#Elf Luka Couffaine

[verfound]

FIC: Dear Uncle Luka Clause... (MLB; Lukanette)

Characters/Pairings: Angie Couffaine (OC), Juleka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Rose Lavillant; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant

Rating: Mature (More of a High Teen/Light Mature?)

Summary: It all started when his pregnant sister-in-law convinced Luka to volunteer as a hospital Santa.  It got worse when Marinette brought his five-year-old niece to come see him at work.  This is either going to be the best or worst Christmas Uncle Luka Clause has ever had…

Author’s Notes/Warnings: Rating to be safe, but more of a High Teen?  I was reading this thing about crazy things kids have asked mall Santas for, and…yeah.  Oops?  😂  Angie is the amazing @quickspinner’s.  We just kidnap her from time to time for shenanigans.  😁

“Dear Uncle Luka Clause…”

“Thanks again for the help, Marinette,” Rose said, grinning at her not-quite-but-practically-would-be-if-Luka-would-just-move-his-ass-already sister.  Who currently had glitter smudged on her cheek and the red dot from one of the labels stuck to her nose and was extra adorable, if Rose did say so herself.  It was almost a shame Luka wasn’t around to see it.

Rose could almost see it now: the soft Christmas carols playing in the background.  The glitter on her face sparkling in the fairy lights strung up around the flat.  Luka reaching over to wipe the glitter off her face.  Their eyes locking as they leaned in.  They would just be drawn to each other, like…planets, or magnets, or something – they wouldn’t even need the mistletoe Rose would have hidden in the light above them!  And they would finally – finally – kiss, and it would be the first Christmas of a lifetime of many happy Christmases, and by the next Christmas Marinette would be the one too pregnant to fit into her stupid elf costume for the children’s hospital and –

But, alas, that was not the case.  Because Luka was working.  As Santa.  For the children’s hospital.  Because their usual Santa – a lovely old man named Hank who actually was a professional, year-round Santa – had broken his leg two weeks before December, and that close to the holiday it had been nearly impossible to find a suitable replacement (there were options, but Rose refused to have a Santa that smelled like beef and cheese).  It was bad enough that Rose couldn’t dress in her elf costume – because who had ever heard of a pregnant elf? – but no Santa?

She’d only had to cry a little before Luka caved.  (She’d had to cry a little more to convince Juleka to don the elf costume instead.)

#miraculous ladybug #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #juleka couffaine #rose lavillant #angie couffaine #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #ml fic #ver fic #christmas fic #luka is a mall santa #sort of #kids say the darnedest things #matchmaker angie #I don't even know how to tag this 😂 #angie is her maman's daughter #thanks for letting me borrow her quick 😂

[mc-lukanette]

Elf Preservation (continuation)

(original/first chapter)

[AO3] [FF.NET]

Luka was surprised when he was not only allowed to deliver presents again, but that there was no sort of punishment for the fact that he'd both been found by and interacted with a human. Apparently, Santa just hadn't told anyone, and was even the person to suggest that Luka go with him again next year for Christmas.

He didn't really get it, but didn't complain either. Most people rolled with whatever Santa said without question, and Luka supposed that he somehow managed to be a good enough assistant.

Besides, he had a promise to keep, and it kept ringing in his head since the take-off to go around the world: "If I can make it happen, it’ll happen."

He told Marinette that they'd meet again as long as it was in his power to do so. No matter what her reason was for wanting to see him again - whether genuine interest or mild curiosity - he wanted to see her too. He couldn't explain it, but she was special, and there was an allure to her that had him looking over the side of the sleigh to try and spot her house when they arrived in her city.

He considered what he might do if Santa refused to let him go into the house. Plead? Beg? Explain the promise? Offer not to tell anyone that he secretly feeds cookies to his reindeer if he lets him see Marinette?

As they landed on the familiar house, Luka's mind was still racing with options when he suddenly heard Santa ask, "Why don't you take this one again?"

Luka blinked, needing a moment to register that, then turned with a confused look on his face. "What?"

Santa didn't reply at first, though clearly noticed that Luka had a thousand questions playing in his head that he was resisting asking. Smiling at him, he finally answered, "Let's just say that I owe Marinette a favor and leave it at that, hm?"

Luka wasn't sure how to take that, but knew that Santa wouldn't lie to him. He was also reminded of what Marinette had implied when they first met, referring to how she was "used to magic." He was getting more and more interested in her by the second, hoping that it didn't look too apparent by how quickly he hopped off the sleigh.

"Thank you." It was really all he could say, not wanting to pry when he'd been told not to. Santa merely gave him a nod in return, leaning back to take a breather and relax.

Luka walked to the back of the sleigh, then opened his arms for the sack of presents to jump at him. Once it did and he had it slung securely over his shoulder, he navigated himself off the roof and through the window of the house.

He noticed immediately that Marinette had decorated the room differently the year before. The furniture had been moved and the tree had been put in a different spot. She'd even changed the color of the lights, though it didn't make things feel any less warm because of it.

He paused to take in the view, then headed for the tree to put the presents underneath, not wanting a repeat of last year where he'd delayed getting everything set up and got a non-verbal scolding from a sack of all things.

Taking out the gifts one by one, he began sliding them under the tree and making them look nice resting there. He hummed last year's melody while he worked, more for the happy memories it brought than any sort of need to fill the silence. Given that the Christmas tree's lights were on, he wasn't concerned that Marinette wouldn't be home.

Sure enough, he heard footsteps not too long after, and he may've hurried a little to finish setting all the presents under the tree. He checked them over once more, then stood and turned to greet, "Hey, Marinette."

"Hey!" She smiled, having just walked into the room. She approached with a wave, eyes unfairly bright and happy. "You really came back!" Then, dread washing over her face, she asked, "It wasn't hard, was it? Did you get in trouble?"

He smiled back, his heart warmed by her concern. He also noted idly that she was more dressed up than before, though it made sense given that she knew he might show up, so she sported casual wear instead of pajamas.

Answering her questions accordingly, he replied, "No and no. It was actually easy; Santa let me come back here."

"Wait—" She blinked a few times, processing that. "He let you? Do you mean—"

"He figured it out." Luka shrugged, then grinned sheepishly and turned his head to the side, reminding her of the earrings she'd given him.

Marinette gasped, then pounded her forehead lightly with the heel of her hand, whining, "Oh, Luka, I'm so sorry! I didn't even think about that!"

"I didn't either," he pointed out gently, amused when she sunk down to the floor in misery. It was probably the one time he'd feel taller than her. "But it's okay. He didn't tell anyone and he was the one who suggested that I come back."

She peeked up at him, surprised and wordlessly questioning the decision.

He rubbed the back of his head, simply explaining, "He said he owed you a favor?"

Her eyes lit up with recognition at that. She looked away, tugging at one of her earlobes, and he noticed that she still didn't have any earrings on. He'd originally presumed that she hadn't been wearing any last year due to being in pajamas, but now he could be sure that she either didn't have any or chose not to wear them.

"That—that makes sense," she replied. "I never said he had to pay me back, but—well—I'm glad you're here!"

He nodded in agreement. "I'm glad I am too."

She beamed, then pushed herself up and glanced back at the kitchen. "So, do you want any cookies again? I could do a different kind if you're afraid of it being boring."

"You don't have to make me anything," he gently insisted. "I didn't come back for that."

"I know." Though she said that, her smile widened significantly. "Still, it's a long sleigh ride, isn't it? And it must be hard bringing enough food for one person, much less two, and you need food. I don't want you to starve or even just be hungry, so I want to make you something—ah... well, I guess sweets actually wouldn't be that filling, but—"

He giggled. "Elves actually aren't that crazy about sweets anyway."

Her head snapped up, eyes wide like he'd just said something insane. "What? Really?"

"We don't mind eating sweets every now and then, but almost all the sweets are for Santa." He grinned playfully. "I guess it just became a note we play every time we cook that says we'd have to share with him if it's something sweet."

"Oh." She looked positively fascinated. Had he known that she'd get so enthused over a simple fact about his species, he would've spoken up about it last year. "So, how about something savory then? It doesn't have to be anything big, but..." She looked around, her eyes eventually settling on the TV. She brightened up, asking, "How about a movie?"

"A movie?" He promptly realized how dumb echoing her sounded. "That sounds great. I'd love to."

"Yes!" she exclaimed excitedly. "We could do sandwiches and popcorn! Oo, what would you like best?"

Her positivity was contagious. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as he followed her out into the kitchen, though he nearly bumped into her when she abruptly stopped to turn to him.

"Wait," she muttered, "so—those cookies I made for you last year..."

"Like I said, we do have sweets every now and then," he reminded her, "but I guess I didn't have them that much until a while ago."

She tilted her head, then turned to continue her walk around the kitchen. "What changed your mind?"

He watched as she pulled out a loaf of pre-sliced bread, which he thought was strange - considering that her parents were bakers - until he remembered her 'Safety Hazard' apron. He had to debate whether he really wanted to answer her question, but smiled when he acknowledged mentally that she deserved to hear it.

"...It was when you baked me some, Marinette."

The way her face heated up was both satisfying and left him feeling abnormally happy.

"W-wh—" She cleared her throat, fussing far too much with opening the clear bag covering the bread. "—t-then, was marshmallow even a flavor you thought you'd like?"

"Honestly," he began, reaching a hand up to ruffle his own hair, "it was just the first thing I thought of while I was looking at you... after you asked."

She turned away to stop looking at him, but he didn't have to see her face to know how she felt. Being as quiet as he was, it was rare for him to have such an effect on people.

It was nice, having someone who genuinely enjoyed his company and reacted in such a way when he spoke up.

As Marinette pulled out various ingredients for sandwiches, Luka removed his gloves and joined in to help her. He may've been shorter than her, but he was still tall enough to handle anything on the counter. It was also the least he could do since she was already letting him hang around her house.

If their arms brushed every now and then, they didn't make any mention of it, though he would've caught her blushing again had he looked up.

Given the sliced bread, it only made sense that she opted for bagged popcorn rather than making her own, though he didn't mind and wouldn't have wanted her to go so far out of the way anyway. They conversed on the way back to the couch upon the realization that they hadn't agreed on what to watch, and what started as a joking suggestion from Marinette to watch a movie featuring "his people" became very real very fast when Luka saw her scroll past a few strange-looking characters on the TV screen that clearly were supposed to be elves.

They started with just one, but it soon became a whole marathon, the two going through movie after movie while Luka was critiquing the whole way through about the things they'd gotten wrong. At first, it was just an easy way of telling Marinette more about elves, but as Marinette began to giggle at his more biting critiques, he took to being more dramatic about it. He'd gasp in offense when the movies "insulted" his elf kind, clutch his chest, and pretended to walk out at least once.

Marinette's laughter was easily his favorite part of the whole thing. It was warm and bubbly, and she'd even start giving off critiques of her own if she remembered something he'd said before about elves. By the time the last movie had hit, they were both at the movie's non-existent throat, and it was easily the most fun he'd had all year.

It made it all the more sad when Marinette went to look for another movie and noticed that their time was running low; they didn't have to part yet, but they definitely didn't have time for another movie.

Luka sat back, looking down at the empty box of popcorn and the empty plates that once contained their sandwiches. Glancing up, he said gratefully, "Thanks, Marinette."

She tilted her head at him. "For what?"

He shrugged. "Everything? Being you?" He stared back at the now-blank TV screen. "I'm just glad you're letting me be here and hang out with you."

"Why wouldn't I? We're friends, aren't we?" she asked, though began to blush after a few seconds. "I-I mean, unless that we just me assuming things, in which case—"

"No, we're definitely friends," he insisted, "as long as you want that too."

"Of course!" she replied immediately, the offended tone making him chuckle and reminding him of their Christmas movie roasts. "You're really nice, and funny, and you're so—I don't know—different? From everyone else I've met? Not in a bad way, obviously, just..."

She trailed off, and he imagined that his expression assured her that she didn't need to ramble. His words followed suit, "I feel the same way about you."

Her smile was soft, her eyes almost sparkling at him. They remained there for a moment, just enjoying each other's company and the warm Christmas lighting around them.

Then, Marinette's gaze drifted down over him, then just barely above his face. "...Hey, Luka?"

He went to ask her what was on her mind, but stilled as her hand seemed to - almost unconsciously - reach upwards to hold a strand of his hair. "Marinette?"

Her expression was a mixture of thoughtful and curious. "Do you mind if we do something before you go? It might be a little boring for you."

"I don't mind. What is it?"

"Well..." She smiled hopefully at him. "I'd like to take your measurements."

~ ∘˚˳°✧°˳˚∘ ~

The third year Luka showed up at Marinette's house, she was already waiting for him in the living room, sitting on a chair a few meters away from the tree. His brows rose in surprise, but she just gave him a smile, waving her hand vaguely at the sack over his shoulder as if to say, don't worry, I'll wait.

He returned the smile, a small skip in his step as he made his way to the tree. He noted that she'd clearly been waiting for him for a while, a quarter-full mug of hot chocolate in her hands that definitely wasn't emitting any more steam. The delightful fuzziness in his chest he got every Christmas wasn't due to the holiday itself, and he was very much aware of it.

Kneeling down, he reached into the sack of presents, pulling out the first gift his fingers touched. He was suddenly conscious of his abilities to set down the gifts - considering Marinette was watching - but he knew she wouldn't judge him if it wasn’t perfect.

As he went to place the first gift down, he stilled, seeing that there was already a singular gift under the tree. He briefly wondered if maybe the sack had been messing with him and spit out one of the gifts itself, but then he noticed the sticker.

To Luka, From Marinette

He paused, rereading the words twice before turning to Marinette. She was glancing away, smiling innocently, but he could see the way she tried to hold herself together even with her legs very subtly vibrating in excitement. He turned back to the gift, then debated with himself before setting it off to the side, trying to get Marinette's presents under the tree first.

He'd never be able to focus otherwise. Their conversations from last year were already replaying in his head as he wondered what she could've gotten him, or...

"I'd like to take your measurements."

what she could've made him?

Once he'd finished placing all of her presents in a nice-looking order, he picked up his gift, hesitating at how beautifully Marinette had wrapped it. He tore quickly but carefully - not wanting the clean-up to cause any problems - then opened the box that was inside.

Before he could even ask, her voice confirmed, "I made them for you," and his heart skipped a beat.

Clothes. She'd really designed and made him an entire outfit. The color was different than he was used to wearing - elves usually wore specific colors depending on where they were working - but that didn't make it bad; in fact, he loved her choices. He probably spent a good minute just looking and feeling at the fabric, moving everything around to see every bit of them while trying not to disturb Marinette's expert folding.

"You really like them?"

He looked up at her. It was obvious that she already knew his answer - her smile was far too wide for her to think anything else - but wanted to hear him say it anyway. Knowing that it'd be answer enough for her, he asked eagerly in reply, "Can I try them on?"

She beamed, immediately directing him to the nearest room that he could use to change. He knew from the past times he'd been there that she had a full-body mirror in her bedroom, so he avoided getting too lost in admiring the clothes as he put them on so he could be properly surprised in front of her.

After he was fully dressed, he set his other clothes off to the side and left to join Marinette outside the room. She nearly squealed at the sight of him, then hurried for her bedroom, apparently having the same idea that he did with how she encouraged him to follow. They went into her room together, the full-body mirror blatantly moved so that he could see himself as soon as possible. He approached it, Marinette looking him over while tilting the mirror appropriately.

He had no idea how she'd done it. The clothes were comfortable, both in warmth and in how they fit him, and the combination of blue, white, and black was something that felt strangely right. He knew nothing about fashion, but he knew he looked good and that any person would find it hard to come up with any critique on it.

"This—Marinette, I don't know what to say." He shook his head, realizing that wasn't entirely correct. "I mean, it's amazing, I love it, but I haven't done anything. I wouldn't even know how to accept this."

She giggled, walking over to stand next to him and smile at his reflection. "Wearing it is already a good start."

He nearly pouted at her - he knew that she knew that wasn't what he meant - but settled for smiling back and turned back to the image reflected in the mirror of them standing next to each other. He was already used to the height difference, though now he could actually see himself standing next to her using the mirror. He wasn't dense enough to ignore the slight pang in his chest that he wasn't taller than her like what one might expect from what was "conventional," but...

he also noted that both of them looked really happy despite it, and it made him feel weirdly lucky.

As he cherished the thought, his mind registered a familiar shape off to the side of the mirror. He glanced over, eyes widening at the actual guitar resting against the wall.

Marinette looked at the mirror, noticing his shifted gaze, then followed it to the guitar. "...Oh." She laughed, wandering over and kneeling to point at the signature along the base. "Jagged Stone gave that to me. Apparently it's the something-something anniversary of me working for him - I'm pretty sure he made it up as an excuse - and he insisted that I have it. I told him over and over that I had no idea how to play it, but—" She gestured to the guitar for emphasis, as if it were showcasing Jagged's complete refusal to back down.

Luka could only nod, feeling somewhat embarrassed that he couldn't provide any commentary on the matter. He shifted in place as he stared at the guitar, trying not to be obvious about admiring the intricate design and professional quality of the build.

"Do you play guitar, Luka?" Marinette suddenly questioned.

Okay, maybe he wasn't as subtle as he thought. "Hm?"

"The first Christmas we met," she began, "you said that you didn't have any instruments with you when I asked you to play your tune for me, so I thought that meant that you played a few but just didn't have them on you?"

He was surprised she remembered something so insignificant, but answered anyway, "Yeah, I only make instruments I know how to play." He added with a smile, "Guitar's my specialty though."

"Would you like to play this one then?" she asked with a big grin, clearly trying to suppress any excitement and failing spectacularly.

"Really?" He approached, tilting his head at the fancy guitar. "Would that be okay?"

"Oh, absolutely!" She took care in picking the instrument up - despite her haste - then offered it to him. "Jagged would be so sad if this just sat here and collected dust!" She paused, considering, then corrected, "Plus, even if he didn't, it's mine now since he gave it to me and I'm saying that you can play it."

He chuckled, reaching out to take and settle the guitar into his arms. "Hard to argue with that."

She moved around him to sit on her chaise lounge, staring at him expectantly. It was cute, and he followed suit by sitting down next to her, only turning enough attention to the guitar to make sure it was tuned.

He was confident enough in his abilities that he didn't feel nervous playing in front of her. Music was his element, and she already seemed to like his style when he was simply humming, which was more than enough reason not to worry. Even just having a guitar in his hands brought a certain sense of familiarity and comfort, though it wasn't the same kind of feeling he got with Marinette.

As he tested the strings once more to confirm the sound was correct, he caught sight of the signature again and admitted quietly, "I... actually don't know who Jagged Stone is."

He didn't know why he said it; Marinette had spoken the name so casually as if he should be expected to know it. There was just something about her that made him want to tell her whatever came to mind.

