Notes: Hey, y'all, remember when I said I sat down and outlined the rest of the prompts? Remember when I said I had a Plan? That I Know How It Ends? Bear with me. We're gonna get through this. C: ("Sometimes before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger – the person that you'd take a bullet for is behind the trigger, oh~")

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Twenty-Six, Loop Twenty-Five: Home

When her alarm started beeping Friday morning, Marinette was already awake. The alarm echoed as a dull beeping in the background of her mind, but she couldn't really hear it. She felt numb, only vaguely aware of her surroundings as everything bled into a dull nothingness waiting to engulf her. Her eyes stared listlessly at the ceiling. Her face felt sticky and cracked. Stiff where the tears had dried and cold where they were still falling.

She heard a scuffling above her, but she didn't even have the hope that it was Viperion on her roof. The noise was too low anyway – below the roof, inside her room – and too soft to be the familiar thud of boots. She rolled onto her side as her alarm was silenced. Tikki, then. She grabbed her cat pillow, pressing her face into its side as more tears fell. She curled into a ball, and before she could even try to contain it she was crying in earnest.

She knew without having to look what her phone would say. That it was still Friday, 14 February, Valentine's Day. She knew the akuma was still running loose. She also knew that Luka was not downstairs, either in the bakery or waiting on the corner outside. Because she had failed. She hadn't found the akuma before the reset, and she hadn't found Luka. A sob caught in her throat, and she curled tighter around her pillow.

She was so tired. So. Tired. She had been stuck reliving the same damn day for twenty-four…twenty-five days now, and she had made no progress. She was no closer to catching the akuma. If anything, the akuma was just getting stronger. She had lost a teammate almost as soon as she had gained him, and now…Hawkmoth had a Miraculous. And while the Snake may not be either of the Miraculous stones he wanted, it was still one of the more powerful stones in the Miracle Box. Besides, she didn't really think Hawkmoth cared anymore which Miraculous stones he had. He had already gone after the entire Miracle Box once. She was sure he would be willing to go after it again.

Fu had chosen wrong. She was a terrible Ladybug and a worse Guardian. She had lost Luka. She had lost Sass. How long would it be before she lost Tikki, too?

As if sensing her spiraling thoughts, Tikki flew down from the shelf and nestled in her hair. A low whine escaped her, and Tikki nuzzled closer.

"It's ok, Marinette," her kwami soothed. "It's ok."

"It's not," Marinette choked out. Luka's voice echoed in her mind, his comforting words from so long ago repeating in her ears.

"You can tell me everything. Or nothing…"

Except she couldn't. Because he wasn't here. Because she'd lost him.

Tikki buzzed against her, a quiet hum by her ear. But it wasn't the right hum. It wasn't Luka. She pressed her face into her pillow. It muffled the broken, keening sound that escaped her.

"Marinette…" Tikki whimpered. Marinette knew she needed to stop. She knew she was hurting her kwami, her friend, and that crying wasn't going to actually solve anything. She knew she needed to get up, transform, and go find the akuma. She knew that.

…but it all seemed too big, too much, and she couldn't do it.

A distant part of her mind noticed a buzzing again and knew it wasn't Tikki. She knew it was something else, something important, but it was so far away. Just like…

"Tikki, I can't do this," she whispered.

"You can, Marinette," Tikki said firmly. "You're Ladybug. You have to."

"I'm a bad Ladybug!" Mariette cried, shoving herself up to glare at Tikki, who was thrown to her lap by her sudden movements. Tikki's heart wrenched at her Chosen's tear-stained cheeks and red, swollen eyes. "I can't even stop this akuma! I couldn't stop Hawkmoth from getting Luka and Sass! I couldn't stop him from getting Master Fu! I'm horrible, Tikki! I –"

"Marinette, stop!" Tikki said sharply, flying up to hover millimeters from her face. Her tiny face was narrowed in a glare, her little hands lodged firmly on her hips. Marinette couldn't stop the thought that, if Tikki had been Alya, she would have slapped her, but Tikki wasn't like that. "You are an amazing Ladybug! This is just a tough akuma – we've had tough akumas before! You can do this! You just have to believe in yourself! Like I do! Like Luka does!"

"Tikki, I –" Marinette started, but Tikki flew into her cheek, pressing against it firmly in the biggest hug the tiny god could offer.

