Notes: I'm almost a little hurt at how many of y'all thought I'd retcon the dorks. Who do you think I am, Astruc? Zag? (…y'all. Y'ALL. LOOK A THAT NUMBER. WE MADE IT.)

Marinette's 29 Valentine's Days

Day Twenty-Nine, February 15: Leap

Marinette groaned as she woke up, shifting and snuggling deeper into her pillow. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep – to silence her alarm, chuck it across the room, and spend the rest of the day snuggled in her bed where it was warm and safe and comfortable. She didn't want to wake up and face another Friday, 14 February, Valentine's Day. She hated Valentine's Day and would be perfectly content to never celebrate it ever again. She was sure Luka would understand. Given how sick the akuma had unintentionally made him, she was pretty sure he'd agree. He…

Her mental rant – which was just getting more convoluted and intense the more she woke up – was cut short as she became awake enough to realize something.

Her alarm wasn't what had woken her up.

There was no blaring, steady beeping echoing through her room.

There was deep, even breathing by her ear. A steady heartbeat beneath her cheek. A male groaning – Luka groaning – when she shifted again and deceptively strong arms tightened around her.

There was also a giggling – female, human giggling, from multiple sources – somewhere behind her…them. Because Luka was in her bed. So the female giggling was behind them. In her room. Who the hell was in her room?

One of the giggling voices cut off in an attempt to shush the other, and there was the exaggerated click of a camera app before they started giggling again. She groaned and squirmed, but that only made Luka grumble and pull her closer. Her eyes finally cracked open, and her head was just high enough on his chest that she could see a familiar, if wrong, checker-print pattern on the wall over his shoulder.

…she wasn't with Luka in her bed. She was with Luka in his.

She tried, very hard, to muffle the nervous squeak threatening to come out. When the giggling turned into full-blown laughter, she realized she hadn't been as successful at hiding it as she had hoped.

At least she hadn't screamed.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Juleka snickered. Luka was holding her too tightly to let her turn, but she was able to twist her head slightly to see Juleka and Rose standing by the bed with matching evil grins. Well…that wasn't fair. Juleka's was more of a demonic smirk. Rose looked like Christmas had come ten months early. Marinette groaned and ducked her head back against Luka's chest. She couldn't tell if her face was burning or he was just naturally that warm. Rose started…well, continued giggling, as she had never really stopped.

"Someone's feeling better," she chirped. Marinette's eyes opened, squinting – not that that really helped, as all she could see was the wrinkled black fabric of Luka's shirt.

"I take it Valentine's Day went better than planned?" Juleka asked. Marinette's face scrunched in confusion. She pushed against Luka, who went from grumbling to whining as he tossed a leg over hers and tried to wrap himself around her. She squeaked again, and the girls' laughter became louder. "You two are so gross."

"Who would've thought Luka was a cuddler?" Rose squealed.

"Uh, everyone? You saw him when he got his appendix out. He couldn't keep his hands off Dingo," Juleka snorted. Marinette felt her face grow warmer and realized with growing horror that she was definitely blushing. She groaned and started squirming, managing to twist enough in his arms that her back was now pressed to his chest, which…wasn't much better, considering. He actually bit her as she settled, and her wide, horrified eyes locked with Rose's delighted ones. He pressed his face against her shoulder blade, his arms and leg tightening around her, and she gulped. Juleka's nose had wrinkled at the display. "Gross. I am not sleeping in the living room, Marinette. This was my room first."

Rose snapped another picture, her smile still wide enough it had to be hurting her face.

"Luka's older," she pointed out, rather unhelpfully, "so technically that makes it his room first. So he could totally kick you out in favor of Mari snuggles."

"Oh my God, you guys, stoooop," Marinette groaned, pressing her face into her hands. Luka's thumb flicked under her shirt, and her eyes narrowed as she felt his lips curl into a smile against her skin. Was he…

"We didn't mean to wake you," Rose said before Marinette could really start freaking out. She waved her phone, giggling again. "It's just we had to get going, and you two were so cute, and I had to snap a picture…you'll thank me someday."

