Three weeks before school started, thirteen-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng woke up to an explosion of color covering her body. She smiled as several of her old images shone with renewed colors, showing renewed or deepening friendships. She was happy to see that the symbols for several of the girls she'd known for years were brighter as they paraded down her right arm, as was the turtle with a ring pop shell, that trailed musical notes that represented one of her oldest friends, Nino.

Two new animals had appeared on her right arm, both foxes, one a friendly-looking red fox wielding a camera, the other a dark-colored fox slinking around to the back of her arm. The baguette heart and Chinese style teacup with a steam heart that represented her parents were as unchanged as always, although the smaller images representing her father's parents, especially her grandfather were more detailed.

Her left arm, formerly free of color was now wrapped with a finely detailed, but still faint, teal snake that started with its tail wrapped around her wrist and rested its head on her shoulder, green eyes watching her. Instead of scales, its body was patterned with musical notes, and it writhed as she flexed her arm.

A flash of color on her chest had her pulling off her shirt and examining herself in her mirror. Directly over her heart was a ladybug, looking at her with bright blue eyes. On her back, nestled between her shoulder blades was a black cat mask, a green-eyed cat peering out from one of the eyeholes.

Her right ankle had a parade of tiny animals dancing around it, she counted seventeen, with a red hibiscus on her calf above it. Some of the animals were brighter than others, but Marinette's heart swelled; she'd never had such a profusion of new images since she started school.

Smiling to herself as she dressed for the day in a pale pink sundress that made the colors on her skin appear even brighter. Her mother glanced up at her as she entered the kitchen,her smile widening as she took in the bright colors adorning her daughter's skin. "It looks as if you are going to have an exciting school year, dear!" she exclaimed as Marinette twirled for her, just two cat black ears poking above the back of her dress.

Her first day back at school, she wore long sleeves, even though the weather remained warm. It wasn't that she was ashamed of the snake, quite the opposite, but an image that large and intricate was usually indicative of someone extremely important in someone's life, and they rarely faded completely. Marinette had just got two of them and wasn't sure what it meant.

Chloe was Chloe, although she was bragging about a new kid starting at their school, whom naturally didn't show, she did get answers to some of her new images, her smart new friend Alya and her need to record everything was definitely the red fox on her forearm.

The cat and the ladybug… Chat Noir and Tikki. Her partner, her friend. This was a frightening new world of Hawkmoth and akumas, and the dark purple butterfly across her lower back took on a more sinister meaning that she had thought originally. She wondered about the snake but figured that she'd learn in time.

The Couffaines had never been particularly colorful people, they loved a few people very deeply, and generally only had a few large images on their skin. Anarka said that they didn't need colorful skin when they had such colorful personalities. So when Juleka woke up a few days before the start of school with an armful of bright images, a slow smiled bloomed across her face. Alix, Nathaniel, Mylene, Ivan and Marinette's images all shone brighter, and Rose's pink unicorn seemed bigger and almost appeared to canter across her bicep.

Luka, who had just got out of the shower and was drying his hair before grabbing a shirt to throw on with his jeans, looked over at his sister's side of the room to see her admiring the new images that appeared on her arm, an elegant purple butterfly that was being chased by a black cat with a ladybug on its head. He smiled at her and showed her a similar image on his arm, only his had a black cat batting at the butterfly, no trace of the ladybug.

When he turned to grab his shirt off the bed, Juleka gasped. Luka turned back to face her, but she snatched a hand mirror off her desk and told him to turn around. His eyes strayed to his left shoulder, where there sat the lime green somewhat demented looking wolf that represented his long time best friend. The image was faint but covered the entirety of his back; a profusion of cherry blossoms from bright white to the deepest pink, starting at his shoulder blades, disappearing below the waistband of his jeans.

When she saw that, Juleka snorted and joked about the flowers on his butt, and Luka just rolled his eyes and pulled on his shirt. It would be several weeks, as the flowers slowly brightened on his back before he noticed the tiny ladybug sitting on a pale pink blossom next to his left shoulder blade.

