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When Luka heard Marinette’s name ring through Juleka’s afterschool blabber he quieted his thoughtful strumming and listened closely to what his sister was explaining to their mother.“Well I don’t see why not!” The captain replied gleefully, “Go ahead and make it into a sleepover if you wanna! It’s just about the weekend anyway.”“Thanks mom, that’ll be so awesome.” The quiet, yet noticeably happy, reply came.Luka smiled to himself again. He really loved Juleka’s friend group. In the last 3 years she had really opened up her heart and become a brighter and more cheerful girl. Though life has always had a twinge of sadness and strife, she was blossoming with those around her. He even saw her start to put her hair up in ponytails every once in a while, instead of hiding behind the thick, purple-streaked strands. He wished he could thank each and every one of those girls for everything they had done for his sister, it really meant the world to him to see her so happy and alive.Juleka came barreling into his room with a mischievous smile on her lips, startling Luka from his thoughts.“So, mom’s letting me throw a sleepover here tomorrow night! You’re gonna have to get lost by the time Marinette comes over, ok?” The beaming girl told him matter-of-factly.“That’s cool Jules. I’ll be a hobo for a day if I must.” He chuckled back, softly starting to strum the song he had been playing again. He had had it stuck in his head for days now and his sister had teased him relentlessly. Juleka rolled her eyes and jumped onto his bed.“You know, Luka, Marinette is finally gonna tell that boy she likes him today.” Juleka quietly revealed, hiding behind her dark hair.A soft sadness pooled in his stomach and he faked an endearing smile to his sister.“You don’t say! Well good for her, I’m happy she’s finding the courage I always knew she had.”Juleka visibly relaxed and smiled. He had a feeling that Juleka knew his secret, sisters just know these things.“Yeah, Marinette is awesome.” She responded pulling her hair up into a messy bun and pulled her arms around her brother’s shoulders in an awkward hug.“I know I don’t say it a lot, but I’m grateful to have you as my brother.”“And I don’t know what I’d do without you, crazy girl.” He replied booping her nose with a wink. Juleka giggled warmly and leapt of the bed and wandered out of the room with a shallow wave.Luka thought back to the cold dark nights of their parent’s divorce when he used to boop her nose and whisper encouragements to help dry the tears. She had always told him that he was so strong and so kind, that he would be the most amazing lover to a lucky girl one day. He hoped she was right. He looked forward to the day he could do what his father couldn’t. He was determined to be a better man. He looked forward to finding that love that his favorite songs all talked about. For now, he only had eyes for a particular dark-haired sweetheart that made the world around him sing. Only problem was, she had her eyes somewhere else. He smiled sadly to himself and began to play the song again this time whispering the words to himself.
I fell in love with a beautiful girl, she still takes my breath away.
I fell in love in the morning sun while the hours slipped away.
Sometimes when I hear your name a smile creeps on my face
And for reasons I can’t explain It’s never out of place
Cause I love you more than you think I do…
The Sun sank lower in the sky as Luka sang his sadness away. He was happy that she was going to follow her heart, no matter where that led her. Maybe one day, luck will be on his side.- - - - - - - -Beams of sun sprinkled through Marinette’s window tickling her eyelids awake. She stretched and yawned looking over at her phone to see 6:30 smiling back at her. Now on any other day she would’ve grumbled out of bed wishing school started after lunch, but today was the day!
She sprang out of bed and twirled around with a grin tearing across her face.Yes, today is the day!“Wow! Marinette I’ve never seen you so happy to greet the day” Tikki giggled.“You know full well what day it is, Tikki! I’m finally going to do it!” She sang back as she raided her closet for the cutest outfit she could find.Tikki giggled and rolled her eyes.“Alya would be so proud!”“I can’t believe the girls all convinced me to do this and I’m not a nervous wreck!” Marinette exclaimed throwing her clothes out of her closet one by one. Whatever she wore today, it had to be perfect!“Yet!” Tikki joked. She ducked away from Marinette’s attempt to a giddy jab to her stomach.The spritely fashion designer shook her head and continued to browse through her handmade options. She thought fondly about the last few girls’ nights she’d had over the past several weeks. Alya, Rose, Myléne, Alix and even Juleka had really built up her confidence and enthusiasm. She loved all of their encouragement and determination…and honestly, they were right she needed to say something to that blonde-haired heartthrob before the end of their Senior year. Her phone buzzed with texts from all of her girl friends talking about the plans for tonight’s sleepover aboard the Couffanie’s house boat.She finally got herself dressed in a light blue sleeveless she had designed and tucked it loosely into her long-forgotten pair of white washed capris. To stick to dress-code she put on her dark jean jacket and rolled it playfully up to her elbows. Discarding her signature ponytails, she pulled her hair up into a messy bun and completed her look with a short red satin scarf around her neck. She twirled three times in front of the mirror and smiled widely.“You look so pretty Marinette!” Tikki squealed with delight.“You think so? Do you think he’ll notice?” Marinette mused looking over her outfit one last time.‘How could Adrien not notice, Marinette?” Tikki tapped her cheek and squealed again. “This is going to be an exciting day!”“I hope you’re right Tikki!” Marinette exclaimed starting to feel butterflies swirl in her stomach. She squashed them down with a shake of her head and exhaled loudly. She pulled on her favorite flats and bounded down the stairs for breakfast.- - - - - - -Adrien let out a huge sigh as he stopped his alarm.He was ready for the day and spinning himself in his computer chair waiting for Natalie or the Gorilla to come fetch him. He stared at the celling in silence. Everyday the same gray mornings of boredom and loneliness.Yet despite the lack of warmth he felt in his own house, a gentle smile crept across his lips. Today was the day he was going to finally confess his love for Ladybug fully, no matter the cost. The different scenarios and detransformation ideas during patrol this evening swirled through his mind again.His smile widened as he thought about his lady. Her smile, her blue-bell eyes, her laugh…he’d never give up making ridiculous puns as long as he lived because her laughter was the sweetest music to his ears.“Earth to Adrien! Get out of the clouds, you lovesick fool! I neeeeed camembert to wash away your unusual cheery glow.” Plagg complained into his ear.“Oh, come off it, you know what I’ve resolved to go today! Let a cat be.”“Ewww confessions of love! Spoils my appetite…” Plagg ghosted over to his cabinet of stinky cheese and started devouring his fill as loudly as possible.Adrien shook his head and smiled out the window thinking about his plans.Today was the day.His senior year was coming to a close and he wanted to start his emerging adulthood with an amazing girlfriend.
Girlfriend.
The thought of it sent a sweet blush rolling onto his cheeks. A knock came to the door.“Come on Plagg, it’s time for school.”- - - - - - -Marinette practically danced her way to the school. She had seen a ladybug land on their flowers of their windowsill garden and it made her heart soar! Alya is always reminding her that Ladybugs are good luck.She could use a little extra luck today.“Marinette!”A chorus of excited girls called out to her. She smiled widely to the huddled group of girls near the front of the school. Marinette joined her friends feeling butterflies rise up in her stomach again.“Aw, Marinette you look so beautiful!” Rose gushed happily.“It’s my new favorite look on you!” Myléne affirmed.“Nice” she thought she heard Juleka chime in.“Adrien better flip! That oblivious boy won’t know what he’s missed out on these last few years.” Alya laughed.Marinette felt her cheeks flush hot. Maybe she should’ve just stuck to her usual look.“Alright girl, remember! Start with hello!” Alya coached.“Alya, that is literally the easiest part!” Marinette laughed trying to sound more confident than her spirit was currently.The group of girls all smirked at each other knowingly.“You mean for anyone except Marinette talking to her crush of 3 years.” Alix pointed out.Marinette blushed harder and shuffled her foot nervously. Even now, after three years of being Ladybug, class representative and more confident in herself, she could hardly get a string of words together in front of Adrien. She was such a clutz, what was she thinking?A familiar silver vehicle pulled up to the school and the girls started giggling together.“You’ve got this Marinette!” Alya said as she swung her around and pushed her towards the car.With a deep breath she started to walk forward. Come on Ladybug, you’ve got this! Use a mental lucky charm this time. Focus! Marinette felt her feet slip out from under her and next thing she knew was tumbling into the outstretched arms of the unsuspecting blonde.“Well, good morning Marinette!” Adrien laughed, helping her to her feet properly.“H-h-hey! S-s-sorry about that! Clumsy me…um hey! Oh, wait I already said that…uh, hi! I mean, good morning!” She nervously scratched the back of her neck unable to meet his gaze. All her confidence and mental preparation went out the window and she was starstruck in his presence.“You look nice today, Mari.”He noticed! Marinette felt a blush rise onto her cheeks.“T-thanks Adrien!” She stammered nervously. She glanced over to her girlfriends and saw four pairs of thumbs up radiating back at her. With a new swing of confidence dulling out her giddish butterflies Marinette looked right at Adrien. Those green eyes…“So, I was…um, wondering if later today we could…”Whatever Marinette was about to say was eternally squashed by a familiar shrill coming across the courtyard.“Adrikins!!”Chloe strutted up to the supermodel, brushed roughly past Marinette and gave him an exaggerated French greeting. And pulled him towards the classroom ranting about something.Adrien shrugged his shoulders at Marinette with an apologetic look.“I’ll catch ya later Mari!”Marinette sighed defeatedly. Her girlfriends rushed to her side and sang nothing but praises.“You’ve got all day, Mari, don’t worry” Juleka said patting her shoulder.Marinette smiled at her friend. She loved how much Juleka was coming out of her shell this year. She was still soft spoken and sometimes it was hard to catch everything she said, but she laughed and smiled so much more than she used to.“Yeah girl, take it easy! I can always get an assist from Adrien’s best bud if you need it!” Alya said playfully punching her arm.“If I can’t talk to him by lunch break, I’ll let you get Nino in on this. I know you’re both dying to set us up.” Marinette laughed.It was Alya’s turn to blush. It was so cute to see the adorable pair become so tight knit these last few years. They hardly did anything without the other. It worked out in Marinette’s favor of course, because the more Nino hung out with them, the more she had the chance to see Adrien and melt under his perfect gaze…“Marinette! The school bell is ringing!” Alya called to her.“Oh, right!” she tore off to class with her friends.- - - - - - -Every time she thought she’d have a chance to talk to Adrien she either chickened out or someone else interrupted. By the middle of the day she was starting to get nervous again and finally gave in to Alya’s persistent questioning and allowed Nino to get the inside scoop.“Dudette you’re waaaay over thinking this, trust me!” Nino chuckled. He held up a fist with a devilish smirk. Marinette nervously fist bumped him wondering what she had gotten herself into.“Don’t you worry! He always has a few spare minutes at the end of the last period before he goes off to his next photoshoot. I’ll get him warmed up and then you just happen to be walking by…it’ll be perfect! This will be so swank!” Nino’s excited squabble eased Marinette’s jitters into a laugh.- - - - - - -

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Marinette hung back in the classroom after the last bell rang as she watched Nino and Adrien walk out together. Alya winked at her and smiled.“The girls and I are gonna all be waiting for you at Juleka’s! You better be ready to share all the deets girl!” With another playful punch to the arm, Alya bounded out of the classroom to meet up with the rest of her best friends. She inhaled sharply and let her nervousness glide out with her exhale.“Alright Tikki, let’s do this!” Marinette murmured as she strode out the classroom.She saw Nino and Adrien talking near the front of the school so she walked the long way around and hid herself behind the wall closest to the pair. She could hear their conversation clearly.“So anyway, enough of Mega Strike III! Tell me, what do you think of Marinette?”“Marinette? What about her?”
Marinette’s heart sank a little. What about her? It echoed loudly in her mind.
“Oh, come on dude, don’t play dumb with me. I caught you looking at her in class earlier.”
He was?? How did I not notice?
“Oh,” The supermodel laughed, “She just looked really nice today. I’ve never seen her wear that outfit before.”“Do you think she’s cute?”“Well I mean, yeah, Mari has always been cute.”
Marinette’s heart nearly soared out of her chest. He thinks I’m cute!!
“But Mari’s just a really good friend, Nino.”
Marinette’s heart sank low and she started to buckle at the knees. Just a really good friend? Her heart couldn’t handle the rollercoaster ride he was sending her on.
“Duuude, you’re killing me! You’re not dating anyone and it’s your senior year! You’ve said so yourself that Mari is one of the coolest kids in town, man. Why not ask her out already? You’d be passing up a gem!”“Nino, please” Adrien sighed loudly. “I’ve told you already I have my heart set on her. I’m working on it!”
Marinette’s head was spinning. Wait, did he just say what she thought he said? He had said she was a good friend, but maybe he was trying to ask her out too! She held in a delighted squeal. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she eagerly prepared herself to walk around the corner. She straightened her outfit and took a step forward.
“You mean a mystery lady that doesn’t exist” she barely heard Nino snicker nearly under his breath.
She stopped dead in her tracks…confusion welling up inside her.
“Of course, she exists Nino!” She heard Adrien splutter. The supermodel continued with such a confident tone that Marinette was glued in place with shock.“She is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. She’s daring, light on her feet, mesmerizing…she’s got the most ridiculously beautiful and mysterious eyes and the most beautiful dark hair. Her laughter makes my heart sing and I can’t imagine a day without her by my side. I see her nearly every day and fall deeper in love with her. I consider Marinette to be one of my best friends, but if I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t think she likes me very much. I can hardly have a decent conversation with her. I’d love to get to know her better but I don’t think she wants to let me in. That would be more of an awkward relationship than a gem in my opinion.”No matter how hard she tried Marinette couldn’t keep the flood of tears from spilling out onto her cheeks. Not only was the love of her life deeply interested in someone else…in love he had said...but he also dispelled all of the hope and confidence she had in ever trying to form a relationship with him. Her heart stung with pain, the words he said piercing her aching soul. Her heart was shattering like broken glass. Marinette barreled out of the school as fast as her legs could carry her. She tried to hide her face from the pair of friends standing outside hoping her arm would shield the cascade of tears from them. Her heart tore with anguish as she ran towards the boat home where her friends waited diligently. The cheerful sunny morning has slipped behind a barrage of gloomy rain clouds threatening the afternoon air with a downpour. Her heart lurched as she felt the crisp air tug at the tears streaming down her cheeks.So much for the lucky ladybug.- - - - - - - -Adrien and Nino gawked at their classmate rushing by. Were those tears that he saw? Who on earth could make that amazing girl cry? He looked over to his best friend who sheepishly kicked the ground.“Nino…? Why do I have a feeling you know what’s going on?” Adrien asked. Nino scratched the back of his neck and laughed hollowly.“Well my dude, Marinette has had a crush on you forever and she was finally going to talk to you today but needed a little help so I told her I’d warm you up so she could walk by when we were talking about her…but well, she must have overheard the conversation.”
What? Marinette likes me??
The oblivious blonde tore his gaze back after one of his best friends and realized his huge mistake. He thought the world of Marinette. Maybe not as a love interest, but his conversation with Nino definitely didn’t paint her picture as pleasantly as he truly looked up to her. She was so kind and sweet, ready to help anyone in need…just like my lady.Adrien shook his head out of his thoughts. He stared wide-eyed at the busy city square, horrified, as he realized that he must have been the reason behind her tears. He needed to talk to her and apologize. He had once called her their “everyday ladybug…Super Marinette” and he meant it. He needed her to know that. His confession to Ladybug could wait.“I’ll catch up with you later, man. I’ve gotta fix this mess I made.” With his back turned Adrien missed the delicate flapping of the dark winged butterfly that flew towards the Seine.- - - - - - -Luka smiled to himself as he saw a familiar looking girl running towards their home. But as Marinette got closer his smile dissipated and concern knit his eyebrows forward. What the hell?The beautiful girl slowed at the edge of the ramp and tried to push away the tears with the back of her hands. She quietly walked up and headed towards the main cabin. She took a deep breath in and looked up at him. She stopped short and tried to give him a smile.“Marinette, are you alright?” He asked softly. He walked up to her slowly, reaching out a hand to wipe away the tears from the left side of her face. Her broken heart was screaming out from behind her eyes. He was familiar with that look.“Oh, it’s n-n-nothing.” She tried to dismiss her pain with a wave of her hand and looked down at the ground.Luka’s heart melted in a quiet rage towards who could have ever made her cry. He took his finger and lifted up her chin to witness a fresh wave of tears started to flow. His rage subsided into a dull empathy and pulled her into his arms. He traced his fingers across her back and let her cry into his chest.“Luka, it hurts. What was I thinking? I could never have been his.” Marinette cried.He nodded solemnly and pulled back slightly to look her in the face.“Mari, I’m sorry for whatever happened just now.”“It’s alright, Luka. It’s not that bad.” Marinette smiled weakly, “It’s not like I just wasted the last 3 years of my life trying to confess to the love of my life only to find out he won’t ever look at me the same.”She hadn’t meant to fall apart like this to Luka, he was the first person she stopped to talk to after running from the school and suddenly it was all just spilling out…“I’m so sorry Luka, I didn’t mean…it’s just that…oh gosh I don’t know…love sucks.”“Yeah…sometimes it does, but not always. Love is a beautiful thing.” Luka gently smiled wiping more tears from her eyes.“There’s a whole world of beautiful love out there Marinette, you’ll see. This heartbreak won’t last forever.”“Heartbreaks are so ugly…no one deserves to feel like this ever!” Marinette cried thinking about the several break-ups she had witness over her school years. Was love just a game?Luka smiled softly and planted a kiss on her forehead. She was always thinking of others. Gosh he loved this girl. She looked at him with a slightly confused expression, tears slowly dripping down her cheeks.“Marinette, negative emotions are just as important as positive ones. It brings out the best in you by…” Luka started to counsel her but a flapping noise stopped him short.He gasped as a dark winged butterfly melted into the red scarf around her neck right before his eyes.- - - - - - - - -“Locketess” she heard a familiar dark voice rumble.Marinette panicked and backed away from Luka and shook her head as hard as she could.“No Hawkmoth. I won’t do it. I won’t hurt anyone. No one deserves to feel this much pain or sadness. I will not hurt anyone for you!” She cried out with determination.“Who said you had to become a super villain? I’m not here to make you hurt anyone. Rather, I’m giving you the power to lock away negative emotions and help everyone tell the truth. Emotions are so ugly and complicated when there are lies and false hopes thrown into the mix, wouldn’t you agree?”Marinette paused and thought it over…with no more negative emotions people wouldn’t be able to be akumatized and threaten Paris’s safety, and without any lies or false hopes people could have meaningful relationships without secrets…without pain. She shook her head, it was too good to be true.“I can’t do this Hawkmoth, I refuse to be a part of your game.” She fought keeping her eyes shut tight and her hands over her ears as if she could drown out the villain’s coaxing.“Just think of it, Locketess…a world without pain or sorrow. Ladybug and Cat noir will no longer need to protect the city so even their secrets would be hidden forever. No more secrets. No more lies. No more pain. No more sorrow. And it would all be thanks to you!”Marinette slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the dismal sky starting to drizzle chilly rain.“Marinette fight it! Sorrow is only temporary, you can find light. Find the light!” She heard Luka’s desperate cries somewhere behind her.She turned to him and looked into his loving eyes.“Don’t worry Luka…I’ll make everything bright again, you’ll see.” She whispered in a trance.With that a cloud of deep violet enveloped the young heroine.- - - - - - - - - - -

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Tikki’s tears streamed as she flew towards Master Fu’s home being careful to stay out of sight from anyone and everyone. She glitched through the door and cried out,“Master!!”The old man jumped and swung around.“Tikki! What is the meaning of this?”“She’s akumatized master! Hawkmoth got Marinette! She was trying to confess her love and got her heart broken and then Luka almost helped her feel better but the akuma got to her first! He’s using her to get rid of negative emotions and dispel secrets!” The tiny deity nearly shouted. She spoke so fast Master Fu had a hard time keeping up.“With Marinette unable to turn into Ladybug…Cat Noir will be needing extra help!”“What about the akuma?! How are we going to be able to release and cleanse it without Marinette?” Tikki squeaked with dismay.“Hawkmoth unknowingly trapped his way out of getting your miraculous just like when Style Queen froze Cat Noir in the statue of glitter. Since we don’t have a way to use Ladybug’s miraculous for now, I will bring the Akukamepa.” The old man explained as he walked to the miraculous box.Tikki nodded with understanding as she looked over at the Akukamepa. The small bronze artifact held fake flowers to look like a vase. It was intricately detailed and ancient. The akuma holder was only used one other time before, when one of the previous miraculous holders nearly died in battle and had hidden the miraculous to safeguard Tikki…she had never seen her again.The old man turned to Tikki again holding a single miraculous box.“Just one, Master?” She asked incredulously.“This time, yes. With the help of Cat Noir, and the Jade Turtle we have the powers of destruction and protection. We need someone with calm, swift reflexes who will help constrict our friend and sooth her spirit without harming her. Not to mention I have no idea where to find Rena Rouge, Carapace or Queen Bee right now.” He admitted.Tikki nodded thoughtfully.“Master, go to the house boat docked on the Seine. You will find the perfect miraculous holder.”The old man simply nodded.“Wayzz, Shell on!”Tikki watched until the familiar turtle fighter smiled back at her.“Now, stay here and stay safe. We will bring Marinette back here. I promise.”Without another word the Jade turtle dove out of the door into the night filling with raindrops.- - - - - - - -Luka cried out in dismay as the girl he loved was enveloped into dark power. He hid himself behind the mast of the ship and peaked out to get a good look at her.She looked like a statue of faded gold. Marinette’s beautiful outfit had melted away into an armored skin-tight suit. If he didn’t know better it was almost like looking at a weird sculpture of Ladybug. But instead of ponytails and spots, intricate little designs ran along the outside of her body and her hair had been swooped back into a heart shaped bun that resembled a locket. On her chest laid a beautifully designed heart that seemed carved into her very being. The once bright red scarf was now a rusty bronze that fluttered in the wind. Her eyes were closed and she stood in the air without moving or breathing.“What is going on up here…wait…what the hell?” Juleka whispered loudly coming up on deck with the rest of the girls behind her. Alya whipped out her phone and started filming with a gleam in her eye.“Hey there golden girl! What’s the scoop?” The red-haired journalist exclaimed directing her comments at the akuma victum before her.The akuma’s eyes opened wide revealing a thin layer of gold that erased the bluebell pupils that Luka had grown so fond of. It was so strange to see and so…lifeless.“I am Locketess. The world has seen enough sorrow and pain, I have come to lock it away forever.”“That’s great Locketess, but like why? What happened to you?” Alya retorted. She gasped suddenly realizing who might be before her. “Wait! Mari?”“Alya Césaire, do not mourn the loss of your friend. Instead rejoice for sorrow need not envelope your heart.” Locketess rose in the air gracefully and her chest began to glow- the heart shaped design on her chest opening to reveal a luminous golden cavity. A beam of light burst through the light rain and landed on Alya draining all the color and warmth from her body. A monochrome zombie version of the journalist stood before them all. The remaining girls gasped and stared at Locketess.“Yo! Princess of gloom, what was that??” Alix shouted angrily.“Negative emotions poison the soul.” The calm akuma replied moving her beam across towards Alix, Myléne, Rose and Juleka.“Thank you Locketess for your kindess and wisdom” the girl said hollowly. She sank to her knees on the ship, feeling nothing.All four girls knelt in a dreary emptiness. Luka’s heart raced as he watched the akuma’s light pull back into the cavity of her heart and close. Her empty eyes scanned the entire ship slowly. He hid and tried to quell his raging emotions to avoid getting soaked up in her light. He felt the air around him grow empty and held his breath imagining her standing behind the mast. A scream split the night and the emptiness around him slowly vanished. When he dared to breath again, he turned and saw his golden lover gliding down the boat ramp. She disappeared into the chilly night silencing the scream that had been echoing in the distance. Luka ran from his hiding place and took his sister’s face in his hands.“Jules, hey! It’s me” Luka said looking for any hope. Empty gray eyes stared back at him.“Don’t worry Luka, I feel nothing.” The quiet girl responded.He sighed and stood up, searching the shore for any bit of hope. He had to save her, but how? Where were those superheroes? Ladybug needed to fix this!A green figure approached him catching him off guard.“Are you Luka?” The man questioned.Luka looked over the turtle hero that stood before him. He looked like a superhero but he had never seen him before. He thought Carapace was a little…younger? If a superhero was looking for him then that must mean…“Yes, I am.” The musician replied calmly.“I am the Jade Turtle” the old man exclaimed. “I understand you are friends with Marinette who is the unfortunate victim of the most recent akuma.”He nodded slightly shocked that the old man knew so much.“I need to save her.” He said looking off into the distance as the darkness and rain grew heavier.“Luka Couffanie. Here is the miraculous of the viper. It grants you the power of persuasion. You will use the miraculous for the greater good. Once this mission is finished, you will return the miraculous to me. Can I trust you?” Surprised the young man looked down at the curious black box that was presented to him. With superpowers he might be able to help save Marinette himself! He nodded in agreement and gently took the box in his hands. Upon opening it, a smiling floating viper appeared in the rain. The box contained a simple silver cuff that he placed around his wrist.“Good evening, my friend. It’s nice to meet you” the viper hissed calmly at him.“You simply have to say, Sazz fangs out! I will explain your powers on the way.” The turtle explained. “Sazz, fangs out!” Luka sang as a skin-tight teal and black suit slid across his body. With his transformation complete he looked over at the Jade Turtle and smiled.The two unusual heroes tore off into the night searching for the golden princess locking away the negative emotions in Paris.- - - - - - - - - - - -

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Adrien’s heart sank as he saw the gray skies brewing over the Seine. He had run after Marinette but wasn’t exactly sure where she was headed. He stood along a street filled with several small shops. He was sure if anything he could ask anyone on the streets if they saw a crying girl run by. However, with every shop he passed the same darkened windows shrank back from him. What the…? Distant screams were brought to abrupt silence which stopped him dead in his tracks. The air around him was starting to feel empty and cold. Adrien took a deep breath and cautiously continued to see if there were any signs of his friend.An eerie glow started melting through the street towards him. Ducking behind a large vehicle, he peered around cautiously and caught sight of a statue of gold. She was strikingly beautiful, oddly enough. And she looked so familiar…“Plagg, you don’t think Hawkmoth got Marinette, do you?” Adrien asked his kuami in hushed whisper, “I mean it seems like everyone in Paris has been akumatized except for her. She’s always been so kind, so brave…”“I don’t have time for human emotions, it takes time away from eating delicious cheese.” The tiny deity retorted grumpily.“It couldn’t possibly be Marinette. She’s too good for that. I think Ladybug and Marinette are the only people in Paris that could avoid akumaization.” The super model said trying to look at the akuma’s eyes, they were probably not even blue; that would rule out both of his favorite ladies.“Well, I mean you were the love of her life so I wouldn’t put it past her.” Plagg grumbled under his breath while shoving a piece of camembert in his mouth. Unfortunately, he didn’t grumble soft enough for Adrien not to hear.“What??” he said a little too loudly. Suddenly the world fell silent and he felt eyes boring into the back of his head. Adrien didn’t think he could be seen but didn’t want to stick around to find out. He shuffled out from behind the van and ran down the closest alleyway hoping the akuma didn’t see him. He retreated as far as he could through the alleyways not taking a chance to look back.Adrien was shocked. Of all the ways to find out one of his best friends was crushing on him, this had to be the way? And Marinette? But she was always so quiet and reserved, always jumbling her words in front of him…was it really all because she was crushing on him? Marinette had once confessed feelings for Cat Noir on the balcony of her bakery but that was a while ago…but that same day she had given him her blessing to love Ladybug…in a matter of speaking. She had said she had eyes for someone else anyway. Was it for Adrien? Did she like both sides of him without even knowing it? How long has she liked him? Could he really be so blind? Is the akuma really his fault?Adrien shook his thoughts away and pulled himself together. This was his time to save one of his best friends and make right what had been made wrong in the first place.“Plagg, claws out!”Without a moment to spare Cat Noir extended his staff above the rooftops and got out of sight just as the akuma floated down the street, peering into the dark alleyway he once stood.- - - - - - - - - -On the rooftops, Luka could see the devastation hitting the city. There may not have been physical damage and chaos like several akumas before this, but the eerie cold gloom was spreading through the city. It was like watching saturated watercolors seep through a sheet of paper; the paintbrush spreading confining gray, instead of splashes of color.“So, you’re essentially saying that my superpower is unique.” Luka replied to the Jade Turtle. They had paused on top of a building to survey the area near the akuma.“Correct. Your power is emitted in three different ways. Your eyes, your lips, or your hands. Just like a regular viper, you can constrict or persuade your victim in different ways. Your power chooses its persuasion tool, so if one route doesn’t work you must try another.”“Meaning, if I try to hold her down with my hands and she can still get away then I’ve got to try talking to her or staring her down?”“Perhaps, yes.” The old man shrugged. “Your power will reveal itself to you, follow your heart and your miraculous will do the rest.”“I see…” Viperion said. He hoped that their final companion would join them soon so they could save Marinette soon.He caught sight of a familiar superhero jumping onto the roof a few paces away.“Cat Noir!” The Jade turtle exclaimed in a quiet shout to get his attention.The leather-clad feline effortlessly vaulted over to them and stood next to him, a strange expression coming across his face.“Cat Noir, thank goodness we found you.” The old man said clapping his hand lightly on his back.There was something about this cat that was seeping through his scales…but what? The blonde-haired boy looked him over with a playful smirk on his lips. Luka didn’t like the way his green eyes danced with nonchalance and eagerness. This cat was strumming his nerves the wrong way.“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” Luka asked him calmly.“Ooh, that’s always a good one. Puns are of course, my favorite” He was answered with an obnoxious bow. “As you know, I’m one of the heroes of Paris; second only to the fabulous Ladybug. And to whom do I make my acquaintance?”Ah, that’s what it was- egocentrism. Luka couldn’t stand people who thought they were better than others. Yet with all his practice strumming others’ heart songs, he could tell this witty hero was hiding something; almost like a nervous and broken tremor. Maybe this cat had the outward appearance of haughty omnipotence but in reality, was a tender soul in a world full of emptiness. A new wave of recognition poured into his heart. Cat Noir was more than he seemed on the outside, just like himself.“You can call me Viperion.” Luka smiled extending his hands. The pair shook hands and Luka could feel his counterpart relaxing considerably.“Now we just need to get in touch with my Lady…” Cat Noir exclaimed and pulled out his baton to start up a call.“Unfortunately, Ladybug will not be joining us today.” The Jade turtle explained quietly.“What?”“What!?”The newly acquainted superheroes stared at the turtle in confusion.“She’s been held up on another mission. We will be capturing the akuma in this.” He explained holding up an odd-looking artifact. “This is an akukamepa. It’s an ancient device that traps akumas. It cannot cleanse them, but it will make sure that it isn’t re-released. Ladybug will be able to cleanse it after her other mission is complete.”The cat shifted his weight and stared off after the akuma.“What about Queen Bee, Rena Rouge and Carapace?” Cat Noir asked in a hush.“They were also unavailable for this mission, Cat Noir. I’m sorry that your familiar team is not here, but together we can accomplish the task at hand.” Do you trust us?” The old man turned his whole body to the blonde.Luka could tell Cat Noir was slightly uncomfortable with the way that he twisted his baton in his hands. The fuzzball almost seemed as eager as he was to go save Marinette, yet also seemed somewhat disappointed and lost. After a sigh, the superhero held out his clawed hand for another handshake.“Of course, I can. Welcome to the team!” Cat Noir grinned. It was surprising how firm and professional the shake was, but not as surprising as how suddenly the temporary disappointment and confusion had faded behind his striking green eyes.“Let go save our little lady.”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Cat Noir’s mind raced.
So many questions. So many emotions. Confusion, frustration, maybe even sadness?
It’s not that he didn’t trust his unexpected teammates or that this was only his second time fighting an akuma without knowing if or when Ladybug would be coming back. He felt left out of the loop again like the time before Master Fu had come to meet him at his house to explain the several power ups his kaumi was capable of. He trusted Ladybug and the Guardian but he still felt a sharp pang of loneliness.If what Nino and Plagg said was true maybe he could’ve gotten closer to Mari over the last few years instead of chasing a dream that might never take root. Ladybug had his whole heart but if he was completely honest with himself, living without love and affection for several years after mom’s disappearance had taken its toll on his heart. He longed for the connection of love that was deeper than that of a best friend or classmate.
Oh, what the heck, I’m hopeless.
“Don’t be bemused, its just the news! Coming to you live from near the banks of the Seine, I’m Nadja Chamack with an exclusive look at our calmest akuma ever.”Shaking his head, the superhero focused his gaze on the scene below where the akuma glided towards the cameras and stood before them.“Good day Nadja, what a peaceful rain we have.”“Indeed.” The reporter cautiously responded. “So, what exactly are you trying to accomplish for hawkmoth?”“I am Locketess. Hawkmoth is of little concern to me. I am cleansing Paris of painful emotions that destroy love and friendships. Lies and misjudgments, misunderstandings and negativity. How can someone truly find love in a world like this? Love is just a game to some people, isn’t it?” The golden girl spoke flatly. It was emotionless; almost empty sounding.“Ah, sounds like this akuma is dealing with love. Perhaps you’ve experienced a critical heartbreak?” The reporter pried holding out her microphone to Locketess.The akuma stilled for a moment then tapped her fingers to her heart.“Love is not a prize to be won. It is something created and cherished. Why does love crumble? Because of negativity. Selfishness. Disloyalty. Cruelty. Dishonesty. I have felt the pain that no one ought to deserve in life. A life without love is meaningless, therefore negative emotions are corrupting the beauty I wish to bring to the world. A world without pain, a world instead filled with nothing but good.”
Cat Noir’s eyes widened and his heart sank to the floor. In a way, his heart cried out with her sentiment. His father had been nothing but aloof to him for years after Mother’s disappearance. He was a selfish man. His father barely even acknowledged him on special occasions or holidays. How could his father not know how much he needed him in person!

Rage filled his heart.

Yet as quickly as it came, the rage faded away.

His mind recalled a tender moment from years and years ago when his mother had comforted him. Chloe was his only friend and when her mom left for New York, Chloe had said a lot of hurtful things to him in addition to completely ignoring and avoiding him. He had been heartbroken.

