Notes: *flips on Greatest Showman hat* …ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for. ;D

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Twenty, Loop Nineteen: Sketchbook

Marinette was going to be sick.

And not in the 'I'm Stuck in a Time Loop, Hit by a Reset Untransformed' kind of sick she'd been experiencing so often lately. She was pretty sure she was going to throw up.

The Snake Miraculous was missing. Sass was gone. His nest was empty.

She had rushed over to the Miracle Box as soon as her alarm had gone off, but no matter how many times she reached into the hollow – no matter how far she pushed her arm in, groping around – the fact that there was nothing inside didn't change. She had collapsed beside her chaise, staring blindly at the wall. How had she lost it? Where was he? She had had the egg in her hand! She had…she…

…no.

The egg hadn't been in her hand, at least not completely.

It had been in Luka's.

"Tikki!" she called, twisting around before she could stand and sprawling onto her rug with a groan. Her kwami was already behind her, her face set in a determined frown. Marinette looked up, barely raising her head from the rug. "We have to get to the Liberty! Tikki, spots –!"

"Marinette?"

Tikki zipped over to her desk before her door was fully opened, hiding inside her purse. Sabine gasped when she saw Marinette on the floor, and she rushed over to help her sit up.

"Sweetheart! What happened? Are you all right?" she asked, looking her over. While Sabine did her quick inspection, Marinette realized she had a split second to make a decision. She told herself she wasn't about to lie. That it was for the good of Paris, for Luka's health, and her own sanity. And it wasn't technically a lie, anyway. Not a full one.

So she groaned and shook her head, curling in on herself in an effort to make her look as miserable as possible.

"No," she moaned. "I don't feel so good, Maman."

It wasn't a lie. She didn't feel good. She hadn't felt good for a while. Not as bad as Luka, but still not good, so it wasn't a lie.

Sabine sighed and pressed her hand against Marinette's forehead.

"You don't feel warm, at least, but you do look a little green…" her mom said. She shook her head and helped Marinette up. "It is that time of year. I suppose something must be going around…"

"Maman?" Marinette asked, adding an extra bit of croak to her voice to really sell the sick card. Sabine sighed and helped her up.

"Do you think you can make it downstairs? You might as well spend the day together, if you're both sick. I know it's not the Valentine's Day you wanted, but it's better than nothing," she said. When Marinette continued frowning, Sabine nodded towards the stairs. "Luka came to take you to school, but the poor boy looks like death warmed over. Your father had to bring him upstairs. He's on the couch now."

"Luka's here?" she asked. She was surprised Juleka had let him leave, unless he had left before she could stop him. Still, it would certainly make things much easier if she didn't have to sneak out of the house or away from school to find him. Sabine nodded.

"He's…pretty out of it," she said. "I'm surprised he made it here in one piece, but of course now that he's here there's no way we're letting him leave on his own. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him on the way home. He insisted he had to see you, though. Said something about a pet snake? I didn't know Luka had a snake."

…she almost ruined everything by laughing. She covered up her snort with a groan, biting her lip and bracing an arm against her stomach. Sabine frowned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and placing a hand on her elbow to brace her.

"Maybe you should stay up here," she said. "Why don't you go lay down? I can bring you some tea after I call the school."

"N-no, I can…downstairs is better. Closer to the bathroom," she said, trying to sound as miserable as possible. Sabine looked unconvinced, but she helped her downstairs nonetheless. Luka was lying on the couch, his head on the pillows in the middle and a blanket wrapped around him. He groaned and looked up when Marinette sat on the other side of the sectional. Her mom was right: he looked like death warmed over.

"Hey, she found you," he said, his voice slurring a little. At least he had a voice today, though. Marinette laid down and reached over, brushing her hand through his hair. His eyes closed, and he breathed out a sigh. "Needed to find you. God, I'm so tired…"

"I know," she sighed. She could still hear her mom in the kitchen, talking to the school on the phone, but a quick glance in that direction showed Sabine's back was to them. She leaned over and pressed her lips to his forehead, and he smiled.

"Gotta find Mari," he mumbled, making her frown. He shivered and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, curling into a bundle until the shiver passed. "She's…gotta…"

"Ok, kids," Sabine said, cutting him off as she walked over. "If you need anything, we're downstairs. I'll be up in a bit to check on you."

"Thanks, Maman," Marinette said, closing her eyes and laying her head back down on the pillow. She felt her mom kiss the top of her head.

