Chapter Text
Most of the time, Luka enjoyed his job. He enjoyed the physical activity of pedaling around the beautiful campus, and he enjoyed letting his mind wander in between deliveries. It relaxed him and gave him time to work out melodies or problems or just to contemplate whatever thought was stuck in his brain. Even when the customers were a pain, which was often, the bad days were bearable, and when the weather was nice it was downright enjoyable no matter what people said to him. After all, Luka was pretty good at letting shit go.
Today the weather was not nice. The school year had just begun and summer was still hanging on, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was hot. He had a hard time imagining who would even want to eat pizza in this heat, but he tried not to let his exhaustion show as he pulled up in front of the steps of one of the freshman dorms.
The girl sitting on the steps stood up and came down to meet him. Luka flashed her a smile as he got off the bike to retrieve her pizza. He couldn’t help an appreciative glance out of the corner of his eye. Dressed for the heat in shorts and a tank top with her blue-black hair piled on top of her head, a few wet strands sticking to her neck, she was built like a dancer, lean but strong. He turned to her, pizza in hand, and his stomach did a little flip. She was...really cute, damn, with big blue eyes and freckles and sweet pink lips. God what he wouldn’t give to meet a girl like her at a gig instead of on the job, worn out and covered in sweat, smelling like an ever-so-appealing combination of pizza and teenage boy (technically he wasn’t a teenager anymore as of a couple months ago, but he still smelled like one). “Hi,” he said, glad his breathlessness would be attributed the bike. “This for you?”
To his surprise, instead of taking her pizza, she looked up at him and frowned. “You look hot,” she said, and then her eyes widened. “I mean, y-y-you’re s-sweaty. N-n-not to be r-rude, but—“ She made a frustrated noise and buried her face in her hands. Then she looked up and held up both pointer fingers. “W-w-wait h-here!”
She ran inside, leaving Luka standing there in confusion, still holding her pizza. He glanced at his phone nervously, wondering how long he could afford to wait before he had to go on, but before he got really worried she was back again, running down the stairs with a couple of water bottles in her hands.
“Here,” she said, only barely out of breath from the impromptu run, shoving the two bottles into his hand, taking the pizza with the other. Surprised, Luka nearly dropped them, but managed to get a grip on both bottles with his long fingers, despite the condensation quickly gathering on them. They were ice cold. His benefactor has already turned and was halfway up the steps by the time he had dropped one in the basket of his bike and cracked open the other. It tasted heavenly and he was sorely tempted to dump half of it over his head.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Luka called without thinking. She turned, wide-eyed, cheeks pink, and he held up the water with one hand and gave her a two fingered salute with the other. “Thanks!”
She smiled, and hurried back inside. Luka took another drink and then twisted the cap back on, dropped the water in the basket of his bike, and pushed off to get back to his deliveries, smiling broadly.
Luka grinned like an idiot on Friday afternoon when he saw the same dorm address in his list of deliveries. Of course it could have been someone else, there were a lot of people in that dorm, but a guy could dream.
A guy could dream a lot about eyes like those.
Not that he had been. All week. Just...once or twice, when his mind wandered.
Luka couldn’t quite believe his luck when he saw the dark-haired cutie from last week was waiting on the steps again, this time in jeans and a loose pink shirt with her hair in pigtails, head down and fingers texting. At least it wasn’t quite so hot today; he wasn’t exactly shower fresh but he wasn’t dripping, either.
“Afternoon, Gorgeous,” Luka called cheerfully as he got off the bike, this time pulling two pizzas out of the carrier. “Plans tonight, huh?”
He’d startled her; her head snapped up, eyes wide and just as blue as he remembered, and he gave her his most charming smile.
She smiled back at him as she hopped up to meet him. “J-just having some friends over. We’re thinking of mmmaking it a regular th-thing.” She took the pizzas, somehow getting even cuter as her cheeks lightly dusted with pink.