"You are going to get up, and we're going to go find Luka and Sass," she said. There was no room for debate in her voice. "I believe in you, Marinette. You will defeat this akuma. Now dry your eyes and don your spots. We have a snakelet to save."

Marinette smiled. It was a small smile, but it was there. She held up her hands, and when Tikki landed in her palms she pressed her forehead to her kwami's. She took a few deep, steadying breaths – meditation breaths, just like her Maman had taught her – before nodding. Tikki was right. Crying wasn't going to fix the problem. Giving up wasn't going to find Luka.

And she had promised Juleka and Dingo – had promised herself – that she would bring him home.

She had a job to do.

"Ok, Tikki. Ok," she said. She rubbed at her eyes to dry them. "You're right. Let's do this. Tikki –"

She heard the buzzing again, and this time she was present enough to realize it was her phone. They both turned to her pillow, where Tikki had dropped the phone, to see an incoming call from Juleka flashing on the screen.

Marinette's stomach clenched and plummeted. She shared an anxious look with Tikki, and in the brief second it took them to exchange that look the call dropped. When the lockscreen appeared, Marinette found she had three missed calls. They were all from Juleka, and as soon as she registered that Juleka was calling again.

She tried to ignore the tremble in her hand when she reached for the phone.

"H-hello?" she asked. She coughed when she realized how watery her voice sounded. She prayed her friend wouldn't notice.

"Marinette!" Juleka cried. She sounded…worse than she had yesterday. More anxious, and Marinette couldn't help but blame herself. If Juleka sounded more worried than she had when she'd called before, it was only because Marinette hadn't answered her first three calls. More than that, it was only because Marinette hadn't found Luka and stopped the phone calls from happening in the first place. "Thank God! Where were you?"

"S-sorry?" Marinette stumbled out, glancing at Tikki. She could hear Rose and the Captain in the background, sounding just as distressed as they had before. That was her fault, too. "I was…I didn't hear my phone. I'm sorry."

It wasn't a lie. She hadn't realized it was ringing.

"Sorry," Juleka said, pushing out a frustrated breath. "It's been a morning."

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked. Juleka grew silent for a moment. She heard Rose saying something to her, though she couldn't exactly make out what, and Juleka cursed.

"Is Luka there, Marinette? Have you seen him?" Juleka asked, her voice desperate. There was a manic twinge of panic on the edges that made Marinette's skin crawl. Juleka was putting on a brave face, but she was still scared. "Please tell me he's with you."

"L-Luka?" Marinette parroted, wincing as soon as it was out. She sounded like an idiot. The knot in her stomach twisted.

"He's missing, Marinette," Juleka said without any preamble. "He wasn't in his bed this morning. His bike's still here, but we can't find him. He's not answering his phone. Ro just called Dingo to see if he's with him, but –"

"He's here," Marinette said quickly. She glanced back at Tikki, who nodded in approval. Marinette closed her eyes and tried to ignore the guilt stabbing at her. It was an empty platitude, but it would make Juleka and the others feel better until she could find him. And if she failed, again…well, it's not like she'd remember to be mad at her. "He…he wanted to surprise me. For Valentine's Day. Th-that's why I didn't hear my phone. We were talking."

"…oh, thank God," Juleka sighed. "I am going to kill him. Asshole."

"I'm sorry," Marinette said softly. "I figured…well, I didn't even think about it, honestly. Of course you'd know he was here. Why wouldn't he tell you? He wouldn't just run off somewhere."

"Yeah, he would, if you were involved," Juleka snorted. "He's an asshole, and I'm going to kill him."

She almost sounded like she was growling. When she spoke next, she sounded a bit distant, like she'd pulled the phone away from her ear. Marinette heard her call out to Rose and the Captain, letting them know that Luka was with her. There was an angry shout from the Captain in the background, followed by a relieved whoop from Rose. A few moments of arguing passed where Marinette remained silent. There was a brief scuffling, and Marinette was surprised when Anarka came on the line.

"Marinette?" she asked. Marinette was going to be sick. She couldn't lie to the Captain. Lying to Juleka had been bad enough. "Can I speak with him, lass?"

"He's…his…he's…he can't talk right now," Marinette stammered out. She hoped the Captain wouldn't press for details on why she couldn't talk with her son. "Can I have him call you later?"

