#did i cry myself into a nap today thinking about luka? [looks away]

[fragileizywriting]

Lol marinette crying on her period is literally me 🤧 one time i cried bc the flight attendant was so nice to me bc i asked for water with no ice and he gave me with ice and i was like im so sorry but i asked with no ice 😔 and he was like nooo im sorry here's your water ☺️ and i was like 😭 the nicest flight attendant ever, i cried the whole way home after that 💀

omg anon what a MOOD ANON

the amount of stuff i cry about when i’m menstruating, oh my god, it’s honestly such a miracle i hadn’t gotten dumped earlier by my ex because holy shit

i had a moment where i cried because i was so happy because he’d gotten me lunch like he usually did, no idea why that moment was so important but it WAS

i’m an emotional BALL of STRESS for two days and i’m such a wreck and i’m always so In My Head and i think marinette deserves it

also marinette hugging the love of her life, her boyfriend and saying how much she loves them while crying, very fitting for the author rn

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Among the Wild Things: Chapter Two

Read it on AO3: Among the Wild Things: Chapter Two: Bond

“I’ve never seen you like this before,” Anarka noted as she wrangled her thick, blue-grey mane of hair into a braid.

“Like what?” Luka sighed, strumming aimlessly on his lyre.

“Moping like a lovesick fool,” Juleka supplied, swimming over to the kitchen of their home at the bottom of the lake that Anarka presided over deep in the enchanted forest. “Just ask him—her?—to go out with you. It’s not so hard.”

Luka snorted, grumbling, “Like it wasn’t hard for you to tell Rose about your feelings?”

Juleka bristled at the reminder of her disastrous confession to the naiad, salvaged only by Rose intuiting what Juleka was trying to say, returning Juleka’s feelings, and taking the initiative to confess to Juleka instead, saving Juleka the trouble.

“Who is the lucky person?” Anarka pressed, coming to sit on the couch with Luka.

Luka shook his head with another sigh. “It’s…not like that. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, honestly. There was just this mortal guy who came to my clearing last week, and I should have just eaten him, but…I didn’t.”

Anarka’s eyes narrowed as Juleka’s widened.

“I just watched him for an hour or two, and then he went away,” Luka continued. “But he came back the next day and the one after that, and on the third day I talked to him, and he was so close, I could have just pulled him into the river…but I didn’t.” Luka shook his head again, still mystified at his own actions. “I didn’t. I let him go. I changed in front of him, scared him off, told him to stay out of the woods, and now he hasn’t been back in almost a week, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have just eaten him,” Luka grumbled, plucking a sour note on his lyre in frustration.

Juleka winced, letting out a sympathetic hiss. “Yeah. That sounds pretty complicated. Sorry. Not touching that one. Maman?” She looked to their mother to field Luka’s dilemma.

Anarka frowned deeply, pursing her lips as she studied her boy. “Getting entangled with a mortal is never good, Luc. Trust me, I’ve had enough mortal lovers to know that it never ends well. They get old and sick, and they die on you, or else they want you to become mortal, and they get really huffy when you tell them no. It’s better if you just forget all about this boy and move on, Ma Baleine.”

Luka nodded listlessly. “It’s not like I’m ever going to see him again. He’s not coming back, and I’m not stupid enough to go looking for him.”

Though, the thought had occurred to Luka. He didn’t think the castle guards would let him waltz right in to see the crown prince, and Adrien would probably be upset if Luka took out all of Adrien’s servants just because Luka had the strong urge to gaze into those sylvan green eyes once more.

Luka cursed under his breath as he remembered the salty-sweet taste of Adrien’s skin. “I shouldn’t have licked him.”

Juleka broke out into giggles at her brother’s expense. “Oh my gosh, Luc. You licked him?”

The furrows in Anarka’s brow multiplied. “What exactly happened between you and this boy?”

“Nothing,” Luka groaned, getting to his feet. “I’m going to my bend in the river. I’ll be back later tonight.”

“You didn’t eat anything,” Anarka called after him in concern.

“I’m not hungry,” Luka informed without breaking stride, swimming for the exit out of their sunken ship and heading for his tributary.

 Luka had never expected to see Adrien again, so to find the prince sitting on the riverbank, staring down into the water when Luka arrived was more than a little surprising.

He hesitated, trying to wrap his head around the immense joy he was feeling before deciding what course of action to take.

Perhaps it would be best to stay silent and just watch Adrien as he had done the first two days, but what if Adrien had come back specifically to see Luka? What if Luka didn’t show himself and Adrien gave up and never came back again?

He couldn’t risk it. He had to say something, make his presence known.

Not wanting to startle Adrien, Luka lightly cleared his throat to get his attention.

Adrien jumped, gaze flying around the clear in search of the source of the noise. “Orpheus?” he called apprehensively.

“I thought I told you these woods were dangerous, Little Prince,” Luka scolded with a playful lilt to his voice.

Adrien smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck and shrugging. “Well, you didn’t drown me the first three times I was here, so I thought I’d press my luck.”

Gradually, Luka coalesced into human form from the waist up, silently rising out of the water to rest his elbows on the bank, only an arm’s reach away from Adrien.

“I’m not the only thing you need to be worried about,” Luka sighed.

Adrien gave a start, whipping around and freezing when he realized how close Luka had gotten without Adrien noticing.

