The Soulmate Train
Chapter 8: Feelings
AO3
“Luka!”
“Huh?”
He blinked up and met Pierre’s annoyed face. “How long could it possibly take to hand me the screwdriver?”
“Apologies, sir.” He rubbed his hands over his face, suppressing the urge to slap himself. Although, maybe that would help him actually focus on the task at hand.
Their tool box was a mess. He should probably tidy it up when he has the chance.
Screwdriver, screwdriver… where is the damn screwdriver?
He rummaged around the box for a few seconds before Pierre lifted his foot and tapped against the handle of the screwdriver sticking out of the box.
Oh.
Come on, Luka. You’re making a fool of yourself!
Pierre took the screwdriver from Luka’s hand, mumbling something about ‘lack of efficiency under his breath. The younger conductor wasn’t sure he was meant to hear that.
“Unbelievable how you broke the steering wheel. You’re damn lucky you were still able to steer the damn train!” Pierre scolded him for the umpteenth time. “How did this happen, anyway?”
Luka swallowed thickly.
Oh, funny story: I had taken a traveler, who’s probably my best friend, with me into the driver’s cab and she jumped backwards into the wheel right after we…
He cringed as memories from the previous night flooded his vision. He had never kissed anyone before. Like most people, he had wanted to keep his first kiss for his one true love, which after taking the conductor job fell redundant. Since then, he never expected to really want to kiss anyone.
Just what had gotten into him?
Was it the way she had looked at him, or how the stars had reflected in her eyes?
Or was it something that had been there all along, slowly growing in his heart? Something more profound that made him want to be close to her?
Was this… love?
“For the love of everything, can you stop spacing out!?”
Pierre’s harsh tone startled him. “Sorry!”
“Geez, what is with… what’s this?”
Above him, he heard Pierre move and when he looked up, his blood ran cold.
“How did this get here?” Pierre asked, examining the pink hair ribbon he held in his hand. “You don’t wear hair ribbons.”
Needless to say Luka knew exactly whose hair ribbon this was. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the way Pierre looked at him so accusingly, or the fact that he might confirm the suspicion with the way he had tensed up.
That stupid ribbon, couldn’t it have just stayed in her hair? Her pretty, dark hair that had reflected the starlight so beautifully.
“Uh…” Luka violently shook his head in a desperate attempt to form a response and to put any thoughts and feelings he might’ve had about the previous night back where they belonged—buried somewhere in the farthest corner of his mind.
“It was… a gift. From… someone,” Luka managed to get out and reached for the ribbon, taking it from Pierre’s hand. “It must’ve fallen out of my pocket.”
Pierre lifted his eyebrows in confusion. “Why a ribbon of all things? It’s not practical at all.”
“I can totally use it, look!” Luka tried to fumble the ribbon into his hair somehow. Except his hair wasn’t really long enough to make into a ponytail, so the ribbon kept falling onto his shoulder.
What in the world am I doing?
In the end, he wrapped the ribbon around his forehead and pushed his hair back. “See? Now my hair doesn’t fall into my eyes anymore!”
The other conductor stared at him with a blank expression and Luka forced a smile to somehow cover up the awkwardness.
“The color doesn’t go with the rest of your outfit,” Pierre pointed out. “Don’t let any of our guests see you like that, you look ridiculous.”
“Duly noted…”
The older man shook his head and went back to examining the steering wheel. “Actually, maybe I can use this to fix this part right here. Like this maybe…” Pierre experimented with the ribbon for a few minutes, but eventually gave up and let it fall on the floor by Luka’s feet. Luka quickly stuffed it in his pocket.
“For a second I was worried a guest might’ve sneaked in here.”
Luka nodded slowly. “That would be… not good.”
God, just what in the world was he thinking? He had allowed a traveller to trespass into the locomotive, broke the steering wheel and now he was cowardly enough to lie about it to his superior’s face… not to mention he had literally stolen Marinette’s first kiss, which was undeniably his worst offence.
This was so unfair to her! And for what? A moment of weakness on his part. This weird feeling in his heart he desperately tried to ignore and utterly failed.