"Feel better, both of you," she sighed, and then she was gone. Luka grumbled something into his own pillow and shifted. Marinette slid to the floor, sitting in front of him and reaching up to brush his hair back. He leaned into her touch, his eyes still closed.

"Gotta find Mari…need to…Mari…" he mumbled, but then he was giggling. She bit her lip and tugged on his hair, just hard enough to get his attention.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm right here. What's so funny?"

"Mari," he said, blinking at her. "Sounds like marry. I'm gonna marry her someday."

Her stomach did a little somersault, but it wasn't because she felt sick this time. She bit down on her smile and smoothed his hair back again. His eyes closed as he shifted closer to her.

"Hey," she said softly. "Luka. Look at me."

He blinked his eyes open, smiling when he did.

"Hey," he said. "You're here."

"I'm here," she said. His eyes started to close again, and she shook him a little. "Luka. Babe."

His nose scrunched at the endearment, and she had to agree with him. It felt wrong as soon as she said it. That was something they'd have to worry about later.

"Luka," she said instead, shaking him again. "Stay awake. Keep your eyes open."

"So tired," he mumbled. He was blinking blearily at her. She leaned forward and kissed him, a quick brush of her lips against his forehead.

"I know," she sighed, "but I need you to stay with me. Luka, do you have the egg?"

"Egg?" he asked, frowning. "Egg…egg! Darning. You laid an egg."

She blinked at him, her eyebrows soaring. She'd done what now?

He squirmed, huffing out a sigh when he got tangled in the blanket. He stilled when she touched his shoulder, glancing up at her and watching silently as she pulled the blanket back. Once his arm was free, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ladybug-spotted egg. He held it up for her, his face scrunching into a serious expression.

"I've…ta…" he tried. When the words failed, he closed his eyes and took a breath. His face scrunched more in frustration. He shook the egg with each word. She could hear the bangle rattling inside. "I have to find Ladybug."

"I'm here, Luka," she said, brushing his hair back again. His skin was cooler than it usually was. She didn't like that. "Luka, do you…don't you remember? Anything?"

He mumbled something she didn't quite catch, his arm dropping back above his head as his eyes closed again. She reached up for the egg, tucking it back into his pocket for the time being. He needed to rest, but she needed him transformed in case the reset hit before he woke up. She needed him out of plain sight, in case her mother came up to check on them. She needed him…

Her eyes landed on the steps. She needed to get him up to her room.

"Luka? Hey, rock star," she said, shaking him gently. He mumbled something, and she sighed as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Sorry about this, Star."

…Star. Rock star. She liked that better than 'babe', at least.

She stood up, grabbed his middle, and hauled him over her shoulder like he was a sack of flour. It wasn't the first time she had picked him up, and it was always slightly awkward because he was so much bigger than her, but she had to admit carrying him was worlds easier when he was coherent and able to help her. Picking him up like this – when he was barely coherent and nothing but dead weight – was worlds harder. Still, the sudden lift seemed to be just the thing to wake him up. His breath left him in a whoosh, and he yelped as she awkwardly tried to maneuver him. She had barely taken two steps before she was yelping herself: in his desperate scramble to orient himself, he had grabbed her ass.

"Sorry!" he cried, his hands immediately jerking up to her waist. She found herself frozen, staring blankly ahead at the stairs. He had just…and he… "Oh my God you're so hot."

"L-Luka!" she screeched, nearly dropping him as she tried to whip her head around to glare at him. She squeaked as his arms fumbled around her waist, trying to get a better (safer) grip on her. Somehow, his head ended up near her hip, and she looked down to find him grinning up at her.

"Sorry," he said. His grin widened. "But you did grab my ass first."

She realized, belatedly, that she technically had when she'd tossed him over her shoulder. And she was, technically, still holding his ass rather tightly in her attempt to not drop him. Her stomach was doing more somersaults, but she was still pretty sure they weren't the queasy kind.

"I-I'm just trying to get you upstairs, and you weren't moving!" she huffed. He tightened his grip on her waist, squeezing gently.

"Wasn't awake," he said. His eyes closed, and he pressed his cheek against her side. Her face was burning, and she wondered absently if she could convince her mom she had a fever now. "Still not. Ok. Dizzy again."

"Just…hold on. Let's get you upstairs, get you transformed, and then you can sleep the rest of the day, ok?" she sighed. He hummed, squeezing her again.

"I have the best girlfriend ever," he mumbled. "She could totally kick my ass."

She may have tripped over her feet stepping onto the ladder, and she may have accidentally bonked his head into the railing. She wasn't sure if he deserved it or not, but she did feel a little guilty when he groaned because of the bonking.

