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Luka stopped the moment he realized he was being watched, tugging his earbuds from his ears and turning to see none other than Adrien Agreste leaning against the wall, just off the Liberty. He shoved his headphones in his pocket before waving, “Hey there–”
“Hi,” Adrien half waved, as if expecting an invitation to walk closer, “You busy?”
He looked down at his bike, guitar in basket, and knowing he had both a backpack and helmet on, so clearly in the middle of trying to head to school, but Adrien had never just appeared like this– something had to be either very wrong, or very right, the former much more likely, “Not at all, something up?”
Adrien was clearly watching him as he leaned his bike against his leg to unclip his helmet, “I know you probably have class– I do too, but could we talk? Go somewhere maybe– just, forget about everything for a bit?”
“Yeah, definitely,” he said, too quickly, based on the blond's almost surprised reaction, “Do you have a plan, or general idea on what you want to do, or–” Adrien shrugged, tired and non-committal, “You ever played hooky before?”
He shook his head, “No, why would I?”
Luka couldn’t help but smile at such a question, “Fair– let me put my stuff down and we can go wherever–”
Adrien followed him, more like a lost puppy, around the boat as he put away his school belongings, on the deck and down to his room. Hopefully, he wanted to talk, and Luka was desperately ready to listen, “Everyone recognizes me here–” Adrien eventually explained, unprompted, “People post me and my bodyguard and Nathalie track me down, my phone is being tracked– I left it at home, but it’ll take time for them to notice–”
“Then let’s get out of Paris,” Luka said, Adrien looking almost surprised, but genuinely pleased with his suggestion, as though he was already thinking it himself, “Just hop on a train and go where it takes us.”
—
They had taken a train south about an hour, not far, but out of the city to avoid people and cameras, Adrien spending most of the commute staring out the window, only occasionally glancing at Luka to offer an almost apologetic smile. He wanted to reassure the blond that no such apology was needed, and the fact that he even considered coming to him at all was the highest honor.
“Oh it’s so nice–” Adrien said, stretching his arms over his head “I’m already feeling better–”
Luka smiled at the other, amused by his emotional shift in the hour they had traveled, more expecting a level of stress of leaving the city in the case of a potential akuma attack. The summer sun was bright, and it was warmer than Paris, just by a bit, but Adrien was right that it did feel sunnier, the air away from the city fresher by a noticeable amount.
They found a small park with a pond with a mother walking with her stroller and a pair of young girls leaning with their heads together being their only company. It was a fantastic contrast to being in the city, and seemingly exactly what Adrien wanted, finding a spot in the grass under a tree where they both sat, settling into a comfortable silence, Luka wanting the other to decide the topic.
Adrien eventually looked over at Luka, smiling when he looked back, “Thanks for this– most of the time I sneak off it’s to the movies and alone, so getting to be outside– and with you–”
He knew the other spent a good share of time on rooftops, and wouldn’t mind being invited to those either. “It’s always a good call to get some sunshine– not something I’m very good at remembering either, I must admit–”
Adrien smiled gently, his head tilting slightly in a way that reminded Luka of his hero self, “Maybe we should aim to get more sun together?”
The moment slowed between them, Luka studying the other’s green eyes as he stared back. There was something different between them, making him momentarily think maybe Adrien already knew that he knew, or, as he was skewing with his own hope, he was going to tell him. Luka reached up, earning a slight, but very noticeable wince from the other before smiling, an attempt to dismiss worry so immediate he wondered if he knew that made it all the more notable. His list of concerns for the other seemed to be growing by the day, and he just desperately wanted the other to talk to him about any of them.
“Sorry, I thought–” Adrien started, smiling with a shrug, an attempt to play off his reaction, looking back over the grass to the water, “How's it having Jagged as your dad?”
He laughed at the question, not because it was necessarily funny, but the shift felt so sudden, a desperate shift away from addressing his reaction, “It's still...weird, definitely,” he said with a shrug, “I've known of him my entire life, but now it’s different. Mom thinks he’s going to bail on us again, wants us to still get to know him, but also understand he’ll probably vanish one day again,” he shrugged, twisting his fingers through the grass, “It’s better to give people the benefit of the doubt, but she’s dealt with him much longer than we have.”