Well, there was no changing the past. All he could do now was apologize to her and reassess their relationship as purely platonic and… wait, what? Their relationship had always been strictly platonic, not…
What kind of relationship would the events of last night imply? Kissing was something reserved for soulmates. Something he wasn’t supposed to have. Something he probably couldn’t even truly comprehend.
His stomach turned unpleasantly, to the point he felt nauseous.
He had made peace with the fact that he didn’t have a soulmate a long time ago. What other choice did he have? Wallowing in self-pity about things he couldn’t change wouldn’t have been sustainable. Accepting his fate was his only option. But after last night, it had become increasingly harder to not think about what having a soulmate might be like. No one had ever held him like this, like he was the most precious thing to her in that moment. Between all the stars, she only had eyes for him.
Was that what a soulbond felt like?
Luka bit his lips. No, it couldn‘t. He didn‘t have a soulbond with Marinette or anyone else. There was no way he could truly understand what it means. Anything like that was a fantasy at best, a cheap copy. Not the real thing. That just wasn’t for him to experience.
Whatever happened… it didn‘t mean anything. It couldn‘t.
The two conductors finished the repairs of the steering wheel. Pierre kneeled down to put the screwdriver back into the tool box and eyed Luka. “Are you certain you feel well? If last night has tired you out—”
“Last night wasn’t out of the ordinary at all! I mean… nothing that would tire me out in any way.” He rubbed his hands over his face to cover his blush. “I’m sorry.”
He didn’t get any more comments from his coworker. Pierre let out a mere hum and put the tool box away. “We’ll have to start preparing lunch soon.”
“Yes, sir.” Luka got up. Inside his pocket, he felt the soft material of the ribbon between his fingers and sighed.
A moment of weakness. That was all there was to it. A small slip-up. A little mistake. Nothing more.
But then… Why did calling it a mistake feel so wrong?
Enough of this nonsense. He should focus on his job: uniting soulmates and making sure they were comfortable and happy during their travels. He’d apologize to Marinette once he got the chance to, then they could forget anything had ever happened. Or at least, just let it be a memory he’d carry with him for a while, until it would eventually fade away.
Hopefully fade away…
****
The fact that she had managed to fall asleep in the first place truly was a miracle on its own. It hadn‘t been the soothing kind of sleep though, so when she slowly fluttered her eyes open, she felt just as anxious and confused as the night before. Not even the warmth of her soft blanket brought her any comfort in that moment.
The events of the previous night playing on repeat in her mind wouldn‘t allow it.
She had run through the train cars to her cabin, her vision had become blurry as she had tried to hold back tears and slowly sunk along the cold, hard door to the floor… How long had she leaned against that door? When had she crawled into her bed?
What did that matter? It wasn’t like the three or four or however many hours of sleep had helped. Every part of her felt just as exhausted as before. Except for her mind, running 200 miles an hour as the images from the night before materialized before her inner eye.
Images of his hands on her back as he pulled her closer, the stars in Luka’s eyes as he slowly leaned in, his breath against her lips just before…
She hid her face in her hands and let out an involuntary squeal as she curled herself into a tiny ball. It didn’t help, but there wasn’t really anything else she could do. She laid there, defenseless as her brain forced her to relive the moment over and over again, shuddering at how intensely she could still feel everything. Her heart beat in her chest, loud and erratic, and she grew worried it might burst out of her chest any second.
Why? Why couldn’t she just make her brain stop torturing her like this?
But… was torture really supposed to make her feel this… pleasant? Like a kaleidoscope of butterflies travelling through her entire body, fluttering under her skin and filling her with a weirdly comfortable warmth?
No… No! This… this wasn’t how it was supposed to go! This wasn’t how she was supposed to feel! She and Luka were merely friends. He wasn’t supposed to make her feel this way. He was the conductor, someone who wasn’t supposed to stay in her life. He would bring her to her soulmate, and afterwards…
She’d never see him again.
He wasn’t the one she’s supposed to be in love with!
The butterflies were squished by a stone.
