Miraculous Ladybug

[DramaQueen]

GUYS THE FANFIC IS COMING IT'S ACTUALLY TURNING OUT SO GOOD I'M AN EVIL GENIUS

MWAHAHAHA BOW BEFORE ME

Edited October 24, 2020 by DramaQueen
4 pages!!! Woohoo!!!

[Condensation]

28 minutes ago, DramaQueen said:

GUYS THE FANFIC IS COMING IT'S ACTUALLY TURNING OUT SO GOOD I'M AN EVIL GENIUS

MWAHAHAHA BOW BEFORE ME

Yes! Woo hoo!

[Gak]

if you an evil genius, then why is it good?

[theTruthshaper]

2 hours ago, gak said:

if you an evil genius, then why is it good?

Didja have to remind us of her?

It's early, too early!

It'll always be too early,

Edited December 2, 2020 by Ookla of Truthshapers

[Condensation]

QUEEN, WE MISS YOU!!! Come back and post that fanfic, okay?

[DramaQueen]

Spoiler

Chapter 1: Melody

Luka stopped his bike at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, leaning it against the wall and hanging his helmet on the handlebars. As he walked in, he moved his guitar in front of him from where it hung on his back, pulling a pick out and mindlessly strumming a nonsensical tune. Marinette was nowhere to be seen, but her parents were behind the counter.

“Hey, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng. Is Marinette here?”
Sabine smiled at him. “Hello, Luka! Yes, she’s just upstairs, I’ll go grab her. Be right back!” With that, she was gone, leaving Luka alone with Marinette’s father.

Tom was a large man, but he really wasn’t scary. That is, unless you were in love with his daughter. Ever since he had become Akumatized to protect Marinette’s heart, Luka had been terrified of the impression he was making on the man. Luckily, they weren’t alone for long.

“Oh! Luka! What are you doing here?”

Luka couldn’t hold back a smile as he turned and saw Marinette, as beautiful as ever.

“I’ve added a lot to your melody. Just thought you might want to hear it.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh, really? I mean, I’d love to hear it!”

Luka smiled again. “C’mon,” he jerked his head toward the door. “I’ll play it for you while we walk.”

They walked out the door, leaving Luka’s bike by the shop. He breathed in, checked that his guitar was in tune, adjusted a few strings, and began to play. Music had always been his passion, but no song meant quite as much to him as this one did. It was the most important thing in the world to him that he got Marinette’s melody right. 

As he played, he noticed that Marinette was smiling and swaying as he played, the same way she had when he played his first draft of the song for her. Smiling at the memory, he moved into the newest part; the part he was so proud of. He heard Marinette gasp as the notes flew up and down, crescendoing as the rhythm sped up, then decrescendoing as it slowed.

He began the closing notes, frowning at...something. Something seemed off. If he could just put his finger on it… He let out a sigh as the song ended. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Marinette squeaked. “That was beautiful!”

“Yes, it was. But it still failed to capture your beauty.” He smiled. “Don’t worry; I’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

~*****~

Alya typed a quick message to Marinette. Girl, you coming? The whole group was planning on getting together at Alya’s house to hang out, and Marinette was one of the only people who wasn’t there.

“You texted Adrien, right?” She asked Nino, who sat next to her.

“Yes, Alya.” His phone buzzed. “Oh! He replied!” Nino’s face fell as he read the message. “His dad’s making him practice the piano for another hour. Apparently, he wasn’t working hard enough before.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Adrien probably held one note out too long…” He shook his head.

That’s right, Luka thought, Adrien plays the piano. That felt important to him for some reason, though he couldn’t place it. He shrugged it off. No use wasting time trying to figure out mysteries he couldn’t solve. Well, except for the mystery of Marinette’s melody. It was still evading him.

“Marinette won’t be too happy about that.” Alya sighed. “She was really looking forward to seeing him here.” 

The door swung open, revealing a very out-of-breath Marinette. “Sorry I’m late! The first batch of cookies burned; I was too busy getting ready. Just my luck, I try to multitask to get somewhere on time and end up making myself even later.” She set the plate of cookies down, looking around. “Where’s Adrien?”

“He can’t come.”

Marinette’s face fell at Alya’s words. “Oh. Why not?”

This time Nino answered. “Piano.”

“Oh…” She forced a smile onto her face, sitting down by Luka. “That’s alright! Maybe we can drop some treats off at his house later!”

The get-together did end up being a lot of fun. They ate Marinette’s cookies, baked more cookies, took some to Adrien’s house, though they weren’t able to see him, watched a movie, and played some games.

“Hey, Marinette.” Luka said as they were getting ready to leave. 

She turned towards him. “Hm?”

“Have you got anything tomorrow?”

“Not much, why?”

“I’d just like to spend more time with you. Y’know, to figure out your melody.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh! Um, I think tomorrow would work. I’ll let you know as soon as I ask my parents.”

“Sounds good. See you then.” He gave a small smile, then walked out the door.

~*****~

The next day, Luka met up with Marinette in the park.

“Where’s your guitar?” she asked, looking confused.

“Oh, I don’t need it. I can hear the music even when I can’t play it.” He hummed as if in demonstration, then teasingly held out an arm. “Are you ready, milady?” Her look of shock at this statement didn’t escape his notice. “What?”

Marinette shook her head. “Nothing. You just...reminded me of someone. Sorry.” She took his arm with a smile.

Still concerned, Luka decided to let it be for now. “No one bad, I hope.” 

“No. You would never remind me of someone bad. You’re too wonderful for that.”

As they walked, Luka mostly just let Marinette talk. Somewhere along the way, they had given up the arm-holding, just walking side by side. Luka longed to take Marinette’s hand, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that. She was still completely hung up on Adrien, and Luka didn’t want to get in the way. No, he did want to get in the way. Adrien didn’t deserve the feelings she had for him. But he really didn’t want to make Marinette more confused than she was.

After almost half an hour of walking, they came to Andre’s ice cream stand. Luka paid, receiving a pink and dark blue cone, while Marinette’s was peach and green. Luka inwardly sighed. Still Adrien. 

They began walking back to the park, and Marinette asked, “So, come to any realizations about my melody?”

“Well, not really. But hopefully something will help.” Luka glanced at Marinette, who didn’t seem to have heard. He followed her gaze to the park ahead. Oh. There was a photoshoot, and of course Adrien was a part of it. It got worse. As they neared, Luka noticed the girl who had gone ice skating with them a while ago. What was her name...Kalani? No, Kagami. There were assistants flittering around her, making it clear that she was also modeling, not just there to watch. Luka could practically feel Marinette sagging in disappointment beside him. He guided her away from the park, toward the bakery.

It was odd how quickly she could go from talking quickly and animatedly to saying nothing at all. A guitar could do that, in a way, but not while continuing the song. It was also something that shouldn’t be shown separate from the other part. They were two very different traits, but they were also both Marinette. Maybe my problem isn’t the melody itself, but the instrument I’m using.

They reached the shop, and Marinette turned to Luka, an apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry about that.”

“Why? It wasn’t your fault he was there.”

“I know,” Marinette looked down, “but it was my fault that I let it affect me that much.”

Luka shook his head. “Nah, that’s just a part of you. Y’know, I think I did come to a realization about your melody. I just have to figure it out a bit more.”

Marinette brightened. “I’ll look forward to hearing it, then!”

~*****~

Later that evening, Luka threw his arms and head down on the keyboard. A piano would have been preferable, but he’d have to make do with what they had on the houseboat. He was mad at himself for two reasons: First, he was upset at how long it had taken him to realize how well a piano fit Marinette. She sometimes seemed to be trying to be two people at the same time, and a piano, as it was usually played with two hands, could perfectly display that. 

His second issue was at his ineptitude at playing the piano. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the notes to flow the right way. He tried thinking of Marinette’s quiet shyness, as well as her klutzy spunk, then tried to combine the two. It wouldn’t sound right to him. The magic of the piano seemed to be evading him even more than the melody itself was!

He began again, starting in the key of G Major, tediously picking out notes, then stringing them together. It sounded okay, but he knew it would sound a lot better if he could actually play the piano.