"Are you feeling any better?" Juleka asked, patting Rose's shoulder but looking at Marinette. Marinette peeked over her fingers, frowning. Feeling better? "Not wanting to puke everywhere anymore?"

"Uh…" Marinette faltered, blinking at them. She noticed a flash of red hidden in the pile of stuff on the amp by the bed, and Tikki poked her head out just enough to wink at her. She blinked before looking back at Juleka. "…yeah, much better. Thanks?"

"You were already asleep when we got home, but Ma said she called your parents to let them know what was going on," Juleka said. That didn't help Marinette any: what exactly did they all think was going on? "Anyway, glad you're feeling better. We gotta get going, but –"

"You owe us details later!" Rose giggled. Juleka grimaced.

"Not details details," she said, gesturing vaguely. "He's still my brother, and I don't need to know that. But…meh. You both could do worse."

"Thanks…I think?" Marinette squeaked. Luka was definitely smiling behind her.

"Ooooh, I can't believe you two are finally together!" Rose squealed, bouncing in her excitement. "Best Valentine's ever!"

Luka made a noise, too low for the others to hear but impossible to miss when he was wrapped around her like he was. She squirmed a little, accidentally elbowing him in the ribs.

"Anyway, have fun," Juleka said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed Rose's arm and drug her from the room. She paused at the door, wrinkling her nose again. "Just not…too much fun. I sleep here, too, Marinette."

"Oh my God, Jules, just go!" Luka finally groaned, and Juleka started cackling as Rose pulled her through the door. When it was safely closed behind them, Marinette shoved her shoulder into Luka with enough force to knock him onto his back. His breath left him in a whoosh as she flipped over, settling herself on top of him. Before he could recover, she grabbed his shirt in her fists and tugged his mouth towards her, swallowing his yelp in a harsh kiss. When she finally pulled away, he was blinking up at her with a dazed little smile on his lips. She had to grin at that.

"…hey," she said. His hands found their way to her hips, his thumbs slipping under her shirt to rub against her skin.

"Hey," he said. He settled his head back against his pillow, smiling. "Rose might be right. Best Valentine's ever."

"Luka," she said with an giddy little giggle, "I don't think it's Valentine's Day anymore."

"Thank God for that," he sighed. "Though I'd love to know why Jules thought you were the one who was sick. And how you ended up in my bed. Not that I'm complaining – I will never complain about you being here."

"Don't overthink it," she said, poking at his chest. "When I got you back from the akuma, the morning you woke up in my bed, Tikki said it was because I was holding you. So it was easier to get us to the same place when the reset hit. I was holding you after I cast the Miracle Cure, too, so same thing?"

"Miraculous magic," he sighed, nodding. It was as good an excuse as any, he supposed. "Ugh, my head's still kinda sore trying to figure it all out. Any clue what actually happened yesterday?"

"Which yesterday?" she laughed, and he chuckled as he pinched her hip. She jumped a little, squirming against him enough that he had to take a moment. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled at her. His hands were back to rubbing distracting little patterns on her hips.

"The one everyone else remembers," he finally said. "The one that made them think you were puking and landed you here. There were a lot of yesterdays that happened, darning. I just want to make sure we have our story straight."

He was right. There had been a lot of yesterdays. Thinking over everything that had happened – the botched confessions, the good confessions, the serenades, the skipped school, the gifts, the time cancer, the abduction, Luka attacking the akuma with George…she started laughing, a quiet little giggle at first that quickly became a full-bellied laugh. She collapsed against him, stretching out over her boyfriend – her boyfriend! – as she continued to laugh. She pressed her face against his chest – she hadn't noticed before, but he was wearing his Ladybug shirt – as his arms settled low on her back. He squeezed her tight, laughing with her.

"Hey," he called, dropping a kiss against her head, "what's so funny?"

"You," she said, peeking up at him with a grin. "Us. This whole mess. Luka, you attacked the akuma with George."

