A Frosty Touch

Chapter Twelve

"So, a new boyfriend?" Dad teases, wiggling his eyebrows at me. "Pssht, Dad! No, that's not it! He's just a friend!" I feel my face heating up.

"I have to admit, I was expecting Luka to be my son-in-law, but this young man seems like a good choice as well. You know, your mother and I were just frie-" I cut him off. "Dad!" He laughs at me as I rush to leave quickly, grabbing a couple of sodas for Adrien and me.

Oh god, why does he have to tease me now! I hope Adrien didn't hear any of that. And he thought Luka would be his son-in-law?! I knew telling my dad I had a crush on Luka would come back to bite me in the ass. What the heck!?

I sat down at the table, ready for dinner, just in time for dad to bring out the food, seeing that he roped Adrien into helping him. When Adrien sat at the table with me, I realize his face is about as red as mine.

Just kill me now...What in the world did my dad say to him? I grumbled to myself.

As we settled in for dinner, Adrien and I exchanged awkward glances, both of us still recovering from my dad's form of "Playful" teasing. Dad, blissfully unaware of our embarrassment, turned on the news as we began to dig into the meal he had prepared.

As soon as we heard the headlines, all of us gave the TV our full attention. It was on Ladybug and Chat Noir, and the new form of akumas that have begun to turn people now that Hawk Moth has been rebranded as Shadow Moth.

It mentioned how the mayor of Paris is now skeptical of how the two heroes would manage to catch Shadow moth and how he would now be stepping in because they failed us thus far.

Just as the news segment ended, the screen transitioned to an unexpected follow-up that only made my eerie feeling from the theatre valid...

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Luka's Pov

At the bakery, Marinette and her parents had asked for my help with a huge catering order. Over time, it had become a common occurrence with the Dupain-Chengs, and I'd like to think my baking skills had significantly improved. The ride here with Marinette had been pretty nerve-wracking; having her so close, she could practically feel my heartbeat.

The catering order was for a big event, featuring my dad, Jagged Stone. We needed to pack up and load boxes to take to the venue. While I was helping Tom load up the boxes, I couldn't help but steal glances at Marinette, and goodness, was she beautiful.

Her smile could light up the room, and her kindness and honesty with others were truly captivating. From the way her apron sat around her waist to her beautiful bluebell eyes sparkling in the sunlight, I found myself enchanted. Just hearing her laughter made my whole day.

Despite my admiration, part of me wondered why she reminded me of Y/n. For some reason I tend to compare the two often, but I shook that thought out of my head. I have feelings for the young woman in front of me, NOT for my bestfriend, this is getting ridiculous.

"Thanks, Luka, I appreciate the help." Marinette spoke up, breaking me out of my thoughts. "My parents are going to be gone for the next few hours, and we just got a new game. Would you want to try it out with me?" She asked, gesturing up to their apartment.

"Sure, after I clean up real quick, I'll be down." I took off the spare apron her parents lent me and walked inside to was the flour off myself. Once I finished up, I went into the living room as Marinette was setting up the gaming console.

Walking past the bookshelf by the door, I noticed a couple of pictures of her and Y/n as kids and decided to ask about it. "How long have you guys been friends? You look pretty close in these pictures."

Marinette looked up, startled at the mention of Y/n. She finished up with the console and met me over by the bookshelf. She picked up the pictures careful and smiled softly to herself.

"We've been friends since we were really little. We used to spend a lot of time together until her mom passed, then she got her job and started getting super busy. You know?" She looked up at me with a look of nostalgia in her eyes. She set the picture back down on the shelf, and turned toward the TV. "Let's get started with this game!"

~~~~~~

"Dang it! How are you so good at this!? Are you sure you didn't play this in secret?" I asked Marinette, setting down the controller after having my ass kicked three times in a row.

She set her controller down on the table and laughed, "No, I've just played a lot of games like this with my dad. If anything, this is giving me practice to win against my dad." She giggled, her laugh absolutely melodic to my ears.

"I don't think you'll have any issues with that, you're incredible." I complimented her, leaning back against the couch and set my arm on the back of the couch so that my body was turned toward Marinette.

"I'm not incredible, I've just had practice." Her face was heating up, her cheeks were almost as red as a tomato. Her body mimicked my position so that she was facing me.

"I mean it, Marinette, you were amazing at the game. You're pretty incredible with anything you do." I smiled, leaning towards her a bit. I felt a blush creeping up onto my own cheeks.

Marinette's blush deepened, her adorable stuttering only adding to her charm. "I-it's really nothing, Luka. Just a silly game is all," she tried to downplay her victory.

Chuckling softly, I replied, "Silly game or not, you have a way of turning the ordinary into something extraordinary." The atmosphere between us felt thick and I felt my heart racing.

Neither of us said anything, just held each other's gaze, the tension in the air weighing on us both, and that's why I made the decision.

I began to lean in, and she did too. Within seconds, we shared our first kiss. I wrapped my arms around her waist, my hand on the back of her head so I could deepen the kiss. Everything just felt right...