"Tch," the Captain snorted. "Ye tell that b'y he calls me the second he gets to his phone. All right?"

"Of course," Marinette mumbled. "He's just…Papa roped him into helping with something in the bakery, and we have to leave for school, and –"

"Peace, lass," the Captain sighed. "Just have him call. And maybe slap him good for me. Scaring us all like this…I almost called Roger."

Marinette actually smiled at that, remembering how her dad had laughed the day before.

"I bet you Roger shit a brick."

"I'll…I'll let him know," Marinette said with a watery laugh. She couldn't start crying again. Not while she was on the phone with his mom.

"…are ye all right, lass?" the Captain asked, the fierce bite in her voice replaced by an uncertain concern. An unconditional worry that reminded Marinette that, despite her rough exterior and more liberated parenting style, Anarka was still a mother. She was still Luka's mother. Marinette forced a smile on her face, even if the Captain couldn't see it.

"I'm fine," she said, making herself sound more cheerful than she felt. Like it was Valentine's Day and Luka had surprised her by picking her up for school and asking her out. Like she wasn't falling apart inside because Hawkmoth had captured Viperion and she had no idea where he was. She could almost feel the Captain's steady, scrutinizing gaze on her, and she steeled herself against the doubt. "I…we have to go, Captain. We don't want to be late. Tell Juleka and Rose we'll see them at school?"

"…aye," Anarka sighed. "Aye. Get on to school. And remember…"

"I'll tell him to call you soon as he can," Marinette said. They said their goodbyes, and Marinette disconnected the call. She locked eyes with Tikki, her lips drawn in a deep frown. The kwami looked determined, like she actually believed Marinette was going to figure this out and everything would be fine. Like she believed Marinette was the best Ladybug she'd ever had. Like she had more confidence in Marinette than Marinette had ever had in herself.

"We'll bring him home," she said firmly. Marinette nodded. "We'll bring them both home."

"We will, Tikki. This ends today," Marinette said. She took a deep, steadying breath, pushing out the negative thoughts and focusing on the task at hand. Just like Tikki had taught her. Just like her Maman had taught her. She could do this. They would bring them home. "Tikki, spots on!"

Ladybug was up and out of her balcony hatch before Sabine's head had popped up through her door, though she could hear her calling out for her as the door closed behind her. With a flick of her wrist, her yoyo was latched onto a spire across the street and she was soaring above the city. She dropped onto the next roof and started sprinting, her doubt disappearing as she ran. She was no longer Marinette, unfocused and helpless and feeling so very unworthy, so lost. She was Ladybug, and Ladybug could fix anything.

The knot in her stomach unwound with every pound of her feet against the rooftops. She became focused, concentrated, and…angry. She was mad at Hawkmoth for terrorizing Paris. She was mad at the akuma for toying with her. And she was mad at herself for…for a lot of things. For not catching the akuma sooner. For not trying harder to find and purify her. For letting her grab Luka. For doubting herself – for letting the akuma make her doubt herself.

By the time Ladybug reached Rue de Bretagne, she wasn't just angry.

She was furious.

She zeroed in on Hannah's building as she swung onto the street. It only took her a glance to recognize Hannah and Geoff walking down the two steps to the sidewalk, and with another flick of her wrist she had latched her yoyo onto a balcony. She barely touched down on the roof of the flower shop, more using it as a kickoff to launch herself down onto the street below. She came down hard in front of Hannah and Geoff, landing in a crouch with her head bowed and her hand fisted against the pavement.

"What the f-?!" Geoff cried as Hannah gasped, both stepping back as Ladybug snapped her head up to glare at them. She rose to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes locked on Hannah.

"Where's the akuma?" she demanded, a deadly chill stealing over her voice. Hannah's eyes widened, and she shrank back against Geoff. Geoff stepped in front of her, instinctively shielding her from the angry superhero. Ladybug's steely gaze flicked towards him, but only for a second. "Hannah! I know you have to know! Where is it?!"

"I…I…" Hannah stammered, but then Geoff was stepping in front of her, completely blocking her from Ladybug's view.

"What's this about, Ladybug?" he asked, his voice gruff. "I thought you were a hero. Mind telling me why you're threatening random, innocent citizens on the street?"