"…I did what?" he asked, his face twisting in a look of utter bewilderment (and maybe a little horror). She was still giggling. "No way. I'd never…well, maybe…"

"The akuma was attacking me, and I guess he was the only thing handy," she said. He sighed, shaking his head.

"…damn. I'll have to make it up to him," he said. He shot her a wry little smile. "At least it wasn't Claire. That bitch would never forgive me."

Marinette glanced to the side of the bed, where Claire was resting in her stand.

"Careful," she teased, poking his chest and nodding to the guitar. "You don't want to say that too loud. If she hears you, she won't tune right for a month."

"She'll get over it," Luka said dismissively. He caught Marinette's chin in his hand and pulled her back towards him. "Hey."

Her heart caught in her throat when she saw the look he was giving her, his eyes half-lidded and dark. An easy smile was curling lips she just wanted to kiss, his entire face relaxed as he watched her. His hand had slipped under her shirt again, his fingers rubbing lazily against her lower back. She was sure he had to feel how erratic her heartbeat had become with how close they were. She could certainly feel how steady his was.

It occurred to her she liked this. Like…really liked this. Lying with him, waking up with him, the way he was looking at her, holding her, touching her…she realized she could fall completely for him, if she let herself. That there was a good chance she already had. She had thought she'd loved Adrien, back in collège, but what she'd felt for Adrien had been nothing like what she was feeling now. What she felt for Luka was deeper, stronger. Built off of months of getting to know him, learning him, and seeing who he was in moments both quiet and loud. There was trust, and respect, and love, and yes, more than a little bit of physical attraction. Thinking back on the past month – and God, had it really only been a month? – that they had been stuck in the loop, of all the stolen kisses and times they had gotten a little carried away with makeouts…yeah, there was definitely a physical attraction. She definitely liked kissing him. Even the way his hands were still brushing against her skin was sending pleasant little jolts up her spine.

Thinking about Adrien again – about the friendly shoulder pats, the unexpected hugs, the comforting but completely platonic touches – she had never felt that with him, either. Not as intensely as she did with Luka, at least. Luka made her feel…Luka made her feel alive. Cherished. Loved. Special. From the way he was looking at her, she got the impression the feeling was mutual.

"…I love you," she said, resting her chin on the hands she'd folded over his chest. She cocked her head to the side, smiling stupidly at him. "I just…I need to tell you that. I know I already said it, and maybe it seems a little silly now after everything, but –"

He pulled her back towards him, kissing her deeply. She crawled up him a little more to make it easier on his neck, and he groaned into her mouth as her hands slid up over his chest, along his neck, and into his hair. His fingers flexed where they had locked back on her hips when she tugged, and she giggled and pressed into him. Ok. So he liked when she pulled his hair. Good to know.

"I love you," he said when he finally pulled back, his voice a little husky and breathless. His eyes were shining when he looked up at her, though. She didn't think she'd ever seen him so happy before. "There's still a lot that's hazy about the past month, Marinette. I know you've told me that before, and I'm sure there were quite a few great, big, complicated confessions I don't remember –"

"Not complicated," she teased with a roll of her eyes. Convoluted, maybe. It was her, after all. He grinned and leaned up, nipping at her lip.

"But I want to tell you now, too. Now that we're out. Now that we'll both remember it," he said. One of his hands moved from her hip to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing under her eye. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. "Marinette. Darning. I am so stupid in love with you. I have been from the moment you stumbled in here stammering about grooves. You are an incredible, amazing girl, and I still don't understand how I was lucky enough to get to know you. That you noticed me. Being your friend was good enough. I knew you couldn't give me more than that, and I was ok with that because being your friend was better than nothing. But then…I don't know when exactly it happened, but something changed, Mari. You were around more. Noticing me more. And I didn't want to hope, but then you said you were…and…"

He trailed off, his nose scrunching a little as he realized he was rambling. She giggled, and he guided her mouth back to his for another kiss. His hand slipped from her cheek to cup the back of her head, and a little jolt ran through her when his fingers tangled in her hair and gently pulled. Ok, so that actually was kind of nice. She liked the hair-pulling, too.

