Chapter Text
It'd been quite the day for Luka.
While every day aboard the Liberty was a chaotic one, his mother being akumatized into Captain Hardrock and meeting Marinette Dupain-Cheng had to take the cake.
...particularly that last one.
Because while akumas were a near-daily, sometimes even more, occurrence, Luka still had yet to get Marinette's beautiful melody out of his head hours after she'd left the ship. He was both elated, and afraid, because he'd never been this instantly enchanted by someone's song before... or by someone.
"So... your friend, Marinette," Luka began, not quite looking up at where Juleka was adjusting her hair in the mirror beside his bed. "She's the one who broke your picture curse, right?"
"Yeah," Juleka said, a small smile growing on her face. "She's pretty cool."
Given everything Luka had heard about the infamous Marinette Duapin-Cheng, class president and 'everyday Ladybug', that definitely seemed to be true. Every story he'd heard about her – from being the only one to not hate Ivan as the first akuma to standing up to Chloe when she tried to bully the others to literally leading her class against akumas – made it clear Marinette was someone truly worth knowing.
When he'd heard that she was going to be here today to hear them rehearse, he'd been looking forward to thanking her for all she'd done for Juleka... but that quickly had gone out the window when he's actually met her.
The moment he laid eyes on her, it was like every last thought he'd had in his mind had disappeared. Had vacated to make room for a heart song that was stronger than any he'd felt before, a literal symphony, even if a few instruments were a bit out of sync or shaky here and there.
Luka hadn't meant to make fun of her, but with his own heart racing so quick, he'd been even worse than usual with words. A part of him had been surprised that she hadn't just left when he started playing to apologize – she wouldn't be the first, and definitely not the last, to think he was a weirdo and avoid him.
Instead, she'd actually listened.
No, more than listened, Marinette had felt it with her soul, his music reaching her in a way that even Juleka had a hard time understanding at times. It'd calmed and comforted Marinette, which was definitely Luka's intention, but also served to captivate him even more.
(Later, he'd found it fitting to be physically chained to her, because that was a lot like what it was starting to feel like emotionally; her every action and gesture only serving to trap him more, and he wasn't sure he wanted to break free.)
Juleka must've noticed something on his face because she frowned. "She's dating Adrien, you know."
Luka lips pressed together, not answering. He'd definitely heard that, in fact it was hard to hear a story about Marinette Dupain-Cheng that didn't include Adrien Agreste right at her side.
According to Juleka, the two had been a "match made in heaven" since the moment they met, even more so than Marinette and Alya, or Adrien and his best friend, Nino. They were "so in love" that they were constantly running off together, seemingly eager to spend every last moment together and glued to each other regardless.
But...
While Luka had seen everyone cooing over the two after Adrien had arrived later that day, to be honest... they didn't really feel like a couple to him.
Very good friends, yes. Ones who would be there for one another no matter the circumstances, but not necessarily romantically despite what Juleka and her friends believed.
Of course, long-lasting relationships had been built (and survived) on far less, and it wasn't like Luka was an expert in romance in any way (in fact, he was probably the opposite of one given the fact that he'd never been truly interested in someone before, and his mother's relationships weren't the greatest examples either).
Meanwhile, Juleka was the one who was dating Rose and had seen Marinette and Adrien interact in class every day, so there was no reason to doubt that she knew what she was talking about...
Luka sighed, strumming a few notes subconsciously before realizing that it was, yet again, part of Marinette's song – or, at least, the part that he'd heard. He could tell there was so much of her left to learn... so much that he'd loved to learn about, if he ever got the chance.
If nothing else, Luka thought that he was starting to understand the people who said that romance had a way of upending everything you once believed. Of changing your life in a blink of an eye, whether you wanted it to or not.
Luka had a feeling that, if he didn't make an effort to squash these budding emotions now, it would only get worse. That, if he wasn't careful, he'd be leading himself to heartbreak and well-deserved disappointment...
And yet, he couldn't find it in himself to try and crush those feelings.
Not yet, at least.
"I know," Luka said to Juleka's still expectant expression. He knew it was useless to lie to her, to deny the feelings that had sparked into existence at the sight of Marinette, and he wouldn't want to anyway. He wasn't one to be dishonest with others, or himself, even if it'd be easier at times. "I know nothing can happen."
When Juleka remained visibly hesitant, Luka spoke more firmly. "I swear. I would never get between them."
o0o0o0o
It was silent between Chat Noir and Ladybug as the two of them ran the rooftops of Paris. While Hawkmoth rarely made multiple akumas in the same day, Marinette had asked after they left the Liberty if they could do an extra patrol. Adrien had been able to tell that she needed the fresh air and exercise, so he had easily agreed.
More than that, he knew she wanted to talk, even if she had yet to do it. He knew she would speak eventually if he gave it time, but he'd never been a patient cat.