He had other new images, much as he did at the start of every school year, but the one that intrigued him the most was a tiny teal snake on the inside of his left wrist. Pale at first, it darkened as the weeks rolled by.

He knew her before he even opened his eyes that day she stumbled into his room. He'd heard stories about her from Juleka, of course, as well as Rose and Ivan. A kind-hearted girl, always trying to help others, as beautiful as her name. She turned those bright blue eyes on him, and he was tumbling head over heels for her. He understood why the ladybug was missing from what he came to learn was a typical pattern for those who would be akumatized, when he met Ladybug after his mother's akumatization. One look into those bright blue eyes that had hypnotized him so completely earlier, and the placement of the ladybug on the cherry blossoms, and he knew who was under the mask.

Marinette was becoming more confident in her role as Ladybug. She knew that she and Adrien were meant to be together, she was in love with him, after all. The size of the snake on her arm showed that he was to be an important person in her life. It had been steadily getting brighter over the past few months, and she had become more and more convinced that the green eyes and the musical notes meant the snake belonged to Adrien.

When Jagged Stone's guitarist was akumatized, and the need for a Second Chance arose, Marinette knew that this was her opportunity to give the Snake Miraculous to Adrien, proving to herself that Adrien was represented by the snake on her arm.

After the fight, Marinette stopped a little way from Master Fu's house and slipped on the Snake Miraculous, pulling out one of Tikki's cookies for Sass to eat while she questioned him. He took it gratefully, and thanked her, munching his cookie as he sat in her hand, glancing up at Tikki who relaxed on Marinette's shoulder.

"What'sss on your mind?" Sass questioned Marinette as soon as he swallowed a bite of cookie.

"Well, I've been thinking that the snake on my arm was Adrien, but it looks like it isn't. Or could it still be?"

"Master Adrien was a very determined person, but easily dissstracted, and doesn't have the ability to read people. He did try. Many, many timesss." Sass drooped at the memory. "Master Luka, though, he was a natural. The way hisss mind works is fassscinating. He makesss a very good sssnake."

Marinette drooped at the little kwami's assessment but nodded resolutely. The golden musical notes that she'd been thinking of as Luka's that danced across her back must belong to Adrien, although originally she thought of them as part of Chat's image. She'd never seen Adrien's bare skin, as his father didn't allow any of his images to be shown, feeling it would bad for business if his fans couldn't see themselves in his pictures.

Making sure Sass was done eating, Marinette slipped off the bracelet, placing it back in the small octagonal box, and tucking it in her pocket. Slipping out of the alley, she walked the last few blocks to Master Fu's place and returned the bracelet to him. As she made her way home, she found herself thinking over the things that Sass had told her, and her mind slipping towards thoughts of Luka.

She couldn't deny that he was becoming an important part of her life. Luka was a kind and caring person, the more time she spent with him, the more he mattered to her. A few weeks ago he'd confessed his feelings to her, and she'd be lying if she said that hadn't affected her. She'd been instantly attracted to him, she could admit that, if only to herself, but just because someone was important, didn't mean it had to be romantic.

Her dreams that night told a different story.

The next time that Marinette saw Luka, she was close to her breaking point. Adrien and Kagami were getting closer, she was so overwhelmed with her Ladybug duties and school and life. He was so sweet and just held her, letting her know that he was there for her, whatever she needed. She just folded into his chest, letting him hold her, letting someone else help her shoulder the weight of the world, even if he didn't know the full extent of what he was doing. The tears flowed down her face both from exhaustion and relief that someone just got her.

Luka enveloped Marinette, vowing to himself to be whatever she needed at that moment. While he didn't truly understand the burden that she carried, but he knew it was heavier than she let on to the outside world. He tried not to enjoy the feel of her in his arms too much, instead, channeling his love for her into being a support for her, as she battled for the soul of Paris, wresting it from Hawkmoth.