"I'm starting to sound like you," he chuckled, making her giggle again. "God, you make me so stupid. I just…I just wanted you to know. Now that we're out. Now that nothing can make us forget it. I love you, and I'm in this. For as long as you'll have me. I'm yours, Marinette."

Her heart felt like it could burst in her chest. She pressed her face to his neck, humming as she snuggled closer to him.

"How do you always do that?" she breathed, nudging his throat with her nose. He hummed, and she giggled as the sound tickled her. "You just come out with these grand, romantic confessions like it's nothing. I try to do that and I'm a stuttering wreck for a week."

"You make it easy," he sighed, his arms slipping back around her middle to pull her close. "I could write albums about you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Dork," she chided, but the way her heart fluttered in her chest told her she maybe wouldn't mind that. He had inspired his fair share of pages in her sketchbooks, too.

"Your dork," he sighed. She pressed her lips to the underside of his jaw, humming.

"My dork," she agreed. She laid her head back against the crook of his neck and sighed. "Me, too, Luka. It's the same for me."

"You're my dork?" he teased. She poked him, laughing.

"I love you, too," she said. She bit her lip, considering her words. She really didn't have anything left to lose, did she? She couldn't be anything less than honest with him. He'd already made that leap and laid his heart out for her – all that was left was for her to do the same. "It's…it's a little scary how much, actually. I've never felt this way about anyone before. But…it's the same for me. I love you, and I'm in. As long as you'll put up with me."

"That could be a really long time, Marinette," he warned, and she smiled as she lazily traced the Ladybug logo on his chest. She liked how he looked in her spots. "I'm talking a really, really long time. Five kids and a dog long time."

"Five?" she asked, lifting her head a little to look at him in surprise. When she had fantasized about her future with Adrien, she had never imagined more than three kids. Five seemed…a lot. He grinned.

"I dunno," he said with a shrug. That grin made her think maybe five wasn't so many, after all. Being an only child, she had always loved the idea of a big family… "I kind of like the idea of a house band."

"…I've always been partial to hamsters," she said, her heart skipping another beat as he continued to smile softly at her. His hand found her cheek again, tilting her head towards him so he could kiss her forehead.

"Five kids, a dog, and a hamster," he said. "Boat might get a little cramped, but I think we can make it work."

"…five kids, huh?" she asked, smiling a little. Yeah, she was starting to like the sound of that. She nestled back against his chest, closing her eyes when he started humming. "I suppose I could get used to that."

A quiet calm settled over them. While kissing him was nice – ok, kissing him was awesome – she found she liked not kissing him almost as much. There was something wonderful about just lying there with him, just being with him, as he held her and hummed to her, one hand lazily brushing through her hair while the other held her loosely. His thumb brushed absently just beneath her shirt. It was enough to lull her back towards sleep.

And hadn't that been their plan, anyway? How many times had they said they were going to make it to Saturday and spend the entire day in bed? They were just making good on that promise, and if everyone thought she was sick anyway…she started giggling again, and he stopped humming.

"What?" he asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Nothing," she said. "Just…this is nice. I like this. A lazy Saturday in bed, just like we said."

"I'm still tired," he said. She grinned when his words cut off in a yawn. He rolled his eyes and kissed the top of her head. "That was not intentional. Ugh. I don't know about you, but I still feel like I could sleep a week."

"We probably shouldn't spend all day in bed, though," she sighed. "What time is it, anyway?"

"No idea," he said. He craned his head back to glance at the porthole above his bed, and she darted up to kiss his exposed neck. He chuckled, his nails scratching lightly against her scalp. "Late morning, maybe?"

She pushed herself up and looked around his room. She knew neither he nor Juleka kept a clock – the Captain refused to keep them aboard the Liberty (spare her pocket watch and their phones), claiming they stifled creativity. Marinette didn't think she had ever even seen the microwave flashing an honest time.