"So..." Chat Noir began expectantly as they soared over the gap between two rooftops.
"So?" Ladybug returned nonchalantly as she landed in front of him, acting as if she had no clue what he was asking about.
Chat Noir grinned. His Lady should know better than to play dumb with him. "So shouldn't we speak about a certain boy you met today?"
Even though she had to know it was coming, Ladybug stumbled before stopping abruptly on a rooftop overlooking the Eiffel Tower. She straightened, glaring at him intensely enough that he wouldn't be surprised if he spontaneously burst into flame.
It'd be worth it though.
"Chaton!"
"M'Lady!" Chat Noir returned playfully, grinning from ear to ear as he leaned on his baton. "What's wrong? You think we shouldn't discuss how much you've been blushing since we left the Liberty? Or how your head's been in the clouds all through patrol? Or the way you kept looking at a certain guitarist during rehearsal–"
"Chat Noir!" Ladybug stomped her foot, flushing red as bright as her suit. "I'm serious!"
"He's so handsome and has the most mesmerizing blue eyes I've ever seen," Chat Noir said, mimicking Marinette's voice and thoughts more accurately than she would ever admit. He put the back of his hand to his head, swooning like a damsel in distress. "He could play exactly what I was feeling, Chaton! It was the most incredible thing I've ever heard–"
Ladybug, rolling her eyes hard enough that Chat Noir wouldn't be surprised if they fell out of her head, shoved him hard enough that he stumbled and fell. "You're impossible."
"I think you mean impawsible, M'lady." Chat Noir snickered from his newfound spot on the roof, crossing his legs comfortably and leaning back against an air conditioning unit. "And of course! I can't just immediately approve of any guy trying to take my partner's heart!"
Admittedly, such a mindset had brought its fair share of trouble – such as with Copycat, but Chat Noir had not approved of how expectant Theo had been for Ladybug to arrive to the statue revealing – but he felt it was worth it even if hadn't been, quite literally, his job to watch out for her (and vice versa).
Of course, even without their role as the protectors of Paris (with Ladybug being loads more important, no matter how much she tried to argue they were equals), Chat Noir would do anything for his Lady – for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was the best friend he had ever had, and he doubted anyone would ever really measure up to the bond between them, superhero or civilian form notwithstanding.
Which is why her following frown, more than a touch sad and despondent, made him sit up immediately.
"You know you don't have to worry about that, Chaton," Ladybug said quietly, not quite looking at him. She shifted her gaze to stare at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. "You know I could never be with Luka – or any other guy."
"Why not!?" Chat Noir asked, humor dissipating immediately as he stood up. "C'mon, Bugaboo, you know I was kidding..."
"You know it's not that, Chat," Ladybug said, waving him off with a small smile. "Besides, shouldn't you be less understanding of your 'girlfriend' being interested in another guy?"
"I would let you have a thousand boyfriends if I thought it'd make you happy," Chat Noir said seriously.
"I doubt Luka, or any other guy, would feel the same," Ladybug replied flatly, making him flinch. "Besides, I can barely handle you, and we're not even actually dating..."
Chat Noir faltered at the reminder of their civilian 'relationship'. As much as he loved to flirt and joke about being in love with Ladybug, it was weird to think that others took it so seriously. Not that he didn't love her, but it wasn't that kind of love.
Then again, he could kind of understand the confusion of their friends and families when they had, at first, claimed to not be dating.
To outsiders, the first the two of them had met had been Adrien's first day of class. Everyone else had seen two strangers instantly connect with and attach to one another, to the point that Adrien had been defending Marinette from his childhood friend, Chloe, when she put gum on Marinette's seat.
But for them, the first time they'd met as Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been after defeating Stoneheart. The two of them had de-transformed in an alleyway together and, with the adrenaline and joy of victory (or at least what they thought was victory), had properly introduced one another, both excited for their future partnership together.
It was later that they were told by their kwamis that they actually weren't supposed to know each other's identities, but it'd been too late by then.
Besides, they later agreed that they were able to work together far more efficiently knowing each other's secret. They were able to support one another in both their superhero and civilian forms, and could no longer imagine a life where they didn't have each other's backs.
(Not to mention the grim understanding that, if one of them was truly akumatized and their identity discovered, they would never leave the other to suffer and be targeted by Hawkmoth alone... regardless of what that cost them.)
But one consequence of their new, but unbreakable, bond was that everyone who saw them automatically assumed they were dating.
At first, they'd denied the claims (or were "in denial" as everyone claimed) and tried to convince their friends that they really were just friends. However, this proved more and more difficult to do when they would randomly disappear together (to fight akumas) and were unable to make convincing excuses as to where they'd gone.
Eventually, Marinette and Adrien had given in and agreed to pretend to be dating. It served as a perfect excuse for every time they needed to disappear, and it was easier than trying to make others accept that it was completely platonic when Adrien would comfortably sleep in Marinette's lap or when Marinette relied on Adrien for help before everyone else (even her own parents and Alya).
