have been insulting him for all I know.”

“Sorry you have to deal with this.” Nino said, patting his best friend on his shoulder.

“You haven’t modelled for almost 3 years. Your ‘career’ is just your dad reusing old photos of you for campaigns.” Nath said. “We can only hope we don’t have another instance like when it was your first day at school and you ran into the glee room to hide from your fans.”

“But, hey! We got you out of it.” Nino said. “You stick out like a sore thumb though.”

“It’s not my fault. You said you had enough extra uniforms. You’re the one who didn’t include yourself in the count. Let’s just be happy I have enough clothes to make an iteration of it.” Adrien said.

“Fair enough. Come on.”

All four of them walked into the main building. It was beautiful, a mix of old architecture and new, like a classic hotel or something along the lines. They slowed when Nino did as they approached the front desk, which was thankfully empty with a note to call when arrived.

“I’m so happy the headmaster uses the front desk secretary as his own. I mean, she gives as good as she gets and doesn’t take shit, but she’s also got a practical eidetic memory.” Nino said. “Ok, now there’s a student that we called the Caterpillar – he lived in my dorm and everyone had Alice in Wonderland names – who has access to everyone’s phone number and he’s in the Warblers, so he sends out a massive text message to everyone.”

“How are we even sure they’re planning on doing a performance?” Adrien asked.

“We don’t but I know so close to competition time Marin would want to practise when they have the chance, so at the very least we can peak into the Senior Commons were they practise.”

They got to the first hallway and Adrien saw that what he thought ground level was actually the first floor.

“Cafeteria is downstairs and exits for the gardens and the library. This floor holds some classrooms and common rooms, more classrooms and offices upstairs. The Senior Commons is actually down the hall and downstairs. They got first pick when the place was being built and it has the closest exit to where the dorms are.”

“Should we hang near there or somewhere else?” Nath asked.

However, before Nino could offer a suggestion, the one thing Adrien dreaded pierced through the empty and quite hallway.

“Ohmygod! It’s Adrien Agreste!”

Adrien liked anime, especially the feel-good ones. The one he liked the most was Gakuen Babysitter. The scene before him reminded him of when the twins’ father, a famous actor came to school and was found out by one of the students and suddenly the area around him were swarming with fans. What happened was a bit like that, except screaming boys instead of girls and Adrien actually got a head start in running away.

Nino hated his best friend had to suffer through this, so when he was separated from him and the rest of the guys and only found Marc and Nath not long after, he felt worried.

“Where’s Adrien?”

“We thought he was with you.”

“Ok, screw Marinette and Alya telling us not to get caught.” Nino said, pulling his phone out and scrolling through his contacts until he reached one with the name being just a butterfly emoji. “If they want info, they can come look themselves. My best friend is in a school that’s not desensitized to him being around and we’re find him before we leave.”

Of course, before he could call, he saw a text from the same butterfly named person.

I’m gonna let Marin yell at you for coming to spy.

Nino cursed. He’d been hoping to avoid that. Marinette and Alya were bad and Chloe worse, but Marin lording over him with his gavel, that was something he didn’t miss from attending school here.

But don’t worry. A certain blue haired Hatter was placed in the little Alice’s path. He’ll take care of him. Also, I know a certain March Hare misses you too.

Ok, maybe he’d have to kiss that Caterpillar after all.

                                       ____________________

Adrien slowly opened the door after finally hearing the hallway fill up and all move in one direction. Everyone was speaking excitedly, so no one noticed Adrien slipping out and joining the crowd. He looked around, hoping to see 3 familiar faces but no luck. he didn’t even know if this crowd was people going to see the Warblers. He bit his lip, trying to decide what to do. He could ask and then be in a bad spot if someone recognised him or he could ask what was going on and duck into a bathroom if it wasn’t Warblers related. He decided to risk it.

“Excuse me,” he said, tapping someone on the shoulder. The guy had dyed blue hair and when he turned around Adrien saw he had the piercings to match his punk look. The uniform really didn’t match him at all. “Hi, I’m new here. What’s going on?”

He gave Adrien this smirk as if to say, ‘I know why you’re here’. “I’m Luka.”

“Adrien, nice to meet you.”

“Adrien. Well, don’t worry, I won’t scream your name. and to answer your question, the Warblers are doing an impromptu performance.”

“Oh.”

“If you want, I can take you there. You know, bump into your friends who came to spy with you.”

“S-spy? I didn’t come to spy.”

“Right, so your lack of uniform and Nino being here is a happy coincidence.”

Adrien couldn’t really think of a lie, so thrown off. He let out a squeak when Luka grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hallway. This one was emptier and Adrien took a closer at Luka. his uniform was perfect but his shoes were emblem covered high tops. His nails were painted and fingers home to a few rings. He also noticed a few bracelets peaking out from under shirt sleeve. Luka seemed like such an anomaly in his perfect uniform but things that spoke to his personal aesthetic.

Before he knew it, they were back in a crowd as they entered a room, no doubt the Senior Commons.

“Shot, I do stick out like a sore thumb.” Adrien said, once he saw himself compared to everyone.

“I don’t know, I like your version better.” Luka said, tugging at one of the lapels of Adrien’s leather jacket. “Your friends are over there.” He nodded towards the door, where Marc, Nath and Nino were, all standing on their toes trying to look over the crowd. Nino got distracted by someone with light brown hair and purple rain boots, but Marc and Nath spotted him.

“How did…?”

“I’m sure Nino will tell you about the special ways of the Warblers.” Just at the front of the room, 2 lines of boys appeared as they started to create a beat. “Now if you excuse me. Kieran!”

The guy Nino had been talking to darted over to the lines and Adrien took his place, hearing his friends ask him what happened and if he was ok, but his attention was focused on Luka, who stood in the very front singing.

Before you met me, I was alright But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life Now every February, you'll be my Valentine Valentine

Let's go all the way tonight No regrets, just love We can dance until we die You and I will be young forever You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream

He was good, really good. And he kept staring right at Adrien.

“That’s Luka. we were roommates when I was here.” Nino said, finally getting his attention. “He was well on his way to being lead vocalist when I left.”

“He’s really good.”

“Yeah. Don’t let his accessories fool you, he’s a cool guy.”

Yeah, he was.

When the song was over and the room burst into loud applause, cheers and whistles, Luka found his way over, with the same guy who’d been talking to Nino before and two new people. They reminded him a bit of Marinette and Alya, though one of them had a sever expression currently directed at Nino.

“You come spy and you don’t even come to say hello? I’m ashamed of you Nino.” The one who reminded Adrien of Marinette said.

“Please give it a rest Marin.” Nino begged.

“No, no, let him suffer more. I’m enjoying this.” Kieran said.

“Just to check, you’re not going to report us, right?” Marc asked, looking nervous.

“Don’t worry. Your attempts are endearing and we know Nino wouldn’t bring you over here without good reason.” The other guy said. “we’re not planning on using that song for the Sectionals, so you won’t go home empty handed.”

“How about coffee? Nino doesn’t know this, but we finally opened the coffee bar in the cafeteria, student run. We can stay here if you want.” Luka offered.

In the end, Adrien waited in the room, with Nino getting dragged to be lectured by his old friends and Nath and Marc having such complicated orders, it just made more sense to go with them. Adrien looked around the commons, taking in the couches and many side tables. A few had an almost permanent show print in them, like they’d been jumped on. The few people inside the room still paid his no attention, other than glancing at him.

“Here you go.” Luka said, handing him a to go cup. “Nino mentioned you didn’t like coffee so I got you hot chocolate. Better than most cafes, we make our own with milk.”

“Thanks. Where are the others?”

“Kieran is still making Marin lecture Nino and it turns out Alan is a fan of your friends’ comic, so just me for now.”

“That’s fine. Maybe you can tell me why the tables have footprints on them.” Adrien said, tugging his jacket off as Luka plopped down next to him.

“I have a habit of jumping around on tables during practise. Marin yells at me for it, but I can’t help it. Which is surprising, since I’m pretty stationary during performances.”

Adrien let out a little laugh. “You sound like my cat. Doesn’t matter how many cat perches we have for him; he just climbs up anywhere else. Granted, focusing on him and glee has been a godsend for my mental health recently.”

“Yeah, I’m sure dealing with arguing parents and divorce isn’t easy.”

Adrien looked over at Luka, confused as to how he knew that.

“Oh, yeah. My mom is your mom’s lawyer.” Adrien raised an eyebrow not believing him. “She sounds like this.” Luka said in the same thick accent Anarka had.

“Holy, hey wait. Juleka is Anarka’s daughter, which means she’s…”

“My sister. Competing against each other, but don’t worry. Music is sacred in our house so we don’t play dirty.”

“Whoa.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t go fishing for anything. I just thought that things must be pretty difficult. Your dad makes mom pretty upset.”

“Yeah. It hasn’t been easy. The whole divorce hasn’t but this modelling thing is making things worse. Honestly, I’d be happy with glee drama. It’s the only thing that feels like it makes sense.”

“I get that. I’m older than Juleka, but I’ll be graduating at the same time as her because I ended up pulling out of school for a while. During all that, music was the only thing that made sense.”

“Was everything ok?” Adrien asked.

“Come here.” Luka led Adrien over to a piano that sat in the corner. “Take a breath and listen.” He ordered, resting his fingers on the keys. He watched Adrien do as he was told and he let his fingers move across the keys.

Adrien stared as he heard the emotions he’d been feeling were played. Every note and beat was everything.

“I’ve never been good at words. Mom struggled to get me to talk but she knew I liked music, so that started to become my voice. I guess the easiest way to explain it is I’m an empath. I can hear emotions and I tend to stay quiet. Some people at my old school didn’t like that I kept quite or I could play what they felt. Add on the muscle heads who didn’t understand that liking guys didn’t mean I liked them, things got insane. So I left and came here.” Luka ended Adrien’s song and sat on the bench to look at the blonde. “Even though music sort of got me into that mess, I get it being the only thing that feels like it makes sense.”

Adrien sat next to Luka. “And now you have glee. I was running from fans when I ran into our glee room. Mlle Bustier was ok with letting me hide there but when I saw how much fun everyone was having singing, I wanted to do the same. It’s been my escape.”

Luka bumped his elbow into Adrien’s side. “And people think models aren’t anything like us.”

“I’m really sorry you had to deal with that stuff, but I guess if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have met Nino and he wouldn’t have taken us here and we wouldn’t get to meet.”

“Guess there’s a silver lining for everything. It’s a shame we’re going up against each other in Sectionals. Hanging out with you would be fun.”

“Well,” Adrien said, shrugging, “No one said we can’t text.”

“I thought one of your team members dated a guy from an opposing team?”

“Who said anything about dating? We’re just texting. I mean, Nino texts you and the others, right? What makes me so different?”

Luka let out a laugh. “Fair enough. Adrien Agreste, rebel. I think you’ve been around my mom too much; she’s starting to take an effect on you.”

“You say that as if being a rebel is a bad thing.”

                                          ______________________

Well Adrien wasn’t a rebel, but he did enjoy talking to Luka. he was easy to talk to and they had a lot in common. When employing the same rules Juleka and Luka had on their houseboat when it came to glee, it was easy to forget he was competing against him. Nino encouraged it when he found out.

“Besides, if you end up liking Lu and asking him out, then I can ask Kieran out. Maybe. I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

It wasn’t hard to like Luka. he was good looking and funny and nice and his singing voice was amazing. But Adrien also knew dating during competition season was asking for another Chloe situation even if Luka would never do what that asshole ex did. So, Adrien made a deal with himself, he’d ask Luka out after Sectionals. One of them would win and then they wouldn’t compete anymore unless a space opened up. It would be fine.

I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning I sleep alone Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listen as the crowd would sing "Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key Next the walls were closed on me And I discovered that my castles stand Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

And of course listening to Luka sing Viva la Vida made Marc lean over to him and tell him if he didn’t ask him out, he would.

But like the world was against him, both the most amazing and worst thing happened. They tied. Chole had said how rare that happened. Adrien could only think about how he felt cheated out of asking Luka out. Which was why he waited in the bathroom, waiting for Luka to come in.

“Hi.” Luka said when he came in. he looked a bit disheartened and Adrien really hoped he was reading the reason right.

“Hey. Congratulations by the way. Your Viva la Vida was amazing. Chloe thought so too and she doesn’t compliment the competition much.”

“Thanks. I know you said you were a countertenor but I never expected you to hold that note in So much better.”

“Thanks. Um, listen. I really hope I haven’t been reading the signs wrong, but…I like you, enough to tell myself that after Sectionals were over, no matter what happened, I’d ask you out. But I wasn’t expecting us to both win. But that hasn’t exactly discouraged me.”

“You haven’t been reading them wrong. It was my plan too but it would really be a bad idea to date. The stakes are even higher now. Though…God, Marin might kill me for suggesting this, but how about one date? One date to get it out of our system and to also give us something to look forward to after Regionals. There isn’t a chance we’ll tie again so it’ll be fine after then, but I don’t think either of us can wait that long.”

