Thief | Lukadrien

Part 14 - Luka's Worries (flashback)

TW: implied abusive household

the next three chapters are going to be a bit deep, so if you're not in the right headspace, please don't read them.

also, if you need me, I'm always here for you. DM me if you need to talk <3

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Luka's POV (2 weeks before Desperada)

We were just about to start band rehearsal. Adrien wasn't here yet, but the group assumed he just had a busy schedule and couldn't make it. I, however, was worried. Adrien promised he'd be here.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Adrien suddenly ran on board the boat. He put his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

I looked around at the land surrounding us, and his limousine wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Did you... run here?" Alya asked, who must have noticed the same thing.

"Y-yeah," he panted, still winded. "Give me a sec and I'll be ready to play."

"I'll get you some water," I said, then set down my guitar and quickly headed for the kitchen. I wasn't sure why, but I was worried for him. He was the richest boy in town; why did come here by foot?

"Thanks," Adrien breathed once I handed him a glass.

"No problem. Take all the time you need; we'll go through a few songs without you in the meantime."

"No, no! I'm fine. Really. What number are we starting with?"

I watched him carefully as he got set up at the keyboard. He didn't lift his eyes from the instrument as everyone else took their places. The right side of face was quite red, but it couldn't have been just from his run. Was that... a handprint?

We practiced for a while, welcoming the cheers from our friends sitting in front of us. Marinette was blushing furiously, so when she looked at me, I gave her a wink just to tease her. She got even more flustered, which was funny.

Our last song ended, and we packed up our instruments. We normally all hung out for a while after practice, but I noticed Adrien was already leaving. He didn't even say goodbye.

"Hey, wait up!" I called, as he ran off the ship. "Where are you going?"

"I have to get back," he said. "I'm... expected... at home."

The way he said it was full of anxiety. Something about this situation sounded wrong.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, walking up to him. There was fear in his expression.

"Yeah. But I have to go. My father... he hates it when I'm out."

His father. I had a bad feeling about this. I wished I could do something about it, but what was I supposed to say? Would asking about it make it worse? I cared about Adrien, and I couldn't stand the thought of him being hurt in any way.

"If you need me, you just have to call, okay?" I said. "If you ever need a place to stay because... you know... reasons... our door is always open."

"Thanks," he smiled. "Uh... right. Now I've really got to get going."

"Here, I can take you on my bike. You'll get there faster."

I shoved a helmet on his head and tapped the back seat of the two-person bike. He hesitantly climbed on, and once I started pedalling, he placed his hands around my waist for balance, muttering nervously.

"You're not scared, are you Agreste?" I asked teasingly.

"Me? Scared? Ha."

He shrieked as we went over a speed bump.

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall. You trust me, right?"

"No!"

I laughed as he pulled himself closer to me, burying his face in my back. It wasn't like Adrien to be nervous like this, but I thought it was cute.

"We're almost there. Just hang on, okay?"

We arrived at his house—er, his mansion—and I parked over by the fence. He gave back the helmet, not meeting my eyes.

"Thanks, Luka. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," I shrugged. "You sure everything's okay? Why didn't you have a ride to practice?"

He looked down at the ground, clearly uncomfortable. Without answering, he typed a passcode into the keypad near the security camera, opening the gate.

"I'll see you at school, Luka. Thanks again."