Marinette let out a frustrated sigh as she pulled the blanket over her head.
This couldn‘t be right. Whatever it was she was feeling, it couldn‘t possibly be love.
How could it be, if they weren’t meant for each other?
This certainly wasn‘t love, right?
A loud knocking— no, banging on her door brought her back to reality as she yelped in surprise.
“Marinette!” Alya’s excited voice penetrated the door. “Oh my god, Marinette! It happened! It finally happened! Wake up and let me in!”
Marinette groaned into her pillow. Was it so hard to leave a girl alone in her room with her self-destructive thoughts?
“Please stop making so much noise. I… I’m sick. And probably contagious.” She coughed a few times. “You don’t want to come in, trust me.”
The banging stopped and Marinette’s stomach turned at the sound of someone turning the doorknob. “Contagious or not, I need to tell you,” Alya squealed as she let herself in. “It finally happened!”
The blanket was pulled from her head as Alya practically teleported to Marinette’s bed and pulled her friend into a tight hug, causing her to squeal in surprise.
“I’ve seen him, Marinette!” She beamed. “I’ve had my first telepathic impression! He looked… my god, he looked gorgeous! It looked like he was sorting vinyls or something. I think he enjoys music! Oh, maybe he even makes his own music! God, if he does, I hope he serenades me, that would be soooo romantic…”
Marinette pulled back a little and put on the best smile she could manage. “That’s… that’s great. Congratulations.”
She meant it. Telepathic impressions were always a big deal when they occurred, and seeing Alya be so thrilled was admittedly adorable. The only problem was that none of that was reflected in her weak, weirdly shaky voice and she prayed that Alya, in her state of ecstasy, wouldn’t pick up on it.
But Alya’s expression immediately grew to a concerned one as she studied Marinette’s features.
“You… don’t look sick,” she noted and lifted a hand to Marinette’s face, examining the dark circles beneath her eyes. “But still not good, either. Have you not slept again?”
Marinette sighed. “No, I did, I just… it’s just that… uhm…”
The cabin fell silent, aside from the sound of Marinette shifting in her bed.
What was she supposed to say? How could Alya possibly understand her if she didn’t even understand herself? She removed Alya’s hand from her face. “It’s nothing…”
Alya gave her a look. “We both know that’s bullshit. We’re friends, right? You can talk to me. Whatever your problem is, we can find a solution.“
Marinette’s heart twisted unpleasantly and she looked down to avoid Alya’s gaze.
This was so stupid.
The solution to her problem should be clear. Whatever had happened with Luka and whatever it was she might feel about it shouldn‘t matter. Luka wasn‘t her soulmate.None of it had anything to do with her destiny. The best course of action would be to just accept it for what it was: a dumb, tiny mistake.
“I promise, it’s nothing,” Marinette repeated herself, giving her friend another weak smile. “I’m truly happy for you.”
Alya didn’t look convinced, instead studying her friend's features with a worried expression. Her initial excitement upon entering the cabin had vanished entirely and Marinette couldn’t help but feel even worse. Now she had ruined Alya's moment with her gloominess.
God, she was so stupid.
Alya was about to open her mouth, but then her gaze shifted away from Marinette onto the small bedside table, her eyes growing wider as she seemingly realized something.
Marinette turned her head, her eyes landing on the golden paper lying on top of her notebook.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Alya read the words out loud.
Right. That was Marinette’s ticket, with the first words her soulmate would tell her upon meeting her for the first time written on it. The first time she had held the ticket in her hand, those simple words felt so magical and impactful. Every time she’d read them to herself as she ran her fingers across the smooth surface of the ticket, as she tasted the words on her tongue and learned them by heart, they had always brought her a sense of comfort. A sense of hope.
Now, just looking at the ticket filled her with dread.
“Is… is that what’s going on?“ Alya mumbled more to herself, looking between Marinette and the ticket. "You haven't... gotten an impression yet?"
Marinette pressed her lips together. Frankly, thinking about her soulmate was the last thing she wanted to do. It was cruel to think that way, but with all that had been going on in her head for the past hours, that was a whole can of worms she wasn’t ready to open just yet.
