Luka had sheepishly returned the next day to retrieve his guitar. Marinette smiled at him as she handed it over, then realized she was in her pajamas and instantly clammed up.

"AAH! I…. have to go!" She flashed him a quick, embarrassed smile and fled.

Later that day, the two girls, working together, had managed to come up with a response to The Text. 'Hey, Luka! I had a great time with you, too. I'll see ya at school!' was the somewhat-bland message they had finally settled on that was Alya-approved. Not too eager, but not too distant. Marinette thought the tone was a tad cool after the very warm vibe from Luka, and that the 'see ya at school' didn't really leave much open for the possibility of a further conversation.

"Dating rules suck," was all Marinette could say.

"You might want to keep your options open," Alya suggested with a slight hint of sadness. "It's nice that you shared that date together, but you don't have to commit after just that."

Marinette sighed. "I can understand that. When I only had eyes for Adrien, I had a hard time imagining there could ever be anyone else. But Luka is special. I don't want to pass him up just because I'm waiting for a boy who isn't even interested."

"That's very wise, girl! But there's something else you haven't thought about. You dating Luka could actually make Adrien take more notice of you, too, especially if they're friends."

All she could do was to blanch in response. The possibility of both of them liking her was even more horrifying than the possibility of just one of them liking her.

The next time Luka and Marinette saw each other was a few days later, at school. Marinette was enjoying her lunch from home while Alya was waiting in the lunch line. The line was taking a particularly long time today, and Marinette was almost done eating. She had just popped the cute little macaron her mother had included into her mouth when Luka approached.

"Hey, Marinette," he said casually, standing over the empty opposite seat from hers.

She chewed and swallowed as quickly as she could, trying her best not to choke. "Lukie - what-" Marinette smacked her forehead into the palm of her hand hard, not able to continue. Had she really just messed up his name?

He was struck with a wave of merriment, bending over slightly and laughing. He rested one hand on the table as if to steady himself. "You're so funny, Marinette. Your reactions to yourself are hilarious."

Seeing her expression, he sobered. He swang easily into the seat across from her, keeping his hands planted and leaning her upper body forward over the table. "Don't worry about it, Mari," he said, searching her face. Everything about his body language screamed 'earnest' and 'trustworthy'. "My sister calls me that name sometimes." Her heart swelled again at his grace with conversation. She thought he underestimated his own skill with social interactions. Even if he made a blunder, his attentiveness to others gave him the ability to navigate it with grace.

"Really?" she asked, interested. She realized she didn't know that much about the Couffaines. It was a refreshing change after the endless data-collecting with her Adrien obsession. She saw now that that was too one-sided. This was different; the interest was split.

"Yeah! 'Juleka' and 'Luka' sound awfully familiar when they're yelled across the ship."

When Alya arrived at the table, she sat next to Marinette, who was enjoying an exchange about Luka's life aboard the houseboat. The redhead was surprised but pleased to see her friend actually participating in a real conversation, and fluently, with someone she liked. The two welcomed her, and Alya didn't feel like a third wheel at all.

Time flew and all-too-suddenly, the bell rang for lunch to be over.

"Oops!" He was the one who looked embarrassed this time. "I was just here to use the bathroom! That was the bell for my class to be over! Gotta run!"

The two girls exchanged a glance. "I thought he didn't normally have lunch now," Marinette giggled.

Luka had mentioned a guitar lesson directly after school, but Marinette didn't mind not being able to see him again that day. After ending the encounter on such a good note, she was loath to screw it up.

"Don't worry, Marinette," Tikki encouraged from the safety of the girl's bedroom. "You're doing great!" She smiled cheerfully at her human.

While she wouldn't go that far, Marinette was thoroughly cheered by her Kwami's optimism. "Thanks, Tikki," she said, tickling the little red cheek. Marinette had mused before about this ancient being who still managed to act so young. The girl wondered if she had ever accidentally offended her Kwami by treating her with less respect than her years deserved. Thankfully, Tikki was good-natured. "I'm lucky to have you."

When her older crush hadn't seen her for a few days, he broke the silence with another text. 'Hey Mari! The band has been pretty busy this week but I hope to see you soon. Have you got a chance to listen to the mix yet? ;)'

A shriek escaped her lips, and before Marinette knew it, Alya had stolen her phone to read the text for herself.

"Girl, we really need to work on your forgetfulness," she laughed.

Marinette had indeed completely forgotten about Luka's present - not only to open it, but that it even existed! "I am the worst date ever," she groaned.

Later, alone in her room again - well, alone with Tikki, who was dancing over her shoulder to watch the show - Marinette quickly located the discarded present on her desk, which she had moved the day after she had received it to make more room for Tikki in her bag.

"Oops." She grimaced, turning over the package in her hands. It was a small box, plain, wrapped neatly and with obvious care.

"It's ok, Marinette! Let's see what's inside!" Tikki spun in a circle exuberantly.

They discovered it was a flash drive.

Upon putting it into the computer, the pair spotted 12 music files, and a text file titled "read me". Marinette clicked on it curiously.

'M,

The thing that first sparked a conversation between us was music. Ever since that day, I've felt a connection to you. This mix is a testament to that, and I hope you enjoy it. I know mix tapes aren't really a thing anymore, but that's my inspiration behind this flash drive. I've included several different songs and artists, a few of them are me, but not too many. You'll have to tell me what you think.

Yours,

L'

"He really is thoughtful," Tikki observed.

Marinette had to agree.