(Dingo had tried once, last fall – or she had thought he had. He had actually been trying to program the microwave to say 'hELLO' – like you could with an upside-down calculator – but the display had only fit 'hELL'. It had only flashed 'hELL' for an hour before the Captain had seen it, assumed Marinette had been trying to program the thing again, and flipped the breaker to change it back.)

She didn't see her phone anywhere in the room, but she saw other things. Their kwamis, curled up in the ledge of the porthole and enjoying the sun shining in. Out in the open now that they were alone. Her bag next to his with her purse haphazardly tossed on top, and a wrapped box she had almost forgotten about sitting on top of the amp he used as a bedside table. His valentine – the card and the box of handmade chocolates – was sitting next to the gift. His phone was on the edge closest to them, and the screen illuminated with a notification as her eyes landed on it. She leaned over him to pick it up, ignoring the protesting whine he made when she crawled off of him to sit beside him on the bed.

She pressed a button to display the screen again, and she winced at the time. It was a little after eleven. Marinette had never been what you'd call an early riser, but she rarely slept in that late. When she noticed the date beneath the time – Saturday, 15 February, Not Valentine's Day – she laughed a little with relief. At his questioning look, she grinned and showed him the date.

"It's not Valentine's Day," she said. She looked back at the phone, still giggling. "Man, I can't believe it's still February, though. It feels like it should be July or something."

"…it was only a month, darning," he laughed, his hand rubbing along her thigh. She rolled her eyes, scanning the notifications below the time and date.

"Was it, though?" she asked absently. "Felt like so much longer."

There were a few texts from Juleka, the Captain, and Brielle, along with a notification from Instagram. He also had about…seventeen missed texts from someone named Platypus?

"…who's 'Platypus'?" she asked, glancing down at him. He cracked an eye open, frowning at her.

"What?" he asked.

"You have a bunch of missed messages from Platypus," she said, handing him the phone. He rolled his eyes as he unlocked it, pulling up the messages to scroll through.

"Think about it," he said dryly. "Give it a second. It'll make sense."

"Wha…oh my God," she said, laughing. "Dingo? Why, because they're both Australian?"

"Nope. Because they're both freaks of nature," he said sagely, nodding. He glanced up from his phone and grinned at her. "Marinette, do you know how we got the platypus?"

"…evolution?" she hazarded, her eyebrows rising. He snorted and looked back at his phone.

"According to creationists, once all the other animals were made God had his spare parts bin. He just started slapping shit together. Ok, Adam. Let's see what you do with this," Luka said, and Marinette's eyebrows rose even higher.

"…what the hell, Luka," she snorted, clapping her hands over her mouth as she choked on a laugh. He grinned up at her and shrugged.

"Did you know the plural of platypus is platypoi?" he asked. She choked on another laugh. "Not platypuses or platypi."

"I'm starting to get a little concerned with how fascinated you are with platypuses…platypoi," she corrected, rolling her eyes at the look he shot her.

"Platypoi are fascinating creatures, darning," he said easily. He looked back at his phone. "Anyway, you think calling him Platypus is bad, you should check Bri's phone. We learned the word was platypoi, and he's been Platyboi in her contacts ever since."

"…I'm starting to rethink this whole thing," she deadpanned, gesturing between them. He pushed himself up, kissing her cheek before he leaned back against the wall.

"Too late," he said. She smiled when he slid back down, just enough to rest his head on her shoulder as he continued to check the messages. "You're stuck with me. Huh."

"What?" she asked. He waved his phone.

"Apparently, I was sick, too," he said. He tipped his head back and looked up at the porthole, where they heard a hissing laugh. "Care to share, lil buddy?"

Their kwamis popped down a moment later. Sass nestled down into Luka's hair as Tikki nuzzled Marinette's cheek.

"I'm magic," Tikki reminded them with a delighted little laugh. Marinette rose an eyebrow, and Tikki giggled again. "You both got sick yesterday. After your date."

"The akuma didn't sssstart the loop until after ssssschool," Sass said. He flicked Luka with his tail. "Sssso it was easier to fabricate a sssssstory from that point."