“My brave little kitten. I’m sorry she said those things. I’m sorry that you’re hurting. But my love, don’t say that you’d be better off alone so that you don’t get hurt. The funny thing about the universe is that everything has an opposite. Opposites balance everything. For example, without sadness, how would we even know what joy feels like? Without the bad parts in life, we wouldn’t have good parts in life. The combination of these different emotions and experiences splash color and meaning into our lives. Heartbreaks don’t last forever. And better yet, after the heartbreak has run its course- you become stronger and more understanding of people. Does that make sense?”

Tears stung Adrien’s eyes. His mother was right. It has been a while since he had recalled that particular memory, but it was the perfect timing. It stilled his soul.

He looked down at the akuma and his heart panged with empathy. He had been so blind to Marinette’s love that he accidentally gotten her akumatized, but not only that…but he realized something about her. Marinette’s heart was still golden even under Hawkmoth’s grasp. She had wanted to help people even then; wanted to dispel the pain of heartbreaks. Marinette was very Ladybug like in that sense; she was always looking out for everyone. Always.

Speaking of Ladybug…this is the second time she hasn’t been here when Marinette was in trouble…is that just a conscience…?
The loud crash of the camera equipment hitting the ground shook him out of his thoughts.“Nadja don’t worry about little Manon, she knows you love her. Don’t let worry cloud your judgement, be free of these negative emotions.”A hole opened up in Marinette’s heart as a beam of light descended on the TV crew. One by one they collapsed to the ground as the light absorbed all the color out of their beings.It was beyond eerie to watch. It was almost like she was draining the life out of everything. His mother really had been right; the combination of both good and bad in life created the color of life. He needed to fix this, Mari must have been so crushed.“The akuma is in the scarf around her neck. She got her heart broken today and Hawkmoth took advantage of her pain. He convinced her that the world would be better without pain; but without opposites the world becomes so empty and lifeless.” Viperion spoke stepping next to him.To say the blonde superhero was startled was an understatement.“How do you know so much?” Adrien questioned his new teammate.Viperion shrugged and knelt down on the edge of the roof staring after Marinette.“Because I was the one that she ran into first after the incident happened. You should have seen how hard she tried to fight back before Hawkmoth goaded her into his plans; she was thinking of others and was so brave. Whoever that douche who broke her heart is, he’s missing out. Marinette is the most amazing young woman I have ever met.” A smile crept across his lips.“I know…I mean I’ve saved Marinette once or twice, she seems great.” Adrien shook his head at the strange pang of jealousy hitting his heart.“But anyway, I think the best route of action would be to get closer to her. We have the powers of destruction, persuasion, and protection which means close combat will be more effective if we want to get her scarf. I’m new to this whole thing so do you two have any ideas?” The viper asked turning to face him and the somewhat silent Jade Turtle.“Ah, very observant Viperion. I agree that we’ll need to get in close but we’ll have to avoid the light that emits from her chest. I’m afraid it has been a long time since I last stepped foot in combat so let’s hope this akuma keeps her grace and gentle floating, for if not I think it would be best to stay back. Once we can free the akuma I’ll capture it in the akukamepa. Cat Noir, what else do you suggest?”Adrien’s mind went blank. Where was his lady’s good ideas and strategies when he needed them most! Since the Jade Turtle confessed he didn’t want to fight very much, (or maybe can’t, he does seem old) then that means he would have to team up with Viperion.“If she stays gentle, I think our best move would be trying to keep this as simple as possible and use your power. If she puts up a fight, I’d have to say you’ll need to distract her so one of us can grab her scarf. If worst comes to worst, I guess we’ll just wing it. Oh! And don’t forget, that this is a game of freeze tag so don’t let her touch you!” Cat Noir flashed his signature smiled and punched Viperion lightly in the arm.“Not a bad plan cat man.” The snake laughed.And with that, the unusual duo jumped down to face the locket princess.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Jade turtle peaked down to see the superheroes stride confidently towards Locketess. He started his descent down the roof access stairs while mulling over this strange circumstance.In some ways he felt a little guilty for telling Cat Noir and Ladybug that they were never allowed to share their identities to each other. By all accounts, it makes sense to hide your identity from everyone to protect them from having friends and loved ones used as bait by Hawkmoth. Especially since Hawkmoth and the Peacock miraculous were obviously allies. It was of extreme importance that the most powerful miraculous stay protected and hidden from everyone until they could recover the lost jewels that were dealing out so much damage to the city on a regular basis. Plus if the world knew that they were together, Hawkmoth might try to prey on the superheroes themselves just as he had to Queen Bee those years ago. Maybe it was for the best that they didn't know...However, Wayyz had gotten to speak with Tikki and Plagg recently about their miraculous holders. Plagg was getting extremely frustrated with Cat Noir’s obliviousness and even Tikki was finding it harder and harder to not drop hints about her crush’s identity. He knew full well that these unusual lovebirds had no idea they loved each other. And for this reason he felt a little guilty…Afterall, he had given up the opportunity for a lifetime of love with Marianne for the sake of the miraculous and he was heartbroken that he couldn’t go back in time and find her sooner before she had gotten akumatized. The only hope of being able to reunite with the love of his life would be defeating Hawkmoth and recovering the two miraculouses he once lost.Is this what he wants for Cat Noir and Ladybug? Did they deserve to lose out on the chance of love? He had brought them together but is somewhat responsible for keeping them apart. For the past three years they proved to be the perfect holders of the powers of creation and destruction. They became an unstoppable and amazing team. Being in love would only bring them closer and more in sync, wouldn't it?He had engrained in Ladybug’s mind how important it was to keep their identities a secret to protect their friends and family. Marinette was so people oriented and focused on others that this was so easy for her to integrate into her mind. He had seen her so many times on the news and everywhere he looked she was excelling and becoming an amazing superheroine and young woman. He was so proud of her.Tikki had explained that she had been akumatized because she was trying to confess her love for someone but it didn’t work out. He could only assume it had been to Adrien…and because his heart was so set on Ladybug, he didn’t know that he just rejected the love of his life!They could have been the most ultimate team. Well, he couldn’t know for sure…teenage hormones and life experiences after all.He reached the bottom of the building and carefully walked outside. He moved through the shadows to get closer to his companions to be ready to protect them if needed, but also out of eyesight to avoid getting Locketess’s attention.He looked forward to being part of the team to help Marinette, he owned it to her.- - - - - - - - - - - -Luka made eye contact with Cat Noir and nodded.“I have an idea. Follow my lead.” He whispered to the leather clad feline.Viperion walked forward confidently and hummed to himself as they approached Locketess. His emotions were stilled by his soft little lullaby. He hoped that the love and calmness of his heart could spill into the golden cavity of Marinette’s soul.“Good afternoon, Little lady. What a fine light drizzle we have out.” He gently said closing the distance between him and his golden princess. He was only an arm’s length away, so he bowed his head to her with a smile. His companion stood a few steps back and also bowed.Empty, golden eyes stared back at him. There were no pupils, and especially no life.“Why the sudden surge of sadness? Do you not like the rain?” Locketess replied cocking her head to the side while he shook his head out of his emotionally charged thoughts. Shoot, he needed to be more careful. He took a deep breath and smiled.“Of course not. I’m actually sad that you don’t have a dance partner in this rain. Care to dance?” Luka extended his hand to her, stilling his inner tremors.Locktess froze up. It looked like the etched heart on her suit was starting to vibrate and surge. He couldn’t read any emotions on her face or in her body language.“I…I don’t dance.” The statue explained suddenly, turning away from him. It was almost like the first twinge of Marinette seemed to seep through the akuma’s hold.“That’s a shame Princess.” Cat Noir said coming up behind her. “Here, let me teach you.”His newfound companion took Locketess’s hand and gave her a gentle twirl. At first Locketess seemed fluid but suddenly froze up again. She snapped her hand back and held it to her chest like it was a fragile animal.“Please, I must continue my mission. I must save Paris from heartbreak and pain.” She gently explained.In a sudden flash of blinding light, Locketess disappeared.“No!” Cat Noir shouted spinning on his heels looking in every direction. “We’re back to square one! How are we going to find her now?”“Well, we know she’s attracted to negative emotions just like Hawkmoth. We’ll have to start searching Paris for any kind of negativity and wait for her.” Luka sighed clenching his fists.“Did you see how the heart on her suit started to move when you asked her to dance?” the Jade Turtle came up beside them rubbing his chin in a thinking stance.The two of them nodded.“It would appear that the akuma has a weakness for sincere love. I think we may have our ticket to keeping this fight as short as possible if we can find her again.” The old man continued to muse.Cat Noir’s eyes widened.“I think we need to get close to Locketess again. But this time…closer.” He said breathlessly.Luka glanced over at Cat Noir and frowned. What did he mean by closer?Distant yelling could be heard ringing through the streets ahead. The superheroes all looked at each other and bounded off in the direction of the conflict.A strange emotion clouded Luka’s heart as he stared after Cat Noir. The blonde superhero didn’t seem to notice as he seemed fixated on finding Marinette.
What was that black cat up to?
- - - - - - - - - - - -The trio of superheroes rounded a corner to see a couple in a park. They were so caught up in their fight that they didn’t see the strange glowing figure coming up behind them.Cat Noir’s heart sank to the ground along with the now grayed couple. He had to get closer to her…it was wracking his soul.
Sincere love.
He couldn’t get that phrase out of his mind. It was clear to him that he needed to fix this with a sincere apology. He just needed to get closer so he could whisper his apology to her. Since Akuma’s don’t remember anything after Ladybug uses her Miraculous Ladybug power, he resolved to apologize and grab her scarf at the same time. He’d be able to apologize without having his partners hear him.“Why so troubled Kitty Cat?”The empty question took him completely by surprise as he turned to see Marinette right next to him.“Marine----” He started to say but she flashed away again just as Viperion crashed into the ground.“What the heck was that?” Adrien asked flaring up with anger. He didn’t even get a chance say anything to her!Viperion shrugged and dusted himself off.“I simply tried to grab her. When she disappeared, I lost my balance and fell, alright?”Cat Noir rolled his eyes and looked around desperately. She could be anywhere for all they knew. He closed his eyes and flicked his ears, trying to hear anything that would peak the akuma’s interest.“I did learn one good thing from this little escapade though. She’s a physical being who can just phase into light, not made of light. When she disappeared into thin air last time, I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to grab her or her scarf.”Adrien rolled his eyes again. Did he not see him twirl Marinette earlier when they were trying to follow his idea? Of course, she’s a physical being. He glowered at his teammate and folded his arms across his chest.“If I didn’t know better, I think you just tried to sabotage my advance to get Marinette’s akuma.”The viper simply stared back at him almost like he was analyzing Adrien’s entire soul through his eyes. A sheepish grin split across his face after a few moments. “Alright cat man. You caught me. I’ll admit I was unenthused by your comment about ‘getting closer’ to her. I didn’t want to you do anything ungentlemanly. I apologize for jumping to conclusions. I just really care for Marinette and don’t want her to get hurt by two men in one day.”Adrien’s frustration melted into understanding. He was still a little annoyed that they lost the akuma again, but he should’ve known better than to not fully explain his plan to the other superhero that seemed to really know and care for Marinette like he did.“Well, I had no intention of hurting her. In fact, I was…uh…hoping to simply give her a sincere hug or something. The Jade Turtle said something about sincere love. I mean it doesn’t have to be me, you seem to know her really well. I sincerely care for her as a Parisian citizen in the city that I protect and love, but you sound like good friends. Maybe you could do something? How about your persuasion power?” Cat Noir stumbled trying to find a logical excuse for his actions. He couldn’t let Viperion know that he was in fact the girl Marinette was heartbroken over; 1) because he couldn’t jeopardize his identity since Marinette apparently knows both of them in real life and 2) he was afraid Viperion would pulverize him if he knew that he wanted to apologize to her alone.Viperion thought it over and smiled.“Not a bad idea cat man. Sorry I got in the way. I promise I’ll be a gentleman from here on out. We both seem to be friends of hers in a way so I should trust you.” Viperion said nonchalantly. “Speaking of which, let’s try this- Since Mari is attracted to negative emotions why don’t we bring her to us!”“You mean, lure her in with our own negative emotions?” The Jade Turtle interjected. “If that is indeed our next plan, we can’t all be standing in the same vicinity of each other. In order to get to her we’re going to need her distracted by one of us while another goes for her akuma.”Adrien gulped. The plan wasn’t half bad but what if she didn’t come to him first? He wanted to be the one to save her. Somehow facing Marinette as Cat Noir seemed less daunting. He shoke his head and chided himself for his selfish thoughts. He didn’t have time to be picky; Marinette needed them and they didn’t have another plan. It’s a little risky but it just might work.Each superhero listed out a location of their choosing within a 2-3minute run from each other. They wanted to make it truly look like they were alone but be close enough to send a signal to each other for help.Cat Noir had purposefully chosen the fountains overlooking the Eifel Tower. That landmark had meant so much to him. That was his and Ladybug’s first akuma fight together and the moment he fell head over heels for that woman in spots.Cat Noir kicked the water with a dull grunt. He was a little annoyed at everything today. He had hurt one of his best friends. Ladybug was apparently out on a separate mission so he might not see her on patrol tonight meaning he couldn’t confess his love to her and ask her to be his girlfriend. His father had only grown more distant and dismal over the years filling his life and schedule with more demands than he could count. Natalie was so good to him, but he missed his mother. His home felt like an empty dome of gloom. He felt the pressure of being a model in every aspect of his life; be a model citizen, be a model student, be a model friend, be a model son…it left no room for raw energy and emotions. Nino was his best friend but he hardly had it in him to complain about his life and loneliness…he had everything else anyone could’ve wished for in life…fame, fortune, glory. He was well taken care of and provided for.The only thing that really was missing in his life was a true companion. Ladybug was his closest friend and strongest confidant. She listened to him, laughed with him, joked with him, comforted him, protected him. He loved her so much, he couldn’t imagine life without her. She was his superhero companion, but he wanted so much more- a life companion. A lover.Chat couldn’t remember how long he had been sitting on the edge of the fountains or when the air turned cold around him, but a gentle hand on his shoulder sent him in a backwards somersault with a raised baton. Locketess sat ladylike in the spot he just was and stared at him.“Your emotions are swirling in a jumbled melting pot. Tell me, I haven’t felt so many complicated emotions in one place until you. What is causing so many negative and positive things to fight in your heart?”Cat Noir felt defeated. Now was his chance to apologize and show her sincere love in the form of an apology but all his brain could come up with were awkward greetings and shallow small talk. This was all his fault and he didn’t know how to fix it. He didn’t want to just take her scarf and be done with it. He wanted to help her.Chat extended his hand to her. She hesitated slightly but put her hand out. He pulled her up and pulled her as close to him as possible. She was completely frozen and unable to read. Did she hate him? Will he lose a best friend today even if he succeeds? Will Marinette ever speak to him again?The swirling mass of emotions collected in his throat and he was again lost for words. So, he did the only thing that came to his mind. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he leaned in closer.“I’m so sorry Mari. I’m sorry.”Chat pushed his lips to her forehead and left a heartfelt kiss in its wake.Suddenly the akuma gasped like she was struggling for air. It’s etched golden heart was vibrating so much it started to look like it was swimming. The gold film in her left eye started to melt and a single golden tear started to drip down her face revealing a familiar bluebell pupil Chat was extremely familiar with.“Chat…where…how…?” Locketess looked confused and in pain.Dark purple wings appeared over her eyes.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -“NO!” Hawkmoth yelled inside his lair.He was losing her. The akuma was still in her scarf but her inner self was…what...was she trying to fight him? Could his victims break free on their own? No one had ever defied his power before. NO ONE!Panic rose into his heart. Were there limits to his powers? He needed this. He was getting closer to Emily with this akuma than he ever felt before.His brilliant plan was all going to be for nothing! He planned to have the girl drain all of Paris so that he could lure her to him at the end with Ladybug and Cat Noir’s miraculous as payment for her powers. He had felt her stubbornness and knew, like the time he had gotten Zombizou, that he would have to approach her with his evil plan in a different way. Her heart was too sickenly good.But now his plan was failing him. Somehow Cat Noir had unleashed her inner fight.“Locketess! This black kitten is usurping your powers. He wants to stop you from being the best thing Paris has ever had. Take his miraculous and save it from his negative influence!”He felt the girl shake her head violently.“I…I…can’t…this isn’t right. Something isn’t right!” She muttered and mumbled.“You’re right Locketess. It’s him! The powers of destruction bode well with a crippled soul seeking revenge and devastation. Black cats are bad luck. You must not listen to him.”“Mari, no don’t listen to him.”That voice…it sounded so familiar. Cat Noir’s voice had such a strange vibe to it when he was sincere.His thoughts were interrupted with the feeling of unraveling. He could feel his power over her lessening considerably. He couldn’t lose this akuma, he had to use his special ability now, before it was too late.“Protrusion!”Two of the butterflies in his lair burst into flames and flew into his gloves. His gloves turned flame red and the akuma in the school girl’s scarf swelled up and enveloped her in a cloud of red smoke. He began to control the girl’s movements. His ability lasted as long as Ladybug and Cat Noir’s but having only five to accomplish his task minutes set his heart in a panic. He’d have to settle for just one miraculous today if Ladybug didn’t show her face soon.He raised his gloves and an evil sneer bubbled up his skin.Time to play puppeteer.- - - - - - - - - - - -Viperion and the Jade turtle arrived at the fountains at the same time and looked around franticly. Where was that cat? He had buzzed over a signal not even a minute and a half ago, so, where was he?Suddenly a car flew through the air and crashed three yards behind him.His head jerked towards the Eifel Tower where he saw Locketess throwing vehicles heavily at the blonde superhero. She looked different. Everything about her was the same except for an eerie red-hot glow around her figure. It almost looked like she was melting.He and the Jade Turtle sprinted forward to assist their teammate. He looked slightly injured with the way he held his arm and swayed where he stood. They came up to him just as the akuma started smashing cars around her into a large pile of debris.“What the hell happened?!” He yelled over the sound of destruction.“I kissed her on the forehead and her eye melted…it’s almost like she started to remember who she was or something. Hawkmoth did something I’ve never seen before and somehow, he’s controlling her. I was so shocked I didn’t get her akuma in time…I think she broke my arm when she stopped me from getting her scarf.” He yelled back.“Everyone, look out!” The Jade Turtle said stepping in front of them while shouting, “Protection!” He shielded them from a hailstorm of smashed vehicle parts and glass.“We’re going to need a plan fast.” The old man said warily, vowing to hold the shield up as long as possible.“Well let's see, we’ve got two powers left…” Viperion started.“I’d count on just one, unless it’s nothing drastic.” Cat Noir coughed wincing in pain. Luka nodded his understanding. With that much pain he probably wouldn’t be able to truly control where his cataclysm would land and they did not need to complicate this any further.“Ok, I guess I’ve gotta stop holding out for a hero.” The musician turned superhero sighed. “Persuasion!”He looked over at the akuma and saw a faint green smoke swirling around her lips. His heart jolted. He knew what the miraculous was telling him, but he wasn’t sure how to get close enough to her.“I’m gonna need a diversion or something. I’ve gotta get close to her.” Luka explained to the others.“You can count on me! I’m pawsitively puurfect at creation diversions.” Chat joked cradling his broken arm to hold his miraculous away from his body. “I’ll sneak over to the Eifel Tower and collapse it!”"Get ready, my shield will break any moment now!" the turtle huffed. Without another word, Chat carefully aimed his baton. The moment the Jade Turtle’s protection-shield broke, he vaulted across the courtyard and out of sight.Locketess rose out of the smoke from the destruction around them and floated in the air above them.“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Cold blooded creatures come to join my parade?” Locketess sneered. “I’m sorry I can’t play today, I’ve got a stray cat to snatch.”Luka caught the quick glimpse of the single bluebell eye staring down at him. His heart ached at the sight. She turned towards the Eifel Tower and prepared to jump.
Here goes nothing.
“Cataclysm!” the call rang out.The Eifel Tower groaned and screeched behind them as it started to plummet to the earth. With the distraction Viperion leapt forward and tackled Locketess to the ground. He held her wrists and used his body to keep her pinned down.“Release me snake!” Locketess hissed as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp.“Say please.” He whispered mockingly. Her eyes were glued shut and her face was pointed away as if she were forcing herself not to look at him. “Mari, please look at me.”Her face crept in his direction and her single bluebell eye peaked open. Tears were dancing in her eye almost like they were pleading with him. She really did seem trapped under some kind of spell. The faint green smoke his miraculous used floated up around her lips again. Viperion clenched his jaw. He had never once imagined kissing Marinette in this circumstance...ever. He felt like he was violating her space and her trust. He vowed right then and there that if he had the chance to kiss her again, he would do it right.“Forgive me Mari.” Luka whispered as he leaned in. His lips met hers softly in a chaste yet heartfelt kiss. His heart felt like it was in limbo. If kissing this girl with a gold film on her lips felt this intoxicating, he couldn’t imagine what it would feel like without it.He pulled back to look at her. The strange red-hot glow was waning. Though she had hardly struggled a second ago she now seemed to be fighting to break loose. Realizing that he was still pinning her to the ground he quickly snatched her scarf and scrambled to get off of her.“NO!!!” The Akuma screeched.With a swift tear, a black butterfly was released into the air.- - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Marinette knelt on the ground and gasped for air. Tears collected in her eyes but she gulped them down as she pushed back to sit on her heels.She avoided eye contact with the two superheroes closest to her and instead looked for Master Fu. She needed to talk to him about everything.“Mari, are you alright?” A familiar voice asked quietly. She knew that voice, and that nickname.She looked up at the superhero bearing the snake miraculous. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she met his eyes. He looked so familiar.“Y-y-yes, I’m alright. Thank you, uh…”“Marinette!” Cat Noir called out weakly making his way over to them from the base Eifel Tower.“Chat, oh my heavens!” She got up and ran towards him. With every step her eyes stung with tears, she couldn’t believe everything that had just happened. She needed to talk to him. She needed answers from Master Fu. She needed Tikki. She needed to make everything right again. As she neared her leather clad partner, she saw traces of blood and fatigue hiding behind that cheeky smile. To hide her tears, she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his suit.“Chat I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. This is all my fault.” She whispered to herself.He held her back with only one arm and seemed to gasp for air.“Oh my gosh, are you ok?” Marinette pulled back and studied him. He seemed to be wincing in pain.“Nothing to worry about princess, it’s just a scratch.” He winked.“It’s your arm isn’t it? Did it break when…I mean…” She stepped back quietly and hugged herself looking away.“Wait, you remember?!” Chat asked incredulously.“What all do you remember?” Viperion asked coming up behind them.“Only some parts. I remember Chat and then…uh…parts after that…” Marinette said blushing a little. She wasn’t exactly ready to talk about it.“That is very interesting indeed.” The Jade Turtle said joining the circle.“Mast…I mean, Mister turtle, uh, where is ladybug?” Marinette asked him making sure to get his full eye contact.“She is away on another mission right now.” Viperion explained.“But she is safe and will return to fix the damage soon.” The Jade Turtle said putting a hand on her shoulder. “I can feel it.”She nodded and tried to hold back her sigh of relief.A loud beeping brought everyone’s attention to the viper. He looked at the cuff around his wrist and looked at the Jade Turtle.“Viperion, doesn’t that mean you’re about to change back?” Mari asked him suddenly feeling anxious.“Actually, if it’s alright with you all, I’d like to give it back to the Jade Turtle right here. I don’t wish to be a regular part of the team, but if you needed me back then Chat would be able to know where to find me.” The viper explained while studying the old man’s reaction.Chat’s ring also started to beep.The Jade Turtle closed his eyes for several seconds. With a sigh he nodded.“Since no one saw you that will remember you and with the smoke lingering in the area to shield us, I can agree to those terms. I respect your decision if that is what you wish.”  Marinette was shocked. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face whoever this man was…after all, she could remember that moment so clearly…Viperion’s transformation dropped and Marinette’s eyes grew incredibly wide. She thought he heard Chat swear under his breath.Luka high fived his little companion goodbye then removed the cuff around his wrist. He handed it back to the old man with a smile.“If it’s alright with you all, I don’t mind walking Marinette home…” he started.“I appreciate your concern and thoughtfulness. However, I need to speak to her about the events of today so I can relay all prevalent information to Ladybug. Since Chat needs to leave and won’t be able to hear it, I will take this information.” The Jade turtle explained firmly.Chat stepped forward and took Marinette’s hand in his and grazed his lips across her knuckles.“Stay safe, princess. I’m sorry about everything that happened to you today. I hope you’ll feel better soon.” With a smile Chat gave his signature two-fingered salute and carefully extended his baton towards the rooftops. He was off without another word.Marinette turned to face Luka. Her heart was a jumbled mess of emotions. All of these boys were going to be the death of her.“Th-thanks for saving me Luka.” She said sheepishly hardly able to look him in the eye.“Anytime, Ma-ma-Marinette.” Luka laughed softly. He pulled her into a quick hug and gentlemanly pulled back and tipped his head in a semi-bow. When she could finally look at him, he winked at her.Her heart danced with his smile. Getting up on her tiptoes she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek then quickly turned towards Master Fu. She waved him goodbye as she walked away. As Luka’s outline disappeared in the faint light of the evening, the Jade turtle quickened his pace towards his home. Marinette was reeling inside, so many crazy things happened today she could hardly contain herself. This was worse than when Luka’s mom was akumatized…maybe Alya was right, maybe she did have two statues that made her heart compass go crazy.- - - - - - - - - - - - -Chat landed softly in the safe confinement of his home and dropped his transformation. He cradled his bruised and broken arm while moving to sit on his sofa.Plagg rushed out towards the bathroom where Adrien had purposefully left his side of camembert from breakfast.“No freaking way…” Chat whispered to himself again.It’s not that he was jealous…I mean, of course not…right? Luka has always liked Marinette, everyone knew that. He had admitted that to himself after finding that Marinette’s handwriting matched the one on the valentine, he got a while back. He couldn’t believe he was so blind…Marinette really had liked him for a long time! Who knows how long?They had first met on such bad terms…with Chloe and that gum she had put on the seat. Maybe it was at the Jagged Stone concert they both got to attend? He had no clue. Marinette hadn’t ever really come out and say anything to him.Actually, she could never really say anything to him when they were alone. His thoughts started to wander back to where they had been racing this morning while chasing after Marinette only to have found her as an akuma.“But if she really likes me then why can’t she talk to me?” Adrien mused out loud.“Maybe because everyone handles rejection differently.” Plagg answered a little too nonchalantly from the bathroom.Wait a second…was his kaumi really spouting wisdom for once?
Everyone handles rejection differently.
It was definitely a universal truth, at least in his little world. He reacted differently to rejection even in his own life. When his father rejects his attempts to talk or spend time together, Adrien was self-aware enough to know that he shut down and felt defeated. However when Ladybug had rejected him time and time again, he didn’t lose hope and patiently held onto his love to open her eyes at the next attempt.Maybe Marinette felt rejected by him and therefore couldn’t talk to him alone, let alone face to face all the time. She had though. There was that one time he had snuck out to see this mother’s movie and she had gone above and beyond the call of friendship to bring him happiness. There was that time they got to dance at Chloe’s little party she had thrown before Despair Bear crashed in.Come to think of it…Marinette has always been there. She was different than all of his fangirls and crushes from the past. She was real. She was genuine. And best of all, she was one of his best friends.Chat rubbed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the sofa.“Ya know, if you don’t do anything to win over your lover girl that snake is going to get to her first!” Plagg teased whizzing around his head with a smug grin.“Oh, shut up Plagg, you have the worst timing.” Adrien sighed.He racked his mind. Plagg was right. He wasn’t making any progress with Ladybug even if he did confess and drop his transformation like he had been planning on…the more he thought about it, the more he admitted to himself that Ladybug would be furious if he did that. They’re identities needed to remain secret until they got Hawkmoth. That route was almost hopeless. He never wanted to betray Ladybug’s trust or friendship.He would always love his lady, nothing would ever change that. But he had to admit, the thought of never finding love was starting to hurt his heart. And now that he thought about her, the girl with pigtails in his class was more than just a friend. She was one of his closest friends, albeit clumsiest. His heart warmed again as he thought about her. Marinette had liked him for so long, maybe he should give her a chance.No, more than that. He needed to pursue her now. With the snake at play, this became more than just a game of cat and mouse.- - - - - - - - - - - - -“It’s incredible to know that you actually remembered everything after Chat Noir kissed your forehead, Marinette. I had no idea it was possible for someone to fight an akuma once they gave into Hawkmoth.” Master Fu mused quietly as he put away the tea kettle and cups.Marinette and Master Fu had agreed to talk about everything before she transformed and used her Lucky Charm just in case the magical ladybugs wiped her memory of the whole adventure like it normally does to any other akuma victim.“You said he kissed me on the forehead?” Ladybug asked incredulously. “I just remember seeing him first before Hawkmoth used his ultimate power to physically control me. It was awful, Master, I couldn’t act or speak for myself but my thoughts were all to myself. I watched myself break Cat Noir’s arm and destroy the entire area around my favorite landmark and I couldn’t do a thing!”“Could you do anything when Luka kissed you?”Marinette’s face flushed red hot. So far, her first two kisses had been with an akumatized Chat and one of her secret crushes while she was akumatized! Talk about bad luck…“Well, I—uh, ha, you see…no, I mean well, he k-kissed me and my akuma felt like it had frozen still but then I felt Hawkmoth completely outrage and my body started thrashing. I think he knew that his power was going to break or something.” Marinette tried to explain without getting flustered because Master Fu was watching her so intently.“I see.” He simply said as he sat down again. “Marinette, I think I have gotten enough information from your story to understand. I will continue to do research through meditation and searching in the miraculous book then speak with you again after you use your lucky charm.”Marinette nodded but couldn’t keep the burning question off her mind anymore.“Master, why do you think Luka kissed me?”Master Fu visibly started and the question but melted into a knowing smile.“The Viper miraculous uses it’s power similar to yours. Your lucky charm points out what you need to do with your lucky charm. Just like a viper can constrict its prey in different methods, the miraculous viper has different methods of persuasion which can be used in three distinct ways; through his hands, his eyes or his lips. I imagine that had you not been fully controlled by Hawkmoth through his special ability, Viperion would have managed to entrance you to stop fighting with his kiss.” He explained.Marinette’s heart fell a little. She was hoping that it was more than just because of his miraculous.“Do…do you think I’m going to lose my memories of this whole thing?” Marinette quietly asked. She hoped not. She wanted to remember Luka’s kiss and maybe see about doing it right next time. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like without remembering today, even if it was embarrassing that she had been akumatized.“If you do not remember, Chat Noir, Viperion, Tikki and I can help you remember.” Master Fu replied with a soft smile.Marinette simply nodded and stood up. She scooped up her little kaumi and snuggled her to her face. I t had been a very long day.“I’m just so happy you’re ok Marinette!” Tikki sighed happily, hugging her chosen’s cheek.“Me too Tikki. Alright, let’s fix Paris! Tikki, Spots on!”Ladybug felt a wave of relief wash over her as she transformed. She had felt so guilty about not being there for Chat earlier, especially being akumatized! She didn't know what she would do if Chat ever got akumatized.Master Fu opened the akukamepa and allowed the dark winged butterfly to escape and flutter around the room. Ladybug quickly retrieved her yoyo and caught the akuma. With a simple click it was purified and released back into the room. One problem down, one to go.“Lucky charm!” She exclaimed.A palm sized coin landed in her hand. At first it seemed just like a coin…but as she looked closer a familiar face smiled back at her.“Adrien?!” She gasped flipping it over quickly. The other side, a smiling Luka stared back at her. Was her lucky charm trying to tell her something?“But Master Fu, I thought Adrien didn’t like me like that? I heard him talking to Nino and everything!”Master Fu simply turned his back and shrugged.“Perhaps you never gave him the chance to explain his thoughts? No one is a mind reader. Perhaps his mystery crush was a lie to change the subject. Or perhaps you gave up so fast you never allowed yourself to truly try to win his heart? Love is a complicated adventure, Marinette. What fairytales explain is the journey from falling in love to the happily ever after. True love isn’t something magical; true love is when the two people who love each other never give up on each other, even if it seems hopeless. ‘Happily-ever-after’ doesn’t happen overnight. You need to pursue it. You need to work for it. You need to cherish it. I almost lost the love of my life because I thought it was too hopeless to hold onto and I’m not going to do that again.”Marinette felt a pang in her heart. He was right. She had overheard Adrien and Nino but she had given up so fast…what if Adrien would have room for her in his heart if she tried to love him differently. It probably isn’t easy to talk to someone who trips over her words and falls apart on him. He’s only human, after all. She needed to stop just whishing on stars and actually do something. Master Fu and her friends were right, she needed to just tell him and show him.She flipped the coin over in her hand and stroked Luka’s hair. But this young man, he had always quietly loved her. She could never forget the kind praises he gave her in person and without her there. Or the time they went ice skating on that disaster double date. She always felt so safe and calm around him. Not to mention, she adored his music.She had two beautiful options before her and now her heart was a jumbled mess again.“Alright, Lucky Charm, you win.” Marinette mumbled to herself. “I know I have to pick…but I’m not going to leave this to chance. I’m not flipping this coin. I’m going to pick a side.”Without another thought, Marinette threw her heart up with the lucky charm coin and cleansed the city that she loved and protected.- - - - - - - - - -Luka couldn’t stop smiling all the way home. The walk in the light drizzle was cold, but his heart was warmed. It couldn’t stop fluttering around.He wasn’t even sure if his superhero power thing did anything, but if anything, it had persuaded him to stop waiting. He was now convinced that he needed to stop watching Marinette from the sidelines. If that other boy had rejected her, this was the perfect opportunity to walk in and truly win her heart. He wasn’t going to be like his father. He wasn’t going to do nothing anymore.He practically ran home with the spirit of conviction burning his heart. He needed to write a song for Mari. He needed to find a way to plant his seed of love in the garden of her heart. He needed to kiss her again, but next time with her full consent and participation.He shuddered for a second. Now that he thought about it, he did step out of line a little. He shouldn’t have kissed her without her consent. Was he just selfish when he kissed her? Or was his superpower truly trying to help him? I mean, she had kissed him on the cheek before they left...was that out of kindness or did her heart have feelings for him too?“Gah…” Luka breathed.He had sworn to himself that he was never going to be like his father. His father had talked so much about love, but deep down he was never really considerate of others, especially his mother. He had been selfish and aloof. Though he had never been outright cruel or abusive, he was distant and cold. He took what he wanted and gave little in return. His parent's marriage had battled on for the sake of the children, but Luka knew that his mother was operating on a broken and betrayed heart for too long. When the divorce papers had been brought to the table his father had vehemently refused. He argued for days with her about how much he loved and cared about her. Weeks had passed until his father finally gave up and cursed at the wind with a broken heart. To avoid the pain of the past, their mother had bought their houseboat after having taken full custody of Juleka and him. Their father had disappeared with hardly any contact after that.Back then it had been so hard to stay strong. Juleka had been deeply affected by everything and relied on him for strength and support but he felt so weak. One especially dark day, he had almost completely given up on the idea of love if it didn’t exist. That was the day before a certain little baker had come by the houseboat with a rich and carefully baked cake. Juleka’s name had been somewhat shakily written on the face of the cake with beautiful little flowers sprawled around it. Marinette’s class had gotten the news that Juleka would be out of class for some time to adjust to their new life on the houseboat, and her kindhearted spirit had brought her to the steps of their houseboat with not only a cake but some friends. In fact, most of the class had shown up to Marinette’s makeshift, surprise housewarming party and everyone had treated Juleka with so much kindness and love.That was the moment that his heart had opened up for the charming young woman in pigtails who was the strength in his life. She didn’t know it, but she was the fuel to his fire. If he ever felt weak or felt like giving up, her smile would tear through the clouds of his thoughts and envelope him in warmth.Maybe kissing her today was a little out of line, maybe it wasn’t. But one thing he did know for sure.It was time that she knew all of this.It was high time that he told her he loved her.Not only that, but he was determined to love her.And love her right.She deserved all the love in the world.- - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The last place Marinette expected to be on a Friday evening was at Master Fu’s place in her suit. The magical ladybugs had swirled around the room and out into the night to cleanse the city. Marinette thought hard about the magical coin she had tossed up. It hadn’t come down. This really wasn’t a decision she could leave up to chance even if she wanted to. The thought of facing not one, but two boys to try and discover who to give her heart to was really making her brain hurt.The blue haired superhero shook herself out of her thoughts. She really needed to get over to Juleka’s house boat soon, her friends must be worried about her. She shuddered for a second wondering what she put her friends through.“Thank you for your encouraging words Master. I’ve gotta bug out now.” Marinette smiled warmly and let her transformation drop before she walked out the door. Tikki dove into her little purse with a happy squeal as she found the cookies Marinette kept on her at all times. Her heart hammered in her chest as she strode down the several stairs of Master Fu’s apartment complex. She was feeling both an enormous boost of confidence and determination as well as sheer terror mixed with excitement. Her feelings where blasting her body with adrenaline as she thought up different ways to try to talk to these boys. She needed to make sure to be perfectly clear to both of them that she wanted to get to know them a little more without leading either of them on. This was going to be such a strange conversation to have, what was she going to say?Once outside she glanced up at the evening sky and caught little speckled stars from the heavens trying to poke through the city lights. She smiled to herself as she started to run. Ever since becoming Ladybug, running had become easier and more enjoyable as her civilian self. She had built up a great endurance and pace outside of the suit that made it almost freeing. The sky had long since stopped its drizzling and the soothing smell of fresh rain lingered in the streets.The larger city lights were all starting to flicker on as cars and buses started running again. The nightlife of the city was bubbling up in stores, cafes and clubs around her. She could smell the aroma of freshly baked breads and cheesy pasta dishes from the corner restaurant and heard the quiet chatter of guests spending time together. She smiled as she ran onward. She really loved this city.Though she hardly saw another person walking on the streets at this hour, she new that her miraculous ladybugs had done their work perfectly as always.  The night was starting to feel so peaceful and beautiful. She was almost near the house boat, just another corner and a few more stairs and…WHAAA-AAMM!“Oh man, you pack quite a bunch Mari.” A voice calmly laughed, although slightly breathy.Marinette found herself on the ground in a slight daze. Shaking her head, she looked up at the familiar voice and saw Luka’s concerned eyes and simple smile staring back at her.“Oh, Luka! Hey!” She laughed nervously. “I was so distracted with how beautiful everything was tonight I didn’t pay attention to where I was running.”She took Luka’s outstretched hand and he helped her to her feet. He smiled as he held her gaze.“Everything really is beautiful tonight, I would have to agree.” Luka said warmly.Marinette felt a light blush melt through her cheeks.“Sorry again about running into you. I’m so glad I didn’t take you down with me. I’m so clumsy.” Marinette said trying to distracted her cheeks from blushing more.“Thank you for your apology, but there was no harm done. You just took my breath away literally and figuratively.” Luka chuckled back.The blush deepened immensely. She was used to Chat Noir making these kinds of comments to her as ladybug, but there was something special about having someone say it to her face outside of the suit. She felt so cherished in this moment. “So um, where are you heading tonight?” Marinette asked him after seeing his backpack and guitar case in hand.“Oh, I’m going to spend the night at a friend’s house so you girls can have the boat to yourselves. I don’t want to impose on a much-needed girls’ night.” Luka explained.“Ah, always the gentleman.” Marinette found it easier to flirt back with Luka. If she would be talking to Adrien right now, she’d be a total disaster. But this…this was something different.“As I always hope to be.” Luka said back with a sweet grin.That grin melted her. She wanted to just dump her heart on the floor right there and explain everything she was thinking about and worried about. She wanted to tell him about her lucky charm and Tikki, but of course she couldn’t…Luka always wore his heart on his sleeve and for a moment Marinette wished she could be the same. Her resolve withered away almost as swiftly as it had sprouted up. This was hopeless. What if Luka was just this chivalrous to everyone just like Chat? The question she once asked herself after ice skating with him on that disastrous double date came back to mind. Was Luka only a friend? Was she really destined to be with Adrien like she had dreamed about these last few years? Or did she want to be closer to Luka? How could she know?The silence started to turn awkward as Luka simply stood there waiting for her to say something. How long had she been lost in thought?“W-well, I won’t keep you any longer! I should meet up with the girls.” Marinette turned to leave.“Before we part ways, if you don’t mind me asking, why where you running here?” He asked her as he shifted his guitar into his other hand.A million answers rushed to Marinette’s head. Excuses, white lies, long drawn out truth bombs, you name it. She struggled to find anything to say as she gazed into his electric teal eyes. She had never really noticed them before this moment.“I was running because I had a ton of adrenaline.” Marinette started to explain. She wanted to tell him all of the truth...she had to start somewhere after all. “You see, I want to get to know you better. But w-well, I mean if you want to that is…I guess I’m just not sure who to…I mean WhAt to choose…and I mean there’s Adrien too ha-haha…what am I saying? Oh…gosh this is awkward.”Luka smiled and took a step back from Marinette.“Mari, you don’t have to be nervous. I know you’ve had feelings for Adrien for a long time. If you want me to keep my distance, I don’t mind...” Luka started to say back.“NO!" Luka looked slightly startled by her outburst at first but it dissolved into a curious eyebrow raise. She had to continue.

