Chapter Text
Chapter Eleven – A Thin Line
The weekend arrived, but Adrien couldn’t stop replaying that night in the alley. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Luka’s sharp gaze pinning him against the wall, the danger in his voice, and the chilling moment Luka claimed him as “his.” Adrien’s stomach twisted with fear and something else he couldn’t admit, not even to himself.
At school, Marinette and Kagami continued to hover, whispering to each other when they thought Adrien wasn’t looking. He hated the feeling of being watched, of knowing that they knew something was off.
When classes ended Monday afternoon, Adrien slipped out of the building quickly, hoping to escape unnoticed. But Luka was already waiting at the front steps, leaning against the railing, a cigarette burning between his fingers. His eyes locked on Adrien the second he stepped outside.
“Going somewhere without me, sunshine?” Luka asked, flicking the ash onto the ground.
Adrien froze, then forced a shaky smile. “Just… heading home.”
Luka exhaled smoke slowly, stepping forward. “Not without me, you’re not.”
Adrien’s chest tightened, but he followed Luka anyway. They walked in silence for a while, the late afternoon air heavy between them, until Luka suddenly stopped near a quiet corner café. “Let’s get coffee. My treat.”
Inside, Luka’s demeanor softened just slightly, but his eyes never left Adrien. They ordered, sat by the window, and for a moment it almost felt normal — until Luka leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said flatly.
Adrien’s throat went dry. “I-I haven’t—”
“Don’t lie,” Luka cut in, his voice low but not unkind. “I can see it all over your face. You’re scared of me.”
Adrien looked down at his cup, hands trembling slightly. “I’m not… scared. Just… confused.”
Luka tilted his head, studying him. “Confused about me? Or about yourself?”
The question landed heavy, making Adrien’s stomach flip. His mouth went dry, but he couldn’t find the words to answer. Luka smirked, leaning back, letting the silence stretch.
“You don’t have to figure it out right now, sunshine,” he finally said. “Just know one thing—” He leaned in again, eyes piercing. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re already in my world now, whether you like it or not.”
Adrien’s chest tightened. He nodded slowly, unsure if it was in agreement, surrender, or something else entirely.
As they walked back out into the fading light, Adrien realized the line between fear and fascination was becoming thinner by the day — and he wasn’t sure which side he was standing on anymore.
Inside the café, the hum of quiet conversations and the soft clink of cups filled the air. Adrien sat across from Luka, his hands wrapped around the mug of coffee as if the warmth could calm his nerves. Luka leaned back in his chair, cigarette replaced with a lazy smirk, but his eyes never strayed far from Adrien.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Luka said flatly, breaking the silence.
Adrien swallowed hard, gaze fixed on the swirl of foam in his cup. “I-I haven’t. I’ve just… been busy.”
“Busy,” Luka repeated, amusement dripping from the word. “You can lie to everyone else, sunshine. But don’t bother lying to me. You’re scared.”
Adrien flinched, his grip tightening on the cup. He shook his head quickly. “I’m not scared of you. I just…” He hesitated, searching for the words. “I don’t understand you, Luka. One minute you’re—” He broke off, frustrated. “—you’re teasing, joking, singing… and the next, you’re…” Adrien’s voice dropped, “dangerous.”
Luka tilted his head, expression unreadable. “So which part of me do you prefer?”
Adrien blinked, caught off guard. His mouth opened, but no words came out. Luka smirked, leaning forward across the table.
“You think I don’t notice the way you look at me? Like you’re trying to figure me out, but you’re too scared to get close enough to actually see.”
Adrien’s chest tightened. “That’s not—”
“It is,” Luka cut him off smoothly. He let the silence stretch before adding, softer this time, “You’re not the only one who doesn’t have it figured out.”
Adrien looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time since they sat down. “What do you mean?”
Luka leaned back again, drumming his fingers on the table. “I mean… I didn’t wake up one morning and decide, ‘Hey, I’ll sell drugs, smoke cigarettes, and screw with people’s heads for fun.’ Life pushed me into this. Choices, consequences, survival. That’s all it is.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “And you — you’ve lived in a bubble. Ballet, family money, people treating you like porcelain. But now… you’re here. With us. With me. And you’re starting to see that the world isn’t so neat and pretty.”