Adrien nodded, slowly, as if thinking hard, “I think going from one parent to two is pretty fun– most of the time it’s the other way around,” he smiled slightly, “Juleka seems to be doing better since talking to him–”
Luka smiled, “Yeah, seeing her actually connecting with him is nice to see, it was– weird, definitely, but honestly just uncomfortable he was so opposed to her, but so okay with me–” he sighed, looking over at Adrien, who smiled, “We’re all just trying our best, I hope.”
“I think you’ve turned out pretty okay, but I don’t–” he stopped to laugh along with Luka, who found such the attempt to reassure so funny, “I don’t think I’m necessarily a good gauge–”
“Thanks, I’ll take it–” Luka smiled, leaning closer, “You’re turning out to be a pretty great person too, Adrien,” his smile hesitated, staring back for the briefest of moments for Luka to witness his eyes fill with tears, face dropping and hastily looking away. He watched him retreat on himself, pulling his knees closer as he tried so desperately to calm his breathing, “Are you okay?”
Adrien was shaking his head, tears gently streaming down his cheeks as he pressed his mouth against his arm, muffling some form of an answer that Luka knew to be a denial.
“Oh, Adrien,” he said softly, hating to see him so upset as he shifted closer, “What’s wrong?”
The blond nearly snorted, wiping his cheeks as he shook his head, “What isn’t wrong?”
Luka nodded, wanting him to know he understood, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I can’t talk about it–”
But he could, and Luka needed him to understand that he could. Exhaling slowly, Luka followed the other’s gaze across the field to the line of small buildings, “Do you want to go to a concert with me tonight?”
Adrien shook his head, almost taken aback by Luka’s shift in conversation, “I– yeah, I’d love to, but I can’t– I have a shoot later, and I’m already missing school, my father will definitely find out–”
Luka reached up again, holding the others' gaze as he gently brushed his blond bangs from his forehead, not earning the defensive jump as he did five minutes earlier, before allowing them to fall, “Most of the time I think cats should be kept indoors, but you are an exception in my mind.”
He watched as Adrien began to laugh, wanting to joke and deny, his wet gaze unwavering as he processed how genuine Luka was in his comment before abruptly turning away. A silence settled and Luka could almost feel the other’s brain working fast as he considered the implications, and how to respond, “You know.” he stated quietly, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands.
“Know what?” Luka asked, needing to hear it from him directly.
Inhaling slowly, he shook his head, the slightest smile of amusement flicking over his lips before looking at him, “That I’m Chat Noir,” he responded, nearly a question, a sliver of tease where he could escape through denial if that wasn’t it, but Luka nodded, “How?”
“When we were fighting Wishmaker,” he explained, “Nothing you did, or well,” he sighed, remembering how easily and willingly he stood down against the villain, “No one else knows from that, I can promise that much.”
“Oh,” he said quietly, thinking for a long moment before looking to him, smiling softly in a way that almost made Luka’s heart hurt, “I– I’m glad it’s you.”
He nodded slowly, “I was hoping you were going to tell me today– I know you’ve been alone with it, and Ladybug has people who know–” Adrien rolled his eyes at that, making Luka stop, feeling as though he had entirely misunderstood the entire situation, “Sorry–”
“For what?” Adrien laughed, “You did nothing wrong, and honestly–” he shrugged, looking over at him, his tone much more gentle than he was expecting, “I did consider telling you. You were the top of my list, if I were going to tell someone–” Adrien continued to watch him, eyes catching the midday sun, so curious and cautious before he smiled, “I should’ve just told you.”
Luka nodded slightly, “Is Nino not–” Adrien looked over so quickly at his friend’s mention Luka couldn’t help but laugh, “Okay, so not– do you want to talk about that?”
Sighing, he leaned back on his hands, kicking his feet as he just shook his head, “Nino’s not the biggest fan of Chat Noir right now– got akumatized over this whole thing, and they made up but I don’t really think he’s quite over it–” Luka tried to piece together what that meant, what he was saying, without much success, “No, I’d rather not, I guess is a better answer.”
“We have all the time in the world, Adrien,” his soft tone got Adrien to look over at him again, staring for a moment before watching his cheeks change to a notable pink, “I’ll be here however you need me.”