Adrien can play the piano. For some reason, that thought kept returning to him, but he pushed it out the same way he had the first few times. As if Adrien knows Marinette well enough to write her melody! 

At that thought, Luka came up with yet another quality Marinette shared with a piano. It seemed Adrien Agreste was playing both.

He dove into the song again, his anger at Adrien fueling the passion behind it. How dare he have her love, yet not even care or notice when she’s upset! How dare he spend so much time with that Kagami girl, when Marinette would do anything to be in her shoes! Luka fought this jealousy daily, but there was something invigorating about facing it head-on, playing an instrument he didn’t know. The melody was still wrong, completely wrong, but Luka kept playing, letting the anger flow through his fingers as they flew across the keys of the instrument of his rival.

Finally, he stopped, breathing heavily, his mind more clear than before. He sat back, allowing himself to consider alternatives. There was absolutely no way that he could learn to play the piano well enough in time for him to give Marinette the melody when he wanted to. He had to admit that Adrien was a nice enough guy. He had offered to help Marinette up when she fell while ice skating, then had gone after her when she ran off. It was clear that, even if he didn’t return her feelings, he did care for her as a friend. He couldn’t be blamed for his emotions.

Adrien can play the piano. This time, Luka didn’t push the thought away. Letting out a sigh, he stood up, going to Juleka’s door.

“Hey, Jules?”

“Yeah?”

“You know that Adrien guy in your class?”

“Yeah.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have his phone number or email, would you?”

“How come?” The door swung open. “You got a crush?” At Luka’s dry glare, Juleka sighed, pulling out her phone. “Just a sec, lemme ask Rose. You know I don’t know these things.” 

She sent the message to Rose, who responded almost immediately with both a phone number and an email address. Juleka forwarded the message to Luka, who headed back to the keyboard after thanking her. 

He spent only a moment deciding whether to text or email Adrien. Email. It’s less personal. However, he spent nearly an hour drafting the email itself. This was about something more important to him than anything else. A casual message wouldn’t cut it. Finally, after looking over the message for the hundredth time, Luka hit send.

~*****~

Adrien was about to leave his room when his phone pinged. Probably Nino, asking if I can hang out, he thought with a smile. And for once, I can. To his surprise, though, it was an email from an address he didn’t recognize. Frowning, he walked back to his bed, sat down, and opened it.

Hey, Adrien. This is Luka.

You’re probably wondering why I’m messaging you, and honestly, I am too. We don’t know each other very well, and the only times we’ve hung out, we hardly interacted. But I don’t really know anyone else who could help me out with this.

See, I’ve been trying to define Marinette with a song, if that makes sense. I tend to express myself completely through music, and I want to be able to portray how I view her through music as well. But the problem is, I have the wrong instrument for her. She’s so much more like a piano than a guitar, the way she sometimes seems like two different people, the way she can feel loud and quiet and everything in-between, graceful at times and a complete klutz at others. I can’t play the piano well, but you can.

So, I was wondering if you’d be willing to try to compose Marinette’s melody. Not for me; for her. I’ll attach some recordings of my attempts on both guitar and piano. If you’d rather not, just let me know; I completely understand that this is a weird request. But if you would, I know she’d appreciate it.

Thanks,

Luka.

Adrien read over the email another few times. Marinette’s melody...huh. I hadn’t realized she and Luka were close enough that he’d write a song for her. He listened to the attached recordings, surprised to find that he could hear Marinette in them. Luka was right, piano did suit her better, but the piano recordings were obviously less skilled than the guitar ones.

He stood up, walking over to the piano. He finally had free time, but now he was so intrigued by Marinette’s melody that he didn’t want to do anything else. He began slowly, initially just adding to Luka’s framework, but gradually began adding his own impressions of Marinette into the song.

He had once told her that she was their “everyday Ladybug,” and he had meant it. So, he allowed himself to put a bit of Ladybug into the song. He closed his eyes, remembering when he and Marinette had first become friends, when he had given her his umbrella. That memory needed a quieter tone, something steady, with lighter notes over top.

Adrien’s fingers moved, allowing the Ladybug tune to slip into the left hand, bringing out the rain pitter-pattering, their voices conversing over top of it all. That felt...right. Balanced. There was still something wrong, though.

He frowned as he played around with the rhythm. Not anything too drastic; Marinette wasn’t completely weird, just unique in a wonderful way. There was no one else like her. Adrien thought of the clumsiness that Luka had mentioned in his email, allowing that to bleed into the rhythm. In this, she was nothing like Ladybug, with poise and elegance. Although...when they first met, Ladybug had described herself as “madly clumsy…”

Adrien shook himself out of the thoughts of Ladybug, focusing. This is for Marinette, he told himself. Can’t you just think about a different girl for once? 

He kept working on the melody for a full hour until he was fairly happy with it. He was particularly proud of the way the song ended. It was clearly the end of the song, but it also left the listener half expecting more. Adrien had made that decision to make it clear that Marinette’s song wasn’t truly over yet.

He recorded himself playing it, then sent it to Luka, feeling a wave of guilt as he realized he hadn’t responded until then. Oh, well, he thought, maybe he’ll understand that the music took me away. Adrien smiled. It had been a while since that had happened.

~*****~

Luka paced back and forth, his hands shoved into his pockets. It had been more than an hour and Adrien still hadn’t responded. Was he really that busy? Or was he just ignoring Luka’s request?

His phone buzzed. Finally. He’d better have a decent excuse. In Adrien’s reply was a single recording. Before Luka could click on it, another reply showed up.

Just a rough draft. I’ll work on it more as soon as I can.

Shocked that he had actually done it right then and there, Luka listened to the song. It was perfect. He could hear remnants of his original ideas, but the tunes and rhythms Adrien had added to it fit flawlessly with not only the rest of the song, but also with Marinette. 

Grudgingly, Luka admitted that he’d apparently misjudged how well Adrien knew her. He quickly typed a response:

Don’t bother working on it more. It’s perfect.

Adrien’s reply came instantaneously this time:

Thanks, but it’s far from that. Don’t worry; it will be.

~*****~

For the next week, Adrien quickly finished everything his father required, then worked on Marinette’s melody. He sent every draft to Luka at the end of a session, and every draft was “perfect,” according to Luka. Adrien didn’t stop working on it, though. He’d listen to his recordings and feel as though something was still missing, despite the fact that he couldn’t possibly believe that he’d forgotten something. This song was the pure essence of Marinette, he couldn’t afford to believe that he’d forgotten something. He found that he was distracted by the melody everywhere he went. He’d hum during class, drawing stares from Nino. He’d get an idea in the middle of an akuma fight, nearly getting himself killed and getting seemingly endless lectures from Ladybug. The song was distracting him from Ladybug. He was usually hanging on her every word when he was near her, but she often had to repeat her ideas to him before he understood what she was saying. Because…because of Marinette.

During one of his playing sessions, Plagg perched on the piano, gnawing a small triangle of Camembert. “All this for a girl you still say is ‘just a friend’?”

“Yes, Plagg,” Adrien answered, annoyed at the interruption. 

“It just doesn’t seem like a very ‘just a friend’ kind of thing to me.” Plagg smirked, then flew away before Adrien could respond.

She is just a friend…right? Adrien shook his head, clearing it, then tried to focus on the song again, to no avail. He flopped on his bed, groaning. He’d figured this out before! He’d chosen Ladybug. He wasn’t even sure what Marinette thought about him. She just seemed so…uncomfortable around him. She’d confessed to being in love with Chat Noir once, which had surprised him, but she acted very differently around him as Chat than she did when he was Adrien. She was more comfortable, and Adrien found himself growing…jealous? Of himself?

Emotions are the worst, he thought. They never make sense. 

After a short time of wallowing in confusion and despair, Adrien managed to get up and record his most recent version of the melody. It wasn’t quite right, but it would have to do. He sent it to Luka, and scoffed at the reply:

Perfect.

It was the same response as the last six drafts, but Adrien let himself--mostly--believe it this time. 

You can send it to her now.

