Cat's Eye (Lukadrien)

Volume 1, Chapter 5

"Yeah, I know a great café, it's just this way." Luka grabbed Adrien's hand. Luka's hand was warm, and bigger than Adrien's. The pads of his fingers were rough and calloused, presumably from the guitar playing, and Adrien felt the contrast starkly against his own smooth pianist's hands.

"We'd better run," Adrien shot a glance over his shoulder. The team had all about packed up, and Gorilla was now looking for the blond. It was golden hour already, with the sunlight trickling over the river Seine. "If my bodyguard catches me, I'll have to go home."

The blue haired boy looked back at his and winked, "Well we better get a move on!"
Luka's shoulders cast a little silhouette as they hurried down the street, and for a moment Adrien's breath caught in his throat. He berated himself internally. How pathetic to be falling for Luka so fast. It already seemed like eons ago that he'd been 'pining' over Ladybug - he'd barely even thought about her the past few weeks. In fact, the more time he spent around Luka, the more he wondered whether he'd ever really liked Ladybug, or just like the idea of loving someone who... who filled that gap in Adrien's life. Did... did Adrien even like women? Outweighing that crisis of sexuality - he could finally label that feeling he'd been trying to figure out for years. The want to be the most important person to someone. He couldn't even get that from his own father even after Adrien became the only family member left in Gabriel's life.

Maybe... just maybe... Adrien could let himself hope.

Maybe... Luka could be the one to put him first.

The boys stopped outside a little café. Tucked away in one of the many alleyways in Paris, it looked warm and cosy despite its size, with yellow light trickling out onto the street. "I think we've lost him." Adrien panted.

Luka held the door ajar, grinning as he gestured inwards, "After you."

The pair took seats near the back of the café, in a small booth in hopes that a passing bodyguard would be unable to spot them. Initially Luka had suggested a window seat, and in most circumstances, Adrien would have agreed but they'd quickly realised that would be a little too obvious, especially with some girls in the corner taking a photo of Adrien. Presumably it would go on snapchat or Instagram, which would make it easier for the bodyguard to track them - their time was limited.

"You really saved my ass out there you know," Adrien had ordered a hot chocolate, with a marshmallow bobbing on top, "Father wanted something really new and exciting. God knows what the final product will look like, but I guess the fall was a lucky accident." Adrien tried to keep is eyes from staring at Luka's lips for too long. They'd been so close to him when Luka had caught him, and Adrien's teenage mind traitorously wondered what they'd feel like pressed against his own.

"It's like music really, the best parts often come from sheer chance" the blue haired boy took a sip of his coffee, "I guess we were both looking for ideas and inspiration."

"Yeah," Adrien smiled and pushed his fingers through his hair, fiddling with a strand absentmindedly. "Well, you certainly helped us find ours. Did you find your inspiration?". Maybe Adrien could help him with it, repay him a little for his help. It was of course an added benefit to get to spend more time with Luka, especially given that the little date wasn't likely to last much longer with his bodyguard hot on his trail. Was that what this was, Adrien wondered. It had only just dawned on him that actually he'd never been on a date before, despite all the fans that had been clamouring about it for as long as he could remember. Very odd now that he thinks about it, how very young he was when it just became his reality.

"Yeah, I think I did actually. I found a muse." The blue haired boy reached out his hand to brush Adrien's fringe a little to the side. The blond felt his cheek flush pink. Oh, god, now this was TRULY pathetic of him. The Superhero, Chat Noir weak at the knees at the touch of a boy! His gaze was caught in Luka's eyes, and for a moment he began to lean in towards the other boy.

~

A loud banging noise resonated against the glass window at the entrance of the café, breaking their trance. The towering bodyguard stared the couple down. Damnit.

"I-I guess that's my cue to go." The blond said. It was just Luka's luck - he'd just started to make a real connection.

He reached out to grab the blond's wrist as he stood, "Hey Adrien. Would you mind coming round to mine sometime? I could really use your help with a composition?"

The model beamed, and the warmth that radiated from it left Luka soft and mushy inside. It wasn't the practised smile that Adrien had used throughout the photoshoots, or dealing with most people. It was genuine, more in the eyes than with lips and whilst less dramatic than the model beam, was far more precious. Like fleeting gold. It was the kind of smile you wanted to see for the rest of your life, and something in Luka thought exactly that.

"I'd love to. Now I've really got to go now, but I'll see you later!"

Adrien ran off out of the café, receiving what looked like a stern wording from the bodyguard. As much as Luka hated to see him go, he had to admit he loved to watch the blond leave. Once Adrien was out of eyeshot, Luka's cheeks flushed a shade of pink. He liked to be clear with who he was interested in, not being interested in the game of courting that most teenagers seemed to play, where everything was ambiguous. Still, he'd been far more forward with Adrien than he'd ever been with anyone else, and as soon as the moments were over, he knew he was going to spend ages pondering whether he'd made the right moves.

Thinking back at what he'd said when he'd run into Chat Noir in his suit - Luka placed his hand to head. If he'd been asked before if he'd ever say something like that, he would have fervently denied it. Somehow, something about the blond broke through Luka's reservations, giving him this urge to fluster the model. Somehow, Luka felt more able to be himself when around Adrien, and that was addictive.

As Luka left the coffee shop, he made his way back to the waterfront, near the idyllic spot where Adrien had done his photoshoot. Taking out his guitar, he began to strum and ruminate over the past events. He already had a key signature, and themes for a song were starting to come together. Adrien seemed inseparable from the themes in his mind - every cadence he imagined the blond laughing, sipping hot chocolate. It was though he could see pictures of the blond resting his head on Luka's shoulder, and his very core felt warmed by the idea. Themes that Luka hoped to share with him. But there was something else too. Something far different. In Adrien, in his life and story, squirreled inside his demeanours and performances were notes of tragedy. Something he wanted to understand better, if Adrien would let him.

Perhaps Luka would have to split the song into two different ones. Two ballads for the blond. Taking out his phone, he typed out a text to Adrien, "Hey, was wondering if you'd be free sometime to come round to mine?" The blue haired boy put the phone down on the side, waiting with bated breath.

Almost immediately, the little icon appeared as Adrien typed back a message. It read, "I'd love to but my schedule's a nightmare. I'll have to ask Natalie."

"Of course. Get back to me on it. How does the 23rd sound?" Luka's fingers hovered over the send button. Did he dare to send an x? Was it too forward? He took a deep breath and sent. He was shooting his shot.

It had been a little while since he'd sent the message to Adrien, when a reply pinged back. Luka pulled out his phone, as the bus shuddered a little over a speed bump.

"I spoke to Natalie and she says she can fit it in! See you soon x"