"Luka picked you up Friday morning, you went to school together, and had a perfectly normal day," Tikki said. Marinette pursed her lips, trying to think back to what had happened that first Valentine's Day.

"I…I spazzed and told you I loved you before school even started," she said, glancing up at him. He grinned, twisting his head a little to kiss her shoulder. She didn't think either of them had stopped smiling the entire morning.

"You did," he said. "I couldn't think straight the rest of the morning, and I was useless in class. Belcourt got so pissed."

"But at least he doesn't remember suspending you," Tikki giggled. "Or the time Mlle. Damocles suspended you."

"You really are your mother's son," Marinette giggled, and she laughed harder when he pinched her side.

"You went to the café after school, and Marinette gave you your Valentine before Hannah ran out and was akumatized for the first time," Tikki said, waving a tiny paw towards the amp. "Teeeechnically your date was interrupted and the loop started before Marinette could confess, but no one needs to know that."

"So what happened after our date?" Luka asked. He reached up to rub a finger against Tikki's head, and the kwami giggled.

"You left the café, took a walk, and came back here. You both got food poisoning from the café, and the Captain called Tom and Sabine to let them know you were too sick to come home," Tikki said. She winked at them. "Which gives you the perfect excuse for wanting to find a new café today."

"So as far as anyone was concerned, it was a perfectly normal Valentine's Day," Marinette said. Tikki nodded.

"No suspensions, no time cancer –" she started, but Sass groaned and cut her off.

"Can we please ssssstop calling it that?" he huffed. Luka chuckled and scratched at the tiny god's head.

"Sure thing, buddy," he said.

"But we remember. All of it. Or at least most of it," Marinette said. Tikki nodded.

"You always remember, Marinette," she explained. She zipped around Luka's head, nuzzling his cheek before looking back to her Chosen. "And if Luka's going to permanently be part of the team now, it only seemed fair that he remember, too. You are part of the team, right, Luka?"

"I told you you're stuck with me," he said warmly, holding out a hand for Tikki to sit. "Ladybug has always been able to count on me. I have no intention of letting her down now."

"I like this one, Marinette," Tikki said, and they shared a little smile. Marinette kissed Luka's cheek.

"Me, too, Tikki," she said. She looked back at the amp, where his valentine was still sitting. She picked up the card and held it out for him. "Did…did you actually ever get a chance to read this? I think you did, but I can't remember if you remember."

"I did," he said. He took the card and put it back on the box of chocolates, kissing her as he did so. Her hands reached up to cup his face, holding him to her as the kiss turned slow and lazy. After a moment he pulled away, and she blinked when he held up a box for her. "But you never actually got yours, right? I don't think you did."

Her eyes widened in delight, and he chuckled as he sat back beside her.

"The snake! I thought he was a spur of the moment, in-loop change?" she asked, grinning up at him. He chuckled and flicked her nose.

"It's not the snake, darning," he said. "Though we can swing by the shop later to see if they still have it. I'm pretty sure I remember where I found it."

Tikki cleared her throat. They both looked at her, and she zipped between the bed and the amp, disappearing to retrieve something from the floor. She popped back up a moment later, the stuffed snake in her paws. She giggled as Marinette squealed, grabbing the toy and hugging it close.

"I'm magic, Marinette," she said again, and Marinette dropped a kiss on her head. She tucked the stuffed snake between her and Luka and picked the other gift back up.

"So what's this, then?" she asked. She had a vague memory of crashing into Luka on her way into the café, of a wrapped box falling to the street with a shattering crash. He had never mentioned having a gift for her, though, and in all the insanity she hadn't thought of asking after it.

"Open it and see," he teased, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close. She squeaked when, apparently not satisfied with having her by his side, he hauled her into his lap instead. He settled his head on her shoulder, sighing happily when she reached up to brush her fingers through his hair. "Much better."

Yeah, touching Luka was definitely going to be a problem.