He gulped, not daring to move. “What else do I need to be worried about?”

Luka shook his head slowly. “These woods are filled with my kind, and there are any number of beings who would hurt you, eat you, or worse. You shouldn’t have come back.”

“…And yet I did,” Adrien sighed, posture relaxing. “…Are you going to drown me today?”

Luka hummed thoughtfully, pillowing his arms on the riverbank and resting his chin on top. “Not sure yet.”

Adrien nodded, accepting Luka’s answer. “Okay.”

After a beat of silence during which they studied one another with open curiosity, Luka noted, “You’ve got tear stains on your cheeks. Why were you crying?”

“Because I was sad,” Adrien answered readily.

Luka frowned. “Why were you sad?”

Adrien shrugged. “A lot of little reasons. Mostly it’s stupid things that my father did or said. Like, today he was supposed to eat breakfast with me, but he didn’t show up, so I was just sitting in the empty banquet hall all by myself missing my mother and thinking about how my father thinks I’m useless, so…” Adrien shrugged again, trying to play it off as unimportant, but his eyes had begun to leak fresh tears.

Luka rose up to take Adrien’s face in his hands and wipe at the tears dutifully until they stopped falling. “I don’t think I like your father.”

“He’s…not the easiest man to like,” Adrien admitted. “But I love him, and I want him to love me, so…I keep trying to make him happy, to make him proud of me.”

Luka pursed his lips, reconsidering paying Adrien’s castle a visit. “Is he the reason why you were crying those other days you came here too?”

Adrien frowned in thought, trying to recall. “I honestly don’t remember what I was upset about last week. He was probably a part of it.”

“He doesn’t sound like a good parent,” Luka grumbled, sinking back down up to his chest in the river. “My mother can be harsh sometimes, but I can’t remember an instance where she’s made me cry.”

Adrien looked away with a shrug. “My father makes most people cry. He made my mother cry a lot.”

Luka let out a contemplative hum. “…I’m sorry. That must be very hard for you.”

“Thanks,” Adrien replied with a weak yet genuine smile.

“…So why did you come back here? I thought I was pretty clear about the risk…even if I did want to see you again,” Luka added, curious as to what effect his words would have, if any.

Adrien’s cheeks coloured, and his smile gained strength as he looked off to the side. “I don’t know. I just…feel at peace here. These woods, this clearing…they make me feel safe, so…” He chewed on his lip, hesitating before adding in a rush, “and I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Luka arched an eyebrow, trying not to give away how pleased he was that he had been driving Adrien every bit as crazy as Adrien had been making Luka. “So you were able to overlook the possibility that I might pull you into the river and drown you? Do you have a death wish?”

Adrien looked away again, his expression going cloudy. “No. I don’t want to die,” he replied sedately, without the vehemence or conviction that Luka would have liked to have heard. “I just…sometimes being in danger doesn’t feel like a big deal. I don’t want to be dead, though.”

“You worry me,” Luka announced with a tired sigh, transforming the rest of the way and climbing out onto the bank beside Adrien.

Adrien watched him questioningly. “Uh…thanks?”

“Mmhm,” Luka replied, pulling his lyre out of the river. “You need to take better care of yourself. Lie down.”

Tentatively, Adrien did so, rolling over onto his side and gazing at Luka curiously.

“Take a nap,” Luka instructed, beginning to strum a calming melody. “I’ll keep watch and wake you in an hour.”

“…Thank you,” Adrien responded cautiously, not sure if he really trusted the kelpie, even if he did possess otherworldly beauty and made Adrien feel all kinds of things he’d never experienced before.

But then Luka started to sing, and all doubt and resistance fell away.

Peace and warmth washed over Adrien like gently lapping waves rising as the tide came in. His eyes slowly slipped closed, and he drifted off in minutes.

Luka kept playing for a while even after Adrien fell asleep.

He watched the young man completely helpless beside him, so tranquil and trusting. It would be so easy to drag him into the river and be done with it…but even though Luka had skipped breakfast, he didn’t really feel hungry as he gazed at Adrien.

He set his lyre aside and moved in closer, studying the contours of Adrien’s face, mentally tracing the lines of his eyes, his mouth, his nose, his cheek, and his jaw. He listened to the sound of Adrien breathing, took deep inhales of Adrien’s intoxicating scent.

When he was sure that Adrien was deep under the spell of slumber, he lay down next to the mortal and slowly inched forward until Adrien’s back pressed up against Luka’s front. Luka carefully wrapped his arm around Adrien and lightly rested his nose in Adrien’s messy blonde hair.

The combination of Adrien’s warmth, weight, and scent was indescribable, and Luka could easily see himself getting lost in this boy. He could barely contain a whinny of pleasure as Adrien shifted in his sleep, rolling over in Luka’s arms and pressing himself closer into Luka’s loose embrace.

Adrien sleepily blinked himself awake on his own about half an hour later, and Luka froze, fearing he’d overstepped his bounds. But Adrien smiled lazily, closing his eyes and setting his head back down on Luka’s chest, giving it a tired nuzzle.

“Are you going to drown me today?” he mumbled, the warmth of his breath sending shivers down Luka’s spine.

“Not today, Little Prince,” he somehow managed to find the presence of mind to reply.

“Okay. Good,” Adrien hummed, wrapping an arm around Luka and pulling him in tighter.

