Not So Bad

“Why are men such babies?” Dani groans as she bursts through the front door of the tattoo parlor, heading straight for her friend behind the reception desk. She pays no attention to the way most people in the space stop to stare at her as she makes her loud entrance, and certainly doesn’t care that Vanessa likely has better things to be doing with her time right now. “Can you believe he has the audacity to leave me on read?” Pulling up a free chair she falls dramatically back into it, prepared to be here for a while. “I’m gonna kill him.” She doesn’t bother explaining any further, sure Vanessa can put together the pieces. // @vanessassity·

vanessa didn’t even flinch when the door bursts open. when she hears dani speak she looks up from her sketchbook. there were a few patrons in the waiting area and they’re for sure thinking the blonde is deranged. vanessa’s brow raises curiously. “that’s pretty ballsy.” she stated, anyone who knew dani, especially someone dating her, should know better than to leave her on read. she had a temper, low impulse control, and could breathe fire. she was vanessa’s favorite person. “so still haven’t heard from karate kid?”

having texted vanessa earlier to make sure it was okay for him to stop by, luka stood in front of her apartment door, hesitant before taking a deep breath and finally knocking. it takes a few moments before she gets to the door, time that he takes to gather himself and mentally prepare for whatever the hell is about to go down between the two of them. “hey,” he greets with a small smile when the door’s finally opened. @vanessassity·

vanessa had wanted to see luka for days, but had no idea how to do it while also avoiding the very obvious conversation they needed to have. she’d managed to put it off with all the hectic happenings of the holidays, but now luka was coming to her. she was anxious the whole time waiting for him, jumping when she finally heard the knock at the door. “hi.” she greets in return, opening the door wider, and moving out of the way so he could come in. “happy new year?”

.

lock grabbed the bottle behind the bar to refill her drink, an almost smile lifting from the corner of his lips. somebody had the right plan for the rest of the evening, shame he had to be sober. he had seen her from afar, choosing to admire her for a couple of seconds before actually approaching her. “sounds to me like you’re trying to forget tonight even happened. are you hoping tomorrow all that you’ll remember is nothingness?”

“depends on what happens for the rest of the evening.” she muses with a smirk. she holds out her glass towards him, brow raised as she waits for him to refill it for her with the bottle she’d watched him grab. vanessa had been content with blending in and staying out of the way. her current track record with events wasn’t the best and she was here more so to please her mother than anything. but she wasn’t complaining about lock’s approach or company.

As her arms snake around to his neck, Luka’s own hands move to rest on her waist, pulling her even closer to get rid of whatever minimum distance there was between them. This was a bad idea. But he was far too drunk and in the moment to realize that or care. As he kissed Vanessa not a thought of any other girl was in his head. All he could focus on was the right here and right now. Even if they had just seconds ago been talking about Marinette, for just a brief few moments it was as if she didn’t exist. And as Luka pulled away to rest his forehead against Vanessa’s a smile grew on his face, eyes slowly opening to look at her with absolute sincerity. “I’ve missed you,” he admits without thinking. “Missed this.”

Reluctantly, Vanessa didn’t fight as he pulled away, but she had to admit that she was relieved when he didn’t move far. A small, almost giddy laugh escapes her, a reaction from the mixture of alcohol and Luka’s words. Eyes opening to meet his, she remembers just how soft being with him seemed to make her, and how much she couldn’t bring herself to mind. “I missed this, too.” She admits softly, brushing her nose against his. “I missed you.”

.

lock couldn’t stop the laugh that her words brought, holding onto his stomach as he tried to stop. “goodness that ego. how does your head fit through the door?” he teased. feeling the cold begin to seep into his body, furrowing deeper into his jacked. “oh, absolutely. not only am i good lookg. i’m also pretty smart. i’m a whole proper package.” there was no doubt that he enjoyed spending time with her, at first it had been only a way to pass the time. except, as the days went on he began to feel a lot more comfortable around her.

“and you’re talking about my ego? i’m surprised there’s any room in here at all for me.” lock had been the last person she would’ve imagined herself being able to laugh like this with. she’d been skeptical about how comfortable she’d be around any of the bordes, or their ability to express emotions, and yet she’d gotten fairly close to each of the siblings in her own way the past few months. strange to think this all came from shock jumping her.

As his head is moved forward, Luka’s eyes slowly reopen a drunkenly late response as he just lets this all happen. Logically he knows they probably shouldn’t do this. Any of this - shouldn’t be having this conversation or falling back into each other so easily. But he’s drunk. And there’s no denying that he’s wanted to this since the day he received the text that ended whatever it was they had going between them. Every interaction with Vanessa since then felt like it had just been leading them right back to this point, no matter how hard he tried to respect her wishes and keep a sensible distance between them. As he was brought forward, Luka didn’t put up any fight. In fact he did quite the opposite, leaning even closer to close the small distance between them as his lips connect with her own.

She smiles against his lips, the reciprocation from him only emboldening her. With her body pressed against his, she wraps her arms around his neck, reluctant to break away from him. She wanted this moment to last as long as possible. The moment before they had to talk about any of this or be responsible and walk away. There was undoubtedly still feelings between them, but she knew without the alcohol neither of them would be in this position. Still, whether this was a bad decision or not, she didn’t care, she didn’t have to deal with that until their lips parted, so she chose to focus on how soft and warm his mouth was on hers and good she felt to be so close to him again.