Adrien felt his stomach twist. “So what? You want me to be like you?”
Luka smirked again, but there was something sharper in it. “No, sunshine. I just want you to stop pretending you don’t want to be.”
Adrien froze, the words striking deep. He opened his mouth to argue but found none. His mind flashed to the cigarette smoke curling in the alley, to the piercings, the thrill of running through the mall after Luka and Marinette had stolen, to the warmth of Luka’s hand on his shoulder, and to the fear — and excitement — in his chest every time Luka looked at him like this.
“I…” Adrien started, voice cracking. He dropped his gaze back to his cup. “I don’t know who I am right now.”
Luka’s gaze softened slightly, just for a moment. “Good. That means you’re getting closer to the truth.” He leaned forward, voice low. “But listen carefully, Adrien: no matter how scared you are, you don’t get to walk away from me. You’re mine now. Whether you like it or not.”
Adrien’s breath caught. His heart pounded so loud he swore the whole café could hear it. Fear, confusion, and something dangerous swirled in his chest, leaving him breathless.
For a moment, the world outside the café window disappeared. There was only Luka, his piercing gaze, and the heavy truth of his words.
Adrien’s fingers tightened around the warm mug. The words echoed in his mind, each syllable hitting harder than the last. You’re mine now.
He swallowed, forcing himself to look up at Luka. “What… what do you mean by that?” Adrien’s voice cracked, but the question came out stronger than he expected. “What do you mean by mine?”
Luka’s smirk twitched, but he didn’t laugh. Instead, he leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his eyes locked on Adrien with sharp intensity. “Exactly what it sounds like,” he said softly, almost a whisper. “You’re mine. Not Kagami’s. Not Marinette’s. Not your father’s perfect little puppet. Mine.”
Adrien’s breath caught in his throat. His pulse thundered as Luka’s words sank deeper, both terrifying and electrifying.
“That’s not—” Adrien started, but Luka cut him off.
“Don’t twist it, sunshine. I don’t mean I own you like some object. I mean… I don’t let go of the people I care about. If you’re in my world, you don’t just walk out. I don’t allow it.”
Adrien’s stomach twisted with a confusing storm of emotions. Part of him wanted to argue, to push Luka away, but another part — the part he didn’t want to admit existed — felt a strange sense of safety in Luka’s possessiveness, even as it scared him.
“You can’t just say things like that,” Adrien muttered, looking down, trying to steady his voice. “I’m not… I’m not some toy you get to keep.”
Luka chuckled lowly, but there was no humor in it. “I never said you were. But I know what I see. And I know you, Adrien.” He paused, tilting his head, eyes sharp and unreadable. “Even if you don’t know yourself yet.”
Adrien’s chest tightened. His gaze darted out the window, anywhere but Luka’s piercing stare. But the words wouldn’t stop replaying in his mind: You’re mine.
The café noise faded into the background. For a moment, it felt like there was no one else in the world but Luka, leaning in close, his voice low and heavy with meaning, and Adrien, trembling under the weight of it all.
Adrien finally lifted his eyes from the table, his hands trembling slightly around the mug. “You can’t just… claim me like that. I’m not yours.” His voice was firmer now, though it wavered with uncertainty.
Luka tilted his head, lips curling into that infuriating smirk again, but his eyes were darker, more serious. “And yet, here you are. Sitting with me. Listening to me. Thinking about what I said.”
Adrien flushed, his chest tightening. “That doesn’t mean—”
“It means more than you realize,” Luka interrupted smoothly, leaning forward across the table. His voice dropped lower, pulling Adrien into his gravity. “I’ve seen you, Adrien. Not the golden boy everyone else thinks you are. Not the perfect son Gabriel Agreste tries to parade around. I see you. The part that sneaks out. The part that craves freedom. The part that feels more alive when you’re with me.”
