Notes: …damn, has it been two weeks? Almost. This chapter was fighting me, guys, but it wasn't so much the chapter as it was everything happening externally that just…every time I sat down to work on this shit came out. There was so much rewriting. The rating line gets toed (thank you, Dumbass Son), but that particular bit has been on a sheet of paper on my desk since January & I wasn't cutting it. Still got the shit edited out of it, though. How are y'all? Still good? Still ready to strangle me?

Just a reminder that this chapter's theme is "Flames". There was this random batch of like…dark themes in the middle of the prompt list? This should be the last, though. We can get back to our regularly scheduled silliness next Loop. Hope y'all are hanging in there. I'm now homebound until at least June, so let's see if we can wrap these last ten loops up, eh?

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Nineteen, Loop Eighteen: Flames

Marinette woke with the strangest sense of vertigo. Her breath was knocked from her in a rush. She felt like she had just been shoved through her skylight onto her bed. She blinked at the door, her alarm a distant beeping she was only dimly aware of somewhere behind her, and registered that the door was closed. So why did she feel like…

Her eyes snapped open, and she jolted up so fast her head smacked into the ceiling. She hissed and bent over, her hands clutching the back of her head.

"Marinette!" Tikki cried, rushing over to her in concern. She hovered uncertainly, wringing her paws as she watched her chosen. Marinette watched her without really seeing her, searching her memory for the scattered pieces that were trying to slip away. She bit her lip, her eyes darting back and forth. She couldn't forget this time. She couldn't. She…she had been on her balcony. She had just dropped her transformation. She had been sneaking back home because…she had to…Luka!

She had been with Luka!

…who knew she was Ladybug. Who was getting sick because…

"Marinette?" Tikki called as Marinette grabbed her phone, silenced the alarm, and scrambled down the ladder to her bed. Tikki flew after her as she went over to the Miracle Box.

"We need Sass, Tikki!" Marinette called, reaching for the hollow where the snake kwami was resting. "We –"

"Marinette?"

She froze, her hand just above Sass's nest. She jumped when a hand fell on her shoulder, and she turned to see her mom standing behind her.

"Sweetheart, you're not dressed yet!" Sabine said, looking her over. Marinette looked down at her pajamas and frowned. "You have to hurry – your friends are already here! You'll be late!"

…her…friends?

"…right," she said, glancing back at the Miracle Box. It wasn't just Luka? Who had he brought with him today? Why had he brought anyone, anyway? "My friends. I'll…I'll be down in a min-"

"Marinette!"

Marinette blinked as Rose – not Luka – bounced into her room, Juleka following slowly behind. Juleka's face was glued to her phone, her thumbs tapping away at the screen. When Marinette had resurfaced from Rose's surprise hug attack, the phone was away and Juleka was smiling at her.

"You're not ready – why aren't you ready?" Rose asked. She looked her over critically, her cheeks puffing out in frustration. "Oh, I'm glad we convinced Luka to let us come get you instead! This would never do!"

"I dunno," Juleka said, sitting on Marinette's chaise and smirking at them. "I think Luka would love to see Mar-"

"Wait, what?" Marinette squeaked, cutting Juleka off to gawk at Rose. Her eyes darted between them. Juleka just smirked, a painted nail tapping against her chin, as Rose fussed over her state of dress.

"He was gonna pick you up today," Juleka said once it became clear Rose wouldn't answer. Her smirk grew. "Apparently you said something yesterday that –"

"Juleka!" Rose hissed, shooting a look over her shoulder. Juleka pressed her lips together, but she was still smirking. Rose rolled her eyes and looked back at Marinette. "The point, Mari, is that it's Valentine's Day and you're still in your pajamas!"

It was hard to believe someone could still be excited over Valentine's Day anymore, but she supposed this was Rose. It was also hard to remember she used to be excited about it, too.

"But can we not celebrate Valentine's next year? Or ever again?"

She smiled as she recalled Luka's text. She was pretty sure he didn't really care about the fact that it was Valentine's Day, either – except for the fact that it still was.

