MINIFIC: Oct. 23: Day 30: Haunted House (MLB, Lukanette, DLM AU)
For @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers October Minific Challenge 2023.
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To Feel Alive Again: Ch 30: Haunted House
Finding E. Denée wasn’t all that hard.
Reaping him was…well. It shouldn’t have been that hard.
Except he’d been walking away from her with two friends (one she knew was a model – one she had dressed many times – and the other, from her looks, probably was as well). She had barely managed to brush her hand along Denée’s sleeve, earning an irritated look and grumbled watch it, before he tugged his leather jacket closer and proceeded into the next room. And that should have been it. Marinette should have been able to wait for whatever was about to happen in the main room, mingling in the crowd as she waited for his soul to appear beside her so she could show him to his lights.
Except the turnout for the party was the biggest she’d seen in years, and she had been jostled by the crowd into the next room behind the trio.
The next room that had been converted, along with the next two rooms beside it, into a haunted house.
And Marinette had been shuffled along with the crowd, unable to turn around and escape, panic rising in her throat from the first jump scare two steps in, until she was in the middle of the maze and cowering in a corner, hyperventilating as she tried to stop the tears in her eyes from spilling over and whispering it’s not real, it can’t hurt you, it’s not real over and over as she rocked.
“Come on,” an achingly familiar, gruff voice whispered by her ear as large, firm hands locked on her arms and pulled her up. She sucked in a breath, swallowing the scream as Luka scooped her up, sliding one arm under her knees and the other against her shoulders to carry her bridal style. He tucked her against his chest, using the hand on her head to hide her face against his shoulder and keep it there. He almost sounded angry, but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why.
She had thought…she didn’t think he was coming. He’d never answered his door. How had he known where she was?
“Focus on me,” he whispered, brushing his lips against her forehead. Her hands fisted in his shirt, her eyes squeezing shut as a crazed laugh echoed over the speakers. “Listen to me. We’re getting out of here.”
When a killer clown jumped out at them a few steps from the exit, Luka spun her away from him and kicked out. Marinette’s eyes flew open as she felt them tip, and she screamed as her arms wrapped tight around his neck – and then as she saw Luka’s foot connect with the poor guy’s gut and send him tumbling back through a black-draped, Styrofoam wall.
“Try it again, fucker,” Luka snapped as he righted them and held her closer. “I fucking dare you.”
“Lu-” she started, but he was already moving past the doors and into the brighter lights of the main party.
“It’s all right,” he said dismissively, scanning the room for somewhere quiet to take her. “I’ve got you.”
When he finally found a corner he deemed acceptable and set her down, she had barely found her legs again before he was tugging her back against him, bending over her in a tight hug.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered again, and she shivered as he pressed a kiss against her temple. “I’ve got you.”
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A Little Bit of Magic- Lukanette Halloween
Hello guys! It’s been a while but I am back (kind of). I’ve been in a bit of the slump recently. Long story short, personal things going on affected my ability to write but I’m working through them. I can’t promise I’ll be updating ROA straight away but hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of it. Anyway, here’s some spooky lukanette fluff for you that I wrote for Halloween (even if I’m a little late in my country) and the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers 500 followers. Congrats on that by the way guys. Proud of ya! Now admittedly I couldn’t find a prompt from the given list that jumped out at me so I went through some of the older prompts that had been used before and ended up picking cursed so here’s what I’ve done with it. I hope you enjoy it and I hope everyone had a good Halloween :D
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Marinette licked her lips nervously as she paced outside of the shop she had come to visit. Well, visit wasn't exactly the right term. Actually it kind of was but not because she intended to visit. Well, she did but she was here because she felt like she was running out of options. Recently she had experienced severe bad luck that seemed to get worse each day. At first it wasn't bad like pricking her finger with her needles or losing some fabric that she needed for a commission. Annoying but not bad. However, it began to increase. Briefly misplacing her foot soon turned into her falling down a couple of stairs but it didn't stay like that. Soon she found herself getting more and more injured. Her parents got increasingly worried so they made her go to the doctors, despite being an adult yet despite their tests, they found nothing and then the 'bad' luck took a more mysterious turn. Exploding lights and cars nearly hitting her. Animals began to act weird around her, like cats would hiss and hide from her and dogs would whimper and bark. The accidents also kept increasing so she decided to look into causes for her bad luck. She thought maybe it was an unknown or rare medical thing but the only thing that came up in the search was one thing. She had been cursed. At first, she didn't believe it but then with the fire in the bakery when she was visiting and her best friend breaking her leg for no reason , she realised it might be the only option and if it was, she had to find a way to get rid of it before it killed her and hurt anyone else because that's where it appeared to be going. As to why she had been cursed, she couldn't really think of the reason. Sure, there was her rival Chloe Bourgeois. She was the daughter of the fashion Queen Audrey Bourgeois but her style was to humiliate people. Not voodoo. Plus she liked to take credit. It helped with her queen bee act. It also meant that she wasn’t the person behind the curse but Marinette couldn’t think of anyone else who would want to curse her. She got on with everyone but Chloe in her class so she had no idea who it was or how to break it, which is what led her here. Couffaine Curiosities. Apparently, it was an occult shop so maybe they might have a solution for her. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, only to proceed to trip and knock into a bookshelf which then began to fall on her. She screamed and covered herself with her arms.