~*****~

Luka glanced down at his phone, feeling a rush of excitement at Adrien’s reply. He forced himself not to ride his bike to Marinette’s house immediately, responding to Adrien instead.

I’m sure it sounds even better live. I can get a piano to the park, how soon can you be there?

Adrien’s reply came just a few minutes later.

I can be there now.

Luka smiled, climbing onto his bike and riding to the high school. There, he asked the music teacher, an old friend of his, if he could borrow the piano. It might have been an odd request, but soon the piano was safely set in the middle of the park, Adrien sitting on the bench in front of it.

Starting to get exhausted, Luka rode to the bakery, picking up Marinette, who climbed on the bike behind him nervously, but excitedly. Luka smiled, thinking of how excited she’d be when they got there. Finally, they arrived. Marinette gasped as she nearly fell off the bike. She stared at Adrien sitting at the piano for a moment, then turned back to Luka, her mouth wide.

“Wh--why is Adrien here?”

Luka smiled. “The guitar doesn’t represent you well enough, and I certainly can’t play the piano nearly as well as I can play guitar. Adrien, though…he can. So, I asked him if he would write your melody, and he agreed.” He began leading Marinette to a chair. “C’mon, it’s time for you to hear what you sound like to me.” He hesitated for a moment before finishing. “And to Adrien.”

~*****~

Marinette sat down, almost trembling with excitement and joy. Luka sat next to her, but she couldn’t pay much attention to him anymore. Adrien Agreste had written her melody for her. He had spent time doing something just for her! And, according to Luka, she sounded about the same to both him and Adrien. Luka had confessed his feelings for her. Could that mean that Adrien felt the same way?

She shoved the thought away. She couldn’t let herself get her hopes up again. For now, it would be enough that Adrien at least cared enough for her as a friend to write her a song. 

Adrien turned on the piano bench to look at her, smiling. “You ready?” he asked.

Marinette nodded, not trusting herself to speak, bubbling over with excitement and anticipation.

~*****~

Adrien took a deep breath as he turned back to the piano. He had played this song countless times, he knew what to play and when to play it. The only difference was that this time, he was playing it for Marinette. She was sitting behind him, ready to hear the song he had written for her. 

What if she doesn’t like it? Adrien finally allowed the worry that had been nagging at him to emerge. What if I play it, and she doesn’t like it, and then thinks that I don’t like her? That was his greatest fear. Luka had approved it, but Luka wasn’t Marinette. Adrien sincerely wanted the song to be perfect, and he knew that it wasn’t. With a shock, he realized that the last thing he would ever want to do was hurt Marinette. Maybe…maybe Plagg was right. Maybe he did have feelings for Marinette beyond friendship. But…I’m in love with Ladybug! He told himself this multiple times before realizing that, while he was getting lost in his thoughts, Luka, Marinette, and…and the full crowd that was gathering were all waiting for him.

Adrien took another deep breath and began to play. 

~*****~

The music started, and Marinette closed her eyes, listening to the soft music of the piano. It took her on a journey, right from the start. She could hear the pitter-patter of rain on an umbrella, reminiscent of when she started crushing on Adrien. A soft smile spread across her face as she remembered the way their hands had touched when he handed her the umbrella.

She gasped softly as the melody switched to something stronger, braver, perfectly encapsulating the way she felt as Ladybug. Does Adrien know about that? she wondered, Or…do I seem that strong as Marinette, too? Adrien had once called her their “everyday Ladybug,” so was it too much of a stretch to hope that she could be as capable as Ladybug in her normal life?

The Ladybug melody faded, but the rhythm stayed throughout a section of the song that Marinette recognized. The rhythm was very different, more stumbling, still steady, but the melody was the part of Luka’s version that Marinette sometimes hummed while she baked. Her smile grew larger, happy that Adrien had chosen to keep that part. It had been her favorite.

Her song continued through many scenes, which Marinette could picture as she listened. She was surprised when one little section reminded her of a conversation she had had with Chat Noir as Marinette, when she had confessed her supposed love for him. She frowned a little in confusion, but shrugged it off. There were probably plenty of times she had acted similarly around Adrien, right?

The journey of her melody began to slow a bit, mentally showing Marinette more specific scenes. Her birthday picnic, when Adrien had given her a lucky charm like the one she had given him, lots of hangouts with their full group, times of laughter, some times of sadness. Eventually, the music stopped, the song seeming to be waiting for more. The song seemed to be waiting for Marinette, as though it were alive, watching to see what more she might do.

Marinette let her eyes flutter open, letting out a sigh she hadn’t realized she was holding in. She turned to Luka first, not yet ready to face Adrien after that. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I’m not the one who wrote it.”

“The melodies you wrote for me still lived in his. And he certainly wouldn’t have written it if you hadn’t asked him. So, thank you.”

A hint of a smile flickered across Luka’s face. “You’re welcome, Mari. I’m glad I could give you this, in some way.”

Marinette grinned at him, then walked over to where Adrien was standing by the piano. “Th-that was beautiful.”

“Really?” Adrien asked, smiling hopefully.

“Yes! I could see scenes from my life through the music! It was like how people say their life flashed before their eyes, and I didn’t even need a near-death experience!” The words flooded out of Marinette’s mouth before she had time to be flustered. She paused for breath, allowing the embarrassment to catch up. “So, um...th-thank you.” She blushed, and Adrien smiled.

He pretended to tip a hat to her as he bowed. “It was my pleasure, milady.”

~To be continued~

 

Here it is!!! 

@Channelknight Fadran, I know you haven't watched this show, but this is one of the only writings I've completed, and it's definitely the one I'm the most proud of, so I want you to read it and give me feedback. There shouldn't be too much that you'd be confused about without watching the show...

Edited December 30, 2020 by DramaQueen
re-formatting

[Mist]

6 minutes ago, DramaQueen said:

  Hide contents

 

Chapter 1: Melody

Luka stopped his bike at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, leaning it against the wall and hanging his helmet on the handlebars. As he walked in, he moved his guitar in front of him from where it hung on his back, pulling a pick out and mindlessly strumming a nonsensical tune. Marinette was nowhere to be seen, but her parents were behind the counter.

“Hey, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng. Is Marinette here?”
Sabine smiled at him. “Hello, Luka! Yes, she’s just upstairs, I’ll go grab her. Be right back!” With that, she was gone, leaving Luka alone with Marinette’s father.

Tom was a large man, but he really wasn’t scary. That is, unless you were in love with his daughter. Ever since he had become Akumatized to protect Marinette’s heart, Luka had been terrified of the impression he was making on the man. Luckily, they weren’t alone for long.

“Oh! Luka! What are you doing here?”

Luka couldn’t hold back a smile as he turned and saw Marinette, as beautiful as ever.

“I’ve added a lot to your melody. Just thought you might want to hear it.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh, really? I mean, I’d love to hear it!”

Luka smiled again. “C’mon,” he jerked his head toward the door. “I’ll play it for you while we walk.”

They walked out the door, leaving Luka’s bike by the shop. He breathed in, checked that his guitar was in tune, adjusted a few strings, and began to play. Music had always been his passion, but no song meant quite as much to him as this one did. It was the most important thing in the world to him that he got Marinette’s melody right. 

As he played, he noticed that Marinette was smiling and swaying as he played, the same way she had when he played his first draft of the song for her. Smiling at the memory, he moved into the newest part; the part he was so proud of. He heard Marinette gasp as the notes flew up and down, crescendoing as the rhythm sped up, then decrescendoing as it slowed.

He began the closing notes, frowning at...something. Something seemed off. If he could just put his finger on it… He let out a sigh as the song ended. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Marinette squeaked. “That was beautiful!”

“Yes, it was. But it still failed to capture your beauty.” He smiled. “Don’t worry; I’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

 

~*****~

 

Alya typed a quick message to Marinette. Girl, you coming? The whole group was planning on getting together at Alya’s house to hang out, and Marinette was one of the only people who wasn’t there.

“You texted Adrien, right?” She asked Nino, who sat next to her.