.

“someone finds me inside of a snow fortress with a hot girl,” lock joked, lifting a shoulder. “sounds like that might do more for me than being a loner.” in that moment all he wanted was the company of someone that would distract the thoughts inside his head. vanessa had seemed the easiest of choices out of everyone else, or at least for him it did. “don’t worry, if someone asks why you are in here with me you can just say you bagged the older bordes.”

“true, i’m pretty impressive company.” vanessa matched his shrug with a cocky smirk on her lips. “oh, i didn’t realize how much of a catch the oldest bordes was. good for me.” she joked, unable to keep herself from laughing. their relationship seemed to have formed out of a mutual desire for both distraction and self destruction, which may be why they were able to be so at ease in each other’s company.

It takes a few moments for Luka to process all of that. He wants to fight it - to say she’s wrong and none of that could have actually stopped him from one day falling in love with her. But… how can he say that when there’s so much truth in her words? As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he had chosen Marinette over Vanessa. Not in any solid or firm way, but it was still enough that he can’t deny he’d done it. “I..” he trails off before he even really begins, stuck once again on what to say. “I don’t know that I’d pick her anymore.” It’s both a truth and a lie - in the moment, sitting here with Vanessa, Luka isn’t sure if he’d give this up for anything… But he knows the moment he lays eyes on Marinette again there was a potential for that to all change. Leaning forward the tiniest bit into her hand as she reached out to comb through his hair, Luka’s eyes shut and a corner of his lip twists upward in a smile, despite all the confusing emotions coursing through him. “I wish you could have given me a chance,” he confesses. It’s not fair for him to say. Vanessa was well within her right to end things between them and to be skeptical of his ever present feelings for another girl, and it was a decision he truly did respect and understand. But that didn’t change the fact that he wanted things to work differently between them.

.

lock brushed his nose against hers, lifting her chin with the tip of his finger to press a small kiss against her lips. “you can do anything if you want to get really wasted,” he whispered. something about hot alcohol just always managed to make him black out, something that never seemed to happen with normal alcohol. “imagine someone finds me here alone? what will the town say,” a teasing tone in his voice. 

lips turned up in a smirk as they separated from lock’s. brow raised in playful curiosity. “when did that become favorable to someone finding you in here with me?” a challenge offered in a teasing tone. lock was one of the few people who managed to have an even more elusive personality as she had, so having his personal life in a spotlight seemed like it’d be something he’d want to avoid.

A deep frown settles on Luka’s face at the certainty in Vanessa’s voice when she claims he’d never be in love with her. “How do you know that?” he asks before he can stop himself. It didn’t make sense to him how she could be so confident that he’d never love her when Luka himself didn’t even think that was true. For all he’d had other relationships over the past ten years, none of them had made him feel as close to moving on as being with Vanessa had. Though, he supposed he hadn’t done the best job of showing that. He had admitted after all that if Marinette decided out of the blue that she chose him over Adrien, he’d drop everything to be with her. Which…. was a fact that hadn’t changed - or at least, he didn’t think it had. In all honesty Luka wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Not when it came to his love life. “I would never want to hurt you,” he promises -  a distinct difference between actually swearing he wouldn’t have hurt her. Because he can’t say that. Can’t know for certain he wouldn’t choose Marinette over her if the decision ever had to be made. With a sigh he drops his head into his hands and nods it ever so slightly.  “Yeah, it was pretty good.”

Vanessa raised a brow as she looked at him, though she wasn’t sure if it was more curiosity or confusion at his question. After all, it seemed like a strange question to ask, the answer seemed so obvious, and yet here he had her second guessing what she’d been so sure of. “Because you picked her.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, brow furrowed as the words left her lips. “You picked the idea of maybe being with her someday over any chance you and I had of being in a real relationship. You told me you’d drop everything for her and so I knew you’d never really be in love with me, because you wouldn’t be able to do that to someone you love.” The anger and hurt was bubbling up in her chest again, burning at her throat and she lifted the glass in front of her to her lips, trying to wash the ugliness down. She was proud of herself for being able to keep her expression and tone even, as if going over it all again, out loud, didn’t stir up all the bad feelings she’d been working hard to suppress. None of it was his fault and there wasn’t any part of her that blamed him. She blamed herself, so at his words she smiled, a genuine and soft smile. “I know, Luka. That’s why I didn’t let you.” Without thinking, she lifts her hand and runs her fingers through his hair, wanting to comfort him outweighing her own logic. The alcohol of course helped in that regard. “I think we’re gonna cut you off.”

.

leaning his head back against the packed snow, eyes closed as he breathed in the cold air. the sound of feet walking on snow brought a laugh, glad he wouldn’t stuck there completely alone. tilting his head enough to watch her carefully, glancing at the drink in her hand. “is that a hot drink or are you torturing yourself with something cold?” he asked, shrugging in reply. “just wanted to get lost for a bit.”

“you can’t have a hot margarita, you heathen.” she joked, sipping her from her cup in defiance. she smiled, leaning over and pressing her lips gently to his jaw, then lightly biting his shoulder. “and you wanted company.” her chin rested on his shoulder as she looked up at him, eyes bright. getting lost sounded pretty nice right now.