“Really,” Luka said, grinning as he got back on his bike. “Well, I hope you do. I work every Friday.” He winked at her. “Have a good night.”
“Th-thanks,” she stammered, hand fluttering in what might have been a wave.
Apparently they did decide to make it a regular thing, because the next few weeks saw Luka parking his bike in front of the steps every Friday with a broad grin and a variety of delivery orders.
Gorgeous was always waiting for him, which gave him a happy little flutter. He appreciated her consideration (being kept waiting was one of his few real frustrations with his job), and tried not to read too much into the fact that she always came down to get the meal herself, even though he knew she was ordering for a group.
They never had time to talk for long, but he never missed a chance to compliment her and—
Okay, so he was flirting with her every chance he got. There was nothing wrong with a little flirting on the job. He had coworkers who did it all the time in hopes of bigger tips. Luka had never been able to flirt when he didn’t mean it and felt gross flirting for money (also it seemed like a really good way to pick up a stalker), but when it came to Gorgeous, he definitely both flirted and meant it. She always ordered online and paid ahead including the tip anyway. Luka supposed he could have checked the credit card receipt for her name, but he’d have felt weird about it. He really ought to just ask her since he saw her all the time anyway. He could do that, right, since she was a regular?
Luka had kept an eye out for her at all the campus hangouts, but he didn’t know if it was good luck or bad that he never ran into her. On the one hand, he really wanted to. He’d love the chance to have a real conversation with her, touch her hand, make her laugh and blush, kiss those perfect lips, take her home and see just how strong those legs would be wrapped around him—
Down, boy.
On the other hand, his little crush might really get out of hand if she was as sweet and funny and creative as he inferred her to be from their short conversations, and Luka’s impressions of people weren’t often wrong. The little collection of facts he’d picked up over time told him he could be in deep if he wasn’t careful.
He knew she drew. More than once she’d been sketching when he arrived, and he’d gotten a glimpse of her work as she dropped the book on top of the pizza boxes before she took them. Not enough to know what she was into, just glimpses of figures in colorful clothes, but enough to see she was good. Luka knew she struggled with a stutter that got worse when she was tired or anxious and nearly disappeared when she was happy. She had to be some sort of athlete; she’d tripped into him once and what he’d felt under his hands when he caught her was not the kind of body you got by a casual workout here and there. He knew from her clothes that she loved pink and flowers. He knew she had good taste in music and that she was absolutely adorable when she bobbed her head and sang along. (He’d maybe stood there an extra minute watching her before she noticed him and nearly fell down the steps.)
He knew when he looked at her that his eyes got soft and his smile got warm and his heartbeat picked up in a way that had nothing to do with the bike ride.
Yeah, so he was smitten. He didn’t care, it was harmless. Just something pleasant to daydream about while he rode through the campus.
Her hair was down, he noticed as he pulled up. Then she stood up, and Luka’s jaw dropped. “Damn, Gorgeous, who are you trying to kill tonight? Because I’m pretty sure you just slayed me.” Please say you wore it for me, please give me that little shoulder flirt and say ‘oh, this old thing’ and tell me you don’t have a date tonight. I might really die either way.
Gorgeous blushed a beautiful shade of pink, hands smoothing the elegant little black dress she wore, fitted to her hips with a skirt that flared around her thighs. “My f-f-friend has a piano recital tonight and a b-bunch of us are going after we eat. I was h-hoping…” She bit her lip. “Do you really think h-h-he’ll notice me?”
“Does he have eyes?” Luka asked, handing her the order almost absently. “Because if he does, I think you’re good.”
Pink darkened to red. “H-he d-does but h-he n-n-n-n-ARGH.” She clenched her fists and hunched her shoulders in frustration, taking a deep breath. “Ssssee? I c-c-c-can’t ever t-talk t-t-to h-him. I c-c-can b-b-b-arely t-talk ABOUT h-h-him.”