"He didn't sleep well last night, but I'm sure he'll still be cool for coffee later," Juleka said as Rose hurried over to Marinette's wardrobe. Marinette turned to her mom for help, but Sabine had slipped out at some point. She hadn't even noticed. "He can't be feeling that bad if he was still so insistent about seeing you. I don't know what you were so worried about last night, Mari. He's so stupid for you."

"Juleka," Rose hissed again. Juleka waved her off. It's not like she had said anything she hadn't said before, anyway – or that Marinette wasn't already aware of.

"I…was just expecting him, not you," Marinette said as Rose chucked a shirt at Juleka. She winced at the look Juleka gave her, but she wasn't quite sure why. Even if Juleka didn't know they were already dating, she at least knew it was hopefully happening in the near future. She had given Marinette her blessing and everything (even though Rose and Alya both had insisted she didn't need Juleka's permission to date her brother). "Not that I'm not glad to see you guys! Just…"

"We're not Lu-ka?" Rose sing-songed, dancing over and handing her a stack of clothes. Marinette looked down to see black jeans and what looked like her pink Valentine's shirt. It wasn't weird that Rose had picked that particular outfit out her for, she had to remind herself. Rose and Juleka had both been a part of putting together her Valentine's plans. Rose knew about the shirt. Of course Rose would have picked it out. She looked back up at Rose, who winked at her. "Go get dressed, silly! The sooner we leave the sooner you can see him!"

She offered her a weak smile and took the clothes behind her changing screen to dress. Once they were safely out of view, Tikki flew out from where she'd been hiding in her hair to give her a worried look.

"It was just…unexpected," Marinette called as she slipped her shirt over her head. "Luka…er, Luka texted me last night and said he'd be picking me up? So when Maman said someone was here, I thought it was him. Not…you."

"And yet you still weren't dressed when we got here," Juleka drawled. She could just imagine the Cheshiresque smirk curling her lips. "Gross, Mari. That's my brother. Do we need to have a talk about your intentions?"

Marinette froze, her jeans halfway up her legs. Her face warmed, and she locked eyes with Tikki, who had clapped her paws over her mouth. The tiny god was shaking with suppressed laughter. Marinette's jaw dropped open, but no words came out. She'd been dating Luka for a while now. She had made out with him on quite a few occasions and had even spent an entire morning sleeping in his arms. In his bed. How was it that after all that an innocent, teasing question about her intentions could still embarrass the hell out of her?

"I…I was getting there," she finally coughed. She finished pulling her jeans on and shot Tikki a look. Tikki stuck her tongue out at her before zipping along the rafters and to the ceiling. Marinette lost sight of her, but she assumed she was sneaking around the girls to hide in her purse. Marinette breathed a sigh of relief and started separating her hair as she walked around the screen. Now if she could just get Sass out without the others noticing… "You guys just got here early."

"You just woke up late," Rose teased, handing her a pair of hair ties. Juleka chuckled and glanced up from her phone. The smirk on her face scared Marinette – just a little.

"Yo, bro," she deadpanned, looking back at her phone as her thumbs flew across the screen. "Mari's super cute right out of bed. Ro and I might have to keep her for ourselves. You mind?"

"J-Juleka!" Marinette screeched, lunging for Juleka's phone. Juleka laughed as she flopped across her, snatching the phone and checking her texts. The last message to Luka had been innocent enough.

JC: Just got here. Be there soon.

She looked up at Juleka from where she was sprawled across her lap, a pout on her face.

"Rude," she huffed. Juleka's smirk grew as she plucked her phone out of Marinette's hands.

"Relax, sister dude," she said, tapping out something else on her phone before stashing it away. She nudged Marinette. "Come on. Up. We're late."

Well, yeah. They probably would be.

Downstairs, her dad greeted them with candy apples for everyone, and her mom handed her the box of macarons. They smiled and wished her luck, and Juleka smirked and quipped that she wouldn't need it. Juleka and Rose each looped an arm through her own and led her out the door, chatting as they went. Marinette glanced behind them as they walked, looking up to her window and trying not to panic the further away they got. It would be fine. Everything would be fine.

This was probably better, anyway. Once they were at the school she could find Luka and take him home. They'd get Sass, and everything would be better. Well, it would start to be better, at least.

"Marinette?" Rose asked, pulling her from her thoughts. "Are you ok?"

