Notes: #GiveLukaANap2020 or he gets bitchy. That's the moral of this story. xD How y'all doing? Hanging in there? Anybody lost their gorram mind yet? From Quarantine or the fic. Y'know. I'm not picky. xD

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Eighteen, Loop Seventeen: Vocal

Marinette was up and out of her bed as soon as her alarm started going off. Tikki followed behind her, her silenced phone held in her paws. Marinette wasn't paying attention to her, though. Or…at least to her phone. She couldn't get Luka out of her mind, and not in the usual, good way. His last words were ringing in her ears.

"I don't want to be right, Marinette…!"

"He called me Marinette, Tikki," she said, pulling her pink Valentine's shirt over her head. She turned towards her kwami, who held out her phone. She sighed and checked it. Apart from the text from Alya wishing her luck (and a happy Valentine's), she had no new notifications.

"I know," Tikki said. She was worrying her lower lip, watching Mariette anxiously.

"While I was in the suit," she said, stuffing her phone in her back pocket and moving towards her desk. Tikki's backup cookies went inside her purse. She hesitated a moment before slipping Luka's valentine inside as well. She turned towards the wall by her chaise and paused.

Last summer she had taken a few days and reorganized that particular spot in her room, the little section of wall just beside her chaise between the rafters. As part of a therapy exercise Wayzz and Tikki had suggested, she had transformed the Miracle Box into…well, a Miracle Mural, she supposed. What had once been a Ladybug-spotted egg when it had first been transferred into her care had become a beautiful cherry blossom tree mural, stretching from floor to ceiling in paints infused with Miraculous magic. Over the course of those days, she had spent time with each kwami, picking out spots amidst the branches and flowers to paint little, individualized houses and nests. She had even borrowed Plagg for an afternoon, giving him a spot near Tikki's nest in preparation for the day the Black Cat would inevitably return to the Box. It had been a great bonding exercise that had given her an opportunity to get to know each kwami now in her care and better come to terms with her newfound role as Guardian. The full-body mirror had been moved next to the left window, and the branches stretched behind the rafter on the right to curl around the circular window above her chaise. It almost looked like the moon shining through the branches. Just behind her chaise on a small table, Master Fu's old gramophone sat proudly beneath a spray of blossoms, a tribute to the friend and mentor they had all lost.

Her eyes travelled along the trunk, from Fluff's burrow at the base to the hollow painted near one of the higher branches, where Sass had made his nest.

She pursed her lips and stepped towards the wall, hand outstretched.

"Honey, are you up yet?" her mom called, poking her head into the room. Marinette jumped and turned towards her. Sabine smiled, though there was a bit of wariness about her eyes. "Oh, good! You're dressed!"

"Um, yeah," she said, shaking her head. "You know. Big day. Want to be ready."

Sabine's smile wavered.

"About that…" she started, and Marinette walked over to her. She knelt by the door and waited for her mom to continue. Sabine sighed. "Luka's downstairs, sweetheart."

Marinette didn't have to feign her surprise. It had been…how many days had it been since Luka had picked her up now? How many days had they been fighting?

"I don't like fighting with her…"

"He…he is?" she asked. Sabine nodded.

"Yes, but…" she frowned, thinking over her words. "He…I'm concerned, sweetheart. He doesn't look good."

"He doesn't look…what do you mean?" Marinette asked, frowning. Her mom sighed.

"Your Papa's trying to get him to eat something, and I gave him some coffee. He says he didn't sleep well and is just tired, but it looks worse than that. I don't think he's slept in days," Sabine said. Marinette glanced back at the Miracle Box and bit her lip. No, she didn't think he had either – or at least she was starting to. "Did he seem all right yesterday? I thought everything was fine yesterday…"

He had been, hadn't he? Yesterday seemed so long ago now. Was it really only yesterday that Rose had teased them about Valentine plans? That she had finally, officially told him she was over Adrien? Yesterday, the last Valentine's Day she had relived, he had called her his girlfriend and yelled at her. But yesterday? 13 February? She had been worrying over telling him she loved him and wondering if she had waited too long, if he honestly did still want to date her.

…yesterday, Luka hadn't known she was Ladybug. Or at least she didn't think he had.

"He…Juleka mentioned something last night," she finally said. "I'm coming down. Just let me get my bag."

"Ok, sweetheart," Sabine said, nodding. She lingered a moment longer. "I honestly don't know if he should be going to school, Marinette, but he's insisting he's fine. Maybe you can get him to listen?"