“I… oh god, I’m a horrible friend.“ Alya slapped her forehead with her fingers. “You were on the train before me and you’re still waiting and I rub salt into the wound… I’m so sorry!”
“It’s fine, I…” Marinette winced. When had the last time been that she had actually dedicated a single thought to her soulmate at all? Questioning what kind of person they were, what their hobbies might be, what their life together would look like? Just… theorizing and dreaming about her destiny? Like everyone else did.
What had she done on the train other than daydream about a conductor who wasn’t her soulmate? Looking forward to their daily meet-ups, talking about everything and nothing, watching the stars with him…
Weren’t these things usually reserved for soulmates?
Had she betrayed hers in a way?
What kind of lousy soulmate was she?
She heard Alya shift before she laid her hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “I know it can be exhausting to wait for it to happen for so long. But don’t lose hope, I’m sure it’ll happen soon enough. Then everything will fall into place.” She then proceeded to pull Marinette into a tight hug, and Marinette yelped at the sudden movement. “So please don’t cry, ok?”
Oh.
Marinette hadn’t even noticed her eyes becoming watery. But the moment Alya's arms had wrapped around her, the tears had spilled and she had hidden her face in her friend's shoulder.
Alya whispered some more soothing words into her ear while stroking her hair gently. Marinette didn’t really register any of it. She just kept crying and crying.
It took a while for her sobs to slowly die down and a feeling of calmness settled in her body. The confusion in her heart was still there, but crying her feelings out had definitely helped.
Alya eventually pulled away and gave Marinette an encouraging smile. “Feeling okay now?”
Marinette nodded and returned the smile. “Thank you.”
“Hey, no problem.” Alya stroked Marinette’s cheek with her thumb. “How about you go wash your face and then we grab lunch?”
Marinette hesitated. Going to the dining car meant there was a big chance she’d run into Luka and…
And then what? Stay in her cabin for the rest of her journey and never speak to him? No, she couldn’t repeat the whole avoidant act, like she did when she first learned about Luka’s situation. She should be past this by now, right?
Still, when she entered the dining car, she looked around for him on instinct and let out a sigh of relief when he was nowhere to be seen. Even after taking her usual seat with her small group of friends, she didn’t follow their conversation at all, her mind too occupied with trying to remind her of the previous night constantly. On top of that was the hyper awareness of the cabin doors that caused her body to tense up every time it opened only to immediately relax when it turned out to be just another random passenger entering or leaving.
Was this how the rest of her journey would be like? God, how pathetic of her. All of this just because Luka had to invite her to the locomotive, show her this breathtaking sight and she… she had to ruin everything!
UGH! Why did she have to make everything so weird? He just wanted to find a way to spend more time with her, give her the opportunity of a lifetime by showing her the beauty of the night sky as they flew through the stars! It was gesture so fitting for him, a kind-hearted, caring person who lends an ear to listen, looks out for everybody, is always so sweet, has such unbelievably soft lips—
“Marinette!”
“Gah!” Marinette flinched as an elbow hit her right in her ribcage. She turned to Nathaniel, who gave her an irritated look. “Will you let me out already? I want to get seconds!”
“Wow, you completely spaced out there,” Alya commented. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Absolutely, I am!” Marinette jumped up from her seat. “I was actually also considering getting seconds! Let’s go together, Nath!”
“You didn’t even have firsts,” he mumbled, but followed her to the buffet table nonetheless.
The food smelled delicious as always and it made Marinette notice how hungry she actually was.
“Hey,” Nathaniel suddenly said. “Can I ask you a weird question?”
Marinette looked at Nathaniel, who was pouring in some coffee in his mug, with a rather distant look on his face.
“Uh… sure.”
He looked up to her. “Have you ever felt like you’re… falling for a person who wasn’t your soulmate?”
Somehow, Marinette managed to not drop her plate right then and there. She did however choke on her own spit. Had Nath somehow figured her out? Had she been so obvious? Did anyone else know about her feelings for…
No, she didn’t have feelings for Luka! She couldn’t have feelings for Luka!