Adrien froze, caught off guard. The words felt like Luka had peeled him open, exposing something raw and private that even Adrien wasn’t ready to face.
He forced a shaky laugh. “You don’t know me that well.”
“Don’t I?” Luka’s smile faded, replaced by something sharper, almost vulnerable. “I watch you more than you think. The way your eyes follow when I laugh too loud. The way you flinch when someone tries to tell you who to be. The way you breathe easier when you’re not under his thumb.” Luka’s voice hardened on the last word, and Adrien knew exactly who he meant.
Adrien’s pulse hammered in his ears. “And what? That makes me yours?”
“No,” Luka said after a beat, his tone softening. “It means you don’t have to fight alone. It means you don’t have to pretend.” He paused, eyes narrowing. “But if you want to walk away, if you really don’t want this… then say it.”
Adrien’s lips parted, but nothing came out. He wanted to speak, to say he wasn’t Luka’s, that this was insane, but the words stuck in his throat. His silence spoke louder than anything he could have said.
Luka leaned back, satisfied, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “That’s what I thought.”
Adrien swallowed hard, the room suddenly too warm, his thoughts tangled in confusion and fear and something dangerously close to longing.
Adrien shifted in his seat, desperate to break eye contact, but Luka’s stare pinned him in place. Then, without warning, Luka reached across the small table. His fingers brushed against Adrien’s temple, slow, deliberate, and he gently pushed a curl of blonde hair away from Adrien’s face.
The hidden silver piercing caught the café’s dim light, glinting like a secret.
Adrien froze. His breath hitched.
“See?” Luka murmured, his voice low, almost intimate. “Even the way you hide this… it’s proof. Proof that there’s more to you than the perfect mask. And I like what’s underneath.”
Adrien’s cheeks burned, his heart slamming in his chest. He wanted to swat Luka’s hand away, but he didn’t move — couldn’t move. The touch lingered for just a second too long before Luka pulled back, smirk curling across his lips again, like he knew exactly the effect he had.
“Don’t—” Adrien’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat, trying again. “Don’t do that.”
Luka tilted his head, unfazed. “Why not? You didn’t stop me.”
Adrien’s fingers curled around his mug, gripping it so tight it hurt. “Because I… I didn’t know how.” His voice was a whisper, more honest than he intended.
For the first time, Luka’s smirk softened into something else — not quite gentle, not quite cruel. His eyes flicked over Adrien’s face, and his voice dropped to a murmur. “You’ll figure it out, sunshine. But until then…” He leaned back in his chair, stretching out like he owned the space. “…you’re mine.”
Adrien’s stomach twisted, a confusing mess of fear, anger, and something he didn’t dare name.
Adrien finally set the mug down, his knuckles white from holding it too tight. He leaned forward, his voice trembling but firm.
“You’re wrong,” he said, forcing himself to meet Luka’s eyes. “The only reason I’m here, the only reason I hang out with you, is because…” Adrien’s throat went dry, but he pushed through. “Because I like hanging out with you. That’s it. Not because I belong to you. Not because I’m yours.”
Luka’s smirk faltered for the first time. His expression shifted, unreadable, as though Adrien’s words had landed somewhere he didn’t expect. He tapped his fingers against the table, studying Adrien in silence.
“You like hanging out with me?” Luka repeated slowly, as if testing the weight of the confession.
Adrien’s chest tightened. “Yes. That’s all. You make me feel… different. Free, maybe. But don’t twist that into something else. I don’t belong to anyone.”
The silence between them thickened, heavy with things unsaid. Luka leaned back in his chair, his jaw tightening before the smirk crept back, softer this time.
“Careful, sunshine,” he murmured. “You say things like that, and it almost sounds like you like me.”
Adrien’s stomach flipped, heat rushing to his face. He looked away quickly, his voice quiet but steady. “Maybe I do. But that’s my choice… not yours.”
For a moment, Luka said nothing. His gaze lingered on Adrien, sharp but strangely softened, like he was seeing him in a new light. Then he gave a short, low chuckle, shaking his head.
“You’ve got more fire in you than I thought.”