"Ha…no, sorry I didn’t mean to blurt that so loud. Ah, ha…What I’m saying is. I’d like to spend more time with you and get to know you. However, I’d also like to do the same with Adrien. So maybe we could go out sometime, no strings attached? I know fairytales aren’t made in Paris, and like...romance is built on friendship and respect. And well, I guess in order to date anyone I’ve gotta be friends with them first and what better way to get to know each other better by hanging out? Am I right?” Marinette nervously shot out her hand for a hand shake wincing inside. She must sound so lame. What was she doing? What was she thinking?!Luka took her hand without any hesitation and gave her a solid handshake.“I completely agree. I look forward to getting to know you even more Mari. Let me know when you want to plan something together. I will let you plan your first adventure with Adrien.”“You will?” Marinette asked him with a quizzical look as he dropped her hand.“Of course!” Luka chuckle, “In exchange for a simple request.”“And what might that be?” Marinette asked curious why he was being so thoughtful and amazing about everything just to put himself in the 2nd place slot.“I’ll save that request for another day.” Luka said happily while nervously scratching the back of his neck.Maybe he going to ask her for another kiss someday? A vicious blush erupted onto her cheeks.“Yeah actually. I would really like that.” Marinette smiled before she caught her little slip up. “I mean, sure! Of course, I look forward to hearing your request.”“That’s settled then. Until we meet again, Mari.” Luka waved as he walked off toward the subways.That went a lot better than she had hoped it would. She could talk to Adrien at school on Monday and get cracking at this friendship development first. Becoming closer friends was a less daunting task than becoming someone’s girlfriend right off the bat, and on top of that she was able to truly sort out her feelings before she made any decision about who to truly love. Her heart was already having a hay day just talking to Luka for a few minutes…and then thinking about kissing?! Ugh, this might be harder than she thought.She shook herself out of her thoughtful daze and continued towards the houseboat.“Mari!!” A chorus of girls yelled out to her as her feet hit the deck. With hardly a moment’s notice, Marinette was suddenly tackled by all of her best friends.“How are you feeling?”“Are you cold? Starving? We had snacks and drinks downstairs!”“I’m so glad you’re ok!”“MARI! What did that boy do to you?”“I’m gonna teach that punk a lesson!” "Should we buy some ice cream?""Mari, we were so worried about you!"The girls were all talking over each other so loudly but Marinette was warmed to the core with all of their love and concern. She hugged everyone back and started laughing.“Come on girls! I told you, I’d tell you all the deets remember?” She said between laughs. “Besides, I’m going to need your help.”The dogpile of girls broke apart and everyone broke out into smiles.“I’m just so glad you’re ok.” Alya said hugging her best friend again.“Let’s get this party started already.” Alex complained. “Last one down the stairs is a rotten wheel of cheese!”The gang of girls all bounded down the stairs to dive into the swamp of pillows and blankets they had dumped onto the floor, they all laughed themselves silly as a pillow fight ensued. This was going to be one heck of a girls’ night.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Adrien mindlessly played the grand piano in his room. His fingers tickled the keys dryly as he continued the specific piece his father had requested. His father had been in a particularly foul mood all evening. Adrien always wished he would come out of his office more often and spend time with him, but now he was wishing for the opposite. His father had stormed into the dinning hall and sat at dinner with him grumbling and scowling to himself the entire time.When the meal had been taken away his father had apologized for his behavior explaining something about a business deal gone to waste or something like that. Adrien had hoped to spend the evening out on the rooftops to clear his mind, but his father wanted to critique his work and hobbies this evening. Starting with his piano of course.Adrien used to love to play. His mother was fantastic at everything she had experimented with, specifically in instruments. She loved the harp and other string instruments but as a child Adrien had always struggled with holding the strings down to every single one of those musical creations. He had been so eager to play music for his mother that he tried every instrument available to him, finding the piano in the process. She had been beyond delighted and allowed him to take piano lessons.His long fingers worked magic, at least that’s what his mother had told him. He missed her. His father had turned his piano lessons and practices into a chore. Maybe it was to keep mother’s memory alive or something or just to fill his schedule with anything and everything…but it didn’t feel the same to play for his father. He felt imprisoned and lonely. The keys hardly chiming out joy to him like they once did.“That’s satisfactory.” Gabriel said once he had concluded his piece.“Thank you, father.” Adrien said sadly.“Now I’ve arranged for your fencing school teammates to all meet late tonight since I am far to busy to attend your regular practices and meets. We must leave within the next ten minutes to arrive precisely ten minutes early.” Gabriel continued while pulling out his tablet. “Natalie, please inform our drivers to prepare for our departure.”“Yes, sir.” Natalie stood from her chair beside Gabriel’s and walked out.“Mrs. Tsurugi will also be there this evening. I’ve heard that you are friends with her daughter.” He glanced at him before diving back into his hand-held work lifeforce.“Kagami? Yes, she’s probably the top student our fencing class.” Adrien explained.“Fascinating. Well Mrs. Tsurugi tells me that her daughter is incredibly interested in your attention. I think it would be fitting for my son to have a girlfriend from a prestigious family of fine fencers.”“Excuse me?” Adrien nearly gasped out loud. This was new, sudden and strange. First Mari, and now Kagami? He was helplessly oblivious. Where was his mother when he really needed her? Girls were a little mysterious. A pit of frustration boiled in his stomach but he cooled himself to reply with composure. “I don’t recall you ever being interested in my dating life, why do you get to pick?”“I assumed since you have gone three full year in public school without a single girlfriend that you must need help finding a worthy partner.” Gabriel coldly responded not looking up from his tablet.“I am quite capable of making my own decisions in relationships, father. I appreciate your concern but I was actually going to ask my friend out at school on Monday.”With that retort Gabriel looked up with a glare and tapped his fingers to his chin. He sighed noticeably.“Well, you may go on casual dates with this other girl from school but I would advise you to not toy with female emotions. I have already started a dress design for young Ms. Tsurugi for the winter formal coming up in a few months. Mrs. Tsurugi was adamant on her daughter’s feelings for you and asked if you had plans to escort anyone to the dance. When I informed her that you did not, she asked that you take her daughter. I have already accepted in your behalf and expect you to honor our agreement. I will not force you to date her, but I kindly ask that should you not date Ms. Tsurugi then please refrain from having a girlfriend until after the winter formal.”Adrien was both impressed and disappointed. Impressed that his father was being so understanding in this moment but also disappointed that he had made decisions for him without consulting him in the first place. He took a deep breath.“As you wish, father. I agree to those terms.”“Good. Now let us go, our driver will be waiting for us.”- - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