“Why would I know about that!?” Marinette let out a forced laugh. “Who in the world would I like besides my soulmate? I mean… like like. That’s ridiculous!”
Yeah, that didn’t sound suspicious at all.
Nathaniel blinked at her, then shook his head. “It really is, isn’t it,” he mumbled, letting out a bitter laugh.
Marinette tilted her head and frowned. Maybe this wasn’t about her at all? “Uh… why did you ask?”
“No, it’s probably nothing anyway.” He bit his lips, staring off into the distance, as if deep in thought.
“Are you… in love?” she asked carefully, fully expecting him to get defensive.
Instead, he just let out a sigh. “I don’t know. I just… the thing is, when we first spoke, their words actually matched those on my ticket.”
Marinette’s eyes widened at that. “Really?”
“I know it’s most likely a coincidence, but… part of me wished it wasn’t.”
“Is… is this about Marc?”
Nathaniel seemingly tensed and looked around the room before looking back at her. “Forget we had this conversation, okay?”
Before she could say anything more, the front door opened and Marinette immediately froze up. Just a few steps behind Pierre, Luka stepped through the door, and, of course, immediately found her gaze and stopped in his tracks as he stared back at her like a deer in headlights.
She would’ve almost found the nervousness in his face endearingly cute, as it was such a stark contrast to his usually composed nature, but in this moment… it was different.
He wasn’t just the kind and composed conductor anymore.
This was the man she had kissed last night.
This was the man with whom she had shared the most magical moment of her life.
Marinette tried her best to ignore her fluttering heart, and she tried to hide her nervousness with a smile. A very forced smile, but at least Luka reciprocated her efforts with an equally forced smile.
What he was thinking right now? Did the sight of her also bring him back to the previous night? Did their kiss also rob him of sleep and leave him as confused as her? What had it been like for him, a man without a soulmate? What did it mean to him? What did she mean to him? What did he… mean to her?
Overwhelmed by her stream of thoughts, she tore her gaze away.
For a moment, she redirected her attention to Nathaniel. “To be honest, Nath, I think… love is actually more confusing than we realize.”
She didn’t receive any answer. Then suddenly, Nathaniel shuddered. Marinette shifted her gaze towards him as his plate fell on the floor, his food spilled everywhere.
“Nath? Are you okay?”
He didn’t react. He just stood there like a statue, staring off into the distance, almost as if… as if he was experiencing a telepathic impression.
“Marc?”
Marinette heard Alya at their table and as she looked over, she noticed how Marc was also sitting completely still.
It took a few seconds before they both snapped out of it. Nathaniel took a step back and almost crashed into the buffet table. Marinette quickly grabbed his arm to keep him from falling on his spilled food and shards of his plate.
“Oh, dear. We’ll have to clean that up.” Pierre had quickly walked to the scene, Luka closely following him. The latter looked Nathaniel up and down. “Do you have to sit down?”
While a few travelers were already helping to clean up part of the mess, Nathaniel didn’t answer immediately. He stood there in disbelief, hyperventilating, as Marinette gently stroked his arm. After a few more seconds, he slowly calmed down, mumbling something incomprehensible, before turning his head towards Marc.
Marc stood up from their seat and hesitantly walked towards Nathaniel.
“You… you’ve seen it too, haven’t you?”
Confused mumbling broke out amongst the passengers witnessing the scene. Nathaniel made a few steps until he met Marc half-way. Then, he carefully lifted his hand, hovering over Marc’s cheek.
“So it wasn’t a coincidence after all.”
At that moment, a bright smile appeared on Marc's face as they crashed into Nathaniel and pulled him into a tight hug. Nathaniel didn’t hesitate and reciprocated the hug, pressing his head into the crook of their neck.
“I’ve waited for so long…” he whispered. “I’ve been on this train for so long… when you’ve been right in front of me all this time.”
If the tenderness of the moment didn't already make Marinette tear up, her noticing the tears of happiness forming in Marc’s eyes was her last straw.
