Chapter Text
Belongings stacked in her arms, the door in front of Marinette shuts loud enough to alarm the passersby.
Such an early Monday morning to be causing a scene.
It was the norm for this street to cause infuriating noise enough for the police department to come and resolve the situation. However, Marinette never imagined she would be a cause to some of it.
It all started after she had graduated from her studies and finished her around-the-world travel to complete her portfolio. Everything seemed to be perfect, The only thing she needed was a start-up capital and some work experience.
The street was known as ‘ Lunatic boutiques’ where the busiest boutiques gather and compete with one another. The name should have been a warning to her already.
After eight months of working, Marinette found herself fired from three different boutiques. The longest she had been was her second where she lasted four months, the shortest was the latest one, three weeks.
She dragged herself to her flat, cursing her boss for firing her over some misunderstanding. The orders for the cloth came, instead of that they had initially planned, the cloth was a scarlet. Even if it was just a few shades different, the difference was prominent. Poor Marinette became the scapegoat of the situation. She wasn’t even in charge of it!
Eight months of working overtime and all she attained were dark circles under her eyes and an unhealthy lifestyle. She shuffled through her purse, accidentally dropping some of her belongings while she searched for her key.
When was the last time she ate a decent meal?
Was it before her first day at the first boutique?
When was the last time she went out with friends?
Was it before Alya left six months ago for a temporary job assignment?
How in the world did the person who was traveling around the world just a year back ended in this miserable state?
“Fuck!” Marinette couldn’t hold back her frustration, she gripped her hair and threw her stuff on the floor of her flat. Clean up can wait, right now, she just wanted curl up and never see daylight.
If only money wasn’t an issue.
She had to move out of her previous apartments, trying to find one that suited her current budget. But as time passed, her budget just kept on draining.
She can’t even imagine herself going back to her parent’s house even though they’d beg her at this point. No loving parent would ever want to see their child in pain like this.
Marinette no longer knew what she should do. And so, trying to forget her problems, she slept.
---//---
How many days had passed?
Marinette did not know.
She slept and only woke up to eat.
It would’ve continued longer if her fridge didn’t run out of food.
Alas, Marinette had to go out for the first time in a while.
The trip to the store was uneventful. Somehow, it felt nostalgic. Remembering the days of the past when she was just designing for the fun of it.
“Marinette?” a voice called out to her from behind. It was Nino. “Marinette! How’s it goi--” Nino stopped in his tracks when he saw Marinette’s face “You look horrible! When was the last time you even heard of sleep?”
“Thirty minutes ago? I don’t even know how long I’ve been sleeping since I was fired. Hey what day is it?”
“You were fired?” Nino exclaimed “How many times has it been?” his expression was filled with worry. “Today is Thursday by the way”
“Three times. How’s Alya?” Marinette tried to change the subject.
“Alya has been calling me dail- Hey don’t change the subject! Let’s go grab a bite and we’ll talk about it. I won’t take no for an answer, if Alya finds out I just left you like this, she’ll chop me into pieces and throw me into the ocean. She also said to check up on you since you haven’t called her for a long time. Besides, we haven’t hung out for a while now.”
Marinette didn’t have the energy to refuse.
They ended up in a nearby Japanese place and ordered some ramen. Marinette tried to change the subject but Nino kept insisting on it.
“Look, I know I’m being really pushy right now but dude, you look like your life has been sucked out of you. I don’t think anyone would like to see you like this especially Alya, your parents and even...”
“Even who?” Marinette eyed Nino suspiciously
“Even Adrien...”
Marinette flinched
“Let’s not talk about …" she mumbled
“I’ll let you pass about that but you’re still going to tell me what’s been happening to you this past eight months.”
Marinette sighs.
“It’s almost sun down. Wanna go out for a drink? My treat as long as you talk”
“I really don’t want to bother you with my problems... “
“It’s fine! It's fine! So, it’s a deal?”