She looked back at the white box in her lap, her fingers toying with the pink ribbon. He nudged his nose beneath her ear, encouraging her to continue. With a roll of her eyes, she tugged on his hair one last time before undoing the ribbon. She took her time with it, like she always did, rolling the ribbon up to save for later. Luka rolled his eyes, and she snickered at him, but then she was taking the lid off the box and thwacking him with it. He kissed her cheek, smiling as she finally pulled out her gift.

"It wasn't actually a Valentine's Day gift," he confessed as she turned the gift over. She was holding a teapot. A pale pink teapot with a ridged, quilted pattern raised along its sides. When she turned it over, she realized it wasn't actually a teapot but a birdhouse. A hole had been cut in the center with a little stick jutting out above the saucer glued to its base. Raised cherry blossom in a darker pink scattered around the hole, and a leather thong was looped around the lid. It was adorable, and she knew exactly where it was going on her balcony. "I found it a while ago, and it made me think of you. I was just…waiting for the right moment, I guess."

She felt his face warm, and she turned to look at him. He was blushing. Her heart fluttered in her chest, a sense of amazement stealing over her. After everything, he was still blushing – still nervous – around her.

"Rose saw it when I first got it. She…kind of made a big deal about it. About how I had bought you a gift, and how that was as good as confessing. And it was stupid, because it was just supposed to be a friend thing, but I didn't want to pressure you if she was right, and I thought…and then when I decided I was going to confess to you today, Rose kept making a big deal about how I didn't actually have a Valentine's gift for you, so…you don't like it," he said, wincing. She placed it back in the box, gently so she wouldn't break the little ceramic cherry blossoms fixed to the side. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I love it," she said. "Even if it it's not what Rose would consider a Valentine's gift, I love it. It's perfect. I already know where I'm going to put it."

"It just seemed like something you'd like for your balcony," he said.

"It is," she said with a laugh. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"I love you," he said. He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away. He tried to chase after her, but she giggled and pushed him back. "Mari."

"Hold on – I don't want to break it again!" she laughed. She put the birdhouse back on the amp before she turned back towards him. "Now, where were we?"

"I love you," he said again, pulling her towards him for that kiss. She sighed against his lips, her hands fisting in his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her deeper into the kiss. It was wonderful, and perfect, and she realized maybe they could actually spend the entire day in his bed. Everyone thought they were sick anyway, so no one would bat an eye at their disappearing for a bit. It was a nice thought, too, until his phone started buzzing between them. It was easy enough to ignore the first time – except it kept buzzing, signaling a call instead of a text. He groaned when she pulled away, snatching the phone before he could answer it. Dingo's face grinned up at her from the screen.

"Your timing is atrocious," she bit out instead of a hello. There was a moment of silence – well, mostly silence. Wherever Dingo was, it was loud, and she could heard screams and explosions behind him – along with a maniacal laughter ringing out above it.

Which really only meant one thing, she thought. Her stomach dropped, and she put Dingo on speaker so Luka could hear the commotion. He groaned, his head falling back against the wall.

"…well, that explains why he was ignoring me," Dingo finally said.

"What do you want, Ding?" Luka asked. There was another explosion. They both winced when the Akuma Alert popped up on the screen.

"You were supposed to meet me at Bea's so we could sign up for open mic next weekend," Dingo said. He cursed, and they heard a scuffling.

"…no I wasn't," Luka said. "I distinctly remember telling you I couldn't commit to meeting you because I wasn't sure what was happening yesterday. That if I had a chance to take Mari out I was doing that instead."

"Yeah, but then you went out and got sick, so I figured we were still on," Dingo said. Luka rolled his eyes.

"If I was sick, why would I meet you anyway?" he asked. He looked at Marinette, considering. "We're doing better, but we still should probably lay low today. Go ahead and sign us up – I told you I'd do it. You don't need me there for that. Just let me know when."

There was another explosion. Tikki and Sass had left the porthole and were hovering beside them,

"Ding, what's going on?" Marinette asked. "It sounds…loud behind you."

"Akuma," Dingo said. "Actually why I was calling."

Marinette's stomach flipped a little. That's right. Dingo…Dingo suspected, if he didn't outright know. She would have to talk to Tikki and Luka about that.