She thought back to...how many days had it been now? Five or so? Maybe less? The day they had spent on the Liberty, sleeping the morning away. She had barely gotten him to stay home then. She wasn't sure if he'd listen now.

She pushed out a breath, clapped her hands on her knees, and shoved herself up. She went back to her desk and slipped her backpack on. When she reached for her purse, Tikki gave her an encouraging smile – one she returned before closing the purse and slinging it over her shoulder. She looked back at the Miracle Box, her lips set in a determined line. She stepped towards the Box again.

"Sweetheart?" her mom called. She was still lingering in the door. "Are you coming down?"

Marinette fisted her shaking hand. She couldn't use the Miracle Box while her mom was watching.

She couldn't retrieve Sass while her mom was watching.

"Yeah," she said, turning around with a falsely bright smile. "I'm right behind you."

She cast one last guilty look towards the wall before following her mom down the steps. She'd have to sneak back in later. She had to talk to Sass. Whatever else she did moving forward, that was becoming painfully obvious. It was probably something she should have done long before now, if she was honest with herself. She just hoped Luka would forgive her for not realizing it sooner.

She could hear the music floating up from the bakery as they made their way down the stairs. She rolled her eyes, bracing for the (by now familiar) belting of her dad singing out Hall and Oates. Her mom started laughing, and Marinette paused on the bottom step as she realized he wasn't singing "You Make My Dreams" today. Her eyes widened as she watched her dad spin towards the table, a candy apple in each hand, and belt out the familiar lyrics of ABBA.

"Ooooooh, mamma mia! Here I go again!" Tom Dupain warbled. He grinned when he spotted Sabine, catching her up in a dance as she continued laughing. He dipped her low and glanced up at Marinette, wiggling his eyebrows. Marinette laughed, despite the lyrics of the song making her want to groan. "My, my, how can I resist ya?"

Marinette's laughter died off when she looked back at the table, though, and saw Luka slumped over it. A mug of coffee was sitting by his head, and the croissant on the plate beside it was missing maybe one bite. She could imagine that solitary bite had been taken under duress, under the watchful eye of her parents to insure he actually ate something. She ignored the way her parents were watching her – and the conversation being spoken in rapid, hushed whispers, no doubt about Luka – and walked up to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder, the other coming to rest on his arm.

"Hey," she said softly, squeezing his arm. He groaned and shifted. She rubbed his back, running her hand in slow circles against his coat. He shifted again, moving his head so that he could look at her and still keep it on his arms. He looked like hell, but she was glad to see he was at least smiling at her. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Hey," he rasped, and her eyes widened as his voice came out in a croak. He winced, his eyes closing. "Sorry."

"You lost your voice," she said, frowning. He scrunched his face for a moment before he nodded.

"Woke up li…" he started, but his words cut off in a cough. He groaned and buried his face back in his arms. She squeezed his arm again.

"It's ok," she said. "You…you should have stayed home, Luka. You can't go to school like this."

"Be fine," came his muffled, croaking reply. She wasn't convinced of that.

"Marinette's right, dear," Sabine said. "You really should go home."

He groaned and braced his arms around his head.

"Luka –" she started, but he sat up and shook his head. He fished his phone out of his pocket and nodded at her. She pursed her lips and pulled hers out as well, waiting for him to send the text he was working on.

LC: it's just laryngitis. not the first time I've woken up w/o a voice.

"Ok, I get that, but you still look –" she tried again, but his thumbs were already moving over his screen. She sighed and waited for the next message to come through.

LC: just tired. i'm fine. i'm not sick.

He glanced up at her, his lips quirking in a small smile, and added:

LC: i'm not missing valentine's day just because i couldn't sleep.

She rolled her eyes and lightly – jokingly – pushed his shoulder. Valentine's Day was the last thing he needed to be worrying about, even if it was everything she was starting to worry about. He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back before sending her another message.

LC: i'll be better once i start moving.

She rolled her eyes. Where had she heard that before?

"Fine," she sighed, squeezing his shoulder before she went to get the macarons. He stood and stretched, downing the rest of his coffee before he snagged the croissant. He wiggled it at her parents and nodded in thanks, and she reached for his hand before leading him out through the back door. "Bye, Maman! Papa!"

"Have a great day, kids!" her dad called. She tried to ignore the note of worry underlying his usually cheerful tone. Her mom was silently watching them, but a call from the front of the shop had her shaking her head and hurrying out for the customers. But the door closed behind them without any more incident, and Marinette squeezed his hand, smiled, and started walking.