 Adrien kept coming back.

Not every day (not at first, anyway), but at least half of them.

They talked about various things: little, inconsequential tidbits from their days, the small moments that made up their lives. Over two months, it slowly added up until Luka was pretty sure that Adrien knew him about as well as anyone.

Adrien still asked every time if Luka planned on drowning him, and every time Luka gave a coy, evasive answer.

Adrien didn’t need to know that the thought of anything happening to Adrien made Luka feel physically ill and that the prospect of eating Adrien had long ago started to make Luka’s stomach roil.

[quickspinner]

Second Chance - Chapter 3 Making Time

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8

“You’re so gross,” Juleka muttered as she sat down next to Luka at the conference table.

“What?” he chuckled. 

“You have a ridiculous smile on your face and you’re humming.”

“So? I’m happy.”

“You have lipstick on your face.”

“Nice try,” Luka snorted. “I didn’t see her this morning. She’s really busy.” He leaned his head on his hand, the ridiculous smile returning as he doodled some music notes on his notebook.

“Oh, is she,” Juleka deadpanned. 

“Don’t be like that, Jule, we’ve both made time to see each other. I’ve got no complaints.” 

“That’s what you said last time. Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been getting up early to see her. You’re going to wear yourself out, Luka.”

“It’s the only time I have to see her without rearranging my whole schedule.” Luka sighed, throwing his pen down on the conference table. “This is why Rose is my favorite, she’d think it was romantic. What do you want from me, Juleka?”

“I want you to not make an idiot out of yourself and get your heart broken again,” Juleka snapped. “Also to quit cancelling things and rearranging the schedule before you really piss us all off.”

“I’m a big boy, I can take it,” Luka shot back. “Why are you such a pessimist? Everything’s going great. We’re both busy but that’s on me as much as her. We’re making it work. I’ve never asked you guys to move stuff around before and it won’t be for long, just until I can get everything balanced again—”

“Which will never happen if you don’t tell Lucille why you’ve become such a flake.”

“—And there’s no Adrien this time. I will tell Lucille, just...not yet.”

“How sure are you that she’s over him?” Juleka looked at him with genuine concern and he resisted the urge to tell her to mind her own business.

“She broke up with him two years ago before she left on her internship and she’s had boyfriends since then.”

“You’ve had girlfriends since you supposedly moved on too.”

“Yes, but Marinette and I never actually dated, it’s not the same.” Luka sighed through his nose, trying to decide how much was okay to tell her. Not that he really knew the details. “It’s not my place to talk about why they broke up, but I know it was final. She’s gotten closure that I never had.” Luka glanced at the door a little nervously. “Can we drop this before the others get here? Marinette’s never been dishonest with me and I trust her. What happened before, it was just...bad luck and bad timing. Let it go.”

Juleka opened her mouth but closed it again as the door opened and Luka’s assistant Lucille walked in with several nervous looking young men and a young woman who looked positively starstruck. They had every right to be nervous. Luka and Juleka were notoriously picky about what they permitted to carry the Couffaine name, even in the interests of charity, especially after that incident with Juleka’s former classmate. He tried to smile and put them at ease as he normally would, but his heart just wasn’t in it.

Luka felt guilty that he was having a hard time keeping his mind on the presentation. He jumped slightly as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, intending to turn it off, when he saw Marinette was calling him. He really ought to decline the call and call her back...

“I’m so sorry, excuse me just one minute,” he said, getting up from his chair, equally ignoring Lucille’s surprise and Juleka’s eyeroll. He stepped outside the room and answered the phone. “Hey, Marinette, what’s up?”

“Luka, I’m desperate for some peace and quiet before I lose my mind,” Marinette said, and he could hear the strain in her voice. “Do you know of a closet somewhere I can lock myself in that won’t have other people stampeding through constantly? I’ve tried everywhere I can think of and I just can’t seem to get away from—from people!”

“You can use my place,” he said immediately. “I’ll be out all day anyway. Make yourself at home.”

“But—“

“I’ll text you the address, and I’ll call the security desk and tell them to let you in. I won’t even be home until after seven at the earliest, so it’s no big deal.”

“I—but—Oh, thank you so much, Luka,” she said, and he could hear the tears.

“Marinette, baby, don’t cry,” he said soothingly, “I’m happy to do it. You should have called me before you got so stressed out about it. Don’t feel like you have to be gone before I get home, okay? Take as much time as you need. And maybe take a nap while you’re at it, there’s a guest bedroom down the hall on the right. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she sniffled. “I’ll be fine. I’m so sorry, I don’t know why I’m falling apart like this.”

“When was the last time you ate?” Luka asked. There was no answer. Luka rolled his eyes. “Have you at least had something to drink recently?”

“I had some coffee a couple of hours ago...” Marinette replied uncertainly.

Luka had to laugh, leaning against the wall and covering his mouth as he glanced at the door to the conference room.

“Hey! Quit laughing at me, Luka!” He could picture her pouting face.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just I’m usually on the other end of this conversation,” he chuckled. “Marinette, go find yourself something to eat, drink some water, and then go to my place and have a nap. Then you can get up and work in peace and quiet, okay? Juleka and Rose live across the hall, we have the whole top floor of the building to ourselves, so if you need anything, knock on their door. Juleka’s here with me but I think Rose is home today.” 