"…you were calling to tell us about an akuma?" Luka asked, frowning.

"No. Yes. Well, I was calling to warn you the akuma's attacking near Bea's," Dingo said. "Warn you to maybe not head this way just yet. I haven't seen 'em yet, but I'm sure Ladybug and Chat Noir are on their way. This thing just started attacking."

"Thanks for the head's up," Luka sighed, "but I still think I'm gonna lay low today. Let that bug pass. Just get out of there, ok? Ladybug should be there soon."

"I'll call you later with the details," Dingo said, and then he cursed. "Right. Shit. Getting outta here. And mates?"

"Yeah Ding?" Luka asked.

"It's about damn time," he huffed. "Get it, Mari!"

"Don't die before the akuma's defeated, dumbass," Luka said, disconnecting the call on Dingo's cackling. He sighed and dropped the phone on the amp. When he turned back to her, there was a little pout on his face. It was kind of adorable. "We can't even get one day, can we?"

"Evil never rests," she said with a laugh. She placed her hands on his thighs, leaning forward to steal one last kiss. "Come on. Let's go save your stupid friend."

"And then back here for cuddles?" he asked, grinning as he placed his hands over her own.

"I still owe you a coffee," she said, "and you wanted to show me that new café."

"I thought I owed you the coffee?" he asked. She kissed him again before leaning back and climbing off the bed. She glanced down at herself. She was still wearing her black jeans and Valentine's top, and while the shirt was a bit wrinkled it was no worse for wear. Luka was still in his jeans and Ladybug shirt.

At least they didn't have to worry about changing, she thought as she grabbed her purse.

"Tell you what," she said, taking his hands and pulling him up. "If we can beat the akuma in under ten minutes, I'll get the coffee. If it takes longer, it's on you."

"When's the timer start?" he chuckled. She caught Tikki and Sass's eyes and grinned when Sass winked at her. She called for her transformation, and before Luka could do the same Ladybug tugged his face towards her and pressed a hard kiss to his lips.

"Right now," she said, turning for the porthole as he gawked after her. She threw her yoyo towards land, laughing as she heard him call for his own transformation behind her. Viperion was running alongside her moments later, laughing as he called her a cheater.

She was still tired, and she would much rather be back on the Liberty instead of racing towards another akuma, but it was a new day. Viperion was by her side. Luka was her boyfriend. She was Ladybug, and she had managed to defeat an akuma without even calling her Lucky Charm (which probably would have been a coffee cup, with how frustrated Tikki had been getting). Whatever battle they were running into, she had a pretty good feeling they could handle it. They'd been through worse.

In the end, it took twenty minutes and two Second Chances to defeat the akuma. Marinette still wouldn't let Luka buy the coffee, though she promised he could pick up the tab next time. He smiled at her, his hand slipping into her own and squeezing.

"So we're definitely gonna have a next time?" he asked, his thumb rubbing a distracting little pattern on her skin. She smiled, her cheeks pinking as she stepped into his arms.

"Yeah," she said, leaning back on his chest and tipping her head onto his shoulder to look up at him. "We're definitely gonna have a next time."

Notes: Who all thought I forgot about the gift? xD It's actually something I found back at JoAnn's shortly before everything shut down, and I've had a picture of it stashed for the inevitable reveal.

.

See? I really DID have a plan (mostly) through most of this. xD

ANYWAY. I just wanted to shout out a great big THANK YOU to everyone who's read, left kudos, commented, screamed and cried with me on Tumblr or Disco over this beast. I don't think I have ever written anything this stupid long, and back when Lukanette Month first dropped the February prompts it was NOT supposed to be this…THIS. There's things I would have done differently, things that weren't supposed to happen and did (who the hell saw Dingo becoming what he has what the hell? xD), and things that were happy accidents along the way. Thank you all for sticking with me to the end. This has been a RIDE, and if nothing else I can look back at 2020 and be proud of this monster.

Thank you, everyone. You've made this fic something special, and I've loved every minute of the ride.