“Ezeerf!” A voice shouted, causing the bookshelf and the books to freeze midair. Marinette’s eyes widened as she stared in shock. “Ecalp lufthgir rouy ot nruter,”
The books and bookshelf moved back into its place, causing her to stare in shock even more before footsteps echoed coming closer to her.
“Are you ok?” The same voice asked, causing her to look at its owner. She was half expecting him to be an old wise looking man with a long grey beard and starry robes but to her surprise, he looked nothing like Gandalf or Master Yen Sid from Disney. In fact, he was only a couple of years older than herself and had a punk look going on. His hair was black with blue tips, he wore a blue hood, a jagged stone t-shirt and black ripped joggers with awesome looking shoes (she was sure they were customized). His nails were painted black and he wore several bands on his wrist. Her eyes were a sparkling blue that resembled the ocean and he had the kindest smile, causing her to blush. Especially as he extended his hand to her. She carefully placed hers in it and he pulled her to her feet, making her blush even more before he turned over her hand and frowned. “Seems you have quite the curse on you,”
“Y-You can tell?” She asked, still in awe.
“Well, I am a witch,” He replied, making her blink before he chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m a white witch,”
“A white witch?” She asked, unsure of what he meant.
“I’m the good kind,” He replied, making her breathe out a sigh of relief that she hadn’t realised she had been holding.
“Can you get rid of the curse?” She asked but she was unsure if it was a curse. Still, she hoped he could.
“I can,” He confirmed, nodding. She let out a sigh of relief again. “I wouldn’t be a very good witch if I couldn’t but it will need a little more than an incarnation. Follow me… and keep hold of my hand. I can keep the effects of the curse at bay,”
“R-Really?” Marinette asked, blushing a little. He was really cute after all. He nodded and gave her a soft smile before beginning to lead her through the shop before they came to the back of the store. He pulled across a curtain and led her to a table and chairs. “Have a seat,”
“R-Right,” She nodded, sitting down. He let go of her hand, causing her to feel heavy suddenly. She frowned as he grabbed a bowl before he began to fill it up with plants. “Um… I’m Ma-Ma-Marinette by the way…”
“Hello, Ma-Ma-Marinette,” He replied, smiling as he looked over at her before he turned away and added more to the bowl. Marinette frowned a little as it felt like he was mocking her. He didn’t seem that way at first but maybe he was. Maybe he couldn’t break her curse and was just playing with her. She looked back over at him, only to see that he was looking at her again. However, his expression had changed. He looked embarrassed and remorseful. “Sorry. I tend to make more sense with music. In fact… cisum s'traeh reh yalp,”
Once again, Marinette found herself amazed as the soft sound of a guitar began to play, connecting with her on an emotional level. It was as if it was playing what she was feeling inside. She couldn’t help but close her eyes as she listened. Slowly, the melody faded out.
“Did you enjoy the music?” He asked, making her nod. “I’m glad. Oh… I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Luka,”
“It’s nice to meet you, Luka,” She smiled, causing him to smile back. “Can I ask how you did the trick with the music?”
“Magic,” He replied, smiling. “But you’re still not sure,”
“You're right… but it felt like… me,” She replied as he added another ingredient to the bowl before grabbing something that resembled a tiny club and began to grind the herbs. “Like what I feel,”
“That’s because it was,” He replied, making her blink. “I’m an empath. I can feel people’s emotions and I use music to help me understand what they need. It’s the song from your heart that I had play. You see music is often simpler than words, Marinette,”
“Wow,” She replied, amazed. Luka gave her a smile. She was starting to believe
"Almost done," He replied, continuing to grind the herbs until they were nothing more than a fine dust.
"So what are the plants going to do?"
"They are herbs that are used to break hexes and counter negativity," He replied, looking through the drawers. "The level of your curse is quite powerful so I need more than just the herbs. Did you offend anyone recently?"
"Not that I can think of," She replied, causing him to frown. "How bad is the curse?"
"Well, let's just say you probably should have come here sooner but it's a good thing you finally got here," He replied, taking out a jar and placing it on the table before going back to the cupboards. "Whoever cursed you knew exactly what they were doing,"
"That sounds like it was intentional," Marinette replied, frowning. Why would anyone curse her? She tried to be a good person. Her parents taught her that manners were extremely important and to always help people. She tried to be a good person. She tried so hard. She felt tears fill her eyes but before she could cry, Luka knelt down in front of her.
"Hey, been cursed doesn't mean that you're a bad person," He stated in a calm voice, gently taking her hand in his. Instantly, she felt calm.
"But… then why was I cursed?"
"It could be a number of things," He replied, making her blink. "Envy, Spite or just because they're just a nasty piece of work,"
Marinette nodded as he gently squeezed her hand before getting up again. She couldn’t explain it but she just knew he could help her and that he was good.
"I can also send it back to the caster," He stated, making her blink as he took out some tea light candles.
"But wouldn't that be a curse itself?"