“Ugh–” he laughed, covering his face and leaning back onto the grass, a reaction Luka was not anticipating, but found great relief in, a moment passing before he sighed, “No wonder– you wanted to hang out with me because of that, and I was over here wanting to hang out because I think you’re really cool–”
“Oh,” Luka said quietly, shifting to pull his leg up, watching as Adrien folded his arms over his head, “I mean, I think you’re cool too–”
He exhaled a laugh, squinting in the sunlight as he shook his head, “I don’t think in the same way.”
He tried to begin processing that, with too many potentials to consider, “In what way then?”
Adrien watched him for a moment before closing his eyes, “At the career fair–” he sighed, “When you were talking to me– it felt like the first time I’d ever actually been seen, and well, heard,” he exhaled a laugh, enough for Luka to smile, “I don’t– I’ve known Chloe for a long time, but we’ve drifted apart, and everyone else I know– I’ve known for longer than you, but it’s not the same? They still have this idea of me– you’re the first person to notice how I don’t want to keep modeling.”
Luka hesitated, surely that couldn’t be true– all he did was listen to the dread in his voice each time the topic was brought up, “That can’t be true–”
He pushed himself up to look at him, “But it is, Luka. And I’ve been thinking about you every single day since then– no one else has said something that made me feel so…understood,” his voice got soft on the last word, shaking his head, “And now I know that you know, so how much is that–” he sighed, kicking his legs out in front of him, “I’ve never had someone to talk to about this– I don’t even know where to begin–”
“When you have too much to consider, it can feel overwhelming, daunting, really– but I am not going anywhere, Adrien, so you don’t need to talk about it all right now,” Adrien smiled at this offer, “You can talk to me whenever you need– you can swing by in the middle of the night if that’s when you need someone to talk to. Be careful not to wake Juleka, though, from personal experience–”
Adrien laughed, “Thanks, that is– really nice–” he was watching Luka before looking back to the sky, “I think I’m over Ladybug,” he said with such conviction Luka almost believed it for a full minute before laughing, “No, really– she’s not interested, and I think I’ve moved on.”
“To who?” Luka asked in more disbelief, bracing himself to hear him say Marinette , inverse this stupid horrendous love-triangle, he found himself in, attempting to shove his way into a very obvious square. Adrien was looking at him, almost curious with a hint of something even Luka couldn’t figure out, but knew he wasn’t going to answer, “What happened?”
He shrugged, “She kept saying no, and I think I should listen to that, and more so, I’m–” Adrien stopped talking, but continued to stare at him as though there was something to be understood. His melody was calm, but so distinctly there, so distinctly his. “Have you ever had a crush on someone you maybe shouldn’t? Or like– didn’t expect?”
“Hmm,” Luka hummed, looking at his feet, unsure if to reveal such a truth, but he did ask so blankly, “I had a crush on Chat Noir,” he mumbled, glancing to the other, whose face was lit with delight, making him laugh, “Stop–” Luka laughed, shaking his head, “You’re such a flirt when you’re transformed–”
“I can be a flirt when I’m not transformed, if you’d be interested?” Luka couldn’t help but laugh at the offering tone in his voice, earning a hesitant laugh back, “That’s a weird thing to ask, huh–”
He shrugged, “I’d say so, but I hope you feel safe enough with me to bridge these personas together,” the blond smiled at this suggestion, “When do you feel most like yourself?” Luka could hear it in his melody, the wisps of when he was close to him entirely silencing the piano.
“When I’m with you,” Adrien said carefully, Luka not expecting that answer, “Even more so now, but even–” his eyes were wide, watching him as if waiting for a reaction, “I thought I could figure it out myself and then instead tell you that I–” Luka was not following along with his thought process, “Since–” he stopped, as if thinking hard before sighing, Luka wanting to help in some way. If his melody was clearest with him, and was understanding the other– in the hours and days of Marinette talking and rambling nonsense, of course he’d considered the other, he was Chat Noir, after all– Adrien laughed, pulling him from his attempt at piecing his fragmented thoughts, “Ugh, you can’t know–”
Luka nodded slowly, “But I do. And I think you’re glad that I do.”
“No, I am–” Adrien reassured, “It’s– a little more complicated though, you know?”
He could nearly hear his heart pounding in his ears, was this what he wanted to talk to him about today? All the hours and days he listened to Marinette gush on and on about Adrien was nothing to when he actually got to spend time with the other. His melody was so much more nuanced and so much more clear than he’d ever have words to describe. If he was really understanding what Adrien was trying to say, he was the one initiating, he didn’t want to say no. He sighed, looking back over the park, “Yeah. Most things are.”