It wasn't easy, but she did make it back upstairs without further incident. He was grinning at her when she sat him down on her chaise.

"You're so strong," he murmured, tipping his head back against the cushions. "Love that."

"Hey, stay with me," she said, kneeling on the floor beside him and reaching into his pocket for the egg. She popped it open and dropped the bangle onto her palm, ignoring the flash as Sass materialized beside them. Luka mumbled something else as she slipped the Miraculous on his wrist. She pinched him, making him jerk up and blink at her.

"H-hey," he mumbled, "that's…Sass?"

"Massssster!" the kwami cried. Marinette finally looked at the snake, and she almost wished she hadn't. His eyes were wide with concern, his tiny mouth dropped open as he looked at his old Chosen. His eyes flicked towards Marinette. The disbelief melted away in a furious glare. "Guardian." His eyes narrowed to mere slits when Tikki appeared besides Marinette's head. "Tikki."

"Sass, we're stuck in a time loop," Marinette said. Sass didn't look surprised, and that didn't really surprise her. Knowing him, he had probably been aware of the distortion the second he woke up. "It's –"

"Akuma! God, Mari, there's a…you're Ladybug!" Luka cried, jerking up again. She placed her hands on his arms, trying to get him to settle back on the chaise. His eyes darted around the room wildly. "No…I knew…oh God, my head…"

He slumped over, pressing his palms against his eyes and moaning. Sass's tail flicked, his agitation clear.

"It's gonna be ok, Luka," she soothed, reaching up to brush a hand through his hair. He groaned and shook his head.

"S'not," he grumbled. "I…can't…ugh…"

"He is not well," Sass said, flying around his head and resting in his hair. The tiny god glared down at Marinette. Her stomach was turning again, but it was back to the guilty, nauseated turning from earlier. "Guardian, why…he needed me. Time is wrong, and because he is connected to the Ssssssnake he is feeling it mossssst acutely. Why did you let him get sssssso bad?"

"I didn't…I'm so sorry, Sass," she said. "I didn't know what was happening at first, and…it's been so long! I didn't even think…"

"It's not her fault, Sass!" Tikki cried, flying between them and raising her paws defensively. Sass hissed at her.

"You're right, it'sssss not," he bit. "It'ssssss yours. You have been around longer – you sssshould have known, Tikki! You sssshould have brought me to him much ssssssooner!"

"You're right," Tikki said, wringing her paws. "I should have realized, and I –"

"Wait, hold on," Marinette cut in, holding up her hand for Tikki to sit down. "We're all at fault here, ok? If any of you tiny, all-knowing, mystical assholes ever actually told me what the fuck I'm supposed to be do-"

Luka started giggling (ok, more like manic cackling), completely throwing her off her rant. They all paused and looked at him. He was peeking over his fingertips at her. He looked feverish again. His face was a bright pink, and his eyes were glassy.

"You are so hot when you cuss," he said. "I am so turned on right now."

…what in the ever-loving hell…? She glanced up at Sass, who was gawking at his Chosen, but they were both distracted by Tikki's giggles. Luka lowered his hands and grinned at her.

"Tikki," he said, reaching up to poke her stomach. "Right? Mari's so hot, right?"

"Sssshe's not the one deliriousssssss with a time fever, Masssster," Sass grumbled, tugging on his hair.

"Time fever?" Marinette asked, focusing on that so her brain wouldn't short-circuit at Luka's…compliments. That was something else they'd have to deal with later.

"As I sssssaid, time is wrong," Sass repeated. "Without his Miraculousssss to protect him, he has been hit by all of the energy from the resssssetsssss. Has he resssssted at all?"

"Not as much as he should have, no," Marinette sighed. She leaned up and kissed Luka's forehead, but before she could lean away he caught her face with his hands and pulled her closer. She squeaked when he pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply. Sass shouted at him as the sudden movement caused the kwami to tumble onto Marinette's head, but Luka wasn't paying him any mind. He pulled away a moment later, resting his forehead on hers.

"So hot," he sighed, brushing his thumb against her cheek. "I love you."

"Y-you can love me after you've slept, ok?" she said, her words tripping over a nervous laugh. She rested a hand against his neck, squeezing as a choked sound escaped him. She focused on how warm his skin had become so she didn't have to think about what she had said or how warm her own face was getting. She glanced up towards where she felt Sass moving back onto Luka's head. "Sass. We can fight about this later. Right now, Luka needs you. I don't know when the reset's going to hit. Usually it's after school, but there have been some days it's early."