The door to the bathroom opened and Nino poked his head in. “Adrien, bro. the bus is here, time to go.”

“Yes.” He said to Luka as he headed to the door. “I’ll text you.”

As Nino dragged him to the bus before the group got angry, Adrien told him what he and Luka planned on doing.

“As your teammate, this is a horrible idea. As your best friend, this is the best idea ever and I demand details after.”

#lukadrien june 2021 #glee au

[khfankeri]

Miraculous Ladybug Fluff Week 2020 Day #7 Reveal

Okay I’ve sucked at the fluff week stuff. I’ve been writing for all my other fanfics, so it’s not like I haven’t been writing. But today is REVEAL day!! So I gotta do another take on a fluffy reveal!!

Fluff Week Reveal Day #7

Adrien knew they had to wait till Hawkmoth was defeated. He knew if they revealed their identities, it could put them at a great risk of Hawkmoth using their love against them. He knew all of this. But it didn’t stop his heart from longing to know.

Who was she?

Why did she affect him so?

Why couldn’t he let go??

He could have easily been with Kagami. She was willing, and he tried to give their love a chance, but his heart wouldn’t let go of his Lady. Why did he have to love someone who was in love with someone else?

Adrien packed up his bags from fencing class and waved good bye to Kagami. At least they were still friends.

He walked outside to see it was raining. There was a big umbrella with two people underneath it. He realized it was Marinette and Luka. His heart pounded as she reached up on her tippy toes to kiss Luka on the cheek.

But it didn’t look like a happy kiss. It looked like a farewell kiss. Luka looked a little dejected, but he nodded as he listened to Marinette’s words. The guy was the epitome of understanding. Adrien wished he could be like that. Luka waved good bye to her and started walking off in the rain. Marinette called after him to see if he wanted the umbrella, but he shook his head no and blew a good bye kiss to her.

Marinette looked as if she would cry. Adrien ran up to her, concerned. “Marinette! Are you okay??”

She looked startled at first and wiped a tear away. “Oh, Adrien! Did.. did you finish your fencing class?”

“Yes, but never mind me, what happened? You look awful!”

“Um,” she looked a little dazed.

Adrien waved his hands, “Wait, I mean you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to!”

She sighed. “No, it’s okay. It’s just, I told Luka we just won’t work out. I... my heart belongs to someone else.”

Marinette looked off in the distance, avoiding his eyes.

“Someone else?” He asked dumbly. Wait, so the guy she was in love with wasn’t Luka??

She laughed nervously. “Yeah, but uh, he only sees me as a friend. Nothing more. But I can’t help... loving him.”

His heart pounded in his chest for some reason. Wait, did he wish that person was him??? No way!! He was just thinking about Ladybug! What kind of guy would think of another girl at a time like this?? His heart felt like a battle ground.

“I’m sorry about that, Marinette. If it makes you feel any better, the girl I love looks at me the same way...”

She looked surprised. “She only sees you as friend??! The Adrien Agreste??? Heartthrob of Paris??”

Adrien laughed. “Well, to be fair, she doesn’t actually know who I am. To her, I’m just a normal guy.”

Her eyebrow quirked up. “Is this like an Internet relationship or something?”

Uh oh. Back peddle, Agreste. Back peddle. “Uh, yeah, I guess you could say it’s something like that.”

“Why don’t you just tell her who you are then? I’m sure if she knew, she might just fall for you.”

She saw the look on his face and it dawned on her. “Oh. She’s in love with someone else, huh?”

He nodded, feeling a stone pit in his stomach. “Yeah, so I guess I have it worse than you. She can’t love me because her heart belongs to someone else.”

She wrapped her arms around him awkwardly as she held her giant umbrella. “No, I get it. The boy I love also loves someone else.”

He laughed at the absurdity of the pair of them. She leaned back looking at him questioning. “Sorry, I was just thinking what a pair we make. A bunch of heartbroken people on the day before Valentines Day.”

She laughed through her tears. “Yes, that’s true. I’m glad I have you, Adrien. You’re amazing and I...”

“You what?”

“Um, I have to go. This umbrella is getting heavy. I should probably go get the umbrella you lent me that first day of school.”

He remembered that day. It was a lot like this day. It was a fond memory. She had been so dorky.

“You’re laughing at me aren’t you?”

He startled himself when he realized he’d been laughing out loud. “Haha, sorry. I was remembering when that umbrella collapsed on you. Typical Marinette. But it will always be a good memory to me.”

She giggled as she looked at him. But they both stopped laughing and gazed at each other. What the heck was happening???

“I, uh, gotta split! Got homework to do! Bye, Marinette!!”

He started running full speed towards his house. Plagg was snickering in his jacket. “Hush, Plagg. It’s not what you think.”

“Uh huh. I’m sure you feel absolutely nothing for that bakery girl, do you?”

Adrien could feel his face heating up. “Shut up. She’s not Ladybug. I only love Ladybug.”

“Sure. And I’m the kwami of creation. Come on. I know you. You feel something for her. Your heart rate always picks up around her. You’re just denying it because you love Ladybug.”

“I don’t want to hear this from you, Plagg. Ladybug and I were meant to be. As much as I like Marinette, my heart will always belong to Ladybug.”

“Well, I mean, technically you love both of them. And what does that tell you?”

“That I’m stupid and I feel like I’m cheating on M’Lady. Even if we’re not in a relationship.”

Plagg face palmed with his little paw and sighed dramatically. “You’re not listening, kid. I’m telling you to really think about this... who is Marinette? Really?”

Adrien stopped in an alley before getting to his house. “Look, I need time to clear my head.”

“Adrien, don’t you dare...”

“Plagg, claws out!!”

**************

Marinette sighed as she stared off into space on top of her balcony. Tikki floated nearby looking worried.

“I just... can’t let Adrien go, Tikki. He drives me crazy and my heart is all messed up! Even as I said good bye to Luka, he was all I could think about.”

“And having him come up to you right after breaking it off with Luka didn’t help...” Tikki sighed.

“Am I just crazy, or did we have a connection just then?”

Tikki looked thoughtful. “I mean, he looks like he really does care for you. But does that translate to romantic love? I’m not too sure.”

Marinette looked off from beneath her umbrella to the bleak Parisian skyline. “Wait, is that Cat Noir?”

Tikki looked and nodded. “Indeed. And it’s not patrol time yet. He must need a distraction.”

“Why do you say that, Tikki?”

“Just something I’ve noticed about both of you. If you’re feeling down or need to think, both of you transform and jump along the rooftops. It’s quite endearing.”

Marinette sighed. “Cat Noir is an interesting case. I get the feeling he’s lonely a lot.”

Tikki nodded sagely. “That’s probably true. You should go say hi. He may need a friend.”

Marinette felt her heart squeeze. She cared a lot about him. He had saved her life so many times, and even though he was a jokester, they made a good team. Why couldn’t she love him? Why did she have to love someone who didn’t love her back?

“Okay, I’ll go talk to him. Tikki, spots on!”

Before she left, she saw the black umbrella still out. It was the one Adrien had lent her. She didn’t feel like letting the rain drench her, so she picked it up. The chances of anyone recognizing it was slim to none. It was just a regular black umbrella after all.

She felt a little like Mary Poppins, and she had to be careful not to break it while she went swinging from building to building. She found Cat Noir sitting with his back to her, getting drenched. He looked so thoughtful, it surprised her.

Marinette snuck up behind him and placed the umbrella over his head, waiting for him to realize he wasn’t being rained on anymore.

“That’s weird...” he looked up to see the umbrella and whirled around to face her. “M’Lady? What are you doing here? It’s not patrol time.”

She smiled. “I saw you jumping around and thought I’d come check on you.”

He placed his hand on his heart. “Oh, M’Lady, you honor this black cat.”

She giggled. “Here, take this. You can do the honor of holding it since you’re such a gentleman.”

Their gloved hands touched briefly and an electric current went up her arm. What the heck??

Cat Noir looked at her and looked surprised himself. “You CHARGE me up you know.”

She groaned. “WATS do you mean by that??”

Cat Noir grinned. “I will win you over yet with my ELECTRIC jokes. See I’ve already got you using puns too.”

“I doubt that.”

He looked at the small umbrella and realized how close they were. It made his heart thump madly in his chest. “I totally thought you’d own a cuter umbrella than this? You seem like you’d be one for style.”

“Oh, it’s not mine actually. A friend lent it to me his first day of school. I actually need to give it back, but I’m having a hard time letting it go...”

“Why is that? Who’s this he?”

She looked suddenly bashful. “Well, I guess it can’t hurt. You see, there was a total misunderstanding between this guy and I the first time we met. At the end of school, he explained what happened, and since it was raining, he lent me his umbrella.”

When she met his eyes, she was surprised to see him looking really confused. He looked down at the handle then. Crap, Adrien’s initials were on it. Why hadn’t she thought of that??

He looked back up at her in shock.

“What, what’s wrong?”

“Um, I uhhhhhh.”

She’d never seen him speechless before! “Cat, what’s wrong?”

He started laughing then. Like really laughing. “I’m.. such an idiot. Of course, of course you would be her!”

“Her? Wait, wait, you know who I am?? Cat, this is bad!! We can’t know each other’s identities!!”

She started pacing.

“But how can you be so sure?? And how do you.. wait, the umbrella.. No....”

She looked at him as it finally dawned on her. The only one who was there when she received the umbrella was Adrien. “Adrien.”

He nodded and smiled at her. “Hello, Marinette.”

Oh no. Oh no no no. The boy she loved was the boy who was also her dorky partner! And yet, all the pieces fell together in her mind. She started laughing as well. What was wrong with her??

She took a deep breath and looked him in the face. Yeah, no good. She was totally and completely in love with this dork. “Adrien, I...”

He took her hands and kissed one of them. “I should have figured I would fall in love with the same girl twice.”

“Fall in... love?” She squeaked.

He laugh a little self deprecatingly. “Yeah, I mean, I suppose this is as good of time as any. I was falling in love with my best friend. I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I suppose I always knew in my heart who you were, but just couldn’t make the connection in my head. I called you our Ever Day Ladybug for Pete’s sake! Come on, Agreste. I really am a lost cause.”

Marinette wanted to say something. Anything.

“I know you’re in love with someone else. I just had to tell you now, before I lost my nerve.”

She was crying! He looked concerned as he watched her.

“I’m sorry. I’m probably ruining our friendship now. I just couldn’t ignore my feelings anymore. And knowing the most amazing superhero of Paris is also the amazing superhero of my school. I guess you can say I don’t stand a fighting chance.”

That was it!! She took his head in her hands and kissed him deeply. He started to protest but then slowly put his hands around her waist and pulled her closer.

She finally pulled back but remained in his arms.

“Um, well, that wasn’t what I expected.” He mumbled a little incoherently.

“It’s you, stupid.”

He blinked uncomprehendingly for a second. Then realization dawned on him. “Oh. OH.”

“Yes, Adrien Agreste, it’s you. I’ve been in love with you. I could never find the right words, and then, when you told me there was a girl you were in love with the day at the Wax Museum, I was crushed. I didn’t realize the girl you were in love with was me... and before I knew it, I was falling for my best friend and partner.”

He looked stunned and in awe. “I can’t believe it. I’m the luckiest guy in the whole world.”

She blushed deeply. “It’s like a fairy tale.”

“Can I kiss you again?”

Her heart beat wildly on his chest as she stood in his arms. She nodded and pushed up on her tippy toes to meet his lips.

“That will never get old.” He sighed as they came apart.

“Tikki, spots off.”

A bright light blinded him for a second till Marinette appeared in front of him. “Well, this is me.”

He grinned. “Plagg, claws in.”

Her heart hammered as the boy of her dreams dropped his mask. “It really is you.”

He winked at her. “In the flesh.”

Her heart sank then. “But what about Hawkmoth? What if he finds out? What if our love destroys the world again??”

He looked confused. “Again?”

“Ah, that’s right. Although, knowing who you are, it all makes sense now. You see, one day, Bunnix came to me after I dropped that beret off at your house. Originally it had been signed “from Marinette” when I left it on your bed.”

“The beret was from you??”

She nodded a little embarrassed. “Yes, but I made a terrible blunder that day, and you must have discovered my secret. I don’t know the details of the other timeline, but eventually Hawkmoth found out and used our love against us. He akumatized you and in rebellion, your power destroyed the planet and the moon.”

His eyes looked alarmed.

“But don’t worry! I saved you! And fixed the timeline. But that also meant you never knew who I was.”

Adrien looked thoughtful. “If I had found out, I probably would have tried to keep it a secret. Perhaps something happened and maybe Hawkmoth hurt you. But don’t worry, Marinette, I won’t let that happen this time. Besides, Bunnix hasn’t appeared yet, has she?”