He gestured to his bike when they hit the sidewalk, but she shook her head.

"You said you were tired," she said, glancing back through the bakery window to find her mom surreptitiously watching them while she handed a box to a customer. "Let's walk? It'll wake you up, and besides, it's not like it matters if we're late, right?"

He raised an eyebrow at that, but he just shrugged, took another bite of his croissant, and started down the street. She fell into step beside him, glancing behind them as they walked further and further away from the bakery and the Miracle Box hidden upstairs. When they turned the corner, she turned her attention back to Luka. He was finishing off the croissant, but even when it was gone they continued on in silence. Which…made sense, she supposed, given the condition of his voice. And yet she still felt on edge. He seemed…fine, at least emotionally. Worlds better than the guy who had thrown bread at her the day before, at least. He was smiling, relaxed, and seemed perfectly content to walk with her hand in his. He didn't seem at all annoyed with her.

And she was grateful for that – she was – but…it was disconcerting. She felt like she was walking on eggshells, like the other shoe was going to drop at any moment. She didn't like that feeling – especially around Luka.

About halfway to the school, she squeezed his hand to get his attention. He looked down at her as they reached the corner and waited for the light. She watched him for another moment, studying his face. The bruises under his eyes were darker. His eyes were a little unfocused – tired, as if he was one dull moment away from dropping into a nap. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her palm, and he smiled as he pressed his face against her hand. She slid her hand around to the back of his head, and his eyebrows rose as she gently tugged him down. He moved without protest, though, and she pulled him into a gentle kiss. He lingered when she pulled away, so she kissed him again.

She was still amazed at how easy it was, how natural. Like she'd been kissing Luka forever by that point. She supposed, in a way, she had been – or at the least a hell of a lot longer than an awkward first kiss. Kissing Luka was second nature by that point, and she liked that.

"We're done fighting now, right?" she asked, sighing as she pressed his forehead against hers. He blinked at her in surprise.

"We…we were fighting?" he rasped, turning his head to cough after. She frowned. Her fingers pressed against the back of his head, twisting in his hair. "M-Mari…Marin…"

He huffed out an annoyed sigh and pulled back, reaching for his phone again. Behind him, the light changed and people began crossing the street.

"Luka…what do you remember from yesterday?" she asked hesitantly. He glanced up from his phone, frowned, and resumed typing.

LC: sorry? i think i slept worse than i thought. i'm not sure what you mean?

LC: yesterday was valentine's eve. ro was giving us crap bc plans? bc I was going to ask you out?

LC: also holy shit you just kissed me.

She snorted, covering her mouth and trying not to laugh as she looked up from her phone. He was grinning at her. That grin was also starting to become familiar: it was the dopey one Juleka had told her about on multiple occasions (usually while she was worrying that he'd moved on and wouldn't be interested in her anymore). She'd been seeing it more and more over the last…however many Valentine's Days she had lived now. She was a big fan of that dopey grin.

LC: like…REALLY kissed me.

LC: i like kissing you.

LC: just needed to add that.

She pulled him back towards her and kissed him again, which was a little hard when she couldn't stop laughing into his mouth.

"It wasn't our first kiss, you goof," she chided. He frowned.

LC: it was though?

She pursed her lips. His eyes darted back and forth, as if he was trying to remember something.

She needed to get them back to her room. She needed to speak with Sass. Even worse, the more she thought about it, the more she was thinking she needed Viperion – or at least Luka did. It was all starting to make sense, and she hated that she hadn't realized it sooner. The Miraculous magic only slightly protected her when she was out of her suit: enough that she could kind of remember what was happening and realize something was wrong. She remembered the first few resets had hit her out of the suit, and she had felt like hell. She'd only started making any progress – what minimal progress she had made, at least – after she'd realized what was happening. After she'd been caught in a reset transformed with the Miraculous magic to protect her.

But Luka hadn't been in his suit in months. And she had thought nothing of it, because surely any residual Miraculous magic would have faded over time, right? But the proof was staring her in the face. In his bruised, sleep-muddled eyes.

His health had been declining for days now. Longer than she probably realized. And it wasn't just a bad night of sleep, or some winter cold, or whatever other flimsy excuse he had given her and she had readily accepted. Because he was always better after he had slept, like the day they'd spent on the Liberty. And the longer he went without sleep, the more disoriented he became – the more he slipped.

