So Silencer happened and this was inspired by a fanart comic I saw. Enjoy!

Luka didn't need to watch his fingers as he played, and for that, he was thankful. Why? Well, he couldn't take his eyes off Marinette the entire show.

She stood there by the door, eyes half lidded as the music blared. He hoped that was a good sign. He hoped she had understood what he meant. Words were so complicated sometimes— music was just an easier language for him.

He knew his love confession hadn't been conventional, but that's how he was. Luka had always worried about how he would tell her his feelings. He worried that somehow it would come out convoluted, a mix of nonsense and abstract phrases that would make her raise an eyebrow.

But to his utter relief, it seemed she had received the message perfectly clear. He could hear her song in his head even over Kitty Section's punk rock jam. It was sweet with an edge, melodic and dissonant all at once. He wished he could figure out where those unexpected flairs came from. Certainly not the surface— then again, Luka knew he still had a lot to learn about Marinette. There was a depth to her he needed to search, a spark he had to find, an underlying power he wished to see in action more often.

Luka didn't realize that his fingers had stopped strumming until Juleka nudged him.

"Just go talk to her already," his sister mumbled. "She's free the rest of the day, anyways."

The older brother gave Juleka a curious glance, but wasn't about to question where she got her information from.

He nodded, then set about packing up his gear. All the while, he listened as Marinette chatted excitedly to the other members of the band.

"Ivan, your drumming was absolutely incredible! And when you did the du-du-da-da-dum part? Insane!"

"Honestly, Rose, that was your best performance yet! You really open up in front of the camera. Do you think you'll enter this year's talent show?"

"Oh my gosh, Juleka! You totally improvised that riff in the second verse, didn't you? I knew it! We have to add that to the track!"

Luka chuckled to himself. Marinette was too precious for her own good. He wondered if she saw that in herself.

He sensed her song get a little louder. He stood up from his guitar case to see her standing behind him, smiling nervously.

"You did really great, too, Luka," she complimented. "And the lights really brought out your eyes, too!"

When his eyebrows quirked up, Marinette froze. "W-Wait, I didn't, the brights— the sights— no, you were a sight, I— no! It was the, um, you— ugh," she groaned, slapping a hand to her face.

Luka cracked a grin. He wished he could tell her how her adorable fits made his heart flutter. Maybe he could write a song to express the feeling.

She was still blushing and stammering when he said, "Marinette?"

The teen blinked. "I— yeah?"

"Do you want to go somewhere and talk a bit?"

Luka kept his usual calm expression, but his heart was pounding. He was scared that asking this was too forward, especially…especially after what he'd told her half an hour ago.

To his great relief, Marinette's startled look melted into a soft smile. She nodded. Luka began to lean down to grab his things, but he caught the look his sister was giving him.

'Go, you idiot,' her face read. 'We'll get your things, just get out of here.'

Message received. Luka turned to Marinette and motioned his head toward the door. The two fell in step, exiting the building they had so rudely broken into a few days ago in comfortable silence.

The moment they walked out the front door, Marinette cleared her throat. "Funny to think of how we wound up here, huh?"

"Makes for a good story," he joked.

She giggled a bit. "Yeah, I guess it does. Um…where did you want to go to…talk?"

Luka shrugged, turning onto a random rue in front of them. "Wherever our feet take us."

"That's a very…" she eyed him playfully, "Luka answer."

"I suppose it is," he chuckled. His eyes dropped down to her hand. It was just a few inches from his, swinging as they went along. Luka swallowed hard. He was sixteen. He could hold a girl's hand.

Slowly, he brushed his fingers against hers. Marinette started a bit, but one second later, her petite fingers were intertwining with his. Luka let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

The pair went quiet again.

"So…" Marinette trailed off.

He gave her an amused look. "So."

She scrunched her nose at him in faux-annoyance. "Hey, I'm just…you know…trying to get the conversation started." Her song faded into an empty measure. It seemed she wasn't done with her thought, though. Luka waited patiently.