“Hey.” Luka curled a finger under her chin, tilting her face up towards him. “Looking like that, babe, he won’t be able to talk either. If his brain doesn’t melt and leak out his ears, then he didn’t have one to begin with.” It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he forced himself to turn away and get back on his bike, blowing out a slow breath.
“W-wish me l-luck,” she smiled brightly.
“Do I have too?” he sighed wistfully, leaning on his handlebars as he watched her hips sway up the stairs.
He put one foot up on the bike pedal, sighed, and put it back down on the ground again, looking up at the sky. “Gorgeous, wait. C’mere.”
She paused and turned back, skirt whirling around her thighs. She came slowly back down the stairs.
Luka pulled a small notepad out of his bike basket and flipped to a clean page, and then dug for a pen. He scribbled a name and location on the pad, tore the sheet out, and handed it to her.
“W-what—“
“It’s a karaoke bar I like. Maybe you can convince your friends to go out after the concert. They’ll dedicate a song for you if you ask.”
She stared at him with those big blue eyes, and Luka had to look away, blushing faintly as he shrugged. “I read that it’s almost impossible to stutter when you sing—which you probably knew already, I’m sure, but...might help get your message across, yeah?” He smiled at the ground. “Music is often simpler than words, anyway. Worth a try, right?”
“Y-you r-read about it?”
Luka shrugged again, still not looking at her. “I don’t want to be a dick on accident, and we don’t really have enough time to talk about it, plus you’re probably sick of explaining to people anyway, so...yeah, I did a little reading.” He glanced at her, and relaxed a bit when she smiled at him, nodding slowly.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I’ll t-t-try it.”
Luka took a deep breath, and flipped up his kickstand. “Good luck tonight, babe. Knock ‘em dead.”
It shouldn’t have been a big deal. So he had a little crush on her and she had her eye on someone. He saw her for like two minutes at a time every Friday, it shouldn’t have affected him all week. He should’ve been able to get through his Friday deliveries without this weird mixture of hope and dread. He shouldn’t have felt like there was a rock in his stomach when he pulled up in front of her building as usual. Luka told himself that she deserved better than a fake smile, and he managed to muster one that was mostly sincere, though maybe not as bright as usual, at the sight of her waiting on the steps for him.
“Hey, Gorgeous,” Luka flipped his kickstand down and went to get her food as usual. “How’d your big night—“ But when he turned toward her, his face fell. She hadn’t moved to greet him, she just sat with her face buried in her knees, her arms wrapped around them. “Aww, Gorgeous,” he sighed. He popped off his helmet and shook his hair out, coming to sit next to her. “Bad day? Bad week, maybe?” She nodded without raising her head. He set the pizzas on the step beside him and hovered his hand over her back. “I’m sorry, babe. It happens to everyone, but I wish it wasn’t happening to you.” She breathed a shuddering sigh, and then began to sob quietly.
Luka sighed and bit his lip, checking his phone. He hadn’t gotten a notice for another delivery, which didn’t mean he could stay away, but it did mean he could probably get away with lingering for a few minutes. “You want to talk about it?” She shook her head. Luka hesitated. “Can I touch your back? Would that be okay?”
There was a pause, and then she nodded. Luka let his hand rest on her back and rubbed slowly. “It’s gonna be okay,” he told her in his most soothing big-brother voice. “Whatever’s going on, you’ll find a way to deal with it, or to go on despite it. Because you’re strong and confident and amazing.” She made a choked sound that might have been a laugh. “Hey, I’m saying it because I believe it. If it’s a problem, you’ll solve it. If it was just a crappy day or week, you’ll find a way to make the next one better. And if it’s a guy—or a girl or whatever—they’re a fucking idiot and maybe it’ll hurt for a while but you don’t need them.”
She sighed heavily, and to his mild surprise, leaned against him. “W-what if it’s all of th-those?”