A silence filled in before he looked over to Adrien, who was unabashedly staring at him, smiling when their eyes met, green and soft and full of such admiration. Luka could feel his own cheeks flush at the other’s attention, not in any way expecting today to include him having to evaluate his feelings towards Adrien Agreste– he told himself to shut that down the moment Marinette mentioned him. But she hadn’t done anything. And Adrien was asking, much more indirectly, him.
“Are you feeling better?”
Adrien nodded, looking towards a couple entering the park with a stroller, holding his attention before turning back to him, “Do you want to get lunch? Since we’re here–”
Luka laughed, nodding as Adrien nearly jumped up, holding his hands out, both of which Luka took in assistance. Much to his expectation, he did not let go when he made it to his feet, hesitating as his green eyes met his, smiling in a way that could only come from a mutual understanding. His melody was the most clear he’d ever heard since meeting him, the piano somehow underscoring the gentle rocking tune, “You definitely look better.”
“Sunshine really fixes everything, just a dose of it and everything feels better,” Adrien laughed, his one hand lingering as he started down the path, “I think you’re my sunshine, Luka.”
—
Adrien turned, looking at his reflection in the full-length mirror in Luka’s room. It was nearly 6pm, and definitely late enough for Nathalie to realize his absence, but no way of knowing where he was to begin the hunt. Plagg was floating beside him, looking between him and his reflection, as if expecting them to be different, “You seem more relaxed, kid. Maybe some melody nonsense was exactly what you needed– I doubted your drastic shift in crushes, but I do encourage sampling–”
He turned quickly to him, genuine disbelief he was speaking so loudly, “Plagg– he doesn’t know–” his kwami looked at him then into the other room, where Luka was working on getting him a ticket, a process Adrien didn’t pretend to understand, “No, he doesn’t know–
Plagg continued to stare, fully unimpressed, “You told Ladybug in like, twelve seconds–”
“And we all saw how that turned out–” he ran his hands through his hair, messing it just enough, “I’ve grown, and if he says no– which is likely, he is still in love with Marinette– I’ll just accept it and just stay friends. And bandmates, if I’m ever allowed out of the house after tonight–”
His kwami watched him another moment before glancing to the doorway, as if considering something else, “It’s good that you’ve found someone else to sneak out of the house and have fun with– Kagami was good for you like that, but not much else–” Adrien looked at him, almost surprised he made such an open statement, “What? I’m saying he’s a good thing–”
Adrien sighed, shaking his head before sitting on his bed, raising his voice to address Luka, who he could only hope wasn’t listening to every single word his kwami had said, “You just go to concerts on random Wednesday nights?”
Luka laughed from the other room, “Yes, if that’s when they’re performing–” he was quiet another moment, “Good news, I did get a ticket for you–” Adrien didn’t know what to say as Luka appeared in the doorframe before leaning against hit, folding his arms, “Perks of Jagged Stone being your dad, I guess–”
Adrien watched him a moment as he just stared back, trying to figure out exactly how much he overheard in his conversation, “I think you should meet Plagg–” Luka smiled at this suggestion, nodding, “He doesn’t get to meet many humans these days–”
“I don’t think I’m missing out,” his kwami mumbled, but flew closer to Luka, “Sass hasn’t said anything bad about you, and this one only sings praise, so–”
“It’s nice to meet you, Plagg,” Luka thankfully laughed, “Singing praise? And I thought the puns were an Adrien exclusive–” Plagg turned sharply to look at Adrien, a gaze he knew to be a much more flushed out version of annoyed and disbelief, “Unless you actually sing and that’s been something you’re keeping from me?”
He smiled and shook his head, holding his hands up, “Nah– these are my only instrument–” he laughed as Luka smiled, “Singing is– not my favorite– not in front of people, at least– reserved for the privacy of my shower–”
Luka nodded, letting the moment linger before gesturing to him, “You look good–”
“Thanks–” he nearly stuttered, his hands going to his outfit, “I just hope people don’t recognize me– I don’t mind people coming up and saying hi, but I’m sick of being noticed by strangers right now– my face is already everywhere, and tonight I’d really rather focus on the music and–” he looked at Luka, who was listening patiently, “Well, you.”