Marinette was staring at the pavement, her face screwed up in concentration. Luka pulled her out of the way of a street lamp before she could run into it. She gave him a bashful smile.

"Sorry," she squeaked. "I'm just—"

"You don't know what to think, do you?" he asked. No beating around the bush as per usual. He wished he was better at conversational transitions.

Marinette's face flushed a bit, and she ducked her head. "I, ah, no, it's just— you— you, um…you'd already said that to me before," she confessed. "The thing you said."

It only took Luka five seconds before the realization hit him like a truck. "The thing I said when I was akumatized. It was—"

"Word for word," she finished shyly.

His heart skipped a beat. No wonder she had seemed so flustered. Turns out he made vague love proclamations when he was a villain, too.

"So…yeah," Marinette continued. "I wasn't sure if it was you or the akuma until…that."

They had wound up around the Siene. He could see his houseboat in the distance, and he intentionally slowed his steps. He didn't want this to end too soon. She deserved better after the strange emotions he was sure he must have put her through.

Luka eyed the stone edge of the river. He tugged on her hand, and the two sat down, their feet dangling above the water. Looking down, he couldn't help but think about the color of her eyes.

"Marinette—"

"Luka—"

They blinked. She flushed. "You first."

His gaze went down to their hands. His thumb smoothed over her skin. Three words. Three words and a name. He could get that much out.

"I…I love you, Marinette," he whispered. "I know there's still so much to know about you, but…you draw me in like nothing ever has before. Before you, I only ever thought about music. Now, you're intertwined in every song I hear."

Luka forced himself to look up. The wide-eyed look she was giving him made his heart squeeze.

A moment passed, then, she laughed breathlessly. "I-I don't know what to say! I guess I just didn't know you felt that way, and— and I don't know what to do now."

He tried to ignore the hollow feeling growing in his chest. Luka swallowed, "If you don't feel the same way, it's fine, I understand."

"No!" Marinette burst. "No, no, it's—" and now, her face was turning bright red, "—it's kinda the opposite of that," she admitted.

Her voice was so small. He almost wasn't sure if he'd heard her right.

Hope was clawing at his heart, but he beat it down a bit longer. "So you…?"

Marinette nodded quickly.

Luka let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear it…or well, not really hear it so much as see it," he teased.

She harrumphed and bumped his shoulder with hers. He laughed. Their eyes met briefly, and for a moment, they were caught in a world of their own. A few seconds passed before Marinette's gaze darted away.

Even in the dimming evening lights, he could still see a pink hue on her cheeks. Luka squeezed her hand reassuringly. He wished he could find a way to tell her that he felt just as jittery and nervous as she seemed. Her song was all staccatos and increasing fortissimo now.

His little gesture worked. Marinette dared to look into his eyes again. This time, they held steady. There was a shift in tempo. Hers was slowing down to a gentle thrum. She was searching for something.

Then, bluebell eyes flickered down to his lips.

There it was. The edge, the dissonance. For someone so sweet and caring, she had something else in her. A boldness, an unstoppable drive. Curiosity.

His tempo shot up. He'd never seen that kind of look in her eyes before. He hoped he was reading it right.

Time slowed down around them. They were melody and harmony, two parts desperate to become one. Luka felt himself being sucked in. He didn't know how long it took, only that when their lips finally touched, he swore he was floating.

Their hands released to go elsewhere, him taking her around her waist and her tugging on his neck. It was gentle and sweet, oh so sweet, and he wanted to beg for it to never stop. Luka tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Marinette sighed happily. His heart skipped a beat.

Then he heard it— their song.

It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard before. Two solos chasing each other relentlessly, laughing, dancing, transforming into something entirely new. It swirled all around them, urging them closer, making them grip each other tighter under the rising Parisian moon.

They finally parted some time later, panting lightly. Their eyes were still shut, foreheads leaning against one another.

"Marinette," Luka breathed, his eyes opening, "I love you."

