One year ago
Luka sat on the fountain in one of Paris' many parks, clutching his phone as he gritted his teeth. He knew Marinette got busy sometimes and would forget about their dates, but this was the third time in a row after he had brought up how much it hurt him when she did this kind of stuff. On the rare event she did show up on time, her mind was always somewhere far away from him, like a firefly he couldn't quite catch. She would go on and on about Adrien and her other friends while he sat and listened, never getting a chance to speak himself.
It was hard, and he was trying to convince himself through his own teary eyes that somehow he could make the relationship work, he could figure out what Marinette was hiding from him and he could finally be a genuine part of her life. Juleka oh so wisely pointed out he was playing a supporting role in his own love story and that was all he could think about as he sat there, watching all of the other couples holding hands and kissing and just being together.
Still, Luka sat there for a good hour after texting Marinette, reminding her of their plans before finally giving up and going home. Even this early on, he knew his relationship was doomed but Marinette felt too good to give up, so he kept trying.
And trying.
And trying, until he couldn't take it anymore and he spent the night sobbing in Juleka's room after the relationship finally ended. He was exhausted, he felt disgusted with himself for focusing so much on one person who did all but ghost him entirely. Marinette was a sweet girl, he just wasn't a priority for her.
Present Day
Luka blinked back tears as he shook his head, reminding himself of where he was, in bed, with (Y/N), the best lover a guy could ever ask for bundled up in his arms looking peaceful and content as they dozed off. Why was Marinette that was on his mind? Their relationship is practically ancient history at this point. He tried to focus on (Y/N), but all he could think about was how awful and broken that relationship had left him, and how much work (Y/N) had done to get him right again. He felt his heart break slightly as he wondered whether he deserved (Y/N) or not.
Of course, this had come up before, and (Y/N) had always said if anything they don't deserve Luka and the conversation pretty much ended there. (Y/N) had no tolerance for Luka talking down on himself, they always held him and loved him until he no longer felt like crying, which he adored but those monsters never stayed away forever. Seeing (Y/N) suffer and hearing of their visions startled him to his very core, the mental image of (Y/N) so battered and bruised was enough for him to be purely terrified. But he tried to keep that out of his head.
And he kept trying.
And trying.
And trying.
And trying until his shoulders shaking and his muffled sobs woke (Y/N) up, who very quickly pulled Luka into their embrace and held them like that, asking him what happened and if he was hurt. He fell horrible because not even four hours ago they were sobbing and needing comfort and they already have to help him again.
"I'm okay, doll," Luka had said, his voice shaking and a forced lopsided smile appearing across his face before (Y/N) rested both hands on his face.
"You are most definitely not, but that's not a bad thing," they said, shifting their position so Luka could lie down "You're going to feel upset sometimes, that's normal. But what happened?"
"Just got too much in my own head, love," Luka whispered, scared if he talked any louder his voice would crack and he'd give away how desperately he needed them at that moment.
(Y/N) kissed him softly, wiping his tears with a sad smile "What kind of thoughts were you thinking?"
"The usual stuff, I just started thinking about Marinette and then- and then I thought of you and I got stuck thinking about you in the vision- I-I just got so scared and upset that I didn't know what to do"
(Y/N) just held him tighter "I promise everything will be okay, you are allowed to take breaks, I love you. You deserve all of the good in the world, my love, all of it." they said, kissing his forehead at the end of every sentence, causing blood to rush to his cheeks.
Luka tried to argue but (Y/N) just cooed and played with his hair until he began to doze off, still with a heavy heart but slightly lighter now. He flinched as he saw something fly into the window and immediately moved to cover (Y/N), who yelled out in surprise as Luka started heaving and a voice slowly started worming its way into his head. He tried to fight it out, trying to calm down and focus on anything but the voice.
And he kept trying.
And he kept trying.
But like usual, it didn't seem to be enough, "(Y/N), get Juleka and everyone else and run-" he whimpered as he collapsed onto the floor, beginning to scream and whimper in agony. (Y/N) didn't listen they stayed and held his hand, letting him squeeze as hard as he needed to until he calmed down enough, and the Akuma disappeared from his bracelet. He collapsed again into (Y/N)'s arms with a broken sob, trying to take solace as they rubbed his back and held him ever so gently.
"You did so well, my love. Just breathe, you fought so hard and you did so good, relax now, let me take care of you" (Y/N) praised as they guided him back to bed, settling in for a long night of comfort and solace in each other's arms "You are more than enough, just relax and breathe for me, that's all you have to do right now, okay?"
***
Asra sat, floating outside the window, too astounded by Luka fighting off an Akuma to even move. He had a heart of pure gold, and he had (Y/N) with him to keep him steady. It made the raven begin to wonder if there might be another way to turn Hawkmoth away from the destructive path he seemed so dead-set on, and it made him wonder if Hawkmoth even had a chance at winning such an ambitious fight.