Chapter Text
Luka felt like shit.
It was the only word that summed up the feeling of his muscles weighing a ton and the congestion that forced him to intermittently reposition himself on his bed, lest the buildup of mucus in his sinuses threaten to suffocate him.
Even with the layers of blankets Juleka had piled over him from when she'd come to his apartment an hour ago. Luka still shivered. Forcing him to let out a sneeze that irritated his sore throat and caused a wave of pain to pulse through his limbs.
Whining, he gingerly twisted back around to face the interior of his studio apartment. Squinting out into the dimly lit open floor plan.
Luka honestly couldn't remember the last time he was this sick. He recalls feeling a little under the weather his first week in Brazil. But he'd chalk that up to his immune system adjusting to the new climate. And even then, he wasn't as incapacitated as he was now.
Weakly tossing back the covers, Luka gave himself a mental 3-2-1 before shakily pushing himself up into a sitting position.
By the time he managed to maneuver his legs to sit at the edge of the bed, he was completely winded.
Groaning, Luka snapped his eyes shut to keep the apartment from tilting, fisting the bedsheets as another migraine wave hit him like a truck.
"This fucking sucks," He rasped. Whimpering when the vibration of his own voice irritated his inflamed throat.
"Language."
Prying open his eyes, Luka attempted to focus on the floating blob of turquoise and yellow hovering inches away from his face.
"Hey, Sass," he greeted, managing something between a smile and a grimace while narrowing his bleary eyes. "You mind not dancing? It's making me a little dizzy."
"I am not moving."
Luka could only manage a breathy Oh before channeling all his focus on keeping his upper half steady. Tightening his grip on the edge of the mattress to keep himself from face-planting onto the hardwood.
Gliding towards the nightstand, Sass took stock of the assortment of items his master's sibling had organized. Eyeing the two bottles of cough syrup, box of tissues, and bottle of water, until his gaze lingered on the smartphone resting near the edge.
Hovering over the device, Sass watched the screen light up. Juleka's contact name appearing for a few seconds before the phone screen dimmed. "Your ssssister mentioned that ssshe would like for you to text her when you woke up from your nap," the kwami relayed. Having been awake to greet the current tiger miraculous holder and soaking up the instructions Juleka imparted to a half-cognizant Luka as she made sure all the necessities were within arm's reach.
Luka hummed out a disapproving sound at the idea. Juleka was in the process of preparing for her first-ever fashion week. She shouldn't have to worry about him right now.
Still eyeing the cell phone, Sass tilted his head in thought. "Then may I ssssuggest contacting Marinette and Adrien?" Returning his gaze to Luka, Sass' eyes softened in worry. "I believe they would be happy to come over and assssist you."
Luka quickly shook his head, only to cringe when the movement amplified the dull ache near his crown.
The last time he was with the couple, Luka had been helping them decide on which restaurant to spend their anniversary.
The conversation having taken place the morning after one of their... nights together.
It was a recurring arrangement they had ever since Marinette and Adrien decided they wanted to open their relationship.
Luka would have never thought he'd be approached with something like this, much less from the two people he had feelings for since he was a teenager.
And given that he dated both of them at some point, Luka would have thought it too awkward for him to be a candidate for the new direction they were taking their intimacy.
But apparently, it was more than enough reason why he was the perfect candidate.
"...You're the only person Adrien and I can trust with this, Luka. If you're comfortable with it, of course! And we can end it at any time-no strings attached!"
Oh, Luka was more than comfortable.
So, against his better judgment, for the past year, the 26-year-old has been a willing participant as Marinette and Adrian's temporary third partner.
To say it finally scratched a secret itch that had been festering ever since he came back to France permanently at 19 was an understatement.
While at the time Luka forced himself through the motions of dating and trying to move on from a love he couldn't have, no one on this earth was able to properly fill the void Marinette and Adrien had left.
Luka didn't want to consider what might happen if he began wanting more from them.
They needed him to be strong, reliable. They let him into something so sacred and beautiful. He wouldn't let his flaws keep him from experiencing them. Even if it wasn't all of it.
Even if he didn't truly belong.
Swallowing, Luka shakily lowered himself against his pillow. Ignoring the way his phone illuminated again with silent notifications.
The next hour was spent with Luka falling in and out of consciousness.
His body temperature was too uneven for his mind to fully settle enough to sleep. Most of his blankets had spilled onto the floor from where his restlessness kicked them off. Exposing his flushed upper body.
The medicine was clearly beginning to wear off. Causing him to refrain from any unnecessary swallowing. From the many drool spots decorating his pillowcase and the tangled sweaty mess that was his hair, he's sure he looked like a dying punk rock Victorian child. He sure as hell felt like one.
"! ! !"
Somehow through the fog of his mind, Luka registered a knock at his front door.
He quickly discerned that it wasn't Juleka. She had a spare key after all, and given the circumstances, wouldn't have wasted time knocking.
He decided to ignore it.
Not that he had much of a choice.
Instead, he returned to his fifth attempt at falling asleep.
And for the fifth time, his mind began imagining what it would be like if a certain pair were here with him.
Juleka would often joke that he may have some sort of self-deprecating kink. Always putting his heart at the mercy of two people he would never fully have.
