Chapter Text
It was amazing how much confronting the truth had changed her reality. Since she could admit it to herself, she allowed her mind to wander freely to the subject of her blond friend more often. He may have moved on to Alix, but maybe if she showed him that she was interested, he might come back to her. There was a chance that they could be happy together… but, a few things had to be dealt with first—her relationship status, for one.
Today marked one week since Luka had decided they needed a break from one another. She hadn't seen Luka, let alone heard from him, but the time for their discussion would come soon enough. That didn't mean that she wasn’t dreading the conversation all the same.
Alya nudged her shoulder, lurching Marinette from her thoughts.
"You ok, girl? It seems like your head’s up in the clouds."
Marinette's cheeks flushed as she squeaked out, "I'm fine."
“Do you have something juicy to spill,” Alya teased, “like more Adrien dreams?”
As if it hadn’t been bad enough before, Tikki joined in. “Is she holding out on us?”
“It’s nothing that will ever reach your ears,” Marinette defended. She’d had a dream involving Adrien almost every single night this week. As unsettling as the overload was, he had been on her mind a lot lately, there was bound to be some bleeding through her subconscious. “A girl is entitled to her secrets.” She shot back.
“And speaking of secrets, I have one I’d like to share.”
Marinette and Alya stopped walking in place to look back at the redhead curiously. Tikki slowly pulled her hand out of her pocket before holding it up proudly. Glittering softly on her finger was a ring—specifically an engagement ring.
Squeals rang out as the trio embraced each other.
“When did this happen?” Marinette asked, grabbing the hand with the ring to get a better look.
“More importantly, how come you didn’t tell me?” Alya arched an eyebrow.
“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. How about we go back to the dorm and I’ll tell you the whole story?”
“You know we’ll be hanging on every word,” Marinette giggled.
They continued walking when something caught Marinette’s eye—the familiar blue and black of Luka’s hair was just visible over the short hedge he was seated near. The one person she truly needed to talk to; It seemed fate had decided she was supposed to have that discussion sooner rather than later. Her lip curled nervously into her mouth. As much as she wanted to go and listen to her friend’s joyous news, this conversation with Luka couldn’t wait.
Marinette's feet slowed to a halt. "Actually... why don't you two go ahead." She nodded in the direction of a familiar mop of black and blue hair."There's something that I need to do first."
Both girls followed her gaze before looking back in her direction.
Alya placed her hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Are you sure? We can stay if you need some backup."
If she allowed them to stay, she might not be able to say everything that she needed to. Marinette shook her head with a soft smile. "I'll be alright."
Tikki and Alya each gave her a quick hug, then continued in the direction of their dorms.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation; it needed to happen, despite whatever the outcome was. She couldn't, in good conscience, keep dating Luka… stringing him along, knowing full well that she loved Adrien. Marinette strolled up quietly, allowing the guitar music to mask her footsteps. If Luka was aware of her presence, he didn't stop playing.
"Luka? We need to talk."
This sucked. Just a week ago, Marinette never would have expected herself to be in this sort of scenario. If anyone had told her she’d be breaking things off officially, she would have laughed at them, and told them that she was going to fight for Luka—since he was the one she belonged with. But the events from a couple of days ago had really opened her eyes. Adrien was the one for her, even though she had adamantly denied the possibility—had told herself that he was just a friend.
No more; her feelings had bubbled to a point where she couldn't ignore them anymore. She liked Adrien, more than she felt she should.
Luka deserved better—better than her. Someone who could give him her whole heart, that could support him in his music and go on tour with him. Luka was amazing, just... not the right person for her.
"And here I figured I would have to be the one to hunt you down." It seemed like he could either read her mind.
Luka continued, "I take it this week was long enough for you to think about what you wanted?"
Marinette's throat felt like it was closing in on her, but despite that, she still managed to choke out a response. "It was."
Fear had fully crept in, due to all the unanswered questions. Was there a chance that Luka would hate her after this? She had practically used him to try to get over Adrien. But then again, she doubted that his hands were much cleaner. The past few days really had clarified everything she’d been going through; their relationship was an opportunity of comfort. They both had been jilted and had used each other to try and ease the pain of rejection.
"And what have you decided?"