Adrien bit his lip, unsure if he’d just made things better… or much, much worse.
Adrien’s face was burning, and Luka’s smirk wasn’t helping. He slammed his mug down harder than he meant to, the sound making a few people in the café glance over.
“I don’t like you like that,” Adrien blurted, his voice a little too loud. He swallowed, lowering his tone but keeping his eyes fixed on Luka. “Don’t… don’t get the wrong idea. You’re my friend. That’s all. Nothing more.”
For a beat, Luka didn’t react. His expression froze, smirk slipping into something unreadable. Then, slowly, he leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest as if to shield whatever had just cracked beneath the surface.
“Friend, huh?” he said finally, his voice quieter, edged with something Adrien couldn’t place. “That’s all I am to you?”
Adrien nodded, forcing himself to hold Luka’s gaze even though his stomach twisted. “Yes. I don’t want you to think… it’s anything else. Because it’s not.”
Luka exhaled through his nose, almost like a laugh but without any humor. He tapped his finger against the table, eyes narrowing just slightly. “You’re braver than you look, sunshine. Most people don’t talk to me like that.”
Adrien’s jaw tightened. “Maybe they should.”
For a moment, it seemed like Luka might snap back — but instead, he just gave Adrien a slow, crooked grin. One that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Alright. Friends.” His tone made the word sound strange, like it didn’t fit in his mouth. “But don’t fool yourself. There’s more between us than you want to admit. You’ll see.”
Adrien’s hands tightened around his mug, his eyes fixed on the table so he wouldn’t have to see Luka’s grin. His voice came out low, steady, but trembling at the edges.
“You’re delusional,” he said finally.
The smirk slid from Luka’s face. He tilted his head, studying Adrien with an intensity that made the air feel heavier. “Delusional?” he repeated, as if testing the word.
Adrien nodded, still staring at the dark wood grain beneath his fingertips. “Yeah. You think you know me, but you don’t. You’re making this into something it’s not. I don’t belong to you. I don’t… I don’t like you like that. You’ve built some story in your head, and it’s not real.”
For a long moment, there was silence. Adrien’s chest rose and fell quickly, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Then Luka leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, lowering himself until his face was close enough that Adrien could feel his breath.
“You think I don’t know real when I see it?” Luka’s voice was quiet, but it carried a dangerous edge. “You can lie to me, sunshine. Hell, you can even lie to yourself. But I don’t miss things. And I don’t imagine what isn’t there.”
Adrien finally looked up, eyes flashing with anger. “Then maybe you should start. Because whatever you think is between us—it doesn’t exist.”
Luka’s lips curled into a slow, humorless smile, though his eyes had darkened. “We’ll see about that.”
Adrien’s stomach turned. He wanted to scream at him, to storm out, but instead he stayed frozen, knuckles white on the mug, staring down at the table as if it could swallow him whole.
Adrien’s words still hung in the air, sharp and heavy. Delusional. He kept his eyes locked on the table, refusing to give Luka the satisfaction of a glance.
The silence stretched, unbearable — and then Luka suddenly leaned back, the chair creaking beneath him. He let out a low laugh, light and casual, like nothing had happened.
“Relax, sunshine,” he said, voice smooth again, as if the darkness from a moment ago had never existed. He reached for his coffee, taking a slow sip. “No need to get so serious. We’re just talking.”
Adrien blinked, thrown by the sudden change in tone. His chest still felt tight, his pulse racing, but Luka was acting like he’d just joked about the weather.
Luka tilted his head, smiling lazily. “Don’t worry. I’ll play the role you want me to. Friend.” He drew the word out, almost mocking, though his eyes still burned with something deeper. “That’s enough for now.”
Adrien’s stomach churned. He muttered something under his breath, more to himself than to Luka. “You’re impossible.”
“Maybe,” Luka replied smoothly, his grin widening. “But you’ll keep coming back.”
Adrien gripped his mug tighter, saying nothing. He stared down at the table, wishing he could disappear, wishing his heart didn’t betray him with its uneven rhythm.
Luka leaned back, satisfied, and the conversation drifted into silence — but the words you’re mine still echoed in Adrien’s head long after.
