Satisfied

"HAHA!" Ruben laughed hysterically over the phone. You just told him about your earlier conversation with Luka. He's been laughing for almost a whole two minutes now. You don't blame him. It was stupid of you to say that when you know that the guitarist has always been able to hear everything you say. It's one of the things you like about him.

"God, (y/n)" Ruben had finished laughing. "I'm flattered that you think of me as a rebound, but you do know I have a boyfriend, right?"

"Since when?!" Ever since you began to hang out more with Ruben, you knew about his sexuality. He has dated a girl before, but he's mainly interested in guys. The reason why he was whispering into your ear during the movie was that he would tell you a side comment about his past relationships and how the scenes would remind him of that.

"Since last week" He spoke nonchalantly. "Unlike you, I actually have the courage to get what I want"

"Well, why don't you just tell him about this too?" You laid down on your bed, staring at the ceiling. "Tell him and then go on a few 'dates' with me"

"Look, I may have just found out about your gigantic crush on Luka - which I don't blame you because damn, he's hot" You laughed as Ruben continued to speak. "But Luka likes Marinette, doesn't he? I'm sorry to tell you the hard truth, but this plan has a high percentage of failing"

"I know, I know" You whined. "But I don't want to give up just yet".

"No"

"Please?"

"No"

"Fine". You sat up. "I'm calling in that favor, so now you have to do this for me"

"Ugh" You smirked as you heard Ruben grunt and fall on his bed over the phone. 

"You brought this on yourself when you were persistent in trying to make me feel better" You smiled. "Meet me after school tomorrow for our first date"

"I hate you"

"Love you too" You sang as you hung up the phone. Falling back on your bed once more, you thought about Luka. Was he jealous? The look on his face when he heard you mutter looked a bit heartbroken. It was the same look that you saw when he was with Marinette. The one that matched yours. But he couldn't be jealous, right? He only sees you as family. You're his best friend. He doesn't want anything to ruin the relationship you already have. And neither do you. That's why you do your best to keep your feelings inside.

You bottle up all those feelings and make sure to only let the people that already know about your crush see them. Even though it feels suffocating, even if it feels like you're drowning, it's okay. It's okay because you still have Luka in your life. He's still by your side, and you're by his. It would only change when you confess to him. Both of you will put a distance in your friendship. There would no longer be random visits. No spontaneous movie nights, no late-night calls, no jam sessions, no more being the ''. You hate knowing that. You hate having these feelings.

----

The final bell rang, ending school for the day. You exited your class with your friends. Calixte, Lucien, and Grace were talking about the Ladyblog while Luka and you listened. All of you stopped when you heard Ruben calling your name. Your eyes widen as you noticed his outfit. 

He wore a white button-up shirt, sleeves pulled up to his elbows, a black vest over top of it, denim ripped skinny jeans with black boots. His wavy dark purple hair was slicked back into his loose black beanie. His piercings on his left ear were visible for the first time in his high school life. His light purple eyes stared into yours as he held a rose out for you. You did your best not to laugh. 

"Well, if you excuse me" You turned to your friends, mainly glancing at Luka. "I have a date".

"WHAT?!" Calixte, Lucien, and Grace yelled in shock. 

You walked over to Ruben. He handed you the rose and kissed your cheek. You finally let out your laugh when he wrapped his arm around your shoulder. He was blushing out of embarrassment and you were enjoying every minute of it. Your friends stood in shock as they watched you walk away with the upperclassman. 

Luka watched you two, the small pain in his chest returning. His brows furrowed. What was the pain he felt? He's happy that you took the opportunity to get into a relationship. You haven't been in one since middle school. He still remembers how heartbroken you were when you saw your boyfriend from that time with another girl. He hugged you tight as he sang to you. The next day, he had punched the boy in the face and told him to never go near you ever again. Maybe he just doesn't want to see you get hurt again.

"There's no way those two are dating" Calixte turned to his friends. "I mean, they fight all the time!"

"Grace, did you know anything about this?" Lucien turned to his sister, who was still staring at the spot where you and Ruben stood. Her face showed a mixture of disgust and shock. 

"Why am I just finding this out now?" She turned to her brother, grabbing him by the arms, and began to shake him. "Has the world turned upside down?!"

Luka's laugh grabbed their attention. They had turned to him. He smiled at them, tilting his head. "Shouldn't we be happy for them? They look good together"

"You're an idiot!" They yelled at him. His eyes widen as he watched his three friends cry while holding each other. They screamed about the world ending and Luka being an idiot.

"Uh... why am I an idiot?"

----

The four of your friends hid in the bushes of the park, staring at you and Ruben. The two of you sat on a bench, staring at the pigeons and people who walked by. Ruben had bought you ice cream from Andre Glacier. Grace smiled when she noticed the color of your ice creams. Ruben's was pink, purple, and green; meanwhile, yours was aqua, teal, and deep blue. 

"Why are we following them?" Luka turned to his friends. 

"Because there is no possible way those two would be dating" Lucien whispered.

"Yeah" Calixte turned to face Luka. "You may not know, but Ruben and (y/n) have a frienemy relationship. They bicker like Tom and Jerry but are good friends. She's one of the few people who Ruben would consider to be his best friend"

"Though that's not true because his best friend is in his class and they're always with each other" Grace cut in. "Kind of like you with (y/n). She's more like best friend number 2"

"This is ridiculous" Luka glanced at you as you laughed at something Ruben had done. Both of you had gotten up and began to walk away. Your friends followed close behind. 

Ruben held your hand as you walked, both of you trying your best not to let go and laugh. He leaned in to whisper in your ear. "They're following"

"I know" You whispered back.

"Didn't you tell them?" He leaned back. "You know, minus Luka"

"I would have but then it wouldn't feel real" You stared at him. "I'll tell them later"

The two of you walked in silence, knowing that your friends are watching you closely. It was a nice day out and the two of you decided to go have a walk near the seine. You only stopped to watch a street performer. The man was dancing to the song that played on his stereo. Ruben and you began to move your bodies to the music as well. The performer noticed and offered you to join him. 

You and Ruben matched your moves to the performer. The three of you gathered an audience, letting more people put some of their cash inside the performer's hat. The crowd cheered in awe as Ruben lifted you up and spun you around in his arms when the chorus to the song began. A huge smile appeared on your face. The three of you finished, bowing at the applause. Ruben and you gave a high-five to the performer before leaving. 

Luka had watched the whole thing in awe as well. The pain in his chest growing stronger. Seeing you and Ruben dance felt like magic. The two of you danced so well with each other. Your bodies moved as if they were meant to be together. Even if his friends spoke ill of your relationship with the dark purple-haired boy, he saw how well you looked with him. He's happy for you. So why is his heart hurting again? He shouldn't be scared to lose you. You'll still be by his side. So why?

Then it happened. An akuma attack. Luka watched as a car was thrown, aiming to land on you and Ruben. Luka immediately jumped and ran toward you. He was stopped when Chat Noir pushed him out of the way, a pole falling where he was standing. He let out a breath of relief when he saw Ladybug save you and Ruben. He rushed to you.

"(y/n)!" You turned to see Luka running up to you. He tackled you into a hug, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, holding you tight. You felt him trembling. You hugged him back, patting his back. He pulled away. "I thought I was going to lose you"

"You're not going to lose me" You smiled, moving your hand to his cheek. "Ladybug and Chat Noir are here"

He pulled you back into a hug. You smiled and wrapped your arms around him, inhaling his scent. His cologne reminded you of a fresh day at the beach. You loved that scent. Luka took a deep breath. He can't imagine a day in his life without you. He never wants to lose you.