"Wh—really?" she asked. Catching herself, she held her hands up and insisted, "N-not that there's anything wrong with that! I'm just—"

"Surprised," he supplied. "It's alright. Santa makes sure we have stuff to do in our spare time but it's from all over. We all speak English since that's the original Claus language, but we get to learn two or three more depending on where we are in the workshop." He figured it went without saying that one of his was French. Stroking along the guitar, he played a quick melody and added, "Anyway, we only get a few notes from everywhere, and we don't always have time to listen to the whole song. We're kept really busy and—" He hesitated, debating on if it sounded like he was complaining. Deciding he didn’t want to stop short and leave her wondering, he continued, "—there are a lot of elves. It's why I'm glad I don't make things like toys."

"It's a lot to deal with?" she guessed.

"Yeah."

It felt strange to say it out loud; he'd never done so before. It was easy to forget such thoughts when he was with Marinette because he was so far away from the workshop, but that was only for a day (excluding all the timewarping). Even while riding with Santa in the sleigh, he was still reminded that it wasn't forever and he'd eventually have to return.

He didn't hate working there, but getting to make and test out instruments was the only part he liked. There was no such thing as "peace and quiet" when it was Santa's workshop, and almost all the elves were lively and social with each other, chatting while they worked to keep themselves energized. Luka was glad for them, but it meant constantly hearing a bunch of songs that didn't go together. When everyone tried to be close with everyone else, no one was truly close, and Luka preferred a smaller, tighter group of friends; not that he had any as an example though.

His family had always been different, he supposed, but he was just the right amount of different for it to be inconvenient. His mother actually enjoyed all the chaos, always moving and having more energy than probably any other elf in the whole workshop. Juleka, his sister, while not actively engaging with the other elves, enjoyed that she was never the center of attention and could be quiet without anyone caring, as they believed her to be invested in her work and respected that.

He didn't have such luck, and meditating was the only way to gain any sort of temporary silence; the book that taught him how to do it had been in a different language, but it had pictures and he'd figured out the rest eventually. It was just the life of an elf, and he imagined that he'd used to it eventually.

Maybe.

"...Anyway," he said suddenly, flashing Marinette a hopefully-reassuring look. Getting his hands in place to place to play, he added, "Any requests? I don't know that many songs, but if you can play one for me first, I can—"

His voice choked off with a gasp as Marinette threw her arms around him, his body going stiff in surprise. His left hand's grip on the guitar slipped, causing the neck to drop awkwardly against his chelidon. He didn't even notice, too focused on the warmth and gesture that'd caught him entirely off guard.

"M-marinette?"

"Sorry," she whispered. "You... you looked so sad."

Had he? It'd shown on his face? "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Don't apologize." She squeezed him in reassurance. "I—I'd just never thought of it like that."

"Like what?"

He heard her breathe like she was about to speak, but then she hesitated. "...Promise not to laugh?"

"I—"

"No, I know you wouldn't. I'm sorry."

She sighed, but her voice was lighter when she spoke again. "...I actually wished I could be an elf when I was younger. Getting gifts on Christmas always made me so happy, and I wanted to be able to give that same happiness to all the other kids my age." She hugged him tighter, the lightness fading into sorrow. "I never thought about how elves must live, trapped on the North Pole with so much of the world being a mystery to them, being non-existent to people who don't believe in them. Santa and Mrs. Claus could go out if they wanted by traveling, but it's not that easy for someone like you, working with other elves because you have to and not being able to leave even if you want to."

Luka couldn't bring himself to react, barely managing to do so much as breathe. He'd never had someone so easily able to feel out his worries like that, and she'd voiced things that he'd always thought about but never said.

Despite being surrounded by people, he was lonely. He didn't want the company of dozens of others that he could barely put care to remember the names of; he wanted a connection.

He wanted Marinette.

That thought in particular struck him harder than anything else had that day, though he knew he'd prodded at the idea in his head for a long time. Even beyond filling a void, he'd fallen hard for her and couldn't deny it even with all of the obvious problems it presented.

He also wished the atmosphere hadn't been so sad so he would've been able to properly enjoy the concept of her actually being an elf and growing up with him, but that wasn't as important at the moment.

Realizing he'd been quiet too long, he managed to get a grip on himself, shifting and finally letting the headstock of the guitar fall onto the chaise lounge so he could turn more easily towards Marinette. He had too many words in his head for her, but managed to settle on a quiet, "Thank you. I'm sorry I brought the mood down."

She stiffened, then pulled away and put her hands on his shoulders. "You don't have to apologize for that; you can't help how you live or what you think about it. Besides, I want you to feel like you can rely on me whether you need it or not."

He smiled fondly at her, hoping his look wasn't too intense. "I definitely feel like that now."

She smiled back. "I'm glad." Her hands lingered on his shoulders until she seemingly noticed that they were still there. She pulled away, blushing in embarrassment and adding hurriedly, "A-and sorry for hugging you out of the blue like that."

He giggled. That was the third time she apologized in the past five minutes, and the second time she'd apologized specifically for hugging him.

"I don't mind at all," he assured. Still riding the emotional high from her hug, he insisted, "You can hug me whenever you want."

She blinked rapidly, raising a hand to her mouth in thought. "R-really?"

He nodded. "Really."

She looked him up and down, as if to check that he really meant it. Just to make sure she understood, he turned further towards her, though it was slightly awkward with the guitar on his lap.

He wasn't expecting her to hug him right away, but his body reacted even while his mind froze. He finally set the guitar aside, leaving him free to turn towards Marinette completely and hug her back. They took a few seconds to fully adjust, but it was total and complete comfort the whole way through. Part of him almost thought it was for the best that he wasn't with her for the whole year; he'd never get anything done otherwise.

Then, Marinette suddenly gasped, breaking the hug with an, "Ah, I know!"

Luka watched as she got off the chaise lounge and hurried over to her table, a small set of drawers resting on it. She searched it from top to bottom, then checked the middle drawer again and brightened, seeming to find whatever she was looking for. She also picked up a sanitary wipe and scrubbed at something that was attached to it, though she was turned too far away for him to see clearly. When she finally did walk back to him, he could only see a hint of white peeking out from her closed fingers and that the object seemed to be rectangular.

"Here," she said, holding it out and opening her fingers for him to see. "It's an MP3 player. I know it won't block out everything, but it's full of songs, and there are a lot of Jagged Stone ones in here already."

He was familiar enough with the concept of an MP3 player; it wasn't where he worked, but there were more tech-savvy elves who made them. He just couldn't believe that she—

"Oh, and don't worry!" she told him with a wave of her free hand. "I was planning on getting a new one anyway, so you'd be doing me a favor! Besides, I figured you probably couldn't take those clothes, but an MP3 player is more subtle, so you'll still have something of mine to keep with you!"

He simply sat there, staring at her and probably looking silly doing so.

She seemed to realize something, pulling back and hiding the device in her hand again. "U-um, gosh, that makes me sound really selfish, doesn't it? Like I'm only doing it so you'll remember me more, or like I'm only giving it to you because it's used? I swear I'm not, it's just—"

He stood up, walking over and placing his hands over hers. "Only you would worry about sounding 'selfish' when you're giving me a gift." He laughed, positive that it was too warm not to be noticeable. "I'll take it. I'll carry it with me wherever I go."

She beamed, though acknowledged a moment later, "Oops, that's right! You'll need both chargers; one for the MP3 player and one for the wireless earbuds. Um, give me a moment." She hesitantly pulled back from his grip on her hands, then gestured at the guitar as she assured, "I swear I still want to hear you play if you don't mind—um—setting up again?"

He smiled to assure her that he didn't, already walking back to the chaise lounge to sit down and get the guitar back in his lap. He could only hope that his playing didn't come out too much like a love song, or at least that Marinette wouldn't notice if it did.

She was too much; sweet, thoughtful, and extremely adorable. He loathed the very concept of time itself, wishing he could stay in the moment with her forever. He didn't care whether she returned his feelings or not; they were both smiling and happy, and he wanted it to stay that way. She'd done so much for him, giving him gift after gift, and he—

Luka paused, no longer paying as much attention as Marinette pulled out a small drawstring bag and began slipping the objects inside. He realized just how much she'd done for him, or more specifically, how much he hadn't done for her. He didn't doubt that she enjoyed having him around - they wouldn't be here if she didn't - but...

“They’re Santa’s gifts for you, not mine.”

His brows furrowed with concern at the memory. Marinette had given him multiple gifts and he hadn't done anything in return. They were supposed to be friends, yet he'd missed two of her birthdays without making up for it, never even giving her a Christmas present that wasn't from someone else. Playing her music was a start - he'd already hummed her a melody the first time they met too - but it wasn't enough and couldn't make up for what she'd already given him.

Already musing over the matter, he decided that he'd definitely get her something next time. He didn't know what, but it'd be something meaningful and full of thought.

She deserved that and so much more, but he'd settle on the gift for now.

~ ∘˚˳°✧°˳˚∘ ~

For their fourth time meeting up, Marinette greeted Luka with a full-on hug that he eagerly returned. Despite the chill from the window behind him, it was too warm in her arms to care; she was even wearing extra layers than usual.

When he pulled away, he noticed a smile on her face that he immediately recognized. Grinning, he noted, "You look like you have an idea."

She somehow smiled even wider, replying, "I left your clothes where you changed last time. Get changed and meet me in my room?"

Her voice shook slightly at the last sentence, a mixture of anticipation and nerves. Whatever she was planning, he figured it must be different actually telling him about it, regardless of how eager she was in planning it.

He smiled back, hoping it was enough to assure her that it'd be okay no matter what. "I'll see you there."

She hurried to her bedroom after that, Luka having to force himself not to rush putting her gifts under the tree. Her excitement was too contagious and he didn't want his work to come out sloppy because of it. Still, he ran to change the second he was done, cherishing the feeling of the clothes made by Marinette's hand for him and him alone.

Needless to say, he missed it over the entire year, though didn't miss how the outfit was noticeably warmer than he'd remembered, as if it'd been just taken out of a dryer before he got there.

Once he'd tucked away the little gift box he'd brought into the deep pocket of his outfit, he left the room to meet Marinette in hers. He saw her sitting on her chaise lounge, some type of clothing held tightly in her hands as she practically bounced in place.

She stood up as they made eye contact. "Hey," she greeted.

He was very curious now. "Hey."

She walked over to stand across from the mirror, holding up the fabric while looking at him expectantly. He approached, getting in front of her and watching her reflection to see what she was doing. The fabric in her hands matched colors with his outfit, and his only guess as to what that meant was confirmed as she slipped it onto his head; it was yet another gift for him.

Regardless, she had to be excited over something specific about it, so he let her put it on him without a word. He noted that it was a beanie, loose but comfortable, Marinette leaning to his side and hunching over to get a closer look at it, struggling a bit at first due to wearing gloves.

Though he was briefly distracted by the way her tongue stuck out in her focus, he felt and saw the fabric slipping partially over his ears. "Marinette?"

"That's not uncomfortable, is it?" she asked, voice filled with hope.

He shook his head, then turned his head to the side so he could see the effect through the mirror; the pointed part of his ears was completely covered, making him look as if he were just a short human.

"You can go out with me now," she said softly.

Luka whipped his head back to look at her, eyes wide. She blushed in realization, then flailed her arms in reassurance.

"Outside! You can go outside with me!" she corrected. "See, it was just—um—"

She took a moment to breathe and he let her, his heart still pounding too hard from what he'd thought she'd meant.

Now calmed, she explained, "I... I couldn't stop thinking about what happened last time we talked. I know I can't magically fix everything—" There was a brief shift in her expression that made him feel like there was something deeper to what she'd said. "—but I wanted to give you the chance."

"The chance?" he echoed questioningly.

"Yeah." She smiled sheepishly. "To get out; to be somewhere that's not here or the North Pole. It's late, the entirety of Paris is basically asleep, and even if someone saw you, the elf part of your ears are covered. You don't have to if you'd rather just stay inside, but... I thought that—maybe—just knowing you had the option is nice."

She was making it impossible for him not to fall harder for her, and he really liked it. He couldn't imagine what luck he must have, or maybe it was all of his bad luck finally leaving him instead. He didn't really care; he was happy and she looked happy to be there with him.

"That sounds incredible," he admitted. "Could you lead me around? Can we go right now?"

"Yes!" She paused, then added quickly, "Um—to both of those."

He chuckled, but realized belatedly, "Oh, I should probably ask Santa—"

"No!" she protested. She pouted, insisting, "You want this, don't you? Consider it your Christmas present."

"Elves don't get Christmas presents. We get birthday presents, but—"

"Details." She waved dismissively. "Anyway, if Santa wants to go on about owing me a favor, then fine, this is part of the favor."

Brimming with twice as much confidence as before, likely since he'd answered positively to going with her, she strolled up, pulling a set of gloves out of her pocket and handing them to him. He was smiling too much at her energy to argue, slipping on the gloves and wondering if she'd made them for him as well.

Scratch that, he was sure she had.

The moment he had both hands gloved and they were ready to go, she took one of his hands in hers, gently tugging him along to lead him to the front door. He happily let her lead him, feeling almost childish for how excited he was at the prospect of just going outside, but...

It was Marinette. He knew she wouldn't judge, so he let himself smile.

They didn't let go of each other's hands even after they were out the door.

—————

It took Luka a full minute or so to fully take in the sights while they walked. He'd only ever seen Paris and its Christmas scenery from up in the sleigh or from a rooftop, and while both views were nice, it was something completely different to be actually down on the ground, seeing it from the point of a normal person. All the Christmas lights were on, contrasting the dark sky, and decorations were hung just about everywhere they could be placed. Mrs. Claus changed decorations at the North Pole every month, but it was different seeing a whole city decorated.

He didn't realize how long he was staring at everything until he saw Marinette staring fondly at him in his peripheral vision. She seemed embarrassed to be caught, blushing and turning her head away from him.

"I-it's a nice night," she commented weakly.

He chuckled at the attempt of distracting him. "Yeah." He glanced down their hands, still linked together. "It is."

Looking at anything except him, the blush still on her cheeks, she observed thoughtfully, "There really aren't any people around tonight." She dared a glance at him, a slight smirk on her face. "Maybe you don't need that beanie after all?"

She pretended to reach for it with her free hand. Luka ducked out of the way in dramatic fashion, placing his free hand protectively on the beanie to keep it on his head. She laughed, dazzling him once again with the sound.

He continued walking with her, feeling the beanie a moment longer to make sure he hadn't accidentally shifted it, then followed up on what she'd said. "You were right about Paris being asleep. It's like the whole city is, except for you." He raised a brow at her, curious but also teasing, "Are you nocturnal, Marinette?"

She pursed her lips in thought, eyes drifting up to look at the night sky. The former shyness she showed slowly turned into a bout of playfulness. "Not really. At least—I didn't use to be. I wasn't a morning person, but I wasn't a night owl either; the only time I stayed up late before was by accident, like if I got lost working on something or got really inspired."

He tilted his head at her, now even more curious. "What changed?"

A soft hum sounded at the question, Marinette raising her free hand to rub her chin in a gesture that was clearly her pretending to think. He squinted, half-suspicious, then leaned forward so she was in his peripheral view.

She peeked down at him, then turned her head fully towards him, answering, "...It was when you visited me for the first time."

He straightened in surprise, his hand accidentally slipping from hers as he earned another laugh out of her. The words not only struck him, but felt weirdly familiar in a way that took him a few seconds to realize: she was echoing his words from when he'd told her that he didn't have many sweets until he had her cookies.

He wasn't sure what his face looked like - though it felt plenty warm at the thought that they'd done similar things while he was crushing on her - but she must've enjoyed it with the way her smile widened.

"You're blushing," she teased, as if she had a right to do so despite earlier.

"So what?" he challenged shamelessly, not bothering to deny it.

She nudged his arm with hers, her hand slipping back into his slowly enough so that he could pull away if he wanted to. He wasn't so daring as to consider it romantic on her part, but knowing that she was that comfortable around him was heartwarming enough for him.

"You're so refreshing, you know?" she asked, leaning over slightly to meet his gaze better. They were about to cross the street when she looked off to the side and gently pulled him to a stop, pointing down the sidewalk. "Hey, can we go this way instead?"

He glanced down the way, half-suspecting that she had some sort of plan. "Sure, I trust you." He waited until they'd turned and headed down the path she'd suggested to continue their conversation. "So... refreshing, huh? No, I didn't know."

"Because you're different from the other elves so they've never said anything?" She stretched the words out dryly. "Classic case of jealousy."

"You're spoiling me, Marinette," he accused fondly.

"Good. Feel spoiled." She squeezed his hand for emphasis. "It's your Christmas present."

He dug his free hand into his pocket at the mention of Christmas presents, pressing the gloved tips of his fingers and thumb into the corners of the box inside. "And the gloves and beanie weren't?"

"Your second Christmas present then," she corrected. "I count clothes as one full gift." Leaning over, she added with a hint of concern, "By the way, the MP3 player I gave you still works and everything, right?"

"Yeah, it's great," he answered immediately, jumping at the chance to compliment her back. "You have amazing taste."

"I know~"

He had to convince himself that he was just imagining that she gave him a once over when she said that.

They walked a little longer, Marinette's gaze occasionally flicking up to the buildings they were passing. He kept feeling tempted to look, but forced himself not to in case it would ruin whatever she was thinking about.

When she glanced up once last time, she brightened and finally came to a stop, tilting her head at the building behind him. "Have you ever seen a music shop before?"

"Hm?" He caught onto what she was getting at and turned, needing to take a step back to properly look over the building next to him. He knew what a music shop was - even if he didn't, the words said more than enough - but he'd only ever been able to glimpse the symbols in the shop titles if he leaned off the sleigh and squinted.

Marinette released his hand, walking over and leaning against the glass. "What do you think? Selling CD, instruments, and other music-y things? Would you want a place like this, if you could?" He blanked, and she grew sheepish in response, adding, "S-sorry, is it weird? I thought maybe it'd be nice to think about, but if it just makes things more sad—"

"No, I mean—it isn't weird, or sad," he assured, just happy to be thought of. Since the opportunity to think had presented itself, he took a few more steps back, careful of the sidewalk's edge as he did so. He let his mind wander as he took in the shop, trying to piece it all together even with its lights off and figuring that a little fantasizing wouldn't hurt.

After a moment of thought, he explained, "I'd still want to make instruments at least. I don't know if it'd be everything I do, but... I'm good at it. I enjoy it." He shrugged. "I've never really gotten the chance to try anything else."

She nodded in understanding, and it was hard not to include her in his little fantasy when she was posed in front of the shop like she wanted to be. It was almost cruel, asking him to dream and then standing there like the absolute beauty she was.

He took a few more minutes to stare at the building, admiring the way the owner - or whoever had decorated - had hung the lights like staff lines. Candy canes and wreaths were a poor substitute for notes, but he nevertheless appreciated the effort.