"Masssster, we need to transsssform," Sass said, tugging on his hair. Luka hummed in response, giving Marinette another quick kiss. Sass tugged on his hair again. "Masssster!"

"Yeah, right," Luka sighed. "Right. Sass. Scales slither."

Viperion's head dropped against her shoulder as soon as the light faded. He groaned, and she felt his eyes scrunching shut against her shoulder.

"It's ok," she said, running her hands along his arms. He groaned again when she pushed him back. He blinked slowly at her, and she bit her lip to keep from saying anything. Sass was right. She never should have let it go this far. She should have…she didn't know what she should have done. Tried harder. Been smarter. She should have done something. Luka was suffering because she was a bad Ladybug and a worse Guardian, and –

"Hey," Viperion said, reaching up to poke her forehead. She jumped, the unexpected touch jolting her from her self-flagellating spiral. "Stop making that face."

"Wh…what face?" she asked, laughing nervously. He frowned, his eyes darting over her face as he tried to gather his thoughts

"Not…your fault," he said. He made a frustrated noise and rubbed at his eyes. "That face. When you're taking on too much again. Stop it. Sass was pissed, but he was worried. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything."

"That's kind of the point, Luka," she said. "I didn't do anything. I should have…"

"Shoulda what?" he grumped. "You didn't…ugh…you didn't know. I didn't know. Sass didn't know. Little shit's been sleeping through it all."

She tried not to laugh at that, but he grinned when he heard her snort.

"You…akuma?" he asked, slumping forward again and closing his eyes. She brushed his teal bangs back and kissed his forehead.

"No," she said. He started to say something else, but she didn't let him. "No, Luka. I'm staying right here with you. One more day isn't going to hurt anything. You get some sleep, ok? Tomorrow you'll be feeling better, and we can skip school, find this akuma, and kick her ass for ruining our first Valentine's Day, ok?"

"…I'm too tired to be this turned on right now," he groaned, and she squeaked before she pushed him back against the chaise. His laugh was muffled by the pillow his face landed on. He shifted slightly and turned his head to smile at her, his hand reaching out for her own. She laced their fingers together, squeezing when his eyes slipped closed. "Seriously. You're…you have no idea how crazy I am about you."

"…Juleka would say stupid," she teased, her eyes settling on her lap. She was pretty sure she'd combust if she looked at him.

"I am," he sighed. "Shoulda told you sooner. So much wasted time…"

"Sleep, Luka," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "None of that's important right now. Just get better, ok?"

He hummed, but his breathing was already evening out. She sighed and brushed his hair back again. She felt Tikki settle on her shoulder, and she swallowed around the lump in her throat. She had heard everything Luka…Viperion…whatever had just told her, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty. She knew he was right – that it wasn't her fault, that Sass was just upset at seeing Luka in such a state – but that didn't change how she felt.

"It's gonna be all right, Marinette," Tikki said, nuzzling her cheek. She tried to smile.

"I know, Tikki," she said. She kissed Viperion's cheek before she stood and moved over to the chest she'd started keeping spare fabric and blankets in. It was amazing how much room she had in there, once she'd let go of thirty-five years' worth of stalkerish obsession. She grabbed a blanket from the chest and her sketchbook from her desk before returning to the chaise. She draped the blanket over Viperion, tucking it around him so it looked less like a superhero and more like her exhausted boyfriend was sleeping there. She kissed his cheek one last time before settling on the floor. From where she sat, she could keep an eye on both the door (in case her mom came up to check on them) and the window (in case the reset came earlier than expected).

The rest of the day passed with little incident. Viperion slept through everything. Around one Marinette made her way downstairs to grab some lunch, where her mom caught her in the kitchen. Marinette told her Luka was upstairs sleeping and that, now that her stomach had settled a little, she wanted to try some toast and tea. Sabine was glad to see her looking better and sent her back upstairs with two mugs and a plate of croissants. Viperion continued sleeping, and Marinette would rather let the tea go cold than wake him. She spent the rest of the afternoon by his side, ignoring her phone (and all of the worried texts and calls from Juleka, Rose, and Dingo) and absently working in her sketchbook. She wasn't entirely surprised to look down at the page and find a detailed drawing of Viperion, looking better than he had in a long while. She smiled and looked up at him, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

"Marinette," Tikki called. She turned to find her kwami watching the window. Outside, she could see light rising in the distance. She glanced back at Viperion, praying she was right. Praying he would remember this in the morning.

"Tikki," she called, her hand falling to his arm and squeezing. "Spots on."