- - - - - - - - - - - -The crisp October air swirled around the outdoor café. Most guests sat inside, but Luka enjoyed the fresh air. He sipped his tea quietly as songs moved through the streets. Everything had a voice. The hum of vehicles pausing and driving, the birds chattering in the trees, the cling-clang of metal pans in busy morning food trucks and restaurants, the sneakers of pedestrians hurrying to work…everything. On quiet mornings all of these daily voices created a strange yet beautiful symphony and Luka loved it. Before the business of the day commenced, the mornings held onto the sweet songs of dreams left on pillowcases and the hopes of daily accomplishments. The sun playfully bounced off of the glass pyramid in front of him causing his eyelids to slide shut and his lips to fold into a smile.Luka came to this café often since it was near the Seine and the Louvre; two of his favorite places. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Le Café Marly had a special place in his heart. Not a lot of cafes are open late at night and early in the morning, and not all cafes had such wonderful owners. Not all cafes serve goodies from the Dupain-Cheng bakery either, that was one of his favorite parts. He had become great friends with the owners over the years. Luka had once offered to put on some live music for the café guests in exchange for a meal and the owners had graciously excepted. The rest was history; he was both a regular performer and guest now.Eager footsteps disrupted the clam of the morning. He didn’t come to this café on Saturday mornings very often, but he was certain something was out of place with this picture. He kept his eyes closed as the footsteps drew nearer until they stopped right behind him.“Hey, good morning! I was hoping I’d cross paths again sooner rather than later. Lucky me, that day happened to be today.”Luka wasn’t sure if he was ready to address the face that matched the voice. This was a dream, right?“Look, I’m glad I was able to help out, but when I said that I wasn’t interested in becoming part of the team, I meant it cat man.” Luka leaned back in his chair and brought his tea closer.“Adrien, who is this friend of yours? What kind of greeting is that?” A stern voice growled seemingly coming out of nowhere.Luka took a sip of tea calmly before he put down his cup and stood to face his greeters. A nervous-eyed Adrien stood next to his towering famous father. Mr. Agreste was much more intimidating in person, mostly because Luka could feel his shattered heart song radiating out from behind his designer clothes. Luka couldn’t remember the last time he felt such a powerful heart song. Taking a calming breath, Luka realized what situation he was now in.“Forgive me, Mr. Agreste. I meant no harm. I’ve looked forward to the day I could meet you in person so that I could rave about how excellent your son is as a pianist. Thank you for letting him play with our band every once in a while.” Luka bowed his head politely in greeting. “Good morning Adrien, how are you?”Mr. Agreste noticeably frowned and furrowed his brow.“I don’t appreciate the kind of greeting you gave to my son. He is not a low-life performer or animal.”Adrien stood formally, but slightly petrified. Luka felt a figurative stab in his heart at the “low-life” comment, but he didn’t allow that comment to anger him. Mr. Agreste wasn’t worth his time.“Ah, my apologies, sir. I will address him normally from now on.”Mr. Agreste huffed and turned on his heel.“Adrien I will wait for our food in the car. I’ve told Natalie we’re taking it home. Please make this conversation quick.”With that, Luka found himself alone with the famous supermodel. He was smart enough to put the puzzle pieces together. He was a little shocked but he could really care less in some ways.“I’m glad your arm’s not broken anymore. Thank goodness for Ladybug, am I right?” Luka joked trying to gage why the blondie wanted to talk to him in the first place.“How did you know?” Adrien asked quietly.Luka shrugged and picked up his things. “I just spent an intense afternoon with you yesterday. Your voice is the same, it’s only been a few hours since I last heard you speak. I’ve been thinking about yesterday nonstop. I probably wouldn’t have noticed if we bumped into each other later on.” He explained.Adrien folded his arms in front of him with a frown.“That’s understandable. I’ve done the same.” He replied.Luka and Adrien simply stared at each other. It was clear that the supermodel wanted to tell him something but must have been thrown off by how easily the cat was out of the bag.“Look, I know you’ve got an interesting home life so I’ll help you keep this as brief as possible. Your secret is safe with me, I know that the miraculous need to be hidden until Hawkmoth is defeated and all that. I also promise not to drop your nickname around like that in front of others anymore. You clearly have something to tell me, so do so before your father requests your presence.” Luka stared at him calmly.Adrien stared back until he was satisfied with that knowledge and nodded. A playful smile crept up on his lips.“Well, I’ll just lay it down then. I know you like Marinette. However, I’m starting to like her too.”Luka cocked an eyebrow. “Well then why did Marinette get akumatized by your rejection?”Adrien frowned and shook his head. “It’s not like that. I never even got the chance to talk to her yesterday. She had walked by when Nino had gotten me monologuing about my other crush…but that’s not the point.”“I see. That would explain why Marinette said the things she did yesterday.”“Don’t take that the wrong way…wait, you talked to her? When?” The blonde supermodel gaped.“Before and after the whole akuma attack. Don’t worry, she still likes you.” Luka winked at him. “She did however confess feelings for me too. She wants to get to know us both more before deciding who she wants to date.”Adrien processed that information quickly and smiled harder. “Well then it looks like we’ve come to an impasse.”“And, what are you suggesting?” Luka asked as he drained his tea cup down to the dregs.“A gentleman’s battle.”“A what?”Adrien’s playful smile leaked into his eyes. “A gentleman’s battle. We will both be competing for Marinette’s affections so we should do so fairly for her sake. No cheap shots, no pushing, no making moves, no muckraking. Marinette gets to call the shots. I promise to keep this a civil matter, meaning if she picks you in the end I will let go. I hope that you will do the same.”Luka thought it over. Marinette did want to get to know them both and with this gentleman’s battle there wasn’t really any room for jealousy or drama.“You’ve got yourself a deal, cat man.” Luka concluded holding out his hand.“May the best gentleman win.” Adrien affirmed shaking his hand.The deal was set.Adrien waved as he hurried back to his family’s vehicle.Luka smiled to himself as he started walking towards home. This couldn’t have gone better.- - - - - - - - - - - -Marinette rubbed her eyes to adjust to the streaks of sunlight coming through the portholes. Marinette didn’t really like mornings, but for some reason she couldn’t sleep anymore. She looked around the hull at the massive sleepover pile. All the sleeping bags and pillows were still filled with sleeping girls, except for one. Juleka.Marinette thought about the events of last night. The pillow fight had come to a close with Juleka’s mom bringing down all of the snacks. While eating, Alya had convinced Marinette to explain what she needed help with. Mari had always been able to be 100% honest with her best friends. She had explained basically everything, leaving out of course everything about Luka being Viperion and how she was ladybug. Alya had showed her the footage from her phone of her being an akuma and lamented that she didn’t get to film the whole thing. The other girls had been shocked about Marinette’s seemingly sudden feelings for Luka (except for Alya of course). They were all super excited to help her go on casual dates with the boys to decide who to date, but she couldn’t help but notice how quiet Juleka seemed the entire time. Juleka was always on the quiet side, but she was oddly silent last night. Everyone had come up with fabulous casual dating ideas and ways to get to know both of the boys better. Up until this moment Marinette had been ecstatic to get to work…now she was suddenly worried. How was Juleka feeling about all of this?The pigtailed super-heroine crept out of bed and up the stairs of the ship. She found Juleka still in her fuzzy pjs, draped in a thick blanket looking off into the morning’s sunrise. She approached her shyly.“Hey, Jules?” Marinette timidly asked.Juleka whirled around slightly startled but flashed a smile at her.“Hey Mari.”“Um…are you ok?” Marinette shivered in the crisp air. Maybe she should’ve brought warmer pjs.Juleka motioned for her to come over. When she stood next to her, Juleka draped part of the blanket over her.“Yep.” She mumbled quietly.“I probably should’ve talked to you first before having all the girls give me dating ideas. I know you and Luka are really close…” Marinette started to explain.“Oh Mari.” Juleka laughed. “Don’t worry about that. Actually, I’m really happy that Luka is the other boy you want to get to know better.”Marinette blushed deeply at his name. Why did he have such a great hold on her heart already?“In fact, I look forward to helping you.” Juleka smiled. “However, with all this I am just a tad nervous.”“Why?” Marinette asked her incredulously.“Well, I just don’t want to see him get hurt. He’s liked you for a long time and now you’re giving him a chance. I’ve always been excited to see you and Adrien get together, but now that Luka is in the running, I don’t know who I want you to date now.” She quietly confessed.Marinette laughed.“Oh Jules, I’m right there with you. Even Alya doesn’t know who to ship anymore.” Marinette hugged her friend. “And I promise that whoever I choose in the end, I will make sure the other is not broken hearted. I won’t lead either of them on. I promise I’ll be a proper lady.”Juleka hugged her back. “Thanks Mari, I knew you would. But it’s nice to hear it said out loud.”Marinette shivered again.“So, you’re not mad or anything?”“Of course not.” Juleka smiled. “I love to come up here in the mornings, it’s my thinking spot.”The girls smiled and looked out over the water. A cold windy breeze blitzed through the hole in the blanket.“Man, why is it so much colder on the Seine?!” Marinette gasped. “I need to get back into my sleeping bag or I’m going to turn into a popsicle!”Juleka laughed and threw her blanket over her.“Last one down is a rotten egg!” She shrieked happily.Marinette simply smiled as she pulled the blanket off her head and watched her friend dive down the stairs. Getting to know Juleka, Rose Alya, Alex and Mylene was proving to be one of the best decisions of her life. She couldn’t imagine what her life would be like without these girls. And she could hardly believe that the quiet, shy Juleka she knew a few years ago would be the same ball of energy and light she just watched beat her down the stairs.Tikki zipped up in front of her.“Marinette, are you alright?”“I’ve never been better Tikki!” She laughed hugging her to her cheek. “I’m so happy for my friends and my new adventure ahead of me.”“Just checking! When you didn’t move, I was worried you were overthinking again.” She smiled“Thanks for checking in Tikki, I really do appreciate that.”With a giggle Tikki flitted back into her pajama pocket and out of sight.Marinette took one more deep breath of the fresh air. A crisp breeze floated by and made Marinette shudder all over. That’s it! She hurried down the stairs to the sleeping bags and snuggled up tight. She blocked the meddling sunshine with her pillow and tried to catch a few more z’s before she would have to get back to the bakery for the afternoon lunch rush.- - - - - - - - - - - -Adrien stared out of the window all the way home. No one spoke. He was used to silent car rides around the city. Once home he excused himself politely and trudged up to his room. He tossed his bag of breakfast items onto his desk after shutting the door behind him. Behind the safety of his closed door he flopped onto his bed and sighed heavily.Luka had really thrown him for a loop. He had never once realized how easy it was to pick up on voices. He was curious about Ladybug…if he knew her in real life…what the heck was he thinking?He groaned and rolled over burying his face in his silken sheets. He was a ball of mixed emotions. Marinette likes him. He was pretty sure Kagami liked him. He liked Ladybug. None of these young women deserved his half-assed attempts at romance. How could he possibly face all three of those girls with interest all of a sudden? That wasn’t fair to any of them. Just because Ladybug wasn’t returning his affections, Marinette deserved to be better than a second choice. Who was he kidding?Plagg noisily rustled through his breakfast picking out the Camembert he had smelt. "Plagg, why is love so confusing?" Adrien sighed."You should really just forget about girls entirely and eat cheese for the rest of your life! No drama, no empty stomach it's a win win if you ask me!" Plagg retorted happily guzzling down his breakfast."Plagg, I'm serious. I've been pursuing Ladybug for years and haven't made any progress. I'm apparently blind to one of my best friend's feelings towards me. I'm curious in what Kagami sees in me...all of these girls, and no real love! What's wrong with me?"Adrien flopped his arms to his side. Maybe he really was just a hopeless romantic. He didn't know the first thing about girls, let alone loving one.“Ya know, I think you’re overthinking this whole ordeal.” Plagg pipped up floating above him.“Oh really? Do impart your god-like wisdom then. I'll order you all the Camembert you could ever want.” Adrien mocked.“Ok stinky, listen up because I only dish out wisdom when cheese is on the line.” Plagg jabbed him in the face.Adrien turned his face so he could look at his little kawmi.“Honestly kid, I think you’re blind to your real feelings.”He looked at Plagg puzzled and sat up to face him better.“What is that supposed to mean?”“Think about it, Adrien, you’ve gone through a lot in the last few years. Your mother mysteriously disappeared and left a hole in your heart. Your father forgets that you exist half the time and fills your schedule with anything and everything to make you the perfect role model and citizen. You finally convince your father to allow you to attend public school where you make the first best friends of your life, besides me of course. You found freedom and peace in becoming Cat Noir. You gained an amazing partner that you have spent the last few years pinning after because she was the first person to see the raw person you are beneath the mask of your supermodel life AND the suit. But because of that undying love you feel guilty getting to know one of your closest friends *cough, cough* MARINETTE, who you’ve shared lots of adventures with. And now you’re interested in Kagami because she is the first girl to really pursue you. Come on kid, you’ve got a lot going on! It’s okay to admit you’ve got a lot of feelings trapped in that perfect body of yours.”Plagg paused for a moment as he watched Adrien’s face glow with bewilderment.“I think you’re overthinking this all. Stop worrying about all the details. Getting to know Marinette will be good for you, trust me.”Adrien thought it over. Plagg wasn’t wrong. In fact, he had really hit the nail on the head in a lot of things. He was a little broken inside, but no one could ever really see that side of him. A lot of emotional damage had happened over the years; Marinette and Ladybug had both been there for him in different ways. Flashes of memories started popping up in his head; bumping into Marinette while trying to sneak out to see his mother’s movie had been one of his favorite days. How could he forget the time he asked her to dance at Chloe’s party and Alya had twirled in to make them dance closer…that was so funny! And…now that he thought about it a little more, it was special to him. She was an amazing designer so he wasn’t shocked to find out that she won his father’s hat contest. But what was even more amazing, is that she replaced the pigeon feathers with synthetic ones for his sake…she was so thoughtful and amazing. He also remembered the time when he had been Cat Nor and met her on her balcony; she had confessed feelings for him as Chat! She could have feelings for both sides of him! That thought sent his heart soaring. The feelings he had once buried in his heart started to float to the surface…maybe he had been crushing on Marinette all along too. Memories with Marinette swirled through his brain and his smile continued to widen. He had a lot of really nice memories with her…not to mention that picnic they had thrown her for hero’s day…she had kissed him on the cheek. A blush rose up.“Plagg, I think you’re right.” Adrien mused quietly.“See kid, I knew it.” Plagg teased. “Now I deserve aaalllllll the cheese!”Adrien laughed and picked up his phone.“I’ll make sure my chef adds extra camembert to my meal tonight.”Plagg laughed with glee and started to flit away.“And Plagg…”“Whaaattt?” the tiny deity whined.“Thank you.”Adrien watched the little black cat half smirk before he flew over to the sofa and disappeared. He shook his head and laid back out across his bed. Plagg had always been on the pain-in-the-butt side, but Adrien was grateful for his little companion. Especially in this moment.In his heart he still knew that Ladybug, Marinette and Kagami deserved to be better than just back up plans of love. He needed to learn how to be proper gentleman when it came to romance and emotions. The last thing he wanted to do was lead on Mari or Kagami since his heart was still very much beating for Ladybug. But Plagg had opened his eyes a little. He did have feelings for all of these girls. He wanted to sort out his feelings too. He had fallen in love with Ladybug for so many reasons, but Plagg pointed out the biggest one- Ladybug was his best friend and partner who knew his wild and carefree side. He didn’t mind the life of a famous model, but that road is a little lonely considering the fact that most people are interested in him for his money or his body. Ladybug trusted him, laughed with him, cried with him, joked with him…everything that he never had with anyone else in his life besides his mother and his best bro, Nino. But even Nino didn’t know his Chat side. Ladybug did, and accepted him as he was. Maybe deep down he had blindly pursued only Ladybug because he secretly feared that no one else would be able to love him; both sides of him.Why did Marinette like him?Why did Kagami like him?What made Adrien special to them?His mind was racing with questions now. He was determined to set it all straight. Maybe he needed to “find himself” like people did in the movies. Maybe before he could love someone with all of his heart, he would have to unlock the secrets of his own heart to himself first.He thought about the gentleman’s battle he had proposed to Luka earlier that morning. This was going to be the perfect way to get to know Marinette with no strings attached especially as he found out who he was again. At least, he hoped.He got up and made his way toward the bathroom. He needed a refreshing shower to help him think more clearly. His desktop screensaver flashed before him and his mother’s smiling eyes stared back.Mom.The last time he had truly felt like “himself” was when she was around. He had lost sight of that with his schedules, assignments, meetings and shows. When Cat Noir came around, he had split up who he was between his two identities. But in reality, Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person. He was both wild and carefree as well as proper and gentlemanly. He needed to stop thinking he couldn’t be both. He needed to be true to himself. For Mari’s sake. Ladybug’s sake. His mother’s sake.For his sake.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The weekend had passed by uneventfully. Because Marinette had been planning on going to the sleep over, she had talked to Cat Noir about splitting patrol between them every other weekend. After all, akumas happened seemingly randomly and patrol was simply a time they had set aside to roam Pairs to help counter potential akumas by helping people in need. They had saved several Parisians from getting akumatized this way, but not enough to make her feel like patrol needed to have both superheroes every single weekend. This weekend was Chat’s turn and since there had been no akuma, all had been restful and relaxing.It was presently Monday morning. Marinette had overslept her alarm and was running towards school with a bagel stuffed in her mouth as she slipped on her backpack. By the time she had reached the steps she had scarfed down her breakfast and rushed to her locker so that she could make it to her seat before the bell. She opened it quickly to slip away her lunch bag and snag her textbooks.She made it to her seat just in time. The bell rang and the teacher began the lecture after calling attendance. Marinette couldn’t help but stare at the back of Adrien’s head like she always caught herself doing when she daydreamed. He really was so wonderful. He excelled at everything he attempted and spent his free time doing more than she could ever pack in a day. He was kind, courteous, generous, thoughtful, sweet, open and brave. She thought about the few times he had shielded her from harm’s way during an akuma attack…very similar to a particular leather-clad superhero. She chided herself for comparing Adrien to Chat again; they were similar, yes, but had many differences!Adrien turned to whisper something to Nino and seemed to catch her staring because he peaked behind him and winked at her before turning back to the front. Mari felt her face flush extremely hot. Did Adrien just…wink at me? Her giddy little crush made her insides flutter. Marinette couldn’t think of any other time where she had seen that wink before…it must have been a photoshoot or something.She tried to focus in on the lesson but struggled immensely. Marinette still wasn’t 100% sure how to get a chance to talk with Adrien one-on-one without causing a scene to her classmates.Classes dragged on until the lunch bell rang.“Are you hitting up the school café then?” Marinette overheard Nino asked his best friend.“I must have left my lunch in the car today.” Adrien laughed, “I guess I’ll have to figure out something.”“Why don’t you walk back to the bakery with me?” Mari heard herself pipe up. Where did this sudden bolt of bravery come from? “I mean…it’s such a nice day so I was going to walk home for lunch anyway and if you want you can come with me! I mean, you don’t have to! It’s totally cool if you’d rather eat here at the school or…”“I’d love to Marinette, thank you.” Adrien smiled at her.Nino and Alya fist bumped behind Adrien’s back and Mari forced down the urge to roll her eyes.“Perfect! Let’s bug out.” Mari said excitedly to cover up the pit of nervousness rising in her stomach. She skipped over to the door and turned back to see a slightly shocked Adrien. She wasn’t sure what she had said or done but her nerves were threatening to explode. Her mind went blank and the only thing that was coming to mind were random quotes from one of her favorite princess movies. “You coming, Blondie?”  Without notice Adrien burst out laughing and nodded. “Lead the way.”The first few minutes of the walk to her house were a little awkward because Marinette couldn’t think of a thing to say. It seemed like Adrien had the same problem. She started to worry that he was going to talk about the unfortunate events of Friday and wanted to distract him.“I know you’ve eaten a few things from the bakery, but I don’t think I know you’re favorite.” That was technically a lie since she knew a lot about Adrien but she wanted to get to know him from himself this time.“So far I’ve loved anything your parents have offered me or that you’ve brought to school. Those macaroons you sent out for Christmas this last year were also super amazing. Passion fruit is my favorite flavor, but I assume you knew that since my box of macaroons were my favorite.” He looked over at her and smiled. “I’d have to say though, I’m actually a complete sucker for croissants.”Surprisingly that was something she didn’t know about him.“Come to think of it, you probably already knew that. I got to thinking about our friendship this weekend and realized you know a lot more about me than I know about you.” Adrien admitted.Panic rose in her chest, he must think she’s a stalker or something!“Oh, no! I mean, I pick up a lot of things from Nino and when we all hang out and like…you know, I guess I just pay attention…and like…” She stammered profusely.“Mari, I’m not at all bothered by that.” Adrien laughed picking up on her stammering mess. “I’m used to having my life blasted across the internet as a famous model. But I’m actually impressed that you know a little more about me as a friend than any tabloid could ever know. You are always so thoughtful and attentive. I wish I could say the same thing about knowing you.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.All of her nerves quieted down at his little explanation. He really was perfectly genuine. A smile crossed her lips as they crossed the street to the bakery.“Hey Adrien, can we start our friendship over?”Adrien looked at her confused.“I’ve always been a stammering mumbling mess around you because you’re just so dream…I mean, amazing and I’d like to hit the reset button and get to know you better.” Marinette explained feeling a rush of Ladybug’s confidence buoying her up.“I’d like that.” Adrien admitted.“Ok, well here it goes!” Marinette giggled and made a curtsy. “Hello, I’m Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”Adrien smile widened as he bowed in return. “Pleased to meet you Marinette. The name is Adrien Agreste.”They laughed together as they approached the bakery. The bakery was looking a little packed as lunchtime was now a popular stop for businessmen and students alike. There was no way they would be able to get through the bakery without making a commotion…after all, her parents didn’t know she was coming home for lunch (they loved to make it extra special) and Adrien was famous so they could potentially lose their entire lunch break watching him write signatures and talking to her parents. Adrien put out his hand to open the door but Marinette snatched his hand and pulled him towards the back door instead.“If we come this way the odds of having a nice lunch increase.” She explained. Realizing what she was still holding by the time she got to their door made her face flush. She squeaked out an apology as she grabbed her house keys out of the pocket of her bag.They climbed the steps to her kitchen quietly and made it inside without being noticed. Marinette sighed happily and skipped over to the fridge and got out some sandwich fixings. She set out cheese and meats, lettuce, dressings, tomatoes and thin red onion rings. The part-time superhero dumped everything on the counter before pulling out plates and cups. Lastly, she grabbed a couple navel oranges and tossed them to Adrien.“Help yourself to any beverage! If you want to wash and slice the oranges I’ll be right back.” He had caught them all with ease and had smiled at her before she rushed down the stairs to the bakery. Her heart fluttered again.“Marinette, I didn’t know you were coming home for lunch! What happened to the one I packed you?” Her mom asked warmly as she grabbed a armful of fresh croissants and kissed her on the cheek.“I brought a friend over for lunch. Sorry I didn’t warn you!” Mari smiled and ran up the stairs before she could interrogate her with more questions. She reunited with Adrien and found him sheepishly juggling the oranges.“I, uh, didn’t know where your cutting boards were.” He admitted.“And I didn’t know you could juggle.” Marinette laughed while pulling out the cutting boards. She put the fresh croissants a plate and then leapt to the sink to wash the oranges.“What else do you not know about me?” Adrien mused at her with a smirk.“Oh, not much. I mean, we did just become friends after all.” Mari teased. He paused for a second but jumped on board with a smile.“Oh, right!” Adrien exclaimed mockingly slapping his forehead, “Let’s go back and forth with favorites.”“Great idea.” Marinette smiled while sitting down across from him. She sliced the croissants open and started making herself a sandwich while Adrien did the same. “I’ll start. Favorite Color? Mine is pink.”“Green. Favorite video game?”“MechaStrike IV!” Marinnette gushed. “What about you?”“It’s the same for me! I love the new graphics on this one!”“I completely agree!”The lunch break gave them enough time to cover the essential “favorites” knowledge; favorite food, place to visit, memory, movie, book, artist, thing to do during free time, animal, sports, holidays…you name it! She was proud of herself for staying so calm around him. She wished she had been like this from the beginning…maybe things would have been different. There had been no awkward lulls in the conversation and they only briefly talked about Ladybug and Chat Noir. That conversation had been short but she felt awkward about gushing over Chat for a few minutes. Thank goodness Adrien was very skilled at time management or else Marinette would have forgotten about getting back to school. They cleared the dishes and made their way back to the school all the while still talking about anything and everything that came to mind. She realized that she had never had a chance to tell Adrien about her plan to get to know both him and Luka over the next several months.“Hey Adrien, before I answer that question can I change the subject? I wanted to tell you before we got back to school.”Adrien nodded and halted in front of her. He turned his whole body toward her and waited patiently, a true sign of complete attention.“Well, basically…um…I’m just going to come out and say it. I loved today. I had a great time and I really enjoy getting to know you. It’s just that…um…” Marinette paused. She searched for the right words to say.“Whatever you’re nervous about telling me, don’t be. I’d rather just hear the truth instead of anything else.” Adrien smiled and nodded encouragingly.She took confidence in his statement and took a deep breath.“Well, I like you Adrien. I’ve liked you for a really long time.” Mari felt her face starting to blush as she hurriedly continued. “But I also really like Luka and I’m not sure where to put my heart right now. I’d really like to get to know both of you over the next several weeks. Is that…ok?”Marinette felt awkward explaining this to her crush of three years.Adrien smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. “That is more than ok! Don’t feel like you need to ask me for permission. This is your journey. You deserve all the happiness and love in the world Mari, and that’s not for anyone to decide but you. I’m happy that you’re giving me a chance.”A mix of relief and respect coursed through her heart. She excitedly hugged him and thanked him before they started walking back to the school.After a few quiet moments, they found themselves on the steps of the school. Their best friends started rushing towards them.“By the way, Marinette. Thanks for the date.” Adrien waved as he walked off to meet up with Nino.Marinette felt her knees buckle under her from sheer emotion. Did she really manage to pull off a decent “date” with her crush and actually talk all the way through it like a normal human being? AND talk to him about going on casual dates with both him and Luka? This day couldn’t have gotten any better!Alya nearly tackled her when she reached the dazed girl in pig-tails.“How did it go?!” She whispered excitedly trying to respect Marinette’s wishes of keeping this dating operation on the down-low.“It was the perfect first friend date.” Marinette quietly responded.Her heart fluttered as she thought about the last hour she had spent with Adrien. She had gotten to know him in person and learned things she didn’t know about him. Not only that, but her respect and trust in him increased a hundred-fold. Her heart raged with happiness and confusion at the same time. She was falling head over heels for not one but two boys and she had no idea what to do about it. Thank goodness she didn’t need to make a decision anytime soon.- - - - - - - - - -Adrien smiled to himself. He was laying on his sofa tossing a stress ball up over and over again. With his photoshoot over and nothing to attend to until dinner, his mind took him back to a few hours earlier.
(Reminiscing to the moment the first school bell rang out.)
Adrien smiled as Marinette came barreling into the room and launched herself into her seat before she could be marked tardy. He had only briefly caught sight of her, but his heart did a little flip. Was she always this cute?Once everyone answered to roll call and the lesson began, the supermodel started having issues paying attention to his favorite subject. Ms. Mendeleiev lectured on about particle physics but Adrien’s mind kept tripping over a particular lady in pigtails.Over patrols this last weekend he had spent a great deal of time in thought about his girl dilemma. He had accidentally spent a little too much time comparing Marinette and Ladybug which only made him realize how similar the two were. Of course, there were a great number of obvious differences, but he and Chat were nothing a like in the public’s eye…maybe Ladybug was the same? Adrien was determined to get to know Marinette a little more now more than ever.While the teacher’s back was turned, he whispered to Nino, “What’s the easiest way to hang out with Marinette?”With wide eyes and a wicked grin smearing across his face, Nino replied, “Duuude, anything with food.”“So, lunch maybe?”“Definitely man!”Adrien snuck a peak at Marinette and found her eyes trained on him. A sudden rage of Chat’s confidence spilled over into him and he winked at her.
Did he just wink at her?
The blonde supermodel stretched in his seat. He couldn’t think of the last time he had winked at anyone outside of the suit. Ladybug had been his most recent recipient, of course, but outside of photoshoots he wasn’t really the winking type. A little embarrassed, Adrien managed to give full focus to the rest of his classes.The lunch bell rang and Nino looked up at Adrien.“You going on a lunch date?” He asked smugly.“If I brought enough to share, I could have…I don’t know.” Adrien admitted.Nino looked up at Mari and back to him and waggled his eyebrows.“Are you hitting up the school café then?” he asked him while silently gesturing to Marinette. Maybe she was listening in or something to make his best friend behave such a way.“I must have left my lunch in the car today.” Adrien laughed, “I guess I’ll have to figure out something.”Nino was totally picking up on what was going on, for the last thing he expected was to hear Mari pipe up behind him.“Why don’t you walk back to the bakery with me? I mean…it’s such a nice day so I was going to walk home for lunch anyway and if you want you can come with me! I mean, you don’t have to! It’s totally cool if you’d rather eat here at the school or…”If she really was Ladybug, her cover was amazing. Her stuttering and nervous chatter was almost endearing and cute.“I’d love to Marinette, thank you.” He hoped cutting her off wasn’t rude. He simply smiled at her.He could almost hear Nino and Alya fist bump behind his back. Nino had explained to him how Alya and him had been trying to secretly set them up for ages. He nearly laughed to himself that of all people, Marinette was making the first move.“Perfect! Let’s bug out.” Mari said excitedly skipping over to the door.All sense of life and time came to a halt in a single moment. Maybe he had compared Marinette and Ladybug TOO much this weekend. The way she said it and how her hip popped back as she turned back to look at him was screaming “LADYBUG” right in his face. This couldn’t be real.“You coming, Blondie?”  Adrien came back to reality with that popular movie reference and couldn’t stop his giddy heart beating. Without warning all of his emotions bubbled to the surface and he burst out laughing“Lead the way.” He told her, using every muscle in his body to stop him from adding ‘milady’ to the end.The first few minutes of the walk to her house were silent. His heart ached to ask the question that was on his mind; “Are you Ladybug?” His quest to get to know Ladybug, Marinette and Kagami suddenly turned into a quest to figure out if his lady and one of his closest friends were in fact the same person. But of course, with Hawkmoth still at large their identities were safer hidden. Not to mention, if Marinette was Ladybug then it might be slap in the face to their friendship and trust. Though he ached to love the girl behind the mask, he wasn’t about to lose everything over a selfish desire. Marinette startled him out of his thoughts.“I know you’ve eaten a few things from the bakery, but I don’t think I know you’re favorite.”Adrien thought for a moment.“So far I’ve loved anything your parents have offered me or that you’ve brought to school. Those macaroons you sent out for Christmas this last year were also super amazing. Passion fruit is my favorite flavor, but I assume you knew that since my box of macaroons were my favorite.” He looked over at her and smiled. “I’d have to say though, I’m actually a complete sucker for croissants.”She processed that information with a funny expression. Adrien suddenly remembered something he had also contemplated this weekend.“Come to think of it, you probably already knew that. I got to thinking about our friendship this weekend and realized you know a lot more about me than I know about you.” Adrien admitted.She really was. She happened to know his favorite flavors and colors. Last year when the anniversary of his mother’s disappearance came around no one else seemed to realize that he was feeling down that day except her. She had even brought him a full bag of goodies from the bakery and stammered out a “hope you feel better” before running off. The simple memories of Marinette knowing him enough to be a true friend rose to the surface all the weekend. He honestly kicked himself for how blind he was to her affections. He wondered if things could have been different if he wasn’t so blind.“Oh, no! I mean, I pick up a lot of things from Nino and when we all hang out and like…you know, I guess I just pay attention…and like…” She stammered profusely.Suddenly realizing she must be worried about how he thinks of her, he laughed.“Mari, I’m not at all bothered by that. I’m used to having my life blasted across the internet as a famous model. But I’m actually impressed that you know a little more about me as a friend than any tabloid could ever know. You are always so thoughtful and attentive. I wish I could say the same thing about knowing you.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck in both nervousness and embarrassment.He really liked this side of Marinette. Though this was among some of the first times he was on the receiving end, he wasn’t blind to how sweet and thoughtful she was to everyone around her. He liked seeing her laughing with friends, cracking jokes, and comforting friends in need. His head was reeling. He suddenly couldn’t help but hope that Marinette was Ladybug.“Hey Adrien, can we start our friendship over?”She had shaken him out of his thoughts again. Her question puzzled him though. What was she asking? Adrien looked at her confused.“I’ve always been a stammering mumbling mess around you because you’re just so dream…I mean, amazing and I’d like to hit the reset button and get to know you better.”This was the most perfect thing he could’ve ever asked for.“I’d like that.” Adrien admitted.“Ok, well here it goes!” Marinette giggled and made a curtsy. “Hello, I’m Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”Adrien smile widened as he bowed in return. “Pleased to meet you Marinette. The name is Adrien Agreste.”They laughed together as they approached the bakery. Adrien put out his hand to open the door but Marinette snatched his hand and pulled him towards the back door instead. The warmth of her hand in his was a pleasant surprise. His heart fluttered slightly as a blush rose on his cheeks.“If we come this way the odds of having a nice lunch increase.” She explained. Her face suddenly matched the shade that was resting on his cheeks and she dropped his hand instantly. She squeaked out an apology as she grabbed her house keys out of the pocket of her bag. She was really cute when she’s flustered.They climbed the steps to her kitchen quietly and made it inside without being noticed. Marinette sighed happily and skipped over to the fridge and got out some sandwich fixings. As she got to work getting a lunch prepared for the two of them, he awkwardly took a seat at the barstools near the sink. He wished he could do something to help with their lunch date. Date? This was totally a date wasn’t it?If it weren’t for his cat like reflexes, he was pretty sure Mari would’ve nailed him in the face with those oranges she tossed at him.“Help yourself to any beverage! If you want to wash and slice the oranges I’ll be right back.”She left the room without another word. He walked over to the sink and rinsed the oranges. He looked around the kitchen and realized that he had no idea where anything was. Adrien was raised a gentleman and felt extremely awkward prying through cupboards and drawers trying to find something that didn't belong to him. He shamefully sat back in his seat and felt a little helpless.To ease his nerves, he started juggling the trio of fresh fruit in his hands. Marinette suddenly popped back in the room with an armful of freshly baked croissants. He smiled at her. “I, uh, didn’t know where your cutting boards were.” He admitted as he put the oranges next to the sink.“And I didn’t know you could juggle.” Marinette laughed while pulling out the cutting boards. She put the fresh croissants a plate and then leapt to the sink to wash the oranges. Adrien didn’t bother to tell her that he already rinsed them. Instead he moved back towards the table and sat down.“What else do you not know about me?” Adrien mused out loud. He couldn’t help but let a Chat Noir smirk leak through. If Mari was Ladybug, she wasn’t showing any sign of recognition to his little Chat slips.“Oh, not much. I mean, we did just become friends after all.” Mari teased back.That simple gesture made him realize that all weekend and afternoon had had been trying to discover if Ladybug and Mari where the same person. He needed to stop thinking and comparing and instead just be in the moment. He needed to just get to know Marinette for who she is.“Oh, right!” Adrien exclaimed mockingly slapping his forehead, “Let’s go back and forth with favorites.”“Great idea. I’ll start. Favorite Color? Mine is pink.”“Green. Favorite video game?”“MechaStrike IV!” Marinnette gushed. “What about you?”“It’s the same for me! I love the new graphics on this one!”“I completely agree!”For the next thirty minutes Adrien was completely engulfed with his quest of getting to know Marinette. He asked her every single “favorite” question he could think of and answered all of hers with complete honesty. He loved every moment of it. Especially when he asked her;“Who’s your favorite superhero? That is, your favorite Parisian Superhero.”Marinette had paused for a long time. She smiled sweetly and turned her face towards the window.“I’d have to say Cat Noir.”Adrien wasn’t expecting that answer. He remembered years ago when she had declared her love for him as he was Cat Noir, but he had deduced that it must have simply been a celebrity crush and thought nothing about it since.“I’m surprised it’s not Ladybug or Rena Rouge or even Carapace.” Adrien admitted. “Of all the superheroes you pick the most spunky and destructive one. I know he balances Ladybug’s power, but he just seems like the weakest teammate. Ladybug has saved Paris without him before, he probably doesn’t even contribute that much.”He hadn’t meant to open up that can of worms. He was a little self-conscious about his contribution to the team. He was sure that Ladybug could save the day without him any day. He loved standing by her side and protecting her as best as he could, but Ladybug seemed so much more confident and stronger than him in some ways.“Chat is more than that.” Marinette pipped up in a brisk reparation. “The way I see it, Ladybug and Chat are an unstoppable team. They rely on each other, trust each other. Maybe Ladybug has saved the day once or twice without him, but it probably wasn’t because Chat did nothing. It must've been because Chat’s sacrifices gave her the extra boost to truly succeed. Remember Chloe’s story about the whole Zombizou fiasco? She said that it was down to the three of them at the end but Chat stayed behind to try and save them. I don’t see that as weakness, I see that as bravery and smart thinking. Not to mention, Chat has a ridiculous sense of humor and the kindest of hearts underneath that mask.”With her rant ended, Marinette’s eyes grew wide. “I sure do love Alya’s blog so we can check in on our superheroes and get to know them!”Adrien couldn’t help but smile as she changed the subject. His heart was reeling over her little speech about him as Chat. It was the most amazing thing to hear coming from her lips. She thought highly of both sides of him. She liked both sides! All of him!He checked his watch and reminded Marinette that they needed to get back for a few more classes in the day. They continued talking in random small talk as they washed the dishes and snuck out of the back door to the bakery.They walked briskly to make sure they made it to the school on time but Adrien filled the steps with more questions and brought up anything he could think of to continue talking. He loved getting to know her.“So, what do you want to do after high school?” he asked her.“Hey Adrien, before I answer that question can I change the subject? I wanted to tell you before we got back to school.”Adrien nodded and halted in front of her. He wasn’t sure what to expect but he wanted to completely hear and understand all of it, whatever it was. He turned his whole body toward her and waited patiently, a true sign of complete attention.“Well, basically…um…I’m just going to come out and say it. I loved today. I had a great time and I really enjoy getting to know you. It’s just that…um…” Marinette paused. Adrien noticed that she seemed to be struggling with finding the right words. He thought about what Luka had told him this weekend and smiled to himself.“Whatever you’re nervous about telling me, don’t be. I’d rather just hear the truth instead of anything else.” He nodded encouragingly for her to finish. Mari took a deep breath.“Well, I like you Adrien. I’ve liked you for a really long time. But I also really like Luka and I’m not sure where to put my heart right now. I’d really like to get to know both of you over the next several weeks. Is that…ok?”The gentleman’s battle was completely under way. A boost of confidence blasted through him. He had the upper hand in this battle since it appeared that he got the first date. He wanted to continue to earn her trust and create an environment of good communication.Adrien smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. “That is more than ok! Don’t feel like you need to ask me for permission. This is your journey. You deserve all the happiness and love in the world Mari, and that’s not for anyone to decide but you. I’m happy that you’re giving me a chance.”He meant every word. Though he was definitely falling hard for this girl in pigtails, he inwardly honored his promise to Luka as well that he would be respectful of Marinette’s choices. He suddenly wanted to be that person to give her all the happiness and love in the world. She was such an amazing person and such a great friend.Without a word, she wrapped him up in a brief hug as he thought to himself. He loved everything about it. The way her shampoo smelled when she was close, how her body felt so perfectly fitted to his own, how whole she made him feel in that brief but happy moment. They continued walking, but Adrien felt like he was soaring.After a few quiet moments, they found themselves on the steps of the school. Their best friends started rushing towards them. He didn’t want to break the spell. He was starting to fall hard for Marinette. He hoped that she would stay this confident and happy around him from here on out.“By the way, Marinette. Thanks for the date.” Adrien waved as he walked off to meet up with Nino.He had hardly got out of earshot of Marinette when Nino bombarded him with questions. It kept all of his model and gentleman training not to gush out his heart on his best friend. There was something so special about Marinette. For a moment, he completely forgot about black spots and red wings.
(Reminiscing concludes; Adrien is on his sofa throwing a stress ball up in the air as he lays on his sofa.)
If Marinette was Ladybug than all of his problems would be solved. Well, all but one problem…he couldn’t date her. Not without her choosing him and not before he attended the winter formal with Kagami.Kagami…she was something else though. He admired her calm, collective nature. She was extremely skilled at fencing and he loved the challenge to fight her. She was fun to talk to and spend time with. He was brought aware to her feelings by her mother at the opening of the Ladybug and Cat Noir movie, but she was also not shy in showing her affections like Marinette had been for years up until today.He really liked spending the afternoon with Marinette, he truly did. But what if she wasn’t Ladybug? He would be back to square one. He was conflicted. He had fell in love with Ladybug but now had two other girls tugging on his heart strings and he couldn’t exactly figure out why. On top of that, Marinette had flipped him head over heels today and he was worried about how everything would all play out in the end.“Plagg, I’m overthinking this again. Why can’t I just fall in love easily like they do in movies and fairytales?”“Because movies are fake and that kind of love is cheap.” He retorted matter-of-factly.Adrien stopped and rolled over to look at his kwami who was stroking his wheel of camembert. If that cheese wasn’t so stinky, he would have gotten more for him for all the wisdom he had spewed out earlier this weekend.“Oh ok, so I’m supposed to just fall in love with cheese?” Adrien mocked rolling his eyes. He got up in a huff and strode towards the door.“If you want the real deal stop looking for it and let it fall onto you. If you force falling into love, you’ll be at risk for crashing. If you let it fall into your lap, you can properly assess it and care for it.”Adrien turned to look at his kwami. He had been so focused on choosing that he didn’t think about the flip side; being chosen. Ladybug did not choose him. Marinette wasn’t sure if she wanted to choose him. Kagami already chose him.He looked out the window and sighed to himself.“I better get two wheels for that wisdom.” Plagg laughed out.Adrien smiled and turned back toward the door. He had to admit, Plagg was suddenly spewing a lot of wisdom around. Whatever the reason, Adrien knew he was right. From here on out he would stop trying to choose. He wanted to show his best side to Marinette. He wanted her to choose him. He hoped she would.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Don’t be bemused, its just the news!”Luka lowered the volume of the TV as Ladybug and Cat Noir waved back from the screen. Nadja was reporting the events of this morning’s akuma battle, but Luka was hardly paying attention. He was humming happily to himself as he finished his date preparations. The plights of the Parisian superheroes were far from his mind on this late October Saturday. Rather, his thoughts were filled with a particular beautiful girl who had asked him on a date and then asked him to plan it. Originally Marinette had told him that she would plan the afternoon, but in a hasty text message exchange this morning she had asked him to take the reigns for today.He couldn’t contain his smile as he glanced through his messages again waiting for another message from Marinette. He reread the exchange… 
OMG Luka, I’m so sorry to ask but I was wondering if you could put together something for our date today…something came up in the bakery and I won’t be able to finish my perfect plans for today. But I’m not about to cancel the chance to see you ;)

I’d be more than happy to Mari. Tho you don’t have to feel like we have to have the perfect date to spend a great time together ;)

Haha, well I guess I just wanted to do something special ;) You are too amazing, thank you!!

Any requests for the day?

Hm…nothing expensive or scary but other than that I don’t mind! Surprise me! I know you’ll think of something amazing. I’m sorry again for the last-minute bombshell…I’m the worst. :P Thanks Luka!!! <3