“Yes, Alya.” His phone buzzed. “Oh! He replied!” Nino’s face fell as he read the message. “His dad’s making him practice the piano for another hour. Apparently, he wasn’t working hard enough before.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Adrien probably held one note out too long…” He shook his head.

That’s right, Luka thought, Adrien plays the piano. That felt important to him for some reason, though he couldn’t place it. He shrugged it off. No use wasting time trying to figure out mysteries he couldn’t solve. Well, except for the mystery of Marinette’s melody. It was still evading him.

“Marinette won’t be too happy about that.” Alya sighed. “She was really looking forward to seeing him here.” 

The door swung open, revealing a very out-of-breath Marinette. “Sorry I’m late! The first batch of cookies burned; I was too busy getting ready. Just my luck, I try to multitask to get somewhere on time and end up making myself even later.” She set the plate of cookies down, looking around. “Where’s Adrien?”

“He can’t come.”

Marinette’s face fell at Alya’s words. “Oh. Why not?”

This time Nino answered. “Piano.”

“Oh…” She forced a smile onto her face, sitting down by Luka. “That’s alright! Maybe we can drop some treats off at his house later!”

The get-together did end up being a lot of fun. They ate Marinette’s cookies, baked more cookies, took some to Adrien’s house, though they weren’t able to see him, watched a movie, and played some games.

“Hey, Marinette.” Luka said as they were getting ready to leave. 

She turned towards him. “Hm?”

“Have you got anything tomorrow?”

“Not much, why?”

“I’d just like to spend more time with you. Y’know, to figure out your melody.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh! Um, I think tomorrow would work. I’ll let you know as soon as I ask my parents.”

“Sounds good. See you then.” He gave a small smile, then walked out the door.

 

~*****~

 

The next day, Luka met up with Marinette in the park.

“Where’s your guitar?” she asked, looking confused.

“Oh, I don’t need it. I can hear the music even when I can’t play it.” He hummed as if in demonstration, then teasingly held out an arm. “Are you ready, milady?” Her look of shock at this statement didn’t escape his notice. “What?”

Marinette shook her head. “Nothing. You just...reminded me of someone. Sorry.” She took his arm with a smile.

Still concerned, Luka decided to let it be for now. “No one bad, I hope.” 

“No. You would never remind me of someone bad. You’re too wonderful for that.”

As they walked, Luka mostly just let Marinette talk. Somewhere along the way, they had given up the arm-holding, just walking side by side. Luka longed to take Marinette’s hand, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that. She was still completely hung up on Adrien, and Luka didn’t want to get in the way. No, he did want to get in the way. Adrien didn’t deserve the feelings she had for him. But he really didn’t want to make Marinette more confused than she was.

After almost half an hour of walking, they came to Andre’s ice cream stand. Luka paid, receiving a pink and dark blue cone, while Marinette’s was peach and green. Luka inwardly sighed. Still Adrien. 

They began walking back to the park, and Marinette asked, “So, come to any realizations about my melody?”

“Well, not really. But hopefully something will help.” Luka glanced at Marinette, who didn’t seem to have heard. He followed her gaze to the park ahead. Oh. There was a photoshoot, and of course Adrien was a part of it. It got worse. As they neared, Luka noticed the girl who had gone ice skating with them a while ago. What was her name...Kalani? No, Kagami. There were assistants flittering around her, making it clear that she was also modeling, not just there to watch. Luka could practically feel Marinette sagging in disappointment beside him. He guided her away from the park, toward the bakery.

It was odd how quickly she could go from talking quickly and animatedly to saying nothing at all. A guitar could do that, in a way, but not while continuing the song. It was also something that shouldn’t be shown separate from the other part. They were two very different traits, but they were also both Marinette. Maybe my problem isn’t the melody itself, but the instrument I’m using.

They reached the shop, and Marinette turned to Luka, an apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry about that.”

“Why? It wasn’t your fault he was there.”

“I know,” Marinette looked down, “but it was my fault that I let it affect me that much.”

Luka shook his head. “Nah, that’s just a part of you. Y’know, I think I did come to a realization about your melody. I just have to figure it out a bit more.”

Marinette brightened. “I’ll look forward to hearing it, then!”

 

~*****~

 

Later that evening, Luka threw his arms and head down on the keyboard. A piano would have been preferable, but he’d have to make do with what they had on the houseboat. He was mad at himself for two reasons: First, he was upset at how long it had taken him to realize how well a piano fit Marinette. She sometimes seemed to be trying to be two people at the same time, and a piano, as it was usually played with two hands, could perfectly display that. 

His second issue was at his ineptitude at playing the piano. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the notes to flow the right way. He tried thinking of Marinette’s quiet shyness, as well as her klutzy spunk, then tried to combine the two. It wouldn’t sound right to him. The magic of the piano seemed to be evading him even more than the melody itself was!

He began again, starting in the key of G Major, tediously picking out notes, then stringing them together. It sounded okay, but he knew it would sound a lot better if he could actually play the piano.

Adrien can play the piano. For some reason, that thought kept returning to him, but he pushed it out the same way he had the first few times. As if Adrien knows Marinette well enough to write her melody! 

At that thought, Luka came up with yet another quality Marinette shared with a piano. It seemed Adrien Agreste was playing both.

He dove into the song again, his anger at Adrien fueling the passion behind it. How dare he have her love, yet not even care or notice when she’s upset! How dare he spend so much time with that Kagami girl, when Marinette would do anything to be in her shoes! Luka fought this jealousy daily, but there was something invigorating about facing it head-on, playing an instrument he didn’t know. The melody was still wrong, completely wrong, but Luka kept playing, letting the anger flow through his fingers as they flew across the keys of the instrument of his rival.

Finally, he stopped, breathing heavily, his mind more clear than before. He sat back, allowing himself to consider alternatives. There was absolutely no way that he could learn to play the piano well enough in time for him to give Marinette the melody when he wanted to. He had to admit that Adrien was a nice enough guy. He had offered to help Marinette up when she fell while ice skating, then had gone after her when she ran off. It was clear that, even if he didn’t return her feelings, he did care for her as a friend. He couldn’t be blamed for his emotions.

Adrien can play the piano. This time, Luka didn’t push the thought away. Letting out a sigh, he stood up, going to Juleka’s door.

“Hey, Jules?”

“Yeah?”

“You know that Adrien guy in your class?”

“Yeah.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have his phone number or email, would you?”

“How come?” The door swung open. “You got a crush?” At Luka’s dry glance, Juleka sighed, pulling out her phone. “Just a sec, lemme ask Rose. You know I don’t know these things.” 

She sent the message to Rose, who responded almost immediately with both a phone number and an email address. Juleka forwarded the message to Luka, who headed back to the piano after thanking her. 

He spent only a moment deciding whether to text or email Adrien. Email. It’s less personal. However, he spent nearly an hour drafting the email itself. This was about something more important to him than anything else. A casual message wouldn’t cut it. Finally, after looking over the message for the hundredth time, Luka hit send.

 

~*****~

 

Adrien was about to leave his room when his phone pinged. Probably Nino, asking if I can hang out, he thought with a smile. And for once, I can. To his surprise, though, it was an email from an address he didn’t recognize. Frowning, he walked back to his bed, sat down, and opened it.

Hey, Adrien. This is Luka.

You’re probably wondering why I’m messaging you, and honestly, I am too. We don’t know each other very well, and the only times we’ve hung out, we hardly interacted. But I don’t really know anyone else who could help me out with this.

See, I’ve been trying to define Marinette with a song, if that makes sense. I tend to express myself completely through music, and I want to be able to portray how I view her through music as well. But the problem is, I have the wrong instrument for her. She’s so much more like a piano than a guitar, the way she sometimes seems like two different people, the way she can feel loud and quiet and everything in-between, graceful at times and a complete klutz at others. I can’t play the piano well, but you can.

So, I was wondering if you’d be willing to try to compose Marinette’s melody. Not for me; for her. I’ll attach some recordings of my attempts on both guitar and piano. If you’d rather not, just let me know; I completely understand that this is a weird request. But if you would, I know she’d appreciate it.

Thanks,

Luka.

