No More Secrets

Chapter 4

Marinette practically leaped through the halls as she made her way to the school's exit, hoping to avoid as many people as possible, not wanting to explain her behavior to her friends.
It would an understatement for one to say that Marinette was exited to see Luka — more so now that it was most likely a date. She had always loved spending time with the boy, but this time was most certainly different. For one, she didn't have to hide anything from him, which was something she couldn't even do with her own parents.
She sighed at the thought her guilt slowly seeping in. How much longer did she need to hide something like this from them? Months? Years? Maybe forever...

Those thoughts were silently pushed to the back of her mind, however, as she skidded to a halt, her eyes meeting a pair of kind cyan orbs. "Luka."

"Hey Marinette," the young guitarist smiled as he gently placed his hand on her head, the bluenette's face growing warm at the touch. "Shall we get going?"

Marinette nodded, her hand quickly finding his, their fingers interlacing. "Where to?"

Luka smiled down at her. "You'll see."

The two walked in a comfortable silence, their hands locked tightly together. It felt like an exchange and a part of her wished for it never to end. Smiling she felt her heart racing as Luka's grip on her tightened, the small squeak building at her throat just about ready to leak out of her lips.

A lot of time had passed since the pair began to their mystery location, but Marinette felt as if it was only a few short minutes. There was a gentle feeling building inside of Marinette — something she hadn't felt in the past year with her one-sided crush towards Adrien — and she loved every second of it. She cherished it and held it close like a new born child; never wanting to let go.
And so, she couldn't help but feel disappointed when Luka came to a slow stop.
"We're here."

Marinette scanned the view, her eyes growing wide with childlike wonder. Luka had taken them to a garden — a beautiful one at that. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale, and the sparkling feeling in her gut returned as quickly as it left.
She saw many beautiful lights speckled around, the sunset in the background only giving it a more romantic feel.
Marinette's gaze turned back to Luka who had been standing beside the girl, watching her reaction.
She turned her body to face his, her hand slowly leaving his, before placing it gingerly on his cheek.

"It's beautiful, Luka. Thank you." She couldn't help but smile as the boy gently placed a hand on her waist, before the pair slowly leaned foreword. Her eyes instinctively began to flutter shut as she felt his spare arm wrap around her waist in turn, her lips brushing against his.

It was Luka who closed the distance between them completely, his lips dancing against her own. It was magical — not at all like the first — the setting only adding to the beauty of it all.
Moments passed, and eventually the two parted, their cheeks tinged with a gentle pink hue.

"I love you, Marinette."

Marinette felt her face burn.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Marinette smiled as she replied, "I love you too."

The two leaned towards each other once more, before a small rustle in the bushes caused the couple to jump, a light squeak escaping Marinette's lips.
The pair turned towards the shrubs and slowly began to back away, until a little black cat jumped out.

Its eyes were a beautiful emerald green color, and its black fur was sleek, almost hiding the fact it was a stray. Marinette smiled and cautiously approached the cat, the small creature mimicking her steps until Marinette leaned down.
The cat froze in its steps, the hair on its back beginning to rise. As slowly as she could, Marinette held out her hand and carefully placed it on its head, petting it as gently as she could. The cat was stiff at first, but seemed to relax under her touch and began to purr.
"Luka."
Quietly calling him over, Luka took a few steps towards the two and knelt down cautiously beside Marinette. The bluenette removed her hand, as Luka held his out in turn before gently petting the cat just as Marinette had.
The cat crept closer to the couple, it's purrs a remaining constant, before crawling onto the bluenette's lap and finding a new place to nap.

Luka and Marinette glanced at each other and shared a loving smile, the bluenette's heart fluttering as she reached her spare hand out towards him. The guitarist eagerly took it, entwining his fingers with hers, and the two sat there watching over the slumbering cat.

Suddenly, a loud explosion in the distance made the couple jump, the cat in Marinette's lap hissing at the sudden — and loud — noise.
Picking up the startled creature, Marinette got to her feet, her eyes widening at what she saw. Flames. Lots of flames. Flames that were rushing towards them at a concerning speed.
Marinette jumped into action, quickly transforming as she held the small cat in one hand while holding her yo-yo in the other. Swinging it to the nearest tree, she grabbed Luka, and quickly swung out of the path, heading farther and farther from the glowing flames.
As soon as they landed, Marinette handed Luka the frightened cat, and began to check for signs of anyone else trapped in the garden. Confirming there was no one else on the vicinity, she jumped towards the Eiffel Tower, landing skillfully at the top of the tall building. Letting go of Luka, she watched as the boy reluctantly placed the cat on the floors — the tiny creature seemingly petrified as its eyes were wide and slitted.

"Mar— er, Ladybug, what can I do to help?" Luka's determined tone lulled her attention back to the boy beside her.

The bluenette shook her head, her expression serious as she spoke. "I can't put you in any more danger. You have to stay here."

"What?" Luka's brows furrowed. "You're telling me that while you're out risking your life for Paris, I have to sit here and wait?"

Ladybug sighed. "I'm sorry Luka. I do wish you could help, but I can't risk letting you get hurt."

Luka's fists clenched, but he let out a sigh nonetheless as he nodded. "Alright. But if you need help—"

"—I'll come straight to you," Ladybug smiled.
Before she left him, however, she gave the boy a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

~~~

Marinette felt exhausted. Two battles in one day? It was like the world had suddenly turned against her.

She couldn't help but let out a sigh, the petit cat sitting in her lap stirring while Luka dozed off in her chaise. Picking the cat up and placing him on the bed, Marinette got on her feet and grabbed her pajamas from the closet, before heading into the bathroom to change.

It didn't take very long for the bluenette to put on her sleepwear, and as soon as she left the bathroom, she walked over to where Luka was sleeping and gave him a gentle peck on the cheek, before climbing back up the ladder that led into her bed and falling into a dreamless sleep.

A/N: This was rlly rushed so I didn't have time to revise. I'll come back to this tmrw and finish editing it diskfn.

- Dweller (っ＾▿＾)っ