A Few Notes

Detox

"Orange and mint. Mint and Blackberry. Blackberry and orange. Orange and mint."

Orange and mint.

Laughter bubbled from Marinette's lips as she lay in bed, the sound almost manic.

Orange and mint. Orange and mint. Orange and mint.

"That doesn't even sound like a good combination!" she said, halfway to herself. But if Marinette really thought about it, mint and blackberry didn't seem very good either. What had Andre been thinking?

Orange and mint. Orange and mint. Orange and mint. Orange and mint. Orange and mint. Orange and mi-

Tikki cut off her thoughts, landing on the pillow next to Marinette's head with a worried expression on her tiny, spotted face.

"Marinette," the kwami said in her high, whispering voice, "Are you alright?"

The girl's head lolled to the side to face her, eyes gone languid and shiny. "Honestly? I don't know." A few tears ran down her face to create salt-stains on her pink cotton pillow. "Kagami's choosing love. Love. She said they're made for each other, that they're so similar, that they know each other so well. I pulled her away from him before they could kiss. Wasn't that horrible of me? They're in love."

"You aren't horrible, Mari-"

"Spare me, Tikki. I am. I chose Kagami instead of Chloe just so I could keep her away from Adrien. Funny how long that lasted." Marinette whimpered, closing her eyes. "She called it love."

Tikki gulped, for once unsure of what to say. She decided that the only thing she could do to offer solace was to nuzzle against Marinette's cheek, trying not to mind the splash of teardrops against the top of her miniature head.

And then Sabine called up the stairs:

"Marinette, you have a visitor!"

The girl sat up with a gasp, accidentally sending Tikki tumbling onto the covers. Rubbing frantically at her face, Marinette rushed to her trap door just as it opened to reveal the face of Luka Couffaine. The two stared at each other for a moment, her bleary-eyed and red, him sheepish and pale. Then Luka thrust a few flowers towards her and they both were sent into a fit of giggles.

Marinette accepted the slightly-mangled peonies with a small smile, taking the boy's hand and leading him up the final few steps into her room. She didn't remember telling him which flowers were her favorite.

Setting the flowers to the side, Marinette turned back to find Luka holding his arms wide open. She immediately settled into his chest, seeming to make a perfect fit and humming as he wrapped those same, strong arms around her. Out of tears for the moment, Marinette gave a sigh and absentmindedly wondered what Andre would choose for their shared flavors, and if the combination would be any better. She wondered, and she hoped.

They stood there together for a little while, sometimes swaying, sometimes standing still. Luka started to hum a tune that lit fireworks in Marinette's heart, a melody that she somehow recognized yet had never heard before. She looked up to see him smiling at her.

"I finished your song," he said with a glimmer in his eye, then faltered. "But I didn't bring my guitar."

"That's okay." Marinette smiled a true grin that felt glorious on her face. "You can bring it next time."

Luka's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he held her just a bit tighter, going back to resting his head on hers. She surprised him when she yawned.

He laughed. "Long day, huh?"

Marinette's reply was a soft murmur. "You have no idea."

"Want to fill me in?"

"Not yet."

"...Okay."

But what Luka didn't expect was for Marinette to actually fall asleep.

He noticed when her head fell a bit to the side, when her breathing became easier and more rhythmic and when she, honestly, became a bit heavier. The trek to her bed was easier than he had thought, Marinette slight in his arms. Luka nervously thumbed the rubber bands from her hair, unable to imagine she could be comfortable, and watched as her locks flowed down the pillow like midnight water.

The pink from her bed and from her painted walls seemed to stain Luka's cheeks as he realized he was close enough to see the tiny constellations that dotted the bridge of Marinette's nose, close enough still to feel her breath against his lips. He gulped, restraining himself and chastising his heart.

It was simple to bring the covers to Marinette's shoulders, but not so easy to leave. Luka settled on a controlled brush of his thumb against her cheek and, after a silent search, a scribbled note on her desk.

To Marinette,

You kinda fell asleep. No worries, though. I hope you have sweet dreams, and that whatever's bothering you leaves you alone for now. I can't wait to play your song. Until next time,

Luka

Tikki watched the blue-haired boy from her vantage point behind a drawer. Her feelings were mixed. She knew Marinette deserved all the love she could get, but the path of fate had become so twisted. It all seemed simple before.

Perhaps it couldn't be helped.

Marinette slept for hours, worn out as she was. Her dreams were enchanted with music. And when she awoke, she would be lying if the note didn't make her smile.

In fact, it lit a spark in her chest.

Her room underwent a transformation. Adrien's magazine-cut pictures were taken down, going so far as to be placed in the recycling. Marinette got rid of her pull-down calendar and changed her computer background, laughing in hindsight at how crazy she had been, feeling lighter every passing minute. She stepped back, studying the brand new blank spaces and marveling as to how she would fill them, figuring it best to leave most of it alone for now.

Electric blue eyes danced behind her vision, making her smile. Taking Luka's note and a shiny red pin, Marinette secured a brand new wish to her wall, just beginning to fill the hole in her heart.