The rehearsal space buzzed with scattered melodies and half-sung harmonies. Luka adjusted his amp quietly in the corner, fingers trailing over his guitar's fretboard like it was breathing.
Adrien stepped in, pulling his hoodie down, a little flustered after being late.
Their eyes met.
"Hey," Adrien said, half-smile.
"Hey," Luka echoed, nodding once.
There was a moment. A weird moment.
Luka gestured to the guitar. "Want to try something?"
Adrien blinked. "Oh—I mean, I don't really play…"
"Let me guide you." Luka smiled.
Adrien hesitated, then sat beside him on the edge of the stage. Luka passed the guitar into his hands gently, like it was something fragile.
"Your fingers go here," Luka said softly, reaching to adjust Adrien's hand on the strings.
Their hands touched.
Adrien's throat went dry. The strings buzzed wrong. Luka smiled—not mocking, just… patient.
"Try again."
Adrien tried. Failed. Laughed.
Luka smiled wider.
"You're not terrible."
"You're lying," Adrien said.
"Maybe," Luka said. "But lying sounds better than chords that are rough."
Adrien looked at him. "You always talk like that?"
Luka shrugged. "Only when something's out of tune."
And suddenly Adrien didn't know if they were still talking about the guitar.
Backstage was a certified disaster. Rose was painting hearts on a prop tree. Kim was stuck in a folding chair. Ivan and Mylène were having a mild fog-machine-related crisis.
Marinette tried to keep her cool—but her brain was in knots. Adrien and Luka had been weirdly close all rehearsal. Was that… normal?
She didn't have time to spiral.
"Step aside," Kagami said, already pulling Kim out of the chair with precise, judo-level force.
"Wow," Marinette muttered. "Do you, like… train for every possible emergency?"
"Yes."
Pause.
"…I used to think you were kind of intense," Marinette admitted, brushing paint off her hands.
"You are correct," Kagami said, deadpan. "I am."
Marinette blinked. Then snorted. "At least you own it."
There was a silence between them. But it wasn't awkward. Just... still.
"I think I misjudged you," Marinette said quietly.
"Most people do."
Pause.
"...Except Adrien."
At the mention of his name, Marinette tensed for a microsecond.
Kagami noticed. "Do you still like him?"
"W-what? I—no! I mean—I don't know. It's… complicated."
Kagami nodded. "Then we understand each other."
Marinette tilted her head. "Wait… do you still—?"
"No."
"…Really?"
Kagami looked at her like that was a boring question. "Feelings pass."
And weirdly… Marinette smiled.
During night.
They perched on their usual rooftop. The Eiffel Tower glittered in the distance.
"No akumas tonight," Ladybug said, stretching. "Weird."
Chat Noir was quiet.
"…You okay?" she asked.
Chat hesitated. Then sighed.
"I met this guy. Not like—met met. Just… we crossed paths. He's not a villain. Just some musician."
Ladybug blinked. "Okay…?"
"He said something weird. Said I looked tired. Not like the guy in the videos. Like he saw through me."
Ladybug looked at him more closely now.
"I don't know," Chat continued. "He's calm. Like... really calm. And when I'm around him, it's like—quiet. But not in a bad way. Just... still. And now I can't stop thinking about him and I don't even know why."
Ladybug opened her mouth. Closed it.
Because she couldn't stop thinking about Adrien lately. About how he laughed when he messed up lines. How he looked relaxed when Luka was around.
But she didn't say any of that.
"Maybe," she said carefully, "he saw something in you that you're not ready to see yet."
Chat looked at her. "Is that supposed to be comforting?"
"No," Ladybug said. "Just true."