Adrien read over the email another few times. Marinette’s melody...huh. I hadn’t realized she and Luka were close enough that he’d write a song for her. He listened to the attached recordings, surprised to find that he could hear Marinette in them. Luka was right, piano did suit her better, but the piano recordings were obviously less skilled than the guitar ones.

He stood up, walking over to the piano. He finally had free time, but now he was so intrigued by Marinette’s melody that he didn’t want to do anything else. He began slowly, initially just adding to Luka’s framework, but gradually began adding his own impressions of Marinette into the song.

He had once told her that she was their “everyday Ladybug,” and he had meant it. So, he allowed himself to put a bit of Ladybug into the song. He closed his eyes, remembering when he and Marinette had first become friends, when he had given her his umbrella. That memory needed a quieter tone, something steady, with lighter notes over top.

Adrien’s fingers moved, allowing the Ladybug tune to slip into the left hand, bringing out the rain pitter-pattering, their voices conversing over top of it all. That felt...right. Balanced. There was still something wrong, though.

He frowned as he played around with the rhythm. Not anything too drastic; Marinette wasn’t completely weird, just unique in a wonderful way. There was no one else like her. Adrien thought of the clumsiness that Luka had mentioned in his email, allowing that to bleed into the rhythm. In this, she was nothing like Ladybug, with poise and elegance. Although...when they first met, Ladybug had described herself as “madly clumsy…”

Adrien shook himself out of the thoughts of Ladybug, focusing. This is for Marinette, he told himself. Can’t you just think about a different girl for once? 

He kept working on the melody for a full hour until he was fairly happy with it. He was particularly proud of the way the song ended. It was clearly the end of the song, but it also left the listener half expecting more. Adrien had made that decision to make it clear that Marinette’s song wasn’t truly over yet.

He recorded himself playing it, then sent it to Luka, feeling a wave of guilt as he realized he hadn’t responded until then. Oh, well, he thought, maybe he’ll understand that the music took me away. Adrien smiled. It had been a while since that had happened.

 

~*****~

 

Luka paced back and forth, his hands shoved into his pockets. It had been more than an hour and Adrien still hadn’t responded. Was he really that busy? Or was he just ignoring Luka’s request?

His phone buzzed. Finally. He’d better have a decent excuse. In Adrien’s reply was a single recording. Before Luka could click on it, another reply showed up.

Just a rough draft. I’ll work on it more as soon as I can.

Shocked that he had actually done it right then and there, Luka listened to the song. It was perfect. He could hear remnants of his original ideas, but the tunes and rhythms Adrien had added to it fit flawlessly with not only the rest of the song, but also with Marinette. 

Grudgingly, Luka admitted that he’d apparently misjudged how well Adrien knew her. He quickly typed a response:

Don’t bother working on it more. It’s perfect.

Adrien’s reply came instantaneously this time:

Thanks, but it’s far from that. Don’t worry; it will be.

 

~*****~

 

For the next week, Adrien quickly finished everything his father required, then worked on Marinette’s melody. He sent every draft to Luka at the end of a session, and every draft was “perfect,” according to Luka. Adrien didn’t stop working on it, though. He’d listen to his recordings and feel as though something was still missing, despite the fact that he couldn’t possibly believe that he’d forgotten something. This song was the pure essence of Marinette, he couldn’t afford to believe that he’d forgotten something. He found that he was distracted by the melody everywhere he went. He’d hum during class, drawing stares from Nino. He’d get an idea in the middle of an akuma fight, nearly getting himself killed and getting seemingly endless lectures from Ladybug. The song was distracting him from Ladybug. He was usually hanging on her every word when he was near her, but she often had to repeat her ideas to him before he understood what she was saying. Because…because of Marinette.

During one of his playing sessions, Plagg perched on the piano, gnawing a small triangle of Camembert. “All this for a girl you still say is ‘just a friend’?”

“Yes, Plagg,” Adrien answered, annoyed at the interruption. 

“It just doesn’t seem like a very ‘just a friend’ kind of thing to me.” Plagg smirked, then flew away before Adrien could respond.

She is just a friend…right? Adrien shook his head, clearing it, then tried to focus on the song again, to no avail. He flopped on his bed, groaning. He’d figured this out before! He’d chosen Ladybug. He wasn’t even sure what Marinette thought about him. She just seemed so…uncomfortable around him. She’d confessed to being in love with Chat Noir once, which had surprised him, but she acted very differently around him as Chat than she did when he was Adrien. She was more comfortable, and Adrien found himself growing…jealous? Of himself?

Emotions are the worst, he thought. They never make sense. 

After a short time of wallowing in confusion and despair, Adrien managed to get up and record his most recent version of the melody. It wasn’t quite right, but it would have to do. He sent it to Luka, and scoffed at the reply:

Perfect.

It was the same response as the last six drafts, but Adrien let himself--mostly--believe it this time. 

You can send it to her now.

 

~*****~

 

Luka glanced down at his phone, feeling a rush of excitement at Adrien’s reply. He forced himself not to ride his bike to Marinette’s house immediately, responding to Adrien instead.

I’m sure it sounds even better live. I can get a piano to the park, how soon can you be there?

Adrien’s reply came just a few minutes later.

I can be there now.

Luka smiled, climbing onto his bike and riding to the high school. There, he asked the music teacher, an old friend of his, if he could borrow the piano. It might have been an odd request, but soon the piano was safely set in the middle of the park, Adrien sitting on the bench in front of it.

Starting to get exhausted, Luka rode to the bakery, picking up Marinette, who climbed on the bike behind him nervously, but excitedly. Luka smiled, thinking of how excited she’d be when they got there. Finally, they arrived. Marinette gasped as she nearly fell off the bike. She stared at Adrien sitting at the piano for a moment, then turned back to Luka, her mouth wide.

“Wh--why is Adrien here?”

Luka smiled. “The guitar doesn’t represent you well enough, and I certainly can’t play the piano nearly as well as I can play guitar. Adrien, though…he can. So, I asked him if he would write your melody, and he agreed.” He began leading Marinette to a chair. “C’mon, it’s time for you to hear what you sound like to me.” He hesitated for a moment before finishing. “And to Adrien.”

 

~*****~

 

Marinette sat down, almost trembling with excitement and joy. Luka sat next to her, but she couldn’t pay much attention to him anymore. Adrien Agreste had written her melody for her. He had spent time doing something just for her! And, according to Luka, she sounded about the same to both him and Adrien. Luka had confessed his feelings for her. Could that mean that Adrien felt the same way?

She shoved the thought away. She couldn’t let herself get her hopes up again. For now, it would be enough that Adrien at least cared enough for her as a friend to write her a song. 

Adrien turned on the piano bench to look at her, smiling. “You ready?” he asked.

Marinette nodded, not trusting herself to speak, bubbling over with excitement and anticipation.

 

~*****~

 

Adrien took a deep breath as he turned back to the piano. He had played this song countless times, he knew what to play and when to play it. The only difference was that this time, he was playing it for Marinette. She was sitting behind him, ready to hear the song he had written for her. 

What if she doesn’t like it? Adrien finally allowed the worry that had been nagging at him to emerge. What if I play it, and she doesn’t like it, and then thinks that I don’t like her? That was his greatest fear. Luka had approved it, but Luka wasn’t Marinette. Adrien sincerely wanted the song to be perfect, and he knew that it wasn’t. With a shock, he realized that the last thing he would ever want to do was hurt Marinette. Maybe…maybe Plagg was right. Maybe he did have feelings for Marinette beyond friendship. But…I’m in love with Ladybug! He told himself this multiple times before realizing that, while he was getting lost in his thoughts, Luka, Marinette, and…and the full crowd that was gathering were all waiting for him.

Adrien took another deep breath and began to play. 

 

~*****~

 

The music started, and Marinette closed her eyes, listening to the soft music of the piano. It took her on a journey, right from the start. She could hear the pitter-patter of rain on an umbrella, reminiscent of when she started crushing on Adrien. A soft smile spread across her face as she remembered the way their hands had touched when he handed her the umbrella.