Like tearing off a Band-Aid, her best bet would be to get this over with as quickly as possible. "You were right. I'm the worst girlfriend ever, I... I love Adrien." The words relieved a weight off her chest.
Luka threaded his fingers through her hair, tenderly. “I reject you thinking that. You were what I needed you to be, and I think you needed me too. Deep down we knew what we were getting into, but we chose to ignore it. The events of today are our decisions catching up to us.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. This was the right decision, she was sure of it. They deserved happiness, even if it wasn’t with each other. “Are you mad at me?”
“Shhh.” He pulled her into a hug. “How could I ever be mad at you? We’re best friends, remember?”
Marinette dug her face tighter into his chest.
“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy,” he cooed. “I want you to be with him if he makes you feel that way, so he’d better treat you right.” He gently ruffled her hair. “Otherwise, he’ll have to answer to me.”
“So… this is it then.” She breathed deeply, just now realizing she’d been holding her breath. Something about this moment seemed anticlimactic; most breakups she heard about were highly dramatic. It must have been because they had such a close-knit friendship before, and neither of them wanted to lose that.
“I guess so,” Luka responded, releasing her hands. “But we’ll always have each other.”
His words released reassurance like a protective blanket around her. She would be able to keep her friendship with Luka, which was all she wanted. He was really important to her.
Marinette nibbled on her lip for a moment before speaking again. She couldn’t understand the idea of him being paired with Chloé, but if it made him happy, then she had nothing to really say about it. Now that the weird triangle was broken, maybe it would allow her to become actual friends with her roommate.
“Luka? I want you to be happy as well, so you have my blessing with Chloé, too.”
Luka offered her a soft smile. “Thanks, Mar, that means a lot.”
“I guess I’ll see you around.” Marinette waved goodbye and started her walk towards Alya and Tikki’s room. She was single again, but she wasn’t crushed. It merely represented the possibility of what could come.
Music always drew him in. He had expected to be able to walk the halls of the art and music galleries and be distracted from the swarming thoughts of his mind. However, it wasn’t long before a particular song caught his attention.
No, it couldn't be.
He ventured further into the siren's song until he reached a doorway nearing the end of a long corridor. Inside held a familiar sight.
Luka loved watching her dance. Chloé often lost herself to the music, unaware of anything or anyone else, and today was no exception. Her body was hypnotic—undulating and bending to the rhythm of the song that had lured him in.
He knew that the showcase was this weekend, so it was no surprise that she was pushing herself so hard. He wondered if her parents had changed their minds. She deserved for them to show up.
After all, that's all she had ever wanted—their love and support.
"Are you going to just keep standing there gawking at me?" A quick sting followed by her honey-filled gaze; it seemed she wasn’t the only one that could get lost in the dance. How could one girl keep him so fully captivated?
"Well, it would be a shame to stop something so beautiful," he smirked wandering into the room.
“What do you want, Luka,” she sighed, exasperated.
He took a few more steps into the room, “You.”
Chloe’s body went rigid, his answer clearly affecting her. “Well, it’s too late for that. I hope you’re happy with Marinette. I will not be made a fool of again.”
“And what if I told you things were over between Marinette and I?”
Again the blonde gave pause, before shaking her head. “I can’t. It’s too late for that, and I don’t have time for fairy tales.” She passed by him and clicked the remote to start her music from the top.
“If you were truly over me, then why this song?!” He shed his jean jacket for better flexibility, anticipating what was about to happen. Chloe had her back turned to him as was the start of his routine.
He closed the gap and tugged her around gently to face him. “I think you still want me. That you still love me.”
The two began to circle one another, eyes locked. Luka placed out his arm to guide her as they began the dance that they’d perfected together.
It was one of the things they had first bonded on during the summer. He had offered to help her learn the choreography back then, and even after all these months, the moves came to him easily. Step here, spin there... move after move keeping to the beat of the music.
“We could be together,” he whispered as she spun into his chest, only to move out again. His hands guided her until she was in front of him once more.
Her blue eyes searched his for a moment before he lost whatever hold he had on her. She shook her head gently from side to side and started to walk away.
Luka reached out for her wrist, and just as quickly, they were drawn back together—lost amongst their choreography and the memories that lingered between them.
“You think it’s so easy,” she breathed out, coming back into proper form. “That I don’t want to run to you. But, you don’t understand. If my parents find out about us, then—”
Luka pulled his hand from hers and silenced her with a finger.
