When Walls Crumble

Chapter 1: Interrupted

It started out as a normal day for Marinette. Late for school, unable to talk to Adrian, comforted by Alya and Tikki. But as she left during the lunch break, her world was inverted.

"Marinette! Wait up!"

She turned to the sound of the voice. Luka was running up to her.

"Oh hey, Luka!" she called with a little wave. "What's up?"

"Um...I'ts just...we haven't had much of a chance to talk since I got akumatized. I was wondering if maybe...we could...you know, get some ice cream together and chat?"

Marinette blushed. "Uh, sure! I'd love you-I-I mean, I'd love to! You would be awesome! I-I mean. That-that sounds awesome."

Luka smiled. She was so cute when she got flustered. "Great! So can we go after school?"

"Sure! I'll meet you here!" she waved as she walked off.

Luka smiled. He couldn't wait. And hopefully, he could find out what he said to her under Hawkmoth's influence and apologize for it.

After lunch, Marinette walked into the classroom, right before the bell rang. Her friends were already seated.

"Hey, Marinette! What's up?" Adrian greeted her.

"Hey, Adrian! Nothing much, you?" she returned evenly as she sat down.

"Woah, girl," Alya remarked. "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Talk to Adrian without stuttering?"

"Did I?"

"Um, yeah."

Marinette frowned. Surely she hadn't gotten over him just like that, had she?

"Is there something you aren't telling me?" Alya asked, smirking.

Marinette's mind immediately flashed to her alter ego. "Gah! Uh, no! Absolutely not! I don't have any big secrets! I-I don't..."

Alya laughed. "Annnnd, she's back."

During the last class, Marinette happened to glance at her watch. Five minutes until her date with Luka. Wait. It wasn't a date, was it? He just wanted to talk about what happened when he was akumatized. Still, the butterflies in her stomach were breaking record speeds.

Finally, the bell rang. She grabbed her stuff and darted to the front doors.

"See you later!" Alya shouted. Marinette turned to reply, but before she could, she ran headlong into Luka.

"Woah, slow down there!" he laughed.

She looked up at his face. He was smirking the way he did when they first met. The smirk illustrated how he thought her clumsiness was funny, but endearing at the same time. She blushed and looked away.

Then she realized she was wrapped in his tight embrace and he was in hers. A small sound somewhere between a squeal and a shriek escaped her lips as she jumped back to her feet. Luka smirked again. She loved that smirk. And the way his eyes twinkled and his little dimple...

Woah. Deep breaths, Marinette, she told herself. Let's go for a coherent sentence.

"Um...Hi!" she stuttered, inwardly cursing her lack of eloquence.

Luka smiled and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Marinette felt her face grow hot as she took his arm. "Absolutely."

As they walked off, the boy watching from the corner sat down and sobbed. Nathaniel's beloved Marinette, the inspiration behind over half his art, the sweetest girl in class, his first love, was walking arm in arm with another boy.