"Not you, too," Juleka sighed. Marinette blinked at her.

"Huh?" she asked. She blinked again when Juleka's cool hand was suddenly pressed against her forehead.

"You don't feel warm, but Luka didn't, either," Juleka muttered. Marinette frowned.

"Why didn't he come get me, again?" she asked. What had they said earlier? He hadn't slept well – the same excuse he'd been giving her for a while now. But, of course, they didn't know about the akuma, and neither had any ties to the Miraculous, so of course he couldn't tell them what was really going on.

…if he even remembered, she realized. A weight dropped in her stomach, and she almost stumbled. Did Luka even remember, or did he still think it was all some crazy dream?

"He was a little out of it this morning," Juleka said. "He said he didn't sleep well, so I was trying to get him to sleep in. You haven't really seen this side of him yet, but Luka gets really fucking stupid when he hasn't slept. We're talking Dingo-level dumbass. I was trying to spare you both experiencing that today. Y'know. If it does end up being your anniversary."

Marinette had to smile at that irony of that. It was their anniversary, but they'd already decided they wouldn't celebrate it then. She'd also already seen him be really fucking stupid, not that Juleka knew that, of course. Her heart was in the right place, at least.

"Still, I hope he's ok…" Rose sighed. She wrung her hands and chewed on her lip nervously. "You've waited so long to tell him how you feel. I mean, not as long as you waited with Adrien, and you definitely haven't had as many failed attempts at confessing, so maybe it actually works out that today would get messed up so you'd have to confess another day…"

Marinette's eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly. Juleka was smothering a laugh beside her. Was Rose…did Rose…was she actually saying that Marinette and Luka deserved this because of Adrien karma?

"…I'd just hate for today to get messed up because he couldn't sleep, is all," Rose sighed, shaking her head. "I just want you both together and happy, darn it!"

"He seemed fine last night, but whatever," Juleka said, trying (and failing) to keep a neutral face. She clapped a hand on Marinette's shoulder and grinned. "If Mari ends up coming to her senses and realizes he's not really worth it, that's on him."

"You could always give Dingo his valentine instead," Rose teased, winking at her.. Marinette tripped on her feet, and their grip on her arms was the only thing that kept her standing. Rose laughed and patted her arm. "Relax, Mari. You know I'm joking. We'd never saddle you with Dingo."

"Good," Marinette said with a nervous cackle. "I would certainly hope not!"

Rose just smiled, humming as they continued on their way.

– V –

Being in school again felt…weird. By the time they reached Sant-Saëns they were already ten minutes late, so they completely missed meeting up with the others beforehand. As she sat in her first class, she found her eyes constantly drifting towards the window in search of troublesome walls of light rushing towards her. Her focus was split at best between searching for the akuma and getting back to the Miracle Box with Luka, so when the teacher called on her for an answer she found she actually couldn't remember what she was supposed to say. Rose glanced at her in concern as the teacher told her to pay attention, please, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, but she said nothing. It occurred to Marinette, as she tried to focus on what the teacher was actually saying, that she hadn't actually been to class in…had it really only been two days? It felt like so much longer.

…and yet, as she realized what the teacher was saying, where in the lesson they were, and recalled what she should have said instead of staring blankly ahead, she also realized that none of it honestly mattered. Nothing had changed, anyway.

She tried to sneak away, but every attempt was thwarted. After her lapse in attention, the teacher had denied her request to go to the bathroom. When she said she wasn't feeling well – when Rose and Juleka both vouched for that – she was told class was nearly over and she could go to the nurse afterwards. When she tried to slip away between classes, she was caught by another classmate and roped into a conversation about an upcoming assignment. The bathroom excuse kept falling flat, and there were only so many times you could claim you needed the bathroom before people got suspicious, anyway. Juleka or Rose were with her all morning – usually both – and though she kept an eye out for them she had yet to see Luka, Dingo, or Brielle in the halls. She tried texting Luka when her attempts to escape kept failing, but he had yet to answer. It didn't even look like he had opened any of her messages. The morning crawled by, until finally it was lunch and Juleka and Rose were carting her along to the canteen.