“Let’s not worry about that right now.”
Chloe complied, backing up, and Luka braced himself for what was to come next. She took a small running start before latching her arms around his neck and across a shoulder. He had wrapped an arm under hers and across her back—holding her tightly against him as he began to spin. She lifted her legs and bent them at the knee, parallel to the floor—it gave the illusion of a semi-seated position as he twirled her… like she was floating on a cloud next to her partner. After a couple of rotations, he set her lightly down before they continued their emotionally charged routine. His hands found her hips—he held her firmly for support as she bent as far back as she could.
She gracefully returned to an upright position, and their feet slowed to a halt as the routine ended. They hadn’t just been lost in the music and dance at that moment—both chose to lose themselves in each other: the stares, the heavier breaths from fatigue, the love that they were both longingly desperate for.
“I’m in love with you Chloe, so I don’t care what we face,” he said, resting his forehead against hers, “as long as we face it together.” Silence fell between them for one second… two…
His courage began to wane as she kept him waiting for a response. Worry began to flare when he considered that there was always the chance that he was too late—that he’d missed out on her because of what happened with Marinette—but he pushed it back and chose to be hopeful in the moment. Because someone who was truly over him couldn’t look at him like that . He had seen the exact expression on Marinette’s face when she secretly glanced at Adrien.
The pining.
But this time it was for him.
“So,” he breathed out. “What do you say?”
Before Luka could process another thought, Chloe jumped up in his arms and her lips crashed into his almost desperately. His arms tightened around her, and he held her firmly against him, her toes still elevated off the ground. The feeling that he had been longing for and missed came flooding back to him—her warmth, sweetness, and love.
The song that fueled his heart had returned to him.
“Are you ready for finals?” Adrien asked as he and Marinette took a seat at the pizza restaurant. Officially, this was supposed to be a time for them to study together, but they had a habit of becoming distracted easily and not even cracking open a book. Today would probably be no different.
“For most of my classes, yes. It’s been a challenge balancing everything, but I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” She fiddled with her napkin. “I mean... you do twice the amount for YVR. Are you ready?”
“I’m expected to keep up my grades, so I’ve been spending my time outside the studio studying. Don’t want to prove to my father that I made the wrong choice in schools.” His voice took on a harder edge and his face soured slightly when talking about his father.
Marinette’s eyes widened. “He would pull you out?”
“He can’t, legally,” Adrien answered with a shrug. “I would be cut off for a while in a worst-case scenario. I think my father holds a soft spot for this school. It is where my mother went after all.”
Marinette’s heart fluttered, and not for the first time, she found herself wishing that there was something she could do to bring Adrien’s mother back. She wanted him to be happy.
“Do you feel close to her while you’re on campus?”
Adrien looked up from a spot on the table. “I do,” he answered with a smile.
“What do we have here?” Marinette froze as Lila’s voice swooped in from the right—everything inside her tensed up. Why did she have to be here now of all times? Adrien's face scrunched with the same displeasure she was sure hers showed. All it took was an unwanted visitor to ruin an otherwise good time.
"What are you doing here?" Marinette fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"It just so happens," Lila flipped her hair, "that my cousin is the cook in this restaurant and the owner is a personal friend. I was personally securing the catering for the event the student government is planning. They wouldn't have managed without me."
"They must realize how lucky they are to have you," Adrien replied. His voice was almost neutral, but anyone that truly knew him would be able to detect how thick the sarcasm was; Marinette covered her mouth to cough and cover a giggle. The two's distaste for the girl had been evident over the past couple of months. It seems like the only one who didn't know the extent of it was Lila herself.
She turned her predatory grin to Adrien, completely clueless that he’d mocked her so openly. "I was hoping that maybe you could join me for the couple's night. I could show you all my hard work..."
Before Adrien could respond, Marinette beat him to the punch.
"Actually, he already has plans—with me ." Out of pure reflex, she reached out and placed her hand over his.
“Like I would believe you two are a thing. It’s well known that you’re with Luka.”
“Marinette.” Adrien removed his hand from under hers. “It’s ok, we don’t have to hide behind a lie. I can handle her myself.”