Once he was satisfied, he turned his attention back to Marinette and considered how to approach their walk again. He debated on whether it'd be appropriate to take her hand again when he remembered that she'd happily slid her hand back into his earlier. Given that, he had no problem doing the same, offering his hand out and smiling when she graciously took it.

"I don't have a lot of experience with music myself," she admitted as they continued walking. "I just know a lot of people who are into music." She paused, then glanced at him curiously. "Do you play the drums?"

"A little." It wasn't one of his favorites, but he could play it decently enough if he was in the mood.

"Well, a friend of mine plays the drums. He always wanted to be in a band, but couldn't find all the members he needed for it." She raised her free hand above her head. "Big guy, but kind of that looks can be deceiving type; he's a total softie. I bet he'd like you."

Luka was half-tempted to imply that she was trying to set him up with someone, but settled for joking, "If he doesn't accidentally step on me first."

Marinette gasped in offense, then pouted and pushed against him just enough to make him stumble. "You are not that short!"

He laughed, quickly regaining his balance and giving a one-armed shrug. "To him, I'd probably seem like it."

"Still." She huffed. "You're not allowed to joke about that. I like your height."

That caught him off-guard, and he stumbled without Marinette giving him any sort of push. She was already holding his hand, so she helped steady him.

"Luka?" she called with concern.

He looked up at her, blurting out immediately, "You mean it?"

She blushed at his directness. "Y-yes? Why, did you not expect me to?"

"It's not like that. I know you enough by now, but—" He frowned, eyes darting around as he struggled to find a way to explain how he felt.

She smiled sympathetically, gently tugging on his hand to bring him back to reality. He let her, and they continued walking down the path.

"Since I'm a fashion designer, I deal with models all the time," she began, "because they're always the one who have to wear the clothes I make. They're basically the spitting image of perfection: tall, hair that never tangles, camera-ready smile, the works. It's not like they're all bad, but I know they're not all angels either. I'm polite enough to all of them since it's my job, but I still think things that I just never say out loud." She glanced up at the sky, seeming to reminisce. "My parents always raised me not to judge people based on appearance or where they came from, and to judge them based on how they act instead. I've always believed in and followed that." She laughed, adding, "I mean, that's kind of standard, isn't it? It's one of those things that just sounds right."

He looked at nothing else but her as she talked, anticipation building in his chest while he wondered what she was leading up to.

She paused for a minute, rubbing her face with her free hand while she gathered her words. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter but no less genuine.

"I... guess I cheat in a way," she admitted. "Because I do judge people on appearances, but only the appearance I've built up in my head after I really got to really know them. There are some really stuck-up models that I can't stand, and I think they're some of the ugliest people in the world, but then there are friends I have who I've heard people snidely whisper about behind their backs, and then I don't get it because I look at my friends and think they should be the ones modeling my clothes instead."

His gaze briefly flickered down to the clothes he was wearing, then up to the scenery around them. He didn't know exactly where they were, but they'd apparently left all of the buildings behind at some point, now standing near the center of a large area with small Christmas trees all around it. The lights were all gentle shades of white and yellow, strung around everywhere to the point where it was almost too bright for him to handle. Still, it brought a sense of calm to the atmosphere, with the bonus effect of making Marinette almost seem to glow.

She brought them to a stop, her hand releasing his and then raising up to rest on the top of his head. He looked up at her, noting how she wasn't condescending to him, but rather admiring him.

"Maybe it's a visual thing for me, because I see patterns and design wherever I go," she supposed, "but no matter what it is, it doesn't make it any less true." Her gaze turned soft, smile widening. "I meant what I said during movie night, Luka. I think you're really unique, and only in all of the best ways. I guess it's a little weird to say that I like your height, but... it's a part of you, so I like it. Too many people carry the traits or posture or designs of other people because they're not comfortable with themselves, but you are. You're 100% Luka and it's obvious in everything you do. You carry everything about yourself like it's really yours. I love that." Apparently, she couldn't make eye contact anymore and averted his gaze, dropping her hand from his head but remained smiling. "P-plus, your size is perfect for hugging, or maybe that's just me?"

"...It's... it's not," Luka replied, his voice was perhaps too quiet for her to make out; judging from how she blushed though, she must've heard it or at least felt it in his reaction.

She was too much, and his heart was doing flips in his chest. It wasn't like being around the other elves where they were playing a bunch of songs that didn't go together; with Marinette, it was only one song, and it was loud without being piercing, blocking out everything else so all he could hear was her. It occurred to him belatedly how they could've not met so easily had he just not delivered presents to her house, or left before she'd seen him, and the thought was painful. Maybe it was the high-intensity emotions that always came with Christmas speeding things up, or maybe it was just her being as amazing as she was, or maybe it was a combination of both.

It didn't matter to him either way. He was in love with her, and he was certain of it. Factor that in with the lighting and mood, and he knew the moment was perfect.

He dug his hand back into the pocket, the box still comfortably waiting there. Gripping it gently, he looked up and called out, "Marinette?"

She tilted her head at him, then glanced at his hand in his pocket, curiosity joining with the fondness in her expression. He pulled the present from his pocket and held it out to her, opening his hand fully to let it rest in his palm.

She stiffened in surprise, blinking a few times before pointing at the little box. "For me?"

He nodded, smiling because of course it was for her; not because she was the only one there, but because the gift was specifically designed with her in mind.

Her hand raised, hesitated, then slowly came down to rest on the box. Luka brought his hand up and set it down over hers, briefly making eye contact as he insisted gently, "I couldn't ask you why without ruining the surprise, so just know that you don't have to wear them if you can't, or even if you just don't want to, okay?"

Her brows arched up in surprise, but she nodded, now seeming even more curious than before. He let his hand drop back to his side so she could properly take the box, and she turned it around a few times to really take in the gift. She even smiled at him, as if to thank him preemptively for the present.

He found himself holding his breath, trying not to hope or set any expectations and reminding himself that she might not like it.

Then, the lid came off, and she immediately dropped it as she saw the contents of the box. Luka hurried and caught the lid before it hit the ground, his eyes darting up to search her expression, noting the wide eyes and parted lips.

Inside the box was a pair of rose gold earrings, shaped and with the pink flower he'd occasionally seen in the clothes she wore painted right in the center. Only able to stand there and wait for her to say something, he took the time to explain, "That flower always seemed special to you, so I... wanted to get you a different way of wearing it." He gestured to it, grinning sheepishly at her. "I know it might not be perfect; I had to draw it when I got home and then pass it to one of the jewelers to make. We're allowed to ask other elves for specific gifts and it's considered impolite for them to ask questions, so they just got right to work." He turned his hand up to look at his gloved palm, chuckling as he added, "I felt bad making them do all the work when you always put your whole heart into making me gifts, so I tried to help where I could even if I wasn't great at it."

She gasped, finally tearing her gaze away from the gift to look at him. "Y-you did?" she asked breathlessly. "You weren't hurt, were you?"

"A little, but—" He stopped when she grabbed the edge of his glove with her free hand, pulling it off and putting it in her pocket so she could inspect his hand and fingertips; she’d even removed her glove to be as precise as possible. He smiled like a fool, continuing, "I'm alright now. It healed up pretty quickly, and I was just happy that I could do a little bit of the work."

Despite him saying that he was okay, she didn't release his hand. Her eyes were misty, her hand turning his palm back down so she could grab his hand by its fingers. She took a step towards him, closing a distance that was already lovingly close, then leaned forward and brought his hand so close to her face that she could've kissed it if she made the effort to.

She exhaled, and he blushed at her warm breath against his fingers. After a few seconds of relaxed silence, she told him, "I ended up having to give up my old earrings. There... wasn't as much use for them anymore." She shut her eyes, clearly overwhelmed. "But I couldn't just replace them; they had too many memories to replace with any old earrings. My friends offered to buy me new ones a long time ago since it seemed like a shame to not have earrings while my ears were still pierced, but I always rejected them."

She stared at him meaningfully. He swallowed.

"Thank you, Luka," she whispered. "I-I love them. They're perfect. Of course I'll wear them."

His heart leaped in his chest. "Really?"

She nodded eagerly. Though, despite saying that, neither of them moved from their positions, Marinette still holding his hand in hers and him never pulling away from it. They were in a trance of sorts, lost in each other's gaze and the intensity of the moment.

Then, Marinette dropped his hand, though only to take the one that still held the lid of the box. She guided it to her other hand, Luka sliding the lid back on to keep the earrings protected.

Neither of them knew who moved first. Someone must've had to, or maybe it was both of them, but the result was that they were suddenly kissing each other, with Luka raised up on his tip toes and Marinette leaned down to meet him halfway. She had the present clutched delicately against her chest, her other arm snaking around his waist while he had his hands on her shoulders.

He never, even in his wildest dreams, imagined being able to kiss her, yet they were there and the lingering taste of hot chocolate and marshmallows from her lips confirmed that it was real. As close as they were and for as long as it was, he realized that she had a strong scent, like she'd made sure to shower, dry, and dress for the cold weather just before he'd gotten there.

It only made him kiss her more, and she responded just as fervently. It was as if they'd both wanted it for the longest time and didn't think they'd get it, now taking advantage of the opportunity as much as possible.

Luka shuddered as he felt Marinette's hand move slowly up his back. He responded eagerly, slipping his hands past her shoulders so he could wrap his arms around her neck. She hummed contentedly, her hand leaving his back so she could slip her fingers underneath his beanie, her nails briefly tracing along the outside of his ear. He whined into the kiss, though certainly not protesting, then relaxed as her fingers went further to run themselves through his hair.

He was cherishing the feeling, far too happy to care about anything else, when the kiss suddenly broke with a soft click, followed by Marinette gasping.

"A-ah, I... I'm sorry!"

He opened his eyes, blinking dazedly at her. He worried briefly that she was apologizing for kissing him, but then he felt the beanie being pulled back over one of his ears; he could only guess it'd shifted when her hand drew further back into his hair. His head and heart were pounding from the thrill of the kiss, and he noticed that Marinette's cheeks were flushed red even as she looked around to make sure there hadn't been anyone around to see him.

"M...marinette," he managed, still a little out of breath.

She met his gaze, her blush reddening further. She brought her free hand to her face, her lips pressed together in contemplation before turning into a nervous yet silly smile. "I-I guess... we should go home and talk?"

He could only nod. Their conversations had already been personal, but it only made sense to talk about that back at her house, especially because he was still waiting for his brain to start working again.

Marinette turned away, paused, then looked back at him and shyly extended her hand out, her other hand still holding his gift to her chest. He reached out, paused, then switched his gloves around and took the hand offered to him with his ungloved one so they could start the walk back.

Naturally, they held hands the whole way.

—————

Luka sat back on the couch, taking a deep breath as he waited for Marinette to finish making hot chocolate. He'd offered to help, but she'd insisted that he sit and relax for a while.

"B-besides, your smile is really distracting."

He grinned to himself, reaching up and removing the beanie from his head so he could admire it. They'd ditched their gloves and shoes earlier for the sake of comfort, so he could properly feel along the fabric and appreciate Marinette's talent. He knew they had a serious talk coming up, but he couldn't help feeling as calm and content as he did, even sighing in delight at the memory of their kiss.

He looked over as he heard footsteps and saw Marinette emerge from the kitchen, two cups of hot chocolate in her hands. As she headed towards him, he noticed a shine on her ear caused by caught light from the Christmas tree, his breath briefly catching as he realized what it meant.

She was really wearing the earrings.

She sat down on the couch slowly so as to not spill the drinks, then offered him one. He gratefully took it with one hand and set the beanie onto the table with the other, positively beaming at the sight of her earrings. His big smile must've made her grow sheepish, what with the way she averted her gaze, so he cupped both hands around his cup to steady himself with the intense heat.

It didn't take long for Marinette to speak, "So, what do we do now? I really like you, Luka, but... I mean..." She looked over at him, more easily maintaining eye contact this time. "Have you ever heard of a relationship between a human and an elf?"

He racked his brain, trying to think of anything even close to that, but came up empty. "No. Maybe it happened a long time ago, but I guess elves don't interact with humans enough. I just got lucky because I was helping Santa out." He stared into the hot chocolate, watching the marshmallows idly float around. "And I can't - I wouldn't - ask you to give up your life for me."

"I wouldn't ask you to give up yours either!" she countered. "I know you don't have it as nice, but it's still uprooting your entire life. You'd still have to learn how to live here and constantly hide your ears."

"I wouldn't mind doing any of that," he argued. When she stared at him in surprise, he added, "But I wouldn't want you to have to deal with that."

"What?" She tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You having to teach me everything," he explained, "and supporting me until I'd figure out how to live like a human would. We'd have to think up a fake story for how we met if anyone asks, and I know you don't care about my height, but—"

"You've thought about this a lot," she said, though fondly rather than accusingly.

He shrugged, taking a larger sip of his drink and swallowing one of the marshmallows in the process. "It was the only thing I could think about on the way back."

It was a half-truth; he'd been wondering about it for a while, even before they'd kissed. There was a part of him that'd fantasized about staying with her, even if it was strictly friendly on her end, and the requirements were similar regardless.

Marinette giggled. "You're too sweet." Despite her happy tone, she was frowning and staring off at the wall not even a minute later. "What about rules?"

"Rules?" he echoed.

"Of the North Pole. Are there... rules to elves deciding they want to leave?"

"I—" He paused to think. "...probably not, but only because we can't really leave in the first place."

"Because it's the North Pole," she supplied.

"Yeah."

Troubled, Marinette looked down at her cup, slowly moving it in a circle to watch the liquid swirl around. She took a thoughtful sip, then sighed, admitting softly, "I know you were worried, but... I wouldn't have minded dealing with all that."

"Huh? You—" He cut himself off, remembering what he'd said earlier about not wanting her to deal with all the problems that came with staying with her. He still didn't want to trouble her, but it made him happy knowing that she'd accept him even with all the troubles that came with it. "...Thank you." Then, recalling that he too had something he hadn't properly responded to, he told her fondly, "I really like you too, Marinette."

He knew that she already knew that, but he could tell that the words filled her with emotions regardless. She gripped her pants with her free hand, taking a shaky breath, then seemed to consider finishing off her hot chocolate before simply setting it down on the table.

"I guess we're both bad at being selfish," she admitted.

He could only nod. At the very least, he couldn't stay now without having said good-bye to his limited family. He tried to imagine explaining the situation to them, but his sister would probably call him a fool for bothering coming back in the first place and not prioritizing his happiness, whereas his mother would roll her eyes and chide him for not stealing a reindeer to make it back to Marinette (how would it make it back without him anyway?).

It was his fourth year knowing Marinette, but their meetings were annual and he couldn't predict what could happen in her future. It may’ve not be against the rules for him to stay, but more because it hadn't been something anyone had really thought of; not technically against the rules, but not allowed either.

He eventually settled on saying, "I wish I could stay," knowing that said enough without saying much at all. He set his hot chocolate down beside hers, staring at the two cups before looking over at Marinette. "I can't ask you to..." He stopped short. "Marinette, if you find someone else—"

A flash of hurt flickered across her expression. "Luka."

He winced, but she took his arm before he could respond, pulling and guiding him onto her lap. She took his face in her hands, then brought him in for a quick kiss.

The hot chocolate tasted so much better from her lips.

She held the kiss for a few fleeting seconds before breaking away, promptly pouting at him. "I could say the same thing to you."

He felt the same flash of hurt that she had, immediately regretting what he'd blurted out. "I'm sorry."

"No, I know you just..." She stroked his face with a thumb, smiling sadly. "I know you care. That's what I love about you. I get that you don't want me waiting on a yearly meeting for my—" She blushed, dropping her gaze. "—boyfriend."

He broke out of the sad mood enough to blush as well.

Marinette shook her head, quickly getting back on track. "But I want you, okay? I'll wait, and maybe we'll figure something out eventually, but—well—" She took his hands in hers, peeking up at him shyly. "I can't imagine not kissing you when you come back next year."

Getting emotional himself, Luka let out a breathy chuckle. "I can't imagine breaking up with you when we just got together."

She nodded vigorously in agreement, arms raising for a hug that he immediately accepted. They squeezed each other, their remaining time suddenly seeming so short.

"I'll do whatever I can, Marinette," he told her. "I want more of this; more than just Christmas."

"If you can make it happen, it’ll happen?" she asked softly, echoing their first meeting together.

He smiled. "Yeah."

Once they’d properly cherished the moment, she placed her hands on his shoulders. He obeyed the wordless order by pulling away, but she kept him firmly in her lap.

"For now, there's still some time left," she reminded him, bringing a hand back up to his face. Brushing the back of her fingers along his cheek, she added, "I don't know how much I'll need from you to hold me over for a year."

Her voice was still sad, but there was a playfulness there that made him feel like he could smile more genuinely. He leaned in, reflecting her earlier actions by taking her face in his hands. "I planned on giving you everything anyway, Marinette."

Hours later, he'd leave for the sleigh with her love in his heart and a bittersweet smile shaped by kiss-bruised lips.

~ ∘˚˳°✧°˳˚∘ ~

Luka spent a year looking for answers and ultimately found nothing. He'd searched for everything he and Marinette had talked about - an elf having a relationship with a human, and any rules on elves leaving - but there weren't any records about such things. He wondered if maybe a relationship between an elf and a human had happened, but no record had been made or it'd been purposefully kept under wraps. He also figured he might've been overthinking it, as it was like every relationship between elves were carefully cataloged; it wouldn't have been fair to the ones who chose not to get together with anyone at all. As for rules, he couldn't find any; he knew his mom would've known all the rules since you have to know them to break them, but she'd never heard of a rule saying that elves specifically couldn't leave. Still, Luka imagined it was an unspoken rule, and he was also the best instrument-making elf the workshop had, so would they really be willing to part with him anyway?

He wasn't sure. The days leading up to Christmas were chaos while he searched further for anything confirming that he could leave and be with Marinette. Even his sister and mother had been acting strange, though he knew he hadn't told them anything about Marinette.

Still, they'd hugged him before he'd gotten on the sleigh with Santa.

The ride around the world felt both long and short at the same time; short because he was dreading telling Marinette that he hadn't found anything useful, and long because Santa was taking a different route. The latter was something Santa did every year, but it was particularly strange this time around.

Luka used the MP3 player Marinette had given him to pass the time while he gathered his thoughts. He supposed that no one could technically do anything if he just chose not to go back; he was important, but certainly not needed. It was selfish, but it was also very in-character for someone who was "Anarka's son" and he was living a life he never asked for otherwise.

Of course, he also had no way of contacting Marinette from the North Pole, and thus no way to ask her if that would really be okay. What if someone came back to look for him and tangled her up in his troubles? He'd hate that more than only getting to visit her once a year.

He wasn't any closer to coming to a conclusion by the time they got to Marinette's house, and he quickly realized that it was their last stop of the whole trip.

Luka glanced at Santa with a raised brow, then down at the roof.