A day that started in tears, ended with ice cream, and instead of wrapping her in his arms, he wrapped her in music, calming her soul and lifting her burden as much as he could. Luka watched Marinette as she closed her eyes, letting the song, her song, wash over her, and a smiled wash, still sad, but a true smile emerged on her face.

They sat together in the sun long after the others had gone home, she leaned against him, eyes still closed, humming along to the songs. He'd drifted from original compositions to popular songs, and Marinette stayed leaning against him, relaxed despite the new weight that had been added to her today.

They were both silent for a while as they sat together when Marinette placed her hand on his arm. He stopped playing and turned to her. "What's up Marinette?"

She met Luka's eyes and then looked away quickly, before turning her face up to his, and once again meeting his eyes. "Do you… can I… um, can I see me? On you?"

Luka's face flamed briefly before he pulled his mind out of the gutter, and realized that she meant the representation of her on his skin. He looked at her and smiled his slow smile. "I'd love to, but, maybe not here?"

When she looked at him with a puzzled expression, his smile widened. "It's on my back."

She nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. I thought yours was on my back, too." At his raised eyebrow she admitted, "golden musical notes."

Luka nodded in understanding, waiting for her to continue, but she stayed quiet, and he didn't press. Throwing his guitar around to his back, he stood and extended his hand towards her, pulling her up, and walking together towards her home.

When they reached the bakery, Luka made to drop her hand, but Marinette squeezed his fingers, and he smiled at her, a little surprised. They stepped inside and were greeted by Sabine, who immediately took stock of their linked fingers and smiled at her daughter. "There are some croissants back in the kitchen if you want to grab a few on your way up. Keep your door open."

Marinette's face flamed, and Luka blushed pink as well. "Maman! We were talking about our images."

"Oh! The golden notes?"

Marinette shook her head. "Now I think it's something else." She brushed her left arm and her mother smiled. Luka looked at her quizzically, but she shook her head mouthing the word "later".

Sabine smiled at them. "You still need to leave the door open, but we won't come up as long as we hear voices."

Both teens blushed, and scurried up the stairs, but not before Marinette ducked into the kitchen to snag some snacks and press a kiss to her father's cheek. Luka hung back in the doorway and waved awkwardly to her dad. His admonishment to have fun had them both blushing again, but at least they were both out of the room by that point.

In her room, they both stood around awkwardly, neither one entirely sure how to start. Finally, Luka sucked in a deep breath and blew it out through his nose. "Did you still want to see?"

Marinette nodded, her eyes widening as he pulled off his coat and hoodie. Luka raised his eyes to meet hers, checking that this was still alright. She nodded, and let her breath out in a whoosh once she realized she was holding it. Luka turned and slowly removed his shirt, exposing his back. Marinette gasped at the beautiful spread of cherry blossoms that spread across his back, unconsciously reaching out and brushing her fingers across his skin.

He sucked in a breath, jerking away a little, and Marinette yanked her hand back, apologizing. Shaking his head, Luka settled back down with a chuckle. "It's fine. Just… how did your hands get so cold so quickly?"

She squeaked and rubbed her hands together, but kept them to herself as she leaned back in and studied his back once again. He heard her suck in her breath, and lean even closer. He could feel her warm breath on his skin, and he fought to keep down his shiver that threatened to ripple across his skin.

Reaching out a tentative finger, she traced a shape by his left shoulder blade. Instinctively he knew it was the ladybug hidden amongst the blossoms. Luka turned his head, glancing at Marinette over his shoulder forgetting just how close her face was. Breath catching, he watched the expressions roll across her face before her eyes drifted up to his, filled with concern and trust, her finger still tracing the outline of the little ladybug.

"Yours isn't like the others." Her other hand came up to trace the black cat and purple butterfly on his right bicep, so similar to the image on every other akuma victim, but missing the ladybug that sat on the cat's head.