He's starting to think there may be some truth to it.
Because the first time in the last 24 hours, his lips quirked into a ghost of a smile as his imagination managed to properly conjure up the objects of his thoughts.
Two pairs of eyes, blue and green respectively, gazing back at him...
Whether it was while swinging from rooftops, or exchanging unspoken words of trust as they kept Paris safe...
Or when lying against each other in the afterglow of a passion-filled night...
Even if Luka was an outsider in an otherwise perfect bond.
There was movement and muffled noise at the edges of Luka's awareness. He easily settled on it being Sass. Most likely floating about the room in a mix of boredom and irritation at his master's incapability of taking care of himself.
He'd have to remember to apologize later and treat the kwami to some tofu.
While Luka once again allowed his imagination to distract him from how his fever was seeming to get worse, he was none the wiser to his front door easing open. Allowing two figures to amble in.
"How come you get a spare key and I don't?"
"Don't be jealous that I'm Lu's favorite, Princess."
"Am not, and that's so not true!"
Oh, he might actually be dying. If Luka's mind was able to conjure up his two favorite voices so vividly. Getting the familiar banter down and all.
A presence flew overhead, causing a small breeze. Luka whimpered at the violent shiver it elicited from his body. Finding the strength to curl into himself as he sloppily turned on his side.
While catching his breath, Luka noticed the voices continuing to converse
"Hello, you two. I was worried I may have ssssent the text incorrectly."
"Sass! Thank you so much for contacting us. Adrien and I came as soon as we could."
"Yeah, I feel bad. Juleka actually tried to contact me earlier, but I was in a meeting, and my phone was off."
"It's fine, Kitten. I told you to stop beating yourself up over that!"
Luka's brows furrowed.
Juleka texted Adrien?
Why would his mind imagine such a worst-case scenario of Marinette and Adrien finding him like this?
Before he could contemplate further, a familiar tickle crawled up his swollen throat, and Luka barely had time to prepare for the dry cough that erupted from his mouth.
Curling in on himself, he fisted the mountain of sheets that accumulated from his erratic movement. Tightening his grip at the feeling of shards of glass shredding what was left of his esophagus.
Luka didn't realize how close he was to sliding off the bed until a pair of strong arms that seat-belted his momentum.
While grateful for whatever kept him from crumbling to the unforgiving floor, Luka couldn't hold back vocalizing his discomfort with a miserable-sounding yelp.
Expecting his savior to roll him back into his mess of sweat-soaked sheets, Luka felt those arms maneuver him closer so that they could snake behind his shoulder and under his knees.
Luka's brows furrowed, who knew the grim reaper was so gentle with the souls he came to guide to the afterlife? With his last thoughts being filled with Adrien and Marinette, the only regret would be not telling his parents and Juleka how much he loved them too-
"You're not dying anytime soon, love."
Adrien couldn't hold back the amused smirk as he gazed down at his delirious boyfriend. Incoherent mumbling still passing through his lips as he was carried away from the bed and towards the living room.
Sass whizzed closer, hovering near Luka's dazed expression. "He hassss been muttering incoherently for the past hour," the kwami acknowledged. Sharing a worried look with Plagg. The latter turning his attention to face his master, who gently lowered himself onto the couch.
Eyeing Adrien's unreadable expression, the kwami reassured, "I'm sure he was planning on contacting you both eventually." He smiled, only to frown when Adrien's expression remained closed off.
"I doubt it, Plagg," The cat miraculous holder sighed. Maneuvering Luka's weight against his chest to free up his arm and reaching to the side to begin rearranging the pillows near the couch's arm.
"D..doubt it t..too."
Pursing his lips, Adrien glowered down at the unfocused blue eyes that blinked owlishly at his unimpressed expression.
"Luka, you be quiet."
Depositing her handbag on one of the stools lining the kitchen counter. Marinette made quick work of clearing the distance between her and the nightstand, plucking the already unpackaged medicine with a pout.
"Must be his fever flaring up," She lamented, double-checking the symptoms list as she made her way over to the couch.
Flying over to her fellow kwamis, Tikki tilted her head. "Will that help him feel better?" she inquired, following Marinette's figure as she rounded the couch and crouched in front of the two men.
At the sound of the medicine's safety cap clicking open, Luka tilted his head to the side to watch the dark blue liquid pour into the disposable measuring cap.
"Ma..ri?"
Smiling, Marinette nodded to Adrien, who easily tilted Luka's head forward so that she could carefully line the measuring cap to the musician's lips. "Hey there, hon, drink this so you can get some rest, okay?"
Brows furrowing as the bitter liquid was deposited into his mouth, Luka couldn't help but sigh in relief at the immediate cooling effect as the medicine coated the walls of his throat.
Adrien's expression softened, carefully moving Luka so that he could lie against the propped-up pillows. "You're going to need it for the conversation we'll have when you wake up," He added. Lovingly combing back blue-tipped bangs, "We think there are some things we need to clear up."
With heavy eyes, Luka watched the couple above him share a look before turning their attention back to him.
And before succumbing to sleep, Luka watched green and blue gaze down lovingly at him before his world went black.