Fictober 10: Reckless Love
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Summary: Viperion sees too much. Lucky for Ladybug, he fixes everything up every time. Less lucky for Luka, he remembers.
Prompt: "I'm here, am I not?"
*****
Luka was pacing. Back and forth, back and forth. Time seemed to follow his path, rather than the other way around. Marinette had never seen him so agitated. She watched, wary of speaking, but the silence felt too heavy.
She managed to get a whisper past her nerves. "Are you ok—"
Luka cut her off, like her voice had finally broken through whatever haunted him. He whirled to face her, gripping her shoulders tightly, but still gently; he was always so gentle. The look in his eyes made her throat tighten.
"What were you thinking? You could have died, Marinette! I —"
His voice broke and Marinette fell back, away from his hold. Anger, frustration, guilt—all tangled up—spilled from her lips, thick with barely contained tears.
"I'm here, am I not? I got the job done? Paris is okay—for today. And I'll do it again tomorrow if I have to, and next week, and next month! This is my life! I didn't have a choice and now—"
Now she did. But it was harder. She had made a promise, but she could forget that and everything else she had ever known about the Miraculous, if she wanted. If she wasn't more terrified to quit than she was to go on.
She looked at Luka, who looked even more stricken than he had before his outburst. Not for the first time, she wondered if he could somehow read her mind in the melody he always heard.
"Please don't forget me, Marinette. I'll keep protecting you, if I have to live a thousand lifetimes in every five minutes for as long as I live, but please, don't forget us."
She lunged, wrapping her arms around him in a desperate hug. If for no other reason, she had to keep being the guardian for Luka. She had already given up too much, and he was the one thing she wouldn't let go of.