Luka didn't think Marinette was conscious of what she was doing to him, but it took a lot for him to not just lean in and kiss her, awkward positioning be damned. Instead, he just tilted his head towards his back and spoke softly, keeping his eyes on her face the whole time. "I think it's because of how I feel about her. I mean, Ladybug is amazing, don't get me wrong, and I appreciate everything that she's done for the city, but it's her civilian side that has me captivated."

Eyes huge, and focused solely on Luka's face, Marinette barely breathed the words, "her civilian side?"

"You, Marinette. It took me several weeks to see the ladybug, but when I met the two of you, I just knew. There's a reason both parts of you are in the same image."

Marinette closed her eyes, and slid her right arm out of her jacket, taking a deep breath before sliding her left arm out. "I wanted so badly for this to be Adrien, but part of me is incredibly relieved that it's not." Opening her eyes she looked at Luka, who had turned, and was tracing the snake about a half-inch from her skin with his hand. "I am so glad that this is you.'

Luka's eyes flicked up to lock with hers, and she leaned forward, her hand sliding up his arm to his shoulder, her lips, awkwardly bumping against his. He froze as she kissed him, her lips leaving his almost as soon as they'd arrived, and he chased them slightly before pulling back to shift into a more comfortable position.

Curling his fingers around the back of her neck he leaned towards her, pausing to ask if she was alright. She answered his question by closing the gap between them, lips meeting each other more gently this time, Luka slightly angled his head and Marinette moaned softly into his mouth as her fingers slid up into his hair.

The kiss only lasted a few moments before Luka pulled back, his hand cupping her cheek, thumb tracing her cheekbone. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at him wide-eyed before leaning back in to kiss him again. Luka gently placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. Hurt shone in her eyes, and her face fell. He cupped her cheek and smiled gently at her.

"In a moment, sweets. I need to put my shirt back on first."

Blushing, Marinette realized that he was still shirtless, and she was down to a tank top, and realized exactly what it would look like if one of her parents walked in on them kissing, especially since her hand was still on his chest. Yanking it back, as well as the one that was still resting on his shoulder. Luka turned, grabbing his shirt in one hand when a brush of fingertips on his back froze him in place.

"May I?" Marinette asked softly.

He nodded, turning his head, unsure of what she was going to do when he felt a soft kiss pressed against his back and Marinette's fingers tracing the blossoms one more time. He sighed and pulled his shirt back on, before turning to trace the snake that ran down her arm.

She shivered as he kissed the snake's head on her shoulder, and then held out the jacket for her to slip her arms back in to. Once he'd tucked it up around her, he hooked his chin over her shoulder, just like the now-hidden snake, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She covered his hands with hers, turning to press a kiss to his temple. He sighed out her name, and she turned in his arms, to kiss him once again.

When they broke apart, breathing ragged, Luka leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. "Marinette?" She made an interrogative noise as her fingers toyed with the hair at the base of his neck. "Can I take you out to lunch tomorrow?"

Opening her eyes, a smile curled her lips, seeing that his were still tightly shut. "On one condition." He could hear the smile in her voice and raised his eyebrows in question. "Kiss me again." The demand sounded more like a question, but he chuckled, the sound fading to a sigh as their lips met once again.

It was much later than he intended when Luka finally made his way back on board the Liberty, grin on his face and a song on his lips. After settling his guitar in his stand, Luka flopped back on his bed and let out a happy sigh, before pulling out his phone and texting Marinette that he was home, and his suggestion for lunch the next day.

"Where've you been?" The mumbled voice of his sister broke his reverie, and he turned his grin on her. Juleka's eyebrows climbed as she took in his disheveled hair and love-sick smile. "She said yes?"

"You don't have to sound so surprised about it." Luka laughed to himself, running his hands through his hair before bringing them down to scrub his face. "I'm a little stunned, myself."

"I'm happy for you." Juleka walked over to give her brother a brief, but tight, hug. "Don't screw it up."