"Same time next week?" Marinette asked Luka as they stopped on the sidewalk, ready to part ways. She leaned up and grabbed his shoulder for support, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Mhm," he hummed affirmatively, kissing her cheek in return. "Looking forward to it."
It had become their routine by now, and Marinette loved the idea of having a routine. It represented a sense of stability, consistency, and (most importantly) getting to spend time with her boyfriend. She knew the feeling of his lips on her skin, his warmth banishing her cold, and fingers caressing her cheek.
She also knew the feeling of him taking her hand and the corners of a box gently pressing into her palm soon after.
"Oh." She looked down, turning the present in her hands as she asked, "F...for me?"
Luka frowned, hearing the nervousness in her voice. "Is something wrong with it?"
"N-no! No, not at all! Not even a little!" She whined, now fidgeting with it rather than simply examining it. "But... I don't know if I really deserve it, and—"
Her words were cut off by her own squeaking as Luka held her bangs to the side in order to give her a loving kiss on the forehead. She met his gaze, seeing only his affectionate staring back.
"You deserve everything, Marinette," he told her with a smile, "every note of the song."
She swallowed as she watched him go, a blush on her face and her feet rooted in place until he turned a corner, going completely out of her sight.
Finally, she bit her lower lip, almost crushing the gift with worry as she finished in her head, And... this is the tenth thing you've given me this month.
——
Marinette couldn't stop her leg from bouncing as she watched Kagami look over the various gifts with a discerning eye. Luka had gotten her an entire range of gifts from a cute tea mug shaped like a sheep, to special glasses for eye strain whenever she worked late nights on her website's design, to plushes that matched the cat one on her bed. Of course, she knew she shouldn't complain about being showered in gifts by a doting boyfriend, but there was an underlying worry as well.
Kagami, standing and holding the gifted flower necklace to the light, confirmed as much. "These definitely aren't cheap. He must've found a quality store."
Marinette groaned, hunching over until she was laying her upper body on her legs, arms slumped down toward the floor. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Kagami said, the eyebrow raise evident in her tone even if Marinette couldn't see. "Why would you want him to buy you cheap gifts?"
"I-I don't!" Marinette pushed herself back up, hands clenched into fists. "I mean, money's not everything and a gift's a gift, but he only works part-time delivering pizza! What if he's spending all of his money on me?"
"Couldn't you ask his sister?" Kagami wondered aloud.
"She'd just steal his wallet out of worry to look," Marinette replied, shaking her head in disapproval. "I don't want to invade his privacy, I just want to know why."
Kagami hummed neutrally, though her expression said it all: she had a hard time grasping the dilemma even if she was trying her best.
Rich people, Marinette thought in her head, complete with a mental sigh and gulp of imaginary tea. "I guess you and Adrien made a game about it, huh? You give each other gifts all the time."
At that, Kagami bristled. She took a wide stance, pointing a finger at Marinette as she proclaimed, "It's not a game, Marinette! It's a merciless competition between a boyfriend and girlfriend!" She turned her back to her with a small huff, bringing her thumbnail to her teeth in deep thought. "I'm still planning my next move. He won't know what hit him."
"Right, a competition. Sorry!" Marinette assured with a sheepish grin. I don't think Adrien sees it as a competition though.
Marinette supposed that their relationships weren't comparable though, which was fine. Kagami and Adrien thrived on a little tension, but she and Luka were a lot more mellow. Adrien was a lot more about grand gestures and Kagami reflected that right back at him. They'd already exchanged gifts openly in public when everyone was hanging out, and Marinette would just happily snuggle up with Luka off to the side, watching them—
Wait, she realized. That... could that be it...?
——
Marinette massaged her shoulder as she headed up the stairs to her room. It was a long, long day, involving her going all over Paris looking for the exact things that she needed. Luka had called and figured it out of course (he always had a way of sensing when she was in distress) but she rejected the offer to have him ride her everywhere. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted his help, but after the revelation of why he might've been showering her with gifts, she didn't know how to talk to him about it.
Her whole week had ended up feeling extra long because of it.
As she opened the trapdoor to her room, Marinette froze as the sound of a guitar hit her ears, the music seeming to come from her balcony. No way, she thought with a smile, because even if she'd been awkward with Luka it wasn't that she didn't want to see him.
With a little more energy in her steps that she hadn't thought she still had, she hurried across her room, up the stairs to her bed, and finally peeked out at her balcony.