You’re welcome Mari :) See you soon!
 Luka smiled again as he loaded and closed the trunk. Marinette wasn’t the worst; instead this was a stroke of luck. One of his friends let him borrow his car for the weekend while he was out of town. It was the perfect opportunity to take Marinette somewhere special. Luka checked his phone again which showed that displayed 10:25 in the morning and they had agreed to meet around 10:30.
Ok, gotta make sure I’ve got everything
Luka mused to himself as he went through his mental checklist. Guitar. Check. Picnic Basket and blanket. Check. Charged Bluetooth speaker and loaded iPod. Check and check. Extra blankets, just in case. Check. Present. Check.“Hey Luka! I’m so sorry about this morning. I didn’t to help my parents at the bakery this morning.” Marinette enthusiastically explained in person, coming up behind him.“Hey! It’s no big deal, Mari. Honest.” He said returning the hug she gave him.“So, what adventure do we have today?” Mari asked him. A slight blush rose up on her cheeks but he pretended not to notice for his heart was also fluttering a little.“You’ll see!” Luka laughed. “But the more important question is, do you need a snack for the road or is lunch in a few hours ok?”The puzzled look on her face swirled his insides. She was so cute.“Um, I did miss breakfast this morning because it was so crazy…maybe we can stop by the bakery quick and I can grab something.”“Sounds good to me.” Luka happily responded, “Hop in!”“When did you get a car?” She asked him incredulously while getting in beside him.“Well, actually it’s my friend’s car. I’m taking Juleka and Rose to a concert tomorrow out of town so I asked my friend if I could borrow it while he was away on holiday. I’m lucky I get to spend a full day with you while I have the car so we can go somewhere special.”“Where might that be?” She asked him happily while getting herself buckled up.“You’ll see.” He reassured her again. “Let’s stop by your place and get some snacks first.”The short drive over to Marinette’s proved that the day was going to be perfect. Marinette was in a fantastic mood and happily chatted with him. At first, Luka wasn’t sure how the over 2hr car ride was going to be, but now he had no fears.“You’re welcome to come in while you wait. Though I’ll warn you that Maman and Papa might bombard you with questions.” Marinette laughed nervously.“I’d love to.” He happily parked nearby the bakery, switched off the car and followed the bouncing pigtails to the best bakery in town.The bell above the door chimed as they strolled in.“Marinette what are you doing back so soon? Did you forget something?” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng laughed.“Not that I knew about!” Marinette laughed back and gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek, “Luka is taking me on a surprise road trip but I haven’t eaten yet so we’re packing snacks for the road. I’m going to go upstairs and grab something, don’t torment my friend.”“Ooh, sounds exciting.” Her mother chirped back as Marinette bounded to the back and up the stairs.“So, you’re taking my daughter on a road trip.” A booming voice called out by the stove.Luka couldn’t help but smile. He had only interacted with Mr. Dupain-Cheng a few times in the past, but none of them involved courting his daughter. Luka admired her father and his love. What would it be like to have such a thoughtful, protective and loving father?“Yes, Sir. I’ve planned out a lovely trip for Marinette. I wanted to take her somewhere special, just like her.”Marinette’s mother smiled happily and turned back to making fresh pastries while Mr. Dupain-Cheng folded his arms and glowered over to him. In a few lumbering steps he was standing right above him.“Mr. Couffaine, I respect you. You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders but I honestly never imagined seeing you court my daughter. I trust that you will be respectful and return her home no later than 7pm.”“Oh Tom, relax. You don’t need to throw a curfew on them. Our daughter is an adult.” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng said warmly coming up to grab her husband’s arm.“No need to worry Sir. You have my word, she will be home by 7 without a scratch. If it eases your mind, I can tell you where I am taking her and what exactly I have planned.” Luka calmly offered.The Papa Bear facade broke down in front of him as Tom’s face broke out into a warm smile.“That’s alright, son. I trust you. If she’s not home by 7, I’ll change my mind.” Mr. Dupain-Cheng held out a large hand.Luka smiled and gave him a firm handshake.“On my honor, sir.”Marinette came downstairs a few moments later with a small travel bag and some apples. She had taken the opportunity to change into a white flowing sundress with light pink flowers all over the bodice. An adorable floppy sunhat tucked away her now lose hair that tickled around her shoulders. Her lips had a rosy pink shade now and Luka couldn’t hold back a smile.“I thought since it was such a nice day out and it was a surprise I could, you know…. wear something cute...I mean I can go back and change if it’s more casual.” Marinette flushed as she turned to go back upstairs.“Marinette, I think you look beautiful.” He heard himself pipe up. Luka didn’t bother to look at how her parents responded to his quiet outburst. Right now, he only had eyes for her.She turned back to him and smile despite the blush. Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng exchanged happy glances and excused themselves back to work. After warm wishes, the pair returned to their borrowed vehicle and set off on their adventure.- - - - - - - - - - - - -Marinette twisted her hands together in her seat. It had been a long time since she had gotten the opportunity to go on a road trip, let alone not knowing where the destination was. Her parents had been so calm and supportive of her when she explained her casual dating quest for them. It seemed to surprisingly put her father at ease, probably because casual dating meant no broken hearts. She remembered how over the top her dad used to be when it came to her love life…that whole morning he had been akumatized trying to set up Cat Noir and herself over breakfast had been an absolute disaster. She was glad he had toned it down and had no problem with her choices: Adrien and Luka. Her father admired both of the young men and her mother was just happy she was finally going out with anyone.She and Luka had been chattering away about life and random conversations about dreams and goals for the last half hour. However, when they passed the sign informing them that they were leaving Paris, Marinette suddenly grew anxious. Hawkmoth had already had his fun with an akuma that very morning, but she wasn’t ignorant…she knew he would akumatize anyone at any time. She hadn’t left the city limits since she had been chosen by Tikki and Master Fu.“Marinette, are you alright?” Luka brought her out of her nervous thoughts.“Oh, yeah, I guess it’s just been a while since I’ve left the city. Is it weird to get homesick so fast?” She covered up her real fear…could Ladybug go out today with Hakwmoth still at large?“I think it’s perfectly normal to feel strange when you get out of your comfort zone.” He admitted slowly, “But if you really want to, we can go back to Paris and find another place to do this date.”Marinette thought for a moment. It had been weeks since she had last spoken to Luka after she had been akumatized that day and with their busy schedules they didn’t get a chance to see each other often. Luka had even gotten off of work today so he could spend the whole day with her. Let alone, with the akuma attack this morning she totally couldn’t plan a date while she was out saving Paris so she had let Luka take over…and he had planned a surprise for her.“No…it’s alright. I want to go.” Marinette smiled. Surely Ladybug wouldn’t be needed for the next few hours, right?Luka’s eyes lit up with his smile and he continued driving and chatting with her. Marinette found herself completely at peace all of a sudden with the wind rushing through the open windows and the soft hum of the little car. Luka had turned on some background music earlier which they were now both jamming out to with laughter. The nervousness and walls she had put around her heart started coming down brick by brick with every kilometer.- - - - - - - - - -Luka laughed out loud as Marinette continued to jam out intensely to Jagged Stone with him. He made his way through the streets following the roads he knew well. This spot he was taking her was special to him regardless of all the different kinds of memories that were had here. He also knew this was the perfect place to take the princess-loving baker’s daughter next to him.Luka turned the music down and found a parking spot. He got out and quickly went over the Marinette’s side to open the door for her. She giggled as he offered his hand out and helped her up. Marinette gasped as she looked around more clearly possibly realizing where they were.“Is this Loire Valley?” She asked him taking in the view.“It is, madam. I’ve brought you to this place for a picnic at the Loire Valley Châteaux.” He explained while pulling out the picnic basket out of the trunk.Marinette looked positively pleased.“Here, let me take the basket so you can grab your guitar.” She offered.“As you wish.” He replied handing her the basket. He pulled out the picnic blanket and slung his guitar over his shoulder.The pair walked towards the clearing and started taking in the storybook-like view. This little village that housed the title “Garden of France” absolutely glowed under the afternoon sun. They walked around the cobblestone and paved streets lining the tiny shops and houses until they reached the most popular Châteaux castle in the valley.“This one is called Château de Chambord. It was built for King Francis the First to extend court life outside of Paris. Apparently, along with other of the castles in this area, this was designed just for entertainment and enjoyment. Isn’t that neat?” Luka said as they walked towards the open gates of the Renaissance era castle.Marinette seemed to be drinking in the whole scene. Her white flowy dress twirled as she excitedly looked around. He smiled widely. She looked just like a modern princess. He was going to wait until later to give Marinette her present but he wanted to use it now. He reached into the folds of the picnic blanket where he had hidden the small wrapped box.“Hey Mari, I was going to give this to you later but you just looked so beautiful I thought I’d give it to you now so we can use it. If you want to of course.” He said handing her the gift.- - - - - - - - - - - - -She curiously opened the wrapping paper and found within the box one of those fancy instant cameras that print of little mini photos of everything you take a picture of. Her heart absolutely melted. She had wanted one of these little cameras since middle school so she could take a bunch of photos and put them up in her bedroom but her parents said she would have to earn the money to buy one. After a several months of saving money she had graduated middle school and started high school as well as become ladybug so she had nearly forgotten about buying a camera like this entirely.“Luka,” she nearly whispered. “Thank you so much.”“You’re welcome.” He said simply smiling at her. “Do you mind if I take your first picture? You look so beautiful with this castle all around you.”She smiled and felt a little blush rise on her cheeks.“Actually, let’s have the first picture be a selfie. Are you ready?”She didn’t even wait for his answer. Her emotions where setting adrenaline alive in her system causing her to get the nervous jitters…bad. She stood close to him and positioned the camera. Marinette felt Luka lean in closer to her so that he could fit in the shot better and she smiled widely.Click!The little instant camera whirred as a little printed photo popped out. A few seconds and a little air brought the ink to life their selfie smiled back at them.“I really like this picture.” Luka admitted. “Can we get one on my phone?”“S-sure!” Marinette exclaimed snuggling close to him for the selfie. The picture came out almost identically, except Luka’s phone definitely defined Marinette’s blush a little more.A loud gurgle from her stomach startled both of them. Luka and Marinette fell apart into laughter at the same time.“Looks like we should get this picnic started.” Luka said pulling them towards a large tree in the outskirts of the castle grounds.They set up the blanket and had a simple but delicious meal of cheeses, crackers, fruits and bread from the bakery that Marinette had brought. They chatted simply as they ate, mostly about the view, the good weather, and the plans for the rest of the date.“I didn’t really have a schedule.” Luka admitted as he pulled out his guitar to make sure it was perfectly tuned, “I just knew I wanted to take you on a fairytale like picnic in a fairytale like place.” And go on the most fairytale like date.Marinette thought to herself. Luka leaned against the tree and started to play soft and beautiful melodies that she was quite fond of. He closed his eyes as he always did while feeling the music through his soul, as he had once described it to her. She smiled as she looked around at the gorgeous scene around her. It had been a while since she had truly relaxed like this with no thought of homework, superhero or bakery duties…everything.She reached into her bag and pulled out her sketchbook. Underneath she found the camera she had stowed away earlier. Marinette pulled it out slowly and took a picture of Luka playing. She smiled as she looked at the most gorgeous picturesque photo of one of her heart’s love interests. She took a few more photos of the castle and put it away before picking up her sketchbook again.She took the opportunity to start her designs for her winter formal dress. Alya had asked her to make her one as well but Marinette hadn’t taken the same amount of time to design her own dress the way she had done so for her best friend.Her current attire, the medieval scenery and the handsome boy playing music beside her gave her a lot of inspiration.  She sketched intensely designing everything from the stitching to the way the dress would sway. Floor length would be perfect. Shimmery white with light pink flowers and butterflies seemed appropriate. Every stroke of her pencil met the sketchbook with pure creativity and imagination. She felt alive.“What are you up to, Mari?” Luka asked her suddenly.Marinette had been so focused she hadn’t noticed Luka stop playing and shuffle over to sit right beside her. He looked down at her work and smiled widely.“Wow, that looks amazing already! Are you going to make it?”“Y-yes actually. I was going to make my own dress for the winter formal. Alya wanted me to make her a Ladybug inspired dress and I’ve been putting off my own dress design for a while because I couldn’t decide what to do…until…uh, now I guess.” Marinette explained feeling a blush rise to her cheeks as she considered how close Luka was sitting to her.He smiled and gave her two thumbs up.“I know it doesn’t mean anything, but I approve.” Luka said.“Well, it does matter…to me that is. I’m happy you like my work.” Marinette couldn’t stop her stammer. She closed and put away her sketchbook so that she could turn away from him for a moment. He made her heart pitter patter so hard in this moment.“Do you have a date to the winter formal?” Luka asked her shyly not meeting her gaze.“I haven’t really thought that far ahead.” Marinette admitted with a giggle, “Alya said she’d take me but we both know she’s going to go with Nino.”“Well, I’m not the most amazing dance partner but I’m not to shabby either.” Luka said while reaching into his bag to pull out a Bluetooth speaker already connected to an iPod. He stood up and started fidgeting with the electronics in his hand. “If you’d like, I could show you what I know.”Marinette looked at him as he waited patiently for her answer. He was too cute in this moment. Juleka had admitted that he had had a crush on her for a while but Mari had never really gotten a chance to see it obviously. But in this moment, his crush was very evident on his face has he gazed at her.“As you wish.” She simply replied feeling a blush pulse across her cheeks as Luka’s eyes lit up with glee.He turned on the speaker and a simple love song and offered his hand to her. She slowly reached up and took his outstretched hand and he pulled her close. She stifled a soft gasp as his other hand found her waist. As the music played, Luka led them in a simple waltz like dance. Despite being horribly clumsy, Marinette managed to stay on her feet the entire time and felt her heart gushing as every step and twirl reminded her that see was in his arms.As the song ended Luka stepped back respectfully and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. Cat Noir had done this to her more times than she could count, but something about the softness of his lips against her hand rippled through her heart like an electric guitar tremor.“I hope it’s not too forward, but I was wondering if I might have a chance at being your date to the dance.” Luka softly questioned.Marinette thought for a moment. She had not really considered having a date to the winter formal. She had never a had a date in the past, but suddenly she found herself really enjoying the idea of having a date. Not mention, since Adrien was already going to be at the dance, she could still potentially dance with both of them. Last year the DJ at the winter formal had announced for everyone to dance with someone they hadn’t accompanied to the dance which had given her the opportunity to dance with Nathan since Chloe had dragged Adrien away for that dance. She felt comfortable with the idea of bringing Luka and smiled.“I’d be honored if you could be my date to the dance.” Marinette confessed with a curtsy.The look of contentment and happiness that sprouted up in Luka’s eyes absolutely melted her. She didn’t know what she was doing but she found herself throwing herself into Luka’s arms in a warm hug. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but her heart shuddered as his arms slowly tightened around her. She felt safe, cherished, respected, and wanted. And she reveled in it.- - - - - - - - - - - -Luka’s heart did a nosedive off the deep end. He had told himself that he wasn’t going to let himself fall deeper in love with Marinette until she made her decision about who she wanted to date…but his resolve was cracking under the pounding pressure of the love that he trapped in his heart. Holding this beautiful, talented, thoughtful, brave and amazing girl was more than he ever hoped he could do. He had watched her pin over Adrien for years and patiently waited to see if he would ever get a chance at the spot light. He never excepted to actually get the limelight, let alone wander the medieval streets of the beautiful Loire Valley with her. He felt his arms tightening around her. He never wanted to let go.But respectfully, and for the sake of his heart, he loosened his grip and allowed Marinette to slid out of his grasp and look up at him. He quickly checked his phone to verify they were good on time only to see that his time with her in this castle was nearly up. He had given his word that Marinette would return home by 7pm so he wanted to stick to that.“Well it looks like this coach is going to turn back into a pumpkin before we get home if we don’t leave in the next half hour.” He laughed while moving over to gather his items.Marinette giggled as she repacked the nearly empty picnic basket and folded the picnic blanket. It was a long shot, but Luka held out his arm to her after they had gathered everything. He was pleasantly surprised as she took it and nearly skipped the whole walk back to the car.Truth be told, he didn’t expect the drive home to take over two hours, but they left at 3pm anyway so that they could get back to the city. He thought they could either continue their date there or allow her to go home at dinner time so that she could eat with her family.The drive proved to be uneventful up until they were only fifteen minutes from the bakery.“Luka. Thank you for today.” Marinette suddenly said.“You are most welcome. I enjoyed today too. Thanks for coming on an adventure with me.”“No really Luka, you have no idea how beautiful today was for me.” Her hand moved to cover his as it rested on the gear level. His heart did a backflip and flew into his throat. “It’s been a while since I’ve truly allowed myself to relax and do things for me. And thank you for the camera too, it’s priceless to me. Not to mention I loved all the pictures I got to take today. I’m going to put them up in my room as the start of my new collection of wall decorations.”“You’re welcome.” He softly responded.Her hand was so warm on his. Luka couldn’t help it…he slowly rotated his hand testing to see if she would keep hers there.She did.In fact, she entwined her fingers with his.Her hands were soft and fit beautifully between his own. He peeled his eyes from the road just for a split second to see her smiling shyly, unable to look at him. He smiled widely as he continued the drive to the bakery. Secretly wishing they had more than just a few minutes left before the magic would ultimately break.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Her face had never felt so hot before. When he had slowly rotated his hand towards hers, offering to hold her hand her heart had skipped a million beats at once. The last time she had ever really held hands like this was when she kind of dated that kid back in elementary school. She could hardly look at him on the rest of the drive, in fear that the sparks ignited in her heart would show in her eyes.In reality she was mentally torn in two. Today was the most beautiful and amazing day. In her schoolgirl fantasies she had always dreamed that Adrien would whisk her away for something sweet and romantic like this…but let’s be honest, that was probably never going to happen with his schedule and his controlling father. Even though high school was ending and she was starting to consider what it was going to be like without deadlines and papers for a while. She was starting to ask herself was she truly wanted.She had already thought about the possibility of choosing him in the end and actually having a relationship with him. Luka could provide a quiet life of soft romance and genuine friendship. He could provide a relationship of creativity, inspiration and a life full of music.On the other hand, she was head over heels for the hottest guy in town but hardly knew anything about him intimately. She knew big pieces to the picture like how he acts when he’s sad or upset, when his mother’s disappearance anniversary is, how lonely Adrien is behind the fake smile he wore at times…but besides their little date of getting to know each other’s favorites, Marinette knew nothing about how Adrien felt about his life. She could pick up on social cues but she couldn’t read his mind. And Adrien was somewhat of a sphinx when it came to his emotions. She didn’t know what made him upset or sad. She didn’t know what he thought about losing his mother. She didn’t know what he felt about her.Would Adrien love her as much as she would offer to him? She already knew that Luka really liked her and being chosen by someone close to her was special. Not to mention, she loved how his hand felt in hers right now…but she was still conflicted.Should she love Luka?Should she love Adrien?Her inner battle came to a halt as she heard Luka speak.“We’re here.” Luka said as he parked near her home. “I know we’re a little early but I thought I’d leave the choice up to you where you would like to have dinner. We can conclude this date now or go grab a quick bite to eat somewhere and get back before 7.” He winked at her.“Well, I think…” Marinette started to say.A loud scream echoed from the nearby park. An akuma! They broke their hands quickly but hesitantly and got out of the car. And quickly walked to the edge of the nearby buildings to see if they could see anything. A car flew in front of them and exploded nearby.“On second thought, let’s get to safety and discuss this later.”Juleka and Rose rounded the corner and nearly crashed into them.“OH!” Rose screeched. “I’m so sorry, but that akuma really scared us.”“Can you drive us home Luka?” Juleka pleaded quietly.“Of course, let’s get out of here.” Luka said. “Mari, do you want to come?”“I’m going to go check on my parents at home, don’t worry, our superheroes will fix everything soon.” Marinette exclaimed.Rose and Juleka smiled softly and ran towards the car.Luka turned to her and wrapped her into a brief hug. She smiled but hardly felt any fear, it was time to kick some butt.“I’m sorry we don’t get a chance to get dinner…but seriously, thank you for today.” Marinette moved to give Luka a kiss on the cheek but miscalculated her angle and totally snagged him right on the lips. Her face flushed white hot almost instantly and she hid her embarrassment by running off towards her home.She flung herself into the bakery and ran upstairs to meet up with her parents.“I just wanted to let you know that Luka brought me home safe! I’m going to go upstairs and get working on Alya’s dress for the winter formal but call me when the akuma is done and we can have dinner.”She didn’t even wait to hear their response and ran up her ladder to her attic room.“Tikki I kissed Luka…I kissed him on the lips! Like I wasn’t planning on…” She stammered with adrenaline. She never planned on her first conscious kiss going like this. Sure, she had kissed Chat to break that spell forever ago and Luka had kissed her when she was akumatized but this was different! She totally botched her first kiss…not that she was complaining about the way his lips felt against hers. That brief moment was burning through her mind as well as her stunned lips. “Marinette let’s have this talk over ice cream and cookies after the akuma!” Tikki squeaked while trying to hide the faintest bit of amusement from her face.“You’re right, go time now. Tikki, spots on!”- - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luka couldn’t remember the last time his heart had fluttered so hard. Happiness wasn’t hard to find, but pure joy was a rare commodity.With his parent’s divorce and city mandated counseling, he had learned how to channel his emotions and work through experiences with a straight head on his shoulders. At the beginning, the idea of meeting with a counselor for something seemingly stupid like his father walking out on them had felt like an extra burden and an unnecessary step in the healing process.  Yet to this day, he was grateful for the counselor that had been assigned to his family. She had taken the time to truly discover what coping mechanisms and techniques that would help him not only work through the drama of his parent’s divorce, but also apply those to the rest of his life. His love of music had turned into his life outlet.Months after things started to settle in their new houseboat, his mother had scraped together some extra money and surprised him with his very own guitar and the rest kind of became history. His guitar became one of his strengths. He could channel negative energy out of himself and others, he could hear the heart songs of those he interacted with…he could feel life through music. Along with music, other advice from his counselor had spilled over through the years and taught him how to collect his emotions, feel them, then let them flow through him. He loved the breathing techniques, finding new hobbies or activities to get into, and even creating a “favorite spot” to go to for thinking. If he had to choose a favorite though, it would always be music.When Marinette had walked into his life by befriending both Juleka and himself, his heart had come alive with music. Though his soul followed her around like a puppy, he always remained collected and calm. Even though he had been crushing on Marinette for several years, the quiet strumming of his lovesick heart never busted above the acceptable listening decimal.Yet here, with his feet glued to the pavement just a block away from the best bakery in town, his heart had suddenly burst into a loud and somewhat obnoxious strum. The butterflies in his stomach reverberated the strum as they furiously flapped. Fluttering was an understatement.“Luka, look out!”The high-pitched squeal from his sister’s friend knocked him back into reality as a car swept through the air just inches from his face. He suddenly felt wrapped up in…yo-yo string?The world zoomed by. The next thing he knew, he was standing right next to his borrowed vehicle with a scared Rose and Juleka looking back at him. The yo-yo string disappeared as Ladybug came to a graceful stop next to him. Her face looked beat red, that akuma must be strong and intense to get her sweating that much already!“Please take these girls home, if you will.” The spotted superheroine told him with a smile. She placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded. “I’d like to keep our Parisians as safe as possible. You included.”He nodded but couldn’t help but turn back to the bakery in a panic. In his daze he hadn’t checked to see if Mari had made it home alright. He knew Ladybug and Cat Noir would be able to reverse any damage that could and would be done, but he didn’t want to see her hurt either.“Do you know if Marinette is safe? Did you see her get into the bakery alright?”Smiled at him sweetly and waved him off. “Your friend is safe inside the building, I need you to leave the area before the akuma creates more damage.”Luka sighed with relief. “Yes, ma’am.” He said calmly. Without another word, he slid into the car and drove them all back towards the Seine. It had been quiet for a while, now that they were gathering distance between the akuma and there wasn’t as much happening. Years had passed since Hawkmoth’s first akuma and Paris was now very used to the occurrences. It was strange to think that almost all of Paris still carried on with life during akuma attacks because they knew Ladybug would fix everything anyway. He shuddered to think what would happen if Ladybug’s miraculous ladybugs didn’t restore everything after an attack or if Paris lost Ladybug.“So…are we going to talk about it?” Juleka poked his side.“About what?” He asked, even though he had a pretty good idea what it was.“Marinette of course!” Rose pipped up, “How was your date? Did you go anywhere special? Was it romantic? Did you kiss? Eeeeeeeeekk!”He couldn’t help but smile wide when he heard her name. Rose’s gleeful spirit always made him smile and chuckle more often than not. Juleka eyed him patiently obviously curious as well. It would seem that both of these girls must have not seen Marinette kiss him then. He decided to keep that little treasure a secret for now.“It was a wonderful date. I’ll tell you more about it after we’re on the boat.” Luka chuckled in response.They parked near the Seine and started walking to the place they called home.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -“Pound it!” Ladybug nearly sang.“It would appear that Milady is in an excellent mood today.” Chat laughed. Normally his heart would be doing backflips with the smile she was wearing today, but the last few weeks his mind had been on a different pig-tailed beauty. Not that he wasn't entranced, because he still loved Ladybug, but his heart was essentially tearing in two directions. He tried to get up the courage to talk to her about everything.“I am.” She smiled and even did a little twirl. Chat laughed again. Dang she was cute.“Well I’m nearly certain this isn’t a side effect of fighting Mr. Trashman the angry-why-doesn’t-this-world-recycle-more akuma. So, who’s tickled your fancy?” He waggled his eyebrows at her playfully.Ladybug immediately turned away from him, but not before he caught a glimpse of her cheeks and ears boiling pink.“I…I…got to go on a date today.” She responded quietly.A slight pang tapped at his heart. He knew that Ladybug would eventually date someone else. She was adamant about this other boy that she loved and had told him so every time he had confessed his undying love in the past. He always hoped she would love him back, but he knew that wasn’t his choice to make. Adrien had been prepping himself for the last two weeks to talk to Ladybug again and get let down. He held onto Plagg's advice about being chosen by love. He truly did want to see her happy and fulfilled in life. A part of him would always be head over heels for her…but she wasn’t his.
But Marinette could be.
That thought had plagued him for weeks now that he had been on a date with Mari. But now seeing Ladybug so happily entranced with love made his heart yearn for that kind of love more than before.“I’m sorry Chat. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I also didn’t want to lie to you. You’re one of my best friends and my partner…I don’t want to keep more secrets in my life than I need to. I know you must be disappointed or hurt or…gawd who knows what else…” Ladybug quietly apologized. She hugged herself while still avoiding his gaze.Chat smiled and walked up behind her.“Milady I’m not mad. You’re not just some prize to be won. You deserve to be loved by whoever you choose. And I guess that’s not me, it’s never been.”Ladybug turned to face him in a rush. Her eyes were wide with shock. She gapped at him, opening and closing her mouth like a fish unsure how to respond.“To be honest, it does hurt a little…okay, a lot…but I’m not mad. I will always be head over heels for you my lady, but I want to be wanted in return. I’m happy you had a date that made you smile as much as you did earlier. I’m honestly happy for you.” He smiled at her lovingly and placed a simple kiss on her forehead. He leaned back and looked down at her smiling to himself that a little bit of color had risen to her cheeks. Marinette and Ladybug’s eyes were so strikingly similar it was almost strange. As his mind cross over Marinette again a loud beeping sound reminded him that he needed to head home. “Thanks Kitty.” Ladybug smiled back.“Before I head out, I wanted to take advantage of all this honesty and tell you one more thing.” Adrien said stepping back from her and twirling his baton. He had been planning on telling Ladybug at some point that he wanted to focus on being his best self for a potential girlfriend but up until now he had no idea how to do it. Honesty. That really was the key, wasn't it?“What might that be?” She stared at him quizzically as her own miraculous started to beep.“I recently started falling hard for a girl in my class at school. She’s amazing and she reminds me a lot of you. She doesn’t know who she wants to date yet, but I hope she chooses me in the end. Now that you seem to be happily taken, I'll take the opportunity to be my best self for her.” He winked at her and with his signature two fingered salute he vaulted into the rooftops of Paris.Her wide eyes were the last thing he saw as he repelled away. He didn’t want to talk about it all, but he did want to at least tell Ladybug he was moving on, in a way. His heart hurt a little, there was some jealousy stirring in there as well, but he was happy that Ladybug chose someone that made her happy. And with her dating someone, he felt less guilty about pursuing his relationship with Marinette now. He was going to give it his all. He wanted to choose her and be chosen back.- - - - - - - - - - - - -Marinette stumbled back into her room through the skylight and let herself detransform. Tikki flew up around her watching her carefully.“I think we need more than just cookies and ice cream for this talk now.” She said quietly observing her chosen’s mini-panic attack starting to rise.Tikki sighed. Their past Ladybug and Cat Noirs usually did know each other’s secret identities because they were two halves of a whole and completed each other. Whether or not they remained strictly partners or turned into lovers was always up to their chosens. This however was different. Marinette and Adrien were two of the youngest chosens they had ever worked with and, though they were amazing, dealing with a vicious villain like Hawkmoth made it complicated. Past miraculous holders weren’t in school fighting crime on a weekly basis because one of the miraculous had been stolen and was being used for evil. If it weren’t for Hawkmoth, Plagg and Tikki probably would’ve outed their identities a long time ago because they were hopelessly in love with each other’s alter egos.Now that Luka was part of the mix Tikki was even more conflicted. She liked both of Marinette’s options, she really did. She stayed out of participating in Marinette’s love life as best as she could except for occasional advice and consoling. It drove her little deity brain crazy with how Marinette couldn’t even fathom that Adrien and Chat were the same person. But Tikki would never divulge that information. It was too risky. If Hawkmoth knew their real identities, they would no longer be safe and Master Fu would be forced to retrieve the miraculous which would be excruciating to both herself and Marinette.Marinette paced the room manically muttering to herself about Chat and Adrien. Tikki held her breath as Marinette continued to drabble on. “Tikki, what are the odds that Chat and Adrien are the same person?”The spotted deity feigned innocence and controlled her desire to slap her forehead. They had had this conversation a few times in the past, but Marinette had always been so adamant about how they couldn't possibly be the same person...now she might be finally onto it and she didn't know what to do.“Marinette, I think you’re overthinking all of this. You’ve had a long, amazing and emotional charged day!”Marinette sighed and sat down.“You’re right Tikki but now I’m a little suspicious.”- - - - - - - - - -Suspicious was an understatement.Marinette had been very aware of Chat's lack of heavy flirting and puns in the last week. He dropped a couple, yes, but he almost seemed distracted. He was almost being too respectful of her space and after today, he was being overly accepting and kind. On top of that, Adrien had spoken to her everyday at school for the last several weeks. He had been his usual self, but it was still odd because before their date he had never really given her the time of day. Not that she was complaining, but it was oddly suspicious…especially after what Chat had admitted. she suddenly had to know!Her determination melted away as quickly as it had come. After all, she realized that she was essentially trying to find out Chat’s secret identity. They couldn’t do that…not until the butterfly miraculous could be recovered and Hawkmoth defeated. They couldn’t risk their friends and families’ safety, let alone their own. Didn’t she have enough problems trying to deal with Luka and Adrien?Suddenly her mind was filled with memories from her date with Luka and their awkward first kiss. Not to mention she had been a blushing mess when she had moved Luka out of harm's way. She fell back onto her bed and squashed her pillow in her face and screamed.Tikki rushed up to her, “Marinette are you ok?”“Yeah just boy problems.” She laughed.“Do you want to talk about it?”She smiled fondly at Tikki but shook her head.“Not yet, I’ve gotta stop mentally freaking out first. I’ll talk out loud later, ok?”Her kwami snuggled her cheek and zipped off to her favorite spot in Marinette’s room.Mari reached up and traced her lips absentmindedly. She remembered Luka’s kiss when she had been akumatized. It had been simple, as it was to try and save her rather than anything romantically based, but it had been sweet. She had cursed Hawkmoth for controlling her so she couldn’t kiss him back. Then she had accidentally kissed him on the lips after their date today. It had been on her mind, yes, but it was not exactly her plan to kiss him then. It was so awkward…man, she was such a clutz.She also thought back to when she kissed Chat to save him from Dark Cupid’s grasp. Apparently, she also kissed him during the fight with Oblivio but neither of them remembers a thing; they just saw the picture that Alya had taken. Though she had never really returned Chat Noir’s affections…she had to admit his lips had been really soft and sweet too. His dorky puns and humor had found their way into her heart and she wasn’t as annoyed by them anymore, but she would never tell Chat that for obvious reasons. Chat would still ever only be her crime fighting partner, but she had to admit she really valued their friendship and partnership.Her thoughts continued to drift. Was it bad that she was now wondering what it would be like to kiss Adrien? Not that she ever expected that to happen…Adrien seemed to see her more as a friend than anything else. She doubted the opportunity would ever rise up. If it did, it would probably be just as awkward.Chat’s words echoed in her mind again. If Adrien was Chat, was it true that he was falling for her instead of Ladybug? Would it be possible that he could fall in love with both sides of her? All of her? The mere thought sent her into another bout of hysterics. They couldn’t be the same person! They were so…so…different? But then again, who was she to judge? She was hardly ever as confident and strong as she was behind the mask. Maybe she had gotten more courage through her supportive friends and family, but she had to admit to herself that behind the mask, Marinette was a different person too.She frowned as she considered the possibilities. If Adrien was Chat and she picked Adrien she wouldn’t have to hide secrets between herself and her boyfriend. That was a HUGE plus…they could actually have somewhat of a normal relationship whereas if Adrien wasn’t Chat or if she picked Luka, she would have to hide a huge part of her life for their safety and have to constantly make up excuses why she can’t be somewhere during an akuma attack. It was weird to wrap her mind around, but she wanted to see if her suspicions were correct. After all, Adrien probably wasn’t even Chat, so it wouldn’t hurt at all, would it?- - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Marinette! Dinner time!”Marinette trudged loudly down her steps and came into the kitchen with a weird look on her face. Sabine looked over to her husband who simply stared back dumbly at her and shrugged.“How was your date today honey?” she probed her daughter.Her question seemed to startle Marinette out of her thoughts and her daughter blushed.“It was the most beautiful date.” She admitted with a smile.Sabine smiled at the blush and happily finished bringing dinner to the table for their meal. They ate together as a family every night since they controlled their hours and had the bakery closed by 7. Family was important to her. Marinette was important to her. She had grown up into such a beautiful, smart, caring and amazing young lady. Sabine couldn’t be prouder of her. The thought of her daughter finally getting on the dating train had really excited her as well. Finding love and creating relationships was such a beautiful part of life and she had eagerly waited for the opportunity to welcome a “boyfriend” of her daughter into their family.“So, what did you do?” Tom asked her.Marinette went on to describe the most romantic and thoughtful date she had ever heard of. Sabine felt her heart gush with admiration for Luka treating her daughter like the queen she always thought she was. And were those glistening tears in Tom’s eyes? Marinette happily gave out all the details and even went up to her room for a second to grab her new camera that Luka had given her. She shared with them all the pictures from their date; the scenery, the selfies, and the picnic…one last picture slipped out from her grasp and an adorable photo of Luka sitting under a tree playing a guitar landed on the table. Tom and Sabine smiled up at Marinette who had gone silent as she slowly retrieved the picture.Sabine could see the confliction in her face. To be honest, when Marinette had explained to them a few weeks ago that she was going to go on casual dates with both Luka and Adrien so she could get to know them better, Sabine had secretly wondered what kind of emotional adventure this would be for her daughter. Marinette had never dated anyone seriously in the past and up until this year she had gushed about only Adrien Agreste.She wouldn’t tell her daughter, but she had done research on the famous super model via Goggle search years ago and found that he seemed to be “too perfect”. She found articles of nothing but praises and accomplishments, but she also found articles from a few years prior to when Adrien’s mother had mysteriously gone missing. As a mother, she couldn’t imagine what that kind of trauma would do to a child. Adrien had been raised by a single, busy and successful designer…meaning the poor child was living without the love of a mother. He was probably even not being raised by his father; with all the money could buy he probably had tutors and servants instead. There was probably a lot of hidden emotions for that poor boy that would affect him a lot.Before Sabine and Tom had met, fallen in love and married, she had been a university student studying psychology and family relations. At the time she had thought about going into some field of social work dealing with families, but upon falling in love with a baker, she took her family skills into making the cheeriest city bakery with her husband. Baking was always something she had enjoyed, but now with a business fulfilling Tom’s dream it became her secret passion. She felt fulfilled in their life and this new dream they were living.Sabine studied Marinette’s face as her daughter brought the picture to her heart.“Are you alright, dear?” She asked her daughter.“Mom, I don’t know what to do.” Marinette sighed as she crumpled into a seat at the table. “I adored my date with Luka today and I really, really like him. But I’ve also been head over heels for Adrien for the last few years and we’re starting to become great friends that could potentially turn into something more. Or at least I thought it would. I just always dreamed it would be Adrien, but now I’m not so sure.”Tom stared between the two of them and laughed nervously.“Why choose at all? Why not let fate decide?” He asked while grabbing the glasses to fill with milk.That comment made Marinette’s eyes go extremely wide. Sabine smiled to herself, she knew Marinette tended to overthink.“I think what your father means to say, is that maybe you’re thinking too much about who you ‘want to choose’ instead of who’s choosing you.” She put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder as she looked up at her. “It sounds like Adrien is only recently been having a change of heart towards you where Luka seems to have admired you for quite some time. Take the time to worry about what ‘Marinette needs’ instead of who she should give her loyalty too.Marinette smiled but then shrugged as concern filled her eyes again.“But, maman, I don’t want to lead either of them on! After today I’ve wanted to both make a choice and then not at the same time! Love is so complicated! Why can’t I just find true love like you and dad?” She nearly whined as her emotions whirled around her facial features causing Sabine to smile with understanding.“I once heard someone say, ‘True love isn’t something magical; true love is when the two people who love each other never give up on each other, even if it seems hopeless.’ You father and I did fall in love over Andre’s Ice Cream, but we had become good friends before that. We built a friendship that turned into a relationship and melted into true love. If it helps, why don’t you think about who you could build a love with instead fall in love with?”Marinette’s bottom lip stuck out as she pondered her words. Sabine watched her daughter lift the picture of Luka to her heart with one hand as she absentmindedly stroked her right earring with the other. In a single moment, her mother thought she saw the lightbulb go on upstairs.“You’re right, maman.” She suddenly said pulling her into a hug. “I’ve been so focused on what I could get out of love instead of what I could create with it.”“The nice thing about love is that if it’s true, you’ll get everything you need out of it.” Tom pipped up while putting the glasses on the table. He affectionately gazed at his wife while he put his arm around her back. Marinette’s stomach roared with hunger causing the little family to chuckle happily together.“Well I look forward to finding that after I stuff myself with the love of maman’s cooking!” Marinette laughed warmly.The three settled down to a happy warm meal. Marinette had changed the subject, but Sabine didn’t mind. She was happy that her daughter openly communicated her life with them and trusted them with her secrets and life choices. She was so proud of everything her daughter accomplished and simply wanted to make sure she continued to find her own happiness and love.She had watched her daughter’s- albeit slightly unhealthy- obsession over Adrien tone down as she really considered dating someone exclusively. She was proud of the choices she was making and looked forward to see where Marinette would fly in life. With this delightful turn of events Sabine simply opened up her heart to the possibility of a different gentleman coming over for family dinners every once in a while, instead of the blonde-haired supermodel. Marinette’s happiness was her happiness.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -[several weeks pass]- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Over the last few months, Marinette’s wall turned into a photo gallery of memories instead of the array of fangirl posters. She sighed happily to herself as she looked over the pictures; that bowling double date with Nino and Alya, the trip to the zoo with Luka, the picnic in the courtyard of the Eifel Tower that had been sabotaged by Adrien’s photographer, the piano recital, the music festival, the family thanksgiving with the Couffaines….all of the memories were captured in quiet little photographs, frozen in happy moments of time. Her eyes lingered on the picture of Luka from the castle picnic date…their first date. Her heart fluttered as she turned away from the pictures and back to the dresses, she was making for the winter formal. She only had a week left.Alya’s was finished. Her ladybug inspired haltertop dress was regal, fancy and perfect. Marinette checked her phone again but still didn’t see a text from her best friend. She unlocked her phone and sent off a speedy message informing her to just come up when she arrived since she wasn’t going to be paying attention to her phone.As soon as the text was sent an incoming phone call caused her to smile.“Hello?” She happily greeted.“Why hello there! I know you told me over text, but I just wanted to verify again over the phone…are you sure I don’t need a tie for this?”Marinette laughed to herself as she remembered trying to pick out ties with Luka last week. She thought he looked handsome in just a suit jacket and white shirt. The tie made him look so out of place and stiff. Even Luka had laughed uncomfortably in the mirror. She was more than ok with having him go without a tie, but she knew Luka was trying to make this her special day. She should have said something at the shop so that he didn’t worry about it now.“Luka, for the last time I think you look just fine without it, handsome even. The night will still be perfect without a tie.” She teased with a giggle. A blush started to gather on her cheeks but she wouldn’t say.“Alright, alright I’ll drop the tie. If you say that I’ll look fine without it I’ll trust you. I’ll see you, tomorrow right? Or will our next meeting be on the night of the dance?”She took a pause from messing with her dress to look over at her calendar. Tomorrow was indeed Sunday. Adrien was supposed to take her somewhere today but had to cancel last minute again due to plans his father made, but she secretly didn’t mind. Luka had offered to go out on the town so she had graciously accepted. With Christmas only two weeks away, Paris was fully decked out in all the holiday splendor. Marinette adored walking around the city and seeing all the decorations, which is what Luka was planning to do with her.“Yes, sir! I should be signed up for a special holiday walk for two.”“Oh yes, I see your reservation here. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow Mari. See you at 7!”“Thanks, Luka. Bye!”She hung up with a lovesick grin plastered to her face. She sat in her computer chair and whirled around completely entranced until she noticed her best friend standing next to the to trapdoor with a smug look on her face.“Alya! I…I didn’t see you there!” Marinette laughed embarrassedly.“Uh, hunh! I noticed.” She teased back knowingly, “I’ll take it you’ve got another date tomorrow?”“Yeah, Luka and I are going on a holiday walk around town to look at all the Christmas lights and décor. I’m really looking forward to it.”“Oooh, cute!! And how was your date with Adrien today?” Alya waggled her eyebrows at her playfully.Marinette’s shoulders dropped on their own accord.“Oh, well he had to cancel last minute cause something came up.”“Again? Awhn, I’m sorry Mari.” Alya said clapping her hand on her shoulder.“It’s alright, I know he’s super busy right now. With the holiday line that will be released today and his father pretty much ruling his down time, I understand.”Her computer screen had been switched to the news channel earlier just for background noise as she worked. Nadja Chamack was covering the story of the new Agreste line being dropped today. Alya and Marinette both perked up at the swirling events that came up on the screen. Adrien was arm in arm with Kagami as they walked towards the Holiday Gala for the new clothing line release. Marinette expected Adrien to accompany his father, she didn’t know he was going to go with Kagami. A slight pang of jealousy hit her heart but she chastised herself…after all, he wasn’t exclusively hers.“I didn’t know Kagami was invited.” Alya retorted.“Me…me neither.” Marinette confessed, “I didn’t know he could bring someone.”“Oh, ‘something came up’, I see.” Her best friend said slightly under her breath.Marinette frowned. Though Adrien hadn’t said anything about Kagami recently, he had talked a lot about how his father is putting more and more pressure on him lately. After all, Kagami and Adrien run in the same social circles so it’s not like they wouldn’t run into each other. Still…it wasn’t a secret that Kagami liked Adrien. She had encountered Marinette quite a few times and made it strikingly clear who she was and what she was after. In some ways she wished she could have Kagami’s confidence and ease at making decisions.Alya looked over at her and smiled. “I know that look. Casually dating a famous supermodel has some cons, doesn’t it?”Marinette simply nodded and turned back to her dress. “I didn’t realize I’m a little of the jealous type. I didn’t realize how much of a con that was going to be.”“So, have you thought about who you wanted to date steady? You said you were hoping to choose by the winter formal.”Marinette added more details and stitches to her dress as she thought. Did she decide? Not quite yet. She had thought about it…a lot. If she was honest with herself, she was holding out a little while longer. She wanted to talk to Chat about it all before the dance so she could choose with the support of her partner. Chat deserved to know that she was going to be officially off the market and that she didn’t want anything about their partnership to change for the worse. They hardly spoke after that day Chat had told her that he wanted to pursue someone from school. At first, she had suspected that Chat might have in fact been Adrien with how he had phrased his confession…but after several weeks of Adrien being his normal, happy, respectful and strictly-friend-only-contact self, she didn’t feel like she was being pursued or wanted by him.Not that she could complain! Her friendship with Adrien had grown a lot and she was able to talk to him just like anyone else these days. They laughed and talked more often and went on casual dates as often as his schedule would allow…but he had never tried to initiate anything further than a friendship. She sincerely loved all the adventures that they went on and would treasure them forever. But things just weren’t going anywhere. She had once tried to hold his hand as they walked downtown but he either missed the memo or didn’t want to show any public display of affection. She was far to shy to find herself in a position to kiss or hug him in a romantic way so their contact was left majorly platonic. She was starting to feel that Adrien wasn’t particularly interested in her anymore than anyone else so she deduced that Chat was simply not Adrien.“I think so.” Marinette confessed slowly.“Ooohhh!! I look forward to hearing about it!” Alya exclaimed, “But now, let’s get down to business. You finished my formal dress already?”“You better believe it!” Marinette said happily racing over to her closet to reveal the finished product.Alya’s reaction melted Marinette to the core. She squealed with delight as she looked over the Ladybug inspired piece that Marinette had created for her. Alya flaunted in front of the mirror with a seductive shoulder playing on her lips.“I don’t think Nino’s going to be able to handle this.” She laughed.Marinette laughed right along with her and shrugged.“I don’t know if you’ll be able to handle him in a suit, yourself.” She teased back. “I’m so happy you’ve had such a beautiful relationship all throughout high school. I look forward to getting a wedding invitation in the mail!”Alya blushed furiously and pushed her glasses back up her nose matter-of-factly. “Just because we’re high school sweethearts doesn’t mean the path is set in stone for me girl.”“You don’t want to marry Nino?” Marinette quietly asked.“What?! No,” the red-haired journalist laughed. “I mean, I hope to! But with my experience with how stories and life go, you never know where life is going to take you. I look forward to the day that Nino might propose to me but I’m not going to revolve my life around that one instance. I’m going to still pursue my dreams and work on our relationship and keep dreaming. But I’m also going to keep remembering what my mom taught me: sometimes life takes you in a different way then you thought it would, but it doesn’t mean it’s not right. I think Nino and I are in it for the long haul, though. So, don’t you worry you’re pretty little head Mari.”Marinette smiled at her best friend’s spew of wisdom. She had always been so thoughtful about the ‘big picture’ with help from her passionate journalist background. She took the whole story, not just pieces and parts. Alya wanted to be with Nino but she wasn’t going to stop pursing her dreams and life waiting for that dream to become a reality. Marinette was convinced Nino would propose in the future though, so she didn’t worry in the slightest.“Hold on, I’m gonna go change into this to make sure it’s a perfect fit!”“Sounds like a plan!” Mari giggled as her friend tore off to the bathroom to change.She looked over at her walls full of memories and stood up a little straighter with confidence. She looked forward to tonight on patrol when she could talk to Chat. Alya was right, sometimes life does take you a different way than you thought it would, but it didn’t mean it was a wrong path. She could finally make her choice.- - - - - - - - - -Adrien slumped into his bed when he got home from the gala. His Father had demanded his presence, so he complied but he didn’t know Kagami was going to be there. He had been pleasantly surprised and had spent a wonderful evening with her. He wasn’t sure if his father was setting up all these chance meetings or not, but the part-time superhero really didn’t mind so much. He was starting to have some really fun and interesting conversations with her.Kagami had always been very attentive and intense, but he admired her confidence and fighting spirit. He checked his phone absentmindedly and found two text messages that he had noticed previously. One was from Kagami making sure their casual date for tomorrow was still on. She had somehow heard about his casual dates with Marinette and had asked him point blank if they could do the same since there were no strings attached. Adrien was nearly convinced that his father had dropped the news somehow. At first, he had been extremely wary and unsure, but Kagami insisted that there shouldn’t be any problem. Adrien remembered that first conversation a few weeks back so vividly.“So, Adrien, I propose we also go on casual dates, like you and Marinette are doing.”“How did you know that---?” He had started but a curt hand motion cut him off.“Regardless, I understand that these dates are truly casual, correct?”“Well, yes, but---.”“You haven’t kissed or anything romantic, I take it?”He visibly started. He hadn’t. He wanted to, more than anything…but he was extremely shy about that all of a sudden. He had never kissed anyone before, what if he was bad at it? And when it came to other public displays of affection, he didn’t want to make any moves, he wanted Marinette to. She hadn’t yet.“Well, no. Not yet.”Her eyes narrowed at first but relaxed into a smile.“Well, why can’t we also go on casual dates? No strings attached?Adrien thought for a moment. He had wanted to get to know Kagami at first but now he was particularly interested in Marinette.His father came up behind him out of nowhere.“I think that is a very clever idea Ms. Tsurugi. I don’t see why not.” Gabriel answered for him.At first, he had been incredibly angry, simply excusing himself to the restroom and allowed himself to vent out his frustrations alone. With his composure regained, he had returned to Kagami and his father and agreed to the arrangements. He still was expected to take her to the winter formal after all.The last 3 weeks had nearly shot his down time. Anytime he was available, his father would set up “casual” dates with Kagami for him which usually resulted in somewhat romantic settings. Over the last few dates he had started to see Kagami differently, but still wasn’t quite feeling the level of love he had for Marinette for Ladybug.His mind came back to reality as he opened the messages on his phone again. Kagami wanted to go on a casual date tomorrow. He couldn’t see why not, so he texted her as such. The other text was from eight hours earlier…Marinette.
Hey you! That’s ok, I understand. Hope you have a great day :)
He looked back to the message he had sent her this morning and then continued backwards. He counted 3 failed-casual date attempts due to scheduling conflicts just with one long swipe of finger. He sighed out loud. Running in different social circles was hard with dating. He truly cared for Marinette and wanted to pursue a relationship with her, but as of late his free time was being spent with “chance meetings” with Kagami. He couldn’t lie, he enjoyed the casual dates with her when he couldn’t go out with Marinette because she made him feel important and wanted. Marinette always made him feel happy and important as well, but she also wasn’t showing any signs that she wanted something deeper out of their relationship, at least not that he could see. He could’ve sworn that she had tried to hold his hand once and even almost kissed once, but it must have been a dream. What a strange mess of love he was in. He hadn’t told Marinette about Kagami because he didn’t think it was relevant.Marinette would understand, she’s such a loving and forgiving person.He checked the time and realized that patrol was going to start in a half hour. His eyes lit up and his spirit soared. Adrien loved spending time with his Lady even if she wasn’t in love with him because nothing had changed about her; except that she was much happier and easier to make laugh. He was still a little jealous, but on his soul-searching, personal journey to becoming his best self, he had come to terms with not being the one Ladybug chose. He was still her friend, her trusted partner, and one of her best friends. How could he complain?Adrien transformed and soared over the Parisian rooftops toward the Eifel Tower to meet up with his lady. He was twenty minutes early, but he often came out too early to think and stretch before she arrived. Chat was shocked to see a thoughtful Ladybug sitting on the top spire of the tower, gazing off into the distance.“Hey LB! I’ve never seen you out so early!”“Hey Kitty.” She said quietly while still looking off at the distant sunset. “Just felt like thinking.”“What are you thinking about? If I may…” Chat shyly asked wanting to know more about his lady.“I think I’ve decided who I want to date. And I wanted to tell you that I’m going to be officially off the market soon.”Chat’s heart dropped unexpectedly. After all this time, she wasn’t really dating anyone exclusively? He should’ve asked, but he just assumed. She was trying to decide? Why didn’t he fight for her too? They could’ve had casual dates above the city of lights this whole time!“You…you were going on dates with different people? I thought you had one boy that you were in love with?” Chat squeaked out.Ladybug turned directly to him with wide eyes. “Oh, Chat I’m sorry I thought we had this discussion a few months ago. Remember when we defeated that trash man outside of the bakery?”“Well, I guess we kind of did. I don’t think we really got into specifics. My mind was elsewhere.” Chat admitted dropping down to sit next to her.She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder with a sympathetic smile.“I’m really sorry, Chat. We should’ve talked earlier. It’s been a crazy last few months.”“You can say that again.” Chat laughed shallowly. His heart raged with confusion. He was casually dating two really awesome girls, but he was hung up on the fact that he could’ve tried to pursue Ladybug too. His competitive nature, when he started the gentleman’s battle with Luka, compelled him to pursue Marinette so much at first causing him to make decisions before thinking everything through. This was his own fault. He still loved her. He always would.“Well, since we have some time now, let’s chat about it.” She joked raising up finger guns at him. Chat couldn’t help but smile, because she was so much more playful and happier these last several weeks. Whoever made her feel this way knew how to love her right, who was he kidding?“I was casually dating these two guys. A heartthrob blonde and a blue haired Rockstar…” she began to explain. Chat was so shocked by the first sentence that he missed a few in between. “But I think if I’m honest with myself, dating a celebrity would be too hard for me. I don’t think I could handle that kind of publicity or schedule. Not to mention, I didn’t stand a chance at earning his affection. Who was I kidding? Adrien Agreste, noticing me?”“Wait who?!” Chat stopped her rambling. She looked up horrified at her mishap with dropping his name. His head began to swirl. All this time…his suspicions and thoughts about Ladybug and Marinette came crashing together. Ladybug had essentially described Marinette’s plight, at least from the bits and pieces he picked up as she was talking fast.“I mean, wow! That’s okay…wow, alright I just got monologing and got nervous cause you weren’t saying anything and then got lost in my feelings and just said it all out loud, didn’t I?” Ladybug uncharacteristically got shy and tapped her forefingers together in a very fashion designer like way.That was the final straw. He knew those eyes. He knew that shy finger tapping. He knew her.“Marinette?” He breathed looking her dead in the eye.She crumbled under his gaze and slowly backed away from him.“How do you know…?” She asked starting to stand up.Adrien quickly joined her and let his transformation drop in front of her, unable to say anymore words. This whole damn time. Oblivious, stupid, ignorant…how did he not see? Marinette stood awkwardly with her hands frozen over her mouth in surprise. She pulled out her yo-yo and secured it around him tightly. Without a warning she snatched him off the ground and they went flying through the air. She pulled him into a darkened area of the Eifel tower and hissed at him.“Are you nuts!? What if someone saw you?? Transform back and come home with me! We need to talk!” She took off without another word.Plagg peaked out and sat on his shoulders.“She’s right, you know. Transform back before you’re seen and get over there!”Adrien could barely say the words, but managed to transform and skip over the rooftops to a very familiar attic landing above the best bakery in town.The trapdoor was open so he snuck his way in and found a glowering Marinette pacing back and forth across her bedroom floor. He gulped.“Chat-Adrien…gah, why? How? I thought you two weren’t the same person anymore because you were pursing me as either of you!” She fumed with rage and looked him dead in the eye. “Also, I can’t take you seriously as Chat right now since I’m not transformed.”Adrien let his transformation drop again and Plagg wordlessly flew off to join Ladybug’s kawaii. He stared back at Marinette and couldn’t hold it in anymore. A single tear broke through the barricade he had so desperately trying to hold up.- - - - - - - - - -Her rage melted away at the first tear that dropped. Adrien stood still as a statue and tears flowed freely from his eyes. He avoided her after the first tear broke through but said and did nothing. She softened as she realized that she wasn’t the only one with conflicted and complicated feelings now.She felt guilty for flying off the handle. Her jealousy of Kagami and confusion with how Adrien and Chat had been acting, as well as all of the pinning and desire she had stored away all came gushing to the surface all at once and she had responded with anger.“What do you mean by I wasn’t pursuing you?” Adrien suddenly quietly asked.“Well…you didn’t seem interested in anything romantic so I concluded that it must be because…” She started to shyly but honestly explain. He looked up at her as the tears ceased.“Wasn’t interested?” He asked more boldly. He crossed the room until he was right in front of her. “Milady, I fell in love with you twice over. How could I not be interested?” His voice was weak but it was sincere. His green eyes looked at her with longing and a rave of mixed emotions.Marinette sighed and turned away from him feeling more guilty. Had she misread everything?“Well, our dates have been canceled for the last few weeks in a row, and I saw you on the news with Kagami today. Before that, Chat had just about stopped flirting with me all together for like two weeks as he was pursuing somebody from school…and well I thought that was me because of how you said it. So, I tried to tried to pick up on anything from Adrien trying to see if he wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with me…but I was too shy to start anything…”“So was I.” Adrien admitted cutting her off midsentence. “I’m sorry about Kagami, my father started setting up casual dates for us too and…”“Why didn’t you tell me?” Marinette stopped him short. She felt bad for being jealous but she didn’t know they were going on casual dates too…she just thought today was a coincidence.“I…I didn’t think it mattered because I wasn’t interested in pursuing her. I was just interested in you.”“So why didn’t you do anything?”Adrien looked at the ground sheepishly.“I’ve never had a girlfriend before. I’ve never kissed anyone romantically before. I didn’t know where to start…I was hoping you would take the lead a little more about all that.”Marinette couldn’t help but giggle a little.“I find it hard to believe that Parisian’s favorite flirt doesn’t know how to make a move on a girl he likes.”Adrien nearly broke at her words, she could tell in the way his shoulders dropped. She had gone too far.  “I don’t really let my ‘Chat’ show in public. I’m supposed to be mister perfect. I leave all of those kinds of behaviors and stuff with the suit.” He admitted slowly.A wave of understanding came over her. She was still a little peeved about Kagami and miffed that she misread his social cues. She thought she was completely over this blonde, but it appeared that she was in a much more complicated situation, one that she thought was off the table.“Why didn’t you just tell me? I can’t read minds.” Marinette responded slowly moving closer to him. “After all this time, I thought I was getting no where with the boy I had loved so I was ready to move on.”“Wait, it was me? I thought the boy you loved was…was…but, you said ‘had loved’ just now…wait…what?” He spluttered as she took another step forward. She was merely inches away from him. She could feel her heartbeat smashing against her ribcage. Her feelings were a mess.“Chat?” She whispered.“Hm?” He responded unable to speak.“Do you love Ladybug more than me?”“But you are ladybug.” He whispered back.“What if I wasn’t? Would you have picked me?”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -“I was starting to. I really was. I was just nervous…” Adrien started to admit.The next thing he knew Marinette had stood up on her tiptoes and was nose to nose with him.“Did you love me?” She breathed.“Y-yes.” He answered breathlessly.She stepped back with tears in her own eyes.“Then why didn’t you tell me? I knew Chat liked Ladybug, I knew Adrien admired Ladybug, but Adrien didn’t act like he loved Marinette. Why didn’t you show me? I thought I would never be able to compete for your affections, especially after today realizing how hard it is to casually date a supermodel. What would it be like if we were actually dating? I’d get so jealous all the time and have to climb the social circle. I thought I knew what I wanted and I wanted to tell my best friend because he’s the only person I can keep my life altering secrets with. No one else knows I’m Ladybug, not a single person, Chat! I wanted to be honest. I didn’t want anything to happen to our partnership. I just wanted to tell you about my decision. I loved you for so long Adrien, but I gave up. Why didn’t you tell me?” She started to cry.He didn’t hold back this time. He wasn’t wasting his chances. It was probably a long shot anyway, but he didn’t care. Adrien closed the distance between them and cradled her tear stained face in his hands before crashing his lips against hers. Her lips were salty from tears but he didn’t care. Mere seconds went by and Adrien started to lose hope…he started to pull back when he discovered her lips chasing his. She was kissing him back. Years’ worth of frustration and unknown mutual pinning started to erupt into the kiss. They danced against each other. When Adrien tilted his head slightly, she responded and deepened the kiss as her hands slid up to wrap behind his neck. He took his hands from her face and grabbed onto the beltloops on her jeans gripping them in desperation. All this time he had fallen in love with the same girl twice and complicated everything. He had made a mess of everything. This was all his fault for not communicating his true feelings to anyone sooner. He was broken inside. They broke a part an eternity later with quiet, short pants. They didn’t look at each other at first, but they also didn’t step away from each other. She looked up at him and slowly brought her hands back to herself, cradling her hands to her chest.“Adrien, I’ve loved getting to know you these last few months. You have always been so kind, thoughtful, amazing and sweet. You excel at everything you put your mind to. On top of everything you do and accomplish in your crazy busy schedule, I just found out that you save Paris on a weekly basis as well.”She paused and looked like she was looking for the right words to say.“But you were going to choose Luka today.” He stated simply letting the heaviness in his heart float in the air around them.She looked up with tears tugging at the corners of her eyes. She nodded slowly. She continued her thoughts.“I used to be so worried about who to choose. But I started to realize that I needed to stop choosing and be chosen instead. Alya told me that sometimes life takes you on different paths that you originally planned for your life but it doesn’t make it wrong. I used to dream that I would end up with you and a hamster and three kids and all sorts of crazy things…but my dreams have changed in the last few months. I think just like you said about Ladybug, I’ll always love you deep down, but I’ve made my choice, Adrien.” She spewed out all her thoughts at once.Adrien nodded. He used to have similar dreams about Ladybug and his feelings had taken him on a roller coaster ride over the last few months. If he had to make a choice in this moment, he wasn’t sure what he would do. After all Marinette loved most of him, but had never been in love with Chat. She thought he didn’t love her so gave up and moved on. He had only loved part of her until he thought he would try to pursue Marinette before Luka could get to her…now he was also casually dating Kagami who was not shy with her feelings. Nothing extremely romantic had happened between them yet, but that was mostly because Adrien kept holding back. Marinette deserved to be chosen and loved by someone who loved her from the start, and that wasn’t technically him.“Adrien, say something please. Gah, now I’m so conflicted. And then I kissed you and, gah I’m making things worse! This is all my fault, I should’ve just kept it all to myself. Nothing would’ve changed if I wasn’t so bent on telling Chat…” She started to visibly freak out in front of him.“Marinette, please. Don’t freak out.” He pulled her into a platonic hug, “You can’t blame yourself for all of this. I kissed you, and I don’t blame you for kissing back either. We both had a lot of feelings in the air. I’m not mad, but I think I realized something about myself in all of this…I was looking for love to fill my void rather than create a love and relationship with anyone. You didn’t feel like I was pursuing you so that’s news to me that I need to work on some more things. I’ve had a hard few years and you’ve always been my best friend through the pain. But you’re path in life isn’t meant to fix me, I need to do that myself. You deserve someone who loves all of you.” He pulled back and turned her chin up to look at him. She smiled sadly at him.