“You’re the best, Luka.”

“Anything for you, Marinette. Go take care of yourself so you can do your best work. My schedule’s packed today but I’ll check on you later if I can.” He hung up before she could protest, made a quick call to his building’s security team, and stepped back into the meeting, texting the address as he walked back to his seat. “I’m so sorry about that, what did I miss?”

When he got home that night it was almost eight, and the door opened on a smell that made his stomach growl. Marinette, he thought, and noted the papers strewn all over his living room as he went toward the kitchen. Sure enough, he found Marinette there, taking some kind of casserole out of the oven. 

“Wow, something smells amazing,” Luka said, stopping at the entrance. 

“Lasagna,” she said, smiling at him as she put the dish on the stove. “It reheats well, so I figured if you didn’t get home until later it would still be good, but your timing is perfect.”

“You’re supposed to be working on your presentation, not cooking for me,” he chided gently, folding his arms. 

“I did work, and I got more done in the last few hours than I have in the last week. Now I’m taking a break to make dinner for the man who saved me from a nervous breakdown. Where are your plates?”

“Was it really that bad?” he asked sympathetically, opening the appropriate cabinet and handing Marinette two plates. “You’re eating with me, right? It’d be cruel to make me eat alone.”

“If you insist.”

“I do.”

“It really was that bad,” she sighed as she served. “Alya’s been great to let me stay with her, but she works from the apartment too, and there’s so many phone calls and deliveries and people coming and going, and it’s even worse at the bakery. I’m used to crowded work environments, so I’m not really sure why I’m having such a hard time, but I just can’t concentrate at all. I was so blocked, I couldn’t get anything done on the presentation outline, none of the design sketches were working, and I have to get this all done by next week so that I can send it to the production line at Gabriel. I can’t miss that deadline or the clothes won’t be ready in time for the show, not to mention how totally unprofessional it would look. I really think I would have lost it if I hadn’t called you. What do you want to drink?”

“Just water’s fine. You would have found a solution, you always do, but I’m glad I could help. You’re always welcome here,” Luka said, retrieving silverware and napkins. He gestured to the small table under the kitchen window. “You mind eating in here? I hardly ever use the dining room and I think the table in there is covered in paperwork right now.” 

“It is, and this is fine.” Marinette put the plates down on the small table. “I didn’t realize rock stars had so much paperwork.”

“It’s endless,” Luka groaned as he sat down. “Sometimes I wonder what I pay my lawyers for. Some of it’s because Juleka and I wanted to keep some control over what’s being signed off on in our names. It’s worse right now because they save up all this stuff for when we’re not on tour. So right now we’re cutting tracks for the next album, ironing out places and dates for the next tour, dealing with all the crap that came up during the last tour, plus pitches for products and events people want us to endorse. It’s a lot but I just can’t bring myself to hand it all over to my manager. I trust her, but I don’t know, apparently under this laid-back rocker exterior, there’s a real control freak.” He took a bite. “Wow, Marinette, this is great.”

“I’m glad you like it. I guess it probably doesn’t help that your first experience was with Bob Roth,” Marinette said sympathetically. 

“Got it in one,” Luka grimaced. “That was definitely a learning experience and I don’t ever want to be in that position again. Anyway, from the looks of my living room, you made it through your block.” 

Marinette winced. “Sorry about that, I’ll clean it up before I leave.”

“Why don’t you just leave it?” Luka shrugged. “Use my place as long as you need to, I don’t mind. I really only need the bedroom and the studio - that’s the room through the double doors off the living room. I’ll show you the spare bedroom before you leave, you can set up whatever you need in there and leave it as long as you want. Just try not to wake me up if you get here before noon, I tend to work late and sleep late.” Luka winked at her, but Marinette looked uncertain. 

“That’s awfully generous, Luka, are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Luka bent backwards in his chair and reached one long arm out for the drawer at the end of the counter. He rummaged blindly in it until he felt what he wanted, and then knocked it closed again. He put a keyring on the table between them. “Here, so you can just come and go as you please. There might be press, though,” he warned her. “We’re lucky right now because they’ve all been too obsessed with the XY cheating scandal to pay any attention to me, but that story’s not going to last forever and eventually someone’s going to notice us. They’ll say all sorts of things if you’re coming and going at all hours.”

Marinette shrugged. “Oh well. I am trying to get in your pants, so they won’t be stretching the truth too much.”

Luka choked on his lasagna, and Marinette nearly did too as she snorted and laughed hysterically. 

“You are so evil,” he muttered when he could breathe again, face bright red as he drained his entire glass of water.

“One of has to be,” she replied impishly.

“Speaking of evil,” Luka said once he could breathe normally again, “I need to talk to you about Juleka.”

“Juleka?” Marinette echoed with some surprise.

“Yeah. She’s...not super happy that I’m seeing you.”

“Oh,” Marinette said, guilt flooding her face. “I guess that’s to be expected, you two were always pretty protective of each other.”

“Well, she doesn’t get a say in this,” he said, motioning between them. “At the same time…”

“I’ll talk to her,” Marinette nodded. “I should have before now, actually. She’s been my friend for longer than you, after all.”

“I would like it if you two could clear the air,” Luka admitted. “I’d like you to be friends again, But don’t feel like you have to put up with any crap from her either.” He rolled his eyes. “You’ll have to tell me all about her version of the intentions speech, I’m sure it’ll be entertaining.” 