“Now hold on just a second.” Pierre interrupted the moment, seemingly perplexed. “I’m not following. What’s happening here?”
Nathaniel turned to the conductor, eyeing him up and down before his expression turned sour and he let go of Marc.
“Pierre, outside of you ruining our moment, would it have hurt to maybe tell me earlier that you can meet your soulmate on this stupid train?”
The conductor shook his head. “The train brings one soulmate to another, not having them meet on board! There’s no way you two could possibly—”
“I know what I… what we saw in our damn impression just now!” Nathaniel threw back.
“Let’s all just calm down,” Luka stepped between Pierre and the couple. “This is just a little bit of an… unusual situation. Maybe there was mistake or—”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Luka! The Soulmate Train wouldn’t make a mistake like that!” Pierre proceeded to pull out a notebook, frantically flipping through the pages, mumbling Nathaniel’s name over and over again.
“Uhm… if you guys made a mistake, what exactly would that mean for us?” Marc laid their hand on Nathaniel’s arm, expectantly looking at Luka. Around them, other travelers started mumbling amongst themselves. The conductor bit his lips. “I’m honestly not sure…”
“Ah, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, there you are.” Pierre announced.. “Okay, so you got a ticket to…”
“Look, sir!” Luka had leaned over to get a glimpse at the notebook, and was now pointing at one of the pages. “There’s also Marc’s name. And it appears both are getting off at the same station.” He turned back to Marc. “In that case… I guess it doesn’t
really matter? You get off at your station and live happily ever after.”
Marc and Nathaniel both looked at each other with relieved smiles.
“This makes me so happy,” Nathaniel laughed. “I was afraid I had caught feelings for someone who’s not my soulmate at all.”
“I felt the same way!” Marc admitted. “I entered the train and on my first day, you told me the words on my ticket. I was sure it was just a coincidence, lots of people compliment my gloves, but deep down…”
“My words were just, 'I'm sorry!’ I can’t believe my soulmate, who is a brilliant writer, tells me the most generic words ever upon meeting me for the first time!”
Marc chuckled at that. “I’m sorry, I’ll be more creative from now on.”
Nathaniel pressed his forehead against Marc’s. “You said them again.“
Pierre still stared at his notebook, scratching his head. “I just don’t understand how this happened… clearly one of them wasn’t supposed to get a ticket. Why are both of them on this train?”
The other passengers were still whispering amongst each other, not sure what to make out of the situation, until Alya stood up, tears streaming down her face, and started clapping.
“Who cares about dumb soulmate logistics. Nathaniel, Marc, you found each other and that’s all that matters! I am so incredibly happy for you guys!”
There was a moment of silence, then another passenger nodded. “She’s right, that’s all that truly matters!”
“They are really cute together!”
“I can only hope the reunion with my soulmate will be just as sweet!”
Soon enough, a small group of passengers expressed their approval and excitement for the new couple, even getting up to congratulate the two personally. Amongst them was Alya, who gave both of them a hug.
“No wonder you went from constantly cranky to chill,” Alya commented, sniffing through her tears. “Man, I can’t believe I didn't notice you were in love! I‘m not sure what that says about my journalistic abilities…”
“Don’t sweat it, Cesaire. Anyway let me just grab… oh.” Nathaniel looked down on the floor, where part of the remains of his food still lay. “Right, I forgot.”
“I‘ll take care of that,“ Luka offered. Nathaniel gave him a thankful nod before the conductor turned on his heel to grab cleaning supplies. Soon enough, everybody returned to their seats to continue their usual business. Everyone except for Marinette, who looked at the door Luka disappeared behind. She didn’t even get the chance to muster up the courage to talk to him, which filled her with a mix of disappointment and relief.
Next to her, Pierre still flipped through the pages of his notebook, mumbling to himself, like he had done for the past minutes. Marinette started to worry for the older man.
“Pierre? Are you…?”
He snapped the book shut and sighed. “I’m not okay. This wasn’t supposed to happen and I don’t understand how this is even possible!”
Marinette tilted her head. “But… they were technically still united.”