Brielle and Dingo were already at the table when they got there. Dingo was slumped against the table, his head buried in his arms. Brielle was picking at her sandwich, an annoyed expression on her face. Luka was nowhere to be seen.

"Is Luka joining us?" Marinette asked, looking around the table and then the canteen to see if maybe he was still making his way over. She stood there awkwardly, fidgeting with the box of macarons in her hands. She had had every intention of grabbing Luka and bailing. Where was he?

"Group project, remember?" Juleka asked, shrugging as she took a seat. Marinette frowned. That's right…Luka was supposed to be meeting with his group during lunch. She had completely forgotten about that.

"Yeah, he's not making that meeting," Dingo snickered. Brielle did something under the table (probably kicked him) that made him jump, but above the table she was still calmly eating her sandwich. Marinette blinked, looking between them. What had she missed? Dingo lifted his head, propping his chin on his arms and grinning at Brielle. "Well, he's not."

"And do you want to tell them why?" she asked primly, her eyebrows lifting. Dingo ducked his head back into his arms, his shoulders shaking as he tried (and failed) to keep from laughing. When he raised his head again, tears were running down his cheeks.

"Guys," he gasped, "Lu's been suspended."

"What?!"

The question came from Rose, Juleka, and Marinette. Marinette sank into the chair next to Rose, her fingers digging into the corners of the box. She didn't understand. The last time Luka had been suspended – the only time that she knew of – had been when he'd roped Jagged Stone into serenading her, something she was now pretty sure he had only done because he had either thought it was a dream or knew the loop would be reset anyway. Despite the Couffaine penchant for chaos, Luka typically flew below the radar at school. He never got into trouble, much to the Captain's chagrin. What the hell had happened?

"First thing this morning," Brielle sighed, picking a seed out of her bread. "You were all late, right? I think it happened before you even got here."

"Is that why he's not answering his phone?" Juleka asked. "Damn. What the hell did that dumbass do now?"

"Oh, it was epic," Dingo snickered, bouncing in his seat. "Now, to be fair, he was really out of it this morning."

"Yeah, we know," Juleka drawled. "It's why we went to get Mari instead."

"So we're in Theory, and he's falling asleep on his desk," Dingo continued, his grin widening. "And I'm trying to keep him up, right? Tell him Belcourt would be pissed if his star pupil slept through class."

"Belcourt shouldn't care, given Luka is his star pupil, but you know Belcourt," Brielle said with a roll of her eyes.

"So Luka says…he says…" Dingo gasped, dropping his head back into his arms to try and compose himself. He was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. He rubbed at his eyes to clear them and raised his head. "He says, Belcourt can blow me!"

Marinette's jaw dropped. Beside her, Rose choked on her juice. Juleka's eyebrows simply rose, apparently unsurprised and unimpressed by her brother's choice of phrasing.

"Right as Belcourt called on him," Brielle added, putting her sandwich down with a sigh. Dingo had collapsed back in his chair, cackling loudly and stomping his booted foot on the floor. Brielle slapped at him. "Now tell them what you did."

Dingo's grin was positively feral.

"I said…I told him…I said…" he wheezed, slapping his hands on the table as he sat up and leaned forward. His cheek lifted in a wink directed at Marinette. She felt her stomach drop. A wink from Dingo was never a good sign. "I said, nah, mate, that's Mari's job!"

"Dingo!" Rose screeched, and Marinette was glad she did. She was having a bit of trouble finding her own voice in her suddenly dry mouth. Her face was burning, her mouth was hanging open, and she was amazed the box of macarons hadn't crumbled beneath the death grip she had on it. Dingo, completely unrepentant, flicked up his shades to reveal a truly spectacular black eye. The wink he tossed them was significantly less spectacular, but Marinette assumed with how tender that eye must be it was probably hard to wink. She supposed he deserved points for trying, she couldn't help but think with a morbid, detached sense of bemusement.

"So he punched me, right in the face," Dingo crowed. "Mari, you'd be so proud of our boy."

"Because he was dumb enough to hit you at school? Hardly," Juleka snorted. She threw a cherry tomato from her salad at Dingo's head. It sank into his hair, but he was so busy laughing Marinette was pretty sure he didn't notice. "So what you're saying is he got suspended and it's your fault."

