Masked (Miraculous Ladybug Fan-fiction)

Part 23. Snap (AdrienPV)

"Ugh! I still can't hear them!" I hissed from a few meters back. Even my cat ears couldn't pick up their voices. They were speaking too softly. "I need to get a closer look..." I grumbled to myself as I looked around. Once I'd made sure no one was watching, I jumped up into a tree that stood in front of me. Swiftly and stealthily, I jumped from tree to tree until I landed in the one that was right above them. 
  
    "I know he's doing better now, so there shouldn't be a reason for you to worry, still..." Luka paused. I ducked when he glanced up, afraid he would spot me. "He's all you think about..." My ears twitched when he said that. "Who could they be talking about?" I thought curiously. "S-sorry, I said too much..." Luka apologized as he rubbed the back of his neck. "N-no it's fine, I don't mind..." Marinette replied nervously. I watched as she placed her sandwich down.

"I guess I can't blame you though..." Luka trailed off. "He's handsome and he's a model too. He's eloquent and fluent in many languages. All I can do is play my guitar..." a sad smile framed his face. "A model, multi-lingual? That sounds like..." My heart raced with anxious curiosity as I stared at Marinette, who was fidgeting in her seat. "Luka I--" he shook his head before she could finish her sentence. "Please don't apologize Marinette, I get It. I really do..." he trailed off.

"It's not because he's a model..." she began in a small voice. "It's not because he's handsome or because he's rich..." I watched her curiously as she continued. "He's really smart and he cares about his friends. He's kind and he's not afraid to put himself in danger to protect the people he loves..." My heart raced against my chest as she trailed off. An uneasy feeling festered in the pit of my stomach when I saw a light blush dust her face. "Who are they talking about?" I wondered impatiently.

"The first time we met, I thought he was a bad person because he was friends with Chloe. I walked into the classroom and it looked like he was putting gum in my seat. I hated him, but later that day it started to rain and I forgot my umbrella..." my eyes nearly popped out of my skull. "This story...it's how Marinette and I met..." I could hear the drumming of my heart against my ear drums. "Adrien walked outside and explained that he was only trying to take the gum off the seat. He told me how he had never gone to school before and how he'd never had any friends. He was so sincere, I could hear the loneliness behind his words. Then, without hesitating he offered me his umbrella..." my face burned and my pulse sped up when I remembered that day.

"That was the day you fell in love with him?" Luka asked dryly. My heart caught in my throat when he asked her that. "I shouldn't be listening to this..." I scolded myself as I turned to make my way off the tree. "What the..!?" I hissed when I realized my tail had gotten caught on a branch. "Come on...!" I hissed as I tugged on it desperately. "Y-yes..." My body froze and my face burned crimson as her confession echoed through my ears.

"Have you told him how you feel?" Luka asked. She shook her head. "N-no. I want to, but deep inside I know what's going to happen. How could he love someone as clumsy as me...?" My blood ran cold. "That's what she thinks of me...? She thinks she's not good enough? That's why she's always nervous around me, why she's always stuttering. She's not intimidated by me, she's..." I trailed off as I shook my head.

My stomach turned as I watched Luka scoot even closer to her. Anxiety, and something else bubbled in my chest as he placed his hand on her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. "The real question is, how could he not?"  He sighed as he let go of her chin. "How could he not love someone like you? I haven't known you for very long, but I know that you're special. You're brave Marinette. You're funny, creative and beautiful..." An unwilling hiss escaped my lips as he leaned in and brushed her bangs away from her face.

I leaned in as far as I could manage without being seen as he decreased the volume of his voice. "I may not be as eloquent or as famous as Adrien...but the song I have in my heart is real too..." a low growl rattled in the back of my throat as Luka leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. "I like you...Marinette."

(Sfx. Snap!)
A subtle cracking sound made me glance down, just in time to realize the branch I was leaning on had broken. "Crap..." I whispered just before the tree gave away.