Adrien finally looked up from the table, his blue-green eyes sharp despite the nerves trembling in his chest. His voice was quiet, but it cut like glass.
“You know why I don’t like you like that?” he said, each word deliberate. “Because I don’t want to date someone who sells drugs in alleys and kisses everyone at some party like it means nothing.”
Luka froze for just a moment, the smirk faltering. His jaw tightened, and something flickered in his eyes — hurt, anger, maybe both — before he masked it again with that infuriating calm.
“Ouch,” Luka said finally, leaning back in his chair with a mock grin. “That’s harsh, sunshine.”
Adrien didn’t back down. “It’s the truth.”
Luka swirled the coffee in his mug, gaze fixed on Adrien. His voice dropped low, losing its playful edge. “And yet here you are. Sitting with me. Talking to me. Caring enough to throw that in my face. You say you don’t want me, Adrien, but you wouldn’t care so much if that were really true.”
Adrien’s breath caught. His chest felt too tight, and for a second, he couldn’t think of a reply. Luka smirked again, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes this time.
“Friend, enemy, something more… doesn’t matter. You’re tangled up in me now,” Luka murmured. “And that’s not going to change just because you’re scared of what I am.”
Adrien’s stomach twisted, a mix of frustration and confusion. He wanted to scream, to deny it — but he couldn’t shake the sting of Luka’s words.
Adrien’s hands clenched around his mug until his knuckles turned white. The words from Luka’s last comment, the way he twisted Adrien’s feelings, and the anger boiling inside him finally pushed him over the edge.
“I’ve had enough,” Adrien said, voice shaking but firm. He stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. Every head in the café glanced up at the sudden movement, but Adrien didn’t care.
“I’m not going to sit here and listen to this anymore!” he continued, taking a step toward the door, his chest heaving. “I’m not scared of you. And I don’t have to be. I don’t want to be with someone who—who does all the things you do, Luka!”
Luka tilted his head, a faint smile on his lips, though his eyes darkened. “Careful, sunshine,” he said lowly, leaning back. “You think you can walk away from me that easily?”
Adrien ignored him, his fingers gripping his bag strap tightly as he moved toward the door. “I can,” he said firmly. “And I will. I’m done being manipulated. I care about you, but I’m not going to lie to myself or pretend this is something it’s not!”
Luka watched him go, expression unreadable. The smirk returned slowly, but it was sharper now, more dangerous. “Alright,” he murmured, voice low. “Run while you can… sunshine. But remember, I don’t let go that easily.”
Adrien pushed the café door open and stepped out into the crisp air, his heart racing. He could still feel Luka’s eyes on his back, burning into him, as if the possessiveness itself had followed him outside.
And for the first time, Adrien realized: standing up didn’t mean he felt safe.
Adrien barely had time to process the cold air outside when he noticed Luka a few steps behind him. Luka had paid for their drinks almost instantly, leaving without a word, and now he was walking behind Adrien, a slow, measured pace that made Adrien’s stomach twist.
Adrien’s chest tightened. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but he kept his stride steady, trying to act casual. He glanced over his shoulder, heart skipping a beat, and saw Luka’s smirk — calm, composed, but impossible to misread. Luka’s eyes tracked him with that same dangerous intensity from the café, and Adrien realized: no matter how far he walked, Luka wasn’t letting go.
“You’re quiet,” Luka murmured, voice low enough that only Adrien could hear. “I like that about you. Makes it easier to see what’s really going on inside your head.”
Adrien’s hands tightened on his bag straps. “I’m not saying anything,” he muttered, trying to keep his voice even.
“Good,” Luka replied smoothly. “Actions speak louder than words, anyway. And you? Your actions are telling me everything I need to know.”
Adrien’s stomach flipped. He wanted to bolt, wanted to escape, but Luka’s presence was magnetic — dangerous, and yet impossible to ignore. Every step he took, he could feel Luka’s gaze, and the air between them was thick with unspoken words, possessiveness, and tension that Adrien couldn’t shake.