She nodded, some hope coming to her eyes.

“Perhaps now is when we were supposed to find out.” He took her hands in his. “And now we can be stronger than ever. We will defeat Hawkmoth. We have no secrets between us anymore. Love conquers hate after all.”

She smiled at him through her happy tears. “I love you, Adrien Agreste.”

“I love you too, Marinette Dupain-Chang.”

He gently tipped her face up and kissed her again oh so sweetly.

Whatever came next, they would fight together. They were a true team in both forms now.

“Bout time.” Plagg interjected floating up between them.

“Plagg! Give them some privacy!!” Tikki chided him coming up next to him.

Adrien grabbed Plagg. “You little weasel, you knew all along didn’t you??”

“Hey, I was just trying to help.”

“Adrien, it’s okay. We had to wait for the right time anyway.” Marinette laughed as Adrien let him go.

“Marinette is right.” Tikki agreed.

“Good to see you again, Tikki!” Adrien exclaimed patting her little red head.

“You too, Adrien. It’s about time. Marinette was going crazy over you!”

“Tikki!!” Marinette exclaimed feeling mortified.

Adrien blushed as he looked at her. “Well, Plagg can tell you I was going crazy over he as well.”

Marinette was so thankful for him. So thankful to have a man who loved her just as much as she loved him.

“Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, you should probably know Marinette is the one who replied to your poem a few years ago.” Plagg causally interjected.

“Wait, seriously?? I had wondered if it was you after I saw the handwriting, but I was convinced you loved Luka...”

She nodded, feeling super self conscious.

He picked her up and swung her around. “I love you, Marinette!!”

She felt like she was flying! She looked down at Adrien who was laughing so joyfully. This was right. They were right. And her heart couldn’t take it so she just laughed with him.

He finally put her down and burrowed his face in her neck. “Adrien!”

“Let me just stay here for a second.”

She stopped protesting and ruffled his hair lovingly.

“Okay,” he said eventually backing off, “I’m good now. Though I may need a recharge soon.”

“I will gladly give it.” She giggled.

He sighed as he looked at her. “You’re amazing, Marinette.”

“And you’re the cat’s meow.” She said winking at him.

“Okay, that deserves a kiss.”

He kissed her again, loving that she was in his arms.

“Ugh, are we going to have to deal with this from now on???” Plagg protested.

“Come on, Plagg. Leave them alone.” Tikki demanded dragging him off.

Adrien looked at her. “Aw man, you’re soaking wet!”

“To be honest, I didn’t even notice the rain.”

He placed his hand on her cheek. “Yeah, me neither. But come on, we should probably get you dried off before you catch a cold.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Want to come over to my place?”

He nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay, let me go get the umbrella.”

There was no way she was ever getting rid of that umbrella!!

#miraculousfluffweek #fluffweek #miraculous #ladybug #reveal #marinette #adrien #2020fluffweek #adrienette #ladynoir #lovesquarefluffweek2020 #lovesquare

[zebrabaker]

The Goddess of Life, The King of Death: Chapter Two

Dinner was delightful. Marinette was able to have foods she had sorely missed in the six years she had been away from Olympus. Hades even had some cookies with bits of ambrosia from her family’s stall at the local market. He had walked her back to the gates of his realm. Soon, they reached the surface and she turned to him.

“I can’t thank you enough, your majesty. Not only for having me for dinner, but also for allowing me to stay in your realm at all. You would have been well within your rights to punish me for trespassing.” Felix could see Charon in the background, smirking at his boss. May as well give him something to smirk about.

“I would never turn away a lady, especially not one so fair as you.” He took her hand in his and gently kissed her knuckles. “If you would like, you can join me for dinner again. Say, a week from now?” He smiled at her, and watched as she blushed again.

“I would like that, your majesty.” She managed to squeak.

“Please, my lady, call me Felix.” The girl then gave him a smile that made his brain stall for a moment.

“So long as you call me Marinette. Until next week, Felix.” She bobbed a short curtsey, and made her way through the gates to the land above. Felix stood there for a moment before his friend made his way over.

“Well Felix, I never thought I’d see the day! You, romancing a lovely young goddess. If I did, I expected it to be some power play, but that girl left you, the ice-hearted king of the dead, speechless. I’m impressed.” His friend laughed, and Felix huffed.

“Really Claude, you needn’t be so rude. Lady Kore is a lovely young goddess.”

“Wait, Kore? You mean the goddess who has Olympus in knots?” Claude’s jaw was slack.

“Maybe. You know I don’t keep up with gossip from Olympus. I’m rather busy down here, you know. Speaking of, you have a line forming Charon. You best get back to work.” With that, Felix spun on his heel to head back to his palace and the paperwork that awaited him.

“Well boss, things are certainly about to get interesting…” Claude thought to himself as he readied the ferry.

XoxoX

And so, it went on. Every week Marinette would venture down below the earth and spend an evening with Felix. From there, it grew to visiting a few times a week for dinner, to him taking her on tours of the realm. She met all three of his friends, and grew a rapport with each. Her and Allegra gossiped about Olympus and had spa days. Her and Claude acted like siblings separated at birth. Her and Alain snarked and sassed each other, but would come together to prank Claude from time to time. It went this way form many years, until Marinette was soon spending more time in the Underworld than on earth. It had been twenty years since she had set foot on Olympus, and she was fine with that. She went up to the surface once in a while so that she could see her parents, as no-one but her Nona knew she was friends with the entire Underworld crew. Gina was rather chill about it. She had dropped in a few times, and jetted out a few days later. On one trip, Sabine had said something that nearly made Marinette choke on her nectar.

“That nasty little Lila girl is marrying Adrien next year. Somehow, she still has everyone convinced that she’s the goddess of life.” Marinette may not have choked, but she had spat crumbs all over the picnic blanket. After a heavy gulp of nectar, she had rasped out

“What? How?” Sabine had smiled at her daughter and handed her a napkin.

“She says that you’re the goddess of deceit and lies, and that you ran away for attention. What will happen to the cosmic balance is beyond me. The girl is obviously the real goddess of deceit, with how many deities are buying into her lies. I am happy that you’re okay dear. Your happiness has always been my number one priority. Your father really is sorry he couldn’t make it this time. He’s got an appointment with the happy couple today to decide on their cake. They’re having Audrey make the dress and everything. It’s being called ‘the event of the century’.” Both women laughed at that. “SO, how have you been dear? Tell me about your travels!” That was another thing. She and Allegra often dragged Felix away from his work to some odd place on earth, just to get him to take a break.

“The French have invented these delightful cookies, called macarons. I got Papa the recipe, they’re amazing. You’ll love them, I’m sure.” Mother and daughter chattered the day away, until the sun began to set. Marinette sighed and stood.

“Oh, how I wish you could come home without everyone saying such cruel things about you.” Sabine bemoaned. “Or at least stay out to see the moon. You and Luka got on so well when you were younger.” Marinette sighed and hugged her mother tight.

“I know, Mama, but if he sees me, he’ll tell everyone on Olympus where I am. I’m enjoying my life, and I can’t risk it.” Sabine squeezed her daughter tight.

“You can’t hold out forever, Marinette. Attendance at the wedding is mandatory, you know that. You have a year. I wish I could give you more.”

“But that’s a year away. For now, you need to head home. If you arrive back too late, there will be questions.” Both mother and daughter, no matter the risks, couldn’t help but stay in each other’s arms for a few minutes more. Marinette watched as her mother began to glow, before fading out of existence. She flipped up the hood of her cloak, and made her way into the woods. She was hurrying along to the gate way hidden in a pile of boulders when she heard a rustling noise behind her to the left. She hurried her pace. She may be goddess of life, but monsters could still hurt her, and some were hard to kill. She had almost made it to the rock pile when she saw someone trying to come at her from the side. In a panic, she changed her appearance. Her eyes became brown like Claude’s, her hair blonde like Allegra’s, and her facial structure warped to be similar to Alain’s. The figure stepped out of the trees, revealing a girl with dark hair and brown eyes. She wore a tunic and leggings, and carried a long thin sword. Marinette recognized her as Kagami, goddess of the hunt. This was bad. She had expected a mugger or a killer, not another deity!

“Maiden, what are you doing out so late at night all alone?” She seemed worried, like she feared for Marinette’s safety. Then, it clicked. Kagami had a group of girls that traveled with her on earth, maidens who had needed away from their lives for some reason or another.

“I am on my way to gather herbs for my mother. She is ill and needs them soon. I must hurry, ma’am.” Marinette poured her anxiety into her voice, trying to sound desperate.

“What herbs does she need, maiden?” Kagami placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her.

“Um, garlic, thyme, sage and mint, ma’am.” Kagami nodded, before reaching into her satchel. She dug around for a few seconds, before handing Marinette three jars.

“Take these and run home, maiden. May your mother be well soon.” Kagami turned on her heel, and made her way back into the woods. Marinette tucked the jars close to her chest, and hurried through the woods. She waited outside the boulders for a few minutes, making sure that there was no-one watching, before tapping the center boulder seven times. It rolled aside, and Marinette scuttled down the stairs, nearly running into Claude at the bottom.

“Woah! You good, ‘Nette?” He grasped her shoulders, and checked her over for any injuries.

“’m fine, Claude. Just almost got caught.” She let her features melt back to normal, and vanished the jars she still held. “Let’s head back. I’m so tired. I also have gossip for tomorrow.”

“Oooh! Is it juicy?” He crooned as he rowed across the river.

“It’s certain to cause a stir, that’s for sure.”

XoxoX

Felix glanced up from the report he was reading when Marinette entered his office. She paused long enough to remove her cloak before slumping into an armchair he kept by his desk for when she helped with paperwork. She let her head sag against the back of the chair and let out an almighty groan.

“That bad?” He asked.

“Worse. Adrien and Lila are getting married next year, and it’s mandatory. Unlike the yearly galas and bells, I can’t skip out.” She began massaging her temples.

“Really? Well, this gives us time to prepare at least. We can commission a dress, have some jewelry, made, and figure out what to tell anyone who asks where you’ve been. I don’t imagine you’ll want to tell them that you’ve spent almost the last eight years in the Underworld.” He grabbed a quill and a blank piece of parchment and began jotting down plans. “We could say you’ve just been traveling the mortal realm. Or that you’ve been with Lady Ondine, under the sea. She likes you well enough, she should be willing to play along.”

“Felix.”

“We’ll need to make it look like we don’t know each other.”

“Felix.”

“That would be rather hard to explain.”

“Felix!” She yelled, interrupting his tirade. “We could just tell the truth. You and I are friends and I spend a lot of time down here. They think I’m the goddess of lies and deceit. To them, it would make perfect sense for me to spend my time here.” Felix dropped his head into his hands with a groan.

“How did I not think of that?” She giggled a little. He may act cold and stone-hearted when around his subjects, but Felix was actually a bit of a drama queen.

“That’s what I’m here for. To fill in the gaps. For example, did you order those crates of ambrosia for the isles of the blessed yet?” Felix winced.

“Creation above and below, what would I do without you?” He dug through the piles of scrolls on his desk, and began to panic when he couldn’t find the order form. Marinette cleared her throat, and held out the appropriate parchment to him.

“It was on the floor beneath your chair.” He took the parchment from her and kissed the inside of her wrist.

“Truly, I am the luckiest man in the world. Remind me again how I got you to agree to let me court you?” She blushed in the way that he loved. It dusted a petal pink across her peaches-and-cream skin, along her nose and cheeks and the tips of her ears.

“Allegra asked if we were courting and we both said yes.” He shook his head.

“Remind me later to send her a basket of those fruits she loves.” Marinette merely giggled, before nodding.

“I’m going to go tell Allegra and Alain, if they don’t already know. Love you.” She kissed his forehead and headed for the door. He waited till the door and shut before sighing. He pulled open a small drawer in his desk, an withdrew a small box, maybe a foot square. Nestled within on a bed of black velvet was a crown of platinum, embedded with rubies and garnets, all round cut, and layed in a stunning design. The earrings were in a seperate box.

“And I you. Let’s just hope you say yes. I guess this will have to wait. Creation knows father would be furious if I got married before Adrien.” He shut the box, ignoring the ring that sat in the center of the box, encompassed by the crown. After all, he had looked at it every night for the last two years.

@kuroko26 @crazycookie13o @princesskitomi

@miraculous-of-salt @luluthorn @phantasmagoricalzenith

@ginamariepotterhead @mikantsume @miraculousl4dybug

@our-cool-jenny

#hades and persephone au

[thenovelartist]

Falling for the Dork, set 5

<<Previous set  Next set>>

14.      The Valentine

They’d been friends for a year and a half now. And Marinette had had a crush on him about a month less than that. Meaning Marinette had been sitting on her hands for about seventeen months now.

It was time for her to do something about that.

She had spent the first thirteen days of February writing and rewriting a love confession to Adrien. Thirteen days making a pretty, decorated, heart-shaped card to put said love confession on.