She gasped softly as the melody switched to something stronger, braver, perfectly encapsulating the way she felt as Ladybug. Does Adrien know about that? she wondered, Or…do I seem that strong as Marinette, too? Adrien had once called her their “everyday Ladybug,” so was it too much of a stretch to hope that she could be as capable as Ladybug in her normal life?

The Ladybug melody faded, but the rhythm stayed throughout a section of the song that Marinette recognized. The rhythm was very different, more stumbling, but still steady, but the melody was the part of Luka’s version that Marinette sometimes hummed while she baked. Her smile grew larger, happy that Adrien had chosen to keep that part. It had been her favorite.

Her song continued through many scenes, which Marinette could picture as she listened. She was surprised when one little section reminded her of a conversation she had had with Chat Noir as Marinette, when she had confessed her supposed love for him. She frowned a little in confusion, but shrugged it off. There were probably plenty of times she had acted similarly around Adrien, right?

The journey of her melody began to slow a bit, mentally showing Marinette more specific scenes. Her birthday picnic, when Adrien had given her a lucky charm like the one she had given him, lots of hangouts with their full group, times of laughter, some times of sadness. Eventually, the music stopped, the song seeming to be waiting for more. The song seemed to be waiting for Marinette, as though it were alive, watching to see what more she might do.

Marinette let her eyes flutter open, letting out a sigh she hadn’t realized she was holding in. She turned to Luka first, not yet ready to face Adrien after that. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I’m not the one who wrote it.”

“The melodies you wrote for me still lived in his. And he certainly wouldn’t have written it if you hadn’t asked him. So, thank you.”

A hint of a smile flickered across Luka’s face. “You’re welcome, Mari. I’m glad I could give you this, in some way.”

Marinette grinned at him, then walked over to where Adrien was standing by the piano. “Th-that was beautiful.”

“Really?” Adrien asked, smiling hopefully.

“Yes! I could see scenes from my life through the music! It was like how people say their life flashed before their eyes, and I didn’t even need a near-death experience!” The words flooded out of Marinette’s mouth before she had time to be flustered. She paused for breath, allowing the embarrassment to catch up. “So, um...th-thank you.” She blushed, and Adrien smiled.

He pretended to tip a hat to her as he bowed. “It was my pleasure, milady.”

~To be continued~

 

It's really long and there are some places that should have italics but I was too lazy to go through and re-format it, so I'll do that later.

Aaaaaaaaa I love it! 

[DramaQueen]

I re-formatted it! It might make more sense now. Also, @Channelknight Fadran READ IT PLEASE!! Thank you.

[Vapor]

On 12/26/2020 at 7:35 PM, DramaQueen said:

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Chapter 1: Melody

Luka stopped his bike at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, leaning it against the wall and hanging his helmet on the handlebars. As he walked in, he moved his guitar in front of him from where it hung on his back, pulling a pick out and mindlessly strumming a nonsensical tune. Marinette was nowhere to be seen, but her parents were behind the counter.

“Hey, Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng. Is Marinette here?”
Sabine smiled at him. “Hello, Luka! Yes, she’s just upstairs, I’ll go grab her. Be right back!” With that, she was gone, leaving Luka alone with Marinette’s father.

Tom was a large man, but he really wasn’t scary. That is, unless you were in love with his daughter. Ever since he had become Akumatized to protect Marinette’s heart, Luka had been terrified of the impression he was making on the man. Luckily, they weren’t alone for long.

“Oh! Luka! What are you doing here?”

Luka couldn’t hold back a smile as he turned and saw Marinette, as beautiful as ever.

“I’ve added a lot to your melody. Just thought you might want to hear it.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh, really? I mean, I’d love to hear it!”

Luka smiled again. “C’mon,” he jerked his head toward the door. “I’ll play it for you while we walk.”

They walked out the door, leaving Luka’s bike by the shop. He breathed in, checked that his guitar was in tune, adjusted a few strings, and began to play. Music had always been his passion, but no song meant quite as much to him as this one did. It was the most important thing in the world to him that he got Marinette’s melody right. 

As he played, he noticed that Marinette was smiling and swaying as he played, the same way she had when he played his first draft of the song for her. Smiling at the memory, he moved into the newest part; the part he was so proud of. He heard Marinette gasp as the notes flew up and down, crescendoing as the rhythm sped up, then decrescendoing as it slowed.

He began the closing notes, frowning at...something. Something seemed off. If he could just put his finger on it… He let out a sigh as the song ended. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Marinette squeaked. “That was beautiful!”

“Yes, it was. But it still failed to capture your beauty.” He smiled. “Don’t worry; I’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

~*****~

Alya typed a quick message to Marinette. Girl, you coming? The whole group was planning on getting together at Alya’s house to hang out, and Marinette was one of the only people who wasn’t there.

“You texted Adrien, right?” She asked Nino, who sat next to her.

“Yes, Alya.” His phone buzzed. “Oh! He replied!” Nino’s face fell as he read the message. “His dad’s making him practice the piano for another hour. Apparently, he wasn’t working hard enough before.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Adrien probably held one note out too long…” He shook his head.

That’s right, Luka thought, Adrien plays the piano. That felt important to him for some reason, though he couldn’t place it. He shrugged it off. No use wasting time trying to figure out mysteries he couldn’t solve. Well, except for the mystery of Marinette’s melody. It was still evading him.

“Marinette won’t be too happy about that.” Alya sighed. “She was really looking forward to seeing him here.” 

The door swung open, revealing a very out-of-breath Marinette. “Sorry I’m late! The first batch of cookies burned; I was too busy getting ready. Just my luck, I try to multitask to get somewhere on time and end up making myself even later.” She set the plate of cookies down, looking around. “Where’s Adrien?”

“He can’t come.”

Marinette’s face fell at Alya’s words. “Oh. Why not?”

This time Nino answered. “Piano.”

“Oh…” She forced a smile onto her face, sitting down by Luka. “That’s alright! Maybe we can drop some treats off at his house later!”

The get-together did end up being a lot of fun. They ate Marinette’s cookies, baked more cookies, took some to Adrien’s house, though they weren’t able to see him, watched a movie, and played some games.

“Hey, Marinette.” Luka said as they were getting ready to leave. 

She turned towards him. “Hm?”

“Have you got anything tomorrow?”

“Not much, why?”

“I’d just like to spend more time with you. Y’know, to figure out your melody.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh! Um, I think tomorrow would work. I’ll let you know as soon as I ask my parents.”

“Sounds good. See you then.” He gave a small smile, then walked out the door.

~*****~

The next day, Luka met up with Marinette in the park.

“Where’s your guitar?” she asked, looking confused.

“Oh, I don’t need it. I can hear the music even when I can’t play it.” He hummed as if in demonstration, then teasingly held out an arm. “Are you ready, milady?” Her look of shock at this statement didn’t escape his notice. “What?”

Marinette shook her head. “Nothing. You just...reminded me of someone. Sorry.” She took his arm with a smile.

Still concerned, Luka decided to let it be for now. “No one bad, I hope.” 

“No. You would never remind me of someone bad. You’re too wonderful for that.”

As they walked, Luka mostly just let Marinette talk. Somewhere along the way, they had given up the arm-holding, just walking side by side. Luka longed to take Marinette’s hand, but he knew she wasn’t ready for that. She was still completely hung up on Adrien, and Luka didn’t want to get in the way. No, he did want to get in the way. Adrien didn’t deserve the feelings she had for him. But he really didn’t want to make Marinette more confused than she was.

After almost half an hour of walking, they came to Andre’s ice cream stand. Luka paid, receiving a pink and dark blue cone, while Marinette’s was peach and green. Luka inwardly sighed. Still Adrien. 

They began walking back to the park, and Marinette asked, “So, come to any realizations about my melody?”

“Well, not really. But hopefully something will help.” Luka glanced at Marinette, who didn’t seem to have heard. He followed her gaze to the park ahead. Oh. There was a photoshoot, and of course Adrien was a part of it. It got worse. As they neared, Luka noticed the girl who had gone ice skating with them a while ago. What was her name...Kalani? No, Kagami. There were assistants flittering around her, making it clear that she was also modeling, not just there to watch. Luka could practically feel Marinette sagging in disappointment beside him. He guided her away from the park, toward the bakery.