Because she knew now. Luka knew – he knew everything, didn't he? And she wasn't sure how long he had known, but he had clearly kept it to himself for…God, was it some misguided attempt at protecting her?

"I can't protect you if you keep leaving me, damn it…"

"…I called you Marinette," he finally choked out, his eyes widening. Her heart twisted at the horrified look that had settled on his face. "I called you…I…"

He started coughing, doubling over as his throat seized up on him. She gathered him in her arms, one had rubbing soothing lines along his back as the other cradled the back of his head. He groaned into her coat, pressing his face against her shoulder. He was shaking.

"I was such a dick to you," he rasped, and despite everything she found herself laughing at that.

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding with another little laugh, "you kinda were."

"Mari," he wheezed, "I'm not supposed to know."

"I know," she sighed, holding him closer. She didn't know what that would mean moving forward, now that there was no other Guardian to give her Miraculous back to. Now that there was no one else to be the Guardian. It wasn't like she had ever told him, anyway, but she had learned a long time ago the Miraculous magic didn't always care about little details like that. "We're going to have to talk about that eventually."

"M'sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. She wasn't sure if that was because of the laryngitis or because he was that upset. She figured it was a little bit of both. "God, Mari. M'so sorry."

"I know," she said again, holding him closer. "It's ok."

"It's not," he coughed, groaning again. He stood and looked at her. "I don't…there's an…"

But he started coughing again, and he groaned as he grabbed for his phone She'd never seen him text so fast.

LC: there's an akuma, isn't there? i'm so confused mari. can't think straight.

LC: i thought it was a bad dream? thought i've been having bad dreams. there's a light and you disappear and it's an akuma isn't it?

LC: omg that wasn't our first kiss. we're dating. we're dating?! omg mari!

She snorted, trying not to laugh (she had never known Luka to text like…well, Manon – the emojis earlier had been weird enough), and he glared weakly at her before flicking her forehead. She did laugh, then, a smile breaking through before she looked back at her phone.

LC: it's a time loop, isn't it? the akuma's stuck us in a time loop?

"Uh…yeah," she said, nodding. She was impressed. It had taken her much longer to realize that, and even longer before she'd been willing to call it what it was. His expression darkened into a glare.

LC: i'm going to fucking kill the akuma.

She snorted. Before he could start texting her again, she pulled him down into a kiss. He was more aggressive that time, pulling her close and slipping his tongue into her mouth when she bit at his lower lip. He hummed happily when she pulled away, skimming her lips against his cheek before she tapped his phone.

"It hasn't all been bad," she said. He winced. She wasn't sure if that meant he disagreed with her or not, but it really hadn't been. Sure, she had dumped scalding tea on him one day – but they had also spent a lazy morning napping on the Liberty, and she wouldn't have traded that for anything.

"How long?" he croaked. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"I don't really know," she said. "A while? A couple weeks, maybe? My Miraculous protects me, but only if I'm transformed. Which…we need to get back to my room. I need to talk to Sass, Luka. I think I need Viperion's help."

"But it's too dan…" he started, turning his face away from her as he started coughing again. He rolled his eyes in annoyance, and she leaned up to kiss his cheek again.

"I think the dangerous thing is keeping you unprotected," she said. She frowned, reaching up to brush her thumb beneath his eye. "I don't know why it's affecting you like this, Luka. Nobody else seems to have noticed. But I'm afraid of what's going to happen to you if we don't give you some kind of protection against the resets. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure this out."

"Time," he coughed, and her eyes widened. Of course…Tikki had said so from the beginning, hadn't she? Someone who's powers dealt with time – like Sass or Fluff.

She grimaced at the thought. Alix didn't go to their school, so she no longer saw her on a daily basis, but she hoped wherever her spunky friend was she was faring better than her…boyfriend. She smiled at that thought, a happy buzzing rushing through her.

"…what?" he croaked. She smiled and kissed him.

"I just realized we're dating and you know it now," she said with a giggle. "I can kiss you and not freak out over whether or not you remember. I can call you my boyfriend now. I…I can call you my boyfriend now, right?"

He opened his mouth to reply and ended up coughing before he could say anything. He rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed, and nodded as soon as he turned back towards her. He pulled out his phone again.

LC: i'll be disappointed if you call me anything else. i've wanted to be your boyfriend for a while now.

LC: and this is getting old. i want to talk to you.

She smiled as he put his phone away. He watched her from under his lashes, and she kissed his cheek.

"Then let's get you back to my house, ok?" she asked. He nodded, then frowned.

