Heartstring ✅

Chapter 1

Marinette sat on her balcony chair, staring out at the Paris rooftops. The view, however, didn't lighten her current mood. Not because the stars weren't out, but because of the events at school earlier in the day.

Tears trickled down the girl's cheeks, her throat aching from the previous outburst. Though she was no longer bawling like before, her legs were still tucked under her arms, as she sniffled every so often.

A vibration from her phone jolted her awake, as her attention was now on the electronic device. It appeared to be a text message, and when she checked the contents, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Luka had messaged her.

Luka: Hey Marinette, I was wondering if we could talk since you're not in school having lunch.

Right. She had sprinted straight home when the bell had rung.

Marinette texted a quick reply back, saying she would meet him in a few minutes at the park, then began to make her way down to her room. As her weight shifted the mattress beneath her, she looked to her left, and saw the cork board with several pictures pinned to it.

Most of them were photos of Adrien, yet there was also a class photo, and a selfie of her and Alya. Just thinking about her supposed best friend brought back painful memories, and so she wiped her tear-streaked face and grabbed her purse before strolling to the park.

When she finally arrived, Luka was sat on a bench, with his guitar held in his lap. As she made her way over, he suddenly glanced up, and gave her a sweet smile. However, she didn't return it, and silently sat beside him.

After a few tense seconds, he tentatively asked, "Marinette, what's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, and only fidgeted with her fingers on her lap, looking down sombrely.

As if sensing her sadness he questioned, "Did something happen? You can tell me about it if you want, I'll listen."

She nodded, still not making eye contact, and took a deep breath.

"Something happened at school today," she started, and glanced to Luka, seeing him listening intently. "When I walked into class...everyone was either glaring at me or just straight up ignoring me, and I didn't know why."

Luka furrowed his brow in confusion, as she carried on. "Apparently I had been sending cruel messages to a girl in my class, and she had told everyone how I had 'threatened' and degraded her."

Marinette's bluebell eyes began to turn glossy when she reminisced, "My best friend accused me of being jealous, and said that she 'couldn't believe she was friends with a bully.'"

A single tear dropped down onto her cheek, as she looked down sadly at the ground.

Luka, sensing that she would soon cry, placed a hand on her shoulder and hesitantly asked in a soft tone, "Why would that girl lie about you?"

It seemed that the question plucked at her heartstrings, because suddenly she choked a sob and buried her head in Luka's chest, arms around his midsection.

Only a second passed before he encircled his arms around her, and allowed her to cry on his shirt. Her voice was muffled as she explained, "She makes up a lot of lies, and takes advantage of everyone because they believe her. She lied about having tinnitus, which made me get sent to the back of the classroom by myself, so she could sit at the front."

Marinette swallowed the lump in her throat and said, "When I was skeptical, everyone chalked it down to petty jealousy, especially when I threw a napkin at her, which she caught, when she supposedly had a sprained wrist. Whenever I point something out she brings out fake tears, and paints me as the bad guy, and now her threat is coming true."

Luka froze and looked down at Marinette, only to see her appearing to have regretted her last sentence. He didn't want to force her to tell, and so he rubbed soothing circles on her back to coax her into explaining what she meant.

The comforting gesture seemed to do the trick when she stated, "After the whole 'napkin' incident, she followed me into the bathroom and pretended that she was nice, but when I showed I didn't believe her, she threatened me."

She sobbed again, and Luka tightened his grip on her body protectively to signify that it was safe to carry on.

"Lila said-" a spark of recognition let him realise that Lila was a person that his sister had frequently mentioned, "-that she would turn all of my friends against me, and she cornered me in the room."

His eyes widened, as he took in the information she had provided. Juleka marvelled at how she knew many famous celebrities at home, and hearing the girl he loved and trusted say she lied made him want to go up to her class and make them feel how his crush felt at the very moment.

It wasn't until she confessed something specific that it made him want to actually act out what he said.

Her voice was only a whisper when he heard her say it. "I was almost akumatized."

For a split second, his heart stopped beating, before he felt his blood begin to boil. She had already been threatened by another liar before, Bob Roth, yet she'd been confident and strong.

On the contrary, seeing her so fragile and tired of Lila's lies broke his heart, as much as it broke hers. He could just about hear her sad melody over the sound of blood rushing to his ears.

Marinette began to sob again, so he cradled her gently while she let all of the tears out. The Jagged Stone merchandise he wore was probably stained, but he couldn't care less. What mattered now was that the girl he loved was vulnerable and hurting in his arms, almost bawling.

He whispered several promises in her ear, that he intended to keep while she cried.

"You're okay, don't worry."

"They'll get what's coming to them."

"You're safe with me."

"No one will hurt you from now on."

After a few minutes, the tears ceased, and he took the opportunity to pull her hair out of her signature pigtails. His fingers thread through her tresses, stroking her head reassuringly as the trembling in her petite body died down.

"T-Thank you," she said, pulling back and staring into his eyes. Luka could drown in the ocean blue of hers, and he would have had it not been for her request of, "Can you play your guitar, if that's okay?"

Luka nodded and pulled back, already missing the warmth from her body. He picked up the guitar he had previously placed beside the bench, and just as he was about to grab his pick, Marinette held one out for him.

He recognized it as the Jagged Stone one he had allowed her to keep, and was amazed that she had held onto it. As if hearing his thoughts, with her sore voice she teased, "Didn't expect me to keep it?"

He chuckled and took the guitar pick, their fingers brushing ever so slightly.

He closed his eyes in concentration and let his hands play the familiar melody of her heart, yet it was slower and more drawn out, reflecting her mental exhaustion. She leaned onto Luka's shoulder and her eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the tune of the music.

It was as if the only people in the world were them, as everything else was merely background noise to the pair. Her breathing began to settle until she was no longer hiccuping - though she was still sniffling frequently.

It made him think about the person who had made Marinette feel the way she did.

Lila.

His grip tightened on the handle of the guitar, but he was still careful to keep the melody going as if nothing was bothering him.

Lila had caused this. She had not only made Marinette feel threatened, but almost let her become a victim of Hawk Moth. That in itself was bad enough.

But hearing Marinette's melody sound so hollow and lifeless was something unforgivable. She was sincere, kind, selfless, and most of all didn't deserve the pain she was experiencing.

A slight flutter caught his attention, and he felt the pick in his grasp cause a tickling sensation against his fingertips.