It was odd how quickly she could go from talking quickly and animatedly to saying nothing at all. A guitar could do that, in a way, but not while continuing the song. It was also something that shouldn’t be shown separate from the other part. They were two very different traits, but they were also both Marinette. Maybe my problem isn’t the melody itself, but the instrument I’m using.

They reached the shop, and Marinette turned to Luka, an apologetic smile on her face. “Sorry about that.”

“Why? It wasn’t your fault he was there.”

“I know,” Marinette looked down, “but it was my fault that I let it affect me that much.”

Luka shook his head. “Nah, that’s just a part of you. Y’know, I think I did come to a realization about your melody. I just have to figure it out a bit more.”

Marinette brightened. “I’ll look forward to hearing it, then!”

~*****~

Later that evening, Luka threw his arms and head down on the keyboard. A piano would have been preferable, but he’d have to make do with what they had on the houseboat. He was mad at himself for two reasons: First, he was upset at how long it had taken him to realize how well a piano fit Marinette. She sometimes seemed to be trying to be two people at the same time, and a piano, as it was usually played with two hands, could perfectly display that. 

His second issue was at his ineptitude at playing the piano. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the notes to flow the right way. He tried thinking of Marinette’s quiet shyness, as well as her klutzy spunk, then tried to combine the two. It wouldn’t sound right to him. The magic of the piano seemed to be evading him even more than the melody itself was!

He began again, starting in the key of G Major, tediously picking out notes, then stringing them together. It sounded okay, but he knew it would sound a lot better if he could actually play the piano.

Adrien can play the piano. For some reason, that thought kept returning to him, but he pushed it out the same way he had the first few times. As if Adrien knows Marinette well enough to write her melody! 

At that thought, Luka came up with yet another quality Marinette shared with a piano. It seemed Adrien Agreste was playing both.

He dove into the song again, his anger at Adrien fueling the passion behind it. How dare he have her love, yet not even care or notice when she’s upset! How dare he spend so much time with that Kagami girl, when Marinette would do anything to be in her shoes! Luka fought this jealousy daily, but there was something invigorating about facing it head-on, playing an instrument he didn’t know. The melody was still wrong, completely wrong, but Luka kept playing, letting the anger flow through his fingers as they flew across the keys of the instrument of his rival.

Finally, he stopped, breathing heavily, his mind more clear than before. He sat back, allowing himself to consider alternatives. There was absolutely no way that he could learn to play the piano well enough in time for him to give Marinette the melody when he wanted to. He had to admit that Adrien was a nice enough guy. He had offered to help Marinette up when she fell while ice skating, then had gone after her when she ran off. It was clear that, even if he didn’t return her feelings, he did care for her as a friend. He couldn’t be blamed for his emotions.

Adrien can play the piano. This time, Luka didn’t push the thought away. Letting out a sigh, he stood up, going to Juleka’s door.

“Hey, Jules?”

“Yeah?”

“You know that Adrien guy in your class?”

“Yeah.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have his phone number or email, would you?”

“How come?” The door swung open. “You got a crush?” At Luka’s dry glare, Juleka sighed, pulling out her phone. “Just a sec, lemme ask Rose. You know I don’t know these things.” 

She sent the message to Rose, who responded almost immediately with both a phone number and an email address. Juleka forwarded the message to Luka, who headed back to the keyboard after thanking her. 

He spent only a moment deciding whether to text or email Adrien. Email. It’s less personal. However, he spent nearly an hour drafting the email itself. This was about something more important to him than anything else. A casual message wouldn’t cut it. Finally, after looking over the message for the hundredth time, Luka hit send.

~*****~

Adrien was about to leave his room when his phone pinged. Probably Nino, asking if I can hang out, he thought with a smile. And for once, I can. To his surprise, though, it was an email from an address he didn’t recognize. Frowning, he walked back to his bed, sat down, and opened it.

Hey, Adrien. This is Luka.

You’re probably wondering why I’m messaging you, and honestly, I am too. We don’t know each other very well, and the only times we’ve hung out, we hardly interacted. But I don’t really know anyone else who could help me out with this.

See, I’ve been trying to define Marinette with a song, if that makes sense. I tend to express myself completely through music, and I want to be able to portray how I view her through music as well. But the problem is, I have the wrong instrument for her. She’s so much more like a piano than a guitar, the way she sometimes seems like two different people, the way she can feel loud and quiet and everything in-between, graceful at times and a complete klutz at others. I can’t play the piano well, but you can.

So, I was wondering if you’d be willing to try to compose Marinette’s melody. Not for me; for her. I’ll attach some recordings of my attempts on both guitar and piano. If you’d rather not, just let me know; I completely understand that this is a weird request. But if you would, I know she’d appreciate it.

Thanks,

Luka.

Adrien read over the email another few times. Marinette’s melody...huh. I hadn’t realized she and Luka were close enough that he’d write a song for her. He listened to the attached recordings, surprised to find that he could hear Marinette in them. Luka was right, piano did suit her better, but the piano recordings were obviously less skilled than the guitar ones.

He stood up, walking over to the piano. He finally had free time, but now he was so intrigued by Marinette’s melody that he didn’t want to do anything else. He began slowly, initially just adding to Luka’s framework, but gradually began adding his own impressions of Marinette into the song.

He had once told her that she was their “everyday Ladybug,” and he had meant it. So, he allowed himself to put a bit of Ladybug into the song. He closed his eyes, remembering when he and Marinette had first become friends, when he had given her his umbrella. That memory needed a quieter tone, something steady, with lighter notes over top.

Adrien’s fingers moved, allowing the Ladybug tune to slip into the left hand, bringing out the rain pitter-pattering, their voices conversing over top of it all. That felt...right. Balanced. There was still something wrong, though.

He frowned as he played around with the rhythm. Not anything too drastic; Marinette wasn’t completely weird, just unique in a wonderful way. There was no one else like her. Adrien thought of the clumsiness that Luka had mentioned in his email, allowing that to bleed into the rhythm. In this, she was nothing like Ladybug, with poise and elegance. Although...when they first met, Ladybug had described herself as “madly clumsy…”

Adrien shook himself out of the thoughts of Ladybug, focusing. This is for Marinette, he told himself. Can’t you just think about a different girl for once? 

He kept working on the melody for a full hour until he was fairly happy with it. He was particularly proud of the way the song ended. It was clearly the end of the song, but it also left the listener half expecting more. Adrien had made that decision to make it clear that Marinette’s song wasn’t truly over yet.

He recorded himself playing it, then sent it to Luka, feeling a wave of guilt as he realized he hadn’t responded until then. Oh, well, he thought, maybe he’ll understand that the music took me away. Adrien smiled. It had been a while since that had happened.

~*****~

Luka paced back and forth, his hands shoved into his pockets. It had been more than an hour and Adrien still hadn’t responded. Was he really that busy? Or was he just ignoring Luka’s request?

His phone buzzed. Finally. He’d better have a decent excuse. In Adrien’s reply was a single recording. Before Luka could click on it, another reply showed up.

Just a rough draft. I’ll work on it more as soon as I can.

Shocked that he had actually done it right then and there, Luka listened to the song. It was perfect. He could hear remnants of his original ideas, but the tunes and rhythms Adrien had added to it fit flawlessly with not only the rest of the song, but also with Marinette. 

Grudgingly, Luka admitted that he’d apparently misjudged how well Adrien knew her. He quickly typed a response:

Don’t bother working on it more. It’s perfect.

Adrien’s reply came instantaneously this time:

Thanks, but it’s far from that. Don’t worry; it will be.