“Of course it is! This is detrimental to the trust our guests have in the train!“ Pierre replied. “What if this isn‘t the only mistake that will happen? Or possibly already has happened? What if next time, someone gets a wrong ticket and never even gets the chance to meet their soulmate? How are you not freaking out?”
Before he got any more agitated, Pierre closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths “My apologies, miss, that was inappropriate. Rest assured, I’ll check all our data again and ensure that something like this doesn’t happen again.”
With that, the older conductor left and almost ran over Luka, who had just returned with a bucket and some cleaning cloths. He looked after his colleague, then turned back, only to hesitate as he saw Marinette still standing there.
There it was again: all the feelings from the previous night washed over her as she stared back at him, unable to move.
He hesitated for a few more seconds before he slowly started to walk towards her.
Was he also plagued by the memories of the soft kiss from the night before? Did he regret it? God, she hoped he didn‘t.
No, they should! This was wrong! They weren‘t supposed to do any of what they did! And yet, the thought of him regretting the night before felt like someone piercing a dagger through her heart.
After what felt like an eternity, Luka reached his destination. The glass shards kept being ignored for now as his gaze was still locked with hers.
“Uhm… hi.” He said.
“Hi,” she replied, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. No more running away! This was her chance to make things right. “Um… we should probably talk.”
“Not here,” Luka shook his head. “Not with this many people around.”
“Right!” Marinette nodded. “Of course, how foolish of me.”
“No, no, it’s okay, I just—”
“Yeah, no, I get it, you’re—”
“I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay, don’t worry!”
Both stopped talking and sheepishly averted their gazes.
“But… maybe later?” Luka eventually offered, picking a few lints from his gloves to cover up his nervousness. “The usual time and place?”
He must’ve sensed her nervousness at the mention of their nightly meet-ups, especially considering what had happened last time and immediately raised his hands to his front, a pink blush dusting his cheeks. “Uh… just to talk! Obviously!”
“Obviously!” Marinette nodded enthusiastically, her own face heating up as well. “That sounds great, I’ll be there!”
“Alright!”
“Great!”
This was so awkward. Talks with Luka weren’t supposed to be awkward! This was all her fault for having stupid confusing feelings! She couldn’t wait to sort this out and go back to being friends. Or rather continue being friends! There was nothing to go “back to being friends” from, they never stopped being friends after all!
“Okay then.” Luka eventually broke the silence. “See you later.”
“See you later,” Marinette replied and almost robotically turned away and walked back to her seat.
This went pretty well. It was a step up from completely avoiding him and she could pat herself on the shoulder for that.
Marinette took a seat next to Alya, who was excitedly chatting with Nathaniel and Marc about their unexpected soulbond.
“So you guys had feelings for each other… before you knew you were soulmates?” the journalist asked..
Marc and Nathaniel exchanged looks, then nodded. “I guess deep down, we sort of knew?”
Marinette didn’t really follow the conversation beyond that. Her gaze unwillingly shifted over to Luka as he cleaned up the spilled food and remaining glass shards. When he also looked over to her for a second, she quickly turned her head, her heart pounding in her chest.
The kiss that was a mistake. She knew it was, but deep down… it didn’t really feel like one. There just was no way a mistake could feel so good. So right.
Then, Pierre’s words rang in her ear.
What if this isn‘t the only mistake that will happen, or has already happened?
Marinette bit her lips, her face heated up. Good thing the others didn‘t pay her any mind as her mind repeated the same question over and over again.
What if there was a reason for her confusing feelings?
What if Nathaniel and Marc weren‘t the only…?
She promptly was hit by an elbow and yelped, her chain of thoughts interrupted. Alya smiled brightly at her. “Don’t look so down, sweetie! You’re the only one in our group without an impression, but it’ll soon be your turn! I can feel it.”
Marinette blinked perplexed. “What?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it too much,” Marc smiled. “Hopefully you won’t have to wait much longer!”
Her friends kept giving her some encouragement and she couldn’t bring herself to tell them to stop. Not when they looked so happy and careless. Instead, she just forced a smile.
“Yeah, hopefully.”