Then Valentine’s day rolled around.

And she completely chickened out.

Instead of giving it to Adrien directly, she shoved it in his locker.

Coward.

All throughout the school day, she was just waiting for Adrien to bring up the card. But he never did. And honestly, her heart continued sinking throughout the day.

“Do you want to do something for Valentine’s day?” Adrien asked after school had ended.

Marinette blushed bright red. “Wh-what?”

“I don’t have anything better to do, and I haven’t been able to hang out with you for a few days.”

“O-oh,” Marinette said, heart deflating. “I thought you were talking, like, for Valentine’s.”

“No,” Adrien dismissed with an easy grin. “Just hang out together. You know I don’t have anyone.”

Her heart was cracking. “What? No one came up and confessed their undying love to you?” She said it as a joke, and she hoped beyond hope he didn’t realize she was fishing for anything.

“Actually,” he said, his smile fading a bit. “I did get a love confession.”

“Oh yeah?” Marinette asked, her heart fluttering nervously.

“Yeah, but it wasn’t signed.”

And her heart flat out stopped.

“I feel bad about throwing it away or anything,” he said. “Because they obviously out a lot of thought and effort in it, but at the same point, I don’t know who it is.”

Say it! Marinette’s mind screamed. Tell him, idiot!

“And it’s kind of a shame,” Adrien continued. “Because statistically speaking, high school relationships don’t last, you know? Why get in one only for it to last a year/year and a half and then break up when school ends because you split to different colleges and all that? So, I feel bad about it, but I want to wait and give my whole heart to the girl I see myself spending my life with, you know? Why casually date during high school?”

Marinette’s mouth snapped shut, unable to respond to that. Her heart hurt, a lot. But at the same point… she could see where Adrien was coming from. She found it good advice, to be honest. And that he thought that way because he wanted to give his all to the girl he would end up marrying…

“That’s super romantic,” she managed to say. Because that was the truth.

Adrien’s smile was gentle and sweet. “My mom told me that,” he said. “My dad was the first person my mom ever dated because she said that there are a lot of people out there in the world and it’s easy to give your heart to anyone you feel anything for. But if you give your heart out too much, how much will you have left for your one true love?”

“Your mom was really wise.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said. “That little piece of advice stuck with me. She was a model but she was also really smart. She learned early on that there are a lot of people willing to fawn over her, but she learned to distinguish what was love and what wasn’t. That’s how she knew my dad was the one. Because there was more between them than attraction and she was willing to take the risk on him.”

“That’s really beautiful,” Marinette said. Because it was. That was fully the truth.

“I always thought so,” Adrien said, his voice soft with remembrance.

Marinette sighed. Her heart wasn’t broken per se, but battered and bruised it was. “Do you want to come over for chocolate cupcakes and Ultimate Mecha Strike three?” Her heart was going to need a little more than that, but she would temper her sweet tooth around Adrien today. She’d nurse her battered heart with ice cream later.

Adrien grinned. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

  15.      Love Rivals

Adrien did not like this feeling. It was a very bad feeling. An ugly feeling. Another guy could flirt with Marinette, and Marinette could flirt back.

So what was this awful tightness in his chest?

“Dude, green-eyed monster much?”

Adrien glared at Nino. “What are you even talking about?”

Nino gave him a flat look. Not surprising. Adrien knew his voice was too aggressive for that question to be serious.

“She’s just a friend,” Adrien said. “She can flirt with some slick rock star if she wants to.”

“You don’t want her to,” Nino said.

“Not the point,” Adrien growled.

“Totally the point.”

Adrien glared at Nino once more before turning back to glare at the guy flirting up a storm. And Marinette seemed to be eating up his flattery.

Adrien squashed a growl in his throat.

“Just don’t kill Luka with that death glare, ‘k bro?”

Adrien should just deny it. He wasn’t jealous. He. Wasn’t. Jealous.

“No promises, Nino.”

He was jealous.

  16.      Beach

They weren’t seniors. And they weren’t American. But when Kim found out about the traditional “senior ditch day” the Americans held as tradition, he and Alix decided to pull the class on board. Besides, it was going to be a very hot day and the school’s A/C system was broken thanks to a dare between Kim and Alix.

Marinette didn’t want to know how that happened, and Kim and Alix weren’t telling.

So, after convincing the class that it was only one day, they threw caution to the wind and organized to meet up at the train station and commute together to the beach.

It was a two-hour trip, but they entertained themselves well enough. And when they got to the beach, the last dredges of regret faded away. It wasn’t too full, which was understandable for a Wednesday when school was still in session. It also meant they had quite a bit of room to romp and play.

“You know,” Alya began, laying out on her beach towel as she watched the guys strip out of their shirts and race to the water. “Today was a great idea.”

“You just want to see Nino shirtless,” Alix quickly interjected. “Just like Marinette wants to see Adrien shirtless.”

Marinette sputtered. “I do not!”

“Yeah, you do,” came the chorus from the girls.

Marinette didn’t argue. Because… she kinda did.

“Let’s be fair,” Alya said, her voice full of teasing. “I want to see just how cute nerd boy is. Marinette can’t have anything other than the best.”

“Hey, Marinette.”

The girls all turned to the voice, only to see Adrien approaching. Shirtless, wet, hair slicked back, and a crooked smile on his face. “You coming or not! Water’s great.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, trying not to look him over even though she very much wanted to. “Give me a minute.”

Grinning, he nodded and turned around to head back toward the water.

“Wow,” Alya whispered.

Mylene hummed her agreement.

“So handsome!” Rose quietly squealed

“Not bad,” Alix said with a smirk.

“You guys,” Marinette hissed, stripping out of her tee-shirt dress cover-up to reveal her ladybug swimsuit.

“Girl,” Alya said, “You scored. He’s like… a ten!”

Marinette knew that. She’s known that for ages. And he only keeps getting better. “Hotness doesn’t have a thing to do with it.”

“It’s just a bonus, right?”

“Exact—wait.”

Alya smirked. “Don’t deny it. You like him. He’s hot. Just wish he was a little less nerdy.”

“He’s perfect,” Marinette snipped. “Besides, what does it matter? He doesn’t like me in that way.”

“That’s not what his face said when you were stripping out of your dress.”

Marinette froze, her blood running cold as her face heated up.

“Omg!” Alya said, spinning to see Juleka. “You mean I missed him checking her out?”

Juleka smirked. “And he liked what he saw.”

Scratch that, Marinette’s cheeks were on fire.

It took a moment for her to gather her wits, especially when her friends were totally freaking out on her. Only then did Marinette finally make it to the water.

Throughout the day, Marinette couldn’t help but sneak glances at Adrien, wondering if he really could have been checking her out—and maybe checking him out in the process.

  17.      Confession

It was after the beach trip he really couldn’t hide it any more. He really liked Marinette. Seeing her in a ladybug swimsuit was his undoing. Never mind the swimsuit was one piece, it still showed off plenty of skin and her trim little figure and he was just…

He was a goner.

It was the first day of summer vacation, and Marinette was more than happy to invite him over even though she was exhausted from studying.

“Princess,” he purred. “Were you staying up too late again?”

She nodded. “How do you always notice?”

“Because I just beat you at UMS three. Twice in a row.”

Marinette sighed, letting the controller fall into her lap. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m not really up for competition today.”

“I can tell.”

She leaned over, collapsing against his side and settling her head on his shoulder.

Adrien grinned, his heart racing at the contact. “Take a nap.”

“But you’re here,” she bemoaned. “I don’t want you to go.”

He didn’t really want to go either. “Tell you what, Princess,” he said. “Why don’t we watch a movie instead. And you can nap through it if you want. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

She blinked a couple times at him before a small smile crossed her face. “I like that idea.”

Marinette grabbed her laptop, then the duo climbed up to Marinette’s bed. Adrien propped himself up against the pile of pillows and plushies before pulling Marinette close to his side.

She tensed for a moment, and Adrien briefly wondered if it was too much, but then she relaxed, making herself at home against him. Adrien quite liked the feeling.

The computer was placed on Adrien’s lap, and Marinette booted up a movie they both enjoyed, only to crash out fifteen minutes into the film.

Forgetting the movie, Adrien looked down at the sleeping beauty against his chest. He couldn’t help but smile and took a long moment to relish this feeling; the warmth that bloomed in his chest, spreading out to every inch of his body.

Eventually, the urge became too strong and he pressed a light kiss into her hair. “I care for you so much, my princess,” he whispered.

If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn she smiled in her sleep.

#miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #adrienette april 2019 #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #fluff #FLUFF EVERYWHERE #budding romance #;)

[mamanabeille]

I Know

Title: I Know Author: Maman Abeille Pairing: Luka/Marinette Rating: T Timeframe: Five years in the future Warnings: None Author’s Notes: This one just kind of wrote itself. 

 Marinette has been Ladybug for five years now.  She loves being Ladybug, but she has to admit that being one half of the dynamic duo that saves Pairs on a semi daily basis is starting to take its toll.  She’s no longer in lycée which has helped some with being able to escape during classes.  However, between her internship, university classes, working part time in the bakery, and her relationship with Luka.  If she’s being honest with herself, it’s really the last one that is bothering her the most.  She hates having to lie to Luka about where she’s been.  She hates have to sneak out when he’s sleeping for a middle of the night akuma. 

She’s talked to Tikki about it, and the kwami has assured her that it would be okay to tell him.  She’s worried though.  She’s worried that Luka will be mad at her for lying all these years.  She’s worried it will put him in danger if anyone knows.  She’s also not entirely sure that it’s fair for anyone other that Cat Noir to discover her secret identity first.  He has after all been the one fighting beside her.  Luka has also always been indifferent to Ladybug,  and she’s worried he might be disappointed in her for putting herself in danger. 

The two of them have been together for three years. They’ve lived together since a little after graduation.   She knows that he’s thinking of proposing soon, and she knows she can’t say yes to him if he doesn’t know. it’s not fair to him.  He’d be asking to spend his life with Marinette, not Marinette and Ladybug.  She wishes she had someone to talk to other than Tikki.  She’s had a deep as a conversation as they could without revealing their identities with Cat Noir, and he seems to be in a similar situation.  She wonders if they should just tell each one another and then they can tell their significant others.  It might be nice to know.  They could better protect each other and their loved ones if they knew.  Unless they got caught, or someone found out. Then they could be used against one another.  That was her same issue with Luka.  If anyone found that he knew, or anyone found out her identity, he would be in serious risk from their enemies. 

Marinette was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice said man sitting down next to her until he kissed her gently on the cheek.  “Someone’s lost in their thoughts.  Penny for them?” he asked,  as he pulled her onto his lap.  Something about his gentle touch and how vulnerable she was after such a long thought session, made her burst into tears.  Luka tensed for a second surprised by the sudden tears, before squeezing her tighter.  “Hey, baby, what’s wrong?” 

Marinette’s tears quickly turned into deep sniffles.  She buried her face into her boyfriends chest, and tried to focus on the feel of him rubbing circles on her back and his soft whispers of, “It’s okay, Mari.” She had to tell him.  She had to.  She sat up straight, rubbing her eyes determinately with her sleeves and looked right at him.  “I have to tell you something.  It probably will come as a shock, and you will probably have lots of questions, and I promise I’ll answer all of them as best as I can.  It’s important.”  Something about the determination on her face made Luka simply nod for her to continue.  “I’m Ladybug,” she finally admitted after a couple more deep breaths. 

Luka couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle and pull her closer to him again.  “I know.”

Marinette’s head was spinning.  How could he know?  Was she not being careful enough?  How long had he known?  Was he upset when he found out?  Did anyone else know? “What do you mean you know?” 

“Well, there were many things that kind of led me to finding out.  Once we moved in together though, that was what made it click.  I’m not nearly as heavy a sleeper as you think I am.  The first couple of times you snuck out, I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried.  I realized they were all on nights when there had been an akuma attack.  I started really looking at Ladybug, and of course you were her.  The two of you looked identical.   Then when you saved me right after we moved in, your song sounded just like, well you. I’d know your song anywhere.  That was when I knew for sure.  Then I found Tikki, who tried to convince me she was a cat by meowing, and it was a real confirmation.  Since I had already figured out you were, in fact, Ladybug, she filled in some gaps and explained some things.” 

Marinette was frozen.  She couldn’t believe it.  He figured it out on his own.  Not because she had messed up.  He just knew her that well.  Tikki!  Tikki knew he knew!  Tikki talked to him! “TIKKI!” she shrieked forcing her kwami out of hiding. Tikki flew over to her and hovered in front of the two of them, a look of pure shame and apology on her face.  “I’m so sorry, Marinette.  We both just agreed that it would be better for us to wait to tell you until you were ready to talk to him about it.” 