"He was suspended for inappropriate language and fighting," Brielle said, fishing the tomato out with a frown. She pursed her lips before squishing it against the shaved side of Dingo's head, making him yelp. "For a week. So, yes. I'm sure telling Belcourt to blow him didn't help, but punching this dumbass was the bulk of the suspension. Thankfully, Mlle. Damocles is aware of the true culprit, so while Luka is suspended for actually throwing the punch, Dingo has detention for the next week for instigating."

"I said nothing that wasn't true and was viciously attacked as a result," Dingo sniffed, grabbing a napkin to wipe up the tomato. "I'm sure he'd much rather Mari blew him, anyway. Belcourt probably gives horrible he-"

"Marinette, where are you going?!" Rose cried as she stood, the drag of the chair against the floor and Rose's shout stopping Dingo before he could finish that thought.

"To make sure Luka's ok!" she snapped. Her face was still burning. God, she was going to kill him – but she wasn't quite sure if the him was Luka or Dingo.

"He's fine, Mari! He's –" Dingo started, but she whipped around and jabbed a finger in his face, cutting him off.

"No!" she snapped, knowing full well that Luka was so very not fine. "You don't get to say that! You…you…ugh!"

"Marinette?" Brielle asked, frowning. Marinette grabbed Dingo's lo mein and dumped it on his head, making him yelp. Brielle jumped back before she could be hit by the flying noodles.

"Baby girl!" Dingo whined.

"Don't you baby girl me!" she snapped. "What Luka and I do in private is none of your damn business, Dingo!"

"Ok, did not need to hear that," Juleka mumbled, scrunching her nose as she stabbed another tomato with her fork. "Ignoring the implications. Ew."

"He's sick, and you just –" Marinette continued, ignoring her.

"He's not sick, he's tired," Dingo huffed, "and he's my best mate – it's all in good fun, Marinette. He's fine. Relax."

"Go to hell, Dingo," she spat. Dingo's eyebrows soared, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. There was a sudden, eerie silence around the table that might have given Marinette pause if she hadn't been so upset.

"Mari, relax, it was just a joke," Dingo finally said. She closed her eyes and began to count ten. "Boys being boys. Dumbasses being dumbasses. Just taking the piss as usual. It's nothing to get upset over."

"You just don't get it," Marinette hissed, her hands clenching and unclenching in tight fists. "You just…don't get it."

"I get you and Luka are mad for each other and have yet to actually do anything about it, not counting Valentine's plans," Dingo said with a roll of his eyes. "So, yeah, it was funny. I mean I'm sure he'd love if part of your plans was you bl-"

"Oh my God, Dingo, shut up!" Rose screeched, throwing her water bottle at him. He yelped, barely catching the bottle as it hit his chest. "You're just making it worse! Mari, go. We'll deal with…him."

"He was heading back to the boat," Brielle said. Marinette jumped when she realized Brielle was standing beside her, her hand on her shoulder. "He…was a little embarrassed about all this. Probably why he's been ducking your texts. Go on. We've got this."

Marinette smiled gratefully and nodded. She gave Brielle a quick hug that the older girl awkwardly returned with a pat on her back. With a final glare to Dingo (who was still miserably picking noodles and bits of shredded vegetables out of his hair), she turned and left the canteen.

– V –

Slipping out of the school was easy enough, especially during their lunch break. Finding a hidden space to transform was second nature by now. She knew the rooftops of Paris better than the streets. She was back in her room in no time, having slipped inside through her balcony, and a short jump had her before the Miracle Box. She was back on the roofs and racing towards the Liberty in a matter of moments, the egg with the Snake Miraculous safely tucked inside her yoyo. She could see the river in the distance, maybe only a jump or two away, when a shout from the street below pulled her up short.

"Hannah!" she heard. She caught herself on the edge of a roof and peered over the edge. Hannah was running along the sidewalk below. Geoff was running after her, a good distance behind. "Hannah, wait! Please!"

But Geoff wasn't the only one chasing her.

An akuma was fluttering over his head, bobbing above the unsuspecting citizens lining the street. Ladybug tightened her grip on her yoyo, her eyes narrowing.