He stood up so that he towered over Lila. "Marinette and I might not be together, but I don't need to hide behind that to tell you that I would never consider going to a “couple's event” with you in a hundred years. So if you’ll excuse me, I'm going to go back to having a nice lunch with my friend."
Somehow, the word ‘ friend’ stung, even if all of it was true. Was this how Adrien felt when she kept friend-zoning him in the beginning? The knife dipped further into her chest.
Out of all the things that Lila could do, it was surprising that she chose the path of making a dramatic exit and simply storming off without biting out another word.
"Sorry about that," Adrien apologized before taking his seat again. "I didn't want word getting back to Luka and have him think that you're cheating on him. Telling Lila off has been a long time coming—she deserves to know exactly where she stands with me."
"Thank you," Marinette replied quietly, and most of the energy had been drained from her voice. Her gaze dropped to the table. All she wanted was to tell him that they could be a thing—that the relationship between Luka and her was a hundred percent over—but something in the way he’d delivered his rebuttal made it impossible to bring up. He’d shut Lila down spectacularly...
"Hey," Adrien reached out, hooking a finger under her chin for a moment to lift her gaze and capture her attention. "Don't let her spoil our meal. Lila Rossi doesn't have that power unless you give it to her."
Marinette tried her best to smile, even if it wasn't the most genuine. "Of course," she answered. But if she was completely honest, his words had affected her more than Lila's.
Adrien glanced at his phone. He was going to call, he was probably just busy; his father did run part of a fashion empire after all, and had an even more demanding schedule than anyone could imagine. While there had been birthdays where he’d forgotten to call, his father had always sent something in the mail.
He wasn't denied the burden of waiting any longer as his phone rang from its spot on his bed. Adrien couldn't allow for his hopes to get up; it could be anyone calling. Eyes squinted shut, he pressed the familiar talk button and raised the cell phone to his ear.
"Hello?" If it wasn't his father, then sure, he would be slightly disappointed. But he couldn't necessarily blame him. Father had grown different after the loss of mother.
"Hello, Adrien," his father greeted."How are your studies progressing?"
"Studies are around the corner, but I am confident that I will maintain what would be acceptable." Small talk with his father was always awkward.
"The reason for my call is to wish you a happy birthday. Nathalie assured me that your gift would arrive on time."
"Thank you, father. I will make sure to keep a lookout for it," Adrien promised.
“I have to go.” Of course, his father’s goodbye’s were sudden. But Adrien could hear a commotion in the background. There was probably something that his father needed to address, so he couldn’t fault him for that.
A knock grabbed his attention as he turned it towards the door. It was probably Marinette making good on her promise; he didn't even know how she found out about his birthday. Secretly he was grateful though, it was always nice to know that your friends cared about you enough to do something for a birthday. Plagg promised that it wasn't a huge thing, just a small get together that included his closest friends. Marinette had been put in charge to pick him up and deliver him to the party. His stomach twisted in knots; he wasn't quite sure why.
She was just being a good friend, and nothing more—after all, she still had Luka. But his heart didn't listen to logic... in fact, his heart seemed bent on disproving any logical argument he could come up with by forcing him to face his feelings. Most of the time, he found himself imagining that she wasn't taken—that wooing her was fair game and that he actually stood a chance. Most days he had to watch himself because if he wasn't careful, he would give into the heart flutterings that he experienced during their lunch together. When she’d grabbed his hand to defend him, it had been physically painful to remove his hand from hers... but it was what needed to be done.
The door opened, and there stood Marinette. Adrien needed to catch his breath.
She had her hair down, a treat that he had only seen a couple of times before. She wore a ruffled black skirt and a light pink blouse. Oh, how he loved her in pink; the color brought out the blue in her eyes. He allowed his gaze to wander down to her lips, but only for a fraction of a second.
Luka , he reminded himself. The one word brought back his perspective; he needed to stand by his promise to both of them. Adrien respected Marinette and her wishes, and if that meant he had to keep a tight rein on his feelings, so be it.
“Ready to go?” She asked the light dancing in her eyes.
“Absolutely.”
Marinette bumped his shoulder multiple times on their walk to his birthday gathering. He suspected that it might not be accidental after the fourth time, but he didn't call her out on it. Whatever her reasoning, he was sure that it was good. Adrien would much rather her tease him now and again than for her to be angry because he’d questioned her about it. The longer they walked, the more familiar the surroundings became.