He smiled at the comment before nodding, “If you need to hide in plain sight,” he bummed slightly, watching him as he thought, “Oh, I know–” he turned towards the dresser where the speaker was on, turning it down as he reached into the basket, pulling out a light purple bucket hat. He hesitated before taking the steps closer to him, gently tugging it on and pulling it low, pressing his bangs into his eyes, “That looks really cute on you. This whole thing looks good on you–”
“Oh, thanks–” he said quietly, watching his blue eyes trail down as he smiled, loving the attention he received from him.
“You should get to dress yourself more–”
Adrien felt his cheeks flush– even though he didn’t tell Luka, there was something different, like he somehow knew– that didn’t seem too wild though, Luka seemingly knew everything. Had he always touched him so much? He felt way too into his head as he just smiled back, “Should we go, or–”
Luka nodded, “Yeah– it’s not far, just a few blocks, don’t even need to get on the bus.”
He smiled, following him up the stairs and off the boat, “I’ve never gotten to ride on the back of your bike–” Adrien half complained, making Luka laugh, looking back at him, “I’ve watched you do it with Marinette easily a dozen times, it would only be fair–”
“Fair?” Luka shrugged, “I mean, we were dating–”
He shook his head, “Even before that–”
“No, Adrien, you’re right, we don’t need to be dating for you to get a ride on my bike,” he said, smiling as he glanced at him, some level of flirting Adrien was not expecting, making him nearly laugh at the potential, “It’s never come up because you very much…appear at places.”
Adrien laughed fully at the suggestion, “What does that mean?”
“You–” Luka thankfully smiled, shaking his head, “Don’t travel with people– you don’t meet up to go somewhere, you agree to meet there. It could just be with me, most of the time we hang out on the Liberty for rehearsal, but even the times we have outside of that– you just…appear.”
He laughed, shrugging at the suggestion, “That’s an odd observation, but yeah, I guess so– I’m either driven where I need to go or I’m sneaking out, and with that requires solo travel–”
“I never considered how you would sneak out before– can you even sneak out of your room without transforming?”
“No,” he shook his head, “That was why getting Plagg was so important– being Chat Noir has allowed me to escape in a very literal sense too–”
Luka was smiling gently at him before nudging his shoulder to guide him around the corner, turning down another street, “I love that for you.”
They had to wait in a line outside the venue, so many people were walking by, making Adrien pull his hat down, trying to turn from the strangers. Luka seemingly noticed, nudging him over to allow his back to be towards the public, and his face away from potential identification. Inside it was dark and crowded, dozens of overlapping conversations with recorded music layering in, making it almost overwhelming as Luka continued to lead the way, glancing back every few steps to make sure he wasn’t lost until they were only a few rows of people back from the stage.
“No, no no, not losing you–” Luka joked, pulling him back to his side, a warmth and comfort, radiating from where their hands interlaced, “You need to stand your ground better in a crowd,” he teased, playfully poking his cheek, “Many people would be upset if I lost you–”
“Where do you fall on that list?”
Luka smiled, leaning closer, and Adrien knew it was for him to hear over the noise, but felt his chest tighten regardless, “Would it be wrong for me to say number one?”
He shook his head, thankful “I don’t think that would be inaccurate.” Luka didn’t drop his hand as he studied his face for an extra moment, as if considering something that he just became aware of, “What?”
“You don’t go to enough concerts,” he said plainly in a way that made Adrien smile, “Being carefree for a bit looks good on you.”
Adrien absolutely understood the appeal, to be so consumed by noise and people and the bass vibrating, people around him singing along to songs he just barely recognized. The ground was sticky but he could hardly care, each time he’d look to his side to see Luka, singing along or the few times he was already looking at Adrien.
There were moments Adrien found himself staring, so overwhelmed with the outside world that the inside of his head could buzz at the same intensity and he felt so unbelievably complete. He loved hanging out with Luka as a means to escape, a peaceful respite from the chaos of expectations, but this, to meet the chaos with chaos of itself was exactly what he needed and knew he would crave for days afterward.
The lights returned and Luka’s hand found his again, a grounding he desperately needed, leaning in closer to talk into his ear over the chatter around them. Their fingers interlaced and Adrien felt the heat radiating in a comfort that was so overwhelming, a mutual touch that certainly did not mean as much as he was reading into it. “We should probably head out–”
He knew he was right, and followed behind, allowing himself to be led out of the venue, Luka’s hand never dropping his. The night air had cooled from the warm summer heat they’d spent the day in, and coming from the crowded music hall, it felt nice, the warmth of Luka’s hand grounding him as they started the few blocks back towards the river.