By the time they reached the edge of the street, Adrien realized something chilling: Luka’s influence was already following him, and no amount of distance would make it disappear.
As they walked down the narrow street, Adrien’s mind raced, still buzzing from their café confrontation. He was about to step into the main road when Luka suddenly stopped, eyes narrowing.
“There,” Luka muttered under his breath, his gaze locked on a figure up ahead. Adrien followed his eyes and froze — one of Luka’s known enemies was strolling casually down the street, unaware of them.
Before Adrien could react, Luka grabbed his hand, pulling him sharply into a nearby alleyway. Adrien stumbled, glaring up at Luka. “What are you doing?!” he hissed, his voice sharp with frustration.
“Shh,” Luka said, pressing his other hand over Adrien’s mouth before he could answer. His eyes were fierce, scanning the street to make sure they weren’t seen. “Quiet. Don’t make a sound.”
Adrien struggled for a moment, trying to push Luka’s hand away, but the grip was firm, controlling. “Luka! I’m not a kid! Let go!”
Luka’s grip didn’t waver. His voice was low, dangerous, yet almost calm. “You’re not a kid, sunshine. But you’re with me now. You trust me, right?”
Adrien froze at the question, his anger mixed with disbelief and something else — fear, adrenaline, and… an uneasy curiosity. “I… I trust you, but—”
“No ‘buts,’” Luka whispered, tilting his head closer. “You stay quiet. You move when I say. You survive. That’s all.”
Adrien’s chest heaved. He wanted to scream, to rip his hand from Luka’s hold, but Luka’s presence pressed down on him like a weight he couldn’t push away. His heart raced, frustration clashing with the undeniable tension of the moment.
They stayed hidden in the shadowed alley, Luka’s eyes sharp, scanning every corner, while Adrien tried to catch his breath and process just how inescapable Luka had made him feel — even when he wanted nothing more than to pull away.
Adrien’s chest was still pounding from standing up to Luka earlier, but now in the shadowed alley, his frustration and fear were compounded. Luka’s hand still pressed lightly over his mouth, keeping him silent, and Adrien’s mind raced with a mix of anger, confusion, and something he didn’t want to admit.
“Luka!” Adrien hissed through the hand, struggling slightly. “Let go of me!”
Luka didn’t move. Instead, his piercing eyes locked onto Adrien’s, intense and unrelenting. “Shh,” he whispered, his voice low, almost a growl. “Listen to me. Right now, you don’t need to speak. You just need to feel this moment. See me. Understand why I do what I do.”
Adrien’s jaw tightened. “I don’t need to understand anything! You don’t get to control me!”
Luka’s free hand reached up, brushing a stray curl of Adrien’s blonde hair from his forehead. His touch was gentle, deliberate, but possessive — a sharp contrast to the iron grip of his other hand over Adrien’s mouth. “Control? No, sunshine. I’m not controlling you.” His voice softened, almost intimate. “I’m showing you. You think I’m reckless, dangerous, chaotic… maybe I am. But you? You fascinate me.”
Adrien’s heart skipped a beat, and anger mixed with a sudden, dizzying pull he couldn’t shake. “Fascinate you?!” he whispered harshly, finally finding his voice through gritted teeth. “I’m not some toy for you to… to claim!”
Luka tilted his head, lips curling into that infuriating smirk. “Claim? Maybe. Or maybe I just don’t let go of what I want.” His hand over Adrien’s mouth eased slightly, enough that Adrien could speak again, though he still felt trapped.
“I… I don’t like you like that,” Adrien blurted, voice trembling. “I hang out with you because… because I like being around you. That’s it. Nothing more. And I don’t want to date someone who does all the reckless things you do!”
Luka’s gaze sharpened, dark and unreadable. His smirk faded, replaced by a quiet intensity that pressed down on Adrien’s chest. “Reckless? Dangerous? Maybe. But that’s me, sunshine. And whether you admit it or not… you’re already tangled up in this. In me.”
Adrien swallowed hard, staring at the alley floor, his hands gripping his bag strap like a lifeline. He felt both trapped and mesmerized, furious and terrified all at once. “You’re delusional,” he muttered finally, more to himself than to Luka.