He could hear the shrug in Santa's response, "Might as well save the best for last, hm?" With a pat on the back so forceful that it nearly knocked Luka off the sled, he added quickly, "Good luck, Luka!"

Luka mentally dismissed the idea of questioning it, his mind already having too many thoughts to deal with. He got the sack of presents as always, then descended down from the roof and through the window, climbing in with care.

Marinette had rearranged the tree and decorations, as always, though Marinette herself was nowhere to be found. He knew he was technically late due to the different route, so perhaps she'd gone off to occupy herself until he arrived? Hoping that was the case, he walked over to the tree and knelt down, setting the sack to his side like always. Once he'd opened it up, he reached inside to grab the first present.

His fingers touched nothing.

He stiffened in shock, then tried again, outstretching his arm as far as it would go. Maybe the sack was just messing with him?

Yet, he still couldn't find a single present, and patting at the sack - in hindsight, he probably should've done in the first place - revealed that there was definitely nothing inside. He didn't understand; why would Marinette not get him any gifts, and why would they stop there in the first place if there wasn't?

His thoughts were cut off as he heard a sharp gasp from behind him. He shot up - half in surprise, half in excitement at the voice's familiarity - and spun around to see Marinette standing there. She was dressed in some mix of casual and nightwear while her hands were clasped over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at him.

He blinked, thoroughly confused at the reaction, then searched nearby to see if maybe something was wrong. He couldn't see anything off, though the sack had apparently made itself scarce while he wasn't looking.

Regaining some of her composure, Marinette moved one hand away from her mouth and silently pointed to her back. He tried to look at his back over his shoulder, but when that failed, he reached behind himself and blindly moved his hand around.

He jumped a bit when he felt something that definitely wasn't fabric. He struggled to grab hold of it, as it had apparently been stuck to the fabric somehow, but he eventually managed to snag a corner and slowly peel it off.

He held it out in front of himself, needing to rotate and flip it in order to properly read what it said.

His heart skipped a beat.

To Marinette, From Santa

He glanced up at Marinette, his mouth agape, and was now able to see the beaming smile on her face. She couldn't hold back anymore, rushing towards him, and he quickly threw the note aside so he could spread his arms out for her. She hugged him tight, spinning him around before leaning down to bury her face in his shoulder.

"I asked for you this year," she whispered.

Suddenly, everything made sense. Santa knew that he'd wanted to leave. His family knew because they'd been told. Marinette hadn't received any other presents because she'd wanted nothing else but him.

He shook, overwhelmed with emotion. How was she the solution to everything for him, all the time?

Marinette pulled away from the hug after a solid minute, though that still wasn't long enough for him. She blushed, embarrassed as she explained, "S-sorry that I look like this, by the way. We're b-boyfriend and girlfriend, so I thought that maybe I should dress up, but then I thought that it might be romantic if I dressed up like I did when we first met, or like I did when we watched our first movie together, but then I heard the window and—"

"Marinette..."

She paused to look at him attentively, stopping her talking just long enough for him to reach up and pulled her down to his level. He kissed her, slowly at first and then more greedily as he realized that he was finally with her for the whole year and not just Christmas. Marinette was surprised at first, but it didn't take her long to start kissing him back.

Their height difference seemed so small when they were kissing, and once their legs started getting tired, they simply moved to the couch to continue. They both knew there were serious things to think about, like fake backstories, different headwear to hide Luka's ears, and what their living situation was going to be like...

But for now, it was enough for them to just enjoy the moment.

#type: story #story: multi chapter #event: Christmas #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Elf Luka Couffaine #Short Luka Couffaine #((Sit in for the long haul on this one because it's over 10000 words.)) #((Not a ''triple threat'' like last year but it's longer than all of them combined so--)) #((yeah I wasn't gonna do another one lol.)) #((I know I left the original open-ended but it bothered me that I didn't give these two a resolution~)) #((Enjoy your human/elf whirlwind romance.)) #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

[daily-kagami-tsurugi]

Day 122 - forest head spirits informal discussion ; Lukagami Week #2 Supernatural

#THIS IS SO LATE LOL #phone doodle #lukagami week #kagami tsurugi #luka couffaine #luka is an elf btw and kagami a pixie #kagami doodles #daily kagami #kagami #miraculous kagami #miraculous #tsurugi kagami #daily doodles #supernatural #lukagami #luka x kagami #kagami x luka #ive drawn kagami as a vampire and i dont exactly wanna repeat this trope #so have some light force supernatural #fantasy

[bumblebeug]

Miraculous Dungeons

I meant to post this story last night for Luktober Day 17: Horns. I forgot, my bad. Anyways, I’m not an expert on D&D or Elder Scrolls so you’ll have to forgive any inaccuracies. The story takes place with Luka, a Tiefling, comforting Marinette, a half-Bosmer half-human, who is upset over growing a pair of horns. Lukanette D&D AU fluff

Miraculous Dungeons

Gingerly, Luka touched still fuzzy protrusions on Marinette’s head.  

“You’re like a baby deer.” Luka said softly. 

Marinette jerked her head away from Luka’s touch and whined, “Lu-ka, that’s not funny!”

“Hey,” Luka lowered his hand, “I’m sorry, I’m just so excited for you!” 

Marinette touched her budding horns and wrinkled her nose, “Because now I have to deal with horns?”

Luka winked, “We can’t all be those willowy, lofty elves. Besides, horns are the best. Just look at mine.”

He flicked his long blue hair over his shoulder and turned his head from side to side to showcase his own long curving horns. Marinette flicked a handful of seeds at his head. 

“C’mon, all tieflings have horns.”

“Yes, all us tielfings have horns, and tails. Obviously, we all look nearly identical and only our voices are unique to us.” Luka sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes, “I think that you should be proud that you have inherited your mother’s horns. Don’t tell me you just wanted to look like a short human your whole life.”

Marinette shoulders slumped as she sighed, “That’s just the thing. It was a big deal when my Dad decided to marry a Bosmer elf – he estranged the whole family.” 

She wrung her hands together, “Everyone only recently started to get along, probably because I was human-passing, but now that my horns have come in, I’m not sure that peace will last.” 

Hesitantly, Luka laid a hand on her shoulder. Sure, he had to deal with mistrust every day over his appearance, but never within his own mixed-bag of a family. Luka wasn’t even sure how to broach such a subject – but he hated seeing Marinette so worried. He brought his hand down to hold her’s,

“Hey. I don’t give a single shit about a family that hasn’t earned your loyalty –if they don’t accept you, know that I always will.” He waggled his eyebrows, “Worst case scenario: they don’t accept you, you dye your hair and call yourself a teifling; you live with me happily ever after.” 

Marinette burbled out a small laugh and sniffled, squeezing his hand, “And what if they do accept me?”

Luka grinned down at her, “Interesting question…ok, it plays out like this: they accept you, you don’t dye your hair unless you want to, and we live happily ever after.”

@lukacouffaineappreciationmonth

#lukanette #lukanette au #lcam #lcamluktober #luktober #Luktober horns #luktober day 17 late submission #miraculous fanfic #ml luka fanfic #luka couffaine #ml marinette #marinette dupain cheng #tiefling #tiefling Luka #bosmer elf #half bosmer #half bosmer Marinette #marinette got fuzzy horns #ml au #AU Lukanette

[miraculous-imvu]

Today its time for some Lukanette in our own style!

Juleka asked us to be model for her new school project, something with fairies and elves i believe. Marinette truely looks amazing in her outfit although i am glad to have my normal clothes back on right now.

-Luka Out!

#Miraculous LadyBug #Miraculous #LadyBug #Lady Bug #Lady #Bug #MLB #Marinette DuPain-Cheng #Marinette #DuPain-Cheng #Luka Couffaine #Luka #Couffaine #Viperion #Fairy #Elf #Elves #Photo #Project #Garden #Lukanette #Cat #Chat #Noir #Cat Noir #Chat Noir #CatNoir #ChatNoir #Love #Romance

[bee-a-garbage-shipper]

Lukanette Deserves Better

Just my favorite fics (and prompts or AUs) where Lukanette happens or could happen. Occasionally Salty. 

LadyBugOut AU - Tumblr - Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Alya Césaire Salt. Chloé Bourgeois Salt. Caline Bustier Salt. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Tikki Brand Boyfriend AU - Blog One - Blog Two - Fluffly. In Character Behavior.

Luka Charm AU - Salt. Caline Bustier Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Alya Césaire Salt. Bustier Class Salt. In Character Behavior.

Bothered Father AU - Plus Adrigami. Fluffy. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Two Years In Two Seconds AU - Fluffy. Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Caline Bustier Salt. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Dream Team AU - Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Connection AU - In Character Behavior.

Mixed Picture AU - In Character Behavior.

Dread String of Fate AU - Plus JuleRose. Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Love Square Salt. In Character Behavior.

Lukanette Scarlet Lady AU - In Character Behavior.

Shylencer AU - In Character Behavior.

Snake Charmed AU - In Character Behavior.

Locker Buddies AU - Plus JuleRose. In Character Behavior.

The Last Renewal - Tumblr - Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Love Square Salt. In Character Behavior.

Blanketed in Affection - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Running A Tight Ship - Tumblr - Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Alya Césaire Salt. In Character Behavior.

Chaperone Luka Idea - Salt. Alya Céaire Salt. Nino Lahiffe Salt. Love Square Salt. In Character Behavior.

Couffaine Family Dinner AU Idea - Plus JuleRose. In Character Behavior

Lukanette Celebrity AU - Plus JuleRose. In Character Behavior.

Taking Shape AU - Chloé Bourgeois Sugar. In Character Behavior.

Biker Lukanette AU - Tumblr - Plus Adrigami. Plus JuleRose. In Character Behavior.

Actual Uncle Jagged AU - In Character Behavior.

Indelible - Tumblr - Past Love Square. In Character Behavior.

Hey Gorgeous - Tumblr One - Tumblr Two - In Character Behavior.

Killer Combo - Tumblr - Past One Sided Love Square. In Character Behavior.

Pink Frosting - Tumblr - Salt. Alix Kubdel Sugar. In Character Behavior.

Blue Lightning - Tumblr - Salt. Alix Kubdel Sugar. In Character Behavior.

The Magic of You - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

Oops - Tumblr - N$F\|/. Salt. Alya Césaire. In Character Behavior.

locker talk - Tumblr - N$F\|/. In Character Behavior.

City of Love - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

From Above The Stars - Tumblr - Plus JuleRose. Past Love Square. Angst. Dead Adrien Agreste. Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. In Character Behavior.

Playing With Fire - Tumblr - Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Face Up - Tumblr - Ch.1 - Plus JuleRose. Plus DJWiFi. Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Miraculous Escape - Tumblr - Plus Adrigami. Plus JuleRose. Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Deep Dark Secret - Tumblr - Salt. Alya Céaire Salt. Alix Kubdel Salt. Mylène Haprèle Salt. Rose Lavillant Salt. Juleka Couffaine Salt. Girl Gang Salt. In Character Behavior.

Lying on the Job - Tumblr - Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. In Character Behavior.

Loving Freedom - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

A Change Of Heart - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

Loose Threads - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Scared Date - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Party Crasher(s) - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Eyes and Ears - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Kiss Someone Better - Tumblr - Fluffy. Salt. Lila Rossi Salt, Girl Gang Salt. Bustier Class Salt. In Character Behavior.

A Deflect Lesson - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

The Point of Contact - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

Clothes Make the Girl's Crush - Tumblr - Fluffy. In Character Behavior.

MC-Lukanette's "No Context" November 2020 (Snippets) - Tumblr - Plus Adrigami. Fluffy. Angst. In Character Behavior.

Grade For Each Other - FF - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

Elf Preservation - FF - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

Mininette Quintet - FF - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

All in the Family - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

Second Chance Back - FF - Angsty. In Character Behavior.

Desideratum - FF - In Character Behavior.

Wildfire - Plus JuleRose. Plus Chlogami. Plus RollingStone. Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Alya Céaire Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Bustier Class Salt. Chloé Bourgeois Sugar. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Flash Forward - Tumblr - In Character Behavior.

Spots Drawn In Marker - Tumblr - Plus Félix Graham de Vanily x Original Character. Original Character. Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Alya Céaire Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Bustier Class Salt. In Character Behavior.

Up To No Good - Tumblr - Salt. Wáng Fú Salt. Bridgette Dupain-Cheng Salt. Villain Luka Couffaine. Villain Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

High Priest [Idea] - Ch.1 - Yandere Luka Couffaine. Villain Luka Couffaine. Akuma Luka Couffaine. Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Bustier Class Salt. In Character Behavior. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

Unnamed - Yandere Luka Couffaine. Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Nino Lahiffe Salt. Lê Chiến Kim Salt. Max Kanté Salt. Girl Gang Salt. Bustier Class Salt. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

The Many Akumatizations of Luka Couffaine [Idea Series] - Yandere Luka Couffaine. Villain Luka Couffaine. Akuma Luka Couffaine. Salt. Lila Rossi Salt. Chloé Bourgeois Salt. Bustier Class Salt. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

kings and queens and broken things [Idea] - Salt. Chloé Bourgeois Salt. Potential Adrien Agreste Salt. In Character Behavior.

Want To Be The Hero? (Then Die Like One) [Idea] - Villain Luka Couffaine. Salt. Adrien Agreste Salt. Angsty. Minor Out Of Character Behavior.

#mlb au #lukanette #pro lukamari #marinette deserves better #mlb #mlb salt #adrichat salt #adrien salt #lila salt #alya salt #nino salt #bustier salt #class salt #chloe sugar #s: blueberry square #s: lukanette #mlb fic recs #my fic recs #mlb recs #recs #rec list #miraculous ladybug #ml show #western animation #c: marinette dupain cheng #c: luka couffaine

[awholelotofladybug]

Stammering Adrien AU Christmas Bonus

Based on this AU.

It's the December following Hawkmoth's final defeat. The Agreste family, the Couffaine family, and the Bourgeois family have organized a big Christmas party. Everyone they know has been invited to the Grand Paris, and everyone is having a blast.

Luka and Juleka

Jagged Stone: *pouring two glasses of eggnog* Here ya are, loves. Your first eggnog.

Luka: Dad! We're too young to drink!

Juleka: At least until next year.

Jagged Stone: Relax. This is the non-spiked stuff. *feels his ear getting pulled* AUGH!

Anarka: It had better be.

Juleka: * chuckles and raises her glass* To family?

Luka: *raises his glass* To family... *whispers* And to kicking Hawkmoth's butt once and for all.

Juleka: *toasts glasses with Luka, and drinks*

Chloé and Zoe

Zoe: *handing Rose a present* Here. I got you one too.

Rose: *takes it and adds it to her four other presents* Aww, thank you, Zoe.

Chloé: *giving Mylene a present* And the last one is for you.

Mylene: *holding five presents* Merci beaucoup, Chloé. You too, Zoe

Kim: *also holding five presents* Yeah, but now I kinda feel bad. You guys got us something, Adrien did, Luka and Jule did, and I didn't get you guys anything.

Rose: Yeah, if I knew we were exchanging gifts...

Chloé: Oh, that's okay. *looks over at the dozens of gifts her parents got her and Zoe.* We're good.

The Adults

Emilie:*holding a glass of wine, dressed in her red, off-shoulder dress, red high-heels, red lipstick, a pearl necklace, and white satin opera gloves* I'm so glad you could all make it this year.

Alim: Glad to have made it. And I must say, Emilie, you look positively stunning.

Fred: And it's always good to see you socializing. Considering, well, you know.

Emilie: *sigh* I know. It was rough last year, but I'm in a better spot now.

Audrey: *smirks* Does that better spot allow for Christmas karaoke?

Amelie: *in a green dress* Yeah. Come on, Emi. Where's the little primadonna I knew growing up?

Emilie: *blushes bright red* Oh, no. No, no, I can't. I-It's been years.

Nicole: *wearing a sweater* Oh, come on. It’s a party.

Alejandra: Yeah, Emilie, at least one song. It's Christmas.

Nathalie: *in a sweater* Come on, Emi. You used to love to sing. *takes her hand* Please, Ma Cheri? For me?

Emilie: Well... Okay. *goes to the machine, and starts sing* Rockin' around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party-hop...

Marinette and Adrien

Marinette: *in a Christmas sweater and an elf headband* I can't believe you wore it again this year! It's so CUTE!

Adrien: *in an elf costume* *blushing* It's s-s-sort of a tradition. My... My mom really likes it when I do it.

Marinette: *pecks his cheek* Oh, muffin, you are so sweet. *looks at her sweater* Thanks for the sweater, by the way.

Adrien: *smiles and blushes* I made it myself.

Marinette: *gasps* Oh, you did not!

Adrien: No, it's t-t-true. I w-w-watched that knitting tutorial you showed me and worked on it all year. Honest.

Marinette: *is touched* Oh, mon cher

Adrien: Ma cheri...

Alya: *in a sweater and reindeer antlers* Oh, lovebirds.~

Adrienette: *look at her*

Alya: *points up*

Adrienette: *look up to see Nino dangling a mistletoe above them*

Nino: Mistletoooooe.~

Alya: Go on, girl.

Chloé: What are you waiting for, lover boy?~

Adrien: *blushes* Joyeux Noël, my princess.

Marinette: *blushes* Joyeux Noël,  my prince.

*Adrienette kiss*

#miraculous ladybug #stammering adrien au #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #luka couffaine #juleka couffaine #nino lahiffe #alya cesaire #chloe bourgeois #zoe bourgeois #le chien kim #rose lavillant #anarka couffaine #jagged stone #emilie agreste #amelie graham de vanily #audrey bourgeois #alim kubdel #fred haprele #nathalie sancoeur #nicole (oc) #tia alejandra sanchez(my oc) #alex #adrienette #adrinette #christmas #merry christmas #happy holidays #emilie graham de vanily #nathalie graham de vanily(as emilie’s wife)

[wortvermis]

Asked for characters to do the six fanarts challenge over at Twitter and Instagram and here are the results! Still working on this kind of usage of brushes and colours but I get more comfortable with it while practicing. c: 

I put them in the order i drew them and I can see how I became more confident with the brush. A yay for practicing! (Do I have to work on the drawing I want to paint in this style now?)

IDs and single pics under the cut!