“She’s being a little modest, Mari,” Luka told her, taking one of her hands tightly.  “I asked her not to tell you I knew.  I didn’t want you to worry about be knowing, until you were ready to tell me yourself.  It’s your secret. I wanted you to tell me when you wanted and felt comfortable,  not be corned into a confession.” 

Marinette was finally calming down and accept that he knew.  She couldn’t help but fall in love with him a little more with his words.  She once again is blown away by this thoughtfulness and consideration, one of the first first things about him that made her love him.  She gave him a quick kiss, barely a peck, before pulling back away. “I’m sorry it took so long to tell you.” 

“I understand why you did, Marinette.  Tikki explained some of the things, but mostly I know you.  You were worried it would put me in danger.” 

Marinette wrapped her arms tightly around him.  “I was,” she mumbled into his shirt.  “I love you, Luka.  I can’t imagine anything happening to you, especially if it’s because I’m Ladybug.” 

“I love you too, Marinette.  I always have, and I always will.  By the way, I’m really proud of you, babe.  I’ve always known you were extraordinary.”

“You’re pretty extraordinary, yourself.”  She leaned forward a pressed a deep kiss to his lips, her face warming as he took her bottom lip between his teeth to deepen it further.  He forced a gasp out of her as he tightened his hold on her, lifted her up off the couch, and carried her to the other room.  Tikki took this as her cue to find a comfy spot nestled in the blankets and pillows that Marinette left on the couch for her. 

#mamanabeille #lukanette #luka/marinette #fanfic #ladybug and cat noir

[mearcatsreturns]

Hope for Dummies, ch. 4

There's not a guidebook to hope, but they could sure use one.

It's all hard rotations and hard talks, but it's worth it to be on the same page as the person you maybeprobablydefinitely love.

Me, starting to write this fic: ah, yes, a nice one-shot.

Me now: so, uh...five chapters and an epilogue?

In other words, I am EXTREMELY predictable and wordy about these idiots. In all seriousness, though, this chapter deals with canon-typical discussions of abortion and pregnancy, if that's a thing of sensitivity for you.

Also on ao3 (will link later). 5k words.

Anspaugh shakes his finger at him in reproof, telling him he should know better. It’s Luka’s fault that Abby didn’t get into any of the residency programs she applied for, no one wants someone who just got her position from sleeping with the doctors—

Luka wakes with start. He’s in Abby’s bed, naked as the day he was born. And she’s in his arms, blessedly and equally naked. He fights his body’s natural response to her, the desire to say to hell with it all and make love to her here and now.

Instead, he turns to lie on his back. He needs to get up, because there’s no way staying in bed with the naked love of his life—that’s what she is, he can’t deny it anymore—won’t lead to them having sex. Which will be fine when she’s not a med student anymore, but right now it’s a problem.

If he leaves, though...he doesn’t want her to feel like she’s done something wrong, or like he doesn’t want to be here. If he had his way, this is how they would always wake up. And maybe in six months or so, they can.

For now, he begrudgingly rolls out of bed and finds his boxers and his undershirt that he wore the previous night.  Luka’s fairly sure Abby has one or two of his old sweaters around, but he can look later.

He contents himself with putting on some clothes, then waffles about what to do next. It’s only 7:30, and they didn’t go to sleep until close to 2, so he doesn’t want to wake Abby. He has to work, but not until noon. And there’s no way he’s going back to sleep.

Finally, he pads out to her kitchen and starts the coffee machine. He roots around in her cabinets and finds some bagels, though the pickings for toppings are slim. At least he can do this.

Around 8:15, Luka is antsy enough that he plates up a bagel for Abby and pours her some coffee before taking them into her bedroom and setting them on the nightstand beside her. Grabbing a book off the shelf, he crawls back into bed to do some reading.

It’s not long before she stirs, blinking up blearily at him. “You brought coffee.”

“And food,” he says with a smile.

“Hmm, thanks,” she says, then frowns at the sight of his shirt. “And you got dressed.”

His smile fades, and her face falls. Luka rushes to reassure her. “I am, but...Abby, I don’t regret last night. And I wish I were still naked, if that’s any consolation.”

“So you didn’t just get cold, huh?”

“More like cold feet,” he says, congratulating himself on word play until he sees how devastated Abby is. “Not about you! Just...the situation.”

“Oh,” she says in a small voice.

He owes her a more thorough explanation, but first he pulls her into his arms, tucking the blanket around her so he won’t be tempted. “Last night was...it was perfect. The thing is, Abby, one night, or even the next several nights with you until school starts again, won’t be enough for me. I—I can’t have this and then press pause for so long.”

A lot of the concern in her face disappears, and then her shoulders slump. “I don’t want to keep waiting, though.”

“Hey,” he says, reaching to cup her face and turn her chin up, “I don’t either. But I also don’t want to make things more difficult for you with administration or risk messing up your matches.”

“You’re right, I know. I know. I guess I just…”

“What, draga?”

“I guess I’m a little afraid, Luka. That...I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem right to make you keep waiting.”

He kisses her softly, then leans his forehead against hers. “It’s my choice. And you’re worth it to me.”

She drops her head with a sigh, gripping the front of his tee shirt and all he can do is brush his lips across her forehead.

“So what do we do now?”

“Not what I’d like to,” he says wryly before adding, “and maybe we should continue this talk over breakfast?”

“And with me fully clothed.”

She is so very naked and in his arms, and yes, it would be good for her to be wearing clothes if he’s supposed to think with his brain and his heart. He kisses her cheek and nods, standing and making his way to the door. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Where men belong,” she calls out, and he snorts. God, she’s so funny and wonderful, joking even through her disappointment and fears, and he hates that he has to leave this room and this little bubble.

She comes out a few minutes later wearing sweatpants and one of the sweaters she stole from him when they were dating before. Luka’s heart is so very full, even as he wonders if she’s trying to torture him.

Abby must see his expression, because she gets apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t even—I wasn’t trying to make this harder.”

“At least cold showers help,” he says with a grin.

“Dumbass. But I can change if it’s a problem. And give it back to you.”

“No, keep it. It looks good on you.”

She nods and takes a deep breath and heads to the coffee pot to pour herself another cup. Her back is toward him, and she says, “I’ve been thinking, while I was getting dressed. I...I think it’s best if we don’t spend a lot of time alone together until I graduate.”

He makes an instinctive sound of protest, but damn it, she’s right. Anything else is just taunting them and setting them up to fail and risk Abby’s career.

“I don’t want to, but...yeah, it gets harder and harder not to do stuff when we’re together, and you’re right, we can’t, not now.”

He’ll have to do something about that dinner reservation he’d made for them for her birthday, shit. More than that, though, he doesn’t want the distance between them to become like it was last year—she’s his best friend, and the idea of not spending time with her at all is just the worst thing he can think of. “Yes, but...I don’t want to not talk to you or be around you.”

She bites her lip, pondering a solution. Finally, she brightens a little. “We can hang out with other people around, or in public. And we can talk on the phone.”

“Yeah,” he agrees. She’s literally the only person he’s willing to enthusiastically agree to phone chats with, but if it’s what they can do, he’ll take it. “No more movie nights, though?”

Abby smiles. “Yeah, I’m gonna say no. Dark lights and passive action on a screen?”

“Fair enough,” he says, chuckling.

She bites her lip. “But you’ll stay for breakfast today, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

&&&

Abby takes a deep breath, straightening her coat and preparing herself to head out to Admit. Carter is back and somewhere out there in the building, and Luka texted her and let her know that his new(ish) girlfriend is with him.

She’s...mostly ready.

She’s not pining over Carter—she never has before, and now that she has a future with Luka, it’s definitely not going to happen. But for a man she loved, if not the way she hoped, to come back so soon after their breakup, another woman in tow? And have it be serious? It hurts a little, and she can’t ask Luka to kiss it better.

As soon as she steps out, she sees them talking to Chuny, showing her a picture. John looks scruffy but delighted, and his girlfriend—who is stunningly beautiful, of course—is looking at him with love and adoration. Oh. That’s what was missing between her and Carter.

Bracing herself, she decides to bite the bullet. She walks up and blurts out, “Hi.”

“Hey. Hey, how are you?” He looks stunned for a second, but recovers quickly. Abby stumbles forward into Carter’s awkward hug before introducing herself to Kem, who shows a mere flicker of recognition at her name. After a stilted exchange of pleasantries—in which Abby is thrilled to convey that she is in fact good and doing well—Carter drops the bombshell in response to her question about the picture.

“It’s, uh, an ultrasound,” he says, handing her the glossy photo.

Abby’s mouth drops open against her will. Ultrasound. “Wow.”

Kem looks so pleased. Carter does too, if sheepish. He meets her eyes, and she feels a momentary, boiling rage at the smug and challenging look there. Did he...ambush her with this? Still, she manages an even “Congratulations.”

Then she sees Luka barrelling down the hallway, rushing toward them to introduce himself, and she smiles in spite of herself.

“You must be Kem,” he says, extending a hand in greeting to Carter’s girlfriend.

“Are you Luka?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, if it wasn’t for you, John and I would never have met,” Kem says, delighted.

Luka glances at Abby, confusion and mild panic in his eyes. Carter and Kem did meet in Kinshasa not long after Luka left, but that’s still kind of coincidental. She shrugs at him, wishing she could reach out and take his hand. She’s okay, especially now that he’s here. “Ah, so girl or boy?”

“Boy,” Kem replies, beaming.

“Handsome,” he says, and Abby almost agrees before realizing that Luka isn’t talking about himself. It really is unfair that he’s so attractive like this, thrilled as he is at the prospect of children, even someone else’s. Her stomach drops, realizing that’s a conversation she’ll have to have with him at some point.

She and Luka exchange an amused look when Kem says, “Like his daddy.”

Carter then makes his excuses about returning to work, though he goes to walk Kem out. He leaves Luka and Abby standing there, and it’s a moment before Luka’s shoulders slump and he reaches for her hand. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she says, squeezing his hand. “I’m okay. But boy, did he knock her up the minute he got there?”

Luka snorts, then grows serious. “I’m going to be heading out soon, but let me know if I need to punch him, okay?”

“Please don’t punch anyone else on my behalf.”

“I can glare at him a little, if you prefer.”

“That would be nice,” Abby says, smiling and squeezing his hand once more. For luck. Or just because she wants to.

She watches him wander down the hall, and she sighs and hurries to the desk, hoping there will be a few good cases that make the shift fly by.

Susan calls out to her, and Abby goes to join her with whatever case she’s working on. She begins to get a little suspicious when it’s clear they’re taking the long way to anywhere other than the lounge.

“Susan, what are you—”

“Okay, so spill. How many times did you and Luka ring in the new year? Is it weird at work now?”

Abby is aghast. She and Susan are close, but this is a new level of inquisitive. “Uh, everything okay?”

With a roll of her eyes, Susan just says, “Listen, I’m either horny or nauseous all the time right now, and Chuck’s not around right now, so let me live vicariously.”

“Gross. And when are you going to actually announce that you’re pregnant?”

Susan deflates. “As soon as I can figure out how to tell Kerry I’m probably going to need extended maternity leave. This baby is not making things easy for me. But stop deflecting.”

“Fine,” Abby says with a sigh. “We...we actually didn’t, um, do that that night.”

“Oh, come on. You expect me to believe that with the way you two were looking at each other?”

“I didn’t say that nothing happened, but we decided it’s not the time for it.”

“Why?” Susan is skeptical, as if she expects to hear about one or both of them chickening out.

For once, that’s not it. “I’m a med student. He’s an attending.”

Susan scoffed. “Oh, you know none of us care about that. Maybe if it were another med student and another attending, but you two have history, and it’s not like you’re just looking for a good time.”

Abby shrugs. “I know that no one in the ER cares. But what about admin? They don’t know me or Luka, really. Or if my school or loan company found out? At the very least, it would look bad. At worst, it could ruin one or both of our careers.”

After a long moment or two of silence, Susan lets out a sigh. “I guess you’re right, but...ugh.”

“It’s very dumb, and neither of us are happy about it.”

“But Luka’s going along with it?”

“Luka might be the one who enforced and reminded me of it.”

“Oh,” she says, blinking, before her mouth curves into a smile, “he really does lo—care about you a lot.”

“Yep,” Abby says, unable to keep her happiness from her face, as frustrated as she is.

“So it’s good, it’s just...on pause.”

“Until I graduate, yeah.”

“Abby, do you think he has a calendar where he’s marking down the days?”

“How do you know I don’t?”

&&&

Luka quickens his pace down the hall, intent on catching up with Carter while he’s alone. “Carter,” he calls out.

Carter turns to see him coming down the hall and smiles up at him. “Hey, what’s up?”

He can’t help a scowl at the other man. “You really thought it was a good idea to not tell anyone that Kem was pregnant? And then to shove it in Abby’s face like that?”

“Listen, Abby asked to see the picture, and it’s not like I cheated—”

“You might not have cheated on her, but it’s only been six months since you broke up. And you really couldn’t have mentioned it in one of the emails, just so I could give her some warning?”