Luka was in the lounge chair, playing a comforting tune on his guitar. Scented candles were set out on a table, along with a few snacks and drinks.
"Jule told me you were having a bad day," he explained simply.
Marinette pouted. It was mean of him to do all this when they needed to have a serious talk. If he weren't so sweet then she'd just take Kagami's advice and tell him bluntly how she felt, but she didn't have the heart to do it when his intentions were undoubtedly pure.
Unable to resist him, she pushed herself up onto the balcony. Luka was quick to move his guitar aside, freeing his lap so she could sit there and straddle him. She grabbed his face and he got up enough to meet her halfway in a kiss. Holding it, his hands slid down her back to rest against her sides while hers went underneath his hoodie to massage his shoulders.
Marinette giggled as she pulled back, just enough to look at his face. "What were you going to do if it rained?"
"Your parents let me borrow all of their umbrellas."
She collapsed against this chest, trying to contain herself at the mental image of Luka putting up umbrellas to protect the lounge chair and their table. Her legs shifted against him, unintentionally squeezing his sides from her body tensing with laughter.
Unfortunately, the universe had also decided to remind her of her goal, as her leg brushed Luka's pocket in the process. She could feel something inside that she was almost certain was yet another gift he planned on giving her.
"...Marinette?" Luka called in concern. He must've noticed that she'd stilled all of a sudden.
"Um." She hesitated, toying with the fabric of his shirt. Then, relenting to what she had to do, she pushed herself up and admitted, "I want to talk to you about something."
He frowned. "I'm sorry I went into your room when you weren't in there—"
"No." She sighed, looking away and rubbing the back of her neck. "It's about all the gifts."
Luka was quiet, but she could imagine what he was thinking. It was rare enough for them to not see each other for almost a week that there had to have been something on her mind.
"You—you put so much into all the gifts you give, but they're... a little much?" She twiddles her fingers, feeling awkward for bringing him up him even if they were long past that by now. "And... since we always see Adrien giving Kagami gifts, I thought that maybe you felt like—"
"Wait." Luka sat up, though had to adjust accordingly due to a combination of the lounge chair and an entire Marinette on his lap straddling him. He gripped her shoulder, insisting, "I already know you love me, Marinette."
"Y-yeah, but—"
"I'm not worried about us, not at all." He shook his head. "I haven't been since we got together. I never held how you felt against you, and you moved on from him so long ago anyway."
"...Then why?" She rubbed the side of her head, even more confused. "I-I know you love me too, but—"
At that, Luka paused, a rare vulnerability showing in his eyes. She gripped his hand on her shoulder and he averted his gaze from her, his lips twitching tentatively.
"It's me," he finally confessed. "I don't think you're shallow enough to love me more over some presents, and I know you don't like Adrien either, but I..." He pulled his hand away from hers, ruffling his hair in his embarrassment. "I still wanted to be able to give you anything Adrien could."
"Oh. O-oh, Luka—!"
All at once, relief flooded Marinette's body followed by affection. She leaned in, kissing Luka again, then once more just for good measure. He looked confused by the reaction, but she was insistent that he let himself be kissed.
"You don't have to do any of that!" She knew that he knew that, but she wasn't exactly thinking coherently at the moment. "I love how much you put into buying stuff for me, but I don't want you emptying your wallet for them! Isn't it enough just to..." She shrugged sheepishly. "spend time together?"
He stared, then sighed and plopped back down against the lounge chair. Smiling up at her, he replied, "I know, and I'm sorry I worried you so much. You're right."
"Of course I'm right!" she said, lightly hitting his chest. "And apology accepted, but you can't be buying me more gifts, okay? At least not as much."
"Alright."
"I mean it too!" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, huffing out, "Or—or I won't kiss you anymore! I might’ve kissed you a lot a second ago, but starting now!" Then, disheartened, she added desperately, "And I don't want to not kiss you, so..."
He nodded, voice low and eyes fond. "I promise."
She pouted, reminded again of how unfair he could be. He'd really made her concerned that he was doubting his worth in their relationship, yet he looked up at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen and her worry for him only made her more attractive.
Casting a glance at the drinks on the table, she asked, "Those aren't hot, are they?"
"No," he confirmed.
"Good. I didn't want to ruin your work." She laid herself back on his chest, mischievously playing with his bangs. "I meant what I said."
He grinned, his arms going around her back. "About not kissing me if I didn't stop giving you so many gifts? Or not wanting to not kiss m—"
She cut him off with another kiss.
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