[Image description: The template of the #SixFanarts Challenge with the instruction “give me six characters to make fanart of!” at the top and the Hashtag at the bottom. From top left to bottom right are Persephone from The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Sakura Chiyo from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, Takashi Shirogane from Voltron: Legendary Defender, VIperion from Miraculous Ladybug, Suki from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Raine Whispers from The Owl House / more specific ids under the individual pics]

[Image description: A digital drawing of Persephone from The Raven Cycle. She is a very light-skinned person with light hair and dark blue eyes. She is shown from the knees up looking directly at the viewer reaching her hand out to them. She wears a long blue dress and a moon necklace, in her left hand is a tarot deck. Her hair flies slightly in a breeze, a bit messy and wavy. There are blue highlights in her hair. The background is sandy beige. / end id]

[image description: A digital drawing of Sakura Chiyo from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. She is a light-skinned person with big purple anime eyes, long orange hair and a bright smile. She is shown from the chest up, showing the viewer a peace sign. She wears her school uniform with a grey blazer, a white shirt und a purple satin-y ribbon. In her hair are two ribbons on both sides of her face made of red fabric with white dots. The background is purple. / end id]

[image description: A digital drawing of Takashi Shirogane from Voltron: Legendary Defender. He is shown as his Monster&Mana character Takashi Shirogane (Paladin) in a grey armor with white and yellow details like a big belt. He’s also gpt a purple cape flowing behind him. He is a light-skinned person with short dark brown hair and eyes and is shown from the hip up holding a sword over his head. The sword also has yellow details and kinda... little arm-thingys? Like... thorns? idk. He looks up thoughtfully and wears a friggin tiara. The backgroudn is... nondescript beige or something. Look - he looks utterly soft and I love him a lot. / end id]

{image description: A digital drawing of Viperion, the superhero alter ego of Luka Couffaine, from Miraculous Ladybug. He is a light-skinned boy with a turquoise-teal-darkish gradient hair colour, which is cut into a standard cartoon character cut. He is shown from the bust up doing his “Second Chance!”-gesture where he uses a button with his right hand at his bracelet on his left. He wears his teal and turquoise coloured hero suit with yellow details and his matching mask. His eyes are bright yellow (just because). The background is yellow. / end id]

omg two more to go.

]image description: A digital drawing of Suki from Avatar: The Last Airbender in her Kyoshi warrior uniform wielding her golden weapon fans. She is a person with brown hair in a bob and grey eyes, her face is painted with white make-up, a black eyeliner and eyebrows, a bright red eyeshadow and dark red lips. She also wears a golden head piece. She is shown from the hip up in a fighting position with her weight on her left leg, while the other is on the groung. Her body is shown from the sight, but her face is turned to the viewer. Her armor is brown harnish and greenish other clothes like a big skirt and boots. I am so sorry I suck at ids, lol. The background is beige-brownish (yes, again.) /end id]

a yay for enby characters!!

[image description: A digital drawing of Raine Whispers from The Owl House. It is a head-shot of them. They are a brown-skinned person with elf ears and short whitey-green hair, that does a little mullet-thing at their neck. Their eyes are dark green behind round glasses. They are wearing a white cape, hold with a triangular golden... thing that holds capes. a... broche? Or something like that? The background is brownish. / end id]

#six fanarts challenge #SixFanarts #digital drawings #drawing challenge #persephone #trc #the raven cycle #sakura chiyo #gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun #gsnk #shiro #takashi shirogane #monster and mana #voltron #vld #viperion #luka #mlb #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #suki #atla #avatar the last airbender #raine whispers #toh #the owl house #my art

[motherofwoofers]

A Very Verfound Christmas

This is my gift to @verfound for the LBSC Secret Santa 2020 -Extravaganza! This it a Teen rated fic for some implied thoughts, and the ability to keep up with vague clues! 

---

Here’s the thing-

When he’d woken up this morning, he had every intention of celebrating a short work day and another successful year of endless toy making. After all, it was Christmas Eve. Work. Watch the sleigh launch. Rock out in one of the Jingle Halls. Join the rest of the elves in bringing in the Christmas Dawn. Then sleep the entirety of Christmas Day.

As he had the last seventy odd years.

But as of five seconds ago, he was pretty sure he didn’t even remember his own name, let alone what he was doing later tonight, or even what he needed help with-

“What?” Luka blinked rapidly, before clearing his voice. Bright blue eyes blinked back.

“Do you need help with those?” Liquid sugar rolled off her tongue, he was certain of it. There was no other feasible way for her voice to be so sweet and melodic. Liquid sugar from pink glossed lips.

Those?

It took him a moment before his mind snapped back into action. Those.

Those were a pallet of last minute dolls that had been assembled and programmed incorrectly. Which, in reality wasn’t even in his department of toy making. They were his green haired absentee best friend’s. A certain friend who had slapped his ass, clocked off early, and dashed, leaving him to try to figure out how to get an entire pallet of singing ice queen dolls fixed, wrapped, and loaded onto the sleigh before launch.

Except, he really didn’t mind all of a sudden.

“I’m, uh, looking to drop these off with the doll repair department. Except I don’t even remotely know where that is,” he tried to drop his best grin at the end, and bit back a goofy grin when her face lit up red.

“Oh,” bright blue eyes blinked again, “this is the art department.” He watched as a small frown turned down her sweet lips, a furrow forming between her soft dark brows. His heart pounded in his chest painfully as a full pout took over the elf’s face. Then just as quickly, her face was lighting up, eyes wide. “Hold on one second! Stay right there! I think I can help.” The raven haired girl disappeared behind the door he had just knocked on, door shutting with a loud click in his face before his attention was drawn to the loud whirring around the corner.

Pulling the pallet of dolls along, he followed the sound to see a large bay door opening, as well as a sight he’d never let his mind forget.

Back lit by the shop lights behind her, the elf stood before him, hands triumphantly placed on her hips as she grinned at him. Curvy. Petite. And dressed in something he was pretty sure wasn’t the usual uniform. Because if it was, he was switching departments immediately.

Red and white striped stockings ran the length of her legs, a hint of creamy skin revealed where garters kept them in place, before disappearing beneath a red tutu flared out just enough to test the boundaries of cute and oh. A black vest trimmed in glitter wrapped her frame like a second skin, dipping dangerously low in the front. A view he knew would become increasingly distracting the closer he stood to her. He could just make out the twin coat tails attached in the back to round out her look.

Oh, sweet candy canes.

A sculpted arm waved him forward, “Come on in. I’m Marinette by the way.”

He was fairly certain he’d left his jaw on the floor, a good meter behind him, when he tried to respond, “Luka. Luka Couffaine.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Luka Couffaine,” she giggled, leading him further into the shop. Smooth, Couffaine.

Most of the machines and monitor screens were quiet, though some of the holo displays still had their most recent projects lit up and rotating. Lights were slowly kicking back on as they moved towards what looked like a small carpeted studio area, sectioned off from the immense space with a curved control panel. Then there was the color. It was everywhere, on everything. The control panel itself looked as if someone had gone crazy with spray paint and glitter glue. An extreme contrast to his department, where most of the spaces were walled off and smaller, but cozy and themed.

Two different ways to keep inspiration high.

“Go ahead and bring them over here so I can see what we’re dealing with,” Marinette pointed towards an empty space near a work table. As he powered the hover units down on the hand truck, effectively parking the dolls, he became aware of one very specific thing:

The Couffaines definitely had a pixie kink.

Marinette stepped out of heels he hadn't even been aware she was wearing, until she went from chin height to his chest.

And just as she had dropped in height, so did his eyes. Beaming blue eyes, determined pink lips, and --ffff the swell of her chest, emphasized by the matching red bra he could just barely see peeking from beneath. Being tall was both a blessing and a curse. When it came to which one it was right now, he was fairly certain his name was dropping rapidly from the Nice List.

Tearing his eyes away, Luka shifted his attention back to the original problem at hand.

“The doll is dressed in her sister’s attire, and to top it off the music department loaded it with the wrong song. This is the first movie’s song, and not the recent release.” He lifted the platinum haired doll, easily sliding her from the plastic twists they’d been forced to switch too. A small hand reached out to take the doll from his hand, before it was meticulously examining the fabrics. He would’ve expected the petite elf’s hands to be soft and smooth, but they were nearly as strong and callused as his own.

“I think we can fix this. How long do we have before launch?” She swivelled away quickly, setting a few things into motion as she took control. A holoscreen popped up from the control panel, before she flicked it up into the air to hover a few meters off the ground. The countdown to launch was displayed in bright red numbers. “Oh good, we’ve got five minutes until launch. Plenty of time.”

“Plenty of time?” He questioned, a bit disbelieving. Granted, it was a decent amount of time, but how in the world were they going to get it done. “I don’t know anything about dolls. I work in sound effects.”

“They essentially just need their outfits updated, which I can do. And the correct song recorded over their music chip, which you can do.” She was already pulling the dolls free from their boxes, while simultaneously preparing the work space before her.

“Amazing,” he breathed to himself. “I don’t know how to record songs onto these, though.”

“Don’t worry! We used to fix stuff all the time in my old department. You know those toys where the voice doesn’t sound like the actual character? That’s because it’s an elf,” she whispered, even though it was just the two of them. “They’ve got a small recording studio in here, we just need to get the right song track set up and you’ll sing over it. And don’t worry, the program will alter your voice, no talent needed!”

She made it all seem so simple.

He stood there for a moment watching her move about, removing clothes from the dolls, sourcing different fabrics, and selecting different re-hue pens.

All he had planned on doing was dropping them off, and now here he was, fixing them.

But there was definitely nowhere else he’d rather be than where he was right now.

Wandering over to the recording studio on the other side of the control panel, he flicked through a few of the screens that hummed to life, but found it hard to keep his eyes from drifting.

“Your outfit is pretty cute. Were you going to one of the parties or a date?” He watched out of the corner of his eye to avoid facing her directly. But he wished he had when he saw the beautiful rosy color from earlier spread across her cheeks and bloom all the way to the tips of her elegantly pointed ears. “I hope I didn’t ruin any of your plans.”

A tiny squeaked, “Thank you,” came long before the rest of her response. “No date. A celebration actually. I don’t normally dress sooo…..” she waved her hands at her body.

“Oh?” The audio track he needed began to play loudly in the speakers around him, blaring out high notes neither of them were prepared for. Marinette nearly fell from the stool she’d placed herself on, naked doll and hue-pens flying, as he scrambled to turn it down. “Sorry!”

“I’m okay! I’m okay!” Her hands were waving him off as she went in search of her things, dropping onto her hands and knees. He could see her crawling around underneath the control panel, skirt bobbing dangerously. Pale skin flashed, and the bare curve of her rear came into view for a moment’s breath, before her skirt dipped to cover her once more.

“I’m definitely on the naughty list,” he muttered. Taking a moment to himself, Luka closed his eyes and dropped into the swivel chair behind him, swivelling slowly. Think about something else. Anything else.

“Are you kidding me? After we fix this fiasco right before launch, we are going on the Nice list for sure. I would know!” Luka stopped spinning to find Marinette settled on her stool and working on the dolls once more.

“There’s no way you’ve ever been on the Naughty List.”

Mischievous blue eyes looked over at him, sending his heart fluttering once more, before she grinned. “I’ve been on the Naughty List.”

He sat up in his seat, intrigue pulling him to full attention. With an impatient flick of his wrist, the screen between them flew off to the right, taking the lyrics with it.

“Do tell.”

“Wellll, I got in trouble for a little breaking and entering and theft of personal property,” he watched her lips roll between her teeth as she tried to keep up her nonchalant facade. He blinked, surprised none the less.

“Hardcore,” he grinned, thoroughly satisfied when her face flamed up again.

“I didn’t keep it!” She squeaked out and he couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of his chest.

“I believe you,” he winked. Her blush deepened, and she swivelled away to hide the way she bit into her lip. Damn did that feel good.

Pulling the lyrics back in front of him, he set about analyzing the song and tune, easily working silently in the space with her. He took a quick glance at the countdown, and breathed a sigh of relief when it read five minutes ‘til launch still.

Positioning the microphone in front of his face, he lost himself in the song. Testing out his ability to reach with his vocals, muscles he didn’t get the chance to use as frequently as his other band members.

“Wow.”

Luka looked up to find Marinette only a few paces away, clutching a full arms worth of redesigned dolls. The amazement on her face, brought blood rushing to his own cheeks. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and poured more focus than necessary into saving the music file.

“You’re beautiful-- I-- I mean your voice is beautiful! I didn’t know you could actually sing,” she was setting the dolls down and moving closer, the smell of sweet baked goods surrounding her and intoxicating his senses.

“Well, these dolls look like they should be on collector’s shelves.” He lifted one of the ice queens up, marvelling at Marinette’s ability to not only change the entire outfit but make it better than the original. He followed her lead as she sent the dolls through a reprogramming shoot, catching them at the end to repackage them. “You didn’t learn those skills from the mass production team.”

The smile on her face caught his attention. The way it lifted her cheeks, set light to her eyes. She pulled the doll from his fingers, and he realized he’d been staring.

“No. I actually learned on my own. It’s a hobby of mine- making clothes. So doing it in miniature wasn’t too hard.” The machines around him were shutting down as he realized she had already finished packing everything away. Not to be the worst helper around, he carried most of the boxes back to the pallet. “Your voice. It really is amazing, you know.” She turned to him brightly as he powered the hover units back on, and the hand truck lifted from the ground. “You remind me of one of my favorite performers! Jolly Stone!”

“I love Jolly Stone! I’m actually in a band, we’re performing later tonight. If you’d like, you could come watch us perform. We’re not famous or anything. Just my sister and two of our friends.”

“Oh. That sounds fun, but I’ve got my party right after this! Which actually-” she glanced at the countdown- ”I’m late for! It’s five minutes ‘til launch!” He watched her devolve into panic, frantically searching for her things. She looped a scarf around her neck, slipping her arms into a long coat that fell past her skirt. Standing on one leg, she attempted to put her heels on, before tipping forward. With speed he wasn’t aware he’d possessed, he leapt forward catching her in his arms before she could take a spill onto the floor.

Sugar plum fairies were going to be dancing in his dreams tonight.

Delectably sweet smelling, and tantalizingly light in his arms. He found himself molding her small frame to his body as he lifted her to her feet. Those bright blues caught him again, and parted lips begged for him to lean in. Painfully he let his hands drift away from her body once he was sure she was steady, and immediately he wished he hadn’t.

Her next attempt was far more successful, and even still he offered his arm to her as they left the art department. When her hand slipped around his elbow to secure herself, he let the smile show on his face. Then let the grin take over, when Marinette dipped her face down, blush rising up her ear tips.

“I don’t wear heels often. I’m a total klutz, I should’ve known better.” He frowned at her self admonishment, but kept any comments to himself. “I just thought they went so well with my outfit. Plus I wanted to look cute for my party.”

“Right, this party. You said it was a celebration and you’re late?”

“Oh, yes! My old coworkers and friends are throwing me a party for my promotion. I’m actually from district South 12th. I was, um, going through some things. Naughty List and all,” an embarrassed giggle slipped free, but she continued on. “So, when I saw a management position pop up in South 10th’s Art Department, I applied for it. Today was my first day.”

“First of all, congratulations on the promotion. Second, I’m sorry to hear you were going through some things, but I’m not sorry that it led you here. Otherwise I’m not sure I would’ve met you.” He gave her a small bump with his arm, but made sure to keep a tight grip on her hand just in case.

“Me too.” And when he glanced down she was smiling brightly to herself.

“So after we drop these off at Wrappings, I could walk you to your party if you’d like? I have to meet my sister in South 12th anyways.”

“Does your sister work in South 12th?”

“Yeah, she’s in the music department though. Not art, so not sure you’d know her.” As they came around the corner, they found themselves in line with the other last minute toy deliverers.

“I actually have friends in music!” Luka watched as her face scrunched up in thought, nose wiggling adorably. “Hmmm, Couffaine.... Wait a second!” She turned to him, eyes searching his face, furrow finding her brows. “Juleka’s last name used to be Couffaine. Are you related to her?”

And this was the moment when Luka realized that the whole Christmas-Magic-works-in-mysterious-ways thing his mother always claimed, was in fact, real.

“That’s my sister,” he chuckled, watching the excited surprise on her face.

“She never mentioned having a hot brother!” The loud gasp, before she slapped a pale hand over her mouth made him laugh harder. “I mean… she never mentioned having a brother,” she sputtered.

“Of course she wouldn’t. I’m lame in her book.” Externally he was playing it cool, but internally he was pretty sure his insides were about ready to burst. The most amazingly adorable and badass elf he had ever met thought he was hot.

A Wrappings coordinator waved them towards a platform to leave their pallet on, and Luka took the opportunity to calm his excitement, so that he didn’t look like a giddy cherub when he sauntered back to her side.

“You know, Jueka was going to my party. And I’m not sure if you had any other plans, but if you have time before your performance… you could come celebrate with us. It’s not just a coworkers thing. But if you don’t want to or don’t have time, I totally understand. It is last second after all, and you barely know me-”

“Marinette.” Her lips clamped closed suddenly, and those eyes he was beginning to truly lose himself too, watched him.

“I would love to go to your party with you. My performance isn’t until right before the Christmas Dawn. I’ve got all night.” He slid his hands into his pockets, to keep them from reaching out to hold her again. The expressions crossing her face were a mixture of excitement and worry, but he kept his thoughts and limbs to himself while she worked out whatever was on her mind.

“Do.. do you have a date for Christmas Dawn?” So quiet, hesitant.

“Not unless my Ma counts,” he winked, heart beginning to pound again.

“Would you like to be mine?” YES. “I- I mean my date?” That too.

“I would love to be yours, Marinette- your date.” Pulling his hand free from his pocket, he offered it to her. She slipped her small hand into his without hesitation, smile setting her face aglow.

“Shall we?”

#Lukanette endgame #lukanette fluff #Luka and Marinette are Santa's Elves #This was too much fun to write #motherwoof writes

[quickspinner]

New Year, New Life

A little sequel to All I Want for Christmas is a New Beginning

It's been a year since a certain cute elf met a certain hot single uncle waiting in line to bring his niece to see Santa. A year since she ran away from him and fate--or rather Juleka--brought them back together again. A year since they kissed at midnight after Alya's annual New Year's party.

It's once again time for Alya's New Year's party, and with all the possibilities of a brand new year before them, Marinette and Luka can't help but be excited about it.

Technically I feel like I should be posting this tomorrow, but I wrote it for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge which closes today, so Happy New Year just a little bit early! The prompt was "New Year’s party with a New Year’s kiss" and it seemed like the perfect chance to revisit these two. You don't really HAVE to have read the previous fic to get this one, but it will have a little more context and impact if you do. 3 15-minute sprints with 24 hours to edit. I did it all in less than 12 hours, but I also added a good five or six hundred words in the ‘editing’ phase, so...make of that what you will.

😆

It was amazing how many things could change in a year, Marinette thought, grinning up at Luka and leaning back into him as they moved together with practice ease. Just like last year, he had joined her at Alya’s annual party after playing his own New Year’s gig, in the same ballroom of the Grand Paris that Alya had rented last year. As soon as he’d arrived and done the obligatory greeting and handshakes and bises where necessary, he’d coaxed her to the dance with him, just like that first time. It was easy to agree; after a year of dating him, she was no longer awkward on the dance floor. They swayed and rolled and dipped together, both grinning and neither with eyes for anyone but each other. His hands on her body were not so light or hesitant as they’d once been, and frequently they were not so carefully respectful anymore either. She bumped her hip into him and gave him a pout for teasing her, which just made him lean down and catch her mouth in a brief kiss.