She didn't know why the akuma was loose, but she wasn't about to question it. If she could purify the akuma before it rejoined its victim, maybe that would be enough to stop this mess. Maybe…

She was halfway down to the street below when a force caught her in the chest, sending her back up to the roof. She hit the roof hard, rolling before she fell onto her back and blinked up at the sky. She pushed herself up with a groan, putting a hand to her chest as she took a few deep breaths. When she raised her head, the akumatized victim was standing on the ledge of the roof. Her hair danced in angry flames, her eyes shone a blinding white, and the crack in her pendant was almost to the center.

"Stop interfering," she hissed. Ladybug's eyes widened as the akuma – a second akuma? – fluttered around the woman's head. She raised a pale hand, and the dark butterfly danced along her fingertips. She smiled at it, nodding. "Yes. Go. Follow your orders."

"What the…?" Ladybug wheezed, standing. She shook her head, her eyes following the butterfly as it disappeared below the roof. "How are you…are you controlling it?"

"Hawkmoth controls the butterflies," the akuma said. Her voice was echoing and soft. Ladybug's eyes widened as she noticed tears rolling down her cheeks. Had she always been crying? "He is growing impatient. Give me your Miraculous, Ladybug."

"You're not the first akuma to demand that, and I promise you won't be the last," Ladybug said. She started swinging her yoyo, looking for an opening. "Get used to failure, Hawkmoth!"

The purple butterfly mask appeared around the akuma's eyes. Her face hardened into a sneer, her fist clenching at her side.

"Yes, Hawkmoth," she whispered, and then the mask was gone and she was lunging for Ladybug. Ladybug dodged, but the akuma was faster this time. More focused. She chased her across the roof, and then to the next one, until she grabbed Ladybug's elbow before she could leap away and yanked her back down. Ladybug hit her back and rolled, kicking out to free herself from the akuma before she could reach for her earrings. The akuma screamed at her, rushing in without pause to snatch at her ears again. Ladybug ducked, and as the akuma was passing by she made her own grab for her necklace, where she was certain the butterfly was hiding. The akuma spun away, catching Ladybug's arm in a vice grip. Ladybug winced, gritting her teeth as her arm was bent behind her back.

But when she looked at the akuma, she didn't look happy. Tears were still falling from her eyes. Her lips were still set in a frown. Her fingers brushed against Ladybug's ears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"So am I," Ladybug grit out. She drove her free elbow back into the akuma's gut, hard, and spun away as the akuma gasped. A running leap took her to the next roof, and then the next before she looked over her shoulder. The akuma was still chasing her, but now she had another problem: the akuma was chasing her away from the river. Another roof, and then over, and she was doubling back towards the Liberty. She heard a scream behind her, and then she was being thrown from the roof to the riverbank below. She crashed into the sidewalk, rolling until her back hit a tree just above the riverwalk.

"Give me your Miraculous!" the akuma shouted, landing on the street before her. Ladybug jumped back onto her feet, yoyo at the ready.

"Give me Friday night!" she snapped back, throwing her yoyo out. The akuma dodged, racing forward with a cry. Ladybug flipped back, grabbing onto the foremast of the Liberty and sliding to the strut above the basketball hoop. Before she could catch her bearings, the akuma tackled her to the deck. They landed in a heap, the akuma scrabbling to get her earrings as she struggled to keep her away. Ladybug pressed back into the deck, trying to get her head further away from the akuma. She turned her head, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, and a twanging thwunk sounded above her ears. The akuma was suddenly gone, and she opened her eyes to find Luka standing above her, his acoustic guitar raised like a sword. He glanced over his shoulder as the akuma sat up, rubbing her head with a groan.

"You ok, Ladybug?" Luka croaked. She nodded and pushed herself up.

"Yeah," she said. "Thanks. I –"

The akuma screamed, drawing their attention back to her. Ladybug cursed and fumbled with her yoyo as the heart pedant on the akuma's neck split completely in half.

"Take this!" she shouted over the scream, shoving the red and black spotted egg in Luka's hand. His eyes widened as he looked at her, a question on his lips.

The question was never asked. The akuma exploded in light.