Marinette Dupain-Cheng was not an early riser. Her best friend in the universe, Alya, knew this fact very well. Every sleepover when Marinette couldn't be dragged out of bed before noon, every late arrival to their first class throughout lycée and college, every snoozed alarm.

Which meant receiving a call from Marinette Dupain-Cheng at six in the morning on Valentine's Day could only mean one thing—code red emergency.

Alya was never one to miss a scoop, so her cell laid on her bedside table just in case anything newsworthy happened in the night. Mari's ringtone was unmistakable, and a cold sense of dread made her wake up in an instant.

"What happened? Are you in the hospital? Did you sew your skin up again by accident? I swear I'm going to throw that damned sewing machine into the Seine if you don't learn how to avoid your fingers."

Alya was interrupted by a hiccupping sob. "Al, I'm a complete mess and I haven't even had time to make coffee yet and I've got you on speakerphone because I'm so busy—"

"Woah, woah," Alya interrupted, alarmed by Mari's obvious panic. "Take a deep breath and start from the top. Mama Alya can fix anything, she just needs to know what's going on."

"You're ridiculous when you talk in the third person," Mari hiccupped again, suspiciously caught between another sob and a pained laugh. "I told you Papa and Mama went away for a special weekend retreat, right?"

"Yeah, they're spending the weekend in London," Alya said.

"I swore I'd take care of the bakery while they were gone, on the busiest day of the year. They were so nervous to leave me in charge, but I told them I could handle it. And I was—handling it, I mean," Mari paused to take a shuddering breath before she continued. "But the other three employees who were supposed to come in today all called out which means I'm all alone and I've got so many pastries to make and I can't possibly watch the front of the bakery while taking care of everything in the kitchen—"

"Say no more," Alya reassured her friend. At the strong conviction in her voice, Nino began to stir beside her, moving slightly so his head rested in her lap. He looked at her with questioning eyes, but she shook her head. She'd explain things soon enough. "I'll be there in a half hour."

"But Alya," Mari sighed into the phone, obviously distraught about asking this favor, "it's Valentine's Day. I'm sure you want to spend it with Nino."

"And I will be," Alya put Marinette on speaker, smiling down at her boyfriend. "Mari's in a bind at the bakery and needs some help. You're in, right?"

"Of course," Nino said with no hesitation. "Spend the holiday surrounded by my favorite girls and the most delicious pastries in Paris? Sounds like a no-brainer to me."

Mari shrieked, a probable combination of her stress, appreciation, and lack of sleep. "You two are the greatest, kindest, most fantastic friends a girl could ask for. I'm so swamped and I just want caffeine but I can't stop—"

"Mari, breathe," Alya said softly. "Ice some cupcakes until we get there—tracing floral patterns always tends to calm you down. We'll be there before you know it."

"Okay. Okay. I can do that," Marinette said, voice a little less shaky than before. "Thanks, guys."

"We've got your back, 'Nette," Nino said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "See you soon."

Alya hung up on the stressed baker, sighing as she ran a hand through Nino's hair. "I can't believe all her employees called out. If anything, she's the one that deserves to get out of that bakery and, you know, celebrate the holiday."

"With who?" Nino asked. Alya swatted his head with a frown. "Hey! I just mean she hasn't really dated since Luka, so she didn't have plans today."

"But she should," Alya snapped. She shifted Nino's head off her lap so she could get up and start getting ready. Her best friend needed her, and she'd be damned if she was going to waste any time chattering away. "She deserves all the good things, including a hot date. I even thought about setting her up today with someone from work, but then she told me about her parents leaving her on her own so I kept it to myself."

"You think she would've liked him?" Nino asked, getting up to get ready as well.

Alya shrugged, dressing in comfortable clothes. The bakery didn't have any set dress code, but she picked a pink shirt and nice jeans, wanting to stay with the theme of the holiday. "Not sure. The only guys I know for sure she's been into were Luka, who obviously didn't work out, and…"

Alya and Nino made eye contact, both breaking out into conspiring grins.

"You don't think—"

"He has plans today? No way! But do you think she—"

"We haven't had the chance to hang out as a group in a while. It's only a coincidence that it's on Valentine's Day. And he's not—"

"Hasn't dated since that model, Amber or Ashley or whatever her name was. He was the one who broke it off… they weren't that serious," Nino paused, halfway through pulling his pants on. "If she figures out what you're really planning, she'll kill you."

"She's desperate for help at the bakery, isn't she?" Alya shrugged innocently, tying her hair back in a ponytail. "She'll appreciate an extra set of hands. It's not my fault that extra set of hands happens to be attached to the first love of her life."

Nino laughed, finishing dressing himself. "He's probably up already—dude goes to the gym before the sun comes up."

"Think he might say no?"

"Not when its Marinette. Not when she needs him."

"Good. And tell him to bring coffee. Mari will be much more forgiving when she's pumped full of caffeine and sugar."

Alya looked at herself in the mirror, immensely proud of her and Nino's quick thinking.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was getting a date this Valentine's Day, even if she didn't actually know it was a date.