"I haven't threatened her," Ladybug bit, holding back the venomous yet her mind was all too happy to supply, "but I have good reason to believe she's involved with the akuma I'm chasing, and I need to know what she knows. So what do you know, Hannah? Where's the akuma?"

"Wh-what akuma?" Hannah asked. Ladybug grit her teeth. Her hands fell to her sides and fisted, and she took a step towards them.

"Cut the crap, Hannah!" she snapped. "I know you know what I'm talking about! Stop playing dumb and tell me what I need to know!"

"Ok, chill out!" Geoff cried. "Ladybug, Hannah doesn't know anything about any akuma – she's been home all morning! We're on our way to work! Now can you please just let us go before we're late?"

"I'm sorry, Geoff, but you're wrong," Ladybug pressed. "Hannah knows more than she's letting on. How else do you think I know who you are?"

"I…I don't know, you're Ladybug," Geoff said with an aggravated shrug. "Magic powers? I don't know. And neither does Hannah. Right, Hannah?"

He looked back at her over his shoulder. She was staring at her feet, her arms wrapped around herself in a self-conscious hug. His eyebrows rose, and he lost a bit of his bluster.

"…Hannah?" he asked, his voice softer. "You…you don't know what she's talking about, right?"

"…I don't…I don't know," Hannah said, shrinking away from them both. Ladybug sensed the urge to run creeping up in Hannah and stepped back. She had gone too far again, and now Hannah was one wrong accusation (or at least one perceived wrong accusation) away from bolting. Hannah glanced up at her, and she tried to smile. She swallowed around the rage and held up her hands, trying to show she meant no harm. "Ladybug, I'm sorry, but…"

"Hannah, please," Ladybug begged. She tried to sound entreating, to keep the anger from her voice. Hannah bit her lip and looked back at her feet, but at least she didn't look like she was going to run anymore. "I think you know more than you're letting on. There's an akuma on the loose, and it's messing with time. It stole my partner, Hannah. I'm just trying to get him back."

"…the akuma took Chat Noir?" Hannah asked, blinking at her. Ladybug tried not to roll her eyes, but she couldn't blame Hannah for the assumption. Chat was her partner, after all, and while they had multiple teammates none of them were in steady rotation or had been seen in months. It made sense.

"Another teammate," Ladybug said, shaking her head, "but either way she's taken a hostage. Hawkmoth now has a Miraculous in his possession that he shouldn't have. I need to find them, Hannah, and I think you can help me do that. Please."

"You're wrong," Hannah said, hugging herself tighter. "I can't help anyone, Ladybug. I…I can't even help myself."

A look flickered across Geoff's face, but he said nothing. He just pressed his lips together hard enough to blanch them.

"Hannah, I have reason to believe the akuma is somehow tied to you," Ladybug said as calmly as she could. Her fist tightened by her side, and when Hannah's eyes flicked towards it she forced herself to relax. "I don't know why, but I think it's going to come for you, or it's already here, or…please. Can I just have a look in your flat? Just to be certain?"

"Her flat?" Geoff scoffed, but by the way Hannah winced Ladybug had a feeling she was on the right track.

"You're wrong, Ladybug…" she whispered. "It's not me. It can't be me."

"Hawkmoth doesn't care, Hannah," Ladybug said. "It could be anyone in this city. No one is safe from him."

Hannah winced again. She looked back at her building, still chewing on her lip, and Ladybug honestly didn't know what she was going to do. Waiting was torture, and she was painfully aware of every second ticking by. Every second Viperion stayed out of her reach. Every second Hawkmoth possessed the Snake Miraculous. Finally, Hannah looked back at her and nodded.

"…all right," she said, and when Geoff tried to protest, outraged and shocked, she gave him a weak smile. "I'll meet you at the office, ok? I'm sure…she's wrong, Geoff, but if this is the only way she'll believe me…"

"Unbelievable," Geoff bit. He turned his glare on Ladybug, but he said nothing to her as he shoved his way past and started towards their office. At least he didn't say anything directly to her, but he was muttering darkly under his breath as he went. Ladybug rolled her eyes and turned back to Hannah.

"Thank you," she said. Hannah once again bit down on her lip and shook her head.

"Don't thank me yet," she mumbled. Ladybug frowned as she turned back towards the building, and she followed in silence as Hannah waved for her to follow.