Marinette giggled. “I bet.”

Luka smiled. “Thanks for understanding, Marinette.”

They finished dinner and cleaned up together while Luka told Marinette about his day, and then Marinette cleaned off a space on the sofa where they could sit, and showed Luka some of the designs she’d been working on. He put his arm around her waist and she cuddled up to his side. 

Marinette put the designs down and leaned into him. They sat quietly for a minute before Marinette spoke again. “Luka?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you play for me? Like you used to. Like we talked about before? Just you and me.”

“I’d love to.”

He got up and went to his music studio. Luka reached for his sleek, custom painted, professional quality instrument, and then paused. Walking past the stand, he rummaged around for a moment and found a battered old case that held worn but well cared for black and white guitar. He took it from the case and ran his hand over it affectionately. A quick test showed that it was still in good condition, though terribly out of tune. It didn’t take him long to get it back in shape. Luka carried the old guitar back out to the living room and sat back down on the couch next to Marinette. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, listening, then started to play. Her breath caught and her eyes closed, hand lifting to her heart just as it had all those years ago. 

“It’s different,” she observed.

“We’re different,” he answered softly. The song that flowed from her heart to his hands was richer, fuller, and his ear and his fingers were quicker, more experienced, letting him catch and render subtleties that had eluded him before. His eyes closed again and he lost himself in it. 

Marinette slid closer to him, slipping partially behind him to drape herself over his back, and rested her chin on his shoulder. He turned his face to nuzzle her cheek, still playing, and she put her arms around his neck delicately, careful not to impede the motion of his arms.

“Beautiful,” she murmured.

“It’s you.”

He felt her smile rather than saw it. “I didn’t actually mean the song. I mean you, the way you play. I love watching you perform, but when you play like this, it’s just...different. I can watch your hands and—I don’t know, I’m not explaining well.”

“No, I know what you mean,” Luka said, keeping his voice low as well, “It’s more intimate this way. I’m not up on a stage. I’m not trying to create a reaction, I’m just playing along with you. I’m focused on you and no one else. God, I missed this, you have no idea how good it feels. I feel like I’m charging a battery I didn’t know was empty.”

“You’ve been lonely,” Marinette said sympathetically.

“I guess I have.” He nuzzled her cheek again. “Thanks for reaching out to me, Marinette. I’m so glad you’re here.”

She turned her face and kissed him, lightly at first but it lit an unexpected fire in him and he kissed her back fiercely, guitar strings twanging inelegantly as his focus abruptly shifted. Marinette laid her hand over his on the frets, stilling the fractured song. Her fingers slid over his knuckles as she moved to push the guitar lightly away. Luka obeyed the unspoken request, laying the guitar aside and turning more fully towards her, burying his fingers in her hair, tracing her jaw with his thumb.

“Luka,” she breathed just as he kissed her, and oh, he could drink his name from her lips forever—

I could drink my name from your lips forever...

He tried, he really did, to ignore the music suddenly swelling in him, to put it away for later, but he couldn’t. With a slight whine in the back of his throat, he broke away from Marinette. “Sorry, I’m sorry, just a minute, I need—“ he turned and caught up a colored pencil she had left on the coffee table and flipped over the nearest drawing, scribbling on the back of the page.

“Luka, what are you doing?” Marinette cried. “I need that.”

“I’ll make a copy, I just need—“ he broke off, too distracted to finish as he counted beats in his head. Dimly he was aware of Marinette’s frustrated huff, and then of her resigned sigh as her warmth and weight settled against his side. 

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.

“No! No, I just, I gotta get this down, it won’t take long I promise.”

Marinette giggled, and kissed his cheek. “Sure it won’t. Look, I’m going to head on back to Alya’s and get some sleep. Just don’t mess up any more of my sketches, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, um, there’s a notebook in the drawer of the end table there, can you grab it for me?” Luka drummed a rhythm pattern on his knee with his fingers, lips moving silently. 

“I’ll definitely be back in the morning,” Marinette said as she slipped the notebook under his hand, “but I’ll remember what you said about waking you up. Give me that please, those are expensive.” She tugged her colored pencil out of his hand and replaced it with the pen that had been in the notebook coil.”

“Sorry,” he tore himself out of the music long enough to look up and meet her kiss. “I’m really sorry about this, Marinette, I’ll—“

“Don’t say you’ll make it up to me,” she said sharply, and he blinked. She sighed and bent to kiss him again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. We’ll talk about it later, but I promise I understand. Thanks for helping me out today. Hopefully I’ll see you before you have to leave in the morning. Good night, Luka.”

“Do you want me to call you a car?”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Don’t get up, I’ll see myself out. Make your music, rock star.”

“Right,” he said, looking back down at the paper, already getting sucked back in. “Text and let me know you got home safe."

“I will. See you tomorrow, Luka.”

“I can’t believe this,” he sighed as the door shut behind her, raking his fingers through his hair. At the same time, he smiled at the paper in front of him. “This better be good,” he muttered, reaching for his guitar.