Marinette giggled and faced him, sliding her arms up around his neck as his hands found her waist and pulled her close.

“Hey!” Alya yelled as she danced past them, one hand holding a drink as the other waved in the air. “No making out on the dance floor!”

“Since when?” Marinette hollered after her, and then pulled Luka down for a prolonged kiss, just to make her point. He tasted like champagne, and Marinette had to stop kissing him because she couldn’t stop smiling.

“I”m almost sorry this year is ending,” she told him, rubbing a hand along his arm tenderly. Luka gathered her up in a hug, and then dropped his arm to slide around her waist, guiding her off the dance floor. They wandered together towards the windows, cuddling together as they looked out over the city lights.

“I love you,” Luka murmured, and the words still gave her a little shiver. She pressed closer to him.

“I love you too,” she sighed happily.

“It has been a spectacular year,” Luka continued, squeezing her hip. “But I gotta say that I’m looking forward to this year even more.”

Marinette hummed and looked up at him. “Why’s that?”

Luka took a deep breath, glancing back behind him as he slipped a hand in his pocket. Curving his body towards her slightly so no one else could see, he held up the small velvet box between them.

Marinette stared at the box for a stupefied moment, and then her eyes snapped up to his. A smile quirked the edge of his mouth, and he nodded at her with a soft look. Slowly she took the box, turning slightly towards him as well as she opened it to further shield them from the party. The ring nestled inside removed any doubt as to what was going on. She stared at it, overcome.

“I’d get down on one knee but I’m pretty sure that would give us away,” Luka murmured. “Marinette, this has been the best year of my life, and I want every year from now on to be just like it. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Marinette managed to gasp, and Luka plucked the ring out of the box, taking it with his other hand and snapping it shut, popping it back in his pocket before anyone else could see. As calm and smooth as he appeared, his hands were shaking when he took Marinette’s hand and carefully, deliberately slid the ring on her finger. As soon as it was there, Marinette pressed against him, burying her face in his chest. She could feel him taking slow, deep breaths with extended exhales, and smiled to herself. He was a cool customer, her Luka, but she knew his cues now. He’d been nervous as hell. She stayed there until her own jumbled nerves were settled and his breathing was more normal. Then she looked up at him, and as soon as her face was tilted high enough, he bent down and kissed her, slow and deep, and his heart fluttered wildly under the hands she placed on his chest.

“It’s not midnight yet!” Alya called, and they both turned to see her approach.

“Traditions are for the weak, Césaire,” Luka called back, grinning fit to split his face. Marinette opened her mouth to get rid of her dearest friend, but before she had a chance, Alya let out a shriek.

“MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?”

Before Marinette could blink, Alya was at her side, grabbing at her left hand. Marinette flushed deeply and behind her Luka chuckled. She looked up at him, and he shrugged, though a blush was painting his cheeks as well.

“How could you not tell me?” Alya said, examining the ring.

“I haven’t had time ,” Marinette snorted, snatching her hand back. “Way to ruin the moment, Alya.”

“Now?” Alya gaped, looking up between them. Then she recovered and put a hand on her cocked hip. “Really, Couffaine? You couldn’t wait until midnight?”

“Nope,” Luka said easily, without shame. “Gotta seize the moment when it comes.” He winked at Marinette. “Besides, now I get to kiss my fiancée at midnight.”

Marinette turned bright red and felt as if there were no air in the room. She hadn’t even had time to process and then he had to go and say that . Alya burst out laughing and shoved Marinette back into Luka’s arms. They folded around her and squeezed, and she snuggled close.

“All right, all right,” Alya laughed, “I'll keep the secret a little longer so you two can have your moment, but I’m making an announcement at midnight and you two are going to smooch in front of everybody . If you’re going to upstage my party you’d better do it right!”

When she was gone, Marinette sighed, resting her chin on Luka’s chest and peeking up at him. “Sorry,” he smiled. “Maybe I should have waited until we were alone, but it just...seemed like the right time.”

Marinette smiled, and then lifted her head to kiss his chin.  “It was. It was perfect.”

“If it’s too soon, you can tell me,” Luka said, squeezing her lightly. “It’s not a one-time offer. You don’t have to wear it if you’re not ready. Or you can wear it for as long as you want to, and we don’t have to set a date until—”

Marinette rolled her eyes, straightened, and took his face between her hands. “Luka. I’m ready. I want to marry you.”

He flushed at that, and the grin on his face was so wide and boyish and so unlike his usual smooth smirk, that she had to laugh. “Silly,” she muttered as he pulled her close again.

Luka shrugged. “It’s not like the first time I jumped the gun. I don’t want you suddenly freaking out and making a run for it on me again,” he teased.

“Oh,” Marinette gasped, too outraged to even scold him properly. “Oh, you—argh!” She drew back and whacked his arm, but she did it with her left hand, which just drew her eyes back to the glittering stone on her finger—wow, it was sparkly, no wonder Alya had noticed it right away—and then she was all smiles again.

“Dance with me some more,” Luka urged, catching both her hands in his and tugging her after him.

Marinette joined him gladly, and maybe her eyes kept straying to that sparkle where her hand rested on his shoulder, and maybe his hand kept sliding up her arm to caress her fingers or hold her hand to his chest, and maybe for once midnight came a little too soon for either of them.

A few minutes before midnight, their attention was drawn from each other to Alya, who had gotten a microphone from Nino and climbed up on a table.

“Everybody ready for the countdown?” she hollered, and there was a chorus of cheers. “Marinette and Luka, get up here.”

Marinette groaned, but took Luka’s hand and led him toward Alya’s table, accepting the inevitable.

“Hold up that hand, Marinette, and flash us all that rock!” Alya demanded, leaning down to grab Marinette’s wrist and wave her ringed hand in the air. “Check it out, folks, and remember you heard it here first! These two lovebirds are tying the knot. Max, who wins the pool?”

Marinette snatched her hand back, her mouth dropping open in outrage. “ Pool? ”

“Yep,” Alya grinned. “Been running since June. So who picked New Year’s Eve?”

Markov flew up to Alya’s side and she held out the microphone for the little robot.

“The winner of the Couffaine-Dupain-Cheng engagement pool is Jonathon C.”

Alya frowned, pulling the microphone back. “Okay, who’s—”

Luka coughed, behind Marinette. “That would be me.” Marinette turned to stare at him, and he winked at her. “Luka Jonathan Couffaine.”

“Oh you filthy cheater,” Alya screeched, kicking him and nearly falling off the table. “How did you even— Max ?”

Max held up his hands, but no one could hear him over the uproar.

“He filled out the web form with all the pertinent information,” Markov observed. “There is no rule excluding Luka from participating, nor any rule against using a middle name for registration. Luka’s entry is valid. I shall transfer the appropriate amount to the account you designated.”

“Thanks, Markov,” Luka said, and the pure Couffaine shit-eating grin on his face robbed Marinette of any ability to be mad at him. “I appreciate you all funding the ring.”

Alya groaned. “Oh my G—okay, you know what, the countdown’s about to start, so you two get up here. I expect one world class smooch for that, Couffaine.”

“Sorry, Alya, I’m in a very committed relationship,” Luka laughed, but while Alya scowled at him and insisted he knew what she meant, he pulled over a chair and graciously offered his hand to help her down from the table. Then he helped Marinette up, and carefully joined her.

“I hope these tables are sturdy,” Marinette muttered under her breath as the countdown began.

“So what kind of a show are we making here?” Luka asked her, raising his eyebrows.

Marinette smirked at him. “I’ll handle it. Just put your arms around my neck and don’t struggle or we’re both going to fall off this thing.”

Luka’s eyebrows lifted higher but there was no time for more questions.

“Five,” the crowd screamed, waving their champagne glasses. "Four!"

“Three,” Marinette murmured, her eyes fixed on Luka. “Two.” She hooked one leg behind his knee and put her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her neck as she’d instructed. “One.”

She dipped him back over her thigh. “Whoa!” Luka gasped, and then grinned, and leaned up so she could reach him, and the crowd roared “Happy New Year,” as they kissed, oblivious to both the cheering and the camera flashes going off all around them.

Later, they would watch the year’s first sunrise together through the windows, pressed tight under a blanket on the couch, and sit quietly with the gravity of all that had passed, in the contentment of each other’s company.

But just as that moment, the fireworks and cheers and celebration seemed a perfect background to a kiss that went on until Marinette’s trembling arms forced her to break it. Luka laughed breathlessly as she hauled him up, and he pressed his lips to her forehead.

“You’re amazing,” he told her, as the music resumed. He got down from the table, and then reached up to catch her waist and lift her down beside him.

“Think Alya will be satisfied?” Marinette giggled.

“If she’s not, I’m more than happy to try a do-over,” Luka grinned, and then lowered his forehead to hers. “I love you.”

Marinette smiled, cupping his cheek. “Happy New Year, Luka.”

“Happy new life, Marinette.”

#quickspins #lbsc sprint fic challenge #lbsc sprint fic #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug #ml fics #promptfic #quicksprints

[crescent-woods]

sprint fic - the dupain-couffaine-cheng christmas

[happy christmas, @mamanabeille! i hope you enjoy! i chose your prompt christmas traditions, but it’s also got some first christmas in it!]

ao3

Ankara, Juleka, Luka, and Rose gathered on the couch across from the lone chair Marinette sat in. Luka had told her about some big, important tradition she absolutely needed to be at their house on time for, but he hadn’t said anything about what that tradition was. Knowing the Couffaine Chaos for years at this point, Marinette guessed it had something to do with music, either live or recorded, blasting from the massive speakers and shooting multi-holiday decorations onto people and buildings from canons. 

She was half right. 

The big, important, be-there-on-time, please don’t miss this it will literally kill Momarka tradition, was… playing rock-covers of holiday music when they decorated the boat. Honestly, that was calmer than what she expected from them. 

Luka and Anarka set to dragging out the boxes of decorations from somewhere in the boat, Juleka pulled out some snacks (chips and dips and guacamole?) from the kitchen and set the playlist to gently sound throughout the boat, and rose bounced Marinette through the boxes and their labels, holidays, meanings, and which rooms to decorate with them. That last part was surprisingly specific.

The typical, secular Christmas decorations were reserved for the kitchen and the family room, and their fake Charlie-Brown-esque tree in the family room. The more Christian Christmas decorations went in the bathroom. More specifically, the small, creepy, plastic nativity set right at eye level in the shower.

Yule decorations were mostly in Juleka’s room, although some were also placed around the family room and in other places of the boat. That was typically done by Rose because she knew more about meanings and significance than the other residents. 

Hanukkah decorations were places *where they need to go* and in Anarka’s room, but don’t you dare set them up for her, just place them in the doorway and she’ll put them ex-act-ly where they need to be. 

“Okay, lassie. If ye think ye got all that down, stick to Luka and he’ll make sure this boat’ll be lookin’ spiffy by the time we’re done!” Anarka yelled as she grabbed a box and set off on her own path.

Marinette mock-saluted, muttering an aye aye, Captain, and followed Luka to the kitchen with the Christmas box. 

***

By the time the family was done decorating, the house really looked like one would imagine the Couffaine house during the holidays. Their small tree was loaded with ornaments, and as the two couples settled on the couch to enjoy a movie and some treats, Anarka set one last ornament on the tree.

“Well, I suppose it’s time to welcome you to the boat family, Marinette. Since my mother’s mother, each child in the house gets a special ornament added. Ye can probably guess which one belongs to who.” It was actually pretty obvious, Juleka’s was the smallest but also had the most sparkles, Luka’s was covered in blue and flowers, Rose’s was hot pink and purple, and she thought she saw a broken, lime green gingerbread man in the back.

“Now that yer part of the family, the kids picked this one out for ye. Welcome, darlin’.” Her friends, and family she supposed, squished her in the tightest, most loving hug she had ever been the center of (don’t tell her Papa).

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

The first thing Luka was greeted with upon entering the bakery at a cheery 6 in the morning on December 1 was the almost-nauseating scent of gingerbread, closely followed by a bellowed “Luka, my boy! Good to see you! Come back to the kitchen and we’ll get you set on up!” From Tom.

It was way too early for this on any typical day. 

Somehow the bakery kitchen was filled with not just the Dupain-Chengs, but the Dupains, the Chengs, and Alya, Nino, Adrien, and Manon. Everyone Marinette cared about, it seemed.

Luka could only mutter a croaked good morning at the merry band.

Marinette launched into her well-prepared speech. Hot cocoa was stationed on the stove, with a tray of additions - marshmallows, flavored marshmallows, shaped marshmallows, more chocolate, sprinkles, peppermint, sugar, coffee, pretty much anything anyone would want to add to their drink. Ornaments were boxed next to the tree already set up in the bakery, and rolls of lights, ribbons, and popcorn garland were next to it. The supplies for gingerbread houses were out on the counter for the afternoon. Window decorations were up front, wall decorations were placed next to their respective walls (this was very specific), counter decorations were, you guessed it, on the counter. In the afternoon everyone would move upstairs to decorate the Dupain-Cheng home. Any other special decorations their friends brought could be placed wherever they thought it looked nice.

He grabbed a cup of caffeinated hot cocoa before Marinette pulled him to help decorate the massive tree. “What do you think, Luka? I know it’s sort of different than how your family does holiday decorating, with so many people and decorations and everything, but I hope it’s not bad!”

 “I think it’s a very Dupain-Cheng way of celebrating Christmas with all of the people you love, and I’m glad you’re letting me be a part of it, sweets,” Luka responded in that oh-so-poetic tone that never failed to make Marinette swoon.

Marinette blushed almost as red as the Santa hat on her head before she turned around to grab another ornament.

At around 11:30, Sabine paused the music and shouted, “Okay, everyone! I think the bakery is done for the day, why don’t you all come upstairs for some soup and gingerbread!” 

Cheers rang out across the room and everyone marched up into the house for a bowl of Mrs Cheng’s amazing soup. 

┈ ┈ ┈ ⋞ 〈 ⏣ 〉 ⋟ ┈ ┈ ┈

Luka rolled over one morning to find his wife missing from their bed. Just as he was about to roll out of bed and find out what hyperfixation she was on today, a body lunged from the doorway to bounce on top of him on the bed.

“Luka! Guess what day it is!” She whisper-screamed.

Luka closed his eyes to slowly adjust to the morning. “Um, November… 32nd?”

Marinette giggled. “It’s December 1st, Luka! Our very first December in our very first house!” 

“Did you already get the decorations out?”

“Of course! Now get your tired butt out of bed and start decorating!” Marinette emphasized with another bounce as she ran off the bed.

“Okay, darling, I’m getting there,” he groaned.

In the family room, Luka found boxes. And no wife, until she popped up from behind a stack near the tree he was mostly sure was not there the night before. In typical Marinette fashion, she had somehow decked herself out in a full elf costume between the time it took him to roll out of bed, change into his ‘festive’ pjs, and was down the hall. “Where did you get all these boxes? I don’t remember them from when we moved in,” Luka commented.

“Oh, that’s ‘cause they weren’t here then. I grabbed them last week!” She pointed to different sections of boxes, “Those are a couple things I bought that I thought might look nice, these are some boxes Maman gave me last week, and the rest of them are things that I got from Momarka.” She paused when she saw the strange look on Luka’s face. “I hope you don’t mind that she gave me some things, I mentioned that we hadn’t really done any Christmas shopping yet and I didn’t know what we were going to decorate with and she just handed me a couple boxes of things that she said were your favorites! If you don’t want them I can bring them back and we can go out shopping today, I just didn’t know an-”

“Marinette,” Luka was somehow in front of her, gently cradling her face to look up at him. “Thank you for doing this. I didn’t realize Christmas was so close and I love you so much for all of this.”

There were tears in his eyes, and that brought tears to her eyes.

“The only question I have, dear wife, is how in the world are we going to combine the Couffaine and the Dupain-Cheng decorations?” 

#ngl i was Worried i wouldnt be able to finish this lmao #endgame lukanette #luka couffaine #marinette dupain cheng #lukanette #luka x marinette #lukanette fanfic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfic #lbsc sprint fic challenge #xmas fic #peachy fics #pro lukamari

[animegenork]

I'm honestly curious for myself, so don't mind me as I randomly keep track of these things.