Luka slid his hand around her back to her shoulder and hugged her lightly to him. “Then you have to find a way to break it down and get through one pile of crap at a time, I guess. Your friends are coming, right? I hate to leave you alone like this.”
She finally lifted her face, pulling her sleeve over her hand and using it to wipe her eyes. “Th-th-they’re c-coming,” she said thickly. “I was t-trying to hold it t-t-t-together until they got here, b-b-b-but…” Her breath hitched and she started to sob again.
Luka squeezed her shoulders. “You want me to stay until they get here?”
“Oh, n-n-no,” she said quickly, blinking at him through wet lashes, and damn her eyes were still beautiful even red-rimmed and swollen. “You’re w-working, you’ll get in t-trouble.” She smiled weakly. “I’d mmmiss you if you got f-f-fired.”
Luka smiled fondly at her. “Thanks. I’d miss you too, babe.”
“It’s M-m-marinette,” she said, looking down at the pavement between her feet. “N-n-not that i m-m-mind you c-calling m-m-me b-b-babe or g-g-g-“ She struggled to get the word out, growing visibly more frustrated.
“Breathe, baby, it’s okay,” Luka said, squeezing her shoulders again. “You’re okay.”
Marinette paused and took a deep breath, and tried again. “I l-l-like g-gorgeous j-just fine.” She sighed. “Sssorry, it gets s-s-so much w-worse when I’m upssset.” She put her head back down and covered it with her arms.
“You’re fine,” Luka reassured her, rubbing her back again. “I get it. Marinette.” He smiled. “It’s a pretty name, I like it. You’ll always be Gorgeous to me, though.”
“Marinette! Girl, what’s the matter?”
They both looked up to see a girl in a plaid shirt jogging towards them with a concerned expression. Luka looked at Marinette.
“Roommate,” Marinette said with relief. “l’ll be f-fine now,” Marinette assured him. “Y-you b-better get b-back t-to w-work—“ She paused.
“Luka,” he supplied with a smile, getting to his feet and dusting himself off.
“Th-th-thanks L-luka,” Marinette said softly as her friend took his place and put an arm around her.
Luka mounted his bike and shot her a wink. “Any time, Gorgeous. I hope I get to see you smile again next week.”
The next week she was waiting on the steps as usual, but instead of getting up to meet him, she smiled and patted the stone step next to her. Luka obliged, taking off his helmet first and then bringing her food up and setting it aside as he sat next to her. “Better this week?”
Marinette nodded, not looking directly at him.
“I didn’t want to ask while you were so upset,” Luka said, stretching his long legs out as he leaned his elbows on the step behind him, “But how did it go, that night with the guy?”
“Oh,” Marinette sighed. “Um, your idea w-worked, but...h-he doesn’t feel that w-way about me.”
“Ouch,” Luka sighed, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder sympathetically, then letting his hand slide away. “What did you sing?”
She gave a weak smile. “Rock Me Eternal.”
“Jagged Stone,” Luka grinned. “Nice. Gorgeous and great taste, but I knew that already.” Luka nudged her shoulder lightly with his and she groaned at the memory of the day he found her singing on the steps. “So wait, let me get this straight.” Luka turned to face her, leaning on one elbow. “You serenaded him with Jagged Stone, choosing a song which, if I recall, includes the lyrics throw me down and ride me into eternity—“ Marinette groaned, putting her hands over her face. “—looking like you looked that night. And he turned you down?” Luka shook his head. “On the one hand I’m really sorry it didn’t work out how you wanted.” He smiled mischievously, leaning over to look up at her through his bangs. “On the other hand, you wouldn’t want to pass that kind of stupidity down to your children, so maybe it’s for the best.”
Marinette burst into laughter, and Luka grinned. “There’s the smile I was hoping for,” he murmured as he sat back, feeling pretty pleased with himself. Marinette bit her lip and took a couple of deep breaths. Luka raised his eyebrows slightly, waiting.