[hydemeincradle]

Far Away - Chapter 2 - Seth Megafic

Chapter 1 can be found here: https://hydemeincradle.tumblr.com/post/189297644524/far-away-chapter-1-seth-megafic

Wordcount: 2296 Notes: Took a bit longer than I planned to get chapter 2 up, I had to do a lot of rewriting oops. Forever grateful to @stupidoafofspades for helping me in so many ways <3

Chapter 2: I’m Fine

The sun had set hours ago, leaving the rising moon to illuminate the room. I’d tried to sleep curled up on the sofa Oliver had awkwardly made as a bed, his small arms had struggled to put things in place and he was adamant I wasn’t to help. My mind whirred and refused to give in, repeating the memories of earlier over and over. The shock of it all had left a searing pain in its wake; my whole body screamed and ached with every movement, and I’d spent the last hour crying into a pillow.  

My arm had stopped bleeding at some point, I’d bled through one of Blanc’s towels and had started on the second. It now lay awkwardly on the arm of the sofa in the only position I could find remotely comfortable. I didn’t want to touch it in fear of restarting the bleeding, and hadn’t even been brave enough to look. Oliver had been the one to change the towel, all the while grumbling and insulting me.

Voices came from the hallway, I tried to pay attention but I couldn’t focus on anything. The tiredness and exhaustion pulled at every fibre of my body.

“Oh Maya,” Blanc called, rushing into the room. “I am so glad to see you safe. When I heard the explosion I feared the worst.”

“Come on Blanc, let me through already.” Kyle bustled in from behind already fumbling in his bag. “I’m low on supplies, but I’ll do my best.”

“Wait, how did you—”

“As I was out there Seth pretty much cornered me, making sure I came here to check on you.” Kyle chuckled. “He can be really scary at times.”

Kyle wasted no time and knelt on the floor, examining my arm. Bandages, tape, and scissors were laid out on the seat next to me and he smiled, seemingly laid back and relaxed.

“How is it out there?” I asked, avoiding looking at what Kyle was going to do.

“Oh, well, we’re doing our best. Magic is messy business, but you don’t need to worry. I can promise you some of the best doctors are out there now. My father is one of them. Now let’s see.” Kyle continued to smile as I could feel the towel pulling away from my skin. “It’s stopped bleeding which is good. I’m not going to prod it too much. Hey Blanc, could you get a cloth and some water please?”

Blanc nodded. “Yes, of course.”

As we waited, Kyle poked and moved my arm then nodded. “I don’t think it’s broken, but I won’t be surprised if it’s all bruised and tender tomorrow. I also want you to rest up as much as you can. It’s not just the physical fatigue you have to worry for.”

Blanc bustled in with a bunch of cloths and a small bowl. “I do hope this is enough Kyle, I wasn’t sure how much you needed.”

Kyle set to work washing my arm and I stared at the bowl as the water turned darker. It all seemed surreal, the explosion, the pain, and now the absurd feeling of sitting around doing nothing. I wanted to help those hurt, support them in any way I could. I needed to head back to the headquarters.

Yawning, I buried deeper into Seth’s jacket. I hoped wherever he was right now, that he was safe. That was another reason to get back when I could. I needed to thank him.  

“Nearly done,” Kyle said wrapping my arm in a soft bandage. “You should take this off in the morning and let it breathe, but for now, let’s keep it safe. Come back to me if it doesn’t feel right, or hurts more. And don’t overdo it. Doctor’s orders.”

“Yes Maya,” Blanc added. “Please take care of yourself, I know you work so hard already, but you need to rest too. Don’t worry, we’ll figure out what has gone on. I would hate a lovely lady like you to be scared. You are always welcome here if you need it.”

I thanked them and glanced down at my arm wondering how today had ended up here. I knew it was a risk going out with the army each time, and I had accepted that a long time ago. Bruises, bumps, and unsightly cuts were common, but not like this. However it was time to focus on something else, I couldn’t let myself get caught up in the confusion and sadness.

Kyle quickly hurried his belongings back in the bag, letting out a yawn. “I am heading over to the Black Army headquarters now, I want to give my report on the casualties in person. You can come with me if you like, if you don’t feel safe going out there alone.”

“You should go with him Maya,” Blanc urged with a soft smile. “Go home and rest up in a nice comfy bed.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go with you.” I slowly clambered to my feet, stopping to slip my bandaged arm into Seth’s jacket, I wasn’t going anywhere without it. As I smoothed down the material, my stomach growled loud. “Oh, oops.”

Kyle smirked and ushered me to the door. “I’ll add eating to my doctor’s orders. Go and get yourself fed.”

I could feel my cheeks burning so I hurried through the house towards the front door.

“Try not to be a clumsy goofball on the way back,” Oliver called from the dining room table. He sat with another cup of tea, his long legs crossed, and a frown on his face. “If that’s even possible for you.”

Smiling, I called back to him, “I’ll try.”

Oliver had the strangest way of showing he cared, but I knew deep down he did. I hadn’t missed the fact he’d spent most of the evening walking in and out from his workshop to the kitchen, subtly checking up on me. When I’d called for his help he’d been there in an instant, unfazed by the bleeding and my tear streaked face.

I followed after Kyle waving to Blanc as we head out into the night. The air still felt dusty and I scanned around to see the devastation. Moonlight hit the remnants of broken buildings and bloodstains.  

Kyle stopped, looking towards to me. “I know. I never like any of this, I hate people being hurt.”

The angry part of my mind couldn’t help but think: and yet your king ordered this?