Akuma Victim - Person Who Caused It (Negative Feelings) - # of Times Akumatized

Aurore Beauréal - Paris plus jealousy of Mireille / Scarlet Moth x2 / Chloé / Gamer 2.0 - 5

Nino Lahiffe - Gabriel Agreste / Scarlet Moth / the class - 3

Jalil Kubdel - M. Kubdel / Scarlet Moth x2 / Gamer 2.0 - 4

Alya Césaire - Chloé Bourgeois / Puppeteer / Scarlet Moth / the class / Félix - 5

Alix Kubdel - Chloé (she's pretty much at fault for the watch) / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Xavier Ramier - Roger Raincomprix / unknown / Gamer 2.0 - 3 (or a bajillion, according to canon [technical total is 26])

Nathaniel Kurtzberg - Chloé / Puppeteer / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Roger Raincomprix - André Bourgeois (Chloé indirectly) / Puppeteer / Scarlet Moth x2 / Gamer 2.0 - 5

Théo Barbot - Cat Noir's idiocy / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Kim Chiến Lê - Chloé / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Mylène Haprèle - Chloé plus insecurity / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Armand D'Argencourt - Press plus André / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Fred Haprèle - Chris / Scarlet Moth x2 / Gamer 2.0 - 4

Wang Cheng - Chloé's Sabotage / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Max Kanté - Marinette Dupain-Cheng / Scarlet Moth / feeling alone because everyone is too busy to try his game (sorry bud D: ) - 3

Otis Césaire* - Kim / Scarlet Moth - 2

Sabrina Raincomprix - Chloé / Scarlet Moth / Chloé lashing out while angry at Ladybug (Hawk Moth’s machinations plus Lila) / Gamer 2.0 - 4

Chloé Bourgeois - Ladybug / Ladybug plus Cat Noir plus Audrey Bourgeois plus the press / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 / Ladybug (not on purpose) and Hawk Moth’s persuasion - 5

Manon Chamack - Marinette plus Nadja Chamack / feeling ignored by Marinette, Nino, and Alya / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Juleka Couffaine - Chloé plus Sabrina Raincomprix / her own quietness plus Marinette sorta (accidentally) / Gamer 2.0 / Félix / Scarlet Moth - 5

Jagged Stone - XY / Scarlet Moth - 2

Vincent Aza - Jagged Stone plus Penny Rolling / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Rose Lavillant - Chloé / Scarlet Moth x2 / Gamer 2.0 / Félix / Scarlet Moth again - 6

Simon Grimault - Gabriel - 1

Lila Rossi - Ladybug / Gabriel’s machinations plus general hatred toward Ladybug / willingly during Scarlet Moth incident (I assume, considering the previous one) / willingly again while mad at Ladybug and Adrien / Gamer 2.0 - 5

Ivan Bruel - Kim plus Principal Damocles PLUS Mylène (accidentally) / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 4 (2 in the same time period)

Santa Claus - Ladybug plus Gabriel (sorta) / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Gabriel Agreste - Gabriel (sorta Adrien too but not really) - 1

Jean the Butler - Chloé / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Nadja Chamack - TV Studio plus Ladybug and Cat Noir / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Gina Dupain - Marinette / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Kagami Tsurugi - Marinette plus Adrien Agreste (accidentally) / Scarlet Moth x2 / Lila / Gamer 2.0 - 5

Markov (bless his heart) - Ms. Mendeleiev plus Principal Damocles / Gamer 2.0 - 2

August - being a baby / Scarlet Moth / being a baby again lol / Gamer 2.0 - 4

Principal Damocles - Ladybug and Cat Noir (accidentally) / Gamer 2.0 / Scarlet Moth - 3

André Ice Cream Man - Marinette / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Ella and Etta Césaire - misbehaving plus Alya Césaire / Gamer 2.0 - 2

The Gorilla, Adrien’s bodyguard - Adrien sneaking out plus Roger plus Gabriel / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Anarka Couffaine - Roger - 1

Miss Bustier - protecting Marinette [despite targeting Chloé] / Gamer 2.0 / Scarlet Moth - 3

Ondine - Kim (WAY ACCIDENTALLY HE’S JUST SO DENSE) / Scarlet Moth - 2

Clara Nightingale - André and Chloé (mostly Chloé being petty) / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 - 3

Penny Rolling - Jagged, Marinette, Bob Roth, the camera crew (not intentionally) / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Nora Césaire - Alya, Nino, Marinette (unintentionally) / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Sandboy - horror movies (me too buddy) / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Marc Anciel - Nathaniel plus Marinette (her, very accidentally) - 1

Philippe - André B / Scarlet Moth - 2

Audrey Bourgeois - Gabriel plus Nathalie (mostly her own ego) / Scarlet Moth / Gamer 2.0 / André - 4

André Bourgeois - Chloé and Audrey / Scarlet Moth / Audrey - 3

Nathalie Sancoeur - willingly / willingly again - 2

Marianne - Ladybug (very accidentally) - 1

Tom Dupain - Cat Noir plus Marinette acting heartbroken / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Thomas Astruc (I’m still cackling over this A;SDDLJKFASLDFKJA) - everyone ignoring him and being shitty (I almost WANTED him to win ngl) - 1

Rolland Dupain - his stubbornness plus Marinette / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Luka Couffaine - Bob Roth threatening Marinette (ngl pretty romantic uwu) - 1

Vivica - Jagged / Gamer 2.0 - 2

Claudie Kanté - not Hawk Moth involved, thought she’d failed astronaut exam - 1

Ms. Mendeleiev - nobody believing in Kwamis (mostly Alec the TV host) - 1

Sentimonster Feast - wanting to eat the Miraculous - 1

Tomoe Tsurugi - Kagami disobeying her - 1

Chris Lahiffe - unknown / Marinette (accidentally) via Christmas elf story - 2

Wayhem - accidentally Adrien plus feeling left out (I guess it’s Nino then lol) - 1

Cat Noir [in different/fixed timeline] - Hawk Moth, let’s be real - 1

Villains We Don’t See

Destroyer - 1

Jean Duparc (Magician of Misfortune) - 1

*(YO SINCE WHEN WAS HE ALYA'S DAD)

------

Was not expecting Chloé and Lila to have the same tally, but here we are, 3 seasons of speedy rewatching later

#miraculous ladybug #akuma tracking #because i was going crazy otherwise #god the final episodes of season 2 really made this complicated #gamer 2.0 also made this weird A;SDJKFALSDKJF;A

[mc-lukanette]

Elf Preservation

Luka felt his hat slip as he set the gift underneath the tree, the hat's bell nearly falling into his face. He ensured that the present was properly in position, then went to adjusting his hat by forcing it down as far as it would go. He was not going to lose his hat on the way back to the North Pole if he could help it.

He turned back to Santa's sack of presents, then walked over and dug inside. He pulled out the first present he touched, checking that it was properly marked with the name of the house's owner because he honestly didn't trust the magic sack to not mess with him, given that he wasn't Santa Claus.

Thankfully, the name was still the same as Santa had told him and also the same name marked on the last gift he'd already set down: Marinette.

Luka sounded out the name with a hum. The more he saw it, the more of a ring it had. So much so that, as he knelt down to set the gift next to the one already in place, a melody formed in his head.

Tapping rhythmically on one of the gifts, he swayed his head back to induce the chime of his bell. "Ma-ma-marinette~"

He giggled to himself, humming louder as he turned back to the sack to grab another gift. He found himself getting lost in the tune, his body relying on muscle memory to take the gifts out of the sack so he could develop his little song without interruption.

Then, a voice interrupted him. "Um..."

Luka had hummed for another few seconds longer before noticing that there was a sound in his verse that wasn't his own. He jerked his head back, seeing a woman standing in the archway between the living room and kitchen. She wore slippers, long poofy pants that nearly touched the floor, and a turtleneck sweater that had the sleeves extending past her wrists.

She was also staring at him. It took Luka a moment to snap out of his stunned trance and realize that maybe it wasn't a good idea to wear a hat with a bell on it when he was supposed to be stealthy.

"Uh." He stood up, glancing at the sack of gifts, then the presents, then her. "Look, I—"

She cut him off with a giggle, raising a hand in apparent reassurance. "You're one of Santa's elves, right?"

His mouth hung open for a long, dumb second before he managed a, "What?"

"Those gifts weren't there before," she said, gesturing to the obvious reason why he couldn't be a thief, "and your ears; they're elf ears, right?"

He reached up, feeling and tugging at his inhuman ears if for no other reason than to prove to her that they were real. "You're not... surprised?"

"A little, but—" She looked away, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Idly, Luka noticed that her ears were pierced, even though she wasn't wearing earrings.

"—I'm pretty used to magic by now," she explained. She glanced his way, then at the open window that he'd come in through, her expression turning apologetic. "Oh, sorry, do you need to go? You're on a time crunch, aren't you?"

Luka was still in a daze, seeing the woman before him, so he didn't even think before responding, "No. Timewarp. As long as I'm gone before morning, everything's fine."

"Ah," she chimed in understanding. "So you're technically all over Paris right now?"

He smiled. "Yeah, something like that."

So this was Marinette, he registered after far too long. It was obvious, as no one else lived in the house and she had a certain "ring" to her just like her name did. Luka knew, of course, that he shouldn't be talking to a human, but outside of Mr. Claus and Mrs. Claus, he never got to communicate with humans, making the occasion seem a bit more desirable than it would otherwise. He blamed his mother, honestly; she'd always been the rebellious type.

There was also something about Marinette that he inherently felt calm around. The melody he'd made around her name had been a little off from the full person, but in the best way.

"Mm," Marinette hummed, nodding in response to what he'd said. She lingered their momentarily, then smiled and turned away. "Anyway, carry on."

Luka frowned as she walked away, feeling a sense of disappointment that their conversation couldn't continue. It seemed strange how quickly she cut off their little chat, but he wasn't well-versed in human customs, so he presumed that it was normal and reluctantly went back to placing her presents below the tree.

He'd only gotten one more underneath it before he heard a small clanging sound from the kitchen. He froze, waiting to see if there was maybe a yelp or cry that required his attention, but when nothing came, he went back to pulling out gifts.

Another gift went under the tree, just as more sounds continued to come from the kitchen. Luka's attuned hearing picked up the sound of things being set down, things being moved, and metal clinking against metal; perhaps silverware.

Luka sat there, unmoving as he listened to the assorted noises. He realized after a minute or so that he wasn't getting anywhere with Marinette's gifts until his curiosity was satiated, so he pushed himself up and headed for the kitchen.

Marinette was standing at the island in the center of the kitchen, an apron on and a mixer to her side as she seemed to be preparing ingredients. He eyed the assorted bowls she had lying around, trying to gauge what she was doing so late at night, but as soon as he glanced up at her to ask, she was already looking at him with a knowing smile.

"What do you like in your cookies?" she asked.

Luka stared blankly at her, but she didn't waver. He blinked, then glanced back into the living room, seeing a plate of cookies already resting on the table along with a glass of milk. He looked back at her, wordlessly asking a question.

"Those are for Santa," she told him with a dramatic wave of her measuring spoon. "It wouldn't be right to give it to you when it was intended for someone else, so I'll just have to make something for you too."

Luka was struck by how casually she'd said it. "You don't have to."

"Then I want to," she stated matter-of-factly, immediately going back to measuring her ingredients. "So, what do you like?"

Her gaze was so inviting that Luka approached the island almost without thought. Now that he was up close, he registered a few things about her.

One, she was tall. Well, not in a general sense, but given that he was an elf, she was tall to him.

Two, the apron she was wearing said, "Safety Hazard" on it. Luka agreed with it, but knew that probably wasn't what it meant.

Three, her eyes were blue; really blue. He'd seen blue skies at the North Pole before, but he liked her blue better.

Four, she had a cute smile, and he was again reminded that the melody he'd made up hadn't done her justice.

There was a stool near the island, so he hoisted himself up onto it and rested his forearms on the counter.

"Marshmallows," he replied simply, watching as Marinette almost instantly turned to go collect said ingredient. He shifted in his seat, feeling weird about sitting still. "Can I—"

"No, you can't help," she interjected, cutting open the bag of mini marshmallows with a knife. "You've already brought me gifts."

He grinned sheepishly. "They're Santa's gifts for you, not mine."

"Still." She began dumping a few ingredients into the mixer, occasionally glancing at him. "So then, if they're Santa's gifts, what are you doing here instead of him? Is he sick?"

Luka didn't doubt that she would've made medicine-infused cookies if he said 'yes.' "I... actually just offered to help out."

"Really?" she asked, looking curious. She flicked on the mixer, cringed at the noise, then shut it off and opted to whisk manually.

He looked away, slightly embarrassed to admit, "I'm not all that great at making toys. I guess I wasn't born for it like most elves are. I can make instruments, but that's only because I know how all the sound is supposed to work."

She let out a hum of interest. "So you're a musically-inclined elf?"

He snorted, at least happy that she didn't laugh at him for it. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Is that why you were humming earlier?" She stopped whisking and reached for the tray resting on top of the stove. "You write songs?"

He blushed pink. She wasn't wrong, but he didn't know how to explain that he was humming her. "I don't always write them down, but I like making music out of what I feel."

"It was really pretty," she commented as she scooped out the cookie batter in tiny amounts evenly spread out along the tray. She laughed with a hint of embarrassment. "I was actually so taken by it that I didn't know what to say at first, but I thought it was rude to listen when you didn't know I was standing there!"

Observation five: scratch the cute smile, she was just cute overall. Luka couldn't even stop grinning. "It's alright, Marinette. I didn't mind."

She lifted the tray, but stopped to glance at him, likely noticing that he'd said her name. However, a quick look at the gifts in the living room probably reminded her that of course he'd know her name, so she simply turned to slide the tray into the oven.

She shut the oven door, then stood and placed her hands on her hips. "O-kay," she said, stretching out each syllable for flair. "That should take about..." She rubbed her chin in thought. "Fourteen minutes? Yeah, maybe twelve just to be safe."

She reached out, setting the timer on the oven. Luka tried not to think about how much he was making Santa wait, being content to just watch Marinette exist.

Besides, Luka knew full well that Santa could sometimes linger too, even if it was just to savor the cookies and milk. Surely it wouldn't be a problem if he did it for once instead?

Marinette straightened, her hand moving away from the timer and resting on the front edge of the oven. She stood there, back still facing Luka as she kept staring ahead for seemingly no reason.

Luka got the distinct feeling that she was either nervous or thinking, the fidget and anxious sway of her hips giving her away. "Marinette?"

She looked back at him, suddenly appearing shy. She hesitated, then stared at the floor, asking, "Um, can I hear the rest?"

"The rest?"

"Of the song," she clarified. "Since we're waiting anyway."

It took Luka a moment to reply. It was just so rare for someone to ask him to play for them. After all, while elves did enjoy music, they usually resorted to listening to human music that had lyrics, and Luka wasn't well-versed at lyrics.

"I... don't have any instruments on me," Luka warned.

"That's okay," she assured. Her blush was beautiful as she added, "Your voice is enough, if that's alright with you."

"It's alright with me," he said, definitely too quickly to not be considered eager. Him leaning forward and hovering slightly off the stool probably gave it away too.

Marinette smiled sweetly, but faltered as she looked around at the kitchen. Her hands fiddled with her apron, taking it off and depositing it onto the messy counter. "But, ah—let's go somewhere else. I'll—" She walked away from the island, gesturing vaguely to it. "—I'll take care of that later."

Luka chuckled, then got down from the stool and followed after her. She led him back to the living room, down the hall, and finally into what Luka soon realized was her bedroom. It was mostly pink, her black hair easily standing out from all the bright colors, and a quick scan of the room basically put her whole self on display for him to see.

The mannequins adorned with clothes and sticky notes. The patterns lining the wall. The tiny accessories resting on the table.

Luka admired all of her work. Kind, pretty, and creative? He'd have to revise his melody again.

Marinette sat down in her chair, spinning around so she was facing the table. "Do you mind if I work while you hum? I like keeping my hands busy."

He walked over, seeing that she seemed to be gathering materials to start on something new. "No. I don't mind at all."

She tossed him a thankful gaze, then started working. It almost seemed wrong to start humming when she looked like she was about to get in the zone, but she asked, so he obeyed.

He clutched the edges of the table, then leaned back and closed his eyes. He mentally brought himself back to reading her name for the first time, then the soft tap of his fingers against a gift box, then the chime of her voice as she made herself known.

In the end, he decided not to change the melody. He kept it just as it was, instead adding new notes after his original tune and shifting the song accordingly as his memories drifted through the short experience with her.

Quiet and curious at her name, bouncy and thoughtful at his pondering of it, jumpy and surprised at her calling out to him, then calm and soft at her offer to make something for him.

Once again, he lost himself in the melody, though he was sure he would've snapped out of it had she spoken to him at all. Instead, however, she merely listened, and he could've sworn that he heard her humming along if he ever repeated something that was recognizable enough to her.

Minutes passed without his notice. It wasn't often that he got to get truly lost in a song, the tune frequently broken by his hands reaching for a present and finding nothing, or Santa belting out that they arrived at their next destination, not always hearing Luka's humming over the sound of the snowstorm.

He couldn't blame the interruptions, but it was nice to have someone just listen for once; just enjoy something he created himself and not made out of the obligation that was his job. In fact, he actually ran out of notes in her song rather than be interrupted, his humming trailing off as he realized that he was able to complete a melody for once.

He opened his eyes, readjusting his vision to the room and briefly trying to find a clock to tell him how much time had gone by. When he didn't see any indicator of time, he looked back at Marinette.

She was hunched slightly in her chair, her hands clasped together and her eyes blinking back emotion. Silently, Luka wished that he had more memories to add to the song.

"That—" She breathed up, then met his gaze with a smile. "That was beautiful."

He blushed, the compliment combined with that look doing unfair things to his heart.

"What's it called?" she asked gently. "Does it have a name?"

Her question was more direct this time, so he couldn't wriggle out of the subject again. Seeing how she was staring at him though, he smiled and found that he didn't want to. "'Marinette.'"

When she blinked, clearly about to say, 'Yes?', he added, "It's called 'Marinette.' I wasn't lying when I said that I write what I feel, but... I write what I see too."

She just looked at him, blankly, her wide blue eyes bright and vibrant. Then, her blush reappeared, matching the red hints in his suit, and her gaze darted down to her hands still clasped together, as if she felt that she'd been staring at him too long.

In Luka's opinion, it wasn't long enough. He'd come up with another five minutes worth of her melody, just on those eyes alone.

"Um—" Marinette squirmed in her chair, not looking at him as her hands slowly rose up, level with his chest. "Here."

Luka looked down as her hands opened up, revealing a pair of black earrings. He sucked in a breath, then reached up and grabbed the edges of her hands, tilting them slightly to get the best look he could at the gift. "For me? Was this what you were working on?"

"Is that weird?" she asked quickly. "Sorry, I just—your ears. I kept wondering what they'd look like with earrings, and now you've made a w-whole song about me apparently, s-so..."

He gently took the earrings in his gloved hands, as if they'd break apart at the slightest pressure. He held them in his palm and shifted them occasionally with a finger to see every millimeter of them. They were even clip-on earrings, meaning that he didn't have to pierce his ears to wear them (his mother would've approved regardless).

"I love them," he said softly, really having no other words other than that. Elves receiving gifts was an extremely special occasion, so his heart was doing flips in his chest even if he didn't tell her that information. "Can I put them on?"

"Oh! Yeah, yes, please!" Marinette slid her chair away, grabbing hold of a small mirror resting on the table, then slid back to him and set it down.

Luka leaned down, staring at his reflection and turning his head to give himself the best view of one of his ears. He fumbled a bit to get one of the earrings between his thumb and index finger - darn gloves - but stopped as he realized something. "...I've never actually worn earrings before."

"Really?" she asked, her voice a mixture of surprised and fascinated. "Do you want me to...?"

"If that's okay."

"It is."

Her hand brushed his as she took the earring he'd been holding. She instructed him gently for future reference, showing him the basics of how a clip-on earring worked, and he nodded with everything she said just to assure her that he was listening.

Then, she reached up with both hands, one hand holding the earring and the other hand touching his ear to hold it in place. At the cold but pleasantly sensitive contact, Luka sucked in a breath, his face suddenly turning red as he forced himself to hold still.

Thankfully, Marinette seemed wholly oblivious to his suffering, sticking her tongue out to the side as she clipped the earring in place. Luka turned his head as she let go, at least more mentally prepared as she held his other ear too.

No one had ever touched his ears before and he mentally noted that he probably should've kept that in mind.

"There!" she exclaimed, Luka feeling the other earring clip on right before she pulled away. She seemed so excited to catch his reaction that she grabbed and held the mirror up herself.

Luka gave her a smile, then looked down at the mirror - he was still blushing, shoot - and tilted his head appropriately to admire the earrings. Black wasn't a color he often got to wear, but it clearly looked good on him. He didn't have any of the fancy words that Marinette probably would've used to phrase it, but he definitely liked how it looked on his ears.

"Tha—" He was briefly cut off by a beeping noise coming from the oven in the kitchen, so he waited for it to stop before finishing, "Thank you. They look amazing."

She beamed, her eyes sparkling dangerously at the praise. "You're welcome!"