Luka slowed to a stop once they reached a notably quieter street, “I don’t know how you want to get home, but thought getting away from everyone was a good call at least,” his smile was soft, watching him right back in the near darkness, “It was fun going with you. I typically go alone, unless Juleka also likes the band, and then Rose comes too, but–” he shrugged, “I’d really like it if we do this again, if you’re interested–”
Adrien could not stand this in-between and not knowing when the other spoke to everyone like they held his entire heart, “Was this a date?” he felt himself blurt out, almost startling Luka, who blinked, clearly not expecting such a question, mouth opening to respond, but Adrien had to close his eyes to not think how badly he wanted to feel his lips against his, “Because I’d really like it if it was–”
Luka’s hand was soft on his face, enough motivation to get him to open his eyes, the other much closer, and blue eyes much more understanding than he anticipated or thought he deserved, “I did convince myself no to not get my hopes up, but I would also really like it if it was.”
His thumb gently rubbed against his cheek, making him almost melt, overwhelmed with how different this felt, how right and easy despite the butterflies in his stomach, “Yeah,” Adrien mouthed, unsure if the other even heard it over his pounding heart, “So we can do this again?”
“I hope we do,” Luka said quietly, “Can I do…this?” he leaned closer, his breath warm against his lips before just barely brushing his, soft and warm and wet and so timid Adrien would have smiled if he wasn’t so genuinely surprised. He never wanted to regret kissing anyone, but no one else had ever been like this. His hand, calloused from his guitar strings brushed his cheek and Adrien reached for his jacket, wanting to tug him closer as he felt Luka’s other hand move to his waist, enough to make him melt at their shared connection.
Adrien almost gasped when he pulled back, “Oh–” he nearly laughed, genuine disbelief that happened, that the day had started out with him just wanting a break and it ending with Luka Couffaine actually kissing him. He felt his face flush, overwhelmed with affection and all he could do was smile, “Oh, yes– we can do that–”
It was hard not to notice how red Luka’s face was too, seeing a break in his cool demeanor to see him flustered and overwhelmed made Adrien’s own heart skip a beat as the other smiled gently, “We can do that again too, right?”
“I hope we do–”
Adrien pulled him into a hug, sighing deeply as he hugged him back, “My dad is probably going to kill me, so this might be the last time I’ll get to do this in a long time. But thank you for it,” he held tighter as he felt Luka laugh. “Can I call you if and when I ever get my phone back?”
He nodded, “Yeah, I hope you do,” his smile was soft as he pulled back, nudging his chin to kiss him again gently, making Adrien smile against his lips, “Whenever and however you need me, Adrien, I want to be there for you.”
Their hands found each other easily, fingers twisting as Adrien glanced down the street before tugging Luka back with him into the alleyway, “Plagg, claws out–” he transformed, green glow of light leaving him in his costume, curiously watching Luka, who was smiling, “I’ve never gotten to do that in front of someone–”
“I am honored to be your first,” he nodded, seemingly so fascinated by his mere existence.
“So how’s that crush on a certain hero treating you?”
Luka laughed, his hands reaching to hold his own cheeks, “You transform and turn into the flirtiest version of yourself–” he mumbled, but stepped closer, pulling Chat Noir’s entire focus, “But I can hear your melody is all the same.”
“You like it, don’t you–” Chat felt himself tease as Luka nodded, too sincere to ever lie about something like that, “You should tell me about yours sometime.”
The suggestion got him to smile, “I’d love to,” he spoke so quietly, he had to lean closer to hear as if including him in a secret, “You shouldn’t get in more trouble because of me–”
Chat Noir laughed and nodded, “It won’t be because of you, Luka–” he felt fuzzy in a way he hadn’t felt ever, a different buzz to what he felt with Ladybug, more gentle and mutually understood, and he desperately did not want to leave from their moment, “I’ll find a way to see you soon–” Luka exhaled a laugh and stepped back, an invitation for Chat to make the next move to get home and face the consequences of his actions of the day. He knew he was going to get in trouble and receive an extended and entirely unreasonable punishment for everything he’d done today, but he knew it was worth it. That confiding in Luka, with both his hero identity and his heart, was absolutely worth it.