Third Wheel | Luka x Male Reader | Miraculous Ladybug

24- take yer time

She got up and we said our goodbyes to the group. I couldn't help but stare at Marinette and Adrien for a bit too long as they talked and talked.

When we reached our house, the silence was deafening. I fell on top of my bed and sighed to my pillow. I felt a hand poke my back. I looked up and was met with Juleka's sad and worried eyes.

"It's nothing..." I half-smiled.

She frowned not believing.

I sighed and sat up straight.

"I'm just confused..."

"About?" She sat in front of me.

"Marinette and ... Y/n" I quietly said the names that had been spinning around my mind the last few days. I looked up to Juleka but she just stayed silent, waiting for me to continue.

"Y/n likes me... And I- I don't know exactly what I feel about him. But whatever it is, I can't feel it. Not when I've liked Marinette for so long. Not when I've given her so much and promised her even more. Who knows when she'll need me to be by her side? I can't, I- I can't just leave her, right?"

"Do you still like her?" Juleka asked calmly. My head went blank.

"I... I think so..."

"You think?" She asked tilting her head.

"Nothing happened to make me stop liking her"

"Not even Adrien?"

I gulped, feeling a bitter taste in my mouth.

"It did hurt a bit to see her with him but... She's still the same girl" I answered, but it felt like an old excuse.

Juleka sighed. My nerves shot up the roof. She looked serious.

"Luka, what you said before really bothers me..."

"What I said before?"

"The thing of when she'll need you... You know you don't owe her anything right? You don't have to go out of your way to help her just because you have- had a crush on her"

"But I want to help her-"

"But does she want the help?" She shot back immediately.

I didn't say anything.

"Sorry..." She pulled her bang to the side, allowing me to see both her eyes. "I don't like to interfere in people's lifes, specially yours, but it's painful even for me to watch her with Adrien. You're my brother! I know you and I know you deserve someone who gives you attention and cares for you just as much as you do for them. What you have with Marinette, it just isn't healthy. I can't let this happen to you anymore."

"How would I even stop? I can't just stop liking her. Stop caring about her."

"You can!" She grabbed my hands. "And you need to!"

"Isn't that unfair for her? She didn't so anything"

"Exactly. She didn't do anything, while you did so much, so so much for her. Don't you think I know how many hours you spend on the phone with her? Or when you leave the house extremely late to go comfort her?"

I could feel my eyes watering. I didn't know how take it all in. The worst part was that, deep down, I agreed with her. Suddenly, I found myself crying into her arms. Tears full of rage, regret, sadness and relief.

"I really did like her"

"I know you did" Juleka held me carefully with her hand on my head.

"I guess, with time, I got to know her better but, in my head, I kept seeing a version of her that just wasn't true."

I sat back up and rested my head against the wall, looking up to the ceiling. She sat next to me and put her head in my shoulder.

"I like Y/n" I announced quietly.

She jumped up and looked at me surprised.

"You do?!"

"I- I think so... The way I felt about Marinette... It was so ideal compared to what I feel about him, which in relation feels more... Real."

"Luka, are you sure you like him and are not just saying this because you're sad? Because he really likes you..."

"I like his company. And his voice. Specially when he talks about the things he likes. And his gentle eyes when he listens to me. When he smiles I feel so calm..." I kept remembering random moments with him. "And when I teach him how to play, he always looks so focused, it's adorable... I remember the first class, I touched his hands and he was shaking so much!" I laughed. Juleka just stared at me. I stopped.

"I don't know how I feel about him... But now that I met him, I just want to spend more time with him. I want to learn more about his life and what shaped him to be the amazing person he is. But..."

"But?"

"I still can't forget about Marinette... Everytime I'm with him, I do. I do forget about her. But when it ends, I feel selfish. I feel like I used him. And at the same time I feel like I betrayed her..."

"Oh poor brother... Making a mess out of nothing" she shook her head. "You have to start living for you. Stop thinking so much about others and think about how you feel. And what the others make you feel."

"That's hard" I chuckled embarrassed.

"I know but... But you absolutely have to do it!" She said a bit louder than her usual tone. "And if you don't! I'll be sad! Because I love you and I want you to live for yourself and not for others"

I hugged her tightly. "Thank you"

She hugged back.

"Sorry I yelled" she apologized quietly.

I laughed shaking my head.