“Besides,” He said stepping towards the foot of her bed to move towards the skylight, “It’s probably best if we don’t date with Hawkmoth still at large, I’d hate for him to try to extort us through our feelings. It’s probably best that we keep our suit relationship the same as it is. Also, I think it’s high time I grow up and start standing up for myself more instead of letting life happen to me. You said so yourself earlier, sometimes life takes you in different paths but it doesn’t make it wrong. It looks like we have different paths right now, but maybe that’ll be good for us.”He called up to plagg softly and transformed. He held out his hand to her.“Well, milady, let’s go finish patrol together before the ball is over and we turn into pumpkins.”She transformed in front of him. He smiled as the familiar red and black bug appeared before him. It was beautiful to witness firsthand. She lifted up her hand and took his outstretched glove.“Adrien, are you alright?”Was he? His emotions were all over the place. He could’ve won the battle, he could’ve ended up with the girl he loved if he had taken the time to work on himself more. To heal his own wounds.“Not yet.” He admitted. “But don’t worry about this black cat. Maybe I’ll finally take Natalie up on her offer to meet with a counselor and work out some things deep within. After all, I’ve heard time heals.”“As well as opening up to your best friends more.” Ladybug said quietly as they started the ascent up to the roof. They stood on the balcony and gazed out on the darkened city. She continued without looking at him. “I don’t think Nino or Alya know how hard you have it most of the time. Even I still don’t. Real friends will always be there for you. Don’t be afraid to talk to your friends. We don’t expect you to be perfect, we just want you to be happy. I may not be your girlfriend, but I will always be one of your best friends.”He smiled at her. She was right. He was trying to be Mr. Perfect and he wasn’t fixing any of his problems on his own. Now that he thought about it, they were his first real support group. He couldn’t imagine going through high school without them.“Thank you, Marinette. You’re right. Thank you for always being there for me.”“Of course.” She said holding out a fist to him.“It’s my turn to be there for you. Don’t feel bad about your choice. I hope you don’t change your mind about Luka. He really likes you. Besides, I told him I wouldn’t get jealous or cause drama if he won.” He pounded her fist with his own.“Wait, what?” She called as he took off over the edge of the balcony. He backflipped onto the next roof and kept running, getting all of his adrenaline pumping; pouring out all of his emotions with it. She swung beside him with her yo-yo.“We had a gentleman’s battle for your affections. It appears that he won fair and square.” He explained nonchalantly. They ran besides each other for a until she shook her head and laughed.“Hey Chat! Last one to the Louvre is a wheel of stinky cheese!” She called as she took off.Yeah. Things were complicated. Things weren't miraculously fixed. But things were going to be ok. - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Luka made his way into the bakery early Sunday evening as they had planned. Tom and Sabine were cleaning up around the bakery as there, surprisingly, were no customers right before closing time. They turned to him and greeted him warmly as the bell on the door rang.“Good evening Sir, Madam. Anything I can help with while I wait for Marinette?” He asked them.“Thanks, son! That would be wonderful.” Tom said heartily.Luka smiled and removed his warm gloves, hat and coat and deposited them on the counter nearest the door in a hastily neat pile and set to work. He grabbed the dust pail and broom Mr. Dupain-Cheng held out for him and started to sweep the entryway of the store. This bakery was starting to hold a lot of fond memories for him.When Luka and his family had been invited over for makeshift thanksgiving dinner just a few weeks earlier, the bakery had been closed early. Marinette had been wanting to do something special for him like he had done for her on their first date but was having a hard time thinking of something. Luka had admitted to her that he wished there were more holidays to celebrate, because he loved excuses to do life differently or unexpected for a day or two. She had been a little put out that he hadn’t told her sooner because All Saint’s Day and Armistice Day had already passed and there was not another holiday until Christmas. Nothing stopped Marinette when she put her mind to something! She had set off on a quest to create the perfect holiday and found the American’s November holiday: Thanksgiving. Overall the holiday seemed super strange in what it celebrated, but Marinette had taken all the good parts and turned it into a family gathering with food, friendship, and time to express gratitude for each other. That special holiday date she had created, or rather observed, just for him had completely taken his whole heart.Luka paused his sweeping at the front door and looked up. His gaze fell upon the mistletoe Mrs. Dupain-Cheng had hung up on that makeshift holiday date. He and his family had been about to leave before she had pointed it out as Luka was standing underneath, saying she thought it was part of the holiday. He remembered the blush Marinette anxiously developed as both of their families waited expectantly before parting ways. The blue-bell eyed daydream had been hesitant at first but it didn’t stop her from joining him under the mistletoe and kissing him chastely on the lips in a swift but sweet way. He smiled to himself as he moved towards the back of the store front to put away the broom and toss the dirt and dust away. Luka brushed his hands off after putting everything away and looked up at the mistletoe again. He was looking forward to the day he could, hopefully, kiss her as often as she wanted.Footsteps came skipping down the stairs and his smile widened more than Luka knew was humanly possible.“Maman, papa! I’m ready to go out, do you need any more help before Luka gets here?” Marinette called as she made her way into the bakery shop front. She tripped forward as she caught sight of him. Luka reached out just in time and caught her before she hit the floor along with all the things she was holding.“Awhn, Sabine look how fast time flies! One minute our little pumpkin is learning how to make pastries in our little bakery, and the next minute she is falling for someone in the store front.” Tom pipped up with a curt laugh. “They grow up so fast.” He faked a little cry and patted his eyes with his washrag he was holding.Marinette turned beat red and collected herself while gathering her accidentally discarded items. Luka nearly laughed himself as he helped Marinette pick up her gloves and scarf.“Oh honey, stop it.” Sabine chuckled warmly, “No worries, my dear. You and Luka don’t need to spend your date helping us in the bakery. Go on, run along! Have a great time.”“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! Have a wonderful evening as well.” He gratefully exclaimed as he put on his own winter clothing. The pair finished bundling up and headed off into the wintery chill.- - - - - - - - - - -There was something cute about the way Luka’s teal-blue streaks poked out from underneath his Jagged Stone beanie. After making her decision, she couldn’t get Luka out of her head for a second…and now her heart was doing backflips just by walking next to him. The way his eyes glistened, the way his lips moved when he spoke…wait a second!“I’m sorry, what were you saying? I…I may have been zoned out for a bit there.” Marinette admitted feeling her cheeks burn. Luka’s face cracked into a warm smile that turned her insides to jelly.“I was wondering where you wanted to venture to first. The lights around town are said to be fantastic this year so I don’t mind where we start.” His deep blue eyes bore into her own and her knees began to buckle under the pounding of her heart. Maybe if she had gotten more sleep last night, she wouldn’t be trembling so much.“Well, I love the Eifel Tower and the Louvre this time of year, let’s head that direction first.” She decided happily.“That’s an excellent idea!” Luka agreed as they turned towards their new destination.They walked side by side and chit-chatted casually about their day, but Marinette was extremely distracted. She had purposefully left her gloves at home so that she couldn’t get herself out of the excuse to hold Luka’s hand but now her hands were cold and she was internally panicking.  What was she thinking? How do you initiate this sort of thing? She flexed her cold fingers in front of her mouth and tried to warm them up with her breath as she searched for the courage to hold his hand as he told her more about his practice with the band today.“Marinette, did you bring gloves?” Luka asked, startling her out of her internal pep talk.“Well, no…I mean I was going to but then left them at home because, I…I mean I must have forgotten them or something, ha-ha, silly me!” She cursed at herself for getting flustered in front of him. Why was she always so shy around the boy she loved?“That’s ok, we can share if you’d like. I’d hate for your hands to get cold in this weather.” Luka smiled.With her heart bubbling over, she watched bewitched as he removed his right glove and put it on her own hand. They paused at the crosswalk waiting for the few cautious winter drivers to grumble by.“But what about your other hand?” She asked incredulously. Now they both had a cold hand.Luka slipped his hand into hers. Marinette absentmindedly laced her fingers through his and blushed as she realized how incredibly smooth and easy that was. Maybe once they were officially dating that kind of stuff would come more naturally to her. Even now, with every passing second, her hand felt like it belonged.They walked in an enchanted daze, both unable to think of words that could properly compliment this moment. Their conversation had dipped into an exchange of shy, yet glowing smiles for a few moments before Luka started talking about their band’s new CD. Marinette felt like she was dancing on clouds despite the wind chill gnawing at her exposed skin. As they neared their destination, the cityscapes seemed to burn with golden light. Fairy lights twinkled in every nook and cranny of the popular touristy locations causing her to feel like she was even more in a dream.“I’m so happy for you and your band, Luka! You’ve done amazing things in the last few years and it’s so awesome that you’re getting a second CD out soon.” She gushed happily.“Thanks, Marinette. That means a lot to me.” He replied smiling.As they walked, they started hearing a certain Italian treats specialist roaming the streets; they knew that happy booming voice anywhere.“Isn’t that André the ice cream man?” Luka laughed, “What do you think he’s doing out and about this winter time?”“Maybe he’s playing Santa?” Marinette guessed.They nodded to each other, their unspoken agreement to investigate the interesting scene. The pair turned the corner to capture the full view of the snow-covered Eifel Tower and twinkling Lourve. The entire courtyard was filled with tourists, families, and vendors. Delicious smells, singing, and happy chatter called out to them in eager holiday cheer. Marinete giggled, beside herself with happiness. Christmas was one of her favorite times of year; everything was so magical and beautiful.After a short-lived game of “Where’s André?” Marinette and Luka found the popular vendor standing with a long line of giddy couples eager to meet him. However instead of the familiar ice cream cart, the teddy bear like man stood beneath a sign that read, “André’s Hot Cocoa”.“Care for a drink, Mari?” Luka asked her.“That does sound amazing, but…well, I didn’t bring my wallet or…” She began before Luka put his first two fingers to her lips in a gentle shush.“My dear, this is my treat.”Her heart all about melted to the floor with her jelly-felling legs. She could listen to him speak gently to her forever.“Okay.” She managed to bumble out.They stood side by side, hands still grasped for warmth and comfort as the line slowly moved forward. When it was finally their turn André lit up with glee.“Well, well, well what do we have here? If my eyes don’t deceive me, two lovers, most dear! Some peppermint to match the swirl in your hearts, and a marshmallow pieces for her pastries and tarts. Spruce it right up with a swirl of whipped cream for the soul and the music that fills up his dreams. Top it all off with a drizzle of caramel for the sweet kisses that linger turning love most…declarable.” André happily sang as he created his hot chocolate concoction. Marinette blushed hard sneaking a glance at Luka who was beaming. She had never made it to André’s ice cream with Adrien, but standing here with Luka made her heart so happy. Was André, right? Did she fill up his dreams? He was right about the swirling heart and maybe even the sweetness of their chaste kisses. Maybe she was ready for the caramel kind…Marinette took the first sip as they started to walk away, accidentally obtaining a tiny glob of whipped cream on her nose in the process. Luka laughed softly and gently wiped it off with a napkin he must have gotten from André’s cart. *Ba-dump, Ba-dump* They moved over to a nearby bench and happily shared their hot chocolate, buzzing about how perfect it was.“I never would’ve thought to add all of those together, you’d think it’d be too sweet!” Luka exclaimed, “Turns out it all balances really well. I love this.”“Me too.” Marinette whispered watching him take another gulp.With their shared drink finished, they discarded the trash in a nearby bin and began walking again. Hand in hand, they walked all the way up to the edge of the gigantic Christmas tree.“Hey Luka, if this is a dream, don’t wake me up.” She said quietly as she drank in the early Christmas spirit. She felt peaceful, joyful, and whole.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -“What makes you think this is a dream?” He asked her, hoping that the pounding of his heart wasn’t echoing through his words.She hummed happily and grabbed his arm with her right hand, effectively snuggling as close to him as possible while standing next to him. His heart lurched with yearning. They walked around the base until they stood alone below the towering Christmas tree adorned with more lights and trinkets than he had ever seen; the City really outdid themselves this year. She stepped in front of him and finally answered his question.“Well because I never thought I’d be standing here on a cold wintry evening, holding hands with my date, wanting to dance my heart out under the fairy lights to keep up with my heart’s beating.” She mused somewhat silently.So, her heart was also dancing? How he wished this gentleman’s battle could be over soon. He wanted to know if this could all be real, if it could all continue…Marinette suddenly turned her nose up to face him directly and held his gaze confidently.“Why did you fall for me, Luka? I’m just a clumsy baker’s daughter with a knack for putting more on my plate than I can ever hope to accomplish. I’m just plain old Marinette.” She giggled to herself.Luka was aware of her self esteem and self-confidence; that is, she didn’t lack any. Maybe she was a little clumsier than most and that disheartened her, but that didn’t bother him in the slightest. Luka thought more about her question and realized she probably wasn’t looking for compliments or filler fluff…she wanted to know “why her”. If this was a test, he wanted to ace it. He wanted her to know that he loved her with every fiber in his being.He smiled and pulled her directly in front of him so he could bring her body flush against his. With his eyes locked on hers, noses inches away, he began pouring out his heart.“Because you are the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. Clear like a music note, sincere as a melody; you are the song I’ve heard in my head ever since the day we met. You are the most kindhearted and thoughtful person I have ever met. Being with you makes me want to be a better man. I admire your strength, your determination, your sincerity. And forgive me if this is too bold but I can’t keep it to myself any longer.” He paused feeling his heart skip a beat as her wide eyes, rosy blush, and slightly parted lips waited in anticipation at his next confession. “I love you, Marinette.”“You do?” she nearly squeaked with breathless glee.“Very much.” He whispered back brushing his nose against hers.With his confession complete, he waited patiently for her response. It was all fine and dandy that he loved her, but did she love him back? Was she ready to choose?- - - - - - - - - - -With her heart effectively doing somersaults, she gasped in awe as his nose brushed against hers. He loved her! He chose her, and she was choosing him! Her mind and body trembled in both excitement and anticipation. She closed the tiny distance between their lips with an earnest but heartfelt pressure. Luka’s arms tightened around her middle as her hands slid up to the back of his neck. Their lips danced together in a tender softness, an almost featherlight waltz. They broke apart for a second, the moment freezing in time like a scene from a movie. It was magical but not as magical as the kiss that followed it.Of all the kisses she had experienced throughout her inexperienced romantic life, nothing felt this passionate and beautiful before. The strong but gentle push and pull left her breathless and hungry for more. Her hands found their way to the collar of his coat as she tugged him closer, deepening the kiss. Everything lit her on fire; the way he smelled, the way he felt, the way his right hand inched up her back, leaving chills in its wake.On this chilly wintery evening, Marinette suddenly felt like she was burning alive in the fire of love. She felt powerful, wanted, cherished, and loved. After what seemed like an eternity later, they broke apart to catch their breath. In the first few seconds her cheeks raged with a blush that probably matched her ladybug suit. She looked down with a happy smile before emotion started tugging at her heart strings. Marinette looked up into Luka’s eyes and saw a similar glow of admiration that she’d always seen, but this time there was something a little more…desire.She giggled, realizing that same desire was burning in her soul as well. Finding the sides of his face with her hands, Marinette leaned in close to him, bringing her nose to his just as he had done moments before.“Luka, I love you too. I choose you.”Marinette was not prepared for the ecstatic “yes” that accompanied the lifting twirl. The baker’s daughter squealed with both delight and surprise as he continued to spin her around like they were living a Nicholas Sparks novel. He put her down but refused to let go of her, bringing their foreheads together softly.“I’ve been dying to hear you say that. I was hoping you would.” He admitted shamelessly.Marinette giggled, unsure of what to say back. Instead she did the next best thing, kiss him like no tomorrow.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -There were many things he was starting to learn about his blue-eyed love; one was the fact that she was a wonderful kisser. Another, that her lips were intoxicating. He leaned into her kiss, causing her to murmur in pleasure and surprise. He was done for. Every gesture, every move that she made…he had never felt so alive and wanted.He relished the way her soft, pink tinted lips tasted of cherry blossoms and chocolate. He couldn’t stop peppering her lips with kisses of all kinds. Long ones, sweet ones, passionate ones, delicate ones…he could stand here in the cold all night if it meant he could prove every ounce of love in his heart. He broke them apart just for a moment.“My love, is this a good time to ask you to be my girlfriend?” He asked smoothly in between sappy romantic kisses.“I would love that.” Marinette replied in between the giggles and kisses invading her ability to speak.“Well then, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” He said pulling back just enough to take in her whole face, “Would you do me the honor of becoming mine?”“Absolutely.” She responded giving him a quick happy kiss on the nose.His heart swelled in his chest with gushing emotions. This was one of the happiest days of his life. Music swirled around him in the way she shifted her weight to the other leg and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Melodies started to flow in the sound of her giggle echoing on the winter wind. Harmonies tapped on his heart strings as she leaned in for yet another sweet kiss. Overwhelming but breathtaking; that’s all he could understand in this moment of peace and pleasure.She pulled away when the sound of string instruments started to tune up their voices. In a short distance walk, a symphony had gathered to play in the street that weekend, promoting the Nutcracker Ballet coming to town next weekend. Thank goodness it was staying for a few weeks so that he could get the opportunity to take her, because next weekend was the Winter Formal.“Would you like to listen to the symphony play?” She asked him tugging him slightly in that direction.“Only if we can dance with the music, my sugar plum fairy.” He joked causing an adorable smile to dance across her lips.“Heaven knows I’ve got two left feet; I’d be better off as the mouse king.” She mocked a goofy, trying-to-be-an-evil-rodent face that made him laugh out loud.They neared the edge of the crowd that gathered in the courtyard to hear the music. He grabbed her exposed hand and twirled her like a ballerina until she clumsily fell into him. They both laughed quietly with delight and continued to the rows of folding chairs that were set out. As they found some seats, Marinette laid her head gently on his shoulder and snuggled up close.She was perfect. So imperfectly perfect for him.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Adrien turned his head to the sound of familiar giggling. Kagami sat straight forward watching the performance of the town’s symphony. It didn’t take long too find the source. Adrien watched Luka twirl an adorably happy Marinette then lead them to some seats near the back.He turned back slowly to the array of musical instruments but heard nothing. He felt Kagami’s eyes on him; sneaking a glance over at her proved he was right. Adrien flashed her one of his model smiles and looked forward again trying to avoid any emotional discussions.Kagami placed her hand on his hand and faced him directly.“Adrien,” She whispered to him, “Are you alright?”“Of course, this was my mother’s favorite ballet. It’s just been a while since I’ve heard this music.” He whispered back with another smile. She seemed content, squeezing his hand with a smile, then pulled her hands back into her lap. That wasn’t a lie, something about this music at Christmastime always made his heart ache, he missed her. The only thing that really made this moment worse was that his lady was only paces away but forever unattainable.When the symphony ended, the audience that had gathered stood and clapped. The musicians started to announce upcoming dates and ticket sales to the ballet. Kagami looked bored so Adrien held out his arm to her and they started to walk towards the Christmas tree.“Adrien, I have a feeling you’ve got a lot going on underneath the facade. You’ve done nothing but flash fake smiles at me all evening. I can’t help you conquer your demons if you don’t share with me what they are.” Kagami’s curt but soft voice cut out in the gathering darkness of the night.Adrien rubbed his neck nervously. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to open up to Kagami, especially since half of his current heart ache revolved around another girl. Speaking of which, Marinette and Luka came waltzing into view. The symphony had started up again which had caused a perfect opportunity to start dancing. In fact, several couples had started dancing in the square.Kagami followed his eyes and noticeably shifted where she stood.“Adrien, do you still have feelings for Marinette?” She asked him.He turned to her, facing a steely-eyed gaze. It was slightly terrifying…but he wasn’t going to lie to her.“Yes, Kagami. I do…but I,” Adrien paused for a second trying to think of the easiest way to explain to her without getting deep into his emotions, “I hesitated. I lost the match.” He said quietly, looking down at his feet. Adrien started making small circles in the snow, avoiding the opportunity to look at her. He knew that fencing reference would resonate with her brain. He was definitely not ready to open up.Her gloved hand found his chin and rose his eyes to meet hers. She was still intense looking but the corners of her eyes had visibly softened.“Then Adrien, do you think it’s time to change targets?” She asked him quietly.He wasn’t comfortable with how close she was. Adrien admired Kagami; her strength, determination, her friendship, the few casual dates they had been on…but he wasn’t ready to move on, not after last night. He took a generous step back and shrugged politely.“Perhaps. But Kagami, I think I want to take some time on the bench instead of being in another match.” I’m not sure if my heart could take it. Adrien added to himself.She smiled slowly and nodded back.“I understand, Adrien. I know that hard feeling of losing something you worked so hard to achieve; just like the first day we met.” She hid a small laugh behind her hand. “I’m not afraid to wait patiently for my time in the spotlight.”He wasn’t blind to her affections, but he wasn’t going to toy with her emotions; he may be inexperienced in the love department, but his father had been wise to share that simple advice with him.“Thank you for understanding, Kagami.” He replied with a smile. He held out his arm again for her and they continued their walk back to the car. Gorilla looked up at him through the rear-view mirror and grunted as Adrien held the door open for Kagami.“Thank you for the quick pitstop, I appreciate it.” Adrien told his driver. “We can go to the restaurant now.”As they started to drive to their dinner reservation that his father had arranged, Kagami turned to him.“I’m sorry you’ve felt lonely at Christmastime, Adrien. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to lose your mother. We don’t have any traditions for Christmas, but we’d be happy to arrange something for both of our families to attend to do something, out of the ordinary.” She informed him tapping her chin with her fingers.Adrien smiled for real this time; it was thoughtful of her to think of him.“Thank you Kagami, that sounds wonderful.”They smiled to each other and looked out their windows.Though his heart still ached a little, the small flame of love keeps him from freezing this Christmas season.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -Marinette smiled to herself as she snuck another glance at Luka. He was positively beaming with happiness. He had always had a composed and soft demeanor, but in this moment, it also showed vibrance and bliss. Gosh, her boyfriend was breathtaking.They had just finished dancing in the courtyard with the symphony who played for all the present families and couples. He had excused himself for a second to go talk to the symphony members, telling her that he would be right back. Marinette took the opportunity to look around and spotted Adrien and Kagami conversing a few paces away. She watched him take a large step back from her but after a brief talk he offered her his arm and they walked away towards their ride.A slight pang tickled her heart. Surprised by the amount of jealousy and sadness that swirled around in her chest, Marinette chided herself for feeling this way. She had chosen Luka because she had really fallen in love with him. But now she knew that Adrien was Chat and everything had been so confusing last night after they had kissed…but then Adrien told her not to give up on Luka just because of him so after a long night of freaking out to Tikki she had decided to stay with her decision. But why was she still a little jealous and upset? She hugged herself as she watched them make it to the car.“Hey, Mari, I’m back.” Luka happily informed her coming up behind her. When she hadn’t turned to face him right away, she could almost imagine his disappointment. She shook her head and turned to him, finding Luka looking after Adrien and Kagami as well. He made eye contact with her and smiled warmly.“I’m sorry…I didn’t…what I mean is…” She stumbled over herself getting worked up with the prospect of hurting Luka. He meant everything to her now, she trembled at the thought of screwing up.“You mean, there might be some feelings for Adrien floating around?” He asked her gently.She couldn’t meet his gaze, she felt like such an awful girlfriend. How could she admit something like that right after she had basically confessed her love to him? She nodded slowly feeling tears prickling at her eyes. Marinette wasn’t expecting Luka’s warm, gloveless hand cupping her cheek and raising her head up to look at him.“It’s alright Mari. I’m not mad. Honestly, I would be surprised if you were completely over him.” Luka said knowingly, pulling her into a hug.Marinette was shaking with emotion. How did she deserve someone so perfect as Luka? She melted into his loving embrace still chiding herself for her messed up emotions.“You would be surprised? You’re not mad at me? But that’s like totally disloyal and awful and…” Marinette started to freak out, quietly while searching his eyes for any kind of disappointment or disdain. She found none.“Mari, don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s only disloyal if you act on those feelings while we’re together. And it’s not awful, it’s called being human. Love is a powerful and tricky emotion. What matters is that I trust you and I am so happy you chose me. In time, maybe Adrien will truly become just a friend to you.” Luka reassured her.He calmed the raging storm of emotions inside her. He was right after all, and best of all he was so understanding about everything. Her eyes began to leak the tears that had been swirling around before, but not because she was sad but because she was so incredibly grateful.“How did I get so lucky to have you in my life.” She smiled pulling him down to her level by the collar of his coat. Marinette could feel the heat in her cheeks blossom as she captured Luka’s lips with her own. Kissing him was starting to become her new favorite thing. When she eventually pulled back Luka blinked slowly and a sheepish grin peeled across his face.“I could get used to this.” He gently teased.“Me too.” Marinette smiled feeling a burst of giddy joy starting to rise from her toes. “Would you like to head back to my place to finish our date tonight? We could eat freshly baked goodies and play video games with Papa. I think they’d be happy to have my first official boyfriend over more often from here on out.”“That sounds like a lovely idea. Though I’ll have to admit right here, I am not much of a gamer.” He scratched the back of his head with a laugh.Marinette had never really thought about that before.“Oh, we don’t have to play games, I mean…” She started to splutter as they walked towards the bakery.“Mari, I would love to participate in activities you like to do. You don’t have to cater your likes and dislikes to me just because we’re together. In fact, please don’t. I think you are amazing just the way you are.” Luka interrupted happily.Marinette felt like she was floating around on a little cloud all the way back to the bakery.- - - - - - - - - - - -Luka politely listened to Marinette’s summary of some of her favorite video games. He didn’t quite understand every phrase she used to describe the games but he loved seeing her happily babble about her side hobbies or passions. She always got so excited. He already knew he was going to lose whatever game they played, but maybe over time he could get good enough to play with Marinette as a challenge instead of a “noob” as he thought she had referred to him earlier. Gosh he loved this girl.Marinette got the keys out of her bag and unlocked the side door to go up into their home above the bakery, all the while chattering about other hobbies she had picked up over the years.“If money wasn’t an issue and you had all the time in the world, what hobby would you pick up to try and master?” She asked him as she unlocked the door.“Hmm,” he thought to himself deeply. He had never considered such a question before. After a few moments as they started ascending the stairs, he turned to her again, “If I could master any skill or hobby? I’d pick loving you right.”He couldn’t help the opportunity to be cheesy. She giggled as he nuzzled forward to give her a sweet kiss on the cheek.“Luka,” She began to quietly protest as he continued to give her kisses across her face, “That doesn’t count.”“Alright, I’ll think of a better answer and get back to you.” He said taking a small step away from her as Marinette opened the main door. After all, even though Mr. Dupain-Cheng liked him he wanted to give a good first impression now that they were dating.“I was wondering how late you two would stay out in the cold!” He heard Mrs. Dupain-Cheng call out happily. A waft of freshly baked cookies came breezing past his nose and made him smile. The pair removed their winter clothing and hung it on the coat rack near the door.“Only long enough to meet André with his hot chocolate cart and dance in the snow by the Nutcracker symphony!” Marinette cheerfully exclaimed rushing over to her mother and pulling her into a hug. Luka looked over to Mr. Dupain-Cheng who smiled over at him and nodded in approval despite his crossed arms.“André has a Cocoa cart too now? Oh, Tom we’ll have to go sometime!” Marinette’s mother suggested.“Sounds like a lot of fun, love.” Tom laughed. “Did Marinette tell you that we fell in love over André’s ice cream the summer we met?”“She didn’t get a chance to say, but that sounds like a lovely story.” He responded happily. Luka loved seeing Marinette’s parents so happily in love. It gave him extra hope in his own love story that was starting to unfold.“Speaking of stories, why don’t you tell us about your special date.” Marinette’s mother chuckled at her daughter’s instant blush.“Maman!” Marinette hissed playfully. Luka laughed with her parents.“Well, Mr. Dupain-Cheng, I was hoping it would be alright if I may date your daughter exclusively from here on out.” Luka said, remembering his manners. Her parents exchanged a happy, silent glance before smiling widely at him.“I appreciate you asking me. I hope you asked her too.” Tom laughed.“He did, Papa! And now I can refer to him as my boyfriend.” Marinette said through adorable, eager squeaks. He laughed at the sight of his daughter both overjoyed and flustered.“I think if you make her this happy, I can’t say no.” Tom chuckled warmly, “That being said I still expect you two to honor curfews and no sleepovers and…”“Tom, relax!” Sabine jokingly reprimanded him. “We are happy for you two in this new adventure. Best of luck!”“Speaking of luck, Papa! I think it’s time for our Ulta-MegaStrike rematch with a plus one!” Marinette said bounding over to the box of video games by the TV.Luka smiled to himself as he watched his girlfriend’s family interact with so much love and life. He loved this. He loved her. This was his new favorite chapter in the story of his life.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Kagami waved to Adrien as she followed her chauffeur to the car and left. Adrien stood on the steps in a daze watching the car drive out of sight. Their simple friendship “date” was fine. The food had been quite delectable and the chilly wintertime scenery was beyond beautiful but Adrien was still out of sorts. He dreaded going to school tomorrow for the first time he was allowed to study publicly instead of at home with private tutors and scholars. Kagami had been kind and understanding that night, it was more than he could’ve hoped for.A stark breeze beat at his cheeks causing him to stir from his empty thoughts and return to the shelter of the prison he called home. The large barring doors swung open and shut with formality and the echo of the thundering thud made his home seem even more empty.“Adrien.” He heard his father call out. Surprisingly, it seemed less gruff than usual.“Yes, Father?” He replied simply as he started to shuffle towards the office doorway.He walked in observing the strange way the famous Mr. Gabriel Agreste stood with his shoulders slightly slumped and gazing earnestly out the window away from him.“Adrien, young Ms. Tsurugi called me earlier this evening to inform me that she would like me to stop arranging dates for the two of you. She is a very pleasant girl, very good head on her shoulders. Ms. Tsurugi informed me that she wanted you to find the happiness and peace you were looking for before becoming more serious.” Gabriel started to say matter-of-factly. Adrien gaped in awe, Kagami did that…for him? “In addition, she asked that I consider creating a new Christmas tradition with you and perhaps finding it within myself to invite her and her mother as well.”Adrien was both relieved and shocked. He had wondered why Kagami had taken so long in the restroom earlier and now he knew she was trading her desires in order for him to come to terms with everything. His heart swelled with gratitude. The supermodel felt his eyes starting to sting as he considered the possibility of creating a new Christmas tradition without his mother. The two of them hardly spoke at this time of year…it was her favorite holiday season.“Adrien, do you need anything?” His father asked quietly still refusing to turn to him.Maybe to see a counselor, maybe switching schools, maybe a vacation…maybe just you? Adrien’s mind sounded off with countless requests he would wish to say, but never did. How was he suppose to impress his father? He would never be good enough for him; not enough to be loved and cherished by the only family he knew he had left. The tears that were kept dammed behind the lids suddenly poured out silently. Drops of vain and hopeless desires screamed out in silence as he stood there trying to think of what to say to his father.“I…I need a break. Please.” Adrien managed to get out slowly, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.When his father eventually turned to him Adrien was shocked to see his eyes glistening with tears. Within a few strides Gabriel had scooped up his broken son in his arms in a rigid but somewhat comforting hug and the two started to silently weep together. They pulled back from each other and his father tried to regain his lost composure.“Christmas was always your mother’s favorite.” Gabriel said quietly.“She used to make everything look so beautiful and festive.” Adrien replied forming somewhat of a smile.“That she did. She had a knack for making things beautiful. Even more than they were before.” His father mused.A few moments of emotion filled silence hung in the air like fog. Gabriel planted his hand on Adrien’s shoulder causing him to look up into his seemingly heartless eyes.“I’m sorry Adrien. I’m sorry for channeling my pain into this rigid fashion designer. I’ve never been good at being soft person…your mother brought out the best in me. She loved me from the beginning even without a dime to my name and a broken family of my own. My father didn’t show me how to love, he only taught me discipline and structure; without those you’ll never be successful.” Gabriel visibly shifted from his emotional soft spot to the rigid man he always was to him, but then drooped back into his broken shell of guilt. “I promised your mother I would be better. I was better than him. But then I lost her and all I could think about was how to get her back…and I starting losing you in the process. I’m sorry I took over your love life too…I just wanted you to find someone who you could share in a beautiful relationship with. I know I can’t teach you those things…only a woman can.”Adrien’s dull negative attitude about his father melted into a wave of understanding and quiet respect. His father was many things, but he wasn’t the monster a lot of his classmates thought he was. Adrien could recall several happy and beautiful memories that he shared with his parents; it was really only the recent years that had turned his father’s heart to stone. Even though this confession and apology didn’t fix anything, Adrien was grateful for it. He was happy to hear those words come out of his father’s mouth.“Thank you, father.” Adrien whispered unable to speak louder in fear that his voice would crack with emotion.“Also, I know there is not much I can do to help you personally. However, I have already informed Natalie to arrange your schedule to allow you breaks in your workload so you can have at least one day off a week. If you wish, you can choose to spend some of that time seeing a counselor. I must admit, I don’t know much about them but Natalie said that there are several highly rated counselors in our area that could be good for you. You may take that discussion up with her after she returns from her holiday.”“You gave Natalie a holiday?” Adrien asked in surprise.“I don’t see why after that whole confession you latch onto the fact that I gave my personal secretary a holiday to visit her family for the weekend. Honestly son, why does that shock you the most?” Gabriel defensively replied.Adrien was lost for words and his heart was dancing with so many emotions; gratitude, joy, relief, some pain and longing…all of it bubbled to the surface and came out as uncontrolled giggling turned into laughter. At first Mr. Agreste scowled at his son’s antics, but the sound of his son’s laughter turned the edges of his mouth into a sheepish grin followed by his own awkward chuckles.The pair of broken men laughed together as snowflakes started to dance outside. After a few brief moments, father and son came together for one last hug before the magic in the air was broken by Gabriel’s curt cough.“Well, the night grows cold and I have some work to finish before I retire to bed. I will inform Natalie of your consent to the change and have her speak with you more concerning your future plans. You are excused.”“Yes Father, thank you father.” Adrien replied happily as he started to leave.“And Adrien.” He paused with his son’s footsteps coming to a halt. “I’m not skilled in the art of creating traditions so I was hoping instead to renew an old one. Please leave your schedule open next Friday, I would like you to accompany me to the Nutcracker Ballet.”Adrien smiled. Mother’s favorite show.“Of course. I look forward to it. Thank you…dad.” Adrien smiled again as he saw his father’s face relax into a smile. He turned and left toward his room with a renewed sense of peace and happiness in his life. Perhaps it wasn’t as perfect as he dreamed it would’ve been. But if his mother taught him anything, it was that somehow goodness always wins out in the end. Whatever path fate decided to take him on next, he was now again reminded that it could be good.- - - - - - - - - - -Marinette’s phone dinged as she was brushing her teeth and her hair at the same time. It was just one of those mornings where she didn’t quite oversleep but also didn’t have all the time in the world. She balanced her toothbrush in her mouth long enough to pick up her phone and check it.
Good morning beautiful :) Thanks again for a great date last night. You’re my favorite
Marinette giggled to herself as she put her phone down long enough to finish getting ready for the day. Luka was too cute sometimes. She thought for a moment before texting back quickly:
You have a great day too Luka! You’re my favorite too :)
“Marinette! Alya’s been waiting for five minutes are you going to get to school together on time or not?” Her mother called up to her.“Coming maman!” Marinette called back slinging her backpack over her shoulders. She ran down the stairs and grabbed the small bag of breakfast her mother was holding out for her.“Thanks again Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!” Alya called as they hurried out the door towards the school.“Sooooo…how’d did it go?” Alya squeaked as they crossed the street.“Well, looks like I’ve got me a Rockstar boyfriend now.” Marinette giggled beside herself.“Eek, I’m so proud of you Mari!” Alya replied. The pair looked forward to catch a glimpse of Nino fist bumping a certain blonde-haired boy by the front steps. “And, how did the model take it?”For some reason Marinette wasn’t prepared for that question like she thought she was. Her cheeks flushed red hot as she recalled the very passionate kiss, she had shared with him only a few days ago. He was her Chat…it was so weird to consider them the same person. Truthfully, Adrien had taken it very well…but Marinette had a feeling that things were going to be a little awkward at first…after all, Chat had always been very much in love with Ladybug…Adrien must be hurting a little more than he was actually showing.“He…was understanding about it. I don’t think we parted ways on fantastic terms, but I think after the awkwardness clears, we’ll go back to being good friends. And this time I’ll be able to actually talk to him for once.” Marinette shyly confessed. Alya smiled and nodded knowingly.“I expected as much, but I’m glad it’s not that bad.” Her best friend nudged her forward and they continued towards their classroom.Marinette guessed Alya was right…it could’ve been so much worse.“Good morning, Mari.” Adrien pipped up when she entered the room.“Morning Adrien.” She replied holding out a fist bump. He smiled and met her halfway. Pound it! Mentally she’ll never be able to stop herself from saying that.“Have you finished those dresses for the dance?” Nino inquired after her as they took their seats.“Alya’s is done! Mine has a few more finishing touches.” She informed him taking out her phone preparing to show him some pictures.“Girl no! Don’t show him! I want him to see it on me first” Alya said pushing her phone back into her lap.“I already know you’re going to be the most beautiful one there,” Nino laughed and chided his girlfriend. “But if you insist, I’ll wait to see it.” Alya couldn’t hide a blush from rising to her cheeks as she and her boyfriend bantered. Marinette smiled to herself, she was so happy she found a relationship as fun and beautiful as theirs.“So, Adrien, are you going to the dance?” Alya asked trying to change the subject.“Of course, he is! Although if you ask me, I think he’s tangled up with the wrong date.” Chloe burst out as she filed her nails haughtily from the other side of the classroom.“Oh, it’s on Friday in case you didn’t know!” Sabrina piped up. Chloe rolled her eyes.“No, Sabrina, I mean he’s taking Kagami and not me!” She whined.“But didn’t Kim ask you to be his date? I thought you said yes?” Sabrina asked visually confused.“Ugh, whatever forget I said anything.” Chloe raged as Kim and Max walked into the room and took their seats before the bell rang, signifying class starting.Marinette snuck a glance at Adrien and shot him thumbs up when she discovered he was looking back at her. He smiled warmly, a real smile, and turned to the front. So far so good, Marinette thought to herself. It was good that he seemed good. He seemed happy even, outside of the model persona he always wore. She was worried that it might be awkward or that (heaven forbid) Adrien would hate her or something crazy like that. She relaxed and told herself that she would speak to Adrien at lunch time just to verify. For now, however, she was determined to finally pay attention in class for once.- - - - - - - - - - - -Adrien couldn’t help but look at her when she walked through the door. He told himself that he wouldn’t, but he couldn’t stop his eyes from gravitating to the bouncing pigtails that floated past him. She was exceptionally pretty today wearing a jagged stone t-shirt and loose-fitting sweater, completing the look with a purple beanie. He watched as Nino and Alya bantered back and forth making his heart stir with both admiration and a slight pang of jealousy. One day he’ll have what they have.Chloe’s outburst was expected but not Marinette’s happy thumbs up to him. He relaxed as he realized that nothing awkward was going to be between them if he just continued to act like her friend. And shoot, maybe even now they could talk like friends.Class drug on with a somewhat dull lecture, since he had had some private tutoring in this aspect of French history. He thought back to last night when he had called Kagami to thank her for what she had done for him. He could’ve texted her, but after a pleasant evening with his father he just wanted to talk to someone and share his happiness in a way. She had dismissed the idea of it being anything but common courtesy, saying that he deserved the space he needed, making some sort of fencing analogy about training before your next match. It was almost comically cute that she was beating around the bush about the hopes that he wouldn’t move onto someone else to love. He had changed the subject to what she was going to wear to the dance this weekend so that he could respectively match her; Adrien should’ve known his father wasn’t just tailoring Kagami’s dress but also his suit. What Adrien had begun as a quick 5-minute phone call to thank Kagami for her kindness turned into an hour of just talking with her. He couldn’t say that he was romantically interested in her, but she was easily becoming one of his closest friends and that filled him with a sense of peace.The lunch bell rang startling him from his musing and he hurriedly gathered up his things to cover up the fact that he had just spaced out for an entire class period. Everyone already seemed to have left by the time he came back down to earth.“Hey, Adrien are you eating at the school cafeteria today?” Marinette asked coming up beside him.He hadn’t seen her at first which caused him to jump back for a moment. He laughed it off and found himself fumbling for words and actions. Since when did he become so flustered around her? The moments seemed to drag out obnoxiously as he tried to think of how to react, so he went with the next best safe zone- being Chat.“I was indeed, care to join me?” He asked her with a bow; avoiding the opportunity to take and kiss her hand.“Watch it, your Chat is showing.” Marinette giggled playfully pushing him away by his nose like she had done as Ladybug countless times before. “I was actually going to eat with all the girls today but I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing.”Marinette tucked away a loose strand of hair and waited for his reply, clutching her backpack to her chest like she was going to drop it. Adrien smiled at her. She was always so aware of others. So pleasantly- Ladybug.“I’m actually doing really well. My dad and I were able to have a heart to heart last night and I’ve got a lot of great things to look forward to. Best of all, my modeling career is going to tone down for a bit so I can have more free time!” He was confident, but he couldn’t squash down the butterflies in his stomach. Her sparkling bluebell eyes widened with surprise and her mouth fell open into a joyful smile, it took every ounce of determination to hold back his cheeks from flaring red. He would never be able to get over how cute she was. He waved his arm to the door in a gesture to offer her to go first.“I’m so happy to hear that Adrien.” She exclaimed as they walked out of the classroom together.“And how are you today?” He asked her back hoping to continue this pleasant conversation.“I am beyond wonderful.” She simply smiled in response nearly skipping as they walked.Seeing such a bright pep in her step today along with the pleasant evening he experienced yesterday made him truly happy for a moment how things had turned out. Marinette was happy and talking to him like a best friend would but best of all, it appeared that Chat and Ladybug were still an inseparable team. There wasn’t any awkwardness that he was worried about at first. Of course, his heart still soared around her, but he mentally took a step back because Marinette deserved this relationship with Luka.“I’m happy to hear it Mi’lady. Have a fabulous lunch with your girlfriends! I’m going to find Nino and tell him about the openings in my schedule for games nights, movie nights, all of it!” He hurried away hoping that the slight blush on his cheeks that rose at the sound of her laughter wouldn’t be seen by those bluebell eyes.He could do this.- - - - - - - - - - - -Marinette continued to giggle as that goofy alley chat nearly sprinted off to find Nino and the other guys. It was still strange to think that the young man she had majorly crushed on and the boy she had kept pushing away were the same person. She didn’t know what to think at first, Tikki had kept her sane Saturday evening and managed to help her come to her senses, but Marinette had been worried that Adrien might resent her for not choosing him. She was happy she was wrong. He seemed happy and she was beyond thrilled to hear that he would get more free time for himself. He deserved that.“Mari! Whatever you did to my brother this weekend, I’ll have you know he’s been a smiling and sighing mess.” Juleka said coming up behind her.“Oh, my bad.” Marinette giggled some more this time imagining her dorky boyfriend acting like a cliché romantic comedy star. A blush rose to her cheeks. “I hope he told you we were dating at least. I’d hate to render him speechless.”“Well, Luka has always spoken more with music than with words. I should’ve guessed that’s what happened! Oh, my goodness Mari, I’m just teasing you.” Juleka laughed quietly pulling her into a side hug when she had seen Mari’s eyes go wide. “He couldn’t stop talking about you all night. I’m happy for him. Actually, I’m really happy for both of you. I love seeing an extra spring in your step today. After this weekend he was finally able to finish that song he’s been writing for a while. I’ve been forbidden to tell you what it’s about though” she admitted winking obnoxiously to silently communicate with her.“Jules, are you saying Luka wrote a song for me?” Marinette asked feeling her insides turning to mush with giddiness.“Hey, you didn’t hear that from me, ya hear?” She whispered with another wink.Marinette’s heart swelled up more intensely at the thought. A song, just for her?When the duo finally entered the cafeteria, they were surrounded by the rest of the girls who started to bombard Marinette with all sorts of crazy, funny, embarrassing, and personal questions about how confessing to Luka went. It was quite funny to see all of them in such a giddy tizzy; even Alix was oddly curious. With all the memories fresh in her mind, the blushing baker’s daughter started to tell them all about her special date with the young man she now called “boyfriend”.- - - - - - - - - - -(Several days later)“Don’t forget, class! Tonight, is the Winter Formal at Le Grand Paris; Thank you again Chloe for hosting the entire school.” Ms. Bustier called to the students as the final bell of school rang for the day.“As if anywhere else could possibly stand a chance at hosting.” Chloe laughed flipping her hair over her shoulder as she strutted out the door with Sabrina.Everyone chatted excitedly as they gathered their things and started to leave. Alya tapped Marinette on the nose with her pencil. She had been falling asleep in class all day due to staying up to a ridiculous hour in the morning to finish that dress of hers for the formal. Marinette stirred obnoxiously and wiped the drool from her mouth in a panic realizing that she had fallen asleep yet again.“Yo, girl if you are like this at the dance tonight you would’ve stayed up for nothing!” Alya laughed as her best friend hastily gathered her bookbag together and stood. They laughed together as they exited the classroom.“You’re right, maybe I should go home and take a nap before you come over and we start getting ready together.”“Oh, honey you better!” Alya laughed. “Good luck on that beauty rest! I’ll be over in an hour and twenty minutes on the dot!”“Me too dudettes!” Nino called out coming up behind Alya with an adorable back hug. These too were almost too cute. They hardly showed physical affection in public outside of hand holding and an occasional side hug, but with how comfortable they looked with each other Marinette guessed they just liked to be conservative in public only. She was shaken out of her thoughts when a certain blonde brushed past.“I won’t be meeting up at the bakery tonight but I’ll see you all at the hotel!” Adrien smiled and waved as he rushed off to his ride and chauffer.“I’m off to take a nap before I don’t get the chance again.” Marinette called as she rushed towards the bakery.Nino and Alya looked at each other knowingly.“That poor girl, she really needs more sleep at night. The way she goes it’s almost life she’s living a double life.” Alya remarked as Nino took her hand and started walking her home.“Yeah, Adrien too! He can fake it to about anyone else but me.” Nino bragged, “but I know his schedule is one of the craziest things I have ever heard of. My old man is just happy if I pass my classes. Adrien’s pop is like way more demanding.”“They probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway.” Alya sighed mostly to herself.Nino glanced between his girlfriend’s saddened gaze and the ground a few times before responding.“I bet anyone who wants to make it work, can make it work. I know you and I used to talk about how much they were meant for each other, but it’s not like either of them died.” Nino laughed.“I guess I just really liked the idea of the four of us having excuses for double dates and adventures together. I don’t know Luka very well. I mean, I’m happy for Marinette because she is so happy and so at peace with herself, but I’m also kinda sad my ship didn’t sail.” She admitted quietly.“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think it’s the end of the world.” Nino admitted scratching the back of his neck nervously. “I mean, we should support Mari in the happiness she has now instead of being upset about how our expectations didn’t work out. I was rooting for Adrien the whole time but that kid was a blind, shy bat. I’m not surprised Marinette eventually fell in love with the person who was not shy about telling her his true feelings.”Alya rubbed her thumb against her boyfriend’s hand. He was so thoughtful and considerate, even if he was a goofball most of the time. He did have a point, she had to give him that.“Well, I just hope that blueberry won’t object to any double dates because I’ve been wanting to go on more adventures. My mom insists we need to have another couple on these other dates I want to go on.”“That’s because your dates are too romantic.” Nino teased.“Oh please, what’s so romantic about a two-day trip to the Paris Disneyland?” Alya laughed as they neared her home. At the sight of her boyfriend’s reddened face and fake coughing she suddenly realized what her mother wasn’t saying out loud.“Ooohhhh, I see. Sharing a bed with Luka is too much for you?” Alya teased mercilessly as Nino choked on his own salvia. “Don’t worry we can get separate hotel rooms.” She winked at her flustered boyfriend who simply laughed. Alya knew he wasn’t expecting her to accuse him of being nervous to share a bed with Luka but she knew he was thinking about sharing one with her.“Patience my innocent lover boy.” She laughed pushing his cheek away from her as she tried to retreat to the safety of her stairwell.“Not so fast! You can’t run away on me like that!” Nino called out rushing to sneak a few kisses before her little sisters could take Alya away from him. Her lips tasted like honey drizzle on a spring day; he could get lost in her scent and the softness…he pulled back slightly to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.“Regardless of how Adrien and Marinette’s love life ended up. I’m glad Ladybug threw us into a cage at the zoo all those years ago.” Alya whispered happily.“You and me both, vixen.” Nino smiled giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.“Hey I thought we agreed no nicknames in public, turtle boy!” She laughed patting his cheeks ridiculously.“Oh please, we’re hardly in public!” Nino laughed going in for another quick kiss. “You’re only embarrassed because your nickname makes you blush and my nickname sounds like a sorry excuse for a comic book hero.”Alya’s laugh tickled Nino’s heart with glee. Gosh, he loved this girl.“Ok, ok get lost punk!” Alya laughed giving him a kiss on the nose. “I’ll see you again in less than two hours.”“Alright, Alright.” Nino said pushing away from the wall and heading out.Alya pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose and smiled to herself. Butterflies were raging in her heart for that dorky, handsome DJ. She was as good as gone. Marinette deserved that too, and it looked like she found it. The red-headed journalist shrugged happily and made her way into the house.- - - - - - - - - - - -“Marinette, your alarm is going off.” Tikki said pushing Marinette’s right eyelid open gently.“Hmm, wha-?” the part time superheroine asked sleepily, slowly stretching as she sat up in bed.“You’ve got thirty minutes before Alya is arriving, and forty-five before Luka and Nino arrive, silly! You need to get up and get ready for the ball!” Tikki cheered excitedly. That seemed to wake her up with a burst of excitement.“Tikki, it’s called the Winter Formal, no one uses that word for dances anymore.” Marinette laughed as she poked her kawmi’s tummy before she hopped down out of bed.“Well they should because everyone dresses up like princes and princesses! I can’t wait to see how the decorations will look! What did you say the theme was again?”“Modern Majesty. I think Chloe picked it again this year to match her ‘royal’ dress she’s been going one about for months. Talk about a cliché, am I right?” Marinette joked.“I don’t know, I think it sounds exciting! I wonder if the whole hotel will look like a castle. Ooh! Or maybe all the waiters will be dressed in suits of armor!” She shrieked with excitement.“Tikki, you should be a party planner.” Marinette laughed as she started to get ready. “However, I hate to burst your bubble, but I think the ‘modern’ part of the theme will help keep the waiters from having to tromp around in heavy metal suits.”“A kawmi can dream!” She giggled turning away to give her more privacy.The little red goddess flitted around the room looking through all of the pictures on Marinette’s walls. There were so many beautiful memories that Marinette had made over the last several months, it was almost enough to make her tear up with happiness for her ward. Smiling and laughing pictures of all of her best friends and classmates dotted the pink walls of her room.Tikki paused at the photo Marinette had taken of Luka on their first date. The gentle Rockstar had been leaning against that old oak tree by the castles, quietly strumming beautiful music. The little kawmii’s heart filled with joy again but then drooped a little as the seconds passed. Luka was one of the best things that had happened to Marinette since she had first donned the ladybug miraculous, next to Alya, Nino and Adrien of course. The question was, would she ever share that secret with him? It had only been a few days since they had become an official pair, but Tikki knew their emotional connection had started months earlier. The tiny deity had known Marinette for the last four years and she was starting to worry that Marinette wouldn’t be able to communicate with Luka very well about being Ladybug. After all, this was her first relationship. Tikki considered all the awful excuses Marinette had come up with when it came to reasons why she had to go fight an akuma or go out on patrol. Maybe she was just too worried for her own good, but Tikki was nervous that Marinette would never tell Luka, at least not when it mattered.“Hey Marinette?” She asked softly looking over to her.Marinette had finished putting on the silvery white ballgown that she had made. It was even more beautiful with her wearing it. Weeks’ worth of hand-stitching and late nights at the sewing machine proved to be all worth it in the end. The floor length gown almost looked magical. She twirled causing the layered fabric to dance against the wind it made.“What is it Tikki?” Marinette asked happily as she traced the handsewn pink flowers across the front of her dress, admiring her handiwork in the mirror.“Do you ever plan on telling Luka about Ladybug?”Bluebell eyes met hers quickly but there was no panic like she was expecting to see.“Of course, I do!” Marinette responded happily as she started to work on her hair. “As soon as we defeat Hawkmoth.”Tikki was afraid of that. For their relationship’s sake, she hoped Hawkmoth would be brought to justice soon. She had been alive for millennia and she knew that relationships required honest and open communication. Tikki wanted to continue talking about this with Marinette, but footsteps echoed through the air. She flitted away to Marinette’s purse just as the trapdoor flung open.- - - - - - - - - - - - - -“Alya! I should’ve known you’d be early.” Marinette giggled as she finished her updo. Luka had told her she didn’t need to spend extra time on her hair and makeup if she didn’t want to because he thought she was beautiful anyway. Marinette had blushed hard when she had first read that text. He was seriously the perfect boyfriend. Still, she did want to spruce it up a little bit which is why Alya planned to come an extra 15 minutes early before the boys arrived to help her with some natural looking makeup. It seemed like 15minutes wasn’t enough for her best friend.“Girl, you know I’m too excited for our first double date! I was also, a teeny tiny bit worried you’d still be asleep so I came earlier. Seems like you made it out of dreamland ok though!” Alya remarked setting down her various bags. They had planned to do a sleepover after party in her room tonight, just the two of them.“That doesn’t surprise me, though I’m surprised you didn’t come flouncing into the room in your ladybug inspired dress you asked me to make for you.” Marinette smiled.“Two reasons: one, I didn’t want to get it dirty or risk having Nino arrive early for once and see me before I was ready for him to see me, and two I wanted to get ready with my best friend! Though it seems like you already got a head start.” Alya laughed, snitching one of the pastries Sabine had set up on the desk for Marinette earlier.  “Why do you think I had you guys meet here? Knowing me I’d probably walk over and trip over myself landing in a ridiculously muddy puddle or something.” Marinette laughed.“Nawh, Luka would’ve caught you.” Alya winked causing Marinette to turn crimson at the sound of his name.“Annnddd it’s time for you to get ready! Since your hair and make up is already done – you look fabulous by the way – then get dressed and help me finish doing my make up before the boys arrive!” Marinette said pushing Alya to the trap door.“Alright girl, be out in a flash!” Alya chirped grabbing her deep wine-colored dress and heading down the stairs.Marinette smiled to herself as she heard the bathroom door slam shut. That halter-top dress Alya helped her design had turned out a beauty. She wanted something Ladybug inspired, but they both agreed blood red was a little too bright for dancing. The form fitting mermaid style dress was going to make it tough for Nino to stop blushing all night. Marinette giggled fondly, imagining Nino fake fainting in the store front when they arrived downstairs.This was happening! In less than an hour she and her best friend along with their boyfriends would be spending a whole night at a fancy dance! She could hardly contain her excitement.She rustled through Alya’s makeup bag looking through all the colors and options. Perhaps she should leave it up to her expertise…Marinette never really dabbled in makeup and didn’t really know what to use or how to use it other than eyeliner and mascara. Alya had become a pro of the natural looking makeup for various interviews and vlogs which is why they both decided she would be the one sprucing the clueless clutz up for the night.“By the way, Mari, you’re seriously gorgeous in that dress! No wonder you were falling asleep so much in class lately, you probably hand-stitched most of it.” Alya said coming up behind her. Marinette flailed with an unholy shriek throwing the makeup everywhere causing both girls to break out in laughter.“I told you you’ve gotta stop doing that!” Marinette jokingly scolded. “But thank you, I really enjoyed making this one.”“What was the inspiration behind it? What colors are Luka wearing?” Alya asked as she folded her clothes and put her things on her chaise.“Well, actually we’re not really doing anything fancy like matching. He’s going to be wearing my Dad’s old suit that I tailored to him which is a rich charcoal color and then there’s me in this.” Marinette explained as she twirled her dress a little.“He’s not even wearing a tie? What, are y’all getting married on the beach afterwards while you’re at it?” Her best friend teased her.Marinette’s face flushed as she realized that she was wearing a silvery WHITE dress and her boyfriend was going to be wearing and old wedding suit…oh my gosh…oh my gosh…oh my gosh….“NO! I…I mean, well, of course not, I’m not even finished with my last year of school and I’ve still got to think about Uni and my fashion designing goals and…” Marinette stumbled over her words while having a difficult time not imagining her handsome boyfriend standing with a pastor and…“Oh please, no need to have a heart attack there, girl! Just sit down and let me start your makeup before your lover boy gets here.”After a few minutes rolled, Marinette was able to relax. Alya had changed the subject beautifully as always and the last several moments had passed by in happy giggles and chatter while Alya gave her soft brown smoky eyes with the winged eyeliner Marinette asked for. After the lip stain, Alya moved a brush across her cheeks causing Marinette to stir from her daydreaming.“Oh, um…Not too thick or crazy ok? I wanna keep it simple.”“Oh, so Luka doesn’t get any makeup residue on him after y’all snog all night?” Alya teased, tilting Marinette’s chin up to admire her handiwork. “Relax, I just added a tiny bit of bronzer to complete the look. I would’ve gone with a faint blush, but opted against it since you won’t need help with extra blush tonight.”A mighty blush roared across Marinette’s face, but when she tried to protest, she was shushed from a call coming from down the stairs.“Marinette! Luka is here!” Sabine’s voice echoed. “Thanks, Maman! You can send him up.” Marinette called back.Alya waggled her eyebrows at her best friend making her shrug with a light blush still residing on those cheeks.“Ooh, looks like your man is early. Ever the gentleman.” Alya teased packing up her things and throwing everything under the chaise for their party later.“He probably just has a button that came loose or maybe he decided he did want a tie and wants me to make him one quick, or maybe-” Marinette started to nonchalantly think out loud. Her heart started to race with anticipation and shock, he was a little early after all.“Or maybe he just wants to see you first so he can kiss you alone instead of in front of your parents.”“Alya!” Marinette chided as blue-dyed hair came bounding up through the trapdoor.“Hey Alya!” Luka exclaimed happily.“Hey Luka! I’m going to head downstairs to wait for Nino in the storefront, see you two lovebirds in a bit!”Marinette was both annoyed at but grateful for her best friend. She was excited for this rare opportunity to spend a few moments with her boyfriend without prying eyes. Though at the moment, she was too shy to make any sort of eye contact with him. Instead she kept her eyes trained on Alya as she started to leave.“Well if I’m not down in time to record Nino fainting at his first glance of you, make sure you have maman do it!” Marinette teased her back.Alya gave her a thumbs up as she carefully headed down the stairs, as to not step on her dress.Once alone Marinette finally stopped shyly avoiding eye contact with Luka. She wasn’t prepared to meet those handsome sea blue eyes staring back at her with a full, gentle smile on his lips. He was looking absolutely dashing, making Marinette weak in the knees. “You look stunning, love.” Luka finally said.Marinette could’ve flown on the wings her heart just sprouted.“You don’t look half bad yourself, mister.” Marinette didn’t mean to sound like she was joking around, but her heart was fluttering a million miles a second and her brain was getting foggy just looking at him. Luka chuckled warmly, crossing the distance between them with a quiet sense of urgency. If she hadn’t turned to complete jelly by now, then she was going to be pure liquid by the end of the night.Luka’s bright white shirt stood out of his deep navy-blue suit. He stopped right in front of her and pulled her waist towards him. She gulped as his eyes bore into hers. Yep, she was definitely a goner tonight.“I mean it, you look beautiful. Absolutely breath taking.” Luka whispered to her.“T-thanks.” Marinette breathed out, basically swooning where she stood. She saw a flick of red pop out of the corner of her eye that brought her back down to earth. “So, did you need me to fix a button or a rip or something?”Luka’s eyebrows raised in surprise then he melted into a contented chuckle.“Oh, no. I just wanted to be a little early to make sure my girlfriend was pleased with my attire.” He pulled back from her so she could take a good look. He faked model poses, which looked more like boy band stands which made her giggle. Just to be safe though, she did want to make sure the suit was perfect.Marinette went into full designer mode as she walked around him once to make sure it fit perfectly and there were no rips or missing buttons. This had been her father’s old wedding suit; Tom was adamant that she take it in among other alterations for Luka. After all, the baker had no intention or hope of getting back to his pre-wedding weight and size. Mother’s cooking was just too good. At first Marinette had protested, but without the funds to buy fabric to make a custom suit, she had opted to alter the old suit for Luka. He had only come over twice while she had altered it to make sure it fit, but Marinette couldn’t remember if she had triple checked the little details. As she came back around to face Luka, she realized that he had buttoned up his white shirt way too high for not wearing a tie.“You just need to undo a button or two so you don’t look stiff or look like you’re suffocating.” Marinette said as she undid the top button of his shirt. “There, I think that’s…per…fect…”Realizing what she just did caused her to flush bright red. Sneaking a glance up at Luka confirmed her suspicions that he also did the same. The stepped back in awkward laughter for a moment. Marinette’s heart was doing all sorts of backflips.“So, should we go down and wait for Nino? You’re still driving, right?”“Sure thing! Yep, I parked across the street.” Luka replied giving her goofy finger guns as he turned to head to the trap door.Marinette’s heart melted at the sight of him. Ever the gentleman, ever the perfect goofball she fell in love with. She reached out quickly and caught his wrist before her brain could process what she was doing. He looked back, a little deep pink still tickling his cheeks.“Oh, uh…ladies first, am I right?” Marinette laughed.“Oh, of course! After you, Mari.” He motioned her forward with his other hand. Marinette took the opportunity to give him a soft kiss on his cheek as she passed him.“Thank you, kind sir.” Marinette giggled heading down the trapdoor.Maybe it was just the new relationship air or giddiness of all the pent-up anticipation, but Marinette could tell that this was going to be a very long night of trying not to kiss him all the time. Alya’s teasing wasn’t so far-fetched now that her super handsome boyfriend was going to be with her all evening. What was she going to do with herself?They met up with the others in the storefront, waiting for their last companion to arrive.Surprisingly enough, Nino didn’t end up fainting, but faked a very dramatic episode of buckling at the knees and having a heart attack. Sabine had in fact been recording the entire time and refused to stop as he kept spewing compliments and ridiculous things that lovers say.“My girlfriend is the sexiest woman on the planet.” He exclaimed laying on the storefront floor.“You’re lucky my wife thought ahead and mopped the storefront only an hour ago.” Tom chuckled handing Marinette her coat.“Get up already you goofball, we’ve had enough of your shenanigans.” Alya laughed fake kicking his side a few times.Luka extended his arm to help Nino get off the floor and Alya brushed off his black suit, straightening his neon green tie. Marinette had wondered why they didn’t want Carapace and Rena Rouge inspired attire for the night, but she hadn’t questioned it. The couple looked stunning together.“Run along you kiddos, the dance starts in less than twenty minutes. Oh, and don’t forget to be home by Midnight my little princess.” Tom said as he ushered them out the door. “Yes, dad.” Marinette laughed reaching up on her tiptoes to give her father a quick hug.“No worries, Mr. Dupain-Cheng. I won’t let your daughter turn into a pumpkin on my watch.” Luka pipped up as he offered his arm to Marinette.“Thanks, my boy.” Tom replied as Sabine finished pushing them all out the door.“Have a great night everyone! Don’t forget to bring back pictures to show me.” Sabine exclaimed as the walked towards the car Luka was borrowing for the night.“You’ve got it Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!” Alya called back waving her phone in the air.The double date climbed into the vehicle and rode over to the hotel, chattering and laughing all the way.- - - - - - - - - - -