“Contrary to what you and Abby believe, she’s not the center of the world,” Carter snarked.

Luka let out a breath, trying to rein in his temper. “It’s not about that, it’s about respect. She was your friend before she was anything else.”

Carter looks ready to argue, but Luka just glowers at him until his shoulders slump in defeat. “Not my finest moment, huh?”

“Definitely not. Does, uh, does Kem know about you and Abby?”

“She knows we dated, but not how recent it was. Guess I’ll have to tell her, won’t I?” He looks up pleadingly at Luka.

Luka can’t give him an out, though. “Probably, yes, if you value your relationship with her. You know how people talk around here. She’s bound to find out from someone.”

“Yeah.” There’s a pause, and then he continues, “So, you and Abby?”

“We...it’s complicated. Because of the med school thing. But we care about each other a lot, and…”

“And you’ll be there for her no matter what?”

“Yes.”

“Then it should pan out fine.”

“Thanks, I think. And Carter?”

“Yeah?” He raises an eyebrow.

Luka claps a hand onto his shoulder. “I really happy for you and Kem. Congratulations, okay?”

Carter beams, and Luka tries to push down his feelings of envy for what Carter seems to have stumbled upon, what Luka so wants with Abby. “Thanks, man.”

He manages a smile, and with a sigh, he heads to his locker so he can go home.

&&&

Hours later, Abby feels the familiar pounding in her head she gets when a patient doesn’t make it.

Right after she and Susan had finished chatting, Susan had turned an unfortunate green color and ran to the restroom. Kerry had sent her home, and Abby had gotten pulled into a trauma. Luka had too, even though he was supposed to head home ages ago. She’d been able to see him through the plexi windows separating the two trauma rooms, and she half wished she’d been able to be in with him instead of where she was with Carter.

On the bright side, they’d been so focused on trying to save their patient that things hadn’t been able to get awkward between her and Carter.

Now, though, they stand in the mess of trauma green, and all the other students and nurses seem to have made themselves scarce.

Abby is working at removing her dirty smock and gloves when Carter breaks the tense silence. “I’m glad you went back.”

“To med school?” Or does he mean Luka? Is it that obvious? “Yeah, me too.”

“Never should have left.” She holds back a snort; he knows full well why she had to quit.

“Well, timing is everything, right?”

Carter just chuckles.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing.”

With increased irritation, she repeats her question. “What?!”

“You seem happy,” he says with that earnest sincerity that won her over in the first place.

Oh. Right, this is why she and Carter were friends. Her agitation fades into nothingness, and she smiles. “Right back at you.”

“So we’re okay?”

“We’re okay.”

“Good,” he says, letting out a breath. “‘Cause Kem and I were going to get some dinner later and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with us.”

Abby lets out a startled laugh. That’s a bit much, even if she is over him. “Ah, well...not that okay.” She’s still smiling, which softens the blow.

Nodding, Carter tells her he’ll see her tomorrow. Before he makes it to the door, she stops him.

“But if you and Kem want to come to the surprise birthday Luka is planning for me, consider yourselves invited.”

He snorts. “Subtlety still isn’t his strong suit, is it?”

“No, not at all. It’s kind of nice, though.”

His laugh turns self-deprecating. “I bet it is after, the last year or so.”

She bites her lip. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, Abby. For not being more understanding when we were together, and for today.”

“Apology accepted. I wasn’t exactly at my best either when we were together.”

He shakes his head, not disagreeing. “Did you know that Luka came up and told me off about today?”

She can’t help but smile. “Oh god, I didn’t think he was serious about doing that.”

Carter ducks his head, shoulders shaking with his mirth. “So...you two, huh?”

“Yeah. I guess you weren’t wrong about there still being stuff between us.”

“Then I’m glad for you, even if Luka says it’s complicated by you being in med school.”

“It is, but I’m just glad he and I are back in each other’s lives like that,” Abby tells him honestly.

“I am too. You two deserve happiness together.”

“Thanks, John.”

“And Abby?”

“Yeah?”

He grins at her, that boyish smile that no longer gives her butterflies in her stomach, but still one she can’t help but return. “You’re going to kick med school’s ass.”

&&&

About a week after her birthday, Abby starts her NICU rotation. Neela’s there too, and it’s a relief not to be alone.

It’s...well, it’s hell. Nothing in OB could have prepared her for this, the chaos, the stress, the unrelenting tension.

She misses sleep, her apartment, and most of all, she misses Luka. They may need some distance to keep things from heating up, but she’s not used to being away from him like this anymore.

Abby feels like an idiot, something she doesn’t deal with often now that Romano’s gone. In the rare breaks when she’s not in the NICU or sleeping, she calls Luka. They usually don’t talk for long, but it’s enough to keep her going and remind her that there’s a world outside that she’ll be able to rejoin soon enough. He also reminds her that she’s capable and intelligent, even if adjusting to new rotations is hard.

Carter comes up after a week of her being there. He’s nervous, she can tell. She can hear his worry over Kem, about fatherhood, and somehow it mends the last of the wounds from their relationship. He loves Kem and the future he’s building with her, and frankly, Abby’s never been happier for him. Whatever she tells him must get through to him, because he reassures her that she’s going to be a great doctor.

Things start looking up. That is, until little Jake Kolber dies. It feels like shit, in a way that being in the ER doesn’t, and she can’t wait to get back. Dr. Weaver, there with Sandy and their young son, Henry, agrees that she wants Abby back down there. Dr. Raab may want her up in NICU, but needs to be back downstairs where she belongs.

After their celebratory rooftop cigars and apple cider, courtesy of Kerry, Abby and Neela make their way down. Neela heads to the train immediately, but Abby stops at Admit to see if Luka’s in.

Unfortunately, he’s just gone home after taking an extended shift to cover for Susan. She silently curses to herself and decides to splurge on a cab home.

As soon as she gets into her apartment, she grabs the phone and sinks down onto the couch, pulling off her coat and scarf. She dials his number, hoping she can catch him before he goes to sleep.

He answer on the third ring. “Abby?”

“Hey. Am I catching you at a bad time?”

“No, I was just getting ready for bed. Long, long shift.”

“Then I won’t keep you. I just wanted to call now that the NICU rotation is over.”

She can hear his smile through the phone. “You did it. I’m sorry I forgot, I meant to be there, but…”

“Luka, you were on for an absurdly long time. Frank told me.”

“Yeah. But I feel better hearing your voice.”

“Me too,” she says. God, she’d be twirling the phone cord if this thing weren’t cordless.

“Was it good? Still want to be an ER doc?”

“Ugh, yes. It was good work up there, but...I don’t know. Working with a baby for over three weeks only to watch him die...I can’t do it.”

“Yeah,” he says, and then goes quiet.

Shit, a sore spot. “Sorry, I didn’t—I’m sorry, Luka.”

“Abby, it’s fine. It’s...it’s just a little weird right now, with Susan and Chuck, Carter and Kem, and Kerry and Sandy all having kids.”

She makes a sympathetic sound. “Still. Sorry. Anything I can do?”

“You can get ice cream with me tomorrow, since I know you’re free. I’m off too.”

“Oh, yes, please.”

“It’s a date. Or not. Well, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah,” she agrees, grinning goofily at how flustered he is.

“I’ve missed you. Can’t wait to see you then.”

“Does two work?”

“Yeah.”

&&&

They meet downtown and get their ice cream to go, and Abby suggests they go to “their” bench. Luka agrees easily, even if it’s still too cold for the combination of ice cream and being outside. It’s worth it for Abby.

“Are you ready to be back in the ER?”

“Yeah, after a couple days off.”

“You’re off tomorrow too, yeah?”

“Fortunately, yes,” she says just as they reach the bench.

They sit next to each other, Luka staying close. For warmth, obviously. Once they settle in, he asks, “Now that it’s over, what did you think of NICU?”

“Oof. It was good and I learned a lot, but it was so hard. Especially with so many of our friends having just had kids or expecting them.”

“And Kerry and Sandy had a baby?”

“Yep. And hey, did you know that Kerry isn’t the hardass in that relationship?”

He laughs. He hasn’t spent a lot of time with Kerry and Sandy together, but he can see it. “She was nice to you up there?”

“Yeah. Sandy wasn’t awful, she just wanted someone who wasn’t a med student to work with Henry,” Abby explains.

“Understandable enough, I suppose.”

“Carter came up to see me.”

“Oh? I’m sorry I didn’t get to.” She’s so brilliant, he wishes he could have seen her in action up there, but the NICU...like she said, it’s a hard place.

“Nah, I was so busy that I wouldn’t have been able to pay much attention to you.”

“What, you don’t think I can distract you?” Luka grins and wraps an arm around her, enjoying the way she leans in and rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

She reaches down and pinches his thigh. “Not the point. But yeah, Carter came up. I think he was just worried about Kem and the baby and needed to talk.”

“Why didn’t he talk to me?” Luka grumbles.

Abby hesitates. “I—I think he’s worried about bringing up the baby to you too much. For you. And what happened to you…”

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”

She shrugs, but tucks her arm around his waist. He leans his head on top of hers, letting her warmth and proximity soothe the hurts that still arise sometimes.

Then she takes a deep breath and pulls back a bit. “Luka? Since we’re on the topic...”

“Yes?” His pulse races; he can’t think of where this is going, but all of the options are, well...they could change things.

“I—I had an abortion.”

“When?” His ears are buzzing, and questions fill his mind. With Carter? With him? Why?

She bites her lip, and he can feel her glance, though he’s avoiding her eyes. “Oh, um. With Richard, a couple years before we got divorced.”

Some of the tension drains from him, and she must be able to sense it, because she hurries to continue, “I had just started med school, and I’d only been sober for a year or so. Richard and I weren’t doing well, and we didn’t—well, we weren’t together much. It was too much for me to handle, and I just couldn’t—”

“Abby, you don’t owe me an explanation,” he says, letting out a breath and looking down at her. She’s getting increasingly agitated, and his heart twists that she’s so worried and upset. Tightening his arm around her shoulder, he holds her, waiting.

And truthfully, he needs a chance to think. He’s wanted kids again—hell, even with Danijela he had wanted a big family—for so long. If that’s not something she wants…

“I do, though, if we’re really, um, if I—if we really want to make things work later,” she says apologetically.

Then it hits him, like a bolt of lightning, and everything slides into place. “So then we can talk about it, but what I mean is you don’t need to apologize to me for the past or things that happened when we weren’t—we didn’t even know each other. It’s...the only thing that matters is that you’re okay.”

Abby stops and considers this, nodding. “I am. I mean...it’s just a lot, you know? Things weren’t great with Richard, and with my mom and now my brother being bipolar, it’s overwhelming.”

Luka pauses, trying to figure out how to proceed in this delicate, important conversation that’s far beyond his normal communicative powers.

“And, um, I know that right now we can’t do anything, but I just—well, you’re made to be a dad, I’ve seen you with kids. I…”

“I do want to be a father,” he says, cutting her off, “and with most, uh—ugh, I’m afraid if I say what I’m thinking that I’ll scare you or make you nervous, and I don’t want you to think I have any expectations.”

Abby snorts. “Clearly beating around the bush isn’t getting us very far along. So...maybe we should just say it, Luka. I can’t promise I won’t be scared or nervous, but I do promise to try.”

Pulling his arm from around her shoulder so he can reach for her hand, he entwines their gloved fingers. With a fortifying breath in, he continues, “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but if I have to choose between having kids and being with you, well, I’m going to pick you. I’ve...I’ve tried to focus on children and having a family, with Nicole and even a little with Carol. But with you, you’re the one I want more than all the rest.”

Then he can’t talk anymore, because she’s leaping into his embrace.

With a sniffle, she says, “I’m not saying you’ll have to choose, either. It just scares me a lot, because I want it, but there are so many things that can go wrong.”

“But, Abby? There are so many things that can go right. I’m not trying to talk you into anything, but even with losing them, every minute with my kids...it was worth it. And that can be enough, if that’s…”

“Yeah.”

He pulls her completely onto his lap, not caring that they’re in public. If anyone else is determined to take a walk on this frigid February day and judge them, they can have at it. Luka doesn’t even care, not with his heart and arms so full.

They sit there like that for a long while, until Luka finally breaks the contented silence. “So, just a nice, soothing conversation over some ice cream, eh?”

Giggling, she responds in kind, “Oh, absolutely. Gotta keep it light and airy.”

“Speaking of airy, are you cold?”

“Nah, I’m good right now. Something about body heat,” she says, and kisses him on the cheek. It’s such a sweet, simple gesture, and it nearly undoes him.

He squeezes her in a tight hug before loosening his grip. “Anything I have to say about body heat won’t be appropriate, and I don’t want you to scold me.”

“Oh, please. You love when I scold you.”

“I really do,” Luka says, brushing his lips over the adorable upturn of her nose. “But it is cold, and maybe we should get coffee, yeah?”