She handed over the mirror, then stood up and ran off excitedly to go check on the cookies. Luka stared at his reflection, taking a few breaths until his face was a normal color again, then set the mirror down on the table so he could follow after Marinette.

By the time he got to the kitchen, he could tell that she'd indeed rushed all the way there in her eagerness since she was already pulling the tray out. He approached, standing next to her and appreciating the room-filling smell of freshly-baked sweets.

Setting the tray down on the oven and placing her oven mitt aside, Marinette eagerly reached for one of the cookies. Luka flinched, but didn't call out to her in time as she recklessly picked up the piping hot cookies in her ungloved hand.

"OW!" she yelped, practically throwing the cookie up into the air and then frantically trying to catch it without burning herself. "Hot! Hot!"

She lost her grip completely, Luka reacting just in time to catch the cookie before it was sent tumbling to the floor. At the same time, he used his free hand to grasp the hand that she'd picked up the cookie with.

Safety Hazard, he recalled, forcing himself to ignore her cute embarrassed face as he inspected her hand to make sure there weren't any burns.

She was fine, thankfully, not that he would've minded staying longer to tend to her.

"S-sorry," she whispered. "I just really wanted to see if you'd like them, but I guess it won't do if you burn your tongue."

He smiled, placing the cookie with the others on the tray. "I've got time. I can still wait a little bit."

She smiled back, but weakly, due to her embarrassment. She avoided his gaze, her eyes directed towards the living room, but she didn't recoil from him.

He didn't let go either.

"...Oh!" she suddenly gasped, stiffening. Luka tried to follow her gaze, but it was hard to see what she was staring at.

She pulled away, much to Luka's dismay, and rushed over to the fridge. "Hot chocolate, of course! That'd be fantastic to wash marshmallow cookies down with!"

Luka watched as Marinette was getting to work on yet another thing, knowing that there'd be no use arguing with her. He was honestly starting to wonder if she really was a human; could humans actually stay up so late while also being this awake?

After she'd gotten the ingredients together and started to heat the hot chocolate up, Marinette scrambled about and started searching through her drawers. She grabbed two plastic bags, then two to-go cups and the lids that went with them.

She ran out to Santa's cookies and milk first - ah, so that's what she'd been looking at earlier - then stored the cookies in one of the bags. She poured the milk into one of the cups, then ensured that the lid was on tight before returning to the oven.

One by one, she dumped the marshmallow cookies into the remaining plastic bag, leaving one left that she promptly handed to Luka. He waited to try it, seeing that she was distracted by getting the hot chocolate into the remaining to-go cup.

"Mm, it might be too hard to tell whose cup is whose," she murmured to herself. She began to search through the drawers again, but stopped herself and turned to him. "Oh, he's not supposed to know we met, right?"

Luka nodded, glad that she was thinking of him. "It's probably for the best if we keep it our secret."

"Well—" She looked between the two cups, squinting as she tried to see through their pure-white outside. "—I guess you'll know when you open the lid and see what color it is."

When she glanced back at him, her eyes fell to the cookie in his hand. He could swear that he could see the hope in her eyes, so he didn't delay in finally taking a bite.

It was warm, delicious, and practically melted in his mouth. He even let out a noise of delight, though the way Marinette lit up at the sound was even more delightful.

He mentally apologized to Mrs. Claus, knowing how betrayed she'd feel if she'd known that he looked at someone else and admitted honestly, "This is the best I've ever had."

Marinette clapped, bouncing in place. "My parents are professional bakers! The best in Paris!"

"It shows," he said, trying to focus on the cookie rather than how excited Marinette was.

He reached for the cup of hot chocolate, only for his wrist to get grabbed by a piece of rope. Luka let out a small yelp as he was forced to turn, his gaze turning sour as he came face-to-fabric with Santa's sack of presents.

"Um—" Marinette uttered, baffled, "what...?"

Luka glanced at her apologetically. "It does that sometimes. I came out to see you before I finished getting all your gifts under the tree. I think it's impatient."

The rope of the burlap sack tugged on his wrist, almost as if to confirm. Luka frowned, then managed to hand his partly-eaten cookie to Marinette just before he was dragged back to the living room.

He could faintly hear her giggling to herself at the sight, so he couldn't be entirely mad at being led away, especially since he did abandon his job instead of finishing it first like a responsible elf would.

He sat back down, reaching for a few more presents and placing them underneath the tree. He took his time, doing his best to make the gifts look nice and being highly conscious of it since he was in the house of a designer.

Once he'd finished, he heard footsteps and turned to see Marinette approaching with the cups, plastic bags, and partly-eaten cookie. She also had a note in her mouth, given that her hands were full.

Luka stood, reaching up and taking the note so he could read it. It was addressed to Santa, thanking him for all the presents he'd given her last year and insisting that the extra drink and cookies were in thanks to that. She even added that he shouldn't try to drink and eat it all in one sitting.

Luka glanced up at her with an amused grin. She sent the expression right back at him, though a shuffling noise got both of their attentions as they turned to see the burlap sack crawling along the floor to get to the window.

"Uh—"

"Let it go," Luka muttered, watching as the sack threw itself out the window and used the rope around its opening to climb up to the roof. "It's off to wake Santa up, since he's probably napping by now."

"Ah."

Mentally formulating how he was going to climb back up to the roof with all this extra stuff, he began to take the cups from her.

"Couldn't the sack carry these?" she asked.

"It'd probably just eat it," Luka replied dismissively. Gathering the cups in his left arm and pressing them to his chest, he took the plastic bags in his right hand and transferred them to his left. He kept the note in his left as well, then took the cookie from Marinette with his right, offering her a grateful look.

She smiled, but it was faint. "...Before you go--" She sounded just as sad as Luka felt towards the inevitable. "--can I at least get your name?"

He smiled for her, not wanting this to be a solemn moment between them. "Luka."

"Luka," she repeated, a thoughtful hand to her face as she seemed to ponder the name like it was some sort of special thing.

Luka looked towards the window, lifting the cookie up to his mouth. He was mid-bite when he felt a warm pressure against his face; Marinette had softly kissed his cheek.

"Thanks for the song," she whispered.

Involuntarily, he inhaled, the rest of the cookie going into his mouth. He reacted just in time so as to not choke and managed to keep his expression neutral enough so that she didn't notice his brief state of shock.

"Will I see you again?" she asked quietly.

He couldn't give her a definitive answer, even though he badly wanted to. He and Santa actually took turns on who took what household, so there was no guarantee that he'd be instructed to do hers again, even if Santa deemed that he did a good enough job helping out.

He swallowed the rest of the cookie, then answered honestly, "I hope so. If I can make it happen, it'll happen."

She seemed satisfied by that, standing up to her full height and giving him a wave.

He waved in return, turning and heading for the window. He made sure everything he held was secure, then took one last glance at her before climbing out and navigating up to the roof.

Santa was indeed waiting in the sleigh, now awake and looking at Luka with a hint of curiosity. "You took some time on this one, my boy."

Luka noticed his eyes taking in the surplus of stuff he had in his arm. "...That woman," he began, refraining from using Marinette's name; it definitely would've sounded too warm and familiar coming out of his mouth. "You had a lot of gifts for her."

Internally, he corrected himself: a lot of gifts that she deserved.

"I see. Well, anyway, let's get going then!" Santa exclaimed, perhaps too innocently for Luka's liking. "We have a lot more houses to get to!"

Luka nodded obediently, approaching Santa's side of the sleigh first. He handed over the bag of non-marshmallow cookies, then punctured one of the lids on the cup so he could look inside. When he confirmed that the liquid inside was milky-white, he handed it to him and gave the note afterward.

Circling around the back of the sleigh, Luka hopped into the passenger side and punctured the lid to his hot chocolate. He took a long sip, savoring the taste, then placed the cup between his legs so he could grab another marshmallow cookie out of the plastic bag.

He felt Santa's curious eyes on him, so he turned away. They'd mutually agreed that Luka could take the sweets and drinks as he pleased, and while he imagined that he looked a little weird right then since he didn't usually do it, there was nothing inherently wrong about it.

He leaned on the side of the sleigh, trying not to gaze too fondly at the house. He raised the cookie to his mouth and bit into it, the treat tasting a little more bitter than before.

He heard the snap of Santa's reigns, then saw the roof underneath him quickly fall out of sight as the sleigh went back into the air again. Luka had to resist letting out a sigh, just hoping that he'd succeed in seeing Marinette again next year.

"By the way," Santa began as they flew across the sky. Letting out a hearty chuckle, he continued, "those are nice earrings you've got there."

Luka choked on his cookie.

(continuation)

#((I compulsively write Lukanette when I'm depressed and it's Christmas so--)) #type: story #story: multi chapter #Flower Arrangement Shipping #event: Christmas #Elf Luka Couffaine #Short Luka Couffaine #((This is my longest oneshot so far.)) #((Gross.)) #((And also)) #((an excuse to write elf/short!Luka.)) #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette

[ladysunamireads]

Twelve Songs of Christmas

Twelve Songs of Christmas by FaithAndATypeWriter

Slice up the fruitcake; it's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough! For we need a little music, need a little laughter, need a little singing ringing through the rafter, and we need a little snappy "happy ever after," need a little Christmas now!

Hang on to your elf ears! An akuma has struck and now visions of sugarplums are dancing in the Parisian streets!

And this elf has ATTITUDE.

Words: 3505, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Classmates, Original Akumatized Character(s), Original Characters, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug's Parents, Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, Gina Dupain, Rolland Dupain, Tikki, Plagg, Luka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Frosted Window Panes, Christmas Music, nativity, Elves with attitude, Lila salt, Lila Gets Coal, I couldn't resist

Read Here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/21795421

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Adrienette #♥ #Adrienette #Alya Césaire #MLB #🐞🐱 #Music AU #Fluff #A:FaithAndAType

[ao3feed-ladynoir]

Twelve Songs of Christmas

Twelve Songs of Christmas by FaithAndATypeWriter

Slice up the fruitcake; it's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough! For we need a little music, need a little laughter, need a little singing ringing through the rafter, and we need a little snappy "happy ever after," need a little Christmas now!

Hang on to your elf ears! An akuma has struck and now visions of sugarplums are dancing in the Parisian streets!

And this elf has ATTITUDE.

Words: 3505, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire, Nino Lahiffe, Classmates, Original Akumatized Character(s), Original Characters, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug's Parents, Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, Gina Dupain, Rolland Dupain, Tikki, Plagg, Luka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi

Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug

Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Frosted Window Panes, Christmas Music, nativity, Elves with attitude, Lila salt, Lila Gets Coal, I couldn't resist

Read Here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/21795421

#AO3 Feed #FanFiction #AO3 Adrienette #💚 #💖 #Adrienette #Miraculous Ladybug #♥ #R:G #A:FaithAndAType #Music AU #Fluff

[mc-lukanette]

Luka looked up at the tattoo parlor, then down at the business card that Juleka had given him. He'd never gotten a tattoo before, much less one infused with magic, but he wasn't foolish enough to think that hesitating was a good idea. He rubbed at his full face mask, taking a breath to steel himself up, then stepped forward and opened the door.

There was a chime as he entered, then a fainter one from deeper into the building that he couldn't see the source of. He glanced up as the door closed behind him, seeing a bell hanging there with a glowing symbol that dimmed as the bell slowed down.

"Coming!" a voice called out.

Luka imagined it must've been the owner: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, according to the card. He opened his mouth to assure her that she didn't need to hurry if she was busy, but it was too late. The woman poked her head out from the archway leading into the back room, her eyes going wide as she took him in.

He didn't blame her. He imagined that seeing someone dressed in a full body black suit with blue accents was probably jarring.

Idly, he took note of her elf ears, which was interesting to him considering that she seemed to stand at an average human height.

After a moment, she snapped out of the stupor he'd put her in. "O-oh! Welcome!" She rushed over to her side of the counter to address him properly. "You're here for a magic tattoo?"

"I'm—"

"I mean—!" She flailed her arms frantically at him. "Not that your outfit doesn't look great or anything! I didn't mean to imply that just because—"

He smiled, even though she couldn't see it. Waving a hand reassuringly, he cut in, "It's okay, and yeah, that's exactly what I'm here for. I..." He averted his gaze, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "I have a condition, and it's getting worse."

"Oh. You mean... like a curse?"

He nodded.

She frowned, sympathetic, then turned away and gestured for him to follow. "Here, come sit back here. I'll have to take a look." Then, a second later, she quickly added, "Ah, I'm Marinette, by the way."

She seemed embarrassed at her late introduction, but he appreciated her priorities. He walked around the counter to follow after her, introducing in return, "I'm Luka. My sister told me about this place."

"Your sister?" she asked curiously.

"Juleka Couffaine."

She gasped, glancing at him over her shoulder. "You're Juleka's brother? She mentioned you when she came into my shop, but she didn't say anything about..."

Luka's brows rose skeptically, not because he doubted her, but because it seemed suspect that Juleka had talked about him at all, unless—

...Was she trying to set him up with Marinette?

He sighed inwardly, thankful that his full expression wasn't on display. He had similar tastes in women compared to his sister, and while he trusted Juleka's word that Marinette could help him, he also figured that she had other motives now.

Once they'd made it into the backroom, Marinette pulled up a chair and gestured for him to sit in it. He nodded to her, walking up and taking a seat.

"I've had to wear this for a while," he explained. "It's an enchanted suit to protect my skin."

She rubbed her chin, taking that in, then turned away to walk off and dim the lights. "Will this help at all?"

He hummed affirmatively in place of a response, watching as she moved around and started collecting what he guessed she needed, but paused when he remembered a question he'd had for a while.

"Your tattoos... I know they're magic, but if my skin is too weak, then—"

"Don't worry about that!" she assured, walking back and pulling up a chair for herself as well. She sat down, placing her hand politely on her lap. "We can make it work, okay? I just need to know the severity we're working with."

He hesitated, feeling a little embarrassed, but finally reached up to slowly pull off his full face mask without accidentally scratching himself. He heard Marinette take a sharp intake of breath as his skin was revealed, pale and dry-looking like it might crack at the slightest bit of harm.

He took off the mask full and set it aside, then glanced back at her. He caught her blushing at first when they made eye contact, but she shook her head and focused back on the task at hand.

He involuntarily held his breath as she reached out to him, his skin tingling as she gently felt his cheek. He did his best to keep still, but the sensitivity was intense and he could feel every movement she made.

"How did this happen...?" she asked breathlessly.

"I..." He felt ashamed admitting it. "I accidentally fell in the Seine when I was little. It didn't do anything to my mom, so I was hoping it'd be the same for me, but..."

He could tell that she understood without him having to clarify further. The Seine was infamous for being dangerous and filled with magical, chaotic energies, either cursing or blessing anyone who fell inside seemingly at random.

"I see." She gently patted his shoulder to reassure him. "But it'll all be okay, alright? Yes, your skin wouldn't be able to deal with tattoos normally, but there are gels we can use for it; it'll make your skin go numb and it'll be hard to move wherever I apply it to, but we can make it work." She opens a box, then pulls out a container of the gel in question. "See, with the right incantation, you get together the right ingredients and make a gel with—"

She was rambling at that point, and Luka was just impressed by how invested she was. He'd tried other things before for his curse, and people were usually only interested in selling him things, which is how he ended up with the suit in the first place. He wasn't going to complain about Marinette "just doing her job" so long as she could help him, but she was clearly passionate about it.

He couldn't help smiling like a fool, not realizing it until Marinette trailed off whilst staring at him.

"—and so it should heal—um..." She ducked her head, blushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm really—"

"I'm glad you like your job so much," he assured, not wanting to give her a chance to apologize for something like that. "Jule was right to recommend you."

She smiled shyly at him, the pink on her cheeks turning red, then she jolted and hurriedly grabbed for a large sketchbook on the table. "A-alright!"

She settled it on her lap, then placed her hands on top and leaned towards him as she explained the situation.

"So, after you choose which magical symbol you want - we might need more than one for your problem - and then you'll have to pick a design if you want something more for it."

"A symbol and design?" he asked, tilting his head. "I thought it was just the ink that cast the spell."

"Not really. There are multiple types of symbols to strengthen skin and it's a matter of what you want." She opened the sketchbook to the first page, then pointed at an image of a full body as she spoke. "The body is split into seven parts: head, upper torso, lower torso, each arm, and each leg. For a condition like yours, we'll need one tattoo on each one, though we can substitute your neck for your head if you don't want a tattoo on your face. There are symbols that would give you durability, but there are also ones for burn protection and the like; you can mix and match, but of course that would mean more symbols."

She pulled out a smaller sketchbook, then opened it to reveal the symbols in question. "You do use special ink and draw these symbols, which casts the spell, but I also know that these symbols are really boring, so we hide them by designing around them."

She lifted the smaller sketchbook briefly to flip through the larger one. Luka gaped at the incredible designs on the pages, especially when she showed him the symbols in the smaller sketchbook for comparison. He could barely tell that they were there in her actual designs.

"I don't want to use just any of these for you though," Marinette added. "We can get you something special and try to cover more of your skin each day."

"Amazing," was all he could get out, not clarifying whether he meant the designs or her.

She giggled cheerfully. "T-thank you. I just want to make sure that people are satisfied since it's something they'll be wearing for their whole lives, and I wear my own designs too, so you can trust me."

His eyes gravitated towards the sight of a flower tattoo going along the side of her neck. He hadn't thought about it before - outside of it looking really good on her - but now couldn't help wondering, "Is it enchanted?"

She nodded. "They were spells I really wanted." She gestured at the tattoo he'd been eyeing. "This one's for clear skin, which got rid of the freckles on my face."

He pressed his lips together, trying to maintain his poker face at the mental image of her with freckles. It was so distracting that he hadn't even thought about the fact that elves weren't supposed to have freckles under normal circumstances.

Marinette then reached for the collar of her shirt, pulling it down to reveal another tattoo. "And this one's for height."

He merely nodded, thinking better of commenting since he knew it wasn't his place to say anything even if he was certain that she was perfect just the way she'd been.

He got a weird feeling that there was more to it than just her wanting it, but he didn't try to address it either.

Not noticing his internal conflict with her tattoos, she offered him a smile. "Anyway, when would you like to start?"

His gaze darted back up to her face, his thoughts successfully diverted. He smiled back at her, replying, "Whenever you can, Marinette."

"Right away then?" She brightened, leaning her whole body to the side to grab a writing utensil from the table. "I've been itching to design something for you ever since I saw your pretty hair! Ah, but not in a weird way or anything! Just—you gave me a lot of inspiration?"

He could relate, a song having already formed in his head for when he got home. She was mysterious with the freckles that she'd apparently had once, she was enthusiastic with all the energy she put into her work, and she was this fascinating mix of bold and shy at the same time.

He really wanted to get to know her, and he'd happily spend the whole day talking about designs with her if she had the time.

#lukaneventte: No Context November #Flower Arrangement Shipping #Pro LukaMari #Lukanette