Marinette's POV
Adrien greets me at the school the next morning, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I smile at the gesture, but immediately wonder what he wants in return.
"Thank you so much, Adrien! But I don't have any money to pay you in return." Adrien looks at me in shock, then confusion. "It's a gift..." he says. "You don't have to give me anything."
I don't believe him for a second. That's what Luka always said when he gave me the necklace and the next day he demanded to me that I had to give him 200 dollars for it. It was all my savings.
"Yes, I will. The next day you'll demand me to give you something just like Luka." I say cheerfully. Adrien looks at me again, in shock. "Why do you keep doing that?" I giggle.
"It's a gift Marinette. You don't have to return gifts. I don't know why Luka is demanding you to return his gifts." Adrien's brows furrow together. "He's definitely not a good person. You'll probably won't listen to Marinette but please stay away from him. He's dangerous."
I laugh at his words. "Luka's not dangerous! He has his flaws and I have mine." Adrien sighs. "Worth a shot." He pushes the flowers into my hands. "Please, take them. I won't ask for anything in return."
I reluctantly take the flowers from his hands and sniff the petals. It smelled like summer rain and the autumn breeze. Everything is happy in my life. I spring forward and hug him. "Thank you so much!" he smells like the flowers, with a hint of something citrusy. Luka smelled like gasoline and ashy wood.
He smiles ruefully and raises his hand to pat my shoulder. I instantly flinch back, scared that he'll slap me. "S-Sorry," I mumble. He looks at me in concern. "Are you ok?" he asks, reaching out a hand to help me. I didn't even realize I fell.
His green eyes bore into mine, green like grass. I find myself lost in them. I reach for his hand and he pulls me back up. "I-I'm f-fine." No! I can't stutter, otherwise, Luka will hurt me again! What was happening?! I look at Adrien, terrified he will hurt me but he only looks at me worry.
"Are you sure you're ok Marinette?" he says. I nod hastily. No one can discover what a wreck I am. I put on a tight smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."
The bell rings, signaling the start of class.
"For your English assignment, you'll need to work in pairs. Your partner is the person sitting next to you." Ms Bustier says. I look at Adrien, panicking. Luka will never let me talk to a boy, let alone work with him! "Ms Bustier, I'm not allowed to work w-with b-boys," I say. Ms Bustier looks at me incredulously. "N-Nevermind," I say.
I shrink back into my seat. I feel a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I see Adrien. "If you don't want to work with me, just tell me, I'll understand." I shook my head furiously.
"No! I want to work with you! I-I m-mean, I don't mind working w-with y-you." I sigh. "It's just Luka won't let me. He'll get really angry if he finds out, and I don't know what he'll do." I shudder.
"Hey, it's okay. We're only working together for a week and a half anyway. We can just work together on the weekends and turn it in early before Luka comes back." Adrien says. I breathe a sigh of relief, some of the panic easing.
"Can I do the assignment at your house? My father won't let anyone come over." Adrien says. I nod as we begin to draft our plan.
"So, we need to both write an essay on how Shakespeare's plays influenced English literature," Adrien says, reading out from the sheet. "We also need to choose one of his plays to support our answer. What play do you wanna do?" I look at him in surprise. He was asking for my opinion?
"Maybe, um a Midsummer Night's Dream?" I say sheepishly. Adrien nods. "That's a good one, why'd you choose it?" I look down, expecting Adrien to laugh at my response like Luka would. "B-B-Because I like the fairies."
But to my surprise, he nods. "I like them too! Let's do it."
Adrien was so different then Luka. When I was with him, I felt I felt free and relaxed. But with Luka, I was wound up tight as a spring, waiting for his next insult or kick. I laugh at Adrien's attempt to imitate Puck, giggling when I fail to mimic the fairy too.
"This is the most fun I've had for a long while," Adrien says after both of us have had enough of the assignment. I find myself agreeing with him.
"Well, what do you want to do-" Adrien is cut off with the sound of my phone ringing. I look at him apologetically and see the number. It's Luka.
The effect is immediate. My limbs size up and a cold sweat begins to occur on my skin. My heart beats faster and faster. My thumb refuses to press the answer button.
"Shush... Marinette, take deep breaths." I feel Adrien's warm hands press on my shoulders. "Count to 10, breathe with me Marinette...breathe..." My breathing comes out, short, sharp gasps at first but slowly turns into a regular rhythm.
My thumbs press answer, as I move Adrien out of the frame. "H-Hi Luka," I say when his face pops up on the screen.
His face is flushed and his hair is messed up. His shirt is gone, revealing his well-toned body. "Good. You're not with any boys." Without a word he hangs up.
I stare blankly at the screen. Not even a goodbye? I shouldn't be surprised anymore. I look over to Adrien, an apology at my lips when he stands up. "Marinette... did you see that?" I stare at him in confusion.
"There was girl in his bed." he says, biting his lip. "Marinette... I think he's cheating on you."
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Where Does the Red String Go? -Miraculous Ladybug AU Soulmates
FanfictionAs soon as you're born, the Gods tie a red string around you and your soulmate. If you follow the end of your string, you'll find your second half. Your everything. The person who knows more about you than you even know yourself. Except, sometimes...