"Didn't…" he started. He pursed his lips, fighting another cough, and reached for his phone.

LC: rue de Bretagne. that guy? akuma?

She frowned when she read the message. She looked back up at him.

"He's not the akuma, but he's involved," she said. "You remember him?"

He raised a hand, waving it in a 'sort of?' gesture. He sent her another message.

LC: he thought i was gonna hurt you.

LC: …you know i'd never, right? i was scared, mari. i thought HE was gonna hurt YOU. i think.

"I know," she said. "That's what you told me."

LC: it's all like hazy? like i'm trying to redo a second chance without all the info.

LC: i know i have to stop it but i don't know what i'm stopping?

Her lips quirked, and she nodded. Yeah, that about summed it up. At least they were communicating now. At least they were mostly on the same page. Her phone buzzed again, and she looked back to the screen

LC: i owe you a proper date after all this. no coffee. dinner.

She smiled.

"I'd like that," she said, looking up at him. She giggled, poking his stomach. "…I really liked that stuffed snake, too. You were so not very subtle with that one."

He grinned and kissed her forehead.

LC: i'll try and find him again. don't even remember what store we were in.

LC: and mari? i love you.

"I love you, too," she said. She looked down when her phone buzzed.

LC: but can we not celebrate valentine's next year? or ever again? i'll deal with ro but please.

She laughed so hard she actually dropped her phone. He went to catch it, but she fell against him and he ended up catching her instead. She nodded, burying her face against his coat. She peeked up at him to see he was smiling, too.

"Deal," she gasped. "We don't even have to count it as our anniversary."

She felt his lips press against her head moments before he rasped deal in her ear. Her phone buzzed, rattling hard against the sidewalk, and she frowned at him as she bent to pick it up. There was a message from Dingo waiting for her.

DK: Mari baby! u guys r late! where r u?

DK: Lu said coming 2 get u. not answering. did u kidnap him?!

She rolled her eyes, showed Luka the message (even as he was showing her his own), and tapped out a quick response.

MDC: Luka's sick, Ding. Taking him home. I'll be there soon.

That should keep him off their backs for…

DK: Na u should stay with him! bet he'd love u playing doctor! ;D

She rolled her eyes and showed Luka the message. He smiled, trying not to laugh, and shrugged. She nudged his stomach with her elbow for good measure.

With their phones safely away and the light changed (she didn't want to think about how long they'd stood there talking, the street light completely ignored), they crossed the street with hands linked. They walked until they found a deserted alley and ducked inside, Marinette leading them to a space around the corner and between the backs of the buildings that was empty and out of sight. When she was confident they were alone, Tikki zipped out of her purse.

"Hello, Luka," the kwami chirped, bowing her head. "It's nice to finally meet you. I wish it was under better circumstances."

Luka blinked, slightly dazed, and nodded.

"Same," he whispered. He glanced at Marinette, who was smiling at them both, and when he looked back at the red kwami she giggled and zipped around his head. She nuzzled his cheek before she flew back to Marinette.

"Let's go get Sass and stop this akuma!" Tikki cheered. Marinette nodded.

"Right! Tikki, spots on!" she cried. When the pink light faded, Luka was gawking at her. Ladybug frowned. "Luka? Are you ok?"

"Y-yeah," he croaked. He cleared his throat, but that just made him cough again. He sighed and pulled out his phone. He turned it towards her once he'd typed out the message.

LC: it's one thing to know. it's another to see it.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before he typed something else.

LC: i won't tell anyone. hope you know that? sorry you found out i know like this.

LC: i know how important the secret is. you were never supposed to know i knew.

Her heart warmed. Her chest suddenly felt tight, and she stepped up to embrace him.

"I know, Luka," she said softly. "I trust you with my life. And my identity."

She kissed him softly, and just as he was leaning into the kiss she wrapped an arm around his waist and tugged him against her. He grinned when she pulled back and winked at him.

"Hold on," she said. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, and then they were gone.

They had only travelled a few short blocks from the bakery, and the trip back was even shorter by rooftop. It wasn't long before they were touching down on her balcony. She dropped her transformation and winked at him, pressing a finger to her lips, as Tikki phased through the trap door to unlock it. Marinette dropped down onto her bed and turned back, holding out her hand to help him inside. She was surprised to see his back was to her, his gaze locked on something in the distance.

"Luka?" she called. "Come on. We have to –"

And then she saw it.

"Marinette," he croaked, pointing. Her eyes widened as she saw the light rushing towards them.

"Tikki, spots –!"