~*****~

For the next week, Adrien quickly finished everything his father required, then worked on Marinette’s melody. He sent every draft to Luka at the end of a session, and every draft was “perfect,” according to Luka. Adrien didn’t stop working on it, though. He’d listen to his recordings and feel as though something was still missing, despite the fact that he couldn’t possibly believe that he’d forgotten something. This song was the pure essence of Marinette, he couldn’t afford to believe that he’d forgotten something. He found that he was distracted by the melody everywhere he went. He’d hum during class, drawing stares from Nino. He’d get an idea in the middle of an akuma fight, nearly getting himself killed and getting seemingly endless lectures from Ladybug. The song was distracting him from Ladybug. He was usually hanging on her every word when he was near her, but she often had to repeat her ideas to him before he understood what she was saying. Because…because of Marinette.

During one of his playing sessions, Plagg perched on the piano, gnawing a small triangle of Camembert. “All this for a girl you still say is ‘just a friend’?”

“Yes, Plagg,” Adrien answered, annoyed at the interruption. 

“It just doesn’t seem like a very ‘just a friend’ kind of thing to me.” Plagg smirked, then flew away before Adrien could respond.

She is just a friend…right? Adrien shook his head, clearing it, then tried to focus on the song again, to no avail. He flopped on his bed, groaning. He’d figured this out before! He’d chosen Ladybug. He wasn’t even sure what Marinette thought about him. She just seemed so…uncomfortable around him. She’d confessed to being in love with Chat Noir once, which had surprised him, but she acted very differently around him as Chat than she did when he was Adrien. She was more comfortable, and Adrien found himself growing…jealous? Of himself?

Emotions are the worst, he thought. They never make sense. 

After a short time of wallowing in confusion and despair, Adrien managed to get up and record his most recent version of the melody. It wasn’t quite right, but it would have to do. He sent it to Luka, and scoffed at the reply:

Perfect.

It was the same response as the last six drafts, but Adrien let himself--mostly--believe it this time. 

You can send it to her now.

~*****~

Luka glanced down at his phone, feeling a rush of excitement at Adrien’s reply. He forced himself not to ride his bike to Marinette’s house immediately, responding to Adrien instead.

I’m sure it sounds even better live. I can get a piano to the park, how soon can you be there?

Adrien’s reply came just a few minutes later.

I can be there now.

Luka smiled, climbing onto his bike and riding to the high school. There, he asked the music teacher, an old friend of his, if he could borrow the piano. It might have been an odd request, but soon the piano was safely set in the middle of the park, Adrien sitting on the bench in front of it.

Starting to get exhausted, Luka rode to the bakery, picking up Marinette, who climbed on the bike behind him nervously, but excitedly. Luka smiled, thinking of how excited she’d be when they got there. Finally, they arrived. Marinette gasped as she nearly fell off the bike. She stared at Adrien sitting at the piano for a moment, then turned back to Luka, her mouth wide.

“Wh--why is Adrien here?”

Luka smiled. “The guitar doesn’t represent you well enough, and I certainly can’t play the piano nearly as well as I can play guitar. Adrien, though…he can. So, I asked him if he would write your melody, and he agreed.” He began leading Marinette to a chair. “C’mon, it’s time for you to hear what you sound like to me.” He hesitated for a moment before finishing. “And to Adrien.”

~*****~

Marinette sat down, almost trembling with excitement and joy. Luka sat next to her, but she couldn’t pay much attention to him anymore. Adrien Agreste had written her melody for her. He had spent time doing something just for her! And, according to Luka, she sounded about the same to both him and Adrien. Luka had confessed his feelings for her. Could that mean that Adrien felt the same way?

She shoved the thought away. She couldn’t let herself get her hopes up again. For now, it would be enough that Adrien at least cared enough for her as a friend to write her a song. 

Adrien turned on the piano bench to look at her, smiling. “You ready?” he asked.

Marinette nodded, not trusting herself to speak, bubbling over with excitement and anticipation.

~*****~

Adrien took a deep breath as he turned back to the piano. He had played this song countless times, he knew what to play and when to play it. The only difference was that this time, he was playing it for Marinette. She was sitting behind him, ready to hear the song he had written for her. 

What if she doesn’t like it? Adrien finally allowed the worry that had been nagging at him to emerge. What if I play it, and she doesn’t like it, and then thinks that I don’t like her? That was his greatest fear. Luka had approved it, but Luka wasn’t Marinette. Adrien sincerely wanted the song to be perfect, and he knew that it wasn’t. With a shock, he realized that the last thing he would ever want to do was hurt Marinette. Maybe…maybe Plagg was right. Maybe he did have feelings for Marinette beyond friendship. But…I’m in love with Ladybug! He told himself this multiple times before realizing that, while he was getting lost in his thoughts, Luka, Marinette, and…and the full crowd that was gathering were all waiting for him.

Adrien took another deep breath and began to play. 

~*****~

The music started, and Marinette closed her eyes, listening to the soft music of the piano. It took her on a journey, right from the start. She could hear the pitter-patter of rain on an umbrella, reminiscent of when she started crushing on Adrien. A soft smile spread across her face as she remembered the way their hands had touched when he handed her the umbrella.

She gasped softly as the melody switched to something stronger, braver, perfectly encapsulating the way she felt as Ladybug. Does Adrien know about that? she wondered, Or…do I seem that strong as Marinette, too? Adrien had once called her their “everyday Ladybug,” so was it too much of a stretch to hope that she could be as capable as Ladybug in her normal life?

The Ladybug melody faded, but the rhythm stayed throughout a section of the song that Marinette recognized. The rhythm was very different, more stumbling, still steady, but the melody was the part of Luka’s version that Marinette sometimes hummed while she baked. Her smile grew larger, happy that Adrien had chosen to keep that part. It had been her favorite.

Her song continued through many scenes, which Marinette could picture as she listened. She was surprised when one little section reminded her of a conversation she had had with Chat Noir as Marinette, when she had confessed her supposed love for him. She frowned a little in confusion, but shrugged it off. There were probably plenty of times she had acted similarly around Adrien, right?

The journey of her melody began to slow a bit, mentally showing Marinette more specific scenes. Her birthday picnic, when Adrien had given her a lucky charm like the one she had given him, lots of hangouts with their full group, times of laughter, some times of sadness. Eventually, the music stopped, the song seeming to be waiting for more. The song seemed to be waiting for Marinette, as though it were alive, watching to see what more she might do.

Marinette let her eyes flutter open, letting out a sigh she hadn’t realized she was holding in. She turned to Luka first, not yet ready to face Adrien after that. “Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I’m not the one who wrote it.”

“The melodies you wrote for me still lived in his. And he certainly wouldn’t have written it if you hadn’t asked him. So, thank you.”

A hint of a smile flickered across Luka’s face. “You’re welcome, Mari. I’m glad I could give you this, in some way.”

Marinette grinned at him, then walked over to where Adrien was standing by the piano. “Th-that was beautiful.”

“Really?” Adrien asked, smiling hopefully.

“Yes! I could see scenes from my life through the music! It was like how people say their life flashed before their eyes, and I didn’t even need a near-death experience!” The words flooded out of Marinette’s mouth before she had time to be flustered. She paused for breath, allowing the embarrassment to catch up. “So, um...th-thank you.” She blushed, and Adrien smiled.

He pretended to tip a hat to her as he bowed. “It was my pleasure, milady.”

~To be continued~

 

Here it is!!! 

@Channelknight Fadran, I know you haven't watched this show, but this is one of the only writings I've completed, and it's definitely the one I'm the most proud of, so I want you to read it and give me feedback. There shouldn't be too much that you'd be confused about without watching the show...

I LOVE IT I LOVE IT SO MUCH

[Condensation]

YES! I'm reading it soon, but I'm a little busy. Maybe once school starts again, I'm usually less busy then.

Edit: Finished, and I need the ability to rep that over and over and over again.

Edited January 4, 2021 by Condensation

[Hen]

That was great drama!!!! 

Can we please, for the love of the almighty, talk about the New York Special?!?!?

[Condensation]

The New York Special? What's that?

[Hen]

A special hour long episode that they put on Disney plus where they go to New York. It’s intense. 

[Condensation]

1 minute ago, Hentient said:

A special hour long episode that they put on Disney plus where they go to New York. It’s intense. 

Huh. Sounds weird. We don't have Disney +, though, so I can't watch it.