“alright...” Marinette sighs
---//---
“So, let me get this straight” Nino winced. After two hours of listening to Marinette’s drunk complains, he finally had all the pieces to the summary of Marinette’s eight months.
“You’ve been living off baguettes and Mac and cheese for eight months while working with a total of three demon lords for 14 hours a day in the office, only to go home and find yourself working 3 more hours?” Nino concluded
Marinette nodded dramatically with tears in her eyes
“Not only that, you got fired again, you’re really broke and you don’t think you can afford rent two months later if you don’t find a job quickly. Jobs anywhere in the street of lunatic boutiques are inhumane, any sane boutique is currently full so they can’t hire you leaving you jobless unless you find a job unrelated to fashion. You think your bathroom sink is suffering from a leak and your pet fish Tikki died because you forgot to feed it for a week.” Nino Added
Marinette nodded dramatically with tears in her eyes
“I’m a failure! I did so much and ended up jobless !” Marinette bawled “It’s over! My life is a failure! I’m going to live my life in box in the streets and beg while wearing rags. Then I'll befriend rats for a short time until they realized I’m a sad pathetic failure and leave me to play with cats instead because that’s how much they hate me! They hate me so much! they would rather play with their natural enemy instead and then Paris will drive me out for being such a loser and I’ll have to live my life alone in a stranded island and die alone! I will never be able to get married! I will die alone and a virgin!” Marinette bawled while chugging her drink.
“Jesus, you’re a virgin?” Nino took a swig.
“I’m such a loser I might as well get it tattooed across my face!”
“That would be really funny, imagine the look on Alya’s face when she sees it, she’ll be mortified” Nino laughed. The booze was crawling up to him.
“She’ll be a lot more mortified once she realizes how much I fucked my whole life over”
“You were already fucked up when Adri...” Nino hiccupped “en re-” Marinette covered her ears with her palms. “Yayayayayaya! I’m not listening! Yayayayayayaya!” Marinette yelled. The bartender placed his index over his mouth, telling them to be silent.
“What’s done is done! So you should go out there and make more mistakes to cry about!” drunken Nino laughed
“Yeah! More mistakes! more fuck ups! more demon jobs! More drinks! More Adr---Tattoos! I’m getting a Loser Tattoo cause I’m a loser! Yeah!”
“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”
The two laughed
“I’m gonna take a piss” Nino got up and stumbled to the bathroom. Humming how much a few drinks solved everything. How Marinette is now feeling better and how she’ll probably be looking for a job tomorrow and how she’s going to get a tattoo that say ‘los---
And that’s were Nino realized he fucked up
Nino ran to look for Marinette.
Oh boy, Alya is going to kill him.
---//---
After fifteen minutes of stumbling towards the nearest tattoo parlor, Marinette finally arrives. She clumsily pushes the door open to find a black-blue at the tips haired man sketching on a sofa. His arm and neck was covered in tattoos too.
“I want... a tattoo!” Marinette yelled. “I want it to be big!” She gestured raised her arms enthusiastically “And I want I want it to say ‘loser’ cause I’m such a big failure and a reject of the society”
“Madam, please calm down...”
“I am calm! I want it red so that everyone can see! Ha, Chloe Bourgeois, you were absolutely right you bitch! Why don’t you just become a fortune teller and tell everyone to fuck off?” Marinette whined “I want a tattoo! Pronto!”
“Madam, please calm down!”
“What’s wrong? Don't think I can pay? I’m calm and I want a tattoo to show mom and dad how much of a disappointment I am end up as trash!” She bawled as she dropped to the floor “I didn’t want to disappoint them so much but it’s hard! I don’t think I can manage anymore, I just wanna crawl into a hole then di-”
The man kneeled, placed his palms on Marinette’s shoulder and pressed his fingers softly “Madam, please calm down... How about we talk this through? Let's hear about it and not do anything rash, okay?” He smiled softly.
Marinette nodded softly holding back the tears.