"The studio?" Adrien turned to look at her.
"So," Marinette pushed her hair back behind her ear. "It's not much, but for the time that we had… we did the best that we could."
"I'm sure that I'll love it."
"I also made the cake. It's chocolate, I hope that's ok. I couldn't remember what your favorite flavor was," she started to ramble as her face turned the most adorable shade of pink. Why does she look so cute like this? Adrien shook his head to regain his thoughts.
"Chocolate is one of my favorites," he reassured. "The fact that you spent your time making one means the world to me. I'm used to the cake that the in house chef-made, which most of the time looked pretty, but… let’s just say the cake was one thing they didn’t want me to indulge in, so the taste always leaves much to be desired. Something tells me I’m really going to enjoy yours.”
Color returned to her cheeks and Adrien pushed down that aching feeling of hope inside him. She may have been embarrassed at the compliment but he meant every word.
Marinette stopped them as they approached the door. “Do me a favor, act a little surprised, ok?”
How could she be this cute? Adrien smiled back. “Of course.”
“Thanks, Nino!” Adrien explained pulling out a pair of cat headphones from a blue bag.
“I figured it would be another way to represent YVR under everyone’s noses.”
Adrien slid them on and tilted his head at the girls. “What do you think? Do I get a meow of approval?”
They nodded enthusiastically, all except Marinette who averted her gaze, a light pink spreading across the tips of her ears.
“I guess it’s my turn,” she stood from her place between Alya and Tikki. From her backpack, she pulled out a dark blue wrapped box paired with a silver bow. Their eyes connected the second she handed him the gift. “I, uh—hope you like it.”
He gingerly lifted the top of the garment box. Underneath the paper, a sky blue scarf was revealed.
"It's—" His voice gave out as his fingertips grazed the fabric. "... beautiful." His eyes never left hers, and for a moment he didn't know if he was referring to the scarf or her, but either way, it applied. Adrien adored the way the light sparkled in her eyes. Marinette was proud of her present, and all she wanted was for him to enjoy it to the fullest extent. He flipped it over to see Marinette's name stitched carefully in gold at the fabric’s corner.
"Thank you," he whispered.
"I'm next," Tikki chirped in excitement bringing up her gift, breaking the moment between them.
Adrien turned his attention to the redhead but every so often allowed his gaze to return to Marinette. Why did it feel like something had happened between them, and he hadn't even realized it? Had he missed something? Marinette had always been a girl who kept him on his toes.
The night air was cool to the touch, but the stars were out and shining brilliantly. Between that and his company to walk him back to the dorm, Adrien couldn't complain one bit. The other respective couples had separated a while ago, giving one excuse or another. He tried not to think that it had anything to do with Marinette walking beside him; he couldn't allow himself to get carried away.
Stay strong , his mind cautioned.
"So, did you have a good birthday?" Marinette asked, probably trying to make conversation.
"It was perfect," he replied looking up at the sky. "I wanted to thank you. All of you must have put a lot of work into throwing that party. It means a lot."
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she redirected her gaze to the ground. His smile faltered.
"Marinette," he asked, hoping that he wouldn't step on her toes. "Is everything okay? You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I... do have something to tell you."
Ice hit his system; he knew it. Something had been wrong. How could he not have acted on it earlier?
"What is it?"
"I—well, Luka and I ended things."
Adrien stopped in his tracks. She couldn't have said what he thought she did, because if so, then that would change everything . It would also explain her behavior as of recent.
"When?" It was the only word he could push out among the dozens of sentences and questions he wanted to ask.
"A couple of days ago," she replied and continued to walk.
Adrien caught up quickly, mulling over her answer. A comfortable silence grew between them, but it was enough that they were by each other.
Their hands bumped a couple of times before Adrien took the plunge and reached out his pinky to intertwine with hers. She didn't pull away, fueling his hope further.
"I would say I'm sorry, but," he paused. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that."
This was it, they could be together. Happily ever after.
"I'm still processing everything, so I hope it's okay, but I want to do this the right way. So for now, I'm going to ask you to wait a little longer."
Adrien pulled her until she faced him once more. "Marinette, I promise. I'll wait for you. Until you're ready for this." He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "Until you're ready for us."