There was a little smile on her lips. He watched, entranced, as her beautiful eyes fluttered open.

Then, her adoring gaze shattered. Marinette let out a horrified gasp.

Luka's expression became concerned. "Marinette? What's wrong? Was that too much? I'm sorry if I—"

She shook her head and scrambled back out of his touch like she'd been burned.

His heart twisted. Their song had come to such an abrupt halt— what happened?

"Marinette?" he tried again. "Please, tell me, what's wrong?"

Lower lip trembling, she opened her mouth to speak—

Nothing came out.

Tears filled her eyes, and Marinette crawled further out of reach. She was pointing at his face.

Luka's brow furrowed. "Marinette, please, I don't understand, I—"

She motioned to the water.

Confused, Luka glanced down. His heart stopped.

Staring back at him was Silencer.

His hand went up to his mouth in shock, but it only met a familiar black helmet. Luka looked down at his hands. They were covered in sleek purple and green fabric.

"No," he shuddered. "No, no, no, not again! It's not happening again!"

"Oh, but it is, my dear Silencer."

Luka spun around. A shadowed figure outlined by wings was smiling down at him.

"Come, Silencer," the figure requested. It extended a gloved hand. "You must avenge your love."

The setting changed, but he hardly noticed. All he saw was Marinette. She was surrounded by countless akumatized villains, backed against a wall. She was screaming, but nothing would come out.

"No!" Silencer shouted. He sprinted forward. He tore through the crowd, his hands passing over each pair of lips he could reach. One by one, voices escaped their owners, flying into his grasp. They were his to control. His to use. His to gain Marinette's heart with.

He didn't even realize the villains were falling to the ground, turning to ash. All he cared about was her— her blue eyes were wide with fear, a voice in their own right. She was terrified.

He wouldn't allow it.

When the last villain had been subdued, he came forward and reached out a hand.

Marinette shrunk back.

Silence. Deafening silence.

Poisoned green eyes stared pleadingly into panicked blue. Then, the figure with wings re-emerged. A purple hand grabbed Marinette's throat.

Suddenly, Silencer found himself back where he'd started. He was twenty feet away, his legs seemingly made of stone. "No! Leave her alone!" he demanded.

The figure tightened its grip. "Choose," it hissed. "Your power or her. Me or her."

Marinette's lips were mouthing his name. What did he choose? With this power, he could protect her. But also with this power, he could hurt her.

Silencer didn't know what to do. Marinette was his everything— wouldn't she love him if he proved how much he loved her by keeping her safe? All he wanted was to spare her from all the hurt in this world. Someone as extraordinary as her deserved that at the very least.

"Hm," the figure sniffed. A gruesome snarl came onto its face. "You take too long."

The figure threw her into the Siene.

Luka gasped and shot up in bed, drenched in sweat. His breathing was labored, his mind still swirling with the horrible images of his nightmare.

A full minute passed before he was able to fall back against his pillows. Luka stared up at the ceiling with glistening eyes.

He wanted to know what all these dreams meant. Was Silencer trying to reach out to him again? He was a part of him, after all. Or was it Hawkmoth attempting to regain control?

The teenager shivered. Being under the super villain's control once was more than enough. He knew he never wanted to be that way again…so why the recurring dreams? Didn't they mean something?

Marinette.

Perhaps that was the answer. Maybe it was his fear of hurting her. He hadn't thought much about what affect his akumatization would have had on her at first— after all, he couldn't remember anything about it himself.

But lately, he found himself avoiding her. Which he hated, of course. He'd just confessed his love to her, and now he was taking every measure possible to not be around her. Talk about making an already bad situation worse.

Frustrated with himself, Luka got back under the covers and squeezed his eyes shut.

He couldn't stand it. He wanted to get these fears out of his head. He wanted these nightmares to stop. He wanted to feel like he was worthy of redemption from his horrible mistake.

Little did he know it was coming in the form of a miniature teal snake the very next day.