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The hotel doors swung open with fancy looking waiters informing the double date that if they were here for the Winter Formal that they would have to take the stairs as the elevator was being serviced at the moment. Nino shrugged and smiled at the cute way his girlfriend rolled her eyes.She looked gorgeous. Everything about her made the heart in his chest thump savagely; her eyes, the way she pouted when she couldn’t get the full scoop in the story, how she laughed, the way she danced during their in-home date nights, the goofy way her glasses shifted when she fell asleep at her desk, her hard working character and teasing soul. He loved that girl. The moment they graduated from high school and went off to study at uni he was going to get a part time job to save up for a ring. He had been with this girl for the last four years and he couldn’t imagine being without her for the rest of his life. Obviously, he was still a high school student and shouldn’t worry about such things, but he was determined.“Nino!” Alya’s laughing brought him back down to earth.“I’m sorry what?” He mumbled looking over her sweet face.“Your heads were in the clouds again, DJ. Is the princess theme getting to your head? It looks like you’re about to drop on one knee and whisk me away.” Alya laughed again straightening his tie.“Is it that obvio…I mean, shoot, I was just thinking about all the sweet beats they might drop tonight. So uh, where’s the dance floor again?” He covered up, messing with his hair again, much to his girlfriend’s dismay. She smiled knowingly and popped him on the nose with a quick little kiss.“Up the stairs, 4th floor mister! Oh and -last couple there has to kiss in public!” The girls took off, somewhat gracefully, but mostly obnoxiously toward the stair well.Nino looked over at Luka who was staring fondly after Marinette, also sporting a simple heart-filled smile. He clapped him on the back.“I’ve gotta say dude, whatever you two have, it’s definitely going for you. I haven’t seen Marinette living on cloud nine in a long while.” He told him.Luka ran his fingers through his wavy, blue streaked hair with a happy little sigh.“She makes the world a better place. I just hope I can give her all the happiness in the world that she brings me.” The Rockstar boy admitted quietly as they started after the girls.“And that’s why I approve of you, man.” Nino boasted happily. “Marinette has been one of my best friends since grade school, it’s about time she had someone like you.”Don’t get me wrong, my best bud, Adrien, could’ve made a decent match for her too…at least over time. Nino thought to himself. He always thought Adrien and Marinette would have been perfect for each other, but after seeing these two together he felt like this was probably the better option for the two of them anyway. Adrien was dealing with a ton of stuff with his old man and Marinette was somewhat of a delicate flower if he was honest with himself. He had watched Marinette pin over Adrien for years with no success, but with Luka she was always her bright, cheery self.“You have a very nice relationship yourself, at least from the little I’ve been able to see.” Luka replied.“I imagine the girls will be setting us up on double dates from here on out.” Nino laughed as they made it up the first flight of stairs. They could hear their dates giggling through the stair well. “Apparently Alya wants to do a two-day trip at Disney this next summer and all sorts of things.” “You know, I wouldn’t be too upset with that.” Luka admitted with a smile.“You and me both, man, I’ve been dating that crazy beautiful journalist for nearly four years now its about time we can do some more adventurous dates.” Nino laughed. Their parents weren’t really strict, but they were traditional so things were a little slow in the dating life, but Nino didn’t really mind if he could score her as his for the rest of forever.“Come on you slow pokes!” Alya called from a few floors up.The dressed-up dudes looked at each other and shrugged. It would appear that both of them were secretly hoping to be the reason their couple made it to the dance last.- - - - - - - - - - -The click-clack of Alya’s heels ran with her as they excitedly rushed up the steps of the hotel. It was awful timing for the elevator to be out of service for sure. The short car ride over had been too much on Marinette’s poor nerves- Luka was the most handsome man tonight, well always really, but sitting right next to him…him reaching over and holding her hand…all the little glances and winks…then of course how well Alya, Nino and Luka got along…man it was all too perfect! Marinette almost felt like it was a dream and her adrenaline took her up the stairs as fast as she could daintily do in a dress. The real reason it felt like a dream was the fact that she hadn’t tripped over herself yet.“Remind me again why we’re running.” Alya complained with a hearty laugh. They paused at the top of the fourth floor to catch their breath.“Hey, you were the one who challenged us all with your ‘last couple there has to kiss in public’ threat.” Marinette laughed, looking back down the stair well to hear the boys still leisurely walking as they talked. “At this rate the boys will make us both lose.”Alya laughed out loud, “I bet they’re both lagging behind so they can publicly stake their claim. After all Luka hasn’t been with you while Adrien’s been around yet, right?” She nudged her playfully and pointed over to the doors that led to their destination out of the stair well.“Oh please, everyone knows you’re Nino’s girl.” Marinette teased back.Marinette decided she wouldn’t bother to tell her that she had seen Adrien and Kagami together the night she chose Luka. They’ve only technically been dating for a few days and they haven’t been around Adrien since then. She couldn’t even be certain if he had seen them together that night.It had all worked out so far. Adrien had been perfectly gentlemanly and they were actually becoming good friends now, especially since she could talk to him normally. I guess this meant that her heart had truly moved on, at least for the most part. She got butterflies a few times this week; when they locked eyes for too long, or when she heard him genuinely laugh, or even when she recalled fond memories of the two of them. Over all though, she definitely had her eyes and her heart elsewhere.The girls straightened up their dresses and messed with their hair for a second before opening the stairwell doors. Thriving music poured out the entrance to the dance hall. The hotel had been elaborately decorated with vintage castle-like décor; even suits of armor lined the halls. Alya started snapping pictures like crazy, and for good reason, it was definitely going to be a night to remember. Tikki would be absolutely thrilled to see all the pictures she’d show her later. She felt dumped upon the steps of a palace yet in the comfort of modern-day pleasures. Chloe really outdid herself with the “Modern Majesty” theme. Maybe she should compliment her tonight, even though missus-high-and-mighty would probably just storm away saying she hated her guts.As they waited, they took a couple selfies. The boys were really something tonight! Making them wait a tiny bit longer to get onto the dance floor. But before Marinette could even begin to think about being annoyed, she turned around and ran smack into her boyfriend. She looked up into his face shocked for a second, before utterly melting at the sound of his chuckle. Luka pulled her in for a quick hug.“Hey there snowflake, no time for melting. It’s time to get on the dance floor.” He whispered in her ear before starting to chuckle again, “Oh and by the way, I think your best friend just sabotaged you.”Sure enough, Marinette spun around and saw Nino and Alya waving at them before rushing into the dance hall. That little…! But then again, she wasn’t really that mad. He took her hand and together they walked towards dance hall themselves.- - - - - - - - - - - -Adrien turned to face the doors to the dance hall again, unable to help himself. Kagami was standing patiently next to him. They were dressed in Gabriel’s finest work; blacks, silvers and elements of pale blue laced throughout their designer dresswear. Adrien’s suit was elegant black with silver buttons and cufflinks to match his dulled silver vest. The pale blue of his handkerchief and dress shirt paired gorgeously with Kagami’s marbled strapless dress in matching colors that trailed to the floor. It was perfectly fitted to her and flared out at the bottom to form the perfect spinning dress. At least, that was his opinion when she had twirled in front of him earlier that evening asking how she looked.Beautiful.Kagami was, in fact, simply stunning tonight. He looked forward to spending the evening with his friends, especially her. His heart could use a little bit of a break from trying to figure out his emotions and just focus on being in the moment for once.Nino had sent him a message several minutes ago, letting her know that their group had arrived but Adrien couldn’t see them anywhere so he resulted to checking the door often. Not only did he look forward to seeing his friends, but he was also eager to see Marinette’s handiwork first hand. He had seen several of her accessories that she had entered for contests his father had put on, but never full attire. He wanted to put in a good word to his father; he knew she was an aspiring fashion designer after all.Nino and Alya came rushing into the dance floor causing a smile to erupt across his face. Adrien put out his arm for his date and together they walked over to meet up with his friends.“Hey dude!” Nino said clapping his hand on Adrien’s back, “You two look fine as heck, man! Your old man design those?”“Who else besides Marinette could’ve even began to make pieces these great!” Alya gushed, “Kagami, I simply LOVE your dress, it is beautiful. Mind if I snap a photo of you two?”Kagami smiled warmly next to him. He knew about her fear of making friends after the friendship day she had experienced a few years ago. Marinette had been her first friend outside of her mother and himself, but it hadn’t been easy to get to that point. She still only had 3 contacts in her phone. Adrien was happy to see Kagami feeling relaxed with his friends, it made him happy to think they could all be friends together.“We would love to oblige.” Kagami said happily standing next to him a little closer. Adrien smiled and put his arm around his date, feeling an odd sense of peace spreading through him as he felt her arm reaching around his middle in return. After a quick picture or two, Adrien looked up from the camera and scanned the room.“Oh, Marinette and Luka are right behind us.” Alya said, catching his gaze.Sure enough, almost as if they were announced, Marinette and Luka walked happily into the room. Adrien was struck with awe at the pair; Marinette in a beautiful silvery white dress peppered with pink flowers and Luka in an incomplete suit and dress-shirt combo. In all his years of modeling and wearing designer clothes, he had never once thought that wearing a suit without a tie would have been proper or good looking. Turns out, it didn’t look completely horrible, but it was strange nonetheless.Behind him the DJ for the night started announcing the night and special guests in attendance, etc. Beside him he felt Kagami snuggle closer and he realized that his arm was still around her while he had been staring at Marinette lost in thought. He mentally chastised himself as he smiled at his date and turned his body away from the couple striding up to them.The DJ dimmed the lights and announced the hosts for the night to kick off the dance. Chloe, dressed very much like a spoiled princess, took the stage like a catwalk. She raised the DJ mic to her lips and started to kick off the dance.“Yeah, thanks for coming or whatever. We are so pleased to host this Modern Majesty Winter Formal at Le Grand Paris and invite you to---”Adrien turned to see Kagami and Marinette whispering to each other and giggling. Sometimes he forgot that Marinette had been her first official friend, in terms of what her mother believed. Marinette was the first person to be an additional contact in her phone and actually went out as friends a few times. He recalled the awkward first double date they all shared at the ice rink…cringeworthy. What a mess that had been. Adrien smiled realizing that so much of the drama and crazy parts were behind them all now.Marinette turned briefly to flash him a smile as she talked to Kagami more. The rosy pink glow of her cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes caught him off guard yet again as the first song of the night started to play and the beat dropped.*Ba-dump Ba-dump*- - - - - - - - - - -Several songs had passed and the night grew hot with excitement and fire on the dance floor. Everyone in their class was in attendance, and even some, like her date, came as guests from outside the school. Kim and Alix had several dance battles which grew the crowd’s attention. Those group dances and the line dances had been some of the most fun dances to participate in. Two slow songs had already played; the first being highjacked by all of her girlfriends for a round robin of ridiculousness, the second being able to finally sway in her boyfriend’s arms. Marinette was truly the happiest girl alive tonight. The DJ’s playlist was on fire tonight!“Alright my lovely fans, it’s time for another slow dance! Since we are halfway through the night let’s shake things up a bit, shall we?” The DJ called into his mic energetically.“We’re already halfway through? Man, time is flying!” Marinette shouted over to Alya as they boogied it out on the floor.“Tell me about it! Let’s take a break after this slow song!” Her best friend called back. She nodded in agreement. Dancing was fun, but she also wanted to try some of the food and maybe even sit under the stars on the roof with Luka for a bit…no that’s silly, they could do that at her house later tonight or something before he left.“---So basically, that means instead of dancing with the person you came here with, you must ask someone else!”“Wait what? I missed the first part!” Marinette called to Luka. He smiled and came up behind her in a ridiculously cute back hug to talk into her ear. She melted into his arms secured around her middle.“It’s a Proxy Masquerade Slow Dance. I think he said Chloe made it up to try to fit it with the theme. We have to share a slow dance with someone else.”“Oh…ok, I mean let’s go mingle with the group. Maybe you can get to know Alya a little more?” Marinette suggested as the upbeat song they were listening to slowly started to fade into the slow song.As they reached the group, Marinette watched as Alya started walking away with Max. Kim offered his arm out to Alix who stuck out her tongue at him but accepted. Nate and Marc headed one way while Rose and Juleka headed another. Marinette watched as Nino tipped his fake hat to Mylené and Ivan shrugged with Sabrina as they walked towards the dance floor. Kagami stood with her arms crossed as Chloe was practically yelling to Adrien as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.“Hey, would you like to share this dance with me?” Adrien said stepping around Chloe and holding his hand out to her. Marinette glanced over to Luka who flashed her a smile of support.“Excuse me! Did you miss the memo?” Chloe started to rage.“Excuse me, miss. Would a find princess as yourself care to share this dance with me?” Luka butted in bowing to Chloe. He stood and winked at Marinette; she giggled knowing that he was trying to give them a chance at a decent dance. Why was he such a perfect boyfriend? Marinette watched as Kagami made her way to the food table, avoiding anyone who asked her to dance. She finally turned back to Adrien with a smile.“Well come on then! Let’s get on the dance floor!” Marinette called to him as she led them to the floor. She was grateful for the break to look away from him; she wouldn’t admit to herself that she was blushing slightly. Not at all, she was taken and she loved it. Holding her former crush’s hand was nothing. Nothing at all…*Ba-dump Ba-dump*- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -This was probably not one of his best ideas ever. He probably should have just taken Chloe’s offer to dance with her for the night. The night had been on fire. This was definitely going to be one of his favorite memories with all of his classmates. He was having a blast with his friends and managed to have two lovely slow dances with Kagami. He had gotten to know her a little better tonight and couldn’t help but notice her cheeks seemed a little flushed tonight. Maybe she was too hot? After all, she was sitting out this dance. Kagami said she didn’t mind if he participated in the dance partner swap, but no one was worthy of her attention so she would take a break. He had giggled at that; she was something else. Now he found himself in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by all of his friends realizing that he was dancing with yet another belle of the ball tonight. He wished his heart wasn’t beating above the music, because he was a wreck. It had only been a week since he had told Marinette to choose Luka as she had intended…his heart was still a mess around her even if he so desperately wanted to let go of those feelings for both of their sakes. It wasn’t fair to her.At first, they couldn’t make eye contact, but after a few beats into the song Marinette was chattering on about her plans after high school and the career path she wanted to take. He smiled listening to her dreams unravel before him. She was so excited and blissful. They talked about her hopeful career in the fashion design world and what he had not really sat down to consider for his future.“I guess I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I’ve always followed my father’s wishes, I’m not sure what I would do for myself yet.” Adrien admitted. She smiled sadly at him for that statement. “But Nino wants me to move on to Uni with him so we can dorm together.”“Alya wants me to dorm with her too. And who knows, maybe Luka will finally go to school for music and can dorm nearby too or something…I don’t know.” She giggled fondly looking off into the dance floor. He looked after her gaze and saw Luka and Chloe dancing a few paces away.He turned back to look at Marinette feeling that dull ache come back. Adrien tried to ignore the lyrics of the song, but the DJ’s taste happened to just play him dirty this time around…
Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you