"No, it's simply returning the magic from whence it came," He replied, placing the candles in a circle around the jar before he turned on his heel and disappeared farther into the shop. Marinette frowned as her mind searched for a reason as to why she had been cursed. She replayed every interaction she could remember in her mind but nothing made sense. However, Luka returned from wherever he had gone holding another bowl. It was filled with what appeared to be ash that had been pressed down. He placed it on the table and took a seat across from her, adding a metal disc with a handle to it. Marinette watched as he poured the herb dust into it before picking up a brush and dusting it on the disc, shaping it. Once it was shaped, he carefully removed the disc. “This ritual I’m going to do is known as an uncrossing. It will draw out the dark magic that has been placed on you and then I will trap it in that jar. However, an uncrossing can be extremely uncomfortable so please try to relax your mind and don’t be afraid,”
“O-Ok,” She replied nervously as he took out some matches and lit the candles. “Matches?”
“Fire magic is not my gift,” He replied with a soft smile, taking out another match. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be,” She replied, causing him to nod before he lit the match, bringing it to the incense. It briefly caught on fire before it went out, causing smoke to flow. As soon as Marinette smelt its scent, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she began to shake as if having a seizure. The witch boy grabbed the jar as she let out a scream. It felt like her bones were being broken one by one and the pain was unbearable. Tears began to run down her cheeks and blood began to drip from her nose as she shook violently.
“Enodnu eb esruc!!” He declared, causing her to let out a scream and throw her head back before a black smoke rushed out. Luka opened the jar, causing it to get sucked into it before he closed the lid and screwed it shut. Marinette flopped forward as she breathed in heavily. Luka put down the jar and moved over to her, gently placed his hands on her. She carefully looked up. “Sorry,”
“N-No, it’s fine,” She replied, touching her nose. She felt tired and drained but at the same time, she felt better than she had been for a while. “But have you got a tissue?”
“Of course,” He replied, pulling one out of his sleeve. She let out a little chuckle as he handed it to her. She gently wiped the blood from her nose and the tears from her eyes before looking over at the jar.
“It really was a curse,” She replied, feeling her strength slowly return. In fact, she felt better than before. “Thank you, Luka,”
“No worries,” He replied, sitting back down. Marinette frowned as she noticed he looked visibly tired.
“Um, are you ok?” She asked, frowning.
“Oh… sorry,” He mumbled. “Spells on that level are very powerful and take a lot of energy. Especially given how power the curse was too,”
“Someone really wanted me dead…” She frowned. “Oh god what if they try to harm you?”
“Even if they did, it wouldn’t work,” He replied, reaching into his pocket and taking out a chocolate bar. He opened it and took a bite out of it, eating it.
“How come?”
“I have protection,” He replied, tapping his silver bracelet. “A protection amulet. Keeps all kinds of evil away,”
“How much would it be to get one of those?” Marinette asked before gasping. “And the ritual. How much do I owe you for removing the curse? I don’t have a lot of money but surely, I can give you something,”
“No need for that, Marinette. I don’t charge for my services,” He replied, making her blink. “I don’t need the money,”
“But surely you should get something,” She replied as he got up and picked up the jar. He walked over to one of the cupboards and placed it inside before closing it before he turned back to her.
“Helping people is enough for me,” He replied, looking a little better. “Now I should definitely make you a protection amulet as the witch who cursed you will strike again,”
“Oh that would be wonderful!” She gasped, smiling before she realised that it won’t be ready straight away. Even with his magic. “But what should I do in the meantime? They’ll curse me as soon as they realise, right?”
“Luckily, I have just the thing,” He replied, getting up and offering his hand to her. She smiled and took it, causing him to pull her to her feet before he led her through the store, revealing it was literally bigger on the inside. She glanced around in amazement as he led her through it. It was filled with all kinds of wonderful things. From balls of lights that danced around to amazing creatures that she was sure belonged in a fairytale. In fact, she saw things that she was certain were from the fairytales.
“Are those Cinderella’s shoes?” She asked, glancing at the glass slippers. Luka smiled but didn’t answer. Instead he stopped and picked up a small box.
“Here,” He stated, holding the box to her. She took it and opened them, revealing a pair of earrings that resembled a ladybug. “These are very special earrings that bring the wearer good luck. They should be able to counter the bad luck curse when the witch recasts it until I can make you the protection charm for you,”
“Really?” She replied, causing him to nod. “Thank you so much,”
“No worries, Marinette,” He smiled. “You should probably put them on now though,”
“Right,” She nodded and placed the box down before taking out her current earrings. She placed them on the table as well then took out the ladybug earrings and put them in. Instantly, she felt warmth surround her. It was like a hug that encouraged her and made feel like she was going to be ok. It reminded her of the feeling she got when she made a new dress. Luka smiled gently at her.
“They suit you,” He smiled, making her blush. “I do believe I would explain what wiccan and magic was,”
“I think I have a rough idea now,” She replied. “But I like to learn more,”
“I’d be more than happy to tell you,” Luka smiled before a light blush came over his cheeks. “Maybe over a coffee?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Would you be interested?” He asked, making her blush.
“I would love to,”
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