Luka leaned closer, his eyes boring into Adrien’s. “Delusional? Maybe. But I see you. I know you. And you can’t hide from me — not here, not now.”
Adrien’s chest heaved. He wanted to pull away, to run, to scream — yet he stayed frozen, caught between fear, fascination, and the undeniable pull Luka had on him.
For a moment, the world narrowed down to just the two of them, shadows pressing in, tension coiling like a spring ready to snap. Luka’s smirk returned, faint, teasing — but his eyes never left Adrien’s, promising trouble, danger, and a strange, magnetic allure that Adrien couldn’t ignore.
Suddenly, Luka stiffened, his gaze darting toward the street as if he’d seen a shadow or movement out of the corner of his eye.
“Shh,” he whispered urgently, pressing his hand back over Adrien’s mouth. His other hand moved swiftly to Adrien’s waist, pulling him closer, keeping him pressed against the alley wall. Adrien’s breath hitched, his blue-green eyes wide, caught between panic and disbelief.
Luka’s face came closer, and for a long moment, they just stared at each other. Luka’s eyes — dark, intense, and impossibly focused — held Adrien’s with a depth that made Adrien’s chest tighten. There was something dangerous, yes, but also… something else. Something quiet, intimate, and impossibly personal.
Adrien’s pulse thundered in his ears. He wanted to pull away, to speak, to scream — but Luka’s presence, the heat of him so close, the firm yet gentle hold, made it impossible.
Neither of them moved. The sounds of the city faded, the alley closing in around them. It was just Luka, Adrien, and the electricity crackling between them.
“Luka…” Adrien whispered, though the words barely left his throat.
Luka didn’t answer. He just held him there, hand over his mouth, eyes locked on Adrien’s with an intensity that spoke louder than words ever could. There was no teasing, no smirk — just a raw, quiet connection that made Adrien’s heart race and his thoughts scatter.
Seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity. Their breathing synced, their gazes locked, and the world outside the alley ceased to exist. In that moment, Luka wasn’t the dangerous, chaotic boy everyone whispered about. He was something else entirely — impossibly close, impossibly real, impossibly captivating.
Adrien didn’t know what to do. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move. He simply stared back, caught in the gravity of Luka’s gaze, unable to break free from the intensity, the danger, and the strange, magnetic pull that held them both in suspended silence.
Adrien’s chest heaved as he finally found a flicker of courage. Slowly, carefully, he pushed against Luka’s chest, trying to create a small distance between them. “Luka… I… I can’t—”
But before he could step back, Luka’s grip tightened around Adrien’s wrist, holding him in place. His dark eyes locked onto Adrien’s, unwavering, intense. “Don’t push me away, sunshine,” Luka said, voice low, dangerous, yet impossibly serious. “This isn’t a game. What I’m feeling… what this is between us… it’s serious. You need to understand that.”
Adrien swallowed hard, his heart racing so fast it felt like it might burst. “I… I don’t know if I can…” he stammered, voice trembling.
Luka’s free hand moved gently to Adrien’s shoulder, holding him firm but almost protectively. “No,” Luka insisted, softer this time, but every word weighted with gravity. “You will listen. This isn’t just some crush or teasing. You matter to me — more than you think. And I won’t let this slip away because you’re scared.”
Adrien’s jaw tightened, and he forced himself to look Luka in the eyes. There was something in those dark, serious eyes that made him want to melt and run at the same time. “I’m not ready for… this,” he admitted, voice small but honest.
Luka’s expression softened just slightly, but the intensity never left. “Maybe not,” he murmured, “but you are in it now. And whether you like it or not… you can’t pretend it isn’t real.”
Adrien’s stomach twisted with a mixture of fear, frustration, and something else he couldn’t name. He wanted to pull away again, to reclaim his space — but Luka’s grip was steady, grounding, and impossible to ignore.
For a long moment, they just stared at each other. No words. No movement. Only the weight of their connection pressing in, fierce, magnetic, and unyielding.