But Ain’t nobody need you like I do

I know that there’s others that deserve you

But my darling, I am still in love with you

But I guess you look happier, you do…
His eyes flicked to her lips and he faltered for a moment. Adrien felt numb as he reached out and brushed some of Marinette’s loose strands of hair away from her face. She took in a shocked, short breath and lost her footing for a second, tumbling to the floor in a heap.“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He started to apologize as he helped her stand upright.“No, no, it’s alright. I’m a clumsy mess.” Marinette laughed it off.The pair had barely begun to start dancing again when a curt cough sounded off behind them.“Hey, mind if I cut in?” Kagami asked.Luka also stood nearby without a dance partner and shrugged his shoulders.“O-oh yeah, of course not!” Marinette spluttered as she retreated to Luka.As Kagami wrapped her hands behind Adrien’s neck and continued the rest of the slow dance. Adrien hung his head in shame. This is definitely not what he thought was going to happen. What was he thinking?“I’m sorry Kagami, I don’t know what came over me I just…”“Hey, you don’t need to apologize. You had strong feelings for her. It’s only be what, a week? You don’t have to apologize for being human.” Kagami interrupted quietly. “All that matters now is that you weren’t greedy or insensitive, just lost in a daydream for a minute. You don’t need my forgiveness. Just, um…please don’t do it again, ok?”“I…well…” Adrien took in a deep breath. She was right. He was embarrassed, but she was right. Maybe he did still have a few feelings for Marinette, and perhaps that was going to be a stumbling block for a little bit. But Marinette deserved a wonderful relationship, and he heard that she found that with Luka. He could stop wishing and maybe make something beautiful out of the opportunity right in front of him. Kagami was beautiful, confident, calm and one of his closest friends. For now, he liked this. He wasn’t sure where it was going to go or if he really wanted it to go anywhere, but for now…he liked this. He gave her a quick, gentle kiss on her cheek. “Thank you Kagami. I promise.”- - - - - - - - - - - -“Luka, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know that that would happen…” Marinette started to confess before he silenced her with a soft kiss on the forehead.“My dear, you don’t need to apologize. You’re not in the wrong. If this happens a few months down the road then I’ll start to worry.” Luka chuckled warmly, “Feelings are fresh right now, and may linger for a while. I trust you and I know you chose me. I’ll be 100% honest though…I can’t say I’m not a tiny bit jealous.”“Speak for yourself! I’ve never seen you smooth talk anyone else but me with a pet name, and Chloe gets princess?” Marinette teased poking Luka in the chest.“I’m sorry Ma-ma-Marinette, should I give you a better nickname? My lover, my song, my dream…”“Alright, alright, you’re forgiven! Stop embarrassing me in public.” Marinette laughed again, feeling the burden in her heart flying away yet again. “By the way, where did she go? Did she start to swoon? If so, I’ve gotta stake my claim!”“Oh, she said she had to use the restroom and didn’t want to dance with a peasant like me anymore.” Luka recounted cheerfully, “But enough about that; what’s this about you staking your claim?”Marinette blushed furiously. She hadn’t meant to say that part out loud and she had hoped he missed it.“Oh, nothing!” She waved her hands around frantically. The slow dance ended and lively music began to pick up again causing the floor to erupt in all sorts of freestyle dancing. “Let’s take a break and get some food! I’m starving!”- - - - - - - - - - - - - -The night partied on as the group of friends ate, laughed, and danced together. By the close of the evening everyone was feeling incredibly exhausted though genuinely happy.“Alright my fair princes and princesses, this has truly been a modern majesty to witness tonight. I appreciate you bringing me here to night to party with you all. This is the last dance of the night so we’re going to do one last waltz to dance you off into your happily ever after tonight! Thanks again, Paris! You’ve been swell.”Marinette felt her hand tingle as Luka pulled her gently to the middle of the dance floor and pulled her flush against him. She felt heat course through her veins as they began to sway to the music. It could hardly be more perfect. Other than the slight hiccup of emotion in the middle of the dance, everything had made it the most beautiful night to remember. All the dance battles between Kim and Alix, lighting the dance floor on fire with all of her classmates and friends, watching the couples she treasured getting closer throughout the night, seeing all of her friends to happy and lively, no akumas…it really had been perfect. She leaned back to look into her boyfriend’s eyes. She was really growing fond of those deep blue eyes.“What is it?” Luka asked her gently with a shy smile.“Hm? Oh, just lost in thought I guess.” Marinette responded.Luka smiled widely at her as he took a small step back to grab her hand and waist. He began to lead them in a real, yet simple waltz. The skirt of her dress filled out in a beautiful gliding motion as he spun her.“So, you really weren’t bluffing when you said you knew how to dance.” Marinette exclaimed gently.“I’ve been 100% honest from the start my snowflake.” Luka winked. Marinette’s heart skipped a beat; as soon as Hawkmoth was defeated, she would tell him about being Ladybug. And for now, she was honest with literally everything else. She brushed off the little bit of worry that started to creep into her heart and focused instead on those beautiful eyes staring back at her. He romantically pulled her into a dip for a half second too long, making her swoon where she lay in his arms. When he pulled her back up and grabbed her hand to continue the waltz, she did what her heart told her to do.Marinette leaned forward into him, relishing the way he gravitated back towards her. Their bodies grew closer together and she took the last bit of initiative to press her lips to his. Perhaps it was only a brief moment, but the feeling was intoxicating. Marinette could hardly keep back a giggle as she heard Luka gasp quietly. She opened her eyes gently to see him staring back at her with a sly grin on his face. His eyes lit up with something she didn’t quite recognize. Was this love? Was it too early to know? Maybe. But one thing she knew for sure.She sure as hell wasn’t letting this go.- - - - - - - - - - - -In the shadows a beautifully dressed dancer pulled her masquerade mask off of her face to glower coyly at Marinette Dupain-Cheng.“Well well well, it would seem like you have a weakness after all you little bug.” Lila whispered manically to herself. “And this time, your precious lover isn’t someone I’m worried about getting out of the way.”