They couldn't reveal their roles as Chat Noir and Ladybug, so they also couldn't explain that Adrien's instincts as a cat made him seek out physical comfort (which was only amplified from how touch starved he was from his isolated childhood) and how most of Marinette's issues revolved around her role as Ladybug, so having someone who knew everything about her (and could easily be a model or run to the fabric store and back in a matter of minutes) was so much more efficient.
It was fair to say that it made sense that they were dating... only, they weren't.
After they'd started 'dating', they'd tried to date for real, but after a while they realized that they honestly didn't feel any romantic feelings for one another.
It'd admittedly taken Adrien longer to divide platonic love from romantic love (particularly since his only example of friendship before then had been Chloe and his only other examples of relationships were from anime), but he'd completely agreed after a while that it wasn't like that.
Except, they were now in this strange limbo of everyone in their life thinking they were desperately in love with the two of them treating it like their own inside joke. It'd been weird at times, but comfortable enough to the point that they had never really needed to question it anymore...
Until now, that is.
"If you like him, nothing should stop it," Chat Noir said finally. "Don't worry about what everyone else would say. We can stage a breakup even! A really dramatic one!"
"Even if we did," Ladybug said with a small smile, already shaking her head, "it wouldn't change anything. I'd still have to run off whenever an akuma attacked. I'd still have to lie about where I went, or why I'm so close to you even after we 'broke up'. He'd probably think I was cheating on him, and I wouldn't be able to tell him anything that would convince him I wasn't. It'd never work out."
Chat Noir was about to say that their excuses worked with Alya, but he realized that it was only because Alya thought the two of them were sneaking off together that she didn't mind being randomly ditched.
If Marinette entered a romantic relationship... it'd probably be exactly like she said.
"And..." Ladybug said, making Chat Noir close his mouth when he tried to think of a way to respond. "I could never tell him I was Ladybug. I could never share that part of my life, that part of me, with him. It'd put him in too much danger if not ruin his entire life, and a theoretical relationship with me is not worth that."
Chat Noir fell silent, stomach churning inside of him. Even when they were fighting akumas, the freedom he felt from being Chat Noir – from fighting alongside his Lady – was generally enough to counterbalance any of the downsides that came from being a superhero.
But right now, he didn't feel much different from being Adrien – like the cage that was always present in his civilian life, the suffocating walls of apathetic rules and unbending restrictions, had found its way to Chat Noir as well.
And yet, he doubted the misery growing inside of him was even a fraction of what she felt. Ladybug had always known far better than him the possible consequences of their actions – had always taken the weight of the world on her shoulders without a word of complaint to how much it hurt her to carry wherever she went.
It was quiet for a few more moments before Ladybug laughed. It wasn't a warm laugh. Instead, it sounded like an attempt at lightheartedness that neither of them remotely felt.
"But it's fine," Ladybug said with false cheer, clearly trying to brush off her own hurt. "In fact, I'm surprised you're not telling me that I'm being too serious. After all, I'm getting way ahead of myself. It's just a minor crush that go away before you know it."
When Chat Noir didn't immediately respond, Ladybug's tone became a bit more insistent – more determined to convince them both. "And it's not like he feels anything for me. I'm just a random stranger who couldn't even say my own name in front of him! He definitely thinks I'm a total weirdo."
Chat Noir wondered if she had noticed that she couldn't even say Luka's name. He would bet on it.
"Anyone would be lucky to have you, M'lady," Chat Noir said quietly, meeting her eyes and trying to convey how much he meant his words. "And even if it didn't work out, you still deserve the chance to try."
Ladybug's expression fell, a bit of the brokenness showing through from her soul before she turned away, exhaling deeply. "Well, it is what it is. Maybe after we've defeated Hawkmoth, but until then..."
Seemingly unable to respond, Ladybug threw her yo-yo out and swung to the next rooftop, clearly determined to finish up their patrol. Chat Noir took off after her, using his baton to propel himself to the next building, chasing after her from a few steps behind when she refused to look back at him.
He knew that she probably considered that the end of the conversation, that she meant to vent her feelings this once before never mentioning them again, but he'd always been the one who could not bury or ignore what he felt. The one who refused to give up even if it was the logical, safest, choice.
Chat Noir's resolve hardened.
He would find a way to make it work between Marinette and Luka, or at least find a way for Marinette to freely figure her feelings out without fear of their lives as superheroes ruining the relationship before it could start.
Because while Ladybug was the one who fixed problems, Chat Noir was the one who destroyed them.
The one who tore down the walls that limited and held them down when Ladybug refused to accept that, sometimes, things needed to be broken so a better solution could be found in the end.
So even if it was Marinette's own sense of responsibility... he would destroy anything that made her unhappy.