𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐹𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓁𝒹𝓈 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒰𝓈 *Slow Updates*

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Yosh! Greetings from the dead sea! Well, that is untrue, because, SURPRISE, I'm NOT dead. Though sometimes I wished I was, ANYWAY. It's been far too long, brethren.

This chapter isn't as exciting as its previous incarnations, but I hope you like it just as well. Luka's healing quite well, though he's still tremendously hurt. Juleka gives Marinette a good ol' talkin' to, Luka and Marinette talk, and then---I guess you'll have to figure that out yourself, won't you?

Anyhow, I won't keep you.

Enjoy~

"He kissed you!?!"

Marinette hides her face in her palms, her cheeks far too red and warm. It'd been about...maybe twenty minutes since Luka surprised her with that kiss. Of course, her timid self skedaddled. She and Juleka are in a private booth in the hospital's cafeteria. It happened so quickly, Marinette lost her breath.

Long long after she left Luka in the heat of her confusion, Juleka and her mother returned to the room. She hadn't the slightest idea at the time, but he told them what happened. And not even a minute went by when she crawled into the booth to wallow in her thoughts, Juleka appeared and demanded an explanation, well, from her side.

And here they are.

"...yeah..." Marinette whimpers out.

"So what are you doing here? Go back to him! Confess your feelings!" The amber-eyed girl encouraged.

Marinette frantically shakes her head. "I-I can't! I ran! I'm such a coward!"

"Yeah, he told me." Juleka rested her chin on her palm.

"See?!" Marinette whined pitifully, "Even he knows I'm a wimp! I don't know why he likes me!"

Juleka narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about? He doesn't think that at all, he's just worried he scared you."

Marinette groans in her arms. Maybe she was flustered, or maybe she was just scared of commitment. It's not the commitment she's worried about, maybe it's because considering her last love broke her heart unintentionally, she was afraid to fall a second time.

It's not Luka''s fault for her insecurities, and she didn't want to thrust them onto him.

"He really likes you, you know?" Juleka said so softly, Marinette barely heard her. "Like really likes you. I think it's the first time in a good while he actually gave a girl the time of day."

"R-really?" Marinette obviously felt honored by that.

"If you like him the same why he likes you," Juleka smiles at Marinette. "Then take that leap of faith. He'll catch you, no doubt. Just take care of him."

Juleka wouldn't mind if...she and Luka...dated?

She felt flustered, thinking if they were a couple. It's strange to think, Luka is one of kind for sure, but he's currently in the hospital. She felt it wouldn't be right to make any moves now.

"But, if you break his heart..." Juleka darkly glowered at her and a cold chill goes down her spine."I'll break yours."

"S-so...you'd be okay with it?" Marinette stammers a little, looking up at Juleka. "With us?"

"Of course! Even though you're a bit dense and a such a klutz, it'd be nice to have a girl besides Mom around."

"What would I even say to him?"

Juleka shrugs. "Tell him what's on your mind. Luka's observant. He'll catch on fast."

That was true, Luka seemed to have a third eye.