I should be scared of Kyle, after all he was part of the Red Army, he was our enemy; but he’d always been nice to me. And even now he was smiling, trying to help. I took a deep breath and glanced away from all the destruction, making my feet go onwards.

Together we made our way through a cleared path of rubble towards the Black Bridge, I knew the way well, on the corner of the street was a cafe which sold the best pastries. The bold blue sign which adorned the shop front now lay on the ground, damaged and discarded.

“We can catch a carriage from over the bridge, for now they’ve closed off all of the Central Quarter. I hope your legs are up for the walk.”

“Mmm,” was the only response I could muster.

I held onto Seth’s jacket tighter, wishing that he was here right now. Just his presence was calming and made me feel safe. Kyle was trying his best, but I barely knew him.

“Let me know if you need to stop, I know you are eager to get back but my priority is looking after you. Don’t push yourself.”

“I’m fine,” I lied. “Just tired. I want my bed. I want to know Seth and Fenrir are safe.” I’d left my room this morning raring to go with so much hope. Seth had tied my hair and we’d laughed as we’d joked about ribbons. I sighed. Where was Seth? I still wanted him close and to thank him for everything he’d done. I’d been so scared. And now I was worried for him.

I smiled as the Black Bridge came into view, undamaged, and two carriages waiting with their drivers looking out the top. Home was close now. My steps quickened as I hopped in the carriage, settling down on the familiar green seats. Inside here I could easily pretend nothing had happened and it was just a simple ride back to headquarters after a trip out… All I needed to do was forget the pain throbbing in my arm or not look out the window… or pretend Seth’s jacket wasn’t wrapped around my shoulders.

Kyle settled in the opposite seat and pulled the curtain shut. “You can take a nap if you’d like. I don’t mind. I’ll wake you when we get close.”

I wanted to, my body ached to finally sleep, but I didn’t want to miss anything. What if Seth was travelling back right now without a carriage. I couldn’t risk missing him. Reaching to the curtain I pulled it open again and leant my head against the glass.

“No, I’m fine.”

Kyle stared at me for a moment and shrugged. “If that’s what you want.” He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. “You are allowed to not be fine.”

Tears pricked at my eyes, but I still kept staring out the window. I didn’t answer Kyle, I was fine. I was going to be fine.

The road back was plain and uneventful, just as I wanted it. It felt like any other night. And as the carriage pulled into the headquarters, finally coming to a stop, I was ready to jump out and go find my friends.

I paused as the carriage door opened, the courtyard was empty, most of the lights were off, and everything was far too quiet. Gathering his bag, Kyle followed me out and glanced around.

“Something wrong?”

“It doesn’t feel right,” I mumbled and started towards the main door.

Inside was just as quiet, and I found a knot forming in my stomach. Normally it was busy, voices would be calling out from the many rooms, laughter, singing, the occasional shout – especially if Seth and arm wrestling was involved.

Seth.

I needed to go to the office first, Ray had been holed up in his office for the past few days working on strategy with Sirius. I’d come back to them slumped asleep in the chair and over the table exhausted more than a few times. I led Kyle down the long hallways and up the stairs, our footsteps muffled on the rug.

“Here’s the office,” I said raising my hand to knock as the door swung open.

“Maya? You’re back.”

Luka stood wide eyed staring at me, glancing back to Kyle for a moment.

“I’ve come to help,” Kyle said peering past the door inside. “Is Ray in there? I want to give a report on those I have treated.”

“Come in,” came Sirius’ voice, “both of you.”

Luka stepped aside as we entered and I smiled, it was good to see their faces again. I frowned as I realised it was just the three of them.

“I’m glad to see you well Maya,” Ray said from his desk. “We were worried.” He lifted his hand as I opened my mouth and grimaced. “I know what you’re going to say. Fenrir is safe, although we think he has a concussion so he’s resting right now. Kyle, if you would take a look—”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Kyle pulled out a few sheets of paper from his bag and passed them over. “These are all the people treated, injuries, and what has been ordered as treatment. Considering the damage, a lot of people made it out with few injuries. I heard some didn’t make it, my condolences.”

I gasped. “They—”

“And Maya?” Ray looked to me with a frown.

“Arm injury, I’ve asked her to rest it and take care, but she seems tough enough.”

Sirius ruffled my hair and smiled. “Of course you are, that’s why you were out there to begin with. Considering you have his jacket, is Seth with you? He’s not been back yet.”

“What?” I froze. “But he said he was going to help so I thought...”

In my mind his blood stained face flashed up and the knot in my stomach tightened. What if he pushed too far, what if he was in trouble?

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sirius soothed. “He’s probably on his way back now just like you.”

I breathed a little. There was a lack of carriages, and the Central Quarter had been difficult to manoeuvrer without the help of the cleared path. If he’d been elsewhere maybe it was harder to get out.

“You look exhausted,” he continued. “Make sure you rest up too.”

How was I supposed to rest knowing what had gone on? That we’d lost people to this horrible explosion. That Seth was still out there somewhere.

“Go on,” Ray said with a soft smile. “If it helps, I’ll send Seth to come wake you when he gets back.”

“Yes please.”

Luka nodded from his silent post by the door. “There is some stew downstairs if you haven’t eaten. It’ll still be warm.”

The thought of food made my stomach grumble, I didn’t even know when I had last eaten.