“Good girl, good girl” The man said while petting Marinette’s head as she wipes her tears.
Oddly enough, the man had some sort of calming effect on Marinette, enough to stop her crying and get her seated properly on a sofa, even though he was a stranger.
“Now, what seems to be the problem?”
“I don’t know what to do- I got fired for the third time this year, I’m almost broke, I don’t want to give fashion and I don’t want to disappoint my pa-” Marinette coughs “rents..” She coughs again
“Would you like some water?” The man offered. She nods.
The man stood up, went to the nearby bar table and poured her a glass of lukewarm water. Marinette followed and accepted the drink.
“Thank you...” She drank the water and sat on the nearby chair.
“You should take your time and plan out what you think would be the best course of action, I’ll listen to you if you want to talk it out.”
“I appreciate it...” Marinette rests her head lazily on the table. It was only then she noticed that there was music playing. A soft acoustic version of the song that’s been popular lately. It was kind of a warm and soothing vibe, not to mention, the man started humming to the song. He was only humming but his voice held a soft and encouraging tone to it. Soon Marinette found herself dozing.
---//---
Drunks were a norm in the parlor.
Their shop was unfortunately close to a bar so they would always end up with a drunk or two visiting them for an impromptu tattoo.
Even if it was only him in the shop at the moment, Luka knew how to deal with drunks. He had dealt with them on almost a daily basis.
Therefore, a drunk woman coming to the shop demanding for a ‘Loser’ tattoo is no surprise.
She was a self-depreciating drunk. Obviously, He’s not going to give her a tattoo. She started rambling about being a failure of the society then turned into an angry one then started to cry. He felt his heart stung when he saw how hopeless she looked. Her eyes had dark circles under, they were also kind of puffy, a sign that she had been crying. No matter how cool and calm Luka acts, he was weak to emotions.
Before she could say the words that will break his heart further, He stopped her.
It seems that she has calmed down. He heaved a sigh of relief and smiled.
“Good girl, good girl”
Luka found her as fragile as a lullaby. A soft melody tugging his heart for hug.
Of course, giving a drunk stranger a hug would probably count as taking advantage of the person.
So, Luka offered an ear instead.
She started talking about her current situation. He examined her expression as she talked.
Not only was she her financial and physical wellbeing was suffering. She was suffering mentally and emotionally too.
Again, Luka wanted to offer her a hug.
He offered water instead when he heard her cough.
It was when he offered her water, he noticed the color of her eyes.
Bluebell. A shade of blue, the color he liked so much.
The calming color of the sea and the sky.
A soft color full of melancholy and at the same time, bliss.
He shakes his head and offered to talk.
The woman accepts however, it seemed like the night is getting to her.
He watched her slowly fall asleep whilst humming the song that has been playing. Soon she was asleep. It didn’t seem like she was going to wake up so soon too. He wonders how may drinks she had before she came here.
Now that the situation has somehow ‘settled’, it bothers him how familiar she looks.
Luka thinks he had seen her before. So familiar yet nothing comes into mind. She seems younger than him too... around two years... could it be...?
Just then the door opened, A dark skinned man wearing a cap and a hoodie came in.
He look around and saw the girl who was sleeping.
“You didn’t give her a tattoo, right?” He panicked.
Luka nods. The man heaves a sigh of relief.
“Thanks, did she yell? Cried? Break anything?”
Luka nods. “She kept on yelling and cried but she didn’t break anything. Don’t worry. Everything is fine”
“Thank God! Alya is going to kill me if something happens to her! Thank God, good people like you exist!” The man placed his hands on his head as he contemplates everything that had happened.
“I’m safe!” He concluded
“Say are you...” Luka wanted to ask but then decided maybe it wasn’t any of his business. If fate allows them to meet again, he’ll ask her himself. “No, never mind...”
“Anyway, thanks dude! You’re a real life saver! I have cab waiting outside. I’ll take her home.” The man carried the sleeping woman and waved.
Luka smiled and waved back.