“Sounds perfect.”

#luby #luby ff #er #er ff #luka x abby #nbc er #hope for dummies #amber writes #they are being so smart! the smartest timeline!

[freedom-shamrock]

Two are Better, But Three is Best - Chapter Two

Also on AO3

<<< Previous Chapter

Spa day

"Aren't you glad I volunteered to help you with this?" Marinette asked.  She directed the shower head with one hand, while the other massaged his scalp in a way that wasn't strictly necessary for this particular task.

"Hmmm," he hummed loudly, a big grin on his face. "You're spoiling me.  I'm going to want you to help me every time I do this now." He was arched awkwardly over the side of the bathtub, in what appeared to be the world's most complicated yoga pose.

"Oh the horror.  But seriously, we need to get you a tall stool or chair and an extender so we can do this in the sink next time," she suggested, pleased by the idea of this becoming a regular activity.  It had been a fun couple of hours, bleaching his tips, giving each other pedicures, and catching up. "How exactly were you planning on doing this on your own?"

"I probably would have ended up with dye in a few places I don't really want it," he replied with a snicker. "That's what happened during uni when the facilities weren't ideal, anyway."

A surprised laugh bubbled out of her as an image of mostly naked Luka with streaks of blue-green down his shoulders and chest. "Yeah.  Let's not do that." The water was running clear, so she stopped scrubbing and leaned over to turn off the taps.  She squeezed out the excess water and wrapped the dark towel around his head. "Need help up from that position?"

He twitched a little before holding a hand out to her.  "Yes. All the yes. I think my spine hates me now."

She grasped his hand firmly and slowly pulled him up to a more neutral position, careful not to jerk on his shoulder.

"Holy crap, how do I always forget… ouch… how strong you are?"  He winced and curled his shoulders in as he attempted to fix his back.

"I guess we're in for a total spa day," she said.  "Come lie down on the living room floor and I'll give you a backrub."

"Yessss," he groaned, staggering out of the bathroom after her. "But this is really unfair.  I'm getting all the special treatment, and you've only gotten a pedi." He sprawled, belly-down on the little round rug he'd set up in his living room.  He'd told her it seemed like a nice place to meditate and center himself.

"Well maybe you can help me dye my hair next, then," she suggested.  "Though we need to do some shopping first so I don't have to contort myself or risk dying my skin."

He twisted to look at her, his blue eyes huge. "What?" he whispered.

"I want to keep the top layer black, but dye the underlayer red."  She grinned at him. "I've wanted to do it for a while, but I was way too busy with classes to even consider something like that."

"You're going to look so hot," he cried, flopping onto the floor.  "As if you weren't already super hot."

"Pffft."  She laughed.  "Glad you think so.  I mean, we're trying the dating thing, it'd be convenient if you found me attractive."

"Is this our first date?" he asked, with a gasp.  "This would be the weirdest first date."

"No, this is preparation for our first date, which will be dinner, tonight," she countered.  "There's no rule that we can't help each other rather than relying on other friends."  She moved to stand astride his hips. "No moving. I'm working here." She settled one foot across his spine at the top of his pelvis.  She slowly shifted her weight, watching to make sure it wasn't uncomfortable for him. After a moment, she was able to lift her other foot to his back so she could slowly inch her way up toward his shoulders.

He let out happy little moans as the bones gently crunched back into place.  "Oh god, Marinette... that's amazing." His voice was a little extra wheezy as he worked against her weight to breathe.

"Good," she agreed.  "That's the way it's supposed to be."  Once she had worked her way back to her starting point, she sat down on top of him to dig in with her hands. Fortunately, he had no knots that needed to be worked out.

"Ngh," he moaned into the rug. "If it's all the same to you, I'm just counting today as one long date.  Best date ever, by the way."

"You goof." She leaned forward and nudged the towel wrapped around his head out of the way so she could kiss his cheek.  "I guess it's a good thing I planned to get ready here instead of going home between hanging out and going out. I have my date clothes in my haversack."

He twisted his chin to his shoulder and looked up at her out of one eye, grinning happily. "You always plan just right.   How do you do that?"

She laughed.  "Ancient Chinese secret." She tapped him lightly on the nose.  She didn't need to point out that she overthought everything all the time, and therefore planned for all contingencies.

"Well that might buy us just enough time to go shopping for your hair color and a shower sprayer with a longer hose," he suggested.  "Probably not enough time to do your hair, but we can be ready for tomorrow, or whenever it works for you."

"Brilliant," she said, climbing off his back. "But you generally are."

"Let me just grab my shirt and some shoes," he said, getting quickly to his feet and darting toward his bedroom.

It had been a really great day.  She'd arrived late enough in the morning that they'd both gotten to sleep in, but still early enough that breakfast pastries were the perfect snack.  They'd been able to relax as they caught up on each others' final semesters of the year. He'd done a really nice job on her toenails, alternating Ladybug and Chat Noir designs.  She'd gotten to manhandle him a bit with the hair washing and the massage, both of which brought out the cutest noises from him. It would be fair to say she'd been more hands-on than was fully necessary, and he seemed as receptive as she could've hoped.

He came out of his room a moment later in a black faded concert t-shirt. His towel was gone, and the tips of his hair shone bright against the still damp black strands.

"Oh, that's turned out nice," she said, looking at the near finished end result.  "That's one of my favorite colors on you."

"Really?" Over the years he'd tried most of the colors in the rainbow.

She nodded.  "It's the color you were wearing when we met.  Back when Juleka was in her purple phase."

"Nostalgic, are we?" he asked.

She shook her head. "It's just always suited you.  No need to mess with perfection, right?" She reached out to flick the damp hair over his shoulder.

"God you make me happy," he said, shaking his head a little.  "Just being with you today, Nette, it's been…" He let out a contented sounding sigh. "I don't remember when I last felt this good."

She liked the hint of pink in his cheeks.  Guys who could actually blush were a definite weakness.  "Can I kiss you?" she asked, wanting to show him the same consideration he'd already shown her, though she was pretty sure of his answer.

"Anytime you want," he offered, moving closer.

"Good to know." She planted a light peck on his lips, pulling back just enough to speak. "You have permission, too.  In case you were wondering." Catching his shoulder with one hand, and wrapping her other arm around his neck, she stretched up to give him a much more vigorous kiss.  He met her enthusiasm with her own, lifting her feet of the floor as her fingers wound themselves into his damp hair.

After several long moments, he pressed his cheek against hers.  "We are totally going to have to come back to this later, but if we don't stop now, we might not have time to go shopping."

She nodded. "Am I making you lose track of time?" she teased as her toes touched the floor again.

"You really need to ask?" He kissed her forehead. "Best distraction, ever."

Check out Chapter 3  >>>

I’m not following a set posting plan, but will try to have at least one chapter up per week.

⁂

If you’re so inclined, feel free to support me over on Ko-Fi

#Miraculous Ladybug #fanfic #My Writing #Marinette #Luka #Lukanette #Two are Better

[dadplagg-mamatikki]

This is an update reminder that the next chapter of Behind Bars has been published! As along with the other chapters, read at your own risk due to spoilers for Season 3 and 2! Thank you for reading! 

Chapter 3: The Descent

Marinette looked around the courtyard, seeing all her friends with a crush or boyfriend/girlfriend. Sighing to herself, she knew she had to give Adrien some space, he had been cozying up to Kagami lately and genuinely seemed happy with her. Marinette needed to take a moment and allow herself to have some fun also. She had planned on going to the fair with Alya and Nino, but she didn’t want to be a third wheel. So why not ask her friends all go and just so happens to be group dates? Taking a deep breath, she approached Adrien and Kagami with shaky hands. Heart pounding, she wasn’t prepared for basically setting her future-husband with a picture-perfect girl who was perfect in almost every way. Well, more perfect than she-herself was. At least Kagami didn’t drop everything at the slight of a hat. Or create a hat that her love was allergic to. Smiling as she finally approached the two, she waved at them.

    “Hey guys.”

    “Hey Marinette!” Adrien spoke chipper as always.

    “Hello Marinette.” Kagami nodded, eyes squinting at her, she obviously saw how Marinette fumbled around Adrien and could add two and two together.

    “So, are you guys doing anything day after tomorrow?” Marinette asked, intertwining her fingers in front of her abdomen, nerves causing her to wring her fingers.

    “Uh. Nothing to my knowledge.” Kagami said, a perfect eyebrow raised.

    “I don’t think I have anything after an 8am photoshoot. What’s up?” Adrien then raised a perfect eyebrow.

   “Well, Alya, Nino and I were going to go to the fair and I didn’t want to be a third wheel, so I figured I’d invite everyone. Kinda like a mega-group date?” Marinette explained.

    “And who all would be going on this ‘mega-group date’ thing?” Kagami asked, air quotes around mega-group date.

    “Well,” Marinette brought her fingers up, scrunching her index fingers together then separate them before pushing them together once more. “Nino and Alya, Ivan and Mylène, Juleka and Rose, Luka and I, Kim and Undine, and you two if you would like that.” Marinette explained, looking at them with eyes that seemed to be pleading. The two in question shared a look, with a shrug between them.

    “I can see what I can do, if you would like to go?” Adrien asked Kagami, looking at her with a gentle smile. “I think it would be fun.” She looked between Adrien and herself, thinking awfully hard about it.

    “And you’ll be with Luka?” Kagami asked Marinette with a slight nod of her head. Marinette in healed deeply before looking up at Kagami.

    “Yeah. I will be.” She needed to actually ask Luka.

    “Then yes, I will go with Adrien.” A slight blush arose on Kagami’s cheeks, causing Marinette’s heart to drop into her stomach.

    “Ok cool! I’ll go share the news.” Marinette smiled at them before turning away, heading to find Alya and the girls. She felt a comforting push against her leg, Tikki trying to comfort her as best as possible. Why did she do this to herself? But then again, Luka was a nice guy. They had a lot in common. And after Silencer, with the words Luka had said to her not once, but twice. That’s a good indication that she should at least give him another chance. Not let her love for Adrien get in the way of being happy with someone else, especially when someone as perfect as Kagami was interested in Adrien. They even fenced together! Sparring partners. And their parents knew each other and seemed to be in some kind of deal together already. It’s only a matter of time before Kagami and Adrien pose together for Gabriel clothes. She rounded the entrance to the locker room and saw Alya talking to Nino.

    “Hey, Alya, can I steal you for a minute and go find Mylène?” Marinette asked with a pained smile. Alya shared a look with Nino, clearly seeing the discomfort in the smile Marinette attempted to present as happy.

    “Yeah, of course girl. I’ll see you in class Nino.” Alya kissed his cheek before she takes Marinette’s hand and head towards the girls’ bathroom. “Do you really need Mylène?” She whispers.

    “Kinda?” Marinette managed, her eyes zoning out ever so slightly, seeming to distance herself from the moment at hand and the reality she just created for herself.

    “Well, it seems like that’ll have to wait for now.” Alya spoke, looking at her best friend with concern as they stepped into the bathroom, going and standing in front of Marinette, hands on her shoulders. “What happened?”

    “Nothing. I just invited Adrien and Kagami to go to the fair with us and Luka. I need to talk to Mylène and Ivan, Juleka and Rose, oh! I should also invite Nathaniel and Marc. I also said that Kim and Undine were invited also.”

    “Marinette, breathe!” Alya interrupted her best friend. “Stop talking for a moment and take a deep breath.” Marinette nodded and followed the instructions from her best friend. “Now, why did you invite everyone?” Once again Marinette’s fingers pulled up into the inching snail position.

    “Because I didn’t want to be a third-wheel to you and Nino.” She avoided her best friends gaze. “And I wanted to hang out with a lot of my friends. And Adrien so happens to be a friend and he’s been getting awfully friendly with Kagami lately, so I invited them as a duo. And I’ll have Luka for my duo.” Marinette explained, refusing to look at Alya. “But it’s fine, really.” Marinette smiled gently, finally looking at Alya.

    “Are you sure girl?”

    “Yes. I mean, this is one way I will get to spend more time with him also.” She explained to her. “To strengthen our friendship.”

    “If you are sure, Marinette.” Alya says with a slight shrug of a shoulder, crossing her arms as worry creased her eyebrows. 

    “Yeah,” Marinette put on her best smile. “I am.” She went over to her best friend, linking arms with her before heading out and towards their class. “So, any new dish on Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Marinette hopped that the bait would allow the change in subject. With a raised eyebrow, Alya followed Marinette’s lead, unsure of what just occurred.

    “Well, at the moment just some theories of my own. Nothing unusual has occurred during the attacks besides the akuma’s being unusual themselves. I have an interview setup with someone to discuss what it’s like to have been saved by them. What I really need to do is set up an interview with August’s mom.” Alya let a giggle escape her, covering her mouth with her free hand. “Poor baby keeps getting akumatized. When will Hawkmoth realize akumatizing a toddler is not the best idea?”