“Thanks for everything last week,” she said in a rush. “I h-h-had ssssuch a b-bad w-week on t-t-top of g-g-guy p-problems and I made y-you l-l-l-late and I c-cried all ov-over y-y-you…”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Luka reached over and squeezed her hands where they were folded tightly in her lap. “I have a little sister, I’m experienced at these things.”
“She’s done a lot of c-crying on you over g-guys?” Marinette asked, cracking a small smile.
“Girls, actually,” Luka chuckled, drawing his hand back. “It turns out guys don’t have the monopoly on being blind to amazing people right in front of them. Who knew?”
There was a pause.
“I sssee y-you.”
“What was that?” Luka turned his head to look at her.
Marinette’s cheeks pinked and she fiddled with her fingers. “I s-sssee y-y-you, L-L-Luka.”
There was another pause as Luka’s stunned brain struggled to compute. Then he smiled at the ground for a moment before lifting soft eyes to hers. “I see you too, Marinette.” He sighed. “I have to go.”
“I know.”
He stood up, offering her his hand. “Next week?”
She put her small hand in his and let him pull her up, but to his surprise and disappointment, Marinette shook her head slowly. “I’m going home for the w-weekend. So...I’ll sssee you the week after?”
Luka held onto her hand just a moment longer and smiled. “See you then, Gorgeous.”
Normally, she would be halfway up the stairs by the time he was back on his bike. He could feel her eyes on him, but she didn’t say anything, so he pushed off as usual.
“L-L-Llluka!” She cried, and, startled, he nearly fell over trying to stop.
“Ssssorry,” she gasped. “I’m ssso—“
“It’s okay,” he cut her off, then winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to—please finish what you were going to say.”
“N-no, I just wanted to ask y-you…do you like mmmmacarons?”
Luka tried to keep his expression under control so that he wouldn’t look at her like she had two heads. “They’re okay,” he said slowly. “I prefer madeleines, actually.”
“Dipped or p-plain?”
“The chocolate dipped ones. Why?” He leaned on the handlebars and eyed her curiously.
“J-just w-w-wondering,” she said with an innocent smile that immediately set off his big brother radar. A smile like that on Juleka usually meant she was plotting something, which usually meant trouble for him. He wasn’t sure how to translate that look on Marinette.
“Okay,” he said, eyebrows raised. “See you in two weeks, Marinette.”
His stomach did that weird little flip at the way she fluttered her fingers at him as he rode away.
The order hadn’t come. Luka frowned. His shift was almost up, it was nearly an hour past when Marinette usually ordered. Had he heard her wrong? Depressed and trying not to be, he went through the close out process, barely aware of what he was doing.
“One more order,” his boss called, snapping him back to reality.
Luka frowned. “I was about to clock out.”
The boss man shrugged and handed him the slip and the order. “Eric’s not here yet. Text me when you get there and I’ll clock you out, then you can go straight home.”
Luka sighed to himself but knew better than to protest. His eyes widened slightly as he saw the address.
The sun was setting and there was a chill in the air, burning his lungs as he pedaled.
Marinette was waiting for him on the steps, wrapped tightly in a knitted cardigan that had clearly seen better days. She came down the stairs before he’d even stopped, beaming. “Hi.”
“Hey,” he said softly, a slow smile spreading his face. “Late dinner tonight?”
“Well, the girls made other plans, but I didn’t feel like going out, ssso I-I-I-I—“ He waited while she gathered herself. “Um, are you off w-work now?”
“Actually…” Luka sent the text to his boss, and got an almost immediate confirmation. “There.” He grinned at her, pocketing the phone. “I am now.”
“Then...do you want to have dinner with mmme?” She motioned to the picnic tables under the trees next to the dorm building.
Luka tried not to look as pleased as he was. “I’d love to. Let me just lock up.” He nodded towards the bike rack. He handed Marinette the pizza and she took it towards the tables.