Their worried faces said everything, and I conceded, nodding. “Make sure you all rest too. In your beds, not here in the office on the table again.”

Weariness stole over me as I left them and headed to the kitchen. I would at least try to have something small before climbing in my bed.

[momwifeeducator]

The Worst Part of Parenting

November 2014

There is nothing that stops a mother’s heart like the moment she realizes her child is sick.  Take yesterday for example.  The day started off uneventfully.  I was on day four of my bad cold; finally starting to cough less and feel better.  The boys were running around playing with presents from Christmas.  Then Lukas woke up from his nap burning up with a fever.  Suddenly my heart tightened and a pit of dread formed in my stomach.  I may have felt terrible for the past few days, but I’d gladly be sick a few more if it meant my child could be spared.

Now, to be honest, I should probably have a few of my friends co-authoring this blog with me, because I’ve been lucky enough to have very healthy children. Both boys are rarely sick (knock on wood) with the occasional runny nose thrown in every so often.  I’ve heard the horror stories from friends of times their children were rushed to the emergency room with seizures, needing IVs, operations, and days of medical care.  And every time I hear such a tale, my heart stops and I wonder, “How did she do it?  What if that child in the hospital were mine?”  And every time I can barely stomach the thought.

It’s truly amazing to me how life comes to a sudden halt when your child is sick.  From the moment I felt Luke’s forehead, I knew he had a fever.  The thermometer confirmed what I already knew to be true; 102 degrees.  I don’t even remember what we were doing at that moment at home.  All that mattered was getting him into a lukewarm bath, lightweight jammies, and some medicine.  The instructions my mom used to tell me played in my head.  Drink lots of fluids.  Get plenty of rest.  Lukas still had a bit of an appetite, so he slowly ate some dinner, I gave him a nice bath, and I tucked him in to bed with some medicine.  I prayed the night would be uneventful.  Please, God, let him sleep.  Please, God, don’t let this be the stomach flu.  Please, let Lukas get better.

He woke up once, just because his diaper had leaked and he wet through his jammies.  I changed him, cleaned him up, gave him some juice, and tucked him back in bed.  I didn’t hear from Lukas again until about 6:30 in the morning, when he climbed into bed with Michael and I and proceeded to fall back asleep for an hour.  He was still very warm.  Worse, this morning he didn’t have an appetite or any energy; he just wanted to lay on the couch and watch his favorite TV show.  I was a nervous all morning.  I wanted to make him better; but clearly, there is only so much a mom can do.  Michael went to Walgreens to get more medicine for Luke’s fever.  I’m usually not a big fan of taking medicine, but when my kids are sick, I’m desperate for anything to make them feel better.

It was hard for me to leave Luke’s side all morning.  If he was resting on the couch, I was sitting next to him.  If he wanted to cuddle or needed more juice, I willingly obliged.  I didn’t care that all he wanted to eat was a pack of fruit snacks and apple juice – I just needed him to stay hydrated.  He had another bath in the morning, followed by two naps.  I felt all shaken up because two of my friends had children who recently had high fevers with seizures.  I was desperately hoping this wouldn’t also happen to Lukas.

I finally felt a small sense of relief after lunch, about 24 hours since Lukas first felt hot.  I took his temp again, because he felt a bit cooler, and the thermometer read 99.6.  The knot in my stomach started to unwind.  Not out of the woods, but moving in the right direction. 

JYWABPCWWWWWWWWWZZZZZZZFGBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBDIIUUUUUUU7LLLLLLLLHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGDDDDD5555AA (Lukas just typed this part on my lap; clearly he is feeling better now.)

This evening, though still a bit warm, we saw Lukas become Lukas again.  He ate dinner, played with Jack, and started talking and laughing again.  This was a far cry from my lethargic little boy from the couch this morning.  Tonight, when I tucked Lukas in bed with his juice, I gave him a kiss, and wished him sweet dreams, just like every night.  I truly hope one more night’s sleep is enough to do the trick and make him as good as new.

So I got to thinking about the no-so-fun parts of parenting.  Trust me, there are several, however, I think the worst part is when my child is hurting or sick and I can’t fix it.  My life stops.  All that matters is that this little person (probably the same one who was driving me absolutely nuts a few hours before) gets better.  I wonder if that feeling ever goes away.  I wonder if your kids get older and you get less worried about them when they are sick.  I’m sure there are different worries that take over.  I wonder if my mom still worries when I call her and tell her I’m sick with a terrible cold. 

One day I’ll look back on today (probably from a room in the emergency room with a kid with a broken bone) and I’ll wish it were as easy as a little fever.  And I’m sure my heart will stop and that knot in my stomach will be back and until my baby is better, life will completely stop.  Days like today remind me to appreciate all the good days we have.  Next time the boys are shouting and running and throwing balls in the air, I’ll remind myself that it could be worse.  To be honest, right now as Lukas sleeps, I’m still a little worried.  I won’t feel 100% until the morning and only if Lukas is cool and eating and back to his normal self.  I know I am lucky.  I know this fever could have turned into something worse and I’m so grateful it didn’t.  My friends and their kids weren’t as lucky.  When I think how worried I was with my little sicky, I think about the other moms who had to rush to emergency rooms with their little ones.  I have some of the strongest mommy friends in the world and I hope, one day when I’m in their situation, I will be just as strong.