There was another resident collecting his mail from the row of boxes by the stairs, but Hannah led her straight past him and to the lift. Ladybug waved when he gawked after them, his mail dropping from his hands to land on the floor. Hannah continued to stare at her feet as the doors closed behind them, and she silently pressed the button for the third floor. Ladybug watched the numbers for the floors light up – one, two, three – as the lift slowly made its ascent. The walk down the hall felt even longer, the energy coiling inside her and begging for a release. She needed Hannah to be wrong. She needed the akuma to be inside that flat, with Viperion…she needed Viperion back, and she needed to punch the akuma a good hundred times in the process.

Hannah stopped outside the last door on the right. A cheerful, flowery wreath proclaimed Welcome on a yellow door. Hannah hesitated only a moment as she slid her key into the lock, but then she just…stopped. Ladybug watched her expectantly, waiting.

"What would you do?" Hannah asked quietly. She kept her eyes on the lock, a slight tremor shaking her hand. She still didn't turn the key. "If…if an akuma…if Hawkmoth…showed up and told you you had to do something. What would you do?"

"I'd tell him to go to hell," Ladybug said, narrowing her eyes in a glare. Hannah swallowed, her throat bobbing. "I'd tell him he's stupid for showing his face, because I'm only getting stronger. His time's almost up, and he's never going to win. I'd tell him I'm the one who's going to get his Miraculous, not the other way around."

"…you sound so sure," Hannah mumbled. Ladybug almost winced. She wasn't, not really. But she couldn't let Hannah know that. Ladybug wasn't supposed to be weak. She wasn't supposed to doubt.

"Hannah, I need to see your flat," she said, her voice gentle but firm. Hannah nodded slowly and turned the key. She stepped inside, flipped on the lights, and stepped aside for Ladybug to follow her in.

For a brief moment, everything inside the flat looked normal. Painfully normal. Nothing was out of place, there were no monsters (or akumas) lurking in the dark corners, and everything appeared to be just another average Parisian flat. A little shelf under a mirror by the door with hooks, where some cardigans and an umbrella were hanging. A little kitchenette with morning dishes – a small plate and a mug – still in the sink. A stack of unopened mail waiting on the kitchen table.

Ladybug felt the knot reforming in her stomach, dread sinking like a lead weight to her feet as she realized she had been wrong. Again. The akuma wasn't connected to Hannah – she had been stupid for ever thinking she was – and Ladybug had just wasted even more time. She wasn't going to get Luka back. Sass would remain in Hawkmoth's control. She had failed. Again.

But then she walked past the wall separating the living room from the kitchen. Then she turned, her eyes still narrowed and every muscle tense and waiting for an attack. And then she saw it. The akuma, waiting for her. Her eyes glowing and staring blankly ahead as the flames of her hair danced above her. And there, unconscious on the couch beside her, was Viperion.

And just like that, the knot was once again gone and replaced by absolute rage.

She wasn't exactly sure what happened next. She knew she screamed. She remembered reaching for her yoyo, swinging it as she raced across the flat to try and tackle the akuma through the window it was standing in front of. She remembered more screaming – it might have been her, it might have been the akuma, or it might have been Hannah – as Ladybug crashed through the sliding glass door and onto Hannah's balcony as the akuma dodged. She remembered being painfully aware of Viperion's still, pale form, wanting nothing more than to check on him and make sure he was all right, but knowing she couldn't until the akuma was dealt with.

She knew she fought the akuma. She knew she was the one fighting, as the akuma was once again refusing to fight back. She was vaguely aware of Hannah curled around her knees by the wall, crying as she whimpered something about how it wasn't her fault, it couldn't be her fault, none of this was her fault. She knew she almost had the akuma at one point, until she grabbed her wrist and flipped her onto the couch. She remembered Viperion feeling so cold beneath her and seeing the akuma looming above them, her hair wild and eyes glowing as she raised a flaming hand.

…but then Hannah was screaming, and she was tackling into the akuma with all her strength, and Ladybug was watching in baffled, horrified amazement as Hannah wrestled with the akuma. As the flaming hand grazed against Hannah's cheek, burning her skin. As the akuma screamed, the cracking of her pendant ringing out above the chaos that had descended onto the flat. Ladybug saw the light exploding from the akuma, and as she twisted to wrap her arms tightly around Viperion she was aware of only one thing.

She wasn't about to lose him again.