wallflower || miraculous ladybug [luka x oc]

fresh air

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"everything had gone smoothly after big dog left. we set to work immediately, preparing for the coup. every day went by smoothly, nothing had changed until the day he was due to return...except he didn't. he never came back and then one of the men that went with him came back and told us that—that he knew. and when he left, he had already long decided that he wasn't going to return...that..."

"that...?"

"that if the dogs he had trained wanted to run off to another master, then he didn't care. he was gonna watch us from afar only to see us crash and burn.

and crash and burn i did."

they sat for a moment in silence. luka waiting patiently as celeste's breath shuddered in the process of trying to string the right words together. she had long since accepted her mistakes, but she had never...told this to anyone. she was used to not having someone there for her.

she couldn't trust anyone but herself.

at least...that was before, when she lead with an iron grip.

"i faltered," she admitted, at last once a few minutes had ticked by. "one slip-up had caused such a-" she stopped, closing her eyes and breathing deeply to keep herself calm. "i made a single mistake, and it put the only person i cared about in danger."

he glanced at her, "your brother?"

she nodded, running a hand through her messy hair. luka decided to remedy that, and hoped it would also help keep celeste calm. he shifted into a better position, though he was facing her now, and began to carefully run his fingers through her hair to begin a slow detangling process. her eyes fluttered shut as she sighed in content.

luka smiled warmly as he flushed at the action.

"they used my brother against me, once they found out about him...that i cared for someone other than mysellf," she grumbled, shaking her head, "they had dug my grave for me. i led a rebellion without realizing that they were using me to get rid of him, and they made sure they could hit me where it hurt. all that fightin' and provin' my worth was useless in th' face of their schemes. i didn' ev'n put up a fight-"

"does your brother blame you for what happen?" luka suddenly asked, the only time he interrupted her. celeste stopped, finally looking at him; eyes wide and full of so much emotion. the melody he could hear from them was a painful one, so full of suffering. 

"h-he..." her voice was soft and shaky, "he doesn't. i-i've  asked him before, and he said it-" her breath hitched, "it wasn't my fault."

luka smiled, his hands going from her hair to cup her cheeks. "and he's right. it's not your fault, it's theirs."

"but i-"

"did you bring him to them?"

"what- no!"

"did you mean to hurt him?"

"never!"

"then you shouldn't blame yourself for something that was out of your control."

luka's gaze was firm, watching for any and every emotion that flickered through her violet eyes. she bit her lip as her face twisted in such a way that showed him how she truly felt about it all.

and it hurt to see her come undone, but he knew it would be good for her. 

her melody begged to be free.

she held back her tears, she held back any sounds but her body shuddered with the effort to keep it in. she had never been allowed this comfort. she had been so hard on herself that she felt even undeserving of friends as she came back. 

"celeste," he whispered, "you're not alone anymore."

she hiccupped as the tears finally overflowed and trailed down her cheeks. luka wrapped his arms around her tightly, and hugged her close. listening to her cry softly into his shoulder, her arms coming up to pull him in closer- as much as she could- and just let herself cry.

she had never felt so warm before.

"i don' wanna go yet," celeste mumbled, throat sore and nose red after crying. they were laying in one of the cots in the nurses office with the curtains drawn, most definitely cuddling but neither bringing it up. "i don' want people ta talk ta me." 

"we can just stay here," luka offered, running his fingers through her hair once again.

she countered, "but then people will come here lookin' for us." 

"we could leave instead? i don't mind ditching school if it's with you."

celeste flushed, tilting her head up to look at him, brows furrowed but definitely not...mad. "how can ya just say things like that?"

his smiled turned amused and he also tilted his head back at her, "say what things?"

"you just-!" she huffed, "you always say everything so easily, i don't know how you do it. i'd be to embarrassed to."

"does that mean you want to?" he asked immediately, his heart beginning to race. he watched expectantly, very please when her not only were her cheeks flushed and burning, but her neck and ears began to turn shades as well. "i've never been good with words, i let music speak for me most of the time. but," he murmured, "it's easier when i'm with you."

he doesn't expect a response, if he's being honest with himself. 

so he decides- what the hell, why not?

"you don't beat around the bush in conversations, and you're very true to yourself and to others as well. you're like a breath of fresh air,

and that's just one of the many reasons i fell for you."

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