There were butterflies in his stomach as he locked up his bike, took off his helmet, and pulled his few valuables out of the basket, including his acoustic guitar, which he slung across his back. He glanced back towards Marinette and then ducked to check the mirror on the bike next to his, raking his fingers through his hair to muss it into something less helmet-shaped. “Don’t screw this up, Couffaine,” he told his reflection. Then he took a deep breath and jogged back toward Marinette.
To his complete shock (and utter relief, because he’d really been done with pizza since about his third week on the job), Marinette had a small casserole dish waiting on the picnic table, steaming in the cool air. “I mmmade it at h-h-home and it’s been in the freezer all week. I used the common room kitchen to heat it up. It’s not f-f-fancy, b-but at least it’s n-n-not p-pizza?” She looked shy, twisting her hands together.
“You’re amazing,” Luka said fervently, sliding onto the picnic table bench. “Oh my God, real food!”
Marinette giggled. “It’s just a c-casserole.”
Luka shook his head. “You don’t understand. My sister eats like a rabbit and my cooking skills are passable at best. We basically live on salads and fruit and takeout.” Somewhere there was a smooth line about not needing to go through his stomach to get to his heart, but she smiled at him as she handed him a portion of casserole on a paper plate, and he couldn’t quite make his brain work enough to be sure it would come out right.
“Well, I hope you like it.” She sat down and opened the pizza box.
“You’re not having any?” Luka blinked.
Marinette shrugged. “I like p-pizza.”
“Aww, and here I thought you just liked me,” he teased.
Marinette’s cheeks turned pink and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I d-do.” Then she cleared herself throat. “Eat, it’ll get c-c-cold f-fast out here.”
Luka’s grin couldn’t get any wider. “I like you too, Gorgeous.” Then he felt his own face heat. “So what are you studying?” he asked quickly as he dug in. “Wow, this is good.”
“Mmmy parents own a bakery,” she told him. “I’ve b-been in the kitchen sssince I was a b-baby.”
She told him about her classes in design and business, and he eagerly asked her all the questions he’d been saving up for months. Luka noticed she was stuttering less as they talked. He hoped that meant she was comfortable with him. He really wanted that to be true. He was hanging on every word that fell from those perfect lips, and everything he heard just made him want to know more.
Then she pulled out a container of madeleines that she had made and dipped in chocolate herself, and he knew he was a goner. “Careful, Gorgeous, a guy could get ideas from being treated like this,” he chuckled as he bit into one. “Homemade food and cookies—I might think you like having me around.”
“T-t-technically, they’re c-cakes,” she told him loftily, and picked up one of her own. A hot flush rushed through him as he watched her eat it delicately. He looked away and had to clear his throat before he could speak again.
It felt like no time at all had passed, but the plates were empty and the cookie-cakes were gone. The sun had vanished below the horizon some time ago, the bright halogen lights on the building washing out everything around them, and the chill air raised goosebumps on his arms, but Luka still couldn’t make himself leave.
“Parkour? Seriously?”
Marinette giggled. “Yep.”
“How do you even get into something like that?” Luka asked, leaning his elbow on the table to look at her.
Marinette shrugged. “I don’t know, I just...nnnneeded to run and I d-didn’t mmmuch care what was in the wwway. I sssstarted when I w-was fifteen. It was a g-good w-way to get rid of frustration. Mmmy p-parents saw me c-climb a wwwall and j-jump across to the next b-building. They t-took me over to the local f-freerunning association and ssssigned me up so I would get p-proper t-training.”
“Smart,” Luka observed. “It’s cool that they did that instead of trying to make you stop.” His smile widened appreciatively. “Although somehow I feel like getting you to quit anything you wanted to do would be pretty difficult.” She wrinkled her nose cutely at him and he laughed. “That doesn’t look like a denial.”
“Nnno c-comment,” she scrunched up her shoulders and stuck her nose in the air, and it was so cute Luka thought he might die. His heart was pounding and he wished he could ask her to go for a walk or something, anything to prolong the evening.