    “He’s not even a toddler!” Marinette laughed, shaking her head. “I do question Hawkmoth as to why he continues to akumitize poor little August.” She shakes her head as they arrive to the classroom, separating at the stairs so they can go up their respective sides. 

    “Maybe he just needs a babysitter so his mom can have a break.”

    “It’s always for a lollipop.” Adrien voiced from where he was sitting, turning to look at Alya and Marinette sitting down. “August, the baby, always wants a lollipop. But his mother keeps telling him no.” He shakes his head, for some reason he looked very exasperated. 

    “Why doesn’t his mom just give him a lollipop?” Nino asked, adjusting his hat.

    “Well, I can see it as a choking hazard for someone so young, especially if left unsupervised. Not to mention the sugar, now if it was sugar free it would be less of an issue then.” Marinette explained, tapping her chin. “So, I don’t understand why she doesn’t try and find something else for him to enjoy.” 

    “Age wise, I would say 3 or 4. That’s what Mom would tell Etta and Ella when they asked for one younger than that.” Alya explained, getting out her stuff for class as others start arriving in to class.

    “Then I agree with Marinette, why doesn’t she find him something else to have?” Adrien raised an eyebrow causing everyone to shrug.

    “If only we knew.” Marinette spoke softly, shaking her head. That would free up a lot of time that Chat Noir and her would be dealing with lately because of Gigantatitan. Maybe she’ll be able to get some homework done. She really needs to make sure her grades don’t slip again. They all look towards the front of the class when Mme. Bustier enters and greets the class. 

    Marinette had planned on talking to Mylène and Ivan about the fair coming up once classes were dismissed. She smiled when she saw them outside in the courtyard on a bench. Quickly heading over, Marinette waved upon arrival.

    “Hey guys!”

    “Hey Marinette, what can we do for you?” Mylène smiled at her, tilting her head.

    “Well, I was wanting to invite you two along to a group going to a fair as a group.” Marinette smiled at them two. “It’s basically going to be a giant date I believe because everyone’s going in pairs.” Ivan blushed as he looked down at his and Mylène’s intertwined hands.

    “Sounds fun. What do you think Ivan?” She looked over at him, her gentle amber eyes gazing upon Ivan.

    “Sounds fun as long as I’m with you.” Ivan replies, bringing up her hand to kiss it gently. Marinette’s heart bout exploded due to the cuteness.

    “Awesome! I’ll create a group chat so that we can all get on the same page about it and there won’t be much confusion.”

    “Even though you’ll probably still be late.” Mylène smiled at Marinette as she teased her friend gently.

    “Most likely, you know how I tend to be at these things.” Marinette blushed, waving the comment off, images of her as Ladybug dealing with akumas whenever she and the girls were meant to hang out flashed through her mind. “I’ll be surprised if I make it to my wedding on time.” Marinette laughed nervously.

    “You’ll probably be too worried about Adrien to remember that you have to walk down the aisle.” Ivan said softly, his eyes on Mylène but the comment was clearly dedicated to Marinette.

    “Uh hah- uHm. You’re probably r-right Ivan. Anyways, I’ll um let you guys enjoy your lunch break, yeah. I’ll be headed to the bakery.” Marinette finger gunned towards them two as she began backing up, awkwardly fumbling over her feet as she did so, turning and lowering her head as she headed towards the doors.

    “Don’t forget to create the group chat thing!” Mylène called out causing Marinette to throw up a thumbs up hand gesture letting her know that she, did indeed, get the message. Marinette stepped outside and looked towards her home, thinking suddenly about going and seeing Master Fu, maybe talking to him about the issue of Hawk Moth probably being Adrien’s dad would help her decide what to do. She headed to her home to pick up some deserts and a set of sandwiches to offer Master Fu, bringing along snacks shouldn’t be a bad idea. It would also give Marinette a distraction so that she wouldn’t have to look him in the eye when she brought this up again. 

    Before she forgot, she pulled out her phone, starting to set up a group chat with her and her friends for the fair. Scrolling through the contacts, she realized she forgot to ask Juleka, Rose and Luka. They were typically all three together at Juleka’s place so Marinette decided she could stop by there before visiting Master Fu. Clicking the button to complete the making of the group chat, she nodded to herself, quickly typing up a message for those in the chat to know what that was about. She locked her phone, sliding it in her purse. She looked to see Tikki sleeping, curled up with a chocolate cookie. Warmth swelled in Marinette’s heart for the affection she held to her kwami. Tikki had turned into truly one of her best friends. So had Chat, which made her think about how she really needed to talk to Fu so that she could discuss it with Chat also. Well, maybe they should have a meeting, but having Tikki and Plagg present would be beneficial also. 

    Arriving to her home, she entered the bakery and waved to her parents who were busy waiting on customers. She rounded the back and headed up to their home. Once she arrived in the kitchen, she began making some sandwiches and grab some previous day pastries. Humming a Jagged Stone song, she finished up the items for Master Fu and added everything into a brown bag, grabbing a separate one for the pastries to leave with Juleka. She looked down to check on Tikki to see she was still snoozing. Marinette turned and headed down the stairs, waving and saying bye to her parents, making sure not to disturb them as they were tending to customers. 

         The walk to the Couffaines’ was short and nice, a gentle breeze blowing to allow the air not to be still. Arriving to the houseboat, Marinette paused on the plank.

"Juleka?" She called out. "Luka?" 

"Marinette! Welcome!" Their mom spoke, appearing out of nowhere before gesturing her to join her on the boat. "Come aboard! The mates are below deck! Go ahead and visit." She smiled, tipping her hat to Marinette before heading back to the captain's quarters. Marinette smiled and headed onto the sip, going down to where she knew Juleka would be. She could hear Luka strumming a guitar from somewhere on the boat. Entering Juleka’s room, she waved seeing that Rose was next to her, writing some stuff down.

"Hey Marinette! What are you doing here?" Juleka asked, tilting her head.

"I came to ask you two and Luka a question." Marinette explained before holding up their goodies. "I thought you guys would like some stuff from the bakery."

"Are you trying to bribe us for something, Marinette?" A cool voice sounded from where the door was. Turning her head, she saw Luka leaning against the door frame, a gentle smile on his lips as he looked at her.

"Not intentionally." Marinette laughed a little awkwardly, her cheeks tinting a slight bit. 

"Well, what was the question?" Rose asked, coming up to investigate the bag. "Oooh! Strawberry! My favorite. Thank you, Marinette." Rose gave her a side hug, which she happily returned.

"Of course, Rose. And I was thinking of a mega group date?" Marinette shrugged one shoulder as she held up her hand. "I've already asked Mylene and Ivan, Kagami and Adrien, Nino and Alya were the original two people besides me." She counted off with her fingers. "And I am still needing to ask Kim and Undine, Nathaniel and Marc, and yeah.." Marinette trailed off with a smile, dropping her hand to look at them. "I figured you two could go as a pair," She turned to look at Luka. "And you and I go as a pair." She explained. "If you guys want to of course." She looked among her friends, trying to resist the skip of her heart when she looked upon Luka who was smiling at her cheerily with a light blush on his cheekbones. 

"Oh! That sounds super fun!" Rose said excitedly, clapping best she could while holding her strawberry filled croissant.  

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Juleka spoke softly, a gentle smile on her lips as she nodded. Reaching into the bag to pull out the blueberry Danish. "Thanks for the danish, Marinette. Blueberry is my favorite." 

"Of course, Juleka." Marinette smiled happily at her before turning to Luka. "I didn't know your favorite treat, so I picked a macaroon for you." She smiled simply at him, offering the bag. "I'll add you guys to the group chat. But I've got to run for now." Marinette explained as she began to head out.

"I'll walk you out, Marinette." Luka spoke softly and the gentleness carried up to his eyes.

"O-Ok. See you girls later." Marinette waved back to Rose and Juleka before turning and following Luka out.

"Thank you for inviting me Marinette." He looked down at her with a sweet smile. 

"Yeah! Of course. I figured after the ice-skating adventure, this would be fun also." She smiled up at him. "So, it's like a… date. If you want it to be, of course!" Marinette spoke quickly, feeling her cheeks warmed up at the mention of the d word.

"It will be an honor to accompany you, Marinette. I know with your melody; it'll inspire my harmony." He rested a hand on her shoulder, approaching the staircase. "Thank you, I'm excited for our date." He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently, backing away slowly. "If you need anything, before then, don't hesitate to let me know." He smiled at her, warmth in his eyes.

"I will, Luka. Thank you." Marinette smiled at him. Gaining the courage, she wrapped her arms around his waist before pecking his cheek as she steps back. "Have a good day." She says happily with a blush before heading up the stairs and off the boat. 

"Wow Marinette! I'm so proud of you!" Tikki spoke up from popping her head from her purse.

"What for Tikki?" She asked, slightly puzzled as she looked down at her kwami. 

"You asked Luka out on a date! I find that as a big step for you. Cause even though you still like Adrien, you can recognize the chance for both of you to be happy with someone else." Tikkis’ eyes light up at the change in her charge. 

"Oh well thank you, Tikki." She sighs as she walks down the sidewalk, heading to Master Fu's. "I just hope some of the courage I had back there carries over to this conversation as well." Marinette sighs as she reaches to pull out her phone, adding the three to the group chat.

"I'll be there for you." Tikki patted Marinette's hand when she replaced the phone in her purse.

“Thank you, Tikki. At least you’ll be able to be out in the open at Master Fu’s.” Marinette thought out loud as they walked along the path. The air had a slight chill to it, or the wind, maybe it’ll storm later tonight. Glancing up at the sky, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. That didn’t shake the cold sensation that went around Marinette. The more she focused on it, the more it felt like she was being watched. Glancing around, she didn’t see anyone out of the ordinary. Everyone was minding their own business, going about their own errands and tasks. No one was paying attention to Marinette from what she could see. “Tikki, does it feel like someone’s watching us?” She whispered, her lips barely moving so people wouldn’t see her talking to ‘herself’.

“I do have a strange feeling, and I don’t like it.” Tikki responded, Marinette felt her shift deeper into her purse.

“Glad to know I’m not the only one.” She mumbled, looking around before continuing along her way. She didn’t go the normal way, opting to confuse anyone if they were indeed following her. Her heart was speeding by the time she arrived at Master Fu’s in what she felt like was safely. Nerves were high as she glanced around the street, seeing that she was alone, she quickly ducked down the side ally to head to Master’s back entrance. Once she had just gotten in the door, she left it cracked just to see if she could hear anyone. After waiting what seemed like five minutes, when it was probably only three, she heard what sounded like footsteps come to a pause. She held her purse closer to her hip, hiding the best she could behind the door, wondering who it was that had been following her. She felt Tikki’s movement as she phased out of the purse, Marinette didn’t watch to see what Tikki did, trusting her with whatever she was doing. The footsteps sounded as if they retreated, causing Marinette to fully close the door silently before leaning against it. She was being followed. But who was the perpetrator? Did Hawkmoth or Mayura find out her civilian identity? Or was it some guy that was going to mug her? None of the options were good. Taking a deep breath, she looked around for Tikki, not seeing her little kwami anywhere sent panic through Marinette.

“Tikki!?” She whispered-shouted for her dear friend, looking around as she did.

“Shh. I’m right here Marinette.” Tikki flew down from the ceiling, going and hugging Marinette’s cheek. “It’s ok. They're gone. I wanted to make sure you were safe. But we need to get to Master immediately.” Nodding in agreement, Marinette opened up her purse so that Tikki could fly back in without phasing before quickly heading up the stairs to Master’s home. She didn’t need to knock, for Master Fu had opened the door as she approached, gesturing her in quickly and shutting the door behind her quickly.

“Wayzz told me we were going to have a visitor.” He nodded to Marinette, a grave look on his face. “But when he felt Tikki’s appearance, it wasn’t right. She was distressed and he wanted to check it out. Are you ok Marinette? I’ve started a pot of tea.” She held her arms close to her, feeling shaky a bit.

“I am now that I’m here.” She mumbled, not wanting to look at Fu. Tikki flew out of her purse and kissed Marinette’s nose.

“We have something to share with you, Master.” Tikki spoke softly, turning around to bow to the master before resting on her charge’s shoulder.

“What would that be?” Master arched a fuzzy eyebrow as he stroked his beard.

“I think I figured out Hawkmoth’s identity,” Marinette said gravely as she sat the box of food on the table, opening it up to reveal the sandwiches. “I should’ve trusted my gut a long time ago. I have a list of facts between the two.” She began explaining as she sat down her backpack, taking out a folded piece of paper and handing it to Master Fu. “Gabriel Agreste.”

#Chapter 3 #Behind Bars #Behind Bars chapter 3 #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #Master Fu #miraculous ladybug #full chapter #story #ao3 #ao3 link #my story #tada #late but here ya go #it's chapter three because the first chapter is the prolog #oops #too late to fix it now