Unfortunately, he had another engagement.
“I’m afraid I have to go soon,” Luka said reluctantly, checking the time. “I actually do have something else I have to do tonight, but...thanks for dinner. You’re just as much fun as I thought you’d be.” He winked.
Somehow that flustered her terribly and whatever tried to come out ended up so garbled he couldn’t understand her.
“I don’t think I caught that, babe,” Luka said, trying not to laugh.
Marinette put her hands over her face. gave a frustrated huff. “Sssorry. And here I’ve b-been d-doing all the t-talking, and I hardly found out anything ab-bout you. I’m sssorry.” She made a face. “It’s p-probably frustrating for you, l-listening to mmme.”
“Don’t apologize,” Luka said with complete sincerity. “It’s no big deal to wait until you get it out. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“Sssstill. Thanks for being sssso p-patient with me. T-too bad it’s not sssocially acceptable to b-burst into sssong.” She smiled at him so sweetly that Luka’s mouth answered without his brain’s permission.
“Gorgeous, with lips like yours everything you say sounds like music to me.”
Even so the blush that rose to his face was nothing compared to the shade of red Marinette turned. She made another strangled noise and Luka chuckled, reaching across the table to touch her hand, just resting his fingers lightly on the back. “You okay, or was that too much?” He ducked his head a little, trying to see her eyes. “I promise it wasn’t just a line. I meant it.”
“I kn-kn-know. Th-th-that’s w-w-why it wwworked,” she huffed, darting a shy smile at him.
Luka bit his lip, and then took the leap. “I really like you, Marinette. I’m sorry if I’ve been asking too many questions, but I’ve been wanting to get to know you better for weeks. You’re the song that’s been playing in my head since the day we met. I’d really like to talk to you more often. Could I maybe give you my number, and if you feel like it, we could text sometime?”
Cheeks still red, Marinette handed him her phone. Luka grinned, and programmed his number. Marinette took the phone back and typed. A moment later his phone pinged with a new message. Luka saved the number under Gorgeous.
“Come here, I need a picture,” Luka beckoned her, and she leaned in with him and let him take a selfie. It was a little washed out from the lights and his hair was a disaster, but he still grinned when he looked at her sweet smile next to his. “Perfect.”
“Sssend it to me?” Marinette asked, blushing.
“Sure thing, babe.” He stood up and slung his guitar over his back, offering Marinette a hand up. “Thanks for dinner.”
She let him help her to her feet. “Ssso do you actually play that th-thing?” Marinette asked, waving at his guitar.
Luka laughed. “I know a chord or two, yeah. I prefer my electric, but this one’s a bit more portable.”
“Mmaybe next time you can p-play something for me,” she giggled.
Luka grinned, leaning in a bit. “I’d love to play for you almost as much as I’d love for there to be a next time.”
She blushed a bit but didn’t avoid his eyes this time. “Ssso t-t-text mmme and we’ll pick a nnnext t-time?”
“Absolutely.” It was stupid how much he wanted to kiss her, and he would be stupid to try so soon. He forced himself to straighten up. “Goodnight, Gorgeous. Thanks for the cookies.”
“Th-they’re c-cakes, t-technically,” Marinette tucked a loose strand of hair back and Luka knew he better get out of there before he got any stupider.
He still had the stupid grin on his face when he got home. Juleka looked up and frowned as he came in. “Where have you been?” she demanded. “Hurry up and get ready, we’re going to be late. The rest of the band will be half set up before we even get there at this rate.”
“It’s fine, Jules, it won’t take me that long,” he said dismissively.
“If I have to smell pizza on top of the club, I’m gonna hurl, Luka,” she complained.
He rolled his eyes. “Decide how big a hurry you’re in, sis, you can either wait for me to shower or deal with—“
“Fine, shower, just make it fast. What the hell kept you?”
The